The term had finished and summer vacations were here. The students had all packed and taken the road to their homes.
Andie and Orion were along the others aboard the Hogwarts Express. They hadn't had any news from their parents about where they would go once arrived in London. Would they have to split up for two long months, or would they spend the summer together, they had no clue.
They had taken a compartment for themselves and had been sitting there, without talking or looking at each other since the beginning. Andie had soon chased the heavy boredom by picking up a book, but Orion hadn't been able to tear her gaze apart from the moving landscape.
Her mind was set on the problem only, somebody would have opened the door to shout "Surprise" that she wouldn't have moved. She had replayed the scene endlessly, still not knowing how her parents would react. She was getting hungry but didn't move an eyelash when the plump witch opened their door, her food trolley full of good things. Andie stood up to buy enough for them both. She then coaxed Orion, and the latter was obliged to escape from her world of suppositions.
"Come on, eat something." Andie said.
"Ok..."
They stayed silent for several minutes. Orion had the feeling nothing could fill the gap, so she asked The Question.
"What do you think's gonna happen ?"
"Dunno. I'm worried, but I'm sure they'll be at the station At least, I think they will... They should! Maybe we'll even be able to spend the summer together. I hope so! But we must ask as soon as we can."
Seeing Orion's mid fear expression, "Come on, they won't be angry at us. Why would they be? We have the right to ask."
"I know, but I can't help but feeling that way. I have the impression I'm a spoilt child overreacting with worry and fear, and anger. I can't understand why they didn't answer my letters. I hate being so resentful, but I can't help. You know me, I'm not like this, it wears off usually. But I let it grow up, and the most shameful is I almost took care of it, lovingly. Now the feeling has become a monster..." She looked down gloomily.
"So the only way to solve it is to let it go. Just stop thinking about it! Try to sleep or take a book and read, don't concentrate on that. I don't know, think about dueling, Alex would surely be happy if you knew your spells by heart! Hey, why don't you go and look for her ?" Andie answered with a wink.
"First of all, I'm not letting you alone, second, she'll hex me if I disturb her.. I know her, or I think I do. I guess I'm gonna read." Orion shrugged.
Several hours later, the train finally reached London.
After having wished their friends goodbye, the two girls managed to get their suitcases out of the train.
Once off the train, they looked around to find their parents. But they were nowhere to be seen.
Orion suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and almost started when she saw it was her mentor. She shuddered and heard the familiar cackle in her mind.
Miss Alexandra Rhian's words
"Orion Hak-uao-ryu," she said slowly. There was an evil glint in her eye. She had been planning something: Something which would amuse her greatly. For, why not challenge all of her old pupils to see their progress? Then she could draw up a chart, and strategise duels between them, when her own duels ceased to amuse her due to lack of sufficient opponents. "Are you going to honour your dear mentor in giving her your first duel of the new term?"
Orion looked at her with a smile.
"Well, I would be happy to do so. Dueling you is always painful and hard, though it's an efficient way of learn. Hé hé.. So if you promise you won't damage me too much, I will, yes." She answered quietly. "I hope you'll spend good holidays. Would have been great if we could practice magic, I would have tried learning new spells..."
Alex left and the two girls sat down on their suitcases to wait.
"Don't tell me you're not worried now" Orion said, calmly.
Andie thought for a moment, then answered.
"They're just late. How many children here have their parents to fetch them? I'm I'm definitely the one who's going to hex you if you don't stop worrying..."
"Hé hé hé, wanna try me ?" Orion asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Andie poked tongue and got up.
"See, here they are. Youhou!!! Over here !" she shouted, trying to get their attention.
Orion stood up, feeling relieved when she saw her parents' smiling faces.
They hugged each other for a long time and the 2 men levitated the suitcases on a trolley.
"We're sorry", Manon, Andie's Mum, said, "it was kinda hard to park the car. It's really crowded outside."
"How was your trip ?" asked Altaïr, Orion's Mum.
"Long, uneventful and wor..." Andie interrupted herself, feeling Orion's elbow nudging her ribs, "well, nothing interesting."
"Not now", the other girl whispered and she nodded.
"Hey Mom, where is Sarah ?" Andie asked, to change the subject. She couldn't see her little sister anywhere.
"At home with your grand parents."
"What about your marks ? You didn't tell us much in your letters."
"Potions are so cool! And I had a O for my whole semester's work!" Andie started with a grin. "Oh, and Herbology is great too, and Transfiguration as well... But I really don't like Flying, and DADA is a bit boring..."
Orion was talking to her parents about her school year too.
"Potions, I had an O !!!!!!! DADA, I think it was an E.. These are the best of subjects... History of Magic was funny as well. Transfiguration and Charms, and Herbology ! We went to a lot of different places ! Even to Japan ! And I met somebody you know Daddy..."
