Chapter 8
The Bully
"Huse, hey Huse"
Linnea looked up into the eyes of Piper.
"Aww, man you had to wake me up..I was just having the most beautiful dream about this really hot guy. And we were."
"Alright, spare me please" exclaimed Piper with a laugh. "Hey, your gunna be having some nightmares here pretty soon if you don't get up. We have to be at potions in 15 minutes."
"WHAT!!!!!"
Linnea leapt out of bed and sped around her four-poster to her trunk and kicked it open. Piper simply backed up and watched tying to suppress the fits of giggles that were creeping up on her.
This hadn't been the first time Linnea had been late.
"She is notorious for it, even back in grade school she was bad." Alexia had said in a recent conversation about their tardy friend.
Linnea was ready to go in 3 minutes flat, a record time for her.
"Geez good thing I showered last night. Holy Cow!"
Piper was use to this kind of rambling for Linnea as they raced to class.
Piper was best at waking Linnea and especially waiting on her. She always threatened to leave her behind but deep down Linnea knew that it was a sign of true friendship. Piper would always be there for her, no matter what.
After class Piper, Linnea, and Amerie made their way down to lunch until Linnea remembered she had left her last quill in professor Snape's room.
"Want us to come with you?" asked Amerie.
"Nah go ahead, I'll meet ya in a few minutes."
Linnea made her way back down to the dungeons but had to stop as she heard two people having a furious argument. Linnea would have kept going but she recognized one of the voices as Luke Malfoy. She peeked around the corner and saw him bullying a second year Gryffindor girl. The girl was small and very tanned. She had jet black hair and big brown eyes, which at the present time were on the verge of tears.
"I asked you a question," spat Luke. "Where is your broom."
"Hey." Linnea said storming down the hall.
Luke and the girl both looked up at her. The girl looked relieved but still scared, and Luke looked bewildered until he recognized who it was.
"Oh man," he said, eyes blazing. "You are so dead."
He let go of the second year and charged Linnea.
"GO." Linnea shouted at her.
The girl looked frightened at the both of them but turned on her heels and bolted.
Linnea wasn't scared this time, but determined. Something she shouldn't have been. She focused on a near-by candle stick and made it fly at his head. But nothing happened. Try as she might her powers weren't working.
Luke lifted her off the ground easily and through her against the opposite wall.
"Yeah, try to pull that shit again why don't ya. No Lupin to save you now."
Linnea was beginning to realize he was right. If Lupin hadn't been their last time he would have gotten to her anyway. She charged at him with all the power she could muster and tried to knock him down. She didn't figure his weight against hers. She merely bounced off his muscular stomach and fell to the floor.
He looked down on her and laughed. Then he pulled out his wand.
"Wonder what's taking Linnea so long" Piper said.
Piper and Amerie were now finishing their sandwiches and getting ready to go to their next class.
"Snape's probably lecturing her on leaving her things in his classroom again." Amerie said with exasperation.
But Linnea didn't turn up for her next class either. At the end of class Professor Lupin called Piper and Amerie up. Alexia and Parvati went with them.
"So?" said Professor Lupin. "I wouldn't usually worry about it, but I have a meeting with her tonight."
"We don't know where she is," said Amerie
"Yeah she went to get her quill she left in Snape's class and didn't come back," added Piper.
Alexia and Parvati looked up at Piper in shock.
Just then Alexis Herrington burst through the door.
"Professor, I'm sorry to bother you sir, did you have first year Gryffindors today?"
"Yes, Alexis. Why?"
"Was anyone missing?"
"Why?"
"Please I need to know Professor."
Lupin sighed. "Yes, Linnea Huse, now why are you so histeri."
But he didn't have time to finish because Alexis had bolted out the door. Alexia went after her.
"Lex, where are you going?" called Parvati.
"I think she might know something." Alexia called back.
Lupin shook his head. "She is wasting her time, Alexis is always in here telling me how people keep trying to curse her, and the next person that is going to get beat up. It gets rather tiring at times."
The three girls just stared.
