... Oh just read.
Response to review from Sam Blankenship: now, who said it was Draco, hmm?
"Hey Sweetheart!" Blaise called.
Inside I was panicking, outside I was putting a smile on.
"Hey guys!"
"Didn't you go to the dance?"
"Yeah I just left before everyone to beat the rush, my costume was kind of fragile."
"Oh cool."
"Yeah so did you guys have fun?"
"I had a fun time and Drake says he did too, what about you?"
"Amazing, I love Halloween so much."
"I can't believe Dumbledore made us listen to those weird songs." Draco. Chipper as usual.
"Hey, I happen to love those 'weird songs'."
He turned to glare at me, "You would."
"Of course I would, they're from America."
He rolled his eyes, "Let's get up to bed Blaise, I'm wiped."
"Nah I think I might stay down here for a while."
"Whatever."
He headed up the stairs to the boys dorm, and Blaise flopped down on the couch beside me.
He smiled, "So feel like spilling details about how the dance went? Or what your costume looked like?"
I smirked, "Not at all. I was in disguise, no guessing either."
He sighed, "You are making this oddly complicated. What if you danced with me and you didn't even know?"
"I saw what costume you were in. I don't think so."
He glared, "Fine. Then you won't get any hot chocolate."
I perked up, "Hot chocolate?"
He smirked and spoke into the air, "Hot Chocolate please!"
A house elf popped up in holding two cups of hot chocolate, she smiled widely and looked up at me, "One for the gentle girl?"
I grinned, "Thank you so much." And took it from her hands.
She smiled even wider and disappeared with a 'pop'.
I leaned back against the couches side again and inhaled the sweet chocolatey scent.
Blaise did the same and smiled, "Sooo good."
"I agree, I could live off hot drinks."
"Agreed."
After a couple minutes of slowly blowing on our drinks Blaise spoke again, "So how was your night?"
"Good."
"Meet anyone?"
"Just a mystery man who's captured my heart and I don't know anything about him and I doubt I'll ever find out who he is."
"Sounds promising."
I laughed and punched him on the arm, "You are so mean!"
He laughed, "Only to you."
I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, I'm so sure."
His eyes widened, "I'm not! Ever since last year I haven't really gone out of my way to be mean to people."
I gave him a 'look'.
"I haven't."
"It's your story, you tell it."
I rolled his eyes, "So any idea who this mystery man is?"
"A couple, most of them might not even be right."
"Anything else interesting happen?"
"Not particularly. You?" I had to leave out the ankle and the kiss, what if it was him?
He seemed a little uncomfortable, "Not really, no. Met a couple girls."
"Fun sounding."
"Immensely."
I laughed, "You are hilarious Blaise, but I'm afraid I must take this devil of a drink upstairs to bed, I'm wiped."
"G'Night sweetheart."
"Night Blaise."
oOoOoOoOo
The next day I woke up really late, I'd been tossing all night trying to find out any detail about who I'd kissed.
Was it Blaise?
Was it Draco?
Was it a random stranger!
I woke up at around noon looking almost perfect, what filth.
I slipped into a pair of jeans and a band tee and headed down to lunch, where I found Hermione, Ron and Harry talking in hushed voices.
I skipped over and plopped down by them, "Hey guys, what's up?"
"WHERE'D YOU GO LAST NIGHT!"Hermione exploded at me.
I put my hands up defensively, "Hey! Wasn't my choice! I got really sick, but I'm all better now!"
She calmed down slightly, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, why?"
Harry piped up, "We just couldn't find you anywhere, we didn't know if something bad had happened or if you just went back to your dormitory."
"Sorry, I didn't know it would make you guys worry so much."
Hermione defrazzled herself and Harry seemed to calm down slightly too, Ron just kept stuffing his face.
He looked up, some kind of sauce dribbling down his chin, "I knew you weren't hurt. You can take care of yourself and you always sleep till noon when you don't have to be up."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Ron, don't talk when your mouth is full."
He swallowed, "Sorry."
Hermione and Harry shared a look, then looked at me.
"What?"
Harry smirked, "Nothing."
