The Eagle and The Snake: A Tragic Love Story

10. Our Choice

Luna and Carly headed to Moody's office the next morning, to tell Barty that they would join him.
The moment they were alone with him, they laced their fingers together, feeling safer and stronger together.
"We've made up our minds" announced Carly.
"Have you now? And what conclusion have you come too?" Questioned Barty.
"We will join you. You said you know that someone is going to make a stand for people like us, very soon. And we want to join that side. We want to fight for what we believe in" revealed Carly.

"I hope you understand the importance of what you have just said. Once you have agreed to join my employer, you won't be able to back out. He may even ask you to do things that you don't like the sound of, and you will have no choice but to do them. You don't say no to my boss, and get to live" informed Barty.
"We know that there is no going back, and that we might have to fight in battles in the future. But we are prepared to do that" replied Carly.
"Are you? Are you really prepared to stand up against everyone you know and love?" Quizzed Barty.
"We don't have any friends or anyone that we care about hurting. We only have each other".

"What about your families? Are you willing to turn your backs on them?" Asked Barty.
"My dads are dead, remember" replied Barty.
"What about your aunt and uncle? Your cousin who is now a qualified auror? Your half-brother Harry Potter? Are you prepared to betray them all?" Questioned Barty.
"Harry doesn't care about me, and he's made that pretty clear. I love the rest of my family, of course. But not as much as Luna. I will do anything for her. And I will fight to have her by my side. I don't want us to have to hide our relationship forever. And this cause is important, because it's not just about us, it's about changing the law, and making the world better for everyone. That is why I have decided to join you".

"What about you, Miss Lovegood? Are ready to turn on your father?" Quizzed Barty.
"If I have to. I don't want to hurt my dad, which is why I hope it won't come to that. I pray that he will join our side, and fight with us, when the time is right" admitted Luna.
"But if he doesn't, you won't be able to have contact with him in the future. You might even have to fight against him. And in the meantime, you will have to lie to him every day. Both of you will have to keep all this a secret from your families. My master has to know that he can trust you, before you can start working for him" informed Barty.

"We won't tell a soul. We promise" insisted Carly.
"It's not me you will need to convince. It's my boss" revealed Barty.
"When do we get to meet him?" Asked Luna.
Barty smiled, "Very soon dear, don't you worry?".
"How soon?" Questioned Carly.
"Some time after the final Triwizard Tournament task. Maybe even that night, if you are lucky. But remember, no one must know anything about this" Barty said sternly.
"Don't worry, no one will hear anything from us" reassured Carly.
"Good".

"Do you think your boss will let us join the fight, even though we are so young?" Quizzed Luna.
"He will definitely allow you to join his side, if he is as impressed with you as I am. But I do not think you will be seeing a battlefield any time soon, as you are only 3rd years. He might just want you spy for him, and give him intel on Hogwarts, when I am no longer here" answered Barty.
"That's good to know" replied Luna.

"It's a shame you can't teach us next year too. As you are a really good Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher" commented Carly.
Barty smiled, "Thank you. That is good to hear. Even though I am only teaching the way I think the real Alastor Moody would have done, I have enjoyed teaching this year".
"Can you really not stay next year?" Questioned Carly.
"I'm afraid not. There is a chance my cover will be discovered after the 3rd task, which is why I cannot stay here. Besides, I need to be back with my master, which is why I cannot keep teaching here" informed Barty.

"You're the best teacher we've ever had. In our first year we had Lockhart, and he was pretty much useless" admitted Luna.
"Lupin was pretty good though, last year" reminded Carly.
"Yes, he was. But he mostly just taught us about magical beasts like Boggarts and Grindylow. We've learned loads of new spells this year" replied Luna.
"The spells I have been teaching you all year, will help you both in the future. I have no doubt that you will both be very powerful witches one day" praised Barty.
"Thank you" beamed Carly.

"You're welcome... Now, you two had better get going, or you will be late to your first class of the day" said Barty.
"Yes, Professor" sighed Carly.
Her and Luna looked at each other, and sadly let go of each others hands, before stepping out into the corridor. Since they couldn't show affection in public, without revealing that they were dating.
The girls didn't get very far down the corridor, before a familiar figure ran up to them.

"Hey, what were you doing in Moody's office?" Demanded Harry.
"Not that it's any of your business, but we were talking to him about homework" replied Carly coldly.
"You were discussing homework, this early in the morning?" Frowned Harry, not believing her.
"Some of us actually study and do well at school. Luna and I wanted to know if there was any extra work we could do, to get even higher grades. That's why we were talking to Moody in his office this morning".

"I didn't realise you were such a swot" scoffed Harry.
"You don't mind it when Hermione studies all the time, so why do you object to me doing it?" Asked Carly.
"Because you are not Hermione. The two of you are almost complete opposites-" answered Harry.
"But I am a Ravenclaw, and we do like to study. So, you might say that I'm a positive influence on your sister. Since I encourage her to study harder" interupted Luna.
"Yes, my best friend has rubbed off on me, unlike yours" added Carly.
"And I'm afraid we can't stop to chat, as we have a Potions class to get to".

"We're not all Triwizard champions who get excused from lessons to prepare for stupid tasks. Some of us will actually get in trouble if we are late to class. So, we had better be off" said Carly, as she began walking away from her brother.
"See you around Harry. And good luck in the first task" shouted Luna, as Carly dragged her down the corridor.
"My brother really is the worst. He is so nosy. I hope he comes last in this bloody tournament" mumbled Carly.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see" sighed Luna.