Chapter 134 - The Mask

Praeris was so furious she laughed.

She hadn't expected Potter to think like that. On the other side was Voldemort, instigator of the last Wizarding War, the most powerful Dark wizard alive apart from Grindelwald.

Did Dumbledore not want to defeat him?

No. Voldemort was simply that cunning.

And now Potter actually wanted to access Voldemort's thoughts. To reverse-engineer his plans.

Why not just hand Potter the title of Greatest White Wizard? Compared to him, Dumbledore's courage and insight fell short by several degrees!

She turned her face away, then turned it back, forcing down the mocking smile. "Understanding Voldemort's thoughts. Is that it?"

"Come on, then," Praeris said, her tone almost breezy. "Come to Myrtle's bathroom right now and I'll teach you Legilimency."

Hermione couldn't hold back any longer. She had activated the Two-Way Mirror hoping Praeris would talk Harry out of this. But Praeris actually wanted to teach Harry Legilimency!

"Praeris, how can you —" Hermione started.

Harry shouted into the mirror, urgent and furious, "What time do you think it is? And you're talking about Legilimency? Right. Of course you don't care whether Sirius Black lives or dies. Because he and Snape don't get along!"

"Ha!" Praeris gave a cold laugh. "Of course I have to teach you Legilimency. Otherwise, how would you see all the memories I've woven for you inside my own mind?"

"As long as I feel like it, based on nothing more than the Sirius Black I've seen in the newspapers — I could fabricate seven or eight different death scenarios for him."

"Do you see it, Harry?" Hermione turned to shout at him. "If Praeris can do that, why couldn't Voldemort? He's deceiving you. He wants you to leave your protected area on your own. To leave Hogwarts!"

Praeris glanced at Hermione with quiet appreciation. She believed people had different roles to play, but she would always admire the intelligent.

"Righteous people are always easy to manipulate," Praeris said coldly. "Good people make kind decisions too readily. They let love drive their actions. As long as you believe Black is in danger, you'll risk your life to save him, Dumbledore's orders be damned."

She was talking about Harry. But she was also talking about Winnie. And herself. She didn't consider herself especially kind, but she was always captured by love.

Winnie was the same way. Voldemort didn't even need to send people to take her. The moment Ms. Prim was in hand, Winnie would walk to their door herself.

"There's nothing wrong with kindness!" Harry shouted. "You can only say that because it doesn't concern you! If Winnie Brown were the one dying, could you be this calm? Would you gamble on that one-in-a-million chance? Would you actually tell yourself it's Voldemort's scheme?"

"Harry!" Hermione went pale.

She knew exactly where Winnie Brown was right now, sent back to Voldemort's side, fighting to survive. Words like that felt like an omen, sharp and wrong.

Harry ignored her. "Right now you're watching from the far shore, so it doesn't cost you a thing. But if the person in danger were someone you loved, could you still say that?"

"And you, Hermione." He was firing in every direction now. "You just said I'm too reckless about saving people. But when I saved you from the Dementors, did you think that then? Ron, when I saved your sister, did you think that then?"

Praeris had to admit it. Potter's logic was sharp and his attacks were sharper. Every single person in that conversation had been struck silent.

"Enough." Praeris exhaled. "Black is not going to leave your base. Ms. Prim is there right now. She's injured, still hasn't recovered, and needs protection."

"You don't understand!" Harry said, his voice stubborn and raw. "He's always wanted to leave. To be useful. He's lonely. He's miserable..."

SLAP!

Someone had entered the classroom on Hermione's end. The Two-Way Mirror was flipped face-down before the image could be seen, and everything went dark.

Praeris stood there, chest aching with a fury she had no outlet for. Potter would rather admit that Black was reckless and selfish, and then walk straight into a trap at the Department of Mysteries anyway.

She had to find the professor. This had to reach the professor.

Praeris ran out of the bathroom at a sprint, not even pausing to thank Myrtle.

Myrtle covered her face and wailed. "Rude Praeris! I'm breaking up with you for one hour!"

"Sorry!" The voice came floating back from the far end of the corridor.

Myrtle's bathroom was on the second floor. Snape's office was in the dungeons.

