Chapter thirty six

Curse of the past

/

Since the sun finally decided to show up again, Hermione and Ron went out for quite a romantic walk, not caring about the terrible cold, which persisted even the warm sunbeams effect. Harry had made quite clear that he did not want company, so they had to fend for themselves. Neither of them, even when they asked separately or together, managed to find out what had happened to their friend.

Harry was still sitting at the table in the Great Hall, absentmindedly pouring himself orange juice. Although he successfully pretended that the Slytherin House did not exist whatsoever, he could not help but notice that Angela was missing when he arrived in the morning. And she had not appeared for lunch yet either. He did not really know what he was waiting for there. As if, it felt good to torture his broken heart with thoughts of that hypocritical girl.

On the other side, Malfoy kept peering inconspicuously at the Gryffindor table. More precisely, he could not help but stare at Daria Prescott's back.

Otherwise, the Slytherin prince tapped his fingers impatiently next to an empty plate and seemed to be waiting for someone, since he himself apparently finished his meal already.

Ginny was just as successful at scouting from Daria as Hermione was with Harry. That meant she did not learn anything at all. After a while of trying to talk to sullen Harry at least, she gave up and followed her brother's example to go for a winter walk with her current boyfriend Dean.

In the end, the one Draco was expecting finally walked into the Hall. Pale Angela, huddled in a thick sweater, walked over to Malfoy and tiredly sat down next to him.

Harry literally felt her gaze on him. He closed his mind so she would not even accidentally think of talking to him, and gripped a tall glass tightly in his hand, intently hypnotizing some old scratch on the table. However, out of the corner of his eye, of course that he saw what was happening at the Slytherin table meanwhile.

Angela's eyes were red and puffy, which she tried to cover with makeup in vain, and she was sitting there all hunched over, making herself as small as possible. Slowly, she emptied a glass of water in one go. Malfoy leaned toward her and mumbled something, but she did not even look at him. That Slytherin asshole said something again.

They just sat there in silence for a long time. Then Angela seemed to say a few words with a lowered gaze and hid her face with both hands. Malfoy stroked her arm slowly and she looked up at him gratefully. She said something else and Draco slowly hugged her around her shoulders. She did not even try to fight back and let herself be pulled closer to him.

Harry's blood boiled at that moment and he lost his self-control.

They´re doing this on purpose! Now she's going to play the injured poor thing, or what?!

He hit with the glass against the table, spilling most of its content. He moved away from it quite abruptly, almost causing the bench behind him to topple over. Most of the Gryffindor table watched in astonishment as he shoved his hands into his pockets and marched out of the Hall with such an angered expression that Luna quickly moved out of his way. He did not see the desperate look Angela threw behind him, nor the understanding one from Daria.

Angela clenched her shaking hands in fists, and suddenly got up from the table. Draco grabbed her arm warningly, but she just retorted something, jerked away, and headed to the dark-haired Gryffindor. Draco watched her with a deep frown…

"Daria?"

The addressed girl just looked back at the low voice, smirked in disgust, got up and was about to leave. Angela placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I just want to talk to you," she requested softly.

"But I don't have anything to talk about with you," Daria snapped, shaking Angela's hand off like it was just an annoying fly and she briskly headed for the exit.

"Let me explain it," her so-called friend urged following her. "Daria, please…"

She turned sharply to her in the Entrance Hall.

"Leave me alone!" she lashed out. "There's nothing to explain! Do you really think I'm that stupid or what? Is it not enough for you how you´ve already hurt me?"

"Please, give me at least a few minutes!" Angela pleaded desperately. "If not for me, then for yourself," she added quietly as Daria turned away from her again in disgust.

She stopped on the spot stunned.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked haughtily.

"You like Draco, don't you?" Angela said quietly. "For that alone you should want to hear the truth."

Daria did not answer for several tense seconds.

"I've already lost the boy I love, I don't want to lose my best friend," Angela tried one last time.

Daria turned to face her without any emotion: "Okay. But only because we've known each other for so long. I'll give you five minutes."

"Shall we go to the Room?" Angela suggested.

"Why there exactly, for Merlin´s sake?"

"We will have privacy there. What I'm about to tell you shouldn't be heard by anyone else."

After a moment of hesitation, Daria nodded only.

/

"You know very well how I feel about Harry," Angela began quietly as they settled in the comfortable armchairs.

"And you prove it by sleeping with Malfoy?" Daria retorted teasingly.

