OK, I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter of the story, but I don't
have the time or patience to check. Anywho, it's quite an important
chapter, so read it carefully! (Good luck getting your head round all the
info you're about to receive.
Disclaimer- All Harry Potter references belong to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 21- Revelations.
The Gryffindor euphoria lasted for several days. After the Weasleys had got over the initial shock of their father being the possible next Minister of Magic, they had written to Mr Weasley, who had replied to assure them that he was as shocked as them, if not more so.
Ron was reading the letter to Harry and Hermione as they walked down to breakfast on the Wednesday. It had come late the night before, and they hadn't heard it yet.
".just remember that I most probably won't be voted in. And your mother says that she hopes you are remembering to eat your vegetables. I'd like to remind you to stay away from brussel sprouts. Take care, Dad." Ron grinned and tucked the letter back into his robes. The elections were on Friday, and although he tried not to show it, Harry and Hermione could tell he was nervous for his Dad. Hell, so were they.
"He seems to be coping with the pressure well." Hermione remarked as they entered the hall. Ron shrugged. "I hope so." He said, smiling at a Ravenclaw who told him that her parents were voting for his Dad. They sat down at their usual seats and began to eat.
Hermione looked down the table and suddenly noticed Lori, who was sitting by herself and practically shoving her cereal into her mouth. "There's Lori." Hermione said to Harry and Ron. "I haven't seen her in ages."
Hermione wasn't the only one to have noticed her. Daphne was watching her curiously, knowing that if she went down to talk to her it would be a complete waste of time. One good thing though- Lori being here proved that she wasn't starving herself, but coming down to eat very early. But they had had a late-running astronomy class last night, and so you couldn't blame her for sleeping late.
Lori had just stood up to leave when the post-owls suddenly streamed into the hall. There were as many as ever- the snow had subsided slightly over the last few days. Daphne watched with interest as a black owl swooped up to Lori and handed her a letter before swooping off again. She had never seen Lori receive any mail before.
Lori didn't seem too overjoyed about getting a letter. On the contrary- she went white and picked up the letter with a trembling hand that could be clearly seen from the other end of the table. Lori looked around to see if anyone near her were watching, which they weren't, sat down and opened her letter.
Daphne watched, alarmed, as Lori jumped up a few seconds letter and hurried out of the hall, looking like she was about to throw up. Enough was enough. Something in that letter had done that to her- and Daphne was going to find out what. She got to her feet and ran out of the hall in time to see Lori get to the top of the first flight of marble stairs.
Daphne followed Lori stealthily through the castle, all the way up to Gryffindor tower. Lori was avoiding everyone- if any students came her way, she would either hide from view or change direction as fast as she could. Daphne had noticed her doing this for the past few weeks, but this morning it was somehow worse.
When they reached the portrait hole, Lori gave the password quickly and practically jumped through the opening. Daphne waited a few moments before following her.
The common room was completely empty- not surprising, as the first lesson was about to start in one minute. Daphne hurried to the girl's staircase and climbed the two flights of stairs up to the first year dormitory. The door was slightly open, but Daphne couldn't see her friend through the crack. She paused, but then pushed the door open just as Lori had reached for it.
Daphne heard Lori gasp loudly and stumble. Daphne found her sitting on the end of her bed, which was right next to the door, with a look of pure terror on her face. When Lori saw who it was, her face relaxed and she pressed her hand on her heart, taking deep shallow breaths. Daphne hurried over to her and crouched down next to her.
"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly. Lori was very pale and was visibly shaking. Her eyes darted around the room as she answered. "N-nothing. I'm fine. You just, sc-scared me." She gasped. Daphne frowned and sat down next to Lori on the bed. "Are you sure? You look really ill." She persisted, leaning round to look her friend in the face. Lori met her eyes but looked away quickly, standing up.
She picked up her bag, which was on the floor, and smiled thinly. "I'm fine. Er- it's potions now, isn't it?" She said quickly, avoiding Daphne's eyes. Daphne stood up as Lori started to walk to the door. In two strides she reached the door and stood before her, with a stern, determined look on her face. "We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong." She said with a frown.
Lori looked up at Daphne hopelessly, and Daphne could see the fear in her eyes. Hell, it was etched over her entire face. Daphne bit her lip, her brow furrowed. She didn't know what her friend was so scared of, but she was going to find out.
"Th-there's nothing wrong. Honestly." Lori said quietly, looking up at the ceiling. Daphne rolled her eyes impatiently. "Oh, come off it Lori. You've been acting weird since Christmas. What the hell happened?" She demanded. Lori looked back at her, and Daphne was startled to see tears in her friend's eyes. "Please Daphne, don't do this." She said, her voice breaking. She tried to step round Daphne, who refused to budge.
"What's wrong?" Daphne asked again, more softly this time. Lori suddenly became angry. She turned to face her, her eyes flashing. "You don't care." She said angrily. Daphne felt as though someone had slapped her across the face. When she spoke, her voice trembled.
"How could you? Of course I care." She said. Lori folded her arms, tears starting to leak down her cheeks. She angrily wiped them away. "You might do now. But, but in a few weeks you'll just leave me like everyone else does."
Daphne stepped forward and grabbed Lori by the shoulders. She shook her hard, until Lori stopped crying and looked up at her again. "I'm not going anywhere. You're my best friend Lori, and I'm worried about you." She said.
Lori's expression softened, and more tears cascaded down her cheeks. "I *can't* tell you." She said shaking her head sadly. Daphne stepped back slightly and folded her arms. "Oh yes you can." She said. "We're not leaving this room until you do."
Lori's eyes flickered over to the door, and then to Daphne. She saw the determination in her eyes and sighed deeply. "Daphne- if, if I tell you, then you can't. if you told anyone." she stammered. Daphne placed her hand on Lori's shoulder again and squeezed it reassuringly. "You can trust me Lori." She said.
