(A Harry Potter Fanfiction) Just Add Magic

Veronica: "The Quibbler Keeper"

I smile satisfied with the book I'm reading. I take a break and replace my bookmark, turning to the window to stare at the countryside rushing by. This compartment smells of Nicole's new perfumes, my Nicole not Nicole Snape. Nicole Snape... I prefer Nicole. S. I almost feel like shrugging my own thoughts off. It doesn't matter. Nicole. S is also reading a book. I see the words "Magical Successes of the Last Century" written on the spine. Cat and Nicole gossip with Sasha. Sasha's one of my best friends and she's shown me a lot of cool books and music. She's really into a muggle music called K-pop. I love it too I suppose. Cat's into music too, my sister not as much.

The compartment door swings open. "Hey guys." Madeline. I remember what Narcissa said about punishing her and instantly want to see if she's fine. I turn toward her voice and am shocked by the severity of what I see. Her skin's covered in bruises. It looks like someone's squeezed her and hit her black and blue. She has a black eye. I feel guilty, she was defending Luna to get this punishment. Did Bellatrix really punish her? Guilt wells up again when I realize that Nicole got the gossip about Bellatrix being at their house put in the Quibbler. Hopefully the issue isn't read and taken seriously...

"What do you need?" asks Sasha. Her tone is kind, but she looks as shocked as me to see someone with that many bruises.

"I heard you had a spare copy of the Quibbler, I was looking for a good read." Madeline smiles at me, "You have any spare Veronica?" I know she's asking because it's my dad's magazine. I have a strange urge to lie. I don't want her to read the article.

"Sure." What else can I say? I grab one and pass it to Madeline. Then I grab her arm and mutter, "Thanks." With as much sincerity as I can muster.

"No need to say thank you, if this is about your sister, then your sister deserved help, plus I'm used to it. Nothing too bad happened." She whispers back. Then she turns to leave. "Wait, Luka wanted a copy too, do you have another?" She asks, this time in a normal tone loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Yeah sure." I hand her a second copy. Then she's gone as soon as she came.

"What was that about?" Nicole. S asks, speaking for the first time in a while. She's a quiet person a good majority of the time, so it's surprising that she was paying attention. Then again, they say that it's the quiet ones that you need to look out for.

"Madeline defended Luna yesterday," I tell her, aware of Sasha, Cat and Nicole now watching intently. "and Narcissa Malfoy mentioned a punishment for her and then she comes back today covered in bruises. I feel like I owe her one." It feels nice to get it off my head.

"That wasn't your fault," Sasha says kindly, "I mean, she defended Luna not you. She got herself... punished so to speak. Are people allowed to do that?"

"What?" Cat asks, hungry for gossip.

"Hurt their children for punishment?" Sasha adds.

"We don't know if the bruises came from the punishment," I remind them, "it could be a coincidence."

"Very likely." my sister says with a famous eye roll. She grins, "Don't look at me that way Veronica, I was joking. But still..."

"It is a bit big of a coincidence." Cat says.

"We don't know if her parents hit her." I persist, "Let's not jump to conclusions."

"No one's going to say anything about it." Sasha says, "The Malfoys already have Lucius's arrest to deal with, they don't need accusations flying at them right now. Besides we're busy and we have our own problems to worry about that we wouldn't want everyone to know. Right Cat and Nicole?"

"Which Nicole?" My sister asks.

"You."

There's a brief and awkward pause. I wonder for some reason, how it would feel to have your father revealed and put in Azkaban. To discover that he's lied to you about something so important, about what side he's on. Unless-

"Guys, I'm going to go for a walk around. I can't stand this tension right now. It's not good for you anyway." Nicole announces. I nod at my sister as if to say, "Okay go". Cat stands up.

"Hey I'll come too, maybe meet some new people."

Sasha nods, "Yeah me too."

"Okay," I say, "See you guys later."

Then it's just me and Nicole.S, each of us reading. I try to remain focused on the book in front of me, but the words seem to swim as a disturbing thought clouds my thoughts and plagues my mind. Unless she did know about all of it. Her father's choices, his side, everything. If Bellatrix is really living with them...

"Your worried about her aren't you?" Nicole asks softly. She isn't a loud person, but she's smart. She carries more secrets than anyone I know, and she's never told them to me. I just know she has secrets. I know that she never utters a word about them, which must make them more secretive and painful to hold on to.

"Pretty much." I say.

"I know something about it."

I feel shocked. It must obviously show on my face because she says, "Not that I can tell you. I'd like to." The sincerity remains prominent in her tone. "You worry to much, you're to generous."

"I'd love to think so." I admit.

"If your worried and can keep a secret, I can tell you something." Nicole whispers. Her usual passive nature seems to have dissolved making me wonder what goes on inside her head.

"I can keep a secret." I tell her, "But compared to you I sense I'll have nothing to keep." She smiles at me. Seeming to gather her thoughts she whispers a few words;

"Severus is protecting her. She'll be safe."

"What?" I ask, but she's turned away, returned to her book. The shy Nicole.S is back. "Does that mean I don't have to worry, that you can't say anymore? You want me to stop worrying?" She doesn't look at me, but her head nods slightly. "Okay," I say, "I got the message." She smiles and keeps reading. Nicole isn't worried. Snape's protecting Madeline. It doesn't make sense. Stop Veronica. Don't worry about her anymore. I pick up my book and continue to read, finally able to relax and focus on the words almost transporting me away from this world and my thoughts about it. One thought strikes me and sticks though. Nicole.S trusts me.