Harry Potter and Dumbledore's Secret

by chadsgirl824

YEAR SEVEN Harry's 7th year at Hogwart's, and the hardest he's yet to face. New enemies and tough challenges await him, as well as the discovery of incredible new powers. Written PRIOR to OoTP

24. Chapter 24

"'Ere 'e is, Professor Dumbledore, sir," Hagrid was saying loudly as he entered the hospital wing with the headmaster. "I brought 'im straight 'ere when it happen'd."

"Thank you Hagrid," Dumbledore nodded as they reached Harry's bedside. Hagrid took a step back, and motioned for Ron and Hermione to do the same, so the headmaster could speak with Harry.

"Well Mr. Potter," Dumbledore began with a wry grin. "You're looking considerably better than I'd expected after my walk down here with Hagrid."

"I feel alright," Harry said quietly. "They told me what happened…only I don't know why it did."

"You have no recollection of anything?" Dumbledore asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Well I do, sort of…" Harry replied quickly. "I was listening to the crystal…that much I know."

"And what was it saying?" A voice from across the room spoke softly. Harry and the others looked up to see Cole and Gazten coming towards them quickly.

"It…it was just saying…" Harry stammered, not really caring to mention Mel in front of Ron and Hermione, "it was talking about things on my mind, really. Sort of laying things out, all the thoughts that were jumbled together…"

"The focus crystal will do that, yes," Cole nodded. "But you must've let it get too far."

"What?" Harry asked. "How? I didn't even know anything was wrong until…until I couldn't move… It's not like I haven't talked with them before."

"You couldn't move, ey?" Cole repeated faintly. "That is bad."

"He didn't have any eyes for a minute their either," Ron spoke quietly, looking somberly at Cole.

Cole nodded casually at Ron's statement, seeming to think nothing of it.

"Yes that makes sense," he said quickly. "He was using the focus crystal, after all."

"That makes sense?" Hermione repeated faintly, her eyes widening in shock.

"Well of course, my dear," Cole answered with a grin. "Each crystal has it's own identity, and a color to symbolize it. The focus crystal has no color, however, to symbolize the clarity with which it will enable to you to pull your thoughts together, and keep your mind on track for what you're concentrating on. When a Psion is drawing on the power of one of his stones, his eyes will take on the same color, or in the focus crystal's case, the lack thereof. Harry's eyes weren't gone, they were merely clear."

Harry saw his friends looked slightly relieved upon hearing this, but still a bit shaken over what they'd seen. He turned his attention back to Cole though, and asked his question again.

"How is it that I let the focus crystal get too far?"

"Remember what happened in your room that day, when all the crystals tried to take you?"

Harry nodded, preferring very much not to think of that day.

"The focus crystal apparently attempted to do it on its own."

"But I thought you said…" Harry began.

"It can't. That's correct," Cole finished for him. "But it's part of your mind, Harry. As such, it holds sway over some of your thoughts, and when you open yourself up to it so freely, as you must've done, it has the capability to take partial control over you. You couldn't move because it wanted you to listen to what it had to say…and I'm sure sooner or later it would have had you back in your dorm, calling on the other crystals, and you would have done it."

"But if it can't take control," Harry said, "then wouldn't I have been able to resist it easier?"

"You let it in willingly and then suddenly tried to push it away. In a sense, you could say the crystal panicked. You were caught in the process of it trying to force you to move ahead, to hear what it wanted you to hear…and most likely more than that. But at the same time you were fighting it, the effect of the struggle being, you couldn't move."

"Oh," Harry murmured, feeling almost dizzy from this new information. "How do I stop it from happening again?" he asked.

"Well," Cole began hesitantly. "Maybe it'd be a good idea to switch crystals now…we can always come back to this one when…"

"Is that really a good idea?" Gazten spoke up suddenly, after having stood by silently for most of the discussion. She was looking questioningly at Cole, but Harry thought there was something else in her eyes, more of a demanding look.

Cole looked pointedly at his niece, his own eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'm not sure I want to chance this happening again…" he began.

"But how else will he learn?" Gazten shot back, her voice sounding strained. It seemed as if she were trying to be insistent, but at the same time not anger her uncle.

Cole glowered at her momentarily, before turning quickly back to Harry, speaking in a serious tone.

"I'd rather not let you keep this stone and let it get this far again, but on the same note, Allison is right. There is little time left for you to learn…and most likely you will not come close to knowing all of it before it is required of you to use it."

"How will I know if it's trying to do it again?" Harry asked cautiously, feeling the tenseness in the air.

"You must judge when to cut the crystal off," Cole explained quickly. "Use your instincts. Listen carefully to the advice it gives, but never let yourself become immersed in what it is telling you. Always make sure you are still aware of your surroundings. Always."

Harry nodded faintly, not sure how to reply. He was glad that he'd only have this crystal another day and a half; surely Cole wouldn't make him keep it past this weekend, not after this. Harry looked around and realized Madam Pomfrey had returned, and was now speaking quietly with Dumbledore, who was nodding slightly as she spoke. When they'd finished their brief discussion, the headmaster turned to Harry once more.

"If you feel you are well enough, you may go back to your tower with your friends. But if you feel you need anything please tell us immediately, I don't want to put off any treatment or care you might need."

"Actually, I really do feel alright. It's as if nothing even happened," Harry replied honestly.

"Very good then," Dumbledore said with a faint grin. Harry moved to the side of the bed he was on, and lowered himself to the floor quickly. He apologized to Hagrid for scaring him, but the larger man smiled widely and told him not to worry about it.

"Jes' glad yer alrigh'" he said, and pulling him into a tight embrace. Harry held his breath until Hagrid released him from the painful hug and smiled reassuringly.

He, Ron and Hermione said good-bye to Dumbledore, Cole and Gazten, before quietly exiting the hospital wing, and heading back towards the tower.

The rest of the day went by quickly enough. Harry, Ron and Hermione explained what happened to Ginny, as by now most of the school knew something was going on, and that it once again concerned Harry. Neville had been made aware of what happened as Cole had spoken to both he and Malfoy, so they didn't need to re-tell it again for him. Sirius stopped by after dinner, having just been told by Dumbledore what had happened. He stayed for well over an hour, wanting to make sure Harry was alright and expressing his dislike for the idea that Harry hold onto that particular crystal any longer.

Soon enough, however, it was the end of the night, and the students slowly drifted off to their beds, all of them glad to have only one day left of classes that week.

The next day moved by quickly enough, and the focus crystal was back to its minor suggestions here and there, with Harry listening to each one cautiously. He did not under any circumstances want a repeat of what happened the day before. He had been upset over finding out the truth from Cole as to what had happened, and even more upset when he realized he'd missed his chance to speak with Mel.

For the first time in Harry's life, the time for potions could not come fast enough. It was the last time he would definitely see Mel before the weekend and he had to speak with her. So when he was at last making his way down to the dungeon area, Ron and Hermione on either side of him, he felt a twinge of excitement and nervousness.

They arrived at the classroom a few minutes before the bell, and Harry was very surprised to see Mel was not there yet. Her common room was much closer to this class than his, and usually she'd make it there well before he ever did. He glanced at the door ever few minutes, hoping that the next person to walk in would be her, but with each passing minute, he began to lose hope. And when the class had finally begun and there was still no sign of Mel, Harry resigned himself to paying attention to the lesson, as the crystal was so adamantly demanding he do.

The class he had so been looking forward to now dragged on for what felt like hours, and Harry felt it couldn't end fast enough. When at last it had ended, he grabbed his books quickly and made a beeline for the door.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Hermione called as she and Ron trotted up behind him.

"Did either of you see Mel today?" Harry asked quickly. They both shook their heads in response and Harry continued. "She wasn't in class. I hope she's alright."

"Strange, don't you think?" Ron spoke up casually. "She's not here the day after your first real problem with your training."

"Ron, she had nothing to do with that…Cole explained what…"

"I'm just saying it's strange," Ron cut him off curtly. "I never said she had anything to do with it."

Harry shook his head, refusing to get into another argument about Mel, and the three of them continued on in silence towards their tower. After dropping off their books and meeting Ginny, they headed back downstairs for dinner, and Harry looked immediately towards the Slytherin table, scanning it carefully.

"She's not here," he said disappointedly as he sat down beside Ginny.

"I know, she wasn't at lunch either," Ginny replied with a shrug.

"She wasn't?" Harry asked, surprised at the news. "I never even looked…"

"Well trust me, I did," Ginny said. "And she wasn't there. I've not seen her all day, actually."

"I hope nothing's happened," Harry said, feeling worried. He had suddenly lost his appetite and couldn't keep from glancing across the room every few seconds, despite the fact he was now positive Mel wasn't coming.

"Oh give it a rest Harry," Ron said at last. "She's not there. Just wait until tomorrow, you'll probably run into her somewhere."

Harry nodded faintly, but couldn't shake the uneasy feeling inside him.

"Maybe she's sick," Hermione suggested lightly. "You could ask Madam Pomfrey if she's been to see her."

"Yeah," Harry said, looking up sharply at Hermione's words. "That's it…she must've been sick…" he stood up immediately and moved away from the table.

"Wha…wait!" Hermione stammered, looking up at him. "You're going now?"

"Well I'm not hungry, so why not?" Harry replied with a shrug, already walking towards the doors. He didn't glance back again and exited the great hall, heading as quickly as he could move towards the hospital wing.

Harry pushed through the all-too-familiar double doors that led into the hospital wing and headed immediately for Madam Pomfrey's office. He glanced at the few occupied beds as he passed, but didn't see Mel in any of them. When he reached the entrance for the office, he found it vacant and turned away quickly, scanning the nearby area.

"Dammit," he muttered to himself, heading glumly back towards the doors. "She could be anywhere." He was almost tempted to check the rest of the hospital wing, but knew that Madam Pomfrey would not be pleased if he were to interrupt something, or go somewhere he shouldn't, so with one last glance towards the office, he pushed the doors open, and walked slowly back out into the halls.

Glancing once in the direction of the corridor that would lead him to the dungeons, Harry shook the idea from his head quickly. He didn't have a password to get into the Slytherin dorms, and even if he did, he doubted the students there would be very hospitable towards him looking around for Mel.

Making his way steadily back towards the great hall, he was debating whether or not he even wanted to go back inside again, when someone he recognized walked out with a few other people.

