Ronald Weasley laughed as Harry's words echoed in his mind. He let out a long sigh, shaking his head.
"Ron. Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while." He stood up and walked slowly around the chair he'd just vacated, scanning the room. "Reminds me of Hermione, really. How is she?" Harry said nothing. "Probably exhausted from all that hunting, huh?" Harry frowned at this but Ron merely shrugged. "She's my wife, Harry. Of course I have people watching her. I have people watching my sons, my daughter, my nieces and nephews—even my sister." Harry let out an angered cry and tried to lunge out of his chair, but his ropes only tightened. He forced himself to stop, growling angrily. Ron walked slowly around his chair and bent down beside Harry, looking at the ropes that held his hands firmly behind his back. "Ingenious, aren't they? Created them myself." He stood up again. "The harder you struggle, the tighter they become." Ron sat back down in the chair. "But we weren't talking about that, now, were we?" He sighed. "Sterling's looking so much like his old man, don't you think?"
"I know it's what's got Hermione in tears every time she looks at him." Harry growled. "Vilandra usually takes care of him, Hermione's afraid to even look at him." Ron smiled.
"Funny you should mention Vilandra, I was just about to get on to her. Beautiful girl, isn't she?" Harry said nothing, hating this conversation more and more as it progressed. To him, Ronald Weasley was dead, and his family no longer belonged to him, yet there he sat, all smug and arrogant, acting as if he saw his family every day. As if he'd been a stellar father. "And your sons, wow. Spitting images of their father." Harry gritted his teeth angrily, wanting nothing more than to rip his head off. Ron leaned forward, smiling in Harry's face. "Rip my head off, is it?" Harry was stunned. "I can read every little thought that floats through your head, Harry. I know you think these things, but you could never do them." Ron stood back and waved his hand, the ropes around Harry's wrists loosening. Harry was confused, and he caught his wand, startled, as Ron threw it to him. "Get up." Harry obeyed, rubbing his right wrist. Ron held out both arms. "Go ahead. Kill me." Harry stared at Ron a long while. The problem was, he knew that Ron could read his mind, and that meant Ron knew that he couldn't do it.
The whole way there, the whole time he was training, everything he had done up until this moment had been in preparation to killing his best friend—but how does one do that? How does one simply put everything behind them? All the laughs, and fun summers, near-death experiences and Quidditch matches—how could one possibly forget all those things? Harry sighed, feeling he was letting the whole world down, but he knew he couldn't do it. He threw his wand to the ground, staring anywhere but at Ron.
"No." He whispered. He then looked up at Ron. "I don't want to fight you!" He hollered.
"Too bad." Ron threw out his hand and Harry cried out as he felt the skin on his right cheek tear. Bringing his fingers to his cheek, he brought them back before his eyes and saw blood. "Add another scar to your collection, brave and wonderful Potter." And suddenly, Harry flew back into his chair, his hands bound tightly once again.
"Just answer me this before you kill me, Ron." Harry whispered. "Why? In all the years you've been this—thing, it was the only question none of us could answer. Why?" The question seemed to amuse Ron, because he began to laugh hysterically. So hysterically, in fact, that Harry was actually more terrified of him at that moment than of death. And then, the laughter disappeared and was replaced by shouting not even a millisecond later.
"I was almost a vegetable for you, Harry!" Ron hollered at him. Harry cringed at the intensity in Ron's voice. Harry remembered that day well. The day he went to face Voldemort one last time.
Ron had been with him, although he hadn't been seen yet. Harry had been caught by Death Eaters and chained to a dungeon wall, about to be killed. And then, Ron had appeared behind Voldemort, and he had risked his life to cast a spell over Voldemort's shoulder to free Harry. Voldemort had turned around and held Ron under the Cruciatus curse until Harry had managed to free himself from his shackles, which had been weakened by Ron's blast. He'd then killed Voldemort, and rid the world of his torture. Ron had barely escaped being permanently brain-damaged.
