Chapter 39
"Okay guys! Hogsmeade weekend coming up!" announced Nehal to her friends. The four girls were sitting by a tree that overlooked the lake.
"Says who?" asked Jackie.
"Says moi! We just had a prefect meeting and decided that it's time we have one."
Jackie pouted. "I don't want to go. It won't be the same without Draco."
"I want to go!" said Danielle raising her hand like she did in class. "I need to get a new dress for the graduation ball."
Heather said, "Yeah I want to go too!"
Jackie, Nehal and Danielle were surprised about Heather's answer. For the last couple of days Heather had been so depressed, quiet and whenever someone mentioned blood she would run away.
"You wanna go?" asked Danielle.
"For real?" added Nehal.
Heather smiled. "Yeah I need to get out more." The truth was Timmy really wanted to go to Hogsmeade and she wanted to make sure he wouldn't get wasted again.
"That's great!" exclaimed Danielle. "Then we can find you a date in Hogsmeade for the graduation ball!"
"We need dates?" asked Jackie puzzled.
"Yes of course!"
"But-but our parents…are going to be their! I don't want to dance with someone while my parents are watching me besides…who would want to go with me?"
Nehal smirked at Jackie. "Gary Giggles. He's been checking you out lately now that Malfoy's out of the picture."
"Ooh that's exciting!" laughed Danielle
"Yeah…exciting." Jackie said sarcastically.
That weekend the girls left to Hogsmeade. On the way their Heather secretly drifted away from her friends.
Heather went into Dervish and Banges to look for Oliver because they were supposed to meet here. It was where none of the Hogwarts students went and Heather wanted to keep Oliver a secret because she felt guilty for using him to feel wanted since Vlad was gone. There wasn't a way out. Timmy had insisted that she try to see other people.
"Hi!" said Heather spotting Oliver and sitting next to him.
"Hey!" replied Oliver.
"What do you want to do?"
Oliver stared at Heather for a moment looking her up and down and said, "Pineapples!"
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"Hey Giggles!" shouted Nehal spotting him in the distance walking around Hogsmeade by himself.
"Oh no." muttered Jackie.
Gary turned and around and walked over to the three girls. "Hi! Wanna see my gadgets!" That seemed to be Gary's pick-up line.
Jackie glanced at Nehal and Danielle who slowly were backing away. "Um…"
"She would love too!" answered Danielle. "Come on Nehal let's go get us some styling dresses for the graduation ball." She linked arms with Nehal and they walked off.
Jackie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Um…hey Gary." She smiled at him.
Gary smiled back. "Do you want to go to the three broomsticks with me…just as friends?"
"Yeah sure. I'd like that." replied Jackie happily. Jackie felt a pang of guilt in her stomach but she ignored it.
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"Listen to this!" said Oliver and put magic headphones on Heather's ears.
On the headphones, some guy said something really fast that sounded like, "Hairy cheeseburger!"
Heather frowned. "Who's this?"
"The man! They're my favorite band!" said Oliver proudly.
"I've heard. You know who I like?" Heather paused. "I don't know."
"Okay…" started Oliver.
"Let's do something else."
"There's a Sluts of Trusts concert on!" said Oliver.
"Ugh…Oliver, maybe I should just go…"
Oliver looked surprised. "Alright…" He didn't know what to say to a grieving person. Darren was good at that.
Heather walked out of the store and found Timmy standing in front of the door. "Whoa!"
Timmy looked at Heather sternly.
"Oh, alright. I'll try!" sighed Heather.
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Danielle spotted Diego. "Be right back!" She said to Nehal who nodded in return. Danielle jogged over to her boyfriend. "Diego! Hey, I have to write a killer graduation speech since I've been elected by McGonagall to be Val Victorian…but I have no idea where to start."
"Well why don't you ask Nehal? Isn't she good with that stuff?" asked Diego.
Danielle gave him a strange look, wondering why he was acting so sour. "Because McGonagall suggested for me to read some quotes by an important world figure- and then she mentioned this Charles Dicko guy who I…thought was that 4th year Gryffindor boy who always smells his fingers…"
Diego laughed.
"So obviously this is your area of expertise and not mine." Danielle looked at Diego pleadingly. "Can you help me?"
Diego looked at her and smiled. "How about tonight?"
Danielle smiled. "You're the best Diego. Thank you." She then ran back to Nehal who was patiently waiting for her.
