She whispered

by Lucas Chesterton

  ‘I realize that. We’ll find a way.’

  ‘Do you think it’s believable? That we had some kind of argument and are not talking anymore?’

  ‘Do I think it’s believable that you eventually came to see me as a jerk? Absolutely.’

  She smiled then, her anger blown away as quickly as it had surfaced.

  In the meantime, they had reached Cokeworth. The black Mercedes glided through the streets at a moderate pace and soon they arrived at the least pretty part of this unpretty town. Elena found a parking spot beside a bleak-looking playground just around the corner from Spinner’s End.

  ‘Is this car ours now?’ she asked as she killed the engine.

  ‘Yes.’ No uncertainty in Daysen’s reply.

  ‘Isn’t that a little ���’

  ‘What? Leshnikov is dead. The Ministry’s not interested in what they could learn from this car. Hence, no one’s going to look for it. And couldn’t you use a car, seeing that you tend to fall off brooms?’

  Sometimes, there was just no arguing with his logic. Elena smiled broadly. ‘Let’s search it then, shall we?’

  Jack gave a curt nod, and right away they went to work, each of them on their side at first, rummaging through the glove box and any compartment they could find. Then they got out, and while Elena scrutinized the backseats ��� for something, anything, really ��� Daysen opened the boot.

  ‘It’s empty’, he reported, disappointment in his voice.

  ‘Completely?’ Elena asked, straightening her back.

  ‘Except for some specks of dust ���’

  ‘There must be a first-aid box and a spare tyre, at least ���’

  ‘I’m telling you. Nothing.’

  ‘Ah!’ Swiftly, she came to his side and stared into the boot which in fact appeared completely empty. However, she also found it a little small for such a large car. Elena dove in and let her hands glide over the carpeted surface of the boot. She eventually found the mechanism that allowed her to lift of the bottom to reveal a generous space below. It held the spare tyre in a recess, the associated equipment and the first-aid box, as well as cans with engine oil and defroster. She took all of this out piece by piece, and at last she lifted the tyre. Beneath it, a leather folder came into view. The moment Daysen saw it, he gave a satisfied grunt and snatched it, not even thinking about relieving Elena from the weight of the spare tyre (but she had accepted this by now, that he was only chivalrous when it suited him). Soon after, they sat in the car again, looking at the leather folder. Jack carefully released the straps around it and it fell open. What they saw made them held their breath. There were sheets after sheets of paper, covered in symbols and squiggles, but that wasn’t what made them stare. It was the emblem heading the papers; a jackal head with dead eyes, the mask of Anubis.

  For more than a minute, none of them spoke. Their minds were busy with the implications of what they had discovered.

  ‘Is this a coincidence?’ Elena whispered eventually.

  Jack looked at her coolly. ‘Do you really think that?’

  She shook her head.

  ‘Nor do I’, he said. ‘Let’s face it. This proves beyond a doubt that there is a conspiracy. And Leshnikov was somehow part of it.’

  ‘Somehow?’

  Jack shrugged. ‘I have been thinking about this a lot. How he was able to get here, to set himself up so well with that perfect cover. Certainly that would have been easier to achieve if he had help.’

  ‘But I always thought his motives were personal? His wife dying in the fire?’

  ‘That’s not mutually exclusive. In fact, the grudge he had against me may have been utilized by the jackal-mask cowards. Maybe their reasoning was to let Leshnikov try and get to me first, after all he might have succeeded which would have meant one job less for them.’

  ‘But now he’s dead, which means that ���’

  ‘��� they have to do the dirty work, yes. ��� Lupin said something about this. He believes that there is a secret organization that helps Death Eaters in hiding, gets them out of the country; but they also have a different agenda. Undermining the wizarding world, for instance, quietly replacing the positions of power. And as it appears, this is exactly what’s happening right now.’

  ‘And possibly, it’s connected to the Crowleys and their academy.’

  ‘Possibly. We don’t know that yet. ��� However, if it is true, it makes your spy work all the more dangerous.’

  ‘And more important. I can’t go back on it now.’

  ‘You can, if you want to.’

