CHAPTER THREE:
STAR WARS

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"What do you mean 'they know'?" Amandla snapped. Her worst fear – even above the ones who killed her parents – was the truth being told. It scared her to think that she would be with Draco, watching people kill, causing their deaths, when she was nothing like that.

         Of course she knew what it meant. Amandla knew that they would find out one day, that her web of lies would crumble and she would be left with the ashes, but not that soon. It was the beginning of a school year, and she would already have to live every moment in fear – in more fear.

         She just knew when she stepped on the train that morning that something would go wrong. She convinced herself it was Umbridge – the Ministry – and that nothing else could happen for the first week, but she was so terribly wrong.

         And then there was Draco. Filled with guilt and having all the weight on his shoulders of knowing more than he let on, staring at her with pity and disgust for himself. She had so many problems already, and he was only giving her more. He knew he should have waited to say anything, he knew he should have given her a week of bliss before ruining it, but she would hate him more for keeping the secret for so long.

         But he wouldn't tell her everything, she already had enough.

         "The letter – our minds," Draco stuttered, reaching out for her, "We can't guard our minds."

         Amandla shook her head. She didn't want to believe anything that was happening – she wanted to believe it was just a silly prank that he was pulling, but it wasn't.

         "Why not? I've been hidden for so long, he never knew!" Amandla sighed, "What happened now?"

         She wished it was easier. That there was an easy solution to all her problems, but there wasn't. There never was when Death Eaters were involved, and that just so happened to be her whole life.

         Amandla looked at Draco, the boy she had known all her life. The one who always had a sneer or a smirk on his face, pride of his family masking everything else. The boy who loved his parents with all his heart, until he came of age to leave for Hogwarts.

         She remembered when they were younger – the week before they would be sorted into a house at Hogwarts, before their first year. Draco seemed so weak, so small, as he admitted something so large to her.

         "I don't want to be a Slytherin," the young Draco had spoken, shocking her greatly, "Father wants me to be a snake, but I'd rather be a Hufflepuff. Nymphie's a Hufflepuff, and she said it was amazing. I want to be just like her."

         The whole sentence shocked her. First, how he said 'father' with disgust distain and disgust, using that word instead of dad, then saying he wanted to be a Hufflepuff. All her life, Draco had said he wanted to be a Slytherin – just like his parents, but then he was saying he wanted to be just like his cousin, Nymphadora Tonks.

         Amandla had to admit, Tonks was an amazing woman. She was so carefree when she was younger and the Fitzgerald girl would go with her cousins to the Tonks household. It was a rare occurrence, but Tonks lit up every time she saw the two of them.

         Now, everything was different.

         Amandla was the Hufflepuff and Draco was the Slytherin, just like everyone suspected. And Draco had cried that night to Amandla when they found each other in the kitchen. But everything had changed so much in the years at Hogwarts, and she knew why Draco wanted so badly to be Hufflepuff, to be a rotten apple in all of the perfect ones in his family.

         Amandla wished he was. That way he would be safe. No, that wouldn't be right. Voldemort would use his house status to try and convince other Hufflepuffs to join him – like he could use her. That scared her so much. She would have a purpose there, he would keep her alive for a reason. But Draco was replaceable, there were many Slytherin children, what was so important about him? She liked that he wouldn't be counted on for much, but she still feared for him.

         "After your letter came, he wanted to check our minds – Dolohov had done something he didn't like, wanted to make sure everyone else was intensely loyal," Draco breathed finally.

         Amandla took a breath, looking around as she figured out the rest. Every nightmare she had about that happening had come true, and she knew that the letters would come. She knew they would do anything to capture her and force her to be just like them. They would kill her friends – her family, and she would be all alone. She would be left with the people that killed her family, tortured Neville's, follow the one who destroyed Harry's family and ruined Draco's life. She would be just like them, and Amandla had never wanted that.

