The Mudblood

Chapter 93 : Year 5

Also, this is the first collage that Anderson's been featured in! He's the one with the black hair and black coat, next to Melody (purple hair). Again, these are just generally what the characters look like, everyone imagines them differently (: Lainey is not looking very friendly this year, though...

Fenrir Greyback was, in fact, a werewolf, and he was also, in fact, a friend of the Malfoy family. He stopped by a few times over the next few weeks to discuss business with Narcissa, who seemed mildly discomforted by his presence. Other Death Eaters were in and out of the Manor, though Draco and I were uninvolved in anything that did not directly affect our task. I did not see Voldemort again before the term began, though I saw a bit too much of Bellatrix Lestrange, as she had continued teaching me and Draco every day. We'd learned to fight off each other's Imperius Curses so well that it was pointless for either of us to even try on the other. We had also practiced a bit of Legilimency, and though we were atrocious at it, I could sometimes briefly extricate a small thought from Malfoy's mind if I concentrated very hard. Learning Legilimency was not very important to me, though; because of my Clairvoyance, I could read people's auras fairly well, and that usually gave me a good indication of what they were thinking.

I had protested using the Cruciatus Curse, and though Bellatrix threatened to use it on me, she never did. Even though I hated her and she found me repulsive because of my half-blood status, we had bonded over the past month of spending every day with each other in a way that seemed to prevent her from exhibiting true cruelty toward me. It was odd, but the Death Eaters did tend to show a small degree of loyalty toward each other, mostly because they worked for the same cause. None of them had been particularly nasty toward me since I acquired the Mark.

On the morning of September 1st, I would normally have felt excited, and this year perhaps a little nervous, but, as I had been rehearsing, I chose to act completely indifferent as Narcissa, Draco, and I traveled to King's Cross. I knew that today I would see all of my Gryffindor friends again, and I knew that today I would have to push them away for good. They were in danger regardless of my friendship with them, but if they discovered that I'd joined Voldemort, I was dead, my mother was dead, and Lupin was as good as dead. My new allegiance had to remain a secret, and to do so I had to extricate myself from all other relationships.

When the three of us arrived on platform nine and three-quarters, I attempted to distance myself from the Malfoys as not to raise suspicion, but, unfortunately, before I could get even five steps away, I spotted the Weasley family, and they spotted me. This would be only a minor issue if the twins had not come to see their younger siblings off to school. Fred's expression had never been as bewildered as it was when he registered that I'd arrived on the platform with the Malfoys.

"Your Weaselbee doesn't look too happy to see you with me," Draco snorted as he stepped up beside me. He wasn't wrong: Fred was practically seething now where he stood among his redheaded family.

"Don't take it so lightly," I muttered without looking in his direction. "We don't want the Weasleys to suspect anything weird is going on. Get on the train. I'll deal with it."

"You can't tell me what to—"

I whipped my head toward him and scowled at him with eyes set to kill.

He cleared his throat and then grumbled, "Fine" before swaggering off toward the Hogwarts Express. I planned to approached the Weasleys in the most discreet way possible, though I apparently didn't need to, as Ginny and George were swiftly stalking toward me with Fred trudging unwillingly behind.

"Lainey, I'm so glad you're here," Ginny gushed before they'd even reached me. "I thought you might not come back, given—well..."

"Glad to see you here, mate," George agreed with a grin as the two of them planted their feet in front of me. "Aren't you glad to see her, Freddy?"