Chapter Seventeen:
( a horrid realization )

▂✫⌒*･ﾟ

             SPENCER SPENDS TWO FULL days in the Hospital Wing. For one of them, she sleeps the whole entire time having been restless since her last OWL exam of the year. It surprises her that it had been a normal Thursday for the first few hours in the morning before everything went downhill when Harry thought that Sirius... well, she supposed at the end he was right. All in a Thursday, everything changed completely. Looking back at it, the young girl is surprised that she even lasted throughout the entire time back in the Department of Mysteries. For a moment, she wishes that she had been one of the first to be knocked unconscious like Hermione, but then she realizes shortly that she had helped in situations to not let their injuries be worse. Still... she did not help Sirius and now he is dead.

             When she had woken up the first time, everyone else in the hospital wing did as well. How could they not when she woke up screaming her lungs out? Spencer had not mean to do such action, but she remembered Lord Voldemort's face extremely well that it is now imprinted in her mind. Madam Pomfrey forced her to drink a Calming Draught Potion and made her sleep once more.

             The next time, Spencer felt much better than previously. She woke up around late morning with Ricky beside her bed and although his hand was holding hers, his body was turned toward Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Madam Pomfrey informed her of her health and let the young girl sit in the bed upwards after an hour of being awake. Flowers were actually left behind which surprises her to no end and as do the delightful sweets. Something she is rather glad on, however, is the fact that Ricky did not get too injured like the rest. He has a small scar by his cheek and back in the battle he had been limping (all thanks to Theodore's father), but he is all nicely fixed up by Madam Pomfret since it was not necessarily bad.

             The young Montague has not seen Blaise or Theodore during that time, though, she can easily figure out why. It is a wonder if they had even visited her., but perhaps the flowers and sweets came from them because she knows for a fact that Morgana would never do such kindness. If anything, perhaps her sister is furious that her favorite aunt is back to where she belongs. Whatever it is, Spencer knows better than to leave herself unprotected. A war has officially begun.

             In Sunday morning, Madam Pomfrey gives Spencer permission to leave as she would like. This makes the girl wake up with a motivation to clear up the part of bed she was in and bag it up all carefully. It is a matter of time before school ends, so she might as well be done with it. However, she does not leave immediately and instead stays beside Harry (who she hugged once more) and Ricky. Hermione has received the Sunday Prophet and begins reading the new biggest storyline.

             For the very first time, Fudge and the rest of the Ministry folks confessed that Voldemort returning is true. Spencer figures that would have happen since she did hear a whole bunch of unfamiliar voices right before Dumbledore made her fall asleep. She is not sure if the rest knows what actually happened when they faced Voldemort, but she does not mention it at all. It is awful having seen Harry's face and hearing a different voice... the way Voldemort is formed hideously and with cruelty. Just the thought of him makes her sick.

             "There you are, Harry, I knew they'd drag you into it somehow," Hermione cuts herself off from continuing reading the newspaper. Her hand twists around to show Harry his title and Spencer leans in forward to quickly continue it on her own. She manages to finish it on time when Hermione brings it back to herself. Spencer cannot help but roll her eyes. Now the Ministry of Magic is trying to make themselves look and sound better by shaming anyone who gave slander to Harry and yet being the ones to have done it themselves. Hypocrites, the whole bunch of them.

             Ron scoffs and says darkly, "He's 'the Boy Who Lived' again now, though, isn't he? Not such a show-off maniac anymore, eh?"

             He helps himself to a handful of Chocolate Frogs from the immense pile on his bedside cabinet, threw a few to Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Ricky and rips off the wrapper of his own with his teeth. The redhead offers some toward Spencer, but she shakes her head in decline. Her eyes quietly examines Ron's body. There are still deep welts on his forearms where the brain's tentacles had wrapped around him. According to Madam Pomfrey, thoughts could leave deeper scarring than almost anything else, though, since she had started applying copious amounts of Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Unction, there seems to be some improvement.

