The Empress of Magic

 ,, Miss Grindelwald-Lestrange!!" Celestia turned her head at the sound of someone calling out her name, coming face to face with a flabbergasted Professor McGonagall, a worried-looking Professor Sprout, a shocked yet impressed-looking Professor Flitwick, and a very annoyed Professor Snape.

, .... Wonderful.....' thought the half-Veela, her eyebrow twitching as she resisted the urge to massage the bride of her nose. , ... I can feel a migraine coming......'

,, Good Merlin....... What happened to you!?" asked Professor Sprout immediately rushing forward, and checking the girl for Injuries, her hands trembling as she made contact with the scarred skin of the young Ravenclaw's arm.

Her eyes followed the lines of marred skin, her throat turning drier by the second the bigger and more obvious the marks started to become.

They looked like they belonged to someone who had tried to defend themselves from being whipped across the face by shielding themselves with their arms and hands rapidly.....

, ..... Oh, sweet Helga.........' thought the Head of Hufflepuff trying to hold back tears as she pressed a cloth on the scratches visible and still oozing blood. , .... What have we let happen to this child.....'

,, My back." she snapped her head towards Celestia upon hearing her speak, the half-Veela's eyes not meeting her own and simply continuing to gaze at the Nymphs furiously complaining to Professors Snape and Flitwick. ,, One of the Acromantulas managed to sneak up behind me and slashed me across my back. I do not know how bad it is, but it is probably the largest wound I gained....."

Upon hearing this the elder witch quickly repositioned herself to take a closer look at the girl's back, bile threatening to spill from her mouth as she was greeted by the sight of torn flesh and muscle....

Blood, a mixture of ruby red and dark maroon was steadily drenching the last remaining pieces of her nightgown and making it stick to the skin of her back and the wound itself.

, .... The fabric has already begun to dry up and is clinging to the wound....' noted the Head of Hufflepuff, carefully tugging some of it free and letting those that would require greater amounts of force remain as they were. , ..... tugging it free with force will only cause further pain......'

How the Ravenclaw had not fainted as of yet or convulsed from the amount of pain she probably was in, she did not know, but she needed to be seen by a Healer, very quickly at that.

,, Miss Grindelwald-Lestrange, I believed you out of all students to behave accordingly and not wander out on your own in the middle of the night at such dangerous times! What in Godric Gryffindors' name were you thinking, doing something so ignorant!" chastised Professor McGonagall. Fenris, who did not appreciate her tone of voice began growling loudly at her, protectively circling Celestia and Professor Sprout, and flashing his teeth at the witch.

Flesh and blood still coated his muzzle and hung between his teeth, making him appear more like the dangerous beast he was than the wolf beloved by most of Hogwarts' population.

Before the half-Veela could muster up a reply or even think about what she was going to say Professor McGonagall turned to Professor Flitwick. ,, I've told you time and time again Filius, to keep a good watch on your students, especially Miss Grindelwald! You know better than anyone else who her parents-"

That had been the wrong thing to say, the anger and rage that had simmered down since the fight with the Acromantulas, boiling over and making her lash out.

,, Will you for once in your life keep silent and listen to a student, before growing assumptions? For the Love of Rowena, you may have not noticed it yourself but there are other priorities right now than keeping up that damned House rivalry and hatred against my parents!" Celestia's aura flared out, the power it held in itself making the elder witch fall to her knees in a mixture of fear and alarm. 

Usually, the aura of a child Celestia's age wouldn't even have been enough to fully reach the Head of Gryffindor........

But it had managed to not only reach her but also overpower her own and suppress it until all that was left in her was the desire to make herself as small as possible to avoid the wrath of the younger witch in front of her, whose necklace was glowing a threatening crimson.....

She was injured, hadn't slept and her emotions had piled up over the last seven hours trying to fight for her life......

It shouldn't have been possible for a girl like her to bring her down to her knees in fear....

,, Miss Grindelwald-Lestrange! That is no-"

,, Minerva." The Head of the House of Lions stopped talking, turning to face Professor Sprout who had interrupted her before she could reprimand the Ravenclaw any further......

Pomona gave the woman a look filled with all the disappointment and anger she could muster up at the moment.

Talking about a girl's parents like that in front of her, while she lies Injured surrounded by corpses of dangerous Creatures....

The poor girl had witnessed more than her fair share of traumatic experiences for the day, she did not also need one of her Professors to belittle her because of the nature of her family at the moment....

