Chapter One~ Days Before Hogwarts
Riley spent the rest of the day in her bedroom, ignoring the pleading from Thea to open the personalized enchanted door lock so that they might talk. Finally when it was nearing dinner time Riley listened to the woman's heels disappear down the hall and knowing she was gone made her smile as Riley waited another ten minutes before quickly rushing to bathe. Once in the second floor shared bathroom, she took a quick shower and changed into pajamas seeing as if she wasn't about to leave her room anytime soon. Back in her bedroom, she decided to read up on her new required text books for the term since that would be the only true time she'd be with people who understood her, and cared about her. At that thought as if reading her mind, she heard a tapping at her window and turned to see Hermione's owl with a letter in its beak. Smiling, she went over to the window and opened it allowing the owl to fly in and land on her bedpost as she took the letter and got a bit of raw meat she keeps in a jar for the owls who give her letters.
"Thank you." she said watching the owl fly away before sitting down on her bed to open the letter and read it.
"Dear Riley, I hope you are doing well and are excited for the new school term. Have you gotten your books yet? I haven't been able to since my parents have been busy, perhaps we can go together to Flourish and Blotts to get them when we can? Wouldn't that be marvelous? I heard from Ron, he's been trying to write to Harry again with no luck—I do fear he's going to try something with the twins. Hope he hasn't convinced you to do anything too rash. You might get into trouble you know. Thinking of you, Hermione." Riley smiled and chuckled at the last bit before realizing that if Ron was going to try anything than he would have done so already—their birthday had already passed. Frowning at the thought, she got out her quill and ink well before writing a quick letter back to Hermione which she gave to Ebony who took off into the sky. Exhaling as she watched him fly into the cloudy skies above, Riley felt her stomach grumble and groaned knowing she'd have to get something to eat. So begrudgingly she opened her door, making sure that her Hogwarts trunks were locked before heading downstairs. By now it was free time so the girls were mostly doing whatever they wished. So they were surprised to see Riley out and some whispered as she went to the kitchen to make something to eat. When Thea spotted her she asked,
"How are you feeling Riley?"
"Fine." she replied coldly as she finished up making her sandwich before moving to go back upstairs but Thea stopped her with,
"I'd like to talk to you in my office please." Riley scowled but followed her hearing snickers making her turn around on her heel causing the girls snickering to flee in terror. Upon entering Thea's office she sat down on the plush navy blue couch and began eating as Thea took a seat behind her desk of English Oak.
"Riley, I am so sorry for what happened today. You nearly died because of another girl's hatred towards the unknown and I was too upset that you might have used magic to think that you were hurting." she began so that Riley stayed quiet as Thea watched her with careful eyes, examining her downwards stare.
"I want to let you know that I have sent a letter to the Ministry asking if you can be moved to a different location for your protection. It is perfectly clear to me that the longer you stay here—the more dangerous it is to your very well being."
"But I'm going back to Hogwarts in a few days Thea, I have only until then to deal with these bloody idiots." Riley said smiling at the thought of being free of this place again so that she saw Thea nod her head though her eyes showed no signs of her shared joy or enthusiasm. Thea only smiled one that didn't reach her eyes as she stood saying,
"Well then why don't you go upstairs and go to bed with that happy thought. It's nearly nine o'clock surprisingly." raising an eyebrow but saying nothing, Riley said goodnight and left her office before putting away the now empty plate in the kitchen. As she headed upstairs she heard Mrs. Dames in her office and—to her surprise—Marie's voice!
"I swear Mrs. Dames! It explains everything—she has to be a witch!" Marie was saying so that Riley just forced herself to continue past the closed door to her bedroom where she turned off the light and got into bed. It was sometime during the night that she was woken by the distinct sound of an owl knocking on her window and groggily waking sat up to see Ebony's eyes in the window.
"Coming." she mumbled sleepily trudging towards the window to get the letter he had in his beak as he settled back into his cage while Riley shut her window and sat back on her bed. Turning on the bedside lamp, she saw the letter was from Hermione and opening it read,
"Dear Riley, what if you are right? What if Ron and the twins already did something involving Harry! How will we know?! Wouldn't that be illegal or something? Wizard kidnap of some sort? Perhaps you should write to Harry seeing as if you are closest to him and try to find out where he is. He'd tell you instead of me. If you do hear from him let me know!" confused by what she meant by her words, probably due to her sleep foggy brain, Riley put the letter back on her bedside table and turned off the light to go back to sleep. The next morning she woke to the sound of knocking on her bedroom door and groaning asked,
"Who is it?"
"It's Thea dear, Mrs. Dames wishes to see you." eyes widening in horror, Riley shot out of bed and dressed quickly in jeans and a crimson sweater before opening her door to find Thea looking apologetically down at her.
"What did I do?" Riley asked though Thea only steered her towards the stairs saying nothing as they went down them making Riley nervous and fearful beyond words. Not so much as when she dealt with Voldemort, but enough so that she wondered what was going on. Upon coming to the office door Thea stopped and opened it to allow Riley to see Mrs. Dames inside sitting behind her desk alone in the room.
"Go on in, I'll be right outside." Thea assured so that Riley stepped inside hearing the door shut behind her.
