There is Always a Choice

Chapter Seven I: A little bit of a bad [girl]

Author’s Notes: Alrighty, folks. Prepare yourselves. This is the chapter that started this whole shebang. The first true image I had of the story began here. The rest was developed over weeks of thought and planning and pure evilness (and some-parts fluffiness). I hope you enjoy, cringe, cry, laugh, shout, threaten your poor phone/computer for delivering these words to you, and all around love what you read here. Any questions? You know where the review button is! Or the PM button…message…thingy… er…yeah… Enjoy!

p.s. Some of the original plot lines remain. Slughorn is potion’s teacher, Severus is Defense, Dumbledore introduces Harry to Horcruxes, which is then revealed to Ron, Hermione, and Draco. Harry’s obsession with Draco stems from an…entirely different reason this time. If you catch my drift. *nudge, nudge*

p.p.s. The song you see later on in the chapter, in Italian, is by the Goo Goo Dolls, “I’m still here”.

p.p.p.s. This chapter has been split into several parts since, as a whole, it added up to 42 pages and 28,040 words.

There is Always a Choice

Chapter VII: A little bit of a bad [girl] Part 1

“I learned the bad guys are not always bad, the good guys are not always good, and to quote Captain Barbossa, the parameters are like rules, mostly guidelines. And that it takes a little bit of bad boy to fight the evil in the world."
--Terri Mitchell

“You’re absolutely sure that’s what he said?”

“Yes! You have the letter in your hands. Professor Snape promised that Tallie would be here to take the train.”

“I don’t see her!”

“The train leaves in two minutes, Harry. She’s probably already on.” Draco scolds his friend with a weary frown. Both boys were taller, Draco being 6’’1’ and Harry four inches shorter. Their intense training over the summer, from dueling to surviving in the wilderness to strategizing battles and whatnot, had expanded both their young masculine bodies and their minds. Yet they remained lithe and lean, still excellent for seekers.

“We’ve been here since nine, Draco. We would have seen her board.”

“I don’t know. Let’s just get onto the train and see, yeah?” The dark-haired wizard nods in acquiescence and trots onto the first car with his friend, having said goodbye to their parents an hour ago. They had had an Order meeting to get to or (as everyone privy to it called it) the-interrogation-of-Snape-to-find-out-where-Tallie-had-gone-this-summer-meeting.

The two young men found their friends within the first car, in a slightly expanded compartment thanks to Hermione. They settled in with worried frowns and the compartment quieted as the scarlet train begins to move.

“No sign of her, then?” Neville asks quietly from his seat beside Ginny. Ron and Hermione, along with Pansy, look over at the two boys. This summer had brought too much maturity to the teens, who had all popped in for a stay at Dover Manor at least two to three times each for training. The Order was taking the war seriously now that the new minister, Scrimgeour, was too oblivious to find a cat in a dairy store.

“None. Should we search the train?” Draco suggests. Hermione shakes her head.

“There might be a reason she hasn’t sought us out yet. We’ll wait a while.” The others nod and dig through their trunks for various entertainment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tallie” Blaise lets his breath leave him with a rush as his blue eyes land upon the pale-haired witch. She sat in an empty compartment in the last car, staring out of the window with lifeless eyes.