Leo Iustitia

Chapter 2

There and Back Again

Mylee awoke with a start and found that suddenly she was very cold. She crept out of bed and to the window where she looked out upon the predawn light. She saw a light on in Hagrid’s cabin, and she saw Hagrid tending to the chickens. It looked like rain, and there was a fog all around the school. She saw a glint of something in the horizon, but it turned out to just be a crow.

“Getting paranoid, Mylee,” she told herself. She sat down on the window seat and drifted off to sleep.

 

She woke with a start and realized she was lying on the floor of the girl’s dormitory and her blanket was still on the window seat.

“Must’ve fallen off,” she muttered to herself.

“Mylee,” someone asked. That someone turned out to be Hermione, who was sitting up in bed. “What are you doing on the floor?”

“I guess I fell off the window seat.”

“What are you doing up?”

“I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry for waking you up.”

“But you didn’t. This is the time I always get up.”

“You get up at five?”

“No, not really, I just said that to make you feel better.”

“Don’t do that. I don’t need pity.”

“Sorry.”

“No, I’m just a little testy. I’ve been having trouble sleeping.” But Hermione never answered. She had fallen back to sleep. Mylee climbed into bed and looked at the ceiling and drifted in and out of consciousness until it was time to get up. She climbed out of bed and padded into the bathroom, where she grabbed her toothbrush and looked in the mirror. She looked like crap. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her red eyes were bloodshot, which made her look like a vampire, and, honestly, she didn’t think it was very becoming. She splashed some cold water on her face and this made her look a little better. Then she began to brush her teeth. She made her way down to the great hall where she slumped into a seat next to Harry.

“Gosh, Mylee you look horrible,” Ron told her.

“Thanks a lot,” she replied sarcastically.

“Are you not getting enough sleep?” Harry asked.

“Is this the face of a well rested person?”

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“Exactly.”

They began to eat their breakfast. Harry asked. He and Ron where engaged in a highly animated conversation about Quidditch and Hermione was helping Ginny with her potions work. Mylee was picking apart her toast and suddenly she stood.

“Hey, where are you going?” Ron asked.

“Nowhere. I’m just full.”

Mylee walked out of the great hall and as soon as she passed through the great oak doors she stopped. She wanted time to think, time to think about the dreams. She wanted to get away from people and have some time to herself like she was used to at home. The only place she could think to go was the ForbiddenForest. So that was where she headed. She walked into the forest, past tress and over undergrowth. Then she came to a clearing. She stopped on the edge because she heard voices.

“Draco, I have told you once and I will tell you again. You cannot come home this Christmas.”

“You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do. I’m your son only by blood, which is where the similarities stop.”
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that boy.”

“I’ll talk to you any way I damn well please,” Draco retorted, which caused Lucius to raise his wand, just as Mylee jumped out of the clearing.

“Expelliarmus,” she shouted. The force of the spell knocked Lucius into a tree where he slumped to the ground unconscious.

“What are you doing?”

“Saving your ungrateful ass.”

“I don’t need saving.”

“What, you’ve been through it before.”

“Brilliant deduction, ten points to Gryffindor, honestly what do you think?”

“I know that you shouldn’t let him beat on you like your some kind of punching bag.”

“This is coming from the girl whose motto is ‘when life gives you lemons make lemonade’. Miss I-Had-a-Perfectly-Wonderful-Childhood.”

“I did not have a perfect childhood.”

“I’m a Malfoy. I don’t have to consort with lower beings like yourself, I don’t have to listen to you.”

“Being a Malfoy must not constitute for much these days. Considering they curse their children, abuse their wives, torture muggles…”

“Stop right there. You have seriously crossed the line. I know your family isn’t faultless.”

“Well I may not have had the greatest childhood, but at least when I go home there are people there who love me. Even though they sometimes ignored me, my parents still found time to tuck me in at night. At least my mum and dad don’t curse me. At least my family is actually around on my birthday’s to sing to me. At least my dad doesn’t HIT my mum.” Mylee knew she had gone way too far.

“Uh-oh, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“You’re right, you shouldn’t have,” and with that last remark Draco turned around and glared fiercely at her and stalked out of the clearing.

Mylee headed back to the castle about five minutes after Draco left. She headed up to Gryffindor tower and into her dormitory where she packed up most of her stuff, so she would be ready in two days to leave for Riscowitch Manor. Then she made her way to the common room, where she played Ron in chess and lost beautifully in about five minutes. Then she headed off to dinner. After which she made her way to the Slytherin table.

She stood behind Draco and waited for him to turn around and notice her, which he did in about five minutes.

“God, don’t you make any noise?” he asked.

