A/N - Okay, thanks very much to swimade...there are so many things that I just don't NOTICE, like the thing about Snape. And you're right, I mixed up Chapters 2 and 3...yeah, that's just because I'm stupid. Well I really think that my Chapter 7 sucks so i'm just gonna...make it different. Because I don't think Harry and Ron would tell a bunch of strange kids inside Ministry information. That does NOT make sense. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote it...anyway...
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Chapter 7 - Mothers and Fathers
After a grueling day of Transfiguration and Potions, Nora had almost forgotten that she had yet to attend Charms club with Vincent Malfoy. The thought made her cringe - while Vincent looked to be a perfectly normal boy, Nora just didn't want her father to find out that she was in his company. When it came to the Malfoys, sometimes Ron's hate nearly reciprocated Draco's equally. Thankfully, no one had heard from Draco in years...
Nora sat at a table with Morag, working on the Herbology essay that was due tomorrow, when she heard the dreaded voice behind her.
"Er - Nora? It's nearly eight. Should we get going?"
"Yes," Nora said resignedly. She grabbed her bookbag and followed Vincent out of the portrait hole.
"So - why did you want to join the Charms club in the first place?" Vincent asked her jovially.
"Well - er..." Nora did some quick thinking, and decided that Charms club actually WAS a good idea. "Well, Charms are very important," she began, "And since we probably won't be able to get much practice for them outside of class, what with essays and such, it'd be nice to get in some time we could get used to doing them. And I know the Charms club does some things that are much too advanced for first year, so we'd be getting ahead of our class, which is always good - "
Nora cut herself off. She could have sworn that her mother had said the exact same words to her before she'd left for Hogwarts.
Vincent, who hadn't noticed anything, nodded fervently. "Agreed," he said as they rounded a corner. "Charms are going to be some of the most useful stuff we get out of this school," he continued. "How often are we going to use History of Magic, or Astronomy outside of Hogwarts? Rarely, if ever. But Charms are part of everyday life."
"They are," said Nora. "I'm actually quite looking forward to this now," she confessed, then stopped, amazed that she had just willingly continued a conversation with someone whose surname was Malfoy.
"D'you know, Nora," said Vincent suddenly, "I get the idea that you're not so comfortable around me. Is it still because I'm related to the Malfoys that were all Death Eaters?" he said bluntly.
Nora blushed ferociously. "Well...it's not...what I mean to say is, I have nothing at all against you, it's only that my Dad...well, if he even heard the name 'Malfoy' in the same sentence as 'Nora,' he'd yank me out of this school faster than you can say 'Quidditch,'" she finished, then bit her lip in embarrassment.
"I guess I understand," said Vincent thoughtfully, and Nora was very glad that he was unoffended. "If it will get you in trouble with your family, I can stay away from you."
"No - Vincent!" Nora said, horrified.
"Vin," he corrected her. "Call me Vin."
They had reached the Charms hallway. "Vin...I'm sorry. I suppose I was just being rather silly, don't you think?"
Vin's tanned face broke into a broad smile that nearly made Nora blush again. "Well, then, it's settled. We're allowed to talk to each other?"
Nora didn't have time to analyze the importance of the lesson she had just learned before Professor Flitwick stuck his head out into the hallway and squealed, "Ah, new faces! Always wonderful to see new faces in this little club. Come in, children, come in!"
Nora and Vin smiled at their Charms professor, before walking into the Charms classroom, which had apparently been magically expanded to twice its size to accomodate the weekly club.
"Psst! Nora! Over here!" Nora scanned the room to find the person addressing her, and was overjoyed to see Pallas Austin gesturing wildly that she had space near her. Nora beckoned to Vin and they hurried to the Ravenclaw girl.
"I didn't know you were going to do Charms club!" Pallas exclaimed.
"Neither did I," Nora muttered under her breath, but Flitwick had just started speaking.
"Welcome to Charms club!" he squeaked, clapping his hands together. "I'm glad to see some newcomers! Those of you who haven't been here before, why don't you gather around my desk? Everyone else, why don't we review the Trance Charm? Yes? Well, go on!"
Nora glanced at Pallas, and as the rest of the room stood to walk to the back, Nora, Pallas, Vin and a two other boys came up to Professor Flitwick's desk.
"It is wonderful that you've decided to join us!" Flitwick gushed. "Since you're all first years, why don't you break into pairs and practice levitating each other? That should be fun, shouldn't it?"
Nora pictured herself bouncing along the room in midair on the tip of Pallas's wand. She shot a look at the blonde girl, who nodded at the inference of a partnership.
The two boys split into a pair, and Vin stood helplessly as the odd man out. Nora was about to suggest that he join Pallas and herself, but one of the other boys beat her to the punch.
"Hey, Malfoy," he called. Nora's eyes widened as she identified the boy as Kincaid Court. "You can work with me and Barry here." The other boy waved. Vin looked relieved, and trotted over to the two first years.
