CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
I awakened shortly after noon, mainly because the raven was begging to leave the room. I transported him outside, and off he flew to do his business.
After a long lunch, I went to the hallway, and soon after Dumbledore's office. He was waiting for me, and I was immediately given a seat. He passed me a sheet of parchment: A letter from the Ministry.
"I've done something I wasn't going to do until after Severus broke the curse, but...it's done now. That is your internship letter. You've been accepted as a potions intern here at the school. You'll start as soon as Severus returns, and you'll work with him during the summer. When your curse has been broken, we'll consider full-time employment."
"Why would you do this for me?" I asked with shock in my voice, a happy shock.
"Hogwarts is all you've ever known, and I could never release you into a world you weren't prepared for. This will ensure that that never happens," Dumbledore smiled.
"I don't know how to thank you."
"You don't have to. The potion was merely a test of your abilities. The nurse could have ordered some from a supplier, or Severus could have brewed some when he returned, but Professor Slughorn needed that potion now. You even brewed enough for storage, meaning you had to double the recipe.
"You'll make a perfect potions master, and the only thanks you need to give is in performance," Dumbledore smiled. I nodded quietly, still stunned, as the connection clicked on.
'How did it go?' Severus asked.
'Perfectly,' I replied, nodding to Dumbledore and walking back towards the dungeon. 'How are things with you?'
'I'll be back in a few days, but the meeting is over. We have a lot to talk about, but not now. They're monitoring us, me especially. I may even have to do a bug sweep when I return home.'
'A bug sweep?' I asked. I knew the Death Eaters were more than capable as spies, but why spy on their own?
'Another member was bugged during the last meeting. I wasn't, but much has happened since then. Only half of them trust me, and Lucius is not one of them. It's fine though: I'd expect nothing less from them.'
'If you're fine with it, then so am I,' I murmured, appearing in my loft. The shades had been removed, and I could see the raven perched outside, a letter on his ankle. 'I have a letter to read. I guess my aunt called the raven.'
'I'm glad the potion was successful. See you in a few days,' he replied. Again, I felt like he had more to say, but the hungry raven was squawking in my ear. I provided him some fruit as I unraveled the letter. It was from my aunt.
The first page was about what the raven was telling her about me and her response to it: She was unhappy that I was up all night for some potion, but she hoped it turned out properly.
The second and third pages were the most important. The second was about the weather in her region: It was very stormy, and she was surprised the raven didn't complain about the horrible flying conditions. She mentions this because of the third page's announcement: She couldn't send the books except by ship, which would take weeks.
She asked for an immediate response, so I used the letter to focus on her exact location. I could see her cleaning her kitchen, glancing up with every bolt of lightning...until she felt me spying on her. She waved, and I smiled back to her.
I felt myself manifesting in front of her, and she clapped her hands happily.
"You're projecting yourself!" she smiled. I looked at my hands: They were ghost-like, probably the same way she looked when she visited me. "Hurry with your message, Flicka. You're too tired to stay here for long."
"Just sent the books when you're ready," I said quickly. "And stop worrying about me: I'll be fine. Dumbledore even gave me an internship, that way when Severus cracks the spell, I can work for him."
"That was so nice of him. You be good to the raven, now, and...you need to tell me more about Severus too. I see that look in your eye," she grinned.
I blushed, breaking my concentration and sending me back into the loft so fast that I fell on my backside. Her laughter rang in my ears: She knew what was going on, but she was wishing me the best.
"I think he'd feel the same if I wasn't trapped like this," I called back to her. She nodded, going back to her cleaning as thunder sounded outside her house.
I focused on the room around me, and I looked to the raven with a smile, calling for a fresh glass of water, which he used to bathe himself with.
I then looked outside to the clear, blue sky. I hoped Severus could see the same thing even if my aunt couldn't. I felt myself blush again. I let it happen, smiling brightly.