"Look gals, I promise we are not going to find Linnea in the hospital wing with a rare tropical disease. She probably just got caught up somewhere."
They all knew that that wasn't like Linnea at all. Classes were the thing Linnea enjoyed more than anyone they knew. But they didn't have long to ponder before they heard hurried footsteps and then..
"PROFESSOR!!!!! PARVATI, PIPER, AMERIE"
Professor Lupin jumped out of his chair and hopped over his desk. The others followed.
"Professor, Linnea she, well she needs your help, hurry."
They followed Alexia as she raced back to the dungeons.
Lex, what are you." Piper started.
But Alexia was pointing up at the ceiling. There was Linnea strung up by her hands. Her mouth was duct taped and her feet bound as well. She was looking down at them with reproachful eyes having left her up their so long.
Piper was holding back the urge to laugh incredibly loud while Amerie was bouncing on her toes.
"Oh I hope she's alright. Hurry Professor, get her down."
Professor Lupin looked neither amused nor worried, but very grave. He brought her down and removed her bindings.
"Who did it, Linnea," he said seriously.
Linnea looked up at him she noticed a look of true concern. But she couldn't tell him as she remembered the rather one sided discussion she had had with Luke as he was ting her to the ceiling. It was a threat, and he could get into trouble for it, but unfortunately Linnea also knew that he would see too what he said.
She simply shrugged her shoulders.
"Doesn't matter." And she began to walk back to the common room.
Piper grabbed her shoulder. "Linnea?"
Linnea pushed her off.
"Leave me alone"
Piper looked back at them.
"Let her go." Professor Lupin said. "I will see her tonight, I guarantee it"
"Lomena" Linnea said. The portrait swung open and Linnea stepped inside the Gryffindor common room. It was empty as everyone was at dinner except for.
"Linnea, are you alright."
It was the girl that Luke was bullying.
"Yeah I'm fine." She said. "How do you know me?"
"Oh your name is all over the school because of your dad, but Professor Lupin was the one who told me who you were. I'm Alexis, by the way, Alexis Herrington."
"Nice to meet you."
"I just wanted to thank you for what you did, you really shouldn't have though. I mean that guy is like five times as big as you. Why the heck did you go after him anyway."
"Long story."
"Well anyway, thanks again it was really great of you to get him off me, I am sorry for what he did to you. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you."
"Yeah..shut-up."
Linnea turned and made her way to the dormitory.
"Don't listen to her Alexis."
Piper and Amerie had sneaked in while Alexis was talking. "She is really stressed right now." Amerie continued.
Professor Lupin sat in his office waiting for Linnea trying to figure out the best way to find out who had bullied her that afternoon. What he wasn't expecting was the conversation that would follow.
Linnea walked in at exactly 8 o'clock and with out blinking said, "professor, I want you to tell me about my dad."
"What?"
"My dad, why does everyone know him, how did he contribute to the downfall of the Lord Voldemort, everything.
"Umm, ok Linnea, if you're sure you want to know."
"Of course, why wouldn't I want to know?"
"Never mind. Ok, so, where to begin. Your father was in a league call The Order of the Phoenix. It held some of the greatest Wizards and Witches of the age. From Albus Dumbledore, to William Whitaker. The Order of the Phoenix was a group made of people fighting for the right. You see Linnea during this time Voldemort, whom I assume you already know a bit about through your classes."
Linnea nodded.
"Well Voldemort was fought by these people and was eventually brought down by.."
"Harry Potter, I know, I am talking about after Voldemort came back. What did my dad do?"
"Well they brought the old crowd back together and continued their fight against evil. This time they were a little more prepared. Dumbledore had made sure that all precautions were taken. Unfortunately he was working against the system. The Minister of Magic at the present, Cornelius Fudge, did not believe Voldemort had returned and would not listen to anyone who believed otherwise. Voldemort's followers were fewer, and he had thankfully not reached his full potential as a wizard when the order found him by way of Harry.
The order literally had duels with his followers. Many died on both ends including."
