Virginia felt ever more dangerous though
she seemed to just have escaped a crisis. She knew she had to do something or
it will get worse. She nodded to those Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws around her to
show that she is OK, and went away as fast as she could.

  She
carefully looked around and saw only the back of Amycus Carrow. She saw no one
else. This is excellent. She gave herself a Disillusionment Charm, watched
herself become invisible, and followed Amycus Carrow. This time she felt outragerous
and the fire of her fury is burning fiercely in her heart. She put her hand
into the donkey-skin pouch and took out the phial with the title “Felix Felicis”.
Although she couldn’t see it, she could sort it out by mere touch, for these
days she kept studying the contents of her pouch and was already familiar with
all the phials inside it.

  She
has already checked the contents of the phial according to the descriptions of
its supposed color in books, but she was still not sure about this. Nevertheless,
she now forgets all these and opened the phial immediately. She siped a small
amount of potion from it.

  Then
she stood still. This is not a conscious move, for she seemed to just have been
injected with an incitant. She was excited from head to feet. She now felt she
could do anything, and solving her little problem is only too easy.

  Her
instinctions tell her to keep following. So she complied. At the crossing she
cannot see Amycus Carrow, but she knows she should turn left. It was so
fantastic.

  So
she keeps walking till she reaches a door she has never seen before. She
stopped there. She knows she has to go inside but still waited. She doesn’t
know what she is waiting for but she still waited outside, full of confidence.

  Soon
enough she found out what she’s waiting for. She saw two people at the end of
the corrider. It was the Carrows. She didn’t move; her breath seemed to have
stopped. Only their voices were ringing in the deserted corrider.

  “Those
cubs of Gryffindor, you wait for me! They will never feel the slightest
happiness after Christmas!” The voice was from Alecto Carrow. “Longbottom! If
he wasn’t a pure-blood I’d already have given him a Killing Curse!” Amycus’s
gruesome voice even made ghosts feel comtemptible.

  “Amycus,
master said that pure-bloods should not be spilled carelessly. Every drop of
pure wizarding blood is valuable. You just give him several more Cruciatus
Curse. That ought to teach him a lesson.”

  “I
will certainly have him, sooner or later.” Amycus said malevolently. They were
very near the door now. Virginia followed them in and closed the door.

  “And
that Ravenclaw Mudblood! I’ll have her as well!” Amycus sounds very dangerous
now.

  “This
isn’t difficult. We don’t need to waste our time on such things. Just hand it
to Umbridge; she’s skilled at that. And the Dementors will make them behave
properly as well.” Alecto Carrow seemed not at all care about this Ravenclaw
girl.

  Virginia
still remained unmoved. She isn’t at all worrying. Felix Felicis tells her to
keep waiting.

  “Oh
don’t mention Umbridge! Last time master was really angry with her.” The two
both fell into silence. “And still there’s no news about Potter. Where can he
hide?”

  This
is it! Virginia walked to them and confidently took out her wand. Now the two
are weak enough that they are not paying attention for self-defense. “Obliviate!”
Virginia shouted. She never thought she would fail on this never-tried curse.
Under the influence of the luck potion it was ridiculus to have such thoughts.

  Watching
the two confused people in front of her, she knows she had succeeded. She had
succeeded at obliterating the memories about her.

  She
left that room. Felix Felicis was still influencing her. She knows where she
should go next.

  The
library, Restrict Section.

  In
the huge piles of books she does not feel difficult to pick up those she needs
this time. She took out seven or eight books she know she would need and sat
down there, immersing herself into those books.

  When
she went back at night Felix Felicis has already left her, but she was still in
an ecstatic mood. Those first-years who were waiting to console her was really
puzzled by her now. She smiled to them and went back into her dorm.

  She
jumped onto her bed and cheered loudly. This feeling was never experienced by
her since she came to Hogwarts. All these time she felt very hard to choose
books she needs from the library, but now she saves such trouble. She didn’t
know why Felix Felicis led her into the Resstrict Section instead of the Room
of Requirement, but she is glad indeed about the decision. The books cannot be
checked out of the Restrict Section, but she clearly remembers the names and
locations of these books.

  She
fell asleep in joy, the first time since she came to Hogwarts.

  Christmas
comes. The incidence at Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson was never
mentioned later. Virginia wrote a letter to her parents that she decides to
remain at school this year, for according to her, she has to catch up for her
lack of basis. And she put in a magic photo on which she can move and smile and
call to them.

  In
fact, she was a bit ashamed of doing so. She remained at school not out of her
lack of basis, but because she wants to learn more methods of self-defense and
protection. This kind of saying is out of good will, but it’s still a lie.
Nevertheless, she never regrets her decision.

  It
will soon end, she told herself. Darkness will go away one day in the future.

  Most
students are leaving; only a few remained. Virginia felt ever freer. Everyday
except during meals she stayed in the Restrict Section, so understandably she
didn’t know how much had happened during Christmas.

  Harry
Potter had narrowly escaped Lord Voldemort again, his wand snapped during the
process. Her senior schoolmate Luna Lovegood was taken by the Death Eaters
because of the Quibblers managed by her father, which has many
support-Harry-Potter messages. She also doesn’t know that in the Headmaster’s
Office something happened as well.

  Severus
Snape was standing there, waiting for something. Phineas Nigellus bursted into
his photo frame and shouted hurriedly, “Headmaster! They now camp at the Dean’s
Forest! That Mudblood –“

  “Don’t
use that word!” Severus Snape growled.

  “Oh
alright then.” He said reluctantly. “That Granger girl said the name when
opening her bag. I heard her.”

  “Good!
Very good!” said Dumbledore, whose voice overpowered that of Phineas Nigellus, “Now,
Severus, take that sword. Don’t forget the conditions of attaining it. Give it
to Harry, and don’t let him know it’s you in case Voldemort enters his mind. He
will know you are helping Harry Potter.”

  “I
know.” Severus Snape remained lack of expression. He took away Dumbledore’s
portrait and took out the genuine Sword of Gryffindor from a hole behind the
portrait. Giving Bellatrix Lestrange the fake sword while handling the true one
to Harry. How ironic! Severus Snape thought to himself.

  “You
still won’t let me know why you are giving it to Potter?” He put on a traveling
cloak, not expecting an answer.

  “Yes,
he will know how to use it, or when to use it.” Dumbledore seemed to be
avoiding the topic. He urged again, “Severus, you need to be careful. They won’t
take you politely, especially after George Weasley’s accident.”

  “There’s
nothing for you to worry about, Dumbledore,” Severus Snape replied coldly. “I
have my plan.”

  Everything
seemed not to have changed. All those destined to happen happened indeed, and
nothing is altered, or at least it looks like that.