A/N: Hey! So so so so incredibly sorry that I took so long! It's been written for ages, but I haven't had the internet to post it! Argh! Thanks for coming back! Hope that u all enjoy this chapter! And, in reply, yes, Voldermort is gone, and no, he will not be coming back. There is no dark leader, or whatever you wish to call them, there are only a lot of Death Eaters wandering around with nothing to do…I don't think it will give away much of the plot to say that they are sort of competing to see who they could rally around next…
Hermione felt sick. She didn't know why she was putting herself through this torture. Question after question she had asked about Katie, and she had reeled off lye after lye about Carrie Brown, who, according to her, was a curse breaker, who liked to travel, and was currently living in Australia.
"Where abouts?" asked Ron, interested. Hermione weighed up her chances. Chances are he would never come and visit Carrie anyway…
"Outskirts of Brisbane." She gave promptly, not sure where Carrie finished and she started anymore.
"Sounds great." Ron said kindly. Hermione gulped, and asked yet another meaningless question, wanting to get to the reason why Ron was attracted to the woman, and how they had met. Were they thinking of getting married? Did they have any children?
She knew that she was taking it too far. They cant have been seeing each other for too long, Harry and Ginny would have said something if they had been too serious, unless they were scared of hurting her feelings. Hermione scowled herself. Her feelings deserved to be hurt. Ron had a daughter that he didn't know about.
Hermione couldn't take it any longer. She was barely paying any attention to the details on how Katie had become a healer anyway. Hermione felt the tears she had been chocking back come rushing up to the front of her eyes, and she closed them quick, trying to stopper any drop that might escape. It didn't work. Covering her face, she ran for the bathroom, a quick sob escaping her before she disappeared.
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Jessie stared around the room. Greg was talking to Slughorn. Turned out that the only reason he had agreed to come in the first place was that he wanted to suck up to the teachers. He wished to join the ministry when he left Hogwarts…
"Having fun?" asked a sly voice from behind her. Jessie jumped, and turned quickly. Zeke Malfoy was standing there, leaning against the wall with an elegant ease about him.
"So, Slughorn invite you, or are you a tag along?" Zeke asked, coming to stand next to her, not meeting her eye, but holding his head aloof, studying the crowd in front of him instead of acknowledging the conversation that he was engaged in.
"Invite. You?" she replied warily, wondering why the Malfoy boy was suddenly talking to her. She thought that she was a mudblood. Surely he wouldn't be permitted to speak with 'mudbloods'.
"I'm just a tag along. My father didn't get on with Slughorn, from what I can gather. I'm here with Samantha Darwin. She's in my house, a bit of a ditz." He said, still not turning her way. Jessie remained confused. Why was he bothering to make conversation?
She caught sight of Jade across the crowd. She was dancing with Brian, but her eyes weren't focused. She was watching something that was happening on the other side of the dance floor. Jessie followed her gaze, right over to where Dan was talking to Suzie Thomas. Right, where Daniel was laughing with Suzie Thomas. Where Daniel was resting his hand on Suzie Thomas' arm as they conversed. Suddenly. Jade's attitude over the past week made a lot more sense, and Jessie marvelled at the fact that she hadn't noticed it before.
Jade tried hard to keep her mind on her date. She really did. She had liked Brian for a while now, and when they were younger she had always wanted to be paired with him for games. Nothing like yucky little Daniel Lupin, who had boy's germs. No, Brian was the quiet, cute one, with the Irish accent.
Then why was it that she couldn't stop staring across the dance floor and…into space?
Daniel knew that something wasn't right. Suzie was great. She was talking, she was laughing, and she didn't even flinch like he expected her to when he touched her arm. But she wasn't all there. He needed to know what was going on.
"Want to dance?" he asked her. The first year grinned, and he took her hand, and led her onto the dance floor.
