Narcissa Malfoy [HARRY POTTER AFTERLIFE FANFICTION]

Chapter 17

Issa was not okay. In fact, nothing was okay. Eden as a statue was not okay. Her terrible friendship (she finally decided to call it that) with Albus was not okay and the potion she was brewing right now was not looking okay.

Reagan, who was doing her best to fix it squeezed her nose with two fingers. "Gross, are you sure you didn't add any rat tails?"

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure I added pig."

"Well it smells like rat."

"How do you know that?" Reagan ignored it. "Darxs was eating rats earlier, maybe that's what smells." Issa glanced at Darxs, who was enjoying a deep sleep on Issa's bed.

"So..." Issa knew Reagan was about to start talking about guys. She always began like that. "Remember that boy we met while the sneaked into the Gryffindor Common Room?"

"The one that snogged you?"

"Yes! That one. Er..."

"Don't you begin with the 'I think he's really the one...'" Issa copied her voice.

"But I-"

"'I really really think he is this time.'"

"Issa! Let-"

"'When he kissed me his eyes sparkled..."

"Hey! It's-"

"And I knew, we were meant for each other."

Reagan couldn't contain her laughter. She burst into giggles. "I was only going to say he was cute! God, Iz. I met him again and his name is Callum and I think I like him."

"Ree..."

"He's a Half-Blood, so my parents will be okay with it, they get all fuzzed about Muggleborns. He goes to the Slug Clubs. And, I forgot to tell you, uncle said there was going to be another one on Friday, so that means he'll be there! And you are coming, too. I accept no 'no's'" Reagan said demandingly.

"I have a lot of homework." Albus will be there...

"You don't lie to me."

"Really! I still haven't finished the Charms one! It's enormous!" At least it wasnt a lie.

"Is it because of Albus?" Sometimes, Issa was brought back a few steps at how well Reagan could read her mind. "You freaking saved him from a 'Victoria freak' obsession and now you're not even friends? I thought you liked him, why didn't you bloody kiss him back? Any girl in Hogwarts would die to get a kiss from Potter." Issa did not respond to this, part of it was because she didn't want to discuss it, but most of it was because she didn't know the answer herself.

"Fine." Issa grumbled. Reagan would've dragged her there, anyway.

* * *

Slughorn's favourite students sat around the circular table. Reagan's Potions archenemie sat way too close and kept sticking out his tongue at them until Reagan blew it to the size of his fist and he had to leave. Scorpius was far away enough. His head more noticeable since it poked out about two and a half inches above everybody else's.

Fine food gave the air a delicious smell. There were delicacies from white sugar covered chocolate small pine cone trees to tongue frosting mints.  The jelly cubes that were jumping up and down, as if they were excited were Issa's personal favourite.

Reagan looked nice, her makeup was fantastic and Issa could say Callum had taken some stolen looks at her. Issa looked good herself. Not very different from any other day, but she had painted her nails pitch black. She had struggled whether to show up with the green stone necklace for many minutes. At last, she decided to keep it. Maybe things could get a little better between them.

Everything could have come well at that dinner if the person Issa felt most hatred toward hadn't decided to show up in the middle of the meal.

Issa coughed when Victoria showed up. Fire whiskey burned in her throat. Her nails dug into her legs. Victoria looked very ridiculous, to Issa at least. Her makeup was overdone, and her hair was curled. Her lips screamed the brightest pink and suprisingly didn't trip with the heels she wore. Every boy's jaw practically detached as she saw very ellegantly next to the Scamander brothers and Betty Skeeter. Maybe all they were staring at was her badly covered-up zit in the middle of her forehead. Issa had made sure of that.

The only thing that made her arrival better was how Albus didn't as much as glance at the witch.

The Professor tried to clear the air. "Well well everybody, the feast isn't over just yet! I still have a very big announcement to say-" He turned his head toward Skeeter. - "Which I think most of you will find disastrous."

At some point, Issa found herself in an eye contest with Victoria. She bore her grey eyes into her browns. Victoria gave her a dumb grin, and Issa mader hers look stupid. She bit her lip, and Issa knew she was done with her. If Victoria weren't so far away, she would've fork-stabbed her.

Victoria faked to fix her hair and lost eye contact with Issa. Issa smilled from ear to ear as the twirled her soup, then Victoria used her sweetest voice. "Albus," She almost moaned his name. "Do you still cry every night for me? I remember when you used to do that when I left." She pouted and Albus tensed. Issa waited for Albus to respond but he said nothing. Below her, Issa's soup bubbled, and her letter soup arranged itself into a sentence.

Got any tricks up your sleeve?

Issa loved MagiSoup. It could form its own sentences, or someone else who was also eating it could send you secret notes through it. Issa saw Albus twirling his soup, another message appeared on her soup.

If I do something, everyone will know. 

Then another one, Please.

Issa decided shuting Victoria up wasn't such a bad idea. She took her wand out from under the table. "Langlock-" She whispered. But nothing happened. She saw Victoria's lips stretching into a smile and Issa knew what she'd done. She had stopped her jinxs. Issa still didn't know non-verbal spells, she could've read her lips.

Can't, she's blocked me. She sent to Albus.

"Are you all right, Narcissa?" Victoria directed to her. "Your face is a little red here," She motioned with her hand. "And here, well everywhere, dear." Issa used her energie to keep a normal face.

Know any I can use? She asked Albus.

"Oh, I'm fine. Thanks for your worries, but are you? I heard no matter what you try that zit keeps growing into your face." Victoria blushed and covered her forehead.

"It's time for my announcement!" Professor Slughorn said, catching everybody's attention. "It's been very hard to admit this, but I will be retiring. Old Sluggy has been in Hogwarts for quite a while and... well, everyone wants to rest at some point, don't they?"  There were gasps and sad small smiles among the table. The Scamanders wrote furiously on their note pads.

Oculus interclusio. The words floated to the surface of her soup. Issa's eyes widened.

Issa reached to grab a marshmallow filled with chocolate from a plate and as she unwrapped the golden cover it brought back a memory. Golden wrapper. Gold. Eden was made gold down in that chamber. Where it was cold and there was a crazy huge monstrous lion. And she was here, at a party, eating chocolates with the wrapper of the same colour her boyfriend was now made of.

Issa knew there was a way so fix petrified people. With Mandrakes. Could that work for golden statue people? How would she ever get a grasp of a Mandrake without explaining the problem?

Eden couldn't stay like this. Issa would have to brake her promise and save him. She would call the Headmistress and she would help him, and when she did, Eden would no longer care because she had saved him.

He worked so hard to find it... If she told someone, his discovery would be revealed. They would be banned from trying to find the chambers, and Issa would never get to see it. She didn't know what to do, but if she needed to find the chamber, she would need a Gryffindor.

Issa wrote a final message to Albus before finishing her soup. 

I need to talk to you. Later.