❝ I forget how to love myself most days. But I keep trying. I keep trying. And that alone is a victory. ❞ — Alison Malee

The air was chilly that October morning as I made my way down the hallway and out of the castle. My heart was beating fast in anticipation. My mind started racing. Today was the first meeting of my organization. How would I address the members we'd collected thus far; would I let everyone know about my true identity right away? Could they really be trusted? Would they agree to help me?

With these thoughts occupying my brain, I didn't look at the floor beneath my feet as I was walking, when I felt them get stuck all of a sudden. I looked down and frowned when I saw that I had stepped on a tar-like substance. I tried to lift my left leg, but it wouldn't budge.

"What the—"

"Polly! Hey, Polly!" The familiar voice of Rena Richards called behind me. I heard her melodious chuckle before her grinning face and afro hair appeared in sight. "What do you think of the Tar Gum? In my opinion it's one of our best pranks yet."

Before I could open my mouth to respond, Melvin Richards came flying by on his broomstick and stopped beside Rena. He gave her a high-five and they both laughed.

"Hey, Polly," he said, turning to me. "Ready for the meeting today?"

"Well, I was kinda nervous at first, but now I'm more nervous about this sticky thing under my feet that won't let me move," I said. "Where did you guys even get this?"

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, where else?" Rena said matter-of-factly, sounding proud of her work. "Filch will go through hell to clean it up. I can already see Peeves' amused reaction."

"And Ralph's less than amused one," Melvin added.

"I'll be with Ralph on that one if you two don't help me out," I said.

Rena let out another laugh and took out her wand. She pointed it at my glued feet and uttered a spell.

"You're free," she said.

I lifted my left leg again, relieved to see it unstuck. I took a leap in order to prevent stepping on the Tar Gum again.

"We're meeting by the Black Lake, right?" Melvin asked.

"That's what I told them." I felt my shoulders tense up. I didn't know whether I was ready.

"Want a ride?" Melvin asked. He patted the spot behind him on the broomstick.

"I know I do," Rena responded before I could even say anything. She hopped on the broom and then reached for my arm. "C'mon, Polly. I know you're trying to get that cardio, but it's more fun this way."

I let out a light laugh and shook my head. "How can I say no to you, Rena?"

Her smile broadened. "You can't, so come on board."

I held on to her arm as she helped me get on the broomstick. Three students who were walking past gave us strange looks, but Rena and Melvin didn't seem to notice. Then, without any warning, Melvin took off at full speed and I let out an embarrassing yelp that was joined by a cry of excitement from Rena. I held on to her waist as Melvin took a sharp turn out of the castle. We passed the main courtyard, where Rena and Melvin spotted several friends that they waved at while I was busy holding on for dear life. This was my first time riding as a passenger on someone else's broom and I swore to myself I'd never do it again. I was so used to being the one to ride my slow school broom when I played Quidditch that this experience was not one I was enjoying.

"Prepare to land, ladies!" Melvin cried as we approached the Black Lake.

A group of students appeared as small as ants from this distance but their shapes became more tangible the closer we got. I recognized Sibi and Mike's faces among the group. Without as much as a cry of enthusiasm, Melvin pulled the brakes of his broom as he took another sharp turn to avoid running into the group. I practically dug my fingers in Rena's waist as her excited scream blended with my terrified one. We came to an abrupt stop that had us tumbling out of the broom and into the grass.

Rena and Melvin rolled on their backs and broke into a fit of laughter, holding their stomachs. I did the same, except not because I was laughing but because I was afraid I'd puke.

"Well, talk about a dramatic entrance," Ralph's voice came from above me. He looked down at his twin sister and cousin and rolled his eyes, but an amused smirk was playing on his lips. "First time experiencing Melvin's flying skills, Polly?"

"First and last," I said. Ralph laughed and helped me up. My head was spinning.

"There you are!" Sibi approached me, her lips curled up in a smile. "Ready?"

   I nodded and wrapped my coat more tightly around my body as a gust of cold wind blew past. Rena, Ralph and Melvin got up and joined the group, who had either taken spots on the grass or were standing, all eyes trained on me and Sibi in anticipation. I gulped and exchanged a look with her. Then I turned to the group again, recognizing the familiar faces of my roommates, Christine and Rosalinda. By Christine's side was another girl half a foot shorter than her, with long chestnut curls cascading down her shoulders and piercing grey eyes. I assumed she had to be her sister, Stella.

Next to her stood three unfamiliar faces clad in Hufflepuff robes, which must've been friends of the Richards'. I spotted Alex's face among the group as well and my heart dropped to my stomach. I quickly shifted my gaze to Henry Kei, the Headboy, who was standing next to the Gryffindor male Prefect, a boy by the name of Jackson Macmillan.

