A/N: Sorry it's taken so very long to update, but I've had sooooo much
going on in my life lately – midterms, my dad just had surgery,
cheerleading competition, homework, etc., etc. Anyway, I'm hoping to
update at least once a month from now on, with longer chapters to make up
for the delays . . . starting next chapter. So, until next time, enjoy the
chapter!
Chapter 25: Farewell . . . Oops.
The next four days ran by in a blur and soon, Melissa was saying a tearful good-bye to Jeremy and Caysie in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts. They had gone to all her classes with her, eaten every meal with her, even gone to Hogsmeade with Melissa and her Gryffindor friends. The night before Jeremy had received a letter from the head of McKlaren House at Sullivan's, Professor Feran. The letter said Jeremy and Caysie had to return to Sullivan's by the end of the weekend if they didn't want to fail out of their classes.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry accompanied Melissa and her friends to the Entrance Hall, as they had become fast friends with the two Ireland natives. They were all still talking animatedly when Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Feran, who had shown up at Hogwarts that morning to see her students safely home, came walking down the main staircase, talking like old friends (A/N: Wow, now that's what I would call a run-on sentence). The six students watched the three professors walk across the hall to them with open mouths and raised eyebrows.
"Professor McGonagall, you know Professor Feran?" Melissa asked in amazement.
"Oh, yes! And Professor Dumbledore, as well," the Transfiguration replied.
"But . . . how?!" Caysie exclaimed.
"Minerva and I were the best of friends when we went to school together, at Hogwarts," Professor Feran explained. "And Professor Dumbledore was our Transfiguration teacher. Merlin help him," the elderly professor added, laying a fond hand on Dumbledore's arm.
"Oh, they were quite troublesome, I'll have you know," Dumbledore added at the students' confused looks. "I don't know how I managed to survive them. Of course, they were little angels compared to your father and his friends, Mr. and Ms. Potter, and your brothers, Mr. Weasley."
Harry, Ron, and Melissa grinned.
"Anyway, I do believe it's time to return to our school, Ms. Johnson and Mr. Zurchensky," Professor Feran said in her distinct Irish accent. Why don't you say goodbye and we'll be on our way."
There were hugs, handshakes and tears between the six teens as they said their goodbyes. Melissa promised to come and pull the biggest prank on Francie Stamon to solidify her status as the Prank Queen. She would write Caysie and Jeremy to let them know when she was coming.
"Ohh, Mel, we're going to miss you so much," Caysie whispered as she hugged Melissa again.
"Well, I'll come to visit as soon as I can," Melissa promised again, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Write soon, Mel," Jeremy told her as he embraced his friend.
"Don't worry; I will," Melissa replied as Caysie hugged Hermione, Ron and Harry. "Oh! Um, here." Melissa handed Jeremy a thick packet of parchment. "Those are letters for everyone. Will you make sure they get them?"
"Of course," Jeremy remarked, smiling. "Take care of yourself, Mel."
Melissa smiled softly in return.
"Well, I think the time has come for us to take our leave," Professor Feran said, lightly touching Jeremy's and Caysie's shoulders. "Thank you for allowing them to come visit, Minerva, Albus. And I'll be seeing the both of you soon."
"You most certainly will, Alinora," McGonagall answered warmly, briefly hugging her friend.
Professor Feran nodded at Caysie and Jeremy to follow her as she waved an enchantment over their bags. She turned and walked out of the hall with the two students and their bags following behind her. Just before they stepped out of the school, Caysie and Jeremy turned and waved, then disappeared.
There was silence in the Hall for a few moments before the dull roar of students looking for lunch became audible and Dumbledore spoke.
"Well, come, children. Lunch is approaching and I have been informed that the house elves have prepared one of my favorite dishes," he invited, ushering towards the Great Hall.
"What's that, Professor?" Harry asked curiously.
"It's a Muggle meal called a hamburger. Quite tasty."
Melissa, Harry, and Hermione laughed at the headmaster's response. Ron looked confused.