         Gulping, she turned back to Draco, who was looking at her with insecurity, a breaking look that she knew was reserved for the night sky and his pillow – no one else. And she returned the look.

         "When he did – when he got...got to my family's...there was no hiding," he choked out, "It was so fresh – the memory, and I remember his smile – his smile –"

         The was a boy full of fear standing in front of her. Amandla lived in a house she felt safe in, a place she found comfort in, but he didn't have that. Draco went home to a serial killer, a tyrant who only wanted power. He went back to fear. And it showed as she looked at him. 

         "Merlin, Mandy, it was terrible. He was so happy to find someone else to join him," Draco continued, pulling at his hair slightly before she took his hand, "I'm so, so sorry."

         Fear was a great thing. It kept people alive when they were paranoid about everything, kept Amandla vigilant about everyone she saw in dark corner. Kept her on her tail, taking the road with twist and turns where she could easily get lost for the fear that someone was following her. It kept her parents alive for four years after running away, kept Harry Potter alive for so long. The people around him feared for his life, so they made sure to keep him in safety – or try to.

         But fear had a downside. It was the side where a boy stood in front of girl nearly crying as he had so much fear surrounding him he had forgotten what it was like to live in safety – without fear. It had the side where people feared so much, they feigned ignorance, because they didn't want to stand up to their fear.

         There was the man whose name struck fear in everyone. It wasn't the name – it wasn't the name itself, but the connotation it gave people. It gave fear, reminded them of how many people they had lost because of them or the threats he had given about killing. It reminded Harry Potter of the deaths of his parents and Cedric Diggory, reminded Neville that his parents were insane because of one of his followers, and that he would never have a conversation with them. Reminded the boy that the only thing his mother would give him were wrappers, not a hug or a smile, but candy wrappers.

         And to Amandla, it reminded her of arranged marriages, loveless lives, and being prisoner. She didn't remember much about her parents, but she knew that they were never meant to be, it was a forced love that would never bloom. It reminded her of how her parents wanted her to have a better future, running away at the risk of their lives, and keeping their little girl safe.

         "I know," she spoke softly, "I know you're sorry. I don't blame you, Draco."

         He said nothing, only nodded as he wished so badly to feel numb, to not feel the sadness and guilt that crawled around on his skin. No, slithered on his skin like a snake.

         She knew guilt. She felt guilt every day for keeping so many secrets about her family – about her. But what could she do? Tell everyone and have them hate her? No, she couldn't tell anyone, and no one would know. No one except Draco. But now they knew, and they would go after her. She wasn't safe anymore.

         "It's getting late," Amandla spoke again, "We should get to our dorms now."

         Draco nodded again, walking away from Amandla, leaving her with a gut-wrenching feeling of fear.

         She stood there for only a moment longer before leaving, knowing that she couldn't stay in the corridor and get caught. Instead, she walked the way to Hufflepuff common room, humming the tune and entering, going straight to her room without even looking to see if anyone was in there.

         Tiptoeing into her room, she went straight to her bed. Every year, she roomed with Cevira and two other girls, Ronnie Wilson and Kate Henderson. She always had the bed closest to the window, since the other girls wanted to be as close to the door as they could. Amandla never cared, though.

         Opening her trunk, she found the spell book of her mother's, the only treasure she had received for her. She opened the book slowly, seeing her mother's pristine writing, the cursive so beautiful and clear.

         Counter-Curses

         And she read.

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         Amandla had been dreading going to Defense Against the Dark Arts since she learned Umbridge would be her teacher. She dreaded it even more when she heard how the Gryffindor and Slytherin lesson had went.

         While staying with him over summer, she learned that Harry had quiet the temper, and couldn't handle all the lies people told. He couldn't stand being called a liar by not only the wizarding world, but his friends. He hated all the secrets that had been kept for him, and like a volcano, he had been holding in all his lava. But that class made him explode, and everyone knew what happened.

         But, she couldn't just skip a lesson for a small reason that she had. Instead, she walked with Corey and Cevira to the class as they talked about movies.

