Chapter 69
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The fire burned blue and white as the group sat on plush pillows on the rug before the fireplace, reading and tossing every single letter Rebekah received. Almost all of them said that Rebekah should have been killed by Voldemort.
Ouch.
But none of them dared use his name so it made the wish less satisfactory than if they did. How pathetic to try and threaten harm to her but never being able to even scare her a little.
The group sat by the fire as usual, almost all of them laying on one another in some kind of way or form. Emperor allowed himself to be used as a pillow by most of the boy
"Listen to this," Draco stood up from the sofas in Rebekah's dorm room, a letter open in his hands as he read it. "You're surrounded by people who are only friends with you because you are a Potter! They're only there because of your social status! They don't actually care for you. I doubt any PureBloods worth their gold would go near you unless they got a little something out of you. Such a scarlet woman!"
Theo brought a baby carrot to his lips, chomping on it as he smirked and elbowed Rebekah in the side gently. "We can't disagree that you are kind of a scarlet woman, 'bekah."
"Rude!" She gasped.
"True!"
"True," Rebekah laughed along with them, falling back into Emperor's oversized form. "I don't have a problem with flirting around. Just keep it clean and keep away from those who just want you for status."
"More or less any of the other Purebloods or Halfbloods then the MuggleBorns,"
"Even if you are a Halfblood, you're still a Potter and an Heir to the Black house, along with the last Slytherin descendant with the ability to speak to snakes,"
"Not just snakes, reptiles too," Rebekah nodded to a pile of animals before the fire at their feet. Fidele slept with Hedwig on his curled form. Enyo sat in the fire, completely fine as the flames danced around her as she slept on. "Talking to Dragons was like speaking a different dialect. Like British English and American English. You can understand everything but there is a slight difference in how you say things."
"We learn different things every day with you, Miss Potter," Blaise said and made Draco snort into his drink, completely drenching his front. "Well done, mate!"
"Oh, fuck off!" Draco wipped his front down before dragging Blaise into a pile with Theo and Tracey on them.
"If you get injured," Rebekah said as she just continued to lean on Emperor's warm side, watching the four mess around and brawl on the stone ground. "You're gonna be explaining to Snape why!"
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"What have they done?" Rebekah whispered as she and Cedric walked over to the Quidditch field. Hundreds of hedges went in criss crossing patterns on the field, creating a maze that was only a metre tall at the moment.
"How are we supposed to practise now?" Cedric asked as Bagman called them over to the middle of the field. They jogged to the middle, greeting the other Champions. Rebekah asked how Gabrielle was doing and Fleur smiled and replied that she was doing well.
Both female Champions were no longer as hostile as they were at the beginning of the tournament.
"Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid will have them twenty feet high. Don't worry," Bagman paused when he saw the very much less than happy faces on Rebekah and Cedric. "You'll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"
Viktor answered after a moment. "Maze."
"A Maze!" Bagman smiled. "The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."
"We simply 'ave to get through ze maze?" Fleur crossed her arms loosely.
"There will be obstacles, of course. Hagrid is providing a number of creatures, then there will be spells that must be broken… all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze." Bagman nodded to the two Hogwarts Champions. "Then Mr. Krum will enter… then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"
Oh, Merlin and Morgan… If Hagrid was allowed to provide the creatures, Rebekah couldn't even think of what he would choose.
"Very well… if you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we, it's a bit chilly…"
Just as the four Champions and Bagman began the way back out of the growing maze, Viktor asked if he could speak to Rebekah privately. Rebekah agreed, to Bagman's dismay, and followed him into the forest so they wouldn't be overheard.
"Nona has been very concerned about Logan and you," Viktor started. "You are very nice girl. Helped me with Hermione. Vhat is your intention with Logan?"
"I thought he would be a good candidate for inter school unity," Rebekah said. "And he isn't bad to look at. I've already told him my intentions so nothing can be confused…"
They continued until they heard rustling in the trees…
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Within the next twenty four hours of the standard day, Rebekah stood outside Dumbledore's office after the gargoyle statues let her up without the password. After a moment of listening to the conversation in the room, Moody opened the door and let her in.
Fudge grinned as he saw Rebekah come in. "Rebekah, how are you?"
