Chapter 29: Dates
Before anyone knew it, it was time for the NEWTS. Poor Colin had trouble eating due to anxiety and stress, Adam and Polaris had Megan coax him into it. That worked.
"He is beyond love." Ariel whispered.
"Is there such a thing?" Megan whispered back.
"I don't know, but Girl, you HAVE to kiss him soon." Ariel said.
"It might snap him out of it." Vega suggested.
"Or make it worse." Megan said. "That's it." She said throwing her napkin on the table and leaving.
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KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in." a voice said.
"Dad. It's Megan. Can I talk to you?"
"Sure." James said opening the door. "What can I do for you?"
"Is Harry ever going to come back to teaching?" Megan asked.
"I'm not sure. He has enough money to retire early" James told her. "Why?"
"Just curious. But that's not the reason. I'm worried about Colin."
"Haven't you figured it out YET?" James asked.
"About him and me? Yes. I just don't know what to do. I know what I WANT, but the NEWTS are tomorrow. Ariel said that kissing might help, but I'm scared it will make things worse. And he's barely eating. I've…you're not going to be pleased with this,… but I've listened to Adam and Polaris talk while I was under the cloak. Colin wants to ask me out, but he's too scared. I've wanted to ask HIM out, but every time I think to do it, someone stops me because they think that he should ask me. I don't want him to do badly on the exams because of me."
"Megan." James started. "This is the 21st century. Girls can ask boys out. Your mother asked me out our 7th year. When I told Sirius and Remus, Sirius spit Pumpkin Juice all over Remus."
Megan laughed.
"What I'm saying is, if someone tries to stop you, say, "It's the 21st century. I can do what I cough well please." Then, turn to Colin, say the words, yes, you will have the possibility of him daydreaming. But it won't be as bad as if you kissed him suddenly. When your mother and I kissed our first date, she spent the whole next day daydreaming. Luckily, it was the Holidays."
"What about his eating habits?" Megan asked. "Used to, he had the second biggest appetite, but now…he has the smallest."
"It won't change until the stress is over. Some people indulge themselves in food when their stressed. But some, like Colin, can't find the appetite. Once the NEWTS are over, and you two start officially dating, then, in time, his appetite will return."
"Do you think so?" Megan asked.
James nodded.
"Thanks Dad." Megan said. "I was starting to worry if I'd have to go to Mum or Aunt Melissa."
"Well, if things get too serious, then I would advise that you do get them involved. But not until Colin passes out. And that does not include if he passes out when either you agree to go with him, or if you ask."
"Right." Megan said as she left the room.
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"How do you conjure a Patronus?" Polaris quizzed Colin
"Colin? Are you alright?" Adam asked.
"Nervous." He answered. "I don't know what to do. I want to ask her, but I'm scared of rejection. And to conjure a Patronus, you…think of your happiest memory and say "Expecto Patronum.""
"Who isn't?" Polaris asked. "And you got the question right."
"Colin, just get it over with." Adam said.
Then, as if to prove a point, "HEY VEG!"
"Yes Adam?" Vega said to him after he interrupted her conversation with Ariel.
"Next Hogsmeade weekend, do you want to go with me?"
"We go together ever time." She pointed out.
"I mean just you and me. Without the others."
"On a date?" she asked as a grin started to spread across her face.
"Yes. Basically."
She looked at Ariel excitedly.
"Of course I do." Vega said to him.
"Great. It's a date then." Adam said.
Vega went running to tell Megan, who had yet to return, and Hermione.
"See." Polaris said. "Easy."
"I don't see you asking." Adam teased.
"Ariel!" Polaris called.
"Yes Polaris?" she said.
"While Adam and Vega are on their date, do you want to do something? Just the two of us?"
"Sure." She said as she went to go tell the others.
"How do you DO it?" Colin asked.
"Just don't think." Polaris said.
"Excuse me." Colin said leaving the Great Hall.
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"Come in." a female voice said.
"Professor?" Colin said.
"Ah. Mr. Lupin. Are you ready for your exams?"
"I'm not sure Professor. The material is easy for me, it's just, I can't stop thinking about Megan. I'm scared I'll get the answers wrong on the exam and fail. And then, she wouldn't like me anymore because I'm a failure, and…"
"Calm down Mr. Lupin." Professor McGonagall said. "Why don't you just ask Miss. Potter to the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend."
