章 3: Chapter 3
Chapter 3
ELIZABETH WHITE
Elizabeth felt a little satisfied, watching her friend squirm as all the prefects left the classroom. It was nice to see his plans fail. She saw him slouch into the chair.
"Finally, we are done for the day, I can not handle any more of this! I would rather take Snape's class over this farce!"
At this, he looked at her, his purplish eyes completely visible, as he had put his glasses on the side.
"I am not forgetting anything, right?"
She looked at him, and he was haggard, his hair was all over the place and there was weariness on his face. They were only two days into the year. She decided to have mercy on him.
"No, we still have to submit a schedule to Professor McGonagall. But I will take care of it," she saw him visibly relax when she said those last words.
He thanked her and continued sitting in the chair. She also sat down and spoke.
"I know the workload is large this year, but the term is just starting. How can you be this exhausted this early in the term?"
While there was a competition between them, over the years she had grown to respect him. She was concerned for him. Usually, he would be like this only near the end of term. That was because 'Mr. Brilliant' had exam frights.
"Well, it isn't just from all this," he pinched his nose, "I had to leave the orphanage this year. I had to make arrangements for that too and then the increased workload from all those electives," he just shook his head, "It's taken a toll on me."
"You should not have picked up all those electives. Warding and Enchanting are considered tough enough on their own. And you picked alchemy as well, that was bound to be a disaster."
She was right, Warding and Enchanting were highly demanding, and most people don't even take them. She had chosen Warding, but Wright, in his stubbornness, had taken both and then picked Alchemy in addition to them. It was no wonder that he was struggling this much!
"Maybe, I will drop one of them. But hopefully, Dumbledore will accept my resignation," he said, eyeing his badge.
"Do you need my help with the makeup tomorrow?" she asked teasingly.
He put a hand on his face as she tried to stifle her laugh.
"Don't remind me about that. I should have never listened to Cedric about this. Honestly, I should have known better than to trust him."
She could not stop herself from laughing as she remembered his tale of the incident. McGonagall had seen right through him. Then, she remembered the incident during the summer. So, she asked him.
"Did you read about the Quidditch World Cup?"
"Yeah, it was a mess. Fourteen years and there are still so many people stuck with such idiotic ideals," though he had a neutral expression, one could still see the anger brimming in his eyes.
Discrimination based on blood purity was a concept that was still prevalent in major circles of their society. She was aware that her friend had a very personal view regarding it.
Now that she thought about it, most of them made bets on how long the muggle-born would survive in Slytherin. How wrong had they been? He had risen against all odds. Defying all expectations, the ignorant little mudblood had not only survived but thrived.
"Well, that as well, but I was talking about the match itself. I remember someone predicting the result and saying they would bet all their savings on it," she mentioned conspiratorially.
And that was true. At the end of last year, he had predicted the result and most of them had called it rubbish. Ireland won with Krum catching the snitch, but he had been right. It was a shame that she had not believed him. She could have gotten good odds.
"And that someone made quite a killing," a smile came across his face, "Perhaps you should have listened to that someone?" At this, she pinched his arm.
"Ouch! Spare me you VIOLENT WOMAN!" he shouted while getting away from her.
"Come on, tell me a number! Just how much did I miss out on?" she asked him in a pleading tone.
"Nuh, Ahn. Don't you know the saying 'never ask a woman her age and a man his salary? Let it remain a mystery."
She narrowed her eyes at him, taking out her wand she leveled it at him.
"Ahh! Hm. I could tell you if you promise to keep it to yourself?"
She acquiesced, pocketing her wand.
"You do know that resorting to violence …" he stopped as she started taking out her wand once more.
"OK! OK! Sheesh, here this is the slip from Gringotts," he handed her a small slip. She looked at the number and continued staring at it.
"This cannot be real. This has to be a lie!" She looked at him, but he was grinning at her.
"That is the real number, my friend. And now you finally understand the true prowess of Divination!"
She just slumped into her seat, that much money from a single prediction. Perhaps she should have taken Divination as well.
0000
After she had finished her rounds, she made her way to Hufflepuff dormitories. She reached the large circular door and knocked on it three times. The door opened and she entered them, The corridor was illuminated with the lamps along the walls, providing the much-needed warmth.
She made her way to her room, a couple of students were still in the common room, she shook her head at their antics and made her way towards them.