"Sara!" Harry called out suddenly, as she started up the hall with a group of Ravenclaws. She turned upon hearing her name and smiled warmly at Harry as he came up to meet her.

"Hello Harry," she said pleasantly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Harry replied with a small grin. He glanced towards the other Ravenclaws that were listening to their conversation, before turning back to Sara. "Can I talk with you for a moment?" he asked, hopefully. "I promise it won't take long…"

"Okay," she nodded, an intrigued expression on her face. "I'll catch up with you in a bit," she called to her friends, giving them a small wave and turning back to Harry. He waited until the other students had started on their way and glanced warily at the great hall doors. He didn't want anyone else walking out and interrupting them.

"How about we walk?" he suggested, starting to do so before waiting for her response.

"Alright," she laughed slightly, moving to keep up with him. "Care to tell me what this is about?"

Harry took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a bit apprehensive about talking to Sara about Mel. He knew they were cousins, but he didn't know how close they were, or if Sara would even be willing to tell him anything he wanted to know. Finally, however, he decided there was only one way to find out.

"I was wondering if you might tell me…what's going on with Mel?"

Sara didn't answer right away, but the visible response was immediate. Harry inwardly groaned as he watched her stiffen noticeably, her expression becoming almost grim.

"What do you mean?" she asked politely.

"Look," Harry began hurriedly, "I don't want to sound like I'm trying to pry…I just want to know that she's alright."

"She's fine," Sara replied noncommittally.

"Well…alright…" Harry said slowly, "Do you know then, why she wasn't in any classes today? Was she sick?"

"You only have one class with her on Friday's, right?" Sara asked suddenly.

"Right," Harry nodded.

"Well then how would you know if she had missed all of them? Maybe it was just that one."

"Er…well, I don't know, actually. But since she missed all the meals and wasn't in class…I sort of assumed…"

"Wow," Sara laughed faintly. "Not keeping track of her or anything, are we?" she asked with a wry smile.

"Sort of," Harry shrugged with a small grin, feeling his face turning red and looking away.

"You asked her about the letters, didn't you?" Sara asked, her voice becoming somber.

"Yes," Harry replied quietly. "I didn't realize it would upset her…"

"I know," Sara nodded faintly.

"Can you tell me what's making her so upset?" Harry asked, earnestly, fully meeting Sara's gaze.

"I wish I could," Sara sighed. "But it's not for me to tell…"

"Well…do you know where she is at least?" Harry asked. "Maybe I could…"

"Harry, you can't pressure her right now…not about this." Sara cut him off abruptly.

"I don't want to," Harry replied quickly. "No, not at all…I…I just want to make sure she's okay."

Sara looked into his eyes for a long while, searching with her own. She sighed lightly and dropped her gaze, before speaking again.

"She wasn't sick today, no. If you want to talk to her, you'll find her, not surprisingly, in the owlery."

A large smile spread across Harry's face and he reached out a hand, placing it softly on Sara's arm.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

She nodded in response and Harry let go, moving anxiously in the direction of the owlery.

It barely took him any time to make it up to the owlery, and when at last he stepped through, Harry looked around quickly, scanning the area for Mel. When he didn't see her in the main clearing, he began to walk down towards where he knew her owl, Elliot, was kept. Moving silently, he made sure to glance down each aisle as he passed, not wanting to miss her if she happened to be in one of them.

When at last he reached the end, he turned down the row immediately. At first he thought the aisle was empty and that Sara might have been mistaken, but before he could turn around to retrace his steps, he heard the sound of someone crying softly, coming from the very end of the row.

Taking a deep breath, Harry began moving forward steadily, and sure enough when he'd gotten to the far end, Mel's small form came into view. She was slumped down against one of the large pillars that were spread out along the edges of the owlery, her back leaning against it and her head in her hands. He could see her shoulders shaking ever so slightly, and his heart went out to her.

"Mel?" he whispered gently when he was only a few feet away. She looked up sharply at the sound of his voice and after barely a second's hesitation, ducked her head once more, wiping furiously at her eyes. But in the brief moment she had met his gaze, Harry had seen the tears and the sadness in her own. Moving forward cautiously, not wanting to upset her any further, he knelt down gingerly just in front of her.

"Is everything alright?" he asked, wanting to kick himself the moment the words left his mouth. Of course everything wasn't alright, it was more than obvious at this moment. "I'm sorry," he continued quietly, as she didn't give any indication she'd even heard his question. "If you want to be alone I can just…"

"No," Mel spoke softly then, her voice wavering. "You can stay." She looked up at him with an almost desperate expression on her face. "Please stay," she whispered.

"I will," Harry nodded, wanting to reassure her. "I'll stay as long as you want me to." Mel nodded faintly, drawing her legs up against her chest and resting her head against her knees. Harry looked at her for a moment, feeling helpless to do anything for her, wishing she would tell him what was wrong. However, Sara had been right, he couldn't push Mel, something was bothering her very much and if she wanted to tell him, she would.

They sat in silence for a short while and Harry realized after a few moments that Mel looked a bit cold, in fact, she was shivering. Without a second thought, he shifted his position until he was sitting next to her against the pillar, wrapping his arms around her petite frame and pulling her into him in an effort to keep her warm. Mel didn't try to move away or stiffen as he did so; she welcomed his embrace, and laid her head against his chest when he'd settled down. He could feel her crying, as much as she was trying to hide it, but he didn't say anything. If all she needed right now was to be held, than that's what he would do for her.

The minutes ticked on and Harry stayed by Mel's side the entire time. Glancing down at one point, he happened to notice a small slip of parchment clutched in her right hand, barely showing out from underneath her clenched fist. He had to bite his tongue to stop from asking what it was, feeling it would only make her more upset, when suddenly he heard her voice, small and faint, drifting up to him.

"Harry…there's something I want to tell you…"

"Anything," Harry replied gently. "You can tell me anything."

He loosened his hold on her as he felt her try to sit up. She leant her head back against the hard stone of the pillar behind them, before turning and looking deeply into Harry's eyes.

"I…I want to apologize…for the other night…"

"No, Mel…don't. You don't owe me any apology. I shouldn't have…"

"Please let me say what I have to say," Mel interrupted, her voice wavering slightly. Harry closed his mouth, and nodded silently, letting her continue.

"I know you've seen me sending letters this year," Mel began again, "a lot of them. I guess it was silly of me to think you'd never ask about them, but I just wasn't ready to talk about it when you finally did."

She paused for a moment, seeming unsure of herself, of how she was going to tell him whatever it was she wanted to say, but Harry didn't interrupt her thoughts. He knew the feeling she was going through very well, and didn't want to make it any harder for her.

"I have a brother," she spoke up at last, saying it quickly. "His name is Jack…and…he's sick…" she trailed off, her voice catching in her throat. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes, streaming freely down her face and Harry once again pulled her close to him as she lowered her head.

"It's alright," he cooed. "Everything's alright…"

"No," she sobbed, pressing her face into his shirt. "It's not…he's not just sick…he's dying…" she trailed off once again, sobbing hard against his chest, her hands clinging tightly to his shirt.

"Mel, I'm so sorry," Harry said softly. His head was filling with questions rapidly, but he didn't voice a single one. He would let her explain on her own. When she seemed to calm down once more, she sat up slowly, meeting his gaze again.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, wiping at the dampness on his clothes weakly.

"Don't worry about it," he grinned faintly, trying to sound reassuring. "We all need to do that sometimes."

She gave him the smallest of grins, before looking down at her hands. Taking a deep breath, she started talking again, her voice straining to remain steady.

"Jack is seven years older than me…and he's a squib. My parents love him very much, but his relationship with them is not the same as the one they have with me. We were raised in the same house, and grew up entirely different lives. But even with that being the case…we're still so close…you know? We share everything, tell each other our secrets…I've never had a better friend than my brother."

She paused for a moment, fighting off another wave of grief, before continuing, an almost nostalgic look in her eyes.

"Jack's the one that showed me all about muggle sports, and took me with him over the summers to all the competitions he loved to enter. He thought…" she trailed off with a small laugh, "he thought it was just a tragedy for anyone to have to grow up without all the wonderful things he was experiencing, just because the wizarding world didn't recognize them as any more than muggle recreational activities. Oh he showed me everything Harry…everything."

"He sounds like a really nice guy," Harry said gently, smiling softly at her.

"He is," Mel said sadly, her voice breaking as she spoke. She forced herself to calm down quickly this time, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand and sniffing loudly. "You and he would get along really well, I think," she said with a smile, looking back up to Harry. "You really have a lot in common."

"I bet we'd get along just fine," Harry nodded with a smirk.

"You would…you really would," Mel spoke softly. She stopped speaking then, a far off look in her eyes, and Harry watched her silently, waiting patiently.

"A few years ago…Jack was diagnosed with Leukemia," Mel spoke up, the quiver back in her voice once more. "At first, he responded incredibly well to the treatments…the doctors seemed very optimistic…" she trailed off, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Harry was right there by her side, holding her, comforting her…it broke his heart to see her like this.

When Mel managed to calm herself down again, she held up her right hand and opened it, showing the crumpled piece of paper that lay in her palm. Raising her left hand, she plucked up the paper and spread it open slowly.

"This came in the mail today," Mel whispered. Harry looked at her carefully for a moment, before shifting his gaze to the hastily written letter. He looked to the bottom corner first, noticing it was from Mel's father, before quickly scanning the rest of the letter. When he finished, he turned back to Mel, feeling his heart breaking for her.

"I'm so sorry," he said sincerely.

Mel nodded faintly, barely acknowledging his words, her lower lip trembling slightly.

"Jack's stopped responding to the treatments…" Mel said shakily. Harry looked at her sadly, not sure what to say, when her expression suddenly became dark. "He's just being so stubborn!" she cried abruptly, almost angrily. "The muggle doctors can't help him anymore…and he knows any of the doctors in the wizarding world could do what they can't easily, but he refuses to let it happen…and now he'll be…he'll be…dead" she managed to choke out, "by the end of summer, if that…" Mel was sobbing hard as she finished, and Harry took her in his arms once more.

"Mel," he spoke softly after a few minutes had passed. "I can see how much Jack means to you, and how close you are to each other. I'm so sorry this is happening, because you don't deserve it…not at all. You're one of the most outgoing, friendly…most wonderful people I know. If there's anything I can do for you, please…please, don't hesitate to ask me."

