Hogsmeade and Halloween
Destiny sat in a furious silence beside the lake with her back resting against a tree. "Stupid people," she grumbled as she clenched a nearby twig in her fist. "Just because I helped him doesn't make my personal life a free-for-all," she added as she launched the twig into the lake.
"I'd be careful doing that if I were you!" a voice suddenly sounded from behind her. "The squid might think you're playing and throw it back at you."
Launching herself to her feet and turning around, Destiny found herself facing the last three people she wanted to see at that moment. "What do you three want?" she hissed, clenching her right hand around her wand that was residing in her pocket. "Are you here to make fun of me after all the rumors that have been flying all day? I bet you've been knee deep in spreading that crap around!" she spat at Parkinson. "I bet you just can't stand the idea that I helped your precious Draco."
"I was actually going to thank you for that, but not if you're being like this! Maybe we should just leave her to her mess, Draco," Parkinson scoffed.
"Pansy," Zabini chided, "we said we'd help. Can you blame her for being just a bit suspicious? I think we all are at the moment."
"Thanks Blaise," Draco muttered. He turned his eyes to Destiny's face, and saw the distress written in her eyes.
"What do you want?" she repeated in a softer tone that was clearly directed at Draco.
"Is it true?" he asked just as quietly. "Did your boggart-"
"Turn into you in front of all my house year mates? Yeah it did. Now the whole school's trying to figure out why I helped you if I'm terrified of you," Destiny replied flippantly. "And don't bother asking me why, I don't know," she added as Draco opened his mouth.
"Destiny, I just-" Draco began, but…
"DES WHERE ARE YOU?" Harry called from near the castle.
Draco's face immediately clouded over, and his lip tightened to an almost Snape-worthy thinness.
Destiny groaned. "You guys better get out of here before Harry sees you talking to me," she whispered. "I don't want him getting the wrong idea."
Zabini nodded and pulled Parkinson away towards the hill opposite Harry, but Draco stood his ground.
"Draco get out of here before Harry-"
"What's so special about Potter anyway?" Draco spat.
"Oh please do not start this now!" Destiny sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This has nothing to do with that; this is just me trying to save your butt!"
"So you think he'd beat me?" Draco scoffed. "Gee thanks."
"I didn't mean…oh for Merlin's sake, just go!" Destiny cried in frustration.
"You're the one always talking about how house prejudices shouldn't matter…just remember that," Draco muttered before following Zabini and Parkinson up the hill opposite Harry.
Destiny sighed and turned with a not too kind glance at Harry. "I'm right here, now what could you possibly want? I thought I made it clear at dinner that I wanted to be alone."
"I wanted to check and see if you were alright," Harry panted as he finally reached the tree Destiny had been leaning against. "I know how tough it is being the center of rumors."
"Oh you are not turning this into another Harry-pity-party!" Destiny cried.
"Whoa where did that come from?" Harry asked, taking a step back.
"Even when you say you're concerned about someone else, you always make the conversation about you!" Destiny seethed. "Why can't you just, for once, ask me how I am or how I'm feeling instead of telling me you understand?"
"But I already know how you're feeling," Harry pressed. "Remember all of last year when everyone-"
"Thought you were the heir of Slytherin…yeah of course I remember!" Destiny finished sarcastically. "You made it impossible not to notice even when I was, gee I don't know, petrified!"
"And you talk about me always focusing on myself," Harry muttered.
"That's because you came out to check on me!" Destiny reminded him tersely. "I'm the one being pelted with rumors that I'm either in love with Draco Malfoy or that I'm deathly afraid of him; either way…it sucks right now, ok?"
Harry sighed, and his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm so sorry, Des…I wish I could fix it all for you."
Destiny smiled ruefully. "Hey it's just rumors…they'll work themselves out eventually, right? I'm sure it'll only take…two or three years!" She burst into tears and covered her face in embarrassment for her display of weakness.
Harry reached out and pulled Destiny to him while rubbing her back and shoulders. Destiny continued to sob into his chest for a moment before wrapping her arms around his middle in return.
From the top of the hill, Draco stared at the pair with unadulterated hatred. Why did Potter always get everything? It wasn't fair that he got a girl like Destiny, and Draco couldn't believe that Destiny had fallen for that scar head. Draco felt hot tears pricking at the corners of his eyes and clenched his fists in the pockets of his robes, and the pain in his palms kept the tears behind his eyes. If there was one thing he would not let Potter win without a fight, it was the raven haired girl standing below him.
As Destiny had predicted, the rumors surrounding her and Draco were the main topic of the school's gossip for weeks after the events of the boggart. Every time she walked up and down the halls, whispers trailed her steps, and stares followed her shadow. More than once it took Alexis's hand on her arm to keep her from turning around and hexing some gossiper into next year. "Just let them talk," Alexis would hiss into her ear. "We know it's not true, and that's all that matters."
