She ran. She didn't know where or why anymore. Her head was spinning and she couldn't think straight.
Finally, Vera calmed down enough to realize that she was in the Owlry. She rushed over and called Alec down from a perch and stroked his feathers while she stared blankly into space.
Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?
Thoughts raced through her head so fast they made almost no sense at all to her.
Vera had no idea how long she sat there with Alec before she heard someone behind her.
"Vera," Hermione said. Vera wasn't in the mood to talk so she kept still, her gaze fixed on a spider crawling up the windowpane.
"Vera I know you don't want to talk, but everyone's worried. We've been looking for you everywhere."
The spider seemed to be injured; it looked like one of its legs was bent. Its climb was slow but earnest.
"Vera, you need to talk to someone. Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore are asking to have your parents come the school to have a meeting."
Vera watched her spider reach the ledge, and she felt a strange pride in the small bug. No matter the pain it felt, it was able to push on and make it.
"Come on Vera, Harry and Ron are worried. I know you're upset, but you need to come down. Please..."
Her spider wasn't moving anymore, and Vera's hope plummeted. She was the spider.
She wasn't sure if she was really moving or not, but sure enough, Vera soon found herself in front of the stone gargoyle outside Dumbledore's office. Hermione gave it the password, and the two made their way to the top of the stone staircase.
"Come in," said a voice from the other side of the door.
Vera and Hermione entered the room silently. Vera gulped.
Surrounding the desk were Harry, Ron, her father and mother, Professor Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall.
"Please take a seat," Dumbledore said to them both, quickly conjuring two chairs.
"Miss Cowan, I believe you are entitled to an explanation for this entire fiasco." With that, Dumbledore turned to Mr. Cowan and nodded.
Victor Cowan was anxiously twisting a handkerchief in his hands. His wife sat next to him looking equally guilty as everyone else stared in their direction. Victor stood and cleared his throat:
"First, I would like to apologize for any embarrassment given to you today. I had not intended to reveal this ordeal by mail. In anger and frustration, I composed my thoughts through the Howler, so my mouth ran away with my feelings.
"Now, I am sure you would like me to tell you what chain of events has brought up all of this. I will explain to the best of my abilities.
"When I attended Hogwarts, I had a very good friend. We spent many years as such, doing everything together. My friend was, as you might have guessed, Lucious Malfoy.
"When Lucious married, I followed suit. His wife became pregnant around the same time as my own. When Draco was born you followed in June. It was then that an idea struck Lucious, an idea that could bond our children to be good companions as we were. It was an ancient charm that had not been used since medieval times. It is called Lahtorteb Venustas. The charms' main objective is to bind two children together, in other words a betrothal.
"I foolishly agreed to have the ritual performed, not knowing Lucious' true nature. He had concealed his loyalty to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for the most part. When he was exposed long ago, I was able to forgive his idiotic behavior after he vowed his change in alliance. I was a fool. I fell into a clever trap, and what's more, I pulled you down with me, Guinevere.
"You see (it pains me to say it) Lucious had been given orders by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, before his fall from power, to find a way into the Ministry to gain power. Lucious found it convenient that his mutual friend was a highly powerful Auror. Though he also knew how I was not one to be fooled straightforward, he found ways around this, my weaknesses. And he succeeded.
"Over the years, this friendship grew more to his advantage, with the beginning of your own friendship with Mr. Potter here. Lucious saw it as an opportunity to get to both the Ministry and Mr. Potter through you, Guinevere. All this was to be accomplished on the simple charm that to this day binds you and Draco.
"I now see how blind and naive I have formerly been. You see, the effects of the charm are very dangerous if it is used in the wrong way and with the wrong people. The charm can only be made complete or undone up until 17 years, ending after the youngest's birthday. But it was not intended for its undoing. Through the 17 years of betrothal, the two persons bound by the charm must come to agree with the match and comply with the charm's results. If not, they must suffer a horrible side effect of the charm. They will be slowly stripped of their magical powers until they are all gone, though a change of mind and heart may stop this.
"A reversal of the charm is almost impossible, for its circumstances are very precise. The ritual, called Ostendo Venustas, must be performed by the 17th birthday of the younger of the two. Also, both must be willing for the separation. Having no idea of how much Draco's parents have told him of this, I cannot tell if he will comply or not.
"Please Vera, I hope you can pardon my mistake in forcing you into this, and without your knowledge of it. I meant to tell you long ago, but I put it off; there were even attempts at cushioning the blow, though they did not help. I'm sorry it had to come out like this."
Vera was speechless. Confusion far beyond that which she had only a half hour ago now enclosed upon her mind. How could her own father conceal these things from her? This came to Vera as the cruelest thing ever done to her. To have not told her in the first place, and then to go off screaming it so the whole school could hear!
This is crazy, she thought. But then something struck her. '... there were even attempts at cushioning the blow.' The necklace.
She looked down at the beautiful emerald on its silver chain, but she could no longer see it with a sense of thankfulness and appreciation.
"No," she said, her voice shaking. "No, you don't care. You only care that your own pride is now hurt by your stupidity being found out at last. You could care less that my life is now in danger of spinning completely out of control!"
Vera rose from her chair as she spoke, unaware of the appalled looks she was receiving from all in the room. She continued as she walked toward her father.
"You only care because you know Malfoy played you like the fool you are. I hope you're happy now! All you ever wanted was to continue the bloody Pureblood line, and thanks to you I'll either end up a Squib or Mrs. Draco Malfoy! And even after all that, you try to soften me up by buying me expensive jewelry, instead of telling me straightforward?!"
"Guinevere, I—"
She shook her head as she ripped the necklace from her neck and threw it at his feet. Running from the room, Vera heard him call her name, which made her smile with the satisfaction of injuring his pride even more, though a steady flow of tears streaked down her cheeks. Bitter, she thought. Just like my life.