The Watchers Destiny

Chapter 13- Slughorn

A week after the confrontation, on the 15th of October, I found myself wandering the corridors late that evening when all of the students had been sent to bed. Bramble had gone to be with the other cats to hunt in the forest. I was on my own, traipsing around in bare feet on the cold stone, mindlessly forcing myself onwards. I hated this time on my own, all I could think about was my babies, my Fred, my poor Draco. My parents would be fine, wouldn't they? And what would Charlie think! He'd think I was dead, that's what. He'd send out the message to the rest of the Weasley's. But surely that was a good thing? Their post was being monitored, so the message I had died would get back to Voldemort. But would he believe it? Who could say.

My thoughts strayed back to my babies, Fafnir and Fawn, the twins. One filled with fire, the other fair and mild. Yet, I wasn't sure which was which. I'd spent such little time with them, would they even remember me when I returned to them? Would they scream when they held them in my arms? My heart felt constricted at the very thought of it. And Fred, my Fred, would the next time he came back to Hogwarts be the last? Could I even stop the fate that awaited him, that was written for him. 

I shook my head, it was no good to have self doubt now.  

My thoughts turned to Malfoy Manor. What would have happened to Draco when they found him? As much as I wanted to deny it, I still had feelings for Draco, even though I had chosen Fred. Was it possible to love two men at once?

I shook my head.

Then there was Seamus, hurt bby my rejection, not understanding. That made me jolt back to Earth, I had promised to send him the other books! How could I have forgotten? I'd have to do it right away. But Snape had my bag. The books were in the bag and I had no way to access them. Unless...

"Sookie?" I called softly.

She was there in an instant with a crack.

"Mistress Caramella?" she quavered.

"Sookie, can I ask you to do something for me? It means breaking the rules," I said to her.

"Anything for you," she said, nodding her head, bat-like ears flapping.

"I need you to go into Snape's office and find my bag. I need six books from it, they're the Harry Potter series. Please Sookie, it's of vital importance."

She looked strained, but nodded and apperated with a crack. Several moments of heart stopping anticipation latter, Sookie returned with the books in her arms. I breathed a sigh of relief and took them from her matchstick thin arms, relieving her from the strain. I placed them on the floor and hugged her.

"Thank you so much, Sookie."

"Anything for you," she repeated, disaperating back to the kitchens. 

I gathered up the books in my arms and hurried to the Room of Requirement.  I thought- I need a place that is an office... I need a place that is an office... And in an instant it was there. I pushed my way through the door and found it was a perfect office, spacious but not overly so. There was a large desk covered in many assorted items. I put the books on a spare piece of desk and sought out some brown paper which I found instantly. I wrapped the books together, tying them with string securely. I wrote a small note on a piece of parchment and folded it over. The note read:

Seamus,

My darling, I promised I would send you these but I found myself more on the run than I had anticipated. I am now here, in the castle. Do not look for me, you will not find me. Snape knows I'm here. Read them, be filled with hope and knowledge, let Nevile read them too. I will reveal myself in time. Don't be afraid, I'm watching.

Caramella.

Then I left the office, taking it up a flight of stairs and to the Gryffindor portrait. That was when I realised I didn't know the password or have my map with me. So I waited a little while until the Fat Lady woke up and looked at me.

"Madam," she said.

"I need to get into the common room, please," I said to her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Snape's, ah, companion."

"Of course, of course," she babbled, the portrait swinging open immediately to admit me.

I stepped over the threshold and went up the stair case and into the seventh year boy's dormitory. Three of the five beds were empty and made, cold and unused. I went to the bed that I knew was Seamus's and placed the books carefully on his bed-side cabinet. I watched him sleep for a moment, remembering why I had found him attractive. I sighed yet again and left the room as silently as I had entered it. I returned to my own rooms and slept a little better.

The following night I found myself wondering the corridors once again, flitting through the moon-light. After a time I found myself outside a familiar door that I had, in the past, found comfort behind. Without thinking I raised my hand and knocked on the door. After several moments it opened and there stood Slughorn in his dressing gown and night-cap. His eyes widened at the sight of me and I smiled at him. He babbled something incoherent and looked like he didn't want to let me in.

"Sir," I said, trying to stop him babbling, "it's me."

"What? Who?" he said, looking at me properly.

"It's me, Caramella Wincroft," I whispered.

He looked closely at my face, seeing if it was a trick.

"No, but you-she would never come back here, too dangerous."

He  muttered some more, then opened the door and ushered me in. He closed and locked the door, then turned to me.

"I want you to prove who you are," he said to me, "show me your wand."

"I don't have it," I replied, worried he wouldn't believe me, "Snape confiscated it when he captured me and locked me in the castle."

"Use mine and cast your patronus."

He took out his wand and handed it to me. I took it in my hands gingerly, it felt wrong, foreign in my hand. 

"Expecto Patronum," I said, flicking the wand, but all that came out was a vague mist.

He raised an eyebrow at me and my brow  furrowed. Why wasn't it working? It'd always worked before. It's because I'd been so unhappy recently, I needed a good memory. A memory of a day when I'd been with both pairs of my twins. We'd laughed, joked. It had been one of the best days I'd ever had.

"Expecto Patronum," I repeated with a great elegant swish.

From the wand tip burst She, who stood before me like an apparition. I fell to my knees and she came towards me. I put my arms around her slightly insubstantial neck and held her there. She wasn't golden as she was when I cast her with my own wand, but that didn't matter. After a moment she melted back into me. I stood and Slughorn smiled at me.

"Caramella," he sighed, "it's wonderful to see you again."

"And you, sir," I said, smiling and standing up.

We sat down on the leather sofa, the office around me hadn't changed in the slightest. He poured a glass of Port and gave it to me, pouring himself something stronger in a tumbler. He sat beside me and smiled brightly at me.

"So, tell me my dear, what have you been doing?"

And so I told him what had happened to me. Ending in how I was trapped in the castle by Snape.

"So you are not actually his lover?" said Slughorn.

"No, no, certainly not!" I said hastily, "It's just a story that makes people respect me and not realise who I am."

"Ah, I see."

I talked with him and drank some more wine, until I was just past tipsy and he was entirely sloshed. I went back to my room at gone three and clambered into my bed, falling into a restful and heavy sleep.