I SPY || 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕦𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕗𝕠𝕪

Chapter 4. Glutton for Punishment

As lunch neared Astrid dismissed her class, the fifth-year pupils filtered out into the corridors, Draco Malfoy sneered down his nose at the young Professor as he strolled past her desk and out the door.

            "Five o'clock Mr Malfoy, I don't accept tardiness," Astrid called after the boy. Harry, Ron & Hermione hung back a few minutes as their class mates emptied the room, and then approached their professor.

            "How did I do?" Astrid asked, leaning back in her chair and gritting her teeth she pushed her fingers through her hair, rubbing her scalp.

            "Bloody brilliant! Massive improvement on Professor Binns," Ron exclaimed.

            "It was an interesting lesson Professor, I feel a took a lot from it," Hermione smiled politely. Harry shuffled his feet awkwardly, he looked as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't quite get the words out.

            "Are you okay Mr Potter?" Astrid asked with a hint of worry.

            "Fine Professor, it's just that," Harry looked around awkwardly, "Did Mad Eye not tell you?" Astrid furrowed her brows, tell me what? She thought to herself.

            "He's told me lots of things, anything of particular importance on your mind?" Astrid asked, leaning forward in her chair and leaning her slender elbows on the mahogany desk.

            "About Malfoy," Harry almost whispered as he glanced at the doorway, presumably for any sign of the blonde-haired boy. Ron & Hermione eyed each other nervously. Astrid shook her head no, he'd only stressed concern about Severus. Then her mind flashed to what her father had said 'whose children sit in your classes', a funny feeling grew in the pit of her stomach, she suddenly felt anxiety run over her.

            "His father, he's a Death Eater," Harry explained. Astrid felt sick to her stomach.

            "He supports you know who," Hermione chipped in as if Astrid didn't know what a Death Eater was, all her father's favourite stories were of catching Death Eaters, his scariest ones were about what the Death Eaters did to people, people like her.

            "He can't be, he was in Dumbledores office on Friday," Astrid whispered.

            "He was there, that night in the grave yard," Harry spat out, suddenly the boy was pale, his eyes almost looked dead, Hermione put a supportive hand on his arm as Harry spoke: "Lucius Malfoy watched as Voldemort used the cruciatus curse on me," Harry swallowed hard, Astrid had been told about the horrors of that night, of Voldemort's return, but Harry had actually witnessed it, lived it. She wanted to pull him into a tight hug and tell him everything was going to be okay, but she couldn't.

            "Why is he on school grounds, why is Dumbledore allowing this?" Astrid asked, her voice dripping with disgust.

            "The Ministry don't believe Harry," Hermione explained. "They don't believe that night ever happened, therefore Mr Malfoy is innocent in their eyes,"

            "They call him the boy who lies," Ron spat sadly,

            "But Dumbledore believes you, he knows its true why is he allowing this?" Astrid jumped up from her chair suddenly, she felt disgusted, betrayed. She could only imagine how Harry felt knowing a Death Eater was walking the school grounds freely.

            "Dumbledore has no say over the governors of the school, they are appointed by the Ministry," Hermione whispered sadly. Astrid held a hand to her stomach, nausea ached in her stomach as she listened to what the trio had to say.