OK so we decided to post anyway, despite the crazy freak attack of d-land on the diary. The layout etc will be back on Monday so please bear with us until then. If you have no idea what we're talking about I refer you to HERE for the best explanation as we see it.
To sign our Guestbook (and please do) click this LINK as the one on this layout is wrong.
Lastly to all the people who emailed, left notes etc when we briefly locked the Fic; Thankyou so much, we had no idea we had such loyal and devoted readers.
Chapter Four: Narcissa's Family Ties
Narcissa was flush with excitement from what she had discovered. If she took it to Lucius then perhaps she could curry his favor. A malicious, smile spread over her thin lips.
She breezed into his study without even knocking. His head snapped around, silver hair gracing his shoulders.
"I THOUGHT I told you WOMAN.... NEVER enter without knocking first!"
Narcissa bristled and almost wilted like a rose left in the sun, but she quickly regained her frosty composure and duly ignored him.
"Yes.... well...I was spying on your little recruits, and it seems they found out that Dumbledore is not supposed to be the Headmaster of Hogwarts...."
Lucius's yes flashed for a moment and he snarled softly then hissed.... he looked for all the world like a cobra about to strike.
"YOU WHAT? YOU INSOLENT..."
He trailed off, clenching his cane in his hands so hard his knuckles had turned white.
Narcissa flipped her icy-blonde tresses over one shoulder and blinked, her face was blank like one of those dolls whose eyes close when you tilt it's head back...she had obviously not been expecting this.
"I...thought you would be.... pleased..." she stuttered.
"You do NOT THINK woman.........ever!" he shook his head in disgust. "FIRSTLY! It is not your place to spy on anyone, and what you are saying is preposterous! Sheer lunacy, but then again what do I expect? You cease this behavior...NOW!"
Narcissa blinked again, then turned promptly one one high-heel, her black chiffon dress swishing behind her as she fought the urge to run from him...he was beginning to terrify her.
She crumpled onto the wall, a few feet from her husband's study, banging her tiny hands on the wall in frustration. She bit her lip to stop from crying.... and she could hear it, his laughter, mocking and tinged with amusement floating from behind the wall.... he had sensed her distress and was laughing. In a fit of blind fury and rage she fled down the hallway in a swirl of black and silver.
"Stupid woman"...his words floated after her, down the hallway.
Meanwhile, Ivy and Osanna left the library in silence, they crept down the corridor, both paranoid they were being watched again, so they kept quiet...after all, leaking about anything they had just found out inside the school would not do, you never knew who was watching...in Howart's, you were never COMPLETLEY alone.
"HALT! Who is it?" came a voice form the end of the hall.
Ivy and Osanna both froze.... then the person who had spoken appeared in the hallway. It was a school prefect, a Ravenclaw girl who had a stern look on her face.
"We are Professors here, we were just leaving the Library, now kindly let us be, or I will take points from Ravenclaw for detaining two Professors."
The girl blushed sheepishly and nodded, quickly backing off.
Ivy and Osanna crossed the lawns to their Quarters in a brusque silence; the scent of blooming moonflower blossoms and starflowers hit their noses as soon as they reached the door.
"Seems as if you DO have a green thumb after all." Osanna commented to Ivy...admiring the night-blooming blossoms her friend had planted.
Ivy smirked and opened the door, George flew past her and pounced Osanna as Ivy looked down in dismay.
"You know...I REALLY need a pet..."
A few moments later they were inside, Osanna boiling two cups of Earl Grey tea for them both, Ivy idly began to massage her shoulders, letting out a groan of pain.
Osanna put honey in both cups of tea and handed one to Ivy. "In pain are you?"
Ivy nodded, blowing on her tea to cool it..."Stooped over my desk too much today."
Osanna chuckled and stood up, perching herself behind Ivy, she slowly and methodically began to work all the kinks from Ivy's shoulders, massaging every muscle with relaxing authority.
"Feel good?" Osanna asked, pursing her Cupid�s bow lips.
"YES!" Ivy said...she began to slowly relax and was just getting comfortable when they both heard a giggle outside their window.
Both girls were up and at the window, only to see a black robe and retreating red hair.
"A WEASLEY" Ivy hissed with contempt.
Osanna snorted and shook her head, then calmly took Ivy's arm. "Come on.... we�ll finish this in private!"
The next morning they woke up early. Osanna stretched next to Ivy on her bed. "These late nights are a killer, but it will be worth it when we are accepted"
"Yes"-said Ivy dreamily pushing George off the bed
Lessons were as usual that day, Hufflepuff's acting like mice with a cat after them. Ron Weasely messing things up and Harry Potter being a know it all little brat.
