Chapter 25: Back to School
Boxing Day and New Year's had come and passed. Today was the last day of vacation and all the losers who went home were coming back. I'm just kidding, they aren't losers, well most of them anyway. Lily on the other hand…
"Colby, don't be stupid. Of COURSE England has a chance of getting to the World Cup this summer! If they beat Ireland and Switzerland then they'll play France at the cup. Wouldn't that be great if they do make it to the World Cup since we're hosting it?" Celeste was really into this conversation on the World Cup qualifying matches.
"Be realistic, Celeste! Ireland is too good to get beaten by England. England is substandard. They're not up to par at all. And if they did make it to the Cup they'd get flattened by France." Colby retaliated.
"Yeah, but France's Keeper is awful. Watkins can't keep anything out of the goal, Wood is much better." I joined in the conversation. "And Ireland lost their Seeker, Kingston, to an injury last week. They'll be flattened if they don't find a decent replacement. And let's face it, Switzerland stinks. England can easily beat them; how Switzerland ever beat Morocco I'll never know."
"So basically it's a matter of points?" Dean asked; he couldn't follow Quidditch very well, although he had improved at playing it over the break.
"You could say that," Lauran explained. "See it's a matter of which team beats which team, which comes down to points in the end. Of course having a decent Seeker wouldn't hurt anyone. The snitch is worth 150 points and ends the game so whichever team gets it usually wins."
"Okay, that makes since." Dean was trying to puzzle it all out.
"Ah, but if Bulgaria loses to Scotland and then Scotland turns around and beats Morocco, then Scotland is another competitor for a Cup spot." I said after some quick calculation. "Dean's right though, it's all a matter of points, because if Scotland were to win by only 10 points over Morocco, they wouldn't be a contender for the Cup."
"It's so confusing. I guess you're right though, England has a fair chance of getting into the World Cup." Colby said after thinking for a second.
"Wow, thinking about all the possibilities makes my head spin," Lauran said dazedly, "Hey looks like the train arrived."
"I'm sure Riley wants to go and meet Spencer," Celeste teased me relentlessly.
"Yeah, and you want to stay up here with just Colby, but that isn't going to happen." I retaliated verbally since I was too far away to hit her. Celeste and Colby both turned crimson.
"Hey, I want to see Spencer to," Dean jumped in, "I need to ask him something about his broom. It was acting weird, remember? Let's go meet him."
Sighing we all poured out of the Portrait Hole and down to the front doors. I sat on the stairs between Lauran and Dean. "Thanks," I whispered to Dean so nobody else could hear."
"No problem, I do need to talk to him anyways." Dean said honestly.
The front doors opened and hordes of kids poured into the school. I got off the stairs and out of the way of the crowd. Most of the kids pointed at me and whispered as they passed me. I thankfully didn't have to wear a bandage anymore. That'd have been humiliating. A few even asked to make sure I was all right or to see how my Christmas had been. I was very grateful that some people in the school seemed to care.
"Riley, that's a beautiful scar on your head." My heart skipped a beat as I recognized Spencer's voice.
"Yeah, nothing like having your head sliced open to make you realize just how much you hate your family." I grinned as I turned around and saw him for the first time in a few weeks.
He pulled me into a hug and held me for a minute. My heart stopped beating then started racing as I realized that he actually did care for me, and not just as a friend. Whoopee!
He finally let go and we separated just as a jolt of pain coursed through my head. My hand flew to my scar as I saw Lily's sneering face in the crowd. I instantly linked the feeling to her. She was mad, mad because I had SPENCER. Pain tore through my head again, why did I have to be linked to Lily? It was bad enough being related to her!
"You okay Riley?" Celeste asked as she plowed her way through the crowd, dragging Colby by his hand. And it's not like he looked like he minded or anything.
"That was weird." I said, "Weird, but yeah, I'm fine."
Spencer eyed me questionably. I chose not to answer. "Where are Lauran and Dean?" I asked Celeste.
She shrugged, "We lost them in the crowd. Hey, when's dinner, I'm starved."
