Trusting the Enemy

Chapter Four

“Me,” the reflection said with ghastly grin. She looked at Allison’s shocked and horrified face, and her eyes filled with a wicked light of something close to delight.

“Oh, surely you haven’t forgotten your good friend Ankou,” she said in mock surprise and disappointment.

Allison’s mind was reeling, not fully sure whether she was dreaming. Maybe that stuff Pomfrey had given her was causing some unprecedented side effects.......

The reflection, so called Ankou, seemed to sense what was going through Allison’s mind. “I am not a hallucination,” she said quietly, her eyes dancing with glee.

“But, then, how.....how is this possible?” Allison asked weakly, her strength sapped and her body longing for sleep.

“Why, don’t you know?” Ankou’s voice rose into a falsetto tone.

Allison shook her head, trying to sort out the jumble of thoughts swirling through her mind.

“Because you sent for me. Didn’t I always say that whenever you needed me I would be there? That if you called me I would come? Is not that what good friends do?” Ankou’s voice started off sweet, but with her last sentence grew bitter.

“But...but that was ten years ago.”

“It doesn’t matter whether you are seven or seventeen, I will appear,” Ankou’s voice hardened, “if only you would be just as loyal,” she practically spat.

Even if Allison had had something to say in her defense, which she didn’t, Ankou didn’t give her any time to say it in before she began a tirade the likes of which had never been heard in the Hospital Wing.

“I cared for you!!! I gave you my friendship, my trust!!! And all you did was use me, then shut me out for good!!!! I could have given you anything you wanted.....and I still can.”

Allison was trembling when Ankou asked, “What do you want, Allison McShanen?”

Allison murmured something almost inaudibly, her eyes wide and terrified. At once Ankou understood her meaning.

“Maggie, you say? Oh, yes, the girl. What a terrible shame, that was,” Ankou gave a mock sniff, then said, “I suppose you want her to live, don’t you?”

Allison nodded mutely, quivering.

“It shall be done then.”

For the first time during their conversation a fragment of sense penetrated into Allison’s mind. She had met Ankou before, she knew what she was, what she could do.....and what she couldn’t.

“But....you’re just....well, an imaginary friend,” Allison stuttered.

Ankou stared at her, then laughed a high, cold laugh. “Oh Ali,” she chided, “is that what you think of me? How little you know.”

She looked Allison straight in the eye. “I am much more than an imaginary friend,” she said quietly, her eyes dancing with the knowledge of some unknown secret. “In fact, I am much more than you could ever imagine. Now, go on, it is time for you to rest. Rest while I work my magic.”

At once Allison felt a blackness swarm over her, she felt dizzy, her knees buckled, and she fell back onto the bed in a deep slumber.

Ankou watched her for a moment before cackling to herself, “Yes, my magic...my very own magic...”

******************

James stumbled, half blinded with tiredness, into the Slytherin common room, followed by Remus. Thoughts and emotions whirled around in his head. The same girl he had yelled at only that afternoon...dead.....or was it that afternoon? It seemed years ago. So much had happened.

A murder, a murder, a murder happened at our school...at Hogwarts the words kept echoing over and over in his head. A murder...and Sirius was their number one suspect.

“James?” a voice asked tentatively. James rubbed his eyes and searched the room for any signs of human habitation. To his surprise, he found four; the three Slytherin seventh year girls, and Peter. Narcissa and Peter were playing chess (Narcissa was losing horribly; she had never been any good), Juliet was working on homework, and it looked like Saraphina was doing the same. It wasn’t until James got closer that he realized she was really writing in her diary.

At first James had laughed when she had told him of her diary; after all, Saraphina seemed the least likely person to keep a diary in the whole world, himself included. Ambitious, I’m-in-this-for-myself-and-no-on-else, never-let-your-emotions-get-in-the-way Saraphina? But now James found the sight reassuring, like it meant at least one thing in his life was constant.

All four of them looked up as they entered the room, the same look of anxious worry on their faces. James and Remus half sleep-walked across the room, where James fell onto the couch next to his girlfriend, Saraphina, and Remus collapsed onto an armchair.

