FHB: Chapter 15

Lucius thought over what Tanya had said and though he disagreed with the way she looked at things, he decided to make it up for his failed attempts at cheating. In all honestly, Lucius would have dusted his palms and pretended nothing happened if not for the sudden arrival of a clever idea. He had a special gift of turning things around for himself, and his gift was about to make his situation a win-win.

Walking past the perfect’s lounge, Lucius headed straight for Professor Slughorn’s office. With each step came a string of words he could use to buy favour, words his father failed to teach him while the Dark Lord did.

No, Lucius never had a real conversation with the Dark Lord before. Lucius had only seen him a few times when he came to stay in Malfoy Manor. But every time he came over, Lucius would stand outside the hidden room door and listen to the discussion he had with his followers. Everything he said was full of confidence and conviction, and Lucius wanted to emulate him.

Even though Lucius was not sure if he really wanted to join the Death Eaters, he knew he wanted to be as great as the Dark Lord. If it meant making a name for himself and bringing pride to his family, then he wouldn’t mind being under a ludic lover of power. How bad can things go, right?

By the time Lucius was outside Professor Slughorn’s office, the door opened and the two found themselves face to face.

“My dear boy, what are you doing here?” Professor Slughorn asked.

“I need your help, Professor. I think I made a mistake,” Lucius replied.

“Come on in. Would you like a drink?” Professor Slughorn said, as he ushered Lucius to the armchair near the fireplace.

“No, thank you.”

“Very well. Tell me what happened.”

“As you know, students have been buying O.W.L and N.E.W.T papers for the upcoming examinations. I happen to be one of them.”

“My God!”

“Sir, you know I’m not a cheater,” Lucius quickly continued, “I only bought the papers to find out who was distributing them. I know it was foolish of me to take things into my own hands, but I knew the culprit had to be caught.”

“I see,” Professor Slughorn replied. He showed no expression of belief or disbelief, which made Lucius a little worried.

“This man does dealings in The Three Broomsticks. I don’t know his name, but I remember his face. I was planning on telling Professor Dumbledore tomorrow, but the spot check this morning made me look guilty.”

“Who found the papers you bought?”

“Tanya Lovegood. She did not report me, but she told me to admit to my actions. If I told her I am innocent, she would not believe me. That is why I came to you, Professor. If you tell them you told me to find out who the culprit is, we could both get a good rapport with the ministry,” Lucius said. His words were a mess and they came out all wrong, but it seemed to be working.

“Well, honestly boy, you shouldn’t have gone snooping around. You will make your parents very disappointed with you! But I won’t let a good student ruin himself over the urge to be a hero. Tell me who this man is and we will see Dumbledore together.”

Lucius nodded and described the man to the best his memory could recall. When Professor Slughorn bewitched a quill to draw according to Lucius’ words, the result was surprisingly identical. After Lucius confidently said the drawing was spot on, the two of them went to see Professor Dumbledore.

That night, Professor Dumbledore’s office was graced with stacks of illegal exam papers and the company of a few Ministry of Magic officials. Lucius had seen them in newspapers before, and by the way they tilted their heads upwards he knew they held quite a status.

When Professor Slughorn handed them the drawing of the man, they were rather shock. They questioned how certain he was and Professor Slughorn gave Lucius the chance to explain what had happened. Though Lucius knew Professor Dumbledore was sceptical, the officials looked pretty convinced.

“This is shocking, Albus. He is one of our trusted advisors in our education department,” one official said.

“Are you very sure this was the man that sold the papers to you?” Professor Dumbledore asked, still unsure on what to believe.

“Yes, Professor. I have never seen the man prior to purchasing the papers.”

“Trust me, the boy has a good memory,” Professor Slughorn said.

“We believe you, young man. What is your name?” another official asked.

“Lucius Malfoy, sir.”

“Ah, Abraxas’ boy. Your father would be proud.”

Lucius replied with a smile and a nod.

“Well, then. We better get this issue sorted out. Thank you for your effort, Horace. We could use people like you in the education department.”

Professor Slughorn chuckled before saying, “My heart is with my students.”

“You taught a fine one,” the official pointed out.

“Why, thank you.”

“You know, the ministry is looking for fresh faces,” the official said as he turned to Lucius, “would you be interested in an internship? It would do you good if you ever want to work with us in the future.”

Lucius could not believe what he was being offered, but at the same time he was unsure if he should take up the offer. His father wanted him to be a Death Eater, and there was really no need to get a job after graduation. If only Lucius could ask his mother what she thought… she always had the best answers.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should accept or decline the internship!)

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FHB: Chapter 14

“He’s my father’s friend,” Lucius replied.

“Oh, he is? Does he work in the ministry?” Tanya asked.

“Yes. My father asked me to return him some money.”

“Can’t your father do it himself?”

“He’s busy.”

“I see. Well, I thought you should know that the professors think some students are buying papers. Apparently, the deal is always struck here.”

“Really? I didn’t know.”

“Of course not. You’re not the type to be buying papers.”

Lucius chuckled and said, “You know me so well.”

Tanya replied with a smile and Lucius nodded before hurrying down the stairs. When he was back on his chair surrounded by his housemates, he found the uneasiness had not left him.

Entering the great hall the next morning, Lucius took quick glances at the professors and found them acting suspicious. He briefly wondered if his perception was altered by his cautiousness, and found it to be true when Professor Dumbledore left the hall just before the arrival of the owls.

Lucius caught himself heaving a sigh, as the professors did not act out of the ordinary when the parcels began falling. His attention was so focused on them that when a parcel fell onto his lap, he jumped out of his seat.

Students turned their heads almost immediately, but when Lucius glared back they quickly looked away. Not thinking twice on how suspicious his next action may seem, Lucius slid the parcel under his cloak and left the great hall.

