[A/N: Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year! WOW, 117 favorites and 156 subscribers~! To those who just subscribed to my story or 'favorite' my story, thank you all at the bottom of my heart! I'm glad that so many of you are still following me even though things in the story are progressing slowly. I have taken direct quotes from the movie and books, so credits to JK Rowling. As usual, the foreign languages in this story are translated from Google Translate so, please let me know if something seems off. If any of you have a fanfiction request, hit me up on PM! As always, please, comment, subscribe and favorite my story and stay tuned for the next chapter~!]
[P.S: Just a quick note, Lately I have been doing my extern, so my time of writing has been limited to only two days. My updates will be slower then usual.]
Chapter 14
November 5th, Friday
"Where is Professor Lupin?" A Gryffindor asked and his question was quickly answered when the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom violently swung shut as Severus strolled in. As he walked down the middle of the classroom, he magically made the wooden French windows outside slam shut. With another flourish of his wand, the white projector screen slides down from the ceiling. Severus had a deadpanned look on his face when he made a dramatic turn to face the class. "Turn to page three hundred and ninety-four." He drawled out. The Slytherins immediately did as they were told while the Gryffindors lagged a little behind. "Excuse me, Professor, where is Professor Lupin?" Lavender Brown asked in a snotty voice.
"It's not really your concern, is it, Ms. Brown?" Severus said with a sneer before proceeding to slowly walk down the middle of the classroom once again. "Surmise it to say, your professor finds himself incapable of teaching at the present time." Weasley suddenly stood up from his chair, causing it to drag against the stone floor a little. "You take that back, you snarky bastard! Lupin is a better professor then you ever will be!" The redhead said with a tomato-red face while pointing a rude finger at him. Apparently, the idiot wasn't listened close enough and took everything the wrong way as always. Severus raised an eyebrow as he turned to face him.
"Mr. Weasley, I suggest you refrain yourself from excessant outbursts. I fear your mother will be getting more complaint letters from the school about you then your twin brothers." Weasley's face turned pale at the mention of his mother and quickly sat back down. "Now turn to page three hundred and ninety-four." Severus then said in a warning voice as he walked to stand next to an old-fashioned projector and activated it with a tap of his wand. The Gryffindors begrudgingly did as they were told and turned their books to page three hundred and ninety-four. "Werewolves?" A Gryffindor boy with a pock-marked face squeaked out. "But sir," One of the Patil twins turned to face the Potions master.
"We just began learning about redcaps and hinkypunks. We aren't meant to learn about nocturnal beasts for weeks." She quickly clamped her mouth shut when she saw the infamous glare the professor always gave to students who annoy him. "Ms. Patil. Do not question my teachings again or else you will find yourself at Mr. Filtch's office faster then you can say 'sorry'." When no one dared to say anything else, Severus tapped the projector again to start the slides. "Now, which one of you can tell me the difference between an animagus and a werewolf?" The potion master didn't have to turn around to know that Hermione had her hand up first followed by the rest of the gang as he slowly walked back up to the front of the classroom.
"How disappointing, Gryffindors." Severus sneered before motioning to Hermione to speak. "An animagus is a wizard who elects to turn to an animal. A werewolf has no choice. With each full moon, when he transforms, he no longer remembers who he is. He could kill his best friend if he crosses his path. Furthermore, the werewolf only responds to a call from its own kind." Her words seemed endless until she finally stopped. Severus' face was emotionless as always but Diana could tell he was pleased with the brunette's answer. "Thank you, Miss. Greengrass. Ten points to Slytherin." The Gryffindors in the classroom grumbled in annoyance. Looks like their hopes of beating the Slytherins for House Cup is slowly diminishing.
November 6th, Saturday
"The weather isn't ideal but, there isn't much choice," Flint said as he watched his players perform a warming charm over themselves before storing their wands in their lockers. "The wind is also very strong so keep an eye out in your surroundings." Just as he finished talking, the team got the cue to head out to the field. They all filed out to the undercover area provided by the spectators' stand. just as the Hufflepuff team has been announced. "Now, here comes the Slytherins!" The commentator's voice boomed over the howling of the wind and the excited chants from both houses. "Flint, Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Theo, and Ivanov!"
Diana had to squint as cold raindrops splattered against her face as she zoomed through the air with her team. "Merlin, comment vais-je voir le vif d'or par ce temps?" (F) (Merlin, how on Earth am I going to see the Snitch in this weather?) Diana's voiced her annoyance to Draco once they came to a stop in the middle of the Quidditch field where Madame Hooch waited with her silver whistle in hand. "Players, mount your broom!"
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
The wind howled loudly in Diana's ears as she flew around looking for the golden snitch through the rain droplets. The rain seemed to be getting worse as the game continued, her body freezing from her soaked Quiddditch uniform as her hair. She was half listening to the commentator as he announced someone scored another point for Slytherin, stopping mid-air to catch her bearings. "Ivanov, any sight on the snitch yet?"A tired looking Flint came to a stop next to her. Diana shook her head and heard Flint curse a little in frustration. "Bloody hell. This weather is torture." Diana was about to speak when something small zooming around caught her attention. She immediately shot after it just as the commentator shouted in excitement, the spectators roared with cheers as the Hufflepuff seeker chased after her.
Diana felt so stiff as she willed her broom to go faster, not comprehending that fact that she was climbing higher in the cloudy sky. Come on, come on! She said as she reached out with one hand once she was within grabbing distance. She hissed with annoyance as she had to use that arm to shield her face when the raindrops seemingly turned to sharp ice. Suddenly there was a flash of lightning and a loud crack. Diana looked over her shoulder to see the Hufflepuff seeker tumbling off his broom towards the ground below. Diana cursed as she turned her attention back to the snitch and charged after it. All the sudden, the temperature felt like it dropped several degrees and Diana looked down to see ice quickly forming on her broom handle.
A shiver went through her spine when she heard that familiar raspy, rattling sound behind her. Diana quickly looked over her shoulder to see a horde of dementors floating towards her. Shit! She screamed in the inside as she quickly got into action. She shot away from the area, hearing the dementors let out a rattling shriek. She didn't have to look to know that they were following her. Flashes of lightning temporarily blinded Diana as she flew through the air, her heart pounding erratically in her chest. Her eyes widened in shock when more dementors burst from the thunder clouds in front of her/ She cursed as she quickly swiveled out of the way when a dementor suddenly shot up from under her.
