(GoF) CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Letters and Mistakes
Dear Pups,
Thanks for your letter, and for using codenames. There is so much to cover that I feel I must break this letter up into sections.
To my female pup, regarding the ordeal at the Cup—do you have ANY idea how difficult it was for me to hear about that—and from a Rita Skeeter article, no less? Despite your insistence that you "had no other choice," I wholeheartedly insist that you DID have another choice: to stand back and let the Ministry handle the situation. I did NOT give you that shield to fight drunken Death Eaters or rescue Muggles; I gave it to you for last resort measures ONLY. I told you once before—the more people know about your shield and about how powerful it is, the more they will come after you. I must FORBID you from using your shield again, unless it is to protect you and ONLY you from UNAVOIDABLE danger. Please don't make it so your mother was right about me. Please.
Regarding this business with Aleksander, I would strongly recommend that you go to Albus about him. It will be a tricky thing to navigate, given your supposed internship in Germany, which was nowhere near him, but at the very least, Albus can help keep you safe if and when this Aleks comes to Hogwarts with his Durmstrang classmates. I hope that the situation was as simple as a bored Dark Arts student developing a fascination with a pretty, young witch who came to his hometown, but in case something more nefarious is afoot, Albus should know.
As for my male pup: your sentiments about feeling pain in your scar also have me quite concerned. Should any sort of vision or dream of that nature happen again, especially combined with the hurting of the scar, you should go to Albus immediately. In the meantime, I am traveling north to investigate several stirrings and concerns I have heard about in my time abroad. I hope they are unrelated to what you saw, but I am unwilling to rule anything out.
This business about the Triwizard Tournament has me concerned for the safety of both of you, as you are both now, unfortunately, Hogwarts' highest-profile students. There are many witches and wizards who will be paying attention to you, and some who may even come after you. Stay close to each other and to your friends, and don't go wandering. Be wary of the newcomers—even if they seem trustworthy.
I love you both.
Padfoot
"Wow," said Harry when they had both finished reading the letter. It was Saturday—the day of Ellie's date with Cedric—though she was still a few hours from needing to get ready. "That second paragraph of yours sure has a lot of capital letters."
Ellie gave a dry laugh at that. "I suppose I should just be grateful he didn't send me a Howler."
Harry nodded in agreement. "I sort of understand where he's coming from, though. He feels responsible for that whole ordeal—for having given you the shield in the first place. If someone does come after you—"
"No one's coming after me," she said, waving a hand. "It wouldn't even make sense. What would they hope to do with me? It's not like they can study me to see how he did it. Magic doesn't work that way."
But Harry didn't look entirely convinced. "Remember what we learned in Moody's class? The Imperius Curse?"
Ellie stiffened at that.
"I hear next class we're going to work on resisting it," he added, as if to calm her. "I'd work at that this year, if I were you. Just to be safe."
He was right, she supposed; if she was cursed by the Imperius Curse and wasn't able to fight it, she would be rendering herself a useful soldier for their enemies.
Only… who even were their enemies just then? "It's not as if Voldemort's back, or the Death Eaters have actually conglomerated, right? It was just a bunch of drunkards at a sporting event."
"That's who you fought," Harry agreed. "But I don't think that's all that was there. Someone put the Dark Mark in the sky, remember? And that caused all those drunkards to scatter."
"But… why?" she asked, shaking her head. "Why would they do that, if Voldemort isn't back and the rest of the Death Eaters are too scared to come together in support of him?"
"I don't know," Harry admitted. "But it sounds like Sirius is determined to find out."
Ellie knew she should focus on getting ready for her date with Cedric—both physically and mentally—but she had to talk to Fred first.
"Wow," Fred said when he finished reading the letter. They were up in his room, away from the prying eyes and ears of the other Gryffindors. As of now, it was empty. "He sounds pretty upset."
"He's overreacting. Nobody's coming after me. Only…" She bit her lip.
"What?" asked Fred, sitting up a bit straighter. They were on his bed, which brought its own degree of nervousness to Ellie's already confusing stirring of emotions.
"Well… it's just this… Imperius Curse business. The way Moody was able to manipulate that spider…"
His face clouded over with realization at that. "You're worried someone will do that to you."
"Well, obviously they're not going to get much use out of me any other way. But Harry pointed out that—"
"Harry needs to shut his mouth." His tone was surprisingly dark. "No one's going to Imperius you, El. I'll make sure of it."
His protectiveness made her feel safer, as it always did, but she still knew, deep down, that it wasn't a promise he could be sure of keeping.
"What about the Aleks part?" he asked. "Are you going to talk to Dumbledore about him?"
She still didn't want to, but given how much she had upset Sirius already, she wasn't sure she had a choice. She loved her father too much to keep disobeying him. "I guess I could mention it. Not sure what it'll matter, though. It's like Dad said—he's just… a bored Dark Arts student who developed a fixation with me."
But Fred didn't look convinced. "He also said there could be something more nefarious afoot. I don't like these rumours he's hearing, or the concerns he's having. And with these new schools coming in…"
She sighed. "I know." She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry.
"Hey," he said, coming closer to her and wrapping an arm. "It's going to be okay. You're not alone, remember? You've got me, George, Harry—and you've got Sirius and Dumbledore, too. Whatever happens, we'll get through it."
She wanted to believe him. It wasn't just Aleks that was getting to her; it was knowing that something else was brewing—something… worse.
She and Harry had already had to fight Voldemort twice. How many more times would it take?
"Do you think I could just… lie down for a bit?" she asked him, suddenly realizing how tired she was. "Just for a bit."
"Of course."
She lay down on his bed at that, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself of all the fear and confusion she was feeling. She felt a gentle, calming hand of his on her back, rubbing it ever so slightly, but it wasn't enough. She needed him to hold her.
"Fred?" she asked softly.
She didn't have to say it. In an instant, she felt his weight shift as he lay down beside her and took her in his arms. And with that, she fell asleep—really fell asleep—for the first time in days.
"Hate to break up the spoon-fest, but I reckon the rest of the roomies will be arriving any minute."
Ellie blinked, trying to place herself. The comforting arms around her could only be Fred's, but where was she?
As she slowly rose to a seated position, it came back to her—the conversation she'd had with Fred and the way they'd fallen asleep together. She glanced up at George, feeling a pang of panic. "What time is it?"
"Little after nine. What's the matter—miss a hot date?"
He had clearly only been joking, but when he saw her expression, he laughed out loud. "You actually did! Wow, Fred—good on you, mate."
She glanced at Fred for the first time at that. His expression was a strange blend of guilty and pleased. "I didn't know you had a date. I would've woken you."
She felt bad for standing up Cedric, but that wasn't the only thing she felt bad about. What was she doing to Fred? What was she doing to herself? Sure, George had suggested that she "give them both a chance" and "let her heart decide," but if she wasn't careful, she was going to end up breaking all three hearts.
"It's… fine," she said, rubbing her face and trying to fight the continued misery that threatened to overtake her. "My own fault."
"I'm sure he'll forgive you," said Fred with a bit of a resentful tone. "Likes you too much not to."
Ellie had a feeling he was right about that.
She just wasn't sure she wanted him to.
Come on, Ellie - there's a clear choice here! Can't she just make it already? Only time will tell... but thankfully, not too much time! Stay tuned and review!