There was some time before his first class, so Lucius hurried back to the common room and unwrapped the parcel on his feathered bed. Beneath the string and brown paper, Lucius found three thick parchments, each binded with string. The cover page had the official ministry chop and right below it was the name of the subject.

Lucius flipped through the pages quickly and was convinced he was holding the real deal. Hiding the papers at the bottom of his trunk, Lucius hurried back to class and lied about handling a sick student.

As the day carried on, Lucius found himself counting down the hours. He was both fearful and excited at the same time, and that concoction of emotions sent him straight to his feet when the last class of the day ended. But as he strode out of class, he found himself stopping in his tracks. Down the hallway were three older prefects, and they were storming towards them.

In his mind, Lucius weighed out the option of running or waiting, and when he chose both he walked towards the perfects and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Do you know who Gilbert Puffett is?” the Gryffindor prefect asked.

It was hard not to know Gilbert Puffett. He was the Hufflepuff boy that bragged about his mother’s self-soaping dishcloth all the time.

Nodding his head, Lucius led the prefects to the group of Hufflepuffs he just had class with and pointed at the unsuspecting boy.

“Gilbert Puffett, you’re called to the disciplinary office,” the Hufflepuff prefect said with a croak, clearly embarrassed at whatever offence Gilbert had made.

“Why? What did I do?”

“You know what you did, unless you want us to tell your friends?”

Lucius saw Gilbert hesitating, but eventually he nodded his head. Just as the prefects were about to escort Gilbert, one of them turned to Lucius and said, “We need an extra hand. Could you head to the prefect’s lounge right away?”

Lucius was tempted to ask what for, but instead he said, “Sure.”

The prefect’s lounge was just beside the teachers’ office. As Lucius entered the cosy room, he saw a group of prefects his age. An older prefect was briefing them, and when they saw him they gestured him over.

“Split up in twos or threes and take a list. Leave the N.E.W.T students to us,” the older prefect ended.

“What’s going on?” Lucius asked.

“There was a spot check and O.W.L and N.E.W.T exam papers were found in students’ possessions. Weren’t you assigned to do the checking?” a Ravenclaw prefect asked.

Lucius shook his head as his throat dried up. He wished he was among those assigned for the spot check and couldn’t help but wonder if his name was on the list.

Just as he decided to find out, a group of prefects returned and among them was Tanya. Tanya waved him over and gestured to leave the room. Without hesitation, Lucius hurried after her.

Once outside and out of earshot, Lucius asked, “You knew about the spot check?”

“I told you at The Three Broomsticks didn’t I?”

“Well, not exactly,” Lucius replied, struggling to hide the internal turmoil.

“Why are you so nervous?” Tanya asked.

“Were you assigned to do a spot check?” Lucius asked in reply.

“I was given the Slytherin common room.”

“Did you find anything?”

“We found quite a fair bit. I found yours too,” Tanya answered so casually that Lucius felt his heart falling out of his chest.

Immediately, his head began ringing with his mother’s disappointed voice and his father’s angry shouts. A wave of nausea also swept over him but before it did any damage, Tanya said, “I burnt them.”

“You… what?”

“I burnt them. Or did you want me to hand them in?”

What she did was very unlike her. Lucius could not believe how a law-abiding witch would break the rules for him. But just as he was about to thank her, Tanya added, “So, are you going to turn yourself in?”

“What?” Lucius asked in disbelief.

“What you did was wrong. You should turn yourself in.”

“I’m grateful you helped me, but you can’t tell me what to do. Friends don’t tell each other what to do,” Lucius quickly replied.

“I’m telling you as a friend, you have to make up for it.”

“Hey, what you think is wrong might not be wrong to me.”

“Your choice, Lucius,” Tanya simply replied.

“Is that a threat?”

“I burnt your papers, what can I threaten you with?” Tanya asked before turning on her heels and heading back to the prefect’s lounge.

Lucius knew the easiest decision was to return to the group and pretend nothing happened, but something inside him urged him to do the right thing. Lucius hated his conscience but in order to shut it up, he had to make a firm choice.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should say something or leave it as it is!)

FHB: Chapter 10

“Can I speak with you?” Ms Evans asked.

“Regarding?” Lucius replied, as he watched Tanya say her goodbyes and leave.

“I want you to leave Severus alone,” she said.

“Who?” Lucius responded. His honest question for being temporarily distracted came off sarcastically.

“Severus, my friend?”

Lucius gave her a long look before asking, “Why?”

“You’re bad for him,” Ms Evans answered boldly.

Lucius gave a false chuckle. “I think you are mistaken. The poor boy has no other friend but you, and one day you’ll leave him too. When that happens, I’ll be the only one he has left.”

“I won’t leave him.”

Lucius smirked. “We’ll see.”

He didn’t bother to stick around and argue with the girl any longer, as he walked off and politely excused himself from Professor Slughorn’s dinner party.

Lucius thought he had managed to leave Ms Evans behind, but when she left the office after him, he knew she was not done.

“Malfoy!”

Did she just call me by my family name? Lucius asked himself silently. She was not going to get away with it.

“I’ll have points deducted from your house for your lack of manners,” Lucius immediately replied.

“I don’t care. I don’t know who you are or why you act like you own this school, but I’m not letting you bully me,” Ms Evans shot back.

“You don’t know who I am?” Lucius asked, curious as to why.

“Why should I?”

“Don’t your parents teach you?”

“They taught me well enough,” Ms Evans paused before she continued, “just not about this world.”

“Oh, so you’re a mudblood too.”

What’s wrong with Dumbledore? All these mudbloods are ruining our prestigious institute. Father must hear about this, Lucius told himself.

“What’s a-”

“Dirty blood. You don’t belong here. You’re not a real witch, you’re filth to our society,” Lucius answered her unfinished question.