"A what?" he cried as his friends followed Dumbledore into the Hall. "Wait a minute! A what?!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Later that evening ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Melissa, how has it been, being paired with Malfoy for the partnership?" Hermione asked her as they were doing their homework in the common room, setting down the book she was working from, Learning Ancient Runes.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about him," Ron added as Harry nodded and pulled his chair closer. "Is he being a complete git?"
Melissa looked at the three of them with a look of dawning horror on her face.
"Bloody hell, Malfoy!"
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, alarmed.
"I completely forgot about him, what with Caysie and Jeremy visiting and everything!" Melissa pulled at her hair. She looked at her friends. "Do you know where the Slytherin common room is?"
Harry quickly gave her directions while Ron laughed and Hermione sat contemplating something, chewing on a nail.
"Thanks, Harry," Melissa said gratefully as she raced up the stairs to her dormitory. A moment later she came barreling back down the stairs with an Invisibility Cloak bundled in her arms. "Don't worry; it's mine, not yours," she assured Harry as he opened his mouth. "Ron, shut up!" she snapped as she ran towards the portrait hole, which only made Ron howl louder at the situation. Harry watched his sister disappear with an amused smile on his face. Then he turned to Hermione, who hadn't said a word.
"What's wrong, Hermione?" he asked.
"I'm . . . not completely sure, to tell you the truth, Harry," she replied. Suddenly, she gasped and her eyes widened.
"What? What is it?" Harry demanded. Ron's laughter had subsided by now and he, too, leaned in to hear.
"Malfoy!"
"Yes, we've established that Melissa forgot about him," Harry replied crossly. "Now what is it?
"No, Malfoy! He was with Melissa when they came down from the bleachers in the Quidditch stadium, but had left by the time we were all heading up to the castle!" Hermione explained, whispering for some reason, her hand covering her mouth and muffling her voice even further. "I saw him leaving right as Melissa was introducing Jeremy and Caysie to us. He had sort of a knowing, little smile on his face! He has something to do with Dumbledore knowing that Mel missed her friends, I know he does!"
"You know, Hermione, I think you're right!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione gave him a withering look. "Not that you're not always right, because you are. I'm just saying –"
"Ron, stop talking," Harry advised him firmly, but quietly.
"Thank you."
"I think we need to have a talk with Malfoy," Hermione said decisively, picking up her book again. "And soon."
Chapter 25: Farewell . . . Oops.
The next four days ran by in a blur and soon, Melissa was saying a tearful good-bye to Jeremy and Caysie in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts. They had gone to all her classes with her, eaten every meal with her, even gone to Hogsmeade with Melissa and her Gryffindor friends. The night before Jeremy had received a letter from the head of McKlaren House at Sullivan's, Professor Feran. The letter said Jeremy and Caysie had to return to Sullivan's by the end of the weekend if they didn't want to fail out of their classes.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry accompanied Melissa and her friends to the Entrance Hall, as they had become fast friends with the two Ireland natives. They were all still talking animatedly when Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Feran, who had shown up at Hogwarts that morning to see her students safely home, came walking down the main staircase, talking like old friends (A/N: Wow, now that's what I would call a run-on sentence). The six students watched the three professors walk across the hall to them with open mouths and raised eyebrows.
"Professor McGonagall, you know Professor Feran?" Melissa asked in amazement.
"Oh, yes! And Professor Dumbledore, as well," the Transfiguration replied.
"But . . . how?!" Caysie exclaimed.
"Minerva and I were the best of friends when we went to school together, at Hogwarts," Professor Feran explained. "And Professor Dumbledore was our Transfiguration teacher. Merlin help him," the elderly professor added, laying a fond hand on Dumbledore's arm.
"Oh, they were quite troublesome, I'll have you know," Dumbledore added at the students' confused looks. "I don't know how I managed to survive them. Of course, they were little angels compared to your father and his friends, Mr. and Ms. Potter, and your brothers, Mr. Weasley."
Harry, Ron, and Melissa grinned.
"Anyway, I do believe it's time to return to our school, Ms. Johnson and Mr. Zurchensky," Professor Feran said in her distinct Irish accent. Why don't you say goodbye and we'll be on our way."
