CHAPTER TWO:
DREADFUL LIES

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      12 Grimmauld Place became the tiniest bit lighter after Harry arrived. Everyone had been so worried about him, but to see him alive and in person calmed their nerves. The Stature family had kept a nice distance, seeing as they were not as close with Harry, but he seemed to have taken an interest in Amandla.

         Harry was curious, to say the least. He, along with everyone else, didn't know why Sirius had taken an interest in Amandla. No one had a clue as to why Sirius had taken her aside to talk, or why she never spoke about it.

         Hermione, as well, wanted to know. She took up talking to the girl, hoping that Amandla would speak about it, but she never did. The Fitzgerald girl's heart swelled when Hermione spoke to her, but she knew why. Hermione would never care about her in the way Amandla wanted her to, but she couldn't help but remember every word of their conversations.

         The divide between the Weasleys and the Statures stayed. It wasn't a lack of trust between the two families, it was more of the lack of familiarity. The Weasleys were of bold Gryffindor, while the Statures were a mix between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. (Caesar, much like his mother, obviously got sorted in the blue house with a name like his.)

         Weeks passed in the house, and Harry had won his hearing, with no charges. A celebration was held, of course, in honor of that. The Weasley twins and Ginny sang, "He got off, he got off, he got off!" And Amandla, too, felt immense joy as she danced along.

         She had never seen so much joy and warmth outside of Hogwarts before. Her parents didn't celebrate birthdays with cake or anything, too paranoid and scared that someone would hear them and find them. And Anastasia Stature, their mother, never was one for celebrating birthdays. She thought that celebrations had to be earned, that celebrating because you grew another year was pointless. So, celebrations never occurred in Amandla's life.

         Still, she felt so alive as they celebrated the freedom of Harry. Everything was nice, so everything was great that even Amandla felt like she was a part of everything. She felt like she belonged, until Anastasia stared at her coldly and suddenly three children of Stature status felt so cold.

         It was not secret to anyone that Anastasia did not approve of any of their silly celebrations. She stared coldly when Harry was allowed back in Hogwarts ("He got off!") and scoffed, turning up her head when the same boy had a birthday. Still, when Anastasia wasn't looking, Amandla partied with them.

         And, there was yet another celebration as Ron, Hermione, and Caesar became Prefects for their houses. Everyone was surprised to learn that Harry himself wasn't the Prefect for Gryffindor, but Ron, though everyone was happy nonetheless. And, finally, the Statures joined the celebration that time as Anastasia felt it right to reward Caesar – and disgrace Cevira and Amandla.

         While the Weasleys thought everyone should celebrate, Anastasia thought it best to send them to their room, where the two girls stayed until Fred and George snuck them out, and Anastasia couldn't send them back.

         But, now, as Amandla stared at the photograph in front of her, sadness filled the young girl. It was the last picture taken of her parents when Amandla was four, two years before their deaths. The three of them were smiling, the background all colorful and everything bright. It was the day before night came, and Amandla came home with her Aunt Narcissa and cousin, Draco, only to find the cold bodies of her parents.

         Blinking away the tears, she placed the photograph into the trunk, covering it in her yellow robes and scarf. While she was a Hufflepuff at heart, she still was as cunning as a snake. That probably came from her long line of Slytherin ancestors, and the purity they adored. But she was much kinder than them, from the things she had heard about them from her Uncle Lucius.

         She finished packing, closing up her trunk before bringing it down the stairs to meet the others. Amandla was always the last one to finish packing, opting to do it fifteen minutes before they leave, since she never liked packing. It reminded her of when she was younger, forced to pack up everything and pretend like her parents never existed as she was placed on the footsteps of Anastasia Stature's house, and the Asian woman welcomed her in.

         Cevira smiled at her before they were pushed into a car, driving them to Kings Cross as they placed through the brick wall and into nine and three-quarters, where Amandla and Cevira were brought into a hug.

         "I thought you'd two never show! I've been waiting for hours!" they heard the loud voice of their friend, "Luna's been talking my ear off about nargles. Bloody annoying, it is!"

         Amandla laughed at him. Copernicus Lovegood, more known as Corey since he hated his birth name, had been friends with her ever since a Potions lesson where Amandla had managed to ruin Professor Snape's robes to where they could see his underwear and successfully land herself in detention. And Corey, the kind Ravenclaw he was, went to help Amandla get better at the subject. And Cevira welcomed him with open arms.

         "Sorry, but some of us aren't fast packers," Cevira playfully glared at Amandla.

         The other girl scoffed, "I do not take long to pack! That's you and you know it!"

         Cevira laughed, "Alright, alright, but you do leave packing until the last minute – making us late."

         Amandla rolled her eyes, playfully shoving Cevira as she looked over to see the Malfoy family saying their goodbyes. Draco's eyes flickered over to her, sending her a nod, which she returned. It was their way of saying that everything was alright, that nothing was out of the ordinary and no one else knew anything. She felt safer after getting the nod, turning back to her friends.

