Chapter Thirty-Eight - The Quibbler
The cold snowy weather of January eventually warmed and February came, bringing buckets of rain and lashing wind.
Time was flying, and Izabella was already looking forward to the summer. She was thinking of booking a holiday for her, Sirius and Harry. Somewhere hot, like Spain, and private of course so Sirius wouldn't have to worry about being seen. It would be good for Harry to get away for a while. It was the least he deserved.
The morning was cold as Izabella hurried through the Great Hall and she poured herself a large mug of steaming coffee as soon as she sat down. She started to devour a bowl of hot porridge, nodding at Snape as he sat down beside her.
“Morning,” she said with a smile.
“Good morning.” he replied, looking up as a swarm of owls flew through the windows, bringing the morning post. A large brown owl landed infront of Snape and he untied the newspaper from it's leg, replacing it with a Knut.
“Why do you still buy that?” Izabella asked in a disgusted voice and she spotted a headline about Dumbledore.
Snape rolled his eyes and opened the paper. He lowered the paper suddenly as something caught his eye. Izabella followed his gaze and her forehead creased as she saw the Gryffindor table swamped in owls and letters.
She spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione ripping open the envelopes and throwing bits of parchment around the table.
“What the...?” Izabella said quietly as she watched them. Snape narrowed his eyes and started to stand up.
“I'll deal with this thank you Severus.” said Umbridge shortly as she stood up and strode towards Harry.
Snape returned to his seat and shared a look with Izabella before they turned to watch the exchange. Umbridge snatched something out of Harry's hand then rushed out of the Great Hall, her face furious.
Izabella watched Harry; he seemed triumphant. Suddenly Professor Sprout was by her side.
“I think it may have something to do with this.” she said quietly in her ear, handing her a magazine then waddling back to her seat.
Izabella looked down at the magazine then gasped slightly as Harry looked out at her from the front cover. She ripped open the cover and skimmed to Harry's interview, Snape reading it over her shoulder.
“This is fantastic.” she said chuckling.
Snape frowned and pointed to a piece of text halfway down the page. Izabella leant closer and read it more carefully.
“McNair... Crabbe... Goyle and Lucius Malfoy were all there as Death Eaters.” Izabella mumbled as she read it. She gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “Why Harry?” she moaned to herself quietly.
Snape sighed and gestured for her to follow him. She folded up the magazine and made her way to his office, shutting the door after checking no one was about outside.
“When did Potter do this?” Snape said, sitting down and clenching his jaw. Izabella shrugged.
“I have no idea... Not in school time surely.”
“Hogsmede.” Snape said, comprehension dawning on his face.
“I told you someone should have been with him.” she said rolling her eyes. “Will Lucius get investigated because of this?” she asked, biting her lip.
Snape shook his head, his eyes glazed and his expression thoughtful.
“No. No one at the Ministry will believe Potter just because of an interview... But if Fudge finally realizes that the Dark Lord has returned... Then he might be in trouble.”
Snape turned his head to look at her and she ran a hand through her hair as she collapsed into a chair.
“Come in.” Snape called out as there was a frantic knock on the door. An agitated Draco burst into the room, his forehead creased.
“Professor have you seen it?”
“Of course I have. Come in and sit down.”
Draco shut the door and moved the chair beside Izabella.
“What are we going to do?” he demanded.
“Calm down Draco. Nothing will happen to you father.” Snape said reassuringly.
Draco nodded slightly, then clenched his fists.
“How dare Potter say my father is a Death Eater.”
Izabella stared at him incredulously.
“He is.” she said, frowning at him and shaking her head.
“So are you!” Draco yelled, turning towards her. “But you didn't get mentioned did you? None of you did. Because you have Dumbledore protecting you.”
There was a silence following his outburst and Snape raised his eyebrows at Izabella. She sighed and leant towards Draco.
“Look,” she said in a quiet voice. “Nothing will happen to your father okay? I promise. I won't let anything harm him.” She placed a hand on his arm gently and looked at him with a soft expression. He nodded slightly then narrowed his eyes at her.
“Why do you care about my father so much?” he asked in a calmer voice. Izabella sighed and leant back in her chair.
“He's been a good friend of mine for a long time.”
Draco looked at her, arching an eyebrow slightly and she laughed.
“I'm sorry Draco. I think your father should be the one to tell you.” He nodded slightly and twitched his nose. Izabella smiled fondly as she looked at the image of a young Lucius. With a sigh she stood up.
“You're a good person Draco.” she said quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder for a moment. He smiled slightly. With a nod at her brother, Izabella left the room, leaning against the wall for a moment and taking a steadying breath. Then she sighed and rushed to her classroom to be in time for her first lesson.
__________________
SlytherinGirl. FanFic Lover |