"Because I'm scared of rejection Ma'am." He said truthfully.
"As was your father." She told him. "But not one of his friends rejected him."
"Still." Colin said as he sat down in the chair.
"If I might make a suggestion." A familiar voice said.
McGonagall and Colin turned to see the portrait of Albus Dumbledore talking to them.
"Why doesn't Mr. Lupin have a conversation with his father. After all, Remus is a good friend of James." Albus said.
"As usual, excellent idea Albus" McGonagall said heading towards the fireplace and calling Remus.
"But I don't want to bother Dad." Colin argued.
"He's on break." Dumbledore said. "I just came from the Ministry."
"Professor?" Remus' voice was heard. "What's the matter?"
"Your son needs to have a word with you." McGonagall said as she motioned for Colin to go to the fireplace.
"What did you do now?" Remus sighed.
Colin relayed the story to his father.
"And I don't know what to do." He finished.
"Colin," Remus said. "You're overreacting. Give Megan a chance. She might say "Yes"."
"And if she doesn't?" Colin asked.
"Since when did your mother and I raise a pessimist?" Remus asked. "Stop thinking that the glass is half empty. If she says "No", then you two can still be friends."
"It would be an awkward friendship." Colin said.
"Maybe so, but you never know. And James just fire-called me a few minutes before you, and mentioned that you haven't really been eating."
"Stress and nerves." Colin explained.
"No excuses young man." Remus said sternly. "I want you to have a healthy lunch and dinner today, and a healthy breakfast tomorrow. You need your strength for the NEWTS. If necessary, go down to the kitchens."
"Yes sir." Colin said to his father.
"I'm only telling you this because I love you." Remus said to his son. "And, I know you can ace these tests Colin. You'll do fine, and you'll be all right with Megan."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes." Remus said.
Suddenly,
"Sara! What are you doing bringing that in my office?"
"Some idiot decided to approach a hippogriff before bowing. That idiot's wife decided to bring it in." Sara voice came. "Don't worry. He bowed to me."
"Hey Moony!" Sirius voice said excitedly "It's Buckbeak!"
"Won't Hagrid be happy?" Remus said sarcastically before turning back to his son "As you can probably hear, things are getting chaotic."
"Yes. I'll let you go."
"I love you Colin."
"I love you too Dad."
After Remus hung up to deal with the reunion between Sirius and Buckbeak,
"So that's what happened to Buckbeak." Colin said under his breath.
KNOCK KNOCK
"Come in." McGonagall said.
"Hello Professor." A female voice said as the door closed.
Colin looked up from the fireplace and slowly turned around.
There was Megan.
"Can I help you Miss. Potter?" McGonagall asked.
"Not really. I was informed that Colin was here and I wanted to speak with him." (By informed, she meant the Map)
"Of course." McGonagall said as she started to leave.
"We'll leave." Megan told the headmistress.
Colin looked up to Dumbledore who smiled at him.
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"Megan, WHERE are we going?"
"You'll see." She said as she dragged him.
About 45 minutes later, going the same route the girls took last chapter, Colin found himself in the location of the Mirror of Erised.
"What's with the mirror?" Colin asked as he read the inscription.
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
He shook his head at the inscription and looked into the mirror. His eyes widened when he saw himself.
He was valedictorian of Hogwarts. And a Ministry worker. Next to him stood Megan.
He looked at the real Megan, but she wasn't standing in front of the mirror was the other Megan was. On each of their left hands, they both wore a gold banded ring.
"What is this?" He asked quietly.
"The Mirror of Erised." She explained as she pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket and showed it to him. It was from the night she first looked into the mirror.
Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.
I show not your face but your hearts desire
He read this and slightly paled.
"I'm more desperate than I thought." He said to himself.
"Why do you say that?" Megan asked.
"No reason." He said quickly.
"Colin. I have something to ask you."
"So do I." he said.
"You first."
"No you."
"I insist."
"Ladies first."
"How about we do it at the same time?"
"Alright. Hopefully we'll be able to understand each other."
"On the count of three."
"Ok."
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three."
