Disclaimer: The following story is merely fanfiction derived from the amazing works of J.K. Rowling, the author of the great "Harry Potter" series. While, at times, there will be dialogue used from various books in the "Harry Potter" series, I do not intend copyright infringement. I will make no money from this venture and I am simply trying to improve my writing skills.

Colin

Albus Dumbledore's funeral was little more than four hours away when Colin Creevey was approached by Professor McGonagall, who had a very sombre look on her face. Colin noticed straight away that McGonagall didn't, for once, have any emerald green on her anywhere. She wore a flowing black dress over which she had a frilly, dark black robe. When Colin looked into her face, he could see that she looked old. Too old.

"Dennis," Colin said, looking to his brother who was fiddling with his trunk. "How about you go to your dorm and check to see if you have everything?"

"I do," Dennis said, looking at McGonagall.

"Just look anyway," Colin replied. Dennis looked away from McGonagall and sighed before running to the stairs.

"You two are very close," McGonagall observed in a somewhat reserved tone. Not anything like Colin had always known her.

"Yeah," Colin replied. Not much choice. "Is everything okay Professor?" Colin saw something flicker in the older witch's eyes, but it went away very quickly.

"As much as it can be," McGonagall admitted. "I'm here to ask you about your plans, Creevey."

"My plans?" Colin asked with a little surprise.

"Your plans," McGonagall repeated. "There is a high possibility that Hogwarts will not reopen next year as it is now not exactly safe. If that is the case, there could be serious problems for you."

"Because I'm a Muggle-born?" Colin asked. He was no fool. He understood how the Death Eaters saw him and others like him.

"If the school does not reopen, I would recommend that you and the rest of your family go into hiding," McGonagall said sombrely. "You are a target merely because of your birth."

"Into hiding? Where?" Colin asked.

"We could help you with it all," McGonagall said quietly, sitting next to Colin so as to keep her voice low. The Common Room was not exactly empty. "Can I assume you know about the Order?" Colin felt his face go red before nodding. That, at least, made McGonagall chuckle. "Possibly the worst kept secret in the Wizarding World.

"As I was saying, we can help you," McGonagall said. "We can hide you and your family for their own protection. We are planning on offering this to most, if not all, Muggle-born students. Of course, we do not expect many to accept."

"But you expect me to?" Colin asked.

"Yes," McGonagall said simply. "We know that you know what You-Know-Who can do through your own knowledge of Harry Potter and what's happened to him over the years. That should tell you enough."

Colin did know about a lot of what Harry had done over the years. Some things he heard through the grapevine and others from Harry himself. In Colin's first year, Harry had been there when Colin was unpetrified. He was there because he believed that Colin deserved to know the full story. Lockhart. Ginny. The basilisk. Fawkes. Harry told him all of it.

Colin nodded.

"Good," McGonagall said, standing up again. "I will organise someone to contact your parents within a day or two. Are you –" Colin interrupted her.

"But what if we still get attacked?" he asked suddenly. "I don't turn seventeen until the end of May next year and Dennis is only thirteen. If we're attacked by Death Eaters, we won't be allowed to defend ourselves." McGonagall pursed her lips.

"That is true," she admitted. "And there have been cases. Rare cases, mind you, where a student has been granted emancipation from certain Wizarding Laws, and have been allowed to practice magic outside of Hogwarts."

"Do you think I could get emancipated?" Colin asked, somewhat eagerly. McGonagall thought for a minute.

"I can try to organise something," she said. "Are you staying for the funeral?" Colin nodded. All of the students had been allowed to skip the funeral of their old Headmaster if they wanted to. Colin was tempted to. Not because of his lack of respect for Dumbledore, but because he and Dennis had only been to one other funeral before, and that was when Dennis was two and he was five and their memories of the event had faded. Colin eventually decided to go because he felt that he needed to honour the Headmaster in some way. "Excellent. I believe Melinda is going to be there as well. I might be able to talk to her. I will let you know."

"Thank you Professor," Colin said gratefully. McGonagall nodded and walked away just as Dennis came down the stairs.

"What was that about?" he asked quickly.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Colin replied. He didn't like keeping things from his little brother, but he knew what would happen if he found out that Colin might be allowed to use magic outside of school.

