Chapter Three: The Journey
I: Lost (but not found): twelve days ago
Alexandra Cooper had always wanted one thing for her daughter: the best.
Unfortunately, her life and circumstance had been such that the best hadn't often been possible. Her husband had died when her daughter was only two years old, leaving Alexandra with more debt than anything else, and she'd had to work two jobs just to keep them above water. But then, slowly, things began to look up: she applied and was instated as a manager of a new retail start-up that had blossomed overnight, and had married its CEO, John Wilkes. She lived in a beautiful house in a wonderful neighbourhood, and for the first time in many, many years, she could be certain of being able to provide for her child.
Melissa Cooper was the kind of daughter that every parent wanted. She was kind, intelligent, popular, cute, and responsible.
And now, she was special.
Alexandra had always known that there was something about her daughter that wasn't normal. For one thing, she'd never been able to keep a babysitter. They all seemed to think that there was something wrong with Melissa. Things she didn't like inexplicably shattered, the clock never seemed to show that it was bedtime, her vegetables disappeared off her plate so quickly that there was no way she could have eaten them.
"It's almost like magic," one babysitter had said, as she dropped the spare keys back into Alexandra's hand, shaking her head. "I just can't deal with it any more."
That babysitter, it turns out, had been rather perceptive. For just a month ago, a strange woman in what Alexandra thought looked awfully like the academic robes that her sister had worn at Cambridge, had shown up on their doorstep bringing a letter, and the surprising news that magic was real, and that her daughter, Melissa Cooper, was a witch.
John had been confused, Melissa had been over the moon, and Alexandra … well, it had taken her a while to wrap her head around it, but once she managed to comprehend the notion of an entire magical world existing, she was thrilled. Her daughter was special, unique in ways that she could barely imagine.
They'd taken Melissa to a place called Diagonal Alley- or perhaps it was Diagon Alley? - to buy her school things, and Alexandra fell in love almost immediately with the quaint cobbled streets, the people in funny clothes and hats, the books with odd titles and the shops with strange names. The idea that this had all been there for all thirty-eight years of her life, unbeknownst to her, was the strangest feeling- and now, this was her daughter's world.
It had felt like a dream come true, until, on the twentieth of August, that dream had turned into a nightmare.
How could she be gone?
It had been a normal day until then: she'd given Melissa breakfast, left for work with John and returned at five PM. She'd gotten out of the car and walked the short distance to her front door; she'd heard the neighbourhood children playing, and noticed an odd, freshly painted symbol on a wall near her house: a skull with something odd coming out of its mouth. She pointed it out to John, who shook his head disapprovingly - probably one of those kid gangs being rowdy again.
Alexandra had known something was wrong the moment her key wouldn't turn in the lock. She'd known something was wrong when John had suggested that she try the handle, and the door had swung open. She'd known something was wrong when she called Melissa's name and got no response.
John thought she might have just gone out to play, but Alexandra knew that Melissa would have left a note. Still, she called every one of Melissa's friends' parents: all of them knew where their children were, and no, none of them had seen Melissa.
She did what she had to do. Shaking, she called the police, who took her statement and promised to put out an alert. Ten minutes after they left, she felt as if she couldn't simply sit and do nothing, so, despite John's protests, she pulled on a coat, and was about to take to the streets, calling her daughter's name, hoping, praying that she was simply lost, hiding in a corner somewhere, afraid.
But as she opened the door, she came face to face with two individuals she'd never seen before: a man, and a woman, both wearing those robes that looked like academic gowns, with little 'A' badges pinned to them.
"We're from the Ministry of Magic," the man explained. "We understand your daughter, Melissa Cooper, is missing."
Alexandra blinked. "You...you think it has something to do with your lot?"
They exchanged looks, and in that moment, Alexandra knew (inexplicably, for even the Aurors themselves, did not know) that her daughter was not lost.
She'd been taken, and by wizards at that.
And in that split second of realisation, all the magic went out of the last few weeks, and for the first time ever, Alexandra Cooper found herself wishing that her daughter was not special.
Why couldn't she have been normal?
.oOo.
II: The fall of France (five days before)
Victoire Weasley was sick and tired of France.
Oh, it was lovely for the first few days- good weather, nice scenery… but that was about it. Her cousins were too young for her to have any fun with them, her grandmother and grandfather were jovial, but overbearing, and their constant interrogation about her life got to be a bit much after a while. Her Aunt Gabrielle, the only person she actually liked, was busy most of the time, and Victoire was very, very bored.
Two weeks would have been fine. They always spent two weeks in France. Why her mother had to go and decide that Victoire hadn't experienced enough of France, she didn't know- she spoke the language, didn't she? Wasn't that enough? And even then, it wasn't as if they were actually going around France to places that they had yet to experience (Victoire, personally, would have loved to visit Paris). Nope, they were just stuck in the countryside in the middle of nowhere.
God, she hated her parents.
Well, her mum, at least. Her dad, she supposed, was alright. At least he'd stuck up for her when she'd got awfully stroppy (understandably so, in her opinion) after a month.
The holiday from hell would be over tomorrow morning: her father had set up the Portkey to take them back to England, and she'd spend the next few days relaxing at home while getting ready for school. She was to be going into her fourth year at Hogwarts, and - much to her irritation- her sister, Dominique, would be going into her second.
It wasn't that she didn't like Dominique, but the younger girl was - well, to put it quite frankly - a pain. If only her sister had just listened to their mother, and gone to Beauxbatons. At least then Victoire wouldn't have to deal with her following her around all the time, complaining about how they didn't spend enough time together.
It was this that she was dwelling on that evening, when she found herself unable to sleep. Her throat was dry and itchy (she hoped she wasn't coming down with something that would delay their return journey to the UK), and for some stupid reason, she'd forgotten to bring a glass of water upstairs with her. Silently cursing, she rolled out of bed, slipped her feet into her fluffy slippers, quietly opened the door and headed for the stairs.
There was a low light emanating from the drawing room, and as Victoire descended the first few steps, she heard voices, and froze.
"... but surely zis ees normal- zey are, after all, ze Ministry of Magic."
Victoire rolled her eyes; this was, unmistakably, her mother.
"Oui, but ze letters zey have received over ze last few days are different… zey think zey have something to do with her."