"And what did I get in return?" Ron continued, kicking his chair angrily. "Nothing!" He paced in front of Harry, shaking his head angrily. "No respect. No respect!" He yelled in Harry's face. "If it weren't for me you wouldn't even have defeated Voldemort! You would've died in that godforsaken dungeon, but I saved you. It was me, Harry. People should be admiring me, not you!" Harry flinched as he felt his left cheek burn. He'd obviously have yet another scar to add to the one Ron had just given him.
"So what are your plans, Ron?" Harry whispered. "Be like all the others? Rid the world of all the Muggles and Muggle-born? Because, if that's the case, you do realize you would be killing your own wife, right?" Ron smiled at this, seemingly amused. Harry was not amused. Harry was dead serious. "And what about mixed-bloods? Because that would include your children! I can't believe what you've become, Ronald. Your family still loves you, it's not too late to go back."
"There is no going back!" Ron yelled, getting back in his face again. "I don't want to be nothing, Harry. Being great isn't good enough, being great is what you are, Harry. I'm extraordinary. I will inflict fear into the hearts of men and women like Voldemort could never dream of doing. I know all of your weaknesses." He smirked. "All three of them." He held out his hand and three pictures appeared. One of Ginny, one of Talak, and one of Rhett. "Anytime I want, anywhere I want, I can get rid of them. Or not just get rid of them, do worse." He laughed as the pictures faded. "I could bring in Dementors, have them suck the happiness out of your children while you watch. And then, why not let them have their souls?" Rage boiled within Harry, and he cursed himself for having been weak. He could've killed Ron minutes ago, but he hadn't, and now his family was going to pay. "Oh, you couldn't have killed me if you tried, Harry." Ron replied, reading his thoughts. "I'm more powerful than any wizard has ever been. And the only way to be greater than Harry Potter, is to have fought against him—and won. Which, if I'm not mistaken, I've already done." Ron smirked at him. He held out his hand and Harry frowned as he felt his heart flutter. That wasn't normal, he thought urgently. He then let out a loud cry of pain as he felt his heart literally being jerked in his chest. The pain was unbearable and Harry slowly felt his arms and legs going numb.
"How do you like it, Harry!" Harry let out one final agonized scream when the pain stopped. Harry panted as his head hung down, the pain still vivid in his mind, although it was no longer there. "Like I said, pathetic." Harry looked up weakly as more figures entered the room. "Bring him to the dungeons. We'll keep him alive—for now." Ron swept out of the room as the Death Eaters came towards Harry, their grins of pleasure seemingly plastered on their faces. "Oh, and Harry?" Harry shot a glance at the door as Ron spoke. "You asked me why I did it, and I somewhat answered, but there's more to it than just being more powerful than you. I want something else."
"And what would that be?" Harry gasped out. Ron smirked.
"I want to rule the world, Harry."
-----
"Wanting to rule the world is so Pinky and the Brain-ish." Leroux muttered as he threw the Daily Prophet onto the table.
"Seriously." Vilandra answered, playing with her food as she held her head against her right hand. Her eyes flickered to the Daily Prophet, reading the headline.
King of Darkness' plans: WORLD DOMINATION.
Vilandra rolled her eyes, not being able to believe something so cheesy still existed. She quickly scanned the article for any mention of her uncle, but there was none.
"I would've told you." Leroux whispered. She looked up at him, finally leaning back and dropping her fork.
"I know, I just wanted to make sure." She sighed. "Something tells me Rhett isn't going to Muggle Studies."
"Something tells me Talak isn't going to Ancient Runes." They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Both were wondering the same thing: were their cousins going to be okay? Vilandra was confident about Talak, he seemed all right that morning when she'd seen him. He was sitting on the couch, reading his Ancient Runes book, but Dumbledore had excused both him and Rhett from classes, so why he was preparing for class she didn't know. Probably didn't want to miss anything. Rhett, however—neither Leroux nor Vilandra had ever seen him like that. They always considered him to be the strongest one in the group, he was always good at hiding what he felt. It appeared they'd found his one weakness. His father. It was strange, really, for they knew that Harry's weakness was his children. The term 'like father, like son' never sounded truer than when Leroux had spoken them the night before.
They both looked up startled as Talak fell down beside Leroux, grabbing a piece of toast and buttering it. The two cousins stared at him, but he ignored their gazes as he added jam onto his toast.
