Harry Potter and the Wondrous Blood Ri

Chapter Seventeen

Regina looked up at the Scarlet Engine of Platform 9 ¾ like she and Harry Potter had done so many times before. Was it about a dozen trips now? And it would still be five more times to begin a term at Hogwarts. Regina did not have her grandfather to accompany her to the Platform anymore. Her grandmother had been ill recently. Her grief at her husband's death probably gave her possibly one more year. So, Regina waited with her Auror guard, for some reason Lord Malfoy considered her to be a high profile student who needed protection.

Lord Malfoy, his wife Narcissa and Draco walked into the platform from the Floo as well.

"Good morning to you, Regina," Draco drawled with a smile.

Regina smiled back. "Greetings, Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa."

She still found it difficult not to address the adults properly, but each of them had assured her that she was their equal thanks to the band on her arm. She waited a little longer with the Malfoys and their guards until her friends, Gale and Jillian gave Regina a hug, each wearing the band she had given them. Together they took their leave of their guards and made their way on to the train. Regina and her friends made it to compartment eight.

She sat back in the chair, asking each of her friends about their summers. She was still very happy that Jillian had made the decision to come back to school despite some of her parents' fears. Jillian and her older brother were on the train. If things settled down, Jillian's younger sister Christine would be coming for her First Year next year.

They began their time together speaking quietly about their lives. Regina fingered carefully the skeleton key that she had in a small pocket inside of her robes. Her grandmother who knew a thing or two about charms like her parents knew how to make portkeys. She had insisted on showing Regina how to make her own portkey – just in case things went south, even at Hogwarts.

Regina idly rubbed the bracelet that would not come off of her arm. It was very beautiful when she looked at it each night. It brought a small fire up her arm again of Dark Magic thick and intoxicating. She knew that this was an opportunity to prove herself, but it was a danger as well.  If she did anything wrong.  Nothing would save her - not even the portkey her grandmother had made.

She also fingered the letters in her pocket. "Ladies," she said. "I was instructed to give each of you one of these." She handed the letters with the flowing Malfoy script. As the most senior of the Junior Death Eaters he was granted all the authority to call meetings and communicate missions to everyone. She didn't know what the protocol would be after him.

Then, she got up. "I have to deliver a few more." She said as she went to find the others she had already distributed.

As she walked the corridors of the Hogwarts train which was strangely quiet, she still considered who she had handed her protection to. She had ten individuals she was allowed to make Junior Death Eaters. She had already chosen seven and would choose three more in the first few days of term.

Jillian MacDougal, Joshua Goldstein, Gale Weatherby, and Azure Zabini were in her year. She had considered giving one to Michele Harper or Vanessa Moon, but wanted to spread her net further.

She knocked on the outside of the fifth year Slytherin cabin. She handed Graham Pritchard his invitation to their Junior Death Eater meeting. Then, she went to the second year cabin and handed Sienna Ackerly a Ravenclaw second year her invitation. She still had three invitations to give out. She would give them to three second year Slytherins if necessary, but she hoped that a Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw or even a Gryffindor might present themselves as a possible choice.