"Again," said Nora, incredulous. "A Slytherin inviting a Gryffindor to partner him?"
"What's more," said Pallas. "Is that Nicholas Barry is a Hufflepuff!"
"How odd," said Nora. "Well, shall I lift you first?"
Pallas had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well - yes. But...what say that after a bit, our aim starts going bad?"
"I see," said Nora, her eyes sparkling. "Alright," she continued, drawing out her wand, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Pallas immediately began to float into the air, giggling. She closed her eyes and began to spin around in midair, before her head smacked against the ceiling.
Both girls winced. "Sorry about that," Nora said ruefully.
"You just wait till it's your turn," Pallas said darkly, before laughing openly once more.
Pallas was equal to the task; as soon as her feet touched the ground, she said the incantation, and Nora began to spin around the room until everything was blurred.
"Well, now that we know we can do it," said Nora, her heels dropping to the floor, "Let's plead incompetence and play with those boys over there?"
Pallas had her wand ready, a wicked look in her eyes. "On the count of three, you take Barry, and I'll take Court. One...two...three!"
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Nora shouted, and suddenly, Nicholas Barry and Kincaid Court were lifted off the ground and dangled uselessly four feet above it.
"Oh, we're so sorry!" said Pallas immediately. "Our aim was off - let me - here - " she lowered the Slytherin boy, and Nora followed suit.
"Well, the talent's there," said Nicholas, "But the direction needs a bit of work..."
The five first years laughed. "You know," Barry continued, "I've wanted to learn this spell for the longest time."
"Why?" Nora asked curiously.
"Because now we can play Duck, Duck, Fly!" he said. "Come on, who's up to it?"
Pallas's eyes widened. "You're right...we can play it without our parents now. Who'll be the lifter?"
"I'll do it," Nora volunteered.
Pallas, Vin, Kincaid and Nicholas organized themselves in a circle. "Kincaid, you're the duck first," Nora instructed. Kincaid obediently stepped out of the circle and began revolving around the three remaining first-years.
"Duck," he said, touching Pallas on the head, who giggled. "Duck," he repeated to Vin, "Duck, duck, duck, duck, GOOSE!"
Nora was ready for it. She lifted Vin into the air as Pallas jumped to graze his feet, but Nora was quicker. Kincaid returned to the floor, laughing.
"Two points to Nora," said Nicholas. "I'll be the Lifter now...go on, Nora, take my spot..."
They continued the game long after the older students left. Professor Flitwick didn't mind at all - on the contrary, by the time each of the players had taken their turn being the Lifter twice, Flitwick merrily joined the game, often accidentally sending the Goose rocketing into the ceiling in his excitement.
When Professor Flitwick finally called the game to a halt at a quarter to ten, Nora ended up in second place, Kincaid Court being the winner.
"We all need to go through the Entrance Hall, right?" asked Nicholas. "We could just walk together up to there, and go our separate ways."
The other four agreed, and they set off toward the Entrance hall, which was two floors and a hallway away. They discussed various classes and teachers, before a sight that greeted them as they got to the staircase down to the Entrance Hall brought not only the conversation, but the caravan, to a screeching halt.
Six people were crowded around a woman wearing a white fur coat that was bellowing hysterically, clawing at the chest of a tall man with bright red hair, not unlike Nora's own.
Nora squinted at the man...was that...?
"Let me see my child!" screamed the woman in the fur cape. "What have you done to him in this place? Let me take him home! He cannot remain here! He needs his mother!"
"Mrs. Drake!" said Professor McGonagall's piercing voice. "There is nothing you can do for your son! Our school matron will be able to restore him to full awareness in merely one month - "
"A month!" Mrs. Drake screamed. "A month, you'll keep him here when he's in a sleep that's like death? My husband told me about this sleep! He said it was a LEGEND! He said - he said that Darius would be SAFE at this place, safer than ANYWHERE ELSE! And now, Marius is gone, and Darius is in a coma? What kind of people are you?" She collapsed into the red-haired man's arms and sobbed. Nora watched the scene with her hand covering her mouth. Pallas was clutching her arm, and she felt Kincaid's arm across her stomach, restraining her.
"Mrs. Drake, I assure you that Darius is in the best of care here at Hogwarts," said Professor Marin, the dirty-blond Potions teacher. "Hogwarts is protected by numerous enchantments, and no one is able to pervade its defences - "
"Furthermore," said a man with black hair and spectacles, "This is not a coma. This is a purely magical sleep, which HAS a cure, but the Charm is immensely complex and needs more than one skilled caster, and such casters are rare, and we'll need to summon them from as far away as South America..."
Nora did a double take. "Uncle...Harry?" she cried.
The man in spectacles looked up the staircase until he located his niece. "Nora!" he said sharply. "Please - we'll discuss this later - take your friends back to your dormitory..." He glanced at the red haired man, who was trying to control the ever-howling Mrs. Drake. "Say hi to your daughter, Ron."
