There were no more attacks.
The day before the Quidditch final, Lizzie woke up. I was sat in the common room, polishing my broom ready for the game.
"Typical Poppy," I heard. "It's been weeks and you're too involved with polishing your broom to notice I'm back."
My head snapped up and the broom tumbled from my hands.
"Lizzie!" I cried, leaping from the sofa and pulling her into an embrace.
"Careful," she laughed. "I'd like to have some bones left unharmed after you've finished." But she squeezed me back just as firmly.
"Never, ever scare me like that again young lady!" I scolded with a laugh.
After she had been hugged by almost everyone in our house we went for a walk in the grounds, enjoying the June sun.
"Exams start in a week," I said looking at her with worried eyes. "What are you going to do?"
"Professor Dumbledore was really good about it," she said, sounding relieved. "He came up with the idea that each teacher would take an average of my marks all year and if that's better than the OWL grades they'll take that. He's written to the ministry citing extenuating circumstances."
I went down to breakfast the next morning, dressed in my bronze and blue Quidditch uniform. I caught Orion's eye and he smiled wickedly, winking once, his own silver and green standing out amongst the sea of subdued, casual clothing.
"Don't let them get to you," Bobby whispered in my ear, sending his best glare in the direction of Slytherin table and placing a protective hand my shoulder.
Later, Abraxas and him faced each other in the centre of the pitch. Bobby was taller and broader, but he was tense and stiff, whereas the Malfoy was relaxed and giving lazy smiles, as if he wasn't worried about the outcome, his blonde hair shining in the sun.
They shook hands and took their positions.
"You have to find that snitch quickly," I told Miranda as I flew past her to the goal posts. For once she didn't argue with me, she just nodded once, face drawn. We both knew Slytherin could crush us with the strength of their chasers alone.
In the end, it was close.
Thankfully I had been watching Alphard and Lucretia play for years, I knew their style, so I caught more shots than I missed.
I also saved one with my face- a personal highlight.
The score was 90:80 to us when Miranda and Abraxas both dived beneath the Slytherin goals posts. All the players stopped to watch- not a fantastic move tactically I admit.
They were neck-a-neck, both of them sporting impossibly silver blonde hair.
Slytherin were going to win, Abraxas had the longer reach.
His fingers were almost brushing the snitch's tiny wings.
Miranda lashed out a hand and caught him straight in the wrist, blood welling from the cuff of his sleeve. Now she was closer, her impossibly long (and sharp judging by the shape of Abraxas' hand) fingernails close enough to stroke the wings of the tiny ball.
For a moment it looked as if Malfoy would retaliate, but he didn't. He was raised a gentleman after all and that moment's hesitation about elbowing a lady in the ribs cost him the snitch.
Her talons closed around the ball and the stadium erupted.
It was the first time Abraxas Malfoy had been beaten in a head to head race for the snitch.
We had won. All because of Miranda Skeeter's hideous nails.
The team descended, cheering along with the crowd. Bobby was elated, he had won the Quidditch cup in his final year. Grabbing my shoulders with his strong hands he planted a triumphant kiss on my lips.
I was too happy to care, we had beaten a team consisting of four of my cousins and I would never let them forget. I just laughed and clung onto him as he spun me around and the team piled into a hug.
Eventually we lined up on the pitch and shook hands with the other team, Dippet came down to present us with the trophy. Bobby and I lifted the trophy between us, my split lip still bleeding as the rest of the team lifted Miranda above their heads in a place of highest honour, for the flashes of cameras all around us.
"I cannot believe we won," I murmured to Bobby, watching the sullen faces of the Slytherin team.
"Honestly?" he said, looking over to Miranda. "I wasn't expecting it either." We caught each other's eye and burst out laughing.
Graduation day was beautiful, the end of June was warm and the shone sun bright on the stage erected on the shores of the lake.
I still had to sit my exams, and then a fortnight of lessons, but the final NEWT examination was yesterday, so today was the day the seventh years would collect their certificates of education and return home to await their grades.
The minister of magic was present, in a garish mustard waist coat to shake hands with the students as they collected their certificates. Lord Black was there next to him as well, as head of the school governors.
Charlus and Cassiopeia made a speech together about being Head Boy and Girl and the effect their education at Hogwarts would have on their later lives, with advice for the rest of the students watching the ceremony. They both laughed with each other and exchanged playful banter; they looked like a perfect balance of amiability and professionalism. Then they ceremonially returned their badges to Professor Dippet before returning to the rest of their class.
"It is my honour to announce the Head Boy and Girl for the academic year commencing 1943," he proclaimed. "Abraxas Malfoy and Dorea Black."
I clapped politely as I watched them both go up to the podium to accept the position. Dorea looked like the perfect head girl, all big smiles, glossy hair and proper dress. Whereas Abraxas looked elegant and roguish, as if Dorea would be the one keeping him in line.
I deliberately didn't look at Raimond during the entire ceremony. I didn't trust my eyes not to fill with tears at the thought of him leaving Hogwarts. The castle already felt emptier. Lizzie's eyes were shining already, he had asked if he may court her officially yesterday and she had accepted. They'd been to Hogsmeade twice since she woke up, so it was about time.
After the ceremony the carriages arrived to take seventh years to the train station, Raimond hugged me fiercely and I admit I had to wipe away a tear. I could have sworn his eyes were shining too.
"Shut up," he murmured when he saw that I noticed, before grinning.
I hugged Lucretia, Callidora and finally Cassiopeia goodbye. It felt strange to be saying farewell, considering I would be seeing them later on that day.
