Belladonna

There was a buzz ringing in Bella’s ear. She wasn’t sure that what she had heard was true. She thought she had imagined it. That her brain had forced those words into her mind, but they weren’t true... They couldn’t be true.

“What?”

“Poppy and I broke up at the end of the summer” Minerva repeated.

It was as if the fog in her mind had dissipated and suddenly she could see clearly.

“Why?” was all she could manage to ask.

“Because it felt like we were just together because we were supposed to. We weren’t in love anymore...”

“Oh, well... That sucks.”

“No, it doesn’t” Minerva smiled faintly. “It’s quite a relief actually. I feel so much better now, and I know that she does as well. The first love is magical, but it’s just that: the first one.”

She felt that Minerva was trying to establish something more with those words.

“Just because you two broke up doesn’t mean that me and Aberforth should” she mouthed defensively. “We are great together.”

“I didn’t mean it like that...”

“No, but I know how you are trying to corner me” Ofelia had already deciphered how Minerva debated, how she used her arguments. “You just told me that you don’t see how we can work. I told you I don’t see how you and Poppy work either, and you two don’t. You didn’t work up, so you ended it. But that doesn’t mean that me and Forth will not work out.”

Minerva shrugged. “You won’t see it until you are against the wall with a sword above your head, am I right?”

Ofelia didn’t answer, so Minnie just left her there.

The argument with McGonagall haunted her all morning. She was right. Minerva wasn’t. Maybe she was just jealous that her boyfriend still wanted her, even if they didn’t share a castle every day. Maybe she was jealous that Forth and Ofelia could do long distance, while she and Poppy couldn’t... Or maybe she wasn’t jealous. Maybe she was seeing something that Ofelia couldn’t. No, that wasn’t it, because if it was, that meant that Ofelia was wrong.

And Ofelia was never wrong...

“Oi, Bella” Ames appeared behind her with a troubled frown. “May I speak with you?”

“You are worried that my relationship with Forth might be going off the rails?” she questioned him.

“No?” he said with a question mark for a face. “Are you two okay?”

“Perfect-What do you want to talk about?”

“It’s about Monty” he explained. “I’m worried about him. He-he's been doing too much coke. He says he can stop, but I don’t think he can anymore.”

“I saw him buy some at Diagon Alley the night before we came to Hogwarts. How much does he have left?”

Ames’s reaction was a loud snort. “He buys more coke every two days now. I think the one you saw him get is long lost in his system.”

“I’ll see what I can do for him. I’ll speak-”

“He doesn’t want to speak. I already tried that one” Ames cut her off. “That is why I am coming to you. He needs an actual intervention. Actual help.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Ofelia didn’t have time to say anything else when their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher entered the classroom and ordered them to their seats.

“Today's class will be about Legilimency” he announced once everyone was sat. “Who can tell me what Legilimency is?”

Many students raised their hands, but Ofelia didn’t. Although she usually knew the answer, she didn’t this time. She had never heard that word before. The professor chose a Ravenclaw student to answer.

“Legilimency is the ability to read one’s mind.”

“Yes, though many may argue that reading one’s mind is far from what Legilimens can do” he continued to explain. “It is the ability to navigate someone’s thoughts, to interpret them, to search for a memory in particular, to manipulate someone’s mind into giving you the information that you want. It is one of the most complex forms of dark arts.”

That sounded too familiar for her.

Legilimen. She had heard that term before when referring to Queenie Goldstein, the blonde, American woman that had slipped into her mind once.

But that was not what unnerved her. It was the fact that if what Queenie had done to her was Legilimency, she knew of another person that possessed that dark magic as well. A cunning, ruthless boy that love to get under her skin.

Tom Riddle was a Legilimen and he had entered her mind –more than once. He had gone through her thoughts, her memories. He had gone deep enough so that the night where they had sex, he had found out she had feelings for him. He had carved her mind to get that answer from her. The question pounded her head: how many times had he entered her mind without her noticing? How many times had she felt a small headache around him? She thought that the headaches were just a result of his annoyance, but... it wasn’t. He had been in her mind so many times. Instant shame seized her body, which then was replaced by anger. Every time she had felt nervous or hopeless around him, but she had thought that she had tricked him into believing otherwise... She was wrong. He knew. The image of Riddle laughing with cruelty at her face and then just walking away from her for no apparent reason... Oh, but he had a reason: her private thoughts!

Oh, she was so going to kill him. She was so getting revenge on him. She didn’t know when or how. But she was going to make him pay.

“The only way of fighting a Legilimen is by practicing Occlumency. This is the art of shielding-protecting one’s mind from the intruder-”

He would have continued explaining if it wasn’t for one of the students yelling out of terror. Ofelia turned her head to see that the girl next to Monty stared at him in awe. Her friend was static glaring at his parchment, where he had been taking notes, now it had droplets of blood in it.

“Monty, your nose is bleeding...” Minerva whispered to him, sitting behind him.

“Mr Potter, you should go to the Infirmary.”

He raised from his seat slowly, touching the skin between his nose and his upper lip, where blood rested.

“I’ll take him there” Ofelia found herself saying without thinking.

The teacher granted her permission, so they both left to the nurse’s office. They didn’t speak at first. Ofelia didn’t dare to it, she didn’t know what to say to him. But the more she looked at him-the more his nose kept on bleeding-she knew Ames was right. Monty had gone too far. He was an addict. He needed help.