Ron looked up, a pained expression on his face. "Norling, do as Uncle Harry says...just go..."
Nora could feel Pallas and Kincaid staring at her in awe. She grimaced and said, "Alright, Daddy." She sped down the staircase and turned to walk to Gryffindor tower, her companions in hot pursuit.
When there were only a hundred feet separating Nora and the scene, she heard Nicholas Barry's voice wheezing behind her. "Nora - wait!" he called. Nora skidded to a stop, and turned to face the Hufflepuff boy. He was rather short, and his sandy, curly hair stuck to his face with sweat as its plaster. "D'you think your dad meant to take us to YOUR common room, or our own?"
Nora realized that her father must have thought that she was in the company of four Gryffindors. "I think...he may have thought you were all in my House," she told them.
"Well," said a white-faced Pallas, "We can't go to your common room..."
"Wait a minute," Vin hissed. "I think they're going down into the dungeons."
The five students crept back towards the Entrance Hall, and indeed, the shouting voices were following the shadows of their owners down towards the dungeons.
"Should we...follow them?" Nicholas said awkwardly.
"Well," Kincaid drawled, "My common room and yours are both in that direction, so we have to go there anyway."
Jealousy overcame Nora; here at last was her chance to find out some important Ministry mission her father was working on, and she was going to miss her opportunity because her common room was in the wrong direction?
"I'm going to listen," she said stubbornly. "If they find me, I'll say I was waiting for my dad."
The other four stared at her in awe. "Nora..." Pallas said faintly. "You're eleven years old!"
"What, and you aren't?" Kincaid said placatingly. "Like I said before, I've got to go that way anyway, so...night."
Pallas looked torn, and Vin remained motionless. Nora slowly turned and began to stride towards the dungeons, her childish confidence leading her as though by a leash. She felt Nicholas and Kincaid following her.
"Wait!" someone cried in a hiss behind Nora. Nora swiveled around to see Pallas and Vin catching up grimly. "If you're going to spy...at least do it right!" Pallas chided, and pulled out her wand. "Silencio mobilus," she said, pointing her wand to her chest. She took a few tentative steps to make sure the Body-Movement Silencing Charm had worked, and the others followed her example.
Nora motioned for them to follow her, and she slithered stealthily into the darkening Entrance Hall, and down its carpeted staircase. She swerved into the hallway that lead to the dungeons, and suddenly some words became coherent.
" - married...man that was some freak...nature, and then my baby turns out to be one too, and I have to send...away from me to be killed...other freaks!" screeched the hysterical Mrs. Drake.
Nora tip-toed up to the doorway, which was open a centimeter. She felt Pallas and Kincaid's heads at her shoulders, trying to see inside the chamber. Nora could make out some shapes, but nothing more.
"Yolanda," said the stern voice of Professor McGonagall. "You will calm down at this instant, or I shall have to Stun you."
"You won't lay a hand on me! My father is Andrew Blythe, and he can expose this school to the Ministry faster than - "
"The Ministry knows full well about this school," said Ron Weasley calmly. Nora felt a surge of pride for her father, determined to stay level.
"Well then - then I'll - I'll - GIVE ME MY DARIUS!" screamed the woman, and Nora felt Pallas clap a hand over her mouth.
"Mrs. Drake - " Uncle Harry began.
But Mrs. Drake was thrashing about wildly. "WHERE IS MY BABY? GIVE - ME - MY - BABY!"
"I am VERY sorry about this, Yolanda," said Professor McGonagall, and then Nora's eyes were assailed with a bright red light, and the sounds of Mrs. Drake struggling came abruptly to a halt.
"Goodness gracious," said someone faintly; Nora recognized the voice of Professor Marin.
"May I please be informed of what is going on?" said someone else in a clipped tone.
"I'd like to know the whole story myself," said Professor McGonagall in a dignified voice. "I gather that you boys have not told me the whole story of what is going on in my school."
"You are right, Minerva," Uncle Harry confessed.
"I think you owe me some answers."
"We do," Ron agreed. "You, of course, know about the letter you received, threatening the 'unclean' at Hogwarts. Well...we've only recently found out that this isn't anti-Muggle born prejudice...it's against - "
"Half-bloods," Uncle Harry said shortly.
"Half - ?" Professor Marin asked, mystified.
"What does this have to do with the attack on Darius Drake?" said the impatient female voice that Nora didn't recognize. It sounded vaguely familiar...
"Well, seeing as he's a half blood...if you didn't pick that up from his clearly Muggle mother," said Uncle Harry with exasperated sarcasm.
"Continue."
"Apparently there's some new terrorist-type group that's really against wizard/Muggle marriages," said Ron. "And they're trying to discourage it by attacking the products of these marriages."
"So it is not a personal attack on Darius Drake?" asked the unknown personage behind the heavy stone door.
"No. But we do not know what, or how, Darius Drake was attacked." Uncle Harry sounded uncomfortable. "All we know is that an ancient magic is involved, because one of our useful spies has been able to obtain limited information about this group."