"Hééé, who ?", Aoki asked, surprised.
"Your master, Asano Sama..."
"Oh, it's been a so long time I didn't see him.. How is he ?"
"Fine. He asked me to say hello. Oh, I learned how to duel too."
"Dueling? I thought you weren't allowed to duel before 3rd Year, at least at Beauxbâtons.." Nathan, Andie's father noticed.
"Nope, you can begin right in the first year at Hogwarts." Orion answered.
"And who taught you ?" her mother asked.
Orion smiled. Fond memories.
"Miss Alexandra Rhian, 2nd Year Ravenclaw." She said with a ceremonious tone.
"You seem to like her a lot, smiling like that. Wait... Rhian, it reminds me something, a great Russian dueler, isn't it ?" Altaïr said.
"Well, I can't tell you. She didn't talk a lot about her !.."
Andie chuckled. That was an understatement ! "I don't think she ever told anything about herself to anyone! She's very... Everybody fears her."
"Hey, you never met her, how can you tell that ?"
"Oh, come on, remember in what state you came back after your second duel with her ? She almost had to support you..."
"Well, dueling dangers..." Orion shrugged, "She can be kind, when she wants to be. She's a good mentor. I like her a lot."
"Who did you learned with darling ?" Manon asked, putting an arm around Andie's shoulders.
"Well, I dunno if I really want to duel! I mean, I feel it isn't for me. Plus the fact I had so much work to catch up I couldn't even think about it! Next year, I just hope I'll be able to be there during all the year..."
An uneasy silence fell. She hadn't been able to keep it down, it had to be said. Andie blushed and mouthed a 'Sorry' to Orion who nodded it ok.
Nathan was the first to talk after that. "Well, maybe it will be easier for you to be more present if...," Nathan hesitated," if you go to Beauxbâtons next year. Easier with the language and proximity..."
"What ?" The two girls had opened their mouths at the same time, and looked in disbelief at each other, quite astounded. They had stopped in the middle of the Muggle King Cross Station.
"Hey, no way I'm going there, we're perfectly used to Hogwarts. You can force me if you want, then I'll do something stupid such as running away." Orion said. English had come out of her mouth very naturally and she was containing herself to stay calm.
"What are you thinking about ? We have friends, we're totally integrated into the school, our school, we began there, we finish there." Andie added in the same language. She was hoping they both didn't sound too childish...
"You must be pretty worried about something to decide this without asking us. Oh, and by the way, we've got some questions..." Orion carried on in a quiet and dangerous voice, still in the same language.
The grown-ups looked at each other with a worried look on their faces.
"Girls, if we decided that, it's only for your security..." Altaïr tried in a soothing voice.
"What security ? What makes Hogwarts so dangerous ?" Orion cut her mother without letting her finish her sentence. Where could they be safer than at Hogwarts ?
"Well, you seem to forget there have been some attacks at the beginning of the year. Imagine what could have happened if one of you had been out of the common room during..." Aoki continued.
Orion didn't let her finish for the second time in the minute.
"False. We were both in France, plus there's an impressive number of Aurors watching the castle now. It's safe."
Andie thought a moment about the safety at Hogwarts. There hadn't been a single death, she knew it, and even those who had been wounded were fine now, and had been for several months!
She looked at Orion, who seemed to be thinking.
An idea popped in Orion's mind. She didn't know whether it was true or wrong but she tempted it anyway. "Besides, if I daresay, you decided this long before you heard about the attacks. I would bet on the day of the accident."
Seeing their faces fell, she knew she had been true. She started walking towards the exit with Andie as she carried on, switching to French.
"The four of you are hiding something to the little girls you think we are.. I disagree. We spent three years apart, communications in any way were forbidden. And then, pouf, I meet Andie aboard the Hogwarts Express. Oh, don't tell me you didn't know we were both at the same school. Then accident, and you two are in France, as if nothing had happened. What does it mean ?"
"Orion... " Altaïr's voice came.
Andie knew her friend wasn't going to stop there. She had been wondering about that for so long she needed answers to her questions...
"No, I won't stop. I may be acting childishly but I want to know. I want to know why I was left alone and with no news for so long ? Why you didn't let Andie come back ? Come on, tell me ! Mum and Dad, were you with Manon and Nathan when they had their supposed accident ? Or should I say attack ? Why were you unharmed ? Were you in separate cars ?"
Orion stopped to catch her breath. Walking and speaking at the same time wasn't an easy thing. They were in the street now, and it was packed with people who returned on them, hearing a fierce French conversation. Orion blushed slightly. She had made a mistake. She should have kept that for a more private place.
