Disclaimer - I DO NOT OWN 'HARRY POTTER.'
A/N: Welcome to Dragons Among Serpents. The story is complete, I'm just editing before I upload and I will try to post as often as I can. (I started today because obviously it is Draco's birthday :D). I intend to have the full story uploaded in approximately two months, perhaps three. This chapter is completely told from the perspective of my original character Ryuu (pronounced Ree-you). Everything up to fifth year is canon. This story starts in fifth year, although the plot is quite different to the book. There is no Secret Keeper for the Order of the Phoenix. Also Dragons Among Serpents is dedicated to Reeah Noseworthy, who I cannot thank enough.
BETA: Reeah Noseworthy.
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Chapter 1 – Eyes of Blood
Ryuu
I jumped as the clock chimed its chorus of 'London Bridge is Falling Down' jerking my head upwards as the minute hand struck twelve. Dammit. I quickly marked my page and jumped from the longue. I didn't usually procrastinate like this, however the novel my mother had gotten me for my birthday was highly enrapturing. Clamping my fist onto the handles of the garbage bag I swung it over my shoulder and skipped towards the door. I laughed to myself, as I realised how foolish I must have appeared, hauling a sack of garbage over my shoulder like Santa gone wrong. Line up, kids. You've been a jerk this year. Have some trash.
Adjusting my shoulders to the weight, I hurried out the door, through the corridor and down the stairs, bustling passed Maria Roswell. My neighbour threw me a look of contempt as I wished her a complacent good morning and reached the foyer. It was eerily quiet, but I supposed that was expected of Grimmauld Place. As far as I knew, there weren't any children here and everyone else seemed to keep to themselves. However, I still knew all of my neighbours names, but I had a knack for remembering names.
I paused at the foot of the stairs. Sunlight poured through the windows by either side of the front door. The strange old man sat on the lone armchair playing chess with himself. Upon hearing my arrival he turned his head and gave me a wink. I nodded back, maintaining our usual routine, and tried not to smirk as Mr. Cornwall – who I'd nicknamed Mr. Creepy - turned back to his game. I glanced out the window, to see that there was no garbage truck in sight. Either it was late, or I was.
The summer breeze warmed my face as I stepped out the front door. A smooth peace layered the London morning, but I could taste a crisp chill in the air that promised rain. The bells of Big Ben continued to chime, stopping when they had reached ten. The startling cry of ravens caught my attention as they took flight from the rooftop. My mother hated all kinds of birds, especially the ones that haunted the nooks and crannies of urbanisation. As the fluttering of the raven's wings died out I heard a distant whir of an engine and knew the garbage truck would be here soon. I turned and walked across the pavement, which was dyed in the long twisted shadows of the trees in the courtyard across the road. Once I'd passed number 3, 2 and 1, I turned into the small alley cramped in between the beginning of Grimmauld Place and the old building next to it. The alley was deserted, the high walls showing rows of closed windows above me. Although the space was narrow, I glanced up at the lightening morning sky and took a deep breath. The rusty old silo bin was jammed at the very end of the alley, a mountain of garbage bags scattered over it like feathers on a crow's wing. Standing on my tiptoes, I hauled the rubbish over my shoulder and threw it into the silo, flexing my fingers.
Now all I have to do is homework…I grimaced at the thought of having to rewrite my notes for History of Magic, seeing as Dusk had thought it a great idea to use my original ones as a scratching post. Although I loved him, the kitten had been a troublesome creature ever since he'd arrived on my birthday. However he was getting better, after I'd trained him. My father had scoffed when I'd told him that I had taught Dusk how to sit and stay like a dog. Yet, it was true that the cat could follow these simple commands, however: "Don't attack the shower curtain." was completely foreign to him.
"Miss Veil?"
The familiarity of the voice clicked in my head and I paused. Surely not? I turned to see a tall lanky man in a shabby suit emerging from the shadows. He was staring at me, wearing a confused expression. His greyish brown hair didn't conceal a set of three large scars that spread up the left side of his cheek and onto the tip of his eyebrow. He stood in front of the exit from the alleyway, the sunlight highlighting his unkempt suit. "Professor Lupin..?" I began, feigning uncertainty. People usually didn't like when you knew who they were in a surprise confrontation without looking at them. "Is that?– Oh. My apologies, I haven't seen you in two years."
"What are you doing here?" his tone was guarded. And his brown eyes narrowed in a cautious way that I hadn't seen him use before. It was strange, the way he was looking at me. I remembered back to third year. He had been one of my favourite teachers, and I had received an exemplary mark for Defence Against The Dark Arts. I couldn't think of any reasons why he would be angry with me.
But it would have been naïve of me to ignore the distinct spark of annoyance that set his jaw in a lock and the suspicion that clouded his stare. Normally, whenever I'd looked at Professor Lupin when I was thirteen I'd seen traces of self loathing, a deep suppressed fear, but overall – a good hearted nature. The truth of my analysis had been cleared when his identity as a werewolf was pronounced at the end of the year – a fact I'd guessed at a few times because of the scars on his face and from what Professor Snape had been lecturing us about in his teachings.
However the full moon was far away, which meant that he must have been annoyed at a previous experience or at my presence. Perhaps both. One thing was clear. It would have been unwise of me to use the immediate smartass response that had come to my head as soon as he'd asked the question. So I went with a safer option.
"I live here," I said, keeping my tone polite and conversational.
He took a step closer, his shabby shoes clacking on the cement. "Who sent you here?" Lupin questioned, voice low and hesitant, but persistent all the same.
He's on edge. My eyes caught the fingertips on his right hand twitch nervously. I cast my mind back to third year. Yes, Lupin used his quill with his right hand. Which means he also uses his wand with that hand. The nerves in the back of my neck prickled as I tried to decide whether the finger twitch was a habitual yearn for his wand, or a nervous tick. Proceed with caution, and get out quickly, my instincts told me. Something about this entire situation was unnerving – that Lupin was here at my home, questioning me like I'd done something wrong.
"No one sent me here." I said coolly. I prepared myself for an unexpected manoeuvre. Lupin raised his eyebrow and I mentally cursed. Obviously he'd caught on to my discomfort. I straightened my shoulders, letting my body language slip into a state of indifference. He took a step closer. I took a casual step back.
"Ryuu Veil," he began, "you were in my class, right? Yes, you were quite good at the Dark Arts."
Intimidation. He's using the knowledge he knows about me to try to threaten me into telling him something. But what does he want to know? Why would he go to such lengths just because someone's putting garbage away? I smirked. Maybe he lives amongst the rubbish bins and is worried about trespassers. He took another step closer. No, there was clearly something more to this. I breathed in deeply and moved towards him. He was wary, and I was about to find out why. I prepared my facial expression and pitch, slipping into the character.
"Okay." I sighed in defeat. "You got me."
His shoulders relaxed a little. "How long has Fudge known about us?"
Fudge? Unless it was a ridiculous code word, he could've only been referring to the Minister of Magic. I wondered why he was worried about the Ministry 'knowing about us'. The use of us worked in my favour. Lupin was feeling responsible for more people than just himself. The pressure's getting to him. What was even more intriguing was his assumption that I had something to do with the Minister of Magic – as if the Ministry was working through a fifteen year old girl. How strange. Suddenly, this all seemed very interesting to me, and I decided to investigate further. I'd already come this far.I snorted. "Like I'd tell you that."
