Judas

For the rest of the train ride Jovana stared out the window and watched the rain fall down. She kept going over and over the words that she and Riddle had exchanged. What could he possibly mean that some wizards weren’t up to standards? What standards was he even talking about? Then again, she knew that there were some wizards who thought they were better than others, especially the muggle-borns.

That didn’t matter to her. To Jovana all that mattered was that people were good to each other and respected the world.

Even after the train ride and short journey up to the castle, the words still haunted her. She frowned to herself and put them into the back of her mind. She was going to have to forget them. Focusing only on them wouldn’t lead to anything even remotely productive.

--

“Jovana!” Sarah Parkinson called out to her best friend as soon as she sat down at the Slytherin House table.

“Sarah! It’s been too long!” Jovana’s grin stretched from ear to ear as she hugged Sarah. She hadn’t seen her in almost two months and being with her and back at Hogwarts made her feel so at home. To her, Hogwarts was always home because she never felt more alive anywhere else.

“Practically an eternity,” she agreed and sat down next to her dark haired friend. She smiled and they started eating as the delicious and endless supply of food appeared.

“Wonder what the headmaster’s going to be talking about this year?”

“I doubt anything interesting…it’s always usually a load of waffle isn’t it?”

“I don’t know….” Jovana stopped herself and contemplated telling her what her parents had said about dark times coming and all that happened with Tom Riddle, “maybe nothing important at all.”

“Are you okay Ana?”

“Yeah,” she smiled weakly, “why do you ask?”

“You seem a bit shaken up,”

“It’s just been a long day,” she tried her best to look like she was wide awake and normal, “I’m definitely fine.”

“If you insist,”

“And I do!”

Headmaster Dippet stepped up to the stand and raised his hands calling for silence. Jovana was glad
for distraction from the inquisition she was getting from her best friend.

“Students old and new…professors….I welcome you all back to Hogwarts for a new year,” he smiled at everyone, taking an extra moment to study the first years, looking bright eyed as always.

“I want to say that these past few years have been some of the best in Hogwarts history, and has brought great pride to all of our houses,” he smiled and wrought his hands, “but as with all good things, they must come to an end.”

Jovana’s heart seemed to stop as Dippet almost echoed her father’s words. Maybe something was coming, but she hoped it was all nothing. Although if everyone was so worried about something maybe it meant something.

“As we have seen throughout the course of history, not everything can be harmonious forever,” he tried to smile reassuringly at the worried looks he was receiving from the students, “I want to caution everyone and encourage all of you to watch your backs now more than ever and keep your heads down and noses clean. You are more safe here than anywhere else in the world, but we are not immune to everything. I hope you all have a good, fun, and safe year here, and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of adventures. Now, dig into desert!”

“I wonder what he meant,” Sarah mused as Jovana almost choked on her treacle tart.

“If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Of course… I’m your best friend!”

“Well, long story short, before we left for Hogwarts my parents told us almost the exact same thing, you know about keeping our heads down and all that, right,” Jovana whispered as quietly as she could, “and then I had a run in with Tom Riddle on the train-“

“Tom Riddle?!”

“I know, right? I don’t think I’ve ever spoken more than two words with him before and we just had a full on conversation-“

“I don’t know if I like the look of him…he seems strange,”

“If you would let me finish, I could tell you what he said,” Jovana playfully rolled her eyes.

“Sorry!”

“Anyway,” she continued, “he told me about how he believes that some wizards are better than others and you have to choose the right crowd to be with, especially now…”

“I wonder what he could have meant?”

“I don’t know…but I didn’t like it. Everything seems so strange right now.”

“I guess we’ll just to see what happens,”

“Or we have to do some snooping-”

“Snooping for what?”

“Mordecai!” Jovana almost jumped out of her skin as her twin brother sat down next to her.

“Nothing,” she smiled.

“I’m sure, Ana,” he sighed and raised his eyebrows at her, “keep yourself out of trouble.”

“What could I possibly do to get myself into trouble?!”

“You’ll find a way,” he stated, “you happen to be an impulsive person after all.”

“I’ll make sure she keeps her nose clean,” Sarah smirked and Jovana knew if there would be anything even remotely exciting Sarah would be right there with her.

“You’re just as bad, Sarah!” Mordecai laughed.

“Am I?” She asked innocently.

“Keep yourselves out of trouble, please!” He waved at them and walked out of the Great Hall, heading for the Gryffindor Tower.

“Like we would ever get ourselves into trouble,” Sarah smirked.

“Better yet, like we would ever get catch,” Jovana retorted and stood up, “come on, let’s go to the dormitory. Looks like we’re going to need our sleep…it’s going to be an interesting year.”

“Hopefully a safe one,”

“Come on! What’s life without a little danger?

“Safe! That’s exactly what it is,” Jovana rolled her eyes at her best friend.

“Nothing’s going to happen this year. We’ll be fine…everyone’s just overreacting a bit. You know how adults are,”

“I hope you’re right Ana.”

“I’m sure I am.”

Little did she know, she was wrong…very wrong.