Capítulo 100: Chapter 120 & 121 - Bait
"Hm, hm, hm, hm, hmhmhmhmm," Natasha turned the page of the book, lying on the couch of Slytherin's Common Room. It was a dark room, but there were these windows with a light green glow from the sunlight, which she liked. It reminded her of her father's eyes.
She grinningly raised her palm towards the roof, and it seemed she could see her DNA, though now she carried his too, making him the only blood relative she had. Though that smile soon disappeared when she covered half her face with the book, blinking longingly, imagining a day where she could call out to him without feeling this embarrassed.
While she was in Slytherin, the right house for her, she had one annoying problem.
"Hey, Romanoff. Did you read the newspaper today?"
Natasha raised her eyes in annoyance, seeing three boys walk over; one had white-blonde hair and light grey eyes, while the other two were…well, one fat, one buff, dumb, followers, and that is how she remembered them.
"Malfoy, do you want to get beaten up again."
Malfoy winced, and so did the two behind him, but even though he was scared, he threw the newspaper on the table beside the couch, "Read."
Natasha glanced towards the paper but didn't read it; she turned the page of her first-year course book, The Standard Book of Spells, which she was reading for the tenth time.
Malfoy grit his teeth, watching her ignore him, and gestured to Crabbe, who hurriedly shook his head, and Goyle wasn't much better. Luckily for them, Pansy, who walked in, saw them, curling her lips, "I can't believe you guys. You still haven't shown her?"
She walked over to sit opposite Natasha, curling her lips, "Ten Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban today."
"So?" Natasha didn't change her emotions, making Pansy throw a single sheet of paper in front of her, gloating as if she couldn't wait to see her reaction.
Natasha grabbed hold of the paper, 'Him?'
She straightened it, seeing Cloud's picture, standing in front of the house, and beneath it was an address. While the picture was taken from a height that showed the clearing, it had around it no place to hide it, and the house was seemingly made of glass, making it easy to see what was going on inside.
"A special edition came only a few hours after the paper, but everyone can tell he's dead. Isn't he your guardian or something? He picked you up from the roadside, right?"
"Yeah," Natasha calmly stood up, "It was more of the port side."
She walked towards the gate, stopping beside Malfoy, "Isn't your father a Death Eater? Well…I'll pray for him."
"Pray for him?" Malfoy didn't understand for a moment, but then his face abruptly twisted; he pointed at her, departing back, "It's not my father who needs prayer!! It's Cloud!! He won't live long! Not after this!! He won't!!!"
He screamed, desperate nearly, but she ignored him, leaving, and he gasped for breath, slamming his foot on the sofa chair, "Damn it!"
Outside, Natasha walked away from Slytherin's common room, holding the paper, looking at it with worry. Now that she saw it again, the smile on Cloud's lips looked more of a mocking one than anything else. She went to the Gryffindor Portrait of the Fat Lady, saying the week's secret word to enter.
There was a large crowd at the center, so they didn't even notice her until she managed to squirrel her way to the center, finding Tifa and Aerith.
"I didn't commission this. I would have never," Tifa must have seen it about now since she was explaining it to others. She must have noticed her presence when she looked over her shoulder to see Natasha.
"Natasha…I didn't."
"Yeah," Natasha hugged her, and she hugged back, but not everyone seemed as cool with her being here.
"Why is a Slytherin here," Fred blinked, and his brother asked, "How did you even get in?"
"They must have told her the password," Angelina shrugged as if it was no big deal.
"Actually…I didn't," Aerith looked up while thinking, tilting her head to see Tifa, "Did you?"
"No? Is that important?"
"Stop racking your brains," Natasha made a victory sign, "I made one of the Gryffindor boys spill the password. They are so easy to…convince."
"You were going to manipulate, weren't you?" Jordan narrowed his eyes.
"No, I wasn't," Natasha sneakily looked away, not even trying to hide, and both Fred and George shuddered visibly.
"The girl is dangerous."
"Very dangerous."
"Can you guys shut up!" Hermione raised her panicked voice, "He needs help! There is no way he can take on those Death Eaters by himself! He will get himself killed. He doesn't even—"
She was about to say he didn't have the powers from his Jenova Cells anymore, but she stopped in the middle of the sentence.
Harry tried to console her, but he wasn't sure how to. While she might be able to shout and scream to show her panic, he had no idea how to. His heart was beating as fast as humanly possible, and the sound of beating seemingly numbed his ear; he wondered while they looked worried, but not enough.