Reaching into the pocket of his jacket, he produced his wand and pointed it at me. A silence fell between us and he raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'Do I have to ask again?'
Shit. Look what you've done now, Ryuu. I forced myself to remain calm. Lupin was a teacher – the good kind. His natural instinct would go against striking down a young girl. This must have been a pretty dangerous game Lupin was playing, if he was worried about the Ministry finding out his secrets. I stared at him knowingly, continuing to keep my face blank and going over his words in my head. "Long enough to know what you're all planning," I smiled and added smoothly, "You think you can threaten me with a wand? I have Cornelius on my side – you can't touch me."
His eyes widened, and I knew I'd struck gold. Now he was really worried. However, I was still concerned about his wand. Of course, I didn't have a wand on me because magic wasn't permitted outside of school. In fact, I didn't have any weapons at all. What I did have was an unused hanky in my sleeve, and a sickle in the back pocket of my jeans. Not much to use against an agitated werewolf who could wield magic. Several strategies whirled through my head, and I quickly began to form a plan, hoping my emotions weren't slipping to the surface where they'd be visible.
"Is that so?" Lupin's eyes wavered. He lowered his wand slightly, thought better of it and pointed it at my head once again, advancing several steps. I folded my arms behind my back, fingers tugging at my sleeve, so I could feel the soft cloth protruding out into my palm. The gap between Lupin and I was significantly smaller now. My heart fluttered nervously in my chest, and I mentally hushed it into a calm, steady beat.
Lupin was getting closer and I was very aware of the tip of his wand pointing at my brain. I blinked away the stress and continued talking, anything to distract him as my hand slid into my back pocket and found the sickle. "We know where you are." It was a punt into general estimation, but I got the reaction I needed.
He froze, and I grinned. I'd struck a nerve."What do you know about Headquarters?"He blurted, eyes widening.
Nothing. "Everything."
His hand clenched uncomfortably around the hilt of his wand. I felt a twinge of guilt, but ignored it. He was the one who was out of line here. Who did he think he was, threatening an innocent bystander? Besides, I was so close now. The sickle was pressed into the palm of my left hand and the hanky hung loosely from my right. My nerves were bubbling at the surface, but I repressed them. What I was doing was risky, and I needed my wits about me.
"So," I continued, letting the sickle slide from my palm. "What are you going-" the coin hit the ground with a loud ping that echoed off the stone walls around us. Lupin jerked in shock, the hold on his weapon lightening. Quick as a flash, I flung the handkerchief up at his face, and he stumbled back a few paces. I ducked under a spell that he fired out of reaction, grabbed his wrist and twisted. His yelp of pain was muffled by the hanky which still clung to his face, it's laced edge draped over the bridge of his long nose. With a sharp pull, Lupin's wand yielded from his hand and I held it in my own, mildly surprised at how unnatural it felt in my grasp.
I straightened, pointing the unfamiliar wand at its owner. Lupin had now regained his balance and was gaping at me, speechless as I took a step closer and he moved back. I couldn't help but shed a private smirk. Mid sentence attacks never failed – especially when you incorporated an extra element of surprise. Or even two. I'd considered whether or not I could use the hanky, and decided that I should. Lupin was experienced and stronger than me, and being short and unarmed I'd have to steal his advantage. I was still a tad shocked that I'd managed to pull that incredibly unlikely sequence of events off so smoothly, but didn't let Lupin see that.
The former Professor still seemed aghast. He carefully raised a hand, taking a breath and assuming a slow, drawn out voice. "You…aren't allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts."
"Try me." I said coldly, my expression hard.
He pondered this for a moment then tilted his head to the side slightly, in a kind of sideways nod. "Well, you should know this. Fudge is – irrational." He said to me clearly. "You shouldn't be working for him."
"Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" This was just all too easy. I didn't even need to think about what to say. "Cornelius isn't irrational. He knows what he's doing – and because of me, he knows how to get to you."
Lupin stepped closer and I raised the wand higher. He stopped, regarding me with concern. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and spoke again, deciding each word with deep consideration. "Listen to me very carefully, Ryuu. The position you are in is only putting you in further danger." His tone was serious, and I felt my act dripping off like rainwater. "You may not understand now, but you are not safe with the Ministry and…the others." The way he said that made a shudder run down my spine. "It's not too late," Lupin continued. "I remember you, Ryuu – a good student. Don't get involved with them."
I kept the wand steady. What was he talking about? At first I thought that Lupin was up to something fishy and didn't want the Ministry to know, but what he was saying worried me. The tone he was using was laden with so much inner meaning that I wasn't aware of. The look in his eye screamed danger, but not from him. Danger for me. He was warning me, and obviously concerned for me. I started to think that I'd read this scenario backwards. All I knew now was that I was done with acting, and wanted in on the truth, because now – I was getting a really bad feeling.
I lowered the wand slightly and watched his shoulders relax a little. "What's going on?" I began. "Who did you think I was, what's wrong with Fudge, who are you in a group with, why are you challenging the Ministry and who are 'the others?'" I demanded.
For a moment, Lupin stared at me in utter confusion, brown eyes searching my own. Then, when the realisation hit him, he sagged and cursed under his breath, shaking his head in dismay.
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After Lupin got over his initial reaction of shock and disgust, he finally started telling me about the Order of the Phoenix. There was no point in him trying to deny its existence now. We sat on the curb in front of Grimmauld Place, the ravens flitting like independent shadows in the trees across the road.
I found it hard to believe all he was saying was even real. I had lived here my entire life, and it was a mysterious fact that Number 12 Grimmauld Place was simply not there. Now that the truth behind the matter was revealed I felt immensely stupid. My magical blood should have been able to notice the existence of 12 Grimmauld Place, but I hadn't been looking for it. When I came back to my home after being in the magical world, I found myself enjoying the consistency of muggle life. Although dull sometimes, it was the life I had known for eleven years. Now that I thought about it, there had been times when I'd wondered about the numbering system in Grimmauld Place, but that was when I was a very young child. My father had said to me:
"I'm not entirely sure. Maybe it used to be there, but had to be knocked down for some reason."
I had then asked: But, if they did knock it down, wouldn't there be a space where the building used to be?" At this, my father hadn't replied and instead took a photo of buildings 11 and 13 side-by-side.
However, Lupin explained to me that the building could only be seen and accessed if you were standing directly on its doorstep. "Well," I said, my voice instantly assuming a stern but eloquent tone, "Technically you should pay us rent."
"What?" Lupin replied, one eyebrow raised.
"Your living here. My father owns every building in Grimmauld Place, and every tenant has to pay us rent for every month of their residency."
"Your father doesn't own Grimmauld Place." Lupin chided lightly. In the way that all educators do, Lupin went into a brief yet elaborate history about Grimmauld Place and the creation of the Order. As he continued to ramble I made a mental note to bring up the rent issue later. I pretended to be listening intently but really was more fascinated that this secret society existed, right under the Ministry's nose. I could see how it made sense to have this clandestine group during the magical war fifteen years ago, but to have it running again now, made me suspect things that I didn't like. Lupin added kindling to my sparks of suspicion when he turned the conversation to recent events.
I honestly didn't know whether the Dark Lord had returned or not, but what I did know, was that someone had killed Cedric Diggory. I would have been generally shocked if the murderer had been the only witness to the event, Potter. Everyone knew that he had done some strange things in previous years, but murder? No. He wouldn't have been able to do it even if he'd wanted to.
