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This chapter is at least twice as long as my other chapters and I'm hoping that the chapters will get longer as I get more into the story.
I hope you like it!
The way it's meant to be
The next morning I awoke early and got ready for the first day of my final year at Hogwarts. I left my room and found Ginny and Hermione just leaving their rooms. We smiled at each other, said good morning and walked into the common room. It was a buzz of people; everyone was getting ready to head down to breakfast.
We found Harry and Ron almost instantly, standing by the portrait hole. The five of us stepped through the hole and headed down to the Great Hall. As we sat down at the Gryffindor table Colin Creevy, a sixth year who had hero-worshiped me ever since my second year, approached us.
"Hi Bella," he said, smiling hugely.
"Colin," I greeted him back. It was the first time I'd really seen much of him since my return.
"Did you have a good holiday?" He sounded so excited that both Harry and Ron started snickering.
I ignored them and smiled at Colin, "It was great, thank you. How were your holidays?"
"They were alright but having to go back to a muggle town wasn't so fun."
"I know what you mean, trust me," I said.
"Oh, I forgot you've been living with muggles since You-Know-Who killed your parents," he said.
"Yeah," I said slowly. I didn't really know how to reply to a comment like that.
"You'll get rid of him again someday," he said confidently before leaving.
I sighed, "I wish it was that easy."
The others nodded, agreeing with me. In my fifth year they'd all decided that they were part of this too and would be there to help me along the way. After quite a few arguments I finally agreed.
"You wish what was that easy?" a voice from behind me asked, making me jump.
I spun around; they really had to quit speaking from behind me. This time all the Cullen kids were there.
"Killing You-Know-Who," Ginny said.
The Cullens all looked confused.
"Who's You-Know-Who?" Edward asked.
Everyone in hearing distance spun around to stare at him.
"How do you not know?" Seamus asked incredulously from his seat.
"Not knowing isn't exactly normal," I said pointedly. I knew they'd understand that, they'd realize that everyone else knew and that they didn't know because of what they were.
"I think they actually don't know," Ron said staring at them disbelievingly.
"Then I'll tell them," I said, turning my gaze so that it met all of the Cullens' eyes in turn. "Voldemort," was all I said. Every single person in the room seemed to flinch other than the Cullens, who still looked confused, and I.
"You're the only one who dares to speak his name," Ginny pointed out.
I groaned, "Not this again, seriously. It's just a name!"
"The name of a very, very dark wizard," Dean said from his seat next to Ron.
I rolled my eyes, "Fear of a name increased the fear of the actually thing."
"Easy for you to say," Ron said. "You have nothing to worry about; he's not going to kill you or any of your family any time soon."
"Oh yeah," I said, "Because he's already killed all my family and tried several times to kill me."
Ron flinched slightly before muttering an apology.
"What are you talking about?" Jasper asked from behind me; I'd almost forgotten they were even there. They sat down on the long table, Alice and Jasper on my left and Rosalie, Emmett and Edward on the other side of the table. I saw McGonagall getting closer to us, working out people's timetables but it would be a little while before she got to us.
"Seventeen years ago a Dark Wizard was at large. He had killed hundreds, magical and muggle a like. He had followers called Death Eaters who were incredibly loyal. People said he was unstoppable. His name was Voldemort." Again the whole room seemed to flinch. I ignore it and took a deep breath, preparing myself for what I was about to say.
"When I was less than a year old, he came to my house and killed my parents. He than tried to kill me," the Cullens seemed to freeze in front of me.
"Very few people know what happened that night, but somehow I managed to stop him. He disappeared, lost all his power and many said he died," I said watching the Cullens' expressions.
"But others were smarter; they knew that he wasn't really gone. He was just waiting until a time came that he could try again. My first year at Hogwarts was the first time there was any sign of his return." Now just about everyone other than my friends looked shocked; they hadn't known that.
"He tried to kill me in my first year, while living inside someone else's body and in my second year a memory of him, while he was at school, tried to kill me. Slowly he began to gain strength and in my fourth year, he decided it was time to make his return. As far as he was concerned, the only thing in the way of him gaining full power again was me. So, for a fourth time he tried to kill me.
"He managed to gain back his power but his plan didn't quite work. I wasn't meant to escape, I wasn't meant to be able to worn the world of his return. Of course, no one believed me or Dumbledore for the first year after his return but at the end of my fifth year people finally realized the truth when he tried to kill me for a fifth time and the Minister of Magic himself witnessed it along with tones of others." I finished.
Everyone around me was staring, I'd just told them plenty of things they hadn't originally known and I'm sure it would spread quickly.
"And now it's your job to kill him," Harry whispered.
I sighed, "Yes."
"Why you," Edward asked suddenly, sounding panicked. "Why not anyone else?"
"It's the way it's meant to be," I said sadly. "He marked me as his equal, no one else has the same advantages as me. No one else has the ability to do it."
"That's why everyone feels so much respect when in your presence. You're the one who has to end this war for them," Jasper said. The Cullens and I were the only ones who heard, though, because he said it so low.
I nodded before saying, "I'm the girl who lived."
"Or The Chosen One which ever you prefer," Seamus said grinning.