This, Victoire recognised as being her Aunt Gabrielle. Her heart lifted- she had thought she would only see her briefly the next morning before they left, as she was very busy with her job at the French Ministry of Magic. Victoire began to descend again, but froze when the adults - consisting of her mother, her father and her aunt - came into view.
There was something about the way they were positioned - close together, forming a tight circle- the way they were speaking in hushed tones that told Victoire that she should not be listening- not that it truly mattered to her. She tip-toed back up to the landing and pressed herself against the wall, allowing the darkness to envelope her as she listened.
"...these threats, you say they mention the girl specifically?" Bill Weasley asked.
What girl? Victoire thought.
"I do not know for sure- ze British Ministry are being very… what ees the word...secretive about ze whole thing. It ees clear zat zey do not want zis getting out. But I have my contacts in your Ministry, and zey tell me zat these letters… they mention things zat could only be about ze girl."
"And there's no way to trace the letters?"
"None. Ze Aurors have tried."
There was silence for a few moments; Victoire attempted to use it to make sense of what was going on, but could not- what girl? Why were the Aurors involved with this girl? What was going on in Britain that the adults clearly knew about? She felt a stab of betrayal- she expected such withholding of information from her parents, of course, but her aunt? Never.
Gabrielle Delacour was one of the rare adults who hadn't forgotten what it was like to be a child. Victoire had always felt like she could trust her aunt. She could tell Gabrielle anything, and although she may be disapproving, she would never tell anyone else. She was always so completely honest with Victoire- she never treated her like a child, incapable of understanding the complexity and the dynamics of the world, even if Victoire hadn't been able to understand.
It didn't feel good to know that perhaps she hadn't shared absolutely everything with her.
Victoire's mother broke the silence (and Victoire's train of thought): "Surely, ze Aurors have some ideas about where zis girl ees. After all, zey are ze best of ze best."
"Zere's no trace of her. Zey still don't have anything and zat's just the problem- a person, they cannot just disappear."
Bill cleared his throat. "It's not possible that...well … that she's- "
"I hope not."
Fleur again: "Do zey at least have some sort of idea about why ze girl was taken?"
Silence. "Zey do, but no one wants to believe it."
Victoire Weasley did not think herself stupid (despite not being a Ravenclaw, like her sister) but if someone had asked her what she thought was going on, she would have had absolutely no clue. In fact, she had never been so confused in her life. Letters addressed to the British Ministry, a girl who seemed to have disappeared into thin air, for a reason that nobody wanted to think about… none of it made any sense, at all.
The subject of the conversation downstairs changed, and Victoire, not believing that she could face her family without demonstrating in some way or another that she had heard (but not understood) their previous conversation, slipped silently back into her room, cursing her parents once again, for bringing her to France and keeping her completely out of the loop.
.oOo.
III: The Oxford dilemma (the day of)
For many individuals, Alfie Hayes included, leaving home at the end of summer is one of those things that never gets easier, no matter how many times you do it.
The first time, he hadn't wanted to go at all. Yes, he was excited to start a new school, meet new people and - most of all - learn about magic, but he didn't understand why he had to travel so far to do it. Surely there were magical day schools nearby that he could attend, while still living at home, with all the comforts that it entailed: his own room, his mother's cooking, his parent's support. But he'd had no choice: it was dangerous, the witch who had told him about his abilities had explained, for his magic to be left unharnessed, untrained. He had to go.
The second, third and fourth times, he had wanted to go back a little bit. He wasn't going into the unknown anymore, instead, he knew exactly what to expect. He knew what to look forward to - seeing Teddy, Ella and all his other friends again, playing Quidditch, eating copious amounts of food at the feasts - and what not to look forward to - exams, homework, and having to deal with idiots like Terence Gates. And yet leaving his parents behind was always difficult, because each time he got on the train, he felt as if he was moving further and further away from them, and their world.
And although he was a wizard, he never wanted to lose the integral part of his identity that had come from spending eleven years in the muggle world. He never wanted to forget that once upon a time, he hadn't been able to turn a porcupine into a pincushion, perform a decent Cheering Charm, or brew an ingestible Swelling Potion. He never wanted to forget the times when he was just a normal child who believed in magic, but was faintly aware that it was beyond his reach.
Being from the muggle world wasn't something he was ashamed of; it was part of him, and he embraced it wholeheartedly.
"Are you sure you have all your books now, dear?" Alfie's mother, Beth Hayes, asked as he pulled his trunk down the stairs. She was a short, thin woman, with mousy brownish-blonde hair that was a little straggly, and a kind face. She looked rather funny next to Alfie's father, Professor Timothy Hayes, who was much taller and broader.
"Yes, mum," Alfie confirmed. "And all the potions ingredients, and my broomstick, and my clothes, and - "
"Your train ticket?"
Alfie's mouth dropped open, and his parents laughed.
"It's upstairs, I swear it is!" he said, dropping his trunk on the floor and darting back to his room. He had to rifle through a couple of drawers, but it didn't take him long to locate the glossy slip of paper that would take him from Oxford to London King's Cross, where he would then transfer to the Hogwarts Express.
When he descended the stairs again, his parents were waiting for him in the kitchen. His mother pushed a glass of milk towards him. "Here."
"Thanks," he said, taking it.
He expected his parents to say something - maybe ask him whether he was excited to go back to school, or whether Teddy and Ella would be reaching King's Cross at about the same time that he did - but was instead met with an odd silence.
"Is everything okay?"
His parents exchanged an uneasy look. "Alfie, darling," Mrs. Hayes began, "please make sure you stay safe."
He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but he hadn't been expecting this. He tilted his head and gave her a rather questioning look. "I always do, mum, you know that."
"I know … I know."
"Then why do you look so - " frightened, anxious, fearful, "-concerned?"
There was another moment of silence, before his father spoke: "I've started getting your newspaper delivered."
Confusion. "I don't own a newspaper, dad, and Hogwarts doesn't have one."
His father looked rather exasperated, and Alfie felt a sudden, and yet familiar pang of inadequacy. "I know that, Alfred. I mean the Daily Prophet- the wizard newspaper."
"Oh." Suddenly, he felt as if a lightbulb had been switched on. "Does this have to do with that girl? The one who went missing."
"Well...yes."
"But what does she have to do with me?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.
"She's...well, she's just like you, isn't she?"
