Chapter Two: The Boy With the Dead Unicorn
So run...
Right back to school
Look back I sift through all the cliques…
While everyone's out trying to make the cut…
When you think you know me…
I switch it up…
Now grab a notebook and a pen
And start taking notes on me and everyone who's on the top
You think we're on the same page
But I know we're not
I'll be the man, watch your backpack, pens, and pencils…
Close the book up now
Push back the square…
So there you go
Cuz back in school
We are the leaders of all...
"Back to School," Deftones
So Harry learned that apparently most of the professors at Hogwarts had multiple jobs. Dumbledore was busy with the Order of the Phoenix, but also worked with the Ministry and reluctantly with Fudge. Professor McGonagall taught an advanced Transfiguration class during the summer, Madame Pomphrey worked as a Healer at St. Mungo's, and Snape, as Harry had seen, worked at the Jewelry shop in his spare time.
And Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Lacey learned that Draco Malfoy had been in Diagon Alley the day they went shopping for school, and that he had had some mysterious business with Snape. Whether good or bad, none of them knew, but as Ron said, it was very unlikely Malfoy would ever do anything even remotely good.
The summer holidays were almost over; in just a little over a week, they would find themselves boarding the Hogwarts Express heading back to school. Slowly things had been gathered up around the Black House and put back where they belonged, or else packed into their trunks for school.
They had all gone over to a local public Quidditch stadium that day, to play around. Hermione was sitting up in the stands, her Transfiguration for Life textbook spread out across her knees, and she was practicing a spell under her breath, periodically changing the seat next to her into a bunk bed and back. It was lucky for her she was seventeen and of age, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to start practicing spells.
On the other hand, Harry, Ron, Lacey, and Ginny were up in the air on their brooms, zooming back and forth on their broomsticks. Harry marveled at the speed of his Firebolt X-treme, having bought it a few weeks ago when his old broom finally decided to stop working. Ginny was riding Ron's old Cleansweep, and Ron was on his regular Firebolt, finally having saved up enough money to buy it the year before. And all the while Lacey was enjoying the wind sweeping past her face, she was listening to Ron rave about her BadaBroom! 3000, a professional broom which was favored just as much as Harry's by the pro Quidditch teams.
"Alright," Ron began, clearing his throat in a bossy manner and stopping in the middle of the field. "As captain of the Gryffindor team for the second year running, I would like to call this first practice of the season to order."
"What the hell, Ron?" Harry said. "The whole team isn't here. School hasn't even started yet."
"I'm practicing."
"Practicing what?" Ginny scoffed.
"My beginning of the season speech," he explained, blushing slightly.
"Awww…" Lacey teased. "Well then, captain… perhaps you could tell me what positions aren't filled yet. I need to try out you know."
"Beaters. We need two beaters. Fred and George's replacements suck, honestly. So I'm replacing them. And we need two Chasers."
"Sounds like you need almost a full new team," Lacey said.
"Chaser then?" Ron asked.
"Hell no. I stink at scoring. I can throw and I can catch, but I can't shoot." Lacey pondered a moment. "I played Seeker on the team back home, but obviously I can't play that…" she trailed off looking quickly at Harry. "So I guess it's Beater for me."
Ron looked skeptical. "You can hit good enough?"
"'Fo shizzle," Lacey replied causing Ginny to laugh hysterically. Lacey grinned and rolled her eyes. "By your tone, are you saying I'm a girl and therefore can't hit a Bludger?"
"No," Ron replied too quickly.
"Yes," Ginny answered for him. "Ron… jeez… at least let her show you what she can do."
Harry flew to the ground and grabbed a bat and a struggling Bludger. He handed the bat to Lacey, and managed to put the violently jerking balling Ron's hands. Ron then flew down to the end of the field as Lacey readied herself.
And just as Ron released the Bludger and it rocketed into the air, Hermione gave a shriek. Forgetting everything, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Lacey raced to her. But instead of seeing a distressed Hermione, they found her sitting on the edge of her seat, her books and wand forgotten, letters in her lap and a look of glee upon her face.
