MAELSTROM

CHAPTER TWELVE-ARTHUR'S ACCIDENT

After the dinner, we headed up to the Gryffindor tower. Holly and Sam followed us.

"Wow," Holly breathed taking in the Gryffindor common room. "This is wonderful!"

"Do you have common rooms in your school?" Lily asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, but they aren't as nice as this," Sam said.

I turned around, preparing to talk to Arthur, but I found him talking quietly with Molly in the corner.

I felt a pang. They were heatedly talking.

I felt a nudge in my ribs on the right side. I turned around. It was Remus.

"Wonder what's got their drawers in a bunch?" he whispered, leaning close.

"I'm not sure, but they seem awfully angry," I replied.

"It's cruel!" I heard Molly hiss angrily, her eyes flashing. "She really likes you and thinks you like her back!"

Remus and I looked at each other, bewildered now and genuinely confused.

"We have to protect them!" Arthur was hissing back.

"It's wrong," Molly said as she brushed past Arthur and headed out of the common room.

"Everything okay, mate?" Remus asked concerned.

Arthur seemed shocked and momentarily caught off guard. "Huh? Oh yeah,"

"What were you two fighting about?" I asked.

"Nothing," Arthur said quickly.

Again, I looked at Remus.

The only person I could think of whom Molly was talking about…was me. Who else would Molly be talking about?

I began feeling uneasy now.

Later on, I headed up to the Astronomy Tower to meet Arthur.

I decided to talk to Arthur.

I entered the Astronomy Tower. Arthur was leaning against the wall, staring out the window.

"Hey," I said softly.

He looked up and smiled.

"Hey,"

I looked around. The tower was bare.

So what's this 'surprise' he's got for me? I wondered.

I headed over to him and peered out the window also.

"Nice night," I said softly.

"Mmmhmm," he said uncommitted.

I turned to face him.

"So, why are we up here?" I asked forcing cheerfulness in my voice.

Arthur turned to look at me.

"I've got to tell you something," he said looking serious and nervous at the same time.

I couldn't help but feel happy and excited.

"This isn't easy…" he began wringing his hands together.

I patiently waited for him to continue.

"But I'm really in love with Molly," he said. "I love you like a sister."

It felt like I was kicked in the stomach by a Hippogriff.

"What?" I asked in a flat tone.

"I'm really in love with Molly," he repeated looking upset and guilty. "I'm sorry if I led you on but there's a very good reason…"

I didn't wait for him to finish. I slapped him and then tore from the tower.

REMUS.

I heard Carrie enter the common room in a hurry. I had been reading on the couch. I looked up from my book. She had furious tears in her eyes and a murderous look on her face.

I had left my robe opened exposing my black belt around my waist and I had the Prefects badge pinned just above the Hogwarts crest.

"Carrie?" I asked alarmed as I closed my book.

James, Lily, Molly, Holly and Sam looked up.

"Carrie?" Lily demanded anxiously.

Carrie went right over to Molly and put her face right into Molly's.

"He's really in love with you. What a fool I feel like right now," Carrie hissed as angry tears streamed down her cheeks.

Molly's face drained of all color.

"Carrie!" Arthur's voice called as he burst into the entrance way and into the common room.

Carrie whirled around.

"Stay away from me," she spat.

I put the book down on the table and stood up. I went over to her.

"Carrie…" Arthur began looking upset and guilty.

"What did you do to her?" James demanded looking angry.

"What did he do to me?" Carrie spat her eyes flashing. Tears still continued to stream down her cheeks. "He took me up to Astronomy Tower to tell me that he had a surprise for me…Guess what the surprise was? 'I'm really in love with Molly. I love you like a sister and I'm sorry I led you on but there's a really good reason…'"

"You bastard," James said to Arthur.

"I'm really sorry," Arthur said looking even more upset now. "I never meant to hurt anyone but there is a really good reason."

"Well," Lily said coolly. "Let's hear it."

Arthur glanced uncomfortably at Molly.

"I can't tell you just yet," he muttered.

"He really didn't mean to hurt Carrie," Molly piped up.

We looked at her in shock.

"YOU WERE IN ON THIS TOO?" Carrie shrieked.

Molly cringed at the tone of Carrie's voice.

"I'm afraid so. But we will tell everyone the truth once we make sure things are okay," she said looking just as upset and guilty as Arthur.

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU TWO!" I yelled just as angry. "Was this all just a joke for me too? You were just only pretending to like me? FROM THE VERY BEGINNING?"

Carrie seemed to shrink from my tone as well.

"Remus…" Molly began but I cut her off.

"Don't bother. I hope you two will be very happy together," I snarled.

James and Lily looked angry also. They headed off to bed. Holly and Sam snuck off as well leaving Molly, Arthur, Carrie and I alone in the common room.

I left the common room in a huff.

I entered the library. Madam Sanders closed the library at 9:30, giving students time to catch up on late homework. The library was quiet. There were only a few Ravenclaw students studying this late.

I was so upset. I angrily dropped into a seat at the nearest table and let my forehead hit the table with a 'thunk'.

"Remus?" a shaky voice asked.

"Molly, I'm not in the mood right now," I snarled.

"It's not Molly, you dolt,"

I looked up. Carrie was standing next to the table.

"Oh," I said my tone softening a bit. "Sit."

Carrie sat across from me. There was still angry and hurt tears in her eyes.