“No, I prefer to slink about and sneak up on people. Look, I need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“That is private information. Meet me in the library at 7:50 and don’t be late.” With that Mylee turned around on her heal and stalked out of the room, robes billowing out behind her.

Chapter 2, part deux

At seven fifty Mylee headed to the library. She approached Draco who was sitting in one of the back tables asleep on his arm. She looked at him and saw that there were bruises around his eyes from what looked like beatings. She couldn’t help but fell sorry for him. Though she wouldn’t tell him that. She stood like that, just looking at him until he woke up and saw her staring at him. He smirked and she glared back.

“Let me guess, you’ve never seen such a wonderful face before and you’re completely entranced. Either that or you’ve been hit by the imperious curse, which would explain why your eyes are cloudy.”

“You know, I’m sure there’s a twelve step program for you somewhere that can get rid of this annoying sarcasm.”

“Look, lets cut to the chase. What do you need to talk to me about? And make it quick because I’ve got an appointment with my stylist in ten minutes.”

“Very funny.”

“No, I’m serious. Do you think anyone can keep this silky shine up? Even I need some help.”

“Whatever, I need your help.”

“The self righteous Gryff needs my help. I’m touched.”

“Shut up and listen all right.”

“Okay.”

“Well, I’ve been having these dreams and I’ve figured out that you’re the only one who can help me.”

“Oh, well there about me aren’t they?”

“No! Gosh, can’t you just get off your high horse for a second? These dreams are about some orb. In most of the books I’ve read it’s been called the orb of dreams. Occasionally it’s just referred to as an orb and sometimes it’s called a container. And in my most recent dream, I was at a manor and I saw Voldemort and someone named Salazar Slytherin. I’m guessing that person was a little insane because Salazar has been dead for thousands of years now.”

When Mylee mentioned Salazar and Voldemort and being at a manor Draco suddenly leapt out of his chair.

“Malfoy, what is it?”

“Nothing, I’ve got to go. Let’s finish this conversation on the train.” With that he ran out the room.

“He even manages to make sprinting out of a room in fright look graceful,” Mylee muttered to herself. Then she headed up to the common room to help Ron think of ways to kill himself for divination.

 

Chapter 2, Part Three

The rest of the week passed without any dreams, and encounters with Draco, and before Mylee knew it, it was time for her to finish packing and head to Hogsmeade to catch the train. The last day of school before Christmas break dawned gray and foggy, and it smelled of rain. She stumbled down to breakfast in the great hall in her normal, morning mood, unhappy and mad at the world. The fellow Gryffindors had learned to avoid talking to her at breakfast, but today she seemed a little worse. She flung herself into a chair and began to proceed in banging her head repeatedly on then table. Then she took a giant swig of pumpkin juice and began banging her head again.

The Slytherins didn’t know to ignore Mylee in the morning and honestly they would’ve been happy to be able to annoy her to her breaking point, and that was what it seemed Draco was planning on doing when he walked over to Mylee once she sat down. Draco sauntered up to Mylee and tapped her on the shoulder. She picked up her head and he saw that it looked like she was going to have a bruise on her forehead.

“Mylee, rule one for self mutilation: never do it in public. And rule number two-” But Draco was never able to explain rule number two because Mylee had stood up and dumped her goblet full of pumpkin juice all over his hair. This turned his hair a very unbecoming shade of orange.

“Ugh, what did you do that for?”

“Malfoy, rule number one from the Riscowitch hand book, never bother a Riscowitch in the morning,” Mylee told him. Ron was laughing so hard he spurted pumpkin juice from his nose.

“What are you laughing at Weasley?”

“Nothing,” Ron blurted right before he dissolved into another fight of laughter.

“I’ll get you for this Mylee.”

“Whatever.”

Draco turned around and stalked out of the great hall oblivious to the laughter that followed him.

“Mylee, that was hilarious,” Ron laughed.

“Draco Malfoy, the walking, talking, pumpkin,” Harry laughed.

“That wasn’t funny,” Hermione said. But she couldn’t help but laugh herself.

“Yes, it was,” Harry and Ron exclaimed together. Mylee was ignoring the conversation around her and had gone back to finishing her toast. Once she was done she got up and headed out the door to Hogsmeade. She didn’t notice someone else get up and follow her out the Great Hall. Mylee made her way to Hogsmeade with the stranger following close behind. She arrived at Hogsmeade and walked down the road towards the train station. She passed the quaint little cottages with candles in the windows, and fairy lights strung along the houses. Then her follower tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around. “Oh Blake, I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“I know, well that’s about to change.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m coming to your house for Christmas.”

“Really, why?”

“Because my family is going to be in town for the annual wizarding convention.”