Lori looked up at her through tear-filled eyes. "P-promise me you won't." She began, but Daphne cut her off. "I promise. I swear I won't tell anyone what you tell me." She said. Lori still looked unsure, and Daphne smiled at her. "Not anyone." She repeated firmly. Lori nodded, and sat back down on her bed. Daphne sat down next to her.
Lori wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "You'll probably just think I'm being stupid." She said weakly. Daphne shook her head. "Of course I won't." She said quickly. Lori gave her a strained smile, and took a deep breath. "O.K. Here goes." She began.
"First of all, do you know what a Moyen is?" she asked, looking at Daphne hopefully. One look at her confused face answered the question for her, and Lori's shoulders slumped. "Er.alright then." She said quietly.
"A Moyen is someone- a Witch or Wizard, who can do certain things without a- a wand." Daphne leaned forward with a frown. "Lori, does this have anything to do with." she began, but Lori cut her off with a nod of her head. "It does, honestly. I. it does." She said. Daphne nodded as well and sat back again.
"Anyway, Moyens can do things without wands. I know what you're going to say," She said, holding up her hand to stop Daphne from interrupting her. "But when anyone else does magic without a wand it's sub-conscious, and they can't control it. Moyens can. They know what they're doing." Lori paused, and Daphne took the opportunity to ask a question. "What kind of things can they do?"
"There's six bands for Moyens. Number one is controlling fire, you know- starting it, stopping it, containing it, whatever. Band two is um. explosions. They can start them, any size they want, with whatever they want. It doesn't even have to have fire in it.
Band three is telepathy. They can speak to people through their minds. It's not like reading minds- it's actual talking. Band four is emotional empathy. If someone they're really close to them is in pain, or is really scared or anything like that, they know. They can feel it, or even see it, but only for a second.
Band five is telekinetic abilities. They can move things with their minds. The more powerful they are, the bigger the things they can move. And, Band six, that's healing. If someone has a physical injury, they can heal it without a wand. But healing is rare, because the only Moyens who can do it are the ones who can do everything else"
Lori stopped at the end of this long explanation and looked over at her friend. Daphne was listening hard, but had a slightly bemused expression on her face. She shifted slightly.
"Er, sorry Lori, but what does this have to do with you?" She asked haltingly. Lori opened her mouth to answer, closed it again, and shifted guiltily. Her cheeks turned a dull red colour and she looked anywhere in the room except at Daphne.
Realisation dawned on Daphne suddenly, and her eyes widened with shock. "You, you're a Moyen." She said quietly. Lori slowly nodded her head, staring very hard at her quilt. Daphne sat still for a few moments, watching her friend. Lori was also sitting completely still, and she seemed to be holding her breath, waiting for Daphne to say something. Daphne noticed that she still looked scared, and her eyes kept darting around the room fearfully. Daphne took a deep breath.
"Why were you so scared to tell me?" She asked finally. Lori's eyes darted to the door again, and then she looked up at Daphne, tears in her eyes. "I've known since I was four, and all my life I've." Lori paused, and drew a shuddering breath. "Moyens never tell anyone that they're Moyens. They can be made to do things. If they get put under the Imperius Curse, they, the things they can do."
Daphne frowned. "But who are you scared of? There's no-one that you.oh." Her voice trailed off, as she realised what, and *whom* Lori was getting at. Lucius Malfoy.
Lori looked up at Daphne, her cheeks burning red with shame. "He found out. As I was getting on the Hogwarts Express a fire started, and I. I tried to help with my.my powers. I didn't know he was watching, but he gave me this look, and, and- I've never been so scared in my life."
Lori suddenly started trembling, and Daphne quickly put an arm around her to try and calm her. Everything was making sense now. Lori was a Moyen, and as her father was a Deatheater, that put her in significant danger. No wonder she had been acting so jumpy and distant since coming back to school after Christmas- she must have been terrified that at any minute her father would come for her. Daphne couldn't imagine being scared of her Dad- he was so sweet to her.
Lori was calming down now, and Daphne gave her tight squeeze before releasing her. "Lori." She said calmly. "I won't let anything happen to you. And neither will Dumbledore, or.Hermione, or Harry and Ron. You're safe here." She said, trying to sound confident and reassuring. Lori shook her head sadly. "No. My Dad wrote to me this morning. He said that I. that I had better be ready when he came." She said.
Daphne swallowed. "We'll all be ready. Ready to tell him to shove off." She said fiercely. Lori smiled weakly, but shook her head. "No. There's nothing anyone can do." She said tearfully. Daphne watched as Lori sighed, obviously fighting back tears, trying to be strong, and felt angrier than she had ever done in her life. This shouldn't be happening to Lori- she didn't deserve it.
Daphne racked her brains, trying to think of a way to make her friend feel better. She decided that the truth was probably best.
"Lori, I know I'm not very useful. I'm not as clever as Hermione, or as brave as Harry, or as quick as Ron, or as wise as Dumbledore, but I'm not going anywhere. What you said before, about me leaving you like everyone else does, it really hurt. I don't know what you meant by it but- I just want to say that you're wrong. If anyone tries to hurt you, or take you away, then they're going to have to get past me first, and it won't be easy." She said slowly, making sure Lori caught every word she was saying.
As Daphne spoke, Lori could feel tears brimming over her lids and down her cheeks, but she found she didn't care. Even after all that had happened, even though this day was already one of the worst days of her life, she felt *safe*. She hadn't felt safe in five years.
Daphne sat on the edge of the bed, anxiously studying her friend's tear- streaked face for an answer to her little speech. Suddenly, without warning, Lori smiled broadly and threw her arms around Daphne's neck. Daphne sat in shock for a moment, but then came to her senses and hugged her back tightly.
"Thank you." Lori whispered, her voice now steady. Daphne couldn't help it- she laughed shortly and pulled back from the hug with a grin. "Any time." She said with a shrug. Lori grinned back, but then frowned and bit her lip.