"You can stop staring now." He muttered as he folded the toast in half and bit into it.
"We're sorry, we just…" Leroux trailed off.
"We thought you were taking the day off." Vilandra finished for him, watching Talak carefully. He shrugged.
"I think about it less when I'm busy. I figure class will help."
"We have Potions today." Vilandra reminded him.
"Seeing the git will help." He shoved the rest of his toast into his mouth, reaching for another piece. Leroux caught his wrist and Talak turned to him.
"I really think you should take the day off." Leroux insisted. Talak shook his head, wrenching his arm from Leroux's grip.
"I don't want to! Not doing anything makes me think, and when I think…" He trailed off, covering his face with his hands. He had started crying again. Vilandra sighed, hating how often she was around people who cried. It wasn't that she was inconsiderate, it just sucked that there was never anything she could do to help them. With her mother, it wasn't exactly like she could go out and find her father to stop her from being upset. With Talak and Rhett, it was the same thing. She couldn't just get up and find their father, and it wrenched at her heartstrings to see them so upset. She desperately wanted to talk to her mother and make sure she was all right, but she hadn't been able to reach her. Hermione Weasley was on high demand, especially now that Harry was missing.
Leroux wrapped an arm around Talak's shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Talak. I'm sorry." Talak let out a slow breath, dropping his hands.
"If I just stay busy, it'll be okay. If we pull a prank on Snape, I'll be my old laughing self again in no time. Rhett even agreed to come to Potions if we make it worth his while." Leroux and Vilandra shared a look. Great, Leroux thought. Added pressure. Make Snape expel us so our cousins can be happy. Leroux shook his head. He and Vilandra would have a lot of brainstorming to do at lunch. Talak stood up, not having finished his second piece of toast.
"I'm going up to get my book. I'll see you in Ancient Runes." Talak turned and disappeared. Leroux and Vilandra started immediately.
"Any ideas?" They both asked simultaneously.
"Brilliant." Vilandra muttered. "The one time where we actually need an idea, and we haven't got one."
"You usually come up with the best ideas." Leroux reminded her. "They love all of your pranks."
"Mine always involve snow or a Portable Swamp." Vilandra insisted, motioning a part of the Great Hall Filch hadn't got to yet, the swamp still there.
"You always have good ideas when it comes to elements, think of the elements." Vilandra nodded as she took a bite of her eggs. She grimaced and pushed the plate away from her, banging her head on the table. She needed an idea. An idea with elements, Leroux had said. What kind of elements could she use? She'd done snow already, and it wasn't snowing enough yet for it to be doable again. The swamps were out of the question, they'd used them already and it wouldn't make the boys laugh, even if it was torturing Snape. She considered maybe doing something with leaves, but it would take too much time, and it wouldn't get done until at least the next day. She only had three hours. She severely hoped Leroux was thinking, too, because her head was starting to hurt. Then, her head shot up.
"You have something?" Leroux asked excitedly. A ridiculously huge grin attempted to take over Vilandra's face as she stared at her cousin.
"We flood the dungeons." Leroux's excitement faded as he regarded Vilandra questioningly.
"We flood the dungeons? How in Merlin's name are we going to flood the dungeons?" Vilandra merely looked up, and Leroux followed her gaze. It fell onto Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. Leroux understood immediately. Grinning, he looked back at Vilandra.
"Moaning Myrtle?" She grinned.
"Moaning Myrtle." They both stood up and headed for the doors, needing to get her started as soon as possible. "If I'm not mistaken, Snape has no classes this morning, and he usually goes down to Hogsmeade to do his rounds. He shouldn't be back until after lunch, and that's when we've got Potions." Vilandra and Leroux pushed open the double oak doors.
"Even if he did get back during lunch, there's no way for him to get rid of all the water before class starts." Vilandra grinned as Leroux jumped up the stairs two at a time. She began to follow him when a hand suddenly slapped onto her mouth and pulled her behind the Grand Staircase. She let out a small cry as she was shoved into a wall, Salai Malfoy standing in front of her.
