The Adventure of a Marauder
by imafeckingstarr
Summary: Melissa Lopez is an average girl, with average grades and an average life. That is, until a replica of Tom Riddle's Diary in the London Harry Potter exhibit transports her back in time with no way of returning to her original time – not that she minds. Melissa has the chance to change the future, but will it be for the better?
A/N: First presentation out the way, I bloody hope that it's the last one I ever have to do! (It probably isn't the last ever one I'll do, a girl can be hopeful, can't she?) I humiliated myself at the beginning and my extremely good looking lecturer just laughed at me and I was just like, waa, facepalm. Oh, crap, I'm rambling, I'm sorry. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it's dedicated to my faithful readers!
Being Watched
The welcome back feast was glorious, the adorable little first years looked so nervous, I was kind of jealous. They got a proper sorting; I was sorted in Dumbledore's office.
'It's not your fault you were raised by muggles,' a voice whispered in my ear, 'if everything had gone as planned, you'd have grown up here with your real parents, you would have been surrounded by a proper family...' I gasped, everyone close enough to hear looked at me strangely. James frowned at me but I just shook my head, what was that voice just now? It certainly wasn't my minds voice. Maybe I was still tired, yes that must be it.
The little nap on the train here wasn't satisfying, I was asleep all of three hours and I had what I deemed to be a nightmare, the rest of the ride was extremely uneventful. I looked behind me to check if someone was pulling a stupid trick on me, but like I presumed, no-one was there.
"I'm going mad," I muttered. I could feel Dumbledore's eyes upon me as he made his annual 'welcome-back-to-Hogwarts-and-welcome-new-students' speech.
"– this year, we're doing things at Hogwarts a little differently," Dumbledore continued, "despite the current times, we all need a little light in our lives, a little hope. There will be a competition, a dance competition, singles and couples and the winner will win... well, that's a surprise now." He chuckled to himself, "But it's time for bed, off you trot!"
"Ooh a dance competition, how exciting!" Lily and Elsie gushed as we were ushered out of the Great Hall by the prefects, "Mel do you think you'd join?"
My mind, however, was elsewhere. It wasn't focusing on silly girly things like dance competitions, it was working at full speed trying to figure out whose voice I heard earlier.
"...can't believe she's not listening, it's so rude,"
"Elsie!" Lily gasped.
"Well it is!" Elsie retorted hotly as we reached the Common Room, "Cauldron Cakes," she muttered the password and scrambled through the portrait hole in search of her boyfriend.
"Is everything okay Mel?" Lily asked me.
I just nodded, "I'm sorry for being so anti-social... there was something on my mind... dance competition huh? Sounds... humiliating,"
Lily snorted, "Trust you to look at its flaws. Are you coming to bed?" When I shook my head she asked, "Do you want me to stop down here with you?"
"No it's fine, you go to bed, I can hear it calling you,"
Really, I just wanted some alone time. In a dorm with three other girls wasn't going to give me the alone time I needed. Elsie was going to brag about her new boyfriend whether or not no-one was really listening, Orla would probably read a book and Lily would rant about how she was stuck in a compartment with the Marauders – I needed some time to myself to think.
The past couple of days I felt like I was being watched. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but it's like there's a constant pair of eyes staring at me and I really don't like it, plus there was that voice in my head at dinner. What was that about? As I began to wonder if there were any books in the restricted section I could look at to see if they had the answers, the Marauders bounded into the Common Room chuckling insanely to themselves.
"What did you guys do this time?" I asked with a sigh. These boys were always up to something.
"Oh nothing," Sirius replied nonchalantly, but I could see a crazy gleam in his eyes.
"You can't fool me Sirius Black, what did you guys do this time? Did you do something to Snape again? Seriously guys, give him a break, he may be a greasy git but said greasy git has feelings you know,"
"Jeez Emmy you make it sound as if you're in love with him," Sirius snorted.
"I'm not in... what did you say?" He just called me 'Emmy' right? I wasn't hallucinating.
"Jeez Melanie you make it sound as if you're in love with him?" He frowned, "Are you okay? You seem a little stunned,"
"Y-yeah I'm fine," There I go with the whole 'I'm fine' business. I didn't dare blurt out the truth though, even I was unsure of what the truth actually was.
"Maybe you're tired Mel, why don't you go to bed?" Remus suggested kindly.
"The whole point of my being up now is so I can get away from nattering girls," I grumbled, I could have sworn he called me Emmy.
Am I going crazy? Voices in my head, the feeling that I'm being watched, Sirius calling me Emmy... have I actually lost the plot?
"Suit yourself Melanie, last one up to the dorm is a sack of mouldy potatoes!" Sirius exclaimed childishly and he ran up the stairs.
"I'll be there in a sec, I just wanna talk to Mel," James called after them and I braced myself for the onslaught of questions. He turned to look at me and I looked away. James was a very good friend but I couldn't tell him this, if I'm really related to him he said he'd never be my friend, I can't risk that possibility. There was always a chance that I'm just nuts and I'm not related to him!
"Mel, about earlier..."
"James I really don't want to talk about this right now,"
"Aren't we friends?" He asked.
"Of course we are,"
"Then why won't you tell me what you're hiding from the rest of us?"
Before I could answer him, there was that feeling again, the feeling that I was being watched. I looked around, but the only people in the Common Room were James and I. "Do you... do you feel that?" I whispered.
"Feel what?" James replied, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"Like we're being watched," I looked out of the windows, and I could have sworn there was something flying away, but then again, I could have sworn to a lot of things these days.
Dun dun duuuuun! Aw, poor Mel. Please tell me what you think, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Also, the poll at the top of my profile is being taken down in about a week, so hurry up and vote!
Read and review my lovelies,
muchlove,
imafeckingstarr xxx