"Well, thank you," Rebekah tucked her hands behind her as she stood with certainty.
"Good, good," He said under his breath. "We were just talking about the night when Mr. Crouch turned up on the grounds. It was you who found him, wasn't it?"
"Him and Krum," Rebekah nodded before shuffling her feet a little before raising her gaze to challenge him. "I doubt Madame Maxime was anywhere near there. She would have a hard time hiding anyway, wouldn't she?"
"True," Fudge shook his head. "If you'll excuse us, Rebekah, we were about to go for a short walk on the grounds. So if you'd just—"
"I came to speak to HeadMaster Dumbledore,"
Dumbledore paused, searching her eyes for any sort of indication of what she could want to speak about. "The examination of the grounds won't take too long. Wait for me here, Rebekah. I will be back soon."
"Have a pleasant walk," Rebekah stood to the side, waiting for the door to shut and Moody's wooden leg to slowly vanish with its sound, before turning to the glowing and almost purring bird next to Dumbledore's desk. "Hello Fawkes."
She stroked the soft feathers of his neck as he leaned into her touch, knowing she wouldn't hurt him. If she wanted his tears or feathers, she would have simply asked but she had no need for them for now.
Rebekah knew exactly what a Pensieve was, even if she had never used one herself. She had, however, given memories that were put into a Pensieve and used as evidence for Sirius' trial. She had never thought she would have the desire to stick her face into a large basen of strange liquid just to see the memory inside.
That was how Rebekah found herself sitting next to Albus Dumbledore on a long bench.
A younger version of Karkaroff was suddenly chained onto the chair in the middle of the large room, binding his arms to the and refusing to let him go.
"Igor Karkaroff," Crouch's younger version said as he stood on the bench next to her. "You have been brought from Azkaban to present evidence to the Ministry of Magic. You have given us to understand that you have important information for us."
"I have, sir," He tried to keep the nervous and terrified tone out of his voice but it was still there with each stutter. "I wish to be of use to the Ministry. I wish to help. I - I know that the Ministry is trying to - to round up the last of the Dark Lords supporters. I am eager to assist in any way I can…"
"As if," Rebekah said, knowing no one would be able to hear her as this was a memory.
For the next twenty minutes, until the real Dumbledore himself came to pull her out of the memory, Rebekah listened earnestly and watched with the intensity of a predator observing the prey they were deciding to attack or not.
Rebekah was not surprised when Crouch sentenced his own son to Azkaban, nor his treatment of Karkaroff. But she was surprised to find out that Travers, as in Charlotte Travers' father, was a Death Eater. That explained the almost sudden hatred of her, even the other children of Death Eaters weren't that cruel to her.
It seemed like Rebekah would have to keep an eye on her after all.
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Rebekah sat in the chair across from Dumbledore, the Marauders' Map open on the table as they both observed the B Crouch loom around the classroom that belonged to Moody. Several rows of other names were in the same room, students in the younger years being taught by him.
"I've already told Snape that he was the one to put my name in the Goblet,"
"Under a different school and being the only candidate, you would be sure to be chosen," Dumbledore said, his hands clasped in front of him. "With the likeliness of death in certain trials, either he wanted you to die or he is waiting for something."
"Probably waiting for something to happen," Rebekah rubbed the back of her neck as she leaned onto the table with both of her elbows. "Voldemort said something about someone being dead. Even after I saw Crouch Senior becoming ill and then completely disappearing, I would like to think he is still alive but I doubt that."
Rebekah felt the strange sensation of prodding in her mind. She took a lemon sherbet from the side bowl and placed it into her mouth, tasting the sweet and sour candy before leaning back into the chair when Dumbledore frowned. She tapped her temple gently.
"Occlumency,"
"Useful ability to have," He said. "Who taught you? Was it Professor Snape after the incident with Miss Travers and her wand last year?"
Rebekah felt the thrill of fear over her skin for a moment, making her suck the hard candy in her mouth before she pulled her lips back in a self satisfied smirk. "I wouldn't call it an incident, more like revenge for her trying to hurt me and mine."
"I am surprised you are willing to admit it,"
"How did you find out?"
