Chapter Twelve
The arrival of her mother's letter did not help Audrey's concentration for the final examinations. She showed her friends the letter before destroying it. Hermione immediately suggested that Audrey remain at the castle for the last Hogsmeade trip just to be safe.
Laughing it off, Audrey replied, "Voldemort wouldn't dare try anything with all the teachers around." Looking irritated, Hermione turned away with her nose deep in her Ancient Runes book. Banishing any thoughts of Voldemort, Audrey started last-minute cramming for her first exam.
Voldemort turned to the young girl sitting at his side and asked, "You've sent the letter?"
She replied, "yes, my lord. She should meet me at the road to the Shrieking Shack."
"Excellent." Then, he turned to the man kneeling before him. "Lucius...The town has been secured?"
"Yes, my lord, all has been prepared." Lucius looked up, a broad smile crossing his face. "I have great news, my lord. Margaret Benton was captured in Romania and is on her way here."
"Perfect...Everything is falling into place..." Voldemort let out a joyful triumphant laugh.
Audrey had just finished her Potion's essay when a searing pain flashed through her head. Shaking her head, she massaged her temples. A few rows back, Harry rubbed his scar and tried to concentrate through the pain to finish the test.
One person who did not fail to notice the odd behavior of Harry and Audrey was Snape. His eyes narrowed as he observed their actions. 'Audrey acts like she's got a scar too,' he thought. 'I wonder what the Dark Lord has planned now.' Making a mental note, he decided to inform Dumbledore of their odd behavior.
At the end of the day, Audrey was exhausted. Her head had ached all day after Potions. Still, she felt fairly confident that she did well on the exams. She decided not to tell her friends about her aching head because Harry's scar was bothering him. That was much more important than her headache. Now, the foursome were sitting in a corner of the Gryffindor common room, listening to Harry's account of what happened.
"He was really happy about something...I mean, I didn't hear him laugh, but he last time I felt like that, he was happy." Rubbing his scar, Harry continued, "I wonder what's up...It's been too peaceful this year."
Hermione frowned and Ron looked petrified. Audrey asked, "What can Voldemort do? He can't touch you at Hogwarts." Then, she remembered what they had told her about their fourth year. Hastily, "I'll take that back." The group fell silent as they turned to studying for the next day's tests.
Snape knocked on Dumbledore's office door. Then, he entered. "What's bothering you, Severus." He quickly explained what he observed and expressed concern of the meaning.
Sighing, Dumbledore said, "I was afraid of this." Continuing to explain, "Because they are twins, they are more sensitive to each other. I've already told you that Audrey may have developed a link to Voldemort. She learned to do that through Harry...
"I'm worried, Severus. Something is brewing."
Because of the stress of the exams, Audrey had forgotten to clear her mind before going to sleep. About halfway through the night, she started to dream.
A familiar voice said, "Escort her in, Wormtail." Before her eyes, Audrey saw a thin, gaunt woman being escorted into the room. It only took her a minute to realize it was her mother. The man spoke again, "Ah...Margaret, how nice of you to visit."
She sneered, "The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure."
Smirking, the man retorted, "That's no way to treat the person who decides if you live to die." This caused her mother to hesitate. "Not so brave now are we, Margaret." Not expecting an answer, he asked, "Why did you come back?"
Almost losing her control, she snapped, "Did you expect me to go to the nut house with my husband in America?! I don't give up that easily against scum like you!"
The man raised himself up from the chair and pointed his wand at Margaret. "Don't push my patience. Next time you may not live through it." Seating himself back in the chair he continued calmly, "Speaking of your family, how has your daughter been lately?"
A look of fear came briefly over Margaret's face. "I don't know," she said cautiously.
Twiddling his thumbs, he man continued, "She go a new wand you know...Eleven inches long, flexible pine wood from America, containing a feather from Dumbledore's phoenix...Once Olivander was threatened with his life, he was very willing to talk."
Margaret's face started to look visibly panicked. Smirking, the man continued, "Apparently, Dumbledore asked him to make another wand with a phoenix feather in July...I have now learned that the wand was bought just one month later by none other than your daughter Margaret...As you very well know, there are only two other wands like hers...
"One belongs to me and the other belongs to none other than Harry Potter." Standing up, the man started to walk around Margaret. He again started to talk, "I'm sure you must understand my curiosity...Margaret, why did your daughter end up with that wand?"
Margaret, her gaze stubborn, refused to answer.
The man nodded, took out his wand, and said, "Fine...You leave me with no choice...Crucio!"
Audrey's mother screamed, "Voldemort! No!"
