The Daughter of Voldemort

Chapter 9

Meet me in the Gryffindor common room tonight at midnight.

Bring your cloak.

-V

~A

Harry read over the note that fell out of his textbook. He looked around the room, wondering how Veronica slipped it in his book without him noticing. She sat across the room, smiling at him when he finished reading the note. He gave her a subtle nod and turned his head back to towards the front of the room. 

"Where are we going?" Harry questioned as Veronica ushered him out of the portrait door and down the stairs, both of the hidden beneath the invisibility cloak. Although still not used to the suffocatingly thick air that always seems to fill the space under the cloak when she's around, Harry was prepared this time and almost welcomed the odd feeling of their close proximity. 

"To practice, obviously," Veronica said with a small smirk. She led them all the way down to the main entrance where they stood before the locked front door. Wordlessly, she took out her wand and began moving it in a formation Harry had never seen in an unlocking spell before. He saw her eyes shut in concentration, and as soon as they reopened, Harry heard a small click and the door opened itself just enough for the two of them to slide through. As soon as they had cleared through the opening, the door slid back into place and the lock clicked softly.

Harry, still confused by the lock and pondering Veronica's magical abilities, didn't even realize when Veronica made a sudden stop. He continued to a few steps and fumbled to a stop as the cloak slipped off and had completely revealed him, leaving Veronica still hidden beneath the cloak. Although he could not see her, Harry could hear Veronica laughing at his misfortune in her bell-like voice from under the cloak. Harry tried to look furious, but couldn't hold back his small grin as Veronica removed the cloak from herself, still giggling. 

Their eyes met, just long enough for Veronica to come back to her business-like self, "Okay, this spot should be good."

Harry looked around and realized how far they had walked from the castle. They were down by the lake, but in a part he had never seen to before. There was a series of steep hills on one side, effectively blocking any wandering eyes from inside the castle. Thick trees covered the ground between the hills and the lake, only leaving a gap large enough for a small clearing where they stood. Branches reached their limbs across the small gap, but couldn't quite conceal the starry night sky. 

Harry looked around nervously. Once he felt sure Veronica hadn't lead him into the forbidden forest, he relaxed his shoulders and turned back to Veronica. She shot him a quick smile before dropping to the grassy floor. She layed on her back and began to gaze at the starry sky. 

"You coming, or are you going to stand there all night?" She asked, not breaking her gaze from the stars. Harry's cheeks burned as he tried to recall how long he was staring at the mysterious girl. He got down beside her, leaving several feet between their bodies.

Without speaking, Veronica lifted her empty right hand. She waved it around effortlessly and Harry watched the branches above them bend and twist. It took several seconds for the image to construct, but Harry's mouth fell open a little as he realized that the branches had rearranged themselves to form the word Veronica. 

Her hand fell back to her side and they both spent a few seconds admiring her work. Eventually she broke the silence, "Okay. Your turn."

Harry turned his head to look at the girl, "How?" He fumbled around for words, "What spell?"