Annabelle
It's been a week since our return to Hogwarts. Students were unhappily involved in the educational process after the Christmas holidays. Everyone wanted to prolong the fun and holidays, to mess around and engage in a much more interesting pastime than wiping robes on the school bench. Every now and then you could find students chilling along the corridors, playing Gobstones, or playing with trinkets and jokes from the Weasley twins' shop. The spirit of fun and mischief hovered in the air everywhere, bypassing us. Everyone was having fun. Everyone except Aurora and me.
Day after day, week after week, we spent all our free evenings in the library, trying to find at least some useful information. We even persuaded Slughorn after another meeting of the Slug Club to write us permission to visit the Restricted Section, but even there we did not find anything worthwhile.
We would welcome any information: whether it be ways to control such a force, or some other way to get rid of it. Except what Snape had hinted at. This outcome was completely unacceptable, and I forbade not only myself, but also Ora to think about such a thing.
I hardly saw Draco, he even skipped classes, sometimes not appearing at all. Where to find him, I had no idea. Therefore, this option has so far been out of the question.
Every few days I wrote to my father to make sure he was all right. I was afraid that he would get in trouble for asking the Death Eaters about an ancient legend. But apparently, so far he has not been able to do this, so I wanted to find at least some clue before him, so that dad would not have to interfere.
*
"By the way, Miss Black and Miss Lestrange are now conducting an amazingly curious experiment, which, perhaps, will open a new chapter in alchemy," Slughorn's voice brought me out of my thoughts at the next club meeting, "didn't it? I believe that soon, if the experiment succeeds, we will be able to be proud of our acquaintance with world-famous stars! Come on, darlings, share with us at least some details! We're so curious!"
I slowly shifted my gaze to Ora, who swallowed nervously and frantically tried to come up with an answer. Of course, there was no experiment at all. We came up with this just to get Slughorn permission to visit the Restricted Section of the library.
"Oh, no, professor, we should be proud that such a brilliant potion master like you has given us a grand opportunity to ascend the pedestal of the high art of potions and alchemy. It is only thanks to your skillfully invested knowledge in us that we can ever reach heights. But really, you flatter us, I don't think it will be so soon," I drawled in one breath, smiling very sweetly to the professor.
"After all, we are unlikely to be able to surpass you," Ora added, picking up a wave of flattery. I nodded in response.
"Oh, no-no, darlings. I'm already old, it's time to open the way for the young, isn't that right, Cormac?"
It seems that our laudatory odes had an effect and distracted Slughorn's attention from our activities, or rather from what we never did.
For the rest of the evening McLaggen ranted about his Christmas holidays in the company of the Minister for Magic. Once again. Few people listened to him, greedily devouring all kinds of sweets, kindly provided by the elves for treats. And nobody want to listen.
After that ill-fated party at Slughorn's, I avoided him, pretending in every possible way that he was not even worthy of my gaze. Ora did not leave me alone and we tried to stick together with Zabini, thus showing that other faculties were not at all interesting to us. Potter has also not appeared at club meetings since then.
"Yes, and I had to sacrifice it!"
"Sacrifice?"
"Yes, professor. Well, it's like hunting for live bait... Do you understand? To sacrifice, but for the good, so to speak."
This dialogue between McLaggen and Slughorn reached me and I did not notice how loudly I exclaimed:
"Sacrifice!"
Everyone present stared at me in bewilderment: some condemningly, and some mockingly.
I looked around at everyone and smiled innocently, trying to get out of the situation:
"Oh, I beg your pardon for my intemperance, but whom did you, McLaggen, sacrifice? Or maybe what you had to sacrifice? Was it your brains, by any chance?"
Many burst out laughing, and I just sneered at the Gryffindor, who immediately turned purple with anger.
"Miss Black…" Slughorn chided.
"Excuse me, Professor, I say this to the fact that Mr. McLaggen is clearly embellishing this story a little. Everyone knows that Nogtails are demon-like creatures of the lower class, which have little if not no intellectual abilities." I emphasized the last words and looked at Cormac with a smirk. "And to sacrifice animals to them, which they themselves can devour, is not only useless, but also stupid. Stupid waste of livestock. The sacrifice only works in capturing demon-like creatures, at least the average, and preferably the upper class."
McLaggen sat drooping, ashamed, while I cheered. Yes, sometimes, in order to take revenge, you don't always have to grab a magic wand.
Sometimes words are stronger than spells.
"Oh, Miss Black, if I were Professor Snape, I would definitely award you twenty points for such excellent knowledge of the Defense Against the Dark Arts course, bravo!" Slughorn broke into a smile, but immediately remembered the ashamed opponent. "Cheer up, Mr. McLaggen, with whom no missteps happen? Once I was..."