"Are you okay?" He asked her. She shoved him away forcefully, sending him stumbling back two steps.
"Like you care." She spat vehemently.
"I don't." He replied coolly, fixing his hair.
"Then why did you ask?" She growled, turning to leave, but he grabbed her shoulders and slammed her back into the wall, causing her to let out another cry.
"Let's try this again, Weasley. Are you okay?"
"Why do you care!" She demanded angrily, just wanting to get back to her plan with Leroux.
"I don't." Malfoy replied for a second time.
"Then why are you asking me!" She demanded, trying to shove him away, but he was too well positioned.
"We've had this conversation before." He teased.
"No kidding. Move before I knee you in the groin." He smirked at her.
"Not until you answer my question." She leaned in close to him.
"I'll answer yours if you answer mine." She growled. He shrugged.
"Fine, maybe because I worry about you." Vilandra laughed at his reply. "What? You find it funny that someone worries about you?"
"No, I find it funny that you worry about me. Or pretend to, whichever." Malfoy ignored her comment, watching her eyes.
He always felt everything about Vilandra's feelings could always be learned from her eyes. He'd memorized the different looks, and right now, they were a mixture of anger and sadness. The anger he was pretty sure he knew the source of, but the sadness was what had always fascinated him. For someone so funny, and always looking so happy, he never understood how her eyes could be so dead. It was almost as if her eyes and the rest of her face were two completely different things. Her face would portray her feelings at that exact moment in time—like laughing, smiling, crying, and so on—and her eyes would portray the feelings she felt all the time, beneath the surface of her current emotions. He wondered what could possibly be so bad in her life that she always felt so—alone. So sad. He lightly ran one of his hands against her cheek and she stared at him, stunned.
"Who could have turned you into what you are?" He whispered to her, watching her eyes. "How could someone have destroyed something so perfect?" And with those final words, he was wrenched away from Vilandra and slammed against the opposite wall, Leroux holding him by the collar and lifting him off the ground.
"Touch her again, I'll be put in Azkaban for what I do to you!" Leroux hissed dangerously. He slammed Malfoy against the wall again and then let him go. He fell to the ground, landing on his butt, cringing. Leroux turned back to Vilandra. "Let's go." Without a word, or a backwards glance, she followed Leroux back around the Grand Staircase and climbed it to the second floor.
-----
"This better be worth it." Rhett grumbled as he walked down the stairs towards the dungeons, his hands shoved in his pockets. Vilandra and Leroux said nothing, having checked the dungeons before lunch. The water went halfway up Leroux's torso, and he was six-foot-two. Vilandra didn't even want to know where it would go up to for her. They descended another flight and two Slytherins walked up the steps, passing the four Gryffindors.
"Class is cancelled." One of them grumbled as they disappeared.
"You cancelled class, big whoop." Talak rolled his eyes. Vilandra grinned.
"Ah, but it is the method, young Mr. Potter, that is important." Snape suddenly appeared, stomping angrily up the stairs, his robes dripping water onto the ground. The twins were confused, but Leroux and Vilandra had to suppress laughter. He looked up as he noticed the students before him and his eyes narrowed dangerously at Vilandra.
"The elements, I believe, are your speciality." Vilandra gasped, putting her hand on her chest as if in shock.
"Why professor, whatever do you mean?" She asked.
"Don't play those idiotic games with me, Weasley. I know it was you, and I'll make you pay dearly in our next class." He pushed past them, storming up the stairs. Smiles appeared on the twin's faces.
"Elements?" Talak asked, pushing past Leroux and Vilandra.
"Vilandra, darling, what have you done?" Rhett asked, following his brother. Vilandra and Leroux turned to each other, high-fiving the second they heard two splashes.
"Bloody hell!" Rhett laughed hysterically as the other two made their way around the next corner, looking down at their two half-soaked cousins. "Totally missed the last step." Talak laughed as he dived under the water and re-emerged, his black hair sticking to his forehead.
"This is bloody brilliant!" Talak exclaimed. He continued to laugh as he began swimming down the corridor. "Check it out, I'm swimming to my Potions class." Rhett and Talak continued to laugh, and this made Leroux and Vilandra incredibly happy. They'd set out to cheer their cousins up, and they'd succeeded.
