Chapter 2

The candles in the Great Hall floated above their heads beneath the starry sky of that first September night, which was gradually clouding over, covering the stars with a grayish veil. Edmund Pevensie sat at the Slytherin table, laughing heartily as he listened to Astoria Greengrass recount a humorous anecdote about her vacation. Everything seemed the same as it had in his first year at Hogwarts. He was a bit older now, and so were his friends. They laughed and talked with him as if nothing had changed. However, something had indeed changed.

Edmund had become aware of the obvious. Not everyone at his table was smiling like him. Despite the lively conversation and the festive atmosphere that usually accompanied the start of a new school year at Hogwarts, tension hung in the air. While his friends shared laughter and anecdotes, there were other Slytherin students exchanging worried glances, speaking in hushed tones as they scrutinized the faces of members from other houses.

Throughout the summer, Edmund had chosen to avoid the topic of the Second Wizarding War, not wanting to truly believe in the implications of Lord Voldemort's return. But that reality had reached the school, the Great Hall, and specifically their table, even though many tried to feign normalcy. Reality couldn't be ignored any longer.

The tension between Slytherin and the rest of the school had been brewing for years; it was not a new development. But the return of the Dark Lord had further polarized the positions within the house of the serpent.

He directed his gaze toward Draco Malfoy, who sat in absolute silence just a few meters away. Edmund couldn't help but wonder if that same young man had been dining in the same absolute silence in August, just a few days prior, in the presence of the Dark Lord.

His father, Robert Pevensie, had been meeting with the Order of the Phoenix at their home for days. The four children were strictly forbidden from listening to what was said in that room, but Edmund had always had a problem with following rules.

Little could be heard from the garden window where he had strategically chosen to sit, reading and smoking in secret. However, the words "Malfoy Manor" had been repeated too many times for the young Slytherin's suspicion regarding Draco to be unfounded.

"Lucy Pevensie!" Professor McGonagall called out, holding the Sorting Hat in her hand.

Edmund realized he had been lost in his thoughts throughout the Sorting ceremony. He turned to look at his sister, who, despite being in her third year, was attending Hogwarts for the first time due to their family's recent relocations.

He watched her walk nervously to the stool and couldn't help but remember his own Sorting. Although their parents had instilled in them a love for all the Hogwarts houses, he had felt the weight of his heritage when the Sorting Hat had settled on his head. He was the first Pevensie in generations to be sorted into Slytherin, and it had rarely happened since their expulsion from the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

Peter was convinced that his sister would be sorted into Gryffindor, just like him. After all, she was "The Brave Lucy." Susan, on the other hand, hoped to join her sister in Ravenclaw, but like Edmund, suspected that the Sorting Hat wouldn't reveal that outcome.

As the minutes stretched on, the Great Hall grew more and more intrigued. The word "Hatstall" began to be whispered from mouth to mouth. The Sorting Hat had been silent for over five minutes, deliberating. Lucy Pevensie was making history as one of the few students in the school's history to take this long to be sorted.

Edmund, however, was not surprised. He knew that Lucy had the potential to shine in any house. Underestimating Lucy was a mistake he would not make again.

"Hufflepuff!" The long-awaited voice of the Sorting Hat resonated against the walls of the silent Great Hall before being drowned in cheers and excitement. Lucy descended the steps, fully immersed in the sea of yellow at the Hufflepuff table.

Edmund looked at Peter, who responded with a mixture of sorrow and joy.

"One Pevensie in each house," Astoria said beside him with a teasing smile. "A truly unique family."

"In our family, no one knows the inside of another common room besides Slytherin," Daphne commented by his side.

"You'll have to sneak in one day," Edmund replied mysteriously while smiling.

"Come on, Pevensie, that's forbidden," Astoria said.

"Ah, true," Edmund said in a mysterious tone, still smiling.

"Have you snuck into other common rooms, Pevensie?" a cold voice came from behind.

Edmund recognized Draco Malfoy's voice instantly. It sounded more mature, but the tone was the same as that of the third-year student who had attempted to torment him during his first year at Hogwarts. The words "blood traitor" still echoed in his mind.

"You haven't, Malfoy?" Edmund replied without even looking at him.

"No, Pevensie," Draco said. "It never concerned me until now."

"What has changed?" Edmund asked, imitating Draco's cold tone.

"They say a war is coming. Maybe you haven't heard about it in that little Muggle neighborhood where you live," the sixth-year student said. "However, the rest of us know how to assume our responsibility."

"What does that have to do with entering common rooms?"

Edmund turned to look Draco in the eyes. He simply smiled for a second, and before he could say anything else, he disappeared from view, returning to his corner at the table.

"Don't pay him any mind," Astoria said. "He's been acting strange since..."

"Greengrass, keep your mouth shut," Blaise Zabini interrupted, joining the conversation.

"Since the return," Astoria finished, ignoring him.

