Blood Status || Marauders Era

Chapter 93|| Mission

It was a cold day when I awoke, the month of October was always the time when people realised of the temperature drop, and the month where people began to talk of sweaters and heating their homes. October for me, was always a reminder of my sister's birthday, but that couldn't be helped, especially when I realised she would be graduating this year. 

On a lighter note, crisper temperatures also brought about a particular talk, Halloween. 

"On the day of Halloween itself, October 31st, we have received intel that the Death Eaters will be planning an attack in Surrey, the attack will not be a large one but there will be a substantial amount of them, as it is said that the city is host to the traitors of You-Know-Who, the Popov's," explained a witch, as she spoke to all members of the Order.

"So, who's going then?" Marlene interrupted, she was used to the explanation before the name dropping, and it was always nerve wracking enough saying the names without stalling for time. The witch grimaced as she spoke, and she said, "This was on Dumbledore's orders, and the people going will be Dorcas Meadows, Sirius Black, James Potter, Arthur Weasley, Frank Longbottom, and Hestia Jones."

A large amount of people protested at this news, me included. All of the people going on this mission were young, impulsive, and was in a relationship. Without their partner going with them, it caused an uproar, mainly for the fact that none of us would know how they were safe or if the mission they were going on was dangerous. 

The woman that had caused such a reaction, Amelia Bones, had caramel brown hair and hazel eyes. She always wore her witches' robes, no matter of the occasion, as being high up in the Ministry, she always had to be presentable. She was in the department equivalent to the Muggle Law, and contrasting her position, she was an extremely empathetic person who was rather kind.

"I'm sorry but it was Dumbledore's orders, if you need to say anything, take it up with him, I had no say in this decision," Amelia said. She was easily different to her younger brother, Edgar, he was loud, flirty, and confident, she was kind, quiet, and liked to not be in the line of attention. Hestia Jones, who was sat beside me, kept quiet and sighed, it seemed like she joined this Order without knowing what she was going into, like most people around the table.

Jones was a smiley woman, she always wore a bright grin, she had dark hair and dark eyes, and she wore a bright red lipstick every time I saw her. She usually looked like an American actress on the red carpet when she was made to wear Muggle clothes. So, seeing her in black, and with an expression of disappointment on her face, I had to admit, this wasn't the best choice of group.

The only people that seemed to suck up the decision and get on with their day as if nothing had happened, was Sirius and Arthur. It made me smile to see Arthur smiling with his with his two children and his two twin babies. Molly Weasley was the one worrying, glancing at her husband and then children like it was their last moments together, and it was painful seeing this.

Dorcas and Marlene were whispering among themselves, like many of the others were doing, James and Lily were holding hands and leaning in to talk to each other, but Sirius was sat, facing the wall, clearly thinking, although about what, I would never know. I made my way to stand next to Amelia Bones and whispered, "You said that there would be a substantial amount of Death Eaters, why only send a small group?"

Amelia looked at me, it was obvious she was wondering that too, and as she looked to where my focus now was, she frowned, seeing Sirius unmoving and in thought. "It would be my advice to ask Dumbledore, he told me nothing other than to give these instructions, I'm only the owl that carries the message, he is the sender." With that, she made her way out of the room and into the halls.

I took Amelia's advice and the next day; I woke up with the intention of seeing Albus Dumbledore. I had a hunch that he would be in his office at Hogwarts, where he usually was, brewing up his next plans to sacrifice everyone but himself. With that in mind, I grabbed some floo powder from the pot on the mantlepiece, and flooed into Hogwarts.

I arrived at Hogwarts in the place I had wanted to go, McGonagall's office, and it was with my luck that the very Professor was sat at her desk, going through some papers. When she heard the noise, she stood up in surprise at my sudden arrival. "Miss Pattinson, not that it isn't lovely to see you, but what are you doing here?" I grinned, walking over to the older woman and putting a hand on her shoulder. 

"I haven't seen you in so long Minnie." 

"We saw each other at the meeting last week."

"But that was so long ago, we used to see each other in detention once every week at least," I said dramatically, flinging a hand on my head like I had a fever. I could've sworn to anyone that McGonagall smiled, but instead of staying in her office, I lead myself out of the door and into the corridors where I saw nothing but emptiness. I was glad of the empty corridors; it meant less staring.

Walking with the intention of seeing the headmaster of this school, I made my way left, McGonagall following close behind me, "What are you going to do Miss Pattinson?" I continued on my way, not stopping, even when I heard the doors open for the student's break. "I need to see Dumbledore, Professor, and call me Athena, I'm not a student here anymore, sadly." With that, I got lost in the sea of students.

"Get out of my way midgets," I muttered, annoyed, as a group of first years gathered together in a small group, pointing at me and whispering, it was clear that I was not in uniform, did not go to the school anymore and had a cut on my cheek from the last mission, I looked different. "Who are you, where are you going? I'm a Prefect." I turned around and stuck out my tongue, I was going to do something else, but I was an adult, and he was fifteen, I couldn't be that mean.

"Athena?" I heard my name, clearly, from a small corridor to my right. I spun around quickly and saw a group of Slytherins, all stood, leaning against the wall or standing in the middle, all of them staring at me. "What are you looking at?" I asked, thinking they recognised me from my years here, and then realised who had spoken, Belle.

I coughed awkwardly, my cheeks heating up from all of the staring, I noticed more familiar faces in the group, such as Barty Crouch Jr and Regulus Black. "What are you doing at Hogwarts?" Bellona questioned, I was going to repeat the question back but stopped myself as I realised, she was actually a student here and hadn't stormed through the halls like I did.

"I'm here to see Dumbledore," I said lightly, aiming for that to be the end of the conversation. There were not many similarities between Regulus and Sirius, apart from their hair, charms, smarts, and their last name, but there was one more that I had realised, they both enjoyed putting people in an awkward position by carrying on unwanted conversations, "Why?" he had asked.

"Because I want a lemon sherbet," I said sarcastically, "None of your business Black." A few Slytherins snickered but fell silent at the look on their friend's face. "Good day all," I said, curtseying, hearing a few more giggles as I continued to speed walk in the direction of the headmaster's office. Knowing that it was around these corridors, with the statues and the locked door.

The locked door. I had forgotten that you needed a password to enter the door. So, I tried multiple words when I arrived at the entrance, "Sherbet lemon, liquorice wands, chocolate frogs, cockroach cluster, every flavour beans, fuck. Open you. Stupid gargoyle... I don't know, tooth flossing string mints." To my surprise, the doors opened, and the stairs began to unravel at my words.

I climbed the stone stairs and opened the wooden door, taking a note of my familiar surroundings, the portraits, the cabinets with odd trinkets inside, the sorting hat placed on a high shelf. I was curious, would I get sorted into the same house now as I did back then? Hopefully, but I wouldn't test fate, I was here for more important reasons.

"How lovely to see you back to your old school so soon Miss Pattinson." I twirled around and saw a man with a long, grey beard descending some stairs of his own, Dumbledore. When he reached the bottom, he turned his head to me and his blue eyes twinkled in the light, "To what do I owe such a pleasure of your visit?"