She shook her head at her follow Professor, before turning to Celestia. ,, Here, my dear......... Let me carry you." The older witch crouched down in front of the girl and lifted her onto her back as soon as she had a secure grip on her.

,, I'll inform Lord Lestrange....... Don't you worry Miss Grindelwald, Madam Pomfrey will fix you right up!" Professor Flitwick assured the girl. Celestia offered the man a small smile, before whistling loudly to notify Fenris and Chrome to follow.

Flitwick then watched as she was carried back to the castle, Fenris and Chrome both offering their own versions of a huff as they went after the two of them....

Professor Snape had finished talking to the Centaurs and walked back to them, a certain look in his eyes that screamed that some Gryffindors were going to be in trouble.

,, Did they give you any kind of information ?" Professor Flitwick asked him.

Professor Snape's expression turned into a snarl and he turned directly to McGonagall. ,, It seems that Mister Potter and Mister Weasley decided that it would be a good idea to confront a nest of grown Acromantulas, to help Rubeus Hagrid............ Miss Grindelwald-Lestrange, unfortunately, witnessed them walking into the forest and was taken as well, when she was on her way to inform us."

Professor Flitwick shook his head in disappointment, not in Celestia, but in himself and the two Gryffindors who caused this.

One of his students, who was the Heiress to one of the most influential and well-known Houses, had been taken into the Forbidden Forest against her Will and almost killed because of the Half-Giant Groundskeeper, who decided that letting an Acromantula nest inside the forest such a short distance away from the castle would be a good idea..............

The School Governors were not going to show mercy........ Especially since this was Lucius' niece and future Lady of the House of Black they were talking about...

,, I will go inform her Guardian......." Flitwick repeated, slowly starting to leave the forest only to stop in his tracks, turning to Minerva for a final time. ,, I hope you're prepared Minerva...... two boys from your House almost caused the death of another student.... A student of my House.. If you won't punish them accordingly I will not hesitate to do it instead..........."

He didn't need to mention the fact that once the Goveners heard that the woman had indirectly insulted the girls' heritage right in front of her, she would probably be stripped from the Deputy Headmistress position.....

Walking back to the castle the Head of Ravenclaw let out a long, tired sigh, preparing himself for the arrival of a group of certainly furious family members.

-------------------

,, You must hold still once I start applying the water and Dittany Miss Grindelwald...." ordered Madam Pomfrey, offering the girl a piece of wood to bite upon, which she took with little to no hesitation. ,, I will not lie to you... the process of detaching the fabric from the wound and disinfecting it is very painful and I understand if you require a short break in between, but we cannot stop for a long period of time, or else I fear we will have to repeat the process."

,, I understand." replied the half-Veela, placing the piece of wood between her teeth, her eyes set on the witch behind her who was waiting for her signal to start. A bucket of water, another of boiling water, and a flask of Dittany were sitting on the table next to her with all the other things she would need....

Taking in a deep breath to calm herself down and mentally preparing herself for the pain, the half-Veela gave her a nod and turned away from her keeping her gaze firmly locked on the shelf on the opposite of her bed which held a sortement of Potions.

A second later a sponge with boiling water was pressed on her back and she bit down hard on the piece of wood, clenching her hands into fists until only the crescent moon shape that her nails left behind was noticeable.

, Son of a bitch...' letting out a groan, the half-Veela let her head drop, her forehead leaning onto her clenched fists, as she breathed through her nose to try and distract herself from the pain she found herself in.

,, Remember to hold still..." reminded the Mediwitch, her hands reaching for the nightgown. ,, One.... Two...-!" she tore the fabric away from the wound, wincing in sympathy as the half-Veela let out a shriek of pain only muffled by the piece of wood in her mouth.

Professor Sprout, who was silently watching the process up until now took the ruined nightgown from the witch and headed for the fireplace to discard it there, but found herself keeping an eye on the girl as Madam Pomfrey began cleaning the blood off of her.

The young Ravenclaw was kneeling on the bed, left only in her panties since the nightgown she wore before could not be worn again, giving her a clear view of just how scarred her skin truly was.

Her entire torso was covered in a range of different shaped scars of varying degrees, some looking like the wounds and cuts were made with the precision of someone who knew what they were doing, while others looked like burns or injuries caused by torture....

There were two large ones that concerned her the most.....

