Disclaimer: I own nothing except my characters.
Note: What more can Matt do to not get people to hate him! lol. You guys are a tough crowd, but I love your opinions and how involved you are. High fives all around. Thank you for the awesome reviews, I was so excited to read them. Alright, here comes another batch. Little FYI- we're pass the halfway point of the story, so, if there's any questions or concerns or things you think should be addressed make sure you ask away, I want to make sure I tie up mostly all the loose ends. Alright, well, happy reading!
A Short Chat with Courtney
"I still can't believe this is happening" Ron said when I finished.
"And we're just hitting the tip with the vampires stuff. I mean, I know Burnner can control a mass of people as an Alternate Seer, I just don't see how she's able to have so much energy to get inside our heads too" Matt said.
"Yeah, we'll add that to the list of questions we wanna ask when she comes to hunt us down" I said sarcastically as Hermione shook her head.
"Maybe there will be more in a book" she suggested. "That one we were looking for last year, would that be helpful?" she asked.
"No, that was mostly on Fate, we found all that stuff out personally" Melinda reminded her as I nodded.
"Well, I'll look anyway, but you have to give me at least a week," Hermione said, this time Melinda nodded.
"'l'll help" she said as I gave her a grateful smile.
"A week! Blimey! Usually you're more on top of things," Ron said, not as grateful. "Why so long?" he asked as raised my hand to smack in the back of the head but Ginny got to him first.
"We have to find time study" Ginny told him but he just made a face.
"Our lives are in danger, don't you think this is a bit more important than your studies" he said, this time dodging a swing from Ginny.
"We have N.E. coming up! I haven't began to study for those," Melinda said as I looked at the others.
"I don't think we'll have to worry about tests if we're dead" Ron said but then thumbed at the girls to Harry "They need to sort out their priorities," he teased as I rolled my eyes.
"Hermione, if we can split the work, we might be able to get some research done quicker" Melinda said, ignoring Ron. Hermione, who had been listening intently, now nodded.
"It's going to have wait," Matt started as the rest of us looked at him in surprise and a little annoyance. "Courtney is a vampire" he reminded us but we only continued looking at him. "If we started grabbing books from the library and she found out, she'd go straight to Burnner; I don't know what Burnner would do, but I'm sure she'd send some kind of sign for us to stop digging" he said as I reluctantly nodded.
"He's right, we just have to act normal for the time being" Harry said, quickly following me in agreement. "Do you think Burnner know about the Seal?" he asked as Matt half shrugged.
"Probably, I told Courtney, but, I didn't tell her everything, so, I'm sure they both think I'm back on the dark side" he explained.
"Good, so, she won't be able to get in your head and now she thinks you're going all 'Damon.' This is good" I said looking at the others who only looked back with less happiness. "It buys us time if anything" I told them.
"But how much?" Ron asked.
"Well, I'm thinking it's probably a smart idea to stay human before we attack her, so, we go to the Cave Creeke, I get one of my parents to reserve the Seal and then…" he trailed off as he looked out the door, we all turned to follow his gaze, Courtney was standing out there waving and chatting with a few people.
"I shouldn't stay in here," Draco said slowly getting himself together. "The smallest slip up and Courtney will catch on" he said and then quietly slid out of the compartment. "I'll…I'll see you at Hogwarts," he whispered before disappearing down the hall.
"This should be quite easy" Ron joked as I shook my head.
"I think Courtney is going to be expecting me to be in the library, it might be more suspicious if I'm not" Hermione said as I half nodded.
"Fine, but , be busy, have a bunch of books, don't let her know what we know" I told her as she nodded, all of us quietly down as the trolley stopped at our door. Ron and I jumped up first, nearly smacking into each other.
"Sweets?" the lady asked. I nodded, grabbing two chocolate frogs, gummies, and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and then sat back down, offering Melinda a jellybean.
"I should be mopping" Matt said after a minute as I started absently chewing on a jelly bean.
"Okay, be careful Matt" I said as he nodded and he too slipped out of the compartment.
"I don't get it, you'd think I'd be angrier with him," Hermione said as she stared after Matt.
"I think it's because he's trying and he hasn't snapped at any of us" I started but then remembered he killed a kid. "I wouldn't blame you if you were pissed at him, any of you" I said looking around, stopping at Melinda who looked away. I knew she wasn't quite over it that quickly.
"I know, I just, I don't understand, it's really quite unfair," she said.
"Too much of an advantage," Ron mumbled. "I'm mad he took getting beat up by Fred so well, I mean, who wants to be almost murdered by their arch enemy?" he asked as I sighed.
"He beats himself up constantly about this stuff guys" I told them.
"Yeah, we get that Tammie, we know you feel sorry for him—"
"I don't feel sorry for him, I feel scared and proud, I mean, he's fighting this vampire gene off when everyone else told him he couldn't, when The Fates showed us he was going to kill us—"
"That may still happen though" she interrupted.
"I think we have a better chance of Burnner killing us than Matt turning at this point" I grumbled back to her.
"That's not funny" she replied but I shook my head.
"It wasn't a joke" I said as she took a deep breath but instead of saying anything else she pulled out a magazine. Almost instantly she perked up, or at least pretended to enough to change the topic and read out loud. It was something about a concert by a popular wizarding group. She thought we could all go, it was in the late summer. Our gift to ourselves for getting rid of Burnner.
