Iuga Sortis II

Eleven

Music from her charmed CD player blasted through the headphones. She attempted to drown out life, drown out her reality, but she knew it was a temporary fix.

The permanent fix would've been to kill herself, and that option wasn't nearly as appealing.

In any case her life had become increasingly worse since she attended Hogwarts last year, and there was nothing more she would've enjoyed than to go back to her simple Muggle life, a life in which she was sure she was created out of love.

Nia had to be conceived in chaos and despair.

She squeezed her eyes tightly in an effort to get her grandmother's sorrowful voice out of her ears and head. She intended to apologize to her father, to let him know she understood why he was a Death Eater.

But to know he was the cause of her mother's rape put him at a level above Voldemort.

She couldn't talk to anyone; she couldn't let anyone know she knew how she came into this world. As it was, she wasn't supposed to know in the first place, so talking about it was out of the question. No, she had to sit in his class and pretend she was the same Nia from before, upset her "daddy" caused her "father" to rape her mother and produce her.

Life couldn't get more screwed.

It had been relatively easy to avoid her family and friends. She hid behind her books for most of the weekend, and classes restricted her to structured conversation. She rarely left the third years' dormitory and did not speak during meals. She knew Draco wanted to talk with her, but she didn't trust herself to do the same. He didn't deserve her anger. So now it was Monday night, and she was in the DADA classroom because her grandmother wanted to give her extra lessons.

Extra lessons, my foot.

She skipped dinner that night. Draco was getting more insistent, and it was getting on her nerves. More than once she felt her fingers clenched with the desire to slap him silent, but that would do nothing but make her feel guilty.

If anyone needed to feel guilty, it was Snape.

Snape, the man who claimed to love her all her life, was the reason she was here in the first place. He placed Angelina's father under the Imperius Curse and forced him to rape the woman he claimed to love so desperately. It seemed to her that had all been a lie; he loved her no more than roaches loved light.

But then why did they seem so happy together?

Nia entertained the idea it was a ruse to keep her in the dark, but she remembered her mother's letter and dismissed it. There was clearly affection there; there was clearly love. But could their love be so twisted as to cause such a heinous act? Perhaps Snape used Imperius on her mother to make her think she was in love? Was she herself under the curse? These questions left a feeling of dread in her stomach, and her eyebrows furrowed in distress. Nia thought she should've stayed to hear the rest of the conversation, but at the time she was too upset by Dumbledore's revelation. As it was, she couldn't look upon Snape without seeing red, and she really didn't think sending him flying through the air would do anything but get her kicked out and a possible stay in Azkaban. If the wizard's prison was anything Ginny said it was, she didn't plan on making a trip there anytime soon.

She frowned a bit. Ginny seemed a safe enough person to talk to about her issues, but she was never around since she became a prefect. To be fair, it was only the first day of the second week, but it felt like a lifetime to her.

Might as well have been a lifetime. I feel like I've aged thirty years or something.

She wondered what other secrets were being kept from her.

Nia sighed and rested her head against the wall as her foot tapped to the beat of her music. She could worry about that later; right now all she cared about was her music and remaining calm enough not to shoot gold sparks out of her hands again.

Her plan was going well until she felt the presence of someone else in the room and the sensation of being watched. It made her warm, yet she shivered. An eye popped open.

Great.

She ignored him as he sat along the wall, placing a few feet between them. It was his fault she was in this predicament in the first place. If he'd kept his mouth shut, she wouldn't have had to confront Snape. And since that would not have happened, there would've been no need for her to apologize, which consequently caused her to overhear Snape was the cause of her mother's violation.

Yup. It's all Harry Flippin' Potter's fault.

Punk.

The weight of his stare became oppressive, and she turned an evil glare his way. Harry merely smirked at her, which only served to fuel her fury. She kept it in check, however, opting to roll her eyes and sigh dramatically. He smirked even more.

It was a battle of wills she did not intend to lose; she would not be the first to break . . .

Harry snorted.

"Why are you here?" she asked, as nonchalant as possible.

So much for not breaking.

She turned down her music to hear the reply.

"Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing."

She rolled her eyes. "Be quick about it, Potter. I have an appointment with Professor Roberts in about, oh, ten minutes."

"Why don't you just call her grandmum? Everybody knows that's who she is."

"Flip off, Potter."

He shook his head and grinned annoyingly. "No can do, Roberts. I have an appointment as well. Looks like we're stuck here together."

