─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"Wow," said Ron, when Harry had finally finished telling them everything; Ron was waving his wand very vaguely in the direction of the ceiling without paying the slightest bit of attention to what he was doing. "Wow. You're actually going to go with Dumbledore...and try and destroy...wow. "
Harry told them about the way he had obtained the memory from Slughorn, his little trip to Hagrid's and Aragog's funeral, and what the Horcruxes were.
Sara cringed when Harry told them what they were; objects where someone could keep a piece of his soul by murdering someone.
In turn, Nico put a hand on her lower back, drawing comforting circles until her breathing evened.
"Ron, you're making it snow," said Hermione patiently, grabbing his wrist and redirecting his wand away from the ceiling from which, sure enough, large white flakes had started to fall. Lavender Brown, Sara noticed, glared at Hermione from a neighboring table through very red eyes, and Hermione immediately let go of Ron's arm.
"Oh yeah," said Ron, looking down at his shoulders in vague surprise. "Sorry...looks like we've all got horrible dandruff now..."
He brushed some of the fake snow off Hermione's shoulder Lavender burst into tears. Ron looked immensely guilty and turned his back on her.
"We split up," he told Harry out of the corner of his mouth, "Last night. When she saw me coming out of the dormitory with Hermione. Obviously she couldn't see you, so she thought it had just been the two of us. "
Nico and Sara exchanged amused glances; they knew too well what happened the other night.
"Ah," said Harry. "Well--you don't mind it's over, do you?"
"No," Ron admitted. "It was pretty bad while she was yelling, but at least I didn't have to finish it. "
"Coward," said Hermione, though she looked amused. "Well, it was a bad night for romance all around. Ginny and Dean split up too, Harry. "
Sara looked at Harry knowingly; she had known for a while that her brother was interested in the redhead.
"How come?"
"Oh, something really silly...she said he was always trying to help her through the portrait hole, like she couldn't climb in herself....but they've been a bit rocky for ages. "
"Flitwick," said Ron in a warning tone.
The tiny little Charms master was bobbing his way toward them; Sara, Nico and Hermione were the only ones who had managed to turn vinegar into wine; their glass flasks were full of deep crimson liquid, whereas the contents of Harry's and Ron's were still murky brown.
"Now, now, boys," squeaked Professor Flitwick reproachfully. "A little less talk, a little more action...Let me see you try..."
Together they raised their wands, concentrating with all their might, and pointed them at their flasks. Harry's vinegar turned to ice; Ron's flask exploded.
"Yes...for homework," said Professor Flitwick, reemerging from under the table and pulling shards of glass out of the top of his hat, "practice."
Sara muffled a smile behind her palm, but Nico's chuckle wasn't that quiet.
They had one of their rare joint free periods after Charms and walked back to the common room together.
"Sara!" Dean exclaimed, approaching her and Nico.
"What's up?" she answered, making sure Nico knew not to jump on Dean and beat him up. He had been a protective bastard ever since Ginny and him broke up.
Dean showed her a piece of parchment that was beautifully closed with a purple ribbon and handed it to her.
"Thanks."
He nodded and made his way back to the boys' dormitory.
"Is it from Dumbledore?" Nico whispered and the redhead nodded, dragging him out of the common room and far away from the Fat Lady's ears.
Dear Sara,
I hope you receive this message as soon as you can, it is important for us to have a last chat before everything is set into place.
You know what the password is.
Sincerely, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
"What do you think he wants?" Nico asked as he read the message again with furrowed brows.
"I don't know," she muttered, eyes scanning the words, trying to find a secret meaning to it.
"'Everything is set into place'? What does that mean?"
"I guess I'll have to find out," she whispered.
"Promise you'll get back in one piece?"
"Do you think Dumbledore is going to do something to me?"
"I was joking."
"Yeah sure."
Nico smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Ok, ok. The old man is desperate and you want to give me kisses."
Nico made puppy eyes and after a few more moments he released her.
She made her way to Dumbledore's office, getting through the Gargoyle that guarded it and walked up the stairs before she was greeted by the wooden door.
Sara knocked two times and waited until Dumbledore's voice was heard and she was let in.
The office hadn't changed at all, Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, resting in the same place she last saw him.
"Professor Dumbledore? You sent for me?"
He smiled and motioned for her to sit.
"Sara, my dear, I'm afraid things have to be discussed further. I fear that the beginning of the war is closer than we thought."
"What does that mean, sir?"
"That you, being an important piece of the puzzle, will have to think things through."
"Okay."
"Also, how are things going on with Mr. Malfoy?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.
"We are being civil, not near friends but civil."
"Good, he might be another important piece of the puzzle, he'll save you."
"Save me? In what way?"
"You'll see at the right moment what I am talking about."
Dumbledore sighed and searched in the pile of letters on the desk, choosing one of them and handing it to her; it was old and yellow in some places.
"I'm asking you to open it at the right time."
"How do I know when the right time is?"
"You'll feel it."
She nodded. "Okay."
"I think I kept you enough without knowing. Harry told you about the horcruxes, right?"
"He did, quite a dark thing if you ask me."
Dumbledore smiled. "There are even more than we think and I think I found one."
"So you'll take Harry with you, right?"
"Yes. And I want you to make sure everything's fine and Draco isn't harmed."
"Why?"
"Because he is a Death Eater and will attempt to kill me in a few weeks."
Sara gasped, almost dropping the letter.
"And you want me to make sure he kills you?" she whispered in shock.
"Oh that's someone else's job."
"Sir, but we can't win this war without you, you're the only wizard Voldemort truly fears."
"He hasn't met your real powers yet, he'll be scared soon enough."
"Scared of a teenager?"
"It is not the age that determines our wit my dear."
She smiled.
"The year ahead will be full of darkness, I hope you'll find your way back to the light."
Sara thought about Nico and everything he meant to her and she promised herself she would keep him safe, because what was to come didn't sound right.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
Yes, old Dumbles trusted Sara enough to tell her that he'll die, fun, right?
So the Tuesday will be the usual updating day so keep an eye on my account those days!:))
Also I made an instagram account for this! You'll get updates on upcoming books, edits and aesthetics so you can go and follow @/acronychalwriter on insta if you want to.
and thank you for 37k, ly<33333