She needs to get out of there quick. She reflexively spun in the air, dodging the dementors who seemed to be anticipating her movements. Diana almost let out a scream when a dementor suddenly swooped down at her. Before she could swerve out of the way again, its boney grey hand suddenly lashed out to grab her by the neck, cutting off her air supply. Diana immediately grasped at its wrist, struggling to gasp for air as she could do nothing but watch as the dementor moved its head closer to her, the chilling rattling getting louder. The sound of a woman screaming filler her ears again as she slowly blacked out. "Diana!"
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Where is she?" Hermione asked over the sound of excited chatter as she looked up at the weeping clouds with squinting eyes. The gang searched the clouds in anticipation, expecting their seeker to come shooting out of the clouds with the golden snitch in hand. Suddenly, something small dropped from the stormy clouds. "What is that?" Pansy asked with a frown, catching those around her to follow her gaze. Screams started filling the air when the realization hit them. Draco, Blaise, and Theo forgot about the game the moment they saw Diana falling and shot after her. Draco forced his broom to the limit and managed to get ahead of Diana. The blonde grunted when their bodies collided with each other, miscalculating how fast Diana was falling as he was pulled to the ground with her quickly wrapping his arms around her.
The impact on the ground caused them to separate. "Diana!" Draco shouted as he scrambled back to Diana's unconscious body as people and the professors quickly ran onto the field. He cradled her in his arms and felt his blood turn cold when he noticed the ghastly looking hand imprint around Diana's throat and the small trickle of blood leaking from the corner of her lips. He was about to call for the adults to get here faster and to get help but the Ivanovs and Tom had arrived before the professors, looking pale at what has happened.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Diana groaned a little as she woke up from the sounds loud voices. "How dare you just stand there and continue to lie to my face, Dumbledore!" Stepan roared at the Headmaster, looking about ready to punch his lights out as he made jabbing motions at his with his pointer finger. Tom is standing next to the Russian, and Diana couldn't tell who was stopping whom from flailing their fists. "Gentlemen." Valentina had a pinched look on her face as she caught the men's attention once she noticed Diana was awake. "She is awake." She gave her a watery smile, gently patting her hand as Tom and Stepan rushed to sit by her bedside. "Vy napugali nas." (R) (You have given us quite the fright.) Stepan said gently.
Diana bowed her head as if in shame, knowing that Dumbledore is watching. "Izvinite, chto zastavil vas vsekh volnovat'sya." (R) (Sorry for making you all worry.) Valentina tutted at her husband before looking back at Diana. "What happened up there, sweetheart? You suddenly just plunged from the sky, passed out." Diana didn't even question the sudden changed from Russian to English and pretended to shiver as if she was remembering something. "There was...alot...of dementors. One just...swooped at me...and grabbed my neck." At the end of that, the adults were shooting glares at Dumbledore. "I thought you said all dementors weren't permitted to leave the school grounds!" Stepan snarled as he grabbed the old man by his robe collar.
Dumbledore looked calm as ever but his blue eyes showed signs of annoyance as he forced the Russian to let him go. "Mr. Ivanov, I assure you, this was not supposed to happen. Yes, the dementors are not supposed to leave the confines of the school grounds but as I'm sure you are well aware, these creatures are unpredictable." Stepan's eyes turned icy cold, his voice to match as he stood toe to toe with the old man. "I don't like what you are implying, Dumbledore. I have not nor will I ever be sent to Azkaban. I'm not like your father and yourself, attacking and bothering children." He gave a scathing looking as the old man's flashed dangerously.
"Good day, Mr. Ivanov." He said coldly and briskly left the infirmary. Diana snickered at this and leaned back against her propped pillow. She realized how sore her throat felt as she instinctively touched her neck. The dementor's grip was strong and must have left some deep marks on her skin. "K sozhaleniyu, etot sinyak budet tam okolo nedeli." (R) (Unfortunately, that bruise is going to be there for about a week.) Tom said in a soft voice but his eyes looked like rolling storms as he eyes the hand-sized bruise. Diana decided for a subject change. "Gde moya metla, otets? Dolzhno byt', yego sdul sil'nyy veter." (R) (Where is my broom, Father? It must have gotten blown away by the strong wind.)
The three adults looked at each other expectedly before turning their attention back to her. Diana noticed how apologetic Valentina looked. "Prosti, dorogaya. Tvoya metla byla povrezhdena, kogda udarilas' v Idu. Vy pomnite istorii, kotoryye vash otets rasskazyval vam o dereve?" (R) (I'm sorry, sweetheart. Your broom got damaged when it hit the Whomping Willow. Do you remember the stories your father told you about the tree?)
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Diana had a deep scowl on her face that seemed like it wasn't going away any time soon. The gang was sitting around her at the circle of couches in the middle of the Slytherin common room. They all were snickering but Ginny looked the most amused. Flint stepped into the common room through the portal and raised an eyebrow at the look on Diana's face. "She is just in a bad mood because she lost her broom to a tree," Draco said in a teasing tone once he noticed Flint's questioning look, causing the guy to snort. Diana glared at nothing particular. "Je jure qu'un jour, je vais brûler ce foutu arbre." (F) (I swear, one day, I'm going to burn that damn tree to a crisp.) The gang howled with laughter.
November 8th, Monday
The class flew in a frenzy when Remus appeared in Defence Against the Dark Arts. Well, only the Gryffindors were complaining about the essay Severus assigned to the class last time. "Ten rolls of parchment!" Someone kept on shouting, sounding like a broken record player. "All right class, settle down, settle down," Remus said with a kind smile on his face as the class immediately quieted down. "Don't worry about the essay. I'll have a talk with Professor Snape." The room practically sighed with relief at this. "Now, today, we will be talking about hinkypunks. Who can tell me what this creature is?"
December 6th, Monday
"Severus." Remus simply stated, not bothering to turn his gaze from the cloudless night sky to look over his shoulder. "Remus," Severus said with a curt nod as he stepped out from the shadows created by the outdoor pillars. It had been a few days since Remus had returned from his 'sick leave', and he looked more haggard than before. Of course, Severus knows his secret. "Another sleepless night?" The potions master asked as he walked over to stand next to the man, propping his elbows against the cold stone rails. "Unfortunately," Remus said with a slight scowl.