Praeris had barely hit the underground level when Millicent appeared out of nowhere and stepped into her path.

"Prae, where are you going? Professor Umbridge just summoned all the Inquisitorial Squad members. Aren't you coming?"

"She summoned everyone?" Praeris forced herself to stop. "What does she want?"

"Something about catching a thief?" Millicent looked uncertain. "Pansy said you'd gone to the bathroom. I wanted to wait for you..."

Pansy had gone on ahead. Millicent had told her to, Praeris had been gone too long and Millicent couldn't settle.

There was a selfish reason in it, too. After deciding to cut ties with her mother, Millicent had lost most of her interest in the Inquisitorial Squad's activities. Unlike the others, her dream was to become a Quidditch commentator. Not a thug for the Ministry of Magic. What did serving Umbridge do for that?

When Millicent's aunt Becky heard of her decision, she had been thrilled. She wrote back to say she had already used her connections to arrange for Millicent to shadow a well-known commentator over the summer.

So Millicent had two reasons to stand here in this corridor: she genuinely cared about Praeris, who had been quietly looking out for her for a long time now, and she was also looking for a reason not to be Umbridge's pawn.

Catching a thief. Umbridge wanted to catch Potter.

"Millie, go back without me." Praeris squeezed her hand. "I need to find Professor Snape." She turned and kept running.

Millicent stood rooted to the spot, lips moving. "Then I'll... I'll head back to the dorm, all right? You said I could..."

BANG!

For the first time in 5 years, Praeris hit an office door like she was trying to knock it off its hinges.

Her physical condition had improved over those years. She still couldn't be called strong. This stretch of sprinting had nearly split her windpipe. She stood hunched over Snape's desk, dragging in ragged breath after ragged breath, loud and broken as a cracked bellows.

"Sir, Potter, Potter," She braced both hands on the desk. "He wants, to go, to the Department of Mysteries, Black,"

Snape steadied her with one hand and snapped, low and sharp, "What do you mean? Speak clearly!"

Praeris pulled one breath all the way down, then let it out in a single rush. "Potter says he saw the Dark Lord in a vision. The Dark Lord is going to kill Sirius Black. Potter wants to go to the Department of Mysteries to save him."

Snape released her immediately. He turned without a word and walked straight toward the fireplace.

"Sir!"

He was already gone. The door swung back, and Draco stepped through it, then stopped. The office held no one but Praeris.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Where did Professor Snape go? Professor Umbridge is looking for him."

Umbridge's office.

The door stood wide open. The person who walked through it was not Draco or Snape. It was Praeris.

She looked mildly puzzled, eyes moving over everyone in the room. "Professor Umbridge," she said carefully. "Were you looking for Professor Snape?"

"Why is it you!" Umbridge's displeasure was immediate, and it was plain she was cycling through every instance of this girl's uselessness. "Where is Professor Snape?"

Praeris scratched her head. "He went to purchase herbs. Some ingredients aren't suited to the school environment, you know how it is. Gillyweed, for instance, only grows in the Mediterranean region, so naturally you can't simply..."

She would have kept going indefinitely if she could. Every second Harry and the others were still inside these walls was a second they weren't walking into a trap.

"Ah, Prince!" Umbridge cut her off. The smile snapped back into place, sweet as pink icing. "Well. That will do. You've been assisting Professor Snape, haven't you?"

"Yes, Professor."

"I need a bottle of Veritaserum." Umbridge's voice sharpened. "As soon as possible. Snape has some, surely?"

She thrust her face close. Praeris blinked.

"Veritaserum," she repeated, as if working through a difficult concept.

Under Umbridge's waiting gaze, Praeris looked back at her with wide dark eyes, perfectly earnest. "The last bottle was taken by you, wasn't it? A full bottle, but an interrogation only requires three drops. You..." She hesitated delicately. "Used it all?"

The color in Umbridge's face shifted. Her voice went sweeter. "Can you brew Veritaserum, Prince? The Slytherins tell me you can brew almost any potion."

Praeris let her gaze drift across the room. Pansy holding Hermione. Crabbe's arm locked around Neville's throat. Draco standing with his arms folded, watching it all with satisfied eyes.

