Belladonna

The first week of the sixth year wasn’t easy. There was a lot of work and catching-up to do. Quick revision before the real learning. The weekend started early, as the Slytherin girls were having breakfast before 8 AM. Walburga was quick to leave the Great Hall, declaring for anyone to hear that she was going to do her homework in the fresh air to seize the last days of summer. But what she was actually going to do was to visit Chuck at practice. Despite such great summer, it seemed impossible to be together in the castle.

“I swear she’s playing with fire” Druella lamented, as she went back to her toasts.

“Sometimes playing with fire is worth it.”

“You say so because you live in an eternal flame of chaos” she dramatized.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ofelia giggled. “Listen. I know it’s hard, but sometimes it’s better to burn a little bit than to die from hypothermia, Drue.”

Rosier remained silent for a second, processing the words of her friend. Then, she smiled proud of herself.

“I finally decided to join the med practices this year.”

“Drue, that would be wonderful!”

“I think it is what I am supposed to do with my life...”

“Good morning, ladies” McGonagall appeared in front of them, wearing her muggle clothes: a satin, white t-shirt and a purple skirt.

“Hiya!” Ofelia smiled at her. “Ready for your first day at the debate club?”

“'Can’t wait.”

“Let’s go then” she stood up.

“Oi, McGonagall” Druella called her before the two of them started to walk away. “Poppy does the med practices, right?”

“Yes, every Tuesday and Thursday.”

“Awesome, I’ll speak to her then.”

“Do you want to join?”

“Yes...”

The debate club held their reunions every Saturday in a classroom on the second floor. It lasted from 8:30 to 12:00, but if they hadn’t finished and the argument was heated, they would continue to debate until they were tired or satisfied. Ofelia loved the club. She would imagine she was a politician debating in front of the Minister of Magic for the fate of the Wizarding World. They would sit in two groups confronting each other, while Professor Figgs would stand in front of the blackboard leading the debate sessions. Usually, he would give them a topic to the two previously formed groups and the next Saturday they would have the debate.

“Welcome, young bright minds to a new year on the debate club” Professor Figgs said when he entered the classroom. “I see new faces this year. Let’s see” he grabbed a list with all the names written in it. “Percy White, Ravenclaw, good to see you... Eloise Edmed, Ravenclaw as well... and Minerva McGonagall, Gryffindor.” He took his glasses off and stared at the students. “Well, Miss Rizzo, you must be happy. You will not be the only girl at the club anymore.”

“It tastes bittersweet, professor. I’m not going to lie...”

Minerva soon enough realized that the members of the debate club were all a bunch of nerds, obsessed with politics and economy. And of course, Ofelia was the queen of them. Even if they didn’t like her, they respected her fondly. Specially the people on her group, they listened to her as if she was a preacher. She was impressed by how multifaceted the Slytherin girl was. One day she was the star of Quidditch, flying around like the head of the school. Then, she would chat with the high rank men in Slug’s meetings like she was as rich and retrograde as they were. And if the time was right, she would leave to hang out with her friends and smoke weed in town. Yet, there it was. A new side that Minerva knew, but had never seen in action. Ofelia ranting about Dumbledore and the incident with the Qilin, speaking facts like she had been at the scene at the same time. The rockstar that had played in a muggle bar throwing her hair like a wild animal in the golden candle light was preaching her ideas without even stuttering. And of course, Minerva couldn’t help by staring as she intervened every once in a while, afraid that someone would shush her because their favourite speaker was giving a lecture.

“Well, since we feel so strong about our ideas in this topic, we’ll discuss next Saturday” Professor Figgs announced, letting them go early. “Group A will sustain that Vicencia Santos did not deserve to become Supreme Mugwump and Group B that she did.”

After that, the class was dismissed and Ofelia felt very proud, as she walked out of the classroom with Minerva by her side. It felt somehow fulfilling, walking out with -from her point of view- the most beautiful, bright girl from the Gryffindor house. It felt wonderful seeing Minerva’s smile and sharing an activity as well. McGonagall was right: being a team felt much better, like nobody could stop them.

“Did you like it then?”

“Yes, I did!” she exclaimed out of excitement. “I thought it was some child’s play, but it actually feels serious.”

“Oh, believe me, we are very serious about our debates” Rizzo bragged. “You’ll love it, Minnie.”

“Oh, no, don’t!” she cried. “Don’t call me that. This is Potter’s fault.”

“Why don’t you like it, Minnie?”

“Stop, I hate it!”

She couldn’t help by laughing because of the girl’s desperation. “Minnie!”

“Enough, I don’t call you Ofelia, so don’t call me that.”

“No one calls me Ofelia, but I don’t really have a problem with my name” she explained. “It’s just that Belladonna makes more sense to me.”

“Right, as if your ego wasn’t alarmingly big enough.””

“Oi! My ego is standardly-high.”

“It is not, trust me-”

“Miss Rizzo! Miss Rizzo!” a portrait interrupted the two girls. It was an old witch holding a cat. “Professor Dumbledore needs you in his office.”

“But, it’s Saturday...”

“He says that it has to do with Mr Scamander.”

“Oh, in that case then, I should go” she realized. “Sorry, I have to go.”

“It’s fine” Minerva accepted. “Why do I feel that Potter has something to do with this?”

