*~Chapter Three~*
Cora decided to go 'check up' on Snape so she wandered out of her room and down the dungeons a way until she got to Snape's classroom. She opened the door to see his class sitting down at their seats and starting a potion. She looked up at the blackboard to see what potion they were going to make and shrugged it off; it was a potion she never liked to make even though she could always do it perfectly. She slowly wandered down the clear aisle but stopped when she saw a girl about to put too much of an ingredient into the potion, "Excuse me but, it said half a cup, not a whole. You might wanna be more careful next time, Snape can be somewhat pissy."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," The girl responded taking some of the ingredient out and giggling. Cora continued to make her way up to his desk, once she got their she sat on the lower right corner if you were to look from behind the desk.
"What are you up to now Snape?" Cora curiously questioned as he looked out at his class.
"Trying to teach but I can't with you helping them."
"They'll never learn if you don't correct them," Cora responded with a smirk. "Anyway, what's with Piper… my mirror doesn't work on her."
"I… know nothing about it…" Snape cautiously responded.
"Always were the worst liar, still are… so, tell me, or I just may have to make you." Cora looked behind her as best she could only to see three Gryffindor students watching the two and whispering. "Who are those three?"
"Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger…"
"The Harry Potter?" Cora excitedly questioned.
"Don't get any ideas."
"Oh now, now, Severus, you can trust me as I can trust you!"
"That's very little," Snape replied as Cora was already half way to the three. She wandered over there and grabbed an empty chair. She positioned it so she could sit in front of them and talk.
"So you're Harry Potter?"
"Yes…" Cora eyed him and his friends down; Ron had a disgusted, get-away look, Hermione eyed her down, and Harry just worked on the potion.
"Do you like Snape?" She questioned figuring she would know the answer from three Gryffindor students.
"Are you kidding? We hate him!" Ron stated pretty loud.
"Keep it down Ron," Hermione hissed.
"Heh, not many do like him. Hey, do you three know of the Slytherin girl named Piper by any chance?"
"Who hangs out with Draco, yeah we know her," Harry responded taking his gaze away from the cauldron.
"Have any information on the brat?"
"Yeah, she always seems able to get out of classes… and she likes to brag and show off," Hermione commented.
"I mean anything… interesting, different. Like things you wouldn't normally see in a person?"
"No, but may we ask you a question?"
"Depends, what is it?" Cora questioned while getting to her feet.
"What house were you in?"
"Slytherin." Cora stayed only long enough to hear them gasp and grow surprised faces, after that, she left. She wandered up to Snape, "So, who's Draco Malfoy?"
"Why would I tell you?"
"Now, now Severus, you're no help at all. I'll find out myself," Cora had a sly smile on her face as she turned around to look at the class. "Excuse me, sorry guys, who here is Draco Malfoy, I have some questions for him."
A strawberry blonde haired boy put his hand into the air, "I am Draco."
"Good, come with me outside," She stated walking down the clear aisle. She didn't notice it, but Snape was glaring at her for more then one reason. Cora and Draco left the room and stepped out into the hall. "Draco, son to Lucius Malfoy I believe?"
"Yes, why do you wanna talk to me?"
"Lucius is a Death Eater, no?"
"Why do you care?"
"I need to see who is helping me try to raise Voldemort back to power as I seem alone in my quote-on-quote mission."
"You, a Death Eater? You were probably some Gryffindor student, he wouldn't allow you on his side," Draco said in an almost mocking tone.
"Slytherin, get it right. Whatever, I know he is so it doesn't truly matter now does it? So, to get to the point, you hang out with Piper. Well, she asked me about something but to answer her truly and fully I would need to know some about her. So, does she have anything unique about her?"
"Unique, other then the fact that she's gosh darn beautiful?"
"Agh, not with the love please… I mean like powers!"
"Uh… other then the fact that she can read minds, wants to be a Death Eater, is immune to poison, no."
"Don't be sarcastic, Draco, darling."
"Don't call me darling."
"I'm sorry darling, what would you like me to call you? So, answer honestly."
"Honestly? Honestly I don't know all I know is there's something about her that is unexplainable… why?" Cora turned around and opened the door to Snape's classroom.
"You may go back to your potion now." Draco pestered her more to try and find out the answer to his question but she easily avoided it which pissed him off. He finally went into the classroom to finish his potion. Cora had a triumphant smile and trotted off to find little Miss Piper.
Cora entered the Great Hall and decided to go check outside again. So she exited the castle and went down the steps onto the path, and turned onto the grass. She let out a small sigh, "I feel like some spy… questioning people, wandering around, trying to find 'clues', when will it end?" She questioned herself with the utmost annoyed tone.
She saw the Womping Willow and, once again, remembered memories. They all just seemed to come back each time she saw something that had, somehow, had an impact on her early life. Some of the memories she wished to forget, while others were as precious as gold was to a rich man. She suddenly spun around once, slowly, to take in the sight of Hogwarts.
