Ch.10- Getting to know you
An: As some of you may have figured Katie and Meredith – anyone to do storyline {ie Kerby and two newbie's briefly in this one) are mine. Besides that you know the story –heh heh heh. Also proud to say this is my longest chapter to date for this story so enjoy.
Vixangel - "Then to lighten the mood, Ron changed the subject to pranks "oh guys Padfoot & Moony are coming back to Hogwarts!!"- Chapter 7: Bloody Quidditch. It's only every know and then though so there not BACK back, you know? Thnx for the input though! I really appreciate a good review every now and then like that. And don't worry about Bangel - there gonna havea moment soon. I'm writing in the first new chapter
JEFF HARDY FAN31- This chapter is for your enthusiasm - and for the many pleases you sent my way.
Monday at breakfast, there seemed to be odd occurrences to be going on. Most of the Scoobies were not talking to Buffy, since they were feeling guilty about what happened at The Leaky Cauldron and didn't want to risk her finding out that they spied on her date. Buffy just took their silence as they had been up late studying the next baddie or whatever, would fill Anya and herself at the next session so she went to go talk to the newest on the staff so he would not feel so awkward; Oliver. Recently Dumbledore had asked Oliver to take over Madam Hooch's spot with Quidditch since she was taking off for the year for a well deserved vacation as she had never really had one during the chaotic years so now he was part of the staff temporarily. At the Gryffindor table sat the trio plus Ginny along the twins (obviously the rest of the school was there as well but you know what I mean).
They were waiting for Meredith & Katie now so they could talk some more and everyone was getting anxious about where they were at. The girls had been sorted into Gryffindor last night in Dumbledore's office and Hermione was VERY happy about that fact. She had always been a bit sore that the girls here years were so annoying when it came to either Harry or Ron, so knowing neither of them liked the pair was awesome, they both were her age and now in her house! The girls had been up about half the night with Hermione and Ginny in the Common because they were telling them the history on Hogwarts getting information about one another. The guys were not aware they had been up this late but the girls had a feeling this was way Katie and Meredith were running late.
Katie finally showed up about 15 minutes into the meal looked disheveled, "Sorry I was late, someone didn't want to wake up. Meredith will be here in some time soon because she was getting into the shower once I was getting out of it". Hermione could have sworn she heard one the Twins whimper when he heard about the brunette being the shower but she just kept silent.
5 minutes later Oliver came up to the twins and Harry after finishing his talk with Buffy about his years as Quidditch Captain "You guys don't forget to get the team together for training along with recruiting new people for replacing the old people that left year".
The three guys just nodded and continued with their eggs. "Um Hermione, you don't think Meredith got lost. Do you?" Katie asked as she was getting worried. "Why" the bookworm said. "She would have been here by now since that charm you taught her last night reduces her getting ready time by like an hour". Hermione then leaned over Ron and grabbed the Marauder's Map out of his pants pocket which made him blush. She looked over the map and finally spotted her in the Owlery talking with some people's names that she didn't recognize. "We got trouble guys" they then ran up to where Meredith was and saw who she was talking to.
One boy had dusty blonde hair and the other one had strawberry blonde hair with glasses. Katie looked like she was gonna kill someone "Dustin? Jim! What in gods name are you doing here?" she yelled. The three turned and noticed they had company. "Kat, they found us. Nobody had a clue if we were dead like our family". The boys nodded showing she wasn't lying. Harry then had an interesting thought "Then how did you get into here? Who invited you".
Jim then just looked around nervously and had the beginnings of sweat on his forehead Harry noticed but wasn't sure anyone else did as they were all absorbing the facts, "Er, we don't exactly know. We have been looking all over Europe for y'all since that was the last place we got your letter and phone call. Now we aren't exactly sure what to tell everyone"
They all just stood there quietly for a moment, not sure what to say until something happened they didn't expect. The boys turned into Peter Pettigrew & Lucius Malfoy! "Hello Potter. I was wondering, will you be able to save the day now if I did this?" Malfoy asked as he grabbed Katie and apparrated out of the building somehow. Peter tried to do the same but couldn't for some unknown reason, much like how Malfoy Sr. apparrated of there so he transformed into his rat-like self. Unluckily for him though he ran straight into Draco, whom was sending a letter to a newly acquired family member: Tonks. Draco picked him up as he saw everyone run towards him, "Draco, did you see a fat balding rat run by here?". The blonde nodded as he showed them that he had him and they headed to Dumbledore's office.
