Chapter Seven: Aftermath
I: Reactions
For as long as Teddy Lupin had known her, Ella Anderson had been subscribing to the Daily Prophet. It arrived each morning, and she skimmed the front page at breakfast before tucking the newspaper away into her bag for in-depth reading and analysis later in the day. When they had been younger, Teddy couldn't possibly understand why she was so interested in the news, but now he realised the importance of keeping up with the wider wizarding world. Hogwarts was a bit like a bubble; unless the news directly concerned the school, the students passed their days blissfully unaware of it.
Now, of course, the news was of greater interest to many students, and several got the Prophet delivered each morning. Therefore, by the time Teddy got down to the Great Hall for breakfast, knowledge of the demand was widespread.
Alfie filled him in quickly, but was unsure of the exact details. Instinctively, Teddy looked around for Ella - if anyone would be well-versed in the minute details, she would - but she was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, clearly avoiding eye contact with him. It took him a moment to remember that she was angry at him, and, sighing, he turned back to Alfie, who looked at him somewhat pityingly.
"She'll get over it eventually," he told Teddy. Victoire, who was sitting nearby, nodded earnestly.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Teddy," she said.
"I hit Terence," he mumbled.
"Yeah, but you were totally justified," she reassured him. "If it was me who he'd said those things to, I'd have done exactly the same."
"Yeah, but Ella-"
"Will get over it," Alfie cut in. "She always does. That girl can't hold a grudge."
Teddy gave him a look, and Alfie reconsidered before saying, "Well, I mean she can, if Daisy Shipkins is any indication, but she can't hold a grudge against you. That's what I meant to say. You're one of her best friends."
"I suppose so," Teddy mumbled, breaking eye contact with Alfie and focusing instead on the bowl of porridge in front of him.
There was silence for a few moments, before Victoire, who was shuffling rather uncomfortably, said, "So."
"So," Alfie echoed.
Silence again.
"I don't really know what to say," she said, quietly. "This is all...I don't know. How could everything go so wrong in a day? Teddy, you're fighting with Ella, I'm fighting with Riley, and that demand…" She paused briefly. "Do you think the Ministry's going to do it? Make all muggleborn officials step down?"
"No," Teddy said, firmly. "They wouldn't."
"But what about the consequences?" Alfie protested. "They wouldn't...sacrifice the lives of two kids, would they?"
"Of course not, but they're not going to give in that easily. You read the message - it said that this was only the first demand. If they want the Ministry to keep listening to them, they'll need to keep Melissa and Leslie alive as leverage."
"Teddy has a point," Victoire said.
"So what are they going to do?" asked Alfie.
"Tabitha James isn't here," Victoire noted. Teddy looked up at the faculty table, where the Auror and her assistant had taken to eating their meals. Both were conspicuously absent; the plates that had been laid out for them were untouched. "Do you think they've called her back to London to help with the decision?"
"I don't think so," Teddy said. "That'd be silly, wouldn't it? What with the demands...they'd want Aurors at Hogwarts. But I wouldn't be surprised if she was involved with the discussion somehow. I wonder if she's found out anything … I don't know what her interviews with students could have possibly given her, in terms of information about the kidnappings, but she wouldn't have carried them out unless she thought that they'd be of some value, right?"
At this, Alfie nodded, but Teddy noticed that he looked somewhat uncomfortable. This was particularly strange, he thought - Alfie had said that his interview with Tabitha James had gone well, and that he'd quite liked the Auror. But ever since yesterday, he'd been oddly evasive when she'd come up in conversation (as she often did, being a novel presence at the school), and Teddy had no idea why.
"This is all so awful," Victoire said, burying her face in her hands dramatically.
The trio had no chance, however, to further discuss the latest turn in events, for at that very moment, Michael Goshawk slid into the empty seat (usually occupied by either Ella or Riley, both of whom were very much not present) next to Teddy.
The Slytherin was not the kind of person who beat around the bush. He was always very clear about his intentions (which often related to furthering himself) and when he wanted something, he cut straight to the chase. That morning was no different - after greeting Teddy, Alfie and Victoire pompously, and helping himself to the sliced strawberries, he turned to Teddy and said, "I heard you and Terence Gates got into a bit of an altercation at the Three Broomsticks yesterday."
"You did, did you?" Teddy replied, flatly.
"Oh yes, it's all over school now."
"Hogwarts is small."
"Quite frankly, I'm surprised you didn't get into any sort of trouble, fighting with another student. You must have some good connections."
Teddy shrugged. He, too, was fairly surprised that none of the teachers had anything to say about the incident with Terence - they weren't exactly impervious to the gossip that circulated around the school. "I guess they've got more on their minds right now."
"Plus, it wasn't Teddy's fault," Alfie piped up. "Terence started it, you know."