She sighed, closed her eyes, and shook her head before turning the volume up again. Everything was going well until she felt a tap on her shoulder. An eye popped open again.

"What is that?"

The eye closed. "What is what?"

"That thing you have in your hands. Are you listening to music?"

She nodded.

"How? I thought you couldn't play electronics here."

"You can if it doesn't run on electricity."

"Then why call it electronics?"

She was right; Harry Potter got on her nerves.

"Because in the Muggle world, they do. I'm too tired to think of a name to call it in the wizarding world. Don't like it? Too bad."

To her surprise and dismay, Harry took a seat next to her. "May I see it?"

Nia stared at him blankly before shrugging her shoulders and handing him the device. "Break it and die."

He chuckled.

"I do not play, Potter. I'm in no mood for games."

"Who put your knickers in a twist?"

"My 'knickers' are not in a twist!"

"Then why are you being so short with me?"

"I'm always short with you. You're a good ten inches taller than me!"

He chuckled, and she had to bite her lips from forming into a smile. "You have this rather annoying way of twisting my words around, Roberts."

"If I didn't do that, I would make a pretty crappy Slytherin."

"There could stand to be crappy Slytherins. All the good ones create havoc and terrorize innocent people."

Nia did not respond. Her emotions were too raw to take another revelation he could dispense.

"What? No spiel about how great Salazar Slytherin and his House are, or have you finally woken up to reality?"

"I have nothing to say to you," she said, and she took her CD player roughly from his hands.

"What? Are you going to slap me instead?"

She chuckled darkly. "Believe me, Potter, if I attack anyone right now, they'll end up like Crabbe."

Harry held his hands in surrender. "Duly noted, but what's got you in a funk? Not that I care or anything . . ."

Nia lifted an eyebrow at him. "If you didn't care, you wouldn't ask."

He gave her a half-grin, and Nia's heart sped against her will. "Call me curious."

She snorted. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"Satisfaction brought him back."

She shook her head and grinned. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you're trying to cheer me up."

He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "Then you're bloody smart, because I'm not trying to cheer you up. I'm trying to keep you amicable, so you don't blast me to the other side of this rather large room."

"Thinking of yourself? How very Slytherin of you."

He scowled. "Here I am trying to do a nice thing, and you insult me!"

"All I said was 'how very Slytherin of you.' I wonder why you'd think that was anything but a compliment?"

She grinned at him, and he returned in kind.

"Seems like your mood is improving."

She shrugged. "Appearances can be deceiving."

"That is right; you are a Slytherin which means you are all for deception."

"I'm so sick of you turning everything to a House thing. People can act independently of their House descriptions."

"You started it."

She cocked her head at the comment. "Right. I did. Now I end it."

He said nothing to that and raised his knees to put his elbows on them. She sighed and turned the volume higher on the player.

"What are you listening to?"

"Music."

She could feel Harry roll his eyes without even seeing him do it. The knowledge amused and confused her simultaneously.

"I bloody know that. Who?"

"You wouldn't know. They're an American Muggle group."

"Humor me."

"There was once a priest, a rabbi, and a Buddhist monk in a bar . . ."

"Ha, ha. Not funny."

"Hmm, that's the only joke I can think of off the top my head," she said in mock disappointment.

"Really. Who?"

She shrugged but did not open her eyes. "Boyz II Men."

"You're right; I've never heard of them."

"You really should. They're great. Tight harmonies, great singing. I'm gonna marry one of them."

"How old are they?"

"Twenty-something . . ."

He snorted and opened an eye to glare at him. "Do they know this?"

She grinned. "They'll know when they find themselves in a Las Vegas chapel saying 'I do.'"

"Isn't that illegal? What are you, twelve?"

"Thirteen!" she growled.

"Sorry!"

He didn't sound the least bit sorry, and she sucked her teeth.

They sat in silence for a while. Her CD finally ended, and she took off her earphones. Nia rummaged through her satchel, looking for the case of her CD.

"Have you dreamed recently?"

The question stopped her in mid-rummage. She frowned and faced him.

"Have you?"

He was about to answer, when the door opened and a laughing Ginny bounded inside and slammed the door quickly. Harry and Nia shared a confused look.

"C'mon, love! Let me in!"

"No can do, Draco! Have to say the magic word!" Ginny purred through the door.

There was silence for a moment. "Earlobe."

Nia's eyebrow quirked as she saw Ginny visibly shudder.

"That's not fair, Dragon! You don't place nice!"

"Neither do you, love. You won't let me in, so I can taste those succulent earlobes of yours. Don't know which I prefer more--the left or the right . . ."