“That’s discrimination! I’m just like you, I-”

“Don’t ever compare yourself to me, Ms. Evans. You are nothing like me. I’m of noble birth and my bloodline is pure. Yours however, won’t account for anything if it’s spilled,” Lucius spat.

Ms Evans innocent looking face flared up. She looked like she was about to throw a punch.

“Touch me, Ms Evans, and you will be expelled,” Lucius warned.

“How low can you go to threaten a child?” a familiar voice asked from behind him.

When Lucius turned his head to look, he saw Tanya standing a few feet away. Almost instantly, his anger turned towards her.

“You lied to me! You almost made me a fool!”

“You are, for thinking yourself better than everyone else,” Tanya replied.

Lucius shook his head to calm himself down. After weighing out the different replies he had in his head, Lucius said, “You see, that’s the problem with you mudbloods. You are all ignorant fools, thinking you are special being here. Go on and live in your fantasy world, but be careful, you don’t want death bursting your little bubble.”

Lucius did not stick around to explain further and he stormed off. When he finally returned to the common room, he swung his hand at a lamp on the nearby table and with a crash the room fell silent.

“What, what happened?” one of his so-called friends asked.

“Severus!” Lucius called out instead. When nobody responded, Lucius demanded, “Where’s that boy?”

“He’s not back yet, I think,” another so-called friend replied.

Just then, the common room door swung open and Severus entered. His eyes were locked on the ground and he only looked up when Lucius blocked his way.

“What’s with you?” Lucius asked.

Severus looked as though someone had called him a mudblood. It was the kind of reaction Lucius was hoping from the little brat just now.

Severus gave no reply as he looked at everyone in the room. All eyes were on him, and his mind was visibly blank.

Noticing the problem, Lucius turned and asked, “What are you guys doing standing around? Shouldn’t you all be in bed?”

An older prefect immediately started ordering the crowd to their warm beds, and soon Lucius and Severus were the only ones left.

“So, what’s with you?” Lucius asked again.

“Nothing,” Severus replied softly.

“What do you mean nothing?” Lucius gave Severus’ shoulder a squeeze in hopes to lead him to the sofa by the fireplace, but as he did Severus quickly pulled away and yelped in pain.

“What happened? Did you forget to jump on the enchanted stairs?”

Severus shook his head, but his lips were still sealed.

“Stop being a coward and tell me what happened,” Lucius demanded.

“I- I- the other boys were rough,” Severus managed a reply.

“What other boys? Boys from our house?”

“Gryffindor,” Severus said softly, as though saying the house name might do more damage.

“Name,” Lucius merely said. It sounded like a statement more than a question and Severus took a while to get it. When he finally did, he muttered, “Potter.”

So the rough little boy went by the name of Potter, eh? Lucius thought as Severus stood awkwardly with a hand rubbing his shoulder.

“I’ll handle this, Severus. But tomorrow, tomorrow you’ll be hanging out with Avery and Mulciber. They are very funny boys,” Lucius simply said.

Severus nodded and headed straight to bed. Lucius however, stayed a while longer. What should he do? Should he leave it to the professors or should he handle it himself?

“You see Ms Evans, Severus needs me,” Lucius whispered just as the flames in the fireplace puffed out.

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Lucius should leave it to the professors or handle it himself!)

Chapter 37

Joanna wondered when she was going to die. At that moment, death was such a welcoming thought.

“You’ll be alright,” the voice said again. Then she felt someone touching her face gently.

Tom, Joanna thought.

“Joanna.” His voice was not so faint anymore.

As though death was giving in to her wishes, her eye’s briefly cleared up and she saw Tom hovering over her. A relieve swept across her once aching heart, and the only pain she now had to bear was the one in her body.

Joanna tried to keep her eyes on him when she saw a tear roll down his cheek. Trying to utter a word, Joanna knew that if she failed, it would be the end.

When she could not managed to even mutter, she felt her world slowly slipping away.

“Joanna! Please stay with me!” Tom shouted.

I can’t, Joanna thought.

“Joanna! No, please! Please don’t go!” Tom’s voice slowly dissolved into a whisper.

Soon, there was no more air to breathe in, and no more pain to bear. It happened so smoothly, Joanna did not even realize it.

“Joanna! No!” Tom tried to prop her up but she slipped from his grip.

It did not struck him before, but now it did. Staring at the red glistening blood all over his hands and cloak, Tom realized that he made the biggest mistake in his life.

Joanna was the only one who made him human. She gave him the ability to feel, if not for others at least for her.  He never knew he could feel, and the wretched sting in his chest made him wish he could turn back time. Why was he so blinded by power and revenge when he could have the one thing he never had all his life, love?

The bed she was lying on was soaked with blood that the smell started to make him dizzy. Tom slowly backed away from her body, trying not to fall over the furniture in the motel room. His hands where shaking and no matter how hard he tried, they wouldn’t stop. Just like the tears that fell from his eyes.

Clenching his fist, Tom shuffled to a table and slammed his hands on it. He let out an angry yell before he started trashing everything in the room, until he collapsed by the side of the bed.

He could not look at her, for if he did, all he saw was regret. She was the only one who accepted him without fear or hate. She actually loved him, and he actually loved her. He hated himself for not telling her that. He hated himself for not choosing her. He hated himself… for being weak.

Dumbledore killed her, he thought, wiping his wet cheeks dry.

Finally being able to compose himself, Tom stood up and called for Nagini. At the sight of Joanna, Nagini became upset and started to hiss. Tom wished the snake did not have to make things worse, and he was tempted to kill it when it started asking questions. But then he realized that Nagini was all he had left.

“Don’t worry about it Nagini. We’ll have our revenge,” Tom said as the snake slithered right next to him.