"Funny, Hayes, I didn't realise you were there," Michael said. His voice lacked malice, but Alfie seemed to take it as an insult and turned rather pink.
"He said awful things about Teddy's parents!"
"Alfie, it's fine," Teddy mumbled, not wanting to push Michael. The Slytherin was often caught between Teddy and Terence - an inevitable consequence of being friends with both - and, to be quite frank, Teddy was scared of putting too much pressure on him. Ever since first-year, he'd been worried of Michael being forced into choosing between Teddy and Terence, and Teddy wasn't sure that the outcome would be in his favour.
"Did he?" Michael replied, somewhat evasively. "I hadn't heard that." His eyes flicked to his strawberries and he busied himself by slicing them into even smaller pieces.
Alfie opened his mouth to say something, but backed down when Teddy glared at him.
Silence.
Victoire's eyes flicked back and forth between the three boys, until finally, in an attempt to diffuse the tension, she cleared her throat.
"Anyone for orange juice?"
.oOo.
II. As it is meant to be
Ella Anderson knew how to hold a grudge.
The first time, she was in primary school. Lila Boddington thought it would be funny to call her names that, upon reflection, were rather racist. Although they upset her, Ella did not deign to respond; instead, she went about her day as normal. But when Lila beat her in the next spelling test, Ella decided that she had had enough. Her birthday was coming up, and she chose to invite all the girls in her class, except Lila Boddington.
Naturally, when Ella's parents found out, they were furious. They demanded that she apologise to Lila, and when Lila came to Ella the next day, teary-eyed and promising to never be mean to Ella again, Ella relented. Lila was invited to Ella's birthday party, and though they never became best friends, they were never enemies either.
Ella Anderson knew how to hold a grudge, but she also knew how to forgive and forget when the time came.
But as far as she was concerned, the time to forgive Teddy had most certainly not come. Boys, she thought, as she sat at her desk in her dormitory, furiously scribbling away at a Potions essay that wasn't due for another week. Why were they all such idiots? Why didn't they think, why were they so hotheaded? What on Earth had possessed her to become best friends with two, stupid boys? She should have seen something like this coming from miles away.
"I hate boys," she groaned emphatically.
One of her roommates, Becca Dillion, quirked a perfect eyebrow. Becca was a petite brunette, with large hazel eyes the shape of almonds, flawless, creamy skin and heart-shaped lips. In short, she was the kind of girl who boys liked, and she most certainly did not hate boys. "That's not the right attitude," she reprimanded Ella. "How will you ever get a boyfriend like that?"
"I don't need a boyfriend," Ella mumbled, though she flushed slightly.
"I heard Leonardo Torricelli's got a thing for you, you know."
Ella almost dropped her quill. "What?"
"Didn't you know?"
"No! I mean, yes. I mean," she sighed, "it's probably over now."
"Whatever do you mean?" Madhuri Lodi, another one of Ella's roommates approached from across the room. She, too, was rather pretty: she was tall, had short, curly hair, and a kind smile, and though many boys had shown an interest in her, she hadn't shown an interest back. Many thought she was simply frigid, but Ella knew the truth: boys just weren't Madhuri's cup of tea.
"Screwed it up," Ella said quietly.
At this, Becca let out a little squeak. "Ella, you numpty! You should have asked me for help! Of course you wouldn't know how to deal with a boy, you're so…" she cocked her head, considering her roommate closely, "innocent. And I don't mean that as an insult, darling, it's just true."
"Thank you, Becca," Ella snapped.
Becca pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, as if to say 'someone's cranky'. She turned back to her mirror and began to expertly apply eyeliner.
"I'm sure you didn't," Madhuri reassured her. "Is this about what happened with Teddy yesterday?"
"Ooh, what happened with Lupin, Ella? He's gorgeous, isn't he?"
Ella snorted at this. "He's my best friend, Becca. Or at least, he was. Nothing happened, he's just an idiot, that's all."
"So it is about what happened with Teddy?" Madhuri repeated.
"How do you even know about that?"
"It wasn't exactly private."
"Right." Pause. "Yeah, it is...he's just an idiot, getting into a fight like that and embarrassing me."
"But I heard that Terence -"
"I know," Ella said miserably, cutting Madhuri off. "But Gates has been saying stuff like that for years, Teddy should know better than to react like that because that's exactly what Terence wants: a reaction."
Madhuri shook her head sadly. "Boys."
"Boys."
"Boys," Becca said, emphatically, "are wonderful. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going down to breakfast."
Ella and Madhuri watched as the brunette left their dormitory, humming happily as she walked down the steps that led to the common room.
"If it's any consolation," said Madhuri once she was sure Becca was out of range, "I heard Leo talking about you last night in the common room - he still likes you, you know."
"Then why didn't he come talk to me?"