"She's about four years younger."
"You know what your father means, Alfie," Mrs. Hayes said. "She's a wizard - "
"Witch."
"Right. She's a witch, with two … normal parents, and from what your father's been reading in the opinion columns, some people are worried that she might have been taken because...well, because of that. Apparently, there was a conflict some years ago, where wizards thought that people like you shouldn't be allowed into the magical world."
Alfie knew all about the Second Wizarding War - it was impossible not to, with a best friend like Teddy Lupin, whose life had been so profoundly affected by the event. He hadn't, however, shared his knowledge of the event with his parents, who used to believe that the wizarding world was some kind of utopia, where conflicts rarely ever occurred, and when they did, were of a much smaller scale than muggle atrocities.
"Mum, no one knows why that girl was taken," Alfie said. "It could've been because she was muggleborn, like me, but it's also equally likely that it could've been for some random reason - maybe she was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Maybe she wasn't even taken by a wizard - muggle kids get kidnapped all the time."
"I suppose."
"The wizarding world is no more dangerous than the muggle...our world. And I'll be safe at Hogwarts- surrounded by all those highly trained wizards, and everything. The castle has all sorts of protective enchantments. I'll be just fine."
"If you're certain."
"Mum," he said, forcefully. "I'll be fine. Please, don't worry."
"We're your parents, Alfie," Professor Hayes said, smiling ruefully at his son. "It's our job to worry."
"I wish you wouldn't," Alfie muttered under his breath, finishing his milk. "I'll be fine, I promise."
He hadn't thought about the missing girl since he had been in London; he'd never even considered the fact that she'd been kidnapped because she was a muggleborn. He'd encountered limited prejudice during his time at Hogwarts - very few individuals had made insensitive remarks about his parentage, but they'd been punished, and hadn't done it again, except for one particular repeat offender. Surely, amongst the wider wizarding population, attitudes against his kind had died out with the end of the war?
Still, he couldn't help but feel his stomach sink slightly more than usual as he walked out of his front door. Leaving home was always difficult, but this time, it felt even more so.
.oOo.
IV: The path taken five times (the day of)
The Hogwarts Express was due to leave at eleven o'clock. Teddy Lupin, Ella Anderson and Alfie Hayes clambered onto it at exactly ten fifty-eight, after saying goodbye to their families (in Alfie and Teddy's case, at least, for Ella's parents never accompanied her to the platform).
Alfie went off to find Victoire Weasley, who Teddy had glimpsed through the window of the train, while Ella and Teddy went off to the Prefect carriage for their very first meeting. Teddy had to admit, although he desperately wanted to reunite with Victoire, he was rather excited about his very first Prefect meeting.
It wasn't, however, very exciting. They arrived a few moments late, and quickly slid into the last available seats, apologising profusely. Matilda Goshawk, Teddy's fellow Hufflepuff Prefect, had been kind enough to save him a place next to her. Ella sat next to Walter Hopkins, a muggleborn genius, who happened to be her fellow Ravenclaw Prefect.
The meeting was brief: Alfred Cattermole, Ravenclaw seventh-year and new Head Boy, passed around patrol schedules, and Bella Watson, Hufflepuff seventh-year and new Head Girl (and the object of Daisy Shipkins' hatred) gave them a quick pep-talk on what she expected from them as Prefects, and how she was sure they would serve as an excellent example to the rest of the Hogwarts students. During this, Teddy was almost sure he caught a glimpse of Daisy outside the carriage - he wouldn't, honestly, have been shocked if she'd tried to sneak into the meeting. In fact, he was more surprised that she hadn't tried anything.
They were dismissed ten minutes later, and before heading to find Alfie and Victoire Teddy took the opportunity to chat briefly to Matilda Goshawk. Out of all the Hufflepuff girls in his year, he liked her the most; although she was rather quiet and shy, she was also a genuinely nice person, who had been friends with Teddy from first-year. He was glad that she had been chosen as Prefect - he couldn't imagine having to work with Daisy Shipkins, or one of her minions.
Speaking of Daisy, Matilda seemed acutely aware that she was angry with her.
"Her letters recently have been cold," she confessed to Teddy and Ella as they left the carriage. "She hasn't said why, but I think it's because I got Prefect and she didn't- she thought she was going to, you know, it was all she could talk about last term. It must have come as a real shock when I got the badge and she didn't."
"Yes, she said something of the sort when we ran into her," Ella said offhandedly. Matilda's expression fell.
"You deserve it more than she does," Teddy told Matilda reassuringly, meaning every word (although he didn't want his words getting back to Daisy, because when she was angry, she could be downright nasty).
"Really? That's nice of you to say." She bit her lip, and pushed a lock of straggly, mousy-brown hair behind her ear. "I suppose I should go find her, though."
"Whatever for?"
"Oh… you know. Talk it over with her. Knowing Daisy, she'll be angry if I don't sit with her on the train, and … well, she is my friend. I'd quite like to make up with her. I suppose I'll see you later then?"
"Yeah, definitely."
Matilda smiled nervously, and walked ahead of Ella and Teddy. Once she was out of earshot, Teddy said: "I don't know what she wants to waste her time on girls like Daisy Shipkins for."
"They're friends," Ella said, shrugging.
"You of all people know they are not friends - you heard all the horrible things Daisy said about her at the Leaky Cauldron."
She sighed. "It's probably more complicated than that. You know the kind of hold Daisy has over the other Hufflepuff girls - maybe Matilda just doesn't want to be isolated."
"She could always hang out with us," Teddy pointed out.
The Ravenclaw gave him a funny look. "You're not very perceptive, are you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Just that you don't have a very good understanding of social relations and dynamics."
"Gee, thanks."
"Never mind," she said, shaking her head. "Let's go find Vic and Alfie, shall we?"
"I still don't understand what you mean!"
"Never mind," the brunette repeated emphatically, and Teddy dropped it. He didn't think he was particularly dim - he was rather intelligent, actually, if his marks were anything to go by, but sometimes Ella operated on a completely different level, and got rather frustrated when others found themselves unable to follow her disjointed manner of thinking.
Still, his confusion evaporated the moment he found Alfie Hayes and Victoire Weasley.
"Vic!"
