Will of the Wands
Chapter 12 - Dakota Goes Home
An hour before the party started, the four girls met in the Entrance Hall, Madison, Millie, and Alexis waving to Dakota as she hurried into the quickly approaching night, ushered by Professor McGonagall herself. Very confused, the three girls turned and shrugged at one another. Dakota hadn't seemed pleased about going home early- after all the talk about her sisters and her mother, not to mention the prospect of missing the D.A. party, none of them really blamed her.
On the road again, Dakota thought dully, just can't wait to get on the road again...
Soon, the Hogwarts Express arrived in London at King's Cross. She looked out the window, and could barely make out her oldest sister, Riley, standing in a pool of light that shone from an overhead lamp, clutching a briefcase and checking her watch impatiently. She was actually quite surprised to see her there- she'd been expecting Kennedy or even her parents. With the wedding planning in progress, she'd thought Riley would be a bit preoccupied to see her off the train.
Reluctantly, Dakota gathered her bag and her traveling cloak, which she slung over her shoulder carelessly. Not likely I'll be wearing it for long, anyway, she reasoned. She stepped off the train, and began fighting the dense crowd towards her sister. Then she heard her.
"Come on, Dakota, we don't have all bloody night!" Riley sounded mad. And, upon closer inspection, Dakota saw that she was.
Instead of teasing her about swearing in public, something Riley rarely did, Dakota asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Riley replied testily, grabbing Dakota's hand and leading her out of the station. She held out a piece of heavy parchment. "I got an owl while I was waiting for you to come in, and I have another bride-screening next afternoon. Mum suggested you be there, serving tea." She stopped, and knelt down in front of her sister. "Dakota, please don't mess this up, please, please, please. If you do, I won't get married, and Kennedy won't ever get married, and you won't get married. That's how big of an impression you'll make." She stared at Dakota, who was rolling her eyes.
"Yes, Riley, I'll be a perfect bleeding angel, and you'll get to marry Prince Charming. Happy?" Dakota couldn't help but sound cross. Her mother had written the day before she was supposed to leave, and had told her that she had arranged with Professor Dumbledore to allow Dakota to go home early, therefore taking away any chance that Dakota had had of going to the D.A. party. She sighed. She could picture the whole of Gryffindor Tower preparing for the party without her, and it just made her even grumpier.
"Okay, then, I think someone needs a nap before tea," Riley said, standing up again. "A long nap. Don't want to be cranky, do we?"
They continued the journey in silence, and Dakota kept wondering how the party would be. She barely noticed when they Flooed home and found the manor in a horrific display of what her mother used to call "wedding mode." Dakota managed to sneak past her nurse, Svetlana, and escape to her room. She shut the door, and sighed. She turned around, taking in her room.
"AUGHHHHHHHHH!"
"Did you see the look he gave us when we started laughing?" Millie shrieked with laughter. She, Madison, and Alexis were returning from the D.A. party, all giddy and excited for the holidays.
"I know!" Madison replied, snorting. "He didn't know what to do!"
"That wasn't really nice of you," Alexis spoke up, skipping between the other girls. "I reckon he was trying to kiss Hermione under the mistletoe." She wagged her finger at her friends. "Not very nice." She grinned widely. "And that's why it was so clever!"
"Oh, come on, Lexi," Madison said jovially, "It's Christmas, and anyway, Ginny gave it to us to give to him. How were we supposed to know that stupid package had a tarantula in it?"
"I don't know," Alexis admitted, sliding down the handrail, barely missing the Bloody Baron as he passed. "Sorry, sir!" She turned to Millie, who was taking the safe route down the stairs. "Wonder how Kota's doing."
"I don't know," Millie said, sighing. "It's really too bad that she had to go home early." She wrinkled her nose. "What with her mum and her sisters, and the wedding, she's going to go bloody crazy!"
"Excuse me?" a cold voice said. All three girls' heads swiveled in the direction the voice had come from, and all visibly cringed when they saw the speaker.
"Professor, we're sorry," Madison said quickly. "We didn't know we weren't alone, we're sorry, honestly!"
"Quiet, Reed!" Professor Snape snapped. "Are you aware of the time?" He drew his cloak around his shoulders. "It's after hours, and yet, you three are out of bed. I believe there are rules against that, aren't there, Miss Van Carte?" he stared at Alexis, who nodded.
"But, sir, we were coming back from the D.A. party," Alexis explained hurriedly, "And Professor McGonagall was there, and so was the headmaster, sir, you were invited, but you told Harry you had work to do-"
"Fine, fine," Snape muttered, shaking his curtain of greasy hair. "That still fails to explain your use of derogatory vocabulary. Fifteen points from Gyrffindor for being rude." He sneered at them. "Why don't you go back to your dormitories, where you belong?"
"Yes, sir," they chorused, making a beeline for their respective dormitories. As soon as they were out of earshot, Madison let out a groan.