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"So how are things?" asked Gary as he and Jackie sat down together at a table in the corner of the three broomsticks. He took a sip of his butter-beer his eyes never leaving Jackie's.
"Fine…" said Jackie.
"If you can afford one of these everyday, you can afford guaranteed life plus!" said Alfred Wilson.
Jackie jumped out of her seat. "Omg! Alfred Wilson! Remember me?"
"Yes of course." replied Alfred Wilson.
Jackie glared at him. "I know you're a death eater. And I think it's really unfair how you didn't go to Azkaban with the remaining death eaters. Where were you at the battle?"
Alfred Wilson shifted uncomfortably. "Well…I told you uh…I was on going on a business trip."
"Business trip? I've heard that excuse before." scoffed Jackie.
"Even though the dark lord is dead…I still remain loyal to him. No matter what!"
Jackie couldn't believe she was hearing this. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
Alfred Wilson recovered quickly. "Tell me, did you know the students that died? Were you friends with them? Did you talk to all of them?"
Jackie looked away sadly.
"Tell me again who should be the one who is ashamed." With that Alfred Wilson walked away.
Jackie sat back in her seat. "Gary?"
"Yeah?"
Jackie hesitated. "How come you came to Hogwarts this year?"
Gary laughed lightly. "I got kicked out of the spy academy, which believe or not was my old school."
"I believe you. But what did you do to get kicked out?" asked Jackie.
"I can't tell you that. It's more of a spy thing." explained Gary.
"Ooh, I gotcha."
"Can you believe we're graduating tomorrow? We're never going to return to this place ever again."
"Yeah it's so sad…"
"Hey!" said Gary. "You want to go to the science center? It's not that far from here. Last Hogsmeade trip I tagged along with Hermione and Ron."
"Um…"
"It's free admission Fridays!"
Jackie laughed. "Okay."
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"D-d-do ya love it!" screamed the lead singer. Everyone was jumping and screaming. They stopped playing because they were done their set.
Heather tried to fake having fun by blending in with the crowd's actions.
"Come on, let's go backstage!" said Oliver.
"Can we?" asked Heather.
"Yeah sure, I know them." Oliver led Heather to the backstage area where they were playing loud music and eating salami.
Heather couldn't help dragging her feet and looking depressed.
"Hey Andrew!" said Oliver to the drummer. "This is my friend, Heather."
"Hello!" said a drunken guy and did the splits. "OW!"
"Anyways…" said Oliver and they sat on the couch and he started playing guitar. He was quite good at it.
Heather leaned back and tried not to think of Vlad. Everyday she longed for him, but also to drink his blood. She felt like a smoker who had just gone cold turkey. She was so addicted to that blood…
Oliver finally stopped playing and turned to look at Heather. "Look, it was really good of you to come out with me. But I can tell you don't want to be here, so I don't mind if you leave. You don't have to go jumping into things again."
Heather smiled lightly. "Thanks for understanding. But my cat won't let me leave until our dates over."
"Your cat?" asked Oliver amused.
"Yeah."
Oliver gave Heather a weird look.
Meanwhile Gary and Jackie got tickets for the science center and now were walking around the heart exhibit. (The last time I went to the science center I remember there was a heart exhibit thing there…I don't know if there still is one but oh well)
"Oh alright-I'll tell you something about the Spy Academy. It's like boot camp. I learned to make a weapon out of an empty juice box!" said Gary. "And I fought evil people!"
"Draco's not evil!" yelled Jackie.
"Uh…I didn't say he was."
Jackie stared at Gary for a minute. "I knew that."
Gary trying to make Jackie feel better showed her to his favorite exhibits showing her how much fun science could be. Jackie laughed at all his dorky science jokes even though some of them weren't funny. It was true, that she was having a good time but she did miss Draco. Draco was the guy that filled the void in her heart.
"Do you watch Star Treck?" asked Gary. He of course was a huge fan even though he was pureblood. At the Spy Academy he and some of his buddies would lure in TV's from the Southern United States. Gary had connections with Riley.
"No." said Jackie.
"Do you watch the Space Channel?"
"Not really no. One time I was channel surfing and I stopped and watched it for a bit, but then I didn't understand what I was watching so I changed It." explained Jackie remembering her couch potato days. (I still have them! LOL)
"Oh well, you should watch it more often! And may I recommend James Bond movies! He's my hero!" Gary smiled at her.
