Just letting you know: since my chapters are kind of short, some of them will just be called "Chapter 9," "Chapter 15," etc.
After dinner I tell Juliana what happened. I don't leave anything out. I'm not likely to forget what happened-as a Muggle might say, I'm scarred for life, and so are most of the people there-minus the Slytherins and Professor Carrow.
"But I don't understand," Juliana says as I finish. "Why were you affected more? I overheard Sofie talking to Brian Cape about it, and she sounded fine. I mean, no offense, but you've been really shaky all night."
"You're sure you want to know?" I ask. "I just don't want to put you in any danger-well, any more than you're already in." We both laugh a little bit.
"I'm sure," she says solemnly.
"Do you know what Greek mythology is?" I ask.
"Yes. My older brother, Xander, is a Squib. He learned about it in Muggle school, and he told me all about it."
I'm surprised. "Well, then, you know what a demigod is, right?"
"That's someone with one regular parent and one parent who's a Greek god or goddess, right?"
I nod. "Yes. And I'm a demigod."
Juliana gasps. "You're a demigod? I thought those were all, well, myths!"
"Unfortunately, I am. My mother is-"
"Don't tell me, it's Athena, right?" she asks.
"Yeah, how did you know?"
She smiles. "Lucky guess?"
"I guess so. Anyway, Greek monsters are real too, unfortunately. You know them, but be careful."
"Why?"
"Just don't say the names. I don't think they can reach us in Hogwarts, but just in case, they're super sensitive to kids like me. I mean I'm a demigod and a witch."
"But what about the..." she searches for a word.
"I don't know," I confess. "I'm still figuring it out. Well, that's not true, I know why. But if you knew, he'd find you."
Juliana pales. "You-you mean-and you're alive?!"
"I have a sister, thank gods." I smile.
Two people burst in. "Caroline! Sadie!" Juliana cries.
"We heard you got detention," Caroline says.
"Let's talk in the common room," Sadie suggests. "David can't come up."
"Why not?" I ask, confused.
"Boys can't come up to the girls' dorms," she explains.
"Oh."
The common room is empty, thank gods. Everyone sits down. "Tell us everything," David says.
"First of all, how did you even know that I got detention?" I ask.
"My brother, Warren, is a first-year," Sadie says. "He said six people got detention."
"And my sister, Andrea, is a seventh-year, and she said the first-years have detention in seventh-year Muggle Studies," adds David.
"Oh," I say. "Well, I'm not sure you guys want to know-"
"Well, then, you definitely have to tell us," Sadie interrupts.
"We're worried about you," David says.
"Okay, fine then." I tell them all the details.
"I can't believe they would do that to you!" Sadie fumes.
"I can," David says grimly. "The Carrows-" he lowers his voice so that I can barely hear him. "The Carrows used to be Death Eaters."
Juliana and I gasp. "You-you mean his followers? In Hogwarts? As teachers?" I whisper. No, no, no, no, no, this cannot be possible. If Death Eaters are here he'll tell them, he knows who I am, he knows I'm here. Oh, this is bad, this is really bad.
"Mia? Are you okay?" Caroline asks.
"What is it?" David asks.
"Nothing. I-I think I'd better get to bed," I say.
"Well, you can tell us when you feel like it," Sadie says, seeing right through me.
I see my father's death again in my dreams. It hurts, I won't lie. But I think we all knew it was going to happen.
These are dark times we live in.