"What area are all of you doing this late in the night? Prefect rounds ended some time ago, you should be in bed?"
It startled both of them. They looked up and smiled upon seeing her.
Cedric Diggory and Amy Leighton were the two Hufflepuff prefects.
Many had expected Cedric to become Headboy after Edward refused to become a prefect last year. He was handsome, tall and hardworking. An exemplary Puff if there was one.
Amy Leighton, on the other hand, was the resident gossip queen. She was a muggle-born, and her parents worked in the fashion industry. She was still looking at the newspaper in her hand. She was also Elizabeth's best friend.
Elizabeth found it difficult to make friends due to her competitive nature. Many students had called her a jealous person, and various profanities. Her housemates had tried to approach her, however her introverted nature made it quite difficult to connect with other people.
But then Amy came and helped her out, helping her grow out of her insecurities and self-doubts
"Oh we were just waiting for you, have you heard …" Amy was just about to continue her tirade when Elizabeth cut her off.
"Is someone dead?"
"No."
"Then this can wait till the morning," she said, and turned towards Cedric as he was about to speak.
He stopped, seeing her raised brow, paused and then got up and made his way towards the boy's side of the dorm.
She made her way towards her room, Amy following behind trying to speak to her.
"Wait, Lizzy, you have to listen to this! I heard from Henry that Ed mentioned …"
"Amy I am too tired to hear anything at this time," Elizabeth said while yawning. She opened the door to her room and Amy came in behind her.
Amy made Elizabeth turn around, and then continued speaking.
"But, this is about Ed's secret love! And according to Henry …"
"I can assure you, I can wait till the morning to hear about Edward's alleged relations," Elizabeth said while changing into something more appropriate for the night.
Amy just huffed and sat on her bed on the other side, her expression was similar to that of a kicked puppy. After changing Elizabeth went over to Amy's side and hugged her.
"Come on. You know I don't like seeing you like this."
Amy just huffed and turned her head sideways. When she did not budge after some time, Elizabeth decided it was time to bring out the big guns.
"Well, you know what? It seems that I was wrong! I can not possibly sleep without listening to my friend's voice. So, come on tell me what new scandal you have uncovered this time."
Amy turned towards her and there was a smile on her face. She sat up and leaned forward in a conspiratorial way.
"Henry was telling me that Ed has been in constant correspondence with someone abroad. And according to him, that someone is a girl!"
Edward was quite famous in the female circles, and his romantic escapades, or lack thereof of such escapades, were a source of constant gossip. Rumors about him swinging the other way, and even rumors regarding both of them were quite widespread.
Elizabeth usually did not pay much attention to them, and neither did he. Both of them were just good friends and had no intention of jeopardizing it in any way.
"You know, Edward did mention a girl once, but I don't remember the details. It was just a passing comment," she said while trying to remember the specific combination.
"Hahn, why are you like this? You missed such a juicy story! You must ask him tomorrow! Do you think he would tell you?"
"Maybe, but I think this is late enough. We have classes tomorrow. Let's go to bed," Elizabeth said as she moved towards her side of the room.
"Ok, sweet dreams Lizzy!"
Elizabeth used her wand and the lamps were off.
"Good night," as she slid under the covers, she thought about Amy's words. Perhaps she should ask him about this tomorrow?
On the other side of the castle, an owl landed on a window, it had journeyed across the country bearing a letter from a certain student. The window opened and the owl entered the room, finally, ending its journey.
0000
ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
Albus Dumbledore sat in his office in the Headmaster's office. He gazed at the newspaper in front of him.
THE DEBACLE AT THE MINISTRY by Rita Skeeter.
It was a ridiculous piece, which would not have passed the editorial board in any reputable news agency. Yet, the headline was true.
The ministry was in disarray. The appearance of death eaters during the world cup had been a disaster. Fudge was trying to cover it all up and blame it all on Sirius Black, probably on the advice of Lucius Malfoy.
The people were panicking, even though the attack had not resulted in any casualties. The people who had survived the previous war were getting anxious once more. Could he be back? Was he dead? Would the peace last?
Dumbledore was also frustrated. That despite the turn of the decade, the ideas of discrimination were still so strong. People had not changed.
There was a knock on the door. A student entered through the door. Edward Wright. Seventh year. He recognized the boy. A smile came across his face. Minerva had mentioned this, he thought.