It was so much happier back then, so much better. Every day she wondered if her life would have been different had she never joined up with Voldemort. The thought always crossed her mind at least once in a day if no more. Then she would always try to think of what it would have been like, but she would always realize that she would have been dead, probably by her parents as well.
Yeah, sure, her life seems depressing with what she thinks about, but truly it is not. When a person is depressed they can only make their life seem that way in there thoughts, but when she was younger, she was truly happy…
~~~ First Hogwarts year ~~~
An eleven year old Cora walked up to the sorting hat, "Strong, clever, manipulative, you have a lot of traits that put you in… SLYTHERIN!!" The hat yelled and Cora proudly made her way to the Slytherin table. She knew her parents would be happy; the both of them had been in Slytherin as well. Cora sat at the farthest end of the table; she looked at the other Slytherin students and almost cringed in disgust. They all had the same expression, hate, distrust, and disgust.
"Perhaps I don't wanna be in this house…" She told herself which caught the other's attention.
"Little girly talking to herself?" Cora glared at the boy that had immediately taken to teasing her.
"Perhaps or perhaps not."
"Trying to avoid the question? You know, someday that'll land you in trouble."
"You know, being rude will someday land you in trouble so bug off."
"Oh, getting pissed are we?" Another boy joined.
"What's it matter to you. You guys only pick on me because you wanna seem strong and I guess I seem weak. You are insecure and don't like who you are. Someday I'll show you how strong I am though."
~~~ Modern Day ~~~
Cora remembered that first day every day of her life. She always wanted to prove to those two that she was stronger; when she had finally accomplished that, she decided to prove to everyone that she was strong. So she set out on two goals, to prove her strength and to help Voldemort at every cost. Cora giggled as some of her better memories entered her mind. She decided to go into the castle and find someone to talk to; she didn't care who, she just wanted to talk to someone. She turned around and wandered over to the steps. She walked up them and entered the castle; she walked up the first set of stairs, skipping every other one to get up faster.
She stopped once she had reached the top. She looked to both sides and then wandered off to the left. She looked around every corner and jumped when, "You should watch your back, Cora."
She quickly turned around to see a man that had an eye that was bigger then the other, the bigger eye was zipping around in every direction, he was also missing a chunk out of his nose, "You're Mad-eye Moody!"
"Not quite, follow me," Moody passed her and she cautiously followed. She was obviously nervous and Moody's eye noticed it. Deep inside himself he chuckled. It wasn't like she was in any sort of danger by just following him.
They eventually entered the Defense against the Dark Arts room. Moody allowed Cora to enter before he turned around, "Long time no see."
"Whaddya mean, I've never seen you before," Cora responded half laughing and half serious.
"Not like this," He noticed the confusion that was on Cora's face. "Ludo Bagman, son of Ludo Bagman of the Ministry of Magic."
"Y… you're joking!"
"Nope, you are looking for Voldemort?"
"Of course I am and I'm guessing that you are too since you're disguised as an auror."
"I guess it's not that hard to figure out… so, why are you helping look for the Death Eater that killed the girl?"
"Because it was me so there's no harm in turning an act of kindness and goodness into a twisted act of deceit." Ludo laughed.
"Still the same as ever I see." Cora was absolutely excited and surprised at the same time. Ludo and she had barely known each other and she had never even thought about him since Voldemort had fallen.
"I thought you were put into Azkaban though," That's all she had known about him after the fall of Voldemort. She always found out who was sent to Azkaban, that's the only thing she'd look for in the news, and to see who they knew was a Death Eater.
"Yeah, I got out though…" Ludo told his story as thoughts spun around in Cora's mind. She paid attention to his story but thought about how much easier it would be to bring Voldemort back now that there was someone else who could help her.
"Wow… that's… that's amazing. I'm so happy though, there's now someone to help me!" She couldn't express what she was feeling in words since she felt so many things and had so many thoughts. She hoped they could bring Voldemort back and as soon as possible. Cora and Ludo talked for a long time until students slowly began to enter the classroom, they both tried to make it look like they had been talking about something completely different, "Thank you for your help Moody."
"Sure thing Cora, the more Death Eaters gone, and the closer we are to the end of it all."
"Whatever, I just wanna get this one, do my thing for Hogwarts and let the others go. If we kill all of them then there's room for another, stronger, evil to rise and no one wants that now do they?" She questioned seconds before leaving the room. She tried to hide her smile as best she could since she didn't want to seem suspicious. This year, at Hogwarts, would be like none other, especially because she was no longer a student bound by its rules.
Author's Ravings: Okay people, if at least two different people don't review, I discontinuing this thing. It's annoying to post it and it not be read/reviewed.