There were hugs, handshakes and tears between the six teens as they said their goodbyes. Melissa promised to come and pull the biggest prank on Francie Stamon to solidify her status as the Prank Queen. She would write Caysie and Jeremy to let them know when she was coming.
"Ohh, Mel, we're going to miss you so much," Caysie whispered as she hugged Melissa again.
"Well, I'll come to visit as soon as I can," Melissa promised again, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Write soon, Mel," Jeremy told her as he embraced his friend.
"Don't worry; I will," Melissa replied as Caysie hugged Hermione, Ron and Harry. "Oh! Um, here." Melissa handed Jeremy a thick packet of parchment. "Those are letters for everyone. Will you make sure they get them?"
"Of course," Jeremy remarked, smiling. "Take care of yourself, Mel."
Melissa smiled softly in return.
"Well, I think the time has come for us to take our leave," Professor Feran said, lightly touching Jeremy's and Caysie's shoulders. "Thank you for allowing them to come visit, Minerva, Albus. And I'll be seeing the both of you soon."
"You most certainly will, Alinora," McGonagall answered warmly, briefly hugging her friend.
Professor Feran nodded at Caysie and Jeremy to follow her as she waved an enchantment over their bags. She turned and walked out of the hall with the two students and their bags following behind her. Just before they stepped out of the school, Caysie and Jeremy turned and waved, then disappeared.
There was silence in the Hall for a few moments before the dull roar of students looking for lunch became audible and Dumbledore spoke.
"Well, come, children. Lunch is approaching and I have been informed that the house elves have prepared one of my favorite dishes," he invited, ushering towards the Great Hall.
"What's that, Professor?" Harry asked curiously.
"It's a Muggle meal called a hamburger. Quite tasty."
Melissa, Harry, and Hermione laughed at the headmaster's response. Ron looked confused.
"A what?" he cried as his friends followed Dumbledore into the Hall. "Wait a minute! A what?!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Later that evening ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Melissa, how has it been, being paired with Malfoy for the partnership?" Hermione asked her as they were doing their homework in the common room, setting down the book she was working from, Learning Ancient Runes.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about him," Ron added as Harry nodded and pulled his chair closer. "Is he being a complete git?"
Melissa looked at the three of them with a look of dawning horror on her face.
"Bloody hell, Malfoy!"
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, alarmed.
"I completely forgot about him, what with Caysie and Jeremy visiting and everything!" Melissa pulled at her hair. She looked at her friends. "Do you know where the Slytherin common room is?"
Harry quickly gave her directions while Ron laughed and Hermione sat contemplating something, chewing on a nail.
"Thanks, Harry," Melissa said gratefully as she raced up the stairs to her dormitory. A moment later she came barreling back down the stairs with an Invisibility Cloak bundled in her arms. "Don't worry; it's mine, not yours," she assured Harry as he opened his mouth. "Ron, shut up!" she snapped as she ran towards the portrait hole, which only made Ron howl louder at the situation. Harry watched his sister disappear with an amused smile on his face. Then he turned to Hermione, who hadn't said a word.
"What's wrong, Hermione?" he asked.
"I'm . . . not completely sure, to tell you the truth, Harry," she replied. Suddenly, she gasped and her eyes widened.
"What? What is it?" Harry demanded. Ron's laughter had subsided by now and he, too, leaned in to hear.
"Malfoy!"
"Yes, we've established that Melissa forgot about him," Harry replied crossly. "Now what is it?
"No, Malfoy! He was with Melissa when they came down from the bleachers in the Quidditch stadium, but had left by the time we were all heading up to the castle!" Hermione explained, whispering for some reason, her hand covering her mouth and muffling her voice even further. "I saw him leaving right as Melissa was introducing Jeremy and Caysie to us. He had sort of a knowing, little smile on his face! He has something to do with Dumbledore knowing that Mel missed her friends, I know he does!"
"You know, Hermione, I think you're right!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione gave him a withering look. "Not that you're not always right, because you are. I'm just saying –"
"Ron, stop talking," Harry advised him firmly, but quietly.
"Thank you."
"I think we need to have a talk with Malfoy," Hermione said decisively, picking up her book again. "And soon."