Madhuri shrugged. "He was giving you space. I think you should talk to him."
Ella bit her lip. "Do you think so?"
"I do."
"Really?"
"I wouldn't tell you I did if I didn't."
Ella took Madhuri's advice and went to see Leonardo Torricelli, after making sure that her hair and make-up was impeccable. She wasn't quite sure whether she was going because Madhuri had convinced her, or whether she had simply been looking for an excuse to see him anyway, to attempt to explain why she had had to run away and to apologise for Teddy's behaviour. She really did like Leo, and she desperately wanted to salvage their relationship - if it could be salvaged.
The door to his dormitory was slightly ajar, and when she peeked around it, she saw him sitting alone on his bed, reading a book. His dark brown hair was slightly tousled, and his thick eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he read. Ella felt her stomach tingle, and she almost lost her nerve and tip-toed away.
No.
Steeling her resolve, she knocked on the door. Leonardo looked up and they made awkward, silent eye-contact for a split second before his face broke out into a smile. "Ella."
"Leo," she said, by way of greeting. "May I come in?"
"Of course!" He slipped a bookmark into his novel and put it on his bedside table before hurriedly smoothing his bedcovers (which were not that messy to begin with). Ella smiled nervously and sat down next to him.
"I just wanted to talk to you," she said. "Is now a good time?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Everyone's out right now, they shouldn't be back for a while. You've got me all to yourself."
Ella felt her cheeks burn slightly, and she tried to breathe in deeply without attracting too much attention. "I just...well...I'm sorry about yesterday. It was all…" she gestured wildly "you know...a mess."
"Yeah, Gates and Lupin - not pretty."
"I'm just really sorry I had to run off like that. Teddy, well, he's my best friend, or at least he was my best friend before he went and acted like a stupid, idiotic hothead. I just couldn't really leave him there like that - I mean, yes, Victoire was there, but she can't deal with him alone, and…" She trailed off and sighed. "Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry."
Leonardo cocked his head to the side. "You're sorry for helping your friends?"
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, yes. I mean…" she sighed again. "I don't know."
He smiled at her. "You did the right thing, Ella. In your place, I'd have done exactly the same thing."
She couldn't help but be a little surprised; out of all the reactions she had envisioned, somehow understanding had not been one of them. "You would?"
"Yeah," he affirmed.
"So you don't mind what happened?"
"No. Although," he smiled at her cheekily, "that doesn't mean I'm not a little jealous."
"Jealous?" Ella was completely taken aback, and it must have shown because Leonardo laughed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that you've got two best friends who are guys. It's only natural that I'm a little...well, jealous that they get to spend so much time with you, and that they know you so well."
"Oh, Leo." Ella looked at him adoringly. "You don't have to be jealous at all."
"That's good to hear."
There was silence for a few moments; Ella raised her eyes to meet Leonardo's and they stayed in the moment for a little while, locked in each other's gaze. She couldn't help but think about how horribly cliche the whole thing was, but at that very second, she couldn't care less.
She was the one who broke the silence. "So, are we… okay?"
"Yes," he said, reaching out so that his fingers lightly stroked her cheek. "We are."
Slowly, he leaned in. Ella's heart began to beat faster and faster until she could practically feel it hitting her eardrums. A million thoughts were running through her head - she'd envisioned this happening so many times, and yet here she was, clueless about what to do. She, too, began to lean forward and close the distance between them; her heart was moving from her chest to her mouth, it was all happening so fast.
And then, gently, their lips met.
.oOo.
III. Rumor has it
In the days that passed, it became well-known around the school that Leonardo Torricelli and Ella Anderson were dating. They were often seen in each other's company; Ella had even shifted her seat in certain lessons so that instead of sitting with Alfie and Teddy, she was with her boyfriend. Teddy wasn't sure whether this was spurred by her relationship status, or by the fact that she was still refusing to talk to him.
It was quite disheartening. After Daisy Shipkins had burst into the Hufflepuff common room to tell them that Walter Hopkins had walked in on Ella and Leonardo kissing in the Ravenclaw boys' dormitory, Teddy had been sure that Ella would come to him and attempt to make up. After all, the only reason she'd really been mad was because she thought he'd ruined her chances with Leonardo, and that clearly hadn't happened. When it became rather apparent that she was not going to approach him, he'd tried to go to her, but had been met with a staunch refusal to talk.
"I don't know what I can do," Teddy said to Alfie, as they sat in the Hufflepuff common room on Thursday evening, attempting to finish homework. Daisy Shipkins and Morna Clemmons sat nearby, chatting, while Matilda Goshawk was further away, her nose in a book. "Has she said anything to you?"