Thinking of it logically, He–Who–Must–Not–Be-Named returning would be more plausible than other things I'd heard. But I was still on the fence. Hogwarts didn't teach us anything about You-Know-Who in class, and he was barely mentioned in lessons about the war. Besides, I said to myself. He died years ago. It's impossible to come back from the dead, even with magic.
But from what Lupin was saying, and when I remembered back to the events from last year, a horrible churning hit my stomach. At the Quidditch World Cup there was a riot of Death Eaters – followers of the Dark Lord. Professor Moody turned out to be an imposter, also a Death Eater. And Diggory dropped dead in the final task. A niggling feeling of dread squirmed in the back of my mind, and no matter how much I tried to ignore it, it remained stoic like a cancer.
Lupin continued. "Fudge is refusing to believe You-Know-Who's return. He's paranoid and seeing enemies at every corner, except for the ones in his direct vicinity." Lupin sighed, shook his head and spoke in a low monotone. "We, as the Order, believe that Fudge is being manipulated by Death Eaters, and that You-Know-Who has affiliations within the Ministry itself."
He let the sentence hang and fester in the air, before I mustered up the words to say. "Well," I began, still trying to repress the horror of the moment. "It wouldn't be the first time. What with Barty Crouch Junior…"
"Exactly, you're correct Ryuu." He turned his gaze on me, expectation etched on his face. The sick feeling in my gut only amplified. I quickly rose to my feet, realising that I still had Lupin's wand and returned it to him. I glanced at my watch. It was only half past ten, but perhaps I could make an excuse.
"Well…" I fumbled on the word. "It's been lovely chatting with you Professor, but I'm afraid I have to go. Back at school in three days, and I've got lots of packing to do…" I lied.
I got halfway towards my navy blue door marked with a golden four before Lupin called after me. "Wait, Ryuu. I have something to ask of you." I turned back to face him, repressing a cringe. I knew what that tone meant. Lupin placed his hands in his pockets and regarded me with an even expression. "Well, two things actually." He smiled. It was a kind smile, and seemed to make his entire face look brighter, despite the scars.
I regained a non chalant composure. "Sure."
"Firstly, I am no longer your teacher, so I would ask that you simply call me Remus."
"Okay, Professor."
He opened his mouth to continue, before snapping it shut at the unpredicted disobedience. Again he tilted his head to the left in a sideways nod, accepting my rudeness."Secondly, I'd like to invite you to meet the Order of the Phoenix."
The request was so abrupt and undeniably commanding that it was now my turn to perform a sideways nod. "Pardon?"
He laughed slightly. "Come now, Ryuu. You didn't think I'd just let you walk away with all of this information did you?"
I felt my eye twitch and tried to calculate how fast I'd need to run to make it back to my apartment. I felt my heart beat faster as I kept up the conversational demeanour. I laughed colloquially. "So – you're going to kill me to keep me quiet?"
Lupin looked hurt and he shook his head. "Of course not- no. Merlin's beard, Ryuu. Do you take me for a Death Eater?"
"Then what do you want from me?" I asked cautiously, eyeing him to see if he was lying.
"Honestly, I think you could provide some valuable contributions to the Order." The statement struck me hard. It had been said in such a Professor-ish manner, but it had still been a compliment. Praise was a weakness of mine. My mother used to jape that I'd turn to jelly at the slightest word of congratulations. Somehow hearing something nice said to me from someone I barely knew made me falter. Valuable contributions? He wanted me to join the Order? I mentally shook myself back into practicality. I tucked a blonde curl behind my ear. "Hmm…I don't know…"
"How about this," Lupin said, walking forward. "I could show you around Headquarters, and you just see what you think."
I frowned. Instantly my mother's voice soared through my head. Don't talk to strangers, Ryuu. Don't follow strangers, Ryuu. Don't even look at strangers, Ryuu. If anyone suspicious comes near you, run. He could've easily made up this entire thing as some kind of trap. But surely that wasn't the case. I knew Lupin – well, I knew him well enough. Dumbledore trusted him at least, and, even though I didn't know Dumbledore personally, I knew he was child friendly. He owned a school. Plus, a large part of me really wanted to see this secret HQ.
"Okay then Professor," I nodded. "But I hold your wand."
Lupin hesitated as my demand sunk in. He opened his mouth to protest, but with one look from me he performed another sideways nod and handed over his wand. "Fair enough." He said gruffly. I slid the wand into my jacket pocket as he led me towards number 11. I moved to stand behind him, and staggered when he suddenly held up a hand to stop me. Before us, stood the towering old figures of number 11 and number 13.
"Think about the numbers." Lupin muttered. "Quickly now."
For a moment I was perplexed before I realised. I stared at the old bricks. The numbers. 12 Grimmauld Place.
I felt my eyes widen when I saw the illusion of the bricks disappear to be replaced with what had really been there all along, a large aged wooden door. When I glanced around the door, I saw a darkened twin of the buildings surrounding it, windows blocked and with creeping vines poking out from splits in the brickwork. The timber of the door was a dark grey and the silver serpentine door knob gleamed at Lupin's touch.
"Wait." I said, "What happens if I go inside and don't join?"
At this, Lupin paused. He turned back to me, tapping his fingers on the doorhandle uncomfortably. "Well…that would be the part where we wipe your memory."
I rolled my eyes. "Ooh, goody. Sign me up."
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After Lupin had closed the door behind us, I felt like I had been transported two hundred years back in time. The entrance hall looked exactly the same as the one in my building, aside from the fact that it was completely different. Where usually the walls were painted with lightly toned bright colours, these were papered with sullen, aged prints that were torn and smelled like mould. Where normally there was a clean tiled floor there was a musty thick carpet decorated with intricate designs that I couldn't make out because of the layer of dust that covered them. Instead of natural light seeping in through the windows, the place seemed to be bathed in a constant state of night with candles dotting the gloom. The flames had obviously been cast, because their light beamed brighter than any normal fire did, and the room seemed as bright as it would if the windows were open. Although the hallway ahead was narrow, the roof was tall and spacious, which I was thankful for. Portraits lined the walls, most of them rather exquisite and all of them alive. Rather than Mr Creepy greeting me with a wink, the hatstand beside the door removed my coat and hung it off one of its brass hooks. The entire place breathed magic, and after having spent so long in the muggle world where things are annoyingly normal, it was a sigh of relief.
Lupin began to guide me through the house, talking about its history all the while. I was only giving him half of my attention. That's the thing with teachers. Whether they're in school or not, they always try to educate you. As I walked down the main hall I noticed a curtain covering half the wall and stopped in curiosity, sliding Lupin's wand into my pocket. As I leaned my ear against the black cloth I could've sworn I heard sounds behind it. I opened my mouth to ask what was behind it when Lupin desperately hushed me into silence and pulled me a few feet away.
"You mustn't make too much noise around her." Lupin warned quietly.
"Her?" I whispered back.
"Madam Black." Lupin explained, walking on. "She used to own this house. We keep her portrait covered because…let's just say that the artist captured her perfectly."