         She smiled at them as they led her onto the Hogwarts Express and into a compartment. Cevira and Corey sitting together as Amandla took the other side. While she would never admit it, Amandla always thought that they would look good together, and sometimes they even acted like a couple. But, she always knew at the end of the day that they would never get together.

         "I love Luna, but sometimes she just gets so annoying," Corey groaned, "Daddy's always working, and he doesn't like us leaving the house, so it's just the two of us. And Luna keeps droning on about creatures. Newt Scamander has ruined her."

         "What about you?" Cevira asked him, "I thought you loved Care for Magical Creatures."

         Corey nodded, "I do, I'm just not obsessed with the subject, unlike Luna. I swear, sometimes she just annoys me!"

         "She means good," Amandla smiled at him, getting out the homework she didn't finish during the summer, "Hey, Corey, what's the answer to number two in Potions."

         Corey rolled his eyes, "I swear, you'd fail your classes without me. And porcupine quills."

         She smiled at him, "Thank you, Copernicus."

__________

         The train stopped as Amandla finished scribbling down the answer to yet another Transfiguration question. She huffed, quickly putting her robes, not caring that Corey was in the room and that everyone passing could see her. At that moment, she hadn't a care about it.

         "No, please, Amy! Don't do that! I was hoping the first time I was a woman naked would be when I was undressing her!" Corey yelled in protest, covering his eyes.

         "For that, I'll show you a real woman naked – in your bed," Cevira laughed at him, and Corey squirmed.

         Once she finished, the three of them walked out, pretending that the last thing never happened as they went to the carriages. They looked around at their options, only to find that one carriage needed two people and the only other one available had one seat.

         Sighing, Amandla said, "I'll go with the others, you two can stay together."

         "But that means I'll have to sit with Caesar! Don't make me do that," Cevira pointed to one of the carriages.

         "I'm fine with that arrangement," Corey said, "Otherwise I'll have to listen to Luna again – and I had enough during summer."

         Cevira glared at him, not wanting to sit next to her brother or other Ravenclaws, snatching him by the ear and dragging him to the carriage. The Stature girl hated the Ravenclaw house with every fiber of her being, they always acted like they were the best since they were the smartest – ignoring Hermione Granger, of course. Even Caesar gloated about his smarts in front of his barely passing sister.

         Amandla took one last glance at them before going to the carriage that Luna, Neville, and the three she spent the summer with. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared at Luna as she smiled at them, her edition of the Quibbler – the magazine that her father owned.

         "Everyone, this is Looney –" Hermione started to introduce the wistful girl, her eyes widening as she gave the nickname everyone called her. But Luna just looked at her with a kind smile.

         "Luna Lovegood," Amandla corrected with a smile while Hermione nodded.

         There was silence as the three looked at Hagrid's hut and Amandla peered over to read the magazine with Luna. Then, she heard Harry sigh, "Hagrid's cabin looks deserted."

         "I hope he's all right..." Hermione trailed, a little frown on her face. It was a frown that Amandla wished she could wipe away, she wished she had the power to make the girl smile. But she didn't.

         "What if he were still on his..." Ron glanced at Luna before continuing, "...what if he's still on his mission from Dumbledore?"

         "Yeah, could be," Harry agreed as the carriages went to a halt, and the students piled out.

         Those who were in the carriage that Amandla stayed in stood together, walking together as Draco Malfoy walked past them with a smirk on his face.

         "Heard you're walking free," he laughs, "Father doesn't think it will last long with your record."

         Harry went to lunge at him as he two friends held him back and Amandla went forward. "Oh, shove off, Malfoy. I think we both knew there's more of a risk of you being sent out of Hogwarts."

         Draco glared at her slightly before whispering to her, "We don't have a choice, Mandy, they'll kill us."

         She knew that. Of course she knew that, that's why her lineage had to stay a secret. With Voldemort, it was either join or die. She didn't think any of the children at Hogwarts in the Slytherin house wanted to join him and lose their lives, but what choice did they have? Their parents gave away their choice – their family did, they didn't have one. They were all trapped, and she would be too if her parents never left and they lived.

         Amandla knew why the Malfoys sent her to the Statures. They were an all Ravenclaw family who were smart enough to never join Voldemort, they were good and they knew that Amandla would be good as well.

         But that didn't mean she liked it. She knew there was a possibility that her uncle would be sent to Azkaban, she knew there was a chance that Draco would get the mark – no, not a chance, but his future. He would, and that Amandla so much. Draco was so young, too young, and that youth would leave him so quickly when he is cursed with that mark, the things he would see and the things he would do.

         She nodded discretely as Draco walked away, her ears ringing slightly. Amandla didn't want his future, but she also didn't want Draco to be cursed forever. Turning back, she saw the shocked faces of her friends and others who passed. Everyone was confused as to why Amandla could make Draco walk away without a fight.

         In return, she just started to walk with Cevira to the castle. She ignored the callings of Harry, not wanting to speak as her mind continued to walk. It wasn't long before they reached the castle, going to the Great Hall as they watched the Sorting Ceremony.