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Hermione ran into the garden and regained herself. She pressed the balls of her palms into her eyes, and groaned. She shouldn't have lost it like that. She shouldn't have given into the desire to learn about Katie either. It wasn't as though Ron wasn't allowed to date anyone else. Far from it, she had left him eleven years ago now, and he didn't even know about his daughter. It was all her fault, and she shouldn't be getting upset about it. And Katie seemed like a perfectly nice woman. She might even, eventually; become a stepdaughter to her child.
Hermione suddenly felt stupid, and furious with herself. She was letting her thoughts run away wildly, and she knew that, but there was something inside of her that still wanted to know more. She felt that this woman was a rival, and she didn't even know why, or have a reason to.
After all, she hadn't come to this party with the hope of getting back with Ron, had she? She had just come to have a good time with her old friends. Maybe she would have talked to him. She never thought that she seriously wanted to ask for him back though. She knew, deep down, that he wouldn't take her. He had more pride than that.
There were soft footsteps behind her. Hermione turned, slowly, and saw Ginny standing there. She looked a little scared of Hermione.
"Hey." Hermione said softly, not turning around fully yet, keeping her head to the ground. Ginny relaxed, and drew closer.
"Hermione, why are you here?" she asked. Hermione shrugged, and tried not to let a sob escape her. It worked. She gathered herself together, put on a smile, and turned around.
"Right. I'm fine now. Lets go back in, shall we?" she said brightly, ignoring the question, and before Ginny could argue with her, Hermione had grabbed her hand and headed back inside.
They approached the group again.
"Oh yes, you were talking about healers see?" Lavender was saying to Ron and Katie, in a loud sort of stage whisper. The couple had there back to Hermione and Ginny, who were fast approaching, but Lavender knew that they were there. "She gets upset, our aunt was a healer, and she was killed…"
"Oh!" said Ron, understanding. "I'm sorry. We'll be more careful…"
"Oh not your fault Ron, not your fault at all- Carrie! You feeling alright sweetie?"
Hermione nodded, and swept a blonde curl out from her eye, smiling sheepishly at them.
"Yes, sorry about that." She said quietly. "Go on Katie. You were saying…"
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"I need to step out for a moment, and get some fresh air, is that alright Dan?" asked Suzie, quietly in his ear, when they were dancing. Daniel nodded.
"Sure! I'll come with you…"
"No, I'm fine. You should stay here." Suzie said, and left for the door. Daniel knew that something was wrong. Her eyes kept darting over to where Jade and Brian were dancing all night. Did she like Brian?
At the same time, he noticed Jade and Brian break apart, and go their separate ways. Jade went over to Jessie, who, it seemed, needed rescuing from what was sure to be a tiresome conversation with Zeke Malfoy, and Brian disappeared off into the crowd. Lupin knew that something was wrong. Was something going on between Brian and Suzie?
Curiosity, as well as the nosy sense of freedom that came from growing up as a metamorphmagi, Daniel headed after them, out the door, and around the corner.
There was silence in the corridors. Most people were already in bed. Brian was nowhere to be seen. The door to the ladies room swung shut, with a loud bang.
Daniel turned his head, quickly, almost jarring his neck in the process.
Rubbing it gingerly with his hand, he turned, and pondered on the situation…
No one would know…it was a serious pride issue, but the fact remained that no one would ever find out. And he had to know…
Transforming in a small pop, Daniel stood, completely transformed. He reached out a manicured hand, and touched the doorknob to the girl's bathroom. Taking a deep breath, he tuned it.
That was when he heard it. A small sob, coming from behind him. Daniel closed his eyes. For a moment he seriously considered continuing through the door. Then there was another one.
Reluctantly, Daniel turned, and the sight that he found shocked him to the core.
Jade Potter sat, on the edge of the staircase, sobbing softly into her hands. Her wavy red locks were hanging in a veil over her features, and She looked utterly woebegone.