"I—" she gasped. "I –"
"Yes?" Ron snapped, irritated at the interruption of Quidditch playing.
Lacey sighed and snatched the letter Hermione was clutching out of her waving hand. It seemed that she had lost her ability to speak. Lacey quickly skimmed the letter, and suddenly broke out in a wide smile. "Looks like someone was appointed Head Girl."
"Head Girl? 'Mione! That's fantastic!" Ginny squealed, grabbing Hermione out of her seat and spinning around in a circle.
"Here Ron, you have a letter too." Hermione managed to squeak. "You too Lacey." Ron took both their letters and handed Lacey hers as he ripped his open.
Harry prayed quietly to himself that Ron would get Head Boy. He knew Ron would. But Ron's look of excitement quickly faded to disappointment. He reread the letter taking in every work before letting the letter drop to the floor.
"What's wrong, Ron?" Hermione asked, looking concerned. When he didn't reply, Hermione picked the letter off the ground and read it herself. "Oh Ron," she began, a sympathetic expression on her face, "I'm sorry." She placed her hand on his arm. "But cheer up. You may not be Head Boy, but you're still prefect."
"Yeah… I guess," Ron grumbled, managing a weak smile. But it did little to cover the fact that he was crumbling inside. After a minute of silence, Ron asked, "Well then, Lacey, what does your letter say?"
"I don't even know who'd be writing to me," she said. "Mom and Dad just sent me a letter yesterday." She tore open the wax seal and out popped a shiny silver badge.
Ginny's jaw dropped as she grabbed the badge. "Prefect? You've been made prefect?"
"What?" Ron said. Hermione and Harry just stared.
"I… don't understand," Lacey said, shaking her head. "How can I be? It should be Harry."
"It can't be me," Harry replied struggling not to look bitter and disappointed. "One boy and one girl prefect from each of the years, five through seven, from each of the Houses. Ron's still prefect, so the only other seventh year Gryffindor prefect can be a girl."
"B-But me?" Lacey wondered. "It can't be. It shouldn't. Dumbledore doesn't know me. I've only met him about three times. How can he know whether or not I could do the job?"
"Well… congrats anyway!" Ginny said, breaking the shocked atmosphere. Lacey just gaped.
"This is too weird," Ron said. "It's not right."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Lacey said, slightly recovered from the initial shock. "It can't be right. I think something's going on. Someone's planning something."
They all turned to stare at Lacey. "Someone has to be planning something," Hermione reasoned. "Someone must know something. That's why Ron isn't Head Boy, that's why you're prefect…" Hermione trailed off. "I wonder who's Head Boy now anyways."
"I think it's best we don't think about it right now," Harry said. He was beginning to grow concerned. And resentful. "It's getting late, anyways," he said. "We should go."
"Gladly," Ginny grumbled. She hated all the cryptic discussions she found herself often listening in on. Because Voldemort was slowly returning to his full power, all she heard about now was him. And it didn't help that her brother's best friend was the one that would have to defeat him. She was bored of listening to things she didn't fully understand, annoyed at always constantly feeling left out, and worried.
Harry disappeared with a pop, followed by Hermione who was holding on to Ginny. And just as Ron and Lacey were getting ready to go, the Bludger Ron had released just half and hour ago whooshed out of the air towards the two of them. They rolled out of the way when it flew by their heads. Lacey readied the Beaters' bat in her hands and swung hard at the Bludger when it shot back towards her. It flew across the Quidditch field and out of sight.
"Whoa," Lacey said. "That's got to be one of my best hits. Hey Ron… did you see that? I can be a Beater." She turned around to stick her tongue out at Ron and saw he had already gone.
"Oh, crap," she said and disapperated.
Harry woke up suddenly, drenched in a cold sweat. It was the third time he had had that dream with the black veil in it, except now Draco Malfoy and his mysterious meeting with Professor Snape, and Lacey, Ron, and Hermione taunting him with their prefect and Head badges were all in it. He fumbled at the nightstand next to him and put on his glasses, sitting up in bed.