"Teddy!" The younger blonde jumped up eagerly from her seat as he entered that carriage and flung her arms around him. She had grown a little, Teddy noticed, although she wasn't quite as tall as him yet, and her hair seemed to have gotten longer and wavier. "Oh, it's so good to see you! I've missed you so much! Oh, hello, Ella! Great to see you too!"
"Lovely to see you, Vic," Ella greeted the Gryffindor.
"How was France?" Teddy asked as he sat down next to Alfie.
Victoire made a face. "Boring. Absolutely awful."
"I've been to France," Ella commented, pulling out a newspaper from the satchel she was carrying.
"Where in France?"
"Paris."
"Ah, see, Paris is actually interesting. The French countryside, on the other hand, is not. It's just endless fields, and days spent doing nothing but making boring conversation with boring relatives who are interested in absolutely nothing but school, and ask the same irritating questions over and over again until you want to petrify yourself."
"Sounds awful." She unfolded the newspaper.
"It really was." Victoire shuddered. "I am never spending more than two weeks there again. It was so...isolating."
"I can imagine," Teddy said, thinking about his own boring summer.
"Speaking of being isolated, I heard something strange. My Aunt Gabrielle said something about - "
But before Teddy could find out what Victoire's Aunt Gabrielle had said, Ella exclaimed, "Well, that's unusual."
Victoire did not look pleased at being interrupted. "As I was saying -"
"What's unusual, Ella?" Alfie asked, unintentionally ignoring Victoire.
"The Ministry's closed."
"The Ministry's what?" Teddy asked, surprised. He wasn't aware that the Ministry could close- it was, after all, a government body. Surely it needed to be open every day for the wizarding world to keep functioning?
Alfie was clearly thinking the same thing. "It can close?"
"Apparently." Ella pushed her glasses up her nose and squinted at the newspaper. "It doesn't say why, though."
"Maybe it's got something to do with what I heard my Aunt Gabrielle say," Victoire said pointedly.
"Sorry, Vic," Teddy said, turning his attention back to the younger girl. "You were saying?"
"You were saying something?" Ella looked a little embarrassed. "I didn't hear."
"Yes, as a matter of fact I was. On my last night in France, my Aunt Gabrielle, who works in the French Ministry was saying that the British Ministry had received some kind of threats, and they thought it had to do with some disappearance of some girl, who was taken for reasons that apparently no one wanted to admit, and it was all very confusing, and I hope you can make more sense of it than I can."
"She was probably talking about Melissa Cooper," Ella said.
"Who?"
"Muggleborn girl, supposed to start at Hogwarts this year."
"Oh, that's horrible!"
"I didn't know the Ministry was receiving threats." Alfie's voice had a quiver of trepidation in it.
"Neither did I," Ella said, thoughtfully, "although they are a government body, so it wouldn't necessarily be surprising. And if they received threats, well, it could explain why it's closed to the public today."
Teddy dwelled on this for a moment, before realising something: "But Vic, didn't you leave France five days ago?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So, why would the Ministry close now if they received the threats five days ago."
Victoire opened her mouth, paused, and then conceded: "Good point."
"Thank you."
"So why is the Ministry closed then?" Alfie asked. "If it's on the front page of the Daily Prophet, it's obviously not an expected thing, and I'm going to assume that the Minister didn't just decide he wanted a holiday - although I'm sure that's entirely possible, I would hate to be Prime Minister or anything like that, because I'm sure they never get holidays, and what's the point of having all that money if you can't spend it on nice things like holidays, and -"
"You're rambling again," Ella told him matter-of-factly.
"Oops." Alfie covered his mouth with his hands. "Sorry."
"You know," Victoire said thoughtfully. "I know someone who might know why the Ministry's closed."
"Who?" Teddy asked. "Your parents? Uncle Harry?"
"No. Well, yes, but we can't exactly ask them, can we? And even if we do, they're not likely to tell us."
The metamorphmagus wrinkled his brow. "Then who're you thinking of?"
Victoire grinned. "Riley Carrow."
"Riley Carrow?" He wasn't sure he'd heard right.
"How many other Riley's do you know?"
"None, but how would she know?"
She's a Carrow, he added silently in his head, and judging by the expression Ella - and even Alfie, who had come to understand the politics of the wizarding world over the last few years - was making, she was thinking exactly the same thing. The Carrows were not exactly the most popular of people, particularly within the spheres of the Ministry of Magic.
Or at least, so Teddy thought.
Victoire, however, seemed oblivious to this. "Trust me, she'll know." She paused briefly. "Where is Riley, anyway?"
.oOo.
V: About Riley (the day of, from an hour before to the present)
She stood outside King's Cross Station, wanting nothing more than to stay in that very spot forever.
All around her, people were going about their business: getting on trains to go to obscure parts of the country that she'd never been to, nor, quite frankly, cared about, getting off trains to get to their lucrative city jobs, meeting family, saying goodbye to family. No one paid the small, skinny, green-eyed girl with the messy ponytail any attention. No one cared who she was, who she was related to, what her last name was, and she liked it this way.
She liked blending in, and at Hogwarts, she stood out.
"I don't want to go," she said staunchly to her mother, who walked up beside her, pushing a trolley carrying her owl and school trunk.
"Riley," the older woman said, sighing, "we've spoken about this."
"They'll stare. Everyone always does. Especially now."
"You can't let them get to you."
She ignored her. "You read Mary Ryman's column in the Daily Prophet yesterday. She thinks anyone with death eater connections should be called in for questioning about Melissa Cooper."
"There's no proof-"
"There doesn't need to be!" Riley exclaimed, her eyes flaming. "There doesn't need to be any proof, mum, they'll all assume that I had something to do with it because I'm...I'm… "
"A Carrow," her mother said (un)helpfully.
Riley glared at her, but beneath her stony exterior was a deep-rooted fear. Softly, she said: "With my family history, I'm never blame-free. Every time something happens, every time someone gets hurt, or someone calls a muggleborn a you-know-what, then it's 'hey Carrow, look at what all your new death eater pals are doing', or 'hey Carrow, bet they're using your aunt and uncle as inspiration' or 'why don't you go and drown yourself Carrow because you're a death eater brat' or-"
"Riley." Her mother's expression had softened significantly. She knelt down next to Riley and stroked her dark brown hair, pushing it away from her face. "I know that we've got some… bad apples in our family. No one could've known your father's siblings would do such horrible things in the war. But that was wartime, and it was before you were born. Things have changed now. We've changed."