And he began to tell a case from his early teaching practice, but I didn't listen to him anymore. Aurora looked at me in bewilderment, as if she was trying to find out what it had just been, but I whispered to her that I would tell everything later. Zabini smiled just as smugly as I did, rejoicing at the next humiliation of the arrogant Gryffindors.
The evening ended and we went to our common room. I couldn't wait to explain to Ora why the ridiculous sacrifice that McLaggen was talking about had hooked me so much.
*
"Slughorn will finish the game sooner or later! It is incomprehensible to the mind to hang out with mudbloods and blood traitors!" Zabini was indignant when we entered our common room. "Mark my word, soon the name of the old man Slizzy will no longer be so respected in our circles!"
"I don't think so, Blaise. Slughorn taught more than one generations of our relatives," Ora interceded.
"Times are changing, Aurora. Before in his club there were no such dubious personalities. And now... What are these Gryffindors worth, even if they are purebloods: McLaggen, Weasley..." Zabini grimaced, as if something extremely disgusting had come under his nose.
I grinned at Cormac's last name, and Blaise seemed to notice.
"Great you wiped his nose, Annabelle!" He nodded at me. "Upstart! How long can he talk about his relationship with the minister? He needs to confirm his status with deeds, and not with empty rhetoric."
"I totally agree with you, Blaise!" I smiled at him.
"Anyway, I don't understand why Slughorn, the former Head of Slytherin, accepted so few of us into his club?" Zabini didn't let up. "He certainly could invite Draco!"
I tensed up and wondered if I could ask Zabini where Malfoy was missing. Could he know something? I have never seen Draco behave sincerely friendly with any of his so-called friends. Crabbe and Goyle were more like servants and guards to him, but Zabini... There was some kind of strange friendship between them. It seems that he was part of Malfoy's company, but at the same time, he clearly kept him at a fairly large distance. As well as all the rest.
"Blaise, have you seen Draco today?" I decided to try my luck.
"No. To be honest, I don't even remember the last time I talked to him. Surely Pansy knows…" He bit his tongue immediately, realising that he must have given me too much information. But didn't I know Parkinson was hanging around Malfoy?
"Well, you understand that I can't ask her about this..." I decided to play along and make myself out to be a jealous bride. "Maybe you could find out from her yourself?"
"Annabelle, I…" Zabini pursed his lips, weighing the pros and cons. He obviously didn't like the idea of becoming a peacemaker and interfering in other people's relationships.
"You know we're at odds with Draco. Well, I would like to make peace, but only now he disappears somewhere all the time... And if I go to find out from Parkinson where to look for him, it will be another scandal," I cunningly, pretending to be holy innocence. "You always understand everything, Blaise…"
I smiled at him, using all my charm in the hope that he would not refuse me this little request. Sometimes I thought Zabini liked me, but because of my engagement to Draco, Blaise would never have dared show his attention to me. Still, he, like everyone else, kowtowed before Malfoy. And I brazenly took advantage of his weakness in relation to me.
He took a deep breath and nodded, unable to resist my charms.
"Well, Anna, I'll try to find out something," he drawled, giving up under my pressure.
I smiled much brighter and reached out to Zabini, kissing him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Blaise! You are a real friend."
"Sure, not at all yet..." he was embarrassed and scratched the back of his head. "All right, ladies, everyone has already dispersed, I'll go to bed too."
The Slytherin common room was already really empty, we said good night to Zabini, deciding to sit on the couches by the fireplace.
"And what was that?" Aurora asked me as soon as Blaise was out of sight.
"It's called networking and reclaiming my reputation," I chuckled smugly.
"Well it is clear. Why do you need to find out where Draco is?"
"How is it? We need to know what he's up to! I'm pretty sure he's missing because of his assignment. In the meantime, I've got an idea about you..."
After making sure that no one was listening, I began my story:
"Do you remember those old tomes I have at home that my father forbids me to read?"
"Which you, of course, read?" Ora replied with a chuckle.
I shrugged innocently and grinned. After all, I am not me, if I had acted otherwise.
"One of them contains some kind of spell, a very ancient magical rite. This is our ancestral magic. Yes, we are the Blacks, dark magic is in our blood," I noticed the frightened look of my friend, continuing, "but we also have white rites of protection. This one is exactly that. And I think he's just what we're looking for. Something that can rid you of that power without harm."
"Are you... are you sure?"
"Not quite, but worth a try, since there are no other options."
"But how are we going to do it? Surely this is a complicated ritual. After all, this is ancient ancestral magic, and we are just students. We don't have that kind of skill and power..."
"Yes, it's complicated. But I once spied on my grandmother and saw how she carried out this ritual. I know the sequence and how to do it. I think it will work for us too."
Aurora frowned, as if weighing the pros and cons, and assessing our possibilities. But, Merlin's beard, there were really no other options! And for us, every day was on the account, so we should not miss any, even the slightest, opportunity.
"Alright..." she agreed with a heavy sigh.