"Are you alright?" Daniel asked Jade, quickly forgetting that he didn't look like himself. He couldn't transform back now. How would he explain to Jade why he was disguised as a girl? He slid down onto the stair next to her, and smiled, small and nervously.
Jade gave him a swift, searching glance, and Daniel coughed, clearing his throat and making his voice appear higher. He had no pride after this, no pride at all.
"Are you ok?" he asked again, and sat down next to her on the stone steps. Jade nodded, sniffling loudly. Daniel longed to put his arm around her shoulder in a friendly fashion and tell her that everything would be all right. But that was not the behaviour expected of a stranger at a party, and so he restrained himself, thinking all the while what a horrible friend he was to sit there and watch her cry. Stupid pride.
"Are you sure? Was it someone inside? Did they hurt you?" he asked, his voice hardening at the last thought. He couldn't bear to think of anyone hurting her…
"No, it's fine, I'm being stupid. Stupid, first year love life, that's all. Nothing to worry about, trust me, I'm just being silly." She said, giving Dan a small smile. Dan, for a moment appeared to be clubbed over the head. His mouth dropped open. He and the girls never broached on the topic of girlfriends and boyfriends. They were only in first form, and that was much too young to be falling in love. Though, everyone who knew Jade's family had shared the story of her mother falling in love with her father when she was just ten years old. It was slightly over repeated, but a sweet story none the less. If it was being told for sentimental reasons, then the telling of the story stopped there. If it were being told as a funny story around the dinner table, then the punch line was added; the fact that Harry had not taken any notice of her until they were in their sixth year at Hogwarts.
"W-w-w-ho? Is he in Gryffindor?" Daniel asked, wanting to narrow down the suspects. Jade eyed him suspiciously.
"Yes…why? Who are you anyway? You're not in Gryffindor are you? I've never seen you before!"
"Er, no! I'm a Ravenclaw, but I knew that you were a Gryffindor, that's all." Daniel said, hastily. Jade smiled again, relaxed a little, though her eyes were still horribly red and blotchy.
"Yeah, they're in Gryffindor. It's nothing, really. I don't even know why I'm upset; I know that nothing is ever going to happen it's out of the picture! It's just that it sort of hurt, seeing him there with another girl tonight, you know?"
Daniel was confused. It sounded like she knew this guy well. Who could that be? As far as he knew, the girls didn't have many male friends. He was one of the only ones that they talked too. Maybe it was someone that she could never have because he didn't like her, not because they were friends. That would make far more sense…
"We're just much too good a friends, you know?" Jade said, more to herself than to anyone else.
"Who? What's his name? Sounds like a right prat!" said Daniel still adopting his high-pitched voice. Jade shook her head, quickly.
"No! No, he's really not! He has no idea! I always give him a really bad time, you see? There's no way that he could no I fancied him. I don't think that I would want him to know, either. And anyway, I'm eleven, right? It's not as though we would be together forever. And what about when we broke up? I couldn't do that, what Dan and I have is too important to me…"
Jade didn't seem to realise what she had said, or the effect that it had on the girl sitting opposite her.
Daniel's strangely high voice froze in his mouth. He looked at Jade in a way that he never had before. She was beautiful. It all made sense. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't ruin what they had. She and Jessie were his only friends here.
"Well, I don't know about that. A married couple I know? She was in love with him since she was ten years old…"
He said, his voice catching on the walls of his throat. Jade looked surprised.
"Really? Who?"
"Uh, don't worry. Er, my parents. Yer. Don't give up on the bloke just yet Jade. I might take a while, but you never know, maybe he…"
Daniel trailed off. It would be admitting it to himself, even if it wasn't admitting it to Jade…
"…Maybe he likes you too."
Now, I would like your help with something. Do you prefer it when we hear about the kids, or the parents? Pls review and let me know! (BuckNC, I know that u prefer the parents, don't worry!) Thanks for that guys! It would really help a lot!
Luv Ella xXx