"It's the same bloody dream. I need to stop seeing those stupid eyes." In the end, Remus was glaring at nothing particular and was snarling a little. Severus rolled his eyes like he had heard that same line numerous times already. "Then I suggest you treat the situation like an adult and go talk to him." He drawled out. Remus shot him a side glare. "And you know bloody well why I'm not going to do that." Severus rolled his eyes for the second time, mostly out of frustration. They have had countless arguments in the past which always ended up with fists flying.
"What I don't understand is why you continue to torture yourself. I have explained to you why you mustn't listen to what Dumbledore says." Severus eventually asked. Remus sighed like he was talking to a child. "Dumbledore saved my life, Severus. He only showed me the truth. I refuse to mate with the person who turned me into the child of the moon." Severus groaned in frustration. "Of, for the love of the Gods, you can't change how your creature side chooses to love! Fenrir-" Severus felt the air rush from his lungs with a grunt as he was violently shoved against the wall. "Don't you dare say his fucking name in front of me." Remus hissed as his hand clutched at the potion master's shirt collar, his normally brown eyes were now golden yellow.
Severus glared viciously at the man as he grabbed at both of his wrists and proceeded to yank at the arms to let his shirt go, but neither would budge. "Greyback doesn't know how to love." Remus snarled before viciously letting go of the potion master's collar, taking in delight when the back of his head lightly smacked against the stone wall. "If he knew how to love, it wouldn't involve pheromones to lure me to him."
December 18th, Saturday
Hurry, Diana! Or else we'll be late!" Pansy said frantically as she, Ginny, Daphne, Diana, and Hermione as fast as their pure blood legs could allow them to go. Diana rolled her eyes. "Pans, we have been to Hogsmeade plenty of times before. There's no need to rush." Hermione tutted lightly, looking slightly disapproving. "Of course there is. Not if we plan to go to every store and get back into the castle by the requested time." Diana rolled her eyes again. "Et vous vous souciez de ce que Dumbledore veut?" (F) (And you care about what Dumbledore wants?) Hermione snorts at this. "Putain non. Nous reviendrons juste une minute en retard." (F) (Fuck no. We'll just get back a minute late.)
The girls smirk just as they arrived at the courtyard where those who were allowed to go to Hogsmeade were supposed to meet. "Let me remind you all that you are students of Hogwarts. You will refrain from tarnishing this fine establishment's reputation. If myself or any of the other professors hear anything unsavory has happened, you will be reprimanded severely." Professor McGonagall said sternly. "Yes. Professor." The students said in unison.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Hermione, why don't you get this one?" Daphne recommended to her sister in the formal attire boutique shop. The gang had split off into two sections, the boys and the girls. They agreed to meet back up at the Three Broomsticks in a couple of hours. The brown-haired girl scrunched her nose a little at the sight of the dress. "Are you kidding me? That looks gaudy on me." She said in a whisper to not attract attention from the shop owner. The girls needed to pick out dresses to wear to the Christmas party at the Ivanov mansion. Each girl loaded their arms with dresses to try out in the changing room.
At the end, Diana selected a burgundy off-the-shoulder dress with lace beading on the bodice, a cream-colored v-neck tulle dress with beaded bodice and split side for Pansy, a black knee lengthed long-sleeved tulle dress for Hermione, a navy blue long sleeved knee lengthed laced chiffon dress for Daphne, a blood red sleeveless laced mini dress with a jeweled waist for Ginny. Now, off to buy Christmas gifts for everyone.
December 19th, Sunday
Snow fell as the Hogwarts Express chugged through the valley towards King's Cross Station for the winter holidays. The casual conversation picked back up once they all bought a cup of peppermint hot chocolate from the trolley. "Diana, do you know if your father will have your godfather attack the school again during the break?" Theo asked curiously. Diana shook her head as she ran the tips of her fingers against her armrest. "No, my father doesn't plan to have another attack. He wants another town raid and he needs all hands since some of our people are locked up in Azkaban. Why do you ask?" Theo shook his head.
"Oh, nothing. I don't want to miss the expression on Dumbledore's face when Sirius attacks the school for the second time." The others snickered at the thought.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
King's Cross is packed full as Diana stepped off the train onto the platform. It didn't take long to locate Tom since he seemed to tower over everyone else. Tom chuckled as he pulled her close for a tight hug once he saw her running to him. "I missed you so much, Princess." She heard him mumble against her hair. "I missed you too, father." She said before pulling away. The gang had located their families and all converged to that one spot. After promises of seeing them all at tomorrow's meeting, they all left the station.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Christopher!" Diana said with excitement once she saw her brother's looming figure in the sitting room. "Hey, Diana." He said with a smile as he welcomed her with a tight hug. Diana frowned when she felt him twitch and heard a barely concealed hiss from pain before pulling away to look up at his face. "Are you ok, Christopher? Did you hurt yourself?" She asked, Christopher quickly pulled a smile, not really dispelling the worry on her face. "Don't worry. It's just a little sore. I've been training with my classmates." Diana frowned a little as Tom came into the room. "Training? Training to go against Dumbledore?" She asked. She had barely done any training let alone think that her father would pull the plug so soon.
"No, training for something in the next school year," Tom said as he motioned for the two to sit down. "What's going to happen?" Diana asked curiously once everyone had sat down. Christopher smirked as he scruffed up her hair with his hand. "It will be a surprise." Diana groaned as she shot mocking glares at her brother. "You ass, just tell me now," Christopher smirks evilly and stuck his tongue at her and got into a tickle match with his sister.
December 20th, Monday
"What on earth is going on here?!" Stepan asked the aurors furiously. Shacklebolt gazed scrutiny around the entryway as he stuck his hand into his robe pocket and pulled a rolled up piece of parchment paper with the official Ministry red wax seal. "We have been given a tip about dark objects in this establishment. Here is our warrant to search the premises." The head auror said as he passed the parchment to Stepan before motioning to the aurors to start their search. Valentina placed protective arms around Diana and Christopher as Stepan broke the wax seal and his eyes followed the words on the paper, Tom reading over his shoulder. "Etot grebanyy ublyudok!" (R) (That fucking bastard!) Stepan growled once he reached the end of the page.
