Jack sighed. He was tired, he was hungry, he was hot, and he was
bored. He looked over at his newly discovered twin sister, Jocelyn, and
whined. "Jocelyn…I wanna go HOME!" She just looked at him, her icy blue
eyes peered into his.
"The Jack Thompson that I knew when I was little wouldn't have given up so easily. Have you lost your edge already, Jack?" She looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and continued walking. The two were on a path to the nearest train station, which happened to be a mile and a half away. It wasn't that far, or so Jack had thought. His seemingly endless supply of energy propelled him 5 or so yards in front of his sister, until around noon.
"No, I haven't lost my edge..it's just gone a little dull, that's it!" He retorted to his sister's advancing back. He stood up, sighed, and took off after her.
"Now, Jack, if we're going to help out Harry, you have to keep up! I know I'm a weak, fragile, helpless girl, but seriously, you give the male gender a bad name!"
Thaddeus shivered. He was lying in his bed, drenched with sweat, but shaking with cold. Had he just woken up from a bad dream? He felt no pain, and the voice inside his head was gone. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, and even though he looked tired, he looked healthy. He smiled, ran his fingers through his hair, and then ran downstairs to the common room. He was greeted by Rangley, who rushed up to him the moment he entered.
"Thad! I thought you would never wake up!" Rangley exclaimed. Thaddeus was confused. Rangley looked at him as though he had been gone for a thousand years. "They found you out cold on the floor in the hallway, and they took you to Madame Pomfrey. She let you come back to your bed this morning, but we were all scared that you were in a coma or something!"
Suddenly, Thaddeus remembered. It had been days before, maybe even a week or two, but he had come out of one of his classes reeling with pain. His stomach was churning, his head was pounding, and every step he took had felt like knives pushing into the bottom of his feet. He remembered the voice saying something, he couldn't remember what, and then hearing him laugh. He had hit the cold floor, his last conscious thought being, "I wonder what Hermione's doing. Maybe she's thinking of me."
"Oh…I remember now," he said weakly. His voice came out soft and fail, as though it would break, along with the rest of him. He suddenly felt old and tired, and he almost collapsed. He came to the realization that the voice wasn't gone….it was taunting him in the back of his mind.
"Thaddeus was out cold, his little pathetic friends were so scared…please. You think they're scared now, ha, they should just wait! Wait until we get their precious Professor McGonagall, then they'll be really scared!"
Thaddeus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Professor McGonagall? No, she was such a sweet lady…sure, she was strict, but she didn't deserve to be hurt, like Hagrid. But if he refused Voldemort, what would happen to him? Surely something much worse.
"I…I think I'm going to go lay down again, Rangley. I'll see you at dinner tonight, maybe." He made the walk back to his dormitory and sat on the edge of his bed. Finally, he asked out loud, "Why did you choose me? I'm not a bad wizard, I'm not going to turn to the dark side, so why me?"
The voice laughed. "I chose you because you are liked. Popular. People don't question you, Thaddeus. You have proved to be useful, even though I've had to punish you for some of your stupid mistakes. But you have progressed…yes, you have turned out quite well."
"You make me sound like a science experiment," he said sarcastically.
"That's because you are, boy."
Hermione was excited, and she felt as though she deserved it. She was in her dorm room with Meredith, and the two were chatting. Hermione hadn't had the dream in some time, and she had begun to forget its haunting song, and the strange reality that the dream might be coming true. It was about three weeks until Christmas, her favorite time of the year. She hadn't felt normal in the longest time, and she didn't regret feeling happy and excited.
"I heard from somebody that they were going to have some kind of a dance, or party, for us, sometime close to Christmas!" Meredith exclaimed. "I heard about the ball that you guys had last year, but this will be the first dance that I've ever been able to go to!"
Hermione was shocked. Meredith seemed like the kind of girl that had been to a million dances, parties, social events. She had that outgoing, bubbly personality that everybody loved, and she just stood out in a crowd wherever she went. "You've never been to a dance before?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"Nope. When I was in Canada, I went to an all girls magic school called Grundlings. We had almost no social interaction whatsoever, and I barely even knew any guys. This is why I love Hogwarts so much, it's got all these guys!" She giggled, and turned to the mirror where she was busy experimenting with different charms on her hair.