"But everyone else doesn't know that."
"Then you mustn't care about what everyone else thinks. You must be brave."
Brave. The word sent a mixture of (mostly negative) feelings through her. "I'm not a Gryffindor, mother," she said. "I wish I was-maybe then, things'd be different. But, no, I'm just a Slytherin. Just like every Carrow before me. Just like every other member of the bloody -"
"Language!"
"-Sacred Twenty-Eight who went bad."
"We aren't all bad," her mother said. "And being a Slytherin does not make you weak. I did not bring you up to be weak. You are not weak."
Riley sighed, looking down at her feet. She knew she wasn't weak- there had to be a part of her that was strong, because for three years, she had put up with people's stares, their whispers, their fears, and somehow managed to keep her head held high. And now, she was going back for a fourth year that she knew would be no different - if anything, it would be worse.
Why did that muggleborn girl have to go missing? she thought, as she pushed her trolley through the wall between platforms nine and ten. Why did Mary Ryman have to write that awful column in the Daily Prophet about how all families of former death eaters should be taken in for questioning, because it was somehow obvious that the girl must have been taken because of her blood status? Why, she thought, ignoring the stares and whispers as she climbed onto the train, did her classmates' parents have to read the Daily Prophet, instead of … oh, she didn't know, Teen Witch or The Quibbler or some other, more innocuous publication.
But there was nothing she could do to change it, and so she walked past the first carriage, keeping her head held high, trying her best to be brave.
"Hey Carrow, where've you been all summer?" came a male voice from inside.
Ignore him.
"Hey, Carrow. Carrow."
Don't let him get to you.
"You've been in hiding, haven't you? Planning nasty things with your nasty parents?"
Don't.'
"So, tell me, Carrow, where've you got the muggleborn locked up, then?"
Shut up, she wanted to scream. Shut up, shut up, shut up!
But she didn't. Instead, she gave the boy inside the carriage a haughty glare and sauntered past.
It was only once she was out of his sight that she headed straight to the bathroom, and locked herself in until she could work up the courage to face her friends.
What would they say? Victoire Weasley, who she considered her best friend, had never said anything about Riley's family, although Victoire's parents had been involved with the Order of the Phoenix, and the Weasley's had always been known as muggle-lovers (not that that was a bad thing). Part of Riley knew that Victoire would not say anything about the missing muggleborn girl, but at the same time, she was afraid.
Victoire was all she really had, and she didn't want to lose her.
"Be brave," she whispered to herself.
And so, a few minutes before Victoire Weasley inquired as to where she could possibly be, Riley Carrow stood up, brushed herself off and left the bathroom, determined not to let her fears get to her.
Her timing really was impeccable.
.oOo.
VI: Back to the path
"I don't know," Teddy shrugged, in response to Victoire's question. "You're the only one she talks to."
"Not true," Victoire said.
"Fairly true," Alfie said, casting an apologetic glance at Victoire. "She doesn't really talk to the rest of us unless you're around. I don't think she likes us much."
"Nonsense! She's just as fond of you as I am!"
Teddy sincerely doubted that this was true. Riley and Victoire had become fast friends in their first-year at Hogwarts, and spent almost all their time together, but the Slytherin girl didn't seem to enjoy spending time with Victoire's other friends. He'd spent a very long time thinking that Riley was simply using Victoire, and being rather suspicious of her, but after what was now referred to as That Incident in First Year, he knew that her friendship was genuine.
That didn't mean he had to be overly fond of her, though. He always felt like there was more to her than she let on, and he didn't like the fact that he was unable to read her well.
"I don't think that's true," Ella mused. "It's not that she's not lovely, but-"
"Who's not lovely?"
"Riley!" Victoire jumped up from her seat and flung her arms around the Slytherin, standing by the entrance to the carriage. Riley laughed awkwardly and patted her on the back.
Teddy nodded. "Hello, Riley."
"Hi Teddy, Alfie, Ella," she said, gently prying Victoire off her, and sitting down by Ella. "Who's not lovely?"
"No one," Teddy said quickly.
"That's pessimistic."
He rolled his eyes in response.
"If you must know, it's Daisy Shipkins," Ella said, coming to his rescue. "She's being awfully mean to Matilda Goshawk."
"Who?"
"Daisy Shipkins."
"No, I know who Daisy Shipkins is - although I wish I didn't. Who's the other girl?"
"Matilda Goshawk? She's Michael Goshawk's twin."
"Michael Goshawk has a twin?"
Teddy felt a twinge of irritation: this (among others) was one of his problems with Riley. She didn't seem to care about anyone, or anything that had nothing to do with her.
"On another note," Victoire said eagerly, "we were just talking about you."
"Really? Whatever for?"
"I heard something about something and thought you might know something about it." She went on to tell Riley about what she'd overheard her Aunt Gabrielle say. Teddy didn't see the point; Riley wasn't going to know anything, regardless of what Victoire seemed to think. She was a Carrow, and the Carrows were hardly popular in the Ministry, and she surely wouldn't have any idea about why the Ministry was closed, and -
"Oh, yeah, I heard my parents talking about that this morning. They've got a really good reason for closing it."
"And you know this reason?" Teddy said, skeptically.
Riley picked up on his tone and gave him a look that he couldn't quite interpret (this was another one of his problems - he was very good at reading people, and yet Riley Carrow remained a complete mystery to him). "Yes, as a matter of fact. You're partially right, Victoire, it does have something to do with the missing girl. The Ministry got a new threat last night."
"Really?" Ella peered over the top of her glasses at Riley, suddenly very interested. "Last night? But they only check the mail in the morning, after the Ministry's open, so that can't have been the reason."
"Yeah, but- " she paused for dramatic effect "- this didn't come via mail. It was carved into the wall."
This proclamation was met, unsurprisingly, with a great deal of shock in the carriage. Teddy, Ella, Alfie and Victoire all began speaking at once.
"The wall?"
"Who did it?"
"The wall?"
"Why the wall?"
"How should I know?" Riley said, shrugging irritably. "I just know that someone snuck in, knocked out the guard and carved a message saying that they had the girl, that she was alive, and that- "
"She's alive?" Alfie said, with great interest. "I didn't know she was alive."