"For the love of Merlin, Ginny! Let the wanker in!" Harry groaned.

Ginny's head snapped in their direction, and Nia gave her a lazy wave. Ginny's face turned the color of her head, and she opened the door quickly. Draco sauntered inside and grabbed her by the waist sharply.

"Now, I believe you owe me an earlobe," he whispered seductively before moving his lips to one. Harry and Nia looked at each other in distaste.

"Ugh, Malfoy! Get a grave!"

"After you, Potty, after you."

Nia ignored their banter and looked at Ginny.

She was smirking.

"What?" Nia asked on chuckle.

The redhead's eyes darted between Harry and Nia, and the smirk turned into a grin.

"Don't even think about it!" Nia muttered.

Ginny bounded to her and sat on Nia's right. "I've got news for you."

"Oh? What kind of news?"

"I'm surprised Draco didn't tell you already, but apparently you've been avoiding him. Why's that?"

Nia glanced at the floor. "Don't wanna talk 'bout it."

Ginny put her hand on Nia's shoulder and squeezed. "You know I'm here for you, right? Just because I'm a prefect doesn't change anything."

"Yeah."

Ginny frowned, but it melted into a grin again. "Anyway, about my news . . ."

She didn't get a chance to tell Nia because Jamilah walked through the door. Nia felt her face form a frown.

"Welcome! I'm glad you could make it."

"Not like we had much of a choice."

Jamilah smiled sweetly, and Nia knew it wasn't a pleasant smile.

"No, you did, Mr. Potter. Only the other choice wasn't nearly as appealing as this one was."

Harry glared at Nia, and she shrugged.

"Everybody gather your things. We're going to the pitch."

The students looked at each other confusedly. There was dread in Nia's stomach. They left the castle and walked quietly to the Quidditch pitch. Jamilah stopped them in front of the Hufflepuff changing rooms.

"I have here your training gear. Change out quickly. I expect you inside the pitch in ten minutes."

Draco gaped at Jamilah. "Ten minutes! That's not enough--"

"Betta make it enough, then, Mr. Malfoy, or you'll be doin' more than I assign you."

Nia's dread spread from her stomach to her entire body. She didn't like where this was going. She grudgingly accepted the gear and went into the girls' changing room.

"Nia--"

"Not now, Ginny. I think I need to prepare myself for what's about to happen."

Ginny looked at her sympathetically but said no more. In eight minutes they walked onto the sand-covered ground of the pitch. Harry was already there, looking at the hoops.

"There's no Snitch out here," Ginny teased.

Harry grinned with a mischievous glint in his eyes but said nothing.

Nia snorted.

Pervert!

Jamilah began to count down. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two--"

Draco sprinted onto the pitch just as the word "one" left Jamilah's lips. The older woman tsked him.

"Mr. Malfoy, now you're just gonna wear yourself out faster."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

Jamilah smiled. "Suicides, my boy. You will sprint to a certain point and then back here; every time you turn back, you will sprint to a farther point until you have reached the halfway point of the pitch. And I'll give you fifteen minutes this time. But first, warm-ups. Start by running the perimeter of the pitch."

Four mouths dropped open as the pivot points were marked. The pitch was the length of a football field.

"No bloody way," Draco breathed.

Jamilah laughed. "When there's a will, there's a way, dear. C'mon! We don't have all night!"

