Winter Break was rapidly coming to a close.

The Weasleys and friends were staying at The Leaky Couldron until the house could be rebuilt.

It made everyone realize they were never truly safe.

Just when Harry and his friends thought they rebuilt their friendship with Isabel, she became a bit more distant again.

She stopped speaking completely if someone brought up her brother or the burrow.

No one really knows what happened between her and Hayden before the duel.

But, before they knew it, it was time to return to Hogwarts.

When the group arrived to Platform 9 3/4 people seemed to avoid them.

They easily made through the crowd of bustling students. They seemed to move out of their way for them.

They got many mean and weird looks.

"Why are they staring at us?" Hermione asked.

"No idea," Harry responded.

They boarded the train after saying their goodbyes and found their usual compartment.

A fourth year Slytherin named Bailey Gunning was handing out Daily Prophets to people on the train, as she always did. Only because her dad was very popular and wrote many articles. Ginny was friends with her.

She opened their compartment, "Daily Pro--" her eyes fell on Isabel, "oh never mind,"

Before she could leave, Hermione snatched a paper out of her hands and gave her a smug smile and thank you.

The compartment was filled with silence as Hermione read.

"Anything interesting?" Ron asked mindlessly as he fiddled with his wand when Hermione finished reading.

Hermione's eyes widened.

"N-no of course not," she said quickly, "just rubbish, as always."

Isabel sighed, "Can I see it?"

Hermione breathed deeply. Isabel knew what going on. She wasn't stupid.

Hermione just handed it to her, holding her breath.

Isabel held the paper, her face unreadable.

Her bandaged hand turned the page and she nodded.

She simply handed it back to Hermione, "Interesting,"

Hermione was flabbergasted.

Harry snatched the paper from Hermione, very confused.

He read.

Hogwarts Compromised with Rise of A Student Death Eater.

Everyone knows that tragic story of the Lyston family.

But a new story is on the rise.

The survivor, Isabel Lyston, and her brother, Hayden or more popularly known as HEL, have possibly been in contact.

Many believe that HEL had attacked Isabel and she had escaped him. But, many of our findings prove otherwise.

This past Christmas, a ministry worker in Muggle Studies, Arthur Weasley's house burned down. "The Burrow" had been destroyed by Death Eaters, lead by Bellatrix Lestrange and HEL.

Although the Death Eaters were mainly after Harry Potter, they were after friends as well.

The Order tells us that the location of Harry Potter was well concealed and there was no way that the Death Eaters should have been able to find them.

But they did.

The information must have come from someone on the inside.

Isabel Lyston was staying with the Weasley family for the holiday, along with Harry Potter.

Did Isabel Lyston tell the her brother their location? It seems likely.

(Turn to page 18 for more).

Harry met eyes with Isabel who was watching him read.

Her face was blank. He couldn't tell what was going through her head at all.

Shaking his head he turned the paper.

When investigators arrived at the scene everyone was gathered outside of the burned home, but as we were told, Isabel Lyston was inside the house with HEL while it burned down, until Harry Potter caught them.

It seems that Isabel has contact with HEL and most likely is a Death Eater herself.

Her friendship with Harry Potter is the perfect coverup to find out his secrets.

Nothing is confirmed, but Isabel Lyston is a very big threat at the moment.

Is Hogwarts going to be safe? Will the Death Eaters infiltrate the school? And what will the Lyston's do next?

Harry closed the paper and put it down.

He couldn't even believe what he had read.

Isabel, a Death Eater?

That's the most outrageous thing he had ever heard.

Although the facts made sense, he knew Isabel. She's not a Death Eater.

Ron snatched the paper to read himself.

Isabel just leaned back in her seat and looked out of the window.

The silence overwhelmed everyone as Ron fiddled with the pages.

As he finished everyone was silent taking it in. The only sounds were the laughing from other compartments and the friends breathing.

"Okay," Hermione sighed.

She quick jumped out of her seat and left the compartment.

She walked through the narrow hall until she found the compartment with Luna, Ginny, Bailey, and Neville.

She opened it, "Hi guys," she greeted and sat down.

They looked like they were in the middle of a conversation that Hermione interrupted.

"Sorry, I just needed to escape the awkwardness of my compartment," Hermione explained.

"They all read the paper?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Do you believe them?" Luna asked her small voice full of wonder.

