The Fifth Marauder: 16 years asleep (R.A.B)

CHAPTER 34

Harper felt stupid arriving for her first day of seventh year with a plaster on her forehead from where she had been knocked out by the intruder at Theo's house.

She had considered getting a fringe to hide it, but after finding a picture of her Mum with bangs while looking for the hair scissors they had put in the attic, she had decided not to.

Her Dad as always had to come with her despite her protests that she was old enough to go to the station herself.

Casper didn't mind it when Harper left him to meet up with her friends, he had done the same whenever his parents had sent the Nanny with him and Violetta on the first day of school; but he knew that he had shown up, which meant something to him.

Which would have meant something to him as well if his parents had shown up on the first day of any of the years he had spent at Hogwarts.

"Casper." Said a voice curtly behind him, he turned to see Narcissa Malfoy, standing uncharacteristically alone, "Are you keeping well?"

"Keeping well Cissy, very formal."

"Casper."

Casper looked at Narcissa, searching her face, her forehead was slightly creased again uncharacteristically, "What's the matter now?"

"Nothing." she said as the apples of her cheeks flushed again uncharacteristically red, "Just wondering how you are?"

Casper rolled his eyes, "Cut the bullshit Narcissa. What the fuck is wrong with you?", his words were cold and clinical, he was tired of the Black family games.

Narcissa leaned forward to Casper's ear, grabbing his forearm, eyes wide, "Tell Harper to be careful, Hogwarts is in great danger, an evil arises and she is just a child, they are both just children."

And with that Narcissa straightened herself out and walked, heels clicking back to Lucius.

An evil arises.

To Casper it felt as if he had been living in a constant flight or fight limbo, desperately clinging for stability, but he was coming to the fact that perhaps the stability he had was the immense feeling that an evil had not only arisen but was situated in the very aspect of his life.

But this time he was fearful, Harper was now to live with the evil in a fortress of no escape.

An evil he as a young man had helped create.

***

"Owen!"

Owen turned in a panic, he had escaped the cult that was Greyback's pack under the impression of hunting for a cig break, but to his relief, the person who had called out his name was just Uma.

Not that Uma could be classed as 'just Uma' anymore, the two had grown close and Owen had suspected that Xavier had mentioned it to Greyback prompted by the fact that the other girls in the pack had backed off him.

There was something peaceful about Uma's presence; no matter what the pack thought, there was no pressure to do anything sexual or romantic with her, even with the full moon nearing, he just wanted a mate, a friend in the craziness of the mission.

Neither he nor the wolf felt the urge to do anything with Uma, she wasn't 'just Uma', it was 'Uma'.

"Fuck off, this is my spot, Owen." Uma complained, Owen knew it was a front, Uma rarely started conversation with a 'hello', rather she felt a suitable substitution was a complaint or generally a swear, in this case both.