“I can’t go inside” Monty muttered when they arrived.

“Why?”

“They’ll whip me” he confessed, “if they find out what I’ve been doing.”

“Then stop doing it” her voice came out of breath.

“I can’t!”

“You need help, Monty.”

He remained silent for a moment, like thinking what his answer would be. “There is no help for me. For any of us. Any of the soldiers...”

“Rehab-”

“There is no such thing!” He grew angry. She had never seen him so mad. It made her want to cry, and he noticed that. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

He grabbed his head and hid his face into his palms. He started sobbing.

“I’ll find a way” she tried to smile at him, but she couldn’t. “I’ll find help and if there is none, then I’ll make it.”

She brought him into her arms, into a hug. He didn’t fight it.

“I don’t want you to die.”

“I don’t want to die either...”

Dear Theseus,

I hope that everything is fine. I hope there is no trouble at London. I’m afraid to say that trouble has found Hogwarts once more and I need your help.

During camp, while still at war with Grindelwald, most of the aurors were doing cocaine behind your back. I didn’t dare to tell you because it kept them going and there was no time for an intervention in the middle of war. But I neglected their health and I fear that it may cost us much more. Now, I can see my mistake and I mean to ammend it.

Fleamont is an addict now. He needs help. And I’m sure that he isn’t the only one. There must be many aurors’ noses bleeding in their offices. We ought to provide them some help. It is our responsibility to do so. I was planning on settling a rehab clinic in Hogsmeade. I’ll manage it, I’ll take care of it. I just need you to provide me with the best specialists that you can find in short notice and to spread the word.

Sincerely,

Belladonna

Dear Bella,

I admire your wit and your passion for making this world a better place. I’m so happy to see that I wasn’t wrong when I hired you as my right-hand.

The clinic is a great idea. I’ve been having notices about the abuse of drugs here in London. It appears that there has been an overdose in one of the offices. They found her dead. I think you knew her: Dorothy Palazzo. I’m sorry.

I’m already hunting down the dealers, but curing the illness is a brilliant idea to stop the trade. Good job. The clinic shall come to life as soon as possible, though I believe it would be more convenient to settle it here at London. Most of the addicts are here. It’d be easier for them to go to the clinic if they have it nearby.

Sincerely,

Theseus Scamander

“Would you stop grinning at a piece of paper?” Forth said from across the room, while serving dinner for both of them.

“Theseus thinks the clinic is a good idea” she handed him the letter.

Forth evaluated it and then frowned at her. “I don’t think I feel entirely comfortable with you grinning at Scamander’s letter.”

“He’s my hero.”

“He’s a man.”

“I would never consider him that” Ofelia said cunningly, quite pleased with her boyfriend’s jealousy.

Theseus was two years younger than him. In his eyes, Theseus was a suiter, though Ofelia would never see him as one, and she doubted that Scamander looked at her in that way.

“The clinic can’t be in London” she changed subjects starting to eat. “Monty can’t skip more lessons. He’ll lose the year.”

“Why, maybe you should present Theseus with a proper location in Hogsmeade. That will show that you have everything going.”

“That’d be a great idea... if I had a location” she pouted.

“I could help you with that” Aberforth commented, which made Ofelia’s face glow. “You know me and my brother have a shack on the outskirts of town.”

“But that’s where Albus lives. Where he spends his vacations.”

“He already has a house. He doesn’t need the shack.”

She remembered the house where the funeral had taken place at Godric’s Hollow. Their childhood home. She was sure that Dumbledore had plenty of houses around the world waiting for him on vacation.

“Plus, I would do anything to spite him.”

“Very well, then.”

Dear Theseus,

I beg you that the clinic settles here. I already have the location: a shack that belongs to the Dumbledores. They have agreed to it.

Sincerely,

Belladonna

“Who’s Dorothy Palazzo?”

“Just an ex-lover of mine” she confessed.

Although she said it nonchalantly, she felt her heart bumping against her chest. She had never mentioned she was bisexual to him.

“Full of ex-lovers you” he called, though he didn’t seem to care. “Are you sad she is dead?”

“I must send a letter to her family telling them I’m sorry. They’ll appreciate it.”

In two weeks, the clinic was already working with the best specialists on the subject. The shack was adapted to receive those in need of help. There were rooms adapted for those that had to stay. Monty started to go every day after school, and he started to improve. Slowly, but he was getting better. The first weeks weren’t easy. The abstinence making him wish he was dead. But, as he had said, he didn’t want to die... so he fought.

“You created quite the thing, Miss Rizzo” Professor Dumbledore said standing right behind her, as they observed the clinic.

“Thank you, sir” she flashed him a smile, “and thank you for sharing your house.”

He smirked, knowing very well that he hadn’t shared a thing with no one.

“Let’s hope that the clinic helps them” she said more to herself.

“You took the words out of my mouth.”

Those words reminded her of her lesson on Legilimency. Reading someone’s mind must make one feel so powerful. That was why Riddle felt he had such an advantage over her. And, Merlin, he had it. She wasn’t let it that happen.

“Professor Dumbledore, you are a powerful wizard.”

“Why, thank you, Miss-”

“Are you familiar with the art of Occlumency?” she interrupted him.

“Yes” he answered quite surprised, “I know my way around.”

“Good” she declared. “Then, I need you to teach me.”