Circi | 2

NINETEEN

"Legilimens"

Christmas was approaching, the secret club the Golden Trio had formed was dubbed 'Dumbledore's Army' and they met regularly in the room of requirement to train.

Their last session concluded the weekend before the students were due to leave for Christmas and the knowledge that Circi could now protect herself and others in a duel was comforting. She and Mica often quizzed each other on the spells in the corridors when they were alone. It had to be when they were alone for Leslie knew nothing of the club. The others didn't trust him.

The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors in the organisation thought it was bad enough to have two Slytherins among them (Carmen and Circi), but it was made worse knowing Circi had such close ties to Draco and therefore the Inquisitorial squad- a group majorly full of Slytherins designed to catch any student opposing Umbridge's expansive decrees. Since the inquisitorial squad was formed the DA debated on Circi's involvement. Debated whether to obliviate her or not; a conversation which struck a new type of fear in her, that her peers and the people supposedly on her side could turn on her so quickly. Fortunately, Carmen and Mica vouched for her. Then Hermione and even Francis fought for her.

After dinner one evening on the run-up to the holiday, Circi was summoned to Dumbledore's office.

The last time she had been there he had quizzed her on her mother's whereabouts so she had every expectation to hear of such a summoning again. It had been two years, now, since she had escaped and the thought filled Circi with pride that the woman had yet to be caught.

Upon entering Dumbledore's office, she noticed that the Headmaster was not alone. Professor Umbridge stood proudly on one end of his desk with her hands clasped in front of her, the sight of the woman made her hand itch, and on the other end two identical men with frown lines etched into their foreheads with receding hairlines watched her indifferently.

"Am I interrupting, Professor?" She inquired quietly, hesitating at the bottom of the staircase and feeling her shoulders tense under the stairs of the guests. Her mind felt restless, nervous even.

"Not at all, Miss Malfoy. Professor Umbridge has asked me to supervise this ministry visit." Furrowing her eyebrows, she nods and finds her wait to the railing in front of the desk. She looks nervously between the two men. There was something in the way they watched her that made her fidget with her fingers.

Professor Umbridge cleared her throat. The pitch matched the way she introduced Circi to her punishment and made the girl jump slightly.

"Well, Miss Malfoy, these two fine gentlemen are investigators for the Minister himself." The woman in pink crossed the desk to stand between the two men. "You may call them Mr Logan Senate and Mr Lucas Senate, although they are also your uncles on your mother's side."

Circi felt the nerves in her ears twitch at the mention of her mother. Nothing good could be coming from this, surely.

"Nice to meet you," she mumbled, feeling an itch form on her head which she resisted.

"They don't speak." Umbridge continued, clasping her hands together and standing between Dumbledore and Circi, hindering their view of each other. "They have a special ability, you see, as particularly powerful legilimens they surrender their ability to speak in order to tell whenever anyone is lying to them. Which is particularly useful right now because we have a few questions the Minister for Magic would like you to answer."

Circi swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to think of anything except for her mother. She had heard of legilimens before, knew it was to do with mind reading of sorts but she could not quite remember.

"About my mother?" She watched Umbridge smile tightly and nod. "I can't help you, professor. You're going to ask me if I have been in contact with her but I have not seen her since her escape." Holding Umbridge's gaze, she was determined not to give herself away. She wasn't lying, in the twins' presence she couldn't lie. And suddenly she could feel her mind becoming crowded. Involuntarily, the image of her mother's scarf came to mind and she tore herself away from the situation. Running down the stairs, she shook her head violently and glared up at the three ministry officials. "Get out of my head!" She yelled, practically screamed, at them. Waiting as she felt her mind empty of the parasites the two men presented, she moved for the door.

She did not care what they knew in that moment, or what they would communicate to the evil lady in pink. Circi just knew that she had suffered a violation of her mind and her headmaster did nothing to stop it- as if he could have known.

For the remaining few days, she did not go as far as the common room. She avoided classes, meals and any irritated portraits or ghosts designed to retrieve her. Seething, she stayed hidden in her room or the common room eating only what food Leslie brought back for her or the sweets she still had from her recent Hogsmeade visit.

It pained her to think it, but she wanted to be home. At the manor, where Umbridge wasn't and couldn't reach her. But then she looked at her hand and realised her father would like question her as well.

On the last day, she corresponded with Christian and total of three times. In his final letter he hinted at a visit sometime in the new year which comforted her minorly, at least she wouldn't be completely alone this time.

A/N 

this is very short compared to the previous chapters wow, I hope your minds enjoy the rest