𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑜𝑛 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 \\ 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗷. 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝑋𝑋𝑋𝑉𝐼𝐼𝐼.

    

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙮-𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩

— ✩ ☽ ✩ —

THE FINAL CHALLENGE would occur after dinner, which Caroline was meeting her friends at. She had forgotten her constellation necklace, and went back to her dorm to get it. She should've left the necklace in her dorm. As Caroline passed by Professor Moody's classroom, she was suddenly yanked inside.

      Click. The door locked behind her. Click. She was strapped to a desk. "What is this?" Caroline asked, tugging on the restraints, looking around for anyone in the room. Professor Moody emerged from the shadows, wand raised. "Professor Moody? Let me go!" Caroline shouted.

      "Muffliato," said Professor Moody, waving his wand. Caroline recognized the charm. No one could hear her now. The professor walked closer to her. "The Dark Lord requests your presence tonight, Caroline Taylor-Jones."

      "Voldemort? What are you talking about?" Caroline questioned, growing nervous. She couldn't get free from the bindings, and her wand was out of reach, tucked in the back pocket of her jeans, hidden by her red and gold sweater.

      "Silence!" Professor Moody demanded. "Imperio!" everything changed in that moment. Caroline felt her mind slipping away, even further. It was still in her reach. She tried to get it back, but the curse was too strong. She wasn't strong enough. And once her face contorted back to its normal position, Caroline wasn't there anymore. "Go into the Great Hall and get Jacob Jones from the Ravenclaw table. Bring him back here. Don't talk to anyone. Tell Jacob it's about his mother. If anyone asks anything, your answer is simple; family emergency."

      There was nothing Caroline could do. Her mind was gone. She lived to serve the man before her now. "Yes, sir." Caroline spoke. Her voice was different too. Calm.

      "Go. Now!" the binds on Caroline's wrists broke, and she stood up, walking out the door. She walked differently. Relaxed. She ignored everything in the hallways and walked into the Great Hall.

      Harry Potter had been looking for Caroline for some time, and he couldn't stop the smile that spread on his face, overcoming his nerves for the task once he saw her. He pointed her out to Hermione and Ron. "Something's wrong with her." Hermione said, watching as Caroline scanned the Ravenclaw table.

      "What do you mean?" Harry asked, concerned.

      "She's acting differently. It's her eyes, they're glazed. You can tell from here." Hermione pointed to Caroline's brown eyes, and the boys discovered she was right.

      "Should I go talk to her?" Harry asked, already about to leave.

      "Blimey, Harry. Just go." Ron said, mouth full.

      Harry began to walk over to Caroline, just as she approached Jacob. "Jacob Jones." she said, and Jacob smiled, standing up.

      "Why'd you call me that, Carol?" Jacob asked. Caroline took him by the wrist and led him away. She wasn't paying attention to anything but the calm feeling she felt, and her fingers dug harshly into Jacob's wrist. "Ow, Caroline! That hurts!"

      "Quiet, please," Caroline said, dragging Jacob with her. "It's about your mother." she explained, feeling the anxiety of the world around her dissipate as she walked.

      "Mum? What about her?" Jacob asked, concerned. He noticed Harry approaching, and he waved to him. "Hi, Harry."

      Harry smiled at Jacob. "Hi. Where are you two headed?" the boy asked, eyes turned to Caroline. Hermione was right; something was wrong with her eyes.