Disclaimer: I own nothing except my characters.
Note: I apologize for the wait (times a thousand). Life has been so crazy and then I got sick. I'm feeling better now so I wrote up a few chapters. Hope it's all understandable! Thank you for my last reviews, so happy to see you guys still reading/following/reviewing. Be sure to continue letting me know what you think.
Opposite Opinions
"How are you?" Matt asked a few seconds later.
"Oh, I'm great, you know, still terrified of my unavoidable death and confused by Melinda's engagement" I said in great sarcasm.
"I wanted to tell you about that. I had a vision about it a few weeks ago, but, I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't know if you'd believe me" he said.
"I wouldn't have" I responded as I relaxed a tad. "I got your birthday present" I added as he nodded. "Thanks" I said almost unwillingly.
"Tammie, can we not do this?" he said after a few more seconds of awkward tension and silence. At least he cracked first. Though, in a weird way he was still very attractive, his hair even looked a tad longer, his features stood out so much more, everything about him was just so, bad, but electric, just like always.
"Do what?" I asked, again sarcastically.
"Pretend that we're not friends, pretend I'm okay with this" he said.
"This being what exactly?" I asked, my tone still cold.
"Damnit Tammie, how many times do you want me to apologize?" he asked, finally cracking at my tone.
"I don't want you to apologize, I want you to go away" I told him as he made a face and then snorted. Lately, Matt had been acting less and less like Matt, at least the Matt I knew. The few times I saw him he would give me expressions that I thought he'd never give me. He'd mumble jokes to his sister that I didn't think were possible. He seemed to start to dislike me. But then there were other times, when he looked so distant and lost and tired and hurt. It was like I was seeing two different sides of him. I didn't bring it up and he didn't offer any information so I continued pretending I didn't notice.
"Is that what you really want?" he asked as I turned to face him. "Because at this point I see that doing jack shit for you and your friends. I never plan to hurt you so I would appreciate if you stopped pushing me away" he said, his voice changing again.
"Maybe if you stopped acting so weird" I said unable to stop myself.
"I'm not acting any different" he snapped back.
"Yes you are, I can tell" I replied.
"Maybe I'm acting like I always had, just, not sugarcoating it since everyone knows what I am" he said as I shook my head.
""When you're ready to act like the Matt I know, you know where to find me" I snapped at him as I started walking away but he grabbed my arm.
"You know they're not going to last" he whispered in my ear. I wanted to punch him, but my hands wouldn't move. "Melinda and Houston, he doesn't go to Hogwarts and she's not in love with him. Nor has she ever been" he continued whispering as I shook my head. "You've seen it, I know you have" he added.
"Not every vision comes true, you know that as well as I do" I whispered back as I turned slightly to look at him.
"But you've had the vision, you've seen her and Draco again, you saw that kiss" he said as I finally pulled away.
"Stay out of my visions" I mumbled to him.
"If it was that easy I would Tammie, but you know I can't, not anymore, it's not that simple anymore, we're not that simple" he said as I shook my head.
"You do it on purpose" I said.
"I'm just looking out for you" he said as I looked away. "Do they even know what you're doing? Again. I mean, I told you before—"
"I know, I know you said to stay out of Burnner's head, but I can't help it, if I'm in her head I can find out where she is, we can get a led, we can take her" I said, trying to explain it the way I planned to tell Fred but the way Matt shook his head and looked at me with worry was the way I knew Fred would look at me.
"Have you even considered that she might tell you the wrong location on purpose? I told you fifth year to stop, you have to stop Tammie. If she even gets the hint that you've—"
"Exactly! She doesn't even know it yet!" I said half excitedly.
"And that doesn't worry you?" he asked with a shake of the head.
"I just want to find out where she is. I want her dead" I said, my voice unbalanced as I unwillingly thought back to the Fates.
"I know" Matt replied, his voice quiet and kind, like the Matt I knew. "We all do, but, if she catches on. Tam, she'll kill you from the inside out or worse" he said as I shook my head, nothing could be worse than that.
"Like what?" I asked anyway.
"She could force you to go to her, alone, she might have Courtney there, waiting to turn you, she might find out where you are and threaten your friends, threaten Fred" he explained.
"She could do that anyway" I countered remembering back to Fred's experience fifth year.
"It's hard to get in your head, you're not an influential person" he said.
"Right, I'm sure that's not what you said fifth year during the Quidditch game" I mumbled sarcastically.
"We have a bond, I'm one of the only people who can get in your head, but I can seal you any time I like with or without your permission" he said but before I could protest he continued. "And you're the only one who has any influence over me, if you were a vampire—or half—you could seal me; as it stands, you have more control over me than anyone has ever had. You're control could probably overrun Burnner's" he said as I looked at him with surprise as he slightly smirked at me. "Yeah, you don't even know what powers you hold" he said, though something in tone was back to sounding unfamiliar and cold.
"Tammie" Fred said from the doorway.
"See you soon" Matt said as he nodded at Fred, who again, didn't acknowledge him, before heading off.
"What did he want?" Fred asked as I shook my head.
"Nothing, how's Houston liking the shop?" I asked turning to face Fred.