"They're using a series of four stone tablets," Ron said wearily. "But when our spy mind-photographed the tablet he came across, it wasn't in any...discernible language."
"All we really know," said Harry, and he sounded beyond tired, "Is that this group is called the Preservatists. And it is small and elite, because the knowledge is so esoteric. Which makes it harder than in the last war against Voldemort, because there were lots of Death Eaters - "
"But many weren't very bright," Professor McGonagall finished. "I have already identified what ails young Mr. Drake. He is, actually, asleep - but he has fallen into a Black Slumber."
"Never heard of it," said the woman stranger's voice dismissively.
"You wouldn't have," Professor McGonagall snapped. "This was covered only in advanced N.E.W.T Potions class one hundred years ago, my dear, and you are but a mere fifty eight."
"I've not heard of it either," said Ron slowly. "Would my wife know?"
"It should show you how esoteric in its own right the knowledge of this sleep is that your wife would NOT have ever heard of it," said Professor McGonagall. "But with the facts you've just presented me with, I can draw a conclusion as to the use of this particular affliction."
Nora leaned forward in heart-pounding excitement to hear better.
"Black Slumber is a state of consciousness - or rather, lack thereof - where the sleeper seems to have treacherous nightmares. These nightmares actually belong to the caster of this Slumber, and the sleeper takes them on. But the nightmares are very severe - they tax the sleeper's strength to a point that they are hanging onto life by a thread, and if they should be woken up force, they will wake up to the horrible nightmares and live in them forever. If the sleeper is killed...the nightmares would be unleashed on every single person in the world, driving them all into Black Slumber. Therefore...the sleeper would 'ideally' stay incapacitated for all eternity, not being able to die nor live."
A small silence followed this definition; Nora felt Pallas and Kincaid draw back in wonder and terror.
"Then...how could you promise that Darius Drake would be restored to full health?" Professor Marin said in disbelief.
"It is clearly Dark magic," Uncle Harry added, and Nora's stomach fell into her toes.
"It is Dark magic, but the Black Slumber has a cure," McGonagall continued. "However, it takes five extremely experienced wizards to cast the Charms that lift this Black Slumber. Wizards that are powerful enough to cast these charms must be completely pure of blood...it's a win win, by this Anti-Half-Blood group's standards. Not only do they place half-bloods into this sleep, but since we'll have to scavenge around for people whose bloodlines are still completely pure, which will be extremely difficult, it will show the wizarding community that there are hardly any people who are completely 'pure of blood' left."
An even longer dazed silence followed this pronouncement, and Nora knew that everyone who had heard Professor McGonagall's testament was in deep thought.
"We shall have to research this," said McGonagall briskly, and for a moment Nora was in awe of the strength in this woman. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, I trust you will put the investigation of how exactly this attack came about at the very top of your priority list."
"Of course, Minerva," said Ron.
"And, Secretary Trantridge, I would like you to submit your notes of this meeting to the Minister."
"As you wish," said the clipped voice.
"Should we...take her up to the hospital wing?" Uncle Harry suddenly said awkwardly. Nora had forgotten that Mrs. Drake was still present, though Stunned.
"I fear it is the only thing to do...though I would not like to see her wake up in a bed next to her son. To her, it will seem as though he is only sleeping...on second thought, let's take her to my office to tell her the story...we can't have her trying to wake the boy up..."
Nora froze as she realized that the adults intended to leave. She turned, a wild fear in her eyes, and the other four had already taken off at a run to their separate common rooms, the charm making their flight noiseless. Nora and Vin finally reached the Portrait Hole, without any encounters of Argus Filch or his cat, and Nora took a moment to be thankful as she and Vincent caught their breath.
"Finite Incantatem," Nora whispered when she'd caught her breath. She saw Vin do the same, and then he hissed "Bumpkin muffin" at the dozing Fat Lady, who barely woke before swinging forward and admitting the two first-years. Nora climbed through the hole and collapsed in a cloth-covered red armchair.
Vin Malfoy fell into a chair beside her. He sat, speechless for a moment, and then turned to the red-haired girl.
"This is so awful. I'm not a half-blood, but wizard prejudice is so pointless!" he said passionately.
"I agree," Nora whispered. "My mum had to deal with a lot of discrimination, she's Muggle-born..." she trailed off pensively.
"And look how she ended up - Minister of Magic!" said Vin, shaking his head. "Just goes to show you, these Preservatists and purists don't know a thing. Oh, and was that Harry Potter, by the way? He's your uncle?"
"Yes," said Nora, her mind on the poor Ravenclaw boy in his torturous slumber.
"Well...he's half blood too, isn't he? He should watch out. And you should, too."
And with that, Vincent Malfoy walked up the stairs to his dormitory, leaving a thoughtful Nora staring at ominously crackling flames.