Lupin faltered. It was very painful to bring back the memories of that night.
Well on the opposing end, the more prominent members that were lost, were Knot, Crabbe, Goyle, and of course as you already know Lucius Malfoy. "
"Is that Luke's Grandfather?"
"Yes, Luke was named after him I believe, but he goes by Luke. Anyway, Albus Dumbledore was the last to die of our group that night. Just before Voldemort was finally defeated for good, he somehow broke through Albus' magic and was able to curse him. He killed Albus Dumbledore. The greatest Wizard, I believe, of all time." Your father was by his side and the power Voldemort had to emanate to kill Albus left him open for a matter of seconds in which your father managed to shoot him, and the rest is history."
Linnea was looking at Lupin with an expression he could not read.
"Ahem, are you alright Linnea."
"What? Yeah, I'm fine, just, you know, taking it all in."
"I see. Well I think that is about enough for one night eh?"
"Yeah sure." Linnea said obviously still deep in thought.
"So I will see you next week Tuesday right?"
"Uh huh." Linnea simply stared in to space.
Lupin crossed his desk and pulled her up out of her seat.
"Linnea really its time for you to go back to your common room. I believe you have some homework."
"He was telling the truth."
Linnea was sitting up in her four-poster, it was very late, but Linnea couldn't sleep.
"My father did murder his grandfather, I would be mad to I guess"
"But he was a bad person." She said aloud. "He had it coming."
That night Linnea dreamed about the day she had left her parents, only this time Sirius wasn't there. She flew away on the back of a dove, not to London, but to her father's church. She felt something in the pit of her stomach. Something was waiting for her in their. But did she really want to know what it was. She noticed a lot of people going in to the Church building. Some of her parents friends, even some of her friends. Then she saw Sirius.
"Sirius what is going on in there?
He simply passed her and then she knew. She knew what was inside the Church building. She knew that as soon as she walked into there she would be living the worst kind of nightmare, she wanted to run so very far away, but she couldn't. The front doors seemed to be looming at her.
"Please oh please no. NO!"
The Bully
"Huse, hey Huse"
Linnea looked up into the eyes of Piper.
"Aww, man you had to wake me up..I was just having the most beautiful dream about this really hot guy. And we were."
"Alright, spare me please" exclaimed Piper with a laugh. "Hey, your gunna be having some nightmares here pretty soon if you don't get up. We have to be at potions in 15 minutes."
"WHAT!!!!!"
Linnea leapt out of bed and sped around her four-poster to her trunk and kicked it open. Piper simply backed up and watched tying to suppress the fits of giggles that were creeping up on her.
This hadn't been the first time Linnea had been late.
"She is notorious for it, even back in grade school she was bad." Alexia had said in a recent conversation about their tardy friend.
Linnea was ready to go in 3 minutes flat, a record time for her.
"Geez good thing I showered last night. Holy Cow!"
Piper was use to this kind of rambling for Linnea as they raced to class.
Piper was best at waking Linnea and especially waiting on her. She always threatened to leave her behind but deep down Linnea knew that it was a sign of true friendship. Piper would always be there for her, no matter what.
After class Piper, Linnea, and Amerie made their way down to lunch until Linnea remembered she had left her last quill in professor Snape's room.
"Want us to come with you?" asked Amerie.
"Nah go ahead, I'll meet ya in a few minutes."
Linnea made her way back down to the dungeons but had to stop as she heard two people having a furious argument. Linnea would have kept going but she recognized one of the voices as Luke Malfoy. She peeked around the corner and saw him bullying a second year Gryffindor girl. The girl was small and very tanned. She had jet black hair and big brown eyes, which at the present time were on the verge of tears.
"I asked you a question," spat Luke. "Where is your broom."
"Hey." Linnea said storming down the hall.
Luke and the girl both looked up at her. The girl looked relieved but still scared, and Luke looked bewildered until he recognized who it was.
"Oh man," he said, eyes blazing. "You are so dead."
He let go of the second year and charged Linnea.
"GO." Linnea shouted at her.