Fawkes trilled from the perch and scooped towards the boy, pecking him on the head. The boy tried to avoid it but in vain
"Calm down, you flaming flamingo! The sweets are in my pocket," and the boy took out some sweets. Fawkes picked at them, before flying out the window.
"Greedy bird!" The boy muttered. Dumbledore just smiled.
"Haha! It seems it is a bad idea to bribe a phoenix with muggle confectionaries," Dumbledore reminded the boy, who just looked away. It wasn't mentioned that it had succeeded in getting a single tear from Fawkes.
And wasn't that a show? Last year in alchemy class, Mr.Wright had bribed Fawkes into giving him a single tear. It was only the second time Fawkes had cried for anyone.
"Well, why don't you take a seat? I think it is going to take a while," he told the boy who sat on the chair.
"Thank you, Headmaster. This won't take long, I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity, but I don't think I can carry on with my duties."
Dumbledore smiled as the boy exaggerated the burden of his studies. He sang platitudes about the importance of the NEWTS.
Dumbledore patiently listened to all of it, thinking about how long it had taken to come up with all this.
"So, you can take this badge back and give it to someone more appropriate," Edward placed the badge on the table.
"I am afraid that I can not accept your resignation, Mr. Wright," Dumbledore spoke softly, before continuing, cutting Edward off.
"As you are aware, the Triwizard Tournament is this year. With two other schools showing their best, I need the Headboy and Headgirl to represent the very best of Hogwarts, and the best students for the job are you and Miss Elizabeth," Dumbledore finished.
The boy had a small smile on his face as he was complimented. And it was true by all stretches. Edward Wright was amongst the most brilliant students he had ever seen. He was the perfect response to the blood purity dogma. A muggleborn orphan, who had risen to the top at Hogwarts leaving all the purebloods in the dust.
"But sir, what about my studies and the lectures?" The boy tried once more. Dumbledore had prepared for it.
"Ah, well about that. I have talked to the staff about it, and all of them agreed that they consider you responsible and brilliant enough to complete your work by yourself. So, you are exempted from the classes as of today. Though I would recommend you get a copy of their lecture plans so you could keep up."
All of them agreed easily, the boy was capable of taking the NEWTS during his fifth year. And that was two years ago. There was little they could teach him. All of them were aware of his study sessions outside the regular workload.
He was amazed at the news, and muttered a "thank you."
"So, will that be all, Mr. Wright?" Dumbledore asked the boy.
The boy stared at him for a moment before he spoke once more, his words quite disturbing.
"Yes, Professor, there was one more thing. I just had a question about our new DADA professor."
Ah, Alastor. Well, his first lesson had been shocking for Dumbledore as well, but Dumbledore had still not conversed with his friend. But, the boy's next words shocked him.
"You know the Weasley twins. They stole his flash and took a swig of it, both of them transformed into the Professor himself. The flask had Polyjuice potion in it."
Dumbledore was shaken. Color leaving his face. It couldn't be. He thought.
"When did it happen?" he asked the boy. His voice was very strict, quite rare for someone like him.
"Just now. I just came from the Hospital Wing," the boy replied, and Dumbledore nodded at those words. His mind was racing as it thought of various possibilities, each worse than the next.
"I just have a suspicion, and with Sirius Black infiltrating the castle last year, I thought…" the boy tried to explain.
"You did well in bringing this to my notice. I am afraid this is all the time I have for now, I will look into it immediately. You should mention to the prefects that all lectures of DADA will be canceled for today," Dumbledore told the boy.
Edward understood the implication of those words and nodded, becoming much more serious and his face losing all of the usual cheer it had.
"Thank you, Headmaster," and the boy left his office.
As soon as the door was closed, Dumbledore closed his eyes and focused on the corridor of the DADA class. He vanished with a crack, his expression furious and his wand in his hand.
There was a notice that evening on the school notice board.
DADA CLASSES ARE DISMISSED FOR THREE DAYS.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Professor Alastor Moody will not be able to take the classes for some time. For now, these lectures will be self-study sessions.
Other classes will continue as per schedule.
00000
Canon is out the window. Even if out MC took his time he finally is ready to tackle life like a real person. As always you can read ahead on patreon.
Patreon.com/drkest
If you find the the story is easier to read and quality has improved then thanks the most generous beta reader. 'A man who may use the force but he is not a jedi'
Comment, cuz they fuel me.
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