"I'm sorry about all that stuff I said, I didn't mean." She began, but Daphne cut her off with a wave of her hand. "It doesn't matter." She said cheerfully. Lori grinned again, but stopped almost immediately, staring at something over Daphne's shoulder.
"Oh my God." She said in horror. Daphne's insides ran cold, and she spun round to see what had scared Lori so much. There was nothing there. "What?" she asked bemusedly. Lori jumped off of the bed and hurriedly picked up her book bag. "We're twenty minutes late for Potions!" She exclaimed, hastily wiping the last of her tears from her cheeks.
Daphne bit her lip as she looked over at the clock. "Ah." She said. Lori was right- they were very late, and Snape would be sure to kill them. No wonder she had been so scared. "Um.how about we skip it?" She said nervously. Lori spun around to face Daphne, her eyes wide.
"What?" She cried in disbelief. Daphne stood up to face her friend. "Well.there's only twenty minutes left- it's theory today, remember? And we could at least live the rest of the day before Snape murders us." She said reasonably. Lori pulled her hand away from the door handle and shrugged.
"You're right." She said hesitantly. Daphne nodded and reached down to the end of her bed, where a box of chocolate frogs stood on top of her trunk. She picked them up, sat down on the bed and patted the space next to her. "Sit down then." She said to Lori, who rolled her eyes and sat down.
"How can you eat chocolate this early in the morning?" She asked, shaking her head slightly. Daphne grinned wickedly and unwrapped a Chocolate Frog. "Quite easily, actually." She said as she took a bite. Lori rolled her eyes again as Annor sprung up onto the bed next to her, stepping tentatively onto her lap.
Annor wasn't fully-grown quite yet, but was still a lot bigger than she had been when Daphne had brought her to Hogwarts. Lori hadn't really gotten to know the blond cat yet, but now she stroked her head fondly, and Annor began to purr loudly.
Daphne grinned. "Typical. That cat likes everyone better than me." She said. Lori looked up at her with a smile. "Really?" She asked. Daphne nodded. "Yep. Especially Ron, for some reason." She said with an over- exaggerated puzzled expression. Lori grinned. "Crookshanks really likes him as well." She said, smiling down at Annor, who was now curled contentedly in her lap.
Daphne grinned. "Yeah, I know. Ron says that it just proves the phrase 'dumb animals'." She said. Lori laughed, sounding like her old self again. Daphne grinned more widely at hearing Lori laugh again.
"So, what now?" Lori asked, glancing at the clock. They had fifteen minutes to kill. Daphne picked up another Chocolate Frog. "Well, do you mind talking about Moyen stuff?" She asked quietly. Lori smiled. "Alright. I'll explain it all to you." She said. Daphne grinned. "Thanks." She said, sitting back to listen. Lori paused, wondering where to begin.
"Well, um.. those bands I told you about, the things Moyens can do, well, most Moyens can only do one of them. Like starting fires, or telepathy or, whatever. But this classes them as a Moyen."
"How many can you do?" Daphne asked, crinkling a Frog wrapper in her hand. Lori looked down at the floor. "Three." She said quietly. Daphne's eyes widened. "Really?" She asked with interest. "Is that good then?"
Lori sighed. "Depends on how you look at it really." She said uncomfortably. Daphne squirmed. "Sorry." She said quickly. "Er. what can you do?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"I can start fires, um. move things with my mind, and I'm telepathic as well." She said. Daphne sat up straighter. "Really?" she asked in surprise. Lori looked down at her hands.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Daphne heard a voice in her head, Lori's voice, speaking clearly.
::Yes::
Daphne stared at her friend, but she hadn't moved. Daphne took a deep breath. "Wow." She said meekly. Lori looked up at her, smiling sadly. "You can talk back you know." She said. Daphne grinned. "OK. Er." Daphne shut her eyes, concentrating hard.
::Can you hear me?:: She asked stupidly, expecting no reply. But then it came.
::Loud and clear:: Daphne started and looked up at Lori, who was watching her with a slight smile. "This is so cool!" Daphne said gleefully. Lori giggled.
"Anyway. what else can you tell me about Moyens?" Daphne said, leaning back again. Lori leaned back against the bedpost and thought for a moment.
"Well, most Moyens, all Moyens really, report to the council. The council is meant to make sure that Moyens are safe, and that they aren't abusing their powers." She said. Daphne frowned. "There's a council?" She asked in surprise. Lori nodded.
"Yeah. Two Moyens from each continent are on the council, and then there's the Head of the council, and at the moment it is Lord McFaye. The council elects the Head, and the council is elected by the Sub-Council, and they're elected by the ordinary Moyens. It sounds complicated, but it isn't really. Anyway, when a Moyen finds out that they are a Moyen, um. they have to be presented by an adult to a member of either the Council or the Sub-Council. Then they are registered."
"Are you-?" Daphne began, but Lori, anticipating her question, shook her head straight away. "No, I've never been presented. I never had an adult I trusted enough to tell, so I couldn't be." She said sadly. Daphne smiled reassuringly at her best friend. "Would you like to be presented?" She asked. Lori looked at her thoughtfully, pausing before she answered.
"I don't know. If I was presented, then I would learn all about my powers, and how to use them properly, I'd know other Moyens; I'd be protected.yeah. Yes, I think I would like to be presented." She finished, staring at the floor. Daphne looked at the ceiling, her hands clenching into fists. She felt like punching whoever had put Lori into such a horrid family. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"Does anyone else know apart from me?" She asked, keeping her voice steady. Lori looked up at Daphne quickly, with a faraway look in her eyes. She blinked, tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear. "Um, yeah. Draco knows." She said quietly, looking at the floor again.
Daphne sat up straight staring at Lori in disbelief. "You told *Draco*?" She said incredulously. Lori looked up at Daphne again, an unreadable expression on her face. "I didn't have to. He was- he was there when I found out." She said.
"Oh." Daphne said quietly, feeling very uneasy. She cleared her throat nervously. "Um.no offence Lori, I know he's your brother and everything, but.wouldn't he have.?"
