Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters, places, and ideas belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers, not me.
by Auror5
At breakfast, on the first day of school, Samantha announced that on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, they had Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs, Potions, and Transfiguration. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they had Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins, Herbology with the Ravenclaws, and History of Magic. On Wednesdays, they had Astronomy with the Slytherins, and on Fridays, Flying Lessons. Their first lesson of the day was Potions with Professor Chloride.
Professor Chloride greeted them with her distinct hyena laugh. Lily observed that she still wore the dead, angry appearing chipmunk around her neck.
"In today's lesson, my cherished little monkeys, you will brew a marvellous potion that will allow you to grow tenacious warts upon your lovely, unmarked skin."
Lily thought, Who would want warts?
Professor Chloride burst into a fit of hyena-like laughter. The students gazed at her as though she were mad.
"Come, my little monkeys. Remove the items from your precious, and let's get started! This delicious potion is called Verruca. When your potion is ready, you will take a sip and then watch those lovely warts erupt upon your soft, beautiful, and youthful skin."
They stared at her with horror.
"What if we don't want warts?" shouted Sirius.
She ignored him, clapped her hands, and laughed hyena fashion. "Come, my little monkeys. Start brewing! Turn to page fifty-seven of your textbook."
Fortunately, they had Transfiguration after Potions. Professor McGonagall, with many comments about the mental state of certain professors, removed their warts.
On Tuesday, in Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Professor Sandolini announced that it was her last year as an exchange professor at Hogwarts. The students groaned with disappointment, for they had all grown very fond of her, especially Remus. At the end of the lesson, she allowed each student to ride Pegasus, the winged horse.
The days drifted by with the students settling into their routine. They still had not heard of Kristin Dewdroppe's whereabouts. Therefore, the Gryffindors were forced to select another Seeker in her absence. After trials, and much to her delight, Fiona became their new Seeker. James joined the team as a Chaser.
***
On the night of the third of October, Lily was sprawled across the bed reading Honey, I Disapparated the Kids!, by an American wizard, when Melissa Snoflache, Head Girl, barged into the room.
"Hurry! Come to the common room, now!"
"What? What's going on, Melissa? We aren't properly dressed," Samantha exclaimed.
"There is no time. Just come as you are. Professor McGonagall is waiting!"
Alarmed, they grabbed their bathrobes and rushed downstairs. They noticed that the common room was very crowded as every Gryffindor was present, with most in bathrobes or pyjamas. Several appeared as though they had just awakened. Lily glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it showed nearly full moon (close to midnight). Lily thought to herself that she was glad it was Friday night.
Professor McGonagall stood on a table and requested their attention. Lily was surprised to see Professor McGonagall in the common room. It was the first time Lily had ever seen her in it. Lily also observed that Professor McGonagall appeared as though she had been crying. A stab of fear pierced her heart.
After everyone quieted down, Professor McGonagall grimly stated, "Kristin has been found."
Everyone started speaking at once.
"Professor, is Kristin all right?" inquired Melissa in a concerned voice.
She hesitated before answering. "All of your questions will be answered shortly. Professor Dumbledore wants us to meet in the Great Hall. So, please follow me."
They followed Professor McGonagall into the Great Hall while whispering amongst themselves. Once there, they noticed other students filtering in. Lily observed that all of the professors, some in bathrobes, were present. They all wore grim or sombre expressions on their faces. A black drape had been placed behind the High Table. Lily's heart sped up and tears began to fill her eyes.
She whispered to Fiona, "Oh dear. Fi, she's dead. Dewdroppe is dead. See the black curtain?"
Fiona glanced at the top of the hall and her indigo eyes widened. She then stared at Lily with dismay.
Once the students were seated, Headmaster Dumbledore stood. He gravely gazed out at them.
"As you are already aware, Miss Dewdroppe has been found." He cleared his throat.
The Great Hall was silent. All eyes were on the headmaster.
"It saddens me profoundly to inform you that Kristin Dewdroppe is gone from us."
Many students gasped and gazed at one another with sorrowful or stricken expressions on their faces. The Gryffindors became anguished upon hearing the news, with many of the girls, including Lily and Fiona, and some of the boys starting to weep.
"We have reached a dark time," Dumbledore proclaimed.
"Some of you may have heard rumours, some of you may have heard your parents speaking in hushed voices about a Dark Lord. The Dark Lord you have heard of is Lord Voldemort."
Some of the older students cried out and covered their ears upon hearing the name. One seventh year girl at the Hufflepuff table fainted but was quickly revived by Madam Pomfrey.
Dumbledore waited for a moment, and then resumed.
"Lord Voldemort was responsible for robbing Kristin of her life. He has taken the lives of many these past two years. Each year, he becomes bolder and commits more murders. Most of his murders have been those of Muggles. You may say to yourselves, 'Why should I care? I am not a Muggle.' I will tell you why you should care."
There was a fire in his eyes and he appeared to grow taller.
"Kristin Dewdroppe is why you should care. She was not a Muggle. Kristin Dewdroppe was pureblood, as some would call it. Each of you must understand that it is wrong to take a life. Every life counts!"