At once a multitude of questions came pouring down on their two head. “Why are you so late?” Saraphina asked. “Yeah, and you look like you just saw You-Know-Who or something. What happened?” Peter correlated. “Did I hear screaming a little while ago?” Juliet thought to herself aloud. Finally, Narcissa laid down the trump card by wondering, “And where is Sirius?”

James held up a hand for silence. He though it was best to tell them straight away, and hide nothing.

“You guys,” he said seriously, “There’s been a murder.”

The shock was unanimous.

“What?!” Peter burst out, astounded. Juliet’s eyes went wide with shock, her mouth hanging open slightly. Narcissa paled, a hand over her mouth. Only Saraphina didn’t show any emotion, but of course, that was his Saraphina; cool, collected, and fairly unemotional.

“That still doesn’t answer the question of where Sirius is,” she said sensibly, but Remus shook his head. “Oh yes it does,” he said quietly, looking straight at Narcissa. “Because Sirius is being suspected for committing it.”

Narcissa gave a little scream, and sank down into her chair, her eyes full of unspoken horror. “I’m sorry,” Remus said gently, “but it was better if I told you straight out.”

“And just how did Sirius come to be a suspect for murder?” Even Saraphina’s voice was a bit shaky now. “Come to think of it, you haven’t even told us about this murder.”

James and Remus exchanged glances, and at once launched into the sordid tale, beginning with their separation for detention, and ending with Sirius’ revelation.

“Damn Gryffindors!” Peter exploded when they had finished. Juliet nodded fervently. “I don’t like that McShanen girl one bit,” she declared. Saraphina sighed, and said, “Nor do I care for Evans.”

Only Narcissa remained silent, still pale, as though she had been struck dumb. Finally, she spoke. “What I don’t get,” she wondered, her voice trembling, rising higher with each word, “is why Sirius said he discovered the body. I mean, he couldn’t have, could he?” She looked at the other five in a sort of desperation, so eager to be replied to in the affirmative.

James sighed. “I don’t know,” he admitted, and Narcissa’s shoulders sagged. He added, trying to reassure her. “It just wouldn’t make sense if he didn’t, because that would mean he would have been covering up for McShanen, something I’m sure he had no intention of doing, but at the same time, even if he did it would have been so easy to pin it on McShanen. I mean, since when does Sirius tell the truth?”

Everyone racked their brains for a moment, then, nothing coming to mind, shook their heads in stupefication.

“Well, I’m glad that you six think so highly of me,” a sarcastic voice came from the common room entrance. Six heads snapped around to see Sirius, exhausted yet grinning step into the common room.

Narcissa leapt up and pulled out a chair for him, which he sank into gratefully. A moment of silence passed, until Juliet finally ventured a “So how did things go?”

Sirius stared at her for a moment, then laughed loudly, which startled everyone into action. Narcissa sniffed, trying to remain composed but showing great worry, “I shouldn’t think it’s funny if you’re were being suspected for...well....”

“Murder?” Sirius asked, and Narcissa nodded solemnly. Sirius smiled and tugged at a curl that had come loose from her regular bun. “Don’t worry, that old bat McGonagall hasn’t a thing on me. And unless those Gryffindors feed her a pack of lies, then it’s going to stay that way.”

The whole crowd assembled visibly relaxed. Narcissa, showing a rare fit of calm and happiness, smiled.

Only Saraphina seemed distracted. “Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil,”she murmured to herself, and sighed. “I wonder who broke that rule tonight?”

James looked at her strangely, and while doing so caught the eye of Sirius. ‘I need to talk to you’ he silently mouthed. James nodded.

“Oh, God, am I tired,” Remus said, and James realized that Sirius must have passed the message on to him and Peter as well. “Yeah,” Peter yawned, stretching. Sirius nodded, and stood up. Narcissa looked disappointed. “But you haven’t told us everything,” she pouted. “Later,” Sirius promised her.

When the boys had managed to wrangle themselves from the girls, they sprinted down the flight of steps leading to their dormitory. Once inside, James closed the door. And locked it.

The four boys looked at each other. “So it really was murder, then?” Peter asked in a small voice. Sirius nodded, and his eyes clouded over for a moment.