"There's nothing anybody can do," Mel said weakly. "He doesn't want our help…"

"Has he…?" Harry began, stopping himself quickly.

"Has he what?" Mel looked up inquisitively.

"I…well…" Harry began, not sure how to explain himself. He didn't want to upset her with his questions, but now she was waiting for him to ask. "Has Jack said why he doesn't want any help from…well…from our kind?"

"He said he must've been born into a wizard family without the use of magic for a reason," Mel explained flatly, "and he's lived his whole life without it, so he's not going to turn to it now for help."

Harry didn't have a response for this, so he simply nodded, not wanting to interfere in what wasn't really his business.

"You'll be able to spend the summer with him at least, right?" Harry asked, trying to sound optimistic.

"Yeah," Mel sighed, sadly. "One more summer…"

"Mel…" Harry began cautiously. "Your brother isn't dead yet…"

"But he's going to be," Mel said, bitterly, not looking up as she spoke.

"Well…maybe…" he stammered, slightly, trying to find the words. "Maybe you shouldn't grieve for him yet…not while he's still alive."

"I know," Mel whispered. "If he'd just stop being so stubborn…maybe this wouldn't upset me so much…"

"I think it would upset you either way," Harry said softly, before taking a deep breath and continuing evenly. "I don't have any brothers or sisters…but I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. There are no words to describe the pain you feel when it happens, and no matter what anyone says or does, nothing makes that pain go away…but it will fade, eventually. The only thing I can say, is just spend the time you have left together in the best way you can…make the most of it."

Mel made no reply, and Harry once again leant his head against the pillar behind him, while Mel rested on his chest. They sat together in silence for what felt like just a few minutes, but when Harry finally glanced down to check his watch; he saw it was indeed, quite late. They barely had any time left before curfew.

"We should get going," he whispered, stirring Mel, who had fallen soundlessly asleep while laying on him. She looked up groggily, her eyes still puffy and red, before nodding sleepily. Harry helped her to her feet and they began walking back towards the exit.

"I'm sorry," Mel, said thickly, her eyelids drooping as they finally left the owlery and entered the hallway beyond. "You have so many problems as it is…I'm sure you didn't want to hear mine…"

"Don't ever think that," Harry said earnestly. "You can tell me anything you need to…anything you want to…and I'll never consider it a burden to have to listen. I want to listen to you, Mel."

She grinned up at him faintly, before bringing up her left hand to cover a very large yawn.

"Tired…" she murmured, sleepily, her feet shuffling as they moved.

Harry smiled down at Mel, and was once again filled with the realization of just how much he enjoyed her company. He truly hated to see her as upset as she'd been for most of the evening, and wished desperately that there was something he could do for her, but it was out of his hands.

When they came to the hall where Harry would need to turn in order to reach the Gryffindor tower, he gave it a brief glance, and kept going. Mel was falling asleep as she walked and Harry was more responsible for keeping her upright than her legs were at this point. He couldn't just leave her to walk into a wall or some other possible mishap. So they continued on, down to the dungeon area, and Harry walked alongside her, one arm around her back, until they'd reached the portrait for the Slytherin dorm entrance.

"Can you make it inside okay?" he asked gently, watching her eyes focus slowly on his own. He would prefer not to walk into the Slytherin common room, but was willing to do so if she needed him to.

"I'll be fine," she said with a nod. "Thank you again Harry…you didn't have to…

"I wanted to," Harry cut her off, placing one finger over her lips to silence her. Her skin was so soft underneath his own, and he began to lean forward slowly, but shook the thought from his head almost immediately, and kissed her, swiftly, on her forehead.

"Good night Mel," he said firmly, smiling at her once more.

"S-sleep well, Harry," she replied, stifling another yawn and giving him a small hug, before turning towards the portrait for the Slytherin dorms. He waited until she was safely inside, before turning and quickly starting back towards his own tower.

Glancing at his watch, Harry now saw it was just past curfew. Looking around cautiously, he quickened his pace, hoping fervently he didn't run into anyone on the way. However, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind, then he turned the first corner, nearly running straight into someone.

"Late night, Mr. Potter?" the familiar voice asked in a wry tone.

"Yes, sorry Allison…Professor Gazten," Harry said quietly, not sure how to address her in this situation.

"It's Allison," she laughed, casually. "And why in Merlin's name are you all the way down here after curfew?"

"I was with Mel," Harry explained quickly. "And we lost track of the time. When I noticed how late it was, we started back, but she was too tired to make it on her own, so I walked her down here to make sure…" he trailed off, waiting for the inevitable point deduction, and probable detention that would surely be coming.

Allison sighed lightly and crossed her arms over her chest, fixing Harry with a stern look.

"Come on then, Mr. Potter," she said at last, a small grin touching her lips. "I'll take you back to your tower."

Harry nodded slowly, before the realization of what she'd just said sunk in and he looked up at her sharply.

"Really?" he asked, a small twinge of hope creeping up inside him.

"Well I believe your reason for being down here," she explained as they began walking side by side, "and if you hadn't been so nice as to escort Mel back to her dorm you probably would have made it back to your own on time, so I'm not going to hold it against you. Just please make sure to keep a closer watch on the time from now on. The curfew is in place for your protection."

"I know, and I promise I will," Harry said with a wide smile, very glad he'd run into Gazten rather than Filch.

"Good," Allison said with a nod, before continuing in a mischievous tone. "So…what were you two doing that caused you to lose track of time until such a late hour?"

"Nothing as fun as your tone suggests you think it was," Harry snickered.

"I don't think I have any idea what you just said," Allison said in a confused tone, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, well, join the club," Harry shrugged with a lopsided grin, before becoming serious. "So why were you out so late?"

"I was actually on my way back to my office when I ran into you," Allison replied. "I was speaking with Cole, earlier. He'd asked me to come talk with you about tomorrow, so it's good that I ran into you anyway."

"About the crystals?" Harry asked, anxiously. The focus crystal had been silent throughout the entire time he'd spent with Mel, but he could still see the vague haze surrounding him, constantly hovering…and listening.

"Yes," Allison nodded. "He wants you to move on to a new one tomorrow, but this time he wants you to find it on your own. The psychological crystal."

"Okay," Harry replied, curtly. "I remember that one."

"Good, then you should have no trouble. And if you do, make sure to come…"

"Yes I know," Harry interrupted with a laugh. "Believe me, I know. Any problems, straight to you or Cole…whoever I find first."

Allison shook her head and chuckled silently, but didn't make any reply. They reached the portrait of the fat lady soon enough, and said goodnight to one another, before Harry gave the password, and stepped through into the Gryffindor common room.

"What took you so long?" Hermione exclaimed as soon as the portrait hole shut behind Harry and he began to cross the room. "You've been gone for hours!"

"I know," Harry said quietly, reaching the circle of chairs and lowering himself into one of them. He looked at each of his friends in turn, before beginning to speak in a hushed tone.

"Mel wasn't sick today, she wasn't in any of her classes because of a letter she received this morning…"

"Who was it from? The person she's been writing to all this time?" Ron interrupted, anxiously.

"This one was from her father," Harry said when Ron had finished. He paused for a moment; not sure how much he wanted to tell them about what Mel had just shared with him, before shaking his head and continuing softly.

"Mel has a brother, named Jack. She's been writing to him and her parents all year…"

"Right, all this sneaking around just to talk to her family…sure," Ron cut in again, rolling his eyes.

"Ron, she has not been sneaking around," Harry spoke evenly. "You only think of it that way because you suspect she has some horrible ulterior motive or something…well she hasn't got one. She and Jack are very close, he's been sick for a long time and now she's just found out he's only got a few months to live…most likely not more than six."

For a moment, there was only silence in their corner of the common room. Ron, Hermione and Ginny all stared at Harry, a mixture of shock and sadness in their expressions, until Hermione finally cleared her throat gently.

"But…what is he sick from?" she asked softly. "I'm sure there must be something…some cure…or treatment…" she trailed off as Harry shook his head slowly.

"He's a squib, Hermione," he said quietly. "He can't use any magic, and according to Mel, because of this, he also won't accept any help from the wizarding world. He says that he grew up without it, and therefore won't turn to it for help now."

"That's so horrible," Ginny whispered sadly.

"What is it he has, exactly?" Ron asked, the sardonic tone completely gone.

"Leukemia," Harry said, sitting back in his chair.

"Oh no," Hermione said, her shoulders drooping. "Then that's it…the muggles won't be able to help him…"

"Not anymore, no," Harry shook his head. "I just…I just wanted you to know. This is what Mel's been doing all this time. Nothing vindictive, nothing undermining, nothing that warrants any suspicion whatsoever. So please, please don't fight with me about her anymore…"

"We won't," Hermione replied quickly.

"Promise," Ginny added with a faint grin.

Harry nodded at them, before slowly turning to look at Ron and the two met each other's gaze for a long moment.

"Alright," Ron spoke up finally. "I won't fight you on this anymore."

"Thank you," Harry said, sincerely. He stood up then, giving a small stretch and looking towards the door that led to the dorms. "I'm going to bed, sorry but I'm too tired to stay up right now and…"

"Don't worry about it," Hermione cut him off with a smirk. "You look like you need it. Sleep well Harry."

"Good night," Ginny and Ron said in unison.

"See you in the morning, guys," Harry nodded sleepily, then turned and headed for the door. Once upstairs and changed, he slipped quickly between the sheets of his four-poster, and drifted instantly off to sleep.

When Harry woke the next morning, he pulled back the curtains around his bed and reached for his glasses. Checking his watch, he saw there was an hour to go before quidditch practice. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, heading for his closet. When he'd finished changing, he went to the trunk that contained the crystals and knelt beside it. After it was unlocked and opened, Harry put his hand over the courage crystal as he did every morning, looking, this time looking for the psychological crystal.

The very first stone he moved his hand to lit up a pale shade of green and Harry recognized it as the one he was looking for. Calling on the psychological crystal, he watched for a moment as it shattered in front of him, before a soft green haze immediately filled the air.

Closing the trunk quickly, Harry started downstairs. The common room was mostly empty, so he continued on out through the portrait whole, making his way towards the great hall.

When he stepped through the double doors, he spotted Ron and Hermione sitting midway down the Gryffindor table, near a few of the other quidditch players, and quickly walked over to join them.

"Good morning," Hermione said pleasantly, smiling as Harry sat down beside her.