The first, began on the left side of her waist and reached as far as the middle of her stomach, wide enough to make it seem like someone had tried to actually cut the girl in half with the help of an axe, but was stopped before they could accomplish such a feat.

The second, was a long fine line right in the middle of her chest between her breasts, indicating that she had been operated on or at least been stitched back together at one point or another....

, ..... She's just a girl......' thought the Head of Hufflepuff, trying her best to ignore the muffled screams of pain so they wouldn't later on come to haunt her in her nightmares. , ..... Why would someone do such things to a little girl.....'

Celestia all the while was counting and naming the Potions on the shelf in front of her, trying to desperately stay awake. , ... Draught of Peace...... Anti-Paralysis Potion..... Blemish Blitzer......'

,, I will try my best to quickly stitch it, but this will most definitely leave a scar." informed Madam Pomfrey after a few minutes of carefully washing and cleaning the wound.

Letting out a tired chuckle the half-Veela let the piece of wood drop from her mouth onto the bedding below, sweat coating her brows as she replied with ,, Better another scar to cover my skin than losing my life from an infection or similar...."

,, ... I take it someone has done stitches on you before?" asked the woman, taking her Wand and pointing it at the younger girl's back. 

,, The No-Maj way, yes." answered the Ravenclaw, watching as the woman began uttering a spell, suddenly feeling the familiar sensation of a needle piercing her skin. 

,, Then this might be a bit of a new feeling for you..." said Madam Pomfrey, concentrating on her back. ,, Just stay still, the rest will be done by me."

,, Yes, ma'am...." answered the half-Veela, not moving for a good fifteen minutes until the older witch was finished with her work and bandaged her up.

Professor Sprout then helped her dress into a hospital gown, while Madam Pomfrey vanished the bucket of water, which by that point was stained with blood.

Suddenly the doors to the Hospital Wing were swung open, and with brute force, Fred, George, Blaise, Theo, and Regulus practically sprinted towards the girl's bedside as Xavier Lestrange, Arcturus Black, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, and Amelia Bones followed after them.

,, Merlin! We were so worried!!" The twins exclaimed, bringing the girl as close as they humanly could towards them, worried that if they let go she'd disappear.........

A tired smile made itself noticeable on the half-Veela's face as she hugged them back with the little strength she had left.

Gods did it feel good to have them here.......

,, Celestia, my child, are you all right ?" asked Arcturus, watching as Xavier stood behind the two Weasley boys, holding onto his Granddaughter's hand like a lifeline, while the boys were holding onto her protectively.

,, I am as fine as the current situation allows me to be, Lord Black." She answered, politely.

Thanks to Madam Pomfrey the broken ribs and wound on her back would heal without leaving her with any kind of side-effects or an infection, a much different outcome than she was used to.

And Celestia knew what she was talking about, having worried for over half of her life if she was going to die, because of a Wound inflicted on her during her time at St. Peter's.

Narcissa looked her over, frowning deeply at the sight of her beloved niece in all but blood bandaged up....

She sat down at her right side, gently taking her smaller hand in hers, trying to reassure herself that the girl was fine now.....

,, How could this have happened ?" Lucius asked, turning to Professor Sprout, who had stayed with the girl the entire time Madam Pomfrey had looked her over..........

Pomona Sprout liked to think of herself as one of the most rational and level-headed members of the Staff at Hogwarts..............

But the wounds and scars littering Celestia's body were too much for even the best experienced Wizard to handle.

The girl was covered from head to toe with scars, some bigger, some smaller.... though all of them looked like they had been inflicted on her by someone else, quite a few years ago......

Not to mention.........

, She tried hiding her wrist from the two of us as best as she could..... but I was still able to take a glimpse at what appeared to be numbers tattooed on her....' 

,, Pomona ?" Amelia asked, snapping the witch out of her trance.

,, Huh...?...Oh... Excuse me... I..-" The witch shook her head, sighing.

Her eyes shifted to Celestia, who was currently leaning against her Godmother, Fenris's head on her lap, as she talked with Regulus.

She watched the pair, feeling worse by the second as her thoughts were plagued by what she had seen, when she saw the boy hold her hand, a look of deep concern in his eyes.....

,, Professor Sprout...."

Pomona turned around, coming face to face with a certain Slytherin couple, five familiar shadows leaning against the walls not too far away from them, which made her fondly roll her eyes at the group of graduating students....