She had started to read another chapter but I felt my eyes fluttering and after a few minutes of trying to stay away I was resting my head on Harry's shoulder and drifted off to sleep.
"Hey, 'ey," I jerked my head up and look around, rubbing my eyes as I cleared the fuzz from my mind. "We're nearly there, we have to change, we've sent the boys out," Hermione's voice said from a few feet away.
"Already?" I asked, trying to stifle a yawn. "Where's Melinda?" I asked as I noticed she hadn't said anything.
"She went to say a few last minute things to Draco, some helpful advice as she called it," I looked at Hermione, she had a small grin on her face.
"It's nice, those two, being together and all?" I asked.
"Yeah, she deserves to be happy, finally" she said as I half nodded in agreement. "Oh, right! I forgot, I'm so sorry" she said covering her mouth, just remembering the Seal and Fred.
"It's fine" I said absently starching the back of my neck.
"I know you keep saying that, but, is it?" she asked as I nodded.
"It's fine because I can't feel those feelings, I'm mad that I can't, sad too, but, I dunno, it's like trying to miss something I had never" I said with a shrug.
"But you did have it, you do have it, you do love him" she said as I wanted to nod but couldn't.
"Can we not talk about it?" I asked as she gave me a sad look. "And please stop pitying me. All of you, it doesn't make me feel any better, just angry" I told her as she finally squared back her shoulders.
"You really think Draco and Matt will help?" she asked a few minutes.
"They have to, they got us into this" I reminded her. "Besides, if Draco messes this up, he loses Melinda, and then I think she'll go back to America and live in an asylum" I told her.
"True" Hermione said as I gave a little laugh, it was nice to see her quick to agree, to make a joke about something. To laugh, if only for a minute. We continued getting ready, Hermione pulling apart the curtains as I finished buttoning my blouse. "I'm going to find Melinda," she told me, sliding the compartment open before I had a chance to look up.
"Just make sure you knock," I told her with a grin.
"Why—oh right, yes, of course," she said, her cheeks turning a bit pink as she slid the compartment door shut.
I hummed to myself as I pulled my socks up to my knees and my hair back into a ponytail. I turned around to leave and was face to face with Courtney. "Holy shit" I hissed out as she merely smiled at me.
"I've gotten that a lot this year" she said as I rested a hand on my chest, trying to relax my heart and nerves.
"Do you need something?" I asked, trying not to come off as mean as I wanted. "Because I really don't have time for you" I added.
"You said a few choice words to me last time we talked. It seems the shoe is on the other foot and I call you a whore all I want" she teased as I tried to not let her words mentally affect me.
"Call me anything you want, just don't hurt me" I replied.
"You know I can't. I would love to, I would do anything to just tear you limb from pretty little limb" she said reaching out to stroke my arm but I backed away. "I heard about the Seal, I really just came to gloat about that" she said as I mentally gloated myself.
"I heard what you did to Savannah" I said.
"Wasn't me personally, granted I might have let it slip to someone that George was dating some peppy chick who worked with the twins" she said as I shook my head, trying so hard not to lose my temper.
"Well, tell that someone thank you for not killing her" I said as I started to walk around her but she blocked my way.
"You know, it doesn't have to be like this Tammie, we could be friends" she said as I let out a dark laugh.
"Sorry, no new friends" I told her as her eyes flashed with annoyance but she kept the smile on her face.
"When Matt told me he put that Seal on you, he said it so you could feel every ounce of aggravation, annoyance, angry—"
"You like a's, don't you?" I interrupted, unable to really control it.
"And at first I thought he was lying" she said pretending she didn't hear me. "Matt wouldn't do that, he wouldn't put you in a position like that, to make you really suffer, to forget about Fred. And then I heard about the kid, and then I realized the damnest thing" she said as she sat down and crossed her legs. "He's not Matt, sure he may look like Matt on the outside, but, it's all Damon, since he protected you from that house attack. He turned into Damon and Damon is calling the shots, Damon wants you suffer" she said. I shifted, that theory could be entirely right, I just needed to hope it wasn't, not with everything else.
"If it was Damon, wouldn't he have turned? I mean, there's no reason to keep Matt around" I replied.
"Your trust, you trust him, everyone else trust you. He'll walk you right into Burnner's arms" she said.
"And you're telling me this because you wanna be best friends?" I asked.
"No, I'm telling you because I wanted to see your reaction. I wanted to see if my theory was really true, if that's Damon or Matt" she said standing up and walking closer, looking into my eyes. "Because…it kills me to admit this, but, you are the only one who can see both, you are the only one knows him—them" she explained as I searched her face. That was news to me. I knew I could control them, but, knowing I knew them made me feel a little uneasy, too much power so many other people wanted.
"So, what's the verdict?" I asked when she didn't say anything else.
"I don't know" she as she took a step back. "Have you kissed him?" she asked. I started to say yes, or make some comment but then I realized it was a trick question, and then I realized she asked it as a trick question.
"I'm pretty certain you know he's been spending the night with me" I said as again her eyes flashed with anger.
"Don't think I won't be watching you guys" she said as she turned and walked out.