Eventually, Lupin led me to a room and told me to wait there. Once he had left, I observed my surroundings. The room consisted of a long ornate table that appeared too wide to fit inside the space. No décor lined the walls, but there was more candles in this room than I had seen in any others. There was only a small gap left on either side of it for people to walk through. Surrounding the table, were eighteen chairs. They were all of different variety; some were old fashioned plush armchairs, others rickety wooden stools. One in particular looked like a seat from a public bus. Yet despite their unusual attire, each seat looked personalised. This must be where the Order holds its meetings. I moved to the head of the table and admired the biggest chair of all. It belonged in a lounge room, which was why it appeared so salient in this area. The lounge chair was a deep purple colour with a faint imprint of floral patterns on the cushions. Although old, it appeared well kept, with its golden trimmings kept in neat shape, without a single loose thread. So this is where the King would sit…
My daydreaming was interrupted as I heard approaching voices. The door squeaked open and Lupin entered, another middle aged man close behind him. Before either of them could look up into the room, I was flat on the floor, hiding behind the lounge chair with my heart hammering in my chest. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! I should never had come here, it was all a ruse. The face of the second man was unmistakable – I'd only needed a brief glance to know that. I'd seen it so many times before; laughing chaotically in newspapers and on posters. The notorious murderer who escaped from Azkaban. Sirius Black.
A silence thickened and curdled in the room before Lupin's voice sounded from the doorway. "She was just here a moment ago…"
My shoulders shook as Black spoke up in a surprisingly smooth tone. "Wouldn't be the first time you brought me to meet a girl and she turned out to be non-existent."
I heard Lupin's footsteps coming up from my left and peered around the right side of the chair. Clear. As quiet as a spider I sidled around the chair and began to crawl along the floor, listening to Lupin and Black bicker. Lupin brought me here to kill me, He didn't have the guts to do it himself, but his colleague Sirius Black would. My hands shook with every move I made. My head was pounding and I was biting my lip so hard I drew blood. I mustn't die! I thought in panic, and tried desperately to repress my fear.
"What's going on, Remus?" said another voice as someone unknown entered the room. Great, I thought, reinforcements. As Lupin began to reply I scurried along the floor until I'd reached the end of the table. There was now about two feet between myself and the doorway, but it seemed like a mile. I knew I'd have to be quick, and hurriedly tried to prepare myself.
"Hey, who's that?" said the new voice.
Shit. I leapt to my feet and began sprinting, clumsily whacking my hand against the doorway as I dashed into the corridor. When I ran past the curtained portrait a high pitched raucous wail erupted from behind the drapes. "Mudbloods! Blood Traitors! Filth in my home!" Madam Black was not a pleasant woman. Madam Black. Sirius Black. Of course! I cursed myself for being so stupid.
I could hear running footfalls behind me and Lupin's cry of: "Wait, Ryuu!" The front door was in my sights. The panic was whirring away within me and all I wanted was to get out of here. I pushed past a ginger haired frumpy woman who gasped in shock. There was a noisy clang, and when I looked back I saw that I'd knocked the platter of cookies from her hands. For one insane moment I almost shouted an apology out of instinct, before remembering that I was being chased by a mass murderer. I kept running, the pounding of my feet muffled by the carpeted floor as I turned my head back to the door and ran head first into a tall, black figure. I was knocked aside, crashing into the kindly hatstand and sinking to the floor, head throbbing painfully from an unexplained impact. My heart was still racing, but my body was moving too slowly. I was bleary eyed when the hand pulled me up by my arm into a semi- standing position. "No!" I yelled suddenly, and thwacked and the hand's tight grip with a fist. I wearily noticed more people arriving at the scene, from the stairs and from the hallway, and suddenly the horrible screaming ceased. "No!" I began to kick and struggle at my captor, but they held on relentlessly. "Let go of me!" I hissed.
"Gladly." The recognisably slick tone said, and the grip on my arm stopped. I staggered back against the hatstand once more, which pushed me into a standing position. Even though I knew the voice, I still couldn't believe my ears, so I let my eyes investigate. Sure enough, there was the tall, lean, scowling form of Severus Snape, wearing his customary black and a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Professor?" I exclaimed.
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Never had I felt more awkward than I did now.
Every pair of eyes in the room was fixed on me and the silence hung in the air like cigarette smoke. Each of the eighteen chairs was filled, including the 'Kings Chair' which I sat in. I had been wrong about its allocation however. This was the 'Subject's Chair.' There wasn't a single person at the table who didn't have a clear view of me and everything I was doing. Lupin's wand, which I had forgotten to use in my frenzied escape from Sirius Black, sat on the table before me. As I watched it slid across the wood, returning to the hand of its owner on the other end of the table. An enchanted teapot drifted from person to person, filling each teacup. Some people sipped at their tea, still regarding me with confused expressions. I glanced at Sirius Black, and he stared back acknowledging the distrust in my eyes. I had calmed down slightly when I'd learned that Snape was a part of the Order, and that had given Lupin enough time to say "Sirius Black is not a threat, Ryuu. He's innocent. Falsely charged. I should've mentioned before…I'm terribly sorry."
However despite this, I was still sceptical. Lupin had gone into a rough explanation about The Dark Lord and a man named Peter Pettigrew, which did fit into the story of Black's arrest well enough. However, before I'd taken one step back into the hallway I'd looked at Snape for confirmation and he'd simply nodded.
I looked over at the Professor, who was seated three chairs down from me to the left. He seemed to be the only individual at the table who wasn't staring at me.
When the teapot had finished pouring tea into my cup, Lupin cleared his throat and brought us all out of the intense fog that had settled over us. "Well, let this Order of the Phoenix meeting commence. I presume you're all wondering at the…recent events." His eyes slid to Black who's mouth twitched slightly. "That kerfuffle earlier on was simply a misunderstanding, nothing more." He quickly continued, nodding at me and pointing to the man seated next to him. "Right – this is Kingsley Shacklebolt…" I focused my eyes on each person individually as Lupin declared their names. Some sounded familiar, but most were foreign to me. I managed to relate each name to a face, and committed them to memory. I'd already embarrassed myself enough for one day.
"…and everyone, this is our guest Miss Ryuu Veil." Lupin completed, and once more all of the eyes swished over to me.
I figured I should say something and cleared my throat, thinking. "Hello," I began carefully, looking from Mad Eye Moody to the pink haired girl called Tonks. "I…" Sirius Black's eyes narrowed. And when I glanced around the table again, I felt myself flushing. "I apologise for the biscuits…" I managed to say, staring sheepishly at the ginger woman who I was surprised to find out was Molly Weasley.
The woman blinked before smiling warmly. "That's quite alright dear, I had another batch that was cooling down."
Now that the torturously drawn out waiting was done, Lupin recounted what had occurred in the alley, down to the last detail. I watched as the members of the Order listened, and felt a flicker of satisfaction when I noticed a few of them smirking when he reached the end. Sirius Black was one of them. "Remus, are you saying that you were deceived by a fifteen year old girl…" his tone was mocking. Lupin blushed. "…who managed to disarm you; using a handkerchief?"
Lupin's eyes flickered to the table and he coughed in discomfort. "Yes."
The man laughed into the back of his hand. "Oh, Moony! You are never going to live that down!"
Most people joined in with the minute laughter, including me. It really was quite funny, now I thought about it. The mood at the table had considerably lightened from when I had sat down. People weren't holding themselves as stiffly anymore, and actually seemed a lot more friendly. Black and Lupin whispered to each other, and Tonks joined in with a sly remark and a wink. Mundungus Fletcher leaned back in his chair, grinning. I observed him carefully as he stirred his tea with a small silver sugar spoon the table had provided. Slicker than grease he flicked the spoon into his sleeve and absently placed his hand into his coat pocket, flicking his wrist slightly to drop the spoon in there.
