Noyade | Rabastan Lestrange [2] ✔︎

44 | CONFRONTATION

Pressing her shaking hands against the wood of the desk in front of her, Phoenix drew in a deep breath. Since Rabastan's suicide attempt a few days earlier visions had kept hunting her. It had started three nights earlier when Maureen had to wake her up once again from the scene of Rabastan dying in her arms. Beginning with a death that hadn't really happened, it had soon shifted towards scenes from the Middle Ages where witches and wizards had been tortured and burned at the stake or killing curses striking people, who then fell to the ground with their eyes opened wide towards the sky. In short, Phoenix had been surrounded by death almost non-stop. Whenever the images weren't there her hands were shaking ferociously from her lack of energy due to the constant use of her powers.

"Class dismissed," McGonagall exclaimed and almost immediately chatter sounded through the classroom.

Phoenix had probably never been so happy to hear those words. She had always loved to learn, but due to recent events classes felt like nothing but torture. Her friends and her had been excused for one day before they were forced to visit them again. Since then Maureen had made a habit of anxiously biting her fingernails, Regulus often tipped his feather nervously against his desk and Phoenix had to battle to hide her visions from her teachers and classmates. Needless to say, classes seemed to be a living hell. The air around the friends was charged with fear about Rabastan's well-being. It had taken healers quite a while to tell whether he would make it, but on Monday they had finally announced that now his survival simply depended on his will to live.

If only he had that will.

The slamming of a bag onto a table announced that Maureen had packed her belongings and was ready to go. As if the pink-haired girl had pushed a button inside of her best friend, Phoenix started to grab her book as well and met Maureen's questioning look.

"You okay?" Maureen asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Regulus was still gathering his quill in the seat in front of her, so Phoenix relaxed into her chair. She shrugged. "As okay as any of us can be right now, I guess."

Maureen lowered her voice when she spoke again. "You know, maybe you should go see someone. I heard Muggles have those care teams that look after those who have witnessed deaths, accidents or whatever. You seem to be more shaken up by what happened than Reg. Perhaps they could help you."

"Thanks, Maureen, but I think I'll be fine. It will just take a moment for me to adjust to the situation with... with the possibility that Rabastan is going to try again," Phoenix answered.

The young witch standing to her left nodded. "But please talk to me, if you need someone. I'm always there."

"You do the same."

Regulus had finally got up and the three of them headed towards the library as they wanted to study for their N.E.W.T.s. It was unbelievable to Phoenix how Hogwarts still required them to go on as if nothing had happened and be able to prepare for their final exams as everyone else did. It seemed too unimportant compared to everything else that was happening. Her thoughts drifted all the time and she found herself unable to truly memorise anything.

"Is anyone up for studying Potions?" Phoenix asked nonetheless.

"Sure," Regulus answered at the same time as Maureen said, "I dropped Potions last year, remember?"

The two of them exchanged a look and Regulus pointed out, "I've been wondering about that. Didn't you want to become a healer?"

"Change of plans. I talked to my mum about it and she came up with the idea to-" Maureen furrowed her eyebrows and gestured towards a crowd of mostly younger students. All of them were facing the wall and talking among each other in a manner that almost seemed excited. "What, by Merlin's underwear, is that commotion all about?"

Although she had a weird feeling about it, Phoenix answered, "There's only one way to find out."

She pushed through the crowd until she stood in the first row. Pushed was probably the wrong word though, as the other students jumped away from her as if she was on fire. Gasps went through the group and Phoenix felt her fellow students' eyes turn on her. That would have probably been her cue to leave, but she found herself unable to move as her gaze caught the words written on the wall. In bold, red letters a message had been smeared onto the stone and what it said caused shivers to run down her spine.

Phoenix Black is a murderer.
First, Daphne Greengrass.
Then, Rabastan Lestrange.
Who's next?

The young witch blinked at the message. Red lines of paint were making their way down the wall as if the letters were bleeding. Just like Daphne and Rabastan had.

Regulus stepped out of the crowd and in front of the allegations. He was followed closely by Maureen, who wore a furious look on her face, both her hands clenched into fists at her side. Gathering all her courage Phoenix joined her friend and brother. She let her eyes roam over the gathered students, who stared at them in pure astonishment, still whispering in one other's ears.

The youngest Black straightened her back and asked with her voice cold and levelled, "Who did this?"

The whispers continued but nobody answered. Eventually, Cara Zabini made her way to the front row, smiling a cruel smile. "Why? Isn't it true what the sign is saying, Black?"

"No, it isn't," Crystal Morgan, the last person Phoenix had expected to speak up for her chimed in. "Phoenix didn't kill Daphne. Although it was a descendant of the Black family, it wasn't this one. I was wrong."

"Do you hear this, guys? This is the girls who told all of us about Black's deeds and now she's claiming she's innocent. She's a hypocrite!" Cara exclaimed, pointing at the blonde girl.

Slowly Regulus pulled his wand out of his back pocket while Maureen crossed her arms in front of her chest. Phoenix, however, exclaimed. "She isn't. Reg told Crystal the truth. He told her about how my cousin made me believe she had good intentions and killed Daphne behind my back. I was trying to help her, my friend since childhood. And Rabastan isn't even dead. He's at St. Mungos and that was none of my doing."

"Then what was it that brought him there? Go on, tell us," Cara pushed further.

Phoenix knew exactly what she was getting at. Honesty was valued among Slytherins although most other houses doubted that. But if she told the truth everybody would judge Rabastan for what he had done, especially the pureblood society. Either she saved her reputation and destroyed his irreversibly or she took the bullet.

"Bugger off, Cara. You're being a child," Maureen told her little sister, glaring at her.

Cara tilted her head with a cruel grin. "Oh am I, sister? Maybe I am but I also know the truth. Rabastan Lestrange is a coward. Do you want to know why he's in medical care? Of course Phoenix Black wouldn't be brave enough to try and kill him. So that's what really happened. He tried-"

Without wasting a single breath Phoenix charged her hands forward and then upwards. Her powers flung the brunette girls into the air before she crashed against the opposite wall and slid down onto the floor. Immediately screams filled the hallway, as the girl didn't move. Insults were thrown at the witch who had caused the unconsciousness and even Maureen started towards her sister.

Covering her mouth with her hands, Phoenix whispered, "What have I done?"