Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by the brilliant mind that is J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers.

Chapter 28

"Hey Eva!"

She looked down at me, her eyes pulled together tightly, "Oh…sorry…are you suddenly talking to me?"

I laughed at the Fat Lady. "My apologies Marie, it seems I have been a bit of a bitch recently."

"Actually no, it was the lack of your bitchiness that I found offensive."

"Oh is that so Tanya, I think you missed more than the conversation. I suspect what you were missing was intel."

She sniffed haughtily, "Like I need a little whipper snipper like you for intel! I run this castle Missy, I know who leaves, who comes-"

"Who proposes…"

She stopped with a gasp, "What...No!"

"Unfortunately yes Francesca, Hawthorne, bended knee, five minutes ago…"

She let out a huge huff, "Why that…"She disappeared into the portrait on her left. I continued down the corridor to dinner,

"Ky!"

I turned back to portrait and I saw her in the painting of the Griffin a few paintings down the corridor,

"Welcome back."

I looked back at her, giving her a huge smile, "Thanks Mia."

I carried on down the corridor. Trust Nonno to ruin my plans. When I walked into his office in the hopes of diffusing this whole newspaper idea that I cooked up just for the one story, he refused to sign off on that! Something about house bonding! What is it with his obsession with us all having to hold hands and sing kumbaya around a fire!

Fine, I get that we shouldn't judge people just because of the colour of their ties, but at the same time...I can't be a part of an organised grouping! And definitely not the head of the atrocity! Ugh, and he was talking about scheduled meetings! I'm against any kind of time dictating events! Didn't he understand that this was just to get a one up on the Umbitch. Oh fuck, Sev is going to have my liver for this. Taking my heart would be too quick and painless a death for him to enjoy. Well I would leave it to Nonno to tell him that he has to play supervisor. That's just what Sev would want, more engagement with students.

I made my way down the table, where the head of brown was solitary from its usual borders of fire red and jet black.

She looked up as I took the seat opposite her, "How was the pre-dinner cocoa?"

"Lousy. Considering it was nonexistent. Nonno only had enough time to break my heart and then he was off flooing wherever he had to floo to. Probably off to have pre-dinner cocoa with some other lost great grandchild of his in Hungary or something!"

"Ky! That is incredibly disrespectful! And I don't consider the lack of cocoa provision as a method of heart breaking!"

"Well I do. Anyway that's not how he executed the fatal blow. He doesn't want to sign the dissolution of the Hogwarts X-press! He wants to continue this...this...this-"

"Newspaper. A good way to learn responsibility and get experience on life out there in the real world. Plus, that's no way to speak about your grandfather."

I sighed and pulled the bowl of pasta towards me. "I know, I know. It's just that it's been forever since we've…had a conversation. Without him having to floo off somewhere."

Mi leaned forward and patted my hand affectionately, "Awww Ky." She sat back and gave me a stern look, "Grow up. The most evil dark wizard in the world is back, and the fact that he's not flaunting his reign of terror means that everybody is not on high alert. So those of us who do know, like the most powerful wizard in the world also known as your Nonno, is trying to keep those ignorant, naïve and unfortunately ungrateful people safe. Yet whenever you went to his office, he was there. Even if it was to spare five minutes of his absolutely precious time. So don't pout and…" She sighed and took a bite of her pasta, "Just be grateful, Ky."

I gulped down some pumpkin juice, that's what I get for complaining to Mi. She has to assault me with her 'common sense'. "I am grateful…I just miss my cocoa."

She smiled knowing what that really meant, "It's OK to miss your Nonno. Maybe you should set aside a specific time instead of just pitching up at his office, so he'll know to make time."

"Oh Godric, are you seriously discussing the planning of more scheduled events with me! Salt in wounds Mi, salt in wounds."

She laughed and looked at the doorway, "Did Ron mention where he would be tonight?"

"No. I thought you would know, Harry?"

"Detention with Umbridge. He should be done soon…don't you have her at seven?"

"Don't remind me. I wonder what-"

"-knew she uses make up!"

Bobby squeezed in next to me, screaming at the top of her lungs in excitement. Mi and I looked at her and Parvati in annoyance, why do they have to suffocate a room!

"I can't wait to tell Terry. The way he's always going on about her to Padma as if she's this natural goddess."

"Fake bitch." Bobby muttered, stretching over me to the pumpkin juice. "I bet she isn't even a natural blonde."

"Do you mind not stretching your gorilla arms all over my pasta, it's seasoned just right, I don't need essence of Bobby Brown all over my Al Fredo."

Dean and Seamus sniggered into their plates, and Bobby and Parvati shot me nasty glares.

"Anyway, who is the fake blonde you where talking about earlier."

I shook my head at Seamus, honestly he cared more for gossip than Mi and I did.

Parvati turned to him in excitement, "Daphne Greengrass! We saw her putting on makeup on the first floor bathrooms and she's always going on about how she doesn't need that 'nonsense 'on her face."

"I don't care whether her face is real or not, as long as everything below the- ouch" Dean shut up when Bobby hit him on the head.

I turned and looked over at the Slytherin table, which was just filling up. I found her quickly, she looked perfectly normal from over here. I followed the line of heads down the table, looking for the familiar yet strange combination that was Theodore Nott. He usually winked at me at dinner, I think I might be missing my wink.

