A/N: Hello! Sorry about the wait, I recently found out that I am at risk of redundancy so my priorities have been on doing extra jobs in the evenings for a bit of extra cash and looking for another job just in case. I've still got another consultation and two more weeks at least until we find out who is staying and who is being made redundant, so my apologies if uploads aren't very quick. And thank you to everyone who reviews, I love a review!

Chapter 35.

Magnolia angrily paced around the empty classroom Harry and Hermione had pushed her into. The paper was clenched in her hands as she read it, every now and then scoffing. Harry and Hermione were both leaning against a table watching her, Harry had had to stop Hermione intervening a few times.

Magnolia was mumbling under her breath at the article, her blood boiling at the mention of her school mates.

"She can't name them because they're too afraid of what might happen to them!?"

"Mags…"

"Because I'm such a dark witch." Magnolia continued, rolling her eyes.

"That's not exactly what…"

"'Magnolia Potter, you would be forgiven for not knowing the name at all.'" Magnolia interrupted Hermione, "'Her own school friends cower at the thought of speaking against her, due to the dark magic that has kept her forgotten since her parents died at the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.'

"'Exactly what, or who, has been controlling that is still a mystery. Hogwarts students, who can't be named due to their terror of what might befall them if found out that they spoke about the forgotten girl, have told me that during her years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Magnolia Potter has shown a prevalence to the Dart Arts.'

"'Magnolia was sorted into Slytherin, a House historically connected with Dark Wizards; including the very one who left her an orphan. Students tell me she fit into the House exceptionally well, with her own temper and Dark Magical ability shining through on plenty of occasions.'"

"Ok, so maybe it sort of implies it." Hermione shuffled her feet awkwardly.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about Mags." Harry tried to calm his sister.

Magnolia paused mid step at her brother's words, only stilling for a moment before she continued pacing. She wasn't sure that Harry was right; maybe Skeeter was. Magnolia often worried that she had evil inside of her.

"I need to go."

Magnolia quickly left the room, leaving Harry and Hermione shocked in the classroom. She knew exactly where she was going to go. She needed time alone. Time to read and reread the critical article.

Stepping outside, into the cold air, Magnolia took a deep calming breath. She walked down to the lake, sitting down on a log as she watched the water lap to the shore. From where she was, she could see the Castle, but she was well hidden from others seeing her.

Her fury was subsiding now; she had originally been so angry at the article, at Rita Skeeter, at her peers who had spoken to the woman. That anger was changing now, from them to herself. She wasn't sure that Rita Skeeter's article was wrong about her.

Even now when she thought of Tom Riddle, of Lord Voldemort, she didn't think of him with complete fear or disgust or hatred. Her dream the night before had proved that. She hadn't known who she wanted to win the fight. She hadn't known who she had wanted to go to once it was done.

Magnolia sat by the Lake throughout the morning, her mind whirling around the article, until the cold became too much for even her. Reluctantly, she stood up and made her way back inside the Castle.

"Hey! Wolf-girl!"

Magnolia groaned; she wasn't in the mood to deal with them. Months ago, she had let them get the best of her, but she wasn't going to do the same today. Her hand went to her pocket automatically, clenching around her wand.

Warrington and Montague appeared beside her, shoving her against the wall like they had that night. Magnolia whipped her wand out of her pocket, pressing the tip of it against Montague's neck.

"Living up to your exposé, huh?" He whispered, "Going to show me your Dark powers?"

"Oh, do show us," Warrington chuckled, "Show us why the Dark Lord favoured you."

Magnolia hesitated, her grip against Montagues neck releasing just a bit at their words. She could hurt him, she wanted to hurt him. They were right though, if she did, she would be proving Rita Skeeter right.

Montague pressed against her, pushing her against the wall with his body. She could hurt him. She should hurt him. He could do anything to her unless she defended herself. That didn't make her a Dark witch, it made her strong.

"Furnuculus!"

Montague yelped as he let go of Magnolia, his hands flying to his face as boils erupted across it. He hissed in pain as he brought his hands down, his eyes narrowing on her. Magnolia tried to move from against the wall, but Warrington's arms circled tightly around her waist, holding her in place.

she felt the pain before she knew what had happened, the warmth of her own blood dripping down her face from the slicing hex Montague had sent her way. He stepped towards her again, more and more boils covering him and gripped her neck.