         "Star Wars is easily the best film made by muggles!" Cevira argued, her face flushing red.

         "How dare you!" Corey put his hand on his heart, "Young Frankenstein is easily the best! I mean it's Frankenstein! And Abby Normal!"

         Cevira rolled her eyes, "But Star Wars has Luke Skywalker – and Yoda! All you have is a crazy scientist and nightmares."

         "Exactly!" Corey exclaimed, "Plus, your villain is only in twelve minutes of the film – not enough to develop him. Where is the redemption arc? And really? I thought incest would have died out now."

         "They didn't know!" Cevira defended her favorite movie, "Plus, they stopped afterwards."

         Amandla forced a laugh. She couldn't mope all day, she had to move on, force a smile and show that her world wasn't ending, no matter how hard that was. "Okay, let's come to a compromise. Grease is pretty great, right?"

         The two contemplated her compromise. Amandla knew she could win Corey over, his favorite song in the world was Summer Nights. And Cevira had to agree that she did find the movie compelling, loved to watch it whenever they went to the Lovegood house since her mother didn't want anything muggle in her house.

         "I guess it's pretty great," Cevira agreed, "And it gives me some great dreams."

         She sighed happily as Corey pulled a face of disgust before smiling, "Summer lovin, had me a blast. Summer lovin, happened so fast."

         Amandla gave a short dance at his singing, and Cevira soon joined in. The three laughed, happy for a second before they passed a group of Slytherins who sneered at them.

         "Oh, look, Pansy," one of them called – Theodore Nott, "We have the mudblood Amandl-ugh! Save us from your muggleness."

         She just rolled her eyes, not giving them the time of day as Pansy laughed with him. "Oh, look! She brought friends with her! Hi, Stupid Statures and, look!, the brother of Looney Lovegood."

         Amandla balled her fists, walking past them as she just shared a look with Corey, who wanted so badly to hurt them for the nickname they had given his sister. While they may not have the best relationship, Corey, being the big brother, always wanted to protect her.

         "Don't," she whispered to him, "They aren't worth it."

         And the three of them walked into the DADA classroom, the three sitting together as Cevira sighed, looking at Caesar. Her twin was always more popular than her, always gained the attention of his peers for not only his grades, but his looks. Caesar and Cevira never had that twin bond that Fred and George displaced, they were never close. Really, they were opposites. He was exceeding all his classes, she was borderline failing. He had a girlfriend, the only boy Cevira had ever liked didn't even realize she existed. Caesar had the attention from their mother that she craved, and a small resentment towards him formed from that.

         Cevira loved her brother more than anything, but sometimes she wished they could trade places. Sometimes she wished that she had the popularity, the friends, the grades. She wished that she was Caesar Stature instead of Cevira, the other one. The forgotten one.

         Amandla took the girl's hand in hers, squeezing it in hopes it would lighten her mood. Cevira smiled at her, nodding her head as Caesar turned towards them, only meeting eyes with them for a second before returning to his friends. Amandla wished she could do something for Cevira to make her feel better, but the love of her brother was the only thing she wanted, and it was the only thing Amandla couldn't give her.

         Before anything else could be said, they heard a light 'hem, hem', and all attention went to the pink woman with a toad-like smile. She walked to the front of the class with a stick in her hand.

         "Now, I know that your Defense Against the Dark Arts has been rather disjointed in the past, hasn't it?" she asked the class, "Know that this will be terminated completely with me here. I will be teaching you a pre-approved Ministry-prepared, theory-centered Defense lesson plan."

         Umbridge waved her wand in the air so that, on the chalkboard, words began to appear. "Copy this down," she told them.

         All the students were very confused by this. DADA was meant to be a physical class, where you learned the spells and used them. Theory-based...well, it didn't sound right. Amandla wondered how on earth they were supposed to protect themselves.