Audrey awoke just as the spell hit her mother. Shivering, Audrey realized she was drenched with sweat. Then, it hit her. The man that Audrey saw in her visions was Lord Voldemort! And now, he had her mother!
Remembering even more of the scene, she grabbed her wand and stared at it. The wand was related to Harry and Voldemort's wands! Suddenly, she remembered the fight earlier in the year with Malfoy. That was when she made the connection with Harry's account in the graveyard. Suddenly, she thought, 'Why me? Why did I get the third wand?'
The rest of the week went by in a daze for Audrey. She continued to clear her mind every night, but there was still an urge to see her mother again. The exams had ended on Wednesday, and she had started to pack her things not knowing where she would go at the end of the year. Finally, she decided to banish that sad thought from her mind and concentrate on the last trip to Hogsmeade.
At the breakfast table on Friday, Ron was talking excitingly of all the things he had to buy at Hogsmeade the next day. Even Hermione looked excited after being cooped up in the castle for final exams. Harry, on the other hand, looked a little depressed. On Sunday, he had to return to the Dursleys.
Ron, seeing Harry's downcast look said, "Don't worry, Harry. It won't be that long. We'll be together before you know it!"
Audrey thought to herself, 'At least he has somewhere to go.' For the rest of the day, the four friends finished packing and wandered around the castle.
That evening, Voldemort shifted impatiently in his chair. This was the best plan he had come up with yet. Hopefully, the imbeciles he had for followers wouldn't mess it up. He knew there was only one he could fully trust.
"Lucius," Voldemort turned to his companion, "The dementors are in place?"
"Yes, awaiting your orders, my lord."
Nodding his head, Voldemort gave an evil smile of satisfaction.
Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. Audrey got dressed and wandered down to breakfast. The Great Hall buzzed with excitement as the older students discussed their up coming trip to Hogsmeade.
When the clock chimed nine, almost every student from third year onward surged out the doors and toward the path that led to the village. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Audrey were talking excitedly about having a whole day to themselves.
The first store Ron insisted on entering was Honeydukes. It took the group over an hour to replenish their stocks of sweets. For the next few hours, they wandered around the various other shops. At around two o'clock they started towards the Three Broomsticks for a late lunch.
As they neared he crowded pub, Harry suggested, "Why don't we eat lunch down at the entrance to the lane of the Shrieking Shack. There's a big flat rock there and it's quieter."
When the group entered the pub, it didn't take much to agree with Harry. After they go their food, they walked the fairly short distance to the rock.
At two-fifteen, Voldemort paced back and forth in the small wooded area at the start of the lane. "Where is she?" he snapped at the pale girl sitting on the rock.
"I don't know!" Zina wailed again. "In the letter, I made it sound like I was desperate for he help and imperative that she get here at twelve!" Just as she put her face in her hands to cry, the pair heard laughter followed by footsteps of people approaching the lane.
Voldemort sneered, "It's show time."
As the foursome entered the clearing, they were laughing at a joke Ron had told. Audrey noticed first that there was a person sitting on a rock staring at them. Gasping, she stammered, "Z—Zina!" The other three immediately looked to where Audrey was staring.
"Audrey! My best friend!" Zina shrieked, jumping off the rock and approaching her.
Whipping out he wand, Audrey hissed, "Don't come near me. We are not best friends...Not after what your family did not mine!" Zina stopped in her tracks when confronted with the wand. Immediately, Harry, Hermione, and Ron drew their wands too.
Putting her hands up, Zina continued, "It was all my father's fault! Didn't you get my letter?"
"What letter?"
Before Zina could respond, Ron asked, "What did her family do?"
Scowling, "When she found out I was moving to England, she told her parents, and they hold the police that my father tried to kill her father."
"Wait! Just listen!" Zina cried, "I have a witness in my defense! He's here right now—"
Harry, Hermione, and Ron spun around staring into the woods. Audrey, still keeping her wand on Zina, stepped back so she was even more concealed by Ron's tall figure.
Zina insisted, "I'll call him out now. Tom! Tom! I need your help! Please!" Turning back to the group, "He'll help me. Tom Riddle's always been helpful—"
Harry's face paled, eye's widening. Hermione gave out a soft scream. Ron looked like he would faint from fright. Audrey swore and said, "I should have known." As the foursome slowly back away, Voldemort came out of the shadows to their left. Then, they were forced to stop when they ran into a magical barrier, separating them from the village.
Coming into the light, Voldemort stared straight at Audrey. The smirk left his face as a haunted, fearful look replaced it. In a strangled voice, he choked out, "Lily?"