"Were you hoping she was dead?"
"Way to be blunt about it," Teddy muttered.
"Oh, shut up, what kind of response did you expect? Now, would you people let me finish?"
"Yes, of course, Riley," Ella said, sagely.
Riley opened her mouth, and hesitated. "I've forgotten where I was."
"Melissa's alive."
"Right, yes, so the message said that the girl was alive and that she'd stay that way if the Ministry agreed to fulfil some demands. Only the Ministry hasn't actually received any demands yet. The message did say that there was more to come, though, and it was signed with the da- some symbol."
Teddy felt his heart sink slightly. "What symbol?"
She looked at him with a hint of trepidation. "You know what symbol."
"When you say signed - "
"It wasn't cast, no, it was just engraved into the wall, like the rest of the message."
"Am I missing something?" Alfie interjected, looking rather confused. "What symbol?"
"Nothing," Teddy said, shaking his head. Alfie looked rather hurt, but he didn't feel like talking, not now. It was all too much of a shock - he'd held out hope that Melissa Cooper hadn't been taken by wizards, but now the evidence very clearly pointed to the contrary. He wasn't sure he wanted to believe Riley's story "How do you know all of this?" he asked her.
"My parents were talking about it."
"Yeah, but how do your parents know?"
Riley shrugged, and when she spoke, Teddy picked up a twinge of defensiveness. "Purebloods know purebloods. Despite what you might think, there are a lot of us in the Ministry, and regardless of...previous affiliations, everyone is rather intricately connected, especially as there aren't a lot of us left."
Not a lot left walking free in society, at least, Teddy thought - there were probably quite a few purebloods serving time behind bars in Azkaban.
Victoire seemed to pick up on Teddy's thoughts, and the growing tension in the carriage, and was quick to intervene. "Let's talk about something else," she said loudly. "It's depressing talking about Melissa Cooper, and yeah, I feel bad for the girl, but it's not like we know her. We're about to start a new year at Hogwarts - let's at least get excited about it!"
She elbowed Riley enthusiastically and gave everyone a massive thumbs up. Teddy and Alfie were the only ones who returned it; Ella and Riley rolled their eyes, but both girls had hints of smiles on their faces.
The train ride to Hogwarts was long, and eventually, the five students ran out of stories to tell one another about their summer holidays, especially since they were all under the impression that their respective holidays had been terribly boring. And so, once they ran out of things to talk about, they deferred humbly to perhaps the best method of passing time on trains: card games.
They were halfway through a game of Exploding Snap when Rosalind Kettleburn opened the door to their compartment, and cleared her throat.
No one noticed her for a good two minutes. Teddy hated to admit it, for it sounded awful, but Rosalind Kettleburn was one of those girls who no one ever really noticed. She was a pale, quiet third-year Gryffindor who was exceptionally...well, average. She was neither particularly tall, nor short, she had dull brown hair and a pimply face, but not pimply enough to draw attention, and she wore no make-up at all. She wasn't an excellent Quidditch player, nor was she good at academics: she was simply, unexceptionally normal.
It was Ella who finally noticed her, and stared at her a little blankly. "Can I help you?"
"Hi, sorry." Rosalind smiled apologetically. "I didn't mean to interrupt, I just -"
"What do you want, Kettleburn?" Riley glared at the Gryffindor - she really had no patience, Teddy thought.
Rosalind glared at Riley. "I was wondering if I could ask Victoire whether she's seen Leslie Stiles? I haven't been able to find her."
Leslie Stiles was also a third-year Gryffindor, and was Rosalind's best friend. A muggleborn with an aptitude for flying, Leslie was well-known among Hogwarts students of all houses and ages, as she'd famously snatched the snitch from right under the nose of the Ravenclaw Seeker, a seventh year who had been drafted by the Falmouth Falcons. She was everything her best friend wasn't: talented, fairly pretty for her age, and most of all, confident. It was her confidence that made her stand out in a crowd.
Victoire paused for a second, thinking, before shaking her head. "I haven't."
The rest of them shook their heads too; Teddy hadn't seen Leslie Stiles since the final Quidditch match of the season, where Gryffindor had beaten Hufflepuff.
Rosalind's face fell. "Oh, hippogriffs - where could she have gotten to?"
"When was the last time you saw her?" Ella asked.
"I haven't actually seen her," Rosalind admitted. "Amy Kyle saw her get on the train, but no one's seen her since."
At this, Riley snorted, and everyone turned to look at her, rather puzzled. "Sorry," she said, looking entirely unapologetic. "It's just - well, why are you even surprised, Rosalind?"
"What do you mean?" the other said hesitantly.
Riley rolled her eyes, a slightly malicious smile on her face. "Leslie Stiles is so dull that she could get lost up her own sleeve. It's no wonder you can't find her- she probably went to the loo and got lost on her way back."
There was a collective intake of breath.
"You...you…" stammered a very red Rosalind Kettleburn.
"What?" Riley said innocently. "It's true."
It was somewhat true, Teddy thought; Leslie Stiles was certainly not the sharpest knife on the block, and rumour had it that she was taking Remedial Potions, Transfiguration, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts. But still, Riley didn't have to be mean about it.
"You're a…" Rosalind trailed off, as Riley raised an eyebrow.
"Go on, say it."
"A…"
"You don't have the guts, do you?"
"Okay, that's enough," Victoire cut in sharply. "Sorry, Rosalind, we haven't seen Leslie, maybe try another carriage?"
"I think I will," Rosalind said huffily. She straightened her back and walked out, and as she closed the door, Teddy could have sworn that she muttered 'Bitch' under her breath.
"You don't need to be so mean to everyone, you know," Victoire told Riley.
Riley shrugged. "Rosalind Kettleburn should have thought before she called me a heartless death eater baby at the beginning of last year. Leslie Stiles, too."
Oh.
Although Teddy still stood by his belief that Riley had no need to act so harshly towards the Gryffindor, he suddenly found himself feeling rather bad for her.
"Let's change the subject!" Alfie said, a hint of pleading in his voice. "Does anyone know anything about the new Potions master? I hope it isn't anyone scary - I don't want to get nervous and drop even more things into my cauldron."
"What, like in your exam?" Teddy teased.
"What happened?" Victoire asked.