I looked to Hermione, pleading, she sighed, "You have the same look on your face as Harry did during all of sixth year."
I cocked an eyebrow, "And that means...?"
Ron cleared his throat, "That's the year Harry fell madly in love with my little sister."
I glared at Harry, "Thanks. And that's supposed to mean something?"
Hermione cleared her throat, "So, did you meet anyone last night?"
I threw her a look, "Subtle Herm. And as it so happens I did, and I have no idea who he really is."
Hermione's face turned quizzical then she smirked. Crap. I couldn't lie to her for shit, I'd tried almost a hundred times in the last month and a bit and it wasn't working. I think it was something she'd developed from being friends with Harry and Ron.
Harry shrugged, "Sorry 'bout your luck."
Just then Luna skipped over to us, her usual dreamy look on her face, "Hello Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Cara I see you're alright. See Hermione? I told you she'd be fine, Cara could take on the world."
Not that I wasn't grateful for the praise (I really was, I really needed a confidence booster.) but at the moment I felt like a piece of taco that someone had deep fried, eaten, crapped out, got eaten by bugs, crapped out a second time and scattered around on various people who eventually all died in a forest fire.
Short: I felt like crap and ashy.
Don't ask me to explain the ashy part, if I wanted to make that longer I'd say dusty and burnt to a crisp.
Again, don't ask.
"Luna stop, you're making me blush." I laughed out, everyone else laughed with me.
She turned her brilliant smile on me, I don't think she'd fully taken off the spell that made her shine. I still couldn't fully focus on her, maybe she'd just forgotten.
She turned on me, "Cara you look different."
I choked on the water I was drinking and Harry and Hermione burst out laughing, Ron was still stuffing his face.
"What?" Luna looked around confused.
"Nothing, come on, I want to see the threstrals."
I grabbed an apple and we headed outside together.
We were heading towards the forbidden when we passed by the lake, the mermaids were playing on the sand, I grabbed Luna's hand and dragged her over to them.
They jumped in the water and I jumped in after, performing a bubble head charm as I went, they started talking under the water, "Thank you greatly for ridding us of the toxic beast."
I smiled, "It wasn't a problem. How did it die?"
The mermaid's hissed, "A young boy, around as young as you, Dark, Dark sparks flew. He fed it something from a vial, the beast's screams were heard throughout the entire kingdom."
"What boy? What did he look like?"
"He came in the night, a dark storm bringing him like the men in furs. Drums played at their arrival, beings shrieked at his."
"Yes, but what did he look like? Physically?"
"Dark, dark. Hair, skin and eyes, oh so dark."
One young one piped up, "His hair was black as the deepest depths, eyes bottomless as the salty sea. Skin pale as the moon, hands held like claws, laughter, like evil."
My heart grew cold. He wouldn't dare.
"Did he say anything?"
"He mentioned a saviour, I thought it was you Lady of the Light, but he said she would be as tainted as the beast, he said, 'She can run, but never hide from the taint. The mark see's all and hear's all, nothing can stand in the way of what it wants."
"That's it?"
The young one continued speaking, "Yes, Lady of the Light."
"Please, don't call me that. I am as tainted as the beast."
"No tainted thing can do good, light is beautiful that way."
"Thank you so much, you've helped me so much."
The mermaids nodded and headed back to their kingdom, I removed the bubble head charm and came up from the water to see Luna standing there, "I rather like mermaids, I always thought they were ust cranky, but no one believed me."
I smiled, "They just need company."
At that we walked into the forest, I grabbed my apple from Luna's hand, I hadn't even realized I'd dropped it.
We headed into the forest, Luna leading the way.
After about ten minutes of walking through the forest I saw a threstral, it was a little baby and a mother, Luna smiled.
She walked right up to them and started petting them, "A couple years ago Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Ron and I all rode to the Ministry of Magic on some of these guys. It was an amazing time, but Harry's Godfather, Sirius, died."
"That's so sad."
"I guess, he also lost his mom and dad, I couldn't imagine losing both my parents."
It seemed a little weird of a thing for her to say, then it dawned on me, "Luna, who'd you see die?"