"Well, maybe the return has meant more for some than for others," Zabini said coldly.

"Nevertheless, we'll all end up paying the price, Blaise," Astoria responded in an angry tone.

Edmund decided not to intervene in the conversation. Yet, with just that conversation, he knew. Perhaps the wizarding war had not fully erupted, but in the Slytherin house, its students had been preparing in the trenches for some time. Each student in green robes had a story behind them. Different opinions, different fears. Some were driven by ambition, while others were willing to break the rules for the first time. Some adhered strictly to the rules they had been given all their lives, while others were now willing to break them. No, this would definitely not be a normal year for the Slytherin house.

Lucy woke up with the first rays of morning light, as the reflections from the surface of the Great Lake danced on the ceiling of the room. She sat up slowly, wearing a smile, and gazed once again at her cozy room. Its low ceilings and rounded shapes reminded her of a Hobbit's house. Her roommate, Eleanor Branstone, was already awake and getting dressed for their first day at school.

"Good morning, roommate," the third-year student greeted with a smile. "How was your first night in the Hufflepuff dormitory?"

"Incredible," Lucy replied with a yawn as she sat up.

"Now, your first day at Hogwarts awaits," Eleanor said with a smile. "What electives have you chosen for this year?"

"I've picked Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Muggle Studies," Lucy replied. "They teach Care of Magical Creatures from the second year at Ilvermorny."

"You'll be ahead of the class, then. This year, we're lucky to have Hagrid teaching again. Well, you're fortunate in general that Umbridge was expelled from the school."

"I've heard about last year," Lucy said. "It must have been a nightmare. Is it true that they didn't teach anything practical in Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Yes, that's how it was. Can you imagine? It was horrible. Although, well, this year we have Snape."

"Peter told me he was terrifying as a Potions professor," Lucy said.

"Is Peter the Gryffindor or the Slytherin?" Eleanor asked curiously.

"He's the Gryffindor," Lucy replied as she pulled her clothes out of her trunk. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I overheard a group of fifth-year Hufflepuffs talking to a few Ravenclaws about them yesterday."

"What were they saying?"

"They said they've changed a lot... If I were your brothers, I'd be careful."

Both of them laughed and continued chatting and gossiping for a while as they finished getting ready to head to breakfast. Lucy felt reassured that she had quickly made a friend. She had been terrified about starting in her third year, when the rest of her classmates had already spent two years at Hogwarts. But this girl treated her as if they had known each other their whole lives.

"Peter is actually much shyer than he appears," Lucy said. "He never lets that stop him; he hides a leader within..."

"Edmund seems more mischievous," her new friend remarked.

"Indeed, you've got him figured out," Lucy said with a laugh.

"So, if the fifth years ask, should I tell them about their single status?"

Lucy remembered the scene from the night before. Before her Sorting, she had come to the castle not by the lake with the first-year students but had taken one of the carriages with her brother Peter. Before the Sorting Hat called her, she had spent the first moments before dinner and the Sorting ceremony sitting among the Gryffindors.

Peter had been denying it all summer, despite Susan and Edmund's teasing. However, Lucy noticed the moment when Peter saw Hermione Granger among the crowd on the other side of the table. Her brother was an expert at hiding his feelings; he had been practicing for years. But Lucy had also been deciphering that face for years.

His eyes opened slightly, and his mouth barely parted in a sigh. Lucy was convinced that if the Great Hall had been quiet, she would have heard her older brother's heart accelerate.

But Lucy wasn't Edmund or Susan. When her brother realized she was watching, he turned to her for a second, and instead of trying to deceive her, he gave her a small smile with a hint of sadness. Lucy simply leaned against his shoulder, hugging him tightly, and immediately changed the subject.

"That's confidential information, Eleanor," Lucy said mysteriously.

"Alright, keep your secrets," her friend said. "But I'll find out; I'm excessively nosy."

"I'll test your detective skills, then."

Lucy's first day was spectacular. Hogwarts was a truly magical place, and combined with Lucy's ability to enjoy everything, her first Monday was truly memorable. After breakfast in the Great Hall, she rushed off to her morning classes. That day, she had Herbology, Charms, and Potions. She finished the afternoon with Care of Magical Creatures, where, apart from excelling due to her prior studies in the subject, she finally met Hagrid, whom her brothers had talked about so much. She loved everything about the castle. The food, the commotion, the views from every window, and the shortcuts that Eleanor showed her to get around. The very movement of her robe flowing through the hallways, the vegetation in the greenhouses, and the bubbling in the potions class. Everything.

However, the blow came in the late afternoon when she finally sat down to dinner and saw the headline in "The Daily Prophet" that she hadn't been able to read that morning due to the excitement of her first day. She hadn't seen her siblings or anyone who could have told her the tragic news hidden within those yellowed pages.

Just by seeing Professor Digory Kirke's face on the cover, Lucy Pevensie knew exactly what had happened. She gripped the newspaper so tightly that she wrinkled its pages between her fists.