-Dumbledore's Office -
"So let me get this straight, Lucius and Peter posed as old friends of our potentials. They got Meredith in the Owlery talk to her and you all got worried so went to her. When arrived they shortly ran out of the potion thus revealing themselves and taking Katie to most likely Voldemort" The old wizard confirmed as the teens nodded. They had gotten Faith, Wes, Buffy, Spike & Angel into the room so they could know what exactly was going on, where Katie had gone to and get information out of the disgusting Wormtail.
"I feel so stupid for not realizing it wasn't them! I should have known but no…I just HAD to go and get my best bud in danger yet again after everything we have gone through in the past month" Meredith rambled underneath her breath. Buffy heard her and put a hand upon her shoulder, turning her towards her, "Everything's going to be okay. We will get her back, besides; we now have someone to tell us the place where they are now". They then looked over to Peter Pettigrew who was now under a spell so he couldn't escape his cage. "So how about we make this bloody Benedict to talk already?" Draco suggested.
As if summoned, Snape arrived with the truth serum in the cauldron as if freshly made and practically forced it down the nasty rat's throat as he did not want to betray Voldemort! Dumbledore waited till the serum was in him a minute to start the questioning "Where is the campsite for him and when does he plan to attack?" Peter then took a deep breath and spilled his verbal guts "They are at Lord Voldemort's muggle rebirth; Harry was there during the Third Task last year only he has done some remodeling to make it worthy of himself now. He plan's to come here to get the last people for his ceremony. He only had one of them before but she's barely alive. The ceremony is supposed to restore him to his full and youthful self so he can live longer. It will take place on Christmas if our deatheaters calculations are correct".
Buffy then had a question that was burning in her, only Faith knew why she got this look of hope because of the prophetic dream that she had had and it had said that Dawn was alive. The two slayers had been planning on a plan to get her out if she was really still alive. "Who is the girl that he has that you mentioned being barely alive?"
Peter then responded "Your sister Dawn, but after all the stuff we've done to her she'd probably be happier off dead!"
The blonde then went numb as she felt so many emotions go through her at once: happiness, anger, love and depressed again. She was going yell at him but Meredith beat her to it "So did you guy's get some sort of pleasure of torturing her so much? Did any of you beat her? But wait…one girl isn't enough, right? You guy's needed still Kat. Why though is what I'm thinking? She didn't even know she existed until we came here. So she hasn't really had chance to piss him off enough, right? Is she part of the ever-crappy ceremony? Will they all bleed?"
Everyone was now staring at her because she had been able to ask some good questions through her anger-filled rant. The rat then answered "They need your friend because they are related some how, I don't know how as he never felt I privileged enough for that kind of information – it was more of a Bellatrix level information. And how they will all die I don't know that either. He just need's two more people but I don't know who. He just tells us on the day he wants to get them, who they are and what to do with them".
Dumbledore then asked softly into George's ear for him to escort Meredith out of the room and she left willingly without struggle. "Guy's, there is no way we can take her with us when we do save them. She'll go and get herself killed trying to get Katie or avenging her something at this point. She hasn't learned enough in training with Buffy and I!" Faith pointed out once they had left the room. "Then we will go, we can handle them, and Draco is our key!" Ron exclaimed startling half the room. He now had all of their attention as he started to say his plan.
-In the hallway-
George had absolutely no clue what to do. 'Good job Weasley, the girl that you have liked since she got here is crying and you are clueless. And just standing here like a bloody moron is not helping out' he thought. The pranking freak then did the first thing his brain could mange to think of; hug her. She then froze and looked up at him very confused 'Why in frilly heck is he hugging me? Do I really look THAT pathetic right now?'. George then made eye contact and saw her confusion so he backed away from the hug "Err… sorry about that. I'll…". But surprising him and herself, she wouldn't let him out of the hug "It's okay. That's what I needed, thing's have just gotten so crazy lately & I let myself bottle up it all up"
"Why don't I take you back to the Common Room? It is a big school & I doubt you have learned you way around this soon. You might get lost and there aren't many people around since its Christmas Break, so if you did get lost there would be trouble" George suggested. He then offered his arm with a cheesy smile and she took it.