Despite the frosty atmosphere between Teddy and Ella, she was still talking to Alfie. The other Hufflepuff shook his head. "Nothing. I've tried to suggest that you two should make up, but you know Ella. If she doesn't want to talk about something, she won't. She's horribly stubborn that way."
Teddy rolled his eyes, and turned his attention back to his Transfiguration textbooks. The problems he was completing were easy enough, and should have only taken him about twenty minutes, but he found himself completely unable to concentrate. He didn't like arguing with his friends; he didn't like any situation, really, where the equilibrium was disrupted.
Thankfully, he didn't have to concentrate much longer. The doorway leading into the Hufflepuff common room opened, and a loud "ERGH!" came through it. Both Teddy and Alfie looked up to see a tall figure, with a bright red face that almost matched her hair. Laura Shipkins.
She was marching in their direction; Teddy and Alfie glanced quickly at Daisy, who looked just as confused as they did, if not more. "Laura," she said, getting up and leading her sister over to where they were all sitting by the arm, "what's going on? What happened?"
"You mean to ask who happened," Laura spat, and it was all Teddy could do not to roll his eyes. Of course - there was only one person who could make Laura this mad. "That slag, that total bitch, that freak of nature, that -"
"What did she do now?" Daisy asked, cutting her sister off.
"What did she do now? Let me tell you what that bitch did." The older girl rifled through her bag and pulled out a sheet of parchment that looked as if it had been repeatedly crumpled, torn in several places and thrown against a wall. "Macmillan wanted us all to do a project for Defence. Normal stuff, good practice for N.E.W.T.'s. I've been absolutely swamped with work, so I handed mine in yesterday, instead of the day before when it was actually due. I wrote an explanation out and everything, and I even sent it home for Mum to sign beforehand, and I attached the explanation to the essay. Today, Macmillan walks in with the marked essays. He failed me just because I didn't hand it in on time, and he refuses to give me any feedback!"
Teddy understood why Laura was angry; it would suck to have done an essay, only to find that the teacher was unwilling to correct it. But even he knew that Macmillan was a stickler for deadlines, and had a policy of automatically failing anyone who handed their work in late, without coming to him beforehand with a good reason. Laura should have gone and spoken to him before handing the project in. And most of all, Teddy failed to see how any of this had to do with Bella Watson.
Daisy seemed to be thinking the same thing, for she said, "But Laura, what did Bella Watson do?"
"I'm getting to it, Daisy," the older girl snapped, causing Daisy to recoil slightly. "That little bitch. I noticed that Macmillan didn't give her an essay back, so I tuned in to the conversation she was having with Macey Longstone. I have excellent hearing, you know. Anyway, she was talking to Macey and she said that she didn't even hand in an essay. Apparently she'd gone to Macmillan before the deadline and asked him for an extension and he'd agreed."
"What?" Daisy shouted with outrage. "That's so unfair!"
"I know, right? Apparently she's got too much work, and he gave her an extension because of that. Her essay's still going to get marked, even though it's late!"
Teddy didn't think that this was unfair; after all, Bella had actually gone to Macmillan before the deadline. But there was no point in saying anything, for Daisy and Laura were too angry to listen to anyone.
"It's her fault that she took on so much," Laura continued. "Who asked her to be Head Girl anyway? She could have said no when they asked her! She didn't have to go and try out for the Quidditch team! What is wrong with her?"
"What's wrong with Macmillan?" Daisy exclaimed. "Doesn't he see how fundamentally unfair this whole situation is?"
"You know," Laura said, her mouth curling into a rather distasteful, sneaky smile. Teddy felt his heart drop slightly. Nothing good could possibly come of this. "I wouldn't be surprised if there was something going on between that Watson girl and Macmillan."
"Whatever do you mean?" Morna Clemmons, who had been silent until now, piped up.
"Don't be thick, Morna," Laura snapped. "You know exactly what I'm saying."
"You don't mean-"
"Of course I do!"
"But that's against the rules!"
"I know that!"
"But would the Head Girl break the rules?"
"She's not just Head Girl," Daisy interjected. "She's Bella Watson. I wouldn't put anything past that slag. For all we know, that's the reason why she's Head Girl."
"I bet you it's true," Laura said, smugly. "I bet you it's been going on since last year. She's been spending all her time in his office. Every time she's late for something, it's because Professor Macmillan wanted her." She snorted loudly. "I bet you he wanted her for more than one thing!"
"What is she talking about?" Alfie whispered to Teddy. "Of course Bella's in his office, she has loads of Head Girl things to work out with him."
"You know, I was friends with Hattie Swindle," Laura said, referencing the former Slytherin Head Girl who had graduated last year, "and she didn't spend nearly as much time with Professor Slughorn as Bella does with Macmillan. It's so obvious, I don't know how no one else has caught onto it."
"Maybe no one wanted to say anything," Daisy reasoned. "Or maybe Bella and Macmillan have… you know, shut them up somehow."