"Morning," Harry replied with a grin, before turning to Ron. "Where's Ginny? She knows we have practice today, right?"

"Yeah, she knows," Ron nodded, lowering his voice before continuing. "She's probably talking to mum again about a new broom…you know how horrible hers is…"

"Oh," Harry replied, looking away. He still felt very badly for what had happened to Ginny when he'd lent her his Firebolt. "Will she be getting a new one?" he asked quickly.

Ron shook his head slowly.

"No…ever since my dad's been out of work…" he trailed off, clearing his throat awkwardly, his ears slowly turning a shade to match his hair. Ron had always hated talking about anything having to do with how much money his family possessed. "Well they just can't get her one right now," he finished quietly, trying to shrug it off.

Harry and Hermione exchanged uncomfortable glances, neither one sure what to say, when they heard someone nearby and looked up to see Ginny a few feet away.

"Hello," she said with a glum sigh as she took the seat beside her older brother.

"Good morning Ginny," Harry said, trying to sound cheerful. She glanced up and gave a small half smile before setting her elbows down on the table and resting her head in her hands.

"C'mon Gin," Ron said looking intently at her. "You're a great chaser, you'll do fine no matter what broom you have!"

"But I can't get any height with mine!" Ginny shot back, throwing her hands up in the air. "Which I'm sure you know…as it used to be yours," she said, sounding suddenly bitter.

"Ginny…don't do this…" Ron began quietly, looking slightly embarrassed as the other members of the team glanced in their direction. "Mum and dad can't just…"

"They got you a new one, right?" Ginny interrupted. "As soon as you became keeper they got you a new one. This is my second year on the team…"

"But last year the season was cancelled…" Ron spoke in a hushed tone, "so they didn't get you one because of that."

"It's still not fair," Ginny muttered, shaking her head.

"What's not fair?"

The four friends glanced up to see Mel standing just beside Harry, and looking curiously over at Ginny, waiting.

"Nothing," Ron answered for his sister quickly, earning him a small glare from Ginny.

"Nothing?" Mel repeated, skeptically. She held Ron's gaze a few seconds more, before shrugging casually. "Alright then." Turning away from the Weasleys, she shifted her gaze to meet with Harry's who stood up slowly.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. She nodded once, a small grin touching her lips.

"Yes, thank you. I'll be fine…"

"You're sure?" he persisted, gently.

"Not much of a choice really, right?" Mel replied with a soft shrug. He could see she was still upset, but she wasn't going to let anyone else see it.

"Here," he said quietly, taking her by the arm. "Here sit down with us."

"I…I don't want…" Mel stammered, seeing the rest of the Gryffindor team giving her suspicious glances. "I don't want to cause any trouble," she whispered so only Harry could hear her.

"You won't, don't worry so much," Harry whispered back, smiling. Mel gave one more wary look up the table, before nodding and lowering herself down beside Harry.

They ate breakfast together, Hermione doing her best to include Mel on any conversation they were having, staying away from any depressing topics, while Ron kept trying to get Ginny to cheer up. Harry wished there were something he could do for her, but he didn't have another broom to let her borrow, nor did he think any student would be allowed out of the school to purchase one. He would gladly have done this for Ginny, in a heartbeat. This was the last year he'd have to pay for school supplies, and he still had plenty of money left in his vault at Gringott's, but even if Ginny would accept his gift, Harry knew Ron would consider it an insult, He'd never say it aloud, but Harry knew it was the truth.

"We have to get going soon," Ron said at last. "What with the limited time we have for quidditch practice as it is, it's probably not a good idea to be late."

"Yeah," Ginny said in a bored tone.

"Oh stop it already," Ron said, lowering his voice and sounding irritated for the first time during the conversation with his sister. "You've played on the Cleansweep before, you can do it again."

"If you love it so much why don't you use it?" Ginny whispered back fiercely. "You don't need a Nimbus 2000 just to sit in front of the goal!"

"You don't have any idea what you'd need to be a keeper," Ron said evenly.

"The same could be said for you when it comes to being a chaser," Ginny shot back.

Ron opened his mouth to make another reply, but Mel's voice cut in first.

"Is something wrong with your broom?" she asked Ginny, curiously.

"No," Ron spoke up quickly. "Her broom is fine."

Ginny shot him another indignant glance, but nodded slowly.

"Yeah, it's fine," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh," Mel replied, not sure what else to say. She looked questioningly to Harry who just shook his head and mouthed the words 'don't ask.'

"So," Mel began again as everyone started to get up, ready to head out to the pitch. "It's a pretty nice day out…do you think maybe…I mean…could I possibly…watch you practice?" she finally managed to ask.

Harry smiled widely at her and opened his mouth to reply, when he heard his name from just behind him and turned to see Dean Thomas standing there.

"Could I talk to you for just a moment?" he asked Harry pleasantly.

"Er…sure," Harry replied. He motioned for Mel to wait just a moment, before stepping a few feet away with Dean, to where a few members of the team were huddled.

"What's up guys?" Harry asked, slowly as he saw the stony faces his teammates were giving him.

They don't trust her.

"You're not letting that girl spy on our practice, right?" Ray asked snidely.

"That girl?" Harry repeated, insulted. "Her name is Mel and she's a friend of mine."

"But she could tell the Slytherin team about our moves!" Dean said in a fierce whisper, glancing over Harry's shoulder to where Mel stood waiting, and looking at the group curiously.

"She wouldn't do that," Harry replied sharply. "You've all had friends watch our practices in the past…"

"From our own house," Ray spoke up again. "And even if another house did see us, it wasn't Slytherin."

Harry shook his head, feeling a twinge of anger begin to flare up inside of him. He had no way to convince them Mel wasn't trying to spy for her house in the two minutes they had left before practice, but he just couldn't turn around and tell her the reason the others didn't want her there.

"Just tell her we don't want anyone watching our practices," Natalie said curtly.

Don't argue…not now.

Harry nodded grudgingly, feeling sick as he turned back to face Mel. The look on her face told him she already knew what was coming.

"Look, don't worry about it," she said quietly as he walked back to where she was waiting. "I shouldn't have asked you in the first place."

"No, it's not your fault at all," Harry said quickly. "They're just…well…"

"My team doesn't always play fair, I know," Mel said with a wry grin. "Just go," she continued with a casual wave of her hand. "I'll see you later."

"I'm really sorry," Harry said quietly.

"Will you get going already?" Mel laughed. "You'll never beat my cousin if you're not gonna practice."

Harry smiled warmly at Mel, who waved her hand again, motioning for him to follow the rest of his team who were already at the door. He said good-bye quickly, before turning and starting towards the exit, joining the rest of his team for the walk down to the pitch.

After several hours of intense practice, Madam Hooch called the Gryffindor team back down to the pitch. Harry sighed inaudibly as he landed, feeling that this was barely enough time for them to practice, but he didn't complain. He was glad there was still a quidditch season at all.

Ginny was still looking upset about her broom, but she was no longer voicing her feelings for all to hear. She went to the lockers, changed with the others and the seven of them started back for the school.

"You know," Harry commented to Ron in a hushed tone as they walked. "I do see Ginny's point…I think I'd gotten quite used to her performance on the Firebolt. The Cleansweep isn't allowing her to do half the maneuvers she was managing before."

"I know," Ron replied quietly. "But there's nothing we can do about it. My mum and dad can't…"

"No, no, no," Harry interrupted quickly. "I didn't mean for it to sound like I wanted you to do something…I was just saying I can see her point."

Ron simply nodded, agreeing. The group of students reached the steps after a few moments, and they filed in, quietly chatting amongst each other.

The rest of the day moved by quickly, and when dinner was over, Harry stood up and headed towards Mel, hoping to speak to her about what had happened earlier. He still felt terrible for how his friends had treated her, and wanted to make sure she knew that.

Mel was closer to the door than Harry, however, and she exited the great hall before he could get to her. When he finally stepped out into the corridor, he turned towards the hallway that led to the dungeon area, hoping to spot her, when he heard his name.

Spinning around, he saw Cole walking towards him.

"In a hurry?" Cole asked with a smirk.

"Well…I was hoping to talk with a friend of mine," Harry said, glancing over his shoulder at the throng of students still filling the hall. Mel was nowhere in sight. "But I guess I missed her," he said with a small shrug, turning to face Cole once more.

"I'm sure you'll have another chance," Cole said with a grin. "But I do want to ask you how it's going with the crystal. Any problems with this one?"

"None at all," Harry replied, shaking his head briefly. "It only spoke twice, just after breakfast, and it's been quiet since then."

"Good to hear," Cole nodded, smiling. "That's all I needed to know, you know where to find me if you need me." He lifted his hand, giving Harry a slight wave, before turning and starting down the corridor for the dungeons. Harry waved after him, his gaze lingering on the hallway on the slim chance Mel might still be nearby, but he couldn't find her anywhere.

After a few moments had passed, Harry finally turned away from the corridor and started quickly towards his tower.

The next morning, a short while after breakfast, Harry and his friends made their way up to the headmaster's office. They wanted to see if there was any word on Dobby, as no one could say they'd seen him in quite some time, and Harry still couldn't find him on the Marauder's Map no matter what time of the day or night he looked.

But once again, Dumbledore informed them he too had not seen nor heard from Dobby. He too was very worried for the scared house-elf, and believed it more than likely he'd left Hogwart's indefinitely.

"I just wish we'd gotten him to tell us what crawls were," Harry said in a frustrated tone as the four friends left the headmaster's office. "And what they have to do with Cho…"

"He'll be back Harry," Hermione said, trying to sound reassuring. "You know he'll show up again sooner or later. Even if it's just to make sure you're alright he'll do it…"

"It's just that he's been gone so long now," Harry spoke quietly, sincerely worried for the small house-elf.

"Well we know something scared him," Ginny said softly.

"But we just didn't know it was this bad," Ron added, shaking his head slowly. "I mean…for Dobby to run away…" he paused, looking deep in thought for a brief moment. "He'd never run away, not when you're involved at least," he continued evenly, looking straight at Harry.

"Well he did," Harry replied quietly. "At least…I truly hope that's why he isn't here."

"No, he's fine," Hermione said sharply, but sounding uncertain. "He's fine, he has to be. House-elves have very unique powers, it'd be almost impossible to…"

"The creatures of Faerun seem to have very unique powers too," Harry interrupted pointedly. "There's no way of knowing if Dobby would be able to defend himself against one of them…or more."