Her mind froze as she recalled the last time she had been in this position, and now she couldn't use her wand because Warrington was holding her arms against her body. Montague dug his fingertips into her skin, the nails piercing her flesh.

"Nothing will protect you and your freak brother when the Dark Lord returns." Montague hissed in her ear.

"Hey!"

Magnolia's eyes widened as she heard another voice approaching the trio. She was almost glad to see the red hair of the Weasley twins running up the hallway. Montague's hands tightened around Magnolia's neck and arm as he pressed his body against hers and leaned back into her ear.

"Frankly, I'm looking forward to the day he returns. If anyone can knock you off the pedestal you've put yourself on, it'll be the Dark Lord."

Magnolia was suddenly thrown away from the wall and into the twins' arms. She coughed as Montague's hand left her throat and glared back at the older Slytherins, watching as Warrington dropped her wand.

"What the hell were you doing?" George spat at the boys.

Montague and Warrington smirked at the Weasley's as they stepped away from the wall and towards them. Magnolia supressed a shiver as they approached her again, even though they were focusing on the twins now. Her chest was heaving, she couldn't help but think about the time in the Chamber and compare it to what just happened.

Something was wrong with her. She felt safer with the boy who would grow up to become her parent's murderer, who had made it very obvious that he wanted her for something, then with two schoolboys who were only 2 years older than her.

Maybe Rita Skeeter was right, maybe she was Dark.

"We were just chatting, weren't we Wolf-girl?" Warrington sneered, "See you soon."

The two walked away then, leaving Magnolia standing in George's arms in the hallway. She could feel him shaking, and one look at his face confirmed that he was furious. She saw him swallow and squeeze his eyes shut before he huffed and looked down at her.

"Are you ok? Shall I take you to the Hospital Wing?"

"No! I'm fine." Magnolia cried, "I… I just want to go to my Common Room."

George nodded, although Magnolia could tell that he wasn't happy about her decision. He kept his arm around Magnolia' shoulders as they walked through the Castle, Fred on her other side. Magnolia could tell they wanted to ask her questions, every now and then one of the boys would start to say something but would quickly stop himself.

When they were stood outside the Slytherin Common Room, George banged on the wall, holding Magnolia's hand. She glanced at him in confusion.

"They're you're Housemates, no way I'm letting you walk straight in there until I know you're with someone who will keep you safe." George told her as he moved his hands to her face, moving her head around so he could see her neck.

The door opened as Magnolia rolled her eyes, she didn't need George to do this for her. An unsuspecting second year had opened the Common Room, and Fred asked her to get Magnolia's friends, Magnolia snapped at her for opening the Common Room without thinking why someone was knocking and not just walking in.

Moments later, Tracey and Daphne appeared in the doorway with Theo, Malfoy and Pansy stood behind them.

"What do you want?" Malfoy growled, "Can Potter not let herself into her own Common Room without your assistance anymore?"

"Draco!" Pansy chastised, taking everyone by surprise, "Look at her face!"

Magnolia brought her hand up to her face, her cheek sticky from the blood still oozing out of the cut. She could hear George's hard voice explaining to the Slytherins what he and Fred had walked in on. Magnolia could see Malfoy's eyes flicker to hers whilst George was talking.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Magnolia interrupted, "Thanks for walking me back, I'll see you later guys."

Magnolia smiled at George and Fred and pushed past her friends, walking through the Common Room into her Dorm. Kaida wrapped herself around Magnolia's legs when she walked into the bathroom to stand in front of the mirror and clean her cheek.

She heard the door open, the sound of the someone's footsteps walking towards her. Out of the corner of her eye, Magnolia saw the last person she was expecting lean against the bathroom door.

"Why didn't you fight back?" Pansy asked.

Magnolia scoffed, "I did. That's where I got the cut from."

"What happened?"

"The article. What else?"

Magnolia saw Pansy look down at the ground as she dabbed at her cheek, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Magnolia scoffed as she turned to Pansy, "Don't try telling me that you regret talking to that awful woman. Did that finally make you feel better? Was that finally enough for you to stop being such a cow? Did that finally make up for Malfoy wanting me and not you."