“No more games. No more distractions. No more weakness,” Tom added. He closed his eyes briefly, as though bringing himself back to his ‘real’ self, and when he opened his eyes, flames started to grow from thin air. They rose up the walls and slithered onto the bed like a fiery snake devouring its prey; curling and twisting all over the room as the walls blackened and the furniture were torched.

“Everyone who ever crosses me will suffer. Especially that old man. He thinks he knows it all but he has seen nothing yet.”

By the time half the room was engulfed, the flames slowly drew back, as though it had enough.

Finally turning to face what was left of the room, Tom found Nagini wrapped around a skull that now sat on the bed.

Tom watched briefly before he looked up at the gloomy afternoon sky, through the hole in the ceiling. He often wondered how he could find peace is something so plain. A blink later, he found himself looking at the very same sky, just darker and on a different day. There were no stars, and it was a perfect canvas for his dark mark.

A spell shot out into the night sky shortly after, and when it exploded, a skull appeared with a smoke imagery of Nagini, slithering around it and through its mouth.

“That’s for you,” Tom whispered. “And so will everything else.”

Tom knew that was not what Joanna would have wanted, but he told himself that he had no choice. She was now a mere memory and her memory would not be the cause of his downfall, but the reason for his success.

“It’s time the war ends. Tonight will be the night,” Tom said, looking at what was left of Hogwarts; the place he once called home.

“What do we do now, my lord?” Bellatrix Lestrange asked cheerfully, like a child eager to take on every carnival ride available.

“We wait,” Tom replied shortly. He didn’t like the woman, no matter how hard she tried to please him. She was just not Joanna. If only she could take a hint without him having to kill her.

“Do you think he will come?” Bellatrix hurried to his side.

“He will.”

Tom knew the boy well enough, and if there was something they both understood, it was sacrifice.

Chapter 36

Joanna ran into the streets, right in the middle of firing spells.

Joanna concluded it was impossible to find Tom, when she saw all of those on his side. They all dressed in black with a mask over their faces. What she was told earlier, on there being only 30, Joanna knew there was a major miscalculation. The ministry and the opposing force were equally numbered, heck, they were possibly outnumbered.

How did Tom gather such an army? Joanna asked herself as she attempted to run out of the crossfire. She fired a couple of spells and defended many more as she tried looking for Tom.

It was a stupid idea to even attempt a search, but Joanna was stubborn as a mule. She was not meant to be in this fight but now she was. Soon, she found herself trying not to die, and her previous goal was abandoned. One spell after another, Joanna could not even take a breather. There were just too many of them, and a rainbow of deadly spells were constantly above her head.

Joanna was certain she couldn’t keep up and tried to flee from the angry clash of good and bad, but being right in the middle of it all, Joanna was stuck. She was physically stuck, and her position was all too familiar.

She was stuck in the middle all these years, with Tom being bad and her desire to be good. It was only then, did she realize that she was never going to be able to get out of it. Because no matter how hard she tried, every turn led her right back to the center.

I can’t do this anymore, Joanna thought. She wanted to give up, and not realizing it, she stopped firing spells.

“What are you doing?” someone shouted at her.

Among the screams and yells, Joanna wasn’t sure who that was.

“Joanna!” the same person shouted at her, before grabbing her wrists and pulling her deeper into the crowd of masked men and women.

Oddly enough, she did not even struggle. Was it at all wise to be walking towards the enemy?

By the time she realized it, she was already behind enemy lines. And then, Tom pulled off his mask and yelled, “Get out of here! Now!”

“Come with me!” Joanna replied immediately.

“No. You have to go!”

“I won’t go without you!”

“Joanna, please!”

“Tom, I can’t leave you,” Joanna said.

The enemy’s line was slowly retreating and they found themselves in the battlefield again. Joanna could see the struggle in his eyes and she was certain he would go with her. But her hope of saving him was trampled when someone called at Tom from behind her.

Joanna quickly turned to see who it was, and when she did, she did not know how to react.

Dumbledore had his wand pointed at Tom with a merciless look on his face.

“End this now, boy!” Dumbledore ordered.

Tom laughed and replied, “Make me!”

Dumbledore raised his wand above his head before bringing it forward with a spell. Joanna watched as a string of green light escaped the tip of Dumbledore’s wand. It traveled right towards Tom, and as though time had slowed down, Joanna saw how unready Tom was for the spell. Not thinking twice, Joanna pushed him out of the way and took the hit for him.

No, it was not the killing curse. It was something else. Probably Dumbledore’s very own spell. A pain shot through her body from where the spell hit her. It reminded her like the Cruciatus curse, but this one was different. Joanna screamed as she felt the pain travel through every vein in her body. It was still bearable until it shot out from every direction, like growing thorns along its branches. And those thorns felt as though they were piercing through her skin from the inside out.

In the midst of the on going chaos both externally and internally, Joanna felt someone pick her up and within a blink of an eye, the shouting of spells sounded distant. Her eyes were watering and sight of where she was, was nearly impossible. All she could think of was dying, because the pain was ripping her apart, literally.

She could feel her blood trickle down her arms and her clothes were getting damp. Those thorns really ripped through her skin as puncture wounds started forming.

Who would cast such a spell on anyone? Joanna thought.

As the thorns made their way to her chest, breathing became too difficult. She found herself suffocating on top of the agonizing pain.

“You’ll be o.k. Don’t worry,” a faint voice said.

Joanna attempted to reply but her throat had tightened up. No matter what that person said, Joanna knew she was not going to be o.k, and all she wanted was to see Tom, even if it was for the last time. But if indeed she was taken by her fellow colleagues, Joanna knew her dying wish was never coming true, and the pain in her heart became far worse than the thorns.

