Chapter 17: The Wary Weak
Hmmm…lol! 'Fraid I can't answer who the killer is… BUT I've laid done a clue somewhere so…I'll leave that 1 2 u! It happens next chappie and continues in2 next. And paprika90 you ask about her father…well I've included that in this chapter. Happy clue hunting!
The week of the Easter holiday had begun, much to Anna's wretched disappointment. The castle seemed shrouded in a layer of tension and stress. Among the fifth years and seventh years feverishly revising the holiday away for their O.W.Ls or N.E.W.Ts Anna was the only slytherin sixth year apart from the creepy, rabbit featured Nott stuck at Hogwarts.
Wary of human company she tried to occupy the spiralling boredom by spending time in the vast castle grounds. In the vain hope that whilst she was away from the castle working on the evil, impossible amount of homework tasks set by the teachers or relaxing under a tree reading a book or watching the ever changing colours of the surface of the lake; the castle would simply disappear.
Fortunately the ancient castle remained as sturdy as ever and when steel grey thunderheads lazily rolled in to officially announce the arrival of April and it's showers, she found herself forced to sulkily skulk back to the confines of the castle and the slytherin common room.
On the Thursday, sick of her own miserable, tedious company, she found herself sadly intrigued by observing Nott doing his homework. Halfway through he looked up scowling at her slightly and raising his eyebrow enquiringly.
Feeling quite humiliated she smiled winningly sheepish whilst speedily thinking up a reasonable excuse that wouldn't sacrifice her dignity,
"I was just…wondering…what…er…whether you wanted a hand or not? She put forth nonchalantly. He snorted disregardingly and shook his head raising the so far three foots worth of potions essay on comparing the properties, creation and effects of Polyjuice and Merilion potion (a difficult potion to enhance someone's intelligence and power briefly to that of Merlin's) which Snape had lovingly set them.
"Have you even opened your book yet?" she looked up startled she had expected him to ignore her and resume working. Sneering he pointed to the essay like a teacher teaching an infant to read. She smirked back at him,
"Yeah…all four feet of it with an extra two inches!"
He rolled his eyes satirically she snickered and asked,
"Were you ever going to stay at Pansy's?"
He seemed to be on the verge of laughter with what appeared to be uncomfortable wind etched harshly into his rodent-like features for a moment.
"Oh god no! Knowing her we'd be doing joyful activities such as defrosting her cat!" he yelled incredulously scaring a couple of first years who glowered at them momentarily.
She made a disapproving frown as she withdrew her small, black crow feathered eyeliner quill from the depths of her robes. She began to apply it liberally as he sighed and shook his head waiting for her to finish.
"Now that's just evil, she might not be the sharpest quill in the draw but she's alright…ish …anyway its horrible to hear. You two started out like Romeo and Juliet but it ended in tragedy."
She sighed heavily dropping a subtle as a brick hint, hoping that for Pansy's sake he would pick it up, after all who knew when they would need someone like Pansy? She bulldozed a grin onto her face as she remembered her friends bovine stare.
"Ummm…like you and Malfoy really." He shot back, she glared at him.
"That's different!" she snapped.
"Oh I see a rather sore subject then?" he leered teasingly.
Searching around for a change of topic she seized his copy of the daily prophet perched precariously on the edge of the table.
Minister Visits Hogsmeade In Bid For Reassurance. The headline shouted apparently there'd been sightings of wanted criminals (two vicious escaped deatheaters named Dolohov and Lestrange) in and around the village causing quite a scare. It was supported by a picture of a large, shorthaired, square jawed severe woman sporting a monocle standing outside a quaint, cheerful looking pub the sign 'the three broomsticks' swayed in the breeze.
Curiosity swept over Anna and she quite forgot her anger,
"Whose that?" she blurted out before she could stop herself. Nott looked over her shoulder and stated slowly and clearly,
"That's the British Minister for Magic." She looked up at him making it clear she wasn't that stupid,
"Amelia Bones standing outside the three broomsticks, where they serve the best butterbeers and probably firewhiskies…but I wouldn't know." He smiled with suppressed and devious mirth.
"Well hypothetically speaking of course I prefer icevodka myself." He laughed patronisingly, before adding-
"So you ever seen or been to Hogsmeade?" he asked genuinely curious. She shifted to get comfortable until she sat on the armchair like a throne she shook her head as she did so. He smirked,
"Well, first off you need signed permission. I take it you haven't got it…" she nodded confirming his suspicions.
"Well not yet I haven't." she said smiling mischievously. He raised his eyebrows and with that she withdrew her wand and pulled his quill closer to her. She picked it up smugly tapping it she muttered
"Contrefaire." His eyebrows went even higher until they almost completely receded into his hair, eventually he smirked.
"Forgery a speciality of yours, then?"
"Sort of." She said absentmindedly as she fished for a spare bit of parchment,
"And probably just about everything else remotely illegal as well, knowing you." She looked up narrowing her eyes analysing the comment for an insult, when she was happy there was none she smiled. Her eyes flashed deviously. He laughed patronisingly before adding,
"What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked as if genuinely intrigued.
"I just…am. My mother dumped me here."
"Really was she that eager to get rid of you?" he snorted.
Anna winced as she recoiled from the comment before giving him a long, hard and cold malicious stare. He seemed to want to question her, it seemed to Anna as if he'd been trying to steer the conversation towards family since the beginning of it. He observed her closely as he asked,
"What's your mother called?"
"Celeste. Celeste Safire."
"What about your father didn't he have a say on whether you came here or not?" she looked across at him unemotionally as she said,
"He's dead. Mother said he was killed by aurors just before I was born. He was pureblooded of course." She said haughtily although with a note of defence.
"Oh naturally as am I." He seemed to have gained all that he wanted to know as if she'd confirmed a doubt but Anna was perplexed to his purpose as ever. Feeling uncomfortable once more she shifted the conversation.
"What about you?" He sat up a little as if to seem more superior as if Anna were insignificant.
"I'm as pureblooded as Malfoy. My mother died so I was raised by my father and an old widower." She nodded registering all. She was dangerously more intrigued by him than before.
"You're a bit of a loner." She remarked bluntly as though she were stating a fact. His lip curled,
"I don't feel the need to surround myself with people, I'm not that insecure." Ignoring the insult she laughed,
"Sounds like the rest of the holiday going to be fun, then. Have you done the charms homework yet? I need someone to practice on."
As the holiday drew to a close Anna found herself almost dreading the Castle full again. She'd grown accustomed to having the dormitory to herself. Unfortunately, she'd formed an uneasy and strained alliance with Nott, as she seemed to regain some hope that things would retain some normality. As before though she was wrong and instead of winding done, things were beginning to come to a head…
