Shadow - Sequel To Light

Chapter Nineteen: A Present A Quidditch Match and A Clue

"Good morning, Headmistress." Students smiled as I walked down the corridors after my weekly classes. I smiled back and continued on my way to my office to grab the files I had left in there earlier that day, the files that ranged from my sister to my classes and back again. I felt the baby moving in my stomach as I walked and smiled, running my hand over my swelling belly.

I was quickly approaching six months pregnant and for every new change, new fear came. I wasn't afraid of the pregnancy. No, that was something that I was pretty good at since less than a year ago I had been in the same position. No, the fear that came had more to do with finding my sister and defeating our newest foe.

We had been back at school for a little over two month and getting through all our classes and events was taking a toll on me. Since our anniversary dinner, Harry has been dedicated to helping me find anything I can about my sister. Between the search for information on her, our new nemesis and keeping up with classes, I was much more stressed than I had been through my first pregnancy. All I could ever think was, "What if?"

What if we failed? What if I never found my sister? What if evil won? What if all of our students are lost and we were to blame? What if we lost our lives this time around? What if?

I sighed, once inside my office, and sat behind my desk for a quick moment, just leaning my head down on it. The twins were upstairs with the house elves, enjoying the attention, so they were one less thing I had to worry about. Whenever Harry and I couldn't be with them, they always were somewhere completely safe. The house elves were so loyal they would give they lives before they allowed harm to come to the babies and, for once, I was overjoyed at their commitment. If that wasn't good enough, they were always left on our personal floor and I had protection charms covering it. Harry often told me I probably went overboard but I wasn't taking any chances.

Since getting back, as well, Harry had been hard pressed to get to Quidditch practices, meetings, his own classes and make time for the twins and I. Between the business of both of our schedules, the only times we saw each other was at dinner and when we got back to our chambers at night. It was getting so bad that I was starting to prepare things for me to be mobile some of the time so I had the possibility of being near him. That was one of the primary reasons for me grabbing the files from my office, to be slightly more mobile for the day.

A knock sounded at my office door, causing me to lift my lying head. "Come in." I called to whoever was on the outside.

Slowly my door opened and one of my third year students came, shyly, in. Her blonde hair was pulled back from her face but there were strands brushing her flushed cheeks every so softly. She was so tiny in her cloak, sometimes I wondered how she stood the weight. Her green eyes sparkled behind her rather thick glasses and a shy smile lit her face. Fiona, I thought with a smile. She was one of my favorite students, specifically because she reminded me so much of myself.

"Hello, dear. What can I do for you?" I grinned. She slowly made her way to my desk, sitting a tiny box atop it.

"I was asked to bring you this package, Headmistress." She murmured then quickly turned and slipped out before I could ask her anything else. I raised a brow at the package, unsure of what to do. I trusted my students but now was not the time for a screw up.

I pulled out my wand and cast a charm around it to contain whatever hex might be inside then I flicked my wand to open it. The second the top came up, black smoke emanated from the crack and burst into the little bubble I contain it in. Immediately I jumped up, grabbing a bag and stuffing all my necessities inside, and led the bubble to Harry. I burst into his office, not bothering to knock, and was gobsmacked to see Ron and him leaning over what looked like a map.