Chapter 11

Christine and Hermione trudged back up to the Gryffindor common room behind Twopenny with an ominous feeling growing in their hearts. Harry and Ron followed at a respectful distance as Christine was still quite skeptical when it came to her relationship with a certain Gryffindor Seeker. Not that she wasn't thrilled to be staying, but she was rather disappointed to see how easily Harry could lose his faith in things.

"Professor, do the other teachers know what's happening with the Death Eaters?" Hermione inquired quietly as they reached the Fat Lady.

"Yes they do. But I must ask you not to tell anyone about what Dumbledore just told you," the professor responded. The students assured him that they would not say anything and vanished through the portrait hole.

The common room was somewhat empty, except for a few third years who were playing Exploding Snaps at one of the tables. Hermione and Ron routinely walked over and sat next to the fire waiting for Harry and Christine to join them. As Christine moved to sit, Harry asked if he could talk to her for a second. She nodded and followed him back over to the shadowed corner where she had told him her news.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Ron asked as his eyes followed the pair to the corner.

"Whatever it is, it's most likely to end up in a huge fight, or a long overdue apology," Hermione answered as she turned back to the fire, snuggled up to Ron and grabbed a book.

The pair in the corner were silent for a moment. Christine was uncomfortable in this situation, which she thought probably wasn't a good sign since she was with Harry. He still didn't speak, but sat and stared at his hands.

"Harry, just tell me what it is you want to tell me. I can't stand this silence," Christine expressed as he immediately stopped his squirming.

"Um, I wanted to apologize for the way I acted the other day. There's no excuse for that and it only caused more unhappiness for you and myself," he said after a moment's thought. "I know I can't take any of it back, but I was hoping that maybe you would be willing to forgive me." Christine looked at him with a softer, gentler gaze and listened to what he was saying.

"It's just like I told you on Monday. The people I love are always taken from me. I guess this time it felt worse because it was a different type of love. I promise I'm going to change so that nothing like this happens again."

"I'm not trying to change you Harry. I'm trying to keep you from changing," she got up and gently put her hands on his face. "Don't change Harry. I love you for who you are now, and if you're trying to change that then I'm loving something that doesn't exist. Does that make sense?" Harry's eyes snapped to meet hers, but instead of a soft glimmer, they were filled with a sense of defeat.

"I see. Well, I guess I can't damage this relationship anymore," he whispered and walked up to his dormitory.

Christine was again on the verge of tears when Hermione came over to see if she could help.

"You know that sick feeling you get after you lose something wonderful?" she asked Hermione. Her friend nodded her head in a slow, somber manner. "That's the feeling I have right now."

"What do you mean?" Hermione questioned, tying to hold back the mist forming in her eyes.

"I think I just lost him Hermione. After I told him that I didn't want him to change, that I just wanted him to be himself, he walked away. It's funny isn't it?"

"What is?" Hermione asked in confusion as a daring tear escaped her eye.

"You tell the one you love to be themselves and they leave," Christine finished with small, disbelieving smile and tears streaming down her cheeks silently.

After yet another sleepless night, Christine woke early and headed down to breakfast alone. When she reached the common room, a wave of unhappiness washed over her as she saw that Harry was not waiting for her. She took a deep breath and continued on to the Great Hall.

The smell of bacon and eggs, ham and hash browns, and freshly squeezed orange and pumpkin juice filled her senses. She paused at the door and just looked around. Students sat at every table eating and laughing with their friends. The low rumble of conversations and the scraping of forks on plates sounded like welcoming bells to Christine. She walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Ginny Weasley and her friends. Every now and then Ginny and her friends asked her different questions trying to get her interested in the conversation, but every attempt failed. Christine would go back to eating silently or picking at her food.

"Hey, why didn't you wait for us?" Hermione questioned as she entered hand in hand with Ron and Harry slowly bringing up the rear.

"I didn't want to wake you. I got up kind of early," she explained. Harry ever so subtly moved down to sit with Neville and Dean. Christine looked back down at her food and just pushed it around the plate.

Wings and feathers flew everywhere as the mail arrived minutes later.

"I'm going to go back to the common room," Christine stated.

"Are you sure? You don't look so great," Ron said with a mouthful of food.

"Yeah I'm sure. I kind of feel weird."

"Hold on Christine. There's a letter here for you," Hermione pointed out. Christine took the letter from Hermione and looked at it for a second. She read it through and couldn't make any sense out of it.

"That's weird," she said a little more loudly than she had meant to.