She glanced at Andie, who had stayed calm and quiet the whole time of her outburst. At least, she had not yelled but had managed to maintain, with difficulties, her composure. 'Good girl, you should have think about what you were taught, may it be by Alex or you own father. Control, what a beautiful word... Not only the appearance, but the mind as well.' She thought, angry at herself.
"Orion, that's enough. I doubt many people can understand French, but we're in the street. Let's wait to talk about that at home."
Both girls' faces fell at that word. 'Home' What did that mean?
Andie tried to know more about it.
"You mean, Ireland for you and Paris for us!..." she said in a bitter voice.
"No Andie," Manon corrected, "Ireland for us all. We'll all be back in Paris in August. For now, we're going to visit the beautiful country we heard so much about."
Seeing the happy faces, the grown-ups smiled. Aoki said : "Well, we want to explain you everything. We wanted to, we meant it. But... not now. It's not the place and time for that. Let's wait tomorrow, or at least, tonight. Everybody in the car now."
The two girls looked at each other before starting to walk again.
But Andie had a last question.
"When are we going to arrive to your house? It's gonna take hours..."
"Andie, this is a magic car, don't worry, we'll be in Dingle in no time." Manon answered, smiling.
They all got into the car and the girls soon fell asleep.
When Orion woke up, her first reaction was to wonder what had happened to her four poster bed and why she was lying in blue sheets. Then she heard the sound of a peaceful breathing just beside her and sat up. Her bedroom. Her blue bedroom, what a shock to see it as last! Just beside her bed was another, with green sheets. Her friend was sleeping. Orion checked her watch, 8.00 am. Definitely too early. She lied back, turned around and went back to sleep.
She was woken up by an excited Andie several hours later. "Come on, get up, the sun shines !" her friend said in a sing-song voice.
"If you don't shut up, I hex you... Too bad I don't have the strength stealer. Speaking of which, what's the deal with dueling ? You don't want to learn at all ?"
footsteps and sudden silence "Where did the girl go ?" footsteps back, still silence and splash.
A basin of water had just landed on Orion, and the latter jumped on her feet and on Andie to tickle her. "And you were criticizing dear Alex, she wouldn't have done worse ! Evil !"
"Girls !! Are you awake ?"
They stopped, frozen, and Andie said, a serious but ravenous look about her, "Come on, let's go, let's play truth and seek.."
They went down the stairs, crossed the living and the kitchen to finally arrive in the garden. Their parents were there, having breakfast. They had a perfect view of the sea. The girls said hello and sat down.
"Ok, I don't think you'll want to wait any longer, so we're going to explain. Just a question though. How did you mature these suspicions, pumpkins ?"
"Ah ah ah, very funny Dad," Orion answered without even looking at him, "It would be too long to explain. Just begin."
"You've become quite ironic, good girl." Altaïr smiled and carried on, "But answer the question. I will just tell you that from what we heard yesterday, you were rather correct. And it would be interesting to know how you did reach that point..."
Here it was, her highest fears were confirmed. Orion swallowed and looked at Andie. Were they actually taking the threat that lightly ?
And her friend smiled to her, as to say 'Go on!' So she went on.
"Ok. I went back at the end of the first month of the first term. I had missed the first DADA lessons, so I went to see the Professor, Professor Toothill," she added, with a mischievous wink at Andie, "to excuse myself and ask what it had been about, and the homework we had to do. He explained me that for the second lesson, he had given the students a potion that made people meet their bad and good sides. I took it. First part, uneventful."
Andie looked at her parents, and noticed they weren't really listening. Why had they wanted the girls to tell the story if they weren't paying any attention to them?
But she turned her attention back to Orion, who was still talking.
"Second. At the end of November, while I was still alone, I received an owl from a guy also named Orion, challenging me to duel. Just because we had the same first name. Poor little annoyed thing he was. Anyway, as I couldn't duel yet, I declined and he proposed a meeting instead. So we met one afternoon and talked about things, mostly our lives. He told me about what had happened to him during his life. How his parents were killed and how he was tortured by Death Eaters."
She interrupted herself when she saw her parents gaping.
"You actually know about them ?" Manon asked.
Andie shook her head. Did they really think they hadn't learned a thing at school this year? She glanced at Orion, who answered.
"Indeed. Besides Dad and Mom had told me a little about them. Anyway, we separated and I went to bed. The day after, me dear friend here finally returned, in such a bad state, so worried and tired that, along with some other bad news, she broke down. I tried to comfort her and we spent the night together."
She made a vacuous smile before carrying on.
