Chapter 11: Obligations
Strolling towards Hogsmead, Constance was understandably apprehensive. Having built up her strength to blindly obey an order designed to kill Professor Dumbledore, she could barely look at herself in the mirror every morning. Though Pansy had never once told her the purpose of her trip, Constance's secret informer had filled her in. She trudged along, dragging her feet, and reminded herself of Dumbledore's orders of non-interference. Though he may believe he's protected well enough inside the castle, Constance knew no one was entirely safe.
Only first years gave Constance staring glances or petrified gazes, and they were usually short lived. Drifting behind Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop she finds a brown paper wrapped box, resembling a long candy box. With a little shake, she hears the rustle of an object within, and tucks it into a bag under her robes. Strolling quickly around the building, she picks up her pace to blend in with the half-dozen second years laughing and carrying on towards the town's center. Keeping 2 paces from them, she resembles just another Slytherin who doesn't fit in with the crowd. Turning abruptly from the gaggle of girls gossiping and laughing, Constance glides into Hogsmead. Filled with students of all ages, it allows Constance to disappear in the bustle of student bodies and find an isolated corner from the discerning Gryphindors and Ravenclaws seated around the room. It wasn't surprising to find a pair of Slytherin 6th years at the nearby table, having scared away the other houses. As they start to give her a chewing for getting too close, they stop mid-sentence upon recognizing her, not only for being one of them, but for who she was. They both smile nervously, and lower their voices.
Content for the moment, Constance orders a pint of butterbeer, and sips on it until she sees Malfoy enter and shake off the cold. Looking around the room, he sees Constance seated quietly in a corner with the Slytherin 6th years whispering to each other nearby. Unsure if Constance had noticed him, he makes his way to the bar, orders himself a drink louder than he should have, and waits until it's ready. Grasping the cup, he takes a deep breath and nervously turns to see if Constance had seen or heard him by now. Shock hits him as the dreary black shape he had seen moments ago, was nowhere in sight. Turning his glare left and right, he can find no sign she was even in the bar. Having heard no one else enter or leave, he wonders if she was a delusion of his nervous state. Taking the seat he had last seen her in, the 6th years stand and leave, and he sits alone in his corner. After taking two more large draughts, he lays his hand by his side and nearly jumps when he feels a small box by his leg. Pulling the box closer, he sighs noting he has little choice but to follow through on the plan. Heading towards the loo, he waits for Katie Bell to pass, before he follows with his wand in hand.
Constance sat in her room absorbed in guilt. Having no reason to let tears fall, or to punish herself, she had little choice but mope around cleaning her dirt/dust-free room. Hours passed until word came that Katie Bell was in the infirmary after touching a cursed necklace. With everyone clueless to its origins, speculations ran rampant to its intended target. Beside herself, Constance could do nothing but focus her anger on Malfoy. As she approached him with her wand concealed in her sleeve, she intended to turn him inside out, a popular spell from her most hated Professor Sylver Tannious. Though it won't completely work on a Human, the magic was incredibly painful and would try to work. Having survived numerous occasions, she reserved the spell to only her most hated. As she closed on him from behind in the corridor to the common area, Pansy scoops her left arm and spins her around. Anger seethes from her ears, and Pansy laughs in her face.
"You did great today, though things didn't go as planned." Shoving Constance into a broom closet, she slams the door closed and continues in a whisper. "The Dark Lord has taken notice of you…in a good way."
Constance blinks flushing away her boiling anger and clears her thoughts. "Wha…what?"
Pansy nods approvingly. "You're bloody brilliant girl! Even though my Malfoy didn't get his target, your name was mentioned having kept cool and getting it to him like a natural…a trusted spy was watching. When the Dark Lord comes, he wants to meet you, I hear."
Constance cannot fathom the meaning or complexities of her situation and struggles for articulated speech.
"How? I mean why? I mean…I don't know what I mean!"
Pansy resumes laughing and pushes the door open, leaving Constance standing in the closet in shock and disbelief. After a several minutes, she asks herself out loud: "How in the Hell did I get myself into this mess."
A week after the incident with Miss Bell, Constance finally gets her Lion Guard together for their monthly meeting. A necessity more than anything, it was their only opportunity to exchange all their intelligence and elect the new house leaders. Surprisingly enough, Constance wasn't elected as the Slytherin Leader, which she thought would free up her schedule. Instead as the elections seemed to come to a close, Susan stands and takes the chair and addresses Constance directly.
"For our last position, everyone decided that an organization like this needed a figurehead, a leader to lead the individual house leaders. We all discussed who might be a good candidate, and we came to three people. In the end we had a secret vote, and we came to an agreement with the results."
Constance sits perplexed by insinuation her dearest Susan was making. Susan takes a large breath and smiles nervously before continuing.
"Constance, by a vote of all the members of the Lion Guard, we decided you should be the leader. From this day forward, you will be referred to as the 'Red Lion.' This is your secret name that will replace your name when referring to you in your position, not used in regular speech. This will ensure your security and secrecy for the coming days. No one will use this name outside of its intent, and never in casual communication. 'He who shall not be named' is murdering and kidnapping anyone in a position to mount any resistance to his cause. Your secret position is only effective if it remains a secret. Everyone understands this, and everyone is prepared to defend you if need be."