"Told my Father?" Lori finished for her, smiling weakly. Daphne nodded and Lori sighed slightly. "No, he promised he wouldn't." She said. Daphne snorted, and Lori smiled again, sadly this time. "I know he doesn't seem the kind of person to care about stuff like that, but. well, he promised before, and I know that he won't break it. If he'd found out now, then."
"Huh?" Daphne cut her off, completely baffled. "What are you talking about? Before what?" She said. Lori looked at Daphne and swallowed, looking very downcast again. "Before he changed." She said quietly.
Lori saw the look on Daphne's face and pressed on before she could interrupt. And when she started to speak, she couldn't stop. She'd wanted to say all of it for five years.
"He used to be different. Really different. The only thing that's the same now is the way he looks. That's it." Lori took a deep breath and continued to explain.
"My father used to work for the Ministry. He was, a sort of Ambassador, I'm not really sure what he did exactly. But anyway, he was away from home most of the time- he'd came home for maybe one month a year. My mother, she, well, she doesn't really, really care that much. Her one concern is making sure the manor is run properly. With both my parents pretty much gone, all I had was my older brother. But I was fine with that.
"When there's an age gap of four and a half years, there are two things that can happen. Your brother can ignore you, or he can baby you. Draco *really* babied me. We spent pretty much every day out in the gardens, playing games. Now I think about it, we always used to play really stupid games that I made up. It must have been so boring for him- but Draco never complained once.
When it was too cold out, or raining, we would sit inside, as far away from mother as possible, and read stupid books and play exploding snap. Draco had tutors every morning, but he was the one who taught me how to read and write. We used to make up tongue twisters, and then try them out at dinner to make the house-elves laugh.
"I used to be scared of the dark. Draco was the only one who knew, and so every night he would tuck me in and stay with me until I fell asleep. If there was a storm, he would sometimes stay with me in my room all night, reading me stories to keep my mind off it all.
I always used to get really annoyed when there was a storm, and he'd always tease me about it. He used to say to me that 'I'm surprised that it's the storms that aren't scared of you, Lenori.' Lenori- I've just remembered that. He always called me Lenori. Anyway.
"I was six when Father quit his job. Draco had just turned eleven, and had a few months before he went to Hogwarts. I was dreading it- but I didn't say anything to Draco because I didn't want him worrying about me. I remember the night Father came home as though it was yesterday.
"Draco and me were in the library, playing exploding snap, when he came storming in. He grabbed Draco by the arm and made him stand up, telling him to stop playing stupid games with 'the little brat' and to start acting like a Malfoy. Draco- he said that I wasn't a brat, and then, then Father hit him round the head. Draco was knocked unconscious. I was so scared, but I couldn't do anything because Father wouldn't let me near him. He sent me to my room, and I had to stay up there all night.
"It was the first night Draco wasn't with me when I fell asleep, and so I didn't. I was up all night, with my eyes shut to block out the darkness. It didn't work, because it was just darker. The next day, when I was let out of my room, Draco was in the study with Father, and he was in there all day. It was the same the next day, and the next, and the next.
"It was like that for about a month. Then one night, I was lying there trying to get to sleep when Draco came into my room. He came and sat next to me, and told me he was sorry that he hadn't seen me for the past few weeks. I told him it wasn't his fault, but he looked so, so sad. I fell asleep with him still there, but when I woke up, he and Father had left. They didn't come back for two weeks.
"When he came back, that was it. He was gone completely. Draco ignored me, and if he did decide to talk to me, it was to insult me, or call me a stupid little baby. He never called me Lenori anymore, just Leonora or 'you brat'. Even if no one else was there he acted like that, and I just didn't understand what I'd done wrong.
"After a few weeks I realised that it wasn't me who'd done something wrong, it was him. And Father. I had never *hated* my father before then, but I did after that. He took my brother, and he just, I don't know what he did to him, what he used. I don't know why but he just. changed him. He didn't even sound the same- he never had any feeling in his voice anymore. It was as if Father had just taken it all out of him. He, he killed my brother."
Daphne sat frozen at the end of the bed, unable to think of anything to say. She had watched silently as Lori's face had changed with every new emotion she had felt- how happy she'd been when she was telling her about the old Draco, how scared she had looked when she told her about her Father hitting Draco, how angry she had been at the end.
Daphne felt a tear fall slowly down her cheek, and she suddenly felt a strong desire to hug her best friend. She sat up, and enveloped Lori in her arms. Lori rested her head on her shoulder as she started crying again.
"I just. I just want him back." She said hopelessly. Daphne tightened her arms and tried to stop herself from crying too. She had never dreamed that she would ever feel sorry for Draco Malfoy, but right now she felt like hugging him as well. He must have been through something horrible to make him abandon Lori like that. From what she had just been told, he had really loved his little sister. It must have been awful to act that way toward her all the time.
Lori had calmed down, and Daphne gently released her, smiling encouragingly. "You never know Lori. he might still be there somewhere." She said. Lori wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and smiled sadly. "No, not anymore." She said, shaking her head. "It's been too long, he's changed too much now." She said looking over at the window.
Daphne sighed and glanced at the clock. They had only a few minutes before double charms. "Come on Lori." She said standing up. "We'd better go to Charms." Lori nodded, picking up her bag and swinging it onto her back. As they got to the door, Lori grabbed Daphne's arm.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" She asked, worriedly biting her lip. Daphne made a cross shape on her chest. "Cross my heart." She said with a smile. Lori smiled back. "Thanks Daph. And thanks for listening to me drone on like that." She said jokingly. Daphne grinned.
"No problem. In fact, we should skip potions more often." She said as they walked out of the dormitory together. Lori laughed. "Don't let Snape hear you say that."
Wow, that speech was like, the longest ever in a fanfic. If you're not all too confused, please review, and tell me what you think! (If anyone really doesn't understand what Moyens are, and would like to know more about them, please tell me in your review and I'll email you. It's very important to this story and its sequels that you know what they are.) But tell me in your review if you're emailing me, because otherwise I'll forget to check my emails.