,, Miss Grindelwald, Mister Black, what can I do for you this fine evening ?" She asked, smiling at the pair.

All of them had just left the Great Hall, the two having just been given their final Speech and the result of their N.E.W.T Exams, marking the end of their seventh and therefore final year at Hogwarts.

The two teens shared a look, grasping the other's hand with gentle smiles....

Pomona could have sworn she was able to see the love surrounding the two of them...

,, We know it may come as surprising and certainly on a short notice.........but...-" Violet took a beautiful letter out of her Robe's pocket, a Wax-Seal, half showing the Crest of the House of Black, the other showing that of House Grindelwald, decorated with a beautiful, hand-painted Star Constellation and falling feathers, that looked very much like they belonged to a Thunderbird.....

The Head of Hufflepuff's eyes widened, her gaze turning back towards the two Slytherins she held most dear to her heart......

,, We would like to invite you to our wedding." Regulus finished for Violet, closely inspecting the older witch's reaction...

,, You..... want to have me at your wedding....?....." Pomona asked unsurely, wanting to make sure that she had heard them right.....

Violet nodded, smiling. ,, You have been nothing but kind to us, and you helped my elder sister after the Potters disowned her.. It's the least we could offer to you."

Pomona shook her head, the sadness about the couple's fate still clinging onto her all these years later. ,... By the time I had made up my mind, both were already dead.....'

She then discreetly let the three Lords know that she wanted them to follow her outside, and started making her way out of the Hospital-Wing...

, Violet....... I may not have been able to help you and Mr. Black escape death, but I promise you, your niece will not be made to suffer the same fate.'

Celestia silently watched the witch, knowing what she planned on telling her family.......

Her fingers gently tangled themselves into Fenris's Furr, her head still leaning against Narcissa's shoulder, as she let herself relax...............

She really wished it hadn't had to come out this way.....but......she supposed it was better to let them know now than later.

Xavier, Arcturus, and Lucius followed the Head of the Badgers out, making sure to cast a very strong Privacy-Charm around them.

They did not want the health of one of their own family members to be overheard, just to be used against them at a later date.

,, So, what exactly is it that is of such importance that we must leave my Injured Granddaughter alone ?" Xavier asked, a cold look on his face.

He knew he should have taken her out of Hogwarts and enrolled her into Beauxbaton or one of the more private magical Schools near Britain......

The Lord of the House of Lestrange always had the inkling feeling that something would happen to Celestia if he left her under the care of that good-for-nothing Headmaster.

And would you look at that, not even two years into her stay she gets attacked by a nest of Acromantulas because the bloody Groundskeeper wouldn't part with them!

Pomona clenched her hands into fists, looking straight at them. ,, Were you aware that Miss Grindelwald is covered in scars ?"

Lucius blinked, Arcturus raised an eyebrow and Xavier looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.

,, ...Scars....?..." Xavier repeated, and by the look on his face, Pomona could tell that this conversation was not going to end well.

,, From Head to toe, there was not one body part that wasn't scarred....." She answered. ,, I was looking over Madam Pomfrey's shoulder, as she made a Magical scan to inspect the damage done over the years, and I've never seen such a long list of Injuries."

,, Can you show it to us ?" Lucius asked, probably being the calmest out of the three of them at the moment if Xavier's facial expression said anything.

Pomona nodded, conjuring the scroll with the listed Injuries and handing it to him.

Lucius hadn't even fully opened it when he wanted to close it again and forget he had ever asked to see it.

Sadly Arcturus and Xavier had other plans.

And with each new information, they grew angrier and angrier..........

It went from broken bones to someone deliberately cutting into her arms and legs......

Xavier thought he was going to faint when he saw Poison intake on the list.....

The magic began crackling around them, and anyone passing by could tell that the Lord of the House of Lestrange was ready to kill someone.

,, ..... I will kill that damned-!!!!" Arcturus covered his old friend's mouth with his hand, quickly dragging him away with the other...

The last thing they needed was a murderous Xavier storming the Headmaster's office to kill him..

Though nobody would blame him if they knew the reason.

Lucius watched them, sighing as he closed the Scroll............

,, Thank you for informing us............. We'll be sure to ask Celestia about what has happened during her stay in the Orphanage Headmaster Dumbledore put her in." He said, turning around to walk back inside the Hospital wing, leaving a frozen Pomona Sprout in the hall.............

