Power ▸ Ron Weasley [1]

XX. POINT OF SEPARATION

CHAPTER TWENTY:

POINT OF SEPARATION 

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      "What can I do for you today, Miss Nott?"

      She was as uncomfortable as ever. The chair was too soft and she was too stiff and she felt like she didn't belong there. Correction. She knew she didn't belong there, sitting in the too soft chair in an office of someone genuinely good. Dumbledore was staring at her, expecting an answer she wasn't sure how to give. All she knew was that her brother was about to enter a world that he wasn't prepared for, and Nova could do nothing. 

      That was the worst part of it. Nova. Could. Do. Nothing.

      She never gave in to the idea of being the Slytherin Queen, the one who ruled the fifth year without trying. The one who ruled the house as a whole, actually. But she'd always realized that she had power and notoriety in her house. She'd always known that things went her way, it was the way it had always been. Maybe that made her spoiled. It probably did. However, she'd never felt more powerless than she did at that moment, the proverbial crawling and begging she was prepared to do for Theo. She was willing to swallow her pride and beg Dumbledore to fix whatever had been broken, to undo what was being done. If it meant Theo would be okay, she would do anything.

      When she made no move to answer his question, he simply raised a brow. "I presume that the reason for your unexpected visit today has to do with your twin. And I presume that you've found out that he's soon going to join your father and, in turn, The Dark Lord." His eyes, she realized, were all knowing. He knew that his presumptions were right on target. He probably had known the second she had knocked on the door to his office. 

      "Yes, sir," she said, picking at a loose thread on her skirt. "You've presumed correctly."

      He pushed a bowl of lemon drops towards her and unlike last time, she gratefully accepted one, glad it gave her something to do. Dumbledore stared at her through twinkling eyes that Nova knew held more secrets than she could ever fathom. "You're worried about Theodore. I'd like to take this moment to ask you to not be."

      Nova raised a brow. "You want me not to be worried about him?" He was acting as if worrying about her twin brother was a choice. That she could just switch it off. "Sir, with all due respect, he's joining the ranks of some of the most powerful and loyal followers of the Dark Lord to ever exist. And not to mention, he might later engage with the Dark Lord himself. I'm not sure I understand what you mean in telling me not to worry."

      Dumbledore was silent for a moment as he himself sucked on a lemon drop. "Miss Nott. I have seen a fair amount of twins in my years of living. In fact, I know of five sets attending the school just in this term. However, I see something more between you and your brother. You rely greatly on each other for support and can tell what the other is thinking by just a single look. While Fred and George Weasley or Padma and Parvati Patil can maybe do these things as well, I've always admired the sense of loyalty between you and Theodore." Nova wondered where he was going with his statement. "Which is why I'm asking you to not worry. Imagine if Theodore refused your father's request. Imagine if he stood up for himself. What would happen?"