             "Yes, they're very complimentary about you now, Harry," agrees Hermione, now scanning down the article. Spencer can already give her own support to their claims. "'A lone voice of truth... perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in his story... forced to bear ridicule and slander...' Hmmm," hums Hermione, frowning, "I notice they don't mention the fact that it was them doing all the ridiculing and slandering, though..."

             She winces slightly and put a hand to her ribs. The curse Dolohov had used on her, though less effective than it would have been had he been able to say the incantation aloud, had nevertheless cause, in Madam Pomfrey's words, "quite enough damage to be going on with." Hermione is having to take ten different types of potion every day and although she is improving greatly, is already bored within the hospital wing. Spencer only thanks Merlin that she does not have to stay there any longer. She technically only has been awake for one of those days and it bored her out of her mind. She is sure she has recited every word of Shakespeare's play.

             "'You-Know-Who's Last Attempt to Take Over, pages two to four, What the Ministry Should Have Told Us, page five, Why Nobody Listened to Albus Dumbledore, pages six to eight, Exclusive Interview with Harry Potter, page nine...' Well," Hermione continues, folding up the newspaper and throwing it aside, "it's certainly given them lots to write about. And that interview with Harry isn't exclusive, it's the one that was in The Quibbler months ago..."

             Spencer remembers that newspaper. It is the one that caused Theodore to drift from them. The Daily Prophet is the one where she learned of her aunt's escape... Mordra had to be mentally-insane, right? Well, she is. So it must have been her manipulative words that caused her to say 'brother'. Spencer has no brother. Just Morgana, sadly. Which just means that Mordra needs more help than anything. How could she have a brother anyway? There is not an ounce of picture or any mention of another Montague so it is just has to be some mental manipulation.

             "Daddy sold it to them," Luna tells them vaguely, turning a page of The Quibbler. "He got a very good price for it too, so we're going to go on an expedition to Sweden this summer and see if we can catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

             Spencer furrows her brows, though, she gives the girl a kind smile. Hermione seems to struggle with herself for a moment, then comments, "That sounds lovely." At least she's being nice.

             "So anyway," Hermione begins, sitting up a little straighter and wincing again, "what's going on in school?"

             "Well, Flitwick's got rid of Fred and George's swamp," responds Ginny. Spencer hums in delight at her brilliant professor. He is a good teacher and smart as well, but the only reason why he does not get rid of it is so it can annoy Umbridge. "He did it in about three seconds. But he left a tiny patch under the window and he's roped it off —"

             "Why?" Hermione asks, looking startled.

             "Believe it or not, Hermione, Professor Flitwick was fond of the twins. Thought of them as brilliant in their own way," Spencer responds easily.

             "Yeah, I think he left it as a monument to Fred and George," Ron agrees through a mouthful of chocolate.

             "They sent me all these, you know," he tells Harry, pointing at the small mountain of Frogs beside him. Spencer almost jokes about how he has not turned purple yet but decides against it.

             "Must be doing all right out of that joke shop, eh?" Hermione looks rather disapproving and asks, "So has all the trouble stopped now Dumbledore's back?"

             "Yes," said Neville, "everything's settled right back down again."

             "I s'pose Filch is happy, is he?" asks Ron, propping a Chocolate Frog card featuring Dumbledore against his water jug.

             "Not at all," Ginny snorts. "He's really, really miserable, actually..." She lowers her voice to a whisper. "He keeps saying Umbridge was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts..."

             "You're joking," Spencer scoffs. Ginny shakes her head and motions to the pink-toad woman.

             All eight of them look around. Professor Umbridge is lying in a bed opposite them, gazing up at the ceiling. Apparently, Dumbledore had strode alone into the forest to rescue her from the centaurs. How he had done it — how he had emerged from the trees supporting Professor Umbridge without so much as a scratch on him — nobody knew, and Umbridge is certainly not telling. Since she has returned to the castle she has not, as far as any of them knew, uttered a single word. Nobody really knows what was wrong with her either. Her usually neat mousy hair is very untidy and there were bits of twig and leaf in it, but otherwise she seems to be quite unscathed. Either way, Spencer still despises her.

             "Madam Pomfrey says she's just in shock," whispers Hermione.

             "Sulking, more like," Ginny smirks.