"That's it!" Laura snapped her fingers. "Well, there's no way they're going to shut me up!" She stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking rather determined. "By the time this week is over - hell, by the time this day is over - everyone in this castle will know that Bella Watson and Ernest Macmillan are sleeping together."
Alfie gasped loudly and clapped a hand over his mouth. Laura Shipkins ignored him. She wore a victorious expression as she marched out of the common room, undoubtedly to spread her rumour around the school.
Even Teddy couldn't believe his ears. Macmillan playing favourites was one thing (even though he highly doubted that this was the case), but an illicit relationship between a professor and a student? It was completely and utterly improbable. Especially with Bella Watson who, though she may be somewhat promiscuous, was an upstanding student, and Professor Macmillan, who would never, in Teddy's opinion, break the rules.
Daisy Shipkins and Morna Clemmons began chatting excitably amongst themselves about the possibility of there being a relationship between Macmillan and Bella, coming up with instances in which they thought that it was apparent. Teddy was disgusted listening to them, and turned away to speak with Alfie, who was still in shock.
"Bella wouldn't," the muggleborn said firmly. "She wouldn't do something like that. She follows the rules. She sets an example. She wouldn't do something that could get her into that much trouble."
"She wouldn't," Teddy agreed. "You know that, I know that, the entire school probably knows that."
"But Laura's telling them otherwise!" There was a great deal of fear in Alfie's eyes. "She's out there right now, telling people that Bella and Professor Macmillan are … are … you know."
Teddy looked over his shoulder to make sure that Daisy was still occupied (she was), and then said to Alfie, in a low voice, "Yeah, but no one's going to believe her."
"Won't they?"
"Think about it logically, Alfie," he continued, trying to ignore the fact that he sounded so much like Ella at that very moment. "She's Laura Shipkins, and she's spreading a rumour about Bella Watson. Everyone knows they hate each other."
"True."
"So why would they believe Laura? They'll just think she's making it up!"
"I hope you're right," Alfie said.
"Believe me, I am," Teddy said, absolutely confident in his opinion.
"I hope you are, too," a quiet voice said, causing both Teddy and Alfie to look up. Matilda Goshawk had gotten up from where she had been sitting, and knelt down beside them, book in hand. "A rumour like that could be really dangerous."
"What do you mean?" enquired Alfie.
Matilda shrugged. "I don't know the exact rules, of course, but a relationship between a professor and a student wouldn't be allowed. I can't see McGonagall being thrilled about it. If people took the rumour seriously and started to believe it, Macmillan would be fired, and Bella would be stripped of her Head Girl badge. I wouldn't be surprised if they took her off the Quidditch team as well."
"You're kidding." Alfie's mouth dropped. "Someone's got to tell Laura and stop her!"
Despite the gravity of it all, Teddy snorted. "You're the one who must be kidding if you think that'll stop Laura. If anything, it'll make her spread the rumour even faster."
Matilda nodded solemnly. "All we can do is hope that the Hogwarts student body is smart enough not to believe anything Laura Shipkins says."
.oOo.
IV. As it is meant to be (part two)
Riley Carrow hated letters.
Sure, they were good for staying in touch with people, but they simply couldn't replace a face-to-face conversation. There was so much that wasn't said in a letter, so many things that couldn't be said. Things could be misinterpreted, lost in a myriad of words, or censored and deliberately left out in a way that the immediacy of normal speech did not allow for. The written word, she strongly believed, was an inferior means of communication, and given the choice, she would much rather speak with her parents using the Floo network. At least then there was some kind of emotion behind the words.
But alas, the Slytherin common room did not have multiple fireplaces, and she didn't particularly want others to overhear her conversations. Not that she said anything meaningful in her letters; they were mostly fictionalised, or heavily edited accounts of her day-to-day life. She updated her parents on her grades, assured them that she was getting along well with her friends, and told them that she was enjoying herself. There was no point in worrying them more than they already were. Her mother had been on edge after Riley's slight breakdown at the station, and it took a lot of convincing before she finally left her daughter alone.
Her parents knew about the bullying, but they weren't aware that it was continuing. It had been particularly bad in Riley's first years at Hogwarts - That Incident in First Year was still occasionally brought up in family conversations, and Riley assured them that there was nothing to worry about, that nothing like that had happened again.
It was true that nothing that serious had recurred, but that didn't mean that all the little jabs and taunts that she was subjected to on at least a weekly basis didn't hurt.
But she hadn't told her parents, and as long as she stayed out of serious trouble, they would never find out.
Sighing, she ran her finger across the top of the envelope that Talos, her owl, had dropped off at breakfast. She had shoved it into her bag, intending to open it later, and had promptly forgotten about it. It was only now that she remembered. It fell out of her bag when she emptied it of books and notes after the last class of the week.