I knew what this consent cost her, and how frightened she was. I was also afraid. But I knew, I believed that I could handle it. For her sake.
"What is required for this?" Ora asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.
"Sacrifice."
"Merlin! Are you out of your mind Anna?"
"Relax, not human. Besides, we're not going to kill anyone." I stammered, trying to choose my words so as not to scare Aurora even more. "We need this sacrifice only as a so-called intermediary. Between you and the Magic Cradle. The place where all the magic came from. That's where it comes back when the wizard dies or renounces the gift himself," I explained. "It must be some sort of magical creature. Not so big that we can easily catch it and hold it. But not small either, because such creatures do not have enough magic."
My friend thought, turning away and staring at the fire in the fireplace.
"Listen, Ora, I know this sounds scary. But do we have another option?"
I tried not to put pressure on her, giving her time to rethink the information. We sat in silence, listening to the crackling of wood in the fireplace. I leaned back on the couch, wondering if I was doing the right thing. Yes, this is undoubtedly a dangerous and very difficult rite. It was quite risky. We might not have been able to handle it. Plus, the unknown is always terrifying. But we had no choice. What horrors her power could bring and how it threatened Aurora herself! No, I won't let that happen, no matter what. I'm ready for anything! To all the circles of hell for the sake of loved ones. And Ora is a person close to me.
"Would it be very awful if I agreed?"
I barely heard my friend's whisper.
"Ora — this is your life. And you have to fight for it. Sometimes, even at any cost…" I breathed, thinking about what else I could do.
"Would you be able to… kill… a human?" suddenly asked a friend.
I shuddered, throwing my head back on the sofa, staring at the glass ceiling of the common room, at the abyss of the Black Lake, into its dark green depths, and thought.
Who are we? Do we have the right to choose who lives and who dies? Why do people on this earth — both wizards and Muggles — allow such responsibility to be taken on? Isn't life the most precious and sacred thing that nobody is allowed to encroach on?
Then why does anyone go unpunished while the innocent have to suffer? What for? What is our fault? What is Ora's fault?
And what to do when the choice between life and death falls on you or on those who are dear to you? Where is the correct answer, and where is the road to hell?
So many questions and no one can answer them. Everyone who proclaims himself a god and believes that he is allowed to do everything is lying, first of all, to himself. Everyone. And the Dark Lord is no exception.
"Oh, Ora, don't think about it. Everything will be fine, we'll get through it!" I tried to assure my friend of this, but rather, it was necessary for me myself.
"Okay, let's try it," she agreed and turned to me. "What else is needed for the ritual?"
At this point, I frowned and sat up, tearing myself away from the back of the sofa.
"I need the tome itself and my grandmother's atame," I sighed heavily. "The rite must be performed on the full moon, and this is already in three days. Until then, we need to find a victim. I don't even know which is more difficult..."
"Well, the victim is clear, but the rest?"
"If Grandma finds out that I took her atame…" I pursed my lips, imagining how she would burn my name out of the family tapestry and shudder. "And I won't be able to get home to secretly pick up everything I need. Unless..." then I was visited by an idea that, however, was as crazy as all the previous ones.
"Kreacher!" I ordered.
There was a pop and our house elf appeared in front of me. He looked around in confusion, but when he saw me, he bowed, although he mumbled something with displeasure.
"Kreacher, get me the grimoire from the living room and Grandma's atame. And don't you dare tell anyone about it!"
"Mistress Walpurga does not allow young Mistress Annabelle to use such things," the elf began his song.
"Damn it, Kreacher! I order you to bring these things to me and not to tell either my grandmother or my father about it!" I boiled from the elf's disobedience.
"Kreacher is happy to serve the noble and ancient Black family, but the mistress Walpurga forbade the inappropriate orders of the young mistress to be carried out."
"Merlin! Kreacher! Just get it and do it! I'm ordering you to bypass Grandma's prohibition! Otherwise, you'll regret it..." I pulled out my magic wand and pointed it at the elf.
Kreacher twitched at the sight of the wand, but shook his head anyway, signaling that he didn't want to do my will. There you go, you little parasite! And I had no choice but to:
"Imperio! You will bring me a grimoire and atame. You will not tell my grandmother, father, and in general, no one about what happened! You will put everything back in place and forget about it," I hissed through my teeth.
The elf smiled some kind of crazy, blissful smile, looking at me with an intoxicated look, and when my instructions were completed, he nodded and immediately disappeared.
"Anna…" Ora looked at me with horror-filled eyes, covering her mouth with her hand.
Merlin! I used Unforgivable...
I was shaking, my head was buzzing, and my heart sank into my heels, but it was too late to retreat.
A moment later, another pop was heard and Kreacher appeared before me with a huge black leather-bound folio in one hand and a small silver dagger in the other. I took these things, the elf bowed again and disappeared.
Now there is no way back. After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.