   "I think you should start," Sibi whispered.

   She gave me a soft nudge. I cleared my throat and turned to the group. Everyone's gaze was intent on my face. My throat felt dry.

   "Hi everybody," I said timidly. Crap, I hated this. Public speaking had never been my forte. I felt like Harry Potter on his first DA meeting. "So, um. . . I don't know how to say this in a way that is most appropriate but I don't want to sugarcoat anything."

   I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. What now? How was I going to go about this? Should I just blurt the truth out? How were they going to react?

   "I just wanted to say that . . . I'm a Dolphinus."

   And there we go. In classical Polly Annabelle Kin fashion, I broke the news as bluntly as I possibly could. For a moment that felt too long for my liking, the only sound I could hear were the chirping of birds flying overhead and the soft ebb and flow of the tides of the Black Lake. I couldn't lift my gaze from my boots.

"If that's a genuine shock to any of you, I suggest you get your ass outta here before I can kick it myself," Christine spoke up. "We all knew it the second she stepped foot in our school and don't even pretend you were too thick to connect the dots. We've known since year one the date of the Ministry examination was this year, and if you've lived all these years being unaware of Robert Kin's existence, I'm sorry to break it to ya, but you've been living under a darn rock."

Nobody made a sound, but when I looked up, I saw the looks some of them exchanged with one-another. Some dropped their gaze, others' eyes moved out to Sibi instead.

"I understand the tension," I found the voice to say. "It—it's definitely not the type of thing about yourself you'd openly admit when it has such a stigma to it. Nobody has ever questioned the Ministry's motives regarding our kind. Mostly because we are so rare that people lack adequate information to explain why this genocide keeps happening to begin with. It's just one of those things the wizarding community has accepted without questioning since it's been practiced for a long time and nobody has ever challenged the system."

"Dolphinuses possess magical powers the rest of us don't," Jackson Macmillan spoke up.

I gulped and turned to look at him: short, stout dude with large nostrils and hair that reached past his ears. He sat in front of me in Arithmancy and I had exchanged at best ten words with him—the usual 'hi' when we passed each-other in the hallways or a 'good job' he gave me whenever the Gryffindor Quidditch team won a match—but that was about it, so seeing him here was rather astounding.

"I'm afraid that's not true," I said. "Trust me, I would know if I was able to poop glitter or create food out of thin air."

The Richards broke into a fit of laughter. I looked at Sibi, who was barely suppressing a smile herself. Suddenly I felt like I'd just shaken a weight off my shoulders.

   "The reason I had Sibi and Mike tell you guys to gather here today was because I'm trying . . . I want to shed more light to this issue," I said. "Bree—uh, professor McBon is the one who encouraged me to speak up about this, so if any of you don't believe me then—"

   I paused. Sure, Breeze had told me to take this initiative to begin with, but was I really just her protege and nothing more? Was the reason I was doing this merely because I was following orders? I licked my lips and took another deep breath.

   "My father is still alive," I mumbled. Several gasps and shocked repetitions of my statement in question form broke out. Sibi motioned with her hand for them to calm down before I could proceed. "I don't care what rumors the Ministry has spread to tarnish my father's reputation. He's not a coldblooded killer and I know it. Professor McBon knows it. He was just as innocent as any other Dolphinus that has ever been convicted and executed, just as innocent as I am and. . ."

   Embarrassingly, I felt the familiar sting at the burn of my throat and my voice broke. I didn't want to break down in front of everyone. I was not going to break down in front of everyone. Mike put his hand on my shoulder in comfort.

   "He's out there somewhere, living in disguise," I continued. "He works as a Dolphinuses executioner and hasn't the slightest clue who I am or that he has a daughter to begin with. He doesn't even know he is a Dolphinus himself. If nothing is done, I'm going to die at his hands without him even recognizing me, and this genocide will keep happening for years and years and it won't stop until somebody takes a stand and decides enough's enough. Well, I'll be that person, starting now." I lifted my head and fought back the tears that had collected in my eyes. I looked at Christine, whose arm was wrapped protectively around Stella's shoulders.

   "If you trust me or care about me even the slightest, I will be needing your help. I can't do this alone. This madness can't keep on happening."

   "And if we don't?" came a voice. Not Jackson Macmillan's, to my surprise. It was a gentle female voice belonging to one of the unfamiliar Hufflepuff faces.

   I gulped and looked at her. She had to be one of the most gorgeous girls I'd ever seen that for a moment I started wondering whether she was half Veela. Porcelain skin and soft features complementing an oval face: small button nose, cupid's bow lips, thin eyebrows, upturned blue eyes. Her hair was the same shade of blonde as mine, but instead of sitting on a frizzy mane on top of her head as mine naturally did, hers tumbled to her shoulders in flowing locks.