He glanced at the clock mounted on the wall above him between his and Ron's beds, and noticed it was only five thirty in the morning. Ron was asleep in the bed next to him, mouth open, hair mussed, and periodically twitching and snoring. And resting on the table next to him, newly polished and gleaming in the dim light of dawn sat his prefect badge.
Harry studied the badge for a moment, the silver "P" shining brightly and the Gryffindor colors and lion surrounding it as if taunting him. A familiar feeling of jealousy and unfairness he hadn't experienced since fifth year welled up in his chest, forcing its way up his throat and threatening to spill out of him. He fisted a hand and slammed it into his pillow, immediately calming down.
But he didn't feel it was fair. Hermione got Head Girl, which was expected, and having found out Ron was not chosen for Head Boy, Harry expected he would be chosen. After all, you didn't have to be a prefect first to be a Head. He figured it would work out the same way for him as it had for his father. But he was wrong. And to top it all off, Lacey, who was just a stranger, managed to snag prefect without lifting a finger.
Lacey had done nothing. Not like Harry. Harry had been at Hogwarts for six years, Harry had escaped Voldemort seven times, Harry had to grow up an orphan, he had to watch his godfather die. And this year, he would have to kill or be killed.
What did Lacey have that he didn't? What did Ron have? So what if he "had enough responsibility to deal with?" Didn't he deserve the honor of being Head? Harry found himself grinding his teeth together in anger at Dumbledore's decision.
But then Ron snorted and rolled over, both his legs hanging over the bed. Harry's train of thought was broken and he felt the burn of shame. He was angry at his best friend and someone he hardly knew for something that couldn't be helped. And Dumbledore did have a justified reason for not appointing him one of those jobs. Harry stifled a groan, angry at his own thoughts.
He slipped under his bedcovers after a few minutes and eventually fell asleep again. And when he woke up, he didn't remember his envy in the chaos of leaving for the train station.
The newborn baby unicorn was of the purest gold color, mane, tail, and coat pristine and shimmering in the sun. And when boy met unicorn it was love at first sight. They played together and rode together and formed a bond so deep. And they grew together, the pale, fair-haired boy, and the pale, fair-furred steed.
Their companionship was so unusual, for unicorns had a hard time trusting humans, even innocent young children, yet these two got along very well. The unicorn had been a birthday gift from the boy's father, his five-year-old dream fulfilled.
And then one day, when the unicorn was just growing up and turning its mature, whitish silver color, the father led the boy to the stable. And the father drew his sword and killed the poor animal right before the little boy's eyes.
And in that single moment, when the purest of animals was brutally bloodied, did the little boy lose his innocence.
This little boy burst into tears and threw his arms around his father's knees. "Father! Why did you kill him?" the boy cried.
The father pushed the boy away roughly before answering. "You made the unicorn love you and you loved it in return. That is the worse thing you could have ever done."
Tears flowed freely down the little boy's pale cheeks. "Why, father? Why is it bad to love?"
The father sneered cruelly. "Love is the worst thing in the world. It is nothing but a lie. Love is not wonderful. It causes pain. You loved the unicorn and the unicorn died. Thus, love causes pain and grief." The father grabbed the boy roughly by the shoulders and shook him. "Love is nothing but ruin in the end. There is no such thing as love and you must never love any single thing or anyone. And you must never cry."
The little boy wiped his clear grey eyes with the palms of his hands as he nodded at his father in defeat.
His father continued. "Love is the worst thing in the world. Always remember that, Draco. Always remember."
And the little boy and his father walked back into the Manor to lead a hate-filled and evil life.
"Hurry up now!" Mrs. Weasley shouted over the roar of the Hogwarts Express steam engine. She herded everyone towards the train waving her arms about. "Harry, do you have Hedwig? Ron! Quit talking and give the conductor your bloody trunk!" Mrs. Weasley turned towards the girls and began scolding them too.
"Hermione, please do make sure you don't lose Lacey, she doesn't know anyone yet. Lacey, come over here and close your trunk properly." She then reached over and snatched something out of Ginny's hair. "Don't wear that ridiculous hat, it's too adult for you." Ginny scowled as her mother took it, and grabbed it out of her hands stowing it away in her trunk.