Her eyes filled with tears, and a deep sadness overcame her. She felt a profound sorrow that spread throughout her body, making her tremble.

"Lucy... Lu..." Eleanor's distant voice beside her called. "Lucy? Are you okay?"

But Lucy didn't answer. Without saying a word, she suddenly let go of the pages of news, which fell onto her soup as she rushed out of the room.

She ran through the hallways, aimlessly, until she was exhausted. The youngest Pevensie leaned against a wall, illuminated only by the torchlight, and started crying even harder as she collapsed to the ground.

Peter's arms suddenly enveloped her in silence. Lucy buried her face in his chest while Susan's delicate hands began to stroke her hair.

"They killed the Professor," Lucy said between sobs. "Why? Why?"

For a few moments, no one answered; they simply held her tighter. But from the end of the hallway, Edmund Pevensie's sad yet furious voice echoed against the stone walls in a hushed whisper.

"They know," Edmund said, "it must be that; they know about Narnia."

Her three brothers turned to look at the Slytherin and then at each other, anguish in their eyes. Lucy stopped crying instantly, and her expression changed abruptly. When she stood up, her brothers no longer saw the new Hufflepuff student, but Queen Lucy, the Valiant.

"It's time to tell Peter and Susan what Aslan told us," she said seriously.

Susan and Peter looked at each other, intrigue in their faces. Edmund kept his serious expression and stared at Lucy intently. Outside, thunder broke the silence in the hallway as the light flickered through the windows.

"Are you sure, Lucy?" Edmund asked seriously.

"If the death of Professor Kirke is connected to what I suspect, we don't have much time to waste, Edmund," Lucy declared, "for Narnia..."

"And for Aslan," Edmund finished in a whisper.

Polly Plummer carefully combed her white hair, looking at her reflection in the small bathroom mirror. Her fingers still trembled from the anguish of the night before, and as she gazed into the glass, she couldn't help but feel that she had aged even more since then.

The pain was indescribable, as was her sadness and anger. She couldn't bear it: Digory, little Digory, had died. Others had lost a teacher, a great scholar, a friend, an ally.

She felt that she had lost everything. That little Slytherin, the boy who had witnessed the birth of that beautiful world with her, they had both been there with the Lion, listening to the beautiful music among the trees. Now, it was all just memories. The only link that connected her to that place was dead. And the memories, disjointed, seemed even more distant.

She finished buttoning her black blouse and went out into the hallway of that cozy house. As soon as she left the bathroom, another door in the hallway opened almost immediately, revealing the concerned face of Helen Pevensie, who couldn't hide the worry in her expression.

"Polly... How are you?" she whispered sweetly.

The old auror Plummer didn't know what to say to that question, so she chose to look into Helen Pevensie's eyes with sadness. Helen approached her to offer her arm.

"How is Robert?" the elderly woman asked with concern.

"He's still a bit bruised, but he's getting better," she replied, trying to smile.

"He's lucky to be married to a healer," Polly said with as much sweetness as she could muster in the somber place that was now her mind.

"And to think that I wanted to have a bookstore," Helen said in a sigh. "A second war is approaching, all for what we fought for..."

"Everything we fought for is still good, Helen," Polly said. "Someday, you'll have your bookstore."

"The bookstore doesn't matter anymore; I only care about..."

"The children," Polly finished.

"...And Robert," Helen finished.

Polly looked at Helen with tenderness, and for a moment, she forgot all the darkness that filled her heart to place the palm of her hand on the woman's cheek before giving her a small touch on the chin.

"Strength, my dear."

Helen laughed.

"I'm becoming less and less a girl every day, Polly."

"You are brave, you are strong," the elderly woman said. "You've proven it a thousand and one times. Your husband saved me from certain death less than twenty-four hours ago."

Mrs. Pevensie whispered with sadness, tears in her eyes.

"Just thinking about what Voldemort could have done to you, Polly... to discover the secrets you hold..."

"He wouldn't have found anything he wants to know, my dear," Polly said.

"How?"

"Digory had a stronger mind than mine; he decided... he decided not to share the secrets. He said he wanted to free me from my burden," Polly's expression darkened. "The Dark One saw it, before using me as leverage to make him tell the truth. He saw that Digory had erased my memories."

"You don't remember what the Dark Lord wants to know?" Helen asked.

"No, I have nothing to give him," she said. "I'm just an old woman with a couple of beautiful memories. I can't give him what he wants, because it's no longer there."

Helen nodded slowly as she helped Polly to sit on one of the sofas in the living room. Taking a seat in front of her, she remained silent for a few moments, biting her lip. Polly knew what that mother was going to ask before she mustered the courage to look her in the eyes again and speak to the elderly woman with a trembling voice.

"And my children?" Helen asked with fear. "Do my children have the answer to what Voldemort is searching for?"