A Bunch of People
Dueling with Fleamont Potter was a lot more fun than Ophelia expected. Two hours passed as fast as two minutes and her condition was not bad, compared to a duel with Spinnard. Fleamont also liked to use diverse spells and curses that Ophelia never heard of before.
"Never forget that it's all in the wrist. Even a small stretch can make a difference between you and your opponent. Better watch him for a while and attack only if you really have to. It's best not to leave with wounds." He added while they walked back into the house.
"Mr. Potter, why did you accept to come? You don't really know me and have your own son to bother with."
Mr. Potter was surprised how blunt she could be. It was also interesting how she chose her words, describing taking care of a child as a bother.
"I have many reasons to help but there is one in particular."
"Is it about Dumbledore?"
"No. Well, I guess yes but Dumbledore is not the main reason why I accepted. Let's say it's a family favor."
Ophelia raised an eyebrow, curious what that meant. Did Fleamont know Lillian in any way or maybe Peverell? She was ready to ask when she heard a familiar scoff.
"Hurry up. Fleamont has a family to return to." Spinnard scolded her forgetting one small detail.
"I do too. I have the Molleys."
Spinnard scoffed and rolled his eyes, taking her answer as nothing but random commentary.
"He is not a bad man. You can trust him." Fleamont mumbled, patting the tense teenager on the shoulder.
The green eyed girl looked up at the man innocently but even Fleamont could see the snake in her eyes.
----------------------------------------------------
Lunch was far better than Ophelia expected. Cerberus seemed to have decided to stick around for a while and for some reason Spinnard didn't seem to mind.
"Don't you have a family, Cerberus?" She asked while eating, disregarding Spinnard's cold attitude.
"I do. I have my mum and dad and two older sisters. All of them like traveling, especially America."
"I meant one of your own." Ophelia corrected herself, keeping her eyes on the brown eyed man.
"That's not your business." Spinnard spoke for the first time but kept his eyes on the plate.
"I suppose since both of you are meddling into my life, it's only normal for me to be curious who you are." She answered as if she was an adult which surprised the men.
Cerberus sensed a sudden change in Spinnard and they both knew why the color in Ophelia's eyes darkened and she seemed to think more in depth.
"Lunch is done. Go into your room and wait there until Rabastan comes." Spinnard ordered, getting up and starting to clean the table.
Ophelia felt her hands tingle but shrugged it off and left the room. While she was passing through living room she could hear Cerberus' voice.
"He's watching us through her eyes. Maybe we shouldn't drag Potter into this. He still has a family unlike the rest of us." He said before he closed the door.
Ophelia narrowed her eyes at the wooden door before she went upstairs.
----------------------------------------------------
"I had a life before Dumbledore blackmailed me into his plan." Luce mumbled, sitting back down.
"Come on, Luce. We agreed to help because we've gotten the letters. We promised Vernon, all of us."
"We're all going to die." Luce added,already imagining his demise. "And I bet my life that she will kill us, not her father. The connection between these two is more powerful than Dumbledore imagines."
"That's why we should have someone gain her trust. Someone fit to be a role model." Cerberus commented, genuinely believing his words.
"And what makes you think I am fit? Aren't you the one who embarrassed me in front of the whole castle when you placed me on a broom?"
"That was only to make you loosen up." Cerberus chuckled bemusedly at the memory.
"I fell and broke my leg. The whole castle laughed and they started to call me Spinnered." Luce said coldly, clearly remembering that moment.
"Sorry. But I don't regret it."
Luce glared at the man,feeling the urge to let Tom have his way and give up on defense.
"Just bother your head with Ophelia. I will do the rest."
"Wait. Tom's been moving his puppets from the back, Rabastan being the best example. But Malfoy too?"
"Lucius is not his father."
Cerberus sighed and let his former colleague believe what he wanted. They both knew how manipulative could Tom be and with his interest in dark magic and all the strange stuff he used to do back in school, he could only wonder what level Tom has reached.
----------------------------------------------------
Rabastan arrived at exactly 13:45, not earlier and not later one minute. He came through the chimney, making Ophelia stare at him curiously.
"I am intrigued by this chimney." She started, her eyes widening at the object that should not be used the way it was being used.
"Let's just begin our lesson. You cannot use Floo Powder anyway." He answer grumpily.
"Why not?" She pestered, following him when Rabastan walked towards the stairs.
He didn't say anything else and opened a door hidden into the bottom of the stairs. It was a trap door that was most likely leading into the basement, which could have been just as big if not bigger than the house. Rabastan entered first, drawing his wand and whispering Lumos in order to see what was in front of him. From what she could see from behind the broad shoulders of Rabastan, the basement looked a lot like a kitchen; a fully equipped kitchen with potions, ingredients and a lot more stuff that she had never approached at Hogwarts. In the far corner next to a library was a wide table with three cauldrons on it. One was extremely familiar.
"That's mine," She stated pointing at the one in the far left, "I always use it at school. Did Spinnard steal it?"
"No one would want to use it after how many failed potions have been done in it. It brings bad luck." Rabastan replied coolly, smirking at her offended expression.
"I do believe that my grades have gone up since you became my personal professor." She tried to smooth him, make him retract his rude words and maybe flatter him. It didn't work but he did seem amused by her attempt.