"My mum, she liked to experiment. One went wrong, I was there."
"My dad liked to experiment to, that's how he died, but I was in school."
"Who'd you see?"
"A car crash, the entire family died instantly."
"Car?"
"Muggle traveling device."
"Oh."
Then a twig snapped behind us, I whirled, Artemis in her full sized dragon form ready to incinerate someone.
A scared looking Draco stepped out from behind a tree, "Don't let that thing kill me!"
"Draco! What are you doing here!"
I heard a familiar laugh, "Told you she didn't need help mate."
I rolled my eyes, "Blaise? What the hell?"
Blaise stepped out, "Mr. Malfoy here thought you guys were going to get yourselves killed inside the forest, thought we should follow you in case a blood thirsty beast tried to eat you, wouldn't listen to a single thing I said about the dragon..."
Luna laughed, "How delightful, Malfoy acting kind."
He glared, "Not a peep out of you Lovegood."
She mimed zipping her mouth, locking it and throwing away the key.
Blaise walked over, "Now that we're all here together why don't you say we race them?"
"Blaise! These are real beings! They feel! They hurt! They're intelligent!"
Luna piped up, "This one wants to race!"
I huffed and called back behind me, "Not helping my argument Luna."
She giggled, "Now two of them want to race."
Blaise laughed, "Maybe we can find two others!"
Luna whispered to the first animal and it made a cry out to the forest, soon enough two more threstrals came through the trees. Just. Great.
Luna hopped right onto one's back, riding side saddle. Blaise climbed up onto a different one about a second later.
Draco and I stood a little awkwardly, I'd never ridden one and I didn't think he had either but I didn't think he'd be the kind of person up for adventure like Blaise was.
I finally sighed and walked up to the one closest to me, Blaise calling to Draco as I did, "Come on Drake, at least it's not a hippogryph."
He growled, "Blaise if you shut up right now, I will get on the damn beast."
He closed his mouth and Draco rolled his eyes and walked up to the last threstral.
After he climbed on Luna spoke, "Last one back here loses! You have to go all the way to Hogsmeade, order your favourite drink, finish it, and get back here as fast as you can!"
With that she shot up and away, with me close behind her.
I think Blaise came up after that because soon he was beside me screaming something, I looked over at him, was he crazy? There was no possible way I could hear him up here.
Soon enough I landed in Hogsmeade, freaking a couple people out too, Blaise touched down about a mili-second after me, we both raced into the Three Broomsticks and ran up to the bar, "A shot of firewisky in a glass of cherry please Rosmerta."
"Of course Blaise, and you Miss?"
Crap. What was my favourite drink? "You don't happen to have a Caesar do you?"
She smiled, "I think I can whip one up, muggle alcohol or firewisky?"
"A little bit of both please."
She grinned and winked, I smiled. I turned to Blaise to wait, Luna was already sitting at a table trying to chug this weird concoction that looked like it had fireworks going off over top.
I leaned against the bar, Draco rushed in, "A shot of firewisky and a glass of cherry please Rosmerta."
She smiled, "What is this a race?"
Luna, Blaise, Draco and I all stopped, the bar was almost empty. She laughed, "Well I'll hurry up then, Luna get over here, not starting your drink before the other racers."
She huffed a little and came over to the bar, I was leaning against it on my elbows, Blaise was beside me, Draco on his other side and Luna sitting on the stool beside me. I grabbed the stool beside me and hopped up on it, Blaise and Draco then did the same.
Rosmerta made all our drinks and plopped them down in front of us, "Three... two... one... DRINK!"
We all picked up our drinks and attempted to chug them as fast as we could, I think all of us had some kind of firewisky because none of us could really choke it down, I also had vodka in mine too which made it almost twice as bad.
The spices of the drink rushed down my throat, Luna tried to drink around the fireworks and Draco and Blaise looked like they were choking theirs down, it was probably a really strong drink you should only sip at.
I finished mine after a couple gulps, then jumped out of the bar and onto the threstral that was standing outside, right after me Blaise rushed outside, he laughed, "Don't think you can beat me Dragon!"