A/N - I originally had this posted in both NBOW and NBUB, but I finally decided that it was WAY too unrealistic to just have Ron and Harry explain top secret information to a bunch of strange eleven year-old kids. So I changed...I hope it's better. Stay tuned for Chapter Eight, The Inter-House Alliance.
--Renee B
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Chapter 7 - Mothers and Fathers
After a grueling day of Transfiguration and Potions, Nora had almost forgotten that she had yet to attend Charms club with Vincent Malfoy. The thought made her cringe - while Vincent looked to be a perfectly normal boy, Nora just didn't want her father to find out that she was in his company. When it came to the Malfoys, sometimes Ron's hate nearly reciprocated Draco's equally. Thankfully, no one had heard from Draco in years...
Nora sat at a table with Morag, working on the Herbology essay that was due tomorrow, when she heard the dreaded voice behind her.
"Er - Nora? It's nearly eight. Should we get going?"
"Yes," Nora said resignedly. She grabbed her bookbag and followed Vincent out of the portrait hole.
"So - why did you want to join the Charms club in the first place?" Vincent asked her jovially.
"Well - er..." Nora did some quick thinking, and decided that Charms club actually WAS a good idea. "Well, Charms are very important," she began, "And since we probably won't be able to get much practice for them outside of class, what with essays and such, it'd be nice to get in some time we could get used to doing them. And I know the Charms club does some things that are much too advanced for first year, so we'd be getting ahead of our class, which is always good - "
Nora cut herself off. She could have sworn that her mother had said the exact same words to her before she'd left for Hogwarts.
Vincent, who hadn't noticed anything, nodded fervently. "Agreed," he said as they rounded a corner. "Charms are going to be some of the most useful stuff we get out of this school," he continued. "How often are we going to use History of Magic, or Astronomy outside of Hogwarts? Rarely, if ever. But Charms are part of everyday life."
"They are," said Nora. "I'm actually quite looking forward to this now," she confessed, then stopped, amazed that she had just willingly continued a conversation with someone whose surname was Malfoy.
"D'you know, Nora," said Vincent suddenly, "I get the idea that you're not so comfortable around me. Is it still because I'm related to the Malfoys that were all Death Eaters?" he said bluntly.
Nora blushed ferociously. "Well...it's not...what I mean to say is, I have nothing at all against you, it's only that my Dad...well, if he even heard the name 'Malfoy' in the same sentence as 'Nora,' he'd yank me out of this school faster than you can say 'Quidditch,'" she finished, then bit her lip in embarrassment.
"I guess I understand," said Vincent thoughtfully, and Nora was very glad that he was unoffended. "If it will get you in trouble with your family, I can stay away from you."
"No - Vincent!" Nora said, horrified.
"Vin," he corrected her. "Call me Vin."
They had reached the Charms hallway. "Vin...I'm sorry. I suppose I was just being rather silly, don't you think?"
Vin's tanned face broke into a broad smile that nearly made Nora blush again. "Well, then, it's settled. We're allowed to talk to each other?"
Nora didn't have time to analyze the importance of the lesson she had just learned before Professor Flitwick stuck his head out into the hallway and squealed, "Ah, new faces! Always wonderful to see new faces in this little club. Come in, children, come in!"
Nora and Vin smiled at their Charms professor, before walking into the Charms classroom, which had apparently been magically expanded to twice its size to accomodate the weekly club.
"Psst! Nora! Over here!" Nora scanned the room to find the person addressing her, and was overjoyed to see Pallas Austin gesturing wildly that she had space near her. Nora beckoned to Vin and they hurried to the Ravenclaw girl.
"I didn't know you were going to do Charms club!" Pallas exclaimed.
"Neither did I," Nora muttered under her breath, but Flitwick had just started speaking.
"Welcome to Charms club!" he squeaked, clapping his hands together. "I'm glad to see some newcomers! Those of you who haven't been here before, why don't you gather around my desk? Everyone else, why don't we review the Trance Charm? Yes? Well, go on!"
Nora glanced at Pallas, and as the rest of the room stood to walk to the back, Nora, Pallas, Vin and a two other boys came up to Professor Flitwick's desk.
"It is wonderful that you've decided to join us!" Flitwick gushed. "Since you're all first years, why don't you break into pairs and practice levitating each other? That should be fun, shouldn't it?"
Nora pictured herself bouncing along the room in midair on the tip of Pallas's wand. She shot a look at the blonde girl, who nodded at the inference of a partnership.
The two boys split into a pair, and Vin stood helplessly as the odd man out. Nora was about to suggest that he join Pallas and herself, but one of the other boys beat her to the punch.
"Hey, Malfoy," he called. Nora's eyes widened as she identified the boy as Kincaid Court. "You can work with me and Barry here." The other boy waved. Vin looked relieved, and trotted over to the two first years.
"Again," said Nora, incredulous. "A Slytherin inviting a Gryffindor to partner him?"
"What's more," said Pallas. "Is that Nicholas Barry is a Hufflepuff!"
"How odd," said Nora. "Well, shall I lift you first?"