Hermione stared back at Harry, meeting his gaze for a long moment before speaking again.

"Well we have to believe he's alright…until we know otherwise."

Harry nodded, wanting badly to really believe his friend was indeed fine, but having an increasingly hard time doing so. Too much time was passing with no word, and no explanation.

"Let's go see Remus," Ron spoke up suddenly, startling Harry from his thoughts. "Maybe he found something since last week…when you told him about the Inquisitors."

"Yes, lets," Ginny said, somewhat excitedly, looking eagerly to Harry.

"Alright, I think he's in his office," Harry said with a small nod.

The four friends stopped midway down the hall they were in, turning around and retracing their steps, heading for Professor Lupin's office. Harry hoped that he'd found something…anything…and that it would be of some use to them.

When they finally made it back past the headmaster's office and were standing in front of the door to Professor Lupin's, Harry raised his hand and knocked hard against the thick wood.

A moment later, the door swung open and Remus stood there, looking inquisitively out into the hall at the four students. A wide smile spread across his face when he saw who it was, however, and he immediately invited them in.

"Sorry to disturb you," Harry said as the door was shut gently behind them.

"Believe me I don't mind the interruption," Remus grinned, nodding towards the stack of papers on his desk. "I've been working on grading those for hours now." He paused for a moment before beginning to cross the room back towards his desk. "Here, all of you, have a seat. Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, we were wondering if you'd spoken to Professor Dumbledore about the Inquisitors yet," Ginny replied quickly.

Remus nodded softly as he took his seat on the opposite side of the desk.

"I did, yes," he began quietly. "Dumbledore is just as wary of the Inquisitors as the rest of us, and from what he told me during our discussion, if the situation wasn't as serious as it has become, he'd never have allowed them into the school. He trusts Cole, but he'd rather not have the Inquisitors here."

"Well then why doesn't he just ask Cole to make them leave?" Ron asked suddenly, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Like I said," Remus began, "if the situation weren't so serious, he'd do just that. But the truth of the matter is…there have been a great number of attempts by several death eaters to try and enter the school. The Inquisitors have notified us on each occasion, and we were able to handle the situation."

"Except for Lucius," Harry said quietly. "No one knew he was here until Draco and I brought him up to Dumbledore's office."

"I know," Remus nodded. "Which is one of the points I'd made to Albus during our talk…but he won't have them leave because of that one instance. They've not missed anyone since then, and it was only when they'd first arrived, so he's not too concerned about that one time, just very relieved it didn't become a more serious situation, and that you and Draco were able to escape."

"Does he have any idea how Cole was able to persuade the Inquisitors to come?" Hermione asked. "Because from what that small excerpt on them said, I was under the impression they would only stand guard for a domain under the control of Lendare…their deity. But Hogwart's isn't part of that, right?"

"Right," Remus said quickly. "Lendare is not anyone that we've ever known or dealt with…if he does, in fact, exist at all. We don't know much about their culture or ways. Lendare could be a made-up name…or maybe he died long ago…or who knows what else. There are so many possibilities, and no one with clear answers."

"But Dumbledore…he trusts the Inquisitors, right?" Harry asked persistently.

"He trusts the fact that Cole can control them," Remus replied, "and that they will obey him while in the school at least."

"Can we ask Cole about Lendare then?" Hermione asked eagerly. "He must know if…"

"I mentioned that," Remus interrupted gently. "Dumbledore said he'd spoken with Cole on the matter, and that the Inquisitors do not wish for any information on themselves to be given to anyone here, for any reason. It is the only condition for them to help us."

"But Cole does know then, right? He knows the real story behind them, and Lendare?" Hermione persisted.

"I believe so, yes," Remus nodded once.

"I can't believe Dumbledore would allow them here without knowing everything first!" Ron spoke in a shocked tone, shaking his head slowly.

"We don't have any other choice," Harry spoke up suddenly. "The ministry is gone, and if they were still able to be contacted I have my doubts they'd be willing to help us anyway. We have to take whatever help we can get, and hope that's what they're really here for…" He looked up briefly, meeting Remus' gaze, before standing. "Thank you for asking Dumbledore about all of this Remus. We really appreciate it."

"I didn't do it just for you," Remus winked, standing as well. "I want to know as much about our guests as possible."

"We should let you get back to your work," Hermione said, coming up beside Harry.

"Like I said, I needed the break," Remus grinned. "You all take care now."

"We will," Harry replied with a nod.

"Thank you Remus," Ginny added.

"See you kids later," he replied as they went towards the door. They each said good-bye quickly, before stepping back out into the hallway, and heading towards their tower.

The days passed, turning into weeks, and everything truly seemed to be returning to a normal state. Harry went through the crystals one week at a time, and in the month that passed, he'd used the observant, anger, sneak and confidence crystals. Cole and Gazten would check in with him regularly, wanting to make entirely sure that there would be no repeats of the incident involving the focus crystal. They didn't need to worry much, however, as Harry had no problems. The crystals spoke to him when they had something to say, but never more than that.

Much to Harry's dismay, however, Dobby had still not shown himself to anyone. He didn't know where the small house-elf could be hiding, as he never showed on the Marauder's Map, and hoped fervently that no harm had come to him. Whatever these crawls Dobby had mentioned actually were, they didn't seem to be posing much of a threat, as no one could place what they really were, or what they could do.

Harry started spending more and more time with Mel. They would do homework together, or have dinner in some unused classroom. He would tell her things about his past, and she would share stories of her and Jack, and the things he had shown her. He was relieved to see her able to talk about her brother without getting too upset, but felt he'd always be there for her if she needed him…for anything.

No more information was found on the Inquisitors, though after their talk with Remus, Harry and his friends had pretty much given up on looking. If it really was a last resort, and Dumbledore was aware of and shared their concerns and doubts, there was nothing else that could be done for the time being. The Inquisitors did seem to be doing their job quite well, as no intruders were getting in any longer, and they never bothered any of the students. All in all things seemed to be going smoothly.

On the Friday before the quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, Madam Hooch had allowed for an early evening practice session for both teams. Ravenclaw took their turn first, and when they'd finished were sent inside to let Harry and the others know they could head out.

"Well at least they're giving us one more before the game, I really thought last week's session was gonna be it," Ron commented as the seven teammates made their way down to the pitch.

"So did I," Harry nodded with a grin. "One more practice can never hurt, though. Especially seeing how few of them we've had."

They filed into the locker rooms, and Harry went through the maneuvers they'd be going over that night, before they headed out to the pitch, and immediately began the practice.

Harry watched as the chasers worked for a short while on the new techniques he hoped they'd be able to use the next day, but Ginny was still struggling with her broom. The heights that she needed to attain were very much out of her reach on the Cleansweep, which meant she'd be excluded from half the maneuvers they'd been learning. It had been this way ever since they began practicing again, but now that it was the night before the match, the problem was suddenly much bigger.

Harry sighed as he watched Ginny trying to force the broom higher to no avail, shaking his head and hoping it wouldn't cause too many problems the next day, when suddenly he heard his name. Looking around, he spotted Dean looking straight at him, and pointing towards the ground.

"What is she doing here?" he called angrily. Confused, Harry shifted his gaze down to see Mel walking towards the pitch quickly, carrying a broom with her. Glancing around and that everyone had come to a complete halt, Harry quickly directed his broom down, heading towards the edge of the pitch. He landed quickly and walked the few feet to where Mel stood, waiting for him.

"Hey," he said quietly, hearing his teammates landing behind him. "What are you doing here?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound rude. If it were up to him he wouldn't mind her staying at all, but his vote seemed to be outnumbered.

"I know they don't want me here," Mel whispered black, glancing past him to where the others stood, watching. "I don't want to cause any trouble…but…can I talk with Ginny…it'll just take a second, I promise."

"Ginny?" Harry repeated. "Sure…sure I don't mind." He turned around and met Ginny's gaze, motioning for her to come over to him.

"What's this all about?" Ron asked, suddenly. He didn't sound angry, just curious.

"Yeah what does she want?" Ray spoke up, sounding quite suspicious.

"Look this will only take a second," Harry said, trying to sound stern.

"Well we don't have much time," Su spoke up. There was no anger in her tone, but she did sound anxious to continue. Harry knew she was right too, they didn't have much time left and Madam Hooch was standing nearby, looking quite impatient.

Ginny and Mel were speaking quietly for no more than a moment, when Ginny turned away abruptly. For a moment Harry thought she was angry by the suddenness of her movement, but he quickly saw the wide grin on her face as she walked up to him.

"She's letting me use her broom," Ginny grinned widely. "It's a Tinderblast, Harry! They're almost as good as the Nimbus'!"

"That's great!" Harry exclaimed, feeling just as excited as Ginny looked. He felt his apprehension about the match begin to melt away and smiled warmly up at Mel. She nodded once, already starting back towards the school so as not to hold them up any longer, and Harry turned back to his teammates.

He noticed them eyeing the broom in Ginny's hand warily, and he cleared his throat immediately and spoke.

"Alright guys, back to practice!"

No one argued, but Harry could see the apprehension in their eyes. He wasn't going to say anything, however. Ginny seemed to be fine with the idea of using Mel's broom, and that was all that mattered to him. Ron didn't seem all too upset either. The seven brooms lifted into the air quickly, and practice once again resumed.

"We're gonna win tomorrow, I just know it!" Ginny exclaimed excitedly as she was walking back to the common room with Harry and Ron. The rest of practice had gone considerably better than any they'd had so far, and the members of the team didn't fail to notice that it was mostly due to Mel allowing Ginny to use her broom.

A few people had made suspicious comments, thinking there must be a reason behind Mel's actions. She was, after all, a Slytherin, and they would do anything to ensure Gryffindor lost. Harry tried not to pay any attention to the comments, as he didn't feel like getting into an argument the night before their first match, so he remained silent. When it had been time to walk back up to the school, he'd made sure to lag behind slightly, trying to avoid hearing any more of their remarks, and Ron and Ginny had waited for him. Now the three of them were slowly making their way back towards their tower, and Ginny was positively beaming.

"Why do you think Mel lent Ginny the broom though?" Ron asked quietly, looking seriously at Harry.

"Maybe because she realized there were problems with Ginny's own broom when she'd heard you both arguing about it…" Harry shrugged.

