In The Shadows [Book Two]

Chapter Eleven:

Chapter Eleven:

When I awoke, I was no longer in the Department of Mysteries but rather in what I recognized as Hogwarts infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was standing over another bed to my right and I realized she was speaking to Ginny. In a bed across from us was Hermione and to her left was Ron; but I couldn't see Harry, or Luna.. Someone unfamiliar yet somehow very familiar was laid upon the bed to my left and Longbottom.. well Neville, however sat at a small chair next to my bed.

"What are you doing here?"

Neville, who previously had been attempting to fix his wand apparently, jerked to attention and stared down at me before smiling nervously.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay?" He phrased it like a question, his slightly pudgy cheeks sucking in and hollowing as if he was biting his cheeks or something similar. Odd boy.

"I'm fine. Where's Harry? Did we do it? Is Sirius okay? Did they have him?"

Neville shook his head, the bangs that he left hanging in his face swished and he bit his lip. His eyes told me that he desperately wished I hadn't asked him. I picked at the sleeves of my sweater, grateful that I hadn't had anything but a head wound; it would have been worse if it'd been to my abdomen because then they'd have had to take off my sweater to look at it and fix me up.

"I dunno where Harry is. The Death Eaters, well not all of them, it was Bellatrix Lestrange.. well, she killed him I think."

Why kill him? Anyone else, but him. I didn't even have a chance to meet him! I'd never known he even existed because Harry, the boy who was supposed to be my brother, had never bothered to tell me that I had a Godfather...

Maybe Harry wanted him all to himself, maybe Sirius didn't want to meet me because I was just a girl and Harry.. Harry was The-Boy-Who-Lived.

"Usually.. people would say something like 'I never got to say bye' I think, right? Except.. I never even got to say hello, he was family, someone my parents trusted with Harry and I should they die, and I never got to even meet him!"

At this point, angry tears streamed down my face, Ginny was staring at me with eyes full of surprise and perhaps pity, Hermione was stirring in her bed and Madam Pomfrey seemed to be trying to give me my space so that I could grieve without her intereferance.

"Harry Potter got to meet him, got to know him, he got to love him and I never even got to say hi!"

I put my hands over my face, trying to hold back the sobs that made me feel so weak but it was hard. I'd made the mistake of getting my hopes up, even though I knew.. I KNEW that even if we did save Sirius, I wouldn't be able to go live with him. I was a Death Eater, something nobody else could ever know; I had to stay with the Malfoy's because at least then I wouldn't have to constantly keep watch over my shoulder.

The most I'd be able to do is perhaps stay the summer with Harry; he was my brother after all, and if nothing else I could say that I was there to keep an eye on him and see if he was planning anything. The Dark Lord couldn't possibly tell me no, could he?

"I'm sorry, Amy. I wish things could have been different."

"Please leave."

***

The next day, a report came out about how the Dark Lord had returned, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, made a statement in regards to it and couldn't quite figure out what to call him. Obviously saying 'You-Know-Who' wasn't something Fudge wanted to do, but he also couldn't bring himself to call the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort.

In the end, he seemed to settle for 'Lord...Thingy."

Professor Dolores Umbridge was on the unfamiliar/yet somehow familar person to my left, her usually very tidy hair was now in the general shape of a birds nest. She was pretty much lifeless, her eyes almost always staring blankly at the ceiling except when you made click-clacking noises with your tongue; which was something I was very fond of doing.

Weasley the boy and Granger seemed to be doing well, on the mend and all that and when Harry came to visit, he mostly stayed on their side of the room and told them all that was going on. I wasn't included.

Shrugging, I sat myself up and glanced back at the Toad, listening as Ron showed Harry how to get her to show some kind of life. Click-clack the noise came from Ron, vaguely sounding like clomping hooves on a brick road and Umbridge sat straight up, looking around wildly in search of centaurs.

She was in shock, eventually she'd go back to normal but.. I didn't want that. I'd sworn time and time again that I would make her pay for what she'd done to me. She scarred my hands, wasted valuable time, harassed me, and the list went on (and on). I would keep my promise, that I was sure of, but I knew I couldn't do it now.

Not in Hogwarts but perhaps during summer, or I could wait until Christmas if I was feeling extremely patient. I could be patient, I would be patient and at least wait until summer. I wouldn't do it in the Infirmary despite how much I desperately, desperately wanted to.

"You're free to go dear; if you have any sudden dizzy spells don't be alarmed. If you find yourself unable to stay awake or faint, come see me immediately."

I nodded, smiling to Madam Pomfrey, before standing up off the bed and looking at Umbridge once more. Soon enough, I'd get my revenge.

A glance towards the Golden Trio and company let me know that they weren't paying me any attention and I sighed. I thought older brothers were supposed to take care of their younger sisters; but Harry seemed more concerned with his friends.

The only person that had bothered to come talk to me, who paid attention to me and who was actually worried was Neville Longbottom.

How pathetic.

I walked out of the hospital wing, dragging my feet and wishing I could go back and torture the pink toad just to make myself feel better but I moved forward anyway.

"I'm going to murder Potter, how dare-"

Someone was going to murder me? That sounded interesting. I'd just been on my way to the Slytherin dormitory to speak to Draco when his voice decided to start talking about murder. Not that he'd ever be able to kill anyone, he was weak.

"You're going to kill me, Draco? Whatever for?"

Draco with his white-blonde hair and sneer turned to face me, his eyes full of hatred before he realized who it was. I watched his face transform, his eyes lightened and he lost the defensive stance that he'd took on when I'd begun speaking.

"Don't be stupid, you're a Malfoy."

"I thought you said I wasn't part of your family, D."

"I lied, it's what I do."

I smiled at him but it wasn't long before I was told to leave, that he had something he had to take care of and sent me back to the Gryffindor common room to rest. At least he seemed to care.

***

Umbridge attempted to sneak out of Hogwarts the day before term was officially ended, Peeves, our beautiful resident poltergeist, had apparently made a promise to the Weasley Twins to chase her out of the premises while smacking her with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk.

It made a lot of noise, caught everyone's attention and it was a great way to end the school year. Full of laughter despite the fear that everyone now harbored in their eyes.

The Dark Lord had returned... and they didn't even realize they had at least two Death Eater's in their midsts.

I kept with my plans to stay with Harry and the Dursley's over summer even though I knew Draco would let me back into his home, and even Narcissa but with Lucius having just been imprisoned because of my brother.. I was afraid the tensions that would arise. Of course, I had to get permission to do so which made me feel like a child all over again but in the end all worked out well and when I got on the Hogwarts Express, I sat with Harry and his friends.

I got off with Harry, and I grinned at the startled looks on the Dursley's faces.