Chapter 14
Professor Midrigge was standing in front of the sink in her bathroom, a large cup of mouthwash in her hand. The jug was on the counter next to her. She swished the mouthwash around and spat it out in the sink.
"Blah!" She said. 'I can't believe I did that!' she thought. She took more mouthwash. She would never do that again if she didn't have to. It was the only way to distract him. A man, never having contact physically with women. The perfect plan, despite the outcomes. Ophielus wiped her mouth and walked through the door to her office. She opened up her desk and brought out a piece of parchment and a quill she began to write. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in Mr. Weasley." Ron entered the room.
"Good morning." Professor Midrigge said, not looking up from her writing.
"Um, Professor. I wanted to ask you something." Professor Midrigge didn't answer. She just folded up the piece of parchment and handed it to Ron.
"Here is the permission slip you wanted." She said. She set the quill down on the desk. Ron opened the note and read:
'To whom it may concern,
I am giving Mister Ronald Weasley the weekend off his classes to have time to do some duties he has to fulfill until the problem with the moon is fixed. His homework will be given to him later for makeup work. Ronald will be expected to behave in classes and attend them the following week. If you have any complaints, take them to me.
Sincerely,
Ophielus Marla Midrigge.'
"Thanks, Professor! I thought you would understand."
"Yes. With this unfortunate event now in your life, and in mine, we have to do whatever we can to cope with it. I'll write a copy for your teachers. You should hurry back now."
"All right. Bye, Professor. And thanks again!" Ron ran out of the classroom and towards the back school entrance. He ran around a corner and ran into someone.
"Oof! Sorry!" Ron said.
"Oh! It's okay."
"Nellie? What are you doing running around this early?"
"I can't tell you." Nellie said. "Excuse me." She skirted around Ron and ran towards the front entrance. Ron shrugged and headed on his way.
Nellie snuck out of the gates and followed the rutted dirt road that led to Hogsmeade. She hugged her Hogwarts cloak around her tighter. She had worn her old Slytherin robes and tried to act normal. Why did Voldemort want her right then? It was very cold and Draco and friends weren't even hurrying out of the castle. Nellie walked faster. As she got to the dip on the hill that led down into Hogsmeade, she gasped. She had never seen Hogsmeade outside of the Voldemort's palace. It was like a ghost town. Only the dementors roamed the dusty streets. There were several stores, but they looked as if they had been raided. Windows were broken and doors cracked. Murky water was flowing out of the Hogsmeade Town fountain, surrounded by several gallows and a guillotine. Nellie shivered as she walked nearer the town. When she reached Hogsmeade, two Death Eaters stopped her. They brandished their wands.
"Halt! What is your duty here, or we will have to execute you!" they said. Nellie lifted a shaking hand and pulled up her right sleeve. She showed them the dark mark. They peered at it. Seeing it was darker than usual, which it is after someone is called to Voldemort, they let her go to the Palace. Nellie walked up the dementors guarding the gates to the palace. They stared down at her and Nellie stared back into black evil darkness. They led her up through the gates up to the door. They opened the door and ushered her in. They shut the door after her. Nellie stood awkwardly in the entrance hall. Footsteps came nearer. Voldemort came into view wearing a jade green bathrobe. Nellie had a strange notion that he had nothing else on underneath.
"Nellie! My pet! How good it is to see you!" Voldemort swept her up in a bear hug and swirled her around.
"Hello, Master." She said. He took her arm and led her up the stairs.
"Nellie, Nellie, Nellie. I am very proud of you, my pet. You have not betrayed me. Silly me, fearing the worst of you. My dear, Miss Potter. The second lady in my life." Nellie dearly wanted to ask who the first was.
"I want you to help me." He said, leading her into a black room.
"What do you need, Master?"
"I need YOU, to get ME, into HOGWARTS!" He clasped his hands together. "It will be so amazing! First, I will get Dumbledore in jail with that one person. The minister of magic. I haven't dealt with him in a long time. What's his name? Something Chocolate?"
"Cornelius Fudge." Nellie corrected.
"Yes, yes. Him. Anywho, with both of them put away, I will slowly take over Hogwarts. Yes.. It will be great!!!! And you and all my other young Death Eaters will help me get inside! I will make HISTORY!!!" He raised his fist to the ceiling. He brought out his wand and pointed it at the walls. The room turned into an observatory. The walls and floor were littered with stars and there, in the middle of the room, was a floating moon.
"See my work?" Voldemort walked around the moon, in its right crescent moon stage. It was slowly changing. "Every so years, the moon gets very full. So full and close to the earth it looks like it is falling upon us." Voldemort said. "I have speeded up the change of the moon, having it be a full moon every night until it is time. Time for the final moon of darkness! Then everywhere. at least in a 100 mile radius. will be ruled by ME!!! Yes! Even those damn Muggles will have to suffer my reign!!!" He turned to Nellie.
"Do you see why I have to do this? Of course you do." He walked up to her.