Constance sits once again in disbelief, unsure how things kept falling into her lap. After agonizing seconds, she clears her throat, nods, pushes the rims of her glasses firmly against her face and rises.
"I guess I accept, right?"
Susan nods. "You got that right yah bloody adorable yank!"
Susan began to see less and less of Constance outside of class. For the first couple of weeks she mentally justified that she was inordinately busy due to her class loads both as student and teacher. Several times she tried to have words with her, only to discover her in deep whispered conversations with Professor Snape and Flitwick. Frustratingly, she tried later only to find her in late meetings with the Professor Sprout and another student, Neville Longbottom. By Christmas holiday, Constance surprised her by saying she was staying behind to do some work with Snape and Sprout. Though she promised to try and join her by Christmas day, she arrived just before and had return to the school the Friday ahead of the rest of class via the Floo Network. Never saying what the project was only made Susan more suspicious. To her surprise as she exited the train arriving at Howarts, Constance stood grinning on the platform. Susan fought from leaping into her arms, and coldly approached.
"Not too busy to meet an old friend I see?"
Constance bites her lower lip and shakes her head. "Ah, I do deserve that, I know. I promise you, on the flip-side, it's for a good reason. Here." Extending her hand, she presents a scroll, which Susan reluctantly accepts with chilly gratitude. "Tonight, after your duties are accomplished, join me in the main hall and I'll show you my project. Let's say 9:30?"
With a dramatic sigh Susan, agrees, and they walk to the horseless carriages, unusually quiet and short on conversation.
Deep inside her, Susan couldn't wait for 9:30 to come. Though she played it cool and collected to prod at Constance, in reality she was anxious to finally discover the little secret Constance had been keeping to herself these months. It had derailed her Christmas plans with Constance, and disrupted her daily time with the woman she had come to love. In the back of her mind, she knew she wasn't cheating on her, but the project had had the same emotional effect. Doubt and excessive time, only amplified the emotions brewing inside of her. Quietly traversing the endless staircases from her house, she finally arrived minutes before 9:30 in hopes Constance would be early as well, which she wasn't disappointed. Smiling, Constance rose and took Susan's hand. Without saying a word she leads her deeper into the castle. Nervously biting her lip, she finds great comfort in Constance holding her cold hand. Though Constance's were usually ice cubes, in her current state her touch was incredibly warming to both her hands and heart.
After a few minutes, she realizes their destination and she loses the ability to speak. Entering the infirmary, she sees Professor McGonagall sitting at the foot of Katie Bell's bed, who glances in their direction. With a weary smile, she encourages Susan to join her as Constance joins Professor Flitwick. Their apparent familiarity with each other lets them immediately begin working without exchanging any noticeable pleasantries. Constance strategically places eight black pearls around Katie's unconscious form, and reads from Flitwick's large tome. The pearls suddenly turn bright red as the words drift off her tongue, and an air of malice fills the room. After months of work, they finally had a tool to begin to break the charm, but it fought for its life. Hours pass as Constance struggles to recite the words as the demonic force strikes at her soul, slashing and cutting, creating deep invisible wounds. As the clock strikes midnight, Constance is thrown away from Katie, tumbling hideously over the infirmary beds. With Matron Pomfrey at Constance's side in seconds, Susan has to fight from screaming and crying. As people scramble to gather up Constance, Professor Snape suddenly apparates beside Constance and gingerly lifts her head off the floor. After a minute, Constance's eyes flutter open revealing her demonic cat eyes. Before everyone can see them, he puts her glasses back on her face, hiding the unsettling eyes.
As she's helped to her feet, Snape chides: "I told you this was ill advised."
Constance nods as she gets her balance momentarily and collapses in a chair. "True, you did, but we wouldn't have its name would we? Ozmodius. It calls itself Ozmodius, mean anything to you?"
Snape ponders for excruciating seconds before responding. "Perhaps. It's going to take some extensive research at the Great Library in Bath. There is something familiar about it, but I can't place it."
Professor McGonagall, practically in tears, exclaims: "Enough! That's enough for tonight! Miss Bones, would you please escort Constance down to Slytherin hall?" Not waiting for an answer she continued to her next thought. "And please hurry back to your own dormitory, it's far beyond your hour, and you have classes in the morning." Susan lets out a weak "Yes professor," and hurries to grip Constance's waist as she stands. Taking the brunt of Constance's weight, Susan is thankful Constance was barely seven and a half stone. The trip to the dungeon becomes easier as Constance regains much her strength on the long trip down, so that by the time they arrive, she only using Susan's arm as support. Passing several House boys and girls patrolling the halls, they don't even question them. As they approach the Dungeon portal painting, Constance draws Susan close and passionately kisses her. Without uttering a word, they part ways and Susan drifts to her dorm room, on a blissful cloud.