"Lonnie, you're bloody mad!" Rhett laughed.
"I'm also bloody brilliant, thank you very much." Vilandra teased back as Rhett and Talak continued to splash water at each other.
"Come on, you two! It's brilliant!" Rhett waved them in. Leroux laughed and without a second though, he jumped down the stairs, landing in the water. He surfaced, shaking his head, causing his hair to stick out at odd angles. They all turned back to Vilandra.
"Come on, Lonnie." Leroux waved her forward. She shook her head.
"No, thanks. I'd rather not."
"Aw, come on!" The four began to groan and pout. She laughed, but continued to decline. She didn't want to get soaking wet in her robes, it just didn't seem like a logical idea. However, it appeared the choice didn't belong to her, for seconds later, Talak and Rhett had exited the water and were pulling her towards it. She screamed as she struggled, but a smile spread across her face. The two boys jumped into the water, still holding her wrists. With a final scream, she flew into the water, submerging completely. She surfaced and took a deep breath, splashing water into Rhett's face.
"Thanks a lot, now I'm going to have to kill the two of you for ruining my own prank by forcing me to be a victim of it." The twins laughed, shaking their heads.
"I still can't believe you pulled this off! How did you do it?" Talak demanded.
"Moaning Myrtle." Leroux grinned. The twins laughed, shaking their heads as the four of them treaded water. The water was high enough so none of them could reach the ground, but still low enough for them to barely be able to touch the ceiling with their hands.
"Thanks, guys." Rhett said gratefully. "We really needed this. We owe you." Leroux shrugged.
"We're just glad to have the old twins back! Mayhem and chaos for all!" Leroux threw his arms in the air, water splashing onto the four of them. They all laughed as they began splashing each other with water. Vilandra got Leroux square in the eyes and laughed, turning her head slightly. She caught something out of her peripheral vision and turned her head completely, looking at the stairs. Someone was sitting on them, watching the four as they splashed about in the water, but it had become too dark for her to notice who it was. The water had extinguished the torches on that level, and the flames that should have been burning in the stairwell were unnaturally dim. Ignoring the figure, she turned back to her cousins, and threw another round of water into Leroux's eyes.
-----
Rhett practically emptied out everything in his trunk, throwing every single item over his shoulder. The three behind him found themselves ducking quite a few times to avoid getting hit. Vilandra let out a small cry as she caught a crystal ball Ginny had given him.
"This is fragile." She insisted as she threw it onto his bed. It landed softly, sinking slightly into the blanket.
"Aha!" Rhett finally stood up and pulled a cloak out of his trunk. "It was inside out, that's why I couldn't find it." He threw it to Talak who caught the cloak easily, smiling as the soft material caressed his fingers. He then sighed as he stared down at it.
"I still can't believe dad gave you the invisibility cloak." Talak muttered jealously.
"He gave you the Firebolt. And the Marauder's map."
"Yeah, but still! He gave you this!" Talak shook the cloak. "Brooms come and go, the Firebolt is still only second best. These things—they're legend."
"So's the map."
"But the map becomes useless after seventh year." Talak complained. Vilandra rolled her eyes, taking the cloak from Talak.
"Men." She said simply.
"I resent that." Leroux insisted as Talak and Rhett continued arguing.
"Oh, honestly, you two!" She exclaimed, forcing them to stop. "It's just an invisibility cloak. What is it with men and comparing the size of their—"
"Can we please not go there?" Leroux requested, turning to Vilandra. "Last time you brought that up, Rhett wouldn't shut up about his."
"True." Vilandra admitted. She unfolded the large invisibility cloak, smiling as it fell perfectly all the way to the ground. Harry knew there would be four of them using the cloak now, so before giving it to Talak, he'd found a spell and expanded it ever so slightly. It was now roomy enough to fit five people easily beneath it, and since they were only four, it gave all of them a bit of extra room. Vilandra rolled it back up quickly and tucked it under her arm.