The girl looked frightened at the both of them but turned on her heels and bolted.
Linnea wasn't scared this time, but determined. Something she shouldn't have been. She focused on a near-by candle stick and made it fly at his head. But nothing happened. Try as she might her powers weren't working.
Luke lifted her off the ground easily and through her against the opposite wall.
"Yeah, try to pull that shit again why don't ya. No Lupin to save you now."
Linnea was beginning to realize he was right. If Lupin hadn't been their last time he would have gotten to her anyway. She charged at him with all the power she could muster and tried to knock him down. She didn't figure his weight against hers. She merely bounced off his muscular stomach and fell to the floor.
He looked down on her and laughed. Then he pulled out his wand.
"Wonder what's taking Linnea so long" Piper said.
Piper and Amerie were now finishing their sandwiches and getting ready to go to their next class.
"Snape's probably lecturing her on leaving her things in his classroom again." Amerie said with exasperation.
But Linnea didn't turn up for her next class either. At the end of class Professor Lupin called Piper and Amerie up. Alexia and Parvati went with them.
"So?" said Professor Lupin. "I wouldn't usually worry about it, but I have a meeting with her tonight."
"We don't know where she is," said Amerie
"Yeah she went to get her quill she left in Snape's class and didn't come back," added Piper.
Alexia and Parvati looked up at Piper in shock.
Just then Alexis Herrington burst through the door.
"Professor, I'm sorry to bother you sir, did you have first year Gryffindors today?"
"Yes, Alexis. Why?"
"Was anyone missing?"
"Why?"
"Please I need to know Professor."
Lupin sighed. "Yes, Linnea Huse, now why are you so histeri."
But he didn't have time to finish because Alexis had bolted out the door. Alexia went after her.
"Lex, where are you going?" called Parvati.
"I think she might know something." Alexia called back.
Lupin shook his head. "She is wasting her time, Alexis is always in here telling me how people keep trying to curse her, and the next person that is going to get beat up. It gets rather tiring at times."
The three girls just stared.
"Look gals, I promise we are not going to find Linnea in the hospital wing with a rare tropical disease. She probably just got caught up somewhere."
They all knew that that wasn't like Linnea at all. Classes were the thing Linnea enjoyed more than anyone they knew. But they didn't have long to ponder before they heard hurried footsteps and then..
"PROFESSOR!!!!! PARVATI, PIPER, AMERIE"
Professor Lupin jumped out of his chair and hopped over his desk. The others followed.
"Professor, Linnea she, well she needs your help, hurry."
They followed Alexia as she raced back to the dungeons.
Lex, what are you." Piper started.
But Alexia was pointing up at the ceiling. There was Linnea strung up by her hands. Her mouth was duct taped and her feet bound as well. She was looking down at them with reproachful eyes having left her up their so long.
Piper was holding back the urge to laugh incredibly loud while Amerie was bouncing on her toes.
"Oh I hope she's alright. Hurry Professor, get her down."
Professor Lupin looked neither amused nor worried, but very grave. He brought her down and removed her bindings.
"Who did it, Linnea," he said seriously.
Linnea looked up at him she noticed a look of true concern. But she couldn't tell him as she remembered the rather one sided discussion she had had with Luke as he was ting her to the ceiling. It was a threat, and he could get into trouble for it, but unfortunately Linnea also knew that he would see too what he said.
She simply shrugged her shoulders.
"Doesn't matter." And she began to walk back to the common room.
Piper grabbed her shoulder. "Linnea?"
Linnea pushed her off.
"Leave me alone"
Piper looked back at them.
"Let her go." Professor Lupin said. "I will see her tonight, I guarantee it"
"Lomena" Linnea said. The portrait swung open and Linnea stepped inside the Gryffindor common room. It was empty as everyone was at dinner except for.
"Linnea, are you alright."
It was the girl that Luke was bullying.
"Yeah I'm fine." She said. "How do you know me?"
"Oh your name is all over the school because of your dad, but Professor Lupin was the one who told me who you were. I'm Alexis, by the way, Alexis Herrington."
