Bad News

[hohum]

The heat rose to Lucinda’s face, tinged with worry. Clutching the letter in her hand, she walked briskly down the corridor, heading toward the Gryffindor Common Room. She was furious and worried at the same time - not a good combination. She didn’t understand anything anymore and did not want to read the contents of this letter. However, it did say that Lucinda ought to read it in the Common Room and in private. Lucinda silently thanked no one in particular that today was a Hogsmeade today. Most of the students were in Hogsmeade and if they weren’t, they were in the Library, for that was where Lucinda had been when the letter arrived.

Lucinda had glimpsed the first sentence of the letter and already she was not happy. She didn’t want to read the rest of its contents, but knew she had to. She wondered if her brother had gotten the same letter. Even if he did, she knew that his reaction would not be totally similar to Lucinda’s. Lucinda knew what her father did was important for everyone, not just herself. She just couldn’t stand this.

She took the stairs two at a time and finally reached the Gryffindor Common Room. She forced through the Fat Lady and entered the cozy confines of the room. The moment she arrived in the deserted Common Room, she tore open the letter to read it. Discarding the envelope into the fire of the fireplace, she peered down at her father’s elegant handwriting.

Lucinda, I am sure that you have noticed the disappearances of witches and wizards. You know what this mean, and I could not deny them. They need me. I won’t be gone long. I promise. Look for me by the fire.

The letter slowly crinkled up in Lucinda’s fist. Her frustration just got even more dangerous than what it was before. The letter was not very specific, and Lucinda knew he wished to keep it that way. It probably would not have made sense if anybody else had read it but Lucinda. She, however, knew exactly what it was saying. Except the ‘look for me by the fire’ line. She wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. She disregarded this for a moment and cast the letter into the fireplace. She watched it burn as the fire molded into the face of her father. Go figure.

“What do you mean by this?” she demanded and she got to her knees. She didn’t ask how or why his head was in the fireplace of the Gryffindor Common Room. She looked around her to make sure no one was listening. The coast was clear and she waited for her father to respond.
“You know what I mean by it, Lu,” he said grimly. “They asked me and I know what I have to do.”
“You don’t have to!” Lucinda protested, a little louder than she had meant. “They have other people in the Aurors Department. You aren’t an Auror anymore. You work as the Head of the Department of Mysteries!”
“The Aurors are some of the people that are disappearing. The Ministry has been looking at my record and they nearly begged me to help. I know you don’t like this, but I need to do my duty to the wizarding world.”
“What about your duty to me? To Carlisle?” she asked. “What if something happens to you?! What if you disappear?” Her father’s face immediately turned stern.
“Lucinda Chaplin, no matter what happens to me, you are NOT going to try and find me,” he ordered. “You are skilled and I have taught you well. You are not, however, strong enough to deal with full advanced Death Eaters quite yet. I will be fine. It’s only a small request from the Ministry, anyway. I will be back soon. I love you.”

Lucinda opened her mouth to protest but his face disappeared and she as alone in the Gryffindor Common Room. She got up and kicked the fireplace with all her might. It hurt a bit, but she ignore the pain. She collapsed on a vacant armchair and buried her face in her hands.[/size]

[Alexis James]

Alexis was walking down the spiral staircase when she stopped because she heard voices. She knew she had better not listen in because that would be called eves dropping. But she couldn't help but over hear Lucinda. She then frowned a bit and then cationally walk towards her after she heard the last few words. "You okay?" she asked the girl with a small frown. She wasn't sure if she was or not but thought she as might as well try to comfort her a bit. "I'm sorry but I couldn't help but hear what you were saying and how where you talking to your father. Clearly he wasn't here in person. I'm a Muggleborn do I don't really know how these things work." she said rambiling on about things. "I'm sorry I'm talking to much aren't I?" she asked her with a small nervous smile.

[hohum]

Lucinda started as she heard footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind her. These particular stone steps led up to the dormitories, and it didn’t occur to her that someone was up there until now. She did not remove her face from the comfort of her hands until the mystery Gryffindor spoke. She had a nervous voice, a hint of a frown in her voice. The voice was recognizable as Alexis James’s voice. She began to ramble slightly in her nervousness, which made Lucinda smile in her hands. She looked up from the darkness to find Alexis frowning slightly at her.

