Whirlwind in Time Chapter 5

The carriage rocked underneath them as it made its way to Hogsmeade, all the while Harry subtly admired the beautiful redhead witch across from him. Amelia wore a tan top and coat with a black shirt along with matching tall heeled boots. Her red hair fell down in waves over her tan coat, and her blue eyes examined their surroundings outside the carriage window.

“So,” Harry began, getting her attention. “Since you asked me on the date, then I assume that you will be paying, right?”

Amelia stiffened, an odd frown settling on her face. “Normally it is the wizard who pays- wait… you’re messing with me, aren’t you?”

“Just lightening the mood.” He said with a smile.

“That wasn’t funny.”

“Of course it wasn’t.” His smile didn’t cease.

“Fine, you win.” Amelia gained a faint grin, rolling her eyes as her cheeks reddened. “Although you are right, and I was the one who asked you out, something uncommon for most witches.”

“I don’t mind.” Harry replied. “I’d more of the laid back type.”

“Even if it goes against tradition?”

“Tradition?” Harry frowned.

“Most Slytherins take tradition very seriously, and I doubt any of them would have accepted if I asked them on a date.” Amelia said. “Pureblood customs typically have the wizard taking the lead in such situations, especially when it comes to courting.”

“I never really thought about it that way.” He had never really paid much attention to the pureblood politics in Hogwarts, and felt somewhat uneasy speaking about a subject he knew next to nothing about. “I should probably let you know that I’m a Halfblood, if that’s important to you…”

“My family doesn’t really care about such things.” Amelia waved off his concerns, before her cheeks reddened. “N-Not that you’ll be meeting them anytime soon or anything!”

“I would like to meet your family.” He said, remembering how Susan Bones would talk about her ‘aunt Amelia’. “Do you have siblings?”

“A few brothers, who are all younger than me.” She answered, her cheeks still warm. “They’ll be starting Hogwarts in a few years.”

The carriage came to a stop, and he stepped out first before giving a hand to Amelia to help her make her way down the carriage steps. Harry saw that Hogsmeade looked the same as it did in his own time, with the old wooden buildings and stone roads filled with visiting students.

Amelia grabbed his arm as they walked, allowing him to escort her through the streets, and he suddenly realized that he had no idea where they were headed. The redhead on his arm seemed comfortable enough, and he didn’t ask her immediately for a heading.

But that was when he noticed something odd, and Harry felt that familiar feeling in the back of his head when something was wrong. Lucius Malfoy walked alongside Narcissa up ahead of them, looking ever like the perfect pureblood couple. He remembered Bellatrix talking (or more like complaining) about her sister dating Lucius, and he watched the pair closely as they neared.

Lucius looked around cautiously all of a sudden, and Harry avoided the boy’s gaze the best he could, before the pair turned and made their way down a dingy alleyway. It certainly wasn’t a main thoroughfare through the village, and something more akin to what you would find in Knockturn Alley.

‘Should I follow them?’ Harry asked himself, wondering if he should start off his date with Amelia by spying on Malfoy. There was a part of him that felt it was unreasonable to spy on Malfoy, but on the other hand, Narcissa was with him. The girl was still Bella’s sister, and he certainly didn’t want her getting hurt because of Malfoy’s schemes. ‘I might as well.’

He leaned in close to Amelia. “Follow me.”

She looked at him strangely, and he led her to the small alleyway with her hand clasped in his own. He went first, feeling her own grip tighten on his hand as they entered the small cove that went between the different Hogsmeade buildings. The two snuck between the backs of different stores and apartment buildings, and he could just make out a conversation up ahead.

Malfoy’s voice, and another person as well, were talking up ahead, and he peeked around a corner he came upon to see what was going on. He saw that Lucius was speaking with an ugly black-haired boy in their year, with Narcissa standing off to the side and looking infuriated. Amelia crouched at his side, listening in quietly beside him.

“~of course, Lestrange, and I doubt Narcissa’s sister would be too much to handle. A firm hand might be the right way to go about things… have you considered a binding marriage contract for that matter?” Lucius Malfoy said in that same obnoxious drawl that Harry was used to at this point.

“I haven’t, but I’ll be sure to look into it.” A boy, who he realized was one of the Lestrange brothers, answered, and Harry couldn’t make out which one it was. “Thanks for the advice, Malfoy.”

“Of course.” Lucius nodded, and the black-haired wizard left.

Narcissa spun to face Lucius then, looking livid. “Do you really think that my sister is some toy to be sold off? You haven’t spent all that much time around Bellatrix, have you?”

He was instantly on alert, realizing what exactly Lucius had been talking about. He remembered back to his conversation with Amelia, about pureblood relationships, and especially back to his own time when Bella had been married to Lestrange. It seemed that Lestrange was trying to get into a marriage contract with Bellatrix once again.

‘I’ll never let that happen.’ He had decided some time ago that he would never let Bellatrix become the woman he had despised in the future. He wanted her to remain the same witch he had gotten so close to recently, and to do that he would never let her marry the likes of Lestrange.