Pallas had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well - yes. But...what say that after a bit, our aim starts going bad?"
"I see," said Nora, her eyes sparkling. "Alright," she continued, drawing out her wand, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
Pallas immediately began to float into the air, giggling. She closed her eyes and began to spin around in midair, before her head smacked against the ceiling.
Both girls winced. "Sorry about that," Nora said ruefully.
"You just wait till it's your turn," Pallas said darkly, before laughing openly once more.
Pallas was equal to the task; as soon as her feet touched the ground, she said the incantation, and Nora began to spin around the room until everything was blurred.
"Well, now that we know we can do it," said Nora, her heels dropping to the floor, "Let's plead incompetence and play with those boys over there?"
Pallas had her wand ready, a wicked look in her eyes. "On the count of three, you take Barry, and I'll take Court. One...two...three!"
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Nora shouted, and suddenly, Nicholas Barry and Kincaid Court were lifted off the ground and dangled uselessly four feet above it.
"Oh, we're so sorry!" said Pallas immediately. "Our aim was off - let me - here - " she lowered the Slytherin boy, and Nora followed suit.
"Well, the talent's there," said Nicholas, "But the direction needs a bit of work..."
The five first years laughed. "You know," Barry continued, "I've wanted to learn this spell for the longest time."
"Why?" Nora asked curiously.
"Because now we can play Duck, Duck, Fly!" he said. "Come on, who's up to it?"
Pallas's eyes widened. "You're right...we can play it without our parents now. Who'll be the lifter?"
"I'll do it," Nora volunteered.
Pallas, Vin, Kincaid and Nicholas organized themselves in a circle. "Kincaid, you're the duck first," Nora instructed. Kincaid obediently stepped out of the circle and began revolving around the three remaining first-years.
"Duck," he said, touching Pallas on the head, who giggled. "Duck," he repeated to Vin, "Duck, duck, duck, duck, GOOSE!"
Nora was ready for it. She lifted Vin into the air as Pallas jumped to graze his feet, but Nora was quicker. Kincaid returned to the floor, laughing.
"Two points to Nora," said Nicholas. "I'll be the Lifter now...go on, Nora, take my spot..."
They continued the game long after the older students left. Professor Flitwick didn't mind at all - on the contrary, by the time each of the players had taken their turn being the Lifter twice, Flitwick merrily joined the game, often accidentally sending the Goose rocketing into the ceiling in his excitement.
When Professor Flitwick finally called the game to a halt at a quarter to ten, Nora ended up in second place, Kincaid Court being the winner.
"We all need to go through the Entrance Hall, right?" asked Nicholas. "We could just walk together up to there, and go our separate ways."
The other four agreed, and they set off toward the Entrance hall, which was two floors and a hallway away. They discussed various classes and teachers, before a sight that greeted them as they got to the staircase down to the Entrance Hall brought not only the conversation, but the caravan, to a screeching halt.
Six people were crowded around a woman wearing a white fur coat that was bellowing hysterically, clawing at the chest of a tall man with bright red hair, not unlike Nora's own.
Nora squinted at the man...was that...?
"Let me see my child!" screamed the woman in the fur cape. "What have you done to him in this place? Let me take him home! He cannot remain here! He needs his mother!"
"Mrs. Drake!" said Professor McGonagall's piercing voice. "There is nothing you can do for your son! Our school matron will be able to restore him to full awareness in merely one month - "
"A month!" Mrs. Drake screamed. "A month, you'll keep him here when he's in a sleep that's like death? My husband told me about this sleep! He said it was a LEGEND! He said - he said that Darius would be SAFE at this place, safer than ANYWHERE ELSE! And now, Marius is gone, and Darius is in a coma? What kind of people are you?" She collapsed into the red-haired man's arms and sobbed. Nora watched the scene with her hand covering her mouth. Pallas was clutching her arm, and she felt Kincaid's arm across her stomach, restraining her.
"Mrs. Drake, I assure you that Darius is in the best of care here at Hogwarts," said Professor Marin, the dirty-blond Potions teacher. "Hogwarts is protected by numerous enchantments, and no one is able to pervade its defences - "
"Furthermore," said a man with black hair and spectacles, "This is not a coma. This is a purely magical sleep, which HAS a cure, but the Charm is immensely complex and needs more than one skilled caster, and such casters are rare, and we'll need to summon them from as far away as South America..."
Nora did a double take. "Uncle...Harry?" she cried.
The man in spectacles looked up the staircase until he located his niece. "Nora!" he said sharply. "Please - we'll discuss this later - take your friends back to your dormitory..." He glanced at the red haired man, who was trying to control the ever-howling Mrs. Drake. "Say hi to your daughter, Ron."
Ron looked up, a pained expression on his face. "Norling, do as Uncle Harry says...just go..."
Nora could feel Pallas and Kincaid staring at her in awe. She grimaced and said, "Alright, Daddy." She sped down the staircase and turned to walk to Gryffindor tower, her companions in hot pursuit.