Colin reached over and pulled Dennis into a hug. It was then that he realised just how tall Dennis had gotten. The thirteen year old was nearly as tall as he was.

"What was that for?" Dennis asked, looking around the room.

"Nothing really," Colin replied. "Just make sure everything's ready. We leave not long after the funeral."

During the funeral Colin and Dennis sat together with a few other students from Gryffindor. From time to time, Colin looked around and saw Luna Lovegood sitting with Neville Longbottom and Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry sitting together as well. Colin felt a strong sense of guilt as he watched all of them. By all accounts, those six were the only ones that had helped that night that were in Dumbledore's Army. Colin would have been there had he had his coin on him, but he had assumed that no meeting would be called as late as that, and left it in his trunk. He missed the call.

The rest of the funeral went off without a hitch and was over much quicker than Colin had expected. He had shed a tear or two for the death of the man. Dennis was much more affected, though Colin tried to comfort him as much as he could. Dennis had always been softer than him in that way.

Colin became a little upset when he started to leave to get on the carriages. Not because he was leaving Hogwarts, or even because Dumbledore was dead. But because McGonagall hadn't spoken to him. However, just as he was about to get into a carriage with Dennis, she walked over to him.

"Mr Creevey. A word if I may?" she asked politely and Colin nodded. "I spoke to Melinda Fernando immediately after the funeral. Melinda is well versed in Wizarding Law, and she believes that you have just cause for emancipation and can help you get it as she works for the Ministry. She will come by your home tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. She will assess your situation herself and give the findings to the Minister. If he finds your cause sufficient, he may well grant you emancipation." Colin beamed.

"Thank you so much Professor!" he said happily.

"Not a problem," she said. "You had best get into your carriage otherwise you will miss the train."

The train ride was a long one for Colin. He and Dennis sat with three of Dennis' Gryffindor friends, so the compartment was quite noisy. At times, Colin wanted to scream at them for the sheer audacity of being happy so soon after the funeral. And then he realised that they were probably doing the right thing. Colin remembered the last sentence of Albus Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog Card.

Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

The thought made Colin realise that Dumbledore probably wanted people to simply move on. Colin looked at Dennis and his friends Luke, Jaime and Tyrone as they fought over the last Chocolate Frog and realised that Dumbledore would have preferred that train trip home. Not the broody one that Colin was having.

But despite that new-found thought, Colin could not bring himself to think about anything except the War. Voldemort now had more power than he had before because he had successfully killed Dumbledore. Well, not him personally, but certainly one of his minions. Snape, Colin had heard. Not that that particularly surprised him. Snape was certainly that type of man. And he had not been at the funeral.

Thinking about the War, led him to thinking about Harry Potter. Harry, it appeared, had been at the centre of the War from the very beginning, and couldn't get out of it. Colin knew where this was going. Voldemort, not You-Know-Who, had been gunning for Harry from the beginning. This was either going to end with Harry or Voldemort dead, Colin was sure of it. And Colin wanted nothing more than to help Harry in some way.

Colin spent the remainder of the train trip thinking of ways that he could help, and consistently came up with nothing. He was not particularly skilled at magic, nor was he particularly brainy. Besides, he realised that Harry probably wouldn't take his help because he only saw Colin as the small annoyance who seemed to be obsessed with him, which wasn't true. Not really.

When the train pulled up, Colin had to drag Dennis away from his friends before Dennis finally gave up and sulkily dragged his trunk off the train. Colin passed Harry once and found him with the same, complicated look that he had had the last few days. It was a haunted look.

When they got off the train, Colin soon found his father, who was there to welcome the two of them. Colin hugged his father tighter than usual, happier than ever to see him. He had always been worried that he would be attacked.

"Good to see you too, bud," his father said with a laugh. Dennis favoured their father more than Colin did. Other than Dennis' hair, he was growing to look more like his father while Colin remained similar to their mother.

Dennis hugged their father as well before Colin asked where their mother was.

"She couldn't get off work," his father replied with a small smile. "She was rather upset about that, to be honest, but she is allowed home early."

"That's good Dad, because I've got something I need to tell you," Colin said, looking over the Platform. "But right now we need to go."

