From a Cradle to a Grave

Chapter 32

Draco's Pov

"Run," Potter said.

For the first time ever, Draco actually listened to him. He raced deeper into the library, then swiveled around, only now realizing that heading for the exit might be a better idea.

Draco's eyes couldn't explain what he had just seen. One moment, Hope had been there, looking tired and irritated. The next, a gigantic grey wolf, larger than anything Draco had ever seen, had taken her place.

As if Hogwarts needed any more beasts running rampant on its grounds. This cursed school was going to the dogs.

Hope. Wolf. His mind kept refusing to piece together the two clues before him. Then, quite ironically, he barrelled headfirst into a shelf which held a collection of werewolf scrolls, journals, and books.

Werewolf. They were mutant abominations. His father had told him so himself. But that wasn't what whatever that thing lurking the library was. Werewolves looked grotesque and gruesome in every possible way. That grey wolf, though... If he had looked past its murderous glare and outrageously large fangs, he would have described it as magnificent.

"Malfoy!" Potter's voice rang out.

Draco turned around just in time to see the wolf leaping straight at him. He tried to scramble away, but he couldn't. He was frozen in place by fear. He was going to die.

"Stupefy!" Potter shouted. The curse hit the beast's side. The wolf fell to the ground, heaving but still conscious.

Draco was suddenly aware of the sound of doors opening. Through the library's entrance, Professor Mikaelson marched inside, looking shocked but determined. "Hope!" she shouted, drawing the wolves' attention away from the boys and towards her, instead.

Draco watched in bewilderment as Professor Mikaelson raised her hands and began to chant, "Non de es Sinj un Ctas, on Gu ol De."

The wolf seemed to become tamer, calmer... It bent its legs and curled up on the ground.

Professor Mikaelson breathe a sigh of relief. Then she jumped back at the sight of Draco and Potter, apparently having been unaware of their presence until now.

"Memory Charm," Draco heard her mutter under her breath.

Draco had no idea what was going on or what the wolf had to do with Hope or the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but he'd had enough. The crazy professor talking about memory charms had been the final straw.

He stood up, preparing to make a run for it. That was when Professor Mikaelson let out a gasp. Her eyes rolled up behind her head and she collapsed onto the floor, revealing who it was that had snuck up behind her.

"This wasn't how I had planned on spending my night, little birds," Professor de Martel sighed at the two boys. "And you, darling," she kneeled down next to Professor Mikaelson. "Don't worry. This will all have been a dream by the time you wake up. I'll make sure of it."

Aurora's Pov

A European artifact that had been crafted during medieval times. That was what Aurora had used to knock out Freya without even brandishing a fist. It would make all of Freya's recent memories seem so hazy that the eldest Mikaelson would have no choice but to accept that it had all been a part of a dream.

Unfortunately, Aurora only had one of them. Meaning she had no idea what she was supposed to do with the lightning scar child and the platinum blonde boy.

"Don't come any closer," Harry pointed his wand at Aurora.

"Relax, darling. I'm not going to kill you," she said, though she was contemplating just that. "I just want to talk."

"Fine. Talk," Draco spat. "Tell us what that... That thing is," he gestured wildly to Hope's wolf form.

Aurora supposed a part of the blame lay in herself. She had pushed Hope a bit too far, ever since she had told Hope half the truth about her monstrous family. The Naiad's blood had been overdoing it, but Hope had needed to be awarded full points in the second tournament to get a head start in the third. After Aurora had sucked the Naiad's blood out of Hope's system, she had retched it all up. She would have rather chugged down an entire barrel of vervain water. Aurora was pretty sure she had died at one point, too, but that didn't matter right now.

What mattered was that almost everything in her beautiful masterminded plan was perfectly set. Just a few more tweaks, and it would be done. Niklaus would be dead by the time Hope was done with the third task.

Getting information on the Triwizard Tournament ahead of time had been outrageously easy. Aurora had simply used Lucien's contacts at the empire-like company he had built for himself. A few of his must trusted advisers and members of the board of directors had been witches, who had vast connections to magic-wielders all over the world. One of them had obtained information out of a Ministry worker for Aurora.

"Hope," Aurora cooed, running her fingers through the wolf's soft fur. "Wake up, darling."

Yet she didn't budge. Whatever the blonde Mikaelson witch bitch had done to her would most likely last through the night.

"I'll explain everything to you," Aurora stood up. "But if any sliver of your hearts care for Hope in any way, you must promise to stay quiet and calm."

Harry and Draco glanced at each other. "Fine," Harry said, lowering his wand. "Tell us, then."

"Not here," Aurora looked around worriedly. It was all part of the act, but the boys didn't seem to realize that. Harry hesitated a little before shaking his head. "No. We're not moving until you tell us exactly what-"

"Hope's life is in danger!" Aurora hissed. "And I know you think I'm crazy, I know what the students whisper about me. But you have to believe me when I say that another second spent here is another second the risk for Hope worsens."

Playing with feelings. It was something Aurora had always been good at. She wasn't sure if the affection these two idiot teenagers felt for Hope was romantic or sibling-like, but whatever the case, she had noticed that the two of them had set aside their differences during the second task when it had come to the matter of Hope's safety.

"Come with me to my office, alright?" Aurora said.

"I... Okay," Draco said, and Harry nodded as well.

A dream. Freya would need to believe that tonight's events had been a dream, and to do that, Harry and Draco would have to keep tonight a secret from her. One way or the other, Aurora was going to make sure the two boys kept their mouths shut.