  ‘I don’t want to. I couldn’t live with myself if I did.’

  Daysen sighed. A deep vertical line appeared above his nose, as it always did when he was worried or thinking hard.

  ‘What about this writing?’ Elena asked quickly to forestall another discussion. ‘Looks like a code, doesn’t it?’

  Jack nodded. ‘I’m sure that’s what it is. A secret code.’

  ‘It looks really complex. We’re not going to figure that out.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say that.’ He took up one of the sheets and scrutinized it. ‘A code is no more than a language. You can figure it out once you are able to find a start. It may take quite a while, but it is really not so different from a puzzle.’

  ‘I’m no good at puzzles’, Elena said and wrinkled her nose.

  ‘I am’, Jack replied with a chuffed smile. ‘And I know a witch who’s very good at it, as well.’

  ‘Your mother?’

  But he shook his head. ‘Hermione Granger. You can say what you want about that girl, but she’s got a good head. Plus, she’s a member of the Order. And this is most certainly a case for the Order; I won’t entrust the Ministry with it.’

  ‘Clearly not’, Elena agreed, then tilted her head, musing. ‘I wonder why the jackal-mask guys didn’t get Leshnikov’s car?’

  ‘Because they are wizards’, Daysen said matter-of-factly. ‘To them, a Muggle thing such as a car is inconsequential. That’s the way they think. That’s also why it took you to find it.’

  Elena felt her cheeks starting to glow with pride. She also went into a kind of investigative enthusiasm. ‘Go through the papers’, she suggested, ‘maybe we can finally find Leshnikov’s base? Where he lived? He must have lived somewhere!’

  Jack went through the stack of sheets, carefully turning each one of them, but there was nothing except for symbols and squiggles. He wasn’t exactly surprised. ‘Leshnikov would have been stupid to keep personal information with this. And if we know one thing for certain, it is that he was anything but stupid.’

  ‘So we can do nothing but figure out the code?’

  ‘I can do nothing but figure out the code’, Jack said, and to Elena’s surprise, there was a small smile on his lips. ‘You, however, have a car of your own now.’

  ‘I do!’ Elena smiled with pleasure. ‘But its really ours.’ She liked the thought of possessing something with him, especially something as familial as a car.

  ‘It’s more yours because you found it and I can’t drive’, he said with a shrug.

  ‘I could teach you!’

  He looked her over speculatively. ‘You could. But not anytime soon. We are to have a bitter falling-out, remember?’

  ‘I remember’, she said with a dejected sigh. ‘That also means that we can’t see each other so much anymore. How are you going to prepare me for spying under these circumstances?’

  ‘I told you, we’ll find a way’, he said curtly, but his black eyes on her face were soft. ‘You should let Draco help you with that, as well’, he added, more carefully than he had intended, and maybe too carefully because Elena’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. She looked like somebody who was putting two and two together.

  ‘About Draco ��� don’t take this the wrong way, Jack, but ��� could it be that you are having him follow me around?’

  His eyes went from soft to cold in an instant, and that was how she knew
that she’d hit the nail on the head. ‘I have told him to look after you’, he admitted, ‘because you could learn a lot from him.’

  ‘Is that the only reason? ��� Or let me put it this way: was it Draco who told you about my meeting with McVey?’

  It’s upon stepping out onto Platform 9 �� that Theodora Adrastea Malfoy promptly decides she is very fond of trains indeed. It’s the first time she’s seen the Hogwarts Express up close with her own eyes and she does her best not to look too impressed. Inside she’s buzzing and is brimming with excitement at all the activity around her.

  Scorpius stands next to their mother, looking up at her with worry in his eyes. Thea, however, prefers not to dwell on the sullen look she gives them in return, or the way the woman tries to hide her weakness behind a smile. Thea does not let her eyes linger too long on the two of them, the way their mother’s fingers run gently over Scorpius’ hair as she smiles down proudly at him.

  She stands alone instead, watching as strangers busy themselves on the platform. Hoards of children with trunks and trolleys pass her by with smiles similar to the one Thea is hiding beneath a calculating stare. She grips onto Magnus’ cage a little tighter as she watches, unsure of all the new faces despite her previous excitement. The small cry from the cage pull her eyes from the masses and down to Magnus who looks up at her, his green eyes wide.