Disclaimer- All Harry Potter references belong to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 21- Revelations.
The Gryffindor euphoria lasted for several days. After the Weasleys had got over the initial shock of their father being the possible next Minister of Magic, they had written to Mr Weasley, who had replied to assure them that he was as shocked as them, if not more so.
Ron was reading the letter to Harry and Hermione as they walked down to breakfast on the Wednesday. It had come late the night before, and they hadn't heard it yet.
".just remember that I most probably won't be voted in. And your mother says that she hopes you are remembering to eat your vegetables. I'd like to remind you to stay away from brussel sprouts. Take care, Dad." Ron grinned and tucked the letter back into his robes. The elections were on Friday, and although he tried not to show it, Harry and Hermione could tell he was nervous for his Dad. Hell, so were they.
"He seems to be coping with the pressure well." Hermione remarked as they entered the hall. Ron shrugged. "I hope so." He said, smiling at a Ravenclaw who told him that her parents were voting for his Dad. They sat down at their usual seats and began to eat.
Hermione looked down the table and suddenly noticed Lori, who was sitting by herself and practically shoving her cereal into her mouth. "There's Lori." Hermione said to Harry and Ron. "I haven't seen her in ages."
Hermione wasn't the only one to have noticed her. Daphne was watching her curiously, knowing that if she went down to talk to her it would be a complete waste of time. One good thing though- Lori being here proved that she wasn't starving herself, but coming down to eat very early. But they had had a late-running astronomy class last night, and so you couldn't blame her for sleeping late.
Lori had just stood up to leave when the post-owls suddenly streamed into the hall. There were as many as ever- the snow had subsided slightly over the last few days. Daphne watched with interest as a black owl swooped up to Lori and handed her a letter before swooping off again. She had never seen Lori receive any mail before.
Lori didn't seem too overjoyed about getting a letter. On the contrary- she went white and picked up the letter with a trembling hand that could be clearly seen from the other end of the table. Lori looked around to see if anyone near her were watching, which they weren't, sat down and opened her letter.
Daphne watched, alarmed, as Lori jumped up a few seconds letter and hurried out of the hall, looking like she was about to throw up. Enough was enough. Something in that letter had done that to her- and Daphne was going to find out what. She got to her feet and ran out of the hall in time to see Lori get to the top of the first flight of marble stairs.
Daphne followed Lori stealthily through the castle, all the way up to Gryffindor tower. Lori was avoiding everyone- if any students came her way, she would either hide from view or change direction as fast as she could. Daphne had noticed her doing this for the past few weeks, but this morning it was somehow worse.
When they reached the portrait hole, Lori gave the password quickly and practically jumped through the opening. Daphne waited a few moments before following her.
The common room was completely empty- not surprising, as the first lesson was about to start in one minute. Daphne hurried to the girl's staircase and climbed the two flights of stairs up to the first year dormitory. The door was slightly open, but Daphne couldn't see her friend through the crack. She paused, but then pushed the door open just as Lori had reached for it.
Daphne heard Lori gasp loudly and stumble. Daphne found her sitting on the end of her bed, which was right next to the door, with a look of pure terror on her face. When Lori saw who it was, her face relaxed and she pressed her hand on her heart, taking deep shallow breaths. Daphne hurried over to her and crouched down next to her.
"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly. Lori was very pale and was visibly shaking. Her eyes darted around the room as she answered. "N-nothing. I'm fine. You just, sc-scared me." She gasped. Daphne frowned and sat down next to Lori on the bed. "Are you sure? You look really ill." She persisted, leaning round to look her friend in the face. Lori met her eyes but looked away quickly, standing up.
She picked up her bag, which was on the floor, and smiled thinly. "I'm fine. Er- it's potions now, isn't it?" She said quickly, avoiding Daphne's eyes. Daphne stood up as Lori started to walk to the door. In two strides she reached the door and stood before her, with a stern, determined look on her face. "We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong." She said with a frown.
Lori looked up at Daphne hopelessly, and Daphne could see the fear in her eyes. Hell, it was etched over her entire face. Daphne bit her lip, her brow furrowed. She didn't know what her friend was so scared of, but she was going to find out.
"Th-there's nothing wrong. Honestly." Lori said quietly, looking up at the ceiling. Daphne rolled her eyes impatiently. "Oh, come off it Lori. You've been acting weird since Christmas. What the hell happened?" She demanded. Lori looked back at her, and Daphne was startled to see tears in her friend's eyes. "Please Daphne, don't do this." She said, her voice breaking. She tried to step round Daphne, who refused to budge.
"What's wrong?" Daphne asked again, more softly this time. Lori suddenly became angry. She turned to face her, her eyes flashing. "You don't care." She said angrily. Daphne felt as though someone had slapped her across the face. When she spoke, her voice trembled.
"How could you? Of course I care." She said. Lori folded her arms, tears starting to leak down her cheeks. She angrily wiped them away. "You might do now. But, but in a few weeks you'll just leave me like everyone else does."
Daphne stepped forward and grabbed Lori by the shoulders. She shook her hard, until Lori stopped crying and looked up at her again. "I'm not going anywhere. You're my best friend Lori, and I'm worried about you." She said.
Lori's expression softened, and more tears cascaded down her cheeks. "I *can't* tell you." She said shaking her head sadly. Daphne stepped back slightly and folded her arms. "Oh yes you can." She said. "We're not leaving this room until you do."
Lori's eyes flickered over to the door, and then to Daphne. She saw the determination in her eyes and sighed deeply. "Daphne- if, if I tell you, then you can't. if you told anyone." she stammered. Daphne placed her hand on Lori's shoulder again and squeezed it reassuringly. "You can trust me Lori." She said.
Lori looked up at her through tear-filled eyes. "P-promise me you won't." She began, but Daphne cut her off. "I promise. I swear I won't tell anyone what you tell me." She said. Lori still looked unsure, and Daphne smiled at her. "Not anyone." She repeated firmly. Lori nodded, and sat back down on her bed. Daphne sat down next to her.