A smooth drone sliced through the giggle filled room. "If you've all finished chortling, I think it best that we attend to more pressing matters, the main priority being…why we are here." Snape fixed his gaze onto Lupin.
The room went silent. Apparently, no one knew the meaning of this meeting and everyone appeared interested. I shifted in my chair, anxious about what would come next. Lupin had hinted about recruiting me; but the formality of the meeting and the fact that he'd involved everyone made me think that he had more to say than a simple: "Join the club, kid."
Lupin stood up from his chair, face lined. "We all know that war will soon be upon us."
I never thought silence could get quieter.
I was wrong.
War. The word made a shiver course through me, and I felt an awful sinking feeling inside. Lupin had told me some conspiracy theories that I was as willing to believe as I was to deny, but he'd never said a word about war. How was I supposed to sit here quietly when everyone in this room thought doom would soon be upon us? But I held my tongue.
"I assume most of you remember how it started last time? You–Know-Who gathered forces. He chose entire families to serve him." Lupin said grimly. "He had trusted colleagues who He even shared his most secret schemes with." I noticed with surprise that a few people's eyes flickered to glance at Snape. However, upon noticing this he threw them a glare that would send chills up a lion tamer's spine; and they quickly looked away sheepishly.
Lupin continued. "Well, you will also remember that Hogwarts was attacked from the inside. Because of You–Know-Who's influence over their families, some of the students in the school were actually Death Eaters."
A chill pricked at my shoulders. Now that I hadn't known. I tried to imagine somebody my age fighting in a war, but couldn't. It was too unnatural an image. I wasn't ignorant of child soldiers, and the horrible things going on around the world. But that didn't mean I liked to think about it. "What's to say it won't happen again this time?" Lupin finished.
Everyone was staring off into space, clearly in deep thought. I hated to think about it, but what Lupin was saying was surely possible. It worked once, it'll work again. Nobody likes to think that teenagers would get involved with bad people, especially when they seem to be the everyday school student. If I was the Dark Lord, that's what I'd do. I raised my eyebrows. Did I seriously just think that?
A deep voice brought me back to reality. "What are you suggesting we do, Remus?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Lupin turned to stare directly at me. "We all know that He Who Must Not Be Named has a certain…affiliation with Slytherin house."
My heart sank. Of course he wants me to do something.
"I'm suggesting that we use Ryuu as a spy for the Order."
Oh shit. All of the faces swerved in my direction, but I only had eyes for anyone could open their mouth I quickly adapted a response."Me? You want me to betray my friends and leak information about them back to you?"
For one glorious moment Lupin's brown eyes wavered, before Snape cut in. "She's lying."
My eyes narrowed upon the black clad figure. "Excuse me?"
Snape raised his voice, yet it still sounded low and sinister. "Because of her blood status Ms. Veil has been disregarded by the rest of her house since her first year. As I understand it, she has made no alliances with anyone from Slytherin house."
Bastard. Snape had obviously realised that I was unwilling to do what Lupin asked of me, but he'd still sold me out anyway. I repressed my annoyance with pressed lips and simply threw him a look. Despite my cold stare, Snape appeared completely indifferent, with a pinch of undeniable smugness. Tonks spoke up from the far right corner of the table, her cockney accent moulding her words. "What do you mean by that?"
I turned my attention back to the table and held my head high. "He means that I am a muggleborn." I said clearly, my eyes darting around to see who would speak first.
Tonks's violet eyes widened. "And you're in Slytherin?"
I nodded, remembering back to the day when I discovered why all the other Slytherins ignored me. I had found the answer in a book called Hogwarts A History. Apparently, there hadn't been a muggleborn in Slytherin for 4oo years. It made me wonder just how old that book was itself. "At first the other Slytherins didn't take too kindly to the…" I paused to think of the appropriate word. "blemish that had befallen their perfect pureblood house." A few of the people at the table looked away from me with heavy eyes. "Over time that little game lost its fun and they chose to simply ignore me. Now," I felt my voice deepening so I sat up straighter and made myself appear non chalant. "they barely know I exist."
"Well, this is perfect…ain't it?" said Mundungus Fletcher, clearly oblivious to the sombreness of the moment. "You all heard what Lupin said. She'd be able to deceive 'em."
Murmurs of agreement coursed throughout the room. I leaned forward flattening my hands on the table and noticed Snape sitting perfectly still. I could see he was thinking the same thing as me
"What if I don't want to?" I said loudly over the ruckus.
Instantly there was a shocked silence and then several people spoke at once. Backfire responses of "Well, that's a bit short sighted" and "You'd be doing a good thing" flittered from mouth to mouth. Lupin held up a hand to silence the crowd and said "Let her speak."
I cleared my throat. The table waited for my verdict. "If I spied on Slytherin, that would be a huge betrayal to my house."
Mundungus Fletcher frowned, rocking back in his wicker chair. "…And?"
"And," I continued sincerely, "Slytherins don't betray other Slytherins."
Several sounds of derogatory amusement protruded from the Order. As one, Snape and I turned our attention to the main source. Mundungus stiffened at our synchronised actions like a rabbit caught in headlights. "I'm just saying' is all." He continued lowly. "By reputation, you snakes don't know much about honour."
I bristled, and stood up from my seat. "Is that so, Fletcher? Why don't you turn out you left coat pocket and show everyone how highly you regard honour."
An outburst of retaliation came from Mundungus who also stood up in his seat and made to move over to me. Snape also stood up and drew his wand, pointing it at Fletcher before he took a step closer. "Enough!" Lupin snapped, breaking the tension. His gaze switched only to me and the table settled down. "Ryuu, please. We could find out things that we weren't prepared for last time. Lives could be saved!"
I bit the inside of my lip and looked at Snape, my face a silent question. "I am extremely dissatisfied about the idea of my house being held under surveillance," he replied. "But I must agree. The Dark Lord has many plans; one would be a fool to deny it. This precaution could be of great use."
"Well, why don't you do it then, Professor?" I argued.
Snape sighed. "It may completely goggle your mind to think this, Miss Veil… but we Professors actually have work to do. It would be more prudent if the spy was among the source of information all the time; rather than just one lesson a day." His unyielding eyes locked onto me and I found it difficult to break their hold.
I sighed. Everyone was looking at me expectantly. "I need some time to think."
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The meeting was called off, and the crowd of people began to surge through the door. A few members spared a glance in my direction, including Tonks. Her curiosity was rewarded with a crashing sound as she stumbled and fell against the door. Clumsily, she straightened herself up, and left. And then the room was empty. I knew that it was always easier to clear my head if I was doing something, so I strolled out the door and began to explore the building, taking care not to make too much noise.
Lives could be saved. That's what Lupin had said. And maybe he was right, perhaps the things I would learn as a spy could highly benefit some people…and disadvantage others. If some lives are saved then it's possible that others aren't. And what if I failed - would my life be saved? No, I didn't like the idea of being responsible for the welfare of other people. I wasn't like my mother. How could I put myself in the mindset to save a life?
I rounded a corner. Besides, I wasn't sure how I would go about spying and sleuthing. Well, a voice in my head told me, you pretty much do that all by yourself. Although I wanted to deny it to save myself some time, I was right. There was hardly a moment when I could stop myself from reading between the lines and mentally questioning every move and word people made. Mostly it had become habitual, focusing on every detail of a person. I knew plenty more things about people than they expected, just from listening and watching. But to be fair, people didn't expect much of me in the first place.