"Chto eto, lyubov' moya? Chto zdes' proiskhodit?" (R) (What is it, my Love? What is going on?) Valentina asked with worry. "Eto dolzhno byt' delom Dambldora. On khochet vstryakhnut' nas." (R) (This has to be Dumbledore's doing. He wants to shake us up.) Stepan growled as they heard the sounds of porcelains being placed back down in their original spots rather hard then they would like. "Ne volnuytes', oni nichego ne naydut. Staryy ublyudok dumal, chto my ostavim temnyye predmety pod otkrytym nebom, gde ikh, ochevidno, mozhno budet nayti" (R) (Don't worry, they won't find anything. The old bastard thought we would leave dark objects out in the open where it can obviously be found.) Tom stated, his eyes glaring towards the aurors who clearly had no disregards to priceless objects as they carried on with their raid.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
An hour had passed and the aurors still haven't left, even when they have done the search twice already. Apparently, the aurors weren't happy that there were no dark objects in the entire mansion and needed to do it again. Just to be sure. "My apologies for taking up your time, Mr. Ivanov. We found no such objects here. We best be going." Shacklebolt said as he stood in the parlor room with his aurors. Stepan gave him a curt nod of his head and watched as he apparated first before the others quickly followed after before there was one left. This auror gave them threatening glares, apparently not pleased with how the raid went.
"Where are you hiding the dark objects, huh? I bet you have a secret room filled with them." Christopher took a step towards the guy, his tall structure made him loom over him as his cold eyes made in contact with the auror. "Go ahead. The results will be the same. Make sure the one who tipped you gets the message too." The auror scowled even deeper and left with a sharp crack.
December 23rd, Thursday
The live orchestra played gently in the background as the guests talked softly to each other. "Ah, Mr. Ivanov! I'm so glad you, your wife and your brother-in-law." Cornelius said with a resounding voice as he walked up to greet them, a childish giddy smile on his face. The Minister of Magic was hosting a gala as well as a silent auction. Stepan sneered as he shook hands with him. "Believe me, Fudge, I wouldn't have come after what your aurors did in my house under the impression that there are dark objects in my house on a tip from Dumbledore." He said coldly. Cornelius looked confused before noticing someone who had just arrived in the hall and gestured them to come over.
"Dumbledore, we were just talking about you. Mr. Ivanov seems to have gotten the impression that you were the one who tipped the aurors off to their house. Is this true?" Cornelius inquired. Dumbledore simply looked shocked that he knew so fast but didn't seem distraught about it. "It is true. I only did it in concern for my student, Miss Ivanov." Stepan and Tom could barely hold back from scowling. Of course, Dumbledore would say that. "Ah, well, then, its settled then. If you will please excuse me, gentlemen. I have guests to greet." With a jolly smile, he left the two to greet some guests who came from the French Ministry of Magic.
"You never give up, do you Dumbledore?" Stepan sneered as the two men stood toe to toe. Dumbledore had that same old crazy twinkly eyes as he shook his head, sighing with disappointment. "I assure you that I have the best intentions for your daughter, Mr. Ivanov. Being surrounded by all this darkness for all this time isn't healthy for a girl her age." Stepan hissed at the false concern and looked like he was going to sock the guy on the face but Tom stopped him with a motion of his hand. "Ostav' yego poka, Stepan. Posmotrim, kak dolgo prodlitsya yego samodovol'stvo." (R) (Leave him be for now, Stepan. We'll see how long his smugness will last him.) Stepan sneered at the old man one last time, internally pleased that the headmaster couldn't understand Russian.
December 25th, Saturday
The Ivanov mansion was lavishly decorated with Christmas decoration, all the guests scattered comfortably around the main floor, alcoholic drinks for the adults and sparkling cider for the children. "My lady," Fenrir said with a polite dip of his head as Diana happened to walked passed him in the corridor adjacent to the dining room and the living room. "I heard that one of your professors is a werewolf. Who is he? I'm acquainted with most of the werewolves in Europe." He asked, giving her a feral smile that could make a grown man wet himself once they caught a glimpse of his mangled face. Diana silently raised an eyebrow as she took a sip of her drink before replying.
"If you must know, his name is Lupin. Remus Lupin." The moment she spoke, the alpha werewolf turned deathly pale, his face filled with conflicting emotions before she saw his jaws clench tightly. "Excuse me, my lady." He said curtly before quickly leaving the area. leaving Diana puzzled. A question she will ask her father after the party was over.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
The double doors going into the backyard swung shut with a soft thud as the adults continued with their lively conversations in the dining room, their stomachs filled with dinner and dessert. "Finally, time to ourselves." Blaise groaned happily as he hopped off the last step and landed on the snow-covered ground, his shoes making a satisfying crunch. It had snowed during dinner and had covered up the old footsteps that had littered the backyard from earlier and the Christmas lights decorating the trees made the snow sparkle. The gang had placed warming charms over themselves despite wearing thick winter coats and scarves as well as placed water-repelling charms on their expensive shoes. Daphne, Ginny, Pansy, Theo, Crabbe, Goyle, and Neville chuckled as they joined Blaise on the fresh snow, their breaths visible in the night sky. Hermione had opted to stay inside with Christopher, saying that she would rather listen to adults drone on and on then have her ass freeze.
Diana and Draco lagged behind the group, her hand gently dripping his arm as she cautiously stepped down the final step. Wouldn't want to make a fool of herself by slipping on ice, right? Draco glanced over to her and happened to glance at the necklace danging from her neck. The necklace he gave her as a Christmas gift. "You're wearing the necklace..." He said softly, mesmerized at how beautiful it looked on her. It turns out that the necklace has a twin and mostly aims for couples. Neither knew that the other bought the corresponding necklace for the other. Diana briefly looked down at the necklace as if she forgot what it looked like before looking back up at the blonde and smiled softly.