Lori wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "You'll probably just think I'm being stupid." She said weakly. Daphne shook her head. "Of course I won't." She said quickly. Lori gave her a strained smile, and took a deep breath. "O.K. Here goes." She began.
"First of all, do you know what a Moyen is?" she asked, looking at Daphne hopefully. One look at her confused face answered the question for her, and Lori's shoulders slumped. "Er.alright then." She said quietly.
"A Moyen is someone- a Witch or Wizard, who can do certain things without a- a wand." Daphne leaned forward with a frown. "Lori, does this have anything to do with." she began, but Lori cut her off with a nod of her head. "It does, honestly. I. it does." She said. Daphne nodded as well and sat back again.
"Anyway, Moyens can do things without wands. I know what you're going to say," She said, holding up her hand to stop Daphne from interrupting her. "But when anyone else does magic without a wand it's sub-conscious, and they can't control it. Moyens can. They know what they're doing." Lori paused, and Daphne took the opportunity to ask a question. "What kind of things can they do?"
"There's six bands for Moyens. Number one is controlling fire, you know- starting it, stopping it, containing it, whatever. Band two is um. explosions. They can start them, any size they want, with whatever they want. It doesn't even have to have fire in it.
Band three is telepathy. They can speak to people through their minds. It's not like reading minds- it's actual talking. Band four is emotional empathy. If someone they're really close to them is in pain, or is really scared or anything like that, they know. They can feel it, or even see it, but only for a second.
Band five is telekinetic abilities. They can move things with their minds. The more powerful they are, the bigger the things they can move. And, Band six, that's healing. If someone has a physical injury, they can heal it without a wand. But healing is rare, because the only Moyens who can do it are the ones who can do everything else"
Lori stopped at the end of this long explanation and looked over at her friend. Daphne was listening hard, but had a slightly bemused expression on her face. She shifted slightly.
"Er, sorry Lori, but what does this have to do with you?" She asked haltingly. Lori opened her mouth to answer, closed it again, and shifted guiltily. Her cheeks turned a dull red colour and she looked anywhere in the room except at Daphne.
Realisation dawned on Daphne suddenly, and her eyes widened with shock. "You, you're a Moyen." She said quietly. Lori slowly nodded her head, staring very hard at her quilt. Daphne sat still for a few moments, watching her friend. Lori was also sitting completely still, and she seemed to be holding her breath, waiting for Daphne to say something. Daphne noticed that she still looked scared, and her eyes kept darting around the room fearfully. Daphne took a deep breath.
"Why were you so scared to tell me?" She asked finally. Lori's eyes darted to the door again, and then she looked up at Daphne, tears in her eyes. "I've known since I was four, and all my life I've." Lori paused, and drew a shuddering breath. "Moyens never tell anyone that they're Moyens. They can be made to do things. If they get put under the Imperius Curse, they, the things they can do."
Daphne frowned. "But who are you scared of? There's no-one that you.oh." Her voice trailed off, as she realised what, and *whom* Lori was getting at. Lucius Malfoy.
Lori looked up at Daphne, her cheeks burning red with shame. "He found out. As I was getting on the Hogwarts Express a fire started, and I. I tried to help with my.my powers. I didn't know he was watching, but he gave me this look, and, and- I've never been so scared in my life."
Lori suddenly started trembling, and Daphne quickly put an arm around her to try and calm her. Everything was making sense now. Lori was a Moyen, and as her father was a Deatheater, that put her in significant danger. No wonder she had been acting so jumpy and distant since coming back to school after Christmas- she must have been terrified that at any minute her father would come for her. Daphne couldn't imagine being scared of her Dad- he was so sweet to her.
Lori was calming down now, and Daphne gave her tight squeeze before releasing her. "Lori." She said calmly. "I won't let anything happen to you. And neither will Dumbledore, or.Hermione, or Harry and Ron. You're safe here." She said, trying to sound confident and reassuring. Lori shook her head sadly. "No. My Dad wrote to me this morning. He said that I. that I had better be ready when he came." She said.
Daphne swallowed. "We'll all be ready. Ready to tell him to shove off." She said fiercely. Lori smiled weakly, but shook her head. "No. There's nothing anyone can do." She said tearfully. Daphne watched as Lori sighed, obviously fighting back tears, trying to be strong, and felt angrier than she had ever done in her life. This shouldn't be happening to Lori- she didn't deserve it.
Daphne racked her brains, trying to think of a way to make her friend feel better. She decided that the truth was probably best.
"Lori, I know I'm not very useful. I'm not as clever as Hermione, or as brave as Harry, or as quick as Ron, or as wise as Dumbledore, but I'm not going anywhere. What you said before, about me leaving you like everyone else does, it really hurt. I don't know what you meant by it but- I just want to say that you're wrong. If anyone tries to hurt you, or take you away, then they're going to have to get past me first, and it won't be easy." She said slowly, making sure Lori caught every word she was saying.
As Daphne spoke, Lori could feel tears brimming over her lids and down her cheeks, but she found she didn't care. Even after all that had happened, even though this day was already one of the worst days of her life, she felt *safe*. She hadn't felt safe in five years.
Daphne sat on the edge of the bed, anxiously studying her friend's tear- streaked face for an answer to her little speech. Suddenly, without warning, Lori smiled broadly and threw her arms around Daphne's neck. Daphne sat in shock for a moment, but then came to her senses and hugged her back tightly.
"Thank you." Lori whispered, her voice now steady. Daphne couldn't help it- she laughed shortly and pulled back from the hug with a grin. "Any time." She said with a shrug. Lori grinned back, but then frowned and bit her lip.
"I'm sorry about all that stuff I said, I didn't mean." She began, but Daphne cut her off with a wave of her hand. "It doesn't matter." She said cheerfully. Lori grinned again, but stopped almost immediately, staring at something over Daphne's shoulder.
