From a Cradle to a Grave

Chapter 20

Freya's Pov

"Go," I say to Hope and the other students who are present.

My heart beats rapidly against my chest as I take in the sight. Droplets of blood splatter Zacharias Smith's robes. A disgusting liquid, undoubtedly the remains of a hex, have been sprayed onto the floor.

The look in Hope's eyes remains visible in my mind. That glare she possessed... It's frightening, how much she reminded me of Klaus just now.

I've been at this school for nearly two months, and I've been keeping a close eye on Hope, just as I promised Klaus and Hayley. After seeing how bright and innocent she seemed with her friends and siblings, I came to the conclusion that her wolf curse had been triggered by accident. There was no way that such a sweet, happy girl could have knowingly taken a life.

But now... Now, I'm not so sure. From the way Hope was beating up Zacharias, it's clear to me that she is more than capable of violence.

"Weasley and Malfoy are in my House, I'll take care of it," Severus says from beside me.

I look up at him with a stone hard glare. But before I can say anything to him, Minerva begins to speak in an infuriated voice.

"So you can let them go with nothing but a warning, as you do with all of your students? I think not!" she shouts. "Dueling in the corridors! Honestly! And to top it all off, Weasley decides to demonstrate to us a perfect example of a brutal muggle brawl!" She points to Zacharias, who is still groaning on the floor.

"Abbott! Macmillan! Take Smith to the infirmary at once," Minerva says.

The two students rush forward and help Zacharias onto his feet.

Before either Severus or I can stop her, Minerva marches off towards the direction Hope and the others took. I chase after her, and the three of us reach the door to my office soon enough.

When we enter, I notice Hope is leaning against one of the tables with an irritated expression on her face. From beside her, Harry, Ron, and Hermione talk to her in heated voices. Megan Jones and Wayne Hopkins, the two Hufflepuff students, sit on the other side of the room, while Draco stands near the window in a bored manner.

As Minerva begins a lengthy speech that involves a lot of shouting, I observe Hope. Blood covers her shoes and fingers, yet no emotions shine through her eyes. I suppose I should be grateful that she's feeling nothing, rather than feeling satisfaction, which is the face that Klaus usually wears after he's hurt an enemy of his. 

Still... I can't help but feel disturbed that Hope doesn't look to be in any shock or panic.

"Tell me exactly what happened!" Minerva shouts.

Nobody answers her.

"Miss Granger?" Minerva calls.

Hermione falters for a moment, then sighs. "I- I really don't know, professor. I only arrived when Malfoy shot a hex at Hopkins. And then, um..." she falters.

"Miss Weasley?" Minerva turns on Hope. "Would you care to explain to us why you were attempting to beat Mr Smith unconscious?"

Hope shrugs. "Well, professor," she begins in a careless manner. "It's just like what everyone's been saying, isn't it? I'm a freak. And that's what freaks do."

Minerva seems to be at a loss for words at Hope's response.

I use her silence to my advantage, and choose this moment to intervene.

"Hope, come here," I say, leading her out of my office and down into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Hope follows me, and I motion for her to close the door. I spell the room so that no one else will be able to hear our conversation.

"Hope- Hope!" I say, when she sighs and puts on a big show of ignoring me.

"Listen to me, Hope. You need to get your temper under control," I continue. "The situation is so much bigger than you getting in trouble or not- There are people out there, Hope. People who would like nothing more than to attack you for who you are."

Hope's eyes flash, and she glares at me. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demands.

I bite my tongue, remembering my promise to Klaus and Hayley. I told them that I wouldn't scare her away, and that I would ease an opening for them to enter into. And my guess is, telling Hope that her name was put in the Goblet of Fire because she's a Mikaelson won't help with the whole 'warming up to her birthparents' thing at all.

"Nothing," I mutter. "Just- Please, be careful. It's not like you to go around hurting students-"

"Smith had it coming," Hope snaps. "And I'd gladly do it all again if I could. I'd hurt him and all of his other bloody Hufflepuff friends over and over, if that's what it would take to prove to the school that they need to stop bothering me!" she shouts.

"And if you lose control?" I say loudly. "What happens if you accidentally unleash your-"

I clamp a hand over my mouth. I was about to scream out, 'werewolf side'.

"I'm leaving," Hope mutters. "Go ahead- knock off a few hundred points from Slytherin, give me detention, for all I care. But don't try and talk to me as if you can possibly understand what I'm going through right now."

She marches for the door. Right before she exits, she pauses, and turns around.

"And, Professor Mikaelson?" she spits out. "I don't think I'll be coming to our weekly lessons anymore."

*****

I let Minerva deal with the rest of the kids, because what I need right now is a break. I need to talk to someone about Hope- I need to talk to my brother and Hayley.

And so, I cast my usual astral projection spell, and project my image into Hogsmeade. I walk a couple paces, until I find the inn where I told Klaus and Hayley to stay.

Yet when I ask around, I find that they never even arrived.

I hurriedly undo the spell, and run to the corner of my office, where I keep a bunch of maps stacked on a shelf. I grab one of the maps, spread it out on my table, and perform a locator spell using my Mikaelson blood.

Why the hell is Klaus in the middle of a plain on the outskirts of a small village that's hours away from Hogsmeade?

"Klaus!" I shout, once I astral project myself into the place where my locator spell said he'd be.

"Freya, thank god," I hear Hayley say.

I turn around, and see that she and Klaus are both running towards me.

"What the hell happened here?" I say, observing the smoldering wreckage of what looks to be a plane crash.

My eyes are drawn to a message that's been painted in red... 'She will die'.

"We'll be in Hogsmeade by tomorrow, Freya. But until then, promise me," Hayley says in a panicked voice. "Promise me you won't let Hope out of your sight. The person who's trying to kill her has a lot more power by their side than we thought. Don't let Hope leave your sight, okay?" Hayley repeats.

I hesitate for a moment, because judging from the conversation Hope and I just shared, my niece wants absolutely nothing to do with me.

"I won't let anything happen to her," I say, desperately hoping I can live up to this promise. "I'll make sure Hope stays safe."