Chapter Three
A/N: Hiya, this is fun! I love his fic. Anyway, meet...grown up Ophelia!
Disclaimer: This one time, I met JK Rowling in a bar, and we were both drunk. She said, "I'm fed up of Harry Potter. Do you want it?" As I was drunk, I was drooling on the bar, and she had left before I could yell, "YES!! GIVE ME HARRY POTTER NOW!!!" I never got another opportunity like that again, so I still don't own Harry Potter.
Dedicated to acelili, who gives the best fan-fiction sleepovers. :D Love you!!
"Have you got that report ready?" Donatella cried across the auror office to Ophelia Lestrange, who was now ten years old and about to turn eleven.
"I've got it right here, boss. I wasn't sure whether to do it on one aspect or the other, so I did it on both!" smiled Ophelia, handing the report to Donatella, who raised her eyebrows at the cheesy smile facing her. Ophelia had grown to be an exact younger version of her mother, from the black hair that fell around her face in springy curls which suited her face to a t, right down to Bella's nose, with a few small freckles on, just as Bellatrix had. She had even inherited part of her personality. She was nothing like her father, she was all her mum. Although - very unlike her mother - she was wearing light pink robes with silver stars at the bottom.
"No one likes a kiss ass," jeered Jack, an auror just below Donatella's rank. The office was like a happy army of ants - everyone got along and worked together.
"Hey, leave her alone. At least she tries with her reports, which is more than I can say for some people!" she said teasingly to Jack.
"Oh, it's alright. I don't mind getting teased, as long as it's by someone who I know I can work better than!" joked Ophelia. Everyone laughed and Jack pretended to be highly offended.
People at the auror office had been uncertain of Ophelia at first, but she had been trained fast and efficiently, and everyone had begun to see the possibilities. With her mother's talent and a wide range of knowledge, Ophelia had been able to disarm at three, stun at five, and produce a patronus at just eight years old. She was a fully competent auror and always went with the others on missions. As well as regular defence against the dark arts lessons, she also had normal magic lessons – as if she were at Hogwarts – and had practically completed her seven years, and learnt even more in the subjects she had liked.
Suddenly, a letter flew in through the open door, flying past all of the pictures on the walls of the most wanted criminals of the time, and the really bad ones of the past that had been caught successfully. There was one picture that all the others seemed centred around, it was a picture of the darkest wizard of all. Everyone wanted to remember the day when he had lost all power and they had finally been freed. Each day, as they walked into the office, they saw that face, and were reminded of the death and depression he caused. It was Donatella's idea; it was supposed to help them want to fight harder, but all it did to Ophelia was confuse her, like most of Donatella's ideas.
Anyway, the letter that flew in went past all these pictures and landed at Ophelia's feet. Suddenly, the laughter had stopped. Ophelia bent down and picked up the letter. Yes, it was for her.
Ophelia Brown
Ophelia's Desk
Aurors Office
Ministry of Magic
London
She began to slowly moisten her lips with the tip of her tongue. She turned the letter over. It had the Hogwarts seal. Ophelia's eye's opened wide so that her face began to look a little crazy. She couldn't believe it, how could she be invited to Hogwarts? She lived here and that was the way it was going to stay. She didn't need to learn anything anyway; she was smarter than most adults she knew! This just couldn't be happening!
As she stared at the letter, her locket began to burn – anticipating. Ophelia sent a mental note to the locket and it seemed to cool a little. This was the one possession she had inherited from her family – a large gold locket with an ornate S on it. She wore it all the time and was certain it was enchanted, as it seemed to have emotions all of its own. Over the years, Ophelia seemed to have learnt to control the locket by touching it and sending mental notes, which it seemed to understand, as if it were part of her. She had been found with the locket on.
"Hey, you gonna open that letter?" It was Donatella asking. Ophelia couldn't look at her - she felt too shocked.
Ophelia got out her wand and, with a simple wave, she opened the letter and was reading it.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, Internation Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Brown,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours Sincerely
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Deciding that she would have to say something sooner or later, Ophelia finally spoke. "It's a letter from Hogwarts School; they're telling me that I have a place there." She just stared at the letter, never looking up.
"Well, there must be a mistake; they know you have no reason to go there. I'll write to Minerva and tell her that you have no need for the place at the school, it's ridiculous that—" but Donatella was cut off.
"I want to go," said Ophelia, still staring at the letter, surprising herself at what she had said.
"But that's absurd! You have absolutely no need—" But once again, she was cut off.
"Yes, I do. I need to mix with kids my own age, to learn to socialize," she argued, ignoring the others around her; this was something she needed to do. She had been thinking about it a long time. Sure, she was happy here - there was nothing like helping to catch one of the bad guys, it was her life, it was all she had ever known. But that was the problem, she needed to know some other things, she wanted some friends.
"You can't socialize; you are a highly trained auror that no one can find out about, you and the other few kids that Dumbledore has thrown into this project. You are supposed to be a secret weapon that we can use when you are older, you cannot ruin that!" shouted Donatella at Ophelia. The whole office had gone silent.
"Can we talk about this somewhere else? I think we need to go over a few things – in private," asked Ophelia, still staring at the letter that had just arrived.
"My office, now," ordered Donatella.
They walked into the office, the eyes of every auror in the ministry on their movements.
"Look, I know sometimes it can be hard for you, cooped up in here with all these adults, you're bound to want some freedom. However, we have to have the rules; you can't let anyone know, so, I can't let you go." stated Donatella, trying to say it as nicely as she could.
"I understand, but who has to know," asked Ophelia, finally looking up from the letter, feeling exhausted from thinking.
"Well, be serious, what are you going to do? Pretend that you don't know everything you do, act like a regular kid? You couldn't do it just starting off," said Donatella critically, frowning.
"I could, that's exactly what I could do. No one would ever know. You know how good I've got at disguising myself and all that. Please, I promise you that I won't let anyone know. I just want to be a normal kid," pleaded Ophelia, absently clutching the burning locket around her neck.
"Well, I suppose it is hard for you, and you have been improving in keeping quiet under pressure. I will have to speak to Professor Dumbledore. So, from now on it's totally up to him. If he says yes, then you can go - if it's what you want. But we're going to have to go over every situation and work it out. If it's what you want," repeated Donatella, her voice beginning to break.
All the time Donatella was speaking, Ophelia's eyes were getting wider and wider, mainly in disbelief but a little from happiness and shock. "Thank you! I will not let you down, I swear!" cried Ophelia, running to hug Donatella.
"Oh, come on, get off me. But you know that this means you're going to miss your big auror test that you've been getting ready for for ages," said Donatella.
"Oh, I can do that anytime. I could pass it in my sleep," smiled Ophelia. She just couldn't believe that she could actually be going to Hogwarts. She had only heard of it, but never needed to go there. People said that it was the safest place on earth, but personally she thought that that must be Gringotts - never had a break in or anything. Anyway, did Hogwarts have dragons?
A/N: Hope you liked it. What do you think of Ophelia?? Review and I shall find out!!! Mwahahahahahh!! No, seriously, review! XD
Also, Charlie Brereton who left some very, very awesome anonymous reviews: if you get to read this, I tried to send you an email, but it didn't work. o_____0 Could you perhaps post your email again, 'cause I'd really like to talk to you!! :D Or, even better, sign up to fan-fic and it'll be even easier to chat. X).