Tearing the envelope open, she extracted the parchment inside. It was thick, and at the top the Carrow family crest was embossed in gold lettering.
She began to read the words written below:
Our dearest Riley,
We are glad to hear that you are enjoying your time at Hogwarts. To think, you didn't want to go back! You are such a brave, intelligent girl, and we are sure that this year will be even more wonderful for you than the last.
Doubtful, Riley thought, but she kept reading.
By now, we have no doubt that you will have heard of the incident in Hogsmeade. Your father & I were very worried about your safety and security, but Professor McGonagall has assured us that Hogwarts is, and will remain secure against all potential external threats. There is no reason to believe otherwise. You are safe where you are, darling, so please know that you have nothing to fear.
Even so, this is a particularly trying time for the entire wizarding community. We are all being watched closely, darling, and any misstep could have dire consequences. The Ministry is definitely on edge; time passes, and yet both children remain lost. We know that you must be in the dark regarding most of the outside world (after all, Hogwarts is much like a bubble), but your father and I agree that you must be kept well-informed. Your father's sources at the Ministry say that there is no intention of acquiescing to the demand, and perhaps this is the correct choice - who knows what kind of message it would send if our government gave in to the threats of an anonymous, belligerent group? We can only hope with all our hearts that this does not endanger the lives of those two young girls any further.
We thank our stars everyday, Riley, that we know where you are, and that you will be back with us come Christmas. This is a trying time for all of us, and you will need support: we cannot be there just now, so we urge you to keep your friends close. You never know when you will need them.
Lots of love,
Mum and Dad.
It took her a long time to put the letter away.
Instead, she sat on her bed, staring at it, re-reading it, letting the words sink into her brain. She was vaguely aware of noises around her - people walking up and down the stairs outside her room, faint traces of conversation and laughter emanating from the common room - but she wasn't paying attention.
Keep your friends close.
How ironic, considering she'd pushed the only friend she really had away.
It was almost a week since she had fought with Victoire, and the two girls had not spoken since. Victoire had wordlessly switched her seat in all the classes that she and Riley shared, and Riley had taken to sitting at the Slytherin table during meals, instead of at the Gryffindor or Hufflepuff table with Victoire, Teddy, Alfie and Ella.
A memory sprung into her mind, unbidden, of Alfie in a meadow, listening intently as she spoke without holding back. She immediately repressed it. It had been a mistake. Alfie hadn't spoken to her since, though not due to want of trying. She had actively avoided him, embarrassed that she had poured out her feelings like that. It just...wasn't what she did.
Perhaps it was time to change that.
Her parents had been right. This was a most trying time for all of wizardkind, and no matter what came next, she was going to need friends. She was going to need Victoire.
And, though she didn't really want to admit it, she missed her best friend. She missed laughing with her in classes, she missed seeing Victoire wait for her outside the common room in the morning, she missed talking to her.
So, before she could change her mind, Riley Carrow got up from her bed, grabbed her bag, and left in search of Victoire Weasley.
It didn't take her long to find her. She was barely three minutes from the Slytherin common room when she bumped into the Gryffindor. Victoire's blonde hair was looking more ruffled than usual, and her brow was creased in an uncharacteristic mixture of worry and stress. She blinked a couple of times at Riley, as if unable to believe that it was really her, and the Slytherin swallowed, sure that the other girl was going to walk away as though she hadn't seen her.
Therefore, she was rather surprised when Victoire said, "I was looking for you."
"You were?" replied Riley, unable to hide her surprise.
The blonde nodded. "Can we talk?"
"Here?" The brunette glanced around. Several groups of students were close by, and she wanted to keep her conversation with Victoire private. There was no need to give people more to gossip about; she already felt as if she was watched and whispered about wherever she went.
Victoire followed her gaze. "No," she said, shaking her head, "I suppose not."
Both girls hesitated for a few seconds before Riley said: "The courtyard?"
Victoire shrugged. "Sure."
The walk was short, but awkward. Both girls remained in complete silence; Riley didn't have the motivation to make small talk. She was too preoccupied with trying to ready her nerve. Apologising wasn't something she was used to doing, and she knew that it was going to take a lot to get the words out. She almost balked when they sat down in the courtyard, but her parents words flashed through her mind again, and she remembered that she had to do this for her own good.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Victoire beat her to it. "I'm sorry."
"What?" Riley blinked a few times; she had not been expecting an apology.
"I'm sorry," the blonde repeated. "I...I've been thinking about it, and I was unfair to you. You're going through so much, Riles, people are saying all sorts of things, and being completely horrible. As your best friend, I should be understanding and supportive, not selfish."
"You weren't being selfish," Riley murmured.