Reluctantly they began to run, and as a stitch formed in her side, Nia could only pray the night passed by quickly.

~~~~~~~~

Angelina waited in the Three Broomsticks impatiently as she tapped her fingers on the splintered table. It was a week before Halloween, and she and Fred were in Hogsmeade searching for costumes. She told Fred to meet her there at 12:30. It was currently pushing 2:30.

"Insufferable git! Wait 'till I get my hands on him . . ." She smirked. "That's probably why he's doing this, to get my knickers in a twist. Merlin knows he's a randy wanker." The past two months had been, to say the least, eventful. Angelina did not join a professional Quidditch team, much to the surprise of everyone. Instead she worked as a cook in her mother's restaurant. Very few people knew she loved to be in the kitchen, combining different foods and herbs so that a culinary masterpiece could be made and enjoyed. Not as if the twins ever complained. In fact they and Alicia had a running tab at Felicia's Southern Delights. Fried chicken, collard greens, and cornbread was Fred's favorite dish.

"A dish he will be wearing instead of eating if he doesn't bring his cute patoot here soon."

"Angelina?"

Angelina's scowl turned into a smile at the sound of her name. She stood and waited for younger girl.

"How goes it, Gin?" she asked, wrapping the younger girl in a tight hug. Angelina frowned. "Is that muscle I feel?"

Ginny broke the hug and scowled. "Do not ask!"

"Quidditch?"

Ginny groaned. "I would first like to say Ronald Weasley is the biggest prat ever to walk the surface of the earth."

"Is he Quidditch captain?"

Ginny nodded. "He's worse than you were!"

Angelina rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Ginny!"

"I meant that in the most affectionate way possible," Ginny said as she batted her eyes. Angelina shoved her good-naturedly.

"Right."

"But Quidditch aside, that's not why I'm 'fit,' so to speak. We have a new DADA professor--"

Angelina grinned. "Aunt Jamilah. She's a tough one."

Ginny sighed. "You're telling me! The worst thing about it is Draco, Harry, Nia and I all have extra lessons, but so far all we've done is run enough to circle the globe three times over and lift it to boot!"

"What do you mean?"

"She's been running us ragged and doing weight training. I swear I could bench-press Hagrid if the need arose," Ginny said dryly.

Angelina frowned. "Why are you doing all of that? If it's DADA, shouldn't you be practicing spells or something, as we did in D.A. last year?"

Ginny's eyes widened, and she nodded her head energetically. "That's what Harry and I thought it would be, but no. Nothing like that. No magic's been used at all."

"That's odd."

"I'm just glad she's giving Harry and me the next two weeks off. We have a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff next weekend."

"How often do you go for extra lessons?"

Ginny scowled. "Every other day. I feel like I'm in the Muggle military!"

"Well, Uncle Frank was a captain in the American Army."

"Who?"

Angelina smiled. "Nia's grandfather. I never met him though; he died before I was born. But I heard some stories from Granddad about them in the War."

"The war with Grindelwald?"

Angelina shook her head. "The Muggle World War II. Both of them were in the Army and stationed over here in England."

"Fascinating."

"Yeah. They were there for D-Day, when the Allied troops stormed Normandy. It was a turning point against the Germans; gave them the upper hand, it did."

"That's so cool!"

Angelina grinned at the look of fascination in Ginny's eyes. Most girls Ginny's age were only concerned with boys or popular culture. Ginny had a right wild streak in her; danger had a certain pull to the youngest Weasley.

"When the War was over, Grandpa Danny sent for his wife Felicia from Georgia. They moved to England and have been here ever since."

"So that's why your mum has such a weird accent; it sounds a bit like Nia's."

"Yeah. Grandpa Danny's Southern accent never went away, but Grandmum Felicia's lessened as the years went by. Mum's accent is a bit like Grandmum's. Mum still calls Grandmum 'mama.'"

Ginny laughed. "It's so funny hearing Nia complain after we train. She says 'grandma's gonna wear me out!' or 'Ma's gunnin' for somebody here, tryin' to kill us all . . .'"

Angelina laughed at Ginny's poor attempt at an American Southern accent. "How's Nia doing?"

Ginny calmed a bit. "She was the slowest of us all, but that's because she was the least athletic. She couldn't do all of the suicides for a while, and while she's still the slowest, she's not as slow as she used to be. She can at least finish it all now, and she doesn't lag too far behind. But strength training is where her true talent lies. She's almost as strong as Harry."

"Who's the fastest?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Harry."

"And the strongest?"

"Harry. Draco is only slightly faster than I am, but I'm the weakest when it comes to strength training."

"Harry seems to turn everything to gold when he touches it."

"Except for women; they turn into thistles at his touch," Ginny smirked.

Angelina was intrigued. "Really now? How so?"

"At the beginning of term, Nia put Peeves on him, dousing him with toilet water."

Angelina slapped her hand over her mouth, and her eyes widened. "Tell me you're joking!"

Ginny looked around conspiratorially. "And now he's in some on again, off again thing with Cho. I mean, really, can't those two make up their bloody minds?"