             "Yeah, she shows signs of life if you do this," said Ron, and with his tongue he made soft clip-clopping noises. Umbridge sat bolt upright, looking wildly around. Spencer coughs in surprise and hides her giggles in Harry's shoulder.

             "Anything wrong, Professor?" calls Madam Pomfrey, poking her head around her office door.

             "No...no..." Umbridge trails off, sinking back into her pillows, "no, I must have been dreaming..."

             Harry snorts in amusement and pats Spencer's knees awkwardly.

             "Speaking of centaurs," Hermione changes the topic when she had recovers a little, "who's Divination teacher now? Is Firenze staying?"

             "He's got to," Harry says, "the other centaurs won't take him back, will they?"

             "It looks like he and Trelawney are both going to teach," Ginny hums quietly.

             "Bet Dumbledore wishes he could've got rid of Trelawney for good," said Ron, now munching on his fourteenth Frog. "Mind you, the whole subjects useless if you ask me, Firenze isn't a lot better..."

             "How can you say that?" Hermione demands. "After we've just found out that there are real prophecies?"

             "Seers are a bit odd, but I never denied their existence. It's just that Professor Trelawney is more on crazy side," Spencer waves off. The others seem to agree with her statement.

             "It is a pity it broke," Hermione sighs quietly, shaking her head.

             "Yeah, it is," Ron nods. "Still, at least You-Know-Who never found out what was in it either — where are you going?" he adds, looking both surprised and disappointed as Harry stands up.

             "Er — Hagrid's," Harry answers. "You know, he just got back and I promised I'd go down and see him and tell him how you two are..."

"Oh all right then," said Ron grumpily, looking out of the dormitory window at the patch of bright blue sky beyond. "Wish we could come..."

             "Say hello to him for us!" calls Hermione, as Harry proceeds down the ward. "And ask him what's happening about... about his little friend!"

             Harry gives a wave of his hand to show he had heard and understood as he leaves the dormitory. Spencer stares at his retreating back before giving Ricky a look and standing up to follow the chosen one. She skips softly until she reaches his side. The chosen one turns toward her and stares at her in confusion. "What's up, Spence?" He questions.

             "I haven't gone out since..." Spencer trails off tiredly. She rubs her hand together and continues walking beside him for the meantime. The castle seems very quiet even for a Sunday. Everybody is clearly out in the sunny grounds, enjoying the end of their exams and the prospect of a last few days of term unhampered by studying or homework.

             "Are you feeling better? You looked exhausted," Harry reminds her. Truth be told, she definitely feels better than the last few days, but there is still some bruises internally. Or maybe that's just her heart feeling heavy and worried.

             Either way, she shrugs in return. "I could be better... I'm going to take a stroll, alright?"

             The Gryffindor boy eyes her in concern before nodding shortly. He walks slowly along the deserted corridor, peering out of windows as he went. Spencer watches as he leaves before turning elsewhere by herself. She gazes at the students who whisper among themselves. Some laugh and others talk loudly. Many are glad that Umbridge finally left the system. While she despises that wicked woman, she also hates how angry and tired she feels. She can see people messing around in the air over the Quidditch pitch and a couple of students swimming in the lake, accompanied by the giant squid. Part of her wants to be celebrating with them— but she witnessed someone die. How can she celebrate when she knows there is absolutely nothing protecting them from death?

             Sunlight gleams bright in her view. Her throat tightens close as her hazel eyes notice a familiar set of robes leaning on a tree with his arms crossed. She had not seen him since Thursday evening when he... when Morgana kissed him in front of her as if that would somehow affect her. It didn't. Despite the nauseous sensation in her system depriving her dead awake, it clearly does not affect her. Nope, not at all, Spencer repeats in her mind over and over.

             She thinks about avoiding him until school is fully over. Except, he notices her presence (partially her fault since all she did was stand there dumbly) and stands from his spot, walking toward her like if he is a predator. Spencer forces herself to smile thinly as he tells her, "I was wondering what happened to you."

             Spencer nods awkwardly. "Yeah, I've been in the Hospital Wing. Barely took my time to leave."

