Cleo Chestra and the wizards of America: Chapter 11

Questions and no answers

Cleo, Ron, Harry and Hermione all skipped off the train, relieved to be standing on their own two legs again.

"Honestly! I thought I might not be able to use my legs again if I sat down any longer!" Hermione whinnied as she rubbed her hands with her legs.

"Hay! Why don't we go walk around the school a little while before its time for bed?" Harry suggested. Cleo felt an unexpected and frankly random hand on her shoulder.

"Not just now, if you don't mind Miss. Chestra." Cleo turned around and saw the cool expression on Dumbledore's kind face. Cleo shook her head.

"No! Not at all Professor. Would you mind a all 'yall?" Cleo made shear. Harry denied it and allowed her to be swept away while he led the others from them.

Dumbledore was silent all the way up to his office. When he arrived he sat down in his seat and rested his chin on his hand. He pondered Cleo a moment before speaking.

"You seem quite relaxed Cleo, did you have a nice break."

"Yes." Cleo said calmly and sweetly, as she often did when she talked to adults. He looked at her over the rim of his glasses.

"Did you see the figure again during the break?" Cleo nodded.

"Yes."

"How many times?"

"Ones in car smoke, another in the Christmas tree, ones in my hair, and also in a stream near my house." Dumbledore raised his eyebrows.

"Could you describe him for me?" Cleo agreed.

"I haven't seen his complete body but I have seen his face. He had a cloak on that covers most of his face except for his lips that are often smiling evilly at me." She said, containing her sneer.

"Has he come to you in any other way?" Dumbledore asked more pressingly.

"Yes, in my dreams often and he also attacked me in Hogsmade." Dumbledore stopped his packing that he had stared.

"He showed himself in person?"

"Yes."

"But that was the only time?"

"Yes." Dumbledore sat down again sighed.

"He isn't weak enough anymore." He murmured.

"Pardon?" Dumbledore looked at her more seriously than ever.

"Cleo, I see no reason to keep the fact from you that you are in grate danger." Really, couldn't tell!

"Now I must insist on you coming and telling me every thing suspicious." Cleo was perfectly alright with that. Dumbledore stopped a moment and looked down at her.

"I think, I might bring some extra security as well."

"What sort of Security Professor?"

"Nothing at all disturbing." Dumbledore assured her. "Now I believe that will be enough, I expect to see you soon."

"Yes sir." Cleo smiled and began to walk out.

"Er…" Dumbledore called her back. "You told Hermione, Harry and Ron about the books didn't you?" Cleo sat back down.

"I'm afraid so, I didn't mean too, it just spilled out, they thought of it all!" Dumbledore laughed.

"Don't worry Miss! They are ones for mystery's, I expected so much. Still it doesn't seem to have disturbed them at all just as long as their able to keep it under raps for me." Cleo nodded.

"Yes I think they will, thank you Professor." He plucked a hair from his head and put it in a silvery bin while she stepped out. When she came down stairs, her friends were at the bottom of them waiting for her.

"What did he say?" Ron asked.

"Said I was in mortal danger and that he needs to bring extra security." Cleo attempted to say calmly.

"Mortal danger!" Ron said with an outcry.

"Ron calm down, I'm sure we can find some information in the library to keep extra precaution." Hermione said expectedly.

"Hermione, We couldn't even find out why there isn't an American school." Cleo said Matter-of-factly.

"Then what are they supposed to do!" Ron said.

"Dumbledore had said he was bringing in extra precaution." Cleo comforted him.

"What sort of precaution?" Harry wondered allowed. Cleo frowned.

"He wouldn't tell me. But he did say it was harmless to my daily life." She only wished she believed him.

"I don't understand why we must be here." 16 year old Susanna said to her 12 year old sister Emily as they walked into a colonel cabin in America.

"I wont answers." Emily said laying down her suit cases at the door and surveyed the house. Susanna sighed.

