Chapter 4
Melissa sighed, staring blankly at Dumbledore as he clasped his hands before him on the desk, looking at them gravely over his half-moon spectacles. After a minute of wanting to cross her eyes, she looked over to the sleeping portraits of the past headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. One actually snored rather loudly, causing Melissa to snort herself as she quickly covered her mouth with her hand to keep from laughing outright. Drool was coming from the old headmaster's mouth, and the man's cap was halfway off his head. An old headmistress abruptly woke up and walked into the headmaster's portrait and smacked him upside the head with her own witch's hat.
Dumbledore's voice drew her from looking at the portraits and back to him again. Her laughter withered at the expression on his face.
"Unfortunately, with what little resources I have here in my office, I have not yet discovered anything that might be of help. I would have checked the library today, but it seems a lot of people have been sending in letters about the recent killings caused by the man known as Lord Voldemort."
From the corner of her eye, she saw a smirk cross Draco's lips then wither before Dumbledore could see it.
"Tomorrow I will go down on the library and see for myself what information we have. We can't let others besides Mr. Potter and I suppose Mr. Black know of what time you come from. That would rupture history greatly."
Oh, like say, Melissa thought privately to where only Draco could hear, Malfoy suddenly gets mad and tells James and Lily that they're getting married and having a son called Harry and neglects to mention that he somehow conquers the Dark Lord.
Draco stiffened in his chair, eyes narrowing, but Dumbledore seemed not to notice.
"I'm sorry that I cannot find information for you sooner." Dumbledore sighed, bowing his head. "I wish I could send you back to your time immediately, and once I discover the antidote I will.
"Have you no idea of what ingredients were in that potion?"
Draco shook his head. "No, sir, we do not."
Melissa found her mind oddly blank as she tried to think of what exactly had been in that potion. She couldn't remember what Snape had written on the board about the name of that potion, nor could she remember anything else. She only remembered crying about her aunt and having a heated argument with Draco and then taking the potion. She told the headmaster as much.
Dumbledore sighed once more, nodding. "Yes, I see. Maybe that will prove useful information anyhow." He lifted his gaze, a touch of a smile on his lips directed towards her.
Somehow she felt a tinge of disappointment at the back of her mind, and so she looked to Draco, only to find him slumped down in his chair.
What are you thinking about, Malfoy? she thought. And, of course, he didn't answer, as was predicted. Slightly disappointed, although she knew she wouldn't get anything out of him, she turned to direct her gaze back at the professor.
For some, unknown reason, she remembered talking quietly to Harry in the Great Hall after everyone had left. He had been sympathetic, explaining that he was truly sorry and that he sort of knew how it felt, but she hadn't known what he was talking about. Until McGonagall had told her of her aunt's death, she had been absolutely clueless. So did that mean that her professor had told Harry about it?
Sighing herself, bringing a hand up to massage her temple, she shook her head. Her thoughts were getting all confusing. But thinking about her best friend Ginny and remembering the kind Harry Potter who seemed modest about his fame, as if he didn't actually like it too well, warmed her heart.
And then she reminded herself bitterly that she was stuck in the past with her arch nemesis, so far with no way out. Lovely. Just fucking bloody da-di lovely.
Now I'm starting to think like a British person. I mean, I am British, it's in my blood, but I grew up an American. She gritted her teeth. Malfoy, I just want you to know, she directed at him, that you're a horrible influence on me.
She saw a smile curve his lips, very faint, and it didn't reach his eyes.
-Thank you, Jones. It's always a pleasure to send the evil ways of Draco Malfoy unto annoying people such as yourself-
Her eyes narrowed. Just forget it. Just fucking forget it. Holy freakin' dirt bucket.
Draco raised a delicate eyebrow, a flicker of amusement dancing within his eyes. "Holy dirt bucket?"
"No," she sneered, feeling uncomfortable as usual around the silver-haired young man. "Holy freakin' dirt bucket."
"You two stop fighting," Dumbledore told them, but his eyes twinkled. He sighed. "I think perhaps you should probably go now. Meet me tomorrow at this time, alright?" He smiled lightly, staring up at the ceiling, which in a way, they supposed, was a sign of dismissal.
Casting Draco a contemptuous glare, she stood up, harrumphed, and stormed out of the room, borrowed clothes from that girl Brittany just a bit loose on her skinny form.
