𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 | 𝐝.𝐦.

three

The next time she meets Malfoy, she has learned of his treasured incantation that she has memorised in every detail. Even the way he said it.

It had taken her a while, multiple books of charms, even some books about jinxes because she was almost running out of charm books at one point. She had a little help from Luna, who was clueless on the backstory but she didn't want to know either - was only happy that Betty was out of her shell.

The incantation was rare and rather unique, Betty believes. It is used to fix a broken vanishing cabinet - which Betty has also made it her job to research on - that is unable to do its job perfectly.

Even with all these information, Betty still couldn't decipher what exactly was Malfoy's business in the Room of Requirement, with the cabinet. Was he tired of school life and wanted a quiet way to escape?

Security has been tight recently in Hogwarts because of Voldemort. The students were rarely allowed out of school and even Hogsmeade trips are less common than usual years.

This whole interest in Malfoy has diverted Betty's attention from her own mission. Though it was a much needed breather from the constant fretting on her plan and a more engrossing puzzle to solve.

It is soon going to be November and Betty hasn't even put into action her first measure. She is not the only one rattled by this stagnancy however, a while ago, she had gotten a letter from her family. It was obvious they were on a time crunch too.

The letter was supposedly from her mother but the scrawls on the dirty parchment clearly did not belong to Betty's mother. And her father made sure she knew that. He had signed her mother's name on it, but the signature was clearly his.

However much he tried to make the letter seem endearing so it wouldn't be suspicious to the people intercepting the owls and checking the letters, she could read the concealed threat beneath his every word.

When Betty received it, she had read through it in a quick swoop before tossing it into the fireplace in the Ravenclaw common room. She watched the flames engulf it, destroying the writings on it. It wasn't going to be a possession of hers, she thought then.

It is Defence Against the Dark Arts now, and Betty is dragging herself down the dim stairwell towards the dungeons where Snape's classroom was. For some reason, the greasy-haired Slytherin professor loved torturing them and forcing them to climb the lone staircase to his classrooms.

Neville is beside her, and he is rambling to her about Trevor, his frog, and the trouble he has gotten into with his uncle who still lives with his grandmother and him. But Betty was barely listening, mind still occupied with the list of things she has to complete.

" - it was all my uncle's fault, right?" Neville complains, "Curse him and his blind ass. The nerve to still blame it on poor, innocent Trevor when he was the one being sat on."

"Well, is Trevor alright then?" Betty asks, half-heartedly.

"Yeah," Neville answers, brows furrowing at her. "I told you, he's fine but it's still a lot of trauma for him. I mean, imagine a giant man sitting on you - were you listening to anything I said?"

Betty glances at him, still in a daze. "What? Of course I am," she mutters, "I'm sorry. I'm just a little tired."

Neville sounds a little angry when he talks next, "I know. You haven't been on your game since the start of school."

If only he knew, Betty thinks to herself, but she doesn't say anything along those lines. Instead, she says, "There's just been a lot going on right now. I can't really get enough sleep. I'm sorry if I've been acting weird to you and Luns."