"He dropped beetlejuice into his Wit-Sharpening Potion," Ella said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "It turned bright red, and began to smoke and splutter. A bit hit Walter Hopkins in the eye and it had pretty much the same effect as a Confundus Charm."
"Isn't a Wit-Sharpening Potion supposed to reverse the Confundus Charm."
"Exactly."
"And you passed, Alfie?"
Alfie turned pink. "I got a P on the exam, but scraped an A overall thanks to coursework."
"Only by a point," Ella pointed out.
"We don't speak of that."
.oOo.
VII: Indigestion
Hogwarts was one of those places where any young wizard or witch instantly felt at home. There was something about the castle that drew people in: perhaps it was the history and the the great minds that had studied within these very walls, perhaps it was the allure of the knowledge itself, perhaps it was the many secrets that the castle held. Teddy loved Hogwarts for all of these reasons and more: the traditions, the adventures, and most of all, his friends.
It felt wonderful to be entering the Great Hall again, to see it bustling with students. It felt wonderful to sit down at the Hufflepuff table and be surrounded by eager, friendly students wearing yellow and black ties. He and Alfie bade goodbye to Ella, Victoire and Riley, who dispersed to sit at their respective house tables.
Teddy and Alfie slid into their seats at the long table, and exchanged greetings with their housemates. Giovanna Downing, a Hufflepuff girl in their year, slid down into a seat opposite Teddy and smiled at him. "Had a good summer then, Teddy?"
Giovanna Downing was part of Daisy's gaggle of girls, and although Teddy knew her in passing, he hadn't spoken much to her before. Still, they exchanged a few perfunctory comments about their holidays, before Daisy Shipkins herself decided to grace them with her presence.
"Hello, darlings,' she said, flipping her long ginger hair over her shoulder as she pulled out a chair and sat down next to Giovanna. Teddy inwardly groaned - he didn't want to have to endure Daisy's endless chatter all through the feast. "Have you seen our new Head Girl yet?"
"Oh, yes," Morna Clemmons, who was sitting to the other side of Giovanna, tittered.
"What's happened to Bella?" Alfie said.
"Oh, nothing." Daisy waved her hand dismissively. "It's just...well, she looks like an utter disgrace. Her skirt is clearly in flagrant violation of the Hogwarts rules - it's much more than three inches above the knee."
"She might have just grown this summer!" Alfie protested.
Daisy shook her head, disgustedly. "Of course you'd stand up for her, Alfie, you're a boy. I suppose you don't care how long Bella's skirt is. In fact, I suppose you'd rather it was higher, wouldn't you?"
"Leave him alone, Daisy," Teddy snapped. Alfie had turned bright red; of all the people in Hufflepuff, Alfie was perhaps the most innocent. Not that it was a bad thing; it was one of the things Teddy liked the most about him.
Daisy held up her hands in mock defeat. "Sozzles."
"Sozzles?"
"Ooh, please don't say sozzles, Daisy, it sounds awful," Morna chipped in.
"I'll say what I want to, Morna," she snapped in reply, although Teddy noticed a slight flush appear on her cheeks as she sulkily sunk back into her chair. Poor Daisy Shipkins, he thought. She just tried too hard.
And yet, despite this flaw, she was still very much in control of the Hufflepuff fifth-year girls, as evidenced a moment later, when Matilda Goshawk appeared at the table. She looked up and down the section where Teddy, Alfie, Daisy, Giovanna and Morna were, rather bewildered.
"Yes?" Daisy said sharply. "Can I help you?"
"I, er, was just wondering if there were any seats here," the Hufflepuff Prefect said meekly, tucking a strand of mousy brown hair behind her ear.
"Not for you, there aren't." Daisy smiled nastily at her. "Why don't you go try sitting with the Slag Squad?"
"The Slag Squad?"
Daisy jerked her head in Bella Watson's direction.
"Oi!" Alfie exclaimed. "That's really rude of you, Daisy."
"This doesn't concern you, Hayes."
"You're insulting my teammate."
"Former teammate, you have no idea whether she'll make the team this year."
"Of course she will, she's the best Seeker Hufflepuff's got! And she's a good Head Girl too, regardless of what you say. You're just jealous."
"I am not jealous!" Daisy practically screamed, attracting attention from most of the Hufflepuff's, including the aforementioned Head Girl, who had stopped chatting with her friends, and was watching Daisy rather worriedly. "Especially not of her."
"Excuse me." Bella Watson had approached them and was looking Daisy rather sternly. "Is everything fine?"
Daisy glared at her. "Just peachy, Watson."
If Bella was averse to Daisy's tone, she didn't show it. "Oh good, I was worried."
"Why would you be?"
"Well, I'm sure you don't want Hufflepuff to lose any points before the year even starts - I mean, I certainly don't; I think it's important that we try our best to win the Cup this year. You're Laura Shipkins' sister, aren't you?"
"Why do you care?" Daisy said, huffily.
"Well, then you certainly won't want to lose any points - wouldn't your sister like to win the Cup, considering that it's her last year?"
"I suppose so."
"Good, then you understand." She flashed her a winning smile, before turning her attention to Matilda. "Nice badge, Goshawk," she said, grinning at her. Matilda blushed.
"She's so wonderful," Alfie said, as Bella walked back to her seat. "Isn't she, Teddy? Isn't she just the most perfect Head Girl?"
Teddy rolled his eyes fondly at Alfie. "Mate, I thought we agreed that -"
"-I know I said that I'd get over my crush on her, but it's hard." He sighed dramatically. "She's so wonderful."
"You said that already. You should watch out, you know, we don't need Daisy getting even more angry at us before the term even starts."
"I don't care."
While Alfie was busy making heart-eyes at the tall, blonde Head Girl, Teddy noticed Matilda Goshawk drifting uncomfortably at a short distance away from Daisy. She looked lost, lonely, and quite frankly, rather hurt. Teddy's heart went out to her, and he felt a little angry. Her friends should be happy for her - being a Prefect was a big deal, and she didn't have anyone to celebrate it with.
He turned to Jonathan Trigg, one of his roommates who had sat down beside him and asked him if he could move up a couple of seats. When Jonathan obliged, Teddy called out: "Hey Matilda! There's a seat here!"
Alfie looked at him incredulously. "So much for staying on Daisy's good side."
"I think I care about Matilda more than Daisy," Teddy admitted.
