the girl with all of the choices

o n e h u n d r e d t w o

9026 words

december sixth- duellists

~ Addison ~

Last week's Potterwatch issued a warning:

"Be aware that the Ministry-" River started.

"Which means You-Know-Who-" Rapier interrupted.

"Is using Dementors to do their dirty work. So far, Dementors have been spotted bringing misery to the Ministry-"

"Gloom to Godric's Hollow-"

"And even horror to Hogsmeade! As you'll know, the only true defence against a Dementor is a Patronus, so we recommend that you keep practising casting Expecto Patronum so you're ready if the time comes."

Ginny, Neville, Luna, and I decided right then and there that we were going to have to reteach the Patronus Charm. The proximity of the dementors to Hogwarts when we arrived was more than enough persuasion. As far as we could tell, they were still here. If the Dark Lord decided to pay a visit to the castle, who knew what he would do with them. 

So today, we would be teaching the Patronus Charm. I was excited for a multitude of reasons. First off, the Patronus Charm was one of my favourite pieces of magic. When the Room back in fifth year filled with the varying animals of all of our spells, it was magical in a whole different sense of the word. Secondly, I would get to discover the Patronuses of so many people. 

I would get to learn Draco's Patronus. And Theo's. And Blaise's. 

The first few days after Blaise had been marked were a nightmare. Theo didn't stop by the Room. Pansy was moping around all of the time. Blaise was surprisingly normal. 

Draco was acting like a different person, though. He was beyond irritable. He barely spoke to me except when he would initiate conversation, which didn't happen all that often. I would try to get him to talk, to let me help with whatever it was he was upset about, but it never actually worked. I would place my hands on his face and stare into his eyes and try to break him down, but all that would do was prompt him to pepper kisses down my jaw until I caved and let him carry me to our bed. He would talk then, but not in the way that I wanted to. Although, it was satisfying in a different way. 

They all eventually came around. Pansy and Theo came up to have dinner and hang out with us last Sunday. We didn't even dare broach the subject of the war, but that was alright. It was very apparent that Theo was acting the way he was because he was trying to prepare himself for the seemingly inevitable day when he would be marked. Draco was feeling guilty for allowing his friends to be marked. And Pansy was just upset that everything was happening in the first place. Blaise joined us after dinner and we all stayed up late, drinking and telling funny stories and dancing and just being teenage idiots. 

This past Wednesday, Blaise confessed to us in between classes that he wanted to come to the DA meeting this week. He had apparently talked to Theo about it, who had continued to come to meetings, by the way, and Theo explained how good it was. Being marked was the last straw for him. He said that he couldn't be just another guy with a mark. 

I had asked Pansy if she was sure about not coming to meetings yet and she said she was. I think that she was struggling with betraying her family just like Draco had, only to a more substantial degree. I didn't know much about Pansy's family situation, but the one thing that was a common experience with Slytherins, especially the Slytherins I was friends with was having family issues. All she ever said was that she couldn't join the DA, so we all let it go.