Chapter thirty
Two are better than one
/
Harry just had to ask Angela later that evening. He could not stand the anxiety. He had been distracted and grumpy ever since he had left her in the compartment with Malfoy. They could expect anything from the cocky Slytherin prince…
Angie?
She lifted her head from the plate.
How did it go with Malfoy?
He will keep his mouth shut, she replied curtly.
That´s great, but how did you…
Later, Harry, okay? Angela stopped him uncompromisingly and closed herself in front of him.
She then jumped up from her seat and ran to her friend Daria at the door. Harry just watched them grimly from his seat.
/
"Hello, Daria…"
"Hi."
"How are you?"
"Somehow, I keep going..." the girl assumed with a sigh.
Angela paused for a moment, looking nervous overall.
"I really need to talk to you," she blurted out at last. "Come with me, please."
Daria curiously followed her up the stairs: "And to where?"
"To the Room of Requirement… I don´t want anyone to disturb us."
"Oh, there… How did you even find out where it is?" Daria wondered.
"Only by chance…" the brunette murmured.
Her friend took a closer look at her pale face and frowned: "Angela, what happened?"
"Just hold on a minute until we get there. I will explain everything to you… Everything."
Daria had no idea what she meant by that. But from her friend's serious face, she sensed that it wouldn't be anything good...
/
"I can't keep it buried inside of me any longer," Angela sighed, looking down at the floor as they both settled in the armchairs by the fireplace. "I have to say it to someone. And you are… You've always been my best friend and I trust you. I trust you so much that I want to tell you everything. Originally, I didn't want to burden you with this, especially not now, but… I'm on my own and… I just hope you'll understand…" she muttered unhappily.
"I'm listening," Daria said softly and seriously.
"What I´m going to tell you now will probably upset and frighten you. You'll be the only one who knows. I didn't even tell Dumbledore everything, or…"
"Or Harry?" Daria finished instead of her.
Angela looked up in surprise: "How…"
"What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't see how in love you are?" she explained with a smile.
"Ah… And…" Angela stared at her blankly. "Isn't it, I hope, too apparent to realize?"
"No, don´t worry. But I've known you long enough to know."
The brunette fidgeted uneasily. "And what do you say about it?"
"What should I say to that? It's your business, after all," Daria shrugged. "I wish you to be happy."
Angela smiled in a strange, kind of forced way. "Thank you, Daria. Very few people would react so tolerantly to our relationship... But I'd rather start," she took a deep breath. "The two of us must not see each other anymore. At least not in front of others, only in case we´re alone."
Daria froze a little: "Why?" she asked with a tight throat.
"Because my mother lives..."
/
After about half an hour, Angela paused and finally looked directly at Daria. She was observing her thoughtfully and with compassion, not with disgust, as Angela had been expecting.
"Dumbledore knows about half of what I´ve just told you. Then Draco – he´s aware of almost everything, only with minor adjustments and he has no idea that I talked to the headmaster. And Harry… He knows almost nothing," she focused on the cheerful flames for a moment. "I'm afraid of how he'll react when he finds out," she whispered.
"At least you'll know what of a person he is and if he really likes you," Daria responded quietly.
"I'm not sure I want to know," Angela commented gloomily. "Daria, I want you to know that even though my mother has forbidden me to talk to you, you are still my best friend. Whatever you need, write me and we can meet here, for example. Alone. I don't want to cause any more trouble for you or myself."
"I understand," she nodded. "I'm so glad to have you as my friend, Angela."
"Really?" her friend looked at her. "Even after what you´ve just found out about me?"
"I rather admire you," Daria stated firmly. "So, for everyone else, we had a big, ugly fight?" she then summarized.
"Yeah. That's probably for the best," Angela replied.
"All right…"
They were silent for a moment.
"What is Lucius Malfoy like anyway?" Daria suddenly asked.
Angela was a little taken aback: "Sorry, Daria… I was talking about him like this and I didn't even realize…"
"That's fine," she shook her head. "So, what is he like?"
"Well… He's a slimy bastard. The way he treats his own son really speaks volumes about his character," Angela answered upset, remembering the head of pure-blood wizarding family.
"Draco probably doesn't have it easy, does he?" Daria asked, looking somewhere from the window.
Angela eyed her cautiously: "No, he doesn't. We've gotten to know each other a little more lately and he's not what he seems," she said seriously and stood up. "I'd better go now. Wait five minutes and you can leave too. Just to be sure."
"Angela?" Daria called.
Hesitantly, she turned back to her.
"I'm worried about you," the Gryffindor girl said seriously. "After all, you risk your own life, even if you don't have to. Why are you doing this?"
"Because I want to and I have to, Daria," Angela replied quietly. "Do not worry about me. I can take care of myself."
Daria sighed, giving up more questions: "Take care well then…"
Angela just nodded and slipped out of Room.
/
There was a thick layer of snow on all the Hogwarts grounds, and it was increasing every hour. Behind the foggy windows, more and more flakes were steadily drifting down from the cloudy sky. When the students had some of their classes in the painstakingly heated greenhouses, Hagrid had to trample the way for them from the castle and back again.
