𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍 | 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺

Chapter 68 - Most Ardently

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"Among the tales of sorrow and of ruin that came down to us from the darkness of those days, there are yet some in which amid weeping there is joy and under the shadow of death light that endures. And of these histories most fair still in the ears of the Elves is the tale of Beren and Lúthien."

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion. 

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Betelgeuse diverted her attention towards the fourteen-year-old boy. He sat there, seeming aware that every head in the Great Hall had turned to look at him. He looked shocked.

There was no applause; silence fell like a heavy curtain. 

A buzzing noise was beginning to permeate the Hall; some students stood up to get a better look at the boy as he sat, frozen, in his seat. He turned to Ron and Hermione, whispering to them, but Betelgeuse saw the blank expressions they had on their faces.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called again. "Harry! Up here if you please!"

The Black watched Harry get to his feet and stumble slightly.

"How?" Fred whispered beside Betelgeuse. They followed with their eyes Potter as he hesitantly walked towards the chamber and disappeared.

The buzzing grew louder and louder around them as the girl pondered on the matter. She was sure the younger boy did not possess the necessary abilities to deceive the Age Line drawn by the Headmaster.

She had not succeeded, for Morgana's sake!

A lingering feeling of caution began to slither in the brilliant mind of the heir of House Black.

As the students began to fill out of the Great Hall, Betelgeuse followed Fred and George down the staircase leading to the Hufflepuff Basement.

"A party is in order!" Fred hollered, leading the way towards the kitchens.

"We'll kick Hufflepuff's arse with Harry as the champion," George declared with a grin as he tickled the portrait of the pear, and the door swung open. "Ah, this pearl's giggle always puts me in a good mood. Bye, sweety!"

The soft glow of the Hogwarts kitchens welcomed Betelgeuse as she walked past the portrait. The high-ceilinged room had not changed since her last visit. Five tables identical to the ones in the Great Hall above stood in the same position; pots and pans decorated the stone walls; the laborious activity of the house-elves gave the huge chamber an air of buzzing familiarity.

"Ms Black!" One of the elves called out, gaining the attention of the elves nearby. Betelgeuse turned to the creature with a look of mild indifference. The elf wore a mismatched variety of colours, a yellow jumper, faded green shorts, and purple socks.

"Dobby?" She inquired.

"Yes!" Dobby replied in his squeaky voice. "Dobby is happy to see the Missus again! After his liberation, Dobby was hired by Albus Dumbledore to work in the kitchens of Hogwarts for a Galleon a week and one day a month off!" He declared with pride.

The Black's eyebrows raised imperceptibly at his declaration. She remembered the incessant ranting of her cousin about the audacity of Potter in freeing one of the house-elves of House Malfoy.