"Jealous, Gin?"

The redhead snorted. "Hardly. Why would I be when I have Draco?"

Angelina looked at her skeptically. "Who else knows about you 'having' Draco?"

Ginny sighed. "Of course Harry does; he figured it out some time ago. I overheard Hermione taunt Draco about it during our first patrol--Ron was there."

"Ron knows?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, he didn't put two and two together, thank Merlin. I'm partly glad Draco's gained some mass, though; now it won't be such an unfair fight when Ron attacks him."

"Yeah, Ron would've rearranged that cute little face of Malfoy's."

"Staring at my boyfriend, are we?"

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again--Malfoy's a sexy little wanker. Doesn't mean I'd date him for all the magic in the world."

"You're that sprung on my brother, aren't you?"

Angelina felt a silly grin form on her face, but she did not care. "I love him, Ginny. I love everything about him, even his tardiness."

"He's late? I just saw him in Zonko's not too long ago."

Angelina rolled her eyes. "Figures."

"Yeah, showing Ron, Harry, and Dean some of their new products. I tell you he's a bold dumb one to do that in his competitor's store."

"Fred doesn't care! He thinks he's going to buy out Zonko's in three years," Angelina laughed.

"They always did aim impossibly high," Ginny said dryly.

"Another reason to love your brother, Ginny."

"Speak of the devil."

Angelina felt the familiar clench of her heart at the sight of him. He was smiling, his cheeks rosy with the chill outside, and his eyes sparkled. Angelina liked to think it was for her alone.

"Gin! Long time, no see!" he said as he kissed his sister's temple.

Ginny scowled. "It's been all of ten minutes!"

Fred rolled his eyes and move toward Angelina. He stopped his progress when he saw the scowl on her face.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"What time is it, Fred?"

He checked the clock over the bar in the restaurant. "2:20."

"What time did you say you were going to meet me?"

The color drained from his face. "Angel, love--"

"Squash it, Fred. I swear you'd be late to your own funeral if I wasn't there to remind you!"

He snickered. "Who'd be in a hurry to be dead, love? Certainly not me!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just sit down."

She grabbed the sleeve of his robes and pulled him into the seat next to her.

"Where's the lovely Nia?" he asked, looking around the pub.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her the entire time we've been here. I'm sure Aunt Jamilah gave her permission to come to Hogsmeade! I was looking forward to seeing her."

Ginny became somber. "She's not coming."

Angelina's shoulders drooped. "Why not?"

"She has detention."

"Detention? For what?"

"Apparently she said some really nasty things to Professor Snape during class not too long ago. I don't know the details but it had something to do with her mother and your father."

Angelina's heart sped. "What kinds of things?"

Ginny shrugged. "Like I said, I don't know. But it was pretty bad. I overheard Professor Roberts and Dumbledore talking about it."

Angelina looked at Fred with panic in her eyes. "How bad?"

"No extra-curriculars, no Hogsmeade, no nothing. She's restricted to class, meals, and extra lessons."

Fred whistled lowly. "Must have been something harsh. Wish I was there to see it!"

Angelina elbowed him. "Fred!"

He didn't look apologetic. "The prat's a monster! I would've paid to see Nia put him in his place!"

"But that's her father, I mean, whatever," Angelina said with a roll of her eyes.

"She blames the entire thing on Harry, by the way."

"What does Harry have to do with this?"

"Remember I told you about Harry and his incident with Peeves?"

"Peeves and Harry had an incident?" Fred asked.

Ginny chuckled. "With toilet water."

Fred guffawed loudly. "How do you like that! Everything happens after I leave Hogwarts!"

"Anyway, it seems Harry told Nia about Snape's double role, and she didn't take the news well."

"Why would she be upset? She's friends with a Death Eater's son! The entire House is full of potential Death Eaters!"

"Need I remind you which House Pettigrew came from?" Ginny said coolly.

Fred scowled and conceded her point grudgingly.

"That was not Harry's place to say anything," Angelina said.

"Women have some warped ideas of blame," Fred muttered.

"Excuse me?" Ginny and Angelina asked warningly.

Fred's cheeks heated. "Bygones."

"I wish I knew what got her so upset with Snape! This, this is not like her at all . . ."

"I'll be honest with you, love, the Johnson women tend to have a bit of a temper."

"A temper you have yet to see, Weasley. Keep it up; you're about to become real acquainted with it."

He blanched and looked to his sister for support. Ginny merely grinned.

"I love you?"

Angelina laughed shortly. "Last night you seemed pretty sure you did. Why the question now?"

Fred blushed again, and Ginny laughed. "It's as if Angelina has a switch for you or something. One minute you're as red as a rose, and the next as white as a ghost."

"Bugger off, Gin!"

"Ugh. I hate this. I hate these secrets. It seems one bombshell after another is hitting us. What's next? Nia has a past life I don't know about?"

It was Ginny's turn to become pale.

"What's wrong, Gin? You have one too?" Fred smirked.

She looked at them pointedly. "And what would you say if I told you I did?"