"Oh, it's nothing. It's a waste of money; there is no way they would take the bait," Natasha curled her lips, "I don't see them going over to attack him without fearing that someone will interfere."
"Who'll interfere in such an empty place?" Katie Bell lifted the newspaper, "There is nothing there."
"Doesn't matter. Not when there are Wizards that can Apparate from hundreds of miles away, if not a thousand. It only takes a moment, so they might as well be standing there. While they know the Ministry will not interfere because they are in denial… some volunteers will defend the peace and protect him. Like I said, waste of time. It'd be better to raid the houses of known Death Eaters."
"Aw," Aerith grinned, giving Natasha a tight hug even though Natasha tried to push her away. She showered Natasha's face with kisses, "She's adorable, isn't she? She's so smart."
Natasha pressed her lips, pushing Aerith away, treating her like a child, "That's why I don't come here!"
"Don't go, sweety," Tifa gently, lovingly said, and her voice almost sounded teasing.
Natasha pushed Fred and George away with force since she disliked their grinning face right now. She turned to look at Tifa and Aerith, "Don't think I don't know you do it on purpose!"
"Natasha, baby, that's not true!" Aerith said in the sweetest voice, babying her.
"Ugh…so embarrassing," Natasha left the common room as fast as she came. The only difference was that now everyone was laughing.
"You tease her too much," Angelina laughing said.
"Why do you do that?" Ron confusedly asked.
"Eh, she's a child, and yet she acts like a grown-up," Aerith lovingly smiled, "It's better to remind her that she's a child…and can live like one."
Ginny raised her eyebrows, grinning, "She's going to throw tantrums like one too."
"And, I can handle that," Tifa threw the newspaper, "God knows, we are experts in that by now with everything that Cloud does."
"Oooooh, you are fuming," Lee gasped, "Cloud better not come in front of you."
"Yeah, he better not," Tifa muttered, looking at the picture, when Hermione broke away from the group, marching off to her bedroom.
"Ah, unrequited love, that's the worst kind," Alicia leaned back, muttering, "That girl needs help."
Ron scoffed, but Harry was more worried since he knew it wasn't what they were thinking, "She…needs a break."
Aerith stood up, going towards Hermione's dorm, "Tell me if something happens. I'll go check on her."
While others were waiting for the news, any new news from all the letters sent before, she entered Hermione's dorm room, finding her on her bed, her face buried in the pillow.
She tiptoed, sitting beside her head, but then she wasn't comfortable, so she lay down on the bed, resting her hand on the pillow, her head on her hand, and stroking Hermione's head, waiting.
At first, Hermione didn't say anything, but then she said, "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"This anxiety…how do you deal with it? I don't know how not to worry."
"Mm…" Aerith thought about what to say to her, and she smiled, "You know Cloud isn't my first boyfriend?"
"Hm," Hermione was confused, thinking back to how she had known them since they were kids when it hit her, "Oh, right. Zack? In the…last place?"
"Yeah," Aerith grinned, "He…you see…was a Soldier. One day he fell through the roof of the abandoned church near my home, which was…my place. You know…like if there were a place where you'd like to be alone?"
"Library?" Hermione muttered.
"Yeah, it was an old, abandoned church, but it was important to me, and there was this beautiful patch of flowers. Since Midgar didn't have many places left where flowers grew, it was where I felt closest to the planet…to those who passed away…to my mother."
Aerith breathed in, "Anyway, one day…he just fell, and funnily enough, so did Cloud…years later."
"Zack…wasn't he?"
"Yeah. Cloud's friend and mentor," Aerith shrugged, "I guess I have a type. Though, I don't think I would have gotten that well with Angeal…he'd be like a big brother."
"That you do," Hermione muttered.
Aerith chuckled, "Well…he was a SOLDIER for Shinra, Second Class, and he hoped to become First Class, dreaming of being the Hero, much like Sephiroth. But to me…he was just a silly goof, and we got along the times we met, but most times, he was away for Shinra Missions. Still…we exchanged letters, wonderful ones."
"I used to wait for those letters…and it filled me with joy every time I got one…and then one day…that wait started getting longer and longer. A week…month…year…years…and I kept writing. Hoping that it'd reach him…hoping there was a reply."
Hermione bit her lip, looking into Aerith's eyes, smiling yet filled with tears, "Sorry…."
