Stepping off the train, it was good to be back at school, especially now that there was no more Umbridge. I already forgot the question of who would replace her, and instead, I felt excited to have a year where I didn’t need to be tiptoeing around, afraid to stumble into her and get myself tortured for no reason. Bye-bye detention, and welcome real school life!
“Hey…” Quincy nudged me, “Do you see that?” She pointed at the carriages we would take to the castle, as the boat ride was for only the first-year students.
“That is one ugly horse.” I nodded, watching the dark, black skeletal horses with their bat-like wings. It wasn’t that surprising; I could see that some wizard would want something like that… even if they looked like the horse that Death would ride to battle.
“Those are… thestrals, I think.” She added, watching them tied to the carriages while she climbed up, me right behind her.
“They are.” A voice replied, making me look back; one of my legs was already up, my hands clasping the handlebar, turning my head around. “Up.” He pushed me, and she sat before us with a weird smile.
“Draco.” I raised an eyebrow while the carriage started moving, and we were bouncing uncomfortably in our seats. “We didn’t see you on the train.”
“I came early.” He answered, leaning back with an extremely smug look, “I had important things to do!” He added with a chuckle, making his sleeve fall back, showing her mark as a Death Eater.
“Congratulations?” I replied, trying not to sigh or roll my eyes.
“Why, thank you! Now that you mention it, I have two open spaces for subordinates! And, as you somewhat helped me, I thought offering the gesture to you~ You know, many others would jump on the opportunity, but I don’t want them to say I am not taking care of my people!”
Just hearing his smug voice, seeing his head swelling to triple its original size… I felt sick. I stole a glance at Quincy, whose face was as placid as a corpse’s, refusing to show any emotion toward Draco.
“Well, I feel humbled, but I think we will refuse the offer! We are good as is, thank you.”
“I see.” He smiled, which surprised me. I expected something different. Threatening us? Trying to blackmail us with something? Saying he will tell his father about this? Anything but this. “Well… Are you sure?”
“We are,” Quincy answered for me.
“Your choice… a bad one, but yours.” He smirked, and I had a feeling he expected it… and there was something going on that we were blind to. “Did you hear who is going to be the new Dark Arts teacher?”
“Isn’t it Professor Lockhart?” I asked.
“I asked about the new one, you idiot!” He snarled, looking at me like some kind of braindead creature, “Professor Lockhart will teach charms! The toad woman’s successor is going to take over the Dark Arts class!”
“So we are good to assume you already know who the individual is?” Quincy asked, furrowing her brows but her voice remaining indifferent.
“Oh, yes, yes, of course I know! I came early because of it!”
“And care to tell us or not?” I leaned back, too, showing a more relaxed side of me and letting my annoyance with his bravado show through my voice. From out of nowhere, Quincy also leaned back and up against me, having the same idea of trying to irritate Draco. Looking at his eye twitch a little… it was working.
“No, I won’t. It would spoil the surprise! But this year is going to be way different!”
“Speaking of this year… are you still on the Quidditch team?” I let another jab in, knowing how miserable he was in our previous year… not to mention our House coming in dead last place while Ravenclaw won the cup. Not that I really cared, but it was good to see him nearly losing his bravado.
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“I am, and I am going to be made captain!” He replied coldly.
“As a second-year student?” Quincy laughed, “Who will listen to you?”
“Anyone I show this to!” He sneered, stretching his hand out with the skull and snake tattoo on it.
“Good luck,” I answered placidly, not really impressed. Enjoy it, Draco… take it as my gift, saying sorry for trying to kill you. Just don’t get too carried away because then they will realize you are a fraud, or you will get yourself killed for real this time.
“I don’t need luck… I have skills!” He replied with a smug grin before climbing out of the carriage as we arrived at the school grounds.
“What. A. Prick.” Quincy groaned word by word, still leaning against me.