“I was there....” he said, almost in a daze. The three other boys threw questioning looks at one another, and shook their heads as they doubted Sirius’ mental health. Sirius noticed this and flushed.

“I mean, I was there when they took the body away,” he shuddered involuntarily. “There was blood everywhere. God, that girl must have been ripped to shreds. Horrible.”

He glanced around at the pale, solemn faces. “I would never do I thing like that,” he said seriously. “We know you wouldn’t,” James said slowly, thinking, “but it seems that right now it’s opportunity over motive. And that’s what has you, old Padfoot. That’s what has you.”

Peter nodded glumly, then perked up a bit. “Well, what are we waiting for. It it’s opportunity over motive, then why not prove he had no opportunity to commit the crime?”

They all looked at each other. Remus summarized their thoughts.

“Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs, Marauder Detectives extraordinaires.”

********************

Carmen opened the Gryffindor portrait hole only to collide with two figures. “Sorry!” Carmen cried as Lily, ever the short one, fell backward. Jen stumbled, but regained her balance.

“Carmen, good morning!” Lily greeted her cheerfully from her position on the floor, “we were just going to see if you were awake yet!”

“Yeah, that was some stunt you pulled last night. Fainting in front of everybody,” Jen said, laughing slightly.

Carmen stopped dead in her tracks. “I fainted!” she cried in dismay. “I mean, I though I got hit on the head or something...but fainting!”

“In front of the Slytherins too. Very interesting display, if I do say so myself.”

“Aughhh!!! Damn sensitivity!” Carmen cursed.

“Speaking of sensitivity,” Lily said, sensing danger, “is Allison awake yet?”

Carmen shook her head, and Jen said thoughtfully, “That stuff Pomfrey gave her must have been very strong. Mind you, she was pretty shook up. But then, I would be too if I had practically been accused of murder..”

“What?!?” Carmen shouted. “And how exactly did this happen?!”

Lily explained to her in very careful detail the events of the night before.

“And they think Allison did it?! That’s absurd! Preposterous! Completely and totally...” “Carmen..” Lily said, attempting to sedate Carmen, but to no avail. Jen then put a hand over Carmen’s mouth, which seemed to do the trick nicely.

“Exactly. So, what Jen and I were thinking is to do a little investigating on our own. With you of course,” she added hastily. “So, are you in?” Carmen mumbled something, and Lily motioned for Jen to uncover her mouth.

“Anything to help Allison,” Carmen answered solemnly.

“Good. This way...I think.”

Together they managed to navigate their way through the corridors, though Lily and Jen were having trouble keeping their eyes open. After all, they hadn’t gotten to sleep until past midnight, and it was very early in the morning.

They rounded a corner and came upon the spot of the horrifying discovery. The body was gone; in fact, it looked as though the entire corridor had been scrubbed clean.

But here and there faint bloodstains bore solemn testimony that an evil act had taken place. Carmen shivered, and once again the grisly image of a girl lying in a pool of blood rose up in her mind.

“What are you lot doing here?” An irritated voice called out. Three heads snapped up in time to see four very cross Slytherin boys.

“The same you’re doing here, I suppose,” Jen said spitefully.

“What, form a plan for another murder?” Peter asked. Jen would most likely have decked him, but Lily restrained her. After all, Pettigrew hadn’t been there, so he wouldn’t have known the true story - his friends wouldn’t have told him it, that was for sure.

“And I suppose you were just passing through?” Carmen asked, a battle plan already forming in her mind.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” James asked testily.

“A murderer always returns to the scene of the crime.” She indicated Sirius, whose face darkened before replying, “You know, we could say the same to you, only, hang on, I don’t see McShanen with you. But then, McGonagall probably detained her.”

At this even Lily’s temper was roused. “Allison is not a murderer!” she said hotly. “And, for you information Mister ‘I’ll-make-fun-of-people-when-they’re-not-around’, she’s...”

“Standing right behind you.”

Seven heads turned so quickly they almost got whiplash. Allison was standing there before them, her hair messy, but still looking much better than she had the night before.

“Thank you Lily, for your faith in me, but I don’t get why you guys are going on about a murder. I mean, there hasn’t been one, at least not to my knowledge.”

“But...Maggie....isn’t she...” Lily stuttered.

“Alive.”