"You will help me. You, and the Young Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Am I correct?"
"Yes Master."
"Good girl." He lifted his hands up to her chin and cupped them in his hands.
"I will enter on the night of Christmas. I should have a very special present for you then." He let go of her chin and grinned evilly. "You may go."
"Yes Master." Nellie turned to go. Wormtail burst in the room.
"Master. I have received word that your second murder has gone perfectly. The ship sank just as planned with her dead body on board."
"Good. No more fake Divination teacher for Hogwarts anymore." Voldemort smiled, and latched his fingers together. Nellie hesitated, waiting for Wormtail to move from the doorway.
"And. um. How should I dispose of this?" He held up something very disgusting. Nellie's eyes bulged before she squeezed them tightly shut.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING SNOOPING IN MY ROOM? NEVER GO IN THERE AGAIN!!!! I MEAN IT!!!! YOU STAY OUT OF THERE TONIGHT, YOU HEAR ME??????" Voldemort charged forward and grabbed the Trojan Wormtail was holding. He huffed for a while and left down the hall. Nellie heard a door slam the pounding footsteps. Wormtail was busy in the kitchen again. Nellie let out her breath and headed to the basement to go back up through the Whomping Willow to the castle.
Ron ran back outside to the forest. It was getting later and the forest was gaining some of its spookiness back. Ron told himself that no dangerous creatures, except maybe gnomes, were out in bright light. He could see hardly see where the cabin was now. Perhaps it was all a dream. No, it couldn't be. He walked along the path where the marks of his and Leila's footprints wandered. Ron almost slipped in his frantic attempt to get to the cabin. Finally, when he had walked all the way to the clearing where they had transformed the night before, he saw it. The cabin blended in with the trees and you had to look hard to find it among the tall dark pines. Ron knocked on the door. Leila flung open the door.
"Ron! You made it back! We were waiting for you!" Thor and Lupin were eating some of the bacon Ron had brought and waffles.
"I got a permission slip from the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Ron said, giving it to Lupin. Lupin looked it over and nodded his approval to Ron.
"Goody! We get to go shopping!" Leila grasped his arm. "Hurry up you guys. I want to buy some new clothes." Lupin grumbled, but reluctantly placed his dishes in the tub that was set out as a sink.
"Yay!" Leila said. She grabbed her cloak from off of a chair and held it out to Ron.
"I already have a cloak." He said.
"Tsk! You're supposed to be a gentleman and help me put it on." Ron went red and Lupin and Thor nudged each other and smiled. Ron took the cloak and stood behind Leila while he helped her put on her cloak. Ron felt himself going red a lot when he was around Leila. She, Lupin, and Thor seemed to think it was funny. Lupin brought along the lantern. They would need it when they headed back. Ron had never been really into Muggle Towns, nor had traveled to one from a forest. They walked behind the cabin and Ron had a glimpse of a wooden shed. Lupin whistled and the shed shook. A door like that of a garage on the front of the shed opened and a turquoise Ford Anglia rumbled out. It honked happily when it saw (don't ask how it sees) Ron.
"My car!" Ron yelled.
"I was wondering how you knew about it." Leila said to Ron.
"Well. Me and Harry. crashed it in our second year." Leila grinned at him. The car opened its doors and everyone piled in. When the last seatbelt was fastened, the car took off, rattling along its way. Ron began to fell queasy because of the way the car was weaving in and out of the trees. It seemed that the car had developed this rutty path. Ron never knew how many secrets the forest held. They drove under a grove of willows and they were greeted by a beam of light. They seemed to be driving along a torch lit tunnel.
"Where are we?" Ron asked.
"We're in an underground tunnel that leads to a road that connects with the street that lines the shops." Leila explained.
"Wow!" Ron said as they came out of another grove of willow trees. They traveled down a tan dirt road and rumbled onto a dusty street. Lupin put his hands on the wheel and tried to look like he was driving the car. Ron pressed himself against the window and gazed at all the tall buildings he saw on the horizon. Leila pulled him back.
"Try to act normal, wizard boy." She said, smiling at him. Ron tried to act normal but he began to drool since his mouth was hanging open. They were driving around in a tall building filled with cars.
"It's just a parking garage."
"But I've never been in one this big!!! And what's that building? And that? And that?"
"Hotel. Mall. Bank." Leila said. The car honked its horn and it pulled into an open space. The four of them scrambled out of the car.
"Where to first?"
"First, I think we should take this." A tiny owl was flying towards them, a letter clutched in its peak.
"Pig!" Ron yelled. The owl soared into his open hands. He took the newspaper, it turned out it wasn't a letter, and opened it.
"Look you guys!" Ron said. Leila, Lupin, and Thor crowded around Ron.
"Minister of Magic's execution date decided." Ron read aloud.
Note: Okay. This chapter isn't as long. Oh well. I guess the readers need a break from the long chapters. Too much scrolling.
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