Chapter 13: In Trouble, or Not?
"Dad, what are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be here. It's got to be against the rules or something." I was near hysterical. I mean here I was looking forward to a whole year without my parents and he just showed up at my school. How rude! What would you say? Dad, I'm glad to see you?
"Well, you're welcoming aren't you? Aren't you going to give me a hug or something?" My dad said calmly.
"Well, no that thought didn't cross my mind when you came waltzing over here. Why are you here?" I yelled at him.
He didn't seem concerned. "I missed this field. Mind if I have a go on your broom, Riley?"
He had yanked the broom out of my hand before I could say anything. I stood there open mouthed and staring as he soared into the open air. "Dad, you have to come down here. Why are you here anyway? I didn't do anything to get in trouble."
Spencer fought back a laugh. I glared at him menacingly. He pretended to have something in his throat and started coughing violently.
"Dad, if you'd just land we could talk about this rationally. Dad? Oh, snap, WATCH OUT FOR THE…. goalpost." I added as he hit the bubble blower shaped post. "A little out of practice aren't we?" I asked as he landed, rubbing his leg in pain.
"No, I'm just out of date. I never had a broom this nice when I was your age. So, do you want to know why I'm here?" He asked me finally.
"Yes!" I cried loudly. He obviously was oblivious to the fact that I had already asked him this multiple times.
"No, I don't think you do." He teased me incessantly but my patience was running out. Thankfully he noticed and stopped teasing, or I couldn't have been responsible for my actions.
"Okay, here's the deal. I asked Dobby to check up on you. He was supposed to watch you all the time. I was suspicious of your…"
"DAD," I screamed before whispering to him, "They don't know about the wand. I suggest you don't say anything in front of anyone."
"Fine, I think it's best if you come with me and we talk alone." Dad told me grabbing hold of my arm and dragging me off. I stuck out my hand and my broom that had lain forgotten on the ground jumped into it.
"Wow, they didn't used to do that. How come it didn't work for me?" Dad asked me.
"Um…. I don't know exactly. It doesn't do that for anyone else either."
"Well let's get back up to the castle," He grabbed my arm forcefully. "I'm sure you have a lot to tell me."
There was no point in answering seeing as how I wasn't getting out of it, so we walked into the school in silence. No sooner had we stepped through the doors then Lily showed up looking quite pleased with herself. As soon as she saw us, however, the smile dropped off of her face. I smirked at her.
"Daddy, what are you doing here is something wrong with Mum? Is she ill?" Lily faked being worried quite well.
I tugged myself loose from Dad's grip and just looked at her without saying anything. The look on my face was one of despise mixed with triumph. Dad was going to be mad at her for once.
"Nothing's wrong, except your sister has been getting herself into trouble again. I'm here to sort out what really happened." Dad told her lovingly. The look of pride on his face almost made me sick. What was he talking about anyways?
"Oh, I suspected as much," Lily told my dad. "When she was put in Slytherin I just knew…" Here she heaved a great sigh.
I shot both her and my father a look of greatest contempt. I was thoroughly confused and didn't like the turn the day had taken.
"I'll come see you later, honey." My dad told Lily lovingly. I for one thought I would barf if he said it any more sweetly.
"What was that about?" I spat at my dad when Lily had gone away. "I didn't do anything, okay hardly anything, wrong. And why are you being so sweet to the enemy?"
"Come on and I'll explain everything." Dad told me shortly. He led me up the stairs and towards the Owlery.
When we got there he closed the door softly and motioned for me to come to the back corner. My owl, Zandra, perched softly on my shoulder. I was confused as to why we had come up here but I wasn't about to ask.
"I'm waiting for a letter from Hermione." Dad explained. "She, Ron and I are working on another assignment as Aurors. Don't ask about it. I can't tell you." He must have noticed that I was getting ready to ask him just that.
"So, feel like explaining yourself? What has happened since you got to school?" Dad questioned me.
"Well, I was sorted into Gryffindor, got in some minor trouble, found out Dobby was watching my every move, saved Lily's life, got top marks in the school, spent last night in the Hospital Wing, tried out for Quidditch, and found out you were here at school. What about you?" I said smiling pleasantly and hoping he wouldn't try to sort it all out.
Dad stared at me and then laughed. "You're putting me on, right? You, get top marks in the school? That's a good one." He was laughing, and I looked at him impassively. "Wait, you aren't serious? You are serious, aren't you? Wow, I never would have guessed. Here your mother and I thought you were devoid of all things magical and you are the exceptionally gifted one."
I rolled my eyes like it was obvious. "Oh, I forgot. I also found out that I could be the Protector." I added this to my list offhandedly.