"What is?" Ron asked without looking up from his plate.

"It's from my mum and dad. They say that they are coming to get me today from the castle instead of the station. Dumbledore told me that I wasn't leaving though."

"I can't think of why he would tell you that you were staying if it wasn't true," Hermione professed. "I would assume that he would've told you they were coming to the castle and not the station," she looked the letter over for a second and made confused faces at it. "I think you should go and see him."

"I think I will. Right now," Christine agreed.

She walked up to the teachers' table and politely asked to speak with Professor Dumbledore.

"Excuse me Professor, but I just got a letter from my parents saying that I'm supposed to go home with them today," she explained. "I thought you said that it was unsafe for anyone to leave."

"You are correct Miss Davet. It is very unsafe to leave the castle at any time within the next week. I wonder, could you please meet me in my office? I must speak with Professor Flitwick for a moment, then I will be in."

"Of course Professor."

Shortly after Christine arrived, Professor Dumbledore entered and asked to see the letter. He examined if for a moment before turning his attention back to his guest.

"This troubles me indeed, Miss Davet," he started. "You see this puts the validity of the previous letter into perspective. If this is a fraudulent letter, as I assume it to be, then the people that have contacted you are dangerous. The first letter may not have been from your family at all, but Death Eaters."

"But why would Death Eaters want me? It doesn't make any sense," she reasoned.

"It does when you think of how you are connected to Mr. Potter. I believe you two have had a relationship together for the last couple of months. By taking you away from him and keeping you as a hostage they could have an advantage over him," Dumbledore explained.

"Ironic. That's why Harry wanted me to go to Australia with my family, so they couldn't do just that," she thought to herself.

"I think we need to contact your parents and find out if your father really has been transferred or not. Are they connected to the Floo network?"

"No, sir. They don't have any type of magical communications in their house at all. But my brother and sister do," she replied a little more hopefully.

"Then we shall contact them. I don't think an owl fluttering around a U.S. military officer's home is a very good idea. Tell me, is your sister still in France?" he asked. When Christine nodded her head, Dumbledore scribbled on a small piece of parchment, conjured his Patronus, and sent the note to Careen in France.

"I'm afraid all we can do now is wait until your sister responds. But try not to leave the castle walls today. Obviously Herbology is going to be a must, but don't find yourself walking alone back to the castle," Dumbledore warned with a cocked eyebrow. Christine nodded in understanding and was excused from the room.

Lessons that Friday were unbelievably long and tedious. So it wasn't hard to understand that Christine was finding it even harder to concentrate that day. Her mind wandered from her school work after five minutes of class, and she began to wonder who she knew that could have tried to take her from Hogwarts.

"Miss Davet, you are wanted in the Headmaster's office, immediately," Professor Snape announced over the dull buzz of the classroom. Her classmates looked at her with knowing glances. She gave Hermione and Ron a hug expecting this to be the last time she would see them for a long time. Harry, who was sitting with Ron near the back of the room, only sat there. Christine gave him a hug, he didn't return, and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll miss you Harry," she whispered to him and she disappeared through the door.

The walk through the corridors was quite different when classes were in session compared to when classes were getting out. Obviously, Christine expected it to be quiet, but this was a bit nerve wracking. There was no sign that any cheeriness or laughter was ever heard through those corridors. It was just quiet.

"Hello Christine," a deep voice said from up ahead.

"Eric, what are you doing here?" she asked apprehensively.

"Your parents have asked me to escort you through to King's Cross Station," he stated as he moved closer and closer to her. He seemed to be on edge and very nervous.

"It was you. You're the one who knew about me and Harry. You're a Death Eater aren't you?" she shouted realization dawning on her. Eric remained silent and his eyes narrowed as they fell on her, "Why would you do that Eric?" she shouted.

"Because the Dark Lord asked me to. Now you are coming with me." He grabbed her by the arm while she pulled out her wand. He smirked at the wand tip and didn't even flinch when she began to mutter an incantation. He slapped her across the face which resulted in her wand flying from her hand.

"Next time you put a wand to my head, you better finish the job," he told her as he picked her up and slammed her against the stone. Her head was whipped back and came crashing against the stone again.

"Petrificus Totalus!" someone yelled from down the corridor. Eric's body became rigid and his grip loosened around her arms. She could hear the footsteps running, coming closer and closer to her.

"Christine, can you hear me?" the voice sounded again. As she fought to stay conscious she made out bright green eyes and jet black hair.

"Harry, wha–," Christine's vision went black and her body went limp.