"You're joking."
Ron had a piece of steak halfway to his mouth when harry had told them the news. Amelia swallowed roughly for fear of chocking. Surprise and a little bit of jealousy was welling up in her. "Seeker?!" She was able to whisper in disbelief. "But.. But that can-t be possible- you must be the youngest house player in about-" ron started to stutter.
"A century," Harry said nodding with understanding.
You could see the wonder in his eyes over this whole situation as well. "Wood told me," he added as an after thought. Amelia gripped her bed sheets slightly, She had dreamed about playing alongside the twins for years in Quidditch. Hermione was silent perched on the chair on the other side of Amelia's bed. She said nothing of this matter her eyes silently scanning her book. Amelia started tapping her fingers wishing Danielle were here to take her mind of harry joining the team.
It just didn't make sense, Amelia had been playing Quidditch ever since she met the Weasley's. Harry just started and bam he's on the team. It wasn't that she was angry at harry she was just a bit irritated was all. Her eyes looked past the two and fell on Semira's sleeping form. In many ways she felt guilty for her feelings toward this matter. Here she was irritated that harry was on the bloody Quidditch team and there Semira was without her memories.
Things could definitely be worse for Amelia.
"Having a last meal potter? When are you getting the train back to the muggles?" Malfoys taunting voice echoed towards them.
He approached with a smirk Crabbe and Goyle flanked on either side of him. Amelia couldn't help the eye roll that escaped her but only met malfoys playful eyes on her. "Feeling better now Blondie?" He inquired the smirk never leaving. Amelia's about to answer back with a sneer when harry speaks up in her place.
"You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you." He says coolly.
Amelia clamps a hand over her mouth trying to muffle her giggles, There was nothing little about Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy puffs out his chest glaring daggers at the group. "I'd take you on anytime on my own," he claims.
"Tonight if you want. Wizards duel. Wand only-no contact."
Amelia makes a sound of disgust jerking into a sitting position. "What are you even doing here Malfoy?" Draco never takes his cold eyes off of harry as he answers her with a mumble. "You forget Semira's here as well and she IS my family so of course I'm here."
Amelia has to blink when he says Semira and family in the same sentence.
Maybe he doesn't hate everyone... "Careful malfoy. Your humanity's showing... Though I'm not surprised that the only girl you've ever cared about is the one who put me in this bed in the first place." Amelia replies smugly. Malfoy inclines his head toward her the smirk again gracing his lips. "And I've never been more proud."
Amelia couldn't miss the chance to roll her eyes again. With that Malfoy looks back at harry, "What's the matter potter never heard of a wizards duel before." Ron scoffs wheeling around. "Of course he does. I'm his second who's yours?" He retorts. Amelia starts to rub her temples, This was the last thing harry needs. "Crabbe. Then it's settled, Midnight." Malfoy states, then spins around and swaggers out of the hospital wing. Leaving that hostile and Slytherin Prince facade in his wake. Harry's eyes widen the moment he's gone. "What IS a wizards duel? And what do you mean, you're my second?" Amelia feels exhaustion wash over her but her hopes spike up when she knows after dinner she'll be let out of the hospital wing and can hopefully help harry with Malfoy.
She was not gonna be one of those useless girls that are always in the background.
"Well, a seconds there to take over if you die." She answers casually.
Harrys arm brushes hers and the worry comes off of him in waves and rushes down on her. She shivers as Ron explains and inches toward Hermione. "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and malfoy will be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you know enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway." Amelia nods haughtily in agreement.
That's all Malfoy really was, talk.
"And what If I wave my wand and nothing happens?" Harry asks. Amelia narrowed her eyes, she could tell that harry was still nervous about his skills with magic. Ron's response brought a snort out of her, "Throw it away and punch him in the nose."
They all flinch hearing Hermione's book slam shut. "You mustn't go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. " There hermione went rushing her words in that orderly tone. "It's really selfish of you!" She hisses and her eyes are wide. Amelia can admit that it was pretty stupid this whole duel with Malfoy but she was always up for an adventure, that was the twins coming out in her.