"What are you talking about?" My dad asked me confusedly. "What's this Protector nonsense? Are you talking about that crackpot prophesy, the one with the 'Great Evil' that is supposed to descend from the 'hero boy'? I don't think that prophesy was even properly documented in the Department of Mysteries. Nobody believed it was even worth the trouble. It was completely out of the question that the wizarding world would let someone grow that powerful again."
"Oh, whatever then," I knew better then to contradict Dad when he was in this kind of a mood. These moods only came around when he was about to get another Auror assignment from Hermione. He got in a very protective mood and then went off to catch some of the last remnants of the Death Eaters. It was a never ending process.
"There's my letter. You'd better get back to your friends now. I have to go soon." There was no use talking to Dad anymore so I patted Zandra and walked off.
I, getting an idea, didn't leave the Owlery just yet. I wanted to put in a subscription to the Daily Prophet, the wizarding newspaper, just to keep up on events. Or that's what I told myself. I think I really wanted to find out what dad's letter said. I snuck back around and watched him. He read the letter over a few times and then set light to it. He turned and walked off not bothering to make sure that it burned properly.
I snuffed it out with a quick spell and dashed to pick it up. I tucked it safely down in my robes where I wouldn't lose it and then sent out a subscription to the Daily Prophet with Zandra.
I looked around and then had another idea. This one would have to wait. I would need to do research on the subject before I tried to pull it off. I glanced around nervously, feeling as if I was being watched, but, seeing no one, I strode quickly out of the Owlery with my broom in hand.
Chapter 14: Stealing At Hogwarts
"What is that?" Spencer asked me suspiciously eying the crumpled and singed parchment in my hand. "It looks old and, well, dirty. Why do you want it?"
"Shut up, I'm trying to read it." I snapped at him. "It's kind of important."
It was a little later that day and we were sitting in the common room, supposed to be doing homework. Celeste and Lauran were discussing how hot Colby was, Spencer was eying me suspiciously and I was attempting to read a letter. I had already finished my homework, the only one to actually do so.
"This is so hard to decipher." I said finally, exasperated. "Why can't they just write in English like normal people?"
That got Celeste's attention and she stopped mid sentence. "Who writes in code? What are you deciphering?"
"Um, nothing," It was too late I already had their interest. "Okay, it's an assignment letter from Hermione to my dad. She and Ron are waiting for him to do something so that they can get to the next stage of the plan or something. I almost have it worked out who they're after this time, but not quite. It's one of Voldemort's supporters, probably one of his most loyal Death Eaters that escaped capture."
"Where did you get that letter? Did your dad give it to you?" Celeste asked me.
"Um, not exactly," I said slightly guiltily. "I found it and thought someone should know what he's up to if he gets himself into trouble, someone trustworthy, like me!"
"Yeah," Lauran said sarcastically, "trustworthy people always steal letters they shouldn't read."
"Uh, okay maybe not the best idea. It's too late now though, right? It's not like I can put the letter back or anything. Anyways I'm going to the library. I have to look something up. Anyone want to come? Colby's not posting Quidditch results until after dinner."
"No thanks. I've got a little Transfiguration left. I better get it done." Spencer told me.
"Count us out," Lauran told me, "I hate the library; Madam Pince is always prying into what I'm looking up, that old batty librarian."
"Okay, suit yourselves. I've got important things to look up anyways. See you at dinner." I told them hurrying up the stairs to the dormitory to put the letter down. I didn't want to carry it around. It would be safer here.
I closed the windows, afraid the letter would blow away, and I tucked the letter into a Defense Against the Dark Arts book. I glanced around nervously before leaving the dormitory. I felt like unfriendly eyes were watching my every move.
I hurried down to the library and began to look for the information I wanted. There was very little on the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic, so I began to look through various books about the real downfall of Voldemort. I found what I was looking for in the third book I looked through. It had documented a prophesy made shortly after the downfall of Voldemort by a Sybil Trelawney. It read as follows:
There shall come a time when all seems won and those are lured into false safety. The time will follow when a Great Evil rises and a new Protector be born. A set of twins will come from the hero boy's clan, one pure of heart, the other far from. A reign of terror the Great Evil shall have. There is, however, one way to stop this from ever coming to be. Kill one twin, the Evil One, and let the Protector be. If you choose wrong, Evil shall triumph and a time of horror greater than ever dreamed shall fall. The only hope once the reign has begun is the one least expected. The Protector shall save the world. Judge them not for the Great Evil is the one least likely to seem harmful, while the Protector has the Dark Lord's wand. Do what you see fit, you have been warned, don't ever say you weren't.
The previous was spoken in a pub shortly after the final fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It was not taken seriously because, well, who believes it anyway? The Prophesy was recorded in the Department of Mysteries, however, to follow strict wizarding laws and regulations.