"Oh my God." She said in horror. Daphne's insides ran cold, and she spun round to see what had scared Lori so much. There was nothing there. "What?" she asked bemusedly. Lori jumped off of the bed and hurriedly picked up her book bag. "We're twenty minutes late for Potions!" She exclaimed, hastily wiping the last of her tears from her cheeks.
Daphne bit her lip as she looked over at the clock. "Ah." She said. Lori was right- they were very late, and Snape would be sure to kill them. No wonder she had been so scared. "Um.how about we skip it?" She said nervously. Lori spun around to face Daphne, her eyes wide.
"What?" She cried in disbelief. Daphne stood up to face her friend. "Well.there's only twenty minutes left- it's theory today, remember? And we could at least live the rest of the day before Snape murders us." She said reasonably. Lori pulled her hand away from the door handle and shrugged.
"You're right." She said hesitantly. Daphne nodded and reached down to the end of her bed, where a box of chocolate frogs stood on top of her trunk. She picked them up, sat down on the bed and patted the space next to her. "Sit down then." She said to Lori, who rolled her eyes and sat down.
"How can you eat chocolate this early in the morning?" She asked, shaking her head slightly. Daphne grinned wickedly and unwrapped a Chocolate Frog. "Quite easily, actually." She said as she took a bite. Lori rolled her eyes again as Annor sprung up onto the bed next to her, stepping tentatively onto her lap.
Annor wasn't fully-grown quite yet, but was still a lot bigger than she had been when Daphne had brought her to Hogwarts. Lori hadn't really gotten to know the blond cat yet, but now she stroked her head fondly, and Annor began to purr loudly.
Daphne grinned. "Typical. That cat likes everyone better than me." She said. Lori looked up at her with a smile. "Really?" She asked. Daphne nodded. "Yep. Especially Ron, for some reason." She said with an over- exaggerated puzzled expression. Lori grinned. "Crookshanks really likes him as well." She said, smiling down at Annor, who was now curled contentedly in her lap.
Daphne grinned. "Yeah, I know. Ron says that it just proves the phrase 'dumb animals'." She said. Lori laughed, sounding like her old self again. Daphne grinned more widely at hearing Lori laugh again.
"So, what now?" Lori asked, glancing at the clock. They had fifteen minutes to kill. Daphne picked up another Chocolate Frog. "Well, do you mind talking about Moyen stuff?" She asked quietly. Lori smiled. "Alright. I'll explain it all to you." She said. Daphne grinned. "Thanks." She said, sitting back to listen. Lori paused, wondering where to begin.
"Well, um.. those bands I told you about, the things Moyens can do, well, most Moyens can only do one of them. Like starting fires, or telepathy or, whatever. But this classes them as a Moyen."
"How many can you do?" Daphne asked, crinkling a Frog wrapper in her hand. Lori looked down at the floor. "Three." She said quietly. Daphne's eyes widened. "Really?" She asked with interest. "Is that good then?"
Lori sighed. "Depends on how you look at it really." She said uncomfortably. Daphne squirmed. "Sorry." She said quickly. "Er. what can you do?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
"I can start fires, um. move things with my mind, and I'm telepathic as well." She said. Daphne sat up straighter. "Really?" she asked in surprise. Lori looked down at her hands.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Daphne heard a voice in her head, Lori's voice, speaking clearly.
::Yes::
Daphne stared at her friend, but she hadn't moved. Daphne took a deep breath. "Wow." She said meekly. Lori looked up at her, smiling sadly. "You can talk back you know." She said. Daphne grinned. "OK. Er." Daphne shut her eyes, concentrating hard.
::Can you hear me?:: She asked stupidly, expecting no reply. But then it came.
::Loud and clear:: Daphne started and looked up at Lori, who was watching her with a slight smile. "This is so cool!" Daphne said gleefully. Lori giggled.
"Anyway. what else can you tell me about Moyens?" Daphne said, leaning back again. Lori leaned back against the bedpost and thought for a moment.
"Well, most Moyens, all Moyens really, report to the council. The council is meant to make sure that Moyens are safe, and that they aren't abusing their powers." She said. Daphne frowned. "There's a council?" She asked in surprise. Lori nodded.
"Yeah. Two Moyens from each continent are on the council, and then there's the Head of the council, and at the moment it is Lord McFaye. The council elects the Head, and the council is elected by the Sub-Council, and they're elected by the ordinary Moyens. It sounds complicated, but it isn't really. Anyway, when a Moyen finds out that they are a Moyen, um. they have to be presented by an adult to a member of either the Council or the Sub-Council. Then they are registered."
"Are you-?" Daphne began, but Lori, anticipating her question, shook her head straight away. "No, I've never been presented. I never had an adult I trusted enough to tell, so I couldn't be." She said sadly. Daphne smiled reassuringly at her best friend. "Would you like to be presented?" She asked. Lori looked at her thoughtfully, pausing before she answered.
"I don't know. If I was presented, then I would learn all about my powers, and how to use them properly, I'd know other Moyens; I'd be protected.yeah. Yes, I think I would like to be presented." She finished, staring at the floor. Daphne looked at the ceiling, her hands clenching into fists. She felt like punching whoever had put Lori into such a horrid family. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"Does anyone else know apart from me?" She asked, keeping her voice steady. Lori looked up at Daphne quickly, with a faraway look in her eyes. She blinked, tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear. "Um, yeah. Draco knows." She said quietly, looking at the floor again.
Daphne sat up straight staring at Lori in disbelief. "You told *Draco*?" She said incredulously. Lori looked up at Daphne again, an unreadable expression on her face. "I didn't have to. He was- he was there when I found out." She said.
"Oh." Daphne said quietly, feeling very uneasy. She cleared her throat nervously. "Um.no offence Lori, I know he's your brother and everything, but.wouldn't he have.?"