"It's only 4o'clock." Lauran said as she came up to us towards the rear of the flood of people. "Didn't care where your sister was, just wanted to eat, huh?"
"Yeah, who needs a sister when you've got food?" Celeste replied grinning.
"Yeah, well if you ever find someone wanting a sister, bring them to me. They can take mine." I sat down hard on the stair as another wave of pain flowed through my head. Lily was in a vile mood.
"You okay?" Spencer had sat down beside me and he looked worried. "You don't look too great."
"Yeah, well Lily isn't happy, that's all I'm saying. Apparently I'm linked to her now. I hope she doesn't know." My head was in my hands and I talked extremely quietly so only Spencer could hear.
"Weird," Spencer slipped his arm around me and gave me a one armed hug.
"Oh, crap, don't touch me for a second." I thought of something. I wondered why it only hurt when I was TOUCHING Spencer. "That's curious, very curious. Lily's got a 'thing' for you, right? So, apparently, every time you touch me, I get a wave of pain through my scar. I bet that Lily's watching us, right now." I looked up and saw Lily's face for a second peering around the door to the dungeons. "Bingo, there she is."
"Um, okay then. I'm going to go upstairs to the Common Room since it's not time for dinner yet. Who's coming?" Spencer gave me a strange you've-got-issues-and-I'm-worried look.
"Oh, never mind! Fine, let's go." I followed behind everyone, keeping an eye out for Lily. She didn't appear to follow. Thank God, I couldn't stand that pain for too long.
"So, guess its back to school?" Spencer asked.
"It's more like back to Quidditch for me." Colby replied. Everyone laughed except for me. I was a little hurt that Spencer thought I was crazy, and that I didn't get the lovely welcome I had been hoping for from him. Oh well, you can't win them all.
Chapter 26: Downhill from Here
"Oh, look here comes the mail." Lauran instinctively put her hand over her glass; there had been too many instances of bird feathers getting into her juice.
"Hmm… I wonder what's going on in the world." I said as I caught the Daily Prophet. "Hey look, I got a letter. I wonder who it's from. Oh, CRAP! Look at this!" I pointed to the article on the front page of the paper.
Lost Auror?
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement reports a loss of contact with one Harry Potter three weeks ago. Head of the Department, Nymphronda Tonks says, "It's not irregular to lose touch with an Auror for days at a time. They are out in the front lines doing battle and can't always call to check in. We have never had to report a missing Auror before, the problem has never arisen." Contact was lost with Mr. Potter on March 9; it is now March 23, and people are starting to worry. Potter's mission cannot be divulged to the general public but it is rumored to be chasing after Moresby, one of the leading death-eaters, Moresby escaped capture during the mass arrests of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's final downfall.
I couldn't say anything, I just sat there pale-faced and not eating anything else. I did, however, open my letter. It was from the Department of Mysteries. I had been waiting for this letter for months! Unfortunately it only made me feel worse.
Miss. Potter,
Here is the Prophesy that you requested. We are very sorry to hear about your father.
Sincerely, M. J. Warner
Prophesier: Sybil Trelawney
Prophesy: There shall come a time when all seems won and those are lured into false safety. The time will follow when a Great Evil rises and a new Protector be born. A set of twins will come from the hero boy's clan, one pure of heart, the other far from. A reign of terror the Great Evil shall have. There is, however, one way to stop this from ever coming to be. Kill one twin, the Evil One, and let the Protector be. If you choose wrong, Evil shall triumph and a time of horror greater than ever dreamed shall fall. The only hope once the reign has begun is the one least expected. The Protector shall save the world. Judge them not for the Great Evil is the one least likely to seem harmful, while the Protector has the Dark Lord's wand. Do what you see fit, you have been warned, don't ever say you weren't.
Analysis: A time of danger will come when we will falsely believe ourselves safe. During this time a Great Evil shall rise and the Protector shall be born. The two shall be twins born into the Potter family. The Evil Twin will have a reign of terror worse than could ever be imagined. The only way to stop this from coming to be is to kill the Evil twin only. If you kill the Protector then the Evil cannot be defeated. The Evil and Protector are not who they'd appear to be.