However, on the second school afternoon after the Christmas break, the sun came out from behind the clouds and their Herbology lesson was cancelled. In the greenhouse number four, part of the roof collapsed under the weight of the snow, and Professor Sprout was busy rescuing poisonous plants and did not want her students messing around there.
Harry could not resist and wanted to go out. Hermione joined him and behind the portrait, they waited for Ron, who had come back from class with the news that their professor had caught a nasty flu and was in the Hospital Wing.
As the massive castle gate slammed shut behind them, they found they were not the only ones with the same idea. Everyone who had time off in the afternoon was out and about taking advantage of the nice weather, even though it was still really cold.
Nearby, a group of fourth-graders were building something huge out of snow that definitely did not look like a normal snowman, a couple of second-graders were building fortifications by the lake, probably for a snow battle, and they spotted their classmates here and there. Harry winced a little at the thought that Angela might be here, and he did not mind so much that Hermione and Ron behind him were flooding each other with tenderness. He left them alone near the lake and went to explore the area.
After a quarter of an hour, he found the one he was looking for at the edge of the snowy forest. Angela, in a warm coat and with her hair loose, stood motionless and stared into the dark forest. She did not notice Harry standing behind her.
Harry first looked around carefully to see if anyone was near them, then he bent down and quietly patted a large ball out of the snow. It hit her right in the middle of the back. Angela yelped in surprise, her legs tangled and she sat down in the soft snow.
Harry chuckled amused by her expression. As soon as Angela recognized him, surprise was replaced by calculation.
"Oh, just wait," she muttered inaudibly.
She stood up quickly and before Harry could stop laughing, snow was in his face, with Angela already bending over for more. Of course, Harry could not help but accept the challenge, and soon a furious snow battle broke out between them. Harry quickly gained the upper hand and Angela, laughing and with snow in her hair, started running toward the lake. When he finally caught up with her, they both collapsed on the ground, trying to stuff snow around each other's necks.
Harry managed to get Angela under him and grab her hands, though he lost his glasses in the process. The brunette struggled for a moment to break free from his grip, but then she happily let herself be overpowered.
"Come on, Harry… Let me go."
"What for?" he asked defiantly.
"Huh, as you´re a gentleman, it should be free," Angela retorted seriously.
"You offer nothing? Well, as you wish," Harry said, grabbing both of her arms with one hand and scooping up more snow with the other. "I'm going to have to punish you," and he started shoving it behind her neck.
Angela sputtered snow, but she laughed as she called: "Okay! Okay! Stop it! Please!"
Harry stopped and looked her straight in the eyes.
"So, what do you want?" Angela asked sweetly.
"You know."
"No, I do not."
"Don't try to upset me or I'll take the snow again!" Harry said threateningly.
"Then why don't you tell me what…" Angela trailed off.
Harry leaned down to her and took those sweet lips that were so tempting to him. Angela released her hands from his grip, buried them in his wet hair and returned the kiss passionately.
They were not thinking about anything at that moment. Not even about that someone could see them.
"When will we meet?" Harry asked when their lips finally parted. "I have a present for you."
"I´ve got one for you, too," Angela smiled playfully. "But now… We can´t for a while, sorry. You have to be patient."
"But why?"
"Harry, don't keep asking all the time," she pursed her lips. "You better kiss me more..."
That did not have to be said to Harry twice...
Just when they were at their best, they were both startled by an amused voice.
"Can you behave even more conspicuously?"
Harry jerked away from Angela and they both looked up. Hermione was standing nearby, with Ron's arm around her waist. Hermione snorted in amusement and Ron stared at them in surprise.
Harry stood up in a flash and offered a hand to pale Angela.
"We're just… well…"
"Harry, stop it," Hermione cut him off with a laugh. "I suspected that you were seeing someone secretly. I just didn't think it would be Angela Rosier."
"How can you have anything to do with…" Ron started in shock, but his girlfriend cut him off sharply with a dig in the ribs.
"Ron, keep your stupid prejudices, please."
Weasley blushed and did not say anything more, still eyeing Angela suspiciously.
"Why did you keep it a secret for so long, Harry?" Hermione continued.
"Well, we… we kind of… were…" Harry stuttered, so Angela, who was still holding his hand, answered instead of him.
"Mainly because you can probably imagine how everyone would react to that."
"Yeah, that's right. Neither the Slytherins nor the Gryffindors would give you a break," Ron admitted. "But you could have told us, Harry."
"Yeah, I know…"
"We're going to be silent as graves, aren't we, Ron?" Hermione turned to him.
"Yeah, sure," he hummed.
"Fine," Harry smiled in relief.
"But Hermione's right," Angela said. "We should be more careful. I'd better go now."
I'll see you during the weekend, I promise, she added in her mind, placing a soft kiss on his cheek.
"Bye," she said aloud. "Have a good time," she said to Ron and Hermione as then she quickly left.