"This search isn't good for you, you know."

"Stop being mother." Emily warned. Even though Emily was very young she was extremely dominate and serous, she could easily be mistaken for 16 like her sister.

"What do you think she meant by 'Wizard?' " Emily asked Susanna.

"Is that what she said?" Susanna asked absentmindedly, looking threw the house and going into her bedroom.

"Yes, it was what she said, I wont to know what she meant."

"Perhaps, Wizard meant…magical, as in she loved him very much." Susanna stepped out of her room and to Emily, who was now sitting on a bed.

"Out of curiosity, why did you wont so desperately to come to this house?" Emily looked up at her with shinning eyes.

"He was here." Susanna's eyes furrowed.

"He?"

"Father, he lived here, he slept on this bed, and this…" Emily bent over and picked up a slender peace of wood from the floor. "Was his wand."

They all seemed to be laying awake that night pondering what the precaution might be. Hermione even looked up everything she could about such provisions for attacking dreams but for some crazy reason, she found nothing.

For the next few weeks, it was that way, every morning waking up with creeks in their backs and dark shadows under their eyes.

"Why must we have class?" Ron moaned that morning.

"To stimulate and explained our minds Ron!" Hermione screeched and waved her arms about.

"I'd rather sleep!" Ron growled at her. Hermione's lips thinned dangerously. Cleo looked over at Harry who was biting the inside of his lip.

"Perhaps we should go in." Cleo whispered to him. He laughed and agreed. She was just stepping in when she saw something she didn't expect in the least.

"IT'S LUPIN!" She yelled randomly.

"What?" The three of them demanded.

"IT'S LUPIN HE'S BACK! And gosh…" Cleo said looking in again. "He looks good!" Harry pushed her aside and smashed threw the door, Cleo, Hermione and Ron following behind him.
"Moony!" Harry yelled "Moony! What are you doing back hear?" Harry, Cleo, Hermione and Ron gathered around his desk and saw Lupin smile. He looked loads heather and no longer had grays in his hair.

"Harry keep it down." Lupin said making a quiet signal with his hands.

"But why are you hear?" Ron asked impatiently. Lupin smiled again.

"Nice to see you too Ron. They found a cure for Ware Wolfs, so Dumbledore suggested I come back!"

"Oh yeah, my Dad told me about that." Ron said nodding to them.

"I'm so glad Professor!" Hermione squealed.

"So am I Hermione." He said in a relieved voice. His eyes worked there way over to Cleo, who could felt herself blushing.

"Who's this Harry? Your Girlfriend?" They laughed.

"Heck no! This is Cleo. She's been upgraded to fifth year and were very good friends with her now. Cleo…" Harry said taking her hand in putting it in Lupin's.

"This is Professor Moony." Lupin shook his head.

"Keep it down will you Harry? That would be Professor Lupin Miss. Chestra." Cleo smiled and nodded.

"All the same to me Professor. Very pleased to meet you in person." They laughed.

"What exactly will you be doing hear Professor? All the positions are full." Hermione inquired. Lupin's eyes shinned and he smiled.

"Just be helping out with things." He said simply. Cleo caught the look in his eyes.

"You're my precaution." She said darkly. His inter body just stopped dead and starred at her. Soon his body loosened and he sighed.

"I didn't think I would be able to get it past you guys."

"I knew it!" She promised pointing and saying it loudly. "I knew you were going to do something about all this! I suppose you and Dumbledore know why there isn't a American school either." Her friends starred at her for being so worked up while Lupin made a calming sound.

"Cleo, don't get hysterical."

"Why wont any of you tell me!" Her cheeks flared and her eyes glowed with danger. "This is my life you all think I can't handle!" Lupin was still making a motion with his hands, up and down to silence her but she pretty much screwed it.

"I know I have problems! But you are the people making them bigger. I know your trying to protect me; I know its not working. He can tell I'm braking down, and that I'm getting more venerable cause of it!" She sneered and her burning eyes glossed over. Immediately the face appeared before her as her breath grew louder and more tattered.