"Yeah, all those guys…," Hermione trailed off, and Meredith knew that her mind was only one guy. She smiled, amazed at how peaceful it was with him being around her. As her thoughts turned to all their adventures that they have had over the years, she looked up to see Harry standing in front of her, with Ron leading Meredith out of the room, both of them giggling.
"Harry!! I didn't even see you come in, I was so lost in thought…" She smiled at him and patted the bed next to her. "Sit down, make yourself at home." He sat down next to her, his weight shifting the bed so that Hermione was sunk down in the middle. "Here, I have a better idea," she said. She got up, told him to lay down, and after drawing the curtains, she curled up in his arms, feeling warm, safe, and loved.
Neither of them spoke, but they were both thinking the same thing. No matter what, nothing could take them from one another. They could conquer whatever came their way with their love, the one barricade that stood between the magical world and the destruction facing it. Harry took her hand in his and placed her palm on his heart. It was beating faster than normal, but in a good way.
"Harry, your heart! It's beating so fast…why?"
"I have one heart, and much love to give to one person, my heart can't contain it all, and this is it's way of letting it out."
She looked up into his eyes, and smiled at him. She stroked his cheek with one hand, then lightly brushed her lips to his. She kept them there while she whispered, "I love you," making her lips move against his.
He bridged the gap between them, and kissed her gently. His rhythm changed, decreasing, increasing, which made their kiss more passionate, intamite.
When they broke apart his cheeks were flushed, and he was gasping for breath. She smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair. "I like kissing you," she said softly. He laughed, and kissed her forehead. Everything is perfect, she thought to herself. At least for now.
Thaddeus had to find Rangley. He had to tell him about what was inside his head, he had to tell somebody. He couldn't carry all the pain on his shoulders much more longer, he would collapse under the weight. He found Rangley walking along with Todd and Stephanie Prevett, a very pretty girl in their house. He pulled Rangley aside, and speaking in a hushed whisper, let everything out.
"Promise me you won't tell! You are my best friend, Rangley, and I felt that you needed to know why I was acting so strange. Please, don't tell, because I will probably be dead as soon as anybody finds out. He has so much power over me, he controls almost every move. Rangley, I'm begging you, don't tell anybody! Swear to me, on everything that you know and care for." His eyes pleaded with Rangley's, and his voice shook with every word he spoke. Rangley sighed, and then reached out his hand in agreement.
"I swear."
"The Jack Thompson that I knew when I was little wouldn't have given up so easily. Have you lost your edge already, Jack?" She looked at him, raised an eyebrow, and continued walking. The two were on a path to the nearest train station, which happened to be a mile and a half away. It wasn't that far, or so Jack had thought. His seemingly endless supply of energy propelled him 5 or so yards in front of his sister, until around noon.
"No, I haven't lost my edge..it's just gone a little dull, that's it!" He retorted to his sister's advancing back. He stood up, sighed, and took off after her.
"Now, Jack, if we're going to help out Harry, you have to keep up! I know I'm a weak, fragile, helpless girl, but seriously, you give the male gender a bad name!"
Thaddeus shivered. He was lying in his bed, drenched with sweat, but shaking with cold. Had he just woken up from a bad dream? He felt no pain, and the voice inside his head was gone. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, and even though he looked tired, he looked healthy. He smiled, ran his fingers through his hair, and then ran downstairs to the common room. He was greeted by Rangley, who rushed up to him the moment he entered.
"Thad! I thought you would never wake up!" Rangley exclaimed. Thaddeus was confused. Rangley looked at him as though he had been gone for a thousand years. "They found you out cold on the floor in the hallway, and they took you to Madame Pomfrey. She let you come back to your bed this morning, but we were all scared that you were in a coma or something!"
Suddenly, Thaddeus remembered. It had been days before, maybe even a week or two, but he had come out of one of his classes reeling with pain. His stomach was churning, his head was pounding, and every step he took had felt like knives pushing into the bottom of his feet. He remembered the voice saying something, he couldn't remember what, and then hearing him laugh. He had hit the cold floor, his last conscious thought being, "I wonder what Hermione's doing. Maybe she's thinking of me."
"Oh…I remember now," he said weakly. His voice came out soft and fail, as though it would break, along with the rest of him. He suddenly felt old and tired, and he almost collapsed. He came to the realization that the voice wasn't gone….it was taunting him in the back of his mind.
