Knowledge is Power

Chapter 28

When Mag woke the next morning, she just lay in bed for a moment, listening to the sounds of her dorm mates getting ready around her. She didn't even remember the names of those other Slytherin seventh year girls who shared her dorm. They were loud and annoying and not very nice in a non-amusing way that just made one dislike them.

As she lay, Mag took stock of herself. She felt far stronger today. Even after eating dinner last night she hadn't felt very strong so retired early to read in bed. She hadn't ended up doing much reading, feeling too tired to even focus so just rested, drifting in and out of sleep and mentally playing over the evening's harrowing events, trying to process them. The act of killing hadn't bothered her, but that was no surprise. She never thought it would if it ever came to that. If she killed someone there would obviously be a good reason so what was there to be bothered over. If it was her life or the life of someone she cared about over someone's who was trying to take it, there was no choice to be made. If a person didn't want to be killed, they shouldn't go trying to attack people.

With a sigh she got up and hurried through the process of getting ready for the day lest she be late for breakfast. Once dressed, she peered into the mirror while brushing her long red hair and tying it back in a low ponytail with her customary long silver colored silk scarf. Her large green eyes sported no circles and her expression was calm. She did not have the face of someone who was attacked by a Death Eater yesterday and gotten wiped out by the rare spell she'd used to kill him. Good.

In the Great Hall, she found herself glancing around for Parvati as she settled herself at the Slytherin table. The Gryffindor sat with her friends and looked well enough, Mag thought. Seeing her looking over, Parvati smiled and waved, and Mag waved back. Just then the Bloody Baron floated over.
"Good Morning," he said tonelessly and Mag smiled.
"I suppose it is at that...I'm here after all."
The ghost raised ghostly brows.
"I'll tell you later. I'll meet you here after school when no one else is here," she whispered and his eyes narrowed with intrigued interest as he nodded.
"I will be here!"

Nightshade flew over then with a letter, and he landed on the back of Mag's chair as she opened it.
//I'm going to hang with you today,// he said generously.
//Though I will miss Prof's shitty mental comments about all his tard baby students, I want to make sure things are okay with you.//
As it turned out the parchment was blank, so Mag tucked it into the pocket of her school robe to take notes or something on later.

//Do you think there will be more attacks or something,// Mag asked Nightshade.
//Does Severus? I wonder if he noticed me accidentally calling him Severus yesterday.//
She'd considered that last night while trying to read. If he'd noticed, what did he think of it? At least now she'd find out.

//He was trippin' about the attack so didn't really notice the Severus thing,// Nightshade said fluttering to the table where he snatched a sausage from her plate.
//I doubt he'd care. He thinks of you as a friend. I mean as long as you're not in class, I doubt he'd care. And no, neither of us are aware of another attack, I just wanted to stick close to you today in case. I do give a shit about you, after all. You're my Mags.//

Mag smiled, not even bothering to insist, as she usually did, that he stop calling her Mags. The fact Severus thought of her as a friend was nice too. It was a start, and something she could work with. Of course if he'd noticed how pretty she was, that would've been better, but she'd take it.

//So what's up with the Gryffindor,// Nightshade asked.
//I met her while you were with Severus,// Mag replied.
//I was doing my smile at Gryffindors to frighten them thing and she actually thought I was being nice, the poor thing. So I sort of felt bad not being nice back when she tried to make friends.//
//O...Kay...That's weird,// Nightshade said.
//Are you sure she's cool?//
//She doesn't worship Potter and she was tough enough to fight a Death Eater with me and to keep going when he hit her with the Cruciatus curse,// Mag said.

//Prof went to tell Dumblefuck what happened last night and I came along, of course. He isn't going to say anything, and so at least he's got a bit of logic in that emotional marshmallow heart or whatever the fuck makes him so lax on every god damn thing. He, Prof and Flitwick worked into the night upping the defenses on the grounds so alarms should sound to warn all professors if there is another intruder who isn't a student. The wards were set to recognize everyone already here so they won't always be going off when brats return from Hogsmeade or whatever.//

Mag nodded, feeling better that measures were taken. She made a mental note to herself to tell Parvati about them later so she could hopefully feel better as well.

When classes were over for the day, Mag met the Bloody Baron in the Great Hall as she'd promised. No one else was there as dinner wouldn't be served for hours, so they had privacy. She sat at the Slytherin table with Nightshade on the back of her chair and the baron hovered nearby. He listened grimly as she shared the events of the previous evening.

"Good on you for killing him," he said.
"Too many of today's witches and wizards are too soft to actually kill those that require killing. It comes of having no wars if you ask me and going soft. Same problem the ministry's got," he grumbled and Mag found herself nodding.
"Have you done any rune casting for yourself," The Baron asked and she shook her head.
"You probably should have...Then you may have been warned of what was to come."
"Perhaps I didn't feel confident enough to read for myself yet, but it looks as if I'd better start," Mag said.
"Indeed," The Baron agreed.
"And remember, confidence comes with practice."

Mag wanted to share the story with Kereston and Millicent, the only others she considered friends at Hogwarts, but didn't want to risk being overheard so it would have to wait for the Christmas break. She did tell Griphook when she went to the bank one weekend a few weeks later to get the stones that had come in for Severus's wand and take them to the jeweler to have them set. The goblin ranted for a bit about what Voldemort was going to bring the wizarding world to, and of course she agreed with him.

"If anything odd happens here at the bank would you tell me," she asked.
"I know someone on the inside who could probably help...Someone who is taking more action on the matter than the bloody Ministry and I'm doing my best to help."
Looking impressed, Griphook only hesitated for a second before nodding slowly.
"I suppose we all have to trust someone during these times, and you seem a worthy choice," he told her with a smile.
"You're the only witch who understands and respects the magic of stones and that goes a long way in my book!"
Mag couldn't help but feel honored that a goblin thought well of her because...well they hated most everyone.
"I'm honored to call you a friend," she told him gravely.
With that she headed off to the next goblin she knew. If the jeweler didn't call her a friend, she at least gave her very good prices for excellent work.