"So then she just decided to help us out of the goodness of her heart? What about all the fuss she makes over house points? What will her own housemates say when they find out? I'm sure they'll be none too pleased…"

"I agree," Harry nodded with a smirk. "They won't be pleased at all. And maybe Mel just wanted the match to be fair."

"Right," Ron snorted. "A Slytherin wanting to play fair."

"Maybe she feels bad about getting me in trouble," Ginny spoke up then, looking defiantly at her brother and holding tightly to the borrowed broom, as if afraid he were going to try and make her give it back.

"Well I'm just saying it doesn't seem to make sense," Ron sighed, shaking his head. He reached out, grabbing Harry's arm and slowing their progress so they were a few steps behind Ginny, before continuing in a hushed tone. "I know you and Mel have gotten much closer and I really hope you're right about her Harry, because if something happens while Ginny's on her broom…" he trailed off, coming to a complete halt, his eyes flashing.

"Nothing's going to happen," Harry stated firmly, meeting Ron's gaze evenly. "Mel isn't trying to hurt anyone."

Ron dropped his arm, and the two stared at each other for a brief moment, before he nodded faintly, and they once again started walking. Ginny had stopped a few paces up the hall and was looking inquisitively at the two of them, but when neither offered an explanation, she simply shrugged and began walking with them again.

Back in the common room, they'd told Hermione of what had happened during their practice, and while she was happy for Ginny, she too was slightly concerned.

"As long as you're sure, Harry," Hermione said softly while Ginny was talking animatedly to her brother about how well the broom handled. "Please don't say you think everything's fine out of stubbornness over your feelings for Mel…"

"I don't think everything's fine," Harry replied quietly. "I know that Mel isn't trying to hurt Ginny." He paused for a moment, knowing his friends were only acting like this out of concern. "I promise you, nothing will happen," Harry said softly, with a faint grin.

Hermione nodded, returning the grin half-heartedly. His friends really had come around from how they used to act whenever Mel's name was mentioned, and this was the first time in a while that their reaction was that of suspicion towards her. But Harry knew that after the game tomorrow, they wouldn't worry so much anymore. Ginny would be fine, and everything would be okay.

The next morning Harry was up early. He changed quickly and left the dorm, heading down towards the great hall. As he sat down at the Gryffindor table and a plate of food appeared in front of him, he saw someone take the seat across from him and looked up.

"I knew you'd be awake early," Mel smiled at him warmly, her eyes shining.

"So you got up before the sun just to come down and see me?" Harry asked, unable to stop himself from smiling.

"Maybe…" Mel said teasingly, looking innocently towards the ceiling, before continuing on in a more serious tone. "Did Ginny do alright on my broom? I hope she liked it…"

"Oh she loved it," Harry replied quickly. "Thank you for that, it will really help us out."

"Good," Mel said, looking somewhat relieved. "I was a bit afraid she wouldn't accept it…you know, since it was coming from me and all…or I would have asked sooner."

"No Ginny was thrilled to have anything besides that old Cleansweep," Harry assured her, "trust me. I think at this point she would have accepted help from Malfoy even."

"Wow, that bad, ey?" Mel said, wide-eyed.

"Well okay," Harry laughed. "Maybe not from Malfoy…but she was getting desperate."

"Then I'm glad I could help," Mel said with a grin. "I felt pretty bad for getting her stuck in detention…"

"I thought that might have been your reason," Harry smirked at her.

"And now you know," Mel grinned. "So, you all ready for today then?"

"As ready as we're ever gonna be with the time we have to practice," Harry replied.

"Well you haven't had any more or less time than the other team has," Mel commented lightly.

"Which is the only good thing about it," Harry replied with a grin. "At least we know they aren't any better off than us…" he trailed off, hearing the door to the great hall creak open and seeing Ron and Dean walk in sleepily.

"I better go," Mel said quickly, standing up as soon as she caught sight of the boys. "I'll talk to you later, alright?"

"You don't have to leave…" Harry began.

"No, you don't need this right now," she replied hastily. "You need to be concentrating on the game. I'll see you after," she finished, now stepping backwards away from the table.

"See you then," Harry called as she turned away. He watched her go for a moment, before hearing his friends sit down beside him and shifting his attention to them. The rest of the team arrived shortly after, and they talked briefly, once more going over the strategy they hoped to use that day. Harry was quite grateful that no one seemed to be focusing on Ginny's broom this morning.

Soon enough, however, it was time to get ready for the match, and the seven teammates stood up together. They made their way out of the great hall, and down to the pitch.

The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw teams stood across from each other on the pitch, the stands filled with students who were already cheering loudly for one house or the other.

Madam Hooch stood in the center of the field, and called both team captains forward. Harry shook hands with the short Ravenclaw boy, before stepping back and mounting his broom. The whistle blew, and fifteen brooms flew into the air.

Harry immediately began his search for the snitch. He could hear by the running commentary that both teams were doing quite well, and ten minutes into the game Gryffindor was up by twenty points.

Sara was doing the same thing Harry was, and she wasn't sticking close to him, as most seekers normally did. She was flying just a few feet lower than Harry, scanning the field for any trace of the golden snitch.

Harry looked intently at the area around her, squinting in the bright sunlight to see if she was heading in the right direction, when suddenly he saw her abruptly change direction. Looking towards the area she was now heading, he saw the snitch, very close to the ground, and he was nowhere near it.

Putting on a burst of speed Harry swung the tip of his Moontrimmer down and surged forward. Sara was closing the gap faster however, and he knew there was no chance he was going to make it, but that wouldn't stop him from trying.

Cursing under his breath, he laid his body flat against the hilt of his broom, trying to will it to move faster, but Sara was stretching out her arm now, the snitch was barely a foot from her hand, when suddenly it happened. A bludger which neither one of them had noticed was coming from the opposite direction, swung upwards suddenly, directly underneath Sara, and clipped the elbow of her right arm with a sharp crack.

Her broom veered suddenly to the left as she let out an anguished cry, but quickly brought her hands down to try and steady it. Harry had closed the distance between Sara and himself greatly by this point, and flew up alongside her, ready to help her if necessary.

"Are you alright?" he asked when they'd both come to a stop. He was looking from her to the area around them, searching warily for any more stray bludgers.

"My arm hurts," she muttered, gently lifting her sleeve to her elbow at a very peculiar angle.

"It's broken," Harry replied, somberly. "C'mon, I'll help you back…we'll tell Madam Hooch that…"

"No, we'll keep playing," Sara said determinedly.

"You'll never be able to…"

"You did it once, remember?" Sara cut him off, grinning faintly, but Harry could see the pain in her eyes.

"Yes but that all happened in the space of maybe thirty seconds, I didn't stay out long after…"

"Look, Harry. I don't want to put this match off again. Professor Dumbledore might not be willing to let the season continue and we don't have much time left as it is…"

"But what…"

"Do you two need to call a time-out?" Madam Hooch's voice called out, loud and clear from just a few feet away.

"No," Sara replied quickly before Harry could speak. "No everything's fine."

"Mr. Potter?" Hooch asked, turning her gaze on Harry. He turned his eyes, meeting with Sara's pleading stare, before turning back to Madam Hooch and shaking his head. "No we don't need a time-out," he said hesitantly.

"Then get back out there and start playing!" Hooch called sternly, before flying back off into the thick of the match.

Harry gave Mel one more wary glance as she smiled at him and flew off, before continuing his search for the snitch.

Ravenclaw, it seemed, was making a comeback, and they were ahead at this point by thirty points. Harry glanced at Ginny, noticing the hard concentration etched in her features, before looking away. He was glad to see her handling Mel's broom so well, and also that it didn't seem to be cursed or hexed in anyway.

He began circling the pitch, but was unable to concentrate fully. He felt very guilty going for the snitch when he knew Sara would be no match for him. He wanted to win, but he wanted it to be fair. If it came down to a race for the snitch, he didn't know what he'd do.

Sara was flying above, once again in the opposite direction from Harry, and doing an excellent job of hiding her injury. He could see, however, by the grimace on her face, that she was still in pain. Tearing his gaze away, he once again began looking for the snitch, fighting with himself, his want to win; versus needing to play fair, when suddenly, a flash of golden light caught his eye. He looked up to see the snitch had come to a halt, directly in front of him. He put up his hand, anxiously, letting it hover mere inches from the golden ball. Glancing up at Sara, he saw she hadn't even seen that he's spotted the snitch yet, and was still searching in the opposite direction.

It wouldn't be so bad to take it now…not when she doesn't know it's there. It had stopped in front of him, and if Sara hadn't been hurt in the first place and this had happened he would have gone for it without a second thought. This would be the only way to win fairly.

Making his decision, Harry quickly moved his arm the rest of the way forward, and closed his fingers around the snitch.

Harry heard the cheers from the crowd grow to a deafening volume as the announcement went through the stands. He'd caught the snitch and Gryffindor had officially won the first match of the quidditch season.

The two teams flew back down to the pitch quickly, and Harry immediately headed for Sara who was holding her arm gingerly.

"You need to go to the hospital wing," he said quietly.

"I'm going there, don't worry," Sara replied with a faint nod. "Congratulations on winning," she added with a grin.

"No, you should have won," Harry spoke quickly. "If it hadn't been for that bludger…"

"That's the way the game works, Harry," Sara interrupted, laughing slightly. "Sometimes things seem to be going one way, and then bang you get sideswiped by a bludger and it all changes. That's quidditch. Don't say I was supposed to win…whoever makes it to the snitch wins, end of story."

"Alright then," Harry smiled, holding up his hands defensively. "You win…or I did, rather," he laughed.

"Yes you did," Sara nodded, grinning widely. She looked over her shoulder, about to start back for the school, when someone called her name, causing her to turn around.

"Hey you two!" Mel said cheerfully as she walked up to them.

"Hi Mel," Sara said pleasantly.

"Hey," Harry grinned.

"Great game guys, really I loved it!" Mel exclaimed excitedly. "But what happened there? I saw you both stop and talk to each other…you were there for a while too…"

"Sara got hit with a bludger," Harry said quickly.

"I saw that," Mel nodded, turning to her cousin. "You're alright, aren't you? I assumed you must be seeing as how you didn't stop the game…"

"Well," Sara replied, lowering her eyes. "Actually…"

"Yes?" Mel persisted, refusing to lift her gaze. "C'mon, out with it then."