Albus had been the one to leave her in the care of whoever had done this...?.....

---------------

A few hours later Celestia still lay in the Hospital wing, reading through a book that Narcissa gave her before she and Lucius had to leave........

Celestia knew that they were made aware of her medical condition, Xavier's sudden change of mood, and the glint in Arcturus' and Lucius' eyes were proof enough.......

She was pretty sure they were going to inform Narcissa next, after talking with Amelia and letting her know about Professor McGonagall's mishap back in the Forbidden Forest.

, It is truly no wonder that she was made Head of the D.M.L.E............ Her whole demeanor screamed that of a Justice-seeking individual.' She thought, absentmindedly petting Chrome, Fenris lying asleep by her side.

From the brief chat she had with the woman, after she got asked about the happenings of the last Night, Celestia could see the family resemblance Susan and her aunt shared.

They truly were a family of Hufflepuffs, Loyal to the core once you got them on your side....

Though Susan and she had only spent a handful of times together after her fall out with Aiden, the girl was still greatly concerned about her, oftentimes sneaking around with Hannah at her side to make sure she was eating properly.

Celestia found it sweet of them, unable to hold a grudge against the two girls.

, I wonder how they'll react......' She couldn't help but think, eyes remaining on the book in her lap, though they often times went towards her wrist.........

Would they look at her differently, when they heard what exactly had been done to her...?.......

Would they think of her as weak..?...

Sighing she shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Sometimes she could swear her time spent alone at St. Peter's made her develop a split personality.

Chrome's squeaks brought her attention toward him. ,, What is wrong buddy ?"

The Niffler crossed his tiny arms, shooting her a look that basically meant , You're seriously going to ask me what's wrong ?'

Sweatdropping she scratched his head. ,, I know...... I know..... Still, I can't help thinking like this once in a while..."

Turning the page once more, Celestia raised an eyebrow in surprise when a picture fell out.

, Huh...?....'

Lifting it up Celestia blinked in surprise, spotting a beautiful white-haired witch with Golden eyes standing in between two quite attractive males.......

, Isn't this..... Aunt Violet ?!'

The woman in the picture was probably no older than sixteen, her eyes a vibrant Gold, that clashed with the green and black of her uniform.........

Furrowing her eyebrows Celestia turned the picture around, and a small Headline made itself noticeable, underneath a scribble that must have been added by someone else....

Princess Violet and the two concubines Xiang Lee and Louis Bloodrose.........

, To the two boys my dear Violet decided to rescue from the streets, may you remember that I was here first ' - from Zephyr Snapdragon ( The favorite unofficial sibling )

Celestia stared at the message for what felt like hours...............

She had completely forgotten that members of House Pendragon sometimes liked to take in Concubines....

Though she supposed the right term for it nowadays would more or less be political hostages.

Very rarely would Pendragons actually start a relationship of sexual nature with their Concubines. They mostly served the King or Queen they were sworn to as if they were servants..........

She would have never guessed that her aunt had some of her own.......

, ...... What am I thinking... They were in the middle of a war, and most families would have gladly thrown their sons or daughters at Aunt Violet if it meant a raise of their own family's station.' thought the Ravenclaw, letting her thumb glide over the names mentioned. , It seems like I will have to search for dear Aunt Violet's Portrait this summer...... perhaps even ask Oreon for more information about them.....' 

After all, if her aunt, who had been in love with Regulus the elder since they were children, had been made to take in Concubines for one reason or another, the reason could also be used against her so that she would be made to take one.

------------

While Celestia was having a mild crisis in the Hospital Wing something happened in the first lesson of Slytherin and Gryffindor, Transfiguration, that drove the Chamber of Secrets out of everyone's minds for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today.

"Exams?" howled Seamus Finnigan. "We're still getting exams?"

There was a loud bang behind Harry as Neville Longbottom's wand slipped, vanishing one of the legs on his desk. Professor McGonagall restored it with a wave of her own wand, and turned, frowning, to Seamus.

"The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard."

Regulus rolled his eyes, resting his chin against his fist. , That's the thing they're so worried about? There's a Basilisk roaming around the school............ Honestly...... Hadn't it been for grandfather I would have stayed in the Hospital wing to keep 'Tia company.'

There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor McGonagall scowl even more darkly.

"Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible," she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."

Theo and Blaise raised an eyebrow.