"I can't believe him!" she complained. "He knew all about the party, stupid git… Harry only invited him because it was polite…"
They hurried through the castle, leaving off at the junction at the library entrance. From there, Alexis and Madison carried on towards the Ravenclaw commons, while Millie made her way to the tower by herself. She made it without any other mishaps, and narrowly avoided being trampled by some of the Weasley twins' friends, congratulating her on a job well done as she dragged her tired body up to bed.
"You sent for me before…" She paused. She had almost mentioned the D.A. Christmas party, something Dakota knew her mother wouldn't approve of. "Before you said you would," she finished lamely. Noticing her mother's obvious disinterest, she continued. "And also, me not being home didn't give you three the right to tear apart my ROOM!" Dakota shrieked at the top of her lungs. The sun was just setting across the sweeping grounds below the manor, casting a particularly dreadful air on the dwelling. The bride-screening had since finished, and the four Williams women were sitting in the lounge, three of them priding themselves on jobs well done.
"Popkin, we had the furniture in the hall reupholstered, and we thought, 'wouldn't Dakota like a bedroom makeover?' We had silk covers put on the walls, in the Williams' family green, and some lovely shots of Sri Lanka that Auntiji Terra sent for the New Year," Mrs. Williams trailed off, seeing the death glare that her youngest daughter was shooting her. "Dakota, dear, we 're having guests, and nobody wants to see picture upon picture of those skin headed men on broomsticks!"
"Mum, it's my room! And why would it matter if the aunties saw my bedroom or not? It's not like they'd inspect it or anything, right?" She stopped. "Right?"
Mrs. Williams wrung her ornamented hands, her many bracelets jingling as she did so. "Actually, all of the aunties want to be here for the holidays, Popkin," she began, smiling happily at Riley. "And they all need a place to stay. We may be witches, dear, and Sri Lankan at that, but we can't possibly just… conjure enough rooms for the aunties to stay in!" She chuckled. "Your room will serve as Auntiji Terra's chambers while she's here."
"And, uh, exactly how many of the aunties are coming?" Dakota narrowed her eyes, her anger finally settling in the pit of her stomach. "Just the close ones, right? So, like, four or five?"
"Actually, no, dear," Mrs. Williams said, glancing at her eldest daughters, who were sniggering quietly on a sofa. They knew, of course, but were taking much delight in watching their younger sister shriek in horror at the plans their mother had laid out. "The aunties from Sri Lanka, and then your father's aunties from India… more like twenty or so."
"Twenty!" Dakota felt faint. "For how long?"
"Until the New Year, of course," Mrs. Williams replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"That's two weeks!" Dakota said. She took note of her sisters' laughter, and glared at them. "Very bloody funny! It's all your fault, Riley! You and your stupid bloody wedding!" She put her hands on her hips. "I'm leaving. This is bloody mad."
"Dakota, that's enough swear words from you!" Mrs. Williams said, clapping her hands together briskly. "You may be dismissed. Svetlana, please take Dakota to the dining hall and ask that Damian prepare a munch or two."
The Nordic woman nodded, and shooed Dakota out of the room. When they were out of earshot, the aging nurse whispered, "Miss, you were right rude to your mother in there." She frowned sternly at Dakota.
"I don't care," she replied stubbornly. "She wrecked my room! She's letting Auntiji Terra sleep there! For two weeks!" She sighed. "You know that that wasn't even their reason for changing my room, Svetlana. Auntiji Terra doesn't mind Quidditch, she just doesn't think that 'young ladies like myself' should be watching disrespecting young men show off to crowds."
"All the same, Miss," Svetlana said, ushering Dakota into a large stone room, made sweltering hot by the enormous fire pits in the four corners of the room. "Come along." She held out her hand obligingly, and helped Dakota down the rough-hewn steps.
"Damian, could you please fix the young miss a bite?" A second later, a disembodied head appeared in the fireplace.
"What now, Svet?" The head, which had thinning dark hair and a slightly pronounced moustache, appeared to be slightly stressed. He spotted Dakota, and his attitude changed immediately. "Ah, the little mademoiselle! Tell me, missy, what could Damian make for you today?"
"If you could get my room back, posters undamaged, that would be a great blessing on your house," Dakota replied formally. She's always been taught to speak to the other servants as though they were Sri Lankan servants, where the hired help was usually not seen and not heard. Her mother had caught her making a card for a maid's birthday one year when she was little, and had enforced the rule ever since. Svetlana, of course, had been the exception, as she had been with Dakota ever since she'd been born.
"Ha," Damian laughed, pressing his finger on his nose. "The little mademoiselle is a joker, no? What is that I could make you? Ham sandwich? Chicken cordon bleu? Specialty desserts, our little secret?" He looked at Dakota, who had taken a seat at the large butcher-block table and was resting her head in her hands dolefully. "Is this about your mother and your sisters, pumpkin?"
Dakota shook her head violently, her dark eyes filling with tears.
"Ah," Damian said, nodding his chubby head. "I will be up in a moment, yes?" He disappeared from the fireplace, and within seconds, was bustling through a swinging door. Soon he'd picked Dakota out of her chair, and enveloped her in a squishy bear hug, smoothing her hair comfortingly. "Missy, missy, missy, you know that your mother means well, but she gets caught up in the traditions of her country. Just like me, and my affinity for French cuisine. Look at me."