"Ron, Lacey, you can take a break now," Hermione said. "I'll patrol your areas for you."
Needing no further bidding, the two of them headed down the train corridor. "Those first-year midgets are nothing but a bunch of prats," Ron complained more to himself than to Lacey. She snorted as she pulled open the door to a compartment.
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed as the two of them walked in. Neville, Dean, and Seamus were all in the compartment with him.
"Who's Head Boy, then?" Neville asked, munching on a Chocolate Frog.
Ron scowled. "Draco Malfoy." There was a chorus of vehement exclamations from all the boys. "Yeah. I know."
"Well sit down, why don't you," Seamus said, pointing to the seat next to him.
"Oh bother," Ron said, "Lacey, there's not enough room for you. Sorry."
Lacey raised an eyebrow feeling a bit left out, but managed a smile. "Oh, that's okay. I'll go find Ginny."
Ginny was sitting in a compartment further down the corridor with a bunch of other girls. Lacey knocked lightly on the window before sliding the door open and stepping inside.
"Oh, hi Lacey!" Ginny said brightly. "Come on, sit down." She patted the seat beside her.
"Hi," Lacey said a little apprehensively to the other girls who were watching her. And then she recognized two of the girls in the compartment. She had seen them in Madam Malkin's a few weeks ago.
"Hi Lacey," the pretty Indian girl said. "I'm Parvati if you don't remember and this is Lavender," she said pointing to the other girl Lacey recognized.
"I'm Blaise," the fourth girl added, smiling warmly and she tucked a strand of rust-color hair back into her ponytail.
"Cool name," Lacey commented, plopping down in the seat next to Ginny. "I'm exhausted," she sighed. "In the words of your brother, 'those first-year midgets are nothing but a bunch of prats.'" Ginny laughed.
"That Ron Weasley is so immature," Lavender sniffed.
"True," Parvati agreed, "But he's still cute. I wonder if he'll ever get with Hermione."
Lacey raised her eyebrows, interested. "Well, it's a relief to know I'm not the only one that's wondered about that."
"It's so obvious," Ginny replied. "Just look at how he acts around her. It's not as obvious now, but you should have seen them argue in their third and fourth years. They sounded like an old married couple."
"Why don't I find that hard to believe?" Lacey asked, grinning. She was beginning to feel as comfortable with these girls as she felt with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They reminded her so much of some of her friends back home. Girly and gossipy.
"So what house do you want to be sorted into?" Blaise asked.
Lacey looked confused. "You mean I don't just stay in the same house as the people I stay with?"
"No," Ginny replied. "Just 'cause I'm in Gryffindor doesn't mean you'll be. Exchange students are always sorted."
"Any ideas, then?" Blaise asked again.
"Oh, I don't know…" Lacey trailed off, thinking. "Gryffindor I guess. But just because I know people already. I suppose I wouldn't mind going to another house."
"Oh yes you would," Ginny, Blaise, and Parvati all said in unison. Lavender just shrugged.
"Slytherin's the worst," Parvati said. "Only bad wizards go there. You know that." She cast a sidelong gaze at Blaise. "Well… except for one."
Lacey turned to Blaise. "You're in Slytherin?" she asked. Blaise nodded. "Well," Lacey continued. "Then Slytherin can't be all bad."
"Yeah," Lavender agreed looking both ashamed and dreamy at the same time. "Especially when they've got gorgey guys like Draco Malfoy."
Ginny scowled. "He might be cute. Slightly. But he's absolutely horrible. Always bullying anyone who's not part of his group of worshippers. Not to mention, his father is one of You-know-who's top Death Eaters."
Lacey frowned. "Then why are you so different?" she asked Blaise.
"My sisters were all in Slytherin. In fact, I think everyone in the family was in Slytherin. We're purebloods, and although only a couple of my uncles and one of my sister's boyfriends are Death Eaters, my whole family supports You-know-who," Blaise answered, looking quite furious. "But I'm different," she reassured them. "I saw what You-know-who did to his followers who disobeyed him and what he did to their families. I'm staying out of it."