To Be Continued…

Chapter 35

Joanna hurried to a small closet before she apparated to five different places before she headed to Tom’s house. She didn’t want to be followed and she knew Dumbledore still did not truly trust her. When she entered the house, she started shouting his name, but she heard no reply.

Entering the reading room, she found the darkness and the cold so unwelcoming.

“Tom?” Joanna shouted but the only reply she got was dead silence.

Immediately she headed to his bedroom, and when she entered, it was the same; dark and cold.

“Nagini?” Joanna called, and even the snake was no where to be found. Joanna felt like she had just missed them and there was a sudden tightness in her chest. She was afraid for him, she was afraid of loosing him.

“Tom, where are you?” Joanna whispered as she sat on his bed and stared blankly at the floor. She was trying not to panic, trying not to give in to the fear, trying not to cry.

Just when she thought she was just wasting her time, she heard him.

“What are you doing here?”

 “Tom?” Joanna looked up and saw him standing by his desk. Immediately, she got up and ran to him. She threw her arms around him and she felt him return the hug.

“Tom, the ministry knows about the muggle attack,” Joanna suddenly pulled back and warned.

“The ministry knows about what?”

“Don’t try to play dumb. That muggle town, you were planning for a muggle attack weren’t you? You have to call it off! The ministry are sending aurors in the moment the attack happens!”

“I’m not calling it off,” Tom replied with a straight face.

“People will die if a battle starts!”

“It is too late to call it off. Everyone are at their positions waiting for my orders.”

“Tom please,” Joanna whispered her plea, hoping that it would have a different effect on him.

“Sorry,” Tom said as he made some distance between them.

“Tom, don’t do this. I can’t lose you,” Joanna said.

There, I said it, I admitted it, Joanna thought to herself.

“I won’t die. You’ll see me again,” Tom replied as he shifted his gaze away from her.

There was a short moment of silence before he walked up to her, placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, before disapparating.

Immediately after he disappeared, the tears fell, because Joanna knew she wasn’t going to see him again. Falling to her knees she attempted to control her sobs, but it was impossible. She had a very bad feeling and she couldn’t shake it off.

After multiple attempts of trying to calm herself down, Joanna forced her way back to the ministry. Even at 6 in the morning, people were still bustling around, but the crowd was thinner than it was before.

Joanna slumped on her desk and caught a couple of hours of shut eye before she was wakened by her colleague.

It was 10 in the morning when teams were being sent off one by one into the small town. There were easily 50 of them up against a rough estimate of 30 dark witches and wizards.

Joanna was in team B. The team where 10 of them were to try and get as many muggles to safety. She was glad she didn’t have to be in the battle, but she was still afraid she might have to watch it all go down.

At 10:10, she apparated into an alley where she charmed a mother and child to return home. Just as she watched them disappear into safety, she saw a sign on one of the shops on the main street. The sign read, ‘Erlton Motel’. Was that where Tom was staying?

Ignoring the shouts of her teammates as she dashed across the soon to be blood wet streets, all Joanna could think about was stopping Tom. Entering the strangely empty motel, Joanna hurried up the stairs and onto the first landing. Was she going to knock on every door? She had to try.

When it came to the fourth door with no answer, she felt like crying again. Just then, the next door opened and Joanna’s draw dropped.

“What… Joanna?” Malfoy managed to ask in shock.

“Malfoy?”

“What are you doing here?” they asked each other simultaneously.

 Neither of them answered.

“Where’s Tom?” Joanna quickly asked.

Malfoy did not answer her question. He just stared at her, unsure on what to do. Just before he could say a word in reply, they heard it. Screams, yells and eruption of spells; the fight had begun.

Malfoy immediately said, “I’m late.” Before attempting to walk pass her.

Joanna pulled out her wand and pointed it right in his face.

“Where’s Tom?!” Joanna demanded.

“Where else?” Malfoy answered, backing away from her. When he realized Joanna had lost her interest in him, Malfoy ran pass her to join the rest.

Where else, Joanna thought.

She had to save him. Or she had to trust he would be safe, like he assured. Whichever she had to do, it was no easy decision.

To Be Continued….

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should wait for the fight to end, or attempt to do something!)

Chapter 34

Not wasting anymore time, Joanna chased after Tom. As her feet took quick steps, her mind was coming up with a reasoning that would convince her more than Tom. Hoping that they could both forget what they saw, Joanna entered the reading room blurting out her thoughts. But when she realized that Tom wasn’t there, she stopped mid way.  Sighing to herself, she slumped into the sofa and stared at the flames in the fireplace.

“I’m sorry,” Joanna said with a sigh.

With that, she left. She did not bump into Tom much after that incident, and if she did see him, he would vanish before she could say his name. Soon, she was back at work in the Ministry. Days got busy again and she barely had any time to herself. Some nights, she found herself missing Tom and his company. Even Nagini came into mind. She wished she didn’t have to work so much and that she could still spend some nights talking to him in his reading room.

If she ever told all her inner thoughts to her friends, especially Annoria, she would have been told that she was in love. But that was stupid wasn’t it? How could she love a boy she hated at the same time? Her own Jiminy Cricket would prove her wrong. Sure she hated his dark side and his desires, but she loved everything else.

“This is confusing,” Joanna always said to herself every time she tried to find out how she felt for Tom. It became tiring just trying to figure out something she was denying with all her might.

“Focus Joanna, focus!” Joanna scolded herself every day when her mind started wandering off into the world where she was with Tom. Those worlds were the only time Tom existed in her life these days, but when a new case came up at work, Tom had reappeared in reality.

“We have information on a muggle attack,” her team leader announced at one of their morning meetings.

“What information?” her colleague asked.

“A team of Aurors have been spying on a few suspicious gatherings around the country, and word was being spread about a group attack on muggles,” her team leader explained.

“Where?” Joanna immediately asked, hoping it was not the place she saw in Tom’s file.

