Chapter 34

It was slightly therapeutic, Rasalas thought, watching everything flash by. It was very similar to life, the bad and ugly things took too long to pass while the good things were fleeting but a memory of them popped up now and again. She was sharing a compartment with Neville, Luna, the Weasley twins, Draco and his friend Zabini.

She knew she was the only one who had been completely silent so far and that Luna had been steadily watching her for the last hour, in a similar way to that of Charlie over the last few days of the holiday. It was slightly disconcerting.

Thoughts of Charlie sprung up unconsciously and they would not be quieted. They quickly replayed their last conversation for her in front of her eyes, her mind providing both colour pictures and sound.

"If I wrote to you, would you reply?" The two of them were in the library taking refuge from the prank war which was taking place between the childish Marauders and the Weasley twins in the rest of the house.

"I will be fairly busy, I imagine, which school, the Wizengamot, NEWTs and..." she petered off, really Rasalas didn't want her last 'job' to be true and in a very immature way had been persuading herself that if she didn't admit it, it wouldn't be true. Sadly she knew it would happen at some point. Charlie closed his book and looked straight at her, his elbows planted on his thighs and his t-shirt straining over his broad muscled shoulders.

"What if I begged?" Rasalas merely scoffed in reply, as if he would. "Please Rasalas, let me write to you. Tell me that you would at least try to find time to occasionally write a short note in reply, even if it is to tell me to stop (though I won't), please." Through his speech he had sunk to his knees by his chair and crawled across the floor to her feet.

Rasalas found it very difficult not to do something and she wasn't sure what it was. She wanted to laugh or pat his head but at the same time she wanted to tell him to stop kneeling at her feet; she wasn't worth it. Instead she looked at him, her book resting in her lap and agreed.

"I make no promises to religiously answer all of your letters but I will try."

"Good!" With that emphatic response Charlie rose to tower over her petite form and looked at the crown of her head fondly as she read before returning to his seat and silence descended once again.

"What was the other task that you must do that would keep you from writing to me?" Rasalas froze her eyes fixed on a point in the carpet just above the edge of her book. Slowly she licked her lips not realising how she was distracting her companion.

"I...have to...choose a...husband by...the end of the school year." Rasalas murmured almost to herself. As she was staring blankly at nothing she didn't notice the jerk of shock which moved Charlie physically. Shaking herself slightly she gave a quick wan smile in Charlie's direction before returning to her book, missing his steady look towards her.

"Marry me."

"What?" Rasalas' book suddenly became uninteresting and the room too confining and she jumped to her feet eager to leave, and would have managed it, had the larger, sturdier form of Charlie not anticipated her movements and blocked the way to the door.

"I mean it, at least this way you won't be marrying anyone you don't know and you won't be forced away from the friends that you have now."

"I don't know you. No, don't shake your head at me. I don't know anything about you other than you are the second eldest Weasley child, a dragon tamer, apparently an excellent seeker and could have played for England and you are Ron's elder brother. I don't know anything about you that means something to you." She paused and closed her eyes. "I couldn't ask you to give up your chance at finding your own love, happiness and freedom just to save me from the same situation." She shook her head taking a step back from him as he reached out to touch her. "Please don't ask me." Her voice was almost breaking and she fled past him his reply ringing in her ears as she reached her room and threw herself onto her bed and cried.

"Why won't you trust me love?"

Although they hadn't spoken again, before she had left she had made a tentative sign that she would reply if he wrote to her. It seemed that he received her small message, at least it looked that way, however she would deny that his grin meant anything or that her stomach clenched every time she thought of it.

"You should open up to him." It really was amazing what Luna saw. She had spoken the message so quietly that no one else broke their raucous conversations to query the blonde girl. Rasalas could feel she was becoming calmer just by looking at her and thought that Neville was very lucky to be dating the moon-child.

"I'm not sure, I struggle with feelings sometimes." Rasalas realised that she not only couldn't hide things from Luna but that also no matter how cryptic her words Luna read them easily and kept them to herself.

"Feelings are not supposed to be understood, they are to be felt and appreciated. He will love you and you, him. If either of you do not already. You don't have to trust yourself, humans are fallible and we must be prepared to take the fall, but we were all children once and when we a re knocked down we merely cried and then got up to try again. As adults we should just have to do as children do but we must also learn to lean on others. Even if it is just once, lean on me. Trust me love."

Rasalas looked straight into her friend's eyes, the sound of her other friends fading away and feeling slightly thankful that Luna had stopped pointing out the creatures that others couldn't see. She searched her friend's eyes for the truth she spoke and saw it almost overwhelmed with love and loyalty for her. Rasalas gave a small smile and inclined her head in Luna's direction before turning away from the window to join in the loud noise in the rest of the carriage.

Albus Dumbledore sat and watched as the Hall filled up with students and Professors. He was pleased to note that Severus was glowing, he had to admit that he had been concerned that such violent rivals would willingly get on when he had read about it in the paper, he was only slightly annoyed to be proved wrong, and at least it had happened now the war was over.

Over the holiday the Headmaster had thought over the term and his actions. He realised that he had behaved terribly towards Rasalas Black and that she might not ever trust him as Harry Potter did if he continued in a similar manner. That was another worry; Harry Potter's clone had been a bright boy who hated his fame but this past term the real boy was totally opposite to everything he thought he knew of the boy, now a young man. If he noticed it then someone else would too.

With his fingers together on the table before him, his chin resting on their tips, the Defeater-of-Grindelwald surveyed the hall and students in front of him. He saw the way the Weasley twins and their younger brother along with Miss Granger acted with Miss Black and it confused him, they reacted in the same way that only a group of friends could after many years of acquaintance, and Mr Potter seemed left out.

Albus watched as Mr Potter place himself in the middle of the group and his eyes twinkled brighter as his friends welcomed him into the conversation- totally missing the rolled eyes and the exchange of glances between the five. This was what it should be like, Mr Potter in the centre of a Light group with women around him and the rich by his side. That then meant that Albus could guide him with one hand and take some glory and credit with the other.

He surveyed the Hall curiously as he saw Miss Black smile and give a small nod to one of the Slytherins across the Hall from her. His white eyebrows drew closer together as he noticed the Malfoy heir return the acknowledgement. That would bear thinking about, if it were possible to stop the animosity between Messrs Potter and Malfoy he could have power over the next generation of Lords and Ladies.

Almost all of the students had finally made their way into the Hall and there were many exclamations of delight and happiness as students hugged or patted each other on the backs, enquiring after the holidays or thanking each other for the gift that had been sent. Several of the pure-bloods or children of prominent members of the Ministry or of society made their way to the Gryffindor table to speak to Lady Black. Albus assumed it was to re-iterate their thanks after the Christmas Party she had held and he had not been invited to.

It was, he decided, time to invite Miss Black to his office and amaze her with his knowledge, Phoenix and power. As Headmaster he needed to show his absolute power in the school and the best way was to show her. From what he had heard from other Professors Miss Black was a powerful, clever and very able student who didn't attempt to draw attention to herself. She was also an orphan, the perfect type of person for Albus to 'care' for. Yes it was time.

The thought never crossed his mind that while describing the young lady he had almost perfectly described several students who had passed him by and he had never tried to 'help', not least of all Tom Riddle.

As the students began to settle in their places at their tables Albus stood up and flexed his magic. Silence was sudden and he felt like grinning, his power was absolute over these children and he adored it, not one fought against him and his authority.

A pity he didn't know his students as well as he thought and two were to prove him a fool by the end of the year.