DISCLAIMER: -hums bored like- Nope...don't even bother asking.

A/N: Okay, so I lied. This is me updating again. I thought that the last chapter was a stupid place to stop, because there wasn't really much anyone could review on. Nothing really happened! So, this is the chapter where things really start to happen. I won't get too much into detail. Oh and for those who have read I Dated "The Chosen One", Maddy's coughing that you saw in the last chapter appears here. This might answer some of your questions surrounding that. Anyways, please enjoy. OH! And I was right...he's baaaaack. Harry makes an appearance in this chapter.

Chapter 2: Face to Face With The Past

The next morning Maddy made her way into the dining room. Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood were already at the table. They smiled kindly as she sat down. She couldn't spot Mrs. Edgar anywhere, so she figured she was waking up the others.

"Miss Maddy, before the others arrive, I would like to discuss with you our plans for tomorrow." Mr. Wormwood spoke up.

Maddy sat up straight and nodded politely.

"Well, we were planning to have a party…"

"Honoring what?" she added quickly, "Sir."

Mr. Wormwood shrugged, "Nothing in particular. But we would like to invite some of the respectable names in the wizarding community. We thought it would be a nice approach now that magic and non-magic folk are living beside one another in harmony." Maddy scoffed, but covered it up quickly as a cough. "But we would also love it if you could be there."

"Not as a tutor…" Mrs. Wormwood chirped, "But as a friend. A guest."

Maddy nodded, "Yes, that sounds delightful…"

Mr. Wormwood nodded, and Mrs. Wormwood went back to her breakfast. Maddy looked down at her plate, but did not eat anything. Mr. Wormwood peeked up at her.

"Is the food not to your liking, Miss?"

Maddy looked up, startled. "Oh, no! It's er…wonderful! I'm just not feeling at all well today…my stomach seems to be acting up…"

This was partially true. She had a sickening feeling in her stomach. She prayed that she knew none of the guests who would be arriving the following day. She didn't even have the nerve to ask whom they would be inviting.

"Eat some wormwood then." A small voice said from the doorway.

Maddy turned to see three pairs of eyes staring at her. She laughed.

"But wormwood is one of the most bitter potion ingredients there is. It would be terrible to taste…"

The children sat at their places at the table. Mrs. Edgar, who had no been far behind them, glared at Maddy. The picture of Filch's cloak came to surface and she stood up quickly.

"Excuse me…but I have much to prepare for before today's lesson…" and she hurried from the room.

In the hallway, she collapsed against the wall. She had been trying to run from the world she left behind, but it would not leave her alone. It always came back.

-----

"There are going to be real witches and wizards here tomorrow!" Michael said, completely ignoring the study book in front of him.

Christopher, who had already finished today's lesson (and the next couple for that matter), glanced at his twin brother. "There are no such things as witches. Daddy and Mrs. Edgar said so…"

"I think Mrs. Edgar is a hag in a people suit…" Marie said as she drew a flower in the margin in her book.

"Now, now…" Maddy spoke up, "It is not nice to talk about people that way…even if we don't like them…" she glanced warily at Michael who had opened his mouth to make a comment. He shut it quickly.

"Miss Maddy?" Marie started to draw clouds behind her flower, "Do you believe in witches?"

Maddy did not answer immediately. "Yes, dear…I do…"

"Have you ever met a witch?" Michael asked curiously, still ignoring the book on the table.

Maddy nodded slowly, "I believe I have…"

Christopher shook his head, "No you didn't. There are no such things as witches…or magic…"

Maddy turned in her chair to face Christopher; "Now why on Earth do you believe that?"

"Father told me…" Christopher said indifferently not looking up from his workbook, "Ages ago…"

Maddy knew Christopher would be a hard one to persuade. "What do you believe in, then?"

"Science…" he answered simply. "I believe in medicine. Magic and miracles only happen in the movies. They aren't real…"

Maddy longed to prove him wrong, but she had to understand that he was only ten, and believed almost anything that was told to him by an authority figure. Maddy was more of a playmate than an authority figure.

"If I cast a spell, right here…right now…would that make you believe in magic?"

Christopher shrugged, "Probably a cheap parlor trick…"

Maddy shook her head in disbelief. He had the wisdom of a man many years ahead of himself. He could never cease to amaze her with some of the comments he made. His brother, on the other hand, was almost the complete opposite. Though they were identical down to the very last freckle, you could never find two boys who were more different. Michael loved to play sports, while Christopher read. Michael was into making mischief, while Christopher would race off to tell his mother and father everything. Sometimes it bothered them how different they were, but other times they really enjoyed it. No one would ever get them mixed up.

"I believe in magic!" Marie said loudly, still doodling, this time a magic wand.

Maddy smiled. Marie would say anything to make Maddy proud of her. Maddy sometimes found it funny how much Marie idolized her. Sometimes it scared her, because Maddy had never felt like the kind of person who someone should look up to. She had made many mistakes in her life, many she could never take back, and they, to that very day, still haunted her.