    "Well, if you don't," I started. "I've got nothing to lose either way. With or without your help, I'll still be carrying out this plan. And with or without your telling on me, the Ministry's scheduled examination will still happen in two months."

   The pretty girl didn't respond. Neither did anyone else. I looked at Sibi and Mike on my sides. I'd said what I had to. My only hope was they'd agree.

   "So, who's in?" Mike spoke up.

   Christine and Stella's hands shot upright almost in an instant. Rosalinda did the same. Alex raised his hand next, and when I looked at him, he flashed me a charming smile, which I returned without hesitation. Rena, Ralph and Melvin raised their hands next—Rena raising both hands and jumping up, which made me chuckle. Slowly, Jackson Macmillan and Henry Kei did the same gesture. Next was one of the guys from Hufflepuff, whose eyes were glued to the grass. I was hesitant whether or not the good-looking blonde girl, and who appeared to be her twin—and equally good-looking—blond boy, would agree as well. Eventually, after exchanging some words and unreadable looks, they turned to us and raised their hands.

   My heart was about to burst out of my chest. This was almost too good to be true. I turned to Sibi and Mike, who were smiling from ear to ear. I covered my mouth with both hands to stop myself from screaming as they both hugged me.

   "We did it, Pol," Sibi whispered shrilly.

   "First step, a success," Mike added.

   I pulled away from them and looked at the group. I had to try again to stop myself from breaking down—only this time, from happy tears.

   "Thank you, everybody," I said. "I'm—I don't even have the words. . . just thank you. I feel like I'm going to scream. This means a lot to me, genuinely."

   "We appreciate it that you guys came out here today," Sibi said, coming to my aid since I was clearly too choked up to say anything of value. "We'll let you know very soon when our next meeting will be held and what the next step will be. You can go now. Again, thank you for your time, friends."

   Some people waved at us before leaving, but some stayed behind. The first who approached me was Alex and Christine, Christine's hand still wrapped around Stella. She had a proud smile on her face.

   "I feel like introductions are unnecessary," she said. "Anyway, Polly, Stella. Stella, Polly. She's like you."

   "You're so badass," Stella said, raising her fist for me to bump it. I smiled and gave her a fist-bump. "If we actually go to Azkaban, I'd gladly share a cell with you."

   "Ella, that's not something to joke about," Alex reproached her with furrowed brows.

   I looked at him curiously. Seeing Alex show signs of concern was so rare I sometimes wondered how many people there were in his life he cared deeply about. But as I glanced back and forth from his face to hers, I also realized something that I should've figured out a while ago.

   "You guys are related, aren't you?"

   Alex looked at me and smiled. He put his hand on Stella's other shoulder and kissed the top of her hair.

   "Ella's my little princess," he said.

   "Technically, we're cousins, but in all honesty we're as good as siblings," Christine added with a smirk, which looked so identical to Alex's I wondered why I hadn't made the connection before. Well, I'd had my suspicions but never put my finger to it.

"Everything will be alright, Stella," I told her. "We're doing the right thing."

   Before I could say anything else, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I looked up to see the blonde Hufflepuff twins.

"I'm sorry if I came across as passive aggressive back there," the girl said. She gave me a hesitant smile and tucked a blonde lock behind her ear. "I don't want us to start off on the wrong foot. We're all friends here." She looked up at Christine and Alex with a smile, who gave her a nod of acknowledgment. "Rena told us about the group, so we decided to join."

She stuck out her hand that was wrapped in fingerless gloves, nails painted a soft shade of pink. "I'm Maddie, by the way. Maddie Simmons."

"Hey, it's alright," I said, shaking her hand. Her grip was confident, but gentle. "You don't even know me. Thank you for deciding to join, though. I really appreciate it."

"Of course, of course," Maddie said sweetly. She proceeded to shake hands with Sibi and Mike.

"Akker," her twin brother introduced himself. I shook his hand too before he moved on to greet Sibi—who, I noticed, he lingered on for a moment.

"We'll see you around, Polly," Akker said, turning to me again. "We've all definitely got to know each-other, don't you think, Mads?"

Maddie nodded. "Absolutely."

   "Well, I'm glad we met," I said with a smile. They greeted us goodbye before turning on their heel and walking back toward the castle. I turned to Sibi, Mike, Christine, Alex and Stella. "I seriously can't believe this. Today has been too good to be true."

   Sibi smiled and threw an arm around my neck. "Or maybe you've got to stop thinking everything good that happens to you is a dream, Pol."

◈

END OF PART III