“A muggle town outside of the city called Maryfields.” Her leader began handing out pictures of the place.

Immediately, Joanna’s heart sank. She was not going to snitch on Tom but how was she going to be part of this? Tom was involved in this group attack and Joanna did not want to have to face him on the battlefield.

“When?” her colleague asked, snapping her back into the meeting room.

“We believe it would be happening this Sunday. We already have a team stationed there to keep an eye out. But right now, we need to form teams and be ready to go in when it happens. We do not want innocent blood to be shed over the actions of some attention seeking morons,” her team leader said, clearly angry.

They were all angry. Except for Joanna. She was confused and worried for Tom.

Since Sunday was two days away, she helped in spreading the information to everyone on the long list she was given, that she did not even have time to use the bathroom. It was impossible to escape her team for even a couple of minutes and she wondered how she was going to try and tell Tom.

On Saturday night, a couple of important people from the ministry decided to drop by their office. Together with them was Professor Dumbledore. Oh, how Joanna did and did not wish he was there!

“Do you think it is possible to arrest the culprits before anything bad happens?” Dumbledore asked.

“We have been trying to catch them in the town, but it is almost impossible. They might not even show up till Sunday itself.”

“Ah, well. That would probably be their plan. Their leader … is smarter than we think,” Dumbledore said and turned to Joanna.

I’m not their leader, Joanna thought and then realized what he meant. Dumbledore was suspecting Tom.

And just as Joanna predicted, after the brief with the ministry officers were over, Dumbledore caught up with her and asked, “Have you seen Tom recently?”

“No. I haven’t seen him in years,” Joanna lied and continued, “You think he is involved?”

“Yes, I’m certain. I know that boy, and this is just his first act. Probably testing the waters,” Dumbledore said.

Joanna did not know what to say, because Dumbledore was probably right. “Don’t worry Joanna, I’ll be going with all of you tomorrow,” Dumbledore added.

“Great,” Joanna replied before excusing herself.

She needed to see Tom, she needed to warm him before it was too late. But there was so much to do that night and everyone was keeping everyone accountable, she couldn’t leave. If she did, she would be taking a risk. But as Joanna started pacing up and down by her desk, she realized that no one even said a word to her. Was it possible for her to sneak off?

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should stay or leave to warn Tom!)

An Extra Tea Cup

He sat on the old sofa, facing the unlit fireplace, staring blankly at it as though waiting for something to happen. Occasionally, he would take a quick glance at his watch, and would state to himself the minutes left before his arrival.

Typically, every year during the Christmas holidays, he would have driven to King’s Cross Station and waited for the arrival of the Hogwart’s Express. This year, he was pretty sure he didn’t have to, even if he wanted to. His son would show up all by himself, as he did all year round.

He often asked his son how he managed to slip out of school grounds, and if it was breaking any school rules, he would forbid him to do so. But his son assured him that since he was in his final year, he was given special privileges.

“There’s no harm father,” his son always said.

Strangely, it never really occurred to him how his son came home. Surely he did not use the floo network as the fireplace has not been used for a year now.

“I should ask him how he does it, my sweet sweet boy,” he said to himself.

Taking another glance at his watch, he realized his son was half an hour late, which was never the case.

“Cerena, your son is late,” he shouted to his wife.

Cerena appeared at the living room doorway and smiled to him weakly.

“He’s late. He’s never late. The train must be delayed. Should I check with Dumbledore?” he added.

“There’s no need my love,” Cerena replied with a smile. “Would you like some biscuits and tea?”

“Yes dear, that would be very nice.”

Just as his wife disappeared into the kitchen, he heard someone walking up behind him. Getting up quickly to see if it was his son, he was disappointed to find the cat, looking up at him like he was insane.

“What are you looking at? If it wasn’t for my son, you would have been gone by now,” he said angrily to the cat, who gave a meow in reply.

Taking another look at his watch, he started to panic. Why was his son late? The delay couldn’t be close to an hour, could it?

As his wife laid down the tray on the coffee table, he started pacing up and down. He felt it odd that his wife did not worry at all. Aren’t the roles suppose to be the other way around?

“How can you be so calm Cerena?” he asked his wife, slightly annoyed.

“Sit down dear. Have some tea. It will calm the nerves.”

Sitting down and taking the cup of tea from his wife, he noticed how there were only two sets of tea cups on the tray.

“Aren’t you having tea?” he asked his wife.

“I am. Why…” Cerena drifted off, as though realizing her mistake. “I just washed the other cup, and I’m drying it out. I’ll bring it out later,” she quickly added.

He nodded his head and continued sipping his tea. It was indeed relieving.

Moments later, the door bell rang. Jumping from his seat, nearly spilling over the remaining tea in his cup, he rushed to the door and pulled it open excitedly. There, on the gravel pathway, stood his son, smiling from ear to ear.

“I’m sorry for being late. The train was delayed. I hope I did not worry you?” his son immediately said.

“Oh, you worried me alright, but don’t worry about it,” he said, as he ushered his son in. “Your mother and I was just having some tea. You must join us and tell us all about school!”

Entering the living room, he announced, “Look who’s home!”

“Hello mother,” his son greeted.

Cerena looked up from her tea cup and smiled. She then got up and disappeared into the kitchen.

“Take a seat. Your mother is getting you a cup,” he said.

Not waiting for his wife to return, he immediately asked, “So, how’s that girlfriend of yours?”

“Father, she’s not my girlfriend,” his son replied blushing.

“You took her to the ball last year, that says a lot.”

“It doesn’t. We’re not going out anymore.”

“Why is that? Who stole her from you?” He narrowed his eyes, wondering who dared mess with his son’s interests.

“Father, forget it alright,” his son said and added, “Why is mother taking so long?”