"What's wrong?" his father asked.

"Professor Dumbledore's dead," Colin said simply.

"I know," his father replied. "We got an owl. But why the paranoia?"

"It was the Death Eaters," Dennis piped up. Their father looked strange at that.

"But they've been around for a while now, haven't they?" he asked. Colin nodded as he pulled his father through the barrier.

"Yes, but they've never gotten into Hogwarts before, and no one has ever broken into Hogwarts," Colin said. "That means they can get anywhere. Where did you park?"

It took them about an hour and a half in the car to get home, and Colin refused to tell his father anything about the plans made with McGonagall. Not without his mother there. When they reached home, Colin's heart fell when he saw that the front door to the house was open and the living room lights on. He didn't move for a while.

"Stay here," he said seriously.

"What do you mean?" his father asked.

"Stay here," Colin said more firmly, taking his wand out of his pocket and readying it. He slowly made his way to the front door and pushed it open lightly, so as to not make too much of a sound, all the while keeping his wand raised.

He walked into the house and turned into the living room and found no one there. He turned to the kitchen door and started to walk forward slowly. As he did, the door opened.

It was his mother.

At the sight of her son brandishing his wand against her, Colin's mother dropped the cup of coffee she had apparently just made.

"Colin!" she shouted. "What are you doing?" Colin lowered the wand.

"Um...sorry Mum...I'm just a bit on edge," Colin said, turning red. His mother's face turned sombre.

"Because of what happened to your Headmaster?" she asked quietly. No. The war in general, Colin thought grimly. He nodded. "Oh, honey. That won't happen to us. I promise." Colin wasn't convinced. "Where are your brother and father?"

"In the car. I told them to wait there," Colin said. He moved to go and get them, but his mother pushed him down into a chair.

"I'll get them," she said. Colin nodded, feeling foolish. It was about two minutes until they came inside and Dennis rushed upstairs to empty his trunk. Colin figured that this was the best time to talk to his parents about what was going on, so he told them what he could.

"So, Professor McGonagall will help to keep us away from this War?" his mother asked. Colin nodded. "How?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Colin replied. "She said someone will be by in a day or two. Melinda will be around tomorrow at ten."

"And this is entirely necessary?" his father asked.

"Maybe not, but it's better to be safe than sorry," Colin replied with a slight shrug. His parents looked at each other.

"What do you think, Dan?" his mother asked.

"What harm is it, Em? It's going to protect our family," his father replied grimly. "And there isn't anything we can do to help end this 'War'." Maybe not you, Colin thought.

"Maybe we should wait and see what they're going to do," Colin suggested. His parents agreed to wait.

Colin awoke the next morning at about seven o'clock. Realising that he really had nothing to do until Melinda came to "assess the situation", he decided to go for a walk. It had been too long since he had been in his neighbourhood, and he wanted to see what had changed.

Not much, as it turned out. A few houses had been painted and a playground had been re-done, but mostly it was the same. Colin even noticed a few people around the place. For some reason, this was a bit of a letdown.

On his way back home, Colin walked past a girl about his age, though she was taller than he was. She had dark black hair. She looked at him weirdly as they passed.

"Colin?" she asked, and Colin stopped in his tracks. "Colin Creevey?" Colin turned around.

"That's me," he said, looking at the girl who obviously knew him. She did, upon reflection, seem familiar.

"I'm Rachael," she said with a bright smile. "Rachael Waters?"

"Oh! Hi! How have you been?" Colin asked, fighting the urge to blush.

"I've been okay," she said, walking back closer. "I haven't seen you in...how long?"

"Three years, I think," Colin replied. "I think it was Summer break of 1993."

"So long ago," Rachael said with a smile. "You haven't changed much. You've gotten a bit taller, but you're still just as cute." This time Colin did blush.

"You've changed quite a bit. I barely recognised you," he replied, cursing himself as his eyes moved ever-so-slightly downwards. Rachael giggled and Colin looked immediately up.

"Clearly," she said with another giggle. "You know...you still owe me that kiss."

"W-what kiss?" Colin asked.

"You don't remember?" Rachael asked. "I suppose it has been a while. I dared you to kiss me, but you had to go. Remember? It was Truth or Dare, so you have to do it. It's, like, a law." Colin laughed nervously.