Today was however a good day for Osanna. She had to teach a class with Snape.
The lesson was to cover potions and their effects on magical beasts. Snape gave her his best glare as she entered the classroom with a box full of mokes. She had already enchanted them so they were able to fit into the palm of her hand and wouldn't shrink.
"Let�s get one thing clear" Snape sneered, " If you do anything like yesterday again you will regret the consequences." He paused and his usually stern face broke in to a smile. " It was however quite admirable, very few people would have the courage to do that."
Osanna fought the blush that was forming on her cheeks and lost. Snape seemed amused by her reaction and allowed himself a small nod.
The class filed in and after having Hermione Granger pass out the mokes, he instructed them in a potion that would, if properly brewed, allow the pupils to control them by voice command.
The potion was ready and everyone fed his or her moke some potion. Much chaos ensued as Draco commanded his moke to attack Harry Potter, Potter retaliated with his own moke. Osanna rolled her eyes and called off the two lizards. As she picked them up she felt a snuffling at her feet. George. He was hungry and thought moke a suitable lunch item, he gobbled up two mokes and then looked up at her begging for more.
"When will you get that thing under control, it�s a menace." Snape sneered in her ear. Osanna was a fairly affable person, especially where Severus Snape was concerned. But it was always a big mistake to say anything bad about George. She shot him a look that would have made even a proud Slytherin squirm.
The bell rang and the class filed out leaving their mokes to be released once the potion had worn off. Osanna, still fuming, turned on Severus. "George is probably about the best behaved dragon you'll ever meet, he may be small but he is still capable of making you very uncomfortable."
George, sensing that she was angry, moved closer to Snape and started to steam threateningly. Snape slowly smiled, "You've come a long way since you were a pupil in my class."
Unsure how to react she left calling George to follow her.
Snape sat down at his desk. What is it about that woman he asked himself? He couldn�t quite shake her from his mind. He shook his head.
Ivy was amused. Draco was sucking up like a pig and earlier she had gone in the Girls bathrooms to extricate a frightened Hufflepuff and drag her back into her Defence against the dark arts class. On the wall was scrawled: �O O loves I C forever�. It was fresh, Ivy�s lips twitched in amusement. Now as she made her way back to the house carrying restricted books that she had surreptitiously taken from the library. It wasn't as if she had never heard the whispers about her and Osanna, she'd heard them at all 26 academies, but it always struck her as funny.
She opened the door to see Osanna cooking, or rather swearing at the pots on the stove. Although she had excelled at potions, cooking was not her greatest talent.
"So," Said Ivy, " Tomorrow is no lessons, thought we might do a research trip?"
Osanna turned and angrily smacked a pot that kept boiling over, despite her best efforts. "DAMMNIT! NO MORE CHINESE FOOD! I CANNOT COOK RICE!"
She regained her composure and balanced on one heel as she reached to the top shelf in the cabinet for the curry powder.
"We could go to Hogsmeade! We may find something there...besides, it wont look suspicious, the students are going, they WILL need chaperones!"
Ivy's thinly arched ebony brows quirked in delight. "Hmmm, yes indeed...besides, a valid excuse to go to Honeydukes!"
Osanna snorted..."Ivy...you and your sweetooth!"
Ivy shrugged. "Oh come on, fizzing whizbees! Every flavored beans!.." Osanna cringed at the mention of the Bertie Bott beans; she had once eaten both earwax and vomit together by accident.
"AND CHOCOLATE FROGS!" Ivy said with pure glee, Ivy loved chocolate, and she also loved frogs.
"Yes" Osanna agreed as she stirred the curry into the chicken. "Chocolate Frogs...sometimes you act your shoe size, not your age!"
Ivy shrugged, chuckled and stuck a finger in the curried chicken. "Hmmm, a bit more white pepper" She then tested the rice. "And some more saffron in this..."
"Yes...yes..." Osanna said, measuring out the threads of saffron. "After we eat, we will make sure we chaperone tomorrow's trip."
Ivy nodded and began to gather plates and glasses, she waved her wand, giving the glassware a vicious poke and it floated off, in the general vicinity of the table. George chased after it gleefully, scampering after the enchanted dishes as if it were all a game. A Barn Owl appeared as Ivy made a soft clucking noise, it landed on her arm and ruffled it's wings softly.
"Hecate...go and fetch the list of teachers to chaperone from Professor Flitwick please."