When there were only a hundred feet separating Nora and the scene, she heard Nicholas Barry's voice wheezing behind her. "Nora - wait!" he called. Nora skidded to a stop, and turned to face the Hufflepuff boy. He was rather short, and his sandy, curly hair stuck to his face with sweat as its plaster. "D'you think your dad meant to take us to YOUR common room, or our own?"
Nora realized that her father must have thought that she was in the company of four Gryffindors. "I think...he may have thought you were all in my House," she told them.
"Well," said a white-faced Pallas, "We can't go to your common room..."
"Wait a minute," Vin hissed. "I think they're going down into the dungeons."
The five students crept back towards the Entrance Hall, and indeed, the shouting voices were following the shadows of their owners down towards the dungeons.
"Should we...follow them?" Nicholas said awkwardly.
"Well," Kincaid drawled, "My common room and yours are both in that direction, so we have to go there anyway."
Jealousy overcame Nora; here at last was her chance to find out some important Ministry mission her father was working on, and she was going to miss her opportunity because her common room was in the wrong direction?
"I'm going to listen," she said stubbornly. "If they find me, I'll say I was waiting for my dad."
The other four stared at her in awe. "Nora..." Pallas said faintly. "You're eleven years old!"
"What, and you aren't?" Kincaid said placatingly. "Like I said before, I've got to go that way anyway, so...night."
Pallas looked torn, and Vin remained motionless. Nora slowly turned and began to stride towards the dungeons, her childish confidence leading her as though by a leash. She felt Nicholas and Kincaid following her.
"Wait!" someone cried in a hiss behind Nora. Nora swiveled around to see Pallas and Vin catching up grimly. "If you're going to spy...at least do it right!" Pallas chided, and pulled out her wand. "Silencio mobilus," she said, pointing her wand to her chest. She took a few tentative steps to make sure the Body-Movement Silencing Charm had worked, and the others followed her example.
Nora motioned for them to follow her, and she slithered stealthily into the darkening Entrance Hall, and down its carpeted staircase. She swerved into the hallway that lead to the dungeons, and suddenly some words became coherent.
" - married...man that was some freak...nature, and then my baby turns out to be one too, and I have to send...away from me to be killed...other freaks!" screeched the hysterical Mrs. Drake.
Nora tip-toed up to the doorway, which was open a centimeter. She felt Pallas and Kincaid's heads at her shoulders, trying to see inside the chamber. Nora could make out some shapes, but nothing more.
"Yolanda," said the stern voice of Professor McGonagall. "You will calm down at this instant, or I shall have to Stun you."
"You won't lay a hand on me! My father is Andrew Blythe, and he can expose this school to the Ministry faster than - "
"The Ministry knows full well about this school," said Ron Weasley calmly. Nora felt a surge of pride for her father, determined to stay level.
"Well then - then I'll - I'll - GIVE ME MY DARIUS!" screamed the woman, and Nora felt Pallas clap a hand over her mouth.
"Mrs. Drake - " Uncle Harry began.
But Mrs. Drake was thrashing about wildly. "WHERE IS MY BABY? GIVE - ME - MY - BABY!"
"I am VERY sorry about this, Yolanda," said Professor McGonagall, and then Nora's eyes were assailed with a bright red light, and the sounds of Mrs. Drake struggling came abruptly to a halt.
"Goodness gracious," said someone faintly; Nora recognized the voice of Professor Marin.
"May I please be informed of what is going on?" said someone else in a clipped tone.
"I'd like to know the whole story myself," said Professor McGonagall in a dignified voice. "I gather that you boys have not told me the whole story of what is going on in my school."
"You are right, Minerva," Uncle Harry confessed.
"I think you owe me some answers."
"We do," Ron agreed. "You, of course, know about the letter you received, threatening the 'unclean' at Hogwarts. Well...we've only recently found out that this isn't anti-Muggle born prejudice...it's against - "
"Half-bloods," Uncle Harry said shortly.
"Half - ?" Professor Marin asked, mystified.
"What does this have to do with the attack on Darius Drake?" said the impatient female voice that Nora didn't recognize. It sounded vaguely familiar...
"Well, seeing as he's a half blood...if you didn't pick that up from his clearly Muggle mother," said Uncle Harry with exasperated sarcasm.
"Continue."
"Apparently there's some new terrorist-type group that's really against wizard/Muggle marriages," said Ron. "And they're trying to discourage it by attacking the products of these marriages."
"So it is not a personal attack on Darius Drake?" asked the unknown personage behind the heavy stone door.
"No. But we do not know what, or how, Darius Drake was attacked." Uncle Harry sounded uncomfortable. "All we know is that an ancient magic is involved, because one of our useful spies has been able to obtain limited information about this group."
"They're using a series of four stone tablets," Ron said wearily. "But when our spy mind-photographed the tablet he came across, it wasn't in any...discernible language."
