The Jade Malfoy Book 1: Goblet of Fire

Chapter 27: Dark Marks & Hate Mail

     "Looks like your Mudblood friend is in Witch Weekly" Draco says.

     "Don't call her that. Where the hell did you get that?" Ursa asks. "Mother doesn't have a subscription to that does she?"

     "Pansy." Draco replies. "She does which means you may get a letter later."

     "Huh?"

     "Rita wrote an article about Harry for it and it mentions you."

     Ursa pales. "Give me that! I'm going to kill her." Ursa skims the article for her name and sighs in relief. "Don't do that!" Ursa hits him with the magazine. "I thought you meant she mentioned that I hang around them, not that I was mentioned because Viktor sits with me. 'Insists that he has "never felt this way about any girl." Ursa Malfoy must be so hurt.'" Ursa rolls her eyes and shoves the magazine back into Draco's hands. "I'm going inside." Draco tries to stop her but Ursa goes into Snape's classroom.

     "How dare-" Snape starts until he sees it's Ursa. "Oh it's just you."

     "Don't feel like listening to Draco mock my friends while waiting for you to let us in." Ursa sits at table in front of Snape's desk.

     "You know you are lucky you are my goddaughter right?"

     "Yep." Snape lets everyone in before writing things down on the board. Ursa sees they are making a Wit-Sharpening Potion and finds the page in her book. She starts working and ignores everything happening behind her until Harry angrily sets his things down on the table, causing her to jump and spill her crushed scarab beetles.

     "Damn it Harry!" Ursa groans. "Sev- Professor that was the last of my beetles."

     "Get some from my stores." Snape replies as he goes to his desk. He pulls out a ring of four keys and finds the right one. He holds them out to her by the key. She takes them and Ursa goes into the storeroom. When she comes back out, Snape is at his desk and Harry looks angrier. Ursa walks up to Snape's desk and holds the keys out to him. "Keep them." He whispers. "I've been meaning to give them to you for a while. I'll explain what they are later." Ursa pockets them and gets back to work. There is a knock at the door. "Enter." Snape says. The door opens and Karkaroff walks in.

     "We need to talk." Karkaroff whispers. Ursa looks between them, noting Karkaroff's nervousness.

     "I'll talk to you after this lesson Karkaroff." Snape mutters.

     "I want to talk to you when you can't slip off."

     "After the lesson." Snape snaps. He notices Ursa looking at them and glares. She lowers her head and goes back to her work.

     Near the end of class, Harry knocks over his armadillo bile and Ursa rolls her eyes. Ursa goes into the potions storeroom after the bell rings to get things for more Burn-Healing Paste. She hears Snape and Karkaroff talking.

     "What's so urgent?" Snape snaps.

     Ursa peeks out the door into the classroom. "This." Karkaroff says as he pulls up his left-sleeve. Ursa gasps and covers her mouth. The Dark Mark on Karkaroff's forearm is dark grey. "Well? Do you see? Severus, it hasn't been this clear since—"

     "Put that away!" Snape snarls as he glances across the room. He notices Ursa peeking and Ursa jerks away from the door. She goes back to finding the ingredients she needs.

     "But you must have noticed—" Karkaroff starts.

     "We can talk later Karkaroff." Snape says before notices Harry. "Potter! What are you doing?"