"Nice to meet you."
"I just wanted to thank you for what you did, you really shouldn't have though. I mean that guy is like five times as big as you. Why the heck did you go after him anyway."
"Long story."
"Well anyway, thanks again it was really great of you to get him off me, I am sorry for what he did to you. If there is anything I can do to make it up to you."
"Yeah..shut-up."
Linnea turned and made her way to the dormitory.
"Don't listen to her Alexis."
Piper and Amerie had sneaked in while Alexis was talking. "She is really stressed right now." Amerie continued.
Professor Lupin sat in his office waiting for Linnea trying to figure out the best way to find out who had bullied her that afternoon. What he wasn't expecting was the conversation that would follow.
Linnea walked in at exactly 8 o'clock and with out blinking said, "professor, I want you to tell me about my dad."
"What?"
"My dad, why does everyone know him, how did he contribute to the downfall of the Lord Voldemort, everything.
"Umm, ok Linnea, if you're sure you want to know."
"Of course, why wouldn't I want to know?"
"Never mind. Ok, so, where to begin. Your father was in a league call The Order of the Phoenix. It held some of the greatest Wizards and Witches of the age. From Albus Dumbledore, to William Whitaker. The Order of the Phoenix was a group made of people fighting for the right. You see Linnea during this time Voldemort, whom I assume you already know a bit about through your classes."
Linnea nodded.
"Well Voldemort was fought by these people and was eventually brought down by.."
"Harry Potter, I know, I am talking about after Voldemort came back. What did my dad do?"
"Well they brought the old crowd back together and continued their fight against evil. This time they were a little more prepared. Dumbledore had made sure that all precautions were taken. Unfortunately he was working against the system. The Minister of Magic at the present, Cornelius Fudge, did not believe Voldemort had returned and would not listen to anyone who believed otherwise. Voldemort's followers were fewer, and he had thankfully not reached his full potential as a wizard when the order found him by way of Harry.
The order literally had duels with his followers. Many died on both ends including."
Lupin faltered. It was very painful to bring back the memories of that night.
Well on the opposing end, the more prominent members that were lost, were Knot, Crabbe, Goyle, and of course as you already know Lucius Malfoy. "
"Is that Luke's Grandfather?"
"Yes, Luke was named after him I believe, but he goes by Luke. Anyway, Albus Dumbledore was the last to die of our group that night. Just before Voldemort was finally defeated for good, he somehow broke through Albus' magic and was able to curse him. He killed Albus Dumbledore. The greatest Wizard, I believe, of all time." Your father was by his side and the power Voldemort had to emanate to kill Albus left him open for a matter of seconds in which your father managed to shoot him, and the rest is history."
Linnea was looking at Lupin with an expression he could not read.
"Ahem, are you alright Linnea."
"What? Yeah, I'm fine, just, you know, taking it all in."
"I see. Well I think that is about enough for one night eh?"
"Yeah sure." Linnea said obviously still deep in thought.
"So I will see you next week Tuesday right?"
"Uh huh." Linnea simply stared in to space.
Lupin crossed his desk and pulled her up out of her seat.
"Linnea really its time for you to go back to your common room. I believe you have some homework."
"He was telling the truth."
Linnea was sitting up in her four-poster, it was very late, but Linnea couldn't sleep.
"My father did murder his grandfather, I would be mad to I guess"
"But he was a bad person." She said aloud. "He had it coming."
That night Linnea dreamed about the day she had left her parents, only this time Sirius wasn't there. She flew away on the back of a dove, not to London, but to her father's church. She felt something in the pit of her stomach. Something was waiting for her in their. But did she really want to know what it was. She noticed a lot of people going in to the Church building. Some of her parents friends, even some of her friends. Then she saw Sirius.
"Sirius what is going on in there?
He simply passed her and then she knew. She knew what was inside the Church building. She knew that as soon as she walked into there she would be living the worst kind of nightmare, she wanted to run so very far away, but she couldn't. The front doors seemed to be looming at her.
"Please oh please no. NO!"