"Let's go." The four of them headed for the door and peaked out. Nobody was around. The only two people who weren't in their rooms were Rivel and Ziad, and that was why the four of them had been able to make so much noise. But now, they would have to sneak past them to get to the portrait hole and put on the cloak. They'd attempted to go down the stairs under the invisibility cloak before. It had been a complete disaster. Vilandra silently crept from the room, leading the way down the stairs. The two boys had their backs to the stairs, doing their homework at one of the tables. She motioned the others to follow her and they hurried silently to the portrait hole, pulling on the cloak. Once they were all covered, they exited the tower and began their long descent to Hagrid's hut. They had to flatten themselves against walls numerous times to avoid being touched by Prefects or professors. They knew they would get in a lot of trouble if they were caught, especially since they found the Death Eater on the grounds, but they missed their nightly visits with the friendly half-giant, and their parents had done it all the time when they were in more danger, so they saw no reason why they couldn't, either.
It took longer than they thought to reach Hagrid's hut, they'd run into more teachers than they'd expected. And then outside, they'd had to cast spells every time the invisibility cloak exposed their footsteps in the snow. It was a long and tedious procedure, but they finally reached Hagrid's door. Leroux knocked and Hagrid opened it, looking out. When he saw nothing, he smiled.
"Hullo there." He said simply, moving aside to let his invisible friends enter. Once he'd closed the door, they pulled off the cloak.
"Hi, Hagrid. How are you?" Rhett asked as he rolled up the cloak and threw it onto a chair.
"Mighty upset, actually. How come you an' Talak didn' take me class?" He asked, pouting. If there was anything stranger in the world than a half-giant pouting, the four cousins had yet to see it.
"We're sorry, Hagrid." Talak said guiltily. "We can switch into it if you like."
"Nah, I was jes' teasin' yeh." Hagrid insisted, waving his hand at them and sitting down at the table. The four of them took their usual seats. "I suspect yeh all came to find out about the attack." They all smiled, shaking their heads. Hagrid always knew what they wanted when they visited, because it was pretty much the same things Hermione, Ron and Harry wanted when they visited: information.
"We were wondering if anyone was hurt when the Chimera attacked." Hagrid shook his head as he picked up a piece of wood and his carving knife.
"No, nobody was hurt." He reassured.
"And the Chimera—was it really sent by him?" Talak asked. Hagrid sighed, nodding.
"The King o' Darkness? It was 'im." The four breathed out slowly. They'd almost hoped they'd been wrong, and with that confirmation, it made Leroux's theory on getting rid of all the professors all the more probable.
"But, we're safe from any future attacks, right?" Vilandra demanded. "I mean, we have Aurors on the school grounds for a reason." Hagrid sighed, shaking his head.
"I'm sure yeh know about yer dad." Talak and Rhett visibly tensed. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, e'er since he was taken, the Aurors have been workin' like crazy, not only tryin' ter find 'im, but also ter bring down the King o' Darkness. He's attacked another eight families since the Daily Prophet last reported on his attacks." Vilandra felt that may have been the wrong thing to say in front of the twins, as both of them paled when he mentioned the deaths. Hagrid sighed, obviously realizing he'd made a mistake saying that.
"I have a question." Leroux leaned forward, folding his hands together. "This King of Darkness is said to have been planning his reign for five or six years."
"Seven." Hagrid corrected, unwillingly glancing at Vilandra. He then forced himself to look back down at his work.
"All right, seven. Either way, he had all this time, why did he suddenly decide to start attacking now?" Leroux inquired. Hagrid sighed.
"The same reason all powerful people wait. He was tryin' ter get more power, more supporters. He knew he'd be crushed without a strong followin', and he wanted ter be even more powerful than Voldemort. Word is, he succeeded." The four cringed again, not liking what they were hearing. "Now that he's all ready, he's attacking. If the school falls…" Hagrid just trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. "Sorry, but there ain't no more I can tell yeh." The four nodded, understanding. They weren't sure they wanted to hear more, anyway. The more they heard, the more worried they became. So, they all stood to return to their dorm.
"Thanks Hagrid." Leroux said. "I feel—not better, but more informed." He nodded, seemingly liking his choice of words. As they began to pull the invisibility cloak onto themselves, Hagrid bit his bottom lip and looked over at them.