“Don’t change the topic boy. I will not have anyone take away what is yours.”

“She’s not mine. She’s not an object to be fought over.” There was a hint of exasperation in his voice.

“Fine. At least tell me who she is with now.”

“She’s with Harry,” he replied softly.

“Harry Potter? Why? Why would she choose him over you?”

“Father, let’s drop this. You are clearly upset.”

“I AM upset. Harry Potter is nothing compared to you. You are the Triwizard champion, not him!”

“Father-“

“No, I must speak to that little nuisance! Who does he think he is?!”

Right at the peak of his anger, Cerena walked it, without the extra tea cup in hand.

“What took you so long? And where is Cedric’s cup?!” he demanded.

Cerena just looked at him and to the empty chair he had been speaking to for the last ten minutes. She didn’t know what to say.

Maybe… maybe it was time she gotten him the help he needed.

Chapter 29

Once she had said yes to Nyla, the second half of the year sped up so fast. Time really flies, even in the magical world. The exams came and went, and Joanna was certain she did well enough to confirm her a spot in  the ministry once she graduated. Though Joanna and Tom had made up, they were merely on ‘hello’ terms, and slowly but surely, they grew apart. Joanna could not see how she could support Tom as an auror-to-be, and Tom did not want to associate himself with anyone that had to do with the ministry; but they did not see each other as enemies, rather the friend that was once close.

Finally, the year came to an end and as Slytherin, once again, took the house cup, the mixture of groans and cheers made Joanna wish the year could have ended later. Hogwarts was like the home she never had, and even though she had to go through the ups and downs, she made friends whom she loved dearly, that would have included Tom if she wasn’t so unsure about how she felt about him.

Once the ‘Goodbye and good luck’ speech was given by Professor Dippet to the graduating class, the night ended with hugs and wishes among the seniors. Some of the juniors stayed back in the great hall to say their goodbyes, as the following day, everyone would be boarding the Hogwarts express and most of them wouldn’t see each other for a while. Joanna was sure to thank the teachers first, and when she came face to face with Professor Dumbledore, her prediction of what he would say came through.

“I’m glad you’re taking up the Auror job. It’s a very good career,” Professor Dumbledore said with a smile.

Joanna merely returned the smile and nodded. She wasn’t so certain if it would be a good career, considering all the battle scars one would collect over time.

Finally thanking all the teachers, who ended saying the same thing about her job offer at the ministry and how she did rather well without failing a single subject, she naturally headed up to Tom.

Since she knew she wouldn’t be seeing him again she thought that an appropriate goodbye should be said.

“So, I heard you’re the top of the class again,” Joanna said, diverting Tom’s attention away from a junior who kept smiling at him without saying a word.

“Yes, I did. You did pretty good yourself,” Tom immediately replied, turning his back against the junior who narrowed her eyes at Joanna before storming off.

“You have an admirer.” Joanna chuckled.

“Annoying,” Tom said as he rolled his eyes.

“Well, what are you planning to do?” Joanna asked, out of curiosity.

“I thought of coming back, to teach.”

“Teach?” That surprised Joanna.

“Yea. Defense against the dark arts,” Tom said.

“Defense against the dark arts?”

Wasn’t Tom for the dark arts? Not against the dark arts? Joanna thought to herself.

“You look shock. Why?”

“I just thought… I mean… it’s not really you to-“

“It’s an interesting subject,” Tom said with a smile. A smile that hid his ulterior motives, but Joanna didn’t bother to pry.

“Well, all the best!”

“You too,” Tom said.

“I’ll see you around,” Joanna added, before she headed towards Annoria, who had been calling her over for the last one minute.

…..

One year into her training at the Ministry of Magic, Joanna was finally promoted as an official Auror. She was assigned to a team and her first so called mission was to track down a wizard who was putting spells on muggles to do his biding. Once that mission was over, another one came, followed by many many more. It’s strange how some wizards loved abusing their magical abilities, even on harmless animals. Most of them were rather disturbed and Joanna was sure she have not met the worst of the worst just yet.

With all the work, Joanna realized that she had not spoken to her friends for months. This auror job is taking up a lot of my time, Joanna thought, as she sat down one night just to reply the letter Annoria had sent her three months ago.

Hoping to catch her breath, the following day, Joanna requested a one month leave, which was supposedly the unclaimed holidays she lost over hunting down crazy wizards. Once it was confirmed, she wrote another letter to Annoria, hoping to meet up.

Annoria must have been extremely free or jobless as her owl returned quickly. Two days after that, they met at the Three Broomsticks and recollected the days where Joanna took Matilda up on a duel.

“I thought you were going to kill her!’ Annoria said, laughing at the memory.

“I thought so too. Wow, I miss those days.” Joanna indeed missed those carefree days.

“Your job is pretty demanding huh?”

“Who knew animal cruelty would fall under our jurisdiction,” Joanna replied.

“Seriously?’

“If the animal was used for dark magic that is. So, what are you doing now?”

“I’m working in Gringotts.”

“Is it not busy? Aren’t Goblins rather demanding?”

“No, not really. I handle most of the paperwork, but it’s not something magic can’t do by itself.”

“That’s good.”

“You know what I heard? Tom was offered jobs in the Ministry of Magic. Is it true?” Annoria continued, clearly wanting to do some gossiping.

“I don’t know. I’m rarely in the office. Who did you hear it from?” Joanna was now curious on how Tom was doing.

“Friends of friends in the ministry. But they said he turned them down, for whatever reason. He disappointed a lot of people.”

“Tom never liked the ministry, it would be against his secret oath or something to work in it.”

“But that’s just a waste of talent. I heard he’s working at Borgin and Burkes now. YOU should pay him a visit.” Annoria failed to hide her smile.

“You should come along with me,” Joanna casually replied.