"Well, that's helpful," I said sarcastically, "like I didn't already know that."
"Hey, Riley, we're sorry about your dad." I turned to see a whole crowd of people behind me. I felt like I was going to cry.
"Thanks, but I'm sure everything will be just fine." I tried to smile but didn't quite succeed. "Come on," I said turning to Celeste, "let's go to class. I don't feel like sitting here any longer."
"Wait, Riley, you forgot your letter." Celeste grabbed it and thrust it into my hand. I didn't notice that I already had my letter in my other hand. I grabbed the newspaper and strode confidently out of the Great Hall, and then I broke down. I started crying and crying and I just couldn't stop. Spencer knew it was best to leave me alone at this point and we walked to class. The flood of tears finally stopped. Everyone looked at me as they came in the classroom; nobody said anything. I wasn't sure if I was glad or mad about that.
"Hey, Riley what was that letter you got?" Lauran asked me later that day.
"Here, look for yourself." I thrust the letter into her hand.
"Um, you didn't open this." Lauran said.
"Yeah, I did."
"No, you didn't," Celeste had taken it from Lauran and was looking at it.
"But," I looked into my bag and saw another letter. I pulled it out and handed it to Lauran. "Let me see that one." I took it from Celeste and looked at it curiously. I pulled it open and read the letter. My heart stopped beating, it was from my dad.
Riley,
I need you to do something for me. Give this message to Hermione for me. And send this note to your mum. Also please watch your back, I'm not sure how, but you and Lily are connected in all of this. The message for Hermione is this: Moresby is after someone and something at Hogwarts. Proceed with caution.
Dad
"Okay, that's weird." I stuffed the note back into the envelope and ran up the Owlry stairs. Scribbling a hasty note to Mum, I sent my first letter with a school owned owl. Then I stuck a hurried note in with the one from Dad and sent it to Hermione using Zandra. "How do you get a letter from a missing person?" I asked Spencer quietly.
"Um, I don't know," He continued eating like there was no tomorrow. "I'm tired and I'm going to bed." He walked off quickly and went up to the dormitory.
"Now that was weird," Celeste said.
"Yeah, what's up with him?" Lauran asked.
"I'm not sure but he hasn't looked me in the eye all day. Either he knows something or he's going to break up with me." I added quietly. "Please, God, let him know something! Please, I can't stand him breaking up with me."
Chapter 27: Quidditch in a Heartbreak
"I hope my dad is still okay," I was slightly nervous and wasn't eating very much. Winning the Quidditch Cup was contingent on Gryffindor winning today's match. It was all up to me. I was also getting worried about my father; there were rumors that he had been spotted with none other than Moresby himself.
"He's fine, now eat something or you'll pass out on your broomstick." Celeste shoved some bacon at me.
"No thanks. I'm not hungry, is anyone else nervous?" I looked around the table at my fellow Quidditch members. It was still early and we were the only ones up. A chorus of 'yeahs' came from my teammates. Colby stood up.
"There's no use staying here, I'm going down to the Quidditch pitch, anyone want to come?" Colby left without waiting for an answer. I got up to follow him. Spencer followed me.
"Hey, Riley, we need to talk." Spencer intercepted me before I could catch up with Colby. He pulled me out of sight beside the stairs out of the school.
"Okay, but I really need to get down to the Pitch so make it fast." I looked up at the clear blue sky longing to be flying up there.
"Look, Riley, I care about you but you just aren't like you used to be. What happened to the trouble-maker girl I used to know? I just think you're too worked up about your dad. He beat You-Know-Who. Honestly, I think he can take care of himself. You aren't paying any attention to me, besides I found someone else. So, we're through. Now let's just be friends." Spencer finally paused for a breath.
"FINE, but I'm not going to be FRIENDS with a back stabbing no good dirty rotten…..ARGHHH!" I turned and stalked off to the Quidditch Pitch; I was too angry to cry. Who was this 'someone else'? I figured that I'd teach that no good 'someone else' a down and dirty lesson. The 'old' Riley hadn't gone anywhere; nothing had provoked her to rear her angry head for a while!