"Of course I would wear it. You always manage to give me the most beautiful things." She said. Draco's cheeks went slightly pink, though it was hard to tell since his cheek was flushed from the cold night air. You deserve the most beautiful things. He thought before smiling, his cheeks getting a little pinker. "I'm glad you like it." He said softly. Before the blonde could react, Diana leaned close to him and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek before pulling away. "Thank you." She said, trying not to laugh at his shocked expression but was failing miserably. "Come on, let's catch up to the others." She said with a light chuckle as she gently pulled his arm to walk with him. Only then, did he snap out of his shock and still felt the warm feeling on her kiss on his skin.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
The gang had no real destination so they mindlessly walked around the snow, their warming and water-repellent charms still working. They found themselves feet away from the forest that was just outside the perimeters of the Ivanov property, the mansion still looming in the background. They have long pass walked through the protective barrier, knowing that Valentina and Stepan had felt that. Diana briefly looked down at the snow-covered ground when she noticed another set of footprints ahead of them, immediately tuning out the conversations next to her. It hasn't been covered by the fresh snow, so it must have happened just as the snow had stopped falling.
"Guys, stop." She said quickly, silently squeezing Draco's arm for him to stop walking as well. The gang looked at her in puzzlement. "What is it, Dia-" Daphne stopped talking when Diana silently bought up a finger to her lips before gesturing to the foot tracks leading into the forest. Whoever left those footprints knew that there was a barrier and had managed to keep watch of the mansion without disturbing the barrier. The gang nodded in understanding as they drew out their wands from their thick coats as they followed the footsteps into the forest, making a deal of not trying to hide the fact their footsteps sounded so loud on the snow as to not alert the person that they have caught on to something wrong.
"Mes parents se rendent au Louvre pour la nouvelle exposition d'art. Est-ce que l'un de vous ira?" (F) (My parents are heading to the Louvre for the new art exhibit. Will any of you be going?) Draco asked, his body tense but his voice smooth as ever as he felt Diana's hand leave from his arm, preparing for any attacks to happen. "Mes parents y vont définitivement." (F) (My parents are definitely going.) Pansy stated in a matter of fact tone. Suddenly, a red spark shot towards them from the shadows of the trees produced by the crescent moon in the sky, making everyone dive for cover. Diana let out a grunt when Draco knocked her to the ground just in time to dodge another spell.
They quickly scrambled to their feet and sprinted over to take cover behind some bushes and a tree as more curses were sent flying. "Are you okay?" Draco asked her as he steadied his breathing, taking a peek over the brush. "Yeah." She whispered as she watched Blaise, who was hiding behind a large tree with Ginny, shoot a curse towards the tree where the person was hiding, causing the tree to explode to bits. The person scrambled out from hiding, barely avoiding the large pieces from hitting his head but leaving himself wide open for Diana. "Stupefy." She said calmly as the spell hit the person straight in the middle of the back.
The person barely made a sound as they hit the ground face first with a thud. The gang slowly stood up from their hiding spot after a few minutes of silence. "Who is he?" Pansy asked out loud as the gang merged back together to the body, their wands still drawn out. "Could Dumbledore have sent him?" Daphne pipped in. Diana didn't answer any of their questions, silently motioning for Crabbe and Goyle to hoist the guy onto his feet, noticing that he was a rather big looking. The boys did as they were told, groaning as they hoisted his limp body onto his feet with their meaty hands as the rest kept their wands trained on the guy just case. Diana reached out to grip the guy's chin, making his head tilt back to give her a better look.
"Well, well well," Diana said in a taunting tone as she let go of his chin, a cold smirk on her face as she watched his head roll forward again. "Let's see who you are." She said in a light tone as she dove her hand into his jacket pocket. Quill. Inkpot. Roll of parchment. Auror badge. Diana gave the auror a brief glare before unfrilling the roll of parchment, noticing brief sentences were jotted down about any activities happening. She scoffed coldly as she rolled the parchment back up and placed it in her coat pocket, her demeanor quickly changing to ice. "Auror Grimshaw here has been watching the mansion since the start of the winter holidays."
Diana quickly canceled the spell, watching as the auror stirred awake, at first confused as to what had just happened before realizing that he was being held up by two kids. "You're not a very good auror, aren't you, Mr. Grimshaw." She sneered coldly, watching the auror turn pale and scrambled to think of a reasonable explanation to get him out of the situation. "Don't even bother, Grimshaw. We found everything in your pocket." Draco snarled as he showed the auror's badge in his hand. Noticing this, the auror stood up straight and tilt his nose up. "You won't be getting anything from me. I will never betray Dumbledore." Diana smirked coldly and motioned to Draco. "Restrain him. Its time he goes for a little walk."
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Tom looked up as Diana stepped into the dining room, her cheeks still slightly flushed from walking around outside. The adults in the room quieted down upon her entry. "Father, there is a surprise for you." She said to the Dark Lord, a glimmer of anticipation in her eyes. Tom raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "A surprise? What is it?" Diana rolled her eyes, snorting softly. "You're missing the point of a surprise, Father." She then reached to gently take his hand. "Come on. I want everyone to come with me down to the dungeon. Your surprise is waiting." The adults chuckled softly as they complied to her wishes, standing up from their seats with the Dark Lord. "Very well, Princess. Show me this surprise." Tom said. Diana grinned as she leads the adults down to the dungeon.
Their path was lit by torchlight as they walked down the stone steps before reaching the final wooden door, the sounds of pained male screams could be head from within. "Zaklyuchennyy?" (R) (A prisoner?) Valentina asked curiously just as Diana took a hold of the brass door handle. "Just wait and see who it is," Diana said over her shoulder with a delighted grin and the door opened with a low groan. The sound of pained screams was louder as they stepped into the dungeon, hearing someone shouting in annoyance. "Who sent you?!" Diana took the adults to the last cell, just in time to see the captive auror spit at Neville, flecks of bloody spit landing on his crisp white shirt collar while the rest of the gang standing along the wall.
The auror was chained to the stone wall, shirtless with obvious deep slashes littering his exposed chest and back. Everyone was dead quiet until Pansy marched over to the prisoner and slapped him hard across the face. She was about to yell at him when she realized that the adults were standing there. "My lord." The gang said in unison, bowing their head respectively. Tom looked pleased as he nodded at them before they stood upright. "Who do we have here?" He asked as he stepped into the cell, the other adults opting to stay on the other side, the prisoner looking up to just freeze with fear when he saw those red eyes looking straight at him.