"Were you allowed or did you manage to escape from there too?" Blaise questions coldly, his arms still crossed and his eyes drifting toward her body. She narrows her eyes at him, noticing the shift of tone being different than she expected. He is being accusative and she does not like that one bit.

             "Excuse me?" Spencer retorts back with a rising anger in her. From what? From what happened? By how everyone is celebrating when someone just died? Why is she angry at everything now?

             Blaise shrugs. He tilts his head and it is then she sees his hardened expression. "You left Hogwarts and managed to get hurt," he points out the obvious.

             "I was tired," Spencer defends herself. Sure, she got some bruises in her body, but she had not given up during those times. It was toward the end when her body gave up in trying to withhold itself. Why is he being such a prick about it?

             "I helped your best friend leave from my housemate's hold— all for that? Just so you can fight? You could have—" Blaise begins to say clearly in his own anger, his voice raising louder than she has heard before.

             Her hand turns into a fist and make their way close to her mouth. They tremble slightly as she points a finger at him accusingly. "I was trying to help somebody, do not try to contradict what I have done," she snaps back.

             "Oh, right! Potter has really gotten into your head, huh? Since when did you become the hero type, Spencer?" Blaise argues back, his own eyes narrowing and darkening all at the same. "All to save one life?"

             She scoffs and shakes her head. "Don't do this, Blaise. Stop being overly arrogant or you'll prove to be like how everyone else sees you," Spencer warns without thinking straight.

             The Slytherin clenches his jaw and nods sharply. "Right... right. Arrogant, disdainful, closed off... do you want more words that people describe me?"

             She closes her eyes in regret. "No..."

             "Come on, Montague! Let's continue on, yeah? I mean— you've been acting like a Gryffindor so please continue," he raises an eyebrow almost threateningly.

             "I don't regret leaving with Harry. In fact, I would do it again!" Spencer huffs out, surprising even herself with her words. She would? A slow thought crosses her mind as she begins thinking about it. She would... it had been the worst moments of her life, but to help Harry and the rest of her friends she would do it once more. The words seem to make Blaise even more mad as he scoffs.

             "Right, just follow Potter and his gang without thought," the Slytherin hisses out.

             His words only make her brain quickly assume things she does not think is possible. Her heart fell to the floor and her mouth dries up as she acknowledges, "Your family are not Death Eaters, but it doesn't sound like you seem to care about..."

             Blaise says nothing and instead hardens his cold eyes.

             She swallows deeply and feels like throwing up. "Whose side are you on?" Spencer cannot help but question, letting her eyes wander across his blank face.

             He does not answer.

"You can't be both sides," Spencer tells him angrily. His silence only makes it harder. "Listen to me, Zabini," she pokes him directly in the chest, "you have the privilege to actually choose without facing deadly consequences like others."

             Getting frustrated with his lack of answer, Spencer closes her eyes and begins backing away from him. She clenches her jaw and warns, "One day, you're gonna have to choose."

             "And it'll either be with—" An unusual word came upon her mind. Morgana. Instead of voicing her thoughts, she continues, "the same bubble of prejudice as Voldemort or—" Me.

             "Or the ones who want to help Harry and muggles," she finishes.

             The young Montague stares at him one last time before turning her heel elsewhere. After making sure she is long gone away from him, her hands reaches to her face and hides there. Tears want to escape her eyes and she can not fathom why on earth she wants to cry. She can feel her head throbbing as dozens topics ran through inside.

             There is one absolute topic she avoids at all cost. Ricky tried asking her about it, but she shush him up before he could even finish the question. Spencer is the reason her aunt is back in Azkaban and she has no doubt that she would not escape like she once did. However, her own sister is someone that she still has to deal with. Summer comes in a few and right in the middle of it— Morgana will turn seventeen. The age where magic is no longer limited to only be used during Hogwarts or emergencies.

             Nothing could stop the wickedness from her sister in that day, and Spencer fears for it to come.