"Told my Father?" Lori finished for her, smiling weakly. Daphne nodded and Lori sighed slightly. "No, he promised he wouldn't." She said. Daphne snorted, and Lori smiled again, sadly this time. "I know he doesn't seem the kind of person to care about stuff like that, but. well, he promised before, and I know that he won't break it. If he'd found out now, then."
"Huh?" Daphne cut her off, completely baffled. "What are you talking about? Before what?" She said. Lori looked at Daphne and swallowed, looking very downcast again. "Before he changed." She said quietly.
Lori saw the look on Daphne's face and pressed on before she could interrupt. And when she started to speak, she couldn't stop. She'd wanted to say all of it for five years.
"He used to be different. Really different. The only thing that's the same now is the way he looks. That's it." Lori took a deep breath and continued to explain.
"My father used to work for the Ministry. He was, a sort of Ambassador, I'm not really sure what he did exactly. But anyway, he was away from home most of the time- he'd came home for maybe one month a year. My mother, she, well, she doesn't really, really care that much. Her one concern is making sure the manor is run properly. With both my parents pretty much gone, all I had was my older brother. But I was fine with that.
"When there's an age gap of four and a half years, there are two things that can happen. Your brother can ignore you, or he can baby you. Draco *really* babied me. We spent pretty much every day out in the gardens, playing games. Now I think about it, we always used to play really stupid games that I made up. It must have been so boring for him- but Draco never complained once.
When it was too cold out, or raining, we would sit inside, as far away from mother as possible, and read stupid books and play exploding snap. Draco had tutors every morning, but he was the one who taught me how to read and write. We used to make up tongue twisters, and then try them out at dinner to make the house-elves laugh.
"I used to be scared of the dark. Draco was the only one who knew, and so every night he would tuck me in and stay with me until I fell asleep. If there was a storm, he would sometimes stay with me in my room all night, reading me stories to keep my mind off it all.
I always used to get really annoyed when there was a storm, and he'd always tease me about it. He used to say to me that 'I'm surprised that it's the storms that aren't scared of you, Lenori.' Lenori- I've just remembered that. He always called me Lenori. Anyway.
"I was six when Father quit his job. Draco had just turned eleven, and had a few months before he went to Hogwarts. I was dreading it- but I didn't say anything to Draco because I didn't want him worrying about me. I remember the night Father came home as though it was yesterday.
"Draco and me were in the library, playing exploding snap, when he came storming in. He grabbed Draco by the arm and made him stand up, telling him to stop playing stupid games with 'the little brat' and to start acting like a Malfoy. Draco- he said that I wasn't a brat, and then, then Father hit him round the head. Draco was knocked unconscious. I was so scared, but I couldn't do anything because Father wouldn't let me near him. He sent me to my room, and I had to stay up there all night.
"It was the first night Draco wasn't with me when I fell asleep, and so I didn't. I was up all night, with my eyes shut to block out the darkness. It didn't work, because it was just darker. The next day, when I was let out of my room, Draco was in the study with Father, and he was in there all day. It was the same the next day, and the next, and the next.
"It was like that for about a month. Then one night, I was lying there trying to get to sleep when Draco came into my room. He came and sat next to me, and told me he was sorry that he hadn't seen me for the past few weeks. I told him it wasn't his fault, but he looked so, so sad. I fell asleep with him still there, but when I woke up, he and Father had left. They didn't come back for two weeks.
"When he came back, that was it. He was gone completely. Draco ignored me, and if he did decide to talk to me, it was to insult me, or call me a stupid little baby. He never called me Lenori anymore, just Leonora or 'you brat'. Even if no one else was there he acted like that, and I just didn't understand what I'd done wrong.
"After a few weeks I realised that it wasn't me who'd done something wrong, it was him. And Father. I had never *hated* my father before then, but I did after that. He took my brother, and he just, I don't know what he did to him, what he used. I don't know why but he just. changed him. He didn't even sound the same- he never had any feeling in his voice anymore. It was as if Father had just taken it all out of him. He, he killed my brother."
Daphne sat frozen at the end of the bed, unable to think of anything to say. She had watched silently as Lori's face had changed with every new emotion she had felt- how happy she'd been when she was telling her about the old Draco, how scared she had looked when she told her about her Father hitting Draco, how angry she had been at the end.
Daphne felt a tear fall slowly down her cheek, and she suddenly felt a strong desire to hug her best friend. She sat up, and enveloped Lori in her arms. Lori rested her head on her shoulder as she started crying again.
"I just. I just want him back." She said hopelessly. Daphne tightened her arms and tried to stop herself from crying too. She had never dreamed that she would ever feel sorry for Draco Malfoy, but right now she felt like hugging him as well. He must have been through something horrible to make him abandon Lori like that. From what she had just been told, he had really loved his little sister. It must have been awful to act that way toward her all the time.
Lori had calmed down, and Daphne gently released her, smiling encouragingly. "You never know Lori. he might still be there somewhere." She said. Lori wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and smiled sadly. "No, not anymore." She said, shaking her head. "It's been too long, he's changed too much now." She said looking over at the window.
Daphne sighed and glanced at the clock. They had only a few minutes before double charms. "Come on Lori." She said standing up. "We'd better go to Charms." Lori nodded, picking up her bag and swinging it onto her back. As they got to the door, Lori grabbed Daphne's arm.
"You won't tell anyone, will you?" She asked, worriedly biting her lip. Daphne made a cross shape on her chest. "Cross my heart." She said with a smile. Lori smiled back. "Thanks Daph. And thanks for listening to me drone on like that." She said jokingly. Daphne grinned.
"No problem. In fact, we should skip potions more often." She said as they walked out of the dormitory together. Lori laughed. "Don't let Snape hear you say that."
Wow, that speech was like, the longest ever in a fanfic. If you're not all too confused, please review, and tell me what you think! (If anyone really doesn't understand what Moyens are, and would like to know more about them, please tell me in your review and I'll email you. It's very important to this story and its sequels that you know what they are.) But tell me in your review if you're emailing me, because otherwise I'll forget to check my emails.