Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter, that I sincerely hope you are going to like! I promise after this one, there is gonna be much more Rabastan/Caroline moments. :D
Please, let me know what you think!
Caroline put her coat closer to herself, as she walked through the windy Hogwarts grounds. She met a few students on her way towards the castle, all of them were sending her curious looks. She felt some of them recognised her from the Daily Prophet article.
At the front gate, she saw Filch waiting for her, with Mrs Norris loyally by his side.
"Madam Lestrange," he greeted her. "The headmistress is eager to see you. Let me take you there."
Caroline gave the caretaker a cold smile. "I think, I'll find the way to the headmistress's office. But thank you Mr. Filch."
Filch seemed a bit uncomfortable, until he answered. "But the headmistress's is not… residing in the usual headmaster's office, Madam Lestrange."
Caroline narrowed her eyes a bit a took a quick look into his mind, where she saw an unusually hideous pink office, that truly had nothing in common with Dumbledore's old place. She withdraw quickly, giving the man another smile. "I see. Please, do lead the way then."
While going through the castle, Caroline felt strange, as it was for the first time in years she was able to walk through the halls and didn't have to hide.
Once they've reached the office, Filch knocked on the door, and when it opened he pompously announced: "Madame Lestrange's here to see you, headmistress."
After an annoyingly sweet reply from Umbridge, Caroline was led inside, where she faced the exact room she witnessed in Filch's mind.
The healer put up all her mind shields and raised her mental status to the highest alert.
"Headmistress. It's an honour to meet you again," she started politely a put a smile on her face, that was met with an annoyingly fake smile from the headmistress herself.
"Healer Lestrange! Finally. Welcome to Hogwarts."
Before Caroline even knew what was happening, Umbridge led her towards the infirmary, not pausing about the changes she was about to implement in Hogwarts.
Once they reached the healing rooms, Caroline was surprised to face not only Madame Pomphrey but also Severus, with a face that didn't look very happy.
But before Caroline could even greet the two of them, Umbridge was already using that high voice of hers. "Snape, here you are. Have you fetched Flitwick as I'd asked you?"
Severus had a deadly face as he answered. "I have. He should be on the way here, headmistress, along with Ms. Edgecomb."
"Very well. Shouldn't we get Potter as well?"
"No one is getting Potter anywhere," Caroline heard an icy tone from the infirmary entrance, and as she turned she faced Minerva McGonagal enter the room, with a murderous expression on her face.
"What is the meaning of this, headmistress?" Minerva asked and Caroline could tell how she felt about Umbridge being in Dumbledore's position.
The headmistress however, didn't seemed bothered by her question. "Oh, Minerva. I don't remember asking for your presence here."
The transfiguration teacher didn't let her expression slip and faced the undersecretary with a stone expression. Their encounter was however paused by Filius Flitwick entering the infirmary together with a young girl by his side.
Caroline had to use her magic, in order not to let the shock of seeing the face of the girl be visible on her own expression. The redhead girl had her face covered with big pimples, forming a word "sneak".
The girl didn't look happy to be there at all, and Caroline could feel a big amount of anxiety coming from her.
"I am very worried about Ms. Edgecombe here, Madam Lestrange. Ms. Edgecombe has been struggling with an effect of a particularly strong jinx, that I am afraid, has also had an impact on her cognitive functions. Therefore I asked professor Flitwick to bring her to see you today. If you could fix what's wrong with her, so I can get her statement on the Dumbledore's army plot for the Minister, I would very much appreciate it. "
Caroline looked around the room. Minerva, Severus, Flitwick and Madame Pomphrey all looked like they had something to say about it, but decided to hold their mouths. Caroline knew, or rather hoped, that the four of them trusted her enough to know she would never hurt a child.
She looked at the young girl, who seemed like a knot of nerves.
"Give us room," she said and pointed towards the girl to come to her.
"But Madame Lestrange! As a headmistress, I think I should be present while you're examining my student!"
Caroline sent the woman in pink a look that would made even Bellatrix proud. "I am indeed going to examine your student, madam undersecretary. And I'm going to do so in private."
Umbridge looked taken back by the fact that Caroline dared to disagree and Caroline noticed Severus smirking towards her, with Minerva giving her a barely visible nod of approval.
"It's just that in order to be able to fully verify the extent of potential damage, I'm going to need Ms. Edgecomb's attention fully on myself," Caroline added in order to put Umbridge a little bit back on her side and that trick seemed to work.
"Of course, of course," the acting headmistress answered. "Madame Pomphrey, professor Flitwick, help madam Lestrange with setting the appropriate environment."
Caroline gave Umbridge a bright smile. "I'll be sure to pass you the report on my findings, headmistress."
Soon, she was sitting at the very end of infirmary, where Flitwick conjured a comfortable chair for both her and the girl, surrounded them with privacy charms and Madam Pomphrey put the curtain around them.
When she was sitting facing the young redhead, she made sure to clear her thoughts and focus on the young lady ahead of her.