Destiny would grumble and allow herself to be led to her next class. Even the news of the first Hogsmeade weekend did little to quench the thirst for rumors, and many students were even speculating that they would see Draco and Destiny together in the village. However, those rumors could not be further from the truth.
"I can't go," Destiny sighed to Alexis the first time she brought up the visit. "I never asked the lady at the orphanage to sign my paper."
"Why not?" Alexis asked incredulously.
"Because it would've been too hard to explain what it was," Destiny explained.
"Well where does she think you go every year?" Alexis asked with a slight laugh.
"McGonagall told her it was a private school that my family had paid for before I was left there," Destiny said. "She thinks it's a school in America somewhere, and doesn't ask any other questions."
"So why didn't you ask her to sign the form?" Alexis pressed.
"Because…it would've made her ask questions," Destiny said evasively. "Now, can we drop it, please?"
"Isn't there any way you can go?" Alexis whined.
Destiny groaned and slammed her books on the desk, and opened her mouth to answer when she heard Dean talking to Harry.
"I could forge your uncle's signature if you wanted," he offered.
"No thanks Dean…I already told McGonagall I didn't get it signed. She'd know it was a forgery."
Destiny paused before a grin spread over her face. "I think I may have an idea," she breathed.
Several days later, Destiny was sitting between Alexis and Harry at dinner when Professor McGonagall came up to her. "Ms. McLaren, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you for a few moments after dinner."
"Why?" Destiny asked apprehensively.
"He did not say," McGonagall replied. "The password to his office is Peppermint Humbugs."
"What kind of password is that?" Destiny muttered to Harry and Alexis once McGonagall was out of earshot.
"A Dumbledore worthy one," Alexis shrugged.
"Wonder what he could want," Harry added.
"Who knows," Destiny scoffed. "It's probably about the rumors that have been flying. He probably wants to be sure there's nothing behind them. After all, we can't have a Gryffindor in love with a Slytherin, can we?"
Harry, Alexis, and others around her laughed, and the remainder of dinner was a pleasant affair.
After dinner was over, Destiny made her way to the gargoyle she knew hid the Headmaster's office. She gave the password and climbed onto the moving spiral staircase that brought her to a solid oak door.
"Come in," Dumbledore called after she had knocked.
Destiny pushed open the door and took in the office before her. Portraits of old Headmasters and Headmistresses covered the walls while strange magical objects littered the rest of the space in the room. "You wanted to see me, Professor," Destiny said politely to the old man seated behind the desk.
"Ah yes, Ms. McLaren. Take a seat," he smiled at her.
Destiny sat in the chair in front of his desk. "What did you want to see me about, sir? Have I done something wrong?"
"Oh no dear, nothing like that," Dumbledore assured her. "This is merely regarding the upcoming Hogsmeade visit."
Destiny forced down her nerves; had he found out that she had forged her form?
"Professor McGonagall informed me she received your signed form, however…" Destiny prepared herself for the blow; this was it! "I do not think it would be wise for you to attend this trip, or any of the future ones for that matter."
"Wait-why, sir?" Destiny cried.
"I know the woman who runs your orphanage did not sign that form, my dear," Dumbledore replied quietly.
"You have to understand, sir, I had to forge it! She thinks I'm going to a private school in America and doesn't ask me any other questions! If I had shown her this form, she would've wanted to know more about the village and the school, and I would never have been able to get her off my back! There was no other way, sir!" Destiny babbled quickly in an attempt to defend herself.
"I do not blame you for your logic or your actions," Dumbledore soothed. "Many others before you have done the same, and I am sure that many after you will as well. However, I simply think you should remain in the school. I am sure you could pass it off to your classmates as a need to study, or perhaps as a means to avoid the rumors for a few hours. You have been quite the topic of late, my dear."
Destiny sighed and hung her head. "Yes sir," she mumbled.
"You're joking!" Alexis cried when Destiny returned and told her the news.
"I wish I was," Destiny muttered. "But I'm not going, so just resign yourself to it and find someone else to hang out with."
"Like who?" Alexis snapped. "You know you're the only person that puts up with me in this place."
"I don't know, maybe you should try your hand with Zabini," Destiny shrugged. "I know you like him."
"Ok very funny, Des, but I was being serious!"
"So was I," Destiny insisted. "Just try and talk to him; who knows, you might be surprised."
Alexis threw her hands into the air and left for the girls' dormitory, muttering to herself the whole way.
