Chapter 19
Rath's new Babysitter
"What is it doing there?" Liz asked.
"The librarian thinks that someone left it here."
"What do you think?" Kyle asked.
"I think she left it, her name was written on the inside front cover."
"How would she leave it here?" Kyle asked.
"One of her siblings or relatives went here?" Michael suggested.
"Do you have a picture of her?" Kyle asked.
Michael shook his head no. "I imagine she looks like Tess and Ava."
"I have a bad feeling about this." Kyle said.
Liz looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure.
"You know how I couldn't go out with Tess because it felt like she was my sister. What if…"
"What if she's really a relative?" Liz finished.
"What was her name?"
"Anya Romanski." Michael said, "which side do you think she's from?"
"With that hair, I'd say Malfoy, but probably my mom's side."
"If you said Malfoy, it would explain the attitude." Liz said. "Speaking of attitude how's Snape?"
"In pain." Kyle pushed the sleeve of his robe back to reveal the black and blue handprint.
"Ouch." Michael said.
Seeing Liz's horrified face Kyle covered it. "I idolize the guy, but I don't want the same life."
"You know this could have been our life, or yours." Liz said.
Michael smiled grimly. "I know."
Rath couldn't believe what was happening. Isabel and Lonnie shared the same power, so he wasn't surprised when Lonnie came to him to warn him to be careful. But when Isabel came to him, it was just too much.
"Damn." He said, slamming the book he had been reading closed.
Remus glared at him.
"I need to take a walk." Rath said as Lonnie assaulted him with another message.
"Not by yourself." Remus growled.
"Please." Rath asked quietly begging.
Suddenly a little creature appeared, Rath tried to push the bad feeling he had away.
"This is Winky, she'll baby-sit you."
Rath knew he had no choice in the matter, so he trudged off with the elf following at his heels. He heard snickers as he left the library. Before he was out the door he heard Kyle's remark.
"You should put a collar on him and give Winky the leash." Michael and Liz tried unsuccessfully to hide their laughter.
"What's so funny?" Winky asked.
"You and me."
"Mes?"
"Yeah."
"I thinks it was yous theys was laughing at." She said.
"Whatever." He said rubbing his Mohawk changing the color to brick red.
"Hows you to that?" She asked.
"Magic." He said dryly, as he led her to the Quidditch field, where the Slytherin team was practicing. He made his way up to where the teachers usually sat.
"Sos the rumours ares true?" She asked as she sat next to him.
"Huh?"
"Yous not from around heres." She pointed skyward.
"Yeah, so what. At least I don't wear a dress." He said looking down at his baggy cargos.
"Watch out!"
Rath put his hand up and stopped the rogue bludger before it smashed into his face.
"Whoa," a Slytherin gasped.
Pansy flew up to him. "How did you do that?" She asked in awe.
"Reflexes." He said, as she plucked it out of the air.
"Cool."
He shrugged and watched her fly off back to her team.
"Yous better watch outs." Winky warned. "He likes people with power." She said ominously.
"He doesn't like me, I'm too cocky." He glanced down at the elf to see her smiling at her. "Things aren't going to go the way the goodie-two-shoes planned."
"What?"
"He's going to kill an ally, before his enemies." He watched her eyes grow round and wide.
"Whos?"
"Nobody here." It was only then that Rath realized what type of cards he held.
Max met Professor McGonagall after dinner for his detention. He had to wash all the dishes from dinner by hand. It was a tremendous chore, but for a muggle who grew up without a dishwasher until he was 14, it wasn't that bad. Max used that time to think about, well, everything. Halfway through, it finally struck him, as he dropped a bowl and it didn't break. 'Isabel's a survivor, she'll be fine. If she was ever in any extreme danger, he'd be the first person she'd contact.'
"I'm so stupid." He whispered to himself.
"Got that right."
Max spun around and came face to face with Rath. "What are you doing here?"
"Teaching my sitter to play Go Fish."
Max looked past Rath and saw Winky and a few other elves. They were all sitting in circle each with playing cards in their hands.
"Does Remus know you're in here?" Max asked picking up the bowl.
"Yes, hes does." Winky replied. "Raths, yours turns."
Rath smiled at Max and then turned back to the elves. Max blinked and then turned back to the dishes.
As Max was leaving Rath stood. "Alright guys it's getting late, I'll be back tomorrow." He turned to Max. "Walk me back."
Max looked down at Winky as she yawned and arched her back stretching. He sighed. "Yeah, sure." Rath followed Max out toward the Gryfindor house. "What's on the schedule for tomorrow?" Max asked.
Rath sighed. "Help the elves with breakfast and clean up, and then I have to spend the day with Filch, then if I get a chance talk to you about Kavar's eulogy." He heard Max stop walking as he continued. "Now do you think I should talk about how he Uncle Tom-ed me and left me here, but end with a thank you cause without him I'd never know the truth about Lonnie." He turned to see Max's jaw dropped and his eyes wide. "Come on, Max, help me out I'm not sure what I should say."
Max's eyes flickered back to life, "excuse me?"
"Kavar is going to die by your sister's hand, well sisters, plural."
"What?"
Rath held up his right hand palms up, "Lonnie and Nicolas." Then he held up his left palms up and raised it higher than the other, "or Isabel and Kavar." He moved his hands up and down like a balance. "Take your pick."
"How do you know?"
"Isabel and Lonnie were exercising in my head."
"Why you?" Max was seething.
"Cause I won't do anything stupid." He raised his left hand, "from Isabel." Lowering his left and raising his right. "Cause I don't give a flying crap-Lonnie."
"Isabel would never side with him." Max said with rage in his voice.
"You don't remember, I do. Kavar screwed with Vilandra til she had no one left, not even Nicolas."
"What?"
"You sure we shouldn't wait until tomorrow for this. You don't want another detention, do you?"
Max growled, "find your own way back." With that Max turned and left Rath. Rath smiled, as he brushed his hand through his mohawk changing the color to a bright blue.
He entered the Gryfindor common room and discovered a single occupant, Hermione. She was (surprtise) reading, every now and then she scribbled something on the scroll next to her.
"It's not polite to stare." She said as she rolled up her finished paper.
"Isn't it past your bedtime?"
"Isn't it past yours?" She asked glancing at him. "Wasn't your hair red this morning?"
"I change it with my mood."
"So did you have fun with the house elves?" She asked as she started putting her stuff back into her bag.
He plopped down next to her on the couch and started playing with a deck of cards. Taught them to play cards."
"Poker?"
"Go fish."
She smiled. "Do you know how to play poker?"
"Sure." He glanced at her. "I thought wizards were retared in the cultural area."
"I grew up a muggle, only wizard in the family." She said as she grabbed the cards and began to skillfully shuffle. The cards flew between her hands, no magic involved, just skill.
"Geez, girl."
She smiled as handed the cards back. "Night." She left.
He exhaled, "wow."
Max returned to find Liz waiting for him. She was reading a book, but looked up when he entered. "Wow, your actually showing emotion. What's wrong?"
"Rath."
"What did he do now?"
"He actually knows something useful."
"And he's now sharing."
"Nope, he's very forth coming, in the rubbing it in my face way." He sat down next to her.
Liz rolled her eyes. "He's just trying to annoy you."
"Or that's just how he is. We had a real home, while they were dumped in a subway tunnel."
"So it's survival instincts?"
"Probably."
"Makes you feel lucky?" She asked leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Yes it does."