"DoyouwanttogotoHogsemadeonadatewithme?" they both asked.
When the sentences matched perfectly, the two looked at each other and started laughing.
"Sure." Both said before laughing again.
"Dad was right." Colin said. "I was overreacting."
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The NEWTs came and went. Colin felt like he did well. Now that he knew he had Megan's heart, he was able to concentrate. The others felt the same way with their respected other.
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On their way to Hogsmeade, Adam and Polaris were shooting Colin "I-told-you-so" looks.
When they got to Hogsmeade,
"Ok. Let's split up." Adam said.
"Right." The others said.
Colin and Megan went straight to walk around, Adam and Vega went to the Shrieking Shack, and Ariel and Polaris went to Honeydukes.
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With Ariel and Polaris,
"Two Butterbeers please." Polaris ordered the drinks.
"Thank goodness the NEWTs are over." Ariel sighed.
"Yeah." Polaris agreed. "How do you think you did?"
"Very well." She answered. "You?"
"Same. I just hope I can get a job with Bill as a curse breaker." Polaris said.
"Of course you will." Ariel said. "You have connections."
"What are you going to do after graduation?"
"I'm hoping I can get a job at St. Mungos." Ariel said. "I have connections there with Aunt Lily."
"And Colin's mum." Polaris added as Rosemerta brought their drinks.
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Meanwhile,
Adam and Vega had made it to the Shrieking Shack.
"So, now what?" Adam asked.
"I guess we talk." Vega said.
"So, any plans for the future?" Adam asked trying to get a conversation going
"Hopefully Pro-Quidditch. According to Ron, one of the chasers and a beater are getting ready to retire."
"You'll get it." Adam said. "You've made the most goals."
"Thanks. How about you?"
"Well, I've been thinking of joining a Quidditch team as well. Good to know that our positions are open." Adam admitted.
"That sounds like fun. We can work together." Vega said.
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In another part of Hogsmeade,
"I can't believe they were giving us that look." Megan said.
"Tell me about it." Colin agreed. "They can be annoying at times. Even when they're right."
"Yeah." Megan sighed.
"When we asked each other out," Colin started, "You seemed to have already known about the mirror. How?"
"Harry's first memory he showed after he left." She explained. "Remember when we saw the memory where he had to get past Fluffy and those other obstacles?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I took the girls the same route. There was no dog, snare, troll, keys, or fire. There was a giant chess set, but we didn't have to play. The only thing still the same was the location of the mirror."
"Odd."
"It was almost like…Dumbledore was expecting us to go find it."
"I wouldn't be surprised." Colin said. "Oh. And I know what happened to Buckbeak."
"What?"
"He was set free." Colin informed her. "Then some idiot tried to pet him or something without bowing."
"Oh no."
"Then his wife," Colin continued. "Brought it into the Ministry. Dad and I were talking when he was brought in."
"Well, look who's here." A familiar voice said from behind the two students.
"Where are the others?" another voice asked.
Colin and Megan turned to see Harry and Ginny just out shopping.
"Hi Harry." The two students said.
"The others are on dates." Colin answered Ginny's question.
Harry arched his eyebrows.
"So are we." Megan said reading her brother's expression.
"It's about time." Harry sighed.
"Harry?" Colin asked. "Are you ever going back to teaching?"
Harry and Ginny looked at each other.
"I might come back. It depends on how Neville's doing. Why?"
"Just wondering." Colin said
"So, what are your plans after school?" Harry asked.
"I want to go work at the Ministry." Colin admitted. "They need more competent people besides Dad, Uncle Sirius, Uncle John, Aunt Sara, and Minister Bones."
Harry nodded in agreement.
"How about you Megan?" Ginny asked.
"I might go into journalism. The Daily Prophet needs better writers. Who knows? I might even write my own book one day."
Ginny laughed. "I can see it know. The Secret Life of Harry Potter"
"Don't even." Harry warned them.
"C'mon Harry." Megan said to her brother. "Don't you want the world to know the truth. And what better way to learn than by the words of his younger sister?"
TBC
"I am so nervous." A 20 year old Megan said. "What if they say we're too young?"
"Julia." Colin said. "We're 20. Your parents were 20 when Harry was born"