“Not particularly,” Lucinda replied with a groan, for she never liked to lie unless absolutely necessary. She couldn’t tell if she as upset or furious. How could her dad just depart like that? What if he died just like her mother? She forced herself out of these thoughts as she answered Alexis’s other inquiries.

“Yes, that was my dad. He was using the Floo Network to talk to me - using the fireplace.” Lucinda indicated the fire before her. She took her hand a rubbed face vigorously before continuing. Alexis, being Muggleborn, obviously would not understand the situation at hand. Lucinda wondered suddenly how Muggleborns took everything that was going on. She couldn’t help but feel bad for them, because they were open targets to all Death Eaters and Slytherins so far.

Lucinda sighed and sat back in her armchair.[/size]

[Alexis James]

"Floo Powder?" Alexis asked her with a confused look as she sat down on the empty couch. She looked at the fireplace. "So let me get this straight you put floo powder into the fire place and poof you could talk to someone?" she asked with an very confusing look on her face. Man all this thinking could get someone a headache! she thought to herself. She looked at the fireplace for a few minutes and then just had to ask Lucinda something. "What does floo powder look like exactly?" she asked her with a small smile.

[hohum]

The shock of her father’s venture was still clear in Lucinda’s mind. Thoughts were swimming in her head as Alexis asked about Floo Powder. A headache began to form, and Lucinda rubbed her temples in attempts to rid of it. Alexis seemed utterly confused by the whole Floo Powder thing, giving Lucinda an even greater migraine. She wished briefly that Addy was here to explain things while Lucinda could pull her own thoughts together.

“Floo Powder is a specialized powder used for witches and wizards to transport from place to the other using the fireplaces,” Lucinda explained. “It can also be used to talk to others through the flames so you don’t have to experience the whole travel. Floo Powder is just a grey, refined powder. Nothing special looking, really.”

Lucinda leaned back in the chair and watched as the letter she had thrown into the fire burned in the flames. She hated that letter - even worse she hated the discussion with her father. She just couldn’t get over it. He was gone now, though. There was nothing she could do about it presently except to hope for the best. He was skilled and she was sure he was going to be fine.

“You really are ignorant of the ways of magic, aren’t you?” Lucinda said, looking up at Alexis curiously. Alexis's face held confusion, and Lucinda couldn't help but to laugh aloud. “Do you understand what Floo Powder is now, anyway?” She smiled teasingly, hoping that maybe by talking to Alexis and teaching her some common magical knowledge, she could clear her head and forget about what had just happened five minutes prior.[/size]

[Alexis James]

Alexis looked at her with a small smile. "Yeah I think I understand what Floo Powder is now." she said with a smile on her face. She was glad to hear her friend laugh. She had somewhat of an idea what it was. "Hey can you tell me who is the best teacher to avoid in this whole entire school?" she asked her friend with a smile. She didn't want and go get on a Professor's wrong side. "Or at least ones that aren't to make mad?" she asked her with a hopeful smile.

[hohum]

Alexis claimed that yes, she did understand the purpose and structure of Floo Powder. Alexis seemed pleased when Lucinda laughed as well. At least her mind was being carried away by other thoughts, even if they were insignificant to current events.

Alexis then asked which teachers she should avoid, just in case, for she didn't want to get in trouble. The thought of Lucius Malfoy just made her angry, but contained herself.

"If you are watching out for professors, Lucius Malfoy would be the man," Lucinda said, leaning forward a bit in her armchair. "If you get on his bad side, you are screwed for life. Believe me, I know." She rolled her eyes. "Also considering that you are a Gryffindor, he will find reasons to knock off points or give you detention. Avoid him when he is bored too. He isn't too pleasant then, either."

She then thought of how Lucius Malfoy was taking the departure of her father. They were not too fond of each other, and Lucinda wouldn't surprised if Lucius Malfoy were leaping for joy right now at the thought of Kade Chaplin being murdered by a Death Eater.