“I know better than to waste time around Bellatrix.” Lucius sneered at the thought of spending time around Bellatrix. “If a fool like Lestrange wants your sister, then him claim her. A Malfoy only surrounds himself with those of similar stature, not beasts like her.”

“You should watch your tone when you speak to me, especially when you talk of my sister with your filthy tongue.” Narcissa sounded furious, something almost foreign to the kind blonde girl he had gotten to know recently.

“Touched a nerve, have I?” Lucius’ eye twitched. “You should know better than to continue associating yourself with such rabble. From what I hear Andromeda is sullying herself with that mudblood boy, all the while Bellatrix slips deeper into insanity. Need I not mention the rumors of her and Peverell-”

“Enough!” Narcissa hissed, and Harry stiffened at the end of Lucius’ statement. He wasn’t the only one, as he felt Amelia tense from beside him. While he had tried to keep his relationship with Bellatrix quiet, it seemed that at least some had noticed how close he and her were.

“You will not dare to insult my family ever again.” Narcissa said in a dangerously low voice. “My sisters are damn near the top of our year in every subject, and Bellatrix is known to be the strongest witch of our age! At least she aspires to act on her own ambition and has proven herself unlike you!”

“You dare talk back to me, wench.” Lucius spat, pulling out his wand.

Harry had enough at this point, and he spun around the corner with his own wand out and pointed at Malfoy. “Stupify.”

The blonde idiot went down like a sack of bricks, and Narcissa spun to face him with wide eyes. “Harry? And is that Bones with you? What are the two of you doing here?”

“We were on a date when we found you two arguing.” Amelia answered for him, following his lead before looking down at Malfoy’s unconscious form. “Should we contact the aurors? It sounded like he was going to curse you before we intervened.”

“There’s no need.” Narcissa replied. “Let him rot here, and he’ll wake up in a few hours having learned his lesson.”

“Why are you even dating him?” Harry frowned. “He’s-”

“-an egotistical, self-obsessed, moron?” Narcissa finished his sentence with a roll of her eyes. “It’s because of personal obligations, I’m afraid. Not every witch can be with the man she desires.”

Narcissa looked at him strangely as she finished her sentence, and he felt Amelia stiffen beside him before the redhead grabbed him arm. “Come along, Harry. I’m sure Black can handle things on her own.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him as Amelia damn near dragged him away. The redhead witch was much stronger than he originally thought, and possessive as well, as it seemed that she didn’t like the way Narcissa was eyeing him up.

“The last thing you want is for that woman to have an interest in you.” Amelia said to him as they left the alleyway. “Black is known to be a social climber, meaning she’s probably just using Malfoy for her own gain.”

Although he hadn’t spoken to Narcissa at length, the blonde witch seemed nice enough in his opinion. He certainly hadn’t seen her as the type to get in a relationship for her own personal gain. “She doesn’t seem the type to date Malfoy just for some sort of profit.”

“You would be surprised.” Amelia said. “She was put in Slytherin for a reason, after all.”

“I’m in Slytherin too, you know.” It felt odd for him to say those words, and even to feel the slightest inclination to defend Slytherin.

“Oh, I know.” She flashed him a smirk. “And I’m in Hufflepuff, House of the badgers, and badgers eat snakes after all.”

‘That was a good comeback.’ He mentally groused, knowing he had lost the arguement.

They made their way out of the alleyway and back into the village proper then, and Harry asked her if she wanted to go to Three Broomsticks, to which Amelia agreed. They went in and found a nice empty table by the window before he ordered drinks from the much younger looking Rosmerta.

“Thank you.” Amelia nodded once he handed her a butterbeer.

“I’m sorry to have dragged you into that mess.” He said, referring to the earlier altercation with Malfoy. “I just saw him with Narcissa and knew something was wrong.”

“I actually sort of enjoyed it.” She smiled. “In the end, it did make our first date somewhat exciting. Although, there is a certain issue I would like to speak to you about before we move forward.”

“Which is?”

Amelia hesitated, looking nervous for the first time he had seen her. “I have concerns regarding a certain… witch.”

‘She must mean Professor Riddle.’ Harry nodded, believing that Amelia must be nervous about Riddle. “I think I know who you’re talking about. And before you ask, I’m worried about her too.”

He was still unsure of how to go about dealing with the woman, or even if she was this world’s counterpart of Tom Riddle. They only path forward he saw was uncovering her plans, which was unclear to him as Voldemort had yet to even be revealed to the public. And until that even happened, he would be unable to produce a shred of evidence against her.

Amelia’s shoulders sagged in clear relief. “That’s good, I was concerned you were already too close to Black.”

It took him a moment to realize she was talking about someone else. “You mean Bellatrix?”

It should have been obvious who she was talking about, as Malfoy had also mentioned him being close to Bellatrix back in the alleyway. Amelia had no doubt heard it, and wanted to get to the truth of the matter.

“Yes, I thought that’s who we were talking about.” Amelia frowned. “Who else would you worry about?”

He rubbed his neck in embarrassment. “No one, forget about it.”

Amelia’s eyes seemed to shine, as if looking upon a puzzle waiting to be solved. “Tell me.”