Angela curled up even more in her seat. "Let me speak, please. Five minutes is not long," she reacted sadly.

"Only three now. It took us two minutes to get here," Daria noted dryly.

Angela preferred not to react to that and continued: "I told you how complicated our relationship is because Voldemort could use me against him. But I didn't particularly admit this to myself until last Saturday, when Draco and I had to do that second test. You surely remember how I explained it to you."

Daria just nodded.

"In an unguarded moment, the Dark Lord looked into my mind," Angela continued, ignoring her friend's frown. "And he almost found… Well, just me and Harry how…" she took a deep breath. "We made love just the night before."

Daria's eyes widened in surprise.

"I guess you can understand that I was thinking about it, I couldn't get rid of those thoughts and he almost saw it. It took me a lot of effort to hide it at the last second. In that horrible moment, I finally realized how much I was putting Harry in danger by us being together. And he didn´t even know about it! I just could not let it stay that way; I had to break up with him. But it was easier said than done. If I suddenly came to him and said that everything between the two of us is over, I would have to explain why. I could not give him a real reason and tell him the truth. I was not able to figure out any proper excuse either. He would not believe me and maybe he would try to settle things with me again. But I couldn't allow that. I had to chase him away. So… Draco came up with an idea."

"To trick Harry to think you cheated on him," Daria breathed out.

Angela nodded: "It was all just an act. We arranged it so he found a letter in the Charms classroom, in which we agreed on a supposed meeting and then all we had to do was to wait. He came. And Draco's plan worked perfectly," she finished bitterly.

Daria sat silently and just watched Angela sympathetically. She understood now that she had to feel terrible.

"We just didn't expect you to show up there, too. I don't blame you for getting angry. I would have reacted the same way," Angela said sadly.

Daria still said nothing.

"Well, my three minutes are up," Angela noted with her throat tight. "You can either believe me or don't. It's up to you. But I can swear that I told you the truth."

"Angela… I'm so sorry," Daria finally replied regretfully. "I believe you. I'm really sorry for how things had to end between you and Harry."

Her friend took a shaky breath: "It's better for both of us."

"Do you really think that?" Daria spoke thoughtfully. "Don´t you think he would handle the truth better than such a betrayal?"

Angela looked outside the window: "It´s already done. I cannot take it back even if I wanted to…" she turned back to Daria seriously. "And even if you were right, it´s safer for Harry like this."

Daria frowned: "Maybe. But I still think you´re going to regret it."

Angela sighed: "I already do."

/

A few days later, Angela was making her way through the Forbidden Forest back to the castle from her meeting with mother, puffs of condensed air visibly rising from her nose. It was a clear and frosty night. The light of the moon reflected off the brilliant white blanket.

Halfway through, she thought of something. More precisely, she finally remembered something what she successfully pushed aside thanks to that messy breakup with Harry.

She should try calling that damn mysterious unicorn as he had advised her before… She might finally learn something from him about herself. But how?

Angela stood still and peered around the trees.

Yelling ´Unicorn!´ seemed like a pretty stupid idea, especially in this forest, but maybe the magical creature would register it when she would call him in her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and without any of her own doing, the name appeared in her mind.

She snapped her eyes open again, completely surprised. So, this was what the unicorn meant by ´you know how´? Another thing she could ask him about.

Angela concentrated, imagined that unicorn in her mind and sent a wordless call in all directions.

Monarchaz! Monarchaz!

She looked around impatiently and just as she thought he might be pretty far away and it would take a long time for him to get to her, something silver appeared in the dark.

A few seconds later, a tall unicorn with the golden horn stopped in front of Angela after a graceful trot.

Damn, that was fast, Angela thought for herself. I should pay more attention to Fantastic Beasts studies.

I have been waiting for you to come, successor of Elessandra, he addressed her in a telepathic way as usually.

My name is Angela and I would like you to call me that.

All right then, I agree, Angela Rosier.

I would like you to tell me everything you know about my family.

That goes without saying. However, once again, I am amazed that you know nothing. Did your mother not give you…

My mother is not a very talkative personality, Angela interrupted him. I wonder if she even know at all about all this.

Then come with me, Angela Rosier, Monarchaz reacted after a while There is a comfortable cave nearby. It is warmer there; I know you people are sensitive as comes to cold.

Angela wordlessly nodded and followed him through the crunching snow.