"Nous l'avons trouvé en train de surveiller l'endroit." (F) (We found him surveying the place.) Draco stated, noticing the prisoner eyeing them closely. "Nous les avons trouvés dans ses poches, mon père." (F) (We found these in his pockets, Father.) Diana said as she passed the rolled up parchment and auror badge. "Nous l'avons torturé pour obtenir des informations." (F) (We've been torturing him to get information.) Draco stated as Neville nodded in confirmation. The gang never noticed how proud their parents looked, each happy that their child was acknowledged by the Dark Lord. "I've read what was on the parchment. He has been recording what he has been seeing but honestly, none of the information is of importance." Diana hissed in Parseltongue, causing the prisoner to shiver at the sound as Tom silently unfrilled the roll of parchment and read the slanted words.
He didn't even say a word as he rolled it back up once he was done. "You won't be needing this anymore." He said towards the prisoner before making a brief head motion towards the gang. "Traitez-le comme bon vous semble. Une fois que vous avez terminé, faites le moi savoir. Je ferai en sorte que Dumbledore voie notre travail." (F) (Deal with him as you see fit. Once you are done, let me know. I'll make sure Dumbledore sees our handiwork.) The gang smirked with delight as the parents left the area, leaving them alone with the prisoner. "Well, looks like your luck has run out," Diana said with indifference. "Just as I was starting to like you."
The gang cackled with delight as they moved to stand around the prisoner in a circle. The prisoner looked slightly pale, whether it's from the pain or just plain scared, neither of them cared. "You bastards! Dumbledore will know that it is you the moment they find my body!" The gang looked unfazed by this, to much to the prisoner's surprise. "Hey, comment allons-nous décider qui ira en premier?" (F) (Hey, how are we going to decide who will go first?) Draco asked. Pansy tutted as if the answer was the most obvious. "Bien sûr, ce sera Diana, puis le reste de nous, les filles, ensuite ce sera vous les garçons." (F) (Of course, it will be Diana, then the rest of us girls, then it will be you boys.) The boys scoffed in disbelief.
"Absolument pas. Nous prévoyons de le torturer pendant un certain temps et je sais pertinemment que plus de sang sera versé. Je préférerais avoir du sang versé sur moi puis sur votre belle robe et détruire vos traits magnifiques." (F) (Absolutely not. We plan on torturing him for a while and I know for a fact that more blood will be spilled. I would rather have blood spilled on me then on your beautiful dress and destroy your stunning features.) Neville said, catching everyone off guard a little but especially Pansy, who was sporting rather flushed cheeks. "B-Bien, tu peux venir avant moi ... mais ne pense pas que cela se produira la prochaine fois." (F) (F-Fine, you can go before me...but don't think that will happen the next time.)
Neville flashed her a grin before being shoved teasingly by Blaise, causing the rest of the gang to laugh. What the fuck is wrong with these kids?! The prisoner thought as he shifted on his sore feet, causing the chains holding him up to rattle and bringing their attention back to him.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
All the party guests had left, leaving the mansion oddly quiet. Just the way Diana liked it. Her bare feet daintily walked across the white marble floor. She wasn't ready to go to bed yet. Besides, she still had things to ask her father. She found him sitting in front of the fireplace in one of the armchairs in the living room, flipping through what looks like a photo album. "Father?" She asked gently. Tom briefly looked up b3fore looking back at a photo while motioning for her to come over. "You're not going to sleep yet, Princess?" He asked as she came to a stop next to him and gently wrapped an arm around her waist, letting her sit on his left armrest.
"No. I actually have a question for you." She said, silently looked at the photo of her parents looking loving at each other in front of the Christmas tree. Tom took a deep breath before snapping the album close before looking up at her with amused eyes. "Ask away, Princess. What do you want to know?" He asked as he leaned up to gently kiss her hair while he moved a bit to make room for her in the armchair. Diana sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder before speaking. "I was speaking to Greyback earlier tonight and I mentioned Remus Lupin to him. He turned pale and just left. Why? Did something happen between both of them?"
Tom snorts as he subconsciously started stroking her hair. "That's one way of putting it." They both were silent, minus the crackling of the burning wood. "Princess, do you know what soul mates are?" He then asked. Diana nodded. "Wizards and witches can have it bit most magical creatures experience this type of relationship. Were Lupin and Greyback soul mates?" Tom nodded. "Yes. Lupin already had apprehensions about being in a binding relationship with the person who permanently made his life a living hell, but no one blamed him. His worries were getting better and farther in between but someone decided to make his fears worse and dug them deep in him emotionally."
Diana was about to ask who this 'person' was but honestly, a familiar name kept popping up in her mind. "Dumbledore." She growled lowly. Tom scoffed in agreement. They were silent once again before an idea popped in her head. "We need to bring them together again." She said softly, more to herself really before she stood up before Tom could say anything. "Ok, goodnight Father." She said as she peeked his cheek before leaving the room, leaving the Dark Lord slightly confused.
December 26th, Sunday
"Lucius my love, promise me we will come back to the Louvre again," Narcissa asked the moment they stepped through the floo into their living room. They had just got back from their date in France. They had gotten tickets to see the new art exhibit. Lucius chuckled as he helped her take off his wife out of her fur cloak, revealing a greyish blue satin dress that seemed to flow along the curves of her body as Dobby appeared in front of them. "Of course, my love." Narcissa thanked him with a gentle kiss on the cheek before they walked out of the room together with the house elf following after her with their winter coats in its hands.
"Dobby, is my son in bed yet?" Narcissa asked as they walked into the main corridor and proceeded to head towards the staircase leading upstairs. "Young master Draco be asleep, Mistress, but he fell asleep in the parlor room. I dare not wake up him up." Dobby squeaked out as they immediately switched course and then proceeded to walk towards the said room. The fireplace in the room was lit and the couple could just make out their son laying on the couch, the fire lighting up his sleeping face. Narcissa laughed softly as she placed a hand on her chest right over her heart. "Our son looks so cute." She said with a whisper as Lucius moved to stand behind her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.