"How long has it been going on?" Hermione asked Harry.
"Three months," he replied absently.
"Do you trust her?" she asked more cautiously.
"Of course, I do! Why shouldn't I!" Harry retorted bristling.
Hermione said nothing to that, as she shrugged. She kind of liked Angela, but she just had a bad feeling this relationship could not end well.
/
"And when exactly is this initiation going to take place?" Dumbledore asked seriously.
"In October, Professor," Angela replied quietly.
"Yours and Draco's at the same time?"
"Yes. We should have it together, as well as training."
"How does the training even go? What is included in it?"
"I can't tell you that..."
"How many tests should be there then?"
"Three in total. Luckily, one is behind us already. I just hope that in those next, the Dark Lord would not require something… You know what I mean."
"Yes, unfortunately I do," Dumbledore replied, looking in the girl´s eyes. "What do you think of Draco, Angela?" he finally asked.
"What would you like to know?"
"How does he feel about his… future career?" asked the headmaster slowly.
"I can't say he's ecstatic about being Voldemort's henchman. At least, that's how he acts in front of me. But don't think he would be willing to join your side, Professor. I highly doubt that."
"Why?"
"In my opinion, he's always on his own side."
"All right. Do you have anything else?"
"No."
Dumbledore paused for a moment and Angela waited. She saw on him that he wanted something from her.
"Angela, I want to ask you once more, if you want to change your mind and walk away while there's still time."
"Excuse me?" she almost took offense. "No, sir. What I've decided to do, I'll see it through to the end. That´s what my aunt taught me to do."
"Do you even realize what you're risking?"
She frowned: "Yes… Very well," Angela replied quietly. "And I admit – that´s what scares me about it. But that doesn´t mean I just walk away from this. If there´s any chance I can be helpful, I will do it."
"All right, then I have three more questions for you."
Angela suppressed an annoyed snort: "Ask them…"
"Are you willing to swear allegiance to the guild of wizards fighting against any dark magic – the Order of the Phoenix?"
Returning the headmaster's gaze, she took a slow breath to answer: "Yes."
"Will you become a member if I ask for it?"
She raised her eyebrows a bit in surprise, but all things considered, Dumbledore's question made sense. "Yes, if necessary…"
"Is it your free and voluntary choice?"
"Yes."
"In that case, I want to introduce you to someone."
"To whom?" she wondered.
"To our second agent in Voldemort's ranks."
"But we already talked about that, Professor! Don't you think it is safer if we don't know about each other? If one of us is revealed, he might as well reveal the other."
"Yes, I know. It's about whether you're willing to take that risk. After all, it will be more convenient if you know about each other, so that you know who to go to and who you can rely on if something happens.''
"Does the other person agree?"
"Yes."
"And you are convinced of his loyalty?"
"Yes," Dumbledore replied seriously.
"Alright then," Angela nodded hesitantly.
Dumbledore got up, threw some Floo powder into the fireplace and mumbled something into the flames so quietly, she did not recognize what it was. Then he sat down again and conjured up another chair next to Angela.
"He'll be here in a moment."
"Hmm," she hummed, glancing thoughtfully out the window of the office.
"You look tired," Dumbledore commented.
She looked at him: "I have been suffering from bad sleep recently… Have you found out anything about my father yet?"
"Unfortunately, no. I'm sorry."
"That´s fine. I did not expect miracles. It's enough for me that you try."
"Is your mother still silent about his identity?"
"Yes, but she promised to tell me his name. Under a certain condition," Angela sneered.
"Really? What kind of condition?" asked Dumbledore curiously.
"She'll tell me about my father at the moment I´ll have the Dark Mark engraved on my hand," Angela hissed in disgust. "And I don't understand why."
"Interesting," muttered the Headmaster of Hogwarts.
There was a vigorous knock on the door and Dumbledore invited the visitor in. Angela turned to the newcomer curiously.
"You?!" two surprised voices exclaimed.
Angela turned to look at Dumbledore and Snape approached his desk with an icy cold expression.
"Are you serious, Headmaster?" he asked slyly.
"Absolutely," Dumbledore assured him calmly. "Have a seat, Severus."
Angela frowned and remained silent.
"I did not suppose that you rely on the qualities of an untrained student, who can be very unreliable, Headmaster. Especially when…"
Angela interrupted Snape angrily: "I dare to say I´m not much worse in handling magic and Occlumency than you, and speaking of unreliability – how about you consider yourself first?"
Snape shot her a murderous glare and Dumbledore watched them almost amused.
"Rosier, your insolence is beyond all borders!"
"And what are you going to do about it? Are you going to punish me with detention again like usually?" Angela retorted.
"Leave it! Both of you and now," ordered Dumbledore.
Both Snape and Angela fell silent and just stared at each other.
"In your position, you'd better cooperate," remarked the Headmaster.
Angela snorted and Snape put his ice mask back on.
"So, now we're going to discuss a few possible crisis situations and how you should behave in them," Dumbledore began calmly, as if nothing had happened. And finally, he met with no objections on his proposal.