Every graduation evening Lord Black held a family-only feast at the manor, using his status at Hogwarts to pull us out of school for the evening.
After a delicious dinner the elves cleared away the partridge and Lord Black stood at the head of the table and hush fell. He raised his glass of red wine.
"To Lucretia, Callidora and Cassiopeia, may your futures be very bright," he said before turning. "And congratulations to Dorea." All but Cassiopeia smiled blushingly and waved off the claps, Cassie of course smiled proudly.
"It is of course tradition for scions of the House of Black to receive a gift on completion of a Hogwarts education," he continued. It was of course tradition, and considering both Lucretia and Callidora were to marry within a matter of months I was intrigued as to their presents. "To my dear granddaughter Lucretia, despite my better judgement, I have discussed your gift with the House of Prewett and we have agreed that when you marry young Ignatius in the summer I shall build you, a Quidditch pitch in the grounds of your new home. Merlin knows I shouldn't be encouraging it, but if it makes you happy I am loathed to disregard such a scheme."
"To my niece Callidora, I know this is the gift you have been dreaming of. You travel to Peru two weeks from today, we have scheduled for you stay at an alternative healing centre there."
Callidora clamped a hand to her mouth to hide her squeal of delight. That was what Callidora had been dreaming of for years, when she was younger she had wanted to be a healer, but she could not start training until she had her NEWT grades, and even then it would be at the discretion of the Longbottoms.
"And to Cassiopeia, my niece, the House of Black offers to you a position within a Black company of your choosing. We would like to point out the vacant post of senior spell researcher within one of those headed by your brother."
I knew that meant Cassie would have free reign to investigate dark magic whilst been paid a hefty wage and having a credible job for when she wanted to move onto another, so I was not surprised that she turned to her elder brother and accepted on the spot.
Dear Poppy,
I have taken a position on my father's council. The high duke's health is failing him I fear, all he does is cough into a red handkerchief, as if that will disguise that he is coughing blood. It would all suggest I will have to succeed him sooner than I had anticipated, so I will be throwing myself into the work required of me here in France. Tell me again why I bothered with NEWTs? I wish to hear everything that happens at Hogwarts, take care of Lizzie for me. I am missing you awfully.
Yours, Raimond
I smiled sadly and placed the letter on my desk, it had come the day before and was a stark reminder that his life had already moved on from Hogwarts, he was an adult now, a real one, with responsibilities and an important job on the continent.
I shrugged off the feeling of nostalgia and made my way down to the common room, Lizzie had let Elena and Cedrella come in again, and I flopped down on the sofa amongst them.
"I have something to ask you all," Elena said in a small, timid voice. Elena was without doubt the most beautiful human I had ever met, with her gold hair, aquamarine eyes and delicate features. But it seemed that up until now she had a severe lack of friends who she trusted implicitly. Perhaps they were put off by her looks?
"I was wondering if you would think about coming on holiday with me," she said, eyes averted. "In the summer my father has to go on a business trip to Rome, he'll be staying there for a few weeks… I thought we could all go maybe. Make a holiday of it."
There was silence for a moment.
"Elena, I think that is the best idea I have ever heard anyone come up with," Lizzie exclaimed. Elena smiled in relief.
OWLs were tedious. There was something about having to sit paper after paper in the stuffy great hall which made even the sunniest days of days seem like a personal insult. But finally the exams were over, just to be followed by sixth year lessons.
Those few weeks after the seventh years left didn't seem like they were real, as if all of us left behind were all hanging in the balance, waiting for something.
The day before term ended I hiked up into the wilderness which surrounded Hogwarts. I sat still and tried almost desperately to tap into this enlightenment that was eluding me so effectively.
Sinking down onto the soft ground I crossed my legs over each other and tried to fall into a state where my mind would be open to the whispers of fate.
I lowered my occlumency defences and let mind become blank, a practice which required effort, but was not impossible to a well-trained mind.
I could hear the gentle breeze in the leaves, but it just sounded as if it was a whispered conversation through a closed door. You could hear they were talking but the words were not going to be shared.
The promised one indeed.
It seemed like an insult that I would be mentioned in prophecy from the gods and yet they refused to speak to me. The beings which governed magic had designs for me and yet I was the last person they would deign to appear to.
I sighed deeply and slumped over, resting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands, surveying the landscape dejectedly and with just a little animosity.
But perhaps I didn't need some divine intervention. My mind wandered to Cassie, she was an excellent witch of course, but she would never be exemplary, she's no Dumbledore or Riddle. She has no exceptional strength of magic and yet as head girl everyone in the castle feared her, even the headmaster.
She's charismatic and manipulative, and can make everyone she meets bend to her will.
I wasn't stronger magically than Tom Riddle, no one alive now, or in the future was strong enough to take him in a duel. Dumbledore was the only man who came close to it, but they were too evenly matched, and some people lasted a long time, but then perhaps he was just playing with his food.
"How much power you have is irrelevant," I murmured under my breath. "It matters only how much power others think you have."
And that one thought changed everything.
End of Part I
Next:
Part II
Dorea is incapable of filling the spot her sister vacated, the social hierarchy of Slytherin House has never been more fragile as Tom and Abraxas fight for dominance in a battle invisible from above ground, but which seems to be permeating into the lives of other houses.
But outside of the castle even more is at stake as the rebels take action, putting the future governance of the country and the lives of their families at risk.
The line between right and wrong becomes blurred when prophecies are unearthed and wizarding culture spins on its axis.
In the centre of a piece of parchment were the words.
It has begun
-AB