"Good point."
The brunette looked immensely grateful, and smiled as she came around the table and slid into the seat next to Teddy - just in time, too, for a moment later, Professor Flitwick entered the Great Hall, the new first years trailing behind him, wide-eyed and terrified.
"I swear they get smaller every year," he muttered to Alfie, who nodded in agreement.
The Sorting was short and sweet: the Hat was brought out, it sang a song much like the other four it had come up with while Teddy was at Hogwarts, and then, one by one, each student became a member of one of the four Hogwarts houses. Teddy applauded the new Hufflepuffs especially loudly: although they were four years younger than him, he was quite excited to get to know them, and take care of them, in his role as Prefect.
Professor McGonagall delivered her yearly speech, imparting wisdom, inspiration, and - most importantly - the Hogwarts rules. Although Teddy had heard variants of the speech numerous times now, he still listened closely: Professor McGonagall was quite an awe-inspiring woman, and he admired her greatly, even if he was a teensy bit scared of her. Most students listened intently, although some did seem rather distracted; everyone, however, became very interested when Professor McGonagall gestured to the staff table, and said:
"Before we eat, I would like to introduce our new member of faculty. As many of you know, Professor Slughorn retired last year after many, many years of service here at Hogwarts. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Charles Smith."
A man to her right stood up; Teddy craned his neck so that he could see him. The new professor was rather tall and muscular, and he seemed to be rather young, probably in his mid-thirties. He had dark hair, and a rather mysterious aura around him that Teddy couldn't quite figure out.
"Ooh, he's gorgeous," he heard Daisy whisper to Morna, who giggled in response.
"I don't care how gorgeous he is, I just hope he's a good teacher," Alfie muttered.
"I'm honoured to be here," Professor Smith said, his voice deep and regal. "I look forward to meeting and interacting with all of you over the next few weeks. I'm sure that we shall get on excellently."
"Oh, I do hope so," Morna whispered, batting her eyelashes.
Many of the Hufflepuff girls spent most of the feast avidly discussing the looks of the Potions professor. Daisy decided she was going on a diet in order to impress him, and didn't touch the fabulous roast chicken, or the bread. Instead, she looked rather disapprovingly at Matilda, who was helping herself to third servings of everything.
"I missed this the most," Matilda said to Teddy and Alfie. "My mum tries to cook, but...well, she's not very good at it, and she's too busy at work for her to really make an effort." She blushed. "Don't tell her I said that."
As he'd never met Matilda's mother, Teddy thought that there was little chance of this occurring, but he promised to keep his lips zipped anyway.
He was reaching across to heap more roast potatoes onto his plate, when something caught his eye.
"What's she doing?" Daisy said, rather loudly.
Rosalind Kettleburn had gotten up from the Gryffindor table and was hurrying up to the Head Table. There was something about the way she was walking - head down, body tense - that suggested nervousness, perhaps even fear. As she approached the teachers, many students watched her over their food; rarely did anyone get up from their House table during the Welcome Feast.
Rosalind spoke in a quiet, low voice to Professor McGonagall. Teddy watched the Headmistress's face carefully, but there was no obvious change in expression. Not that he really expected one - he didn't know Professor McGonagall awfully well, but she gave off the impression of being well-modulated, in control of her emotions.
The Headmistress stood up. She did not even need to clear her throat; all the students immediately quietened down. Rosalind shifted uncomfortably at her side.
"My apologies for interrupting your dinner, but I must ask - has anyone seen Leslie Stiles, third year Gryffindor?"
A murmur sprung up almost instantly.
"Leslie Stiles?"
"She's the Gryffindor Seeker, isn't she?
"Have you seen her?"
"Why would I have seen a third-year?"
"Was she in your carriage?"
"Silence!" Professor McGonagall commanded, and the hall fell silent once again. "Am I to take it, then, that no one has seen Leslie Stiles since Miss Kettleburn saw her board the Hogwarts Express?"
Teddy felt his heart sink slightly as the room remained silent. Alfie looked rather panicked.
"Where could she be?" he whispered. "You don't think…"
"No," Teddy said firmly, not wanting to jump to the worst-case scenario. "She's probably still on the train - she probably just fell asleep, or something."
"Very well," Professor McGonagall said. "Nothing to worry about - Miss Stiles has probably gotten lost. The Hogwarts grounds can be very confusing." She gave the students what Teddy thought was a rather forced smile. "Please, continue eating. But first - could the Head Boy and Girl approach the-"
She was interrupted by a very loud bang. Teddy swivelled around to see the doors of the Great Hall slam shut; a hunchbacked figure with a twisted face had entered the hall and was walking towards the front of the room, occasionally glaring at students.
"I hoped he'd quit," Alfie said, in a trembling voice.
"So did I," Matilda said quietly. "Mr. Knobbles isn't a very nice person, is he?"
Claude Knobbles was not a very popular figure amongst students - they had hoped, when old Filch had retired, that the new caretaker wouldn't be as bad as him. Unfortunately for them, Knobbles was not as bad as Filch - he was much worse. Teddy had had a detention with him last year, and he still shuddered at the memory; it wasn't that the punishment itself had been awful (although cleaning the trophy room without magic was never any fun), it was simply that the caretaker had an uncanny ability to make students feel uncomfortable, inadequate and quite frankly, scared in his presence.
But there was something different about Knobbles today, Teddy thought as he passed the Hufflepuff table. Usually, he roamed the halls as if he owned the castle, always on the lookout for someone breaking rules. Now, there was something different about him. It was almost as if he was scared.
"Headmistress McGonagall," the caretaker said, in his wheezy, scratchy voice. "There's something that you should see."
A/N: Thank you guys so much for the wonderful, wonderful reviews (and faves and follows)! You never fail to make my day! Also, shoutout to my wonderful, wonderful beta brianna-xox, for making my writing so much better. This story would be nothing without you!
Quick reply to anonymous reviewer H.M.S.: thank you so much! Unfortunately, there is no way that I can continue Skeletons, but any plotlines that I was really excited about from second/third/fourth year have been shifted to fifth year, and if you want to know which ones, you can message me on my Tumblr (sincerelynymph) for more information!)
If you liked/hated/were mildly indifferent towards this chapter, leave a review! I love hearing what you guys think! As usual, update next Wednesday. See you all then!