After the stunt she pulled this morning she could kiss her position as Deputy Headmistress goodbye, and her beloved Dumbledore won't be able to help her this time.

Regulus looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers. What had he learned so far this year? Nothing that could help him in his future, that he was sure of.

Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast, after Celestia was finally allowed to leave the Hospital wing after Madam Pomfrey had given her a twenty-minute lecture on how to rest and not agitate her wound any further, else she would personally haunt the girl down and drag her to the Hospital Wing herself.

"I have good news," said McGonagall, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly.

When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

There was an explosion of cheering, though the Slytherins looked less than pleased.

The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were only happy to welcome their Headmaster back since it meant more protection for them.

,, So he decided to finally show his face again, huh ?" asked Blaise, watching the Gryffindors lose their heads over nothing.

,, It was to be expected though." Chimed two rather smooth voices, a few seats next to where they were sitting.

To their surprise, it was Jeremiah and Josiah Taylor, the two Slytherins looking as unbothered about everything around them as usual.

,, You're the Taylor twins!" exclaimed Fred and George, surprised to see them, since they hadn't noticed them before.

,, Indeed we are." They chimed, green eyes observing them.

,, And you two must be-"

,, the famed Weasley twins."

Fred and George turned to look at the other, both beaming in excitement.

They also spoke Twin-speech!!!!

It had been their first time to interact with a fellow pair of twins, though they'd never have expected it to be the Taylors...

After all, they were two of the most dangerous Slytherins at Hogwarts, and also a year above them.

,, Gred-"

,, and Forge Weasley-"

,, At your service!" They introduced themselves, making Celestia smile..

She knew that introducing them would be a good experience for both pairs of twins.

Her fine mood was soured minutes after the end of breakfast.

Lockhart, who had so often assured them that all danger had passed, only to be proved wrong right away, was now wholeheartedly convinced that it was hardly worth the trouble to see them safely down the corridors. His hair wasn't as sleek as usual; it seemed he had been up most of the night, patrolling the fourth floor.

"Mark my words," he said, ushering them around a corner. "The first words out of those poor Petrified people's mouths will be It was Hagrid .'Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."

"I agree, sir," said Harry, making everyone turn to look at him with their brows raised.

"Thank you, Harry," said Lockhart graciously while they waited for a long line of Hufflepuffs to pass. "I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night..."

"That's right," said Ronald, and by now Celestia could already guess what they were about to do. "Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go--"

"You know, Weasley, I think I will," said Lockhart. "I really should go and prepare for my next class--"

Everyone watched in utter bewilderment as the man left, completely ignoring the fact that he was specifically ordered not to leave the students alone...

Sighing Celestia stepped forward, Chrome on her shoulder. ,, Let's go, everyone, Chrome will alert us should anything be amiss.."

The groups of second years quickly followed after her, Theo and Regulus remaining in the back, while Blaise stood in the front next to her.

,, It seems like we're missing two Lions...." He said yet continued walking unbothered, spotting Harry and Ronald leave in quite a hurry.

,, Let them......... They won't get far." She told him, spotting Professor McGonagall heading straight towards the Corridor they had just gone through, making the Slytherin grin in anticipation.

-------------

It was a bit later, in the middle of her last period of the day, that something curious happened.

, ..... To bloody Tartarus with these bandages...' thought the half-Veela, resisting the urge to scratch at her back as she left the bathroom on her own.

The bandages were getting on her last nerve, and she wished for nothing more than to get rid of them, but she knew Regulus as well as Madam Pomfrey would skin her alive should she give in to the temptation....

Trapped within her own thoughts she had not even noticed someone approach her from behind.

,, Grindelwald-Lestrange......"

Celestia stopped in her tracks, turning around.

Out of all the people she hadn't expected to ever be approached by Ginerva Weasley....

,, Miss Weasley, what can I do for you ?" She asked, observing the girl carefully.

Something about her just seemed.... off...

,, Ginerva ?" Celestia tried again, furrowing her eyebrows in concern as the girl did nothing but blankly stare at her.

Suddenly feeling a familiar presence behind her, Celestia's eyes widened and she watched as Ginerva not only pointed her Wand at her but another one was held against her throat......

Turning her head slightly she was faced with none other than Tom Riddle, who placed his free hand on her waist and offered her a smug smirk as he greeted her with the words. ,, You won't escape me again, my dear Celestia."