Chapter 7: Courtney Needs (and Gets) Help
As the weeks passed, Harry notices that Courtney was getting more and more distant from him and the others. Her 'v and e eyes' (as Ron called them) were now like that permanently. Even her hair was different. He was starting to worry about her.
She never answered in complete sentences, either. It was always 'Yeah,' 'No,' or 'Whatever.' Occasionally, she said two-word sentences.
Worst of all, her grades were dropping.
So after about two weeks of this, Harry decided to say something. 'Courtney?' he said one Friday after Potions; Snape had been dissing her and she hadn't even noticed.
'What?' came her peeved answer. She didn't look at him; she couldn't.
He cleared his throat. 'Um. I was wondering if .er. there was anything wrong with you?'
Courtney paled and her eyes widened. 'N-no. Why w-would there be?' She scampered in the direction of Moaning Myrtles bathroom. Harry heard a sob and followed her.
Harry pushes the door open slowly and heard steady sobbing. And he heard Myrtle laughing. 'Oy, Myrtle?' he said. He saw Courtney jump and Myrtle blushed.
'Yes, Harry?' she said, blushing.
'Shut up, will ya?'
Myrtle huffed, then shrieked and went to her toilet.
'H-Harry, what are you doing here?' Courtney whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. 'I did come here for some privacy.'
'Courtney, don't lie to me. You haven't been yourself for the past two weeks and I have known you for 5 years. I can tell when something is wrong with one of my best friends.' Courtney sobbed louder at this remark and Harry knelt down and hugged her gently. 'Now, can you tell me what is wrong? Please?'
As she wiped her eyes, Courtney pulled out her necklace. Harry gasped. 'Courtney, that's-that's a milpreve. Where in the world did you get that?'
Courtney grinned sheepishly through her tears. "My great-great-great-a million more great's-grandmother, Morgan le Fay.'
'Say what?'
And so Courtney told him about her dream, her vision in the library and her realisation of her name. 'Hey, I never knew that was your real name. Courtney Merydyth-Raven Granger. It has a nice ring to it.' Harry teased.
Courtney laughed. 'Yeah, I know. Cedric has a boring name though: Cedric James Granger.'
'Very boring.' Harry said. 'I wonder what her work was, Morgan le Fay's.'
'Yeah. Me too. Will you help me figure it out?'
'Of course! I'm awfully curious.'
'Just don't tell anybody, okay?' Courtney begged.
'Hey don't worry! Why would I? It'd not like they would take it seriously. "Oh cool. Can you turn Malfoy into a ferret for me?"' Harry did a very good imitation of Ron. 'Just act like Courtney and I won't tell.'
Courtney laughed.
*~*~*
'So, do you know who the new Gryffindor captain is?' Ron asked that night at dinner. 'Or when try outs are? I wanna be keeper.'
'I have no clue. Maybe we should ask McGonagall on Monday.' He responded.
'Well, we know who some of the players are,' Courtney objected. 'We have a Seeker and two Chasers. Harry, me and Cedric.'
'So we need a Chaser, a Keeper and two Beaters?' Ron said a little slowly.
'Good job, Ron!' Harry and Courtney said at the same time.
'I think it's going to be very interesting,' Harry commented. 'What with the new Quidditch team and captain. Hey, maybe this weekend we can practice on the field.'
'Sounds like a plan to me,' Courtney said excitedly. 'How 'bout at eleven tomorrow?' I have some reading to do tomorrow afternoon.' She looked at Harry.
'Yeah, me too.' He said. 'Let's just hope Malfoy doesn't find out about it..the practice, I mean.'
Ron laughed. 'We can only hope.'
As the weeks passed, Harry notices that Courtney was getting more and more distant from him and the others. Her 'v and e eyes' (as Ron called them) were now like that permanently. Even her hair was different. He was starting to worry about her.
She never answered in complete sentences, either. It was always 'Yeah,' 'No,' or 'Whatever.' Occasionally, she said two-word sentences.
Worst of all, her grades were dropping.
So after about two weeks of this, Harry decided to say something. 'Courtney?' he said one Friday after Potions; Snape had been dissing her and she hadn't even noticed.
'What?' came her peeved answer. She didn't look at him; she couldn't.
He cleared his throat. 'Um. I was wondering if .er. there was anything wrong with you?'
Courtney paled and her eyes widened. 'N-no. Why w-would there be?' She scampered in the direction of Moaning Myrtles bathroom. Harry heard a sob and followed her.
Harry pushes the door open slowly and heard steady sobbing. And he heard Myrtle laughing. 'Oy, Myrtle?' he said. He saw Courtney jump and Myrtle blushed.
'Yes, Harry?' she said, blushing.
'Shut up, will ya?'
Myrtle huffed, then shrieked and went to her toilet.
'H-Harry, what are you doing here?' Courtney whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. 'I did come here for some privacy.'
'Courtney, don't lie to me. You haven't been yourself for the past two weeks and I have known you for 5 years. I can tell when something is wrong with one of my best friends.' Courtney sobbed louder at this remark and Harry knelt down and hugged her gently. 'Now, can you tell me what is wrong? Please?'
As she wiped her eyes, Courtney pulled out her necklace. Harry gasped. 'Courtney, that's-that's a milpreve. Where in the world did you get that?'
Courtney grinned sheepishly through her tears. "My great-great-great-a million more great's-grandmother, Morgan le Fay.'
'Say what?'
And so Courtney told him about her dream, her vision in the library and her realisation of her name. 'Hey, I never knew that was your real name. Courtney Merydyth-Raven Granger. It has a nice ring to it.' Harry teased.
Courtney laughed. 'Yeah, I know. Cedric has a boring name though: Cedric James Granger.'
'Very boring.' Harry said. 'I wonder what her work was, Morgan le Fay's.'
'Yeah. Me too. Will you help me figure it out?'
'Of course! I'm awfully curious.'
'Just don't tell anybody, okay?' Courtney begged.
'Hey don't worry! Why would I? It'd not like they would take it seriously. "Oh cool. Can you turn Malfoy into a ferret for me?"' Harry did a very good imitation of Ron. 'Just act like Courtney and I won't tell.'
Courtney laughed.
*~*~*
'So, do you know who the new Gryffindor captain is?' Ron asked that night at dinner. 'Or when try outs are? I wanna be keeper.'
'I have no clue. Maybe we should ask McGonagall on Monday.' He responded.
'Well, we know who some of the players are,' Courtney objected. 'We have a Seeker and two Chasers. Harry, me and Cedric.'
'So we need a Chaser, a Keeper and two Beaters?' Ron said a little slowly.
'Good job, Ron!' Harry and Courtney said at the same time.
'I think it's going to be very interesting,' Harry commented. 'What with the new Quidditch team and captain. Hey, maybe this weekend we can practice on the field.'
'Sounds like a plan to me,' Courtney said excitedly. 'How 'bout at eleven tomorrow?' I have some reading to do tomorrow afternoon.' She looked at Harry.
'Yeah, me too.' He said. 'Let's just hope Malfoy doesn't find out about it..the practice, I mean.'
Ron laughed. 'We can only hope.'