Harry Potter Next Generation: Family Legacy

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Thorny Rose (Hazel)

 "Now," Professor Wood said. He limped across the classroom, like he always did. Sighing, I leaned on my elbows and stared outside of the windows, watching the trees swaying in the wind. The warm March air whisked through the grounds, making stray leaves on the ground pick up and whirl them around like a tornado.

What I would give to be playing Quidditch right now...

Thankfully no one in Slytherin was ignoring me. In fact, now that I was on the Quidditch team they basically worshiped me, along with the rest of the team. We were so close to beating Gryffindor for the cup last year, and now we were going to win. Hopefully.

Everyone else in the school was growling at me, though. They moved away from me in the hallways, like I had some weird disease. The Muggle-borns just plain ran from me. Apparently, the death of twelve non-magical Muggles could really shake things up.

Lucias and Narcissa got their sentences yesterday. Life in Azkaban. And judging from how Lucias had still not entirely recovered from his brief spell in the prison, many years ago, they weren't going to last that long.

"We were going to begin our unit on vampires," Wood continued," but I've decided, that in light of recent events, I may as well just give you a little lecture on the Unfogrvable curses."

A breath went through the classroom, and I folded my arms. Current events? I knew what he was talking about, and judging by how both the Slytherins and Ravenclaws were looking at me, they did too.

"The Unforgivable Curses," began Wood," and the use of them on a fellow human being will get you a one way ticket to Azkaban." Hairs on my arms raised as I though of the prison, dark and imposing in the middle of the sea. I wondered how Lucias and Narcissa were faring.

Drifting off, I peered at Albus, who was trying to get my attention for across the aisle. Professor Wood had banned us from sitting next to each other, mainly because we both had a tendency to hex anyone who said something bad about the Malfoys or Potters. We would still do it of course, but I suspected that he was just looking for a way to get me in trouble.

Albus mouthed words at me. Why is he talking about this?

I bit my lip and listened closer to what Professor Wood was saying.

"Some famous incidents of Death Eaters using this curse, the torture curse, include the Longbottoms, the parents of Professor Longbottom. A more recent one, was the torture of Hermione Granger, at the Malfoy Manor."

I froze, aware that everyone's eyes were on me. Malfoy Manor, torture, Hermione Granger. Why now? I wailed in my head. I already had enough of my classmates continually pointing out that my family used to be Dark Wizards, and now my teachers were doing the same?

Professor Wood curled his lip at me. "Bellatrix Lestrange, who is thankfully dead now, tortured Mrs. Granger using this curse. It was a cowardly attack, for she wasn't armed with a wand and all of the people who could've helped where locked in the magical cellar."

"Hey Malfoy," hissed a bushy-haired Ravenclaw. She grinned at me. "Does your grandparents teach you all about this stuff?"

I thought about my wand, laying on the desk, just asking me to pick it up and show them the real meaning of pain. I could do so many jinxes and hexes now... Scorpius and I poured over the books at night, making sure that we could deal with all of the teasing and duels in the hallways. But I didn't. I would have, but I knew that it would only make things worse.

Straight-backed and stiff, I stared at Professor Wood, daring him to continue. I couldn't feel fear, and I couldn't blush or hide or anything. I didn't feel proud of my great-aunt for doing that, who could?