Chapter 8-Meltdown
Disclaimer- Harry Potter is not mine so please do not sue me.
It took ten minutes before David snapped out of his rainbow fantasy land and even then he was still slightly incoherent.
"She likes me?" David asked in a far away voice.
"Yes Dave," Nora said in an exasperated tone, "for the tenth time, she likes you."
"She likes me," he said dreamily.
However David's mood quickly changed as they approached the Three Broomsticks.
"I can't go in there," David said, clearly beginning to panic.
"Why?" Andy said in disbelief.
"What do I say to her?" Dave questioned frantically.
"What you usually do," Andy replied, "how are you, what have you been up to, can I borrow your transfiguration notes?"
"But I can't talk to girls I like!" David exclaimed.
"You just talked to her twenty minutes ago," Nora said in exacerbation.
"Listen Dave," Al said gripping David's shoulder firmly, "just act the way you always do with her since she already likes you. Now all you have to do is keep being nice, flirt a little and get some lessons later from Andy on being charming. Girls love that stuff."
Nora tried to remember the last time she thoroughly enjoyed a guy purposefully hitting on her, while containing the urge to faint, but she kept her mouth shut as they walked into the Three Broomsticks.
The pub was bustling with activity as the group of friends walked inside. Dozens of Hogwarts students were crammed into booths or around bar tables, all laughing and talking loudly.
"Oi you lot," Andy announced, "I see Alice and Rose at our booth in the back."
They made their way through the hordes of people to a large sized circular booth at the back of the pub, to see Rose grinning happily in her seat, Alice looking slightly nervous in her seat and six butterbeers; one for each of them on the table top.
"How the hell did you get the back booth you two?" Al asked as he slid in to the booth after Andy.
"I'm the daughter of the pub owner remember," Alice said with a smile, "come sit next to me David." Alice patted the spot next to her and Al and Nora exchanged looks as she slid in next to Al.
Rose was still grinning happily. "Alice tell them how we got the booth."
"Well," Alice blushed, "people were already sitting her when we got here and I told them to move."
"Ugh that's not how it went," Rose said unhappily, "I'll tell you myself. So we get here and we find none other than Malfoy, Zabini and there entourage of idiots sitting here. So Alice was like you're in our spot and Zabini practically snarls who says Longbottom, I don't see your name it. And then Alice said last time I checked my mother's name was on the piece of paper that owns this place. So unless you want to be sitting outside, I suggest you move."
"And they moved?" David asked in astonishment.
"Ya," Rose said gleefully, "guess they weren't used to Alice's aggressive side. You should have seen Zabini's face as Malfoy forced her out of the booth."
"Where are they now?" Nora asked.
Rose pointed over their heads towards a table surrounded by seven people, instead of the two, maybe three, it was supposed to fit. Malfoy was wearing a far away expression as he looked over at their table and Zabini looked as if she were trying to murder them with dirty looks.
"Nora," Al whispered in her ear, "this would be a great time to find out what Malfoy's thinking."
Nora bit her lip as she looked at Malfoy. She had been practising her telepathy recently with Al and she had gotten a lot better at it.
"What are you guys whispering about?" Andy asked and Nora just grinned at him nervously.
"Nothing, but I'm going to go to the washroom, be back in a sec."
Nora hurried off in the direction of the bathrooms. Once she reached the small back area of the pub – where the washrooms were located – she ducked behind a very large plant. She was not about to just stand randomly in the middle of the pub with her eyes closed in concentration.
She parted the leaves of the plant and peered through looking for Malfoy. After a good deal of shifting around where she was crouching, Nora was able to get a good view of Malfoy's sullen face.
"Someone really needs to cast a good cheering charm on this guy," Nora muttered to herself, as she began to concentrate on the image of Malfoy's face. It was a bit harder then it usually was with all of the surrounding noise. When Al and her practiced they were usually sitting outside under a very old oak tree by the lake, or if it wasn't nice out, inside of an empty class room. Either way it was never with this many people around.
Nora concentrated harder on the image of Malfoy's face and the feeling of entering his mind. She felt a slight twinge of pain but ignored it when she heard the familiar pop as she entered into Malfoy's mind. For some reason unknown to Nora Malfoy's mind felt like she had entered into a meat packing freezer and she was longing for the warmth of her coat. But she was suddenly barraged by one of Malfoy's thoughts, distracting her from the chill of his mind.