             She rubs her eyes before setting her hands back to her side. Spencer stands in the middle of her own thoughts before she spots a familiar old friend of hers. Her eyes soften at the reminder and she makes sure to quietly walk toward him. Thankfully, Theodore does not notice her until it is too late for him to run. When he does, however, his face is filled with anguish and she can see how hard he is trying to avoid her.

             "Theo—"

             He raises his hand up and cuts her off, "Don't, Spencer."

             She frowns at his words. Spencer wants to apologize to him because of how his father is now in Azkaban and now he is alone.

             "I know you want to apologize," Theodore comments quietly. The boy glances away from her eyes as he notices them glisten in pain. "But I don't think we should be friends."

             Spencer shakes her head at him in panic. "No, no you can't do that, Theodore!"

             "Yes, I can! It takes two to form a friendship, Spencer. And as far as I can tell, we're done," the Slytherin retorts back, not even daring to stare at her. People would assume they had been together, the way they stand only a few meters apart. The way he said that they are 'done'. It is a break-up, except one done for friendships.

             Why was he doing this? She knows him— she does! He's good and... and he doesn't think he is.

             And although that is true, Spencer knows she cannot change his mind when he is set on something. For the second time that day, she feels her heart break in a way she does not see coming. This time she does not walk away from him. Theodore gives her one last glance before stomping off. From her and possibly... from the same path.

.･:*:･ﾟ'✫,'✫'ﾟ･:*:･˙

             SPENCER KEEPS HER LUGGAGE close to her as she sits beside Ricky in the Hogwarts Express. She did not tell anyone about the Thestrals now clearly being shown to her— in fact, she pretended not to acknowledge them. Though, Harry seemed to spot her occasionally staring at one of them and he glanced at her in concern and with a knowing glance (which surprises her, but at the same time he knows she saw his godfather die along with him). Thankfully, he did not mention it in front of everyone else. They sit in the same corridor as Harry, Hermione, and Ron. It has been a bit eventful just getting inside since Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who had clearly been waiting all week for the opportunity to strike without teacher witnesses, attempts to ambush Harry halfway down the train as he made his way back from the toilet. The attack might have succeeded had it not been for the fact that they unwittingly chose to stage the attack right outside a compartment full of DA members, who saw what was happening through the glass and rose as one to rush to Harry's aid. By the time Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot had finished using a wide variety of the hexes and jinxes Harry had taught them, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle resembled nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniforms as Harry, Ernie, and Justin hoisted them into the luggage rack and left them there to ooze.

             Harry returned from his trip and explained them what had happened. Spencer cannot help but stare past the corridors impressed. At the same time, however, she cannot help but realize that Malfoy had been a part of antagonizing as well, reminding her of Blaise and Theodore.

             "I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing Malfoy's mother's face when he gets off the train," Ernie snickers with some satisfaction as he watches Malfoy squirm above him. Ernie has never quite got over the indignity of Malfoy docking points from Hufflepuff during his brief spell as a member of the Inquisitorial Squad. After helping Harry in his need, Ernie had gone with him toward the same compartment to talk it out.

             "Goyle's mum'll be really pleased, though," Ron smirks. "He's loads better-looking now."

             Ernie left a few seconds after that to the compartment next door. The food-trolley came by their way and while everyone else bought candy or something to eat, Spencer rests her head in the train's window. Her hand is being held by Ricky who all the same still continues his game of something called 'paper-scissor-rock' with Neville. Hermione is reading the Daily Prophet again, Ginny is doing a quiz in The Quibbler, and Neville (although playing a game with Ricky) is stroking his Mimbulus mimbletonia with his free hand, which has grown a great deal over the year and now made odd crooning noises when touched.

             Harry and Ron while away most of the journey playing wizard chess while Hermione read out snippets from the Prophet. It is now full of articles about how to repel dementors, attempts by the Ministry to track down Death Eaters, and hysterical letters claiming that the writer had seen Lord Voldemort walking past their house that very morning...

             "It hasn't really started yet," sigh: Hermione gloomily, folding up the newspaper again. "But it won't be long now..."