/

The mentioned cave was protected from vagaries of nature, but still chilly. Therefore, Angela casted the Fire-Making charm on a few dry branches, before settling down in the corner. Then Monarchaz finally began to tell her the story…

In times past, there were many more of us than now. There were enough of our kind so that the always-thirsty monsters would not dare attack us. However, we also had a greater magical power that could influence people living near us without our intervention. More specifically – only wizards could be affected by it, usually expanding their magical potential. We did not think much of it until a young witch took care of an injured foal from our clan. She stayed in the little one´s presence for a very long time before releasing him and had no idea how much it affected her. She had some psychic abilities before, but they were not very developed. However, the foal's power caused her to start predicting the future in her dreams and there was no turning back. A side effect was also a telepathic connection with that foal. He knew about her and she knew about him. They were able to communicate even over great distances.

She had these abilities until her death. We hoped that was the end of it, but then the same abilities manifested in her granddaughter, even though she never met any of us unicorns directly. We felt that the ability to foresee the future in human dreams was passed on.

In your family line, there has always been a witch, who received the same power, even though they began to manifest at different ages. The last time it happened, I was just a foal myself; it was your great-great-grandmother Elessandra. A very long time has passed since she died and we started to believe that the unintentional heritage was over, but then you were born and I – as the clan leader – felt it.

However, before, we did not have the same problems with those you call vampires as we do now. We needed your help, but when I wanted to connect with you through dreams, it caused me considerable problems. I had to break through some kind of protective barrier first… the unicorn looked at her questioningly.

Yes, I know why, Angela replied. In some old files, Healers at the St Mungo´s Hospital found a prescription for anti-dream pills. I tried using them and they worked. Well, until recently. I´ve been having troubles with proper sleeping for some time already.

I see, Monarchaz understood immediately.

Do you think they will work again now, if you do not force yourself into my dreams? Angela asked as casually as possible. She had quite enough of nightmares and sleepwalking already.

Monarchaz looked at her strangely with his big eyes.

It is your nature, Angela Rosier. A gift. You should not suppress it.

Those dreams exhaust me beyond acceptable borders. I cannot just let them come freely without any control, I would have collapsed in no time, Angela retorted. Especially with the Dark Lord on the rise, she added only for herself.

Nevertheless, I still think you should not…

But this time, Angela did not let Monarchaz speak and insisted on her attitude.

If this ability disappeared from my ancestral line for so long, I might not be able to handle it so well anymore, did you think of that? I might be Elessandra´s successor, but I´m not her.

The noble unicorn kept silent for a while, before he nodded his head slowly: I admit that makes most sense.

Fine. So, stop disrupting my sleep at least for a while. You are not in any danger now, are you?

No, but if we need help again, I will call you. Now, I know how.

All right, Angela agreed reluctantly and thought of another question. Look, if you know my family line, do you know who my father was?

No. I can only feel and follow the female successors of the family.

Angela sighed: Okay, one more thing… Back then, during the snowstorm, the vampire leader of that group called me ´daughter of Elessandra´…

That beast recognized you? Monarchaz wondered.

I guess…

In that case, you should stay away from these woods if possible.

That is clear to me, but what does that mean? Elessandra passed away decades ago, addressing me, as her daughter makes no sense.

Vampires are immortal, so they do not really distinguish between a daughter and a great-great-granddaughter. You are her offspring; therefore, you also carry her guilt.

Angela´s jaw dropped: What guilt for Merlin´s sake? What did she do to them?

Elessandra spent most of her life hunting and killing those bloodthirsty monsters.

Great, she had to supress an urge for hysterical laugh. So, she was a vampire hunter as well. And they seem to remember it quite vividly and want some vengeance…

Unfortunately, that seems to be the right conclusion of their behaviour toward you.

Angela paused thoughtfully.

If you have no further questions, I will escort you out of the forest, Monarchaz offered.

Yes, thank you, I will be glad for that…

She extinguished the rest of her magical fire and followed the unicorn outside again.

Monarchaz, I wonder, she asked for the last time, just before they were about to part. Why do the vampires go after unicorns anyway? Did something happen? Something, what incited them to it?

However, to her disappointment, the unicorn shook his noble head: That I do not know. I am not aware of any reason, which would make them haunt us.

/

As Angela slowly made her way down the stairs to the dungeons, she heard the castle gate open and close again. Curious, she looked back into the Entrance Hall and recognized her Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she watched her disappear up the stairs to the upper floor. Only then she continued to the Slytherin common room.

She could only hope that Margaret Shiernov, even though a half-vampire, had nothing to do with attacking the unicorns. Because if she did, she could not just let it go, not with everything she got to know.