The day of the Hogsmeade trip finally arrived and left Destiny slumped in the common room for the entire day with no company except for annoying first and second years which she finally escaped from by hiding in her room. When everyone finally came back to the school, it was time for the Halloween feast, and Destiny drug herself out of bed and down to the Great Hall where she was sure Alexis would give her an earful.
True to form, Alexis did give her an earful, but not the one she had been anticipating. "He actually spoke to me, can you believe it?!" Alexis whispered excitedly in a voice three octaves higher than normal. "We actually had a legitimate conversation!"
"I told you you'd be surprised," Destiny grinned. "How did you two end up talking?"
"Well, I was wandering around by myself when I went into the Three Broomsticks. He was standing there at the bar alone, so I walked up beside him and ordered a drink. He looked over at me and asked why I was alone. I told him my best friend couldn't come and asked why he was alone. He said Parkinson was shopping for clothes, and Malfoy was getting a book, so he had come for a drink. Anyway, we talked for a few minutes then he said he had to go…but he said unfortunately! Do you know what that means?!"
"Probably, but tell me anyway," Destiny snickered.
"It means he wanted to keep talking to me!" Alexis cried triumphantly. "It means he likes being with me, can you believe it?! But anyway, he paid for my drink before he left and told me he'd see me around." She finished her monologue with a huge, dreamy sigh that had Destiny fighting back laughter.
"Well I'm glad you enjoyed yourself then," Destiny said when she finally felt safe speaking. "I'm interested to see where this goes for you."
After the feast had ended, the Gryffindors made their way slowly back to their tower. However, when they reached the stairs to the portrait hole, they found a large crowd stopping all movement. "Hey traffic is for roads not stairs!" Destiny called over the heads of the crowd. "Beep beep up there!"
"What's all this then?" Percy Weasley called, and the crowd parted to let him through. "You can't all have forgotten the password!" When he reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, however, a silence slowly spread through the crowd. "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore, quick!" Percy snapped.
Destiny stood on tip-toe to try and see what was happening, but to no avail. "Ugh why are people so tall?" she asked in frustration as she fell back to her normal height beside Alexis.
As Professor Dumbledore hurried through the crowd, the Gryffindors parted enough for the students in the back to finally see what was happening.
"Oh wow!" Destiny gasped as she finally caught sight of the portrait.
"What happened?" Alexis squeaked.
"Either someone really doesn't like art, or someone was trying to get in and couldn't," Destiny muttered.
Just then, Peeves appeared and retold the story of the attack on the Fat Lady to an eager crowd.
"Did she say who did it?" Dumbledore asked finally.
"Oh yes Professor Head," Peeves said excitedly. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in you see. Nasty temper he's got that Sirius Black."
Every Gryffindor gasped and began to talk at once.
"Silence, please: all of you!" Dumbledore addressed the crowd. "Mr. Weasley, please take everyone down to the Great Hall and alert the other houses to do the same."
Destiny and Alexis followed the crowd down to the Great Hall where everyone immediately resumed their dramatic conversations. "Well, at least the school will shut up about me for a few days," Destiny said to Alexis as they found a spot to roll out sleeping bags. "This is way bigger than my boggart."
"I can't believe he was here…in the school!" Alexis whispered in a terrified voice. "What if he's still here?"
"Oh come on, there's no way he's that thick!" Destiny argued with a wave of her hand. "He probably lit on out of here the minute the Fat Lady took off. Thing is…I wonder how he got in here in the first place."
"Especially with all this new security," Alexis agreed.
"And setting aside how he got in, what the heck did he want once he got here? If he'd wanted to kill Harry, wouldn't it have made more sense to wait in the hall until the feast was over? Why go up to the common room?"
"Maybe he didn't know what day it was," Alexis offered. "He has been on the run for a while."
"Yeah but I know the first thing I'd want to do after being in jail is get my sense of time back and cling to it like a lifeline. No…he knew what night it was…but what did he want from the common room?"
"Alright lights out, so no more talking!" Percy Weasley called over the chatter in the hall. "Go to sleep."
Once the lights were out, most students resumed their conversations, albeit in hushed tones, but Destiny rolled away from Alexis and stared at the ceiling, pondering the question she had just set forth. If Sirius Black had indeed been there for Harry, certainly he would try again. But if he hadn't been there for Harry, what did he want, and was it enough to make him dare to try again?
Sorry it's been so long since my last update, everyone. I've been really busy and will continue to be, but I will try to update more regularly. I want to thank all of you who have favorited, followed, and/or reviewed. Your supports means so much to me and your comments really spur my muse into action. I hope this chapter was worth the wait and was to your liking. Please leave a review; it only takes a minute, and I really appreciate them. Again thank you all for your support, and I'll see you soon (hopefully) with a new chapter!