"I can tell by the way he smiles, its always getting bigger." She turned back to Lupin, who looked fearful. Suddenly and most haphazardly she exploded into tears and dropped her head on his desk. Everything was silent for a long time except for the echoing of Cleo's tears. Ron was the first to try to comfort her.

"Cleo please don't cry! Were hear to help, and so is Lupin." Lupin was next to step up to bat. Ron had just struck out because Cleo was crying harder now.

"Cleo I certainly didn't mean to make you cry…" Cleo's head snapped up.

"Why is he after me!" She said threw her clenched teeth.

"We…have many ideas." He said with shifty eyes. Cleo shook her head, harder and harder until smacked her hand on the table.

"I'm sorry Moony, it just that dam…"

"Hay! Watch your language." Lupin said sternly.

"Sorry, but, it just doesn't make sense! Nothing adds up!" he smiled a relieving smile.

"I would imagine it is." Lupin said kindly, probably just glad to have her stop crying. "I promise you were doing everything we can, Just try to relax." Cleo smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, I'm glad your back." She said meekly.

"Glad I can help." He said with his kind boyish grin. "Now, I suggests you take your seats." Hermione put her arm around Cleo and squeezed her.

"Its ok." She whispered. Ron laughed.

"Man talk about your bad first impressions." Cleo laughed along with him. Just then, she felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

These people truly loved her, guess if a scary floating figure of death was flouting you around you might as well have friends to cry about it with, literally.

After that, they took it pretty easy. Lupin was sure to give her the latest up dates. (Well, he told her he would if he had any after the seventh time she had confronted him about it.) And they made sure to visit Hagrid every weekend.

That was probably where Cleo was most happy. Except for the dead birds hanging from the ceiling, she found it the most charming warming place all in Hogwarts. Hagrid would always make Harry, Ron and Hermione teas while he gave Cleo hot cocoa. (She wasn't that British!) And told them all about his travels with Madam Maxtime to convince the giants of joining against Voldimort. (Though they think some of it might have been exaggerated, particularly the part where he had tamed a dragon, and trained it into flying himself and Madam Maxtime to America in a hour.)

"America?" interrogated Cleo. Hagrid was off in his own world and continued.

"Eh! Yea, need ter go ter America." Cleo looked over, wide eyed at Harry.

"America?" She hissed. He was bobbing his head like those tacky baseball dolls wildly.

"Theirs Giants in America?"

"Yea, mostly in Colorado." Hagrid went on. "But theirs very few of them. America isn't the greatest place in their opinion."

"Why is that?" Said a desirous Hermione.

" 'Fraid I guess. Their a nasty sort but not stupid!" Hagrid became instantaneously offended.

"Why?" They all groaned.

"Why all the whys?" Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at Cleo. Oh, fine, give me the hard work.

"Well, I've been to Colorado," She lied "It just seems like such a nice place, I have trouble understanding why anyone wouldn't wont to be there!" Ron let out a loud sigh of relief that soon turned into a short yawn.

"Yeah, it was nice. But America isn't the same way for most magic things kinda creepy." He mumbled.

"Creepy?" Cleo said, thinking at last she was getting to something, trust Hagrid!

"No offence to your home land Cleo, just magic hasn't…" He stopped and took their cups.

"See you lot latter."

"Hagrid!" Cleo said, stomping her foot.

"Get on with you now!" He badgered and shoved them out the door.

"That wasn't very nice!" Cleo screamed into his cottage.

"He came so close to blabbing too!" Ron said resentfully.

"Ron! Do you really think Hagrid's always the one to go to when you need some information?" Hermione said with a huff and hands on her nonexistent hips.

"What? Think I'm supposed to get them from books?" Cleo laughed and gave him a high five.

"Score!" Hermione sneered.

