Disclaimer: Harry Potter universe is owned solely by J.K. Rowling, I only play in it for no profit whatsoever.
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That moment when your heart rises as you see that you've had 50+ viewers! I would IMMENSELY appreciate some feedback, about anything, everything.
Thank you to anyone who is reading this!
Warning: a very short chapter xD and some tattooing, if anyone has problems with that.
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''Professor Holton, may I come in?'' Julius was standing in the open doorway, patiently waiting while the last of the students filed out of the class. As he had already half invited himself inside, she couldn't say no. The witch sat down in her own chair and motioned the man to take one opposite of her's.
''What can I do for you, headmaster?''
''I just wanted to see how the new semester was going and if you still harbored some ill will after the Christmas ball,'' there was almost a touch of laughter to what he said and Zarah couldn't help but find that irritating.
''You threw me to the metaphorical wolves and I don't understand why,'' she leveled the man with a serious glare.
''Ah, yes… well,'' he made a sort off all encompassing gest until his hands met again and came to rest upon his crossed legs. ''I felt it was necessary.''
''For whom?''
''You wonder what good could that have brought me, aren't you? Yes, I admit, it was partly for my own benefit, but also for Emily's.''
''What good did it do her?''
''Apparently, she had wanted to talk to you for a long time but the secrecy around your assignments and the extreme precautions you take to stay under the radar had made that close to impossible. When she enquired about you I invited her to the ball,'' mister Boots shrugged as if that was the most ordinary thing he had done.
Fine. She could accept Emily. But the Duo? ''And why all the flaunting and titillation in front of Granger and Potter? Is this some sort of political move for the future?'' narrowing her eyes, Zarah leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
''Very well spotted, miss Holton. I imagine you, as someone who often finds yourself amongst Ministry employees, have heard the rumours that misis Granger is likely to take the position of the Minister at some point.''
She didn't deny or acknowledge the implication, just continued to watch him carefully.
''As it is, not all my ideas are being met with general consent. And, as I move forward and try to drag this school out of the Middle Ages, I need a point of reference, so to speak.''
''So, I am your token Slytherin, set out to reform for the better?''
''Oh no, my dear, you are much, much more than just that. With where you come from, what you have done and what you are doing to change the society you are a poster child of post-war generation. One that was there, one that survived, one that did good and changed lives,'' the wizard's eyes were practically gleaming with opportunities he saw for them. But, mostly for himself.
Zarah had had fifteen years to overanalyze the events of that night and even she had to admit that, from a bystanders point of view, she had chosen to do something good and right, thus, unintentionally siding with the light. It had not been her intention. And, something that Emily had apparently forgotten to mention at all, was the fact that she only saw the covering group of students after she had already spellbound the Death Eater. She was just running, like everyone else, trying to get as fast and as far as possible from the fight. And it had been a pure coincidence to stumble upon what was happening in the corridor.
''I killed a man. How do you intend to spin that in your favour?'' the bitterness was dripping from her words like venom.
''So did I.''
''But you were on the right side.''
''As soon as you decided not to leave those kids at his mercy, so were you.''
''You are… so sure I did it out of goodness of my heart!''
''Didn't you?''
''No! I killed a man. Because it was the practical thing to do.''
''And saved lives in doing so…'' his stubbornness was driving Zarah mad and she slammed her palm against the top of the desk, making the nearby ink pot and quills rattle.
''I will not… live in the shadow of that day for the rest of my life, mister Boots. And I will not be a pawn in your mind games to secure political favours in the Ministry,'' the witch was so furious she had to forcibly lower her voice so she wouldn't start screaming at the headmaster.
The watery looking wizard held her sizzling glare and said nothing. He didn't seem to be angry with her outburst. He was calculating. ''I would not dare to proclaim to have any power over your comings and your goings, miss Holton. Dare I say, I'm not power hungry or stupid enough to acquiesce with the possibility of having a family like yours unhappy with me. But, at the same time, I would like to encourage you to think this over - you have a unique platform for getting across messages that were the sole reasons for the last war. I think, it would be irresponsible and selfish of you not to consider what you could do for others with the power that you hold,'' and with that the headmaster stood, nodding briefly, and left the young woman with a quickly deflating anger and a hard to swallow lump in her throat.
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She lie on her stomach, face buried into a makeshift pillow made out of her own cardigan. The artist was working away on her shoulder blade and back.
Yet again she had felt like spitting into the face of the big, fat, bad world. But, it also felt like the right time to have a new tattoo. She had found an amazing artist in London who did blackwork, pitched him her idea and it blossomed from there. They made sure that the design only covered her intact skin, leaving all the scars unadulterated.
Now the snake was almost finished. Its head rested on her right shoulder, right on the trapezius muscle, while the body swirled over her right shoulder blade and unto the shoulder to coil around the right arm. The tip of the tail ended right where the top of her palm began. It was rendered in black with some deep emerald green highlights. Geometric figures and lines made it look more abstract than realistic.
Later, when it was finished, Zarah thought about imbuing it with some magic. As long as she did that before the tattoo healed, it should take.