         Amandla zoned out, they were all so young, so young in a war. A war was coming, and soon, and they were children involved. There would be casualties, and that might be one of those children. She watched as some were sorted in Slytherin with a bright smile on their faces, and she felt pity for them. They didn't know. If they were a part of a Slytherin family, if they weren't, they didn't know that Voldemort was targeting them, and he didn't care if you were of age.

         Sighing, she looked down at her own hands. Whenever she thought too much, she looked at them, something her mother apparently did as well. It was one day when she was younger and spending a week with her cousins – the Malfoys.

         She looked up to see their headmaster, Dumbledore, standing at the podium, "I beg a few moments of your attention, as I have a few start of term announcements. Right off, our caretaker, the good Mr. Filch, has reminded me for what he says is the four-hundred and sixty-second time that he had an annually updated list of various banned items, usually introduced by our humor experts Fred and George Weasley..."

         Fred and George stood up, taking a bow, as the other students laugh. Amandla, too, found humor in them.

         "...which are posted in an extensive list on the door to Mr. Filch's office," Dumbledore continued, "Also, we have two staffing changes this year. Professor Grubby-Plank will be taking the post of Care of Magical Creatures post as Hagrid is on...extended leave. Additionally, we have Professor Umbridge, who has kindly agreed to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts –"

         And for the first time in Hogwarts history, Dumbledore had been interrupted when he was speaking. Everyone knew not to disrespect the old man, and interrupting him was one of the main acts you could never do against him. Yet, this woman, Umbridge, did so without a second thought for her life. And shocking the students more, Dumbledore allowed her.

         "Hem, hem, Headmaster, if I could address the school?" the toad-like woman gave a smile, but it was clear that it wasn't a question but a kind-looking command.

         "Thank you, Headmaster. Now, how are we all tonight? I thought I would just say a few words. I am here at the Ministry of Magic's bequest, which states that if the Headmaster of Hogwarts is unable to fill any teaching post the Ministry shall select one for the position," she told them, and Amandla couldn't help but be filled with dread.

         It was a lie. That was a lie. Even though Hogwarts had been given a reputation for always losing teachers, and choosing the worst ones, there was always someone willing to teach at the school. This was a cover, and Amandla knew it.

         "The Ministry has always considered the magical education of our children to be of vital importance, and the passing down of this ancient and noble art must be given to the next generation, lest it be lost forever..." she paused, and Amandla saw Draco sneer a little before returning to a neutral façade.

         "Without progress, stagnation. But progress for progress's sake is to be discourage, for out art requires no tinkering," Umbridge continued, "A balance must be attained, the new and the old, permanence and change, tradition and innovation, order and chaos."

         Amandla was sure that no one knew what she spoke of, not even Umbridge herself. It was nonsense, simple nonsense to confuse her classmates and allow them to believe they have safety in the Ministry. That was probably the biggest lie of them all.

         "There are large changes coming soon, changes walking the fine line between order and chaos. Know only that these changes are for the best, and to prevent the destruction of our civilization from its own decay. Thank you," Umbridge smiled at them before returning to her seat.

         Dinner went by fast, to Amandla at least, and she found herself just staring at her food instead of eating it. Even Cevira ate with a smile plastered on her face, forgetting the words that Amandla's mind kept repeating. The Ministry was trying to control them, to make them unable to fight the threat they didn't want to face. They were afraid, so the only thing they knew how to do was to take control of Hogwarts.

         When they were sent to their dorms, Amandla walked beside Cevira quietly, the other girl continuing a conversation with Elodie Young – fellow Hufflepuff. Amandla's eyes met Draco's, who gave her a head motion, meaning to follow him.

         She couldn't right then, it would be too obvious, and rumors did not need to spread around her. Instead, the girl turned to Cevira, "I'm going to the ladies' room real quick, meet you back at the common room."

         And she left before her friend could say a word. She felt terrible lying, she never had the stomach for it, but sometimes it needed to be done.

         Flying around other people, she finally got to a dark, abandoned corridor which she knew Draco would be. He was standing the shadows with a grave look on his face, and Amandla knew it couldn't be good.

         "We always said we would protect each other," Draco started, walking out of the shadows to meet her, "We always said that no matter what, we would have each other's backs."

         "Draco, what happened? Is it...is it...?" Instead of finishing her question, Amandla pulled up the sleeve of his left arm, sighing at what she saw. It was pale, blank, free. For a moment, she could be relieved.

         He turned away from her, "I'll understand if you don't want my back anymore, I failed you, Mandy. For that, I'm sorry."

         "I still don't understand." She did. She understood every word, but with her heart beating and mind racing, she hoped that she was wrong. Amandla wanted to be so wrong that he would laugh at her assumption. But she knew that Draco wasn't one for jokes, especially after the summer, he was serious and cold, and there was no time for games anymore.

         "They know, Amandla, they know."

         And her world came crashing down.