“I don’t like Knockturn Alley. It’s creepy. But you should go, I mean, you haven’t seen him in a while, and he could have only gotten more handsome than he was before,” Annoria teased.

Joanna laughed as Annoria winked her eye at her. Should she pay Tom a visit? Or should she just scrape the idea all together?

To Be Continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should pay a visit or ignore the suggestion!)

Chapter 28

“You’re not worth it,” Joanna simply said.

Immediately, seeing that there would not be a duel, the crowd slowly dispersed.

“Typical Hufflepuffs, weaklings as usual,” Matilda shouted, hoping to attract only Joanna’s attention, but ended up stopping all the Hufflepuffs in their tracks.

Clearly noticing her mistake, Matilda quickly hurried off, with her posse following after her like lost puppies.

Just as Matilda disappeared around a corner, an announcement boomed overhead and Professor Dumbledore’s voice sent everyone silent.

“Attention all final year students, please proceed to the great hall immediately.”

“But we have class,” Annoria said in reply.

“No astronomy, I’m fine with that,” Joanna said, as they began following the small crowd towards the great hall.

Once they had arrived, the great hall had been rearranged. The tables and benches were stacked up against the wall, leaving a huge empty space in the center. At the teacher’s table was Professor Dippet, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Merrythought, and three people whom Joanna suspected to be the aurors.

“What is going on?” Annoria asked.

Asking the same question to herself, Joanna hoped it had nothing to do with Tom and his horcuxes. And when she spotted him at the corner of the teacher’s table, she sighed a small relief.

“Recruitment drive,” someone answered Annoria’s question from behind them.

“It’s not that easy though,” another student added.

“They didn’t do this last year,” Annoria said.

“Shortage in staff,” Joanna replied, and the students around her chuckled softly.

Some of the prefects began to ask students to move forward, as everyone was crowding at the back of the hall, and none dared to break off from the group.

“We are not going to hurt you,” the female auror said.

Cautious laughter followed with the crowd slowly shuffling forward.

“My name is Nyla and we have been told by Professor Merrythought that you are one of Hogwarts’ finest badge in defense against the dark arts. So, a few of us has decided to fish out the talented ones to join our force,” the female auror explained.

“You’re not going to try and kill us are you?” a Gryffindor student asked. He was bold enough to speak up, but clearly not so brave after all.

“Of course not. We’re going to run this recruitment test just like how we do it in the ministry. It is legal and safe, trust me,” Nyla answered confidently.

Nyla was a slim, tall and pretty, middle aged woman, and her two fellow colleagues were men, one of them taller than Professor Dumbledore, and the other slightly shorter than Nyla. All three of them had battle wounds, but Nyla did the best job at hiding hers.

Just as Joanna had finally studied them all, she noticed that the three of them had positioned themselves at the front of the hall. They were pulling their wands out so slowly that Joanna was certain she was the only one that saw. Instinctively, she pulled hers out slowly as well.

“What we’re going to do today,” Nyla paused when she spotted Joanna with her wand, and then she continued, “is to test your speed, accuracy and creativity in a combat duel, especially when you’re caught off guard.”

Immediately after she had spoken, her two colleagues started firing spells at the students. Screams and yells echoed throughout the great hall as students were running towards the exit.

Joanna, with her wand at hand, blocked off as many spells she could while she yelled for the ones around her to take out their wands.

“What. Are. They. Doing?!” Annoria yelled in between the piercing screams.

“Fishing out the talented ones,” Joanna shouted in reply.

A few other students started emerging from the crowd of hysterical students with their wands, defending the flying sparks of all colors that was heading towards them.

“I. Can’t. Keep. This. Up. I’m. Not. Good!” Annoria said, now losing breath as the aurors did not sop.

Having her attention diverted to Annoria for just a second, Joanna did not see a spell that was intentionally meant for her. The moment it hit her on the chest, she flew all the way to the back of the hall, and landed onto one of the stacked tables.

Pain rose from her joints as she tried to stand up. Being slightly above the crowd, she saw Nyla aim another spell at her.

“Why is she picking one me?!” Joanna said to herself.

Quickly dogging the red spark, Joanna fired a spell back at her. It was no longer a game of defense.

Joanna watched as Nyla blocked off her spells as they started heading towards each other. She was sure they would finally come face to face when one of Nyla’s colleagues decided to come to Nyla’s aid.

This is unfair! Joanna thought.

Joanna looked around to see if anyone would come to her aid, and when she saw Annoria on her knees, having given up, Joanna knew she was done for.

The next spell that hit Joanna sent her wand out of her hand as she landed on her back. As she laid on the ground, not wanting to move, she heard the spells stop and the screams slowly died down.

“Fished out the talented ones already?!” Matilda shouted from under her tears.

Joanna couldn’t help but laugh.

“I believe we have,” Nyla said. A loud click came from the doors of the great hall, and Matilda stormed past the once locked doors.

“She wasn’t very good, Nyla,” Professor Merrythought said as the crowd watched Matilda leave.

“You can all return to your dormitories now, class is cancelled for today,” Professor Dippet announced, and some of the angry and upset students decided to let go of their grudges immediately.

Finally sitting up, Joanna scanned the hall for her wand. When she saw it lying 10 feet away, it was being picked up by no one other than Nyla.

“I believe this is yours,” Nyla said, as she walked towards her.

“Thank you,” Joanna replied as she took her wand.

“You gave a real good fight.”

“Thanks.”

“Ever thought of becoming an auror?” Nyla asked.

Was that an offer? It must have been. Joanna had never thought of becoming an auror, considering her family’s background, but just the thought of finally being able to break her family’s curse was hope she never had before. Should she take up Nyla on the offer?

To be continued…

(Leave a comment below or vote on whether Joanna should become an auror!)