"What do you suppose he was going to say after that?" Harry requested their opinions. Cleo contorted her face while she thought.

"He said, er… 'No offence to your home land Cleo, just magic hasn't…"

"Existed there?" Hermione finished for her.

"Yeah, that's creepy." Ron pointed out, walking up the steps to school.

"There must of, or Giants wouldn't be there." Harry told them.

"Quite true." Cleo agreed. "Magic hasn't…been there, no…"

"In a while?" Ron blurted.

"It have to be a long while." Said Cleo.

"Well, I have read that Magic had withstand long periods of time with out disruption." Hermione quoted.

"Even for centuries?" Harry implored.

"Well apparently, were here aren't we?"

"Quite, quite true!" Cleo laughed.

"Cleo? Do you think you have any Giant in you?" Ron wondered, hopping he had caught on to something.

"She's to short to have even a pinch of giant in her!" Harry joked.

"Hay! Ben's 6'3!" Cleo said, pointing at Harry.

"Well, even so, as much magic as is in you, and don't think centuries of relations to a giant would make you a witch." Hermione whispered something to herself.

"What was that?" Cleo pressed.

"If one has a certain purpose it is more than possible." She looked up at Cleo meaningfully. Cleo couldn't believe what she just said, did she really have some sort of important purpose? Ron was starring at her as well.

"Maybe we should look up your family chain Cleo."

"Oh K, I know a web sight that…" She began but Hermione stopped her.

"No technology in Hogwarts remember?" She said. "It clearly states it in 'Hogwarts a History'."

"We know Hermione." Harry assured her. "Is there any way we could find out?"

"Yes…" She hesitated.

"How?" Cleo demanded. Hermione made a face like she was thinking and made a swishing motion with her hand.

"Come to the dormitory." As they made their way to the dormitory Hermione listed of the supplies, she would require.

"I'll need a glass plate, some tissues, a knife…"

"A Knife!" Cleo gasped, stepping several steps away from her.

"Cleo, I just need some of your blood, it shows me all the different people that have contributed to make it up." Cleo had a quick shudder and agreed.

They all gathered the supplies and sat around the table in the common room to see the results. Hermione set down the little glass plate and put some napkins under it.

"Cleo, give me your wrist." She said gently. When Cleo had reached out her hand to Hermione, Harry handed Hermione his pocket knife that he had gotten for Christmas last year. Ron took Cleo's other hand and stroked it.

"Just don't look at it." Hermione advised. Cleo scrunched her eyes shut and tilted her head back to the ceiling. She felt the knife cut into her wrist and a small twinge of pain. Hermione let Cleo bleed for only a little while and then told her to grip the joint in her arm until it stopped bleeding.

She cleaned Cleo's cut and focussed back to the blood in the dish.

"Now what?" Cleo asked.

"I say the spell." Hermione thrusted her wand at the blood.

"Relatio!" She said clearly. The blood stayed normal for a moment but suddenly started swirling into different color sections. It stopped after a few minutest and Hermione examined silently.

"Why are there all these colors Hermione?" Harry questioned.

"Each color is a different nationality. Cleo, your English!" Hermione said, shattering the serous manner. Cleo smiled weekly.

"Am I?" She said. "Do I have any Giant then?" She said anxiously. Hermione looked back down at it for a long while. Cleo and the boys started playing "I spy" after a while.

Ron would nag Hermione every time he lost to get on with it. It was an hour before Hermione confirmed that she didn't have an ounce of Giant blood in her body. Cleo rolled her eyes.

"Why do I even try?"

"Yeah Cleo, Just screw it," Harry said sarcastically. "Lets just let the guy kill you 'cause theirs no way to figure out anything." He threw his hands up into the air. "I mean, you never thought there would be a chance to come hear, but it has! You can't give up so easily!" Cleo saw his point. She had been doing quite a bit of whining, something she hatted. She sucked it up and the researched in the library the rest of the day.