"Yeah...well," he looked at his watch that read nine forty eight. "I'm sorry, but I have to go." Colin felt her grab his arm.

"Oh, come on, Colin," she said. "I can't be that bad looking."

"You aren't," he said quickly. "But I really do have to go. I –" he would have said more, but Rachael silenced him by placing her lips on his. After a moments surprise, he found himself enjoying the kiss. That was until she pulled away.

"Your turn," she said softly, her blue eyes seemed to twinkle as she spoke. Colin leant in, but stopped when he suddenly felt extremely cold. "What was that?" Rachael asked. Colin quickly looked around and saw, at the end of the street, three Dementors coming towards him. He looked at Rachael only to find that she was looking around, not seeing anything.

"We have to get away from here," Colin said. "Now!"

"What?" Rachael asked. "Why?" Colin didn't bother to answer and only grabbed her hand and ran in the other direction, away from the Dementors. Luckily, she ran with him and didn't appear to question him.

"How far away is your house?" Colin asked as they ran.

"A few blocks," Rachael replied. "And in the other direction."

"Mine's closer," Colin said, breathlessly. "We need to get there. We'll be safe there." Suddenly, Rachael stopped in her tracks.

"What do you mean safe? What's going on?" she demanded. Colin could see the Dementors catching up to them and began to panic.

"I can't tell you," he said quickly. "You need to trust me."

"What's going on Colin?" she asked softly. Her body was visibly shaking. "Why don't I feel happy?"

"I can't –" Colin began, but noticed that the Dementors were getting too close. Colin tried to pull Rachael away but she stood firm. Colin sighed and moved so that she couldn't face him and he drew his wand before pointing it at the Dementors. He thought of the happiest thought that he could. He thought about the moment that Professor McGonagall told him that he was a wizard.

"Expecto Patronum!" he shouted. His wand produced a mist, and kept the Dementors at bay for a few seconds before it fizzled away. Colin changed his thought. This time it was a fantasy. He imagined what it would feel like to have friends.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he cried and, from the end of his wand, a silver turtle came from the end. With speed that, by rights, it should not have had the turtle chased down the three Dementors until they turned and fled into the sky. But the coldness didn't leave with them, Colin found. Colin looked around and saw no other Dementors, so he whirled around and immediately gasped in disbelieving horror at the sight before him.

Rachael was on the ground, a ways away, with two Dementors hovering over her, both with their hoods lifted. Colin pointed his wand at them and his turtle came right between his legs and ran at the two Dementors.

Between the silver and the horror, Colin wasn't entirely sure if the turtle had made it there in time. Despite his uncertainty, the turtle chased away the Dementors. This time, however, the coldness did go away. Not that it made Colin any happier.

Colin pocketed his wand and the turtle disappeared. He ran to where Rachael was on the ground, unmoving. The first thing he did was put his hand on her cheek and found that she was rather cold. He looked her over and found that she was still breathing, although he knew that that would still happen after a Dementor's Kiss.

"Rachael," he said, trying to get her to wake. "Rachael!" Suddenly, he heard a gasp from behind him.

"Oh my god!" a woman's voice said. "What happened?" Colin whirled around to see a woman who looked to be in her thirties who had long, brown hair.

"I...She...She was attacked," Colin said, trying desperately not to let anything slip. He realised how bad this must look.

"Attacked?" the woman asked. "By what?" Colin then noticed something coming from her pocket. It was, unmistakably the end of a wand. Colin couldn't have been happier at the sight.

"Dementors," he replied. The woman's eyes went wide.

"De-" she said, almost in disbelief. She then sunk to her knees beside Rachael. "Is she a..."

"Muggle," Colin replied. "She's a Muggle."

"Did it kiss her?" the woman asked, checking for a pulse.

"I-I'm not sure," Colin replied. "T-there were two of them. They...they had their hoods up...I couldn't see from the Patronus."

"You cast a Patronus?" she asked in disbelief. "You can't be older than fourteen." I'm sixteen, Colin thought bitterly as the woman waved her wand over Rachael. The woman frowned.

"Will she be alright?" Colin asked. The woman put her wand away with a frown.