"How can I like her? Of all the people to have feelings for it had to be her," Malfoy thought icily. Nora was surprised by the anger and frustration Malfoy was projecting but then she remembered that Malfoy's and Weasley's went together like pickles and peanut butter. "Bloody hell does Tatiana ever shut up? I'll just keep ignoring her." Nora snorted at his comment.
"I wish things were different. I wish I didn't have this bloody last name or Weasley would be less infuriating. Everything she says about me makes me want to punch a fucking wall, while the rest of this lot I could care less about what they say. I don't -."
Malfoy was cut off mid rant when Nora let out a squeak of surprise upon feeling a hand on her shoulder. She whipped her head around to see an older wizard with a very crooked nose staring at her in bewilderment.
"Miss – what are you doing down there?" he asked in a confused tone.
"Er-I'm hiding," Nora attempted.
"Hiding from what?"
Nora awkwardly stood up and looked around the pub hoping someone would hold up a sign with a good excuse written on it.
"I'm hiding...from a guy," she said with a pause. "Yes, a guy."
The man's eyes became a pair of questioning slits, as if scrutinizing her facial expression would bring some much needed logic to the situation. "Why are you hiding from a boy?"
Who was this guy, Mr. 20 Questions? "Umm... he's stalking me you see. I turned him down and he has been following me everywhere. So I have been hiding," Nora paused awkwardly as she looked around her, "behind this plant."
Another pause and the man blinked in confusion.
"Well I best be off," she said hurriedly and scurried away from the man's look of astonishment.
When she got back to the table she saw Alice visibly cuddling up to David, who looked like he was shaking from nerves. Andy and Rose were having an in depth argument and Al seemed to be waiting for her to return.
"Back," she announced, mostly to Al; who perked up once he saw her.
"So how did it go?" he whispered urgently.
"All I'm going to tell you is that Malfoy has got it bad," she said with a grin.
Al was about to say something when Andy began to speak loudly. "You can't expect me to drop the fact that you're studying with White, Rose. I thought you couldn't stand him."
"Just drop it Andy," she snapped loudly.
"Oh come on. Al, don't you want to know why Rosie is having study sessions with Darren White of all people?"
"Er-yes?"
"There you go Rosie," Andy declared as if Al's questionable answer proved a point. Again Nora didn't say anything. "So spill Rosie and I promise to tell you a deep dark secret of my own...once I get one."
Rose glowered at him but she sighed when she saw that everyone at the table was now paying attention to their conversation.
"Oh for the love of Circe," she said angrily, "fine, I like studying with him because he makes me feel good."
Al's eyes widened and he began to open his mouth to protest, when Nora stopped him. "She meant he makes her feel good about herself Al."
"Oh."
Rose just stared unhappily down at the table. "He just makes me feel like I'm not average, boring or ugly. It's not like I fancy him or anything but I'm just not used to guys wanting me for anything other than charms notes. Alice is the nicest sweetest girl in our year and Nora," Rose stopped and Nora raised a brow, "well you're just every guy's fantasy."
"It is true," Andy said, agreeing with Rose.
Nora knew what had triggered these feelings. Her conversation with Malfoy a couple weeks ago had obviously left a mark. Good job Malfoy. Way to woo the girl of your dreams.
Nora was snapped out of her thoughts when Al began nudging her frantically in the side as Alice reassured Rose that she was in no way plain or ugly.
"What?" she hissed in annoyance.
"Malfoy heard what Rose said," he said quickly. Nora turned to see the face of the saddest sixteen year old guy she had ever seen. He looked as if someone had just shot his pet dog right in front of him and then laughed hysterically about it.
"How?" she whispered.
"He walked by."
She gaped. "I should read his mind," Nora offered.
"Whoa, wait a second. You shouldn't if you're tired. When we practice we're not around a lot of people," Al said worriedly.
"I did it before, so I'll be fine now," Nora said impatiently. "Do you want to know what he's thinking or not?"
Al gave her a dirty look. "Fine. Just do it."
Nora looked around her to see everyone else at the table busy comforting Rose. They wouldn't notice if she was occupied or not.
"I'll do it here," she said to Al, "cover me."
