The following day Reese sat at the Slytherin Table, stabbing her waffle with a fork in hand. She hadn’t eaten since lunch from yesterday; she had been awfully worried about Neville. She had asked Ginny about him early this morning; she said he was still recovering in his dorm from yesterday’s Death Eater encounter. Across from her sat Daphne and Pansy, watching Reese closely.
“Reese, come on, you must eat something. You didn’t even have dinner yesterday.” Daphne said looking down at Reese’s plate. She watched as Reese shrugged a reply and pushed her food away.
“Come on Carter… Don’t be a push over.” Pansy said to her. Reese glared at Pansy, mentally stabbing her in her mind. She shook her head and looked at the Gryffindor Table. There, she saw Neville making his way over to Ginny. Reese got out of her seat and walked towards the Gryffindor Table.
“Neville. She said standing over beside him as he sat, “How are you?” She watched as Neville shrugged.
“Fine… been better though. You?” Reese nodded sighing in relief.
“Okay.” Ginny leaned over towards Neville and Reese and lowered her voice.
“Reese, I really think you should go back to the Slytherin Table. They don’t like it when you associate with other houses and stuff like that.” She whispered.
“Who do you mean by they?” Reese asked furrowing her brows. Ginny inhaled and shook her head.
“I can’t tell you in detail now. The Death Eaters.” She said. Reese raised her brows.
“What?” Ginny nodded.
“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you everything now. Go ask Daphne or someone,” Ginny raised her head and looked around her, “Go.” She said sternly. Reese gave a curt nod and walked back to the Slytherin Table, grabbed her bag and walked up floors towards the Library. There were still a few minutes until she had class, so she decided to head somewhere less crowded (the library was never packed in the morning).
When she arrived, she walked to the back of the library and walked over to the Dark Arts section. She adjusted the strap on her bag and shifted the weight from one shoulder to the other. Her index finger slid across the spin of the books on the shelves. Ever since she had Alastor Moody (or Barty Crouch jr.) for her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, she had developed a huge liking for the subject, it gave her a glimpse of real life, a glimpse of the multiple things that people would be able to do with the advantage of Magic, and it gave her a proper idea of what life would be like if Voldemort ever did rise to power, which unfortunately has happened.
Reese walked back from the Library to the potions classroom, the bell was about to ring, and Reese knew well that with Death Eaters in the castle, that discipline would be as tight as ever.
She arrived in the classroom just in time and took a seat at the table that Daphne and Pansy were both already at. She gave them both a quick nod before talking her seat and pulling her potions out from her bag and placing it in her lap. A few moments later, the class grew as silent as ever when they heard the stomping of feet walk in the class, a man with dark black robes, long black hair that grew to about his shoulders, and pale skin walked in the class slamming the door behind him with his wand.
He stood in the middle of the room and gazed down at everyone with hawk like eyes, watching their every move. Reese suddenly felt quite uncomfortable, when his green eyes landed down upon her. She gulped a bit and tried hard to contain herself, the last thing she wanted was to let him know that he was able to scare her by looking at her. He sneered before he spoke.
“Class, I am professor Lestrange, Rudolphus Lestrange,” Reese narrowed her eyes, she had heard of him from her parents before; he was the spouse of Bellatrix Lestrange. Reese knew for a fact that the woman was mentally sick, and if her husband was anything like her… that was what she feared.
“Anyone care to tell me what you’ve learned form that bloke Slughorn last year? Anyone?” he asked again, Reese looked around and saw that not a single soul raised their hand or even gave a hint to him that they would be able to answer the question. “No one?” he left the front of the class and began to walk around tables, he stopped at one not far from the one that Reese sat at.
“Now Draco,” Reese watched as the professor walked circles around that table, there sat Crabbe and Goyal, and Bliase and Draco, “Come on child, you must tell me what that filthy blood traitor taught you last year? You were one of the students at the top of the class… Draco?” he pressed on.
“W-we Um… W-we did… the draught of living death…Er…L-love potions… and um… Shrinking solutions… and other things, Un—Professor.” He corrected. The old man began to laugh.
“That’s it? That’s all the old man thought you” he stopped his laughing and grew cold once more, “No, you know class. There is more then one way to kill a person. The killing curse, and potions!” his face grew wide and excited. “You’ve made one yes, but… that wont help the Dark Lord gain more power will it? No! Of course not! You need to learn more! Much more!” he glanced around the room again.
“How many of you have the Standard Book of Potions 7?” he asked, everyone hesitantly raised their hands, “All of you? Good!” with a flick of his wrist every potions textbook in the class were levitated, and they piled themselves neatly on his desks in stacks of two. Reese furrowed her brows and placed her elbow on the table as the palm of her hand cupped her cheek and chin. Reese watched as Lestrange smirked, with another flick of his wand the books all caught on fire. Reese and a few others in the class gasped as they watched the books pile into ashes.
Reese looked into his cold grey eyes and in a matter of seconds he began to laugh.
“What you don’t think its funny? Who needs books? When you have me? I can teach you everything you need to know in order to be loyal in the eyes of the Dark Lord! Why does this even matter!” Rudolphus Lestrange was now out of control one by one he began to point his wand at various objects around in the class, and with a twist of his wrist, everything one by one began to shatter into a million pieces.
Reese and others tried there hardest to keep their mouths shut. She glanced over at Daphne and saw a bit of horror in her eyes, over at Pansy; she looked like she had never seen such a crazed man before. Reese turned her gaze over at Blaise and Malfoy. Blaise didn’t seem to notice how wide his mouth and eyes were, and Reese furrowed her brows at Draco, he looked perfectly normal to her.
Little did she know, that this was what he had to out up for the past two years, ever since Voldemort had taken over the Wizarding World. Yes, this was what he went through day by day whenever he was at home with his crazed Aunt and Uncle. On the outside, he showed no emotion, like everything was perfectly fine, like he didn’t give a damn. But inside, oh on the inside, everyday he would crumble deeper and deeper into the horrid truth he was a Death Eater, and everyday he would think that this was what he was destined to be… nothing more then a coward follower too afraid to do some good in the world.
Merlin Hogwarts has turned into a Mental House