Jackie smiled back. "I play James Bond video games! There so much fun because one time by accident I committed suicide in the game by throwing a grenade on the ground and walking over it." (Yeah Golden eye!)
Gary said sarcastically, "That's smart."
"Totally." agreed Jackie.
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Nehal and Danielle were dress shopping in a fancy store in Hogsmeade.
"They have such a good selection." observed Nehal as she looked around at all the pretty, romantic, glamorous dresses.
"Except for this one." said Danielle staring at a baby pink frilly dress. "I'm sure Hermione would like this. Think of all the taffeta that had to die to make this thing."
Nehal smacked Danielle in the face with part of the dress.
"Eww!"
Nehal laughed.
Danielle said, "I know! Ooh look at this strapless black one. I like it a lot!"
"Yeah it's nice, but this one is even better." Nehal held out a fancy sparkly dress.
Danielle's eyes widened in excitement. "Omg Nehal! That dress is so you!"
"Really?" Nehal held the dress up to her and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "You think?"
"Yeah! It compliments your thin figure." added Danielle.
"Yeah it does." Nehal smiled. "Thanks Danie. I think I'm going to try this little number on."
Danielle smiled. "I'm just doing my civic duties."
"Well you should do them more often." suggested Nehal.
"Ha!" scoffed Danielle. "Fat chance."
Nehal laughed and went to one of the available fitting rooms to try on her sparkly dress.
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After Nehal and Danielle had finished their dress shopping Danielle and Diego were in the Gryffindor common room working on Danielle's Val-Victorian speech.
Diego watched Danielle brainstorm ideas for the speech. "Why did McGonagall pick you?"
Danielle looked up at him. "Honestly, I have no idea. I thought she would pick Nehal because she's head girl."
"Guess she didn't then…so I found a quote you could use." Diego handed her a book.
Danielle read the quote out loud, "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe." She looked up at Diego. "Who said it?"
"Anatole France." answered Diego. "I think it could work for you."
"You think people will like this?" asked Danielle biting her lip.
"I do." replied Diego sincerely. "Well it's getting pretty late."
Danielle looked shocked. "Is it that late already? I totally lost track of time."
Diego got up and started to walk to the boys' dorms. He spun around and looked at Danielle. "Everything you need to say…is already in your heart."
Danielle smiled at Diego. She knew she really liked Diego but she wasn't sure if she could fully give her heart to him. She didn't think she could fall in love ever again.
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Nehal and Jamie were hanging out in their common room for what might be the last night. Jamie had his arm around Nehal and her head was laying on his shoulder.
"What are you thinking?" asked Nehal.
"Just about a few things." replied Jamie.
Nehal moved her head away from his shoulder. "Like what?"
Jamie shrugged his shoulders. "How were leaving Hogwarts behind. I can't believe those seven years…they went by so fast."
Nehal sighed. "I wish I got to know you sooner. I wish I didn't ignore you either."
"Well you were dating Dean right?" asked Jamie.
Nehal made a disgusted face. "Yuck! Dean! I wonder what I saw in that jackass. I can't believe he cheated on me."
Jamie ran his fingers through her hair. "What's going to happen to us Nehal?"
There was a moment of silence.
Nehal looked into Jamie's eyes. "I don't know."
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It was 3:00 am and Danielle was still in the Gryffindor common room. She was supposed to be working on her speech but she kept on thinking about Ian and Diego. Her thoughts stretched out forward and backward.
"Danielle?" said a voice.
Danielle looked up and saw Hermione in a white bathrobe. "Yes?"
Hermione sniffed. "I need to tell you something."
"Okay." Danielle didn't see this coming.
Hermione sat across from Danielle. "I'm sorry about the way we've been behaving towards each other. We're mature adults now Danielle and we should not be acting this uncivilized with each other. You just need to accept the fact that I'm hotter then you."
Danielle's mouth hung open. "Mione…is this your way of apologizing? Because I can't really tell…"
"Maybe that's the point." Hermione stood up. "Well I'm going to try and get some sleep now. I don't want to be asleep on the train. Goodnight!"
"Goodnight!" Danielle replied utterly confused.
A/N: Hey peeps! Hope you all liked this chapter. Just to give you a heads up the next chapter will be the last…it's so sad. But the story has to end sometime right? Read and Review! Thanks!