  ‘Not much longer, boy,’ she assures him, letting the black cat nuzzle against her fingers as she places them between the bars. ‘Once we’re on the train, I can let you out of this silly old thing.’

  ‘Just be sure not to lose him on your first day,’ a voice advices from behind her and she spins around, unable to hide her elation at seeing her father looking down at her, a small smile of his own stretching his lips.

  ‘Papa!’ she greets, her excitement controlled though her hands twitch slightly at her sides. She normally hugs him but knows better than to do so here. Malfoy’s were not much for public displays of affection, after all. Instead she looks up at him and whispers, ‘I thought you weren’t going to make it.’

  ‘And miss your first day off to Hogwarts?’ he teases her, taking her small hand in his larger one, much to her surprise. ‘Not a chance.’ She’s beaming. ‘Now, let us find your mother.’

  ‘She’s over here,’ she explains, leading him over where she left an over-anxious Scorpius next to their mother whose expression brightened upon seeing her husband.

  Upon spotting his wife, Draco Malfoy’s eyes lighten and Thea warms at the sight of his smile. She likes the way he looks at her mother. No one looks at her like he does. In fact, it is quite the opposite look that Thea normally sees. For some time she thought the looks people gave her mother was pity. Astoria Malfoy is a sickly woman, after all. But as she grew, Thea realized it was not pity. It was disgust and, worst of all, fear.

  Ridding himself of the mark is ultimately impossible, her father told her once. She was seven when she found herself brave enough to ask about the mark and the taboo that came with it. He’d been uncomfortable, the same as he gets when he visits his parents during the holidays. But he was patient in his explanation and she listened, despite not fully understanding much about the man called Voldemort and the war that had happened long before her time.

  But now the war is over and her father’s defection is well known as well as his resentment for the old ways. But still Thea sees the looks, hears ‘Death Eater’ whispered behind his back. Some aren’t as subtle. People whisper many things about the Malfoys, things that sometimes include her but her father has always insisted she ignore them. Rumors, he explained once, were simply rumors and nothing more.

  But Thea can’t ignore them, not completely. She knows what they say about her and she isn’t sure how it’s even possible. The Dark Lord’s bastard. Time travel. It is preposterous - or so she’s told. But it doesn’t stop people from looking at her, at all of them, like they’re monsters. People only see the name Malfoy, and with it, a darkness long intertwined with its genealogy.

  ‘Look, Mama. He came!’

  ‘Indeed he did, my sweet,’ the woman says, grinning as she reaches out to him and Thea watched as her father grabbed the woman’s hand in return. He squeezes it, she can tell because her mother blushes and she turns her head slightly in embarrassment. ‘Draco,’ her mother insists with a weak smile. ‘I am fine, truly.’

  ‘Mum,’ Scorpius speaks up and Thea can hear the concern in his voice again. ‘I can stay home this year. I can help make things easier for you and Father.’

  ‘Don’t be daft, Scorpius!’ is her outburst before she can stop herself and her brother narrows his eyes at her. ‘I can’t go to Hogwarts without you!’ She turns to her father for assistance. ‘Papa, tell him!’

  ‘Your sister is right,’ he agrees and she can feel a hint of relief at the sound of his tone. ‘There is no need for you to stay. I’ve already informed the Ministry that I am needed at home.’

  ‘Draco,’ Astoria speaks and this time there is a frown on her lips. ‘You resigned? But you enjoy your work so much.’

  ‘I don’t need the work, Astoria. I need to be home with my wife.’

  ‘I will be fine, truly. I don’t need either of you to-‘ but she doesn’t finish because he takes a step closer and Thea is shocked when he places his hand tenderly on her mother’s cheek. She looks around but no one has noticed.

  ‘It’s done,’ he concludes, his voice gentle but there is a hint of finality in his words as he turns to Scorpius. ‘I appreciate your willingness, son. But what I want for you is a Hogwarts education and to look after your sister while she’s there.’