"What's your name?" she asked calmly.
"Marietta," answered the girl, and Caroline felt the anxiety radiating from the girl. She sent a bit of calmness in her way a slowly started to work.
She asked Marietta what was bothering her, and while she used her magic to make the girl trust her, she slowly manoeuvred between her thoughts and memories in order to get the whole picture.
After more than one hour, she carefully withdrawn from the girl's mind, quite pleased with herself. Not only she made the girl open to her emotions, while helping her to manage them, but also had quite a good idea on what has happened. She was sure someone changed her memory, but has done it quickly, presumably under time pressure and therefore there were significant memories that made Marietta confused and even more anxious.
And the jinx didn't help. Caroline felt a disdain towards the person who cast it. Spell such like this one could and would have a serious effect on the girl's mental wellbeing.
She's seen in the girl's mind that she already built up some strong anxiety due to this, and she somehow blamed Potter and his friends for it. She gave the girl a lighter version of Mind stabilistiing potion and told her to rest a bit. No matter the potions and her interference, sleep was still the best anxiolytic measure.
When she was done and sent the girl back to her dorm, she turned and faced a small army of Hogwarts staff. Umbridge. Pomphrey. Severus. Minerva. Flitwick. Prout.
"Well?" started Umbridge with her annoying high voice. "Did you get the statement? I can call the minister right away."
Caroline occluded in order to hide and control her emotions. She disliked the woman more and more with each passing second.
"I am afraid, Headmistress, that Ms. Edgecombe is struggling with a severe anxiety. At the moment, her emotions have a very strong impact on her, and as her memories are surrounded with such strong intensity of emotions, they may interfere with the original memory and even distort it a bit. At the moment, I think the emotional state of Ms Edgecomb should be at outmost priority. I cannot give you a relevant statement, before her mental state is stabilised."
Caroline could feel and see that Umbridge didn't like her answer a bit but didn't dare to disagree so publicly.
In order to give the woman something she could like a bit, Caroline spoke again. "However, I am confident it's something I can work on. As I said, the memories are now under strong impact of negative emotions, and seem a bit distorted. I am sure that after a few sessions, and with appropriate treatment, I will be able to help Ms Edgecomb to… clarify her confused memories."
That seem to give Umbridge at least something to be happy about. She could feel the woman would rather have it right away, but Caroline refused to let her know that the girl's memories have been changed.
"Yes. Yes, Madam Lestrange, I am sure more session will be needed. Of course, Ms. Edgecomb's mental state is the priority. We couldn't have it any other way, could we? " the woman in pink answered.
Caroline maintained her neutral expression and sent the woman a bit of positive vibes towards her, so that she could still be on her good side. "Then I will be sure to send you a letter with the date of my next visit. I'll be sure to send a copy to prof. Flitwick as well," Caroline said and sent a look to the short teacher.
"Yes, yes. Very good. You are a woman fit for your position. Snape, be so nice and accompany Madame Lestrange on her way out."
Severus didn't bother to hide the emotion of pure disgust when he was ordered around like that, but still nodded, turned around, and let Caroline follow him.
Caroline send a nod the others in the room said her goodbyes and followed her friend out of the room.
Only when they walked out of the castle, did the potions master break the silence. "Tell me – have you became stupid or have you finally lost the last bits of sanity you have left?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Severus." Her friend suddenly stopped and turned to her. "Don't play dumb with me, Caroline. I am no Rabastan. I am no Umbrigde. I will not be played," he hissed. "And neither will the Dark Lord."
At that, Caroline's blood went a bit colder, but her companion continued. "You're putting too much attention to yourself. The Dark Lord has already started asking questions. Surely your husband told you that. Continue like this, and Rabastan will have to take you to Him, whether he wants it or not. Don't underestimate the Dark Lord, Caroline. He may not be better Legillimens but you're not better then him either. You may have years of practise and focus just on mind magic, but you rely on it too much. He's got almost all of the knowledge and skill in other areas of magic there is, and you cannot even measure with him. Keep low profile. Otherwise Rabastan, me or even Lucius won't be able to help you."
Caroline knew he was right. But she felt her options were limited. But she made her choice a long time ago, when she made the deal with Dumbledore. The deal that protected her son. She had a task to fulfil. Even Severus didn't know the full content of it. She didn't tell anyone.
"I have it under control, Severus."
"I beg to differ."
They continued on their way to Hogsmeade for a few minutes in silence, until he spoke again. "Rabastan is pulling all the strings he can, trying to keep you out of this. Rookwood, Dolohov, Lucius, Rudolphus. Everyone who he knew liked you. They all know how to address the topic of you. So it would be nice, if you helped him a bit on this one."
Caroline felt a sudden wave of gratitude towards her husband. She knew he tried to keep her out and she had yet to express her gratitude to him for that.
Only when they reached the spot she was supposed to use for her apparition, did they speak again.
"Don't forget the plan. The goal." Was the only thing Severus said.
"Never." She replied and apparated away.