She nodded. "Of course, Professor. Happy to be of service."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at her. None of them could quite believe it.

Umbridge exhaled. "I will reward you for this, Prince. Head Girl, you'll be Head Girl! Now brew it quickly. I need it urgently. Tonight, preferably."

"Tonight?" Praeris's expression was one of pure bewildered shock. "You mean you need it right now? But... a bottle of Veritaserum takes over a month to brew."

The three Gryffindors quietly, collectively, breathed again.

"Over a month!" Umbridge shrieked.

She lunged. Her hand closed on Praeris's collar. Draco took a sharp step forward, reached out, then pulled his hand back. "Professor Umbridge!"

"I need it tonight! Tonight!" Umbridge shook her. "Where has Snape gone? When is he coming back?"

Praeris pulled weakly at the grip on her collar. "Professor Umbridge, even if Professor Snape came back, it wouldn't help. It would still take him a month."

Umbridge's face was beyond ugly now. "Don't you have any stock at all?! Prince! You are aware that Snape is still under probationary review!"

"We, we don't!" The tears in Praeris's voice were genuine enough to be convincing. "This potion isn't common. We barely use it. We've been working on the Hospital Wing's supply shortage, there hasn't been time to restock something so rarely needed..."

Draco had never seen Praeris cry before. Something in his throat went tight.

He made himself move. He stepped forward, put himself between Praeris and Umbridge, and pulled her back. "Professor. You're frightening her."

Praeris slipped immediately behind him.

"Out! Get out!" Umbridge shouted. She had remembered, all over again, exactly how useless this girl was. No good in a conversation, no good in action, couldn't even brew a simple Veritaserum, always an excuse, always a problem!

Draco walked Praeris toward the door. They were nearly through it when Harry's voice cut across everything.

"Tell him! You have to tell him!"

"Tell who!" Umbridge spun toward Harry, then toward Praeris. "Who is he? What does that mean? Prince, tell me what he's talking about!"

Praeris would have dearly liked to kick Harry Potter.

She gripped Draco's hand tightly. Her eyes were red. "What? Which him?"

Then, quietly, to Draco: "Is he actually not right in the head?"

"Clearly." Draco's voice was contemptuous. "Potter, desperate times may call for desperate measures, but surely not desperate enough to appeal to a Slytherin prefect."

Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad dissolved into laughter.

Draco steered Praeris out into the corridor. He patted her shoulder. "I should've just said Professor Snape was nowhere to be found. Hmph. Umbridge is too impatient." A pause. "Hey. Stop crying. It was my fault, all right?"

Praeris lifted one finger and wiped away the few tears she had managed to produce. "No," she said. "It was my fault,"

Draco looked stricken. "Don't — don't say that! I — I — I'm going back to the office!" He was already retreating.

Praeris watched him go. The guilt sat heavy in her chest.

She had used his feelings. Used him to get herself out.

Perhaps she had inherited the worst of what Slytherin was. The Bloody Baron deceived Helena of Ravenclaw. Voldemort deceived Helena Ravenclaw's ghost. And she deceived Draco.

She turned and walked back through the empty corridor.

It echoed around her like the hollow space in her chest.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, the sky had gone dark.

Hermione had dealt with Umbridge using Hagrid's brother Grawp. The Weasley twins, Ginny, Luna, and Neville had all arrived. They were leaving Hogwarts on Thestrals.

They had just climbed onto the creatures' backs when a voice came from behind them.

"Hermione!"

They all turned at once.

A cloaked figure stood watching them. Her face was covered by a medieval masquerade mask, the kind you might find in the Room of Requirement.

"P, Talia!" Hermione looked at Harry, then back at the figure, caught between two things she couldn't reconcile.

Ginny and the others exchanged confused looks. They had no idea what this was.

"Going somewhere?" Praeris reached into her pocket, drew out a folded piece of parchment, and dropped it on the ground in front of them. "Impulsive. Always impulsive. Every single time one of you acts on impulse, it costs someone else far more."

Everyone present was a member of the DA.

They all knew exactly what that parchment was.

The DA roster.

➤ Next: The Department of Mysteries