Pansy winced, "You think I spoke to her?"

Magnolia pushed past Pansy, back into the Dorm room, followed closely by Kaida. Pansy whirled around, watching as Magnolia strode past. Magnolia noticed the shocked, hurt look on Pansy's face and rolled her eyes.

"I would never do that to you!" Pansy cried.

"Pansy, you cursed me down the stairs and left me a crumpled mess at the bottom!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I wanted to help you, but that Gryffindor got there first. I was just so angry. Draco was supposed to fall in love with me. I'd noticed it before… different times over the years, but this year was different- it was more."

Pansy sat on her bed, looking at Magnolia who had already sat on hers.

"All those times I saw you and Draco together; when Moody first came I saw Draco protect you, I'd heard about what happened at the Quidditch World Cup, and he was so angry when you got hurt by Warrington and Montague the first time.

"I saw all these tiny moments between you, looks neither of you probably even realised you were giving. And when Draco told me how he felt… I couldn't- I couldn't understand why he wouldn't feel like that for me.

"And it wasn't just him. You're supposed to be my friend. You were the first person I'd met that I knew really liked me for me. I'd never had a best friend before you. I could tell you anything. I thought you could with me. When Draco told me how he felt, I thought… I thought you two had been sneaking around behind my back."

Magnolia brought her feet onto her bed, resting her chin on her knees.

"We had." Magnolia mumbled, "Well, sort of. Near the beginning of the year, I mentioned to Malfoy that Moody freaked me out. That sometimes, when he spoke to me, it was like these weird memories popped up, things I hadn't thought about for years. Malfoy has been teaching me Occlumency to keep Moody out my mind."

"I told Draco at the beginning of the year that Moody is way too interested in you. I told him that sometimes, when Moody looked at you, it was like he was trying to get into your mind."

Magnolia laughed slightly, "Sometimes, he succeeded."

"I really am sorry." Pansy said after moments of silence, "I know you might not forgive me, but I'll work on that. I am really, truly, sorry for everything I did."

"Yeah… well… I'm tired." Magnolia replied, looking away from Pansy, "I think I'm just going to go to bed."

Hours later though, a long time after everyone else in her House had gone to bed, Magnolia was sat in the Common Room gazing into the fire. She couldn't sleep now; she couldn't go back to sleep in fear of falling back into the nightmare she had woken up from.

She was glad she had put spells around her bed, she would have surely woken the other girls in her Dorm or thrown herself off of the bed completely. Her nightmares had been getting worse, but they had never been so… interactive.

Magnolia was distracted by the sounds of footsteps padding up the stairs from the Dorm rooms, glancing over she saw Malfoy enter the Common Room holing Kaida close to his chest. Magnolia rolled her eyes and focussed back on the fire, of course he would be the one to find her.

"So, this is why you woke me, is it?" Malfoy murmured to Kaida as he sat on the sofa next to Magnolia. "She was really quite insistent I get out of bed."

"Sorry."

Magnolia could feel Malfoy staring at her intently, obviously wondering why she was sat in the Common Room in the middle of the night, and why her pet had woken him up.

"Don't worry. Care to tell me why she was so insistent?" Malfoy asked, "Pansy said you'd gone to sleep, so why are you awake?"

Magnolia glanced at him; she was so tired, so tired of holding in secrets.

"Nightmare. I had another nightmare."

Malfoy sighed at her morose tone and moved closer to Magnolia, until their shoulders touch. Magnolia felt him put his arm around her, pulling her against his body. She closed her eyes, letting his warmth soothe her.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Magnolia suppressed the shiver that threatened to run down her spine as she thought about the dream again. He had been fighting again, Tom Riddle had been sending curses to everyone who stood against him; Harry, Hermione and Ron, Ginny, George and Fred, Sirius and Lupin.

This time she hadn't been stuck in the middle, unsure of where to go or who to choose. She had already chosen. Tom Riddle hadn't been fighting for his life, for himself, he had been fighting for the girl stood behind him, her hand clenching the back of his shirt. He had been fighting for the girl who had chosen him.