"I have never dealt with a Dementor attack before," she admitted. "She seems alright as far as I can tell, but I'm not a Healer. We need to get her to St. Mungo's as fast as possible. What's your name?"

"Colin Creevey," Colin said quickly. The woman's eyes widened.

"I'm Melinda Fernando," she said. "I should have realised you would be Colin. You're the only magical child in this town other than your brother. Anyway, we really need to get to St. Mungo's."

"I'll go with you," Colin said. "But I need to let my family know."

"How far is it to your house?" Melinda asked. Colin looked down the street.

"Next block over. I can run and be back in a few minutes," Colin said.

"Fine," Melinda said. "But hurry back." Colin nodded before standing and taking off. He reached his house in about two minutes and sprinted through the door. He found his parents and Dennis were waiting in the living room.

"Colin," his mother said worriedly. "What's wrong. Did you feel that cold wave not long ago?"

"It was...Dementors," Colin said and his parents' eyes went wide and Dennis' face became devoid of all colour. "I drove them off...but Rachael...got attacked. Not sure if she's been...kissed." Not by me, for certain.

"Who's Rachael?" his father asked, standing up. "Do you need any help?"

"No. There's no time," Colin said breathlessly. "Melinda found me and we're taking her to St. Mungo's. I don't know when I'll be back."

He didn't wait for a response from them as he turned and bolted out of the door. By the time he reached where Melinda was waiting, he was out of breath.

"Everything okay?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine," Colin replied.

"Alright," Melinda said. "I'm going to Apparate both of us and this girl –"

"Rachael," Colin interjected.

"Rachael it is," Melinda said impatiently. "I can Apparate three at a time, so I'm going to need you to take my hand while I take Rachael's. This can be a bit disorientating the first time around, but I'm sure you'll be fine." She grabbed Colin's hand firmly before leaning down and picking up Rachael's. Melinda then turned on the spot and everything went black. Colin's body felt like it was being hit by a car for a moment.

And then, finally, colour returned to the world and he found that he was no longer in his home town, but was actually inside a large building with very white walls. He soon noticed that he was in St. Mungo's. He then started to feel a bit sick and his body felt a bit drained.

"We need some help here!" Melinda yelled. "We have a Muggle that's been attacked by a Dementor!" Within seconds, three men rushed to where Rachael was laying on the ground. One man, who had a short beard, pointed his wand at her and she levitated off the ground. All three walked away with two of them waving their wands frantically over Rachael's body.

"You can let go of my hand now," Melinda said softly. Colin immediately let go, not noticing that he hadn't done so before then.

"Where are they taking her?" Colin asked, watching as she disappeared through a door.

"There's a special part of the hospital specifically for Muggle victims of wizardry. She will be put there and they will determine whether there is anything wrong with her," Melinda replied softly.

"And if there is something wrong?" Colin asked, looking at Melinda. "If the Dementor's did suck out her soul?" Melinda's face darkened.

"Because she is a Muggle, they cannot tell her family," Melinda said gravely, "so they will likely kill her so that they do not have to house her any further." Colin's mouth fell open.

"What?" he asked after a moment. "They...they might...kill her? That's..."

"Terrible, I know," Melinda replied, the disgust evident in her voice and her face. "But there is, and will more than likely never be, a cure for this. Since the body lives on, it becomes a hassle to look after her further. But she is still human."

"Do you think..." Colin began to ask, afraid of the answer. He suddenly remembered her lips on his and he was beginning to fight back the tears.

"I don't know," Melinda replied, truthfully, knowing what Colin had wanted to say. "There is always some form of reaction from a Dementor being that close, even if they haven't been kissed. It could be that she's just in shock."

"And...If that happens?" Colin asked. Melinda seemed to scan his face.

"That depends," she replied.

"On what?" Colin asked, expecting the worst.

"If she were already aware of the Wizarding World, they would let her go after a time," Melinda responded. "If she isn't aware, then it may come down to you."

"Me?" Colin choked out. "Why me?"

"If you and Rachael are...close enough...the Ministry may not have to wipe her memory of the event," Melinda replied carefully. Colin's brain seemed to tick over.