"They why were you put into Slytherin in the first place?" Lacey asked.
Blaise shook her head. "Probably just because since everyone I'm related to kisses the ground You-know-who walks on, the hat thought I'd be like that too. But I'm older and wiser."
"Speaking of Draco Malfoy…" Lavender started.
"We were?" Ginny teased, laughing.
Lavender huffed rather loudly and pointed. "Here he comes." She then made a sighing noise and buried her face from sight behind a magazine.
Ginny made an impatient, irritated noise and turned away, rummaging through her bag, as Parvati read the magazine with Lavender. Blaise just sat there, behaving rather peculiarly as Lacey watched him pass by their compartment, trying not to seem obvious.
She studied him as he passed, taking in his lithe, willowy frame, his smooth pale skin, and his silky silver-blond hair. And when he turned slightly to peer into their compartment, Lacey locked eyes with him for a split second, dark chocolate and clear grey, before he saw Blaise and sneered slightly. Lacey watched him until his black robes faded out of sight.
Lavender eagerly peered over the top of her magazine. "So, gorgeous, right?"
Lacey smirked. "Hot, yes. Nice, no." She watched Blaise out of the corner of her eye and noticed she didn't look too happy. Turning back to Lavender she added with a wicked grin. "But, he still is sex on a stick. If you like the rich-boy, arrogant, cold-blooded killer type." And all the girls burst out in giggles.
"Get out of my way!" Draco Malfoy snarled, shoving a Hufflepuff second-year out of his path as he made his way through the Great Hall and towards the Slytherin table. He glanced over his shoulder once at the prefects who had just finished herding the first-years to Professor McGonagall to be sorted. They looked strangely like they had been trampled by a rampaging herd of stampeding buffalo.
Thank god he was Head Boy this year.
And of course that meant he could boss anyone he liked around. Except the professors and Hermione Granger. He knew she would get Head Girl. Stupid Mudblood.
Draco sneered at the Gryffindor table as he passed, and sauntered over to the Slytherins, taking his usual seat at the table, between Crabbe and Goyle and across from Pansy Parkinson. He liked his seat. Right in the center of attention, but in the shadows where he could sit and watch everyone without always being noticed.
Pansy giggled cruelly and pointed to a little first-year boy in line who had just fallen over. Laughter built in Draco's throat, but as it escaped his mouth, he felt strangely sick. So he settled for an expression of boredom instead.
The ancient, tattered Sorting hat and three-legged stool was brought out and everyone in the hall turned their loud voices into hissing whispers as the hat began to sing its song:
Welcome to Hogwarts
Hope you have a great year
But what I really mean to say is
Hope you survive it here
Listen to me closely
Please pay attention to what I say
War is upon us now
We might not live to see next May
I have warned you many times before
But did you take heed? Did you listen?
This wizarding school must unite
So now I shall begin
Gryffindors are brave and bold
Honorable, kind and mighty
Slytherins are sly and cunning
Ambitious, eager and flighty
Hufflepuffs are loyal and true
Hardworking, patient too
Ravenclaws are smart and clever
Brainy ones are under blue
Separated, these Houses are great
But together they are greater
If the Houses stay apart
We'll all be in grave danger
I've warned you twice
I did it again
I pray you really listened
You must know where I stand
So now on with the year
The sorting shall now begin
But remember danger will fall
Unless we unite under one leader again
Pansy looked over at the other tables and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh! Unite with them? No way. Thank god I'm a Slytherin." Crabbe and Goyle chuckled dully in agreement. Draco simply smirked and watched as Strauss, Becky got sorted into Ravenclaw.
And then he saw her. The mysterious girl he had caught a glimpse of on the train sitting beside that Zabini girl. Draco hadn't recognized her, but recalled hearing of an exchange student coming this year so he assumed it was her.
Draco watched her closely from his darkened corner of the Slytherin table as she was ushered discretely up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables to the front of the Great Hall where the sorting hat was.