"The rest are relatively fine," she continued, teeth slightly gritted together. "Professor Barton is a bit strict, but that's to be expected. Weasley and Black are good - I like them, anyway." Lucinda wondered why she was telling Alexis all of this. They were in the same classes, together. Lucinda shrugged and assumed that because Alexis was new to the whole magic thing, she wanted the inside scoop of them.[/size]

[Alexis James]

Alexis smiled a bit when she said that Weasley and Black are good. But then again she only knew Weasley and Malfoy. She then frowned a bit. She had already once ran into him. And ever since tried avoiding him. Professor Weasley on the other hand has been completely nice to her. "Professor Weasley is cool. Did you know that he used to cause a lot of trouble here at Hogwarts?" she asked her with a smile on her face.

"He and his brother Fred pulled pranks and everything you could think off. They were the one's who made the skiving snack boxes and made a swamp in the hallways during their seventh year here. And he was in Gryffindor?" Lexi said just rambleling on about Professor George Weasley a bit. "My goodness gragious me there is a role model if you ever saw one. I say that Professor Weasley is the best one to look up too." she said with a big smile.

Alexis then realized that she was talking to much again. "I hate it when I talk to much like that. Do you think I talk to much? Could you tell me about Professor Black? Is he or she good and what does Professor Black teach? I know that Professor Weasley teaches Broom Flying lessons or something like that? What is the boring subject here? I heard it was History of Magic is that true?" she asked Lucinda with a mind full of questions. Curse my parents for not being witch and a wizard or at least one of them. Then I would know these things. she thought to herself.

[hohum]

Professor George Weasley referred to Alexis James as the ultimate suck-up. Now Lucinda understood why. Alexis babbled on about all the mischief George caused at Hogwarts with his twin brother, Fred. She claimed that he was the perfect role model, although Lucinda wouldn't go that far. Yes, he was probably the most laid back teacher around, but claiming him as an idol wasn't exactly how Lucinda would put it. She smiled as she imagined Weasley's reaction if he were here right now, listening to Alexis's explanation of his life.

"Yes, I did know about him and his brother," Lucinda said when the speech was through, smiling all the same. "My father went to school with them. He told me about the pranks they used to perform and the many scoldings they received. 'Never had there ever been a pair like them,' he used to say. Fred is no longer with us though, so mentioning him around Weasley wouldn't be the brightest thing to do."

Alexis went off on another prattling spree as she complained of how she spoke to much. Lucinda wondered if she was doing this on purpose, if she was nervous, or this was just how she acted around people. If it was the third choice, Lucinda didn't think she was going to get very far in the friend department. However, Lucinda dealt with it because Alexis seemed like an overall, sweet Gryffindor.

She began to ask incessant questions about Professor Zoe Black. She obviously didn't have her yet, considering that Alexis didn't even know the gender of said teacher. The questions became a bit overwhelming as they poured from the girl's rapid lips. She then began inquiring as to the different subjects taught at Hogwarts without waiting for Lucinda's reply.

"Slow down, hun," Lucinda laughed, holding up her hand to stop the inquiries. "You are just full of questions, aren't you? First of all, Professor Black is a female and teaches Dragonology. She is really nice, but you better stay on her good side just in case. I haven't seen her explode but she isn't very friendly when irritated. Talking like you just did might annoy her.

"Secondly, I couldn't tell you what the most boring class is, for I have only attended half of them. I haven't had History of Magic yet, but I have heard that also. Along with Divination, but whatever. So far, Charms is the most boring for me. This is only because we are learning some basic spells that I already know. Things could get better, though. I like the subject of Charms, personally. It might be different for you."

Lucinda thingyed her head to the side in a jesting manner, raising an eyebrow.

"Any more questions you wish to nail me with?" She laughed again as she waited for Alexis's reply.[/size]

[Alexis James]

Alexis looked at her friend and then smiled. "None at the moment." she said with a smile on her face. "But do please tell me do I talk to much?" she asked with a small smile. For the first time that week she felt like she actually learned something used full. Not that flying or Dueling wasn't useful. She looked at her friend for a minute with a smile. She did have a lot of questions but decided that she questioned this girl out. She sometimes had a habit of that when she's nervous. "Sorry about my talking a lot by the way. I get that way when I get nervous." she said with a smile.