“Oh, boring,” Mylee said as she started continuing on her way to the train.

“I know. I’m coming to your house so I don’t have to go.”

“Praise God.”

“I didn’t know you were so excited.”

“You have no idea. I was going to have to spend Christmas with just Draco.”

“I don’t think you would have to worry. You’d probably throw Malfoy out the window after one day.”

“I wish.” Mylee and Blake had reached the train station and Hermione who wanted to know if she had, had any more dreams before she got on the train, since Hermione was staying at Hogwarts pulled Mylee away. Mylee lied and told her no then she got on the train. She made her way to one of the compartments in the back. Away from the hustle and bustle so she could sleep and think.
She dropped her book on the seat opposite of her and she curled up on the seat and looked out the window at all the students milling about outside. Then the train pulled out of the station and Mylee watched as cottages became scattered clusters, then just single houses every few meters as the country became wilder and wilder till finally they were surrounded by dense forests and there were no houses to be seen. Then the forest turned into wild moor, the moor into fields, and then before she knew it they were pulling into platform 9 ¾. She got off the train and was greeted by Clarice.

They waited for Blake and Draco to get off the train. She saw Draco get off first and begin looking around for them. At Clarice’s insistence she stood on her tiptoes and yelled his name while waving her hands in the air while muttering under her breath, “This is so undignified.” Blake must’ve seen her too, because he approached her as well and reached her a little after Draco.

“O.k. everyone grab on,” Clarice said, holding out a thimble that actually was a portkey. They all reached out and held onto the portkey and felt a jerking motion that flung them forward. But before they fell to the ground they were lifted into the air. It seemed as though they were flying through a black hole, the pressure was so great Mylee felt she would burst. Then right before Mylee thought she would explode they all were flung head long into some kind of a barrier that sucked them inside and they began spiraling downwards. Farther and farther down they went until they landed with a very loud splash in a river.

 

Chapter 2, part 3

Mylee’s robes pulled her down as she struggled to break the surface. When she finally breaks the surface two hands reached down and helped her out onto the bank. Her soggy robes pulled her down and she collapsed. Blake reached down and helped her up once again and led her over to the tree next to Draco who had been knocked unconscious.

“Where’s Clarice,” Mylee asked. Blake looked at her and said in a very reverent voice, “she’s dead.”

“What?”

"She drowned. I saw her body floating down the river. There was blood coming out of her head. She must’ve hit it on a rock. I’m really sorry.”

“No it’s O.K. I’m going on a walk.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No.”

“Alright.”

Mylee walked into the woods, her robes dripping water and leaving a wet trail behind her. She wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. She just kept on walking, like she was in a daze. “She’s dead,” Mylee whispered to no one. Then she slumped down against a tree. She pulled her legs up to her chest and put her face in her hands. But she didn’t cry. She couldn’t remember a time when she had ever cried. She just sat there wishing for the first time that she could. After about ten minutes a short girl with blond hair approached her and introduced herself as Alexiana. “What in God’s name are you wearing,” Alexiana asked her.

“I could say the very same thing for you.” Alexiana was wearing emerald robes patterned with gold.

“Well at least I don’t look like a banshee,” Alexiana retorted shrilly.

“Well at least I don’t sound like one.”

“If you don’t like the way I talk then invest in some earplugs.” At that remark they heard running and loud noises and someone yelling, “You idiot. You let her go off into the woods by herself and she’s grieving and has probably wondered off to God knows where. And this wouldn’t be as bad if it weren’t for the fact that we were in an unknown place and she’s in an unknown forest and this is a damn big forest to have to look for somebody in.”

Draco and Blake had wondered into the clearing where Mylee and Alexiana were, and the two girls were staring at the two boys like they were the stupidest things to walk the earth.

“Boy, are you two stupid,” Mylee told them. “Did you honestly think that I would go so far into the forest that I wouldn’t know my way back?”

“And if anyone didn’t how to look dumbfounded they sure do now,” Alexiana said.

“Hey, Draco, I think we’ve found you a soul mate,” Blake said, finally finding his ability to speak.

“Shut up, pretty boy,” Draco retorted.

“The two of you shut up and listen,” Mylee yelled. “This is the most maddening person you will ever meet besides you, Draco,” Mylee said in a much calmer voice.

“Hey, I do not take kindly to being called irritating.”

“The truth can hurt.”

“Mylee come over here for a sec,” Draco and Blake said. So Mylee walked over to them with Alexiana yelling behind them, “I’m not finished with you yet!”

“I think she can help us,” Draco said.

“How?” Mylee asked incredulously.

“Well she’s from here, isn’t she?”

“Maybe this isn’t a ‘here’. Maybe it’s a ‘when’.”