Before Al could protest Nora turned to look in Scorpius' direction and began to concentrate. It was harder this time. Much harder. Either she was tired from before or everyone in the pub was louder this time around. Still, she concentrated. Her brain began to throb slightly but like before she brushed the feeling aside.
She felt the familiar pop as she entered into Scorpius' frigid mind only to feel an overwhelming feeling of despair wash over her.
"What have I done?" she heard Malfoy think faintly, while Nora's concentration began to slip. She began to panic, not having felt this feeling before, and she concentrated much harder.
The next thing Nora knew was Malfoy yelling out loudly in pain and her eyes snapping open, mind still connected to his. Malfoy was clutching his head as his friends asked him what was wrong. Oh shit! Nora gave one horrified look in his direction as she tried to sever her connection to his mind.
"Nora what's wrong?" Al said faintly, his voice muffled as if he were standing on the opposite side of a door and talking to her through it. Nora pulled harder to get away; her mind beginning to scream in pain. She began to concentrate harder in a new attempt to get out of Malfoy's head but something much worse happened. All of a sudden there was a loud echoing crack that reverberated through her head, silence and then head splitting pain.
Nora toppled off the bench and on to the floor; her head was throbbing so badly that she felt tears roll down her face. Then the voices came rushing into her mind.
"What time is it?"
"Why won't he talk to me?"
"I could really go for a bowl of soup right about now."
"I hate work. I'm quitting, I swear I will."
"I wonder if I can nick some firewhiskey and bring it up to the castle for tonight."
Each different voice was like a skewer being dug into her mind, each time it went deeper and deeper to the point where it felt as if they were digging out parts of her brain.
"Nora!" she heard Al's distant voice cry. More voices entered her mind and she groaned loudly in pain.
"Is that girl drunk?"
"Hey is that Wilson on the ground?"
"Looks like that girl is having a fit."
"Oh my god Nora!"
Nora peeled her eyes open only to see several people surrounding her with identical faces of panic and worry but she quickly closed them with a moan when the world began to spin out of control.
Next thing Nora knew she was off the floor and in someone's arms; quickly being carried out of the pub. She barely heard the tinkle of the bell on the door and she was slightly shocked by the blast of cold air that washed over her body.
"Nora! What's wrong?" she heard Al say frantically as he sat her down on a hard surface.
Before she could respond, she doubled over in pain, as even more voices pierced her mind.
"Bloody hell it's freezing out here."
"How should I propose to her?"
"Maybe buying this many dungbombs was over kill."
"Ugh if I get dragged into another store to shop for shoes, I am going to throttle her."
It became too much. With those last few voices her head felt as though it was being split open and stars exploded across her vision. She leaned forward and threw up; not caring where she aimed.
Nora felt strong hands grip her arms firmly as they pushed her upright. "Nora, what's wrong?" Al said in a slow terrified voice.
"Th-the voices," she stuttered. Pain shot through her mind and she groaned. "The voices w-won't stop."
"What do you mean?" Al said.
Before she could answer the pain began to change into something different. Instead of just feeling excruciating pain, she began to feel pressure pushing up against the inside of her skull. A pressure she had felt once before. Right before the explosion that got her kicked out of the Canadian Academy. Oh fuck no, this was not going to happen again.
"Al," she croaked.
"What is it?"
"Knock me out," she asked breathlessly.
"What?" Al said in confusion, letting go of her arms.
Nora felt the pressure building and she cracked open one of her eyes to see her hands glowing slightly. She gasped in fear. "Knock me out Al," she said more urgently.
"I can't do that Nora," Al said in a torn voice.
Nora groped out frantically in front of her and grabbed a hold of Al's shirt, jerking him towards her.
"Al!" she said in the loudest voice she could muster, "knock me out now or I'm going to hurt a lot of people!" She then toppled over on the surface she was sitting on, the pressure in her head beginning to leak out slowly.
She heard Al curse loudly as he pulled away from her. Then she heard a spell being muttered in Al's panicked low voice. Nora opened an eye to see a bright orange light rushing towards her and then everything went dark.
A/N- Cliffhanger!!! It would seem that Nora has bitten off a little more then she can chew. Also, Scorpius' feelings for Rose have been revealed and he is very angst ridden because of them. Anyway I will try to update quickly with the next chapter, so please read and review :)
