~Chapter Sixteen- Encounter in the Library~
"What did you see?" a girl was asking forcefully.
"N-n-nothing!" another voice answered.
"You lie!" This was the first girl. There was a pause, then, "Check the stalls."
Lindsey could see three pairs of shoes from under the bathroom stall she was using and began to panic when one pair began to head towards her. She didn't know who these people were, only that she didn't think she wanted to be found by them, so she pulled her feet onto the toilet and out of the girl's view… so she hoped.
"Empty," the third girl announced, her shoes turning and heading back to the others. Lindsey let out a soft, silent sigh of relief.
"I'm giving you one last chance," the girl continued menacingly, "What did you see?"
"I told you, I didn't see anything!" This time the second voice sounded stronger, and more annoyed than scared. There was a long pause, the air thick with tension, Lindsey barely daring to breathe.
"Delia," the first voice ordered, "Do it."
"But-" the girl who checked the stalls, Delia, started.
"Do it!" the first girl interrupted her mercilessly.
Lindsey heard the shuffling of robes, then a soft, "Crucius!"
Now the second voice let out a strangled cry, and Lindsey saw a body fall, writhing on the ground. The face was obscured, which wouldn't have mattered anyway as Lindsey turned her head away.
"Maybe that will teach you to mind your own business!" the first voice spat cruelly. "If you ever tell anyone about this, believe me, you'll get a lot worse than the Crucius Curse!"
Then the bell rang. "Come on Delia," she barked. "We're late for class."
Lindsey watched as two pairs of shoes departed. The body on the floor hadn't moved and Lindsey was about to go out and see if they were okay when the person, slowly and visibly painfully, got up and limped out the door.
There Lindsey sat, huddled on the toilet, wide-eyed and in shock. What was that all about? And what was that spell? It seemed familiar somehow… she'd have to ask Cari when- Cari! And Potions class! She was already late, and had to go all the way to the dungeons!
Still in a bit of a daze Lindsey left the stall and ran out the bathroom to the dungeons. Maybe she could slip in without Snape noticing.
Ha.
"Well, well, well, nice of you to join us Miss Wormtongue," Snape said derisively as Lindsey appeared in the doorway of the classroom, ten minutes late. "I see detention was obviously not enough to motivate you to get to class on time. Ten points from Ravenclaw!"
Lindsey looked up at him, a peculiar distracted expression on her face.
"To your seat, Miss Wormtongue," he ordered harshly.
She sat down hard and gracelessly, her face hidden behind a shield of black hair, making a point to avoid everyone's eyes.
"Cari!" she whispered urgently as soon as she was seated. "Cari, I've got to tell you something!"
"Not now!" Cari hissed, motioning to the front of the class. Snape was staring back at them.
"Are you quite ready, Miss Wormtongue? May I continue?" he asked mockingly. Lindsey nodded, looking incredibly embarrassed.
"Thank you ever so much," he replied sardonically.
He then went on with his lecture on the proper handling of newt's toes, then gave them the instructions to a mild laxative that contained them. After those were on the board he walked about the room, supervising as he always did.
Almost immediately he ran to Lisa shouting, "No! Not like that!" But it was too late. Lisa's potion burst into flame accompanied by a pungent mushroom cloud of yellow smoke.
"Miss Turpin!" Snape said sharply. "Put out that potion at once and try again. And I want a foot of parchment on what you did wrong!" Lisa groaned and went about the tasks necessary to put out the blaze in her cauldron.
After he had surveyed the entire room he announced, "I shall also be wanting everyone's homework from Monday now."
When he eventually made his way to the back of the room where Lindsey and Cari were seated Cari had hers at the ready and handed it to him. Lindsey fumbled around for her own completed assignment, for which she had been so proud of this morning, but knew better now, and could not meet his cold gaze.
As she handed it to him she paused as she noticed the cuts on his hands. Hers had almost fully healed with the aid of the healing potion. The conclusion came to her quickly: he had given her the last one.
She managed to look at him then but he just took her paper hastily and said briskly, "Thank you." However Lindsey did notice how he hid his hands in the sleeves of his robe at once. She watched him thoughtfully as he walked to collect the homework from the others. Detention should be interesting.
After class the three fifth years met up with Pippy and Kristin to head to dinner. Lindsey had decided not to say anything to anybody about what she had seen in the bathroom and Cari had forgotten to ask what it was that she had wanted to tell her.
The rest of that weekend went by fairly uneventfully, as usual, most time being spent doing homework or loafing about the commonroom, Ravenclaw winning their game against Hufflepuff.