"And it's really none of your business." Harry shoots back. Amelia's chest tightens, hermione was guaranteed to leave now leaving her with these two. And that's exactly what she did scrambling to her feet and stalking toward the door. "Good-bye," Ron adds a sneer to which hermione doesn't respond to. Amelia gives a slight shake of her head, "I've said it once and I'll say it again, I am never going to make friends if I'm always around you two."
Amelia's pov:
Later that night I lay in bed my heart pounding every time I realized it was getting closer to midnight, a.k. a the duel. I had gotten back to Gryffindor tower a few hours ago. Everyone and I mean everyone was Molly coddling me. And I don't like to get molly coddled even by my aunt molly so you can guess that I got pretty mad. I ended up freaking out on everyone then storming up to the girls dorm Dani's laughter following me. She said and I quote,
"I have never seen so many Gryffindors speechless. You should throw a temper tantrum more often."
Hermione ended up coming up as well and next thing I knew I was falling asleep while talking to them both. My heart skipped a beat when my watch clicked half past eleven. I slipped out of my bed clutching my purple bathrobe and padded out of the girls dorm. A light caught my eyes and I reached for my wand just in case. I sighed with relief when I saw the glow of Harry and Ron's faces. They weren't looking at me though they were looking at something past me. "You!" Ron growls. I whip my head around my heart pounding in my chest and I see the bushy hair of hermione. "Did you bring her with you?" He narrows his eyes at me in an accusing tone. I chew on my lower lip meeting his cold stare and not backing down.
I've been dealing with ron all my life.
"Why is everything suddenly my fault?" I hiss. Ron just rolls his eyes and heads towards the portrait hole Harry trudging behind him. I follow and feel Hermione's tense form behind me as she continues to scold us. "You guys are so selfish! I for one want to win the house cup it's wrong what you're doing!" My hands clench at my sides and I clamber out of the portrait hole. The anger was building up in me after every thing that has happened for the last couple of days.
I wheel around on her, "Hermione I already have a mother I don't need another one!"
Her mouth snaps shut and her eyes fall. Guilt pangs my chest, I honestly didn't mean to yell at her. I opened my mouth to apologize but noticed Ron and Harry were already down the hall and waiting patiently by the trophy room. I let out an irritated breath and sprint after them. I had expected Hermione to go back but her arm brushed mine as she came to a stop next to me. I gulped some air trying to catch my breath as my eyes danced around the trophies. They all were dull and boring but one glistened. I narrowed my eyes and looked at it more closely. The name plate sparked with color and I read the name.
'Mariette Sage.'
I swallow hard and my arms flail back as I still study the trophy. "Hermione!" I whisper yell. "Hmm?" I hear her calculating voice behind me. "What's Semira's last name?" There's a pause and I tilt my head back to see her chewing her lip thoughtfully.
"Sage I believe..." She finally answers.
A shiver runs up my spine as my eyes flint back to the trophy. I lean forward and trace the name but a cold shoots up my fingers sending me reeling back. White clouds my vision and then images flood my mind.
The black lake shone on a bright sunny day and a boy with sleek black hair chased after a girl with long brown ember looking locks. Laugh was escaping her as she ran away from him. You could see the smile on his face from a mile away. "Catch me if you can Tom!" She called back in a teasing voice. "Oh I will Mari!" He warned, she looked back but that proved to be a mistake as a second later his arms closed around her waist spinning her around as she continued to giggle. His foot caught on a root of a tree and they both came tumbling to the ground. The boy still kept his arms firm around the girls waist, "Told you I would catch you, now and always." He promises. A smile plays on the girls lips, "Promise?" The boy rolls his eyes as rain begins to fall, what just a minute ago was a very bright day. "Promise." He mumbles as they both race back up to the looming Hogwarts.