I was excited to see that the Prophesy had been recorded. I hurried down to dinner hoping to get started on my newest project soon. I half expected Spencer to ask what I had been up to, but he didn't. In fact everyone seemed a little shifty during dinner. They seemed to be avoiding telling me something. I ignored this obvious fact as best as possible. But, alas, it was too much for me.
"Okay," I had pretty much lost it by this point, "What aren't you telling me? Something is up and I will figure out what."
"Uh, Celeste this is your call." Spencer said warily, "You're the only one out of range."
I shot him a look before smiling sweetly at Celeste as if to tell her to go on.
"Uh, Riley, don't be mad, er, okay?" Celeste started uncertainly. "Don't shoot the messenger."
I was panicked by now. "What happened? Tell me or I swear…"
"Someone broke into the dormitory." Celeste said hurriedly as if hearing it fast would make it less hard to hear.
"They didn't take my broom, did they?" I asked, wondering where this was going.
"No, they were looking for, and found, a certain letter you weren't supposed to have." Celeste replied quietly.
"Oh…" and here I cursed so badly it made Lauran say my name in a sharp tone of surprise.
"Sorry," I told her, not really meaning it, "But, nobody knew where it was. How did they find it?" I felt, once again, as if I was being watched by a pair of unfriendly eyes.
Spencer spoke in undertones and I had to lean in to hear what he was saying, "That letter was important. We had better find out what happened to it. If it falls into the wrong hands…" He trailed off, and I got the picture, all too clearly.
Cursing under my breath, I sat back and looked around. Someone in this school had the letter from dad. But who could it be? Was it Lily? I hoped it wasn't but I had a sinking feeling as I met her bluish-gray, cold, eyes from across the Great Hall. She smirked at me. I knew, instantly, who had the letter and winced at the thought.
"How did she get it?" I asked no one in particular. "She's not allowed in Gryffindor Tower. And you would have seen her."
I sat quietly, not eating for the rest of dinner. I moved some food around on my plate and listened to the conversation at the table, which I took no part in. I felt, for the billionth time today, as if I was being watched by unfriendly eyes, and not my sister's either.
Chapter 15: That's not Dobby
I saw Colby posting the Quidditch try-out results but didn't bother to go look at them. Spencer, Celeste and Lauran, however, bolted over to see what the sheet said.
Mumbling to myself, I added to the letter I was planning on sending the next morning before class started. We had a less then a week until Halloween. Classes would end early on Friday and then we would have the huge Halloween feast that night. Normally I would be psyched, but right now I just wanted to get out of the trouble I was in.
"You made it," Spencer informed me sitting down next to me and attempting to see what I was writing.
I just made a noise to show I had heard and went on writing. I already knew that I had made the team and didn't much care about anything else right now besides the letter I was attempting to write.
"Aren't you going to ask how we did?" Lauran shot at me reproachfully. "Or do you even care?"
"I was getting to that." I said half-heartedly. "So, how'd my buddies do?"
"I'm in!" Celeste squealed. "Lauran and I are back-up Beaters. It's great, huh?"
"Back-up Beaters! Who beat you out? Why I oughtta-" I started angrily.
"She's only kidding." Lauran cut me off. "We're first string."
I noticed Spencer was pointedly avoiding looking at me. I knew something was wrong. There was no need to ask him. He hadn't made the team.
"I'm sorry Spencer. You were great…" I trailed off.
"Sorry for what? That I made Chaser, you'd better be sorry. I could've beaten you out for Seeker if I'd wanted to." Spencer grinned at me sideways.
"You're a little stinker!" I screamed at him. I smacked him over the head with my letter and then hurried to seal the envelope. It was finally finished. I would send it out in the morning with Zandra.
"Now are you going to tell us what that is, or are we going to have to force it out of you?" Spencer asked teasingly.
"Well, you can't force it out of me, so, I suppose I'll have to tell you…" I paused, "when the reply comes back!"
I ran up to the dormitory to put the letter away, but then thought better of it. I made a separate letter and put it on my bedside table. This time I opened the window and grabbed my invisibility cloak. I had a suspicion what was going on.
I hurried into the bathroom and turned on the light, shutting and locking the door behind me. Then I threw on the invisibility cloak and proceeded out the bathroom door that led into the hall. I circled back into my room and stood, watching.
Sure enough a great black bird soared through the open window and nicked the letter on the bedside table. It was the decoy letter for whoever was taking them.
As the bird soared around the room and out the window, I caught a glimpse of its blood red eyes. They sent shivers down my spine and I was glad when the bird was gone. Now I knew how Lily had gotten the letter. I just hoped she would fall for the decoy letter trick.
As I turned to unlock the bathroom door a thought ran through my head. Lily is having me watched. That wasn't Dobby watching me earlier today. I would have to be more careful from now on.