             "Hey, Harry," Ron calls his friend, nodding toward the glass window onto the corridor. Harry looks around. Cho is passing, accompanied by Marietta Edgecombe, who is wearing a balaclava. His and Cho's eyes meet for a moment. Cho blushes and keeps walking. Harry looks back down at the chessboard just in time to see one of his pawns chased off its square by Ron's knight.

             Spencer turns toward Ricky and watches as he continued to play normally. She smiles at the sight before letting it fall from her lips. He has gotten rid of his crush on Harry, but it now is directed at Theodore. Except now Theodore is not willing to be a part of their lives.

             "What's — er — going on with you and her anyway?" Ron asks quietly, bringing her attention away from her thoughts.

             "Nothing," Harry responds truthfully.

             "I — er — heard she's going out with someone else now," Hermione tells them tentatively.

             "You're well out of it, mate," Ron huffs forcefully. "I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful."

             "She's probably cheerful enough with someone else," Harry points out, shrugging.

             "Who's she with now anyway?" Ron asks Hermione, but it is Ginny who answers.

             "Michael Corner," his sister replies easily.

             "Michael — but —" Ron stutters, craning around in his seat to stare at her. Spencer and Ricky share a look of quick amusement. "But you were going out with him!"

             "Not anymore," Ginny tells him resolutely. "He didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead." She scratches her nose absently with the end of her quill, turns The Quibbler upside down, and begins marking her answers. Ron looks highly delighted.

             "Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot," he scoffs, prodding his queen forward toward Harry's quivering castle. "Good for you. Just choose someone — better — next time."

             He casts Harry an oddly furtive look as he says it and Spencer does not miss that look at all. Her eyebrow raises in question, but she chooses to stay quiet instead.

             "Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" asks Ginny vaguely.

             "WHAT?" shouts Ron, upending the chessboard. Crookshanks goes plunging after the pieces and Hedwig and Pigwidgeon twitters and hoots angrily from overhead. Spencer smiles half-heartedly before focusing out on the window once more.

             As the train slows down in the approach to King's Cross, a sudden glooming feeling begins erupting in her stomach. She wishes that the ride would never end— that she would wake up tomorrow morning back at Hogwarts. When it finally puffs to a standstill, however, she grabs a hold of her items and prepares herself to exit.

             The ticket inspector signals them that it is safe to walk through the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten. She finds herself hesitating before stepping through. Ricky heads right behind her and then tugs her hand with his. Her attention turns toward him and she cannot help but lean on his hand that he places gently on her cheek.

             "Take care, yeah?" Ricky comments light-heartedly, his eyes filled with concern.

             Spencer nods numbly. "Yeah," she whispers back quietly. Her best friend gives her a comforting smile before slightly jogging toward his parents that stand apart from the crowd. She swallows in fear before turning to where Harry, Ron, and Hermione have gone. Envy fills her chest as she finds the same people from who she fought with in the Department of Mysteries along with more Weasleys. All she wants to do is go with them— let them whisk her away from her own family. Her lips quiver at the sight before she forces herself to glance away.

             Sudden dread drives through her body when she notices the difference between her own family and the ones that Harry has made. Her parents stand with their backs straight, eyes drifting coldly, and their faces blank of emotion. Morgana is already with them with a cold-hearted expression and her eyes blazing hot in anger. Spencer gulps at the sight before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. When she reopens them, she forces her eyes to clear of emotion and feels almost like a robot as she makes her way toward them.

             Morgana sneers in disgust and turns away, her hand tapping into the wand that is beside her robes. Spencer knows they most likely have been told by their favorite child that she left Hogwarts to help Harry. Horrid realization seem to slap her in the face once more as she thinks about how completely defenseless she is about to be this summer.

             (And she wonders if she is to even survive back in the manor or if she would lose against them like she always feared).

▂✫⌒*･ﾟ

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
me being nice to spencer? yeah, try again
next time !! um so yeah this is the end of
act one and no one is actually happy so that's
that. blaise is mad, spencer is mad, morgana
is mad, harry is mad, theo is smad.

phew blaise gets mad each time he notices she
puts herself in harm's way manz is tired that
spencer barely looks after herself 😹😹💔

anyway, rip spencer and theo deserves better bye