"Good, we gave him a few freebies, it's always great to have muggle costumers in there" he said as I absently nodded. "You know I knew about the engagement first, right?" he said as I nodded, again, absently. "You know I know when you've stopped listening, right?" he asked humorously as I snapped back to attention, him half smiling. "What did what Matt say?" Fred asked after another moment as I sighed.
"Some lame crap about stuff…" I said plainly as I waved my hand at him.
"C'mon, let's get you some books" he said slinging his arm over my shoulder.
"What does Savannah think about this whole engagement thing?" I asked.
"She's happy, you know, like most people are when two people who love each other get engaged" Fred replied as I snorted.
"Why is so bad that I don't approve?" I exclaimed as we made into the bookstore, a crowd of people around us.
"I think she expects you to not be happy but she also expects, hopes, you'll see she's happy—"
"How can someone be happy when they're forcing themselves to be with someone else? When I get turned I won't be happy with Matt" I told him.
"Don't talk like that, there is no 'when'" he said as I shook my head.
"Melissa's engaged to Houston and that was a big, if not unplanned 'when'" I reminded him, now feeling a little annoyed that he was indeed happy for Melinda. I opened my mouth to protest more but his lips were on mine.
"Tammie," he started when he pulled away. "You are amazing, smart, brave and very attractive. I respect everything you're saying but, Tamms, this is Melinda's life, you have to let her do what she wants" he explained.
"Can't you talk to her?" I asked.
"No, because I went ring shopping with Houston" he replied without shame or embarrassment as I cocked my head at him.
"Excuse me?" I asked as Fred smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets. I looked at him with half curiosity, I actually didn't want to know what he was doing, or thinking. "Fred, I know I said I want to, but, I also said I want to wait" I said in a rushed tone as he nodded but continued smiling. "A ring, while at school? Fred, I'm not even seventeen" I reminded him, my anxiety building up.
"I love you, and I won't do anything you're not comfortable with, but this…" he paused to pull out whatever was in his pocket, a small box. A small red square box. "This is going to happen" he said with his typical grin as he moved closer to kiss my forehead. "School or no school, seventeen or not, we're getting, we're engaged. Soon" he told me with another kiss.
"You need permission from the Malfoys" I said, still holding on to my anxiety as he shrugged.
"Already got it Tammie" he said as he started humming and moved over to check out some bookshelf as I stood there stunned for a moment.
"Wait, what? When?" I finally got out as I hurried after him. "Fred, when?" I asked again but by time I got over to him he was out the door, talking to a bunch of kids. I started to head to the door but Melinda had walked in. "Hey" I quickly said to her, the anxiety in my voice obvious.
"You look like you've seen a ghost" she said with a little smirk.
"What do you know about Fred proposing?" I asked.
"Not much…and the stuff I do know, I'm not going to tell you. Being engaged is supposed to be a surprise. The only reason he told you anything was to give you a heads up. And the only reason he gave you a heads up was because he didn't want you to freak out and say no" she explained even though I shook my head. "You might have, this year is going to be crazy, we know what you're up against, we know what's to come" she said.
"I don't think you have anything to be afraid of, you're safe," I told her, my tone now switching to a little annoyed.
"Do you really want to start arguing now? Really?" she asked as I sucked in air, not sure if I did indeed want to start arguing.
"I'm just, annoyed" I said shaking my head as we went back to the aisle I started in. "Matt came over, already causing trouble and then Draco" I added shaking my head again as Melinda nodded.
"I really didn't plan it like that, you know that. Right?" she asked as I hesitated. "Tammie, I wouldn't do that to Draco, I wouldn't purposely set out to have him find out I was engaged, not like that" she said though something in my mind didn't seem to believe—or even like her response.
"I wish he didn't have to find out like that" I said after a moment.
"He was going to find out sooner or later anyway" she reassured me. "Seriously, we don't have time for this, you have to accept what's happening" she said but without waiting for a response she started off in the opposite direction, a handful of books in hand. I slowly picked out some more but my mind was mainly focused on what was happening, what had Melinda done? Why? I mean, it wasn't love, it couldn't have been, part of me felt bad that I was so upset and annoyed by it, part of me wanted be happy, she'd at least be alive. I was sure Chance would be generous, after all, it wasn't our fault some crazy bitch was after us. Maybe her events would shift, maybe the Fates would change their mind. They probably didn't predict Melinda would be so headstrong about it. They probably didn't think she'd go and engaged. I ran a hand through my tangled hair as I went to the register to pay for the books. Maybe there was some reason behind her engagement? I mean, it couldn't simply be because she was happy. But she was happy, right? I shook my head, I couldn't worry myself about this, not now.
With that thought in mind I went back toward the entrance, I had to check on Houston, make sure Fred wasn't feeding him too much information, making sure George wasn't trying to murder him just because. And course I had to make sure Draco hadn't given his parents the slip and started stalking Melinda—or Houston. I pulled open the door but happened to catch my reflection, I looked over myself, my face filled with worry and stress—already. And then something else caught in my eye. No, someone else. I stared in the corner of the reflection, staring at a familiar face. Long wavy brown hair, dark piercing brown eyes, slender frame, and a sly frightening grin. Burnner. I felt the air leave my lungs as I saw my own eyes grow wider in shock and dread. I whipped around, my packages hitting the ground but when I turned to look, no one was there.