"Have a seat please Riley." Mrs. Dames said evenly a stoic expression on her face as Riley sat down before her desk folding her hands in her lap.
"Marie has come forward saying that you are a witch. Now what are we to do about this predicament? We certainly can't have the other girls knowing now can we?" Mrs. Dames said smoothly so that Riley shook her head and Mrs. Dames asked,
"Do you have any suggestions?"
"No Mrs. Dames I'm afraid I don't." Riley said wondering if she was trying to aggravate her—or test her in some way. Watching the woman nod, Riley watched her stand as she slowly came around saying,
"Marie also told me that she doesn't feel safe here with you. Now—as caretaker of all the girls here I have to keep them safe and make sure that they are so. If they are not I have failed at my job. It seems, that if I have a problem on my hands now. For I have someone who poses a threat to the other girls and could very well harm them with means other than normal. Now Riley, be honest with me—would you say that you haven't thought of hurting one or more of these girls?" now Riley knew this was indeed a trap and keeping a cool composed mask of indifference on her face said,
"I'll be honest with me if you'll be honest with me in return." the older woman raised an eyebrow saying,
"Understandable."
"Then yes I have, but now have you thought of harming me while thinking that I was a witch?" Riley watched the woman's face before her burn red with temper before her chest started to heave and she finally spat out,
"Yes! You ungrateful, spiteful, shameless hateful brat!"
"Then it seems we are even, only Miss Gray is an even unbiased person in this matter and knows both of us. She if it comes down to it can decided in court whether or not I am harmful to others." Riley said smirking as Mrs. Dames at the word 'court' grew pale and her eyes widened in fear. She knew that if she was taken to court over any dispute and lost—her reputation was gone forever. And she couldn't and wouldn't lose that. Riley had won the argument—but even so knew she would have to tread carefully around the place until Thea could cover up Mrs. Dames memories.
"Get out of my office." she spat so that Riley shrugged and left seeing Thea waiting and told her everything that had been said. Thea gasped in shock and told her,
"You went that far?!"
"I had too Thea, she was trying to corner me in, and you don't do that to a snake." Thea raised an eyebrow but said nothing as she said,
"Well, why don't you have breakfast before you start your chores while I talk to her?" Riley nodded and went off to see what was on the chart for her to do. See, when Thea arrived she set up a chart system for everyone to know what their chore for the time, day, and week and so on would be. So Riley had breakfast in the kitchen alone as normal before she went to discover she had gardening. Riley went outside to the figure out what needed to be done. All she could see really was weeding, so she went to the tool shed to get gardening gloves and a bucket to put the weeds in before starting in the front garden. Halfway through she stopped when she noticed overhead the clouds were starting to roll in and that it was getting breezy. She began to speed up her work only to realize that she felt as if she was being watched, so as she worked tried to look around without seeming like she was.
"Riley," a voice called so that she looked up to see it was Thea who smiled waving her back into the house saying,
"It's almost dinner time and it's about to rain, come on inside!" as Riley stood she felt rain beginning to fall and darted under the porch just as the skies opened and it began to pour. Shaking her head to speckle the deck with water, Riley went back inside taking off her wet sneakers first before grabbing dinner. As the girls ate and Riley sat alone in the kitchen it continued to rain so that a resounding 'BOOM!' of thunder shook the house and from outside lighting illuminated every corner of the manor. A few of the younger girls screamed in fear as Riley sat feeling her scar burning and flinched trying to will the pain away.
"Riley are you alright?" she heard so turned to see Thea standing there so honestly shook her head saying,
"My scar hurts." Thea's eyes widened before she said,
"Go up to your room and lie down, I'll make you a potion to ease the pain and hopefully get you some sleep." Riley didn't need to be told twice as she started for the stairs before having to grab onto the wall when a searing pain stabbed her shoulder. Leaning on the wall, she panted forcing herself upstairs and by the time she was in her bedroom she doubled over onto her bed hardly able to shut her door. Ebony hooted from his cage as Riley flinched and twitched on top of her bed trying to force the pain away. With eyes sealed tight, she didn't see or hear the door open until someone was sitting beside her.
"Here Riley, drink this—it's a Calming Draft infused with a Sleeping Potion." Thea's voice said so that Riley opened her mouth and dank the potion greedily willingly wanting anything to take away the searing fire like pain in her collarbone. Thea felt her forehead before helping her into the sheets and blanket and sat there watching Riley squirm a bit before the potion took effect. When her breathing finally evened out and she was in a deep restful sleep Thea exhaled deeply for the first time since Riley woke that morning and turned to the corner of the room to say,
"What now Minerva? This doesn't bode well for her." and appearing from the shadows stepped a tawny cat that transformed into a woman who wore a forest and hazel dress with spectacles before her eyes.
"I don't like it either Thea, I've been watching to see for myself and the way that these girls treat her—nearly setting Miss Warring on fire! Why I've never! I would gladly take it up with the Ministry myself if she only had someone of a living bloodline to take her in. Sadly though Potter isn't of blood and any of her kin are dead along with her parents." they both hushed as Riley mumbled in her sleep before Minerva said,
"We will just have to wait until she returns to Hogwarts where she will be safe."