Honestly! she thought as she hurried down the revolving staircase that led up to the headmaster's office. He is so impossible! You have a decent conversation with him a few times, and then it's as if he shoves all the kindness back in your face and makes you regret you ever held any compassion towards him. I don't know what I was thinking—Draco's nothing more than a stupid, egotistical, bigheaded, Malfoy. There is no inkling of kindness in him whatsoever!
Melissa watched Draco reach into his robes, withdrawing a beautiful handkerchief, and hand it to her. Slightly cautious, she eyed it warily, asking, "Malfoys have handkerchiefs?"
"Oh, just take it," he snapped, but he didn't look at her.
Melissa sighed. I know that somewhere deep down, Draco's an honest, good person. I just thought maybe since we were stuck in this together, he might've viewed it like we were comrades, that maybe we could become friends. I don't know what I was thinking.
She bit the inside of her lip. Stupid Malfoy. Tears were welling up at the back of her eyes, burning, but she swallowed and forced them back. Stupid, stupid, Malfoy.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
As Draco met up with her at the entrance to the headmaster's 'headquarters', he noticed a tear fall down her cheek, sparkle in the little light offered, then splatter on the stone ground, just before the Gargoyle jumped aside and let them pass.
Before she could do as much, he grabbed her arm, though it wasn't too gentle, and yanked her back. "Why the Hell are you crying now? Jesus Christ, that's all you do: cry. Cry, cry, cry. I'm Melissa Jones, and I consider it my duty to annoy Draco by just crying my bloody eyes out!" His voice had risen to a shout near the end of his tirade of sorts.
He missed the hurt look that glimmered in her eyes, then quickly vanished as she schooled her face into one of pure venomous hatred. "Release me right now, Malfoy. Just like you, I prefer not to be touched," she snarled, trying to yank her arm away, but his grip tightened harshly.
Somewhere, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was about to tear whatever fragile bounding of being stuck in this together had formed. "Listen here, Jones: I won't put up with your sissy act! Either you tell me why you're crying and suck it up, or you just suck it up!" He gave her a little shake. "And yeah, now that I think about it, I like the latter better! I don't want to know what you're crying about this time! Just bloody suck it up!" This really wasn't out of his character. After all, he truly acted like this, but somehow, it just seemed. . .different. As if Melissa was the only person he knew in this time, which was half-half as it was, and they had to form a team, but he was ripping it to shreds.
Then again, he thought sourly, there never was the word 'team' when it came to us this past day or two. We are nothing but enemies, and we only had a few civilized conversations, which was necessary, considering the fact that if we didn't, we would tear our own selves and each other to shreds.
"I'm crying about you, Malfoy!" she shouted through her tears, the Gargoyle having long ago jumped back into place.
That caught him a little off guard.
Frowning, masking his face to where it remained emotionless and stony, he demanded, "What are you talking about, Jones?"
"Never mind, Malfoy," she spat, finally yanking her arm away. "That Gargoyle—" she gestured to it "—is more human than you are. It has more feelings than you do. I feel really sorry for you just thinking about it."
That hit him home.
He grabbed her arm again, yanking her forward, shoving a finger just before her face. The momentary glimmer of fear in her eyes gave him a bit of satisfaction, but it was dulled by his anger rapidly growing to a height of where he would soon lose his well-practiced control. All this girl did was rile him up! It was just not right! But that wasn't what was bothering him.
"I," he panted, the exertion of saying this so coolly, so slowly, and without raising his voice taking a lot out of him, "don't want your Goddamn pity, girl."
"Well, suck it up!" She raised her hands, placing them against his chest, and with strength he hadn't imagined she had, pushed him back a few steps. "Because let me tell you something, Malfoy. Let me let you out of the dark. Let me crawl up your ass and shine a fucking flashlight." She took a deep breath, visibly calmed herself down, then said in the same tone of voice he had just used, "All anyone does is feel sorry for Draco Malfoy. You have no friends. They only stick with you because, as I've said before, they cower in fear of your name. They want your money among other things, or they just—" and she added the last part with as much truth to the words and as much coldness she could muster "—look at you and wonder how the Hell could you not feel sorry for a boy who is so cold. A boy who looks down on others and treats them like a wad of crap, just because they aren't rich, just because they don't like you, or just because you're all alone and they and you know it." Finished with her accusations, she pivoted on her foot, fists balled at her sides, and stormed off in the same way she had left Dumbledore's office minutes earlier.