Hermione laughed, "What?"

"Do you believe what they are saying about Isabel?" Luna said.

Hermione looked at her incredulously.

"Of course not,"

"Well why not?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny!" Hermione said shocked, "You believe it?"

"Why not? It makes sense." Ginny said, Bailey nodding at her side.

"She's your friend!" Hermione said.

"You never know these days," Ginny said, crossing her arms.

"Neville? Luna? Bailey?" Hermione asked, "You don't believe this rubbish, right?"

"I still don't know," Luna said, "I like her, but the facts add up,"

"Neville?"

"I've always been scared of her," Neville said, his face contorting in fear.

Hermione was very confused, "How are you scared of Isabel? She is kind and loving."

"She is chaos," Neville said quietly.

"She attracts chaos. Just because bad things happen to her, doesn't mean she's a bad person." Hermione said, "How can you hate someone who has gone through so much?"

"Exactly," Bailey pointed out, her thick Scottish accent leaking on each word, "She's gone through so much."

Hermione cocked her head in confusion.

"Don't you think it's fishy that she has had so much conflict in her time here. Family death, boyfriend troubles. And isn't it fitting that she is friends with the Boy Who Lived." Bailey gushed, her eyes full of excitement.

"You have no actual proof that she's a Death Eater," Hermione spat.

"And you don't have any proof that she isn't." Bailey said, confidently.

"She doesn't have a Dark Mark on her arm!" Hermione said, "That I know. She's not a Death Eater without it."

"How do you know for sure? Have you ever seen her arms before?" Bailey said. Ginny nodded.

Hermione was silent for once. Bailey knew she was winning.

"Isabel always wears long sleeves. I've never seen bare skin on her arms. Which means, she's hiding something." Bailey continued.

"The Dark Mark," Ginny filled in, her voice low.

Hermione squirmed uncomfortably. They could be right.

"I-I just don't know." Hermione said standing to leave.

"Hermione, just be careful and watch your back. You can't trust her." Bailey warned.

Hermione rolled her eyes and left.

But, she couldn't help but wonder if they were right as she walked back to her compartment.

Isabel had never denied what as written in the prophet.

By the time she got back to the compartment, Ron had left to sit with Lavender Brown. Isabel had her knees tucked to her chest and her head down and Harry was reading and rereading the Daily Prophet.

Hermione sat down.

"Isabel, you need to tell me if the prophet is right or not." Hermione said bluntly.

Isabel lifted her head lightly, "Do you trust me?"

-

With the conspiracy that Isabel was a Death Eater going around on the Hogwarts Express, Draco Malfoy felt very uneasy.

He knew there was no way Isabel was a Death Eater, although he secretly wished she was.

He didn't want to be a Death Eater, but having a friend would be nice.

Friend.

Friend was a foreign term to Draco.

Crabbe and Goyle were fine company. They were idiots but they were fine.

But there was no one that he could call his friend.

Isabel had tried to become his friend once she figured out he was a Death Eater.

She was smart and figured it out in her own and confronted him.

She came to him many times with questions about her brother and and pleas for him to stop conspiring with them.

She saw the good in him, which was hard to do.

They haven't spoken since the night outside of Slughorn's party.

He may have been harsh, but he didn't have time to play games anymore.

He was a Death Eater and that was how it was.

Plus, it was better if they didn't talk.

Draco's head was spinning remembering all the meetings. 

Voldemort is after Isabel.

He doesn't want to kill her, he just wants to use her to get to Potter.

If any of the Death Eaters knew he was in contact with Lyston, they would force him to do something to her.

He didn't even want to think about it.

A "friend" of his, Veronica Beear broke him out of his thoughts just in time.

Her steel eyes bore into his as the group around him looked at him.

"So Malfoy, think that Gryffindor trash girl is a Death Eater?" Veronica asked, sneering, a playful look in her eyes.

Draco kept a straight face and let out a fake chuckle, "Lyston is as weak as a teddy bear, no way."

Goyle patted Draco's back as the Slytherins burst out in laughter.

---

A/N:

I. Am. So. Excited.

The plot thickens my friends!!

Okay how are y'all?

I am tired but very excited for this book!!

School is starting for me soon so hopefully we can get back on our update schedule.

Thanks for your patience and such!!

Love y'all!!

Bye <3

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