“You could say that again!” I chuckled, and we suddenly realized what we were doing. With a quick separation, we climbed out of the carriage, trying to look as if nothing happened, and I changed topics while walking towards the main gate with the others. “So, what is it about the horses?”
“Thestrals.” She corrected me, “Magical beings, only seen by those who saw death.”
“Well, does this mean that animals count too?”
“I think what counts is that we organized said death.” She whispered, “Or the case of Crabbe and Goyle…”
“I see… So, they are invisible to others, huh?”
“Pretty much, yes.” She shrugged while we entered the castle, heading to the Great Hall.
Sitting down at the tables, I was finally feeling hungry, waiting for the sorting, welcoming the newcomers, and finally getting to eat. I looked up, scanning the teachers’ table, when I noticed him. I couldn’t help but feel my mouth open wide as I nudged Quincy.
“I just can’t believe this…” I whispered, making her look and freeze in place, just like me.
“No way…”
“I don’t know if this is worse or not…”
It didn’t take me long to notice the new teacher. It was a man I did not expect to see here… Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father himself. No wonder he was so smug and full of himself… Daddy came through, and now he started teaching at Hogwarts.
“Shit…” I turned my head away before our eyes had a chance to meet.
“It can’t be that bad…” Quincy said, trying to sound optimistic.
“We will see…”
I had nothing for an answer. Will it be? It could be, yes. But… who knows. I knew Draco would be an ass, unbearable after being made into a national celebrity. What I did not expect was his dear father coming into play. Now I had to be extra careful, and I couldn’t go around jinxing Draco when he became annoying, which I had in mind before this little development of ours.
While listening to the sorting, I made sure to avoid the father and son duo’s eyes, acting as normal as possible. My mind was free of plans or weird ideas… well… at first, that is… but I couldn’t let them fester, not like before! For one, reviewing our little stunt from last year, so many things relied on blind luck and stumbling from one plan into another, somehow coming away scott-free and making everything work.
It was a miracle that both of us survived, and none of us got caught in the act. We no longer have a beast to kill or make it do the killing for us. Not that I would try and murder Lucius too. A second teacher’s Death? It wouldn’t fly… one is an accident, two in a row is a pattern, and I don’t think HE is that stupid to ignore it. I wouldn’t expect him to come and investigate it personally, but he would send… a…
“Deatheater!” I murmured, and even though there was a cacophony of talk around us, people speaking, eating, and laughing, Quincy quickly caught my word.
“What is it?” She leaned in.
“Lucius is a death eater, and so is his son… do you think he had been sent here to investigate?”
“I thought about it too!” She agreed, looking around, “It is logical to have a backup at the ready!”
“What is even worse, is HE suspecting us, I mean, suspecting me? Lucius is a rival of my Father!”
“Remember what he told you?” Quincy said, reminding me, seeing my anxiousness reflected in my eyes, “The Malfoys were almost out of HIS favor! That would have meant death to them!”
“Yes… but…”
“I think,” She continued, gently patting my hand, “This is just a test… If I were HIM, I wouldn’t welcome them back into my inner circle just like that! I would test them! His son may be promising, but that is his son, not Lucius! Besides the Headmaster, who here is a real follower of HIM? Someone who can talk with HIM face to face? Nobody! If I wanted to clear my doubts about a follower of mine, I would send him to serve under my best agent!”
“Under Severus Snape…” I whispered, following her logic and feeling it to be correct.
“Exactly! And your Father talked with him? No? You said it when you went to get your wand, remember? I think being a teacher for Lucius is a kind of test! Do it right or die trying!”
“Hmm… hm… yes, I can see that! Thanks…!” I smiled, feeling much more relaxed now.
“No worries~! Don’t be too lax, either, but stop stressing! It will show! What you should focus on is how to start our little ritual to become an animagi!”
“Right! Let’s eat, sleep, and when school starts tomorrow, we can head to the library after classes to look things up on it!”
“The library… again… eh?” She grinned, “Why Am I not surprised?”