Draco stood in stunned silence, watching her leave, wondering vaguely why it hurt so much to know what she had said had been too true.
He sighed, burying his face in his hands, then ran a shaky one through his hair, letting out a frustrated growl.
Damn her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jessica was a girl who didn't really like to study, but knew if she wanted to keep top-of-the-notch grades, she had to do as much. She loved to read, however, so it wasn't so bad.
She was around the height of 5'5", with freckled cheeks and a freckled nose and warm, brown eyes. Her hair was long and mostly straight, sometimes wavy, falling down to her waist.
And she didn't understand that after how close she and Remus had grown as friends during the year that he would suddenly not want to be friends anymore. To her, that just seemed unreasonable without at least an explanation, and, being the stubborn girl she was, she was going to get one.
She found him, by observing through a window in a high tower, that he stood outside in the middle of the current storm, head bowed, chin-length hair plastered to his face. His robes clung to him, revealing a skinny, bony, yet a little muscular form.
You haven't been eating too well again, Remus, she thought as she swallowed, braced herself for the chilling of the rain, and ran outside towards where the young man stood.
"Remus!" she shouted, but she couldn't be heard over the roaring winds and loud thunder above. Cautious of the lightning striking in forks across the sky not too far from her, she cursed under her breath and attempted to continue running across the field to catch up with him.
"Go away," he told her firmly once she reached him, looking away, off towards the Forbidden Forest.
She shook her head, absolutely soaked to the bone, and placed a hand on his forearm. When he flinched, she withdrew it out of respect for his feelings. "Remus, why don't you want to be my friend anymore?"
"It's storming out here, Jess," he told her in a cold voice that truly didn't seem to be his own. "Go back inside."
"Come with me," she retorted, trying to make him see reason. "If you're going to catch a cold, or even worse, pneumonia, then I'll catch it with you." She managed a faint smile. "That's what friends are for, right?"
Finally, he turned to face her, pointing towards the direction of Hogwarts, or maybe not any place in particular. "We're not friends."
"No." When he only blinked, she gripped the front of his robes, giving him a little shake, blinking furiously to clear the rain from her eyes. "I won't allow you to tell me that without an explanation." She sniffed, raising her chin indignantly. "So spit it out, Lupin."
He sighed, exasperated, and shook his head. "Jess, go back inside. It's pouring. I want to be alone."
"What if you get struck down by lightning?"
The question was so absurd, seeming out of nowhere, entirely off subject in a way, that he laughed. But it faded moments later. "Go back in. Go on. I'll be fine."
She shook her head stubbornly. "No. You're coming with me."
"I want to be out here to think." His eyes narrowed. "What part of that don't you understand?"
She glared, as well. "Well, excuse me, I actually understand exactly what you're saying. But I'm telling you," she added haughtily, "standing out here, hoping to get struck down, is not the way to go about thinking!"
"You're crazy!" he shouted, grabbing her wrists and yanking them away from the collar area of his robes. "You're bloody crazy!"
He was surprised to see tears glazed within her eyes, or maybe it was just the rain and his mind was playing tricks on him. He wasn't sure about which, so he just shrugged it mentally off. "Remus!"
"What!?"
"Come with me back inside, damnit!" Now he was positive there were tears streaming down her cheeks. She withdrew her wrists from his now loosened grip, shaking her head, wiping furiously at her eyes. "Goddamnit! Now you've made me cry!"
He closed his eyes, shaking his head. "We can't be friends." He let his eyes open halfway, just to see her reaction, which he somehow needed very much, as if testing his strength of will.
Silent sobs racked her shoulders, and she looked up, staring directly into his eyes, hair plastered to her face now, much in the same way his was. "Then come inside with me. Don't be a fool, Remus."
Sighing, he shook his head, sending droplets of water scattering into the air before blending in with the rest of the rain. The sight of her tore at his heart—when had he allowed himself to get this close to someone? Especially a girl? Once she knew the truth about him. . .
Giving in to momentary sympathy towards the Gryffindor, he grabbed her arms, pulling her to him, and patted her back. "Jess, you don't. . ." he began, trying not to choke on his words, trying to force himself to say this calmly and carefully. "You just don't understand, alright?"
"Remus, you don't get it." She fisted handfuls of his second-class robes, crying into his chest, slumping against him for support. "I want to be your friend. You can't just tell me we're not friends anymore without telling me why!"