-Riddle's House-
Dawn sat in her chains in serious pain from what she still believed was her head to toes. She had no clue on how long she had been the dungeon like basement, which almost reminded her of the time when Buffy was in her junior year and Drusilla captured her for burning her dollies or something stupid like that. For all she knew it could have been at least a year since it defiantly felt like it at least with all the torture they had done to her with their damn wands.
While she was considering a death request to Malfoy had come back with a teenage girl that was blonde trying to scratch at him but he put some spell on her so she went stiff as a board. "What news do you have for me? And why isn't Wormtail with you?" the freaky guy in the robe with red eyes whom she only assumed was the 'Dark Lord' asked. The deatheater then got quite the look on his face "Potter and his friend's captured him in his animagus form. My lame excuse of a son got him while he was trying to run away from them from what I saw"
The Dark Lord slammed his fist into the arm of his chair and then looked over to the girl "Hello, Katie is it? I do believe that's the name your mother gave you. Speaking off how is she?" Katie then got a look of disgust "How did you know my mom? Did you ask her to the Prom or something and she turned you down and have been crying ever since? It sure as hell explains your nasty-ass eyes"
Dawn was laughing so hard that she thought her bladder would explode. However the dark lord wasn't amused as he soon silenced her body from the shortly enjoyed laughter and then responded "I just LOVE the respect you have for me. Let me reintroduce myself I am Lord Voldemort, your grandfather"
Katie then fainted at the ugliness that is her grandfather. He then ordered "Put her next to the key. We still need the slayer & the boy". Dawn watched all of this in silence, well minus when Katie mocked him then Tom turned and looked at her. He looked over her for a second and did the cruciatus curse. Then Dawn's world fell into darkness.
-Supper 2 days later-
Only the Weasley's, Harry, Hermione, Draco, Oliver & Meredith were in the Great Hall. The twins STILL didn't trust the young Malfoy yet. "I am willing to kill the thing called my father or arrange for him to meet it. Your family is richer then me now, believe me when I say I want all of the lot – deatheaters - dead" He said darkly. Fred was looking into his eyes the whole time & saw that he was infact very serious "Okay, he means it, the eyes tell you everything. How else do you think McGonagall catches us?"
Meredith & George then went back to their own conversation that they were having. For the past couple of days they had been talking about their pasts. Where they had been to, what they'd seen and etceteras. "I went down to Mexico once but that is it. Then Katie's & my families got invited to Europe and we weren't about to give that trip up, especially since it was free. Both of our families weren't exactly the richest people on the planet you could say" Meredith told him. Nobody noticed yet on how close the 2 were becoming as of yet; it was rather cute actually. This worked out for George because this was his job for the plan. He was to distract her as much as possible so she couldn't see what was really going on.
All the adults were already gone to start part one of the plan and Draco would be joining them after supper. The adults there at Hogwarts were Dumbledore, Giles & Snape. They had decided those 3 would stay because a) Albus could protect the school, and b) Giles and Snape were both deatheaters long ago but turned and would know what entrances they would most likely use.
Meanwhile the kids were relaxing because that was all they could do for the moment since they could not do anything else. After they were all finished eating Draco slipped out unnoticed by the others.
"Alright ladies this the part of the evening where we all split up off onto our own" George pronounced after they all finished eating their meal.
Ginny, Hermione and Meredith all looked over at the guys more or less confused. What were they planning at a time like this?
"Gin, you are with Harry obviously so behave like the good girl I know you have somewhere within yourself –smack- Oi no need for that sis! Meredith is with George to prank us when we least expect most likely"
"You know it Ron!" He laughed while summoning a bag from the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Ron, what about the two of us?" Hermione asked softly while holding his arm gently.
"That's a surprise! Where you all are going and what you are doing is! Enjoy your evenings" Before departing though each of the guys grabbed something out of the bag the girls could not quite see.
- - - - - - - - -
"Ron whatever are we doing up in the Astronomy Tower? We could get into a lot of trouble if we get caught!"
"Hermione you ARE aware that anyone who would give us detention is away from the school or asleep right now? Or did you not think I would not get permission to come up here? Because apparently you can do that on holiday now according to Dumbledore" he pronounced kind of smugly.
She then got a closer look at the classroom which she had not been in since the day she stomped out that horrid day. It was now draped in moonlight, starlight and candlelight. Ron must have done the last while she had been standing outside waiting to 'making sure the coast was clear'. She also noticed that the usual seats amongst the room were not there but one loveseat like pillow was near a window with an amazing of the sky which her Weasley was now sitting.