"Vilandra?" She turned. "You stay." She raised a confused eyebrow at Hagrid and the others shared a look.
"But how will she get back? We have the cloak." Talak insisted.
"Don' yeh worry, I'll bring her back up meself." The three boys were slightly worried, but it was Hagrid, after all. So, telling Vilandra they'd see her in the common room, the three boys left, Vilandra closing the door behind them. She took her seat again as Hagrid bustled around, making tea. As the water boiled, he sat back down in front of Vilandra. "Yeh've been lookin' mighty sad there, Lonnie." He admitted. Vilandra sighed, looking down at her hands as she played with the skin around her nails. "Summat botherin' ya?" She sighed, shaking her head, not even knowing where to begin.
"I just—sometimes it feels like I'm losing my dad all over again." She blurted out. Hagrid was stunned, and slightly uncomfortable, but he would listen to her anyway. He knew she rarely got to speak about what was truly on her mind, and when she did, he would listen to her. "Everything that's happened with uncle Harry, it just—it hit home for me, because I've been there before. It's not really the same thing, I mean, with uncle Harry he may very well be dead, and my dad just walked out, but—my dad may be dead, too. I don't even know." She sighed, shaking her head. "It's—hard, you know, going around with a happy face all the time and acting like everything's all right, when it's really not." Hagrid stood up, pouring the hot water into a teapot. He then poured some tea into two cups and brought them to the table, placing one in front of Vilandra. "Thanks." She whispered. Hagrid let out a groan as he sat down, taking a sip of his tea before speaking.
"Yeh've got a lot ter be sad about, Vilandra, I'll give yeh that. But yeh've also got a lot ter be happy about. Yeh get along incredibly with yer cousins, and the four of yeh cause mayhem like Fred and George Weasley could only dream of." Vilandra laughed, silently doubting that, but she said nothing. "Sterlin' is in love with yeh, he hates bein' away from yeh for even a minute. And Chaim loves yeh, too, even though it don't seem like it sometimes." Vilandra spun the cup in front of her, listening to Hagrid, but keeping her eyes on the cup. "And yer mum works really hard for yeh. She's mighty proud of yeh, Lonnie. She wishes she could see more of yeh, but she can't." Vilandra nodded.
"I know that. It's just hard having to keep everything inside all the time because if I say something about my dad, my mom gets upset. If Chaim insults Sterling, then he gets upset. There are so many things I have to be careful with, and things I have to watch, and it gets hard for me. Sometimes I feel like I'm thirty instead of fifteen." Hagrid smiled.
"Well, yeh act it, Lonnie, and tha's a good thing." Vilandra said nothing. "Besides, way I understand it, yeh dun want anyone to know how yeh feel. I only know because I watch yeh. I worry about yeh." Vilandra couldn't help but cringe as Hagrid repeated two of the same sentences as Malfoy. "Maybe yeh should try and let people help yeh, Lonnie. It would lift a weight off your shoulders." She sighed, shaking her head.
"No, I prefer it for them to just depend on me. They have enough problems, they don't need mine."
"But then who do yeh have, Lonnie?" He asked her. She smiled up at him.
"I have you." She insisted. "I have Dumbledore."
"Yeh only talk ter me about this when I make yeh." Hagrid insisted. "Dunnit bother you to know that even yer closest friends dun notice when you're upset?" She shook her head.
"No. I try and keep it that way." She sighed, shaking her head. "It's funny, you know? I can fool Chaim, I can fool my friends, but I can't fool myself. Or—Malfoy, for some reason." She shook her head, still confused about that one.
"I've seen the way he looks at yeh." Vilandra frowned at this. "He worries about yeh, too." She scoffed.
"Please, that worm worries about no one but himself." She insisted.
"Jus' because he puts on the air of arrogance dun mean he actually is." Vilandra frowned, stunned to hear these words coming from Hagrid. It was almost as if he knew something about Salai Malfoy that she didn't. He smiled at her. "Come on, let's get yeh back to yer dorm." He motioned the door as he stood up, and she did, too, leaving her untouched tea on his table.