He nodded, pushing her back a little, looking down at her face as she sniffled up at him. "I can't," he breathed. Tears formed at the back of his eyes, burning, but he kept them back. He needed to do this. "I can't."
"Remmy," she whispered, calling him by her nickname for him, and just hearing it grabbed at his heart, as if icy hands were holding it while other icy hands stabbed into it with the sharpest knives. "Please. Please. Tell me why. Come inside with me."
"If I go inside with you, will you leave me alone?" he hollered above a particularly loud peal of thunder, forcing his words to come out harsh, cruel.
"Yes." She sniffled, trying to hide the hurt in her eyes, yet failing terribly at it. "Yes. Okay? Will you just go inside now? You don't need to get sick!"
He nodded, conceding. "Yes, all right."
"One thing." She sniffled again. When he nodded once more, she went on. "Just tell me you hate me. Go ahead."
"Jess—" Already he was shaking his head, but she cut him off.
"Tell me."
He stared firmly into her eyes, gripping her by her shaking shoulders, and said as coldly as he could manage at the moment without choking up on his words, "I hate you."
She nodded slowly, swallowing, taking a few steps back. Pressing her lips inward, as if forcing back another barrage of tears, she turned and ran towards Hogwarts, wondering why she had even came out there in the first place.
Remus stood watching her go, gasping for breath from all the hollering he had done—he had been pretty weak as of late—and just slumped to his knees, bowing his head, a single tear falling slowly down his cheek.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Jess! I was looking all over for you! Where have you been!? Whoa. . .You're soaking wet! Huh, why do you look like that? I mean, er, your expression!" Lily paused, taking in the sight of her friend, then sighed. "What's wrong?" she prompted simply.
Tears were streaming down the girl's cheeks, her hair was a total mess, and she was shivering, but Lily knew it wasn't only from the chill of being wet from the rain.
"R-Remus. . ." Jessica broke off, bowing her head, hugging herself tightly.
"O-Oh. . .Yeah. . .I'm getting the understanding here. . ." Lily nodded slowly, trying to lighten up the mood, the tension, but she only burst into more tears. Great going, Lils. Just bloody great. She rolled her eyes heavenward, sighing, then reached out, drawing her friend into an embrace, not minding the immediate water that soaked through her own clothing. Lord, oh, Lord, I never was good at these kind of things.
"H-He doesn't want to be my friend!" she sobbed, gripping her best friend tightly. "H-He said h-he. . ." She swallowed, then the last two words burst out before she began sobbing even harder, "hates me!"
"Remus?" A frown creased Lily's lips as she narrowed her eyes, patting the girl's back comfortingly. "That doesn't really seem like something Lupin would do." In her mind she was already formulating a plan to beat the crap out of the introverted, sort of anti-social Moony.
Jessica paused in her crying, sniffling, letting out a last, shuddering sob, and looked up—well, rather down. "I know. But he did." Her eyes watered up again, and she broke into more sobs. Lily said, "Oh," hugging her again, and let the girl continue. "I don't understand why he doesn't want to be my friend. He wouldn't even tell me!"
"Yes, well. . ." The only thing that came to mind was rather. . .blunt, but she didn't care. "He's a Marauder."
Jessica couldn't help but laugh through her tears. "A M-Marauder. Yeah, in a lot of ways, you're right."
Lily sniffed, shrugging slightly. "Yes, well, aren't I always?" When I get my fists on you, Lupin, heh heh, we'll see who's not right. It won't be me!
"Lily, you're grinning in a way that I think I might have to agree with Sirius about you being a she-devil."
Lily frowned. "You know, I don't know where he gets that. I don't think I'm a she-devil at all."
Jessica smiled faintly. "So why were you looking for me?"
Lily took a long, good look at her friend, decided that inside she was still hurting but didn't want to talk about it. And Lily guessed she understood that. Sighing, she replied, "Britt said you have some kind of necklace that your grandmother gave you before she died. . .?"
The girl frowned. "Lils. . ." She sighed. "Yes, why?"
Lily's blood immediately froze in her veins, and she could tell her face turned a ghostly white, but she forced a tight smile. She grabbed Jessica's arm, dragging her over to the wall, whispering lowly, so softly that the latter had to strain to hear. "Don't let anyone know about that necklace. No one. Understand?"
"I. . ." Voice faltering, she nodded. "S-Sure. . ." She paused. "Lils, what's wrong?"
