Second Chances~ Harry Potter

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-One

The words the young girl spoke sent a shiver down the Minister's spine; the determination in her voice adding to the effect. Minister Jenkins didn't doubt for a moment the girl's words, and that was what was so unnerving. Bailey was an unstoppable force when unleashed and, being quite literal, Megan had hit home for the girl. Instead of voicing her concerns, Minister Jenkins simply nodded, unsure how to approach the broken girl.

Finally, it was Edmund who spoke. "Let me see your Mark," Bailey looked slightly taken aback. It wasn't something she flashed around; as usual, she kept it hidden. "Come on," He coaxed. "I want to check it," He added. Bailey looked unsure for a moment, her brows creasing together.

"Don't worry, dear," Minister Jenkins said with a kind smile. "Remember, Edmund knows everything," She added, earning a disapproving look from Edmund.

The small, ghost of a smile fluttered onto Bailey's pale lips as she pulled up the sleeve of her sweatshirt and exposed the underbelly of her arm. Edmund took her arm in his hand, twisting it and angling it to get a better picture. After a minute, he feathered a touch over the palm of her hand and frowned. With his lips pressed into a thin line, he tugged her sleeve down and looked up at her.

"You need to go back immediately," Edmund stated, his hazel eyes giving away nothing.

"What's wrong?" Bailey asked, anxiety clawing at her chest.

"Take a look for yourself," Edmund said simply, gripping her hand and exposing her palm.

Bailey cursed softly, feeling defeated. The most outer petals of the flower had begun to fade. It was a seemingly negligible change, but to a trained eye, it was obvious. She slipped up her sleeve and, she let out a small sigh of relief when she saw that the vine was still etched deep and dark in her skin. The flower, however, was slowly fading. The center was as dark as the vine, but the petals were clearly tinted lighter. She stood up suddenly, shoving past Edmund roughly, clearly frazzled.

"What does that mean?" Dr. Smith had been watching from a distance and her curiosity had peaked.

"Well," Edmund stood up, brushing imaginary dust from his knees. "I'm assuming something has occurring involving the relationship between Bailey's Catalyst and Reactor," He explained, earning a scowl from Bailey.

"Well, what are you going to do, Miss Atkins?" Minister Jenkins asked worriedly.

Bailey turned to face the others and crossed her arms angrily. "I'm going to kick someone's ass."

"I don't think that's going to help anything, Bailey," Edmund said, frowning disapprovingly.

"It'll sure make me feel better," Bailey clipped and turned in a huff, heading towards the door; her recent spout of weakness forgotten and the flower fading only fueling her hate-fire.

Edmund quickly caught up with her, followed immediately by Minister Jenkins. "You can't Apparate from this low in the Ministry and you can't go into the lobby," He spoke carefully, sensing Bailey was on the edge of having a tantrum. "I'm sure the reporters haven't cleared out yet," He added.

"Fine," Bailey huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine," She repeated, her shoulders drooping. "I just need to get there as soon as possible."

"We'll set you up a Portkey," Minister Jenkins told her.

It took twenty minutes for a Portkey to be confirmed. And, against Bailey's objections, Minister Jenkins had to inform Minerva McGonagall of Bailey's little escapade; the old witch was very angry at the other girl's antics, but agreed that it was a reasonable action under the circumstances, if not the smartest.