She was quite petite, Draco noticed, but nevertheless quite pretty also. Her dark brown hair hung in loose waves about her shoulders, just a little pinned back at the sides to keep it off her small, oval face. Her skin looked olive in the cheerful glow of the Hall and her hair shone, looking like it was threaded with amber silk in the candlelight. Her black school robes were unfastened in the front, showing the white shirt, tie, and grey skirt the girl students wore. Her uniform was loose, not too small like Pansy and some other girls thought looked good, and it draped on her frame with a certain elegance.
Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and briefly introduced her as the new student as she stood in front of the hall starting at her feet. All the first-years had been sorted, so she was the last one to go.
Draco strained his ears but couldn't hear what her name was. He heard Pansy scoff and felt a moment's irritation. And then he had to grit his teeth to not explode as she distracted him with her foot touching him in a place people didn't normally touch.
Apparently she didn't like him watching the new girl.
"… and she'll be here with us for the year. Everyone, please welcome Lacey Lupin," Dumbledore announced clapping lightly and smiling jovially. There was a scattered applause throughout the Great Hall and some cheers and whistles coming mainly from the Gryffindor table.
Lacey blanched slightly and looked at her feet, suddenly nervous and not knowing exactly where to look. She slowly walked over to the little three-legged stool and perched on the end as Professor McGonagall plunked the tattered hat over her head.
The hat was big even on her and rested over her eyes, thankfully blocking the hundreds of staring faces from view. It shifted slightly on Lacey's head and then she heard its voice in her mind.
Interesting mind you have, missy. Very interesting indeed.
Interesting? Lacey wondered.
I think it's clear we can expect great things from you, the hat responded. Very clever mind you have. You would do well in Ravenclaw. And you are definitely hard-working like Hufflepuffs. But you are also brave as Gryffindors, too.
Brave? Me? Lacey smirked. I'm afraid even right now. I hate being in front of so many people like this.
Yes, you are indeed brave. Perhaps you will realize it before the end. The hat paused a moment before continuing. But yet… I see you feel you need to prove yourself, and that you can be selfish at times. Cunning, maybe… But I feel you will be soon drawn to someone that may not be the best for you.
Ohhh…kay… Lacey was confused.
But in you lies a sliver of hope. Hope that everyone has believed is lost. Perhaps you will be the one to unite everyone. So I think I will put you in Gryffindor. No doubt you will have friends in enemies, but I'll put you where it's safest.
And then the Sorting hat bellowed out, "GRYFFINDOR!" Lacey's expression of puzzlement turned to a wide smile when the Gryffindor table roared with cheers, Harry, Ron, and Hermione among them. She handed the hat back to Professor McGonagall and felt like skipping to the table.
She plopped down in-between Hermione and Ginny with Harry and Ron across the table and Parvati and Lavender a little ways down. The butterflies in her stomach had finally stopped and she at once felt at home.
Dumbledore rose from his chair once more and said, "I would just like to say before dinner begins… really bad eggs!" Dumbledore chuckled with amusement before snapping his fingers once.
Food appeared before them instantly and Harry remarked before stuffing his face with mashed potatoes, "He must really like pirates." Lacey and Hermione laughed, but Ron looked bewildered.
Lacey glanced up between bites of chicken and reached for her goblet filled with pumpkin juice. She glanced around the hall before meeting a pair of staring, clear, grey eyes. The boy, Draco Malfoy, she had seen on the train, was looking at her with a faint trace of amusement around his lips.
Lacey stared back, not seeming to be able to look away, and to her amazement saw him lift his glass ever so slightly in a salute, incline his head in the smallest of nods, and take a drink. She stared for one more moment before tearing her eyes from his, an odd fluttering warmth growing in her belly.
But when she looked up again, he was looking the other way.
A/N: Just thought I'd update two chapters at once to get the story going. Hopefully the beginning of the story isn't too slow... I started writing this with only a general sense of direction, so you can kinda tell I'm finding my way around everything in Chs. 1 and 2. Reviews appreciated!