"I sort of…well…broke my arm…"

"How do you sort of break your arm?" Mel asked wryly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Okay it's broke," Sara said hastily, "the bludger hit it…hard. That was that."

"Did you know about this?" Mel asked, turning towards Harry.

"He wanted to stop the game," Sara replied earnestly before Harry could speak a word. "I wouldn't let him."

Mel glanced back and forth between the two skeptically, before sighing and shaking her head.

"Let's go then," she grinned at her cousin. "I'll walk you to the hospital wing."

"Yes mum," Sara replied teasing, sticking her tongue out at her cousin.

Mel just rolled her eyes before turning once more back to Harry.

"I'm really sorry," he began immediately. "I probably should have just…"

"Hey don't worry about it," Mel cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Knowing Sara, I completely believe her not letting you stop the game. She can be very stubborn at times. But anyway I just wanted to ask you a quick question."

"Anything," Harry replied with a smirk

"I know you're going to be celebrating tonight, and if it's anything like the ones we have I'm sure it'll last all night. But if you're not doing anything tomorrow…maybe we could spend the day together?" she finished, somewhat timidly, but keeping their gazes locked.

"Sure," Harry replied, smiling. "I'd love to."

"Great," Mel replied with a grin. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Congratulations…and have fun tonight," she winked.

"I will," Harry replied happily. He waved as he watched them walk away, before making his way back towards the rest of his team.

When the whole of the Gryffindor students were at last all back in their common room, the celebration began. Everyone was glad to have something to cheer about, and the party went long into the night. Harry made sure to ask Ginny how the Tinderblast had been during the match, assuring that everyone heard the answer. Mel hadn't been trying to set them up to lose, or hurt Ginny in any way, and now no one could argue the matter. Ginny hadn't had a single problem, and in the end, they'd won the game.

Harry decided to head to bed earlier than he normally would at one of these parties, however, wanting to make sure he didn't sleep through too much of the next day. It was after two in the morning when he told his friends he was going to get some sleep, and they looked at him curiously.

"The match took that much out of you, did it?" Ron asked jokingly.

"No, I just don't want to sleep through tomorrow," Harry replied, grinning.

"Why? What's tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"I'm meeting up with Mel," Harry replied.

"Oh…that's nice," Ginny remarked with a grin.

"Have fun," Hermione added.

Harry just shook his head and laughed.

"Well now that I have your approval," he joked, "I'm heading off. Good night."

"Night Harry," Ron said with a small wave.

Harry nodded once more, before turning and making his way up to the dorms. Once he was changed and lying in his bed, he had no trouble drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

The next day, Harry opened his eyes slowly. Sitting up and grabbing his glasses, he checked his watch and was surprised to see it was almost time for lunch. Pushing the covers away, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and went to his closet. He slipped a shirt over his head and pulled on a pair of pants quickly, before heading to his trunk of crystals.

He hadn't used one the day before, after asking Cole if that would be allowed. He didn't want to take the chance of anything disrupting the game, and with only a little hesitation, Cole agreed to his request. Today however, he was to begin using the meticulous crystal. Harry moved his hand over the stones until he found one that glowed pale blue, and called on it. When the soft haze was surrounding him, he closed the trunk, and headed downstairs.

The Gryffindor common room was a mess, and no one seemed to be awake yet. Harry stopped for a moment at the portrait hole, surveying the room curiously. He'd never seen it so messy in the morning, and wondered why the house elves hadn't gotten to it yet. Shrugging off the thought, and hoping everything was alright, he stepped out into the hallway and started towards the great hall.

Upon entering the hall, Harry scanned the room quickly, searching for Mel, but didn't see her. They'd never discussed where or when they would meet, so Harry assumed this would probably end up being the place. Hearing his stomach give a low rumble, he decided to get something to eat while he waited. He made his way over to the Gryffindor table and sat down.

After a few moments had passed, Harry heard footsteps nearing him and looked up to see Mel coming to a stop just beside him. Harry couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, she wore a short, light violet top that looked very pretty next to her long blonde hair, and khaki colored pants. She sat down in the empty space on the bench next to him, but facing the opposite direction, her back to the table.

"Grapefruit?" she offered, holding up the citrus fruit she'd been picking at.

"No, thank you," Harry laughed, holding up a hand. "I don't much care for those anymore."

"Really? Why not?" Mel asked. "I love them."

"I never minded them," Harry said quickly. "Until I had to basically live on them for an entire summer when Dudley was on a diet. Aunt Petunia made all of us go on it with him…"

"Oy Harry, these people sound worse and worse the more you tell me about them," Mel remarked, shaking her head in wonder.

"Well if I think of a more pleasant story about them I'll be sure to tell you," he replied.

Mel simply shook her head and grinned. They sat in silence for a few moments more, eating together. When Harry was finished and Mel had polished off the end of the fruit, they both stood up.

"Where to?" Harry asked as they headed for the exit.

"How about you pick what we do now, and I'll pick what we do tonight," Mel suggested sweetly.

"Okay," Harry replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "Do I want to know what you're up to?"

"I'm up to nothing…nothing at all," Mel grinned.

"And I almost believe you," Harry replied, sardonically, but he didn't ask any more questions. "Alright so if I get to pick what we're doing…how about we play a game of chess? I know I'm gonna lose…but maybe I'll learn something from watching you," he laughed.

"I'm always up for chess," Mel replied, smiling. "Let me just go grab my board."

They walked together down into the dungeon area, and Harry waited outside the Slytherin portrait hole while Mel went inside for the game pieces, before they both started back towards the great hall.

For a few hours, Harry and Mel sat across from one another playing through several games of chess, and as expected, Harry lost each one. Ron, Hermione and Ginny came in at one point, having finally woken up, and watched the progress of one of the games while they ate. Ron was particularly interested in Mel's strategy, and was practically leaning over her shoulder the entire time she played. After a while, Hermione finally managed to pull her boyfriend away, and they left Harry and Mel to enjoy the rest of their day together.

When they were fully tired of playing chess, they walked back to the Slytherin dorms and Mel dropped her stuff off, before they began to walk aimlessly through the halls, talking about anything that came to mind. Soon enough, as it began to grow later, Harry felt the small hunger pangs in his stomach begin to grow.

"So," Mel spoke up suddenly, a small grin on her face, "Whadaya say…ready to eat?"

"You read my mind," Harry laughed.

"No…I heard your tummy," Mel teased, "it's quite loud when you're hungry, you know."

"Is it?" Harry replied, looking down at his stomach. "I hadn't noticed."

"Well I can't understand how you could possibly miss it," Mel said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe you just need your ears cleaned," Harry suggested jokingly. "Obviously you're hearing things that aren't really there…"

"Oh hush you," Mel said, rolling her eyes. "I know what I heard, and now that we're on the subject, I'm pretty hungry too."

"Then to the kitchen it is," Harry stated, smiling.

"Well…actually…I have to make on stop first," Mel said hastily.

"Oh, alright," Harry said. "Where to?"

"Just back down to my dorm…I need to grab something that I left there…"

"Why didn't you get it one of the last two times we've been down there today?" Harry laughed as they started back towards the dungeon area.

"Because it's too heavy to be carrying around with me all through the school," Mel replied simply.

"Too heavy?" Harry repeated. "Well…what is it?"

"I'll tell ya later," Mel replied with a wink.

"Okay," Harry replied with a curious smirk. "Whatever you say…"

They reached the Slytherin portrait hole for the third time that day, and Mel stepped through quickly. She was barely inside a minute, when the portrait swung open again, and she stepped back out into the hall holding a medium sized dark blue case.

"Here," Harry said immediately, holding his arms out. "I'll take it for you…"

"But you can't look," Mel said as he lifted it from her hands. "Promise."

"I promise I won't look," Harry nodded with a smile.

"Good," Mel replied, returning the smile. "Then off we go…to the kitchen."

When they'd reached the portrait that led to the kitchen, Mel held out her hand and tickled the pear. Harry smiled at the gleeful expression on her face as she always seemed to love doing that, and the portrait opened slowly. Harry set the case down just inside, hearing something light slide from one end to the other as he did so, before turning to see the house-elves in front of him.

The two students stepped slowly forward, exchanging puzzled glances. The house elves were hard at work as they normally were, but something was missing. They all looked a bit tired, to say the least, and most of them were sweating lightly.

"Do you think they're sick?" Mel asked warily, in a very hushed tone.

"I don't know," Harry replied quietly. "But I don't think they'd be allowed to make all the food and such if they were…"

"But then what…"

"Hello young master."

Harry looked down and immediately recognized Linri coming towards him, looking slightly pale. "What can Linri do for you, sir?"

"Linri," Harry began gently, kneeling down to be at eye level with the small creature. "Are all of you alright? Is everyone sick?"

"Linri is fine young master. Others are fine too."

"Then why do you all look so…tired?" Harry asked.

Linri looked up at Harry with big brown eyes, blinking curiously.

"Linri is not tired. What can Linri do for you, sir?" she repeated.

Harry eyed her skeptically for a moment, before standing back up beside Mel.

"We were actually coming to see if we could get some food," Harry began hesitantly, "but if you aren't feeling well…"

"Linri is fine," the house-elf said with a weak smile. She quickly called to the others, who all looked just as tired, and soon Harry and Mel had plates full of food to take with them.

"Are you sure everything's alright, Linri?" Harry asked, concerned. "Did something happen today?"

Linri seemed to think for a moment, putting a hand up to her face and stroking her tiny chin, when a slight wave of recognition seemed to pass through her eyes.

"Someone was here today, a visitor…" she began.

"Who was it?" Harry asked, intrigued. "What did they want?"

"Linri does not know," the small house-elf whispered, looking suddenly confused.

"It's alright, don't worry," Harry said gently, trying to calm the poor house-elf down. "Do you remember what the visitor looked like?"

"Linri did not see his face," she replied, "only the visitor's cloak. Visitor wore a black cloak."

"Oh," Harry replied with an inaudible sigh. A black cloak didn't help them much, it could be anyone. "Thank you Linri…I hope you feel better."

"Linri is fine, young master."

"Well then I hope everything's alright," Harry laughed at the house-elf's persistence. He and Mel waved good-bye and went back to the portrait hole. Harry picked up Mel's case once more, and balanced his plate carefully on top of it, before they set off into the halls once more.