"What do you mean by "close enough"?" he asked. Melinda watched his face carefully.

"If you and she are in a relationship, that may be enough," she replied. "Or if you are related in some way. Maybe as a cousin." Colin fell silent.

He certainly wasn't "close enough" to Rachael, despite that kiss. And they would have to prove that they were related, which would be a problem. The easiest thing for Colin to do would be let them wipe her memory of the incident. But the thought of that made Colin's skin crawl.

Ever since he first learnt that such Charms existed, Colin had felt a deep sense of horror at the simple thought of them. He felt that it was a very large invasion of privacy. Not to mention that it frightened him that he could have had one cast on him already and he might not ever know. It was way too creepy for Colin to consider.

"Perhaps we should sit down?" Melinda suddenly said, snapping Colin out of his reverie. She gestured towards some wooden chairs. It was only then that Colin actually looked around the room. There was a desk at the front of the room that had a witch seated at it. There were seats around the room, organised in a way that Colin thought was nonsensical. There were a few people around, but it was mostly empty. Colin sat down next to Melinda. "We may as well get this assessment over and done with. Although, after this, I don't doubt that they will give you the emancipation you clearly need. Although, I'm surprised that the owl hasn't made its way yet."

As soon as she finished talking, an owl flew in through a nearby open window. It dropped a letter into Colin's lap and then flew back out the window. Coin picked up the letter and opened it.

Dear Mr Creevey,

We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at seven minutes to ten this morning in a Muggle inhabited area and in the presence of a Muggle.

The Ministry of Magic would like to remind you that you are not to perform magic of any kind outside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry before the age of seventeen. You are also not to perform magic in front of any Muggle. As a result of you having no prior warnings and because of the current climate, we are going to leave you with a warning this time.

Because of the use of the Patronus Charm, we are sending Ministry Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt to your current location to assess the situation. There is a Tracking Charm on this parchment, so Auror Shacklebolt shall be there soon.

Hoping you are well,

Yours sincerely,

Mafalda Hopkirk

Improper Use of Magic Office

Ministry of Magic

"I've always had good timing," Melinda said with a small smile. Colin wasn't really listening as he was just happy that he wasn't expelled from Hogwarts or going to Azkaban. "Do you mind if I have a look?"

"Go ahead," Colin said, handing the parchment to her. Melinda read it through and, just as she finished, there was a small pop in front of them. Colin looked up and found a tall, black wizard in crimson robes standing in front of them.

"What did I say?" Melinda murmured to Colin. "Good morning Shack."

"Melinda," Shacklebolt said in a deep, yet pleasant voice. "It's been a while. How's Kendall?"

"He's fine," Melinda said with a smile. Shacklebolt turned his gaze to Colin. Colin flinched only slightly.

"Colin Creevey, I take it?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," Colin replied. Kingsley laughed.

"No need to be frightened," he said. "I'm not here to take you to Azkaban. I'm just here to find out why exactly you were using a Patronus in the presence of a Muggle. And why you are at St. Mungo's now that I know."

So, Colin told the story of the Dementor attack to the Auror in excruciating detail. Every so often, Shacklebolt would stop and ask a question and Colin answered as best he could. When he was finished, Shacklebolt only had one question.

"And why were you with Rachael?" he asked. Colin promptly turned red and Shacklebolt laughed with Melinda joining in. "I think I can guess from that. I must say, Colin, I'm impressed. Most fully grown wizards can't fight off one Dementor, let alone five. That's impressive."

"Thank you, sir," Colin said, a sense of pride welling inside of him before he remembered Rachael's unmoving face.

"What are you going to do?" Melinda asked. Shacklebolt's face turned slightly sour.

"There isn't much we can do any more," he replied in his deep voice. "It's pretty obvious that we've lost control of the Dementors, and we can't exactly track them down. All we can do is help Rachael however we can. What are you doing with him anyway, Melinda?"

"I was on my way to speak with him about possible emancipation," she replied. Shacklebolt's face didn't change.

"Probably not a bad idea," Shacklebolt said, turning to Colin. "You're sixteen, correct?"

"I'll be seventeen next May," Colin confirmed.

