The next day we were given our time table for this semester. Only to be informed that all seventh years were to stay in the Great Hall for an announcement directly from Headmaster Dippet.
I waited anxiously with our group that was seat in the Slytherin table.
Tom seemed to notice that I was anxious and quickly slipped his hand into mine, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on the back of my hand.
'What's wrong? I can feel your anxiety all the way from over here.' He thought, while rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hand.
'What's this man holding us up for? Aren't we supposed to be learning things this year as well?' I thought, picking at a cookie I was eating.
'I'm sure it's nothing serious.' He comforted, looking past me towards the front of the room.
Headmaster Dippet, seemed to be wary to make his announcement.
He looked at all of the people in the room.
My hand tightened around Tom's, my fingernails accidentally digging into the skin in the back of his hand, causing him to flinch.
"Ouch." He muttered, his eye never moving from the elder man who stood before us.
"Sorry." I whispered back, loosening my hold.
"I'm sure you are..." he quipped, sarcastically.
"I've called all of you today, to inform you of the recent events of this past summer." The headmaster began, looking around the room once more.
"Now, you should know that there is a wizard, a powerful one at that, raising havoc in the wizarding world and the muggle world. We've taken precautions to protect those who he wishes to destroy, however, nothing seems to be working to detain him. The Ministry of Magic, in London has made every attempt to try and hide things, this however, has been a failed attempt to keep everyone under control and satisfied. So, today I ask of you this. Those of you who wish to fight, have my approval. This room will be offered to you to exercise your dueling skills along with everything that you need. You only need ask." He informed.
"Those in charge of this will be your fellow students, Annamarie Riel and Tom Riddle, if you wish to join, speak to them. As for those who are willing to help, you shall be excused from your classes. Giving you the option during the weekends to check in with your professors. Those who wish to stay out of it can go to their respective classes and continue as if nothing was said." He finished, looking toward us.
I felt as every head in the room turned in different directions of the room to face Tom and I.
My body began tensing as the room began to hum with hushed whispers and a collective buzz of gasping around the room.
"Miss. Riel? Mr. Riddle? Please make your way up here. If you wish to address your student body." He said, raising two fingers and motioning us over.
"Bellatrix?" I called.
"Yes?" She piped.
"Come." I said, as we both stood.
"You too, Dolohov." Tom added, following closely behind me.
My hair swung back and forth as our group slowly made our way up to the front. I held my head held high, but my body tense as we reached the steps to where the Professor stood.
After we reached the front he turned toward us both.
"I'll take my leave. If you need anything, I'll be in my office." He said, nodding his head at the both of us.
With that all four of us turned to look at everyone in the room. Tom sensing that I wasn't going to speak quickly began address them all.
"We already know who wishes to join. At the end of last year, we spread the word. Those of you who were able to attend last summer where we met already know what we expect, how much we strived and practiced getting to where we are in skill, both mentally and physically. Those of you who weren't informed and wish to lend a helping hand to the cause, then you can stay, those of you who want nothing a part of it then leave now and don't waste our time." Tom said, unblinkingly.
Right away, a third of the people in the room began to get up.
I noticed no one in the Slytherin table moved a muscle, expect for Parkinson and her would be friends, who automatically got up and left.
Much to my relief.
Part of the Hufflepuff table left, leaving only two people there. Much of the Gryffindors stayed, and three or four of the Ravenclaws stayed.
Thus, leaving those who had attended during the summer, all except the Hufflepuff students and the Ravenclaws.
Since there are more students in our year than ever before, making us the biggest class in history since the school itself opened.
There are seventeen students at our table, not counting us four.
At the Gryffindor table held all my friends along with my aunt, and Violet sat next to her, making them ten in counting maybe twelve.
At the Ravenclaw table there were five students, along with a trembling Lacy.
Making a total of thirty-five student who stayed, thirty-six if you included Lacy, which I wasn't going to because she wasn't staying.
'Davidson along with her older brother have stayed.' I thought through the link.
Tom looked over at the table shaking his head annoyed.
"Davidson, I advise you to leave. Both of you, your help isn't wanted or needed here, not after what you did." Tom said, looking at them coldly.
"Wait, the professor said 'those who wanted to help'. They want to help. What's wrong with them lending a helping hand?" Greta Jonson asked standing up, before they could leave.
I smirked coolly at her before answering. "You want me to explain, Jonson?" I asked, stepping forward.
"Please do so, because I don't understand why them helping would be such a bad thing." She continued, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well, it just so happens that we had a mole in this school, feeding Kuznetsova, the wizard, who just so happens to be hunting both Tom and I down, information about the both of us. You want to know who that mole is? Let's give a helping hand to Lacy Davidson. Everybody. Go on.." I said, sarcastically, straightening up to my full height as I did so.
Bellatrix and Dolohov along with the entire Slytherin table began clapping tauntingly.
Lacy, who happened to be frozen a few feet before the door, tried to run out of the room, before they slammed closed.
"I thought you said that that man was your boyfriend. How could you put in danger two innocent people, Lace?" Her brother asked her, angrily.
"I-I didn't know it was him. H-he was so, so nice to me. If I had known I wouldn't have said anything, I swear, Malcolm. I truly am sorry. Please, believe me." She pleaded to her brother.
"I'm sorry, too, Lacy, but truth be told, you're only sorry you got caught. You're not sorry at all. Just feeling guilty." I said, as I slowly made my way towards where she stood.
"Your feeble mind is too easy to read, you leave your mind open like a book. That's why he was so easily able to get information from you. He manipulated you into thinking that he actually loves you. When, in reality, he's hunting us down to kill us, and as it just so happens, you've made it a cinch for him to do so." I said, looking unblinkingly at her.
"No. You don't know what you're talking about. Niko, does love me! He's told me so! He's told me!!!" She cried, revealing herself as she did so.
"Lacy, snap out of it! Why would a psychopathic killer want to love a seventeen-year-old naïve girl? He's like forty, about to reach fifty. Be real. Snap out of it..." He brother, Malcolm, said shaking her roughly by the shoulders.
I put a hand on his arm, willing him to calm down.
"He's actually only fifteen years older than us. Not fifty, as you put it, he went to Durmstrang. " I corrected before I saw an image come up in Lacy's mind.
"She slept with him." I whispered, shocked, as I slapped my hand over my mouth.
Before anyone could do or saying anything Lacy collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. I looked over at her brother, who was in a trance.
"Let's get her to the hospital wing. Malcolm, send an owl to your parents and tell them of everything that's happened here. Go!" I said in a rush, as I walked towards the unconscious girl to help.