"Don't talk to me!" I shouted at Colby as I pulled my robes over my head and stuck my hand out for my broom. It flew out of the cabinet and into my hand. "I don't want to talk to anyone. And I suggest that you keep that male chauvinist pig, Spencer Wood, away from me or I WON'T be responsible for my actions!"
"Um, right then. I'll just be getting my broom and looking to see if the others are coming." Colby sounded taken-aback by my outburst. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm not going to cry a single tear over that," here I called Spencer Wood some very ugly words, "Oh, sorry, yes I'm okay. I can't wait to play Quidditch, though it's a good thing I'm not a Beater because Wood's head is abnormally swollen and would make a VERY easy target!"
"Um… right, I'll just look out for them then. Oh, Spencer, don't go in there, Riley's likely to kill you." Colby closed the door behind him.
Hearing the door open I turned hoping to see anyone but Wood, who was the one who walked through that door. "Riley, you have every right to be angry but…" Spencer never got to finish.
"COLBY, you left the door open!" I screamed!
Poking his head inside he replied, "No, I didn't."
"Oh, but you must have because I think I hear the wind blowing!" I grinned very nastily at Wood before going out to pace with Colby.
Before I closed the door I heard wood mutter, "That went better than I expected."
"Riley, nice catch!"
"I've never seen anyone catch the Snitch so quickly before!"
"That has GOT to be a record!"
I held the Quidditch Cup surrounded by roaring Gryffindors. I spotted Wood with a few first year girls, but mostly older girls all flirting with him and fluttering their eyelashes. As soon as I figured out which one was the sneak, I'd give her a face rearrangement; She wouldn't be as pretty with a broken nose and missing teeth.
"Riley, are you okay? I've never seen you this angry! Where's Spencer? What's wrong?" Lauran probed me for answers.
"I suggest that you NEVER mention that Wood boy's name again. EITHER OF YOU! Looks like I finally learned to channel my anger. Nothing exploded today." I threw the Cup to Colby and left the Common Room. I had no idea where I would go, so I just followed my feet. Celeste and Lauran trailed after me.
I came to the second floor girl's bathroom, Moaning Myrtle's. I suddenly knew where to go, The Chamber of Secrets.
"Riley what are you doing?" Celeste asked me as I searched the sinks straight across from Moaning Myrtle's stall. I didn't answer her; instead I gave a small exclamation of happiness and uttered a long, low hiss.
"Open up," I commanded in Parseltongue. Turning to the twins as the opening took shape I said, "Anyone up for some fun and excitement?"
Without waiting for an answer I jumped into the dark shaft that had opened up. I was angry and when I was angry I retaliated in some trouble making way. This was a prime example.
"Riley, let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps!" Lauran landed next to me on the muddy floor.
"Shut your mouth for a second!" I hissed urgently at her. "Keep Celeste quiet."
I peered closer at the floor. There had been visitors in this Chamber recently. That could only mean one person had been down here, my dad; but who did he have with him?
"C'mon, follow me and keep your mouths shut. Someone's down here, or they've been down here." I didn't wait for the other two to respond before I moved on. I knew something was wrong. I led them through the Chamber only pausing to open the snake doors. I opened the last one and saw what I had been dreading to find, my father… and Moresby.
"Ah, finally I get to meet the lovely Riley Potter. It's such a pleasure." A raspy voice came from beside my father.
"Oh, the pleasure's all mine Moresby. And, if you don't mind, I'd rather take my father and get out of here than have to continue this conversation. You see, I'm not in a very forgiving mood." I replied coldly.
"Ah, nice try, but it won't be so easy. You are going to have to fight your way out." Moresby laughed cruelly. "Won't that be fun?"
"A blast, I'm sure. Let's get this started then, shall we? Oh, kindly set my father loose, you appear to be so confident in yourself two of us shouldn't be too hard for you to take."
"Of course, here's your precious father." My dad came stumbling over towards me and Moresby tossed Dad his wand.
"Riley, don't you mean four, not two?" Celeste looked ready for a fight. But I wouldn't let her; with a wave of my hand the door flung shut, locking us in and them out.
"Bring it on Moresby." I taunted.