Chapter 97
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Rebekah laughed with despair as soon as she read a letter from Hogwarts, specifically from her Head of House.
Sirius looked up from his newspaper.
"What now?" He asked and Rebekah just shoved the letter at him before placing her head onto the table. "Ha! How's this a bad thing?"
Miss Potter.
With Mr. Montague leaving us last year, it seems like there is no captain for the Slytherin team this year. I appoint you Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team as of the beginning of the school year.
No excuses.
Head of Slytherin,
Professor S Snape.
"Looks like you'll be needing new robes then," Sirius nodded to himself. "We'll go on Friday. I'll inform the Ministry that we plan to go. Even if you know you don't need extra security, the Ministry isn't taking any chances of being blamed."
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Remus and Sirius escorted Rebekah to Twilfitt and Tattings with four Aurors following behind. They had been dropped off at Diagon Alley at precisely ten o'clock and were followed by half a dozen Aurors purely because the Minister was paranoid that Rebekah was going to be killed.
She had ignored the newspaper when it called her the Chosen One. She wasn't chosen, she was selected because she was the 'lesser' threat out of her and Neville.
The Aurors tried to escort Rebekah but she did as she always did, her way. Rebekah walked like they weren't there and continued to do so as she brought her books without hesitation. What was the point in acting like everyone was out to get her? Most people just wanted life to go back to normal, not kill her.
Rebekah had four of the six Aurors follow her to Twilfitt and Tatting's along with Sirius as Molly and Arthur took Hermione, Ginny and Ron to Madam Malkin's for their robes. She had requested that two of the six Aurors follow the Weasleys and Hermione because if the Death Eaters would get to them, she would be devastated…
To the smallest degree ever but still devastated nonetheless.
"Hello, Miss Potter," Mrs Malfoy greeted as soon as the elder Witch caught sight of her.
"Hello," Rebekah nodded to her as she walked further into the shop, four Aurors trailing after her. "Is Draco getting his robes fitted at the moment?"
"Yes…"
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Rebekah had to find her friends before someone tried to yell "Hey, Chosen One!" at her again and get a black eye for their efforts.
She was on the train now, having had to get on last due to the Aurors following her every move so far today. Emperor strutted in front of her, his large form making the other students in the hall move to the side to let her pass as they got to near the end of the train. She had a rucksack on her back, some simple things she got from the Dursleys before coming to the station.
Her friends should be somewhere near—
Pansy poked her head out of the next compartment, snapping at a younger year as they looked for a second too long. She grabbed Rebekah's arm before pulling her inside.
"Thanks," Rebekah said before chucking her rucksack on top of the racks and plumping her ass down next to the window, Blaise right across from her with Daphne to her side. "I've had enough of people for a while. I still have to attend the stupid Prefect meeting, and Snape decided to make me Quidditch Captain because Montague left. I'll attend that later with Draco. Is that alright?"
"Sure, Time-Turning back later to go to it?" Draco asked and Rebekah nodded. He handed her a newspaper. "Have you read today's?"
"No, I haven't," Rebekah said, flicking the newspaper in her hands to get it to sit up right as she read it. "I didn't have time this morni… Are you fucking kidding? Again? Didn't they already print this during the summer?"
"They did but it seems they wanted to do it again," Blaise said. "Thought it was important enough to reprint apparently. Most of it is just what was written last time."
REBEKAH POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?
Rumours continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more.
"We're not allowed to talk about it, don't ask me anything," said one agitated Obliviator, who refused to give his name as he left the Ministry last night.
Nevertheless, highly placed sources within the Ministry have confirmed that the disturbance centred on the fabled Hall of Prophecy.
Though Ministry spokes wizards have hitherto refused even to confirm the existence of such a place, a growing number of the Wizarding community believe that the Death Eaters now serving sentences in Azkaban for trespass and attempted theft were attempting to steal a prophecy. The nature of that prophecy is unknown, although speculation is rife that it concerns Rebekah Potter, the only person ever known to have survived the Killing Curse, and who is also known to have been at the Ministry on the night in question. Some are going so far as to call Potter "the Chosen One," believing that the prophecy names her as the only one who will be able to rid us of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. (ctd. page 5, column 7)
"At least we know the truth," Draco said offhandedly, shifting in his seat. "Apparently Graham Montague told his parents about the Vanishing Cabinet, the one he was forced into by the Weasley Twins, and his parents, or at least his dad, is a Death Eater. Graham Montague Senior told Tom and since my father is in Azkaban, he thinks a good way to prevent the Malfoy name from going into disgrace would be for me to help fix it."
All of the Crown had started calling Voldemort by his real name, Tom because it kept what they said under a small disguise. A lot of people had the name Tom so it wouldn't be suspicious if they suddenly started speaking of an individual named as such.
"And the trip to Borgin and Burkes?" Rebekah asked.
He nodded, rubbing his arm. "I had to show him my mark."
She turned soft. "Does it hurt?"
"It aches."
Daphne leaned forward. "Roll up your sleeve and give me your arm."
Draco did as instructed, rolling his sleeve up to show the Dark Mark off. It was black and seemed to make the skin around it ache with redness and inflammation. It was meant as a reminder of loyalty, even if the binding cuff tattoos around his wrists superseded any spell of loyalty.
Daphne muttered a couple of healing spells under her breath, running the tip of her wand on the outside of the mark to reduce redness. It would act as a numbing agent for a while, letting it heal better as Magic couldn't be used to force the skin to heal around the Dark Magic.