"Yes I was! I was putting my needs above yours in a situation where you should come first. I've never experienced what you're going through, but it must be awful, and I should understand that."
"And I should tell you what's going on, so that you get a better understanding."
Victoire hesitated. "You don't have to."
"But I should," Riley said, firmly. "Listen, I know that I've not been the best of friends either. Just because I'm going through a hard time doesn't mean that I should completely ice you out."
"But -"
"No, Vic, you can't take all the blame." She felt more confident now. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I need to tell you exactly what's been going on."
And so she did. She started at the very beginning - from the boy in the carriage - and continued all the way up to the present. She told Victoire about Tabitha James, about their first interview and about how she'd confronted her in Hogsmeade. Victoire's mouth fell open, and her face turned very red as she clenched her fists in anger. "That little bitch," she exclaimed. "I thought she was an Auror! Aurors are supposed to be fair, not...not... ugh."
"She was probably just doing her job," Riley said miserably.
"No! You can't justify her behaviour like that." The Gryffindor was shaking with anger. "How can you say that? How could she say things like that and just...get away with it? You have to tell McGonagall, Riley. She can't keep going on like this! Who knows what else she's said to other people? How can she be trusted with such an important case if she's biased and prejudiced?"
"We can't go to McGonagall," said Riley, quickly.
"What? Why not?"
She shrugged. "What could she do?"
"What could she- oh, I don't know, how about fire Tabitha?"
"Yeah, but what good will that do? Tabitha will go, and another Auror will come in, and they'll be just like her. They'll say the same things, believe in the same prejudices...there's not going to be any difference."
Victoire was silent for a few seconds. "Not all Aurors are bad, you know," she said quietly.
"No, but they're hardened. They've seen things, and those things have changed them. I don't blame them." I don't blame anyone who doesn't trust me.
"But -"
"Vic," she said, "just leave it alone. Tabitha's horrible, yes, but hopefully she'll solve this case and leave us all alone soon enough. If she's fired, the Auror office will just have to start again, and it'll take that much longer."
Victoire chewed on her bottom lip. "You're sure about this?"
"Certain."
"And we're friends again?"
Despite herself, Riley smiled. "Yes," she said. "Yes, of course."
Victoire squealed and hugged the Slytherin. "I missed you," she whispered.
"I missed you too," Riley whispered back.
.oOo.
V. Every action
Monday came, and with it, a new edition of the Daily Prophet. The thick, black lettering of the headline was visible from across the Great Hall: Minister refuses to acquiesce to the Hogsmeade demands.
Teddy and Alfie poured over the article; neither of them got the Prophet delivered, though Teddy was seriously considering asking his grandmother for his own subscription, and therefore they had to borrow a copy from Giovanna Downing. Written by Mary Ryman, the article detailed the busy weekend of talks at the Ministry that had culminated in Minister Shacklebolt's decision to refuse the Hogsmeade demands, as the messages pasted on the windows had become known.
"Well, I think it's the right thing to do," Victoire said, putting the copy of the newspaper that she had been sharing with Riley, who was now sitting with them again, down. "Can you imagine what would have happened if they'd said yes? Removing all muggleborns from their positions… Auntie Hermione would've been fired, and she's the best of all those idiots in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
"You don't actually know anyone else in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Teddy pointed out.
Victoire glared at him. "Are you disagreeing with me?"
Teddy shook his head quickly. Aunt Hermione, as she insisted he call her, was probably the smartest person he knew. It wasn't a stretch to imagine that the Ministry of Magic would be much worse off without her.
"I don't know," Alfie said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Teddy turned to his best friend questioningly. "You read the article, the Ministry would look weak if they gave in to the demands of some random, unnamed person."
"Only it's not just a random person, is it?" Alfie chewed his lip doubtfully as he folded the newspaper up and handed it back to Giovanna Downing, who was listening to their conversation rather intently. "This person has both Melissa Cooper and Leslie Stiles, and they said that they'd keep them alive if the Ministry agreed to their terms. And now, the Ministry's said no." He paused before adding, "What do you think's going to happen to them?"
"The Ministry wouldn't have made this decision unless they were sure that Melissa and Leslie wouldn't be hurt," Teddy said staunchly. "The demand said it was the first, right? That means that they need to keep Melissa and Leslie alive if they're to have any leverage against the Ministry."
"Yeah," Giovanna spoke up, "but that doesn't mean they can't hurt them. Or… kill one as a warning and leave the other alive as leverage."
At this, Alfie visibly shuddered. Teddy didn't know how to respond. He shook his head, and said, "They must have considered everything," but with much less confidence than before. Giovanna's words had shaken him.
"They don't even know they're dealing with," she pointed out. "How can they consider everything when they know nothing about the person, or the people who are behind all of this?"
"I'm scared," Alfie mumbled.