[hohum]

Lucinda's new friend insisted that Lucinda tell her when she got too talkative. Lucinda didn't mind telling her at all, if it bothered her. If it was another day, it might annoy her. Today of all days, however, she could use the distraction. As Alexis said she talked much only when nervous, Lucinda could see she wouldn't have much of a problem because she would get her comforted.

As Alexis claimed she had no further questions, Lucinda immediately knew that was a lie. She laughed, shaking her head. Lucinda could read the face of anybody, and Alexis was an open book.

"I can tell you do," Lucinda responded, composing herself. "I can see it on your face." She stretched and leaned back in her armchair more comfortably. "Please, ask away. It would do me some good to think of something else at the moment." Lucinda waved her hand toward the vacant armchair next to her, offering it to Alexis. "I know you are itching to." She winked.[/size]

[Alexis James]

Alexis looked at her for a minute. "Okay I know after today don't be late to class. I already lost our house four points. One for being late to Broom Practice Lessons and three for Dueling magic." she said with a small smile. "So what's up with that Andrea Black girl? She seems to do what ever Professor Malfoy tells her to do like hold his cane for him instead putting it by a tree. Something is up with him. What I don't know." she said with a smile on her face.

[hohum]

Alexis spoke steadily about how she had lost four points from Gryffindor due to being late for class. Lucinda couldn't relate, but knew that she was going to be late for a class sometime this year. She nodded through Alexis's explanation, and it tranferred from losing points to Andrea Black. Alexis inquired as to Andrea's being.

"Andrea is a stereotypical Slytherin," Lucinda replied, a bit more nonchalantly than she was aiming for. She spoke lightly but with slight annoyance only because it was Andrea Black they were conversing with. "She thinks that because she is a Slytherin, she must act like the famous ones, whom were too snobby and rude for their good. She doesn't act like a normal kid her age." Lucinda had to admit that she herself didn't either, but their situations were different.

"As for her relationship with Lucius Malfoy, I couldn't tell you. They are related in some way - I think she is his niece, but I can't be sure. I think they must have gotten into a fight before or during Dueling Magic. I prefer to stay out of the situation altogether, personally. It's better to just mind my own business then to get into another row with her like in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

She shrugged, pulling her legs up into a criss-cross position as she settled herself more comfortably in her armchair.

"If I were you, I'd just stay clear of her. She seems a bit insecure, considering she never shuts up about who her relations are. Frankly, nobody around here cares because her relations are a bunch of 'powerful' Death Eaters. In truth, they've all been to Azkaban at least once." She rolled her eyes at the thought. "I mean, I'm the daughter of Kade Chaplin and you don't see me parading around the school telling everyone so they can fear me. Puh-lease."[/size]

[Alexis James]

"But wasn't one of her relatives in Azkaban when he was innocent?" Alexis asked with a small frown. She had done a bit of reading about Hogwarts History and stumbled on Sirius Black. "Like um what's his name again. Oh yeah Sirius Black." she said with a smile. "He didn't act like the rest of his family at all. He well from what I read was a prankster with a few other boys who I can't seem to remember the names of." she said with a smile on her face.

[hohum]

"Sirius Black would be the only exception," Lucinda said sternly. "He was a great man. His brother wasn't too bad either - at least his intentions were good."

Lucinda continued in a more subdued manner. "He doesn't exactly count, either. Andrea doesn't refer to him as one of her great relatives. She never mentions him, that's how great he was to her. No, she tends to release the names of those significant ones that have done much torture in their time." Lucinda scoffed at that. "Now those are the relatives I am talking about."

Sirius Black really was a wonderful person. Although Lucinda never got the chance to meet him, she very wished she had.

"He was best friends with R. J. Lupin and James Potter, Harry Potter's father. Sirius Black was Harry's godfather."[/size]