I laughed, "Oh so we're going by last names now Zabini?" I don't think he could hear me though because of the wind, I turned around and rode all the way to the clearing, I leaned down and whispered in my threstrals ear, "Faster."
It made the crying noise it always does, and sped up slightly, after a couple minutes I landed among the tress we'd been around before, Blaise touched down a couple seconds after.
He swore, "How'd you get yours to speed up?"
"Asked it."
He face palmed, "Of course."
I laughed, "You didn't think of talking to yours?"
He shook his head, still in his hand.
I laughed, "Loser."
He looked up, attempting to look menacing.
I put my hands up and shook them, "Ooh, I'm quivering in my little booties."
He attempting another growl, he went into a crouch took a step towards me. My eyes widened. He wouldn't. He laughed and I turned to run, but before I could take two steps he grabbed my from behind and spun me around, holding me bridal style.
"PUT ME DOWN YOU IDIOT!" He just laughed and started tickling my sides, how he did it I'm not sure, but he managed it.
"Apologize for calling me a loser!"
"Not a chance!" I managed to breathe out between giggles.
He smiled an evil grin, "Fine then, but you're not getting out of this without a fight."
He brought back the tickling at full force, my sides were screaming, I was going to get a six pack I was laughing so hard. I squirmed, Artemis was beside Blaise laughing, "Traitor!" I yelled at her.
She laughed even more, and Blaise laughed too, still freaking tickling me!
I squirmed even more and wrenched my hand away and made a twirling motion with my index finger, picturing water.
A burst of water appeared in the sky and dropped down on his head, soaking him.
He dropped me and the wind rushed out of my chest as I hit the ground.
He dropped down beside me, "Thanks a lot!"
I gasped in air, "You asked for it."
His head was lying beside my head but we were lying different ways.
He turned his head towards me, "You are a devil of a person."
"Never denied it."
He glared, "Jerk."
"Loser."
"Devil."
"Ass."
"Freak."
"Doofus."
"Lame."
"Ranakawalafwa."
"What the hell?"
"Means 'I'll beat you with a toaster' in monster."
"How do you say-"
Just then Draco dropped in, "Sorry, Lovegood's drink exploded."
She dropped out of the sky a second after, dripping in red drink, like Draco.
"Interesting, I didn't know if you drank it too fast it would explode..."
"Could've asked."
Her eyes snapped out of their normal daze, "I guess..."
Blaise and I hadn't moved an inch, they looked down on us just then.
Draco looked kind of awkward, "Umm... What the hell are you two doing?"
I sat up, "He tickled me!"
"You soaked me!"
"After you tickled me!"
"You called me a loser!"
"You dropped me!"
Draco held up his hands, "Okay, okay! Don't have to act like first years."
I stood up and brushed the dirt off my clothes, he did the same and Artemis turned into a snake head band.
We all walked out of the forest laughing and talking, aside from Draco but I think he's just naturally sullen.
As we were walking back I thought back on the afternoon, it seemed almost unreal after last night. Especially knowing that one of the guys I was talking with was my Zorro.
Something was off though, Draco was acting normal, being present in most places while Blaise dragged him around, Luna was pretty dazed while having fun ideas while she was... let's say conscious... but it felt off.
The air was too thick.
Trying to breathe was becoming too hard.
I looked over at Blaise and Luna, they seemed healthy, I snuck a peek at Draco behind me, he seemed to be sweating.
I started walking slower so I could walk beside him.
He looked up at me, "You feel it to?"
"What is it?"
"Dark magic. Really dark. I used to feel the same thing in my house when..."
He trailed off and I looked at him, "When what?"
"Nothing."
"Dragon! Keep up!"
I rolled my eyes at Draco's smirk when Blaise called back.
Luna was skipping ahead of Blaise, almost out of the forest already. "Are you guys coming?"
I realized we'd stopped.
"Yeah! You guys go ahead though I need to see something."
A shadow was flitting about on the grass, I followed it with my eyes for five minutes until Draco, Blaise and Luna were gone inside the castle.
