Harley lay on the bed reading the letter, her bare feet tapping against the covers.
After reading it over several times, Harley rolled over and beckoned.
Hedwig flew over, as if she knew exactly what Harley wanted, and settled in her arms.
As Harley stroked the little snowy owl in her arms, she wondered what Professor Dumbledore had in mind.
"Professor Dumbledore suddenly wants to take me out... Could it be because of what happened last term?"
Harley's imagination ran wild.
"According to the records in the books, Professor Dumbledore is an absolute paragon of virtue. He even defeated the first Dark Lord, Grindelwald, and sealed him away for eternity.
"Could it be that the methods I used last term were too dark, and I used a lot of abilities he'd consider Dark Magic?
"So now he's planning to settle the score after the fact—no, after the summer—and take me somewhere quiet to kill me?"
Harley tossed the owl into the air. Hedwig soared upward, shot Harley a resentful look, then flew back to her cage.
What a wicked woman! She'd been petting her so nicely, and then just stopped halfway through!
Harley paid no attention to what Hedwig might be thinking. Instead, she conjured a mass of Black Flame and toyed with it, watching as it trickled slowly down her pale, jade-white arm.
"No, that can't be it." Harley dismissed her earlier suspicion. "If Professor Dumbledore wanted to get rid of me, he could've done it last term.
"He could've made me disappear in the restricted area and blamed me for trespassing. I'd have been guilty of bringing it on myself, and no one would've blamed him.
"That way, public opinion wouldn't affect him in the slightest. But if I vanished out of nowhere now, it could lead to