Aerith shook her head, "I knew…he was dead, and yet I kept writing…because I didn't want to let go."
Hermione didn't say anything for a while, expecting her to continue, but she didn't at all, "Eh…that didn't help. If anything, that makes me want to cry more!"
Aerith giggled, wiping her tears, "It didn't do, did it? Well…it wasn't to help you."
She kissed Hermione's head, "It was to tell you…I have gone through it before…and never…never want to lose Cloud. If there was even a chance…that he would get killed…that I'll lose him."
"I won't let it happen…I will never let that happen."
Hermione looked into her steeled, determined eyes and nodded, propping herself on the bed, "You know…I was thinking…I always thought…what pushed you to create those Eight Materia's? I think…I see it now."
Aerith cheerfully grinned, "A bit of a Dark Horse, ain't I?"
"I'd say more than that," Hermione muttered, staring at the pillow, "I guess…I am sadder than I am so useless."
"Oh please, sweety, you are anything but useless," Aerith hugged her, lovingly holding her, "You can't go fight against tens of Death Eaters? And you can't fight the battles that he picked. I won't put it above Cloud to do something stupid, but I know Angeal and Zack will make sure he doesn't."
"I know one of the Eight, Bahamut, is currently in Earth's orbit. Aren't the other seven in the Ministry? Do you think…Voldemort is trying to get those?"
"You think I would let those idiots from the Ministry hold something so precious?" Aerith rolled her eyes, "Although, I must say that they are protecting that thing quite well, so I might have as well given them the real things."
Hermione sighed in relief, "So they aren't real? Where are they then?"
"Yeah," Aerith looked away, "I didn't have much choice…so…I had to spread them out…all over."
"All over London?"
"Earth," Aerith stuck her tongue out, looking away from stunned Hermione, who sat up.
"You aren't serious?"
"They had just formed…you know how a weapon is hot after coming out of the fire? They were like that, radiating from magical energy. They would have been found out if I had kept them around. So I had to…let them go. I feel a connection, so I'll find them."
"Then what is it that Voldemort is after?"
"It's the prophecy? You don't know?"
"What prophecy?"
"The one that made Voldemort go after Harry. Why do you think he wanted to kill a baby? It was the Prophecy."
"Of course," Hermione covered her mouth, "Why didn't I think about it? Why else would he want to kill a baby? I thought it was always about Harry's parents…but it was…about him."
"I thought Cloud would have told you about that."
"I think he doesn't want Harry to know that."
Hermione and Aerith looked towards the door, finding Tifa standing there. She smiled, "You two were taking too much time. I got worried."
"Why? Harry is so much better at Legilimency and Occlumency. He could hide that part?"
"It's not that," Tifa shook her head, "He feels that his fated connection to Sephiroth caused his mother's death, and of everyone else in the village…of my dad…Zack."
"So…the Prophecy and it leading to Death of Harry's parents…?"
"Yeah…probably too close to home. He's being protective of Harry."
Tifa stepped forward with a smile on her lips, "If you both are done crying? Then we are going to see him. I understand he has a plan, but he still needs to hear from me. How dare he do that without discussing first."
"Right, he does need a scolding," Aerith nodded, wrinkling her nose, "Let me get Sling Ring from my room, and one of you call Natasha?"
"Already did. She's outside; she's too ashamed to show her face."
"I am not. I went to get the Sling Ring," Natasha walked into the room, holding the Sling Ring.
"Aw, good girl. Come here, want a kiss?"
Natasha rolled her eyes and threw the sling ring to her, "Don't make me hate you."
"Let me wash my face," Hermione said, and Aerith followed her to do the same. They came back in a few minutes, and Aerith opened a portal, expecting to be in the glass house, but when she stepped across, she was caught off guard.
"Aerith!!!"
Aerith blinked, not expecting a sweet shout, and the girl jumped into her arms, hugging her, "Yelena…what are you doing here?"
"Tummy pain…so no school."
"Right…no, why are you…." Hermione walked out and stopped in the middle of her sentence, looking at her surrounding, the large living room, one she was familiar with, and there were walls, not glasses, "Are we in Riverdale?"
"Of course, home is in Riverdale, silly," Yelena cutely held her head, shaking it, shrugging.
"Right," Tifa blinked, tilting her head to look at Cloud, who was innocently sitting on the sofa, "Why are you here?"
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