"Anyway. The day after, we had a DADA lesson. The last one actually. Andie just watched, as she had missed most of classes. Leon made us wander into the Dark Corridors he always uses to get to the different floors. No wand, in the total dark. I hadn't slept very well the night before, but I went there anyway. And I panicked, everything came up in my mind, every little thing that had happened during the previous weeks. It overwhelmed me and I became paranoid. Not so nice... I began to hear a mean and unbearable voice, I thought it was a student first. It was saying horrible things, about Andie and about who had attacked you two. The Death Eaters. And it said that you, my parents, would be the next ones. I was scared, but I carried on walking and at one moment, I saw a faint light. Thinking it was the exit, I rushed. I just wanted this drilling voice to stop, and leave the Dark Corridors. But as I ran closer and closer to the light, I was able to distinguish two forms, and finally realized they were my doubles. From the second lesson. I have no idea of how this happened. I just know I hadn't taken any potion."
She had to hold her breath not to sob, and Andie was beginning to feel really worried about her friend. She was taking the whole story far too seriously!
Orion paused to take a sip of her tea, while her parents were looking at her, concerned.
"As I was exhausted, I just slipped on the floor to rest and they began to talk with me, reassuring me and telling me this voice was only the voice of all my fears combined. When I finally left the corridors, I went to the Astronomy Tower, I wanted to watch the stars, to calm myself. Andie soon guessed where I was and joined me. I told her about the whole story. Then we started worrying."
Orion looked at her parents.
"It's partly because of that I didn't come home for Christmas, I was so angry. I would have behaved like a brat, I don't think it would have been kind. Now Andie, you carry on, no voice anymore."
Orion grinned and drank more tea.
Andie smiled and continued.
"Well, thanks, you left me the most difficult part. When I heard about the idea, it repulsed me. I couldn't believe it. We spent several minutes considering if that all was true, and if yes, how we could check it. As we were afraid, we thought it was better to reveal that too big secret to a qualified person, such as a teacher. And who could know a lot about Death Eaters ? A DADA Professor. So I proposed Orion to go and pay a visit to..."
"That Leon guy. You should call him Professor." her mom interrupted.
"He doesn't want to. Oh, and by the way, there are two of them. DADA Professors, I mean. His better half's name is Derek Trimble. But my first choice was Leon, yes. Even if I think Professor Trimble would have been a better choice...
Anyways, we got caught by homework, I had to catch up everything, so we kept it at bay. After the Christmas vacations, I had to work a lot, I was late. Several weeks later, we finally found the time to send him an owl to set up an appointment. As he was busy too, it was delayed until one month ago.
We told him the whole story and he kind of understood what the problem was. And he thought if that was true, we needed to talk to one of the Aurors who are at school...
Bref, during all those months, we just thought about that, it plagued us in a nasty way. We thought we would be able to drown it in homework, but no. So here, now I'm gonna explain what we think really happen.
Though, to be honest, Orion has been much more affected than me by all that! But after all, she's the one to have seen and heard things!..."
Andie turned to her friend, not wanting her to be mad, but she had to say it. To tell she didn't really believe all that Death Eaters stuff... So she started talking again, looking at her father, hoping they would all understand how and why they had come to such conclusions...
"First of all, as Orion underlined it, we don't understand why you prevented us form communicating during three years. We didn't know the fact we were witches, so why didn't you let us at least write to each other ? We're sure you kept in touch, with owls of course, but why not us ?
Second, concerning the Hogwarts Express. You knew we were both going to Hogwarts, but you decided for an unknown reason not to meet at King's Cross Station. This is another question. We met in the train with Orion after a few hours' trip, but why not before. Why that?
Third. Mamy and Paps sent us an owl immediately after your accident, and we were told to transmit it to Aoki and Altaïr right after reading it. We had just time to get the permission from the Headmaster to get back to France, we took the Knight Bus and were at the hospital half an hour later."
There she turned to Orion's parents, and pointed them with her finger.
"But you were there already. I know owls can fly fast sometimes, but not fast enough to cross Great Britain and Ireland and reach you in less an hour. Ok, you could answer you apparated, but we won't believe you.
And what really surprised us when we thought closely about it, was the rapidity of your return after three years of silence.
Of course, we weren't as informed as we are today, but still.
So Orion was sure you were with Dad and Mom when it happened. Possibly in separate cars, that would explain why you were unarmed."
Andie shrugged there, and turned back to her own parents to finish her speech.
"Fourth, you sent Orion back at school and agreed I could stay for two or three more weeks. But Sarah fell and you wouldn't let me go. I can't understand neither that,nor the fact I couldn't write to Orion one single time. You kept sending her very short letters, not informing her about what was happening.
Here we are..
Now, concerning Death Eaters, we're not sure about that. As we told Leon, we don't have any solid bases. I mean, the whole thing lies upon what Orion heard. But as time went by, we found it more and more relevant. In a way, it was the only thing that linked up the different elements of our story. The only explanation we found to the entire... thing."
Andie let a devilish smile creep upon her face. She was surprised how good she felt right now, much better than for the whole school year...
So she gestured towards them.
"Here it is, now your turn."