Later that day, Hera found herself sitting in the library, nothing could block out the sound of the dreary weather outside. The weather had worsened each day after the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The rain showed no mercy to the Hogwarts Castle, not allowing any outdoor activities to take place.
The sound of rain distracted her from her DADA textbook as she sat in a secluded corner in the library. Professor Lupin had returned after recovering from his 'sickness' which was a welcome relief to most of the students in the class.
After the incident with Sirius and the Fat Lady, she had thought of the ties that he had with Professor Lupin. Many theories ran through her head.
Was Professor Lupin still in connection with Sirius and was he the one who let him onto Hogwarts' grounds?
She didn't want to think of the worst, but she didn't want to rule out any possibilities. It was hard to distinguish whether or not Sirius worked for the Dark Lord. All she knew was, was that he had been cast out of the Black Family, and often he was a painful reminder of what was to become of those who disobeyed and betrayed the purity of the sacred Black bloodline.
The bitter taste of the mandrake leaf in her mouth was a reminder of why she was doing this in the first place. It was better to be safe than sorry.
The Dark Lord is coming.
She did not want to become like Sirius. A fugitive on the run, not able to redeem himself even after working as an agent of the Dark Lord. That was what he deserved for betraying his bloodline.
Hera could not afford to do that. It was her duty to serve the Dark Lord.
"Funny seeing you here." Came a voice.
Hera looked up from her textbook to see Troy leaning against a bookshelf with a friendly smile on his face. "You've been staring at that page for around five minutes now," he gestured to the book. "What's got your head in a twist?"
"Well, I really think that werewolves are interesting." She dismissed his statement with the wave of her hand and closed the book. "Though I must say, it's real funny seeing you here."
Troy took a seat on the chair beside her. A charming smile spread on his cheeks. "Well you know, I think I should take my studies more seriously..." He tapped on the textbook she had just closed. "Maybe you could tutor me?"
Air lodged in the back of her throat as she coughed awkwardly. "Tut...tutor you?" She was at a loss for words as she felt her cheeks flared. "I-I can't! I don't think I'm qualified to do that."
"Well, why not?" He was enjoying the way Hera looked so flustered which was such a rare sight to see. It was nice seeing her display such human-like emotions rather than having to keep her neutral face.
"Well, I mean.. it's not like I'm the smartest. Your sister is quite brilliant too." Hera didn't know what else to say. The mention of his sister came out of the blue, because Daphne wasn't really brilliant in any of her academics because she was mediocre at best.
Or, well...that's what Aunt Narcissa would say.
Why did she have to steer the conversation to her? Hera awkwardly bit her lip as she stared at Troy's confused face before he chuckled as he sat back in his chair. "You and I both know she's not that bright. I'm her twin for Merlin's sake."
He looked to her once again to see her flustered state. "You are pretty brilliant too, you know. I don't understand why you don't see that."
"I don't understand why you do." She returned.
It was true because she wasn't like Hermione who just had to be the genius out of the rest of third years, nor was she like her Ravenclaw peers who excelled in basically everything. It was only in Slytherin she was known to be academic but nowhere near where the rest of the geniuses were.
She couldn't accept that.
Troy sighed and shrugged in defeat. "Maybe one day you'll find out." He said as he got up from his seat and started walking away.
Hera watched him walk away, not being able to decipher what had just transpired. It was strange, because he hadn't openly spoken to her like that before. They were friends, but she felt that there was something else lingering beneath the surface of their friendship.
♧
It had only been a few days since she had placed the mandrake leaf in her mouth and she was already growing tired of the bitter sensation. There were times where she'd accidentally almost swallow or spit out the leaf, almost ruining her short progress. Hera was determined to see the process go through, and Uncle Lucius was already doing enough to ensure that it went as smoothly as possible.
Even though it was tedious, having to carry the leaf in her mouth for a whole month. Uncle Lucius demanded that she write to him about the progress every second day.
She had expected this to happen. Just like in the Malfoy Manor, she was heavily monitored, even though Narcissa thought she was discreet. It was way too obvious to hide, because she wasn't allowed to do much of what she wanted unless it was with Draco.
Trips to Diagon Alley were always short, and she would have to have a guard with her at all times, including during the days she would go out with her aunt. It was strange but it seemed necessary. When she had started at Hogwarts, she thought she would have gotten more freedom which she eventually did, but Draco was still around to keep an eye on her.
It was nice having time by herself while Draco did his own things but there were times where she just felt... lost.
Elena was around too, but as of late, it seemed she was always busy with something, but she appreciated that she had spared time for her.
Now that she had been given such a daunting task, Hera started to isolate herself from her peers as she focused on the task she had on hand. It was better off without having people's suspicions on her.
Hera found herself staring at the window that looked into the Black Lake. It was peaceful, without any sign of movement. The dungeons was not affected by the rain as much as the other parts of the castle where the other Houses were situated.
She could hear her fellow housemates chattering behind her while she sat on the couch. They knew not to disturb her.
"You know, with that look on your face, one would've thought you were plotting a murder." Came a welcomed voice, as Hera felt someone join her on the loveseat.
"You're more likely to commit homicide than I am." Hera retorted.
Elena nudged her best friend with her elbow. "The rain is terrible." Her hair was damp as if she had just ran through the rain. "I'm lucky that Filtch didn't catch me, I'm pretty sure I left mud prints leading all the way to the dungeons."
"Do you forget that there's a charm that could help you clean up?"
The shorter girl smiled cheekily. "Well, what can I say? I am pretty lazy."
"Oh stop lying, you just forgot the incantation." The two girls laughed, it was normal for Elena to forget most incantations.
It was strange seeing Elena act like a muggle. Doing things that could have been easily solved with magic, but she always brushed it off whenever Hera scolded her for not using her wand.
"I can't remember the spell." "Oh don't waste your time, just let me be." Is what she'd say whenever she was scolded.
Elena was different compared to the rest of her peers, Hera concluded. The way she acted wasn't much like a witch or a wizard that she knew. But it was a welcome sight, to see someone who is so much more different to everyone else who was so monotonous.
The very reason they became friends was because of her strange ways, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.
------
an:
Okay, so I know it's been so long since I've update this book and I'm here to beg for your forgiveness!
I have just graduated from high school and I'm taking a gap year before I study. Honestly, I've been so lost since I left high school and I didnt know what to do with my life. Is there anyone else who felt like this?
University is so expensive so I decided to do some work to earn some money to at least cover a few costs but working as a freelancer is hard especially when you can't find any customers.
So this is a shameless plug and advertisement. If you are interested in commissioning me to write a book or short story for you and spare a few dollars to my uni fund I'd honestly appreciate it if you clicked on the link in my profile with my fiverr account.
I also do editing and proofreading for authors who do need help here and there.
I would honestly appreciate it. Thank you to all the readers who have stuck with me from the beginning. And waited patiently for me to do updates.
I will try my best to update regularly while I also work on my new original story.
Hear from Hera and Elena soon!