Captured by Headmaster Dumbledore's blazing eyes and the passion in his voice, the students were held spellbound.
"Each of you must understand evil. For when evil finds an excuse to destroy one human life, evil will not stop there. For you see, evil loves to destroy. It becomes an excuse for more killing: first Muggles, then wizards and witches born of Muggles, and then pureblood wizards and witches. Evil loves to destroy for the sake of destroying. Everything becomes an excuse for another killing."
He paused, and then softly said, "None of us are safe."
Louder, "None of us are safe. Lord Voldemort is evil. He is forever looking for more supporters, wizards and witches with darkness and weakness inside their hearts.
"You may be called to serve him. I am beseeching you to follow what is right, not what is easy. Follow the good, the light. Don't follow Voldemort. He is death, a path to Hell. All of us who believe in good and the light are fighting darkness and evil. If you choose to become a supporter of Voldemort, know this: you will become an enemy of mine. I will seek the ends of all earth to fight and destroy evil!"
His eyes ablaze, he seemed to search within their souls.
"Kristin Dewdroppe. Remember a beautiful, vivacious life that was touched and destroyed by evil. Remember the Gryffindor Seeker who was swift and played so well. Remember the bright girl who made friends easily. Remember the girl with the infectious laugh. Remember the girl full of fun and vitality. Remember the girl full of promise. Remember the girl full of life!"
Many of the students wept, some loudly. Sobbing, Lily and Fiona held onto one another.
"Please stand," Dumbledore quietly instructed.
They rose, with some coughing and sniffing in tears.
"Remember Kristin Dewdroppe. A beautiful life, a girl loved, cherished, and then taken away from us too soon. Bow your heads, and take a moment of silence to remember Kristin."
After a few minutes, Dumbledore quietly said, "In memory of Kristin, lessons for the first three days of the upcoming week are cancelled. You may leave now."
They mournfully exited the hall.
Drifting off to sleep, it dawned on Lily that Dolohov mentioned the Dark Lord when he forced her into promising her silence in the affair of the kitten. It occurred to her that they, Dolohov, Travers, Lestrange, Malfoy, and Macnair, followed Lord Voldemort. "They are evil," she whispered fearfully to no one. It took a long while for her to fall into a dreamless sleep.
***
The next morning, at breakfast, in a subdued atmosphere, the owls swooped in to deliver the mail. Jorkins shouted for all to hear, "There is an article on Dewdroppe in this morning's Daily Prophet!"
Suddenly, there was a frantic scramble to get near the students who received the Daily Prophet. At the Gryffindor table, at least half the students had the paper. Virgil was one of them. Lily, Fiona, and Craig gathered around Virgil to read the article.
Missing Hogwarts Student Found Dead
By Rita Skeeter, Intern on Special Assignment
The partially decomposed body of Kristin Dewdroppe, a very beautiful girl and the envy of all the young witches at Hogwarts, was found last night in a forested area outside Carlisle. Ministry of Magic officials were able to locate her body based on an anonymous tip. According to Doctor Hippocratic, a ghastly dressed wizard with a prominent Adam's apple, Dewdroppe appeared to have been dead for at least a month. I asked Doctor Hippocratic what was the cause of death. He stated, "The Killing Curse." Upon further questioning, it was learned that a curious mark was found at the base of Miss Dewdroppe's throat. I requested that Hippocratic describe the mark. He described it as that of a large serpent, perhaps a Basilisk, coiled around a unicorn. "She was branded," he grimly stated, his abnormally large Adam's apple quivering slightly. Doctor Hippocratic became secretive when pressed for more details, and refused to speak with me further.
I spoke with Miss Dewdroppe's parents about the last time they saw their extraordinarily beautiful daughter alive. "She was on her new Nimbus practicing flight manoeuvres," her part-Veela mother stated with tears rolling down her exotic face. "I glanced out the kitchen window, and waved at her. She grinned and waved back. The next time I looked out, she was gone. Her broom was lying on the grass."
Mrs. Dewdroppe then broke down, wailing and begging for her daughter's life to be returned. Mr. Dewdroppe, a rugged appearing man with crooked teeth, asked me, with voice trembling, why someone would want to harm his cherished daughter. Why? That is what all of us want to know.
The Ministry of Magic was keeping strangely close on the subject. I asked officials if there was a connection between Miss Dewdroppe's murder and recent ones, and they became suspiciously silent. Then I asked if anyone knew the meaning behind the mark branded on Miss Dewdroppe's neck. Travis Mealdingle, who looks remarkably like a buzzard, of the Law Enforcement department told me that that information was classified. Classified? I posed this question to Mealdingle, "Were the recent killings the act of He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named?" Buzzard Mealdingle refused to answer my question. My conclusion, based on Mealdingle's evasive manner, was that You-Know-Who is behind these deaths. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named murdered Kristin Dewdroppe.
Kristin turned sixteen on the 17th of August, the day after she disappeared.
Accompanying the article was a colour photo of a beautiful girl with shoulder-length, light blonde hair, cornflower blue eyes, and a cleft chin. She was holding a racing broom across one of her shoulders and waving. A winning, impish grin was on her face.