Anyway, I thought as I ascended the creaky old staircase, If there is a war on the horizon do I really want to get involved? I'd learned about You Know Who from word of mouth and from what I'd heard, he was one of the most powerful wizards in magical history. If he did return, I didn't like the odds for the Order. And for people like me, muggleborns. I hated the warped views of the Dark Lord and his prejudiced followers probably more than most. I considered it vile to judge someone's worth by their blood. It was literally an equivalent to racism, sexism and homophobia – paradigms which have done wonders for the muggle world, I thought cynically. But opinions wouldn't keep my head attached to my neck. If there was one thing I'd learnt from being in Slytherin it was when not to speak my mind.
I stopped wandering as I was confronted by a door. I looked back the way I had come, but nothing seemed familiar. Dammit. You've gotten yourself lost now. I knocked, and wasn't surprised to hear a sing song reply of: "Come in!"
Stepping inside, I said, "Hey, I think I got los-" I froze. Oh Shit.
The large room contained six occupants. Sitting beside the fireplace was Hermione Granger, her impossibly curly hair tied back in a loose bun. Her eyes were averted downwards, scrolling horizontally across the pages of the immensely large book resting upon her lap. Several other novels lay piled on the floor beside her. All appeared read and re-read. A crimson lounge was crammed into the left side wall of the room. Seated upon it were three individuals. Ginny Weasley was reclining and squabbling with her brother, Ron, who said: "Shut up, Ginny. We're trying to talk about Quidditch here." The other person he was referring to was Harry Potter. He sat closest to the door, his palm resting against his temple. His bright green eyes appeared dull and unseeing – unusual for him. Opposite them were the Weasley twins. They were sitting on top of a table, the twin on the left drawing on a piece of old parchment. Every now and then, George, who had a freckle on his upper neck that his brother lacked, would show Fred the paper and ask: "What do you think?"
I slowly took a step backwards, but it was too late. They had already seen me. Before I could escape, the twins paused in their work and met my stare. In unison, they raised a hand of greeting and said "Hello." This seemed to catch the attention of the entire room. I imagined I probably looked like a criminal caught at the scene, only instead of blood on my face there was extreme discomfort. My eyes darted sideways to the empty hallway. They've already seen me now. If I run away, that'll look extremely suspicious. But I really didn't want to go in there.
"Would you like to join us?" asked Ginny with a polite smile.
No. You all disgust me. "Sure." I said simply, returning a fake grin. What else could I do? I'd guessed that the Weasley kids might be here because their parents were at the meeting, however I'd hoped I wouldn't run into them. Granger and Potter were a surprise. And not the good kind. I couldn't feign that I had somewhere to be, because of my unfamiliarity with the building and the Order's idiosyncrasies. It was likely that each person in this room knew the members of the Order, so I couldn't pretend to be Lupin's daughter. How annoying. I cursed myself as I entered and leaned against the wall. Conversation hadn't built up yet, and already my distaste for these people was swarming. A respectful silence flooded the room. They were all waiting for me to introduce myself. Typical.
Granger was the first to surrender. "I'm Hermione," she began to indicate with hand signals; "this is Ron, Harry, Ginny, Fred and George."
"I know who you all are." Stop it Ryuu. This is foolish. Although, I had to admit, it was immensely satisfying to see the look of embarrassment hit her expression like a brick wall.
Another silence. All of them were exchanging sideways glances at each other as if I couldn't see it. I waited for the next question. This time, it was Ron. "So, do you go to Hogwarts?"
"Yes. I've been in almost all of your classes since first year." My tone was venom, smooth and unwavering.
"Oh…" Ron's reply was vacant.
My irritation was growing, and I could feel traces of it seeping out. I was already in a bad mood, and to make me endure this embarrassment was a mockery. I didn't have the patience for these petty little hypocrites. Not today. I glanced at the door and knew I should leave. But my anger was an archer, and I was far too frustrated to leave without firing off at least one arrow. So I let myself laugh. It was only a small giggle, but I conveyed enough by it to communicate it was derogatory. The twins glanced at each other and Ron flushed. As expected, Ginny flared up. "What's so funny?" she said hotly.
"Unbelievable." I was still mocking, and felt my lips smirk. "It's just like first year all over again. I suppose you want me to introduce myself and tell you how great you all are." At that comment I spared eyes for Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Everyone was looking at me as if I had just spontaneously caught fire. But Harry was the worst. He sat silently, glaring deep in my eyes with a stare I'd never seen him use before, cold as a refrigerator and heavier too. He cracked his neck slightly and his finger twitched.
"What are you talking about?" said Ron suspiciously, who was standing up now.
"Just your judgemental personalities." I looked at each person, individually. The twins were both sharing the same frown. Ginny was now standing by Ron's side, her eyes fierce. Ron's expression was one of ninety percent confusion and ten percent frustration. But Hermione was looking at Harry with unease, and I could see why. Something in Harry's face seemed so…unnatural.
"I just find you all a bit suspicious. Nothing personal of course," I remarked with a shrug "besides the private bigotry you harbour." My tone was louder. "I never did anything to offend you, but one small look at my Slytherin tie and suddenly I was your greatest enemy." I snapped. I hadn't realised just how much I disliked these people until I'd started talking.
The twins slid down from the table. "You're a Slytherin?" Fred started.
"What are you doing here in HQ?" finished George.
"Exhibit A." I remarked coldly, leaning back against the wall.
Several insults flew at me from several directions. I ignored them all. I'd gotten what I wanted out of them, a reaction. A part of me knew how immature that was, but another part of me didn't care. They had all just been too easy to provoke, and it was strange how good it felt to just let loose and display people for the pretentious jerks they were. Ultimately, I knew this led to me being a jerk, but as everyone always said; nobody's perfect.
"You can't say that!" Hermione snapped, placing her book aside and getting to her feet. "Slytherins are awful to us – especially people like me, muggleborns."
I laughed at her ignorance. "Is that so?"
Suddenly, a hissing sound erupted from the lounge to the left of us. Harry slowly rose to his feet, his body tense and his messy dark hair covering his face. The entire room stopped and stared at the motionless figure. And then, almost robotically, Harry snapped his head up and threw himself at me. I flattened against the wall, screwing my eyes shut and preparing for the impact. But it never came. When I opened my eyes it was to see Harry being restrained by Ginny, Ron and Hermione as he thrashed wildly and yelled nonsensical words.
No, not Harry.
It's eyes were red and I couldn't tear myself away from them.
It's eyes were red and I was paralysed.
It's eyes were red and all I could do was listen.
It's eyes were red and I heard a deafening crack somewhere, far away. I paid it no heed.
And then it started talking. I didn't understand what it was saying, but I felt it was important, so I listened to every word intently. It sounded like it was hissing and spitting at me, and I was scared. I was scared of what I did not understand.
It's eyes were moved further away when hands grabbed at it. And then a hand went over its eyes of blood red –
I blinked, reality crashing back into place around me. My sight came first, and I vaguely realised how crowded the room was now. A glomp of bodies surrounded the still struggling form of Harry, who's eyes were covered by Lupin's hand. Suddenly, I could hear again and many voices were yelling at once.
"Ryuu!" Lupin shouted, "Run!"
And I did.
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Memories flashed before my eyes.