"All we really know," said Harry, and he sounded beyond tired, "Is that this group is called the Preservatists. And it is small and elite, because the knowledge is so esoteric. Which makes it harder than in the last war against Voldemort, because there were lots of Death Eaters - "
"But many weren't very bright," Professor McGonagall finished. "I have already identified what ails young Mr. Drake. He is, actually, asleep - but he has fallen into a Black Slumber."
"Never heard of it," said the woman stranger's voice dismissively.
"You wouldn't have," Professor McGonagall snapped. "This was covered only in advanced N.E.W.T Potions class one hundred years ago, my dear, and you are but a mere fifty eight."
"I've not heard of it either," said Ron slowly. "Would my wife know?"
"It should show you how esoteric in its own right the knowledge of this sleep is that your wife would NOT have ever heard of it," said Professor McGonagall. "But with the facts you've just presented me with, I can draw a conclusion as to the use of this particular affliction."
Nora leaned forward in heart-pounding excitement to hear better.
"Black Slumber is a state of consciousness - or rather, lack thereof - where the sleeper seems to have treacherous nightmares. These nightmares actually belong to the caster of this Slumber, and the sleeper takes them on. But the nightmares are very severe - they tax the sleeper's strength to a point that they are hanging onto life by a thread, and if they should be woken up force, they will wake up to the horrible nightmares and live in them forever. If the sleeper is killed...the nightmares would be unleashed on every single person in the world, driving them all into Black Slumber. Therefore...the sleeper would 'ideally' stay incapacitated for all eternity, not being able to die nor live."
A small silence followed this definition; Nora felt Pallas and Kincaid draw back in wonder and terror.
"Then...how could you promise that Darius Drake would be restored to full health?" Professor Marin said in disbelief.
"It is clearly Dark magic," Uncle Harry added, and Nora's stomach fell into her toes.
"It is Dark magic, but the Black Slumber has a cure," McGonagall continued. "However, it takes five extremely experienced wizards to cast the Charms that lift this Black Slumber. Wizards that are powerful enough to cast these charms must be completely pure of blood...it's a win win, by this Anti-Half-Blood group's standards. Not only do they place half-bloods into this sleep, but since we'll have to scavenge around for people whose bloodlines are still completely pure, which will be extremely difficult, it will show the wizarding community that there are hardly any people who are completely 'pure of blood' left."
An even longer dazed silence followed this pronouncement, and Nora knew that everyone who had heard Professor McGonagall's testament was in deep thought.
"We shall have to research this," said McGonagall briskly, and for a moment Nora was in awe of the strength in this woman. "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, I trust you will put the investigation of how exactly this attack came about at the very top of your priority list."
"Of course, Minerva," said Ron.
"And, Secretary Trantridge, I would like you to submit your notes of this meeting to the Minister."
"As you wish," said the clipped voice.
"Should we...take her up to the hospital wing?" Uncle Harry suddenly said awkwardly. Nora had forgotten that Mrs. Drake was still present, though Stunned.
"I fear it is the only thing to do...though I would not like to see her wake up in a bed next to her son. To her, it will seem as though he is only sleeping...on second thought, let's take her to my office to tell her the story...we can't have her trying to wake the boy up..."
Nora froze as she realized that the adults intended to leave. She turned, a wild fear in her eyes, and the other four had already taken off at a run to their separate common rooms, the charm making their flight noiseless. Nora and Vin finally reached the Portrait Hole, without any encounters of Argus Filch or his cat, and Nora took a moment to be thankful as she and Vincent caught their breath.
"Finite Incantatem," Nora whispered when she'd caught her breath. She saw Vin do the same, and then he hissed "Bumpkin muffin" at the dozing Fat Lady, who barely woke before swinging forward and admitting the two first-years. Nora climbed through the hole and collapsed in a cloth-covered red armchair.
Vin Malfoy fell into a chair beside her. He sat, speechless for a moment, and then turned to the red-haired girl.
"This is so awful. I'm not a half-blood, but wizard prejudice is so pointless!" he said passionately.
"I agree," Nora whispered. "My mum had to deal with a lot of discrimination, she's Muggle-born..." she trailed off pensively.
"And look how she ended up - Minister of Magic!" said Vin, shaking his head. "Just goes to show you, these Preservatists and purists don't know a thing. Oh, and was that Harry Potter, by the way? He's your uncle?"
"Yes," said Nora, her mind on the poor Ravenclaw boy in his torturous slumber.
"Well...he's half blood too, isn't he? He should watch out. And you should, too."
And with that, Vincent Malfoy walked up the stairs to his dormitory, leaving a thoughtful Nora staring at ominously crackling flames.
A/N - I originally had this posted in both NBOW and NBUB, but I finally decided that it was WAY too unrealistic to just have Ron and Harry explain top secret information to a bunch of strange eleven year-old kids. So I changed...I hope it's better. Stay tuned for Chapter Eight, The Inter-House Alliance.
--Renee B