"Looks like we've been…what's the word? Yanked?" she muttered.

"Looks that way to me," I muttered as I crossed my arms on top of the desk and I rested my chin on top of them.

Carrie matched my position.

I could see the tear drops on her eyelashes.

"I can't believe he would do something like that…even Molly," she said in a sad voice.

"I know," I said quietly.

"I'm not as pretty as Molly that's why," she said suddenly.

She got up and went over to the window.

I got up and followed her.

"You are beautiful," I said facing her. "Why on earth would you even think that?"

Carrie just shrugged and stared out the window.

"We were really close before," she said quietly. "What happened?"

"We probably got caught up in thinking we had boyfriends/girlfriends," I muttered.

Carrie began sobbing again.

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She pressed her cheek against my chest. My grip tightened around her. I rested my chin on top of her head.

Her arms tightened around my midsection too.

"Things will be okay," I said reassuringly and soothingly.

I kissed the top of her head and she pulled back. I kept my hands on her shoulders. She nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. Our faces were inches apart.

I glanced at her lips before moving my eyes back to hers.

"How is your mom doing?" I asked softly.

"She's okay," Carrie said.

"That's good," I said softly.

Carrie nodded.

CARRIE.

Remus glanced down at my lips before quickly moving his eyes back onto mine. I wasn't sure if that was a sign that he wanted to kiss me or not.

"Still best friends?" I asked grinning.

"Absolutely! Why would you think we wouldn't be?" Remus asked startled.

I just shrugged. "Forget it,"

Remus nodded.

"Let's go back to the common room and get some sleep okay?"

I nodded.

We headed back to the common room.

Molly and Arthur weren't there when we had gotten back.

I entered the girls' dorm and climbed into bed.

The next morning, I awoke and quickly pulled on my uniform and robe. Lily was already dressed.

She came over to me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"Like my heart was just run over by a truck," I muttered.

Lily wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

Molly had woken up and was now getting dressed.

Lily and I ignored her as we hurriedly left the common room, heading down to breakfast.

James, Remus and Arthur were already sitting at the table, but Arthur was sitting a bit further away from James and Remus.

Lily and I sat down. I was sitting across from Remus and Lily was sitting across from James next to me.

"We're still pissed," James said loudly enough for Arthur to hear him. "Don't expect a welcome wagon back just yet."

"Stop," Lily snapped. "Just ignore them okay?"

"Just let it go," I said coldly. "It's not worth it."

"How'd you sleep last night?" Remus asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Pretty well," I said. "No dreams."

Remus and James nodded.

"That's good huh?" Lily said her tone bright again.

I nodded.

Molly entered the Great Hall next and sat down across from Arthur. They immediately began talking in hushed tones but Molly was talking in an angry hushed tone. We couldn't hear what they were saying.

"So," James said pretending he didn't see what was going on. "I hope we don't get a lot of homework for Professor Anicks today."

"I know," Remus moaned. "Too much!"

"Halloween is coming up," James said. "I wonder if there's going to be a dance for that too?"

"Sssh!" Remus scolded lightly. "Not so loud!"

We laughed.

The bell rang ending breakfast and we headed to our classes, ignoring Arthur and Molly.

We were sitting in Potions class. Professor Anicks began teaching the lesson. We were learning the Calming Draught Potion.

Remus and I were sitting next to each other and behind us were James and Lily.

Behind them sat Arthur and Molly.

Professor Anicks waved her wand at the blackboard and instructions appeared in neat script. We began copying them down on parchment.

Remus leaned close.

"Carrie," he whispered quietly. "I know this isn't exactly the best time for both of us, but would you like to come with me to the Christmas dance?"

I turned to look at him.

"Why are you asking me now?" I asked with amusement.

"So no one else asks," he replied.

I saw him blushing.

Yep…that was the Remus I miss.

"Then sure," I said firmly.

He nodded and grinned.

We turned our attention back to our potions.

When the bell rang, Molly and Arthur fled from the class first and disappeared into the stream of students.

James, Remus, Lily and I followed.

We began heading to History of Magic class. The weather outside began getting very chilly and rainy.

Dark storm clouds began rolling in. Somewhere in the distance, thunder boomed.

"Ugh," Lily moaned. "Rain."

"It's going to make it hard to play Quidditch this year," James said frowning. "I hate getting wet."

"Yeah," I said teasingly. "That's because you melt."

James playfully poked me in the back.

Just then, Molly came running up to us with tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" James asked stiffly. "Arthur realize he was in love with a Ryeven?"

A Ryeven was a small creature about the size of a badger but was yellow and had the tendency to act like a rat. It was actually a cross between a badger and a rat.

"No!" Molly said sobbing. "He's hurt!"

"Did he bang his big toe?" Remus asked mockingly.

"He fell! Off James' broom!" Molly continued sobbing.

"Why the fuck was he on there?" James rasped.

"Please help!" Molly sobbed.

Exhaling loudly, and swearing, James hurried off. Molly, Remus, Lily and I flew after James.

We followed James out onto the Quidditch pitch.

James' broom was lying on the ground. Right next to it, Arthur was.

He wasn't moving.

James and Remus rushed over to him.

His leg was lying in an unnatural position. He was unconscious.

"Hey," I said suddenly. "Do you see what I see?"

Remus, Lily, Molly and James followed my gaze. I was staring into the stands for Gryffindor. There was Sam and Holly sitting there…with those same strange expressions.