The Eagle and The Snake: A Tragic Love Story

38. Double Agents

Once the girls had eaten dinner in the Great Hall, they both headed to the Shrieking Shack.
There, they spent several happy hours talking to each other, and not having to worry about being caught being overly affectionate. Since Umbridge's new laws had deterred most students from breaking the rules, so no one else was likely to sneak out to the Shrieking Shack.
Luna and Carly could finally relax in others presence for the first time in ages.
And even though everything at Hogwarts was going wrong, the girls felt happy. As when they were together, nothing else in the world mattered.

Luna and Carly almost forgot the real reason they were in the shack that evening, until Voldemort suddenly apparated into the room, making them jump.
"Good evening, my lord" they both said quickly, as they bowed they heads.
"Good evening girls. I must say that I am surprised to see you here before me" said Voldemort.
"We've been here for quite some time, my lord. We thought it would be easier to sneak out of the castle before curfew began" explained Carly.
"Yes, Umbridge's new rules are making it very hard to do anything  at the moment. And sneaking out has become almost impossible" added Luna.

"It was wise of you both to sneak out of the castle before nightfall, as that eliminated the risk of you being caught wandering around the castle in the dark" praised Voldemort.
"Thank you, my lord... I wanted to say something before you start. If you have called us here to berate us for Harry's interview in the Quibbler, then I want to take full responsibility for it" announced Carly.
"Carls, what are you doing?" Hissed Luna.

"Even though the interview was published in her father's paper, she had nothing to do with it. It was me who told Harry to write directly to Luna's dad, in order to get his piece published, since the Daily Prophet wouldn't accept it. But I only did this because he came to me as a friend, asking for my help. And since you have pushed us to be closer, this is a consequence of that, so it's not entirely my fault. However, if you need someone to blame, then blame me and not Luna" continued Carly, completely ignoring Luna's protests.

"I'm not going to let you do this. I'm not going to let you take all the blame, for something that is both of our faults" insisted Luna.
"Too late. I've already done it. And you don't want the dark lord to think that I've lied to him, so you can't contradict me, without getting us both into further trouble. So, just be quiet" whispered Carly.
Luna wasn't happy about it, but she held her tongue, while Voldemort silently stared at them.

"While Harry's little interview didn't fill me with joy, as he outed all of my death eaters who were there in the graveyard that night, it was not something I lost sleep over. No one believes a word he says, especially not anyone at the Ministry of Magic. So, the interview was mostly harmless. You did your job, and provided Harry with advice when he needed it. Which proves that he sees you as someone he can come to, in times of trouble, which is exactly what I needed from you. So, you will not be punished for Harry's stunt in the paper. In fact, I am pleased that you have managed to get so close to him, that he came to you for help, and not one of his other friends. This will greatly help our cause in the future" said Voldemort, after a few awkward moments of silence.

"Thank you, my lord. I am honoured by your praise. But me helping Harry, is not the only thing that me and Luna have done, that will make you pleased. You may have heard that Dumbledore is no longer headmaster of Hogwarts, and that is because of us" revealed Carly.
"It is? And how exactly did you accomplish this?" Questioned Voldemort.
"Well, we decided that Harry would never truely rely on us, while he had the DA to take his mind off how bad Umbridge is. So, we thought it would be better if Umbridge discovered the DA" explained Carly.

"The DA?" Quizzed Voldemort.
"It stands for Dumbledore's Army. Which is the defence group Harry started. We don't like the name of course, but someone else came up with it, and Harry liked it, so the name stuck" answered Luna.
"Anyway, since we couldn't betray the DA, without revealing that it was us who did it, I encouraged Luna to manipulate a girl in her house to betray the DA on our behalf. Luna worked hard for weeks, and eventually Marietta Edgecombe told Umbridge about the DA, of her own free will" informed Carly.