"Come, let him sleep here for tonight and we head to our bed. I'm sure he is in the middle of a pleasent dream." Narcissa gazed up at him over her shoulder and smiled that same smile that had him falling in love with her all those years ago. They both left to their room, neither of them noticed that soft smile that appeared on Draco's face while grasping the necklace that Diana gave him for Christmas in his sleep.
December 30th, Thursday
"Keep laughing, Diana. You nearly knocked me off my broom." Draco scowled at her, making her laugh ever more as they both stepped back inside for a late lunch. They had been practicing flying around the snow covered grounds since after breakfast, both excited to test out the Firebolt's abilities. "Your just cranky because your jealous." She teased. The blonde simply stuck his tongue out at her as they rounded at the door way into the dining room see that they won't be the only ones for lunch. Christopher was already there with a beautiful girl around his age with silver blonde hair. She obviously looked like a veela when she looked over at them with grey blue eyes that shone like gemstones.
"Its about time you both came back inside. Scab looked about ready to cry when you if you were gone any longer." Christopher said with a smirk as he leaned back in his chair, already done with his meal as well as his companion. "Christopher darling, where are your manners? Why don't you introduce me to your sister?" The girl said with a thick French accent, a pale hand reaching out to touch him on the arm. "My apologize, Odette," He said as he briefly looked over at said girl before turning his attention back to Diana and Draco. "This is my friend from school, Odette Delacour. Odette, I want you to meet my sister, Diana and her childhood friend, Draco Malfoy. Odette has been helping me with my training." Christopher said as respective head tilts went around.
"Is that so? I'm beginning to wonder when I will ever get to see the results of your training, my dear brother." Diana said with a sly smile on her face as Scab appeared into the room with food. Christopher chuckled. "Like I said before, dear sister, you will see in due time. The only clue I will tell you is that, next school year, you both will experience something that will only happen once in your life time." That peaked Diana's interested.
January 2nd, Sunday
"Es-tu sérieux, Diana? Pourquoi aurions-nous besoin de réunir ces deux personnes?" (F) (Are you serious, Diana? Why would we need to bring those two together?) Theo asked with a deep frown on his face. "Ne vaudrait-il pas mieux laisser ces deux-là tels quels? Si Dumbledore sait que ces deux-là sont réunis, il saura immédiatement que c'est ce que fait le Seigneur des Ténèbres." (F) (Wouldn't it be better to leave those two as it is? If Dumbledore knows that those two back together, he will immediately know that it is the Dark Lord's doing.) Dina smirks as she looked away from the passing view from outside of the moving Hogwarts Express.
"Et nous savons tous qu'il fera tout ce qui est en son pouvoir pour s'opposer à la réunion. Il peut dire tout ce qu'il veut mais il ne voudra pas expliquer pourquoi deux créatures magiques devraient être ensemble sans mettre au jour ce qu'il a fait. Il préférerait sauver sa propre peau, puis admettre qu'il s'était mêlé de la liaison de deux âmes sœurs." (F) (And we all know that he will do all he can to oppose the reunion. He can say all he wants but he won't be ab;e to explain why two magical creatures should be together without bringing to light what he has been doing. He would rather save his own skin then admit that he had been meddling with the bonding of two soul mates.) The gang silently nodded until Pansy broke the silence.
"Attends un instant. Et si Lupin choisit de ne pas encore être à Greyback une fois que nous aurons terminé? Et si l'ingérence de Dumbledore dans leur relation était trop profonde et que rien ne pouvait la réparer?" (F) (Wait just a moment. What if Lupin chooses to still not be with Greyback once we are done? What if Dumbledore's meddling into their relationship has gone too deep and nothing can fix it?) That's a good question. Hermione frowned, her arms folded across her chest.
"Si Lupin était un être humain mortel, oui, il est possible qu'il ne retourne pas à Greyback. Mais il ne l'est pas. C'est une créature magique. Il ne pourra pas résister à l'appel de son compagnon dès qu'il apercevra Greyback. En outre, si Lupin n'aimait pas son compagnon, Greyback serait mort maintenant, de chagrin." (F) (If Lupin was a mortal human being, yes there is a possibility that he won't go back to Greyback. But he isn't. He is a magical creature. He won't be able to resist the call of his mate the moment he sees Greyback. Besides, if Lupin didn't love his mate, Greyback would be dead by now, from heartbreak.) Blaise's eyes widened in understanding.
Il peut le nier mais, inconsciemment, il aime toujours Greyback." (F) (He may deny it but subconsciously still loves Greyback.) Hermione nodded softly.
January 3rd, Monday
"Alright, settle down, settle down," Lupin said with a smile as he sat down on the edge of his desk with his arms folded across his chest. "Now, who here knows what those dementors are?" Hermione's hand immediately shot up. Lupin smiled and nodded his head for her to respond. "Anyone smart enough knows that dementors came here from Azkaban." The Slytherins snickered in delight. "How they come to be the way they are, is unknown. All we know is that they feed on fear and unhappiness. Some say that is how they feed. They do not breed also." Remus nodded with a pleased look on his face. "Very good, Miss Greengrass. Ten points to Slytherin. Now, who here knows what repels a dementor?"
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"You guys go ahead. I'll meet you at dinner. Save me a seat." Diana said to the rest of the gang, getting nods as confirmation. She took her time putting her books back in her book bag, occasionally looking up to see the Lupin was nose deep in grading the essays that were due in the last class. Let the show begin. Diana thought and slowly made her way towards Lupin's desk. "Professor? May I have a word with you?" She asked. Lupin barely flinched as he briefly looked up from reading one of the essays he was reading. "Of course, Miss. Ivanov. He placed his quill down and gave her his full attention. "What did you want to speak to me about?"
Diana put up a nervous front, pacing side to side in front of the desk. "The Patronus charm...can you show me how to perform it?" She asked, stopping midstep and looked over her shoulder at him. Lupin raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, stippling his fingers together over his chest. "Miss. Ivanov, I can certainly teach you, but you must understand. This charm is very advanced. I can't promise that you can perform a corporeal Patronus." Diana raised an eyebrow this time. "I like a challenge." This response surprised Lupin. The male frowned slightly as he leaned forward in his seat to take a closer look at her. "Who are you, Miss. Ivanov? Your amount of courage and knowledge are beyond those of your peers." She had been piquing his interest since the start of the school year.