Rabastan rolled his eyes and pushed her towards the shelves of ingredients. Her green eyes were staring at stuff she knew and stuff she didn't want to know while Rabastan leaned against the table, next to her cauldron.
"You choose what you want to make."
"I'm a second year and very bad at this particular subject." She admitted blankly.
"Let your instinct guide you."
That was a peculiar advice but she did turn towards the number of ingredients and looked at them and their names. She hummed to herself and even tapped her leg nervously before she felt her hand twitch. From her point of view, she chose random ingredients with no idea what to do with them but from Rabastan's point of view, her hand fell over particular ingredients.
"What now?" She asked, getting everything to her cauldron. "What do I do with these?"
"Work." He said coldly, placing an older version of the Potions manual on the table. It looked as old as time but it had a lot of notes next to almost every paragraph.
Watching her search for her potion, Rabastan remembered the time before he started his fourth year at Hogwarts. It was on the day before school begun and the atmosphere at home was tense.
[Flashback]
"Father, Rabastan has been very talkative as of late. He's telling the members of other families of our little muggle problem." Rodolphus stated in a superior tone, glancing at his younger brother from the corner of her eye.
"I only talked to Lucius and stupid Prewett eavesdropped. Just like always, he poked that big nose of his into our business." Rabastan hissed, though he tried to sound calm so that his father wouldn't be angered.
"And whose fault is it, brother? You and Lucius are being thoughtless. There are muggles at Hogwarts and the Prewett family has always had a affinity for them."
"I didn't tell Lucius about the problem in Bury. We were talking about muggles and Arthur Weasley's stupid infatuation with them which caused an uproar at dinner that night."
"Then how did Abraxas Malfoy know about the Cloke family in Bury, hm?" Rodolphus was taunting his younger brother, that much was obvious, even for their father. "Did father tell him, because I do not think so. It was a family problem, not one we wanted to share."
"I did not tell Lucius about Bury. Maybe his father found out through the rumors at the Ministry. Every time you go visit father, you're always boasting about something or another, aren't you Rodolphus?" The young boy hissed, losing his patience rapidly.
Rodolphus was ready to draw his wand at the insinuation but the doors opened, surprising the three Lestrange men and stopping any kind of altercation that could happen.
"Aeron Lestrange, I see you're playing judge even at home." The silky yet cold voice and those eyes that fell over the elder Lestrange entered the office as if it was his own house. Unlike Rabastan and Rodolphus who didn't know who that man was, their father rose instantly and walked to him with wide eyes.
"It's nothing, my Lord. Please enter. Is there something I can help you with?" What was an incredibly strict and hateful judge in court suddenly transformed into a sheep.
Tom's eyes wandered towards the two young boys and he smiled, seemingly pleased of what he was seeing. Rabastan felt a chill down his spine but kept his imposing figure. He wasn't the type to ramble and seemed quite a boy of his word, silent and with great amount of patience. Unlike his brother, who was indeed boastful and maybe too proud and self assured of his quality, Rabastan was still learning.
"I will take care of your problems in Bury but I need something in return." Tom stopped and cracked a tiny and polite smile. "I need Rabastan to keep an eye on someone. It's only a small favor compared to what I have done for you in the past."
Aeron Lestrange's eyes widened, remembering what that was and how Tom Marvolo Riddle killed the elder Lestrange for him.
"Of course. Rabastan will do anything you ask."
[End of Flashback]
And thus Rabastan ended up in the basement of professor Spinnard's house, watching Ophelia make a potion, or at least try to. Whenever she was focused, he could see traces of the glint in her father's eyes. It didn't seem like she was aware just who her father was.
By the time she was done, an hour and a half passed and the potion did not look at all like in the picture but it wasn't that bad either.
"Do you even know what you made?" Rabastan asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.
"Polyjuice Potion. Good for shifting into other people when needed." She answered, one eye glancing at the manual on the table. "Yep. All will be good in another month...when I have to add the last ingredient and finally use it."
"Right. If it works, that is."
His words were not encouraging at all but it didn't seem to crash her spirit. A loud sound as if someone fell on the ground shook the basement, making the two students look up. The trap door must have been removed because she could clearly hear Cerberus yell.
"We have new visitors! Come up, come up!"
Ophelia was ready to leave when Rabastan grabbed her hand and looked down at her with a knowing glint.
"Don't tell anyone what you discuss with me or Lucius during out tutoring time. Not one friend, including Snape."
Once arrived upstairs, Ophelia's eyes widened at the man in the living room, who looked very uncomfortable. It was the same one she met when she arrived with the train.
"This is Rubeus Hagrid, former colleague of ours." Cerberus introduced the half-giant man which in return nodded.
"I thought I came here because dad allowed it. Somehow, it doesn't feel like Christmas." Ophelia said bluntly looking into Hagrid's big brown eyes. "No offense, of course. But you are definitely not Santa and it's too early for presents."
"If you keep this attitude, you won't get presents at all. But I can promise you a lot more homework." Spinnard's cold and authoritarian voice boomed in the living room. "Hagrid is not here for you. I told you already, I do not take orders from your father."
"Yet." She mumbled. It was very faint but granted to being very close to her, Cerberus and Rabastan heard her.