She complied.
"Mothers will be mothers," Damian said seriously, glancing at Svetlana. She looked back at him worriedly, mouthing the words, She's missed a party with her friends, and Mistress Terra's staying in her room for two weeks. "Ah," he said. He looked down at Dakota, who was sniffling into his apron. "Why don't you tell me more about these friends of yours, yes? While old Damian makes your favourite dish?"
"Pancakes with chocolate?" Dakota said hopefully. Damian nodded firmly. "Wohoo!" She hugged him again, then climbed back into her chair. "So, you already know Millie, but we're in the same house, Gryffindor, and we met these other girls somehow, I can't remember how, really. But, anyway. There's this one girl, who's an exchange student from 'Merica, named Madison, after the third president or something like that, and then also in her house there's Alexis, who we call Lexi, 'cause she doesn't really like being called Alexis…" Dakota babbled.
At a large stove, Damian stood, flipping pancakes and nodding every once in a while. He stole a look at Svetlana, who was cleaning the sink, and occasionally asking questions, and smiled. Dakota was home, where she belonged.
Later that night, after Dakota had finished eating, and Damian had finished cleaning, the three stayed up in the comfortable heat of the kitchens, playing Mancala, a game that Svetlana had found on one of her vacations to her wayward sisters around the world. Dakota was getting sleepy, and yawning a lot, and Svetlana picked her up and brought her to her remade bedroom. She assumed that she'd be grateful in the morning, as the aunties were arriving from Sri Lanka and India.
Half an hour after Svetlana had retired herself, Dakota woke up feeling groggy and dry-throated. She peeled back the new silk sheets, and padded down the hall towards the bathroom. Her hair was in frightful disarray, the dark locks falling half out of her braid, and she rubbed her eyes as she tiptoed down the cold corridor.
As she passed the library, she heard the unmistakable sound of her father conversing with what she presumed to be one of his business contacts. Given the fact that Mr. Williams had clientele all over the globe, it was not unusual to find him still up most nights. However, the one thing that Dakota had never heard her father doing was plead.
Which was exactly what it sounded like he was doing.
Interested, Dakota pressed her ear to the door panel, trying to make out what her father (or his client) was saying.
"I assure you, everything is in order," her father was saying, a tremble in his voice. So he's in trouble, Dakota thought. Nothing he's not handled before. The she heard him groan. "No, please, I'll deliver! Just, please, give me more time!" Dakota looked at the door worriedly. She stared at the panels, wondering exactly who her father was in trouble with. He'd always managed to avoid contact with the Death Eaters, she supposed, but she couldn't fathom any other power with something over her father. He had always been rather gruff with her sisters and her mother, therefore making him a force to be reckoned with most of the time. The fact that he was pleading with some unknown being was rather unnerving, she supposed.
Her father's footsteps came closer to the door, and Dakota leapt back, cursing inwardly as her foot hit a large statue of Buddha. When her foot hit the bronze, a low, rumbling noise, not to go unnoticed, sounded. The door handle turned, and Dakota froze. Her bedroom was three doors down, so it was pretty much useless trying to hide there. The bathroom! Surely it was close enough. Dakota slid into the shadows just as the door to the study opened.
From the safety of the dark bathroom, Dakota saw her father's signature curtain of dark, slicked-back hair out of place, as if someone had yanked on it. When his face turned so he could glance down the corridor, in her direction, she saw large bags under his eyes.
He stood there a minute, until a sharp rapping noise sounded from inside the room he had just vacated. He jumped, and went back inside, shutting the door crisply. Breathing a sigh of relief, Dakota crawled back out of the bathroom, and pressed her ear against the door once more.
"Consider the options, Roland," the high voice said silkily. "Either you follow through on your pledge to me, Roland, and bring the girl to me, and dispose of the others, or you shall take their places. Do I make myself plain?"
"Yes, Master," was Roland Williams' reply. Dakota looked at the door, eyes wide. Dispose of them? Her mind filled with sinister thoughts of empty graves and blood, none of which were very pretty. And he called this man Master?
"Do not disappoint me, Roland," the voice said. "I am not one to forgive and forget, you understand."
"Yes, Master. The girl will be yours by the end of the full moon, in order to restore your body and mind fully."
Dakota strained to hear what was said next, but didn't quite catch it. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of someone Flooing, as her father shut the grate. Wasting no time, Dakota sprinted to her bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind her before clambering into her bed, heart beating rapidly.
She did not fall asleep until dawn approached.
A/N: I know it's springtime, but reviews have been on the lax side. Lax? You call that lax! We've been left high and dry, wondering if anyone wants to add something to our plot and if anyone out there likes it! Siaryst, I've been trying to say exactly that, only tactfully. Tactfully? You don't have the tact of a tack. Thank you, Siaryst. (rolls eyes) Anyway, as I was saying- Review, and tell us what you blighters think! That, too. Review! The Somewhat Excited To Get To The Good Parts Of Our Story, Siaryst-Dufoli