I was back in first year again. It was a lunch break. The grass was green and the sky was a cloudless pristine blue. All of the students emerged from the castle to relax in the warm weather. Everyone went off to their personal social circles. There were some third year boys throwing stones in the lake to provoke the angry wrath of the giant squid. A Gryffindor couple strolled through the gardens, oblivious to the environment around them. A Ravenclaw girl and a Hufflepuff boy were playing Wizard's Chess to the delight of several onlookers. The girl was clearly more experienced and after momentarily studying the board, she muttered, "Queen to E3. Checkmate."
A group of young Slytherins, both girls and boys were gathered under the shade of a large flowering tree. I recognised some of the girls from my dormitories. There was Daphne Greengrass chatting to a brunette called Tracey Davis. And there was Pansy Parkinson, who was trying to catch the attention of the popular blonde boy across the lawn.
My usual spot was underneath the walkway wall, about ten feet behind the tree. I walked along the grass, avoiding eye contact with the people in my house and hoping they wouldn't notice me. As I got closer to the tree, I hurried my pace slightly, relieved when I'd walked past and hadn't heard an insult.
Then out of nowhere there was a loud crack and an invisible force crashed into my back, pushing me face first onto the grass. For a moment I lay there, listening to the laughter drifting around me like wind. "Stupid mudblood…" remarked the nasal snarl of Pansy Parkinson. I knew that if I tried to get up, they'd trip me again. I waited until the joke had lost its fun and the chortles had died down getting up and brushing the loose blades of grass from my robes. I lifted my head as I heard laughter arise from in front of me. But this laughter was different. It wasn't cruel or mocking. My eyes searched for the source and I found it quickly.
A trio. Two boys and one girl. They were all Gryffindors, and they were all easily identified. Of course, it was the eleven year old versions of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. I remembered that I had overheard them talking in a few of my classes. The Weasley boy always seemed to have a funny comment that would brighten the mood of the crowd around him. Hermione was very intelligent, and was the top student in our year. And Harry…he was unique.
I hadn't realised that I had been walking towards them until I was quite close. I stopped as they looked up at me. I smiled. It was a weak attempt, but I wasn't even sure what I was trying to do, anyway.
"What do you want?"Ron said.
"I…" I began to speak, but I actually wasn't certain if I knew the answer to his question. Before I knew it, they were standing and walking away, each of them giving me a grimace as they did so.
Many emotions had mingled within me at that moment. The most prominent however was the feeling of injustice. Apparently for them, the silver serpent on my robes had said all I could ever say. It had occurred to me then just what the doctrine of this world was. How hostile; to divide children into four groups. Four houses with reputations and moral codes that define you for life. With that system it was only expected that competitive natures would arise, that instant rivals would be made and unity shattered. That there were only good people and bad people, intelligent minds and simple thinkers, brave hearts and cowards. There was no grey area, no mix-and-match. Just green, red, blue and yellow. But all of this conflict, all of this segregation was simply swept aside. Ignored. Just like me.
And so I had sat alone, every day.
The door opened with the same creaking sound as all the others did in HQ. Lupin gave me a comforting smile. "He would like to see you, Ryuu."
As I stepped inside, I was surprised to see a beautiful snowy white owl perched atop a set of drawers beside the doorway. There were flecks of charcoal feathers spread evenly over her body and her golden eyes glinted. She made a pleasant hooting sound as I entered. The room was plain and quite similar to the others that I had been in today, except for the large four poster bed stationed in the middle. The area was wide, and light seeped in from the open window. The old timber floor breathed dust through its cracks with each step I took. Harry stood at the window, hands in the pocket of his jumper and mouth set in a hard line. His eyes were back to a bottle green, a sight I was relieved to see. The sun was starting to lower, afternoon was nigh. I could hear the sounds of the street below, comforting to my city-attuned ears. I glanced at my wrist, feeling strange that less than two hours ago I'd been worried about missing the garbage truck.
Harry coughed, and I realised that I'd been lingering. He turned away from the window, and seemed to fully acknowledge my presence for the first time. I stepped forward, hands behind my back.
"Hi." I began weakly.
"Hi." he replied. He seemed to have taken my greeting as very sincere, for which I was glad. Because I was pretty sure that I could've said a thousand more appropriate things than 'hi'.
The moment rang with intense awkwardness and I bit my lip. My mother had told me once that I knew exactly how people conveyed their feelings to each other in theory, but the practical was completely beyond me. And she was completely correct. Apologies were not an expertise of mine, particularly in a situation like this. It would have been simpler if I was apologising for accidentally standing on Harry's foot, but that wasn't the case. Somehow I had to tell him that I was sorry for provoking him into an epileptic state in which his mind was invaded by the evil presence of the Dark Lord.
I stepped forward again, glancing up at Harry's patient face and eventually just let the words stream out in a blur of infinite rambling. "So, how I acted today was kind of inappropriate. That is to say- I'm err…going to apologise; and that is what I'm doing, when I'm talking to you…right now. Because I kind of think that you're going through a rough patch at the moment; what with the impending threat of a war and Diggory dying and everyone thinking you're a liar, which is ridiculous because you're the Boy Who Lived and you've always seemed pretty genuine to me - so why would you start lying now? Oh, and also! I meant to give my condolences for your loss."
Harry raised an eyebrow at the speed of my speech. "For Cedric?"
"Well actually, I meant your parents." His eyes, which had been previously filled with a blank quality cleared as I said that. "I figured most people say this to you when they meet you, but I still think that I should pay my respects for what happened, but you're probably used to that…"
Harry shook his head slowly. "Actually, not many people say that to me. Usually they're just glad to meet the Boy Who Lived."
I felt an awful pang of self loathing. Nice job Ryuu. "Well…then I am kind of regretting bringing it up, so I'm sorry about mentioning your…dead parents." I said the last bit in a half whisper and quickly continued. "I guess I'm kind of uncomfortable introducing myself to someone that I've known for four years. Not that you know me, but I know you…everyone knows you. I mean your Harry Potter, Triwizard Champion – I was hoping you'd win…well at first I was going for Diggory, because you know…Potter Stinks." I winced and elaborated, waving my hands desperately as he regarded me with raised eyebrows. "Not that that's true, it's just what was on the badges. I mean, I don't think you smell. You probably smell really nice. Not that I've smelled you before or am asking to now because that would be weird. And I know that. I didn't even have a badge or anything, it was just the some of the Slytherins, well just Malfoy's gang really, but I don't care what he does. So yeah. But I was still going for Diggory at first but then I saw you in the challenge with the dragon; and you fly really well. Amazing, actually. I mean kind of noticed it before in Quidditch matches, but I was always cheering on Slytherin and kind of hoping that you'd fall of your broom and die…not that I want you to die!" Harry was simply staring at me now with an expression of transfixed shock.
"I mean, I don't hate you! Not like the other Slytherins…well I might have made a comment at the Yule Ball that you dance like a giant Acromantula that's been hit with a Jelly-Legs and an Impedimenta jinx…at the same time...but I didn't mean for it to spread all over the school or anything like that. I was just chatting with my date and Pansy Parkinson overheard me. She's awful - I hate her. I said something mean about her as well; that she looked like a hybrid of a flubberworm and a bulldog." Harry's brow furrowed and I scrambled again. "Which was a horrible thing of me to do - but pretty funny… not that I think bullying is funny or that I do it. I've picked up that you Gryffindors aren't really into that. But the Slytherins are- we always tell each other where we can stick our wands…it's kind of like a jock thing. Not that you'd know; oh but you would because you were raised by muggles. Like me - I'm a muggleborn."