"We all are," she said. "That's what these people, whoever they are, are doing the best: they're instilling fear. Everyone's scared that another kid will be taken, that something will happen to the kids who've already been taken - no one knows anything, and that's the worst."
Teddy, who had never spoken to Giovanna about anything serious before, was mildly impressed by her eloquence. She clearly had an opinion about the whole situation - unexpected, considering her status as a core member of Daisy Shipkins' clique. Teddy wasn't even sure whether Daisy Shipkins was aware of the latest developments in the kidnappings; after all, the ginger was hardly interested unless it had something to do with her, her sister, or Bella Watson.
As if on cue, Daisy leaned over to grab a bunch of grapes from in front of Alfie and said, "Oh, would you stop being so morbid, Gi? All you do all day is talk about those girls and and what's going to happen now, and whether the wizarding world will ever be the same again." She rolled her eyes dramatically, popping a grape into her mouth.
"Well, the kidnappings have shaken us all to our core, Daise," Giovanna reasoned. "Of course I'm interested in them."
"Have they, though?" Daisy said, eyebrow raised.
"Of course they have," Teddy chipped in. "Haven't you read the Daily Prophet recently? Mary Ryman said in her column last week that there hasn't been such fear in the air since the Second Wizarding War."
Daisy waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not talking about people like that journalist. I mean us. They haven't shaken us because they don't concern us."
Teddy struggled to keep his shock from showing on his face.
"What do you mean?" Giovanna asked incredulously. "Of course they do, Daisy, we go to school with Leslie Stiles! We would've gone to school with Melissa Cooper."
"Yeah, but Leslie was in a different year and house."
"That doesn't matter!"
"Um, yeah." Daisy gave Giovanna a pointed look. "It kind of does."
"What if it wasn't Leslie? What if it was… oh, I don't know, Alfie!"
"Hey!" Alfie gave Giovanna an offended look.
"Sorry, just using you as an example."
"Look, Giovanna." Daisy leaned forward in her chair and clasped her hands in front of her. Her expression was one of exasperation, as if she was being forced to deal with an obstinate toddler. "I understand that you're upset about this. We're all sad about Leslie Stiles and Melissa Carver."
"Cooper."
"Cooper, whatever, that's what I meant. But it's not for us to worry about. The Aurors are here for a reason, the Ministry exists for a reason. It's their job to figure out what's going on and why, and to arrest the people behind it. I just don't see why we should be getting worked up over it."
Giovanna looked at Daisy, her eyes hard. Teddy thought for a moment that she was going to shout at her, but the brunette sighed and threw up her hands in a sign of defeat. "I give up," she said. "You're hopeless, Daisy."
Teddy silently agreed.
.oOo.
VI. Has an equal reaction
Tabitha James was woken up at three AM on Tuesday morning by a loud knocking on her bedroom door.
She wasn't a heavy sleeper. Auror training had taught her that she could be called on at any time of the night, and she had to be ready to spring into action. She had been awoken at all hours of the night by her instructors, testing to see whether she was able to work as effectively on few hours of sleep as she was after a full night's rest.
As she did with all the others, she passed the test with flying colours.
The problem with Hogwarts, she thought, as she pulled herself to her feet, was the doors. They were large and wooden, and the knocks echoed off the walls, contributing to the pounding inside her head. She slipped her feet into a pair of bedroom slippers, and wrapped her dressing gown around her waist.
"I'm coming!" she shouted, but the knocking continued incessantly; whoever it was obviously hadn't heard her.
She reached the door and pulled it open. Immediately, she felt her stomach sink slightly; bile burned the back of her throat, and she blinked several times to be sure that she wasn't just dreaming, that this wasn't just some kind of nightmare.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, knowing that the answer could not be good.
"Picking you up," said Gawain Robards, her boss and head of the Auror department. His dark hair was messy, as if he hadn't had time to comb it, and his face was unshaven. His jaw was set, giving him a look of determination, and his voice was grim. Robards was hard to read emotionally, but after years of working under him, Tabitha could tell how he was feeling, and she knew that there was something wrong. He wouldn't be here unless there was something wrong.
Sure enough, her suspicions were soon confirmed. "We have a situation," he said. "I'm recalling you and Auror Munroe back to London, effective immediately. Let's go, James."
A/N: Thank you for all your reviews, faves, and follows! I'm afraid I've been crazy busy travelling, so haven't had time to get back to all of you - hopefully I'll be able to do so within the next few days. This chapter was relatively short (as compared to the monster that is Chapter Six), but I enjoyed writing it! The next chapter is entitled London and is also a monster. It'll be with you in two weeks, on Wednesday the 24th of August!
Also, I just want to give a quick shoutout to my amazing, amazing beta, brianna-xox. Thank you so much - without you, this story wouldn't be what it is now.