“It’s best I don’t say anything.”

“Harry.” Amelia seemed to growl his name in frustration. “We’re in a relationship, and I doubt the best way to begin things is to keep secrets.”

She did make a good point, Harry would admit that much, but he was still hesitant to trust her. It wasn’t so much that he worried about Amelia betraying him, as much as her being manipulated or harmed by getting between himself and Voldemort. And if Emily Riddle truly was this world’s version of Voldemort, then he could never be too careful.

But on the other hand, he recognized that it was better to get his own problems off his chest than to burrow them away. And if he really wanted to be in a relationship with Amelia, then it would be best to do as she said and not keep secrets.

“It’s Professor Riddle.” He finally answered.

Her eyes widened in shock, clearly not expecting that answer. No doubt she expected him to name one of the other Slytherin students in their year, and not the newest Professor. “What about her?”

He knew that he couldn’t reveal everything he knew about Voldemort right then and there in that moment, as he wasn’t close enough to Amelia to explain everything just yet. Still, he wanted her to at least be aware of his concerns regarding Riddle, and the danger surrounding her.

“It’s really just suspicious, nothing quite substantive.” He answered. “The way she acts, how she manipulates others, and the strange feeling I have about her. All of it has me feeling off, and I know, deep down, that she is up to something.”

Amelia stared at him for a long moment, seemingly trying to decipher his answer. “That’s not all, is it?”

Harry stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“I can tell you’re not telling me everything.” Amelia stated, eyeing him clinically.

“You’re right.” He nodded, looking out the window to their side. “It’s not something I like to talk about, but a long time ago, my parents were murdered by a dark wizard.”

Amelia let out a small gasp. “W-What?”

He didn’t look at her. “Their murderer was never caught, but I’m beginning to suspect that Professor Riddle is the one who murdered them.”

“H-Harry, that is a big accusation.” Amelia breathed, clearly trying to digest what she just learned. “A-Are you sure? I mean, how did you even come to that conclusion?”

“I can’t tell you everything.” He stopped her before she could speak again. “Trust me, it’s really not something I can delve into. And while I have suspicions that she was the one who did it, I’m still not entirely certain.”

“Still, I can’t even imagine how much something like that must impact your life.” Her gaze locked with his own. “I am sorry to hear about your parents. I’m sure that they were great people who would be proud of you.”

“Thank you.” He felt his heart warm up from her words. “That means a lot.”

/////

The night was cold as ice as she studied the old Manor in front of her, surrounded by the lush British countryside. She had gone unnoticed as she slipped past the property’s wards, evading the aurors as she did so.

From there she made her way inside the home, doing so while disillusioned so that no portraits would notice her. The grandiose manor of Minister Eugenia Jenkins was eerily silent, save for the faint crackle of the fire in her study. The Minister herself was alone, reading over several pieces of parchment from her chair as a fire roared across from her.

The woman barely noticed the door to her room opening quietly, and by the time she looked up, it was already too late. Emily stepped forward, her wand held loosely in one hand, wearing a dark cloak that hid her body.

Minister Jenkins stood, glaring at her. “Who dares—”

“Sit down, Eugenia. Struggle only cheapens the moment.” Riddle ordered.

The Minister’s hand darted toward her wand, but Emily’s movements were faster, precise, like a serpent striking its prey. With a flick of her wand, Jenkins was slammed back into her chair, her wand skittering across the floor.

“I expected more from the Minister of Magic. Perhaps that’s why your time is up.”

The Minister glared at her. “You won’t get away with this. The Aurors—”

“The aurors aren’t coming, Eugenia.” She spoke. “Not that they would be able to stop me, someone who knows what true power is.”

“They’ll hunt you down like a dog if you kill me.” The Minister spat. “The aurors will find you and drag you out of whatever hole you crawled out of!”

“Oh, I assure you that your aurors won’t be able to stop me.” She said easily. “In fact, when I’m done, all of Britain will be powerless to stop me from taking control. And the first path to guaranteeing my success is your death, Eugenia.”

Jenkins struggled against the invisible force pinning her down, sweat beading on her brow. “You’re mad! Britain will never bow to you.”

“They don’t need to bow. They only need to fear.” She smirked softly, and with a slow, deliberate motion, Emily raised her wand. “Avada Kedavra.”

A flash of green light illuminated the study, and Minister Jenkins slumped lifelessly in her chair. Emily stood over her for a moment, her expression unreadable.

She stepped back, adjusting her robes with meticulous care. With a flick of her wand, the fire in the hearth roared to life, its heat erasing any trace of her presence as it spread through the room and began to consume the manor in its entirety.

As she exited the manor, she left no doors open, no wards triggered. To the outside world, it would look like the Minister had simply passed in a tragic accident. She would not get credit for the incident, not that Emily wanted the recognition at this time, but instead she aimed to sow chaos.

And with it she would thrive, beginning the lengthy process of gaining allies and recruiting those looking for change. Dumbledore, and the rest of the Ministry for that matter, would be unaware of her plans, and powerless to stop her once they realized what was happening. And in the end, she would win.