That Monday Cari and Lindsey sat sharing a table in the commonroom not long after they had finished with dinner. There were very few people there; Pippy at the quidditch practice, along with Lisa and Kristin who had gone to watch. As a matter of fact, that's where most people were. All that were left besides Lindsey and Cari were a handful of first years.
Unexpectedly, Cari slammed her Charms book shut.
"It's not in here," she said with an exasperated sigh.
"What's not in there?" Lindsey asked, looking up from her Potions book.
"Something for my report on Temporary Invisibility Charms," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I'd like a little more information for Transfiguration, disapparation, you know… Let's go to the library!"
"The library!" Lindsey exclaimed. That was out of nowhere! But it did sound like a good idea. "Why not?" she relented. So the two walked down to the Hogwarts library, the first time either of them had been there. Lindsey marveled that Cari knew the way.
They sat in a secluded corner and got situated. After that was done Cari said, "I'll be right back. I'm going to see what I can get on those Invisibility Charms…" and walked away.
Lindsey took a look at her rather intimidating pile of homework. Then she glanced at the clock. Six fifteen. That meant forty-five minutes. With a reluctant sigh she turned back to her homework. Then she picked up her potions book. Flipping to a particular section where she had left off, she realized she only had one page to go. Then, happily, that there was a list of books to try for "further information". Slamming the book shut she got up to find those books.
"Taming Grindylows, Tea Leaf Reading… no, no… Now where is that darn book? It should be right here…" Cari muttered perplexedly to herself, searching the shelf for the desired book.
"Looking for this?" a smooth voice asked coolly from behind her. She spun around at the sound of it. There stood Draco Malfoy, Temporary Invisibility Charms in his hand. He was smiling.
"Yeah, I was actually…" Cari said, trailing off.
"Charms homework, right? I've got that too…" They stood there awkwardly for a moment, unusual of a Malfoy. Draco thought of this and then of the suaveness of his father and quickly said, "Hey, we've both got the same assignment… care to work together?"
Cari looked up in stunned surprise at his invitation. Fleetingly she thought of Lindsey. She'll understand, she told herself certainly.
"Sure," she replied, trying to sound perfectly casual and indifferent. "Why not? Let me get my stuff…"
"I'll be sitting there," Draco said, pointing to a table in the other corner of the library. Cari nodded and started off to her own table to retrieve her things. As soon as she was positive she was out of Draco's sight she skipped giddily back to the table.
"Hey! Calm down, girl! This is a library, for goodness' sake…" Madam Pince scolded.
Cari stopped skipping but still walked quickly to the table. Lindsey wasn't there.
Hmmm… She must've gone off for a book, Cari thought. Glancing at the clock, she saw that she would need to be leaving for detention soon anyway. Gathering her things all in a rush, she headed back to Draco's table. As she neared, she peeked at him from behind a bookshelf. He was sitting there, looking gorgeous as ever, absorbed in a text book lying open on the table. Cari tossed her hair away from her face, straightened her skirt, stood up tall, then, taking a deep breath, walked over to sit at the table with him.
She could think of nothing especially good to say, so she simply smiled as she sat down. He grinned back and she felt had she not already been sitting she'd of fallen to the floor.
"So, Temporary Invisibility Charms…" Cari started, fishing through her pile of papers.
"Green, I don't recognize that name," Draco said, looking at her from his chair. "Then again, you're not exactly from around here. Were your mother and father of wizarding blood?" he asked carefully.
Cari paused uncertainly, then realized they were having a conversation and answered quickly, "Yes, both my parents were wizards."
* * *
Draco smiled. Now he knew for sure she wasn't a mudblood. That was good. Why he had secretly been hoping she was pureblood he had no idea, and did not feel like addressing that now. Well, he did have an idea… Since that first Potions lesson the Green girl hadn't left his mind; then when he saw her at the quidditch match he had suspicions, and after her quick-thinking in the Potions class just this afternoon he was sure. She definitely had Death-eater potential.
Then he thought of her dark friend, Lindsey. The two were rarely seen apart, so he may well ask about her too.
"And what about your friend Wormtongue?" he asked.
Cari wouldn't meet his eyes when she said, "We don't know."
Draco looked at her inquiringly. "What do you mean…?"
"She's an orphan," Cari answered, looking up. "She doesn't remember her parents."
Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise. Well… he hadn't been expecting anything like that… But no matter. Right now he was ready to work his Malfoy charms on this Green girl to see if she really was cut out to be a Death-eater or not. If she was… Draco puzzled for a moment at his unreasonable happiness at this thought. Shaking his head, he returned his focus to the matter at hand.
"To this homework then, I suppose…" he said, turning the book to face the both of them and leaning closer to Cari. He smiled. He knew exactly what he was doing.