"Thanks," He mumbled, rolling his sleeve back down. "Borgin showed me the other cabinet, it's in good condition. I ordered him to keep it safe while I try to fix the one in the school. If both work, then the Death Eaters will have a passageway into the school. Fenrir Greyback accompanied me, the one that had turned Remus Lupin. He's just as disgusting as Remus had said. Perverted and pedophilic as ever. I could barely stand his comments."
"How's your mother doing with Tom at the manor?"
"Bellatrix Lestrange is now a resident at the house, so she's doing okay without me. Even if we don't like to consider Bellatrix family, she still is."
"You can't help who you're related to," Logan said, nodding his chin to the door. "Someone at the door."
That silenced them, letting Rebekah wave a hand and make the door open without touching it. She sat with her back against the glass window as she blankly looked at the small scrolls the Third year girl gave her and Blaise.
"What are they?" Rebekah asked as she and Blaise opened them.
"I was supposed to deliver these to Rebekah Potter and Blaise Zabini," The Third year girl nodded once before looking at another scroll and rushing down the corridor.
Rebekah rolled her eyes before snapping her chin to the door, closing it with a quiet bang. She unrolled the scroll just as Blaise did, both of them sighing.
Rebekah,
I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C.
Sincerely,
Professor H. E. F. Slughorn.
"Fun," Blaise said. "You going?"
"Have to keep face," Rebekah sighed, standing up. "Keep discussing. We'll converse again in the Chamber later."
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"Rebekah, dear!" Slughorn said as soon as she got in sight of Compartment C's door. He turned to Blaise next to her. "You must be Mr Zabini."
Blaise nodded and took the extended hand, shaking it as he and Rebekah got into the compartment. They took the opposite seats next to the door, glancing at everyone else with a calculating look.
There were a few people they knew. Ginny and Nevile sat in there along with a couple of Seventh years. Blaise and Rebekah greeted everyone as they were greeted, either with a nod or just a simple look.
"Well now, this is most pleasant," Slughorn began. "A chance to get to know you all a little better. Here, take a napkin. I've packed my own lunch; the trolley, as I remember it, is heavy on liquorice wands, and a poor old man's digestive system isn't quite up to such things… Pheasant, Belby?"
Belby started and accepted what looked like half a cold pheasant.
"I was just telling young Marcus here that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles," Slughorn told the two newcomers, now passing around a basket of rolls. "Outstanding Wizard, outstanding, and his Order of Merlin most well-deserved. Do you see much of your uncle, Marcus?"
Unfortunately, Belby had just taken a large mouthful of pheasant; in his haste to answer Slughorn he swallowed too fast, turned purple, and began to choke.
Slughorn sighed. "Anapneo!"
Belby's airway cleared instantly. "Not much of him, no."
"Well, of course, I daresay he's busy," Slughorn questioned Belby. "I doubt he invented the Wolfsbane Potion without considerable hard work!"
"I suppose," Belby said, scratching the back of his neck. "Er, he and my dad don't get on very well, you see, so I don't really know much about…"
His voice trailed away as Slughorn gave him a cold smile and turned to McLaggen instead.
"Now, you, Cormac," Slughorn smiled, "I happen to know you see a lot of your Uncle Tiberius, because he has a rather splendid picture of the two of you hunting Nogtails in, I think, Norfolk?"
"Oh, yeah, that was fun, that was," McLaggen shrugged. "We went with Bertie Higgs and Rufus Scrimgeour— this was before he became Minister, obviously—"
Ah, you know Bertie and Rufus too?" Slughorn offered a small tray of pies, missing Belby as he was finishing up his sandwich. Rebekah and Blaise declined. "Now tell me…"
Just as the Crown thought, everyone invited was connected to someone important or well known, except for Ginny.
Blaise had to speak about how his mother was married seven times and each time her husband died and left her money. It was less mysterious when you found out that each bastard had decided to have affairs and a clause on her marriage contracts was that affairs would become fatal to them.
After a bit of that, Blaise decided to get Rebekah and himself drinks. He had a glass of spiced pumpkin juice while Rebekah had a coffee-like usual.
Slughorn turned to Rebekah after questioning Neville for ten long minutes. "Where to begin, Miss Potter? I feel like I barely scratched the surface when we met over the summer! The Chosen One, they're calling you now!"
Politely, she smiled with teeth as if she was sheepish. "For one reason or another, the title stuck in the media."
"There've been rumours for years, I'll have you know. After that terrible night, you know the one, the word was that you must have powers beyond the ordinary—"
Blaise jabbed her in the side, chuckling at her slowly before making her smile a real smile at him.
"The rumours this summer were extraordinary!" Slughorn beamed. "There's been talk of you actually speaking to You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters without him trying to kill you. Is this true? And the Death Eaters, who were they?"
"I'm not at liberty to disclose that information,"
"But you were at the Ministry the same time as You-Know-Who?"
"Yes. Anything the public has been told, I'm allowed to discuss but otherwise, I will stay silent about what happened that night," She said.
"Oh." He shook off the disappointment. "And the prophecy?"
"While the details of the prophecy haven't been revealed to the public, I know of it," She nodded once. "Voldemort and I know of the contents, and a few other people."
Slughorn froze at the name but Rebekah and Blaise rolled their eyes at that and sipped their chosen drinks as the conversation continued before they were sent off to get dressed as the train got closer to the castle.
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