I found Malfoy and Zabini, who just took their seats, the rest of the boys filling in around them. Honestly the way they circled around them was repugnant, ever heard of self worth?

My eyes found Zabini's for a second and my usual cocky grin wasn't returned. He looked at me with a hatred that burned through the room, I was shocked at not spontaneously combusting. I looked down the table again, but still there was no Teddy. That made no sense whatsoever, it was Italian today, I knew that that was his favourite food…and he's very punctual, you could set your watch to him. A tingling feeling ran down my spine and I shot up from my seat as a reaction. I noticed who else was missing.

I ignored Mi screaming after me and went straight for the Snake's table,

"Where's Theo?"

Malfoy didn't look up as he cut into his steak. How did he have steak? Wasn't it Pasta and Pizza today?

I glowered down at him and he continued to methodically cut at his steak. I chanced a glance at Zabini who was glaring at me,

"Where's-"

"Fuck off."

I took a step back…mentally. On the outside I was unfazed. So, we were nowhere near friends, but we were… polite to each other. Malfoy never ignored me and Zabini never swore at me. I looked down the table again, meeting Greengrass' eyes; she seemed to be trying to tell me something. I turned on my heel, and was out of the great hall in five strides.

I entered the girl's toilet and stood in front of the mirror. My heart rate was dancing the rumba…something wasn't right. I took a deep breath, letting it out just as the door opened. I turned; ready to confront the intelligent green glow, instead I was assaulted by dull brown. She was a Snakeling, must be a second year. I turned back around waiting for Greengrass.

"She said the forest."

I turned and looked at the mousy haired girl; she was a dainty thing that seemed like she wanted to be anywhere but here. She quivered as she held her head straight up, the very action taking strain on her. What little resolve she had left her and she turned and ran out.

I followed suit, heading to the dungeons, racing down the corridor. The forest? The forbidden forest? Nothing good ever came from that place. I was already on the quidditch pitch when I realised that there was hundreds and hundreds of feet of the forest, where the fuck was I going to start. Fuck. I ran towards the edge nearest the pitch and lit my wand,

"Teddy?"

There was no response but the rustle of leaves, and the loud entrance of the night that was quickly descending on us.

"Theo?"

I turned around when I heard a twig snap,

"Expelliarmus. Stupefy."

The wand went flying out of the blonde boy's hand and he crumpled to the floor. I walked towards him quickly and crouched down. He looked familiar, he was a fifth year.

My head snapped around when I heard the cough, and my wandlight found the strange dark head, I ran forward and fell to my knees.

"Teddy! Look at me!"

His head was hanging down, as if his neck couldn't support him, I reached forward and gently touched his neck, his rasped breathing hitched and I let go as if burned. I looked down at his bloody shirt , observing where the wounds are,

"The-"

"Don't speak, I'll get you out of here."

I conjured a stretcher but stopped when I felt fingers grasp my hand, I looked down in shock as his dark eyes looked up at me, "The kid…."

I looked at him; the confusion disappearing as more pieces of the puzzle was laid in place in my mind. The realisation that he was missing as well is what made me spring into action.

"Where?"

His head fell back down, but he gestured frantically with his eyes, deeper into the forest. I looked into the darkness, not seeing anyone. He continued gesturing, he must mean deeper.

"I'll be right back."

I conjured a warm cloth that I hardened, and wrapped around his neck for support, not knowing how to make a neck brace.

I walked slowly into the forest, feeling each leave caress my skin as if it was death herself. Every crunch of dirt beneath my feet echoed unforgiving into the silence.

"Liam?"

I walked deeper, searching only for Liam's sandy head in the darkness, trying not to forge the darkness into monsters from my imagination, "William?"

I heard a soft whispering which soon was defined into whimpering as I got closer. "William?"

I ducked under a branch and dodged the ivy on it, spotting the tiny figure on my way up. I rushed towards him quickly, as he hung limply against the trunk.

"Fuck." I grabbed at him, cutting through the ties with my wand easily. He fell onto me, and I held him steady. I looked down at him, there was no sign of blood but I think he was number than anything else. I rubbed at his arms, warming him with my wand to get the blood flowing so we can get the fuck out of here.

I saw the shadow over the bark and I let go of Liam, letting him fall to the ground as I blasted the beast off its legs.

I stared in horror at the spider that was the size of a car, sure that I would be much more afraid if Harry never told me the story of the acromuntula. I turned around and grabbed Liam, hoisting him on his feet, knowing these spiders were not known for their solitude.

As if on cue I heard a disgusting clicking sound to my left and blasted that one back. I gasped realising that that had actually been two.

"Look out!"

I turned around quickly as the body collided with both Liam and myself, dropping us both to the floor. I flung another curse at the large spider that hovered above us and didn't wait another moment to fire its successor. I scrambled to my feet and aimed again,

"Get on."

I turned to the familiar voice, looking down at the sleek broom between his legs. I didn't hesitate as I swung on, realising Liam was already seated on the broom. I flung another curse at the sound of the clicking but didn't have to fire another as two seconds later, and many scratches from branches, we soared through the black sky, holding tight to my dark knight.

A/N: If you're confused by this chapter, don't worry, all will be explained soon.

Have a good day,

Kalina