Mel directed Harry though the halls as they walked beside each other. His mind was very much on what Linri had just told him, and he was struggling with the idea of going directly to the headmaster. They'd all seemed so afraid. But on the other hand, the house-elves would surely know if the visitor had been an intruder, and would be all too willing to get rid of him if that were the case. The Inquisitors would be aware of his presence as well. Shaking the thoughts from his head, trying to convince himself it wasn't a big deal, Harry turned to Mel with a faint grin.

"So where will we be eating this evening?" he asked as they slowly moved up a long corridor on the fourth floor.

"Well, I know we said we wouldn't use the same place twice…but I really want to go back to the north tower again," Mel said, smiling up at him.

"Oh, I see," Harry began wryly. "You just want to make me work harder…carrying this case all the way up to…"

"Oh please," Mel rolled her eyes laughing. "If it's so heavy I'll take it you baby."

"No, no," Harry said, pretending to be hurt. "I can do it…I'll be fine…"

Mel just laughed and looked away. They reached the north tower several minutes later and unlocked the door, slipping in silently and shutting it behind them.

"So," Harry began. "Do you ever plan on telling me what's in here?" he asked as he set the case down gently on the nearest desk.

"Well of course I do silly," Mel replied teasingly. "But first, let's eat."

"Okay then," Harry laughed, crossing the room and sitting down across from Mel underneath the glass ceiling. It was a beautifully clear night, the stars were out and sparkling as far as you could see, the moonlight shown down so brightly they didn't need to worry about lighting any candles. They ate in silence, enjoying the view and each other's company. When at last they were both full, they sat for a few moments more, just looking out at the stars, feeling completely at peace.

"So pretty," Mel murmured. "I wish we had a view like this from our dorms…we don't even have windows…"

Harry glanced over to her upon hearing her statement, his brow furrowed in confusion, before he realized she was right. The dungeon area was in the middle of the school, there was nothing leading to the outside from where they were.

"I never even thought of that," Harry remarked quietly.

"Well, what can you do, right? At least I don't have to stay there all the time. I only sleep there…"

"Now I know why you always like to spend time in these types of classrooms," Harry said, nodding at the windows surrounding them.

Mel nodded, smiling faintly, before sitting back on her arms and sighing softly. Harry looked at her for a moment, feeling a small flood of emotion towards her. He opened his mouth to speak again, when she sat up abruptly.

"So," she smiled shyly. "Wanna see what's in the box?"

Harry nodded ardently as the two of them stood and moved towards the desk. Mel took hold of the blue case and laid it down on its side, clicking the locks on either side gently, before slowly raising the lid. Harry stood just behind her, looking over her shoulder curiously, until the case was fully opened in front of them. Mel reached her hands inside gently, pulling out what had to be a very old record player. She placed it gingerly on the desk, before reaching in again and pulling out a small piece of black plastic.

"This always falls off," she murmured absently as she replaced the tip of the needle. Turning once again towards the case, she extracted a large folder, and pulled a sleek, black disc out from the sleeve.

"Felt like listening to some music?" Harry asked, grinning as he watched her place the album on the player.

"Yep, that I did," Mel replied with a smirk as she finally got the player going. Harry heard the familiar crackling noise he remembered from Privet Drive, when his aunt and uncle used to play their dinner music, usually only during special occasions for which Harry was confined to his cupboard. But he'd always enjoyed listening to the music that would waft in from down the hall.

"Why the big secret then?" Harry asked as Mel stepped away from the player. The music began softly and the first few notes reminded Harry very much of a music box, playing a very familiar tune.

"I guess I just wanted it to be a surprise," Mel replied, a small grin on her lips. She kept her eyes locked with Harry's before taking a small step closer.

"Dance with me?" she asked hopefully.

"You…you want to dance? Here?" Harry asked, both amused and surprised.

"Yes, I do," Mel replied.

"This song sounds a bit…fast," he continued, uncertainly. "It sounds familiar too…I'm sure Aunt Petunia must've played it before…"

"It's called Dancing in the Moonlight," Mel said casually, reaching out and taking one of Harry's hands. "You might not recognize it right away because it's a bit of a different version than the one I'm sure your aunt listened too."

"Oh," Harry said, allowing her to lead him a few feet over until they were back under the glass ceiling. "I don't know if I'll be any good at this," he said quickly. "I've only ever done slow-dancing."

"Trust me, there are no steps to this one," Mel laughed. "Just have fun."

Harry laughed faintly, slipping his arm around Mel's waist. He kept hold of her hand in his, and they began to move together to the beat of the music. At first, Mel took the lead, obviously more confident at what she was doing than Harry. But after the first minute, he was twirling her around, the two of them laughing in each other's arms.

He would spin her away from him, and immediately pull her back into a couple's stance. They whirled almost recklessly across the floor, and after another moment, there was no separation between them, their movements were fluid and as close to graceful as you could get for not having planned the dance.

Near the end of the song, the music suddenly became low and all that could be heard were the singers and the music box. Harry and Mel slowed their pace, swaying very faintly, pressed against one another. The small flood of emotion Harry had felt only moments earlier returned in full, and he didn't hesitate in the slightest as he leant slowly towards Mel. He felt her lips brush his own and they kissed gently.

When he pulled back, expecting to see surprise or worse in Mel's eyes, he was relieved to see her smiling up at him, her gaze locked with his own. She moved forward slightly and he leant down again, kissing her a bit harder this time, the music still playing in the background as the song slowly faded out. He felt her hands move from his shoulder to his neck as he deepened the kiss, before they both pulled back.

The stood apart, barely an inch between them, looking uncertainly at one another, neither one sure what to say, until Mel spoke up anxiously.

"Ginny's not going to try and kill me now…right?"

Harry stared at her in bemusement for a moment, before laughing faintly at the utter seriousness of her question.

"No, no she won't," he replied with a large smile.

"Good," Mel replied, beaming at him. He leant down and kissed her again, softly, feeling as if he'd wanted this for some time now. They slowly sunk down to the floor, abandoning the dance altogether, and sat in each other's arms, staring out at the night sky.

Harry wanted the night to continue forever, he wanted to stay beside Mel on this perfect evening, holding her in his arms. But the crystal was whispering in his mind, reminding him about curfew, and try as he might, he couldn't ignore it any longer. Shifting his position slightly, he pulled his watch out of his pocket and saw it was definitely time to go.

Sensing what he was about to tell her Mel slid forward and they stood up slowly.

"That time already, huh?" she asked with a sigh.

"I'm afraid so," Harry replied. "But we're not as late as last time at least. C'mon, I'll walk you back downstairs."

Crossing the room, Harry waited as Mel carefully put the record player back in its case, snapping the locks securely before he picked it up in his arms. They exited the classroom, remembering to lock the door behind them and started downstairs.

For a long while, neither of them spoke. There was no awkwardness in their silence, only comfort. Harry gently shifted the case in his grasp so that he was holding it under his left arm, before reaching out with his free hand and taking Mel's in his own.

She moved closer to him as they walked and before they realized it, they had come to the corridor that led down to the dungeon area.

"You don't have to come any further if you don't want to," Mel said, slowing her pace slightly and looking up at Harry.

"Of course I want to," Harry replied gently. "I said I was walking you back to your room and that's exactly what I intend to do."

"Well, to the portrait hole anyway," Mel laughed. "I don't think it'd be the best idea for you to come in."

"Yes I know," Harry replied, shaking his head. "Trust me I know." They walked on for another moment before a new thought occurred to Harry and he looked at Mel suddenly.

"No one in your house would try anything against you for this, right?" he asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Mel inquired.

"I mean…well when you asked me about Ginny…there's no one in your house that's going to be…upset, right?"

"Harry, I think everyone in my house would be upset, but none of them will do anything."

"Are you sure?" Harry persisted, suddenly very concerned. "Because if any of them ever…"

"Harry," Mel interrupted gently, bringing them both to a halt. "Don't worry about me. The people I live with may not like all the choices I make, but we'd never try to hurt each other…not for anything."

Harry didn't reply. After a long moment, he nodded faintly, but still his worry wouldn't dissipate. He knew Mel was telling the truth, but no one in Slytherin had ever even been friends with him before Mel…and he hoped that it wouldn't cause any of them to retaliate against her if they'd found out. Coming after him would be one thing, but if they hurt Mel to get to him…

Looking up abruptly, Harry was startled out of his thoughts as a low growling noise filled the air around them.

"Did you hear that?" Mel asked, looking suddenly alert. Harry nodded silently, kneeling down and placing the blue case gently on the stone floor, before slowly raising himself back up and drawing out his wand.

For a few tense moments, neither Harry nor Mel uttered a sound. The low growl that they'd heard had been all around them, and they were nervously scanning the dark hall, hoping to see something, anything, that would tell them where the noise was coming from.

Suddenly Harry heard someone moving, coming from further up the hall, the direction he and Mel had originally been heading. Turning towards the sound slowly, Harry caught sight of something on the floor several feet in front of where he and Mel stood. He couldn't make it out and began to raise his wand so he could light the corridor, when he was knocked backwards, full-force, as something slammed into his stomach.

Harry hit the cold, stone floor hard, gasping for air, dimly aware that the same thing had happened to Mel as he heard her begin to cough roughly from just beside him. The pain in his gut was enough to make his eyes water, and he struggled to at least sit back up, when he suddenly became aware of something moving around him.

A thick looking sinewy cord, slicked with a gooey substance, was snaking its way around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. Harry started to struggle, but it was too late, the tether of sinew had wrapped itself securely around him, and whatever the liquid was, it made the cords too sticky to even hope to move. Glancing over, he saw Mel was in the same predicament, as she was weakly trying to free herself from the bonds.

Harry began looking around quickly, for whoever or whatever had done this to them. He could see something moving a short way up the hall, and could do nothing but watch as the figure began advancing on them.

Harry glanced again at Mel, who was obviously in a great deal of pain, faint tears running down her face, and her breathing still sounded irregular. He was still taking shallow breaths as well, forcing himself not to concentrate on the pain but how they were going to get out of this. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw their wands lying a few feet behind them. The force of the blows earlier had caused both of them to lose their grips on their wands.

As he turned back around, a sudden wave of panic washed over Harry. He fought to push it away as the dark figure that had been moving towards them stepped into the dim lighting of the corridor, revealing itself at last.