Keeping her face an emotionless mask, she replied, "Nothing. Nothing at all." Clearing her throat, she said, "Could you tell me what the necklace looks like?"
"A star surrounded by five diamonds at each point. . .Why?"
Lily shrugged. "Just wondering. Anyways, I've got to head to the library."
"Um, alright."
"And beat the shit out of Lupin when I find him," she added under her breath, turning to walk away.
"What was that, Lils?" Jessica's voice called to her back, sounding confused.
Lily stiffened, then laughed weakly. "The library. Got to look up something." She turned a little, gave a wave, then rushed off before Jessica could say anything else. She needed to look up that necklace.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Talk about getting almost run over! Lily didn't think she had met so much rampaging bookworms in her life.
She shifted to the side as a black blur went past her, and she blanched when as she did so she accidentally knocked the book out of the poor boy's hands. Old, yellow papers went flying everywhere, causing the boy to scowl and shake his fist at her.
"Yikes," she muttered, then rolled her eyes, stuck her fists in her pockets, and hurried to the back section of the room.
Sighing, Lily began to examine each and every book on the shelves, not really knowing where to look first, but knowing she had to start somewhere. The library was huge. And there were tons of thick, dusty books all over the place.
"Mm." In concentration, she tilted her head a little to the side. "Come on, there has to be a book on some sort of necklaces around here somewhere. . ."
Just then, two voices reached her ears.
Two very familiar voices.
Two voices that caused her adrenaline to automatically start pumping. Two voices that caused her fists to curl, her emerald eyes to flash.
"I thought you said you were sleeping, Mr. Potter."
"Couldn't." A grumble she didn't catch, then a laugh from the first voice. "The Plan keeps on bothering me. We have to start immediately, Mr. Black."
Turning on her foot rather harshly, but managing to keep the scuffle it made quiet, she slipped behind them without a sound, holding her breath and listening.
James laughed, as well, placing his fist on his hip, and inclined his head towards his companion, Sirius. "After all, The Plan must be gone through with to where we can get her back!"
Sirius scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "That girl is a she-devil! That girl is going to be the death of us some day, because all she does is beat us up! That girl has the most horrible temper there ever was and ever will be!" His voice was raising as he went. "That girl gives men everywhere a bad name! That girl—"
"Is standing right behind you."
Sirius jumped. "Back, demon, back!" he called, making a cross with his hands.
Lily rolled her eyes. "I am not a demon, nor a she-devil, and if you call me that one more time, you will be in serious pain."
James flashed a look at Sirius. "I see what you mean," he told his friend calmly.
Lily raised her eyebrows dangerously, then asked the boys, "What 'plan'?"
James suddenly looked very nervous and uncomfortable. "Um. . .nothing. . .what plan? I don't know what plan you're talking about. . ."
Lily sighed impatiently. "The one you were talking about a second ago."
"You thought I was talking about a plan?" James asked, still sounding very nervous. "I wasn't talking about a plan, I was talking about a pan! Yeah!" he exclaimed, suddenly realizing what he had picked from the top of his mind could be made into perfect sense. "A pan for my History of Magic project!"
Lily rolled her eyes and muttered, "Whatever." She made a move, as if to walk away, then stopped again and turned to look at James, asking, "What's with Remus? Jessica told me he said he hated her."
Sirius and James exchanged puzzled looks, then turned back to Lily again. "What are you talking about?" they asked in unison. "Moony is perfectly in love with her."
Lily looked at them both steadily, as if trying to make sure they weren't tricking her, then told the boys, "That's not what Jessica said. She came in here crying and soaking wet, and when I asked her what was wrong, she said that Remus had said he not only wanted to be her friend, but hated her as well."
James and Sirius looked at each other in surprise. "He never told us he was going to do that," James said slowly.
"Yeah," Sirius chimed in. "Actually, just last night we could hear him muttering in his sleep about how he didn't want to hurt her."
Lily rolled her eyes. "How idiotic can you two get?"
"Pretty idiotic. . .Hey, wait a minute!" both boys cried indignantly, huffing up.
Lily started sniggering to herself. "God, you two are just too easy," she sighed.
They pouted.
"Are you three?"
Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but James elbowed him in the stomach, promptly shutting him up.
Lily shook her head. "Just forget it. You two carry no good information whatsoever." And with a stomp to both their feet, she hurried out of the library, deciding she could look later when she didn't feel like she was going to scratch their eyes out and strangle them in their sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*