"Thaddeus was out cold, his little pathetic friends were so scared…please. You think they're scared now, ha, they should just wait! Wait until we get their precious Professor McGonagall, then they'll be really scared!"
Thaddeus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Professor McGonagall? No, she was such a sweet lady…sure, she was strict, but she didn't deserve to be hurt, like Hagrid. But if he refused Voldemort, what would happen to him? Surely something much worse.
"I…I think I'm going to go lay down again, Rangley. I'll see you at dinner tonight, maybe." He made the walk back to his dormitory and sat on the edge of his bed. Finally, he asked out loud, "Why did you choose me? I'm not a bad wizard, I'm not going to turn to the dark side, so why me?"
The voice laughed. "I chose you because you are liked. Popular. People don't question you, Thaddeus. You have proved to be useful, even though I've had to punish you for some of your stupid mistakes. But you have progressed…yes, you have turned out quite well."
"You make me sound like a science experiment," he said sarcastically.
"That's because you are, boy."
Hermione was excited, and she felt as though she deserved it. She was in her dorm room with Meredith, and the two were chatting. Hermione hadn't had the dream in some time, and she had begun to forget its haunting song, and the strange reality that the dream might be coming true. It was about three weeks until Christmas, her favorite time of the year. She hadn't felt normal in the longest time, and she didn't regret feeling happy and excited.
"I heard from somebody that they were going to have some kind of a dance, or party, for us, sometime close to Christmas!" Meredith exclaimed. "I heard about the ball that you guys had last year, but this will be the first dance that I've ever been able to go to!"
Hermione was shocked. Meredith seemed like the kind of girl that had been to a million dances, parties, social events. She had that outgoing, bubbly personality that everybody loved, and she just stood out in a crowd wherever she went. "You've never been to a dance before?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"Nope. When I was in Canada, I went to an all girls magic school called Grundlings. We had almost no social interaction whatsoever, and I barely even knew any guys. This is why I love Hogwarts so much, it's got all these guys!" She giggled, and turned to the mirror where she was busy experimenting with different charms on her hair.
"Yeah, all those guys…," Hermione trailed off, and Meredith knew that her mind was only one guy. She smiled, amazed at how peaceful it was with him being around her. As her thoughts turned to all their adventures that they have had over the years, she looked up to see Harry standing in front of her, with Ron leading Meredith out of the room, both of them giggling.
"Harry!! I didn't even see you come in, I was so lost in thought…" She smiled at him and patted the bed next to her. "Sit down, make yourself at home." He sat down next to her, his weight shifting the bed so that Hermione was sunk down in the middle. "Here, I have a better idea," she said. She got up, told him to lay down, and after drawing the curtains, she curled up in his arms, feeling warm, safe, and loved.
Neither of them spoke, but they were both thinking the same thing. No matter what, nothing could take them from one another. They could conquer whatever came their way with their love, the one barricade that stood between the magical world and the destruction facing it. Harry took her hand in his and placed her palm on his heart. It was beating faster than normal, but in a good way.
"Harry, your heart! It's beating so fast…why?"
"I have one heart, and much love to give to one person, my heart can't contain it all, and this is it's way of letting it out."
She looked up into his eyes, and smiled at him. She stroked his cheek with one hand, then lightly brushed her lips to his. She kept them there while she whispered, "I love you," making her lips move against his.
He bridged the gap between them, and kissed her gently. His rhythm changed, decreasing, increasing, which made their kiss more passionate, intamite.
When they broke apart his cheeks were flushed, and he was gasping for breath. She smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair. "I like kissing you," she said softly. He laughed, and kissed her forehead. Everything is perfect, she thought to herself. At least for now.
Thaddeus had to find Rangley. He had to tell him about what was inside his head, he had to tell somebody. He couldn't carry all the pain on his shoulders much more longer, he would collapse under the weight. He found Rangley walking along with Todd and Stephanie Prevett, a very pretty girl in their house. He pulled Rangley aside, and speaking in a hushed whisper, let everything out.
"Promise me you won't tell! You are my best friend, Rangley, and I felt that you needed to know why I was acting so strange. Please, don't tell, because I will probably be dead as soon as anybody finds out. He has so much power over me, he controls almost every move. Rangley, I'm begging you, don't tell anybody! Swear to me, on everything that you know and care for." His eyes pleaded with Rangley's, and his voice shook with every word he spoke. Rangley sighed, and then reached out his hand in agreement.
"I swear."