I stood back from the shadow and a familiar owl swooped down to land on the grass in front of me.
"You've been told to wait until I was alone haven't you?"
The large bird hooted in response, "Of course. Tommy doesn't like to have witnesses. With anything." I knelt down to the birds level and took the rolled up piece of paper off it's leg.
I really didn't want to read this.
As usual the paper was black, even the air around it was thick and gooey, unlike Tommy.
Tommy. My Tommy. He hated when I called him Tommy, he said Tom was the name of one of the greatest wizards ever, I never asked who. His name was Thomas. Tall, a mess of black hair, dark, chocolate brown eyes.
No! I couldn't remember him that way. Remember Maria. Remember who's responsible for your filth.
I took a deep breathe, uncurling the letter.
Sparkling silver letters looked up at me,
Caramel,
I'm sorry.
You're right, too many people have-
It's not worth you being mad at me-
I miss you. Everything's different now. Please, come home.
Tommy
That scum! Trying to convince me he wasn't... that he... that I... but he was the one that...
AGH!
Tom needed to go die. In a hole. Slowly. With rabid geese. The idiot! How gullible did he think I was!
'I miss you' 'Everything's different' dear Merlin did this boy think I was an idiot?
"Accio quill, and silver ink!"
I flicked my hand and a couple seconds later my quill and ink flew to my hands. I turned the paper over and started writing,
'Tommy',
Where on earth do you get the nerve?
Nothing's changed, nothing ever will. As soon as you realize this then maybe I'll consider coming home.
Until then I consider you a raging idiot, don't you ever think you can fool me wth your crap! You miss me? Do you think I hit my head over the summer! I saw you. Nothing's going to change, sorry.
Carmella
P.S: You lost the right to call me Caramel months ago.
I attached it to the owl's leg and sent it on it's way. I watched until it was out of sight then headed back into the castle.
By the time I got there (with my quill and ink in tow unfortunately.) it was time for dinner, I walked into the great hall and saw almost everyone eating.
I scanned the tables for Luna, she bounced back and forth between different one's, and then found her sitting with... Blaise! GO LUNA!
I skipped over (still holding the quill and ink. I really needed to learn a spell that would send things where I want them...) to the table right as Blaise burst out laughing.
"You're a funny one Lovegood."
"Actually Nargles are real, not many people believe they are but I've seen them. And wrackspurts... they always invade my head right before exams, I think you have them too."
"Well I'm not sure how to respond for that."
We laughed and ate for awhile together until Luna suddenly stood up, "I'm going to go back to my dorm for the night. See you guys tomorrow, alright?"
I nodded, "Sure, see you at breakfast."
After a couple more minutes I was feeling full so I stood up, Blaise stood at the same time and offered to escort me back. I rolled my eyes, "Old fashioned enough?"
He scoffed, "You doubt my chivalrous atitude?"
"I doubt it, and question it."
He rolled his eyes and threw his arm over my shoulder, "Let's go sweetheart. Drake you coming soon?"
"Yeah, I'll be back once I've finished this essay I have."
Blaise nodded and we both walked out of the hall, trying to synchronize our steps and laughing.
Once we stepped outside of the hall he stopped for a minute, "Shh, listen."
I stood silent, attempting to listen. I'm not really a patient person-
But then I heard it.
Someone was making out, in the front hall.
Hoo boy the were about to be embarassed...
Blaise and I snuck around the corner, ready to jump out and scare the people, but I peaked around the corner first, curious as to who it was.
A mass of white blonde hair, pale skin, obviously the girl. The guy seemed to have shorter hair...
I looked down and noticed a pair of glasses on the floor.
A pair of glasses I'd only ever seen on one guy before...
Oh shiz I shouldn't be seeing this.
I ran, the image of Harry and Luna making out seared in my brain.
Soo... Yeah I've grown a liking for cliffy's :) Sucks to be you guys, eh? This one isn't so much of a cliffy as an... Important detail that I'm going to need for later on. I'm setting up a heartbreak, that's all y'all need to know for now ;) (although it's pretty obvious...) Until next time!
Love and Kisses :)~ Trini bear