         No, the Ministry didn't want them to protect themselves. It all made sense then. Cornelius Fudge was a very paranoid man who thought Albus Dumbledore wanted to become Minister, and would send an army of students to attack them. They didn't want the students to be prepared to fight them.

         Quickly, Amandla began to copy what was on the board. She knew that they wouldn't be allowed to practice in here, "for a safe learning environment", but that didn't mean she couldn't practice on her own. Amandla could spend time of her own learning the spells instead of being unprepared.

         And that's when a hand went up.

         "Yes?" Umbridge asked, and the student put down their hand.

         "Well," Caesar began, "This doesn't really tell us how to use the spells. And isn't that the point of this class."

         Amandla looked at Cevira, and she knew they were both feeling the same way. While Caesar was very smart in a classroom, he wasn't smart with speaking properly. He always said what he wanted in the moment, not thinking about anything else. He wasn't great with people, or addressing something properly. And they knew this could lead to trouble.

         Umbridge laughed, "Well, I couldn't imagine any situation in which you would need to use these spells."

         She hoped and prayed that Caesar would just nod his head and go back to work. She desperately willed that he would get the hint not ask – not to become another hot-headed Harry Potter. But, Caesar couldn't hear her thoughts.

         "What if we get in a duel? I think that would be an appropriate reason to learn how to defend ourselves," Caesar said, and Amandla almost hit herself in the head with a book.

         "What would you get in a duel about, Mr. Stature?" Umbridge asked with her toad-like smile still prominent on her face.

         "I don't know," Caesar shook his head, "It was just a thought."

         She laughed at him, "Well, if you want to have another chat, I'll see you every day this week for detention for disrupting my class. Now, would you please complete your assignment?"

         No one speak after that, they just worked until it was time to go. The three of them went straight to Caesar as soon as class ended, pulling him away from his friends.

         "You're an idiot, Caesar!" Cevira exclaimed, hitting his arm, "Detention! Detention with Umbridge! You're a complete idiot."

         Caesar shrugged, "I was just asking a question. Usually professors like it when students ask questions."

         Amandla rolled her eyes, "After hearing about Harry Potter, I thought you get the message that she was different. You really are an idiot."

         "Well, I didn't see anyone else defending me," Caesar said before turning to Cevira, "A good sister would."

         "And I good brother wouldn't rub it in her sister's face that he did well on the OWLS," Amandla snapped at him, "I guess you're both bad siblings now."

         Without another word, Amandla pulled Cevira and Corey away from him, not wanting Caesar to hurt her friend any more than he already had.

         "Don't listen to him, Cev," Corey tried, but she just gave him a pouting look, to which he rolled his eyes at, "If you stop mopping, I'll watch Star Wars with you. And I promise I won't criticize the plot at all."

         Cevira laughed, "That would be torturing you. And although I usually like doing that, I won't. We'll watch Grease instead. Amandla, you in?"

         Amandla smiled at them, "Tonight after sometime in the library. I'm already behind in Potions."

         Corey gaped at her, "How? We literally have only had one lesson with Professor Snape. How are you already behind?"

         "I have a talent," Amandla laughed, "Apparently, I'm just good at making life harder on myself by procrastination and my terrible potion making skills."

         Corey rolled his eyes, "I swear, you're going to be the death of me if I have to keep doing your homework."

         "Oh, stop that," Cevira rolled her eyes, "You know you love doing our homework for us."

         He smiled, "Okay, I might enjoy all the homework – but, you need to learn to do it yourself. I can't force my knowledge into your mind for exams!"

         Amandla laughed at him, "I'll see you in the Room of Secrets."

         Cevira smiled, "Come on, little Copernicus, let's go get the chocolate and popcorn."

         "I swear, if you call me that again, I will hex you!"

sorry for the long time between updates. updates for this story and blood will have more time between them because school is overbearing and i am super busy right now. sorry.

dedicated to philophobias because she is an amazing person who plays games with me and lets me rant to her. :)