I felt that I had dragged on to a tangent (or twenty) so I quickly returned to the subject matter. "So that's why I don't believe what everyone's saying at the moment. It's just like in second year when everyone thought you were the Heir of Slytherin which I didn't understand because you're a Gryffindor and heroic and did that thing in first year, that everyone heard about…although I didn't really have any friends so I didn't know about the details. That is, my friends explained it to me in third year after you'd fainted when you saw that dementor on the train." I couldn't suppress the small laugh that escaped my lips. I slapped a hand over my mouth and shook my head, speaking quickly once more.
"That's not funny. Not really funny at all ever. It's understandable. They're actually quite frightening. But, they don't really scare me because I think they just look like Ring Wraiths from Lord of the Rings, which makes me laugh. So yeah, it's not funny. The only reason I said that it was funny, was because Draco Malfoy was in the common room and he did an impression of you - because that as funny, and it was him- not you- that was stupid looking. I mean, he looked stupid when he was pretending to be you." I babbled, before realising that was offensive and continued in the hope that he wouldn't notice. But Harry seemed to be taking in every word I said with unblinking eyes and a slightly open mouth.
"He doesn't usually look stupid." I said. "Malfoy. Not that I care how he looks. Not that I even look at him. Ever. At all. I mean, I'm not part of his group or anything; I just overheard what he was saying when I was sitting in the corner making no noise and pretending I didn't exist." At that Harry's eyes widened slightly and I briefly wondered why before hurrying on. "But I did laugh when I told Luna about it the next day - Luna Lovegood? Ravenclaw? She could explain to you why I'm so awkward at this and I think she understands me better than I do, but I think she catches onto a lot of things clearer than most. Zach might be able to explain, do you know him? He's the Hufflepuff Chaser- you've played against him. No? Maybe Dennis. Dennis Creevy? He's in Gryffindor, like you. You know his little brother, Colin because he was one of the people that you petrified, not that it was you, but everyone said it was - even some of the teachers… like Snape… to all of the Slytherins… he has private talks to us sometimes… but not about you of course, never. Not even sometimes. Not even at all."
I realised that I was standing incredibly still so I tried to make myself look more casual by leaning on one foot slightly. "So to sum up, I was more wrong than I would have liked to have been when I talked to you before, and I came up here to say that - and to tell you that I feel bad about that. And I tend to be shockingly abysmal at apologising. I usually just keep talking until someone tells me to stop…"
"Stop." Harry said, stepping forward and placing a hand on my shoulder. I released the breath I was holding, and let myself relax, feeling myself blush in mortification. What is wrong with me? I glanced at Harry's hand which he quickly removed from my shoulder when he caught on to my discomfort.
For a few seconds there was quiet, in which Harry simply looked at me. Then he carefully spoke, saying each word clearly as if I was an invalid. "Well, I don't think I've ever heard one person say so many words in five minutes." I chewed on my lip and rocked onto my heels. "But just so we're both on even terms; apology accepted, and I'm sorry to you for…" the sentence hung in the air before he found the appropriate words. "…what happened."
I sighed and nodded, attempting a shaky smile. "Yes…that's in order. I forgive you, too. And, err…I think I dragged on for a bit with my apology, so maybe I should leave you in peace – in fact, I will go now. Sorry." I nodded in finality and turned to walk away.
Just as I was about to slink away into the escape of the hall Harry spoke up from behind me. "What did you say you're name was again?"
I looked back. "Veil. Ryuu Veil. Ryuu Advena Veil. And you're Harry. Harry James Potter. A.K.A, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, Triwizard Champion, Gryffindor Seeker, Heir of Slytherin, Scar-head… Potty… speccy git. But that's just what you're called in Slytherin. Not by me. I don't say that. Just Malfoy. Not that I listen to him - never. He just says things. Loudly. In public. It's not funny." I quickly walked from the room, nudging past Ron as he came into the doorway. He glanced at my pink face as I leaned against the wall beside the doorway and groaned.
"What the bloody hell was that all about?" I heard Ron ask as he walked inside.
Harry took a moment to respond, and when he did his voice sounded exhausted. "Everything that has ever happened. Ever."
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As I walked towards the study, I tried to get the image of His eyes out of my head. It was immensely difficult. They were like a crocodile in the lake of my mind, just peering over the surface of the water and lashing out violently whenever I tried to think of anything else. For the first few minutes after I'd run from the room I'd sat on the stair case, silent and shaken at what had just occurred. I had just had my first experience with the Dark Lord. Through Harry's mind and eyes he had spoken to me in Parsletongue, hypnotising me in his gaze. He saw me, I'd kept thinking in panic. He looked into my eyes and spoke to me.
When Lupin had explained Harry's condition to me I had listened in horror. I couldn't imagine how it must feel to know that you're not safe in your own head. It would have driven me insane, I knew for certain. I was surprised Harry hadn't killed me for provoking him.
From the moment I had seen those eyes of blood I had known. How could I have been so ignorant before? You Know Who would never stop. He would hunt down every last person on earth until he got what he wanted. There was no escape from His power. The war that was coming would incorporate everyone, and although it pained me to think it, I knew I couldn't outrun that kind of force. And if I couldn't flee from it, I wasn't going to stay still and let it kill me either.
Lupin's head flicked up as I entered without knocking. His reading spectacles were slightly askew and a porcelain cup of tea was half-raised to his lips. "Ryuu?"
I stared into his earthy brown eyes. "I'm in."
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I opened my apartment door to have the aroma of freshly made pasta fill my nostrils. Dad. "How long have you been back?" I called down the hall, hanging my coat on the peg beside the door.
My father emerged from the kitchen with a bowl in each hand. "Only a couple of hours." Even though he was at home, he still looked like he was at work. His reading glasses were hanging over the pocket of his shirt and his ever present camera swung from his neck. His light blonde hair was windblown, but still didn't hide the ringlets I had inherited.
"How'd the cliff jumping go?" I inquired.
"Amazing. I got some great shots of them. Because they're professionals, they can do flips before they hit the water, and the colour contrasts of the rock and the sky were just perfect…" I smirked as my father rambled on. He could talk for hours about photography. Walking over to the dinner table, I noticed a pile of letters on the lounge and frowned. That's strange. There's never post on Sundays.
"What're these?"
My father's sky blue eyes rested upon the mail. "Oh, they're late ones. I only remembered where I'd left my key this morning. Sorry if you were expecting something." He placed a bowl on the table before me. "Hey, here's something I learned today. Do you know how to tell the time by just using the sun? Well…" My father prattled away and I actually listened to his exaggerated facts and quirky descriptions. My father had never graduated school, but was smart in a way that he was full of useless information. My mother sometimes referred to him as the whirlwind of vacuous crap, but I found some of his musings rather interesting. If it weren't for him I'd never have learned that the hard tip at the end of a shoelace was called an aglet. Or that a baby echidna was called a puggle.
I rifled through the letters. Bills, Investments, Junk mail…To Ms. Ryuu Advena Veil. The letter was addressed in green ink, and the Hogwarts crest appeared in the top right hand corner. Hastily, I flipped it over and clumsily tore it open. I only just managed to catch the weighty silver object that fell out. It was polished and shaped like a shield with a large emerald green 'P' engraved into the centre.
A Prefect's Badge.
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