“Sorry, it’s a private matter.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Sorry” she repeated as she left, “I don’t make the rules!”

She practically ran to the office. This was it: their first mission. She imagined that Theseus Scamander was there waiting for her and that he would take them to the city, probably to some location where they had discovered Grindelwald’s new layer. Maybe, by the end of the day, she would have already faced the monster that lived in her past and defeated him.

But, when she entered and saw that it was just Dumbledore and her friends, her dreams started to fall apart.

“Good morning, Professor” she said taking a seat right next to Longbottom. “Sorry I’m late, I had debate club.”

“It’s fine, Miss Rizzo” he smiled. “We have not started yet.”

“So, why are we here, Professor?” Potter asked.

“Do we have our first mission?” Chuck asked, excited.

He was still wearing his Quidditch uniform from practice.

“No, but it’ll come, I promise. Right now, we are investigating to find him. We don’t know where he is hiding.”

“Do you want us to track him down, then?” Longbottom concluded.

“No, we have aurors on the matter. But it won’t make any type of difference if we find him and don’t know how to fight him.”

“He wants us to stay at the library” Ofelia told the lads.

“Yes, the restricted area” he nodded. “I need you to investigate about his dark magic and how to fight it. Then, bring the information you had come up with to me.”

“Yes, Professor.”

They left the office and spent the whole afternoon at the library. They weren’t excited at all, but they still did the work just to prove to Dumbledore that they were not playing around. However, they found close to nothing. Progress was slow and the restricted area was immense.

“He’s keeping us busy” Longbottom complained, as they walked through the secret path that led to Hogsmeade. “He thinks that we’ll only be an obstacle, so he’s giving us some chores.”

“We know, Ames” Monty rolled his eyes. “We are not thick like you.”

“I think that it’s logical the chore he gave us” Chuck pointed out. “They don’t know where he is and Dumbledore can’t take us on a field trip for no reason. So, he’s making us investigate in the vastest library in the Wizarding World. Ames, you are just looking at the glass half-empty.”

“Don’t use your muggle psychology with me, Nale.”

“Bella, you’re awfully quiet” Monty called her out.

“Well... I’m with Longbottom with this one.” Everyone stared at her like a third eye had just popped on her face. She always was against anything that Ames proposed. “It’s clear that they are pushing us aside because we aren’t off age. However, we are not going anywhere if we keep on whining about it. I say we should come up with a new strategy in the bar, so that they notice us.”

“Fair enough” Ames clapped.

But when they arrived at the Hog’s Head for their first shot of Firewhiskey of the schoolyear, they found a signboard in the door.

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

“That’s weird” Monty whispered. “What happened to old Earl?”

“I bet he passed to a better life” Chuck cried.

“He wasn’t that old” Ofelia laughed. “Let’s go.”

She tried to open the door, but it was closed by magic.

“I think it isn’t open tonight” Chuck lamented.

“But there is light coming from the inside” Bella pointed at the window. “Chuck, take a look, would you?”

“Why me? Is it because I’m black?”

“Because you’re the tallest, you tosser.”

“But what if the new manager sees me?”

“Coward” Monty coughed.

“Oh, shut up, Potter! If you are so brave, Lion Lad, then you take a look.”

“I’ll do it” Longbottom sighed, knowing that their fight could last forever.

They walked to the back part of the bar, trying to find a window that could lead them into the house-part of the manager. Monty kneeled so that Ames would stand up on him and reach the small window.

“Hurry up, Ames! You don't weight like a feather, y’know?”

“Shh! Oh, for Godric’s beard!”

“What is it?!” Chuck asked.

“Dumbledore’s in there. He’s having dinner.”

“What?” Potter asked still on his fours. “Dumbledore’s the new manager?”

“I don’t think so” Ames said. “He’s with another man.”

“What? Let me see” Ofelia climbed onto Potter’s back and poked her head, so that she could peep as well.

There he was, Dumbledore speaking and holding a spoon for his supper. In front of him, there was a man that look younger than her professor, but they still looked similar. The strange man had wild hair in comparison to the other, with his curls falling into his forehead. And the colour wasn’t the same: the man was strawberry blonde, while Dumbledore was a redhead. After that, they looked pretty much alike, though she could not really picture it well from that distance and with the dirty window and the lonely candle light.

She turned her head to observe the interior of the house. It was when she noticed that they weren’t alone. There was another man lying in the sofa. However, she wasn’t sure if he was even alive. He looked extremely pale, like deadly pale. And he was still as if making a movement would cause for the whole world to end. She wondered if he was a vampire. She had never seen one before, so she couldn’t tell.

“There’s someone in the sofa.”

“Where?” Ames asked. “Oh, yes, he looks sick, doesn’t he?”

Suddenly, Potter’s articulations failed and he tumbled down. Ames and Ofelia fell on top of him, causing him to yell out of pain.

“Who’s there?” they heard a voice from the inside.

“Shit, shit, shit” Potter mumbled trying to stand up and cover them with the Invisibility Cloak, before the man came out.

The man opened the back door and stood there for a couple of seconds trying to locate the vandals. But when he saw nothing, he went back inside.

“There was nothing, probably a feral cat or something...”

Ofelia felt her heart trying come out from her chest, as the man’s voice resonated in her ears and his sight preserved in front of her eyes even when he had disappeared.

"Shit."