Another Year at Hogwarts

The events that occurred the night Luna, Neville and Ginny broke into Snape’s office to steal the Sword of Gryffindor was a sort of wakeup call for everyone. Slytherin student, like Crabbe, who used to undermine me because I was a Muggle-born with no solid proof of my linage, soon came to respect me. Though I wonder if it is because they see me to be like them, or if it’s because I kicked their butts that same night, the Carrows had ceased their daily mockery of me as well. As for the rest of the student body and professors, they seem to hate me as much as the Carrows and Snape.

Despite these negative outcomes, some good did come the event. First, the DA had ceased their reckless behaviors for a short time. And then there’s the fact that I had recovered from my state of emptiness. Having attacked Ginny, I realized that I was falling too deep. I had given up on myself—thinking that if I did not let Victoria Baker take over, I would mess everything up again. However, I quickly came to realize that I had to learn to find a balance between being Victoria and being myself if I wanted to actually help. Now that I understood this, I strived for it.

***

“I want to leave Hogwarts,” I said to Snape one morning.

“We’ve had this conversation already,” Snape said without looking up from the paper he was reading.

“I’m not talking about leaving Hogwarts and returning home,” I said walking to Snape’s desk. I leaned onto it as I went on to explain. “It’s Christmas Break, Snape. I doubt that I’ll be needed here, since practically everyone—not surprisingly—left for the holiday. I rather be out doing something useful than stay cooped up in the castle and wait for school to resume.”

“And what exactly will you be out doing?” he asked dully.

“Ron’s missing,” I explained. “I overheard Ginny talking about it before she left for the holiday. He abandoned Harry and Hermione a few week ago and has yet to return. I fear that without some encouragement, he won’t return.”

“So, you’re going to go find him?” Snape asked as he folded his paper up and finally gave me his attention.

“Yes,” I replied. “I know where he is, so this shouldn’t take very long. It is my responsibility, after all, to make sure that things go the way they are meant to in this world. I’m simply doing what I’m supposed to.”

“And how exactly did you find him?” Snape wondered.

“Okay,” I sighed. “I don’t know where he is exactly, but I have a general idea if where he is. I wrote down some towns and villages I believe Ron to be in, and I plan to head there and look for him.”

“I see. Either way, you are forgetting about something, aren’t you?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Um…what?”

Snape sighed heavily and stared up at me with this sort of disappointed look on his face. “You forget that the only reason why you are currently safe is because you are here at Hogwarts, where your true identity is concealed by me. The moment you are off the school ground, you will no longer be Victoria Baker.”

“Oh…yeah… I had completely forgotten about that,” I said.

Snape reached into his robe pocket and pulled something out. He then reached across the table and placed a simple necklace on before me. It had a silver chain and a baby blue stone attached to it.

“What is this?” I asked while picking the necklace up to examine.

“A charm,” he explained. “I knew that you would eventually want to leave, so I had it made for you. It will conceal your identity even if you aren’t in the same location as me. We can’t have Violet Bell waltzing around after all.”

“But just think about the entertainment we have if I did,” I grinned. Snape, however, didn’t find this comment very amusing. “Well,” I sighed while straightening up, “I’m going to head off now.”

“You honestly think I’m allowing you to go by yourself?” Snape asked before I could even take a step away from his desk.

“Well, I don’t who you would send with me,” I replied. “This isn’t really a task that allows me to drag around a Death Eater,” I laughed.

“Not any Death Eater—yes. That’s why—”

“No!” I quickly objected. “I know exactly who you’re going to say, and the answer is no. There is no way that I’m going with—”

***

“Draco,” I growled as I stared at Draco, who was already waiting for me by the entrance of the school. I let out an angry puff as I looked over my shoulder to Snape and asked, “Why must I take him with me?”

“Because you cannot Disapparate,” Snape replied. “You cannot fly either due to your fear of heights.”

“And what is the point you are trying to make?” I asked.

“It would take you weeks to find Weasley, and time is something we cannot afford to lose,” Snape answered.

“I can’t go with him,” I said while turning by back to Draco. “He will just get in the way and—”

“Time,” Snape repeated, “is something we cannot afford to lose. Now, be on your way,” Snape said holding up a black winter cloak.

I scoffed as I snatched the cloak from him and walked over to Draco. Snape informed Draco of the areas we were going to visit, and told him that there were rumors of Harry being there. The two of us were to check and see if these rumors had any truth to it before some other idiotic Death Eater decides to summon the Dark Lord there and get everyone in trouble. If Harry really was in these areas, we are to call the Dark Lord immediately. If not, we were to return to Hogwarts and inform Snape, so that he can put a stop to the false rumors.

“Ready to go?” Draco asked as he held his arm out for me to hold.

“Whatever,” I sighed slipping my cloak on. I then glared at Snape as I locked arms with Draco.

Within seconds, Snape’s face blurred in nothing and Hogwarts disappeared. For the next few hours, Draco and I went from town to town looking for rumors of Harry. As he went off in his own direction, I went off in my own in search of Ron. Unfortunately, of all the locations we visited, Ron was nowhere to be found.

“It’s getting late,” Draco said after we finished searching a tiny woodland village. “We should probably find an inn—”

“No,” I objected. I pulled out a piece of parchment with the names of the places we were to visit and looked at it. I sighed heavily as I stared at the parchment and then up to the sky. “We have a few hours left before sundown and two villages to go. Come on, let’s go,” I ordered.

Within moments, Draco and I found ourselves standing under of a large wooden arch. Before us was a town, which reminded me very much of Hogsmeade. Snow covered the roofs of the stone buildings and ground. The streets were bare, but that was nothing surprising. Since the Dark Lord’s official return, almost all wizardry community had been like this.

“Well,” Draco sighed, “what a lively little town this is.”

“Yeah, well let’s go looking for clues of Potter before nightfall,” I suggested as I began to walk away from Draco. “I’ll head in this direction.”

“And what about me?” Draco asked.

“I don’t really care where you go,” I replied.

“If you insist,” Draco said as he appeared beside me.

I turned to Draco, my eyebrows scrunched together. “Why are you following me?”

“You said you didn’t care where I went. Thus, I’m following you,” he replied with a grin.

“I meant for you to go somewhere else—as in another direction than me,” I explained. “We have to search this town as quickly and thoroughly as possible and get to the next town before sundown.”

“Snape asked the two of us to look into this matter,” Draco replied. Then with an amused smile he added, “Anyways, if you’re caught by Snatchers who knows what will happen to you. You don’t have any solid proof of being a witch, so you’ll be sent to Azkaban for stealing magic.”

“I can always kick their butts,” I pointed out.

“And cause unnecessary problems?” Draco asked.

I clutched my jaw tightly while crossing my arm over my chest. Damn him , I thought. Unfortunately, he had a point .

“Let’s get going then,” I said as I hurried off into town.