The owl made a soft clicking noise with her beak and disappeared out the open window. Osanna finally emerged from the kitchen, a row of pots floating behind her in an orderly fashion. "Descendio!" she said, and they floated down to the table, arranging themselves properly.� DINNER IS ON" She shouted loudly, receiving a look from Ivy that plainly stated. "I was RIGHT HERE, you did not have to SCREAM..."
Osanna chuckled softly and shrugged before settling down at the table..........."Oh, dammn" Osanna muttered. "I forgot the Butterbeer." "Accio Butterbeer!"
Several flagons of Butterbeer apparated onto the table. Ivy grabbed one and allowed Osanna to ladle the Curried chicken on top of her saffron rice. A moment later, Hecate re-appeared with a piece of parchment dangling from her leg.
"Is that the list?" Osanna asked, Ivy nodded, un-tied it and rewarded Hecate with a tidbit of chicken which she happily accepted before retreating back outside.
"Let's see.... room for three more chaperones, that would be us." Ivy stated, she plucked a quill from the desk and quickly scrawled both her name and Osanna's.
"Who else is chaperoning?" Osanna asked, thoughtfully chewing through a potsticker.
'You, myself, McGonagall, and.....Snape..." Ivy said, her eyebrows shooting upwards in a precarious arc.
"What?"
"His name..." Ivy said, her voice sounding rather amused and perplexed at the same time. "Just APPEARED here out of nowhere."
Osanna did remarkable job of hiding her delight. "Perhaps he decided to chaperone a few moments ago, like we did."
Ivy shrugged, a forkful of rice dangling from her slender fingers as she studied the paper, seemingly she thought if she stared at it long enough, the answer would write itself.
"Perhaps...however it appeared AFTER our names."
Osanna's brows quirked as well, "Well, admittedly that is a bit strange." She chewed again thoughtfully. "I suppose we shall have to be careful."
Ivy nodded. "Indeed, no one can find out about this research."
Osanna grinned madly. "WELLLLLL.... at least.... not.... YET!"
Ivy smirked and chuckled softly and watched Osanna feed George some chicken, something was different about her, Ivy couldn�t quite put a finger on it, but it was there. She shrugged it off and flicked her wand again and the dishes began an orderly march to the sink to wash themselves.
Osanna had just begun to get dessert from the kitchen, some lovely treacle tarts and chilled pumpkin juice when she heard a sharp rap on the door. Ivy had disappeared into their room to procure the proper attire for tomorrow. Osanna quirked a brow and shrugged to herself as she made her way to the door hands filled with tarts and frothy mugs of orange liquid.
Unable to open the locked door with her hands full she pointed at it with one finger. "Alohamora!"
The door swung open and Osanna nearly dropped the tarts and pumpkin juice in shock, there on the doorstep in all of his snottish glory stood Draco Malfoy. What in the hell could DRACO MALFOY want Osanna thought? She managed after a moment of awkward silence to stutter out a greeting.
"Errrm, yes, hello Draco...errrr.."
He eyed her in passive silence, if he were uncomfortable, or rattled he certainly wasn�t showing it.
"Good evening Professor October, is Professor Cariad available for a moment?"
Osanna nodded.
"IVYYYYYY!"
"What? WHOISIT?" Ivy yelled back, most likely lost in the deep recesses of their closet, thusly the muffled answer.
"Someone...is here to see you, it's......Draco!"
Ivy appeared suddenly from their bedroom, a quizzical look on her pale face. "Draco?" she said, as if she didn't believe Osanna at all. Osanna nodded and Ivy looked over her shoulder, she turned a bright crimson and regained her composure.
"Of course, comes in Draco.... what seems to be the problem?"
Draco stepped in the door, idly kicking it shut behind him. He wandered over to the table and sat down, suspiciously eyeing George, who did not seem the least bit interested in him.
"No problem Professor. I only wanted to hand in this."
He un-tucked a scroll from within his robes and placed it upon the table. "It's the homework assignment I was a few days late handing in, I had meant to do it after class, but you...disappeared rather suddenly."
Ivy chuckled as if deeply relieved. "Thank you Draco, how very lovely of you to make the effort. 25 points will be added to Slytherin for your thoughtfulness."
Draco flashed a knowing smirk and inclined his head slightly. "Thank You Professor."
He stood up and wondered over to the door, before opening it he turned and said �You know you�re being watched?�. Ivy and Osanna froze, what did he know and why was he telling them. Osanna recovered her voice and answered, �Well of course we know and I�d ask you not to think any more of it.� Draco left and they looked at each other in puzzlement. �Do you think he was there as well that night?�
�No Osanna, more likely that his father knew we were being spied on and sent him as a warning. I hope��