The Chosen One [#Wattys2016]

FERRETING OUT

January faded into February with no change in weather. March came and brought with it patches of cold snow and wet rain. However, not even the ice-cold winds could put a damper on the heat of excitement as the much anticipated Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin approached. So much was everyone's enthusiasm to see Slytherin defeated that even Professor McGonagall had to give up on teaching.

Despite her reassurances, Neville couldn't help but feel that Avaline was avoiding him. She spent a lot of time in the library, with Malfoy of all the people, and went to bed early. In the mornings, she left the Great hall before most students even arrived. What was more, she was exchanging a lot of letters back and forth.

He wondered what he had done wrong. Maybe he had scared her with his dream. If that was the case, he felt relieved that she had distanced herself.

On the morning of the match, a Saturday, Neville joined the rest of the Gryffindor supporters as they marched towards the pitch. He stood between Hermione and Ron and cheered as Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor captain, saved another goal, giving Gryffindor a twenty-zero lead.

"Psst, Neville," a female voice spoke in his ear.

Neville turned around to see Avaline standing behind him, various pieces of parchment clutched in her hand.

"Listen, can you come with me?" she whispered anxiously, "I really need to talk to you."

"Err, okay," Neville mumbled and squeezed past four rows of students. He stumbled on someone's foot and the student grumbled as he edged away from him.

Neville followed Avaline across the lawn to Hagrid's cabin, where, to his surprise, Malfoy stood waiting.

"What is it?" Neville asked perplexed, as Avaline strode straight past the cabin into the shade of trees that lined the edge of the forest.

"Come on Neville, walk fast. We can't be seen," she said, looking behind her shoulder every few minutes.

"That's the Forbidden Forest," he said.

"Yes, I know, and you need to hurry," she answered.

They half walked, half jogged until they reached a clearing where the trees stood close together. Little patches of sunlight filtered through the canopy overhead, making patterns on the leaf strewn grass. Neville looked around nervously as though expecting to be attacked. He clutched a nearby tree trunk when the sound of multiple hooves reverberated through the silence.

Avaline sat in the shadow of the trees, beckoning Neville and Malfoy to do the same.

"I've been researching in the library, and also talking to my mum. Based on what you told me, I've been trying to find the people in your dreams," Avaline said.

"Wait, what? How – how did you find them?"

"There's a collection of old daily prophets in the library, and Malfoy's been assisting me. His father –" she hesitated.

"My father used to be a death eater," Malfoy said, glaring at Neville, as though daring him to make a deteriorating comment.

But Neville didn't say anything. He was simply marvelling at the amount of work that both of them had put into for his sake.

"Thanks a lot," he said.

"You don't have to thank me Neville," she said almost apologetically.

"Anyways, we've compiled a list of known Death Eaters who weren't captured after you-know-who fell ten years ago. From what you've told us, the Lestrange brothers are free, so are a few of their compatriots. We have Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Jamison Avery, Igor Karkaroff, Thorfinn Rowle, Walden Macnair, Wilkes Nott, Ainsley Crabbe, Chadwick Goyle, Hadleigh Travers, Cyneburga Yaxley, Kennard Yaxley, Severus Snape, someone called Selwyn, Mulciber and a lot of others who were in the lower ranks, so I don't think they would very much care about you-know-who's return. The important thing is – I tried finding the blonde-haired woman, and I think I've found her," she said before Neville could speak again, but there was no pride in her voice. Instead, there was dejection, as though she was watching a play that left most people dead onstage. She waited, as though expecting Neville to say something, but sighed when he didn't and said –

"I think it's Cyneburga Yaxley. The only other women in the higher ranks were Bellatrix and Alecto, and neither of them have blonde hair."

"What are you on about? Who?"

"Cyneburga Yaxley. She was Yaxley's younger sister," Draco Malfoy said. "She joined their ranks as soon as she left school and then used to work at the Ministry with Rookwood as a spy for the Death Eaters. She pretended to have been under the Imperius Curse when the Ministry tried her for treason. They acquitted her, but she was caught torturing a wizard using the Cruciatus Curse two days later. They tried catching her, but she blasted a hole in their heads and disappeared. No one's seen her since. It's almost as though she's vanished off the face of the Earth."

"Vanished? How does a person vanish just like that?"

"We don't know. They had access to a lot of dark magic. Everything is possible."

"In my dream, she said something about using Polyjuice Potion."

"That's it, isn't it? She could be anyone now."

Neville and Avaline nodded solemnly.

"So what should we do now?" Neville asked.

"We can't do anything till Easter break. We need the school to be a bit more empty before acting out on our suspicions. Besides, I'm behind my study schedule and I can't let Hermione beat me at another revision test," said Avaline.

Malfoy chuckled while Neville groaned.

"You know you didn't have to do it for me," Neville said kindly as they left the forest behind, Avaline walking quietly between him and Malfoy.

"I had to, Neville. My father was a Death Eater too," she said, too softly for anyone to hear.

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I couldn't resist using "ferret out" instead of "to discover". Malfoy will always be the amazing white bouncing ferret to Ronald afterall :p

I'll be updating everyday this week, because my classes start one week later and I want to give you the juicy stuff ASAP.

I hope you enjoyed reading. What do you make of the recent developments?