I groaned, "You know how much I hate being called that."
"Exactly why I use it," he joked.
"If you're not careful I'll use my favorite curse on you," I threatened.
He visibly paled.
The others laughed at his expression while I grinned at him.
McGonagall stepped away from the sixth year next to Dean and she took Seamus' attention to figure out his timetable. She slowly got through all my friends before finally getting to me.
"Bella," she smiled. "Same classes as last year?"
I nodded, returning the smile. She tapped a blank timetable with her wand before handing it to me, no longer blank.
"Professor," I called.
She turned her full attention back to me, even though she was just about to ask Jasper his schedule.
"Can we use the Quidditch pitch next weekend for try outs?"
"Yes, I shall tell Madam Hooch that Gryffindor has the field on Saturday," she told me.
"Thank you," I said.
"That reminds me," She said, "This is for you." She pulled a long scroll out of her pocket and handed it to me. I recognized the writing instantly - Dumbledore.
I nodded to her before she turned her attention to Jasper who seemed to be having problems with her being so close.
I compared my schedule with my friends before Harry, Ron, Hermione and I headed off to our first lesson, potions. We walked down to the dungeons where the potions room was. As the subject was now being taught by Esme I had a feeling that the room would be redecorated. I had to be the only one whose jaw didn't drop as we walked in.
Although the blinds were closed, due to the fact that Esme would be sparkling if they were open, the room looked visibly brighter. She'd painted the, originally black, walls a soft yellow and added more lighting to the room. It looked completely different.
Hermione and I took a seat behind Ron and Harry in the third room as the rest of the students slowly filed in. Not many people had managed to get the potions requirement of an Outstanding for N.E.W.T level so it wasn't long before everyone was present. The Cullens were amungst the last to enter.
"Good morning," Esme begun, smiling brightly, "And welcome to seventh year potions."
The day passed by peacfully until lunch when Malfoy and his Slytherin cronies decided it would be fun to annoy me. They got up from their table and walked over to where I was sitting with my friends. The Cullens were sitting a few seats to my left, pretending to eat.
"Swan," he sneered my name at me as he stood behind Harry, who was sitting opposite me.
"Malfoy," I said calmly, putting another roll on my plate.
"I see you've already made the Cullens part of your little group of followers," he said.
"Their called friends, Malfoy; get some," I replied emotionless.
All the Gryffindors around us snickered.
He glowered at me and I saw him reach for his wand but I was faster. I pulled mine out of my pocket and pointed it at him. His hand froze in its place, not daring to make any sudden movements. Even Malfoy knew that I was deadly with my wand.
He gulped.
"I really wouldn't try that if I were you," I said. "Doesn't your 'master' want to finish me off himself any way?"
He paled. Nobody, other than Dumbledore and I, knew of Malfoy's newly acquired Death Eater status and I was certain he wanted to keep it that way. He glared at me for another moment before storming away with his cronies in tow.
"That was awesome," Ron exclaimed once they were out of hearing distance. I grinned at him.
"You're not that shy any more," Rosalie said to me from her seat a few away from me.
"Bella, shy?" Harry asked before he and Ron burst out laughing.
"I'm shy around muggles because of the Dursleys," I pointed out.
"True," Ron said, "but that would have to mean you met the Cullens in the …" He suddenly trailed off as light bulbs seemed to go on in Hermione, Ginny, Ron and Harry's heads.
"You met them during your disappearance," Hermione whispered; unaware that they'd still hear.
I nodded before standing up and walking towards the common room for my free period. I shared this free period with Ron and Harry but they were heading off to the libary to look up some stuff for our potions essay, so I was walking alone. I was aware of all of the Cullens also heading towards the common room.
"You disappeared?" Edward's voice asked in my ear. I jumped as I took a seat in the common room, having not expected him to be that close. We had the common room to ourselves.
"For six months," I confirmed. "The six months I was in Forks."
"Does everyone know that?" Jasper asked.
I shook my head, "They know I wasn't at Hogwarts for six months. Some said Voldemort killed me; others said I was off on a secret mission. Only a few people know where I was and why and only one person knows what happened while I was there." I thought about Dumbledore than. I'd read the scroll McGonagall had given me earlier and discovered that I was to have a lesson with Dumbledore tonight. I also thought of how no one had seen him since last night. I was pretty certain he wasn't even on the school grounds.
"Who knows?" Emmett asked in one of his rare moments of seriousness.
"They don't know everything," I said pointedly; they all relaxed. "But Dumbledore knows."
"Why did you tell him?" Rosalie only sounded curious, not accusing.
"He was the one who sent me to Forks and when he saw my reaction to you last night he wanted to know how I knew you. He was checking you weren't a danger to me and that you'd keep my secret," I told them.
"What secret?" Alice asked.
"The secret of where I was and what happened while I was away," I bowed my head slightly as I continued. "I've already put my friends in danger; I don't need you in danger too."
"We'll always protect you," Edward said, "You should know that." The way he looked at me when he said that reminded me of when we used to be together. It was the look he gave me when he told me he loved me. I wasn't about to fall for that again.
"I don't need protecting," I said as I got up and walked up the stairs to the girls' dormitories.
Review and tell me what you think,
Mel