The image changed and I saw the girl again but this time strong men had her in their grasp and she was surrounded in front of what looked like the ministry of magic. The same boy from the scene before was being forcefully dragged away from her as she cried out. "No let him go! Please he's innocent!" Her screams filled the air. It was only then I saw the man behind the girl, the man I recognized as Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore turned away from the crying girl tears in his eyes as he looked like he couldn't watch anymore. The boy looked wildly back at the girl fighting as well. "Don't believe them Mari they're wrong about me! I'll come back for you, I promise!" He yelled but his voice got fainter and fainter as the scene changed yet again.
This time the girl looked much much older and she was scrambling back on the ground. Tears were streaming down her face as she whimpered and pleaded for someone to stop. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" A hollow voice boomed. Green light reflected in her eyes and that's when it all stopped.
A gasp passed my lips, "Lia! Lia!" Harrys voice filled my mind. I jerked forward and found myself in someone's firm grip. I found we were now in a dark enclosed space and everyone looked at me worried and confused.
"What's happening?" I ask shakily.
"Malfoy sprang filch on us!" Ron answered venom dripping from his words. "Ooo what's this, Ickle Firsties out of bed. Naughty naughty you'll get caughty!" Peeves usual taunts reach our ears. I look over and sigh in irritation as I see him wag a finger at us. "Not if you don't give us away!" I find myself snarling, those visions, images whatever they were had made my blood heat up. I fished my wand out of my pocket but almost dropped it as peeves voice hounded,
"STUDENTS OUT OF BED STUDENTS OUT OF BED ALERT!"
I barely had time to clamp my hands over my ears before I was being tugged in the opposite direction. We all came to an abrupt halt at a dead end Ron instantly jingling the door handle.
"It's locked." He grumbles.
"That's it, my dreams of being a witch over. All those years I've put up with the weasleys gone to waste, we're done for." I don't miss the glare Ron sends me.
"Oh move over!" Hermione's screech penetrated my thoughts. She yanked Harrys wand out of his hands and tapped the lock. "Alohomora." She whispered shakily. I heard the click of the lock as well as it clicking in my brain that, that was the spell to unlock doors. We all scurried through the door and my vision blurred for a moment. The wind blew my blonde hair over my shoulder as the door slamming made me flinch. I watched almost in a daze as hermione, ron and harry all pressed their ears against the door. I just took a moment to catch my breath, but I couldn't calm my brain.
I slowly turned on my heel, but suddenly realized why this corridor was forbidden.
It was then and there I met the eyes of a monstrous dog.
It's hot breath fanned my face and I cringed watching its cold eyes on me and hearing it's low growls. And I knew the scream that tore through the air was my own. Three other screams quickly filled the air and I stumbled toward the door as my wild eyes saw harry groping for the door knob. My heart pounded so fast and hard I felt my chest aching. We all fell backward and I swung the door shut feeling my feet pound on the floor as we all hurried back down to Gryffindor tower. The fat lady in the portrait huffed loudly muttering something about kids these days when we all shouted,
"PIG SNOUT PIG SNOUT PIG SNOUT!"
We all skidded into the common room. "What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school!" Ron exclaims venom dripping from his words trembles wracking his body. I clutched my now aching sides as I tried to catch my breath. I could just feel the strain on my dry throat. "Did you see what it was standing on?" Hermione gives us all a glare and at closer look I could see how red her cheeks were from running.
"The floor?" Harry suggest closing his eyes in exhaustion.
Hermione shook her head vigorously. "I wasn't looking at its feet I was looking at its head!" Ron defended. "It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." I managed to say through my panting.
Hermione stopped her glaring just a moment to send me a proud look.
"Now I'm going to bed before any of you come up with anymore bright ideas to get us killed. Or worse expelled!" With that she storms up the staircase leading to the girls dorm. I swallow hard, "It would be wise to listen to her for once." And with that I throw my hair over my shoulder and walk up the stair case. "You'd think we dragged them along!" Ron says to harry and I smirk.