"I had to get Severus Snape to tell me," Rebekah scoffed but Dumbledore continued. "He was very reluctant to do so, saying that you were doing just fine and didn't cause trouble. Well… The type of trouble you would get caught in, of course. Why did you not tell me your fascination with the Dark Arts?"
"Why would I?" Rebekah shrugged, her eyes flickering between his cool blue ones, searching for any type of hidden agenda. "All I've heard about you is how you defeated Grindelwald at a young age and renounced all Dark Magic. How you detest Dark Magic and refuse to use it. If I told you about my fascination and interest in the Dark Arts, you would have taken away, or you would have tried to take away my books and limit my time with that subject."
"You wouldn't believe that Soul Magic is a Dark Art," Dumbledore said, clasping his hands onto his stomach as he leaned back into the high back of his chair. Fawkes disappeared from his perch with a twist of the body and the crackle of fire, reappearing on Dumbledore's shoulder. "That includes Familiars."
"Then why would the Ministry allow Familiars if they were so against Dark Magic?"
"Because the Magic of a Familiar will become unbalanced without the master to keep them tame." "If you were to be killed by anyone, Emperor would hunt them down before killing them himself. He wouldn't care how long it would take him or he would hurt, Emperor would become feral with the need for revenge. If he was removed from your presence for too long, he would become feral until he was reunited with you."
"How is a Familiar Soul Magic? I don't understand." Rebekah hated those words. She didn't like that taste of it on her tongue, it felt foreign and unwelcome. "Unless… the bond isn't just an emotional one. If both souls are tethered…"
"One soul," Dumbledore interrupted as he saw Rebekah scrunch her eyebrows together. Emperor appeared from the shadows, quickly shrinking before jumping into Rebekah's lap as he begged for scratches.
"What do you mean one soul?"
"The bond between Familiar and master isn't a normal one," He paused to think for a second. "The bond is as… eternal as the soul it binds itself to. Think of a Familiar as being an extra piece of the soul that you may not need, but would greatly prefer to have. The stronger the bond, the more soul you share with the Familiar. For your case, you share a large proportion of your soul with Emperor. When you met, your soul was complete and you became stronger Magically because of it. You could reach your full potential then."
He held a hand out but Rebekah gave him a strange look. What did he want?
"I know you have Morgan Le Fay's journal. Severus had asked me if he could retrieve it for you, knowing you might need some of the things inside." He raised an eyebrow. "May I have a look at it?"
Rebekah only hesitated for a moment before pulling the clutch from her bracelet and watched it grow. She pulled out the book, placing it on the table. What she didn't expect was for it to allow Dumbledore to open it with ease.
At her little aggravated exhale, Dumbledore answered her unasked question. "Only those who would be capable of using the spells and rituals inside would be allowed to open this book."
He traced a finger on the engraving on the first page.
This volume, of knowledge and information of creating spells, brewing potions and manifesting ambitions, is property of Morgan Le Fay given to B. Peverell.
"I've read every single one of these pages and I would hope to believe you have done the same," Dumbledore said, leaving the book open to the first page as he leaned forward. "I should hope there are a few rituals you would consider doing, especially with your group of friends."
"There was one," Rebekah tapped the corner of the page with a finger, the book began to flick until it stopped at the right page. "Pietas Ad Mortem. It's very familiar to the Fidelius Charm, I'd think, but this one is much stronger and also prevents people from overhearing. With the nature of my group and our families, I think this would be the best option even if it includes a blood sacrifice."
"This loyalty ritual is very advanced, even for someone like myself who had created a blood pact when I was a bit older than yourself," Dumbledore said, pulling the book forward to read it better. "It's like a blood pact but it holds the participants to a certain degree of loyalty that wouldn't be achieved without Magic. It would force you and everyone else who takes part to be loyal to each other completely, overruling a person's free will."
"It'll be a last resort." Rebekah's face was blank. "It is extreme and I don't even know if I'd be able to get my friends to agree to do it."
"Getting them to agree won't be difficult if Voldemort rises again,"
"Do you think he'll rise again?" Rebekah sighed with frustration. "First year, Quirrell, second year, diary. What next?"
"We'll have to wait and see…"
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