"Hermione are you going to stand there all day or join me here?" as he patted the spot next to him.
The once bushy haired girl went over to him and noticed something sparkle in his hand but when he noticed her eyes go to his hand he quickly put his hands in his pocket.
"Ron what is in your hand? Whatever it is I won't laugh I would never do that"
"Sorry it is just I am very nervous about the gift I have for you. You know how sensitive I am about my family not having money like at all. So I have been saving this money since I was very young and working a job as well in a muggle job. I knew in a way the gift would always go to you so it made me work harder for you"
He held it out for her to see completely and it took her breath away. It was, from the looks of sterling silver on a cable chain and at the center of it was a heart swirled into a rose. She didn't know how else to thank him but a kiss which he gladly took.
- - - - - - - - -
"George, what are you doing? And why do I need a blindfold for this?"
"I just want you to be surprised is all! I'll take it off when we get there" He informed her with a smirk.
When they entered the room it looked like it did back they still practiced for Dumbledore's Army. However within moment's he let the room meld into what she needed most and it was soon much smaller. From the looks of it a bed room considering the large queen-sized bed in one corner with ruby red covers and dashes of gold sewn into it. The frame was green with a plum see-through sheet streaming amongst the poles also had gold hints. Next to the bed was a green bench seat with hand-painted roses, three going in different angles. There were matching pieces to the bench as he turned his head and saw cabinets just the same color and roses sitting on the sides of a very large wooden desk-top. It had lots of papers, books, picture frames, some tiaras and some muggle items his father would go nuts over!
It was then George recalled she was still wearing the blind-fold! "Oh were here now!"
As the blind came off she blinked twice at the sudden light exposure. Then suddenly her eyes began to tear up at seeing the room, "George, how'd you bring me here?"
"What is this place to you? The Room of Requirement just shows you what you need most, like if you need a restroom as Dumbledore has told Harry it'll be a restroom. So this is apparently what you need most" He informed but asked.
"This is my room back home. Katie, Kerby and I would hang out here all the time it seems. We'd watch movies, spend the night, talk about boys – do everything basically!"
It was while saying this he noticed the pictures of her with Katie and a red-head whom he then realized was her late friend. It held smiling faces while they were at a muggle school and in the background a locker filled with books and pictures as well.
"I know this time is rough for you currently but just so you know I am going to be here for you, we all are. But if you need somebody to talk to about slaying or things like this – just come and get me. It's no trouble at –"
And at that she cut him off with a kiss.
- - - - - -
"Checkmate!"
"No you can't do that move Ginny!"
"Harry, believe me when I know chess. Ron is my brother and he is the champion after all. Remember your first year incident – so I win"
"No I do" And with that he began to tickle her.
"Oh Harry –hehe hehe – STOP – hehe hehe – shirt moving up – hehe hehe – can't breathe" Was all she could out.
He finally decided to let up on her 'torture' and pulled her into his lap happily "I've decided instead of tickling you I shall make you my prisoner for your loss of chess"
"Harry, now your just being silly!" as she swatted away his hand from her bum as he tried to grab it and then again with the other hand.
"Am I being 'silly' now?" he then pulled out a necklace that had a little ball resembling a quidditch ball on it.
"If that's a bludger on that necklace then yes" stating deadpanned.
He laughed out loud, "I forget you don't know jewelry like other girls. It's locket Ginny! However this isn't your average locket, it can hold photos. I originally got it from a muggle shop but then took it to a shop in Hogsmeade to make it so one of our photos can be put in it. The particular locket can hold 6 photos"
He opened it up at its clasp and soon some folds came out. It held a family photo from when they all went to Egypt to see her brother on one. Then one of her with Hermione studying together, okay it was them painting each other's nail with their homework on the floor. Then one caught her eyes, it was Harry and her back when they first met at Platform 9 ¾. And then the one next to it was a more recent one with them kissing at the lake.
"Oh Harry it's wonderful! How did you get our first one though?"
"I just showed the memory when getting the locket 'magic-fied' and they made it a photo for me. It really amazes me from time to time what some workers will do for me."
And with that she followed in Hermione's and Meredith's steps by kissing her man.
If you want to see them:
Hermione's necklace - Sterling Silver Heart And Rose Necklace by SilverBin search on Amazon. com
Ginny's necklace - Sterling Silver 1" (26 mm) Photo Ball, Locket For Six Pictures by Sabrina Silver search on Amazon. com
~Vixen519