"And you're a Muggle-born which means you may have to go into hiding and you need to be able to defend your family," Shacklebolt said. "That's fair enough and I think this Dementor attack might actually help your case. Since he'll be deciding, I can have a word to Scrimgeour about it. He used to be my boss and he helped train me."

"Thank you," Colin said sincerely. Shacklebolt turned to Melinda.

"Perhaps you should go and try to find out something about Rachael," he suggested. Melinda nodded and stood up before heading to the desk.

"I'm part of the Order and I am going to talk to you tomorrow about hiding," Shacklebolt said quietly to Colin, whose eyes widened. "It was pure luck that I got sent here today. Normally I'm with the Prime Minister."

"You work with the Prime Minister?" Colin asked in surprise. "That's really cool!"

"For him," Shacklebolt clarified. "I'm a bodyguard of his. I'll tell you, it's good to talk to someone who actually understands what I'm talking about. Most witches and wizards don't know what a Prime Minister is, let alone how important he is. It's probably because they don't care enough about Muggle culture."

Before he could think too much about that, Melinda walked back over to them.

"Is she okay?" Colin asked immediately.

"She still has her soul," Melinda confirmed. Colin let out a sigh of relief before Melinda continued, "but she is still unconscious. The Healers are certain that she will wake, they just don't know precisely when."

"Can we see her?" Colin asked, standing up quickly.

"They say that we can," Melinda said. "But they also say that they need to talk to you first."

"Perhaps I should be on my way then," Shacklebolt suddenly cut in.

"Hold on Shack," Melinda said, reaching into a bag that Colin hadn't realised that she had. She pulled out what looked like a Muggle clipboard and some parchment with a Muggle pen. When Colin gave her a look, she just smiled. She wrote something on the parchment before signing it and giving it to Shacklebolt. "Could you give this to Rufus if you get the chance?" Shacklebolt smiled.

"Am I a messenger now?" he asked with a chuckle. Melinda laughed.

"Just this once?" she said in a clearly fake, pleading voice. "For me?" Shacklebolt rolled his eyes.

"Of course, Melinda," he said. "Someone from the Ministry will be in contact, Colin."

"Bye, sir," Colin replied. With that, Shacklebolt Apparated away.

"Come on Colin," Melinda said. "You just need to talk to a Healer for a minute before you see Rachael." Melinda and Colin then walked towards the desk where the receptionist sat while a male Healer stood in front with a Quick Quotes Quill and some parchment floating in mid-air.

"Hello Colin," the Healer said pleasantly. "My name is Stephen Bendixson I just need you to answer some questions for me."

Colin answered a few questions about the incident with the Quill taking down everything that he said, even what form his Patronus took. Colin answered each question easily. That was until it got to a certain point.

"Okay, Colin," Healer Bendixsen said, "we're nearly done. I just need you to answer a few more questions. What is your relationship to Rachel Waters?" A choice between what is right, and what is easy, Colin remembered from the end of Third Year.

"I'm her boyfriend," Colin said firmly, after only a few seconds. "I have been for three years, even though we've only seen each other in the holidays over summer, Christmas and sometimes Easter. That's why I was with her." Colin looked over to Melinda and saw that it was clear that she didn't believe him. She didn't say anything, however. Healer Bendixson simply moved on to the next question.

Author's Note

I'm quite happy with this chapter. Quite a few OC's in this chapter, but only some of these will actually appear again. Some of you may think that Colin here is different to canon, but I disagree. The Colin seen in the canon series would, surely, not be all that he is. I take a different approach wit Colin in general.

I just wanted to point out that I am open to hearing your thoughts on this so far. Whether you like it, or hate it, I still want to know because I wouldn't mind a bit of constructive criticism. Also, I would like to reiterate that I am hoping that someone out there can come up with a better name for this story. I'll keep it if necessary, but I wouldn't mind a few options. Also, if you want me to do a Point of View Chapter for a character, let me know and I will take that into account. As it stands, I have Colin, Draco and two other male characters as well as one female character decided upon, so I need a few more. I want around 8 characters to have chapters of. I'm not planning on any Point of View Chapters from OC's at this point, though. The only restrictions are that I won't do any Point of View Chapters for Harry, Snape or Voldemort.

Thanks for reading and I hope to hear your thoughts!