Optionless with Draco Malfoy

33. Aftermath

Juliette

Immediately after I Apparated into Aunt Myra's flat, I was breathing heavily and panting.

"Mr. McLaggen-" I gasped for oxygen and took a few more breaths, "caught me-" I took another deep breath for more air, "-when I was-"

"Breathe, Jul, you're OK," she rubbed my back with her hand and asked Krogee to get me a glass of water. When he handed it to me I gulped all of it down.

I thanked the house-elf, then inhaled once more.

"I hadn't realized how fast time passed. I got kind of lost in the Muggle-Born Registration Commission Department and looped around three times. Cormac McLaggen's father found me- well you. I guess we had a conversation. My hair began to change colour, and he called the guards. I nearly got out before they caught me."

"What did you speak about?"

"Well, he kind of pitied you for awhile about having a deranged niece who became a Death Eater," I said coldly. I paused and read her expression. "Did people pity you a lot once they found out I became a Death Eater?"

She frowned at me, "I-I mean occasionally. I'm so sorry, Jul, but I had no idea what to say. I could barely apprehend that I lost you to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Hey, but to me, you're still my niece and that mark doesn't make a difference because I know where you truly stand."

It hurts when people think of you as one thing, but you believe that you're something else.

"It doesn't matter what they think, they don't know the truth."

I sighed, "I can't do anything to sway their opinion. Anyway, I guess I kind of gave myself away to Mr. McLaggen earlier. I must've seemed very awkward and odd. I nearly cursed him when he called me deranged," I emphasized the word 'deranged' with bitterness. To me, deranged meant Bellatrix Lestrange. I couldn't believe he thought of me as that low.

I'm never one to care about a single opinion, but this was different. The impression that Mr. McLaggen thought of me applied to half of the wizarding world. Half of the wizard population probably thinks I'm deranged.

Aunt Myra pulled me into a strong embrace and kissed my head, "Hun, you are not 'deranged'. You've been through more rough patches than the majority of wizards I know. I doubt Mr. McLaggen would've lasted a second under You-Know-Who's watch. Half of the things you've been forced to do, I'm surprised you were able to for a year. I'm glad you are safe now and that's what matters. I shouldn't have let you out there..."

"Aunt Myra, I have to go back there. Whether I'm you or not, I have to go back and search for that locket. The longer we wait on things, the more time he has. I have to, OK? You can't stop me," my determination to get this locket wasn't going to stop until it was destroyed.

She pursed her lips into a thin line, "You'll have to come up with a better plan this time. I'll help you," she insisted.

"Since I turned into you last time and was caught, I'm going to need someone else's hair or whatever. The ministry will be keeping an even closer watch on you because of my failure.," I explained.

"It's fine dear... I won't be heading back there any time soon, anyway. You and Krogee will have to brew a potion to keep someone asleep for at least an hour. I'll be able to stun a wizard from one of the passages to the Ministry. I'll get two strands of hair from them, so we won't have to worry about you transforming into a different wizard the next time,"

It was a good plan, but neither of us knew how to brew a drowsiness potion.

"I don't know how to brew the potion, I can't remember the ingredients off of the top of my head."