  ‘I don’t expect she’ll need much help from me,’ Scorpius grumbles in return and Thea smirks.

  ‘He’s right,’ she teases. ‘I’m sure he’s the one who needs me to take care of him.’

  He sticks out his tongue at her and she returns it with one of her own.

  ‘Alright you two,’ their mother interrupts. Scorpius is the first to straighten while Thea still eyes him mischievously.

  ‘It won’t matter anyways,’ Thea adds. ‘He’ll be much too busy in Ravenclaw to keep an eye on me, bookworm that he is.’

  ‘Oh?’ her mother says, eyebrow rising at Thea’s interjection. ‘And what makes you so certain you won’t be sorted to Ravenclaw as well? You share many of the same interests as your brother.’ Thea scoffs. ‘Don’t be so certain you know where you will end up, my dear. Scorpius was certain he’d be sorted to Slytherin. You never know where the Sorting Hat will say. Perhaps you’ll even be sorted into Gryffindor.’

  Thea and her father make exaggerated noises of disgust at this notion and her mother rolls her eyes because she thinks they’re both being childish.

  ‘Scorpius has his mother’s mind indeed,’ her father replies, placing his hand on his son’s shoulder. ‘But I’m not sure any doubt this one will be wearing green come supper time.’

  The train sounds once, breaking up their quiet merriment and suddenly all of Thea’s brief apprehensions dissipate. In their place, the dull excitement of the Hogwarts Express returns.

  ‘It’s time,’ she cheers under breath and she looks up at her mother who has tears welling up in her eyes. ‘Oh Mama, it will be alright. I’ll write to you as much as you’d like,’ she assures, grabbing hold of her mother who engulfs her in a warm hug. Scorpius follows suit but lingers a few moments longer than Thea who moves quickly over to her father to say goodbye.

  She looks up and he’s not hiding his smile.

  ‘I will be Slytherin, won’t I?’ she whispers, half doubting her own assurances just moments ago and he chuckled softly.

  ‘Don’t worry, darling,’ he says, placing his lips against her forehead. ‘You may have inherited your mother’s looks, but you are undoubtedly your father’s daughter,’ he explains, crouching down to her level and places his warm fingers under her chin. His face grows serious now. ‘Never forget that. Promise?’

  She does promise him, nodding curtl
y as she does and then grabs hold of Scorpius’ hand to pull him away towards the whistling train. She doesn’t look back as she boards, too engulfed in the elation that is washing over her. Her family waits behind her waving though she doesn’t notice.

  If she’d known it was the last time her mother would be standing there waving her off to school, she would have turned around one last time.

  But she doesn’t. And she regrets it.

  FIVE YEARS LATER

  Magnus is meowing from his golden cage and Thea doesn’t blame him because she’s growing just as impatient. She stands on the platform, her patent leather flats tapping vigorously on the stone as she waits.

  Albus is always late.

  Even knowing this doesn’t dampen her impatience as she awaits the arrival of the Potters. For the moment, the scowling is kept at bay and yet she still earns several stares from fellow classmates as they pass.

  ‘Would it kill them to try and arrive on time for once?’ she grumbles and her father glances down at his pocketwatch.

  ‘It’s nearly last call, the conductor will be shouting out any moment,’ he points out as if she hasn’t been checking the time as well. Her tapping grows quicker.

  Both glance up to see Scorpius, sitting a few windows to their left and Thea can see his eyes are far away despite the large group of his fellow Ravenclaws currently occupying the compartment with him.

  ‘He hates today,’ she whispers and her father only nods. ‘He misses her all the time,’ she adds and when she looks back at her father she sees his eyes fall.

  ‘I know,’ he replies, his voice catching slightly.

  ‘He’ll be okay,’ she adds, realizing she’s just made things worse and even attempts a small smile in the corner of her mouth. He mirrors the false comfort and places his hand on her shoulder.

  ‘I know that too,’ he says. ‘He has you looking out for him.’

  ‘As always,’ she teases and they both allow a small chuckle.

  The conductor is shouting out and the warm moment with her father ends as scowls replaces both of their features and her father sighs.