Diana hummed softly to herself like she realized something and turned around to leave to the Great Hall for dinner. "You'll know soon enough. He isn't too far away, you know." She said, purposely sounding cryptic. Lupin opened his mouth to ask her to explain but she was soon out of the classroom. Looks like I will have to get more answers from Severus.
January 4th, Tuesday
"Are you stalking me now, Lupin?" Severus drawled, not even bothering to turn around to see if he was right. Years of being by the Dark Lord's side has honed his observation skills immensely, especially for such nights when he has patrol like tonight. "Please. You are a creature of habit, Snape. I've known that since our days in Hogwarts." Remus said, emerging from the shadows. His stealth is almost as good as Severus. Severus rolled his eyes as he moved to lean back against the wall, his attention fully on the man. "Let's keep our 'traveling down memory lane' to a minimum, shall we? Tell me what you want." He drawled. "You know damn well what I want. Answers as to who Miss. Ivanov is and what her last statement meant." Remus said in a patient, something Severus had grown to despise along time ago.
"And let me repeat what Miss. Ivanov said. You will find out soon." He said with a final word before turning around to leave.
January 6th, Thursday
"When they got near me," Diana intentionally made her voice waver. "I could hear my mother screaming in pain." Her eyes even teared up as she stared down at Lupin's desk. If she wanted him on her side, he had to know the truth right? "So, Valentina isn't your biological mother?" He asked softly. She shook her head. "No, adoptive." She mumbled. She heard the professor stepped up to stand next to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, bringing her back from her thoughts. "Come. Let us go back to the training, shall we? We will do this one more time and we will end for tonight." He said in a gentle persuasive voice. Diana nodded and picked up her wand from his desk as Lupin walked back to the chest with a complicated lock in the middle of the room.
"You are doing very well, Miss. Ivanov. Much better than most adults who attempted this." Diana simply nodded at his words as she walked to stand towards the middle of the room. "Now, I want you to concentrate on a happy memory. What memory you were thinking of?" He asked curiously as he stood next to said chest. Diana shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Catching the Golden Snitch last year." She lied easily. She wasn't actually thinking of anything. She just wanted to test out how strong she was without doing anything. Lupin had an inquisitive look on his face as he shook his head a little. "No, you need to think of something happier then that. Think harder and make sure it is in the forefront of your mind." He said, his eyes looking closely at Diana as she looked as though she was actually doing so.
"Are you ready to try again?" The professor asked when he noticed Diana's face looked determined to try again. She simply nodded. "Alright." He said with a light smile as he knelt down on one knee and waved his hand over the complicated lock. Diana heard the sounds of locks magically being unlocked one by one as she got into her battle stance, her wand being held loosely in her hand. She was ready to show what she could really do. Lupin grasped the lid of the chest just as it was completely unlocked before flipping it open. A dementor came soaring out from within the chest, black mist trailing behind it, looking very much like the Death Eaters, the sounds of rattling instantly filled the room as the atmosphere turned icy cold.
I am the daughter of the Dark Lord. I shall not show fear. "Expecto Patronum!" Diana shouted, the memory of seeing her father playing loud and clear in her head as the creature noticed her and came charging at her. How her heart throbbed simply at that moment. Suddenly a brilliant white light shot from her wand, so bright that it encased the entire room with it, caused the dementor to shriek in agony as its bony hands tried to shield it's blackhole for a face from the light momentarily before realizing that inside the chest was the only dark space left. It quickly whipped around and shot into the chest, screaming as it did before the chest slam itself closed.
The bright light immediately disappeared just as it came, leaving the room surprisingly darker then it was before as Diana panting a little. "Brilliant!" Lupin shouted with excitement. "Absolutely brilliant! That was the brightest light I have ever seen, especially on your first day of lessons, no doubt." He strolled over to her as she walked back to sit on the edge of his desk. "Here. Have a piece of chocolate." He said as he pulled a bar of Honeyduke's milk chocolate from his coat pocket, snapping off a good sized piece for her. She silently thanked him as she took it. "How on earth did you manage to put that dementor into that chest? You do realize that the ministry will be wondering about this, right?"
January 13th, Thursday
Diana strolled into the Slytherin's dorm after another private lesson with Lupin to see that the gang had stayed up to wait for her. "How did it go? Ginny asked curiously as she sat down next to Draco on the couch while everyone leaned in to hear her. Diana simply shrugged. "Its a simple game of patients. I told him a little bit about my parents but I never mentioned their names. I got him this time to talk about his childhood, about how he met Greyback before he clammed shut again."
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
What was that idiot doing? Sending me a Floo call while drunk in the middle of the night? Severus hissed to himself as he quickly strolled through the dark and empty corridors, looking very much like a bat with his flapping cloak. He kept walking until he reached Lupin's private quarters and the portrait portal immediately opened, catching the potion master off guard. He noticed the lamp and fireplace were a lit but no movement. He cautiously stepped inside and the portait swung shut behind him. "Lupin?" He asked silkily as he stepped closer to the lit area and thats when he noticed the professor almost passed out in the armchair with empty bottles of firewhiskey around him.
Severus silently cursed his luck as he assessed the situation, noticing that the other was staring silently into the fire as if he never noticed Severus was standing there. He sighed heavily as he whipped out his wand and flourished it around, making the empty bottles disappear. Even this didn't even catch the man off guard. A silent drunk Lupin always creeped him out. "Lupin." He said in a soft commanding voice as he shook the guy's shoulder with one hand. "Come on, lets get you to bed. I don't have all night." He said. To his surprise, Lupin rose to his feet with no complaints and proceeded to take a step all to start creening forward if Severu wasn't there to support him.
Severus grunted as he struggled to walked with professor towards his sleeping chamber, cursing loudly at those unsupportive legs of his. He finally reached the man's bedroom and used his remaining stength to hoist him onto his bed. He didn't even bother to cover the man as he turned around to leave, cursing loudly at the nearly-passed out man. "Y-You bastard, F-Fenrir...Dumble...dore said you n-never loved me. All of it...wasn't real. Y-You were just using your...pheromones to...seduce me." Lupin mumbled drunkenly as he struggled to stay awake, a single tear escaping from his lid as the light from the fire reflected off the droplet.