Werewolves, Vampires, and Witches

Letters from Home

Ella

Skipper, Anna, Ember, and I chatted as we headed down for breakfast, as Lily had already gone down with her brothers. We arrived in time to see an owl dive bomb Lily.

Lily tore the letter from the owl, which took off immediately afterwards. As she scanned it, the blood drained from her face, and instinctively, I knew it was nothing good.

She passed it to James, who reacted in a similar fashion.

Lily didn't look quite as interested in her breakfast anymore; she kept ringing her hands together and nervously glancing around the hall.

I knew I shouldn't pry, but curiosity got the better of me. "Lily, what's wrong?" Instantly, Ember swatted me with the back of her hand. Tact, Ella, tact, she thought at me.

Lily didn't seem to mind. "It's my mum," she said. "My dad thinks she's been poisoned."

"Who would want to poison your mum?" Ember asked. I rolled my eyes. And she reprimanded me for lack of tact.

"It could be nothing," Lily hurried to reassure us. I noticed that James and Albus were having conversations of their own with their friends, no doubt on a similar subject as us.

"My dad's been a little paranoid lately," Lily continued, bringing me back to the conversation. "Although, according to the letter, Mum was fine last night."

"I guess your dad has a reason to be on his guard," Ember said. "What with the rumors and whatnot."

"Rumors?" Lily asked. "What rumors?"

I, however, knew exactly what she was talking about. "There have been rumors that the Death Eaters have been regrouping," I explained.

"What are Death Eaters?" Skipper asked.

"They were the servants of Lord Vol-"

"Don't say it!" Anna cut across me.

"He's been dead for twenty years. Do you expect his ghost to materialize in the Great Hall?" Ember protested.

"Sometimes I wonder if the two of you are actually two different people," Lily said.

"I've wondered that too," Ember and I replied at the same time.

"You see?"

"Moving on," I prompted, on my own this time. "Death Eaters were the servants of Voldemort-" I glanced pointedly at Anna at that. "The majority of them were rounded up after Voldemort was finished off. Apparently, someone thought it'd be a good idea to bring them back."

Comprehension dawned on Skipper's face. Apparently, she'd reached a conclusion we hadn't. "Your dad was pretty influential in the last war, right?" she asked Lily.

Lily nodded. "Many believed he was the Chosen One."

"So if someone were to try to bring the Death Eaters back, wouldn't it make sense to get rid of their main enemy?"

Click. "And of course, if the famous Harry Potter were to suddenly drop dead, more than one someone would know something's up," I started.

"And what better way to distract someone than to slowly finish off the ones he loves most?" Ember finished.

A thought seemed to strike Anna. "Lily, you and your brothers could be on their hit list."

Lily shrugged. "How are they going to infiltrate Hogwarts?"

"What if they already have?" I gestured to Professor Umbridge.

The last Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had resigned, and Umbridge had been quick to step up. Something about her was evil.