Maddy wasn't sure if her magic would still work. She hadn't used it in ages. The minute she stepped out of Hogwarts, she swore off magic. But this was a special occasion.

She snapped her fingers, and the pencil that Christopher was holding, flew into the air. Michael laughed and even Marie looked up from her drawings. Christopher stared at the floating pencil in shock. He looked from the pencil to Maddy, who was sitting there, grinning at him, to back at the pencil. He waved his hand over and under the pencil to make sure there were no strings attached to it. There weren't.

"How did you-" he started.

"Magic…" Maddy said simply. She snapped her fingers again, and the pencil landed back on the table. "But Shh! Don't tell anyone I did that okay?"

The three of them nodded in unison. Maddy smiled and told Michael to get back to work. He didn't move.

"Are you a real witch?"

Maddy didn't answer him. Her smile had disappeared. "Michael, you need to get back to work or next time you will have twice as much work to do…"

"But-"

"Now, Michael!"

It was scary, how much she sounded like Mrs. Edgar with that last line. It made her shudder involuntarily. She only hoped that her constant desire to hide from the world, wasn't turning her into an ornery old woman too quickly.

Bright and early the next morning, the sun rose and peeked into Maddy's room. She squinted her eyes against the light and fought with her blankets. Her feet hit the cold floor and she retracted them quickly. Searching for her slippers, she heard a small meow come from the direction of her door.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, glaring at Mr. Whisk. She abhorred him just about as much as she did his owner. "Bloody cat…Shoo!"

Forgetting her slippers, she opened her door and kicked him out. She was careful to lock the door behind her. She still stood by her theory that Mr. Whisk had taught himself to open doors. When she had mentioned this to Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, they had looked at her as if she were mad.

Maddy would not attend breakfast that morning. A gown in the back of her closet was waiting for her. A gown she had not dreamed of wearing since she was sixteen.

She pushed away the hangers and spotted it. A long silk maroon gown, very early 1900's style, emblazoned with black velvet flowers. Her matching gloves and shoes were there as well. She only hoped it would still fit…

There was a small knock at the door and Maddy panicked. She was dressed in the maroon gown, but she had not planned on actually wearing it. It was much too rich for a tutor. The knocking continued.

"Coming!" she said, unlocking the door.

Elizabeth peered at the woman standing before her. She could barely believe that it was Miss Maddy, her tutor.

"Miss Maddy?" she said, unbelievingly, "You look…beautiful!"

Maddy flushed deeply, "No…no…you don't think it's too much?"

Elizabeth shook her head, "It looks wonderful. And your hair! How did you do that?"

Maddy's black hair was partially pulled back in a complicated, lacey bun. The rest tumbled down her back and danced around her shoulders.

"I've been doing it for such a long time…" Maddy said, "I could fix your hair for today, if you wish…"

Elizabeth touched her golden locks fondly, and nodded. Maddy sat her down in a chair, pulled back part of her hair in two braids, and tied them together in the back with a green ribbon that matched her dress. The rest of her hair was left down.

Maddy helped her into her emerald green dress and they stood in front of a floor-length mirror. Elizabeth seemed to be at a loss for words. Maddy understood.

"I think this will be enough to impress your Duke…" Maddy said softly.

Rumor had it, Elizabeth had been sweet on the young Duke, Charles. Elizabeth smiled, a dreamy stare glazed over her face.

The pair arrived downstairs just before the guests started to arrive. Mr. Wormwood seemed stunned to see Maddy dressed so ravishingly.

"You certainly put a spell on me, Miss Maddy…" he said, well out of earshot of his wife.

Maddy smiled grimly, "I work magic no longer sir."

He shrugged and walked off to meet some of the guests. Maddy was caught by Marie and the twins and they started to play a few games. She was pretending to be a pirate holding Michael captive, when Mrs. Wormwood summoned her.

"This is our tutor, Miss Madeleine Black…" Mrs. Wormwood spoke to two of the new arrivals.

Maddy appeared at Mrs. Wormwood's side, Marie still clinging to her leg. The couple in front of her were wearing the same look on their faces. That kind of 'deer in headlights' look.

"Miss Maddy, I believe you may have heard of Mr. Harry Potter and his wife Ginerva…"

Maddy froze. She did not dare look at the gorgeous redhead she had once known as the young Ginny Weasley. Her very own cousin now stood beside the man she once knew and loved. Slowly, she straightened herself out and held out a gloved hand.

"What an honor it is to meet you Mr. Potter…" It felt so strange to call him Mr. Potter. "I have heard much about you…"

She made no sign of noticing Ginny. Harry took her hand and shook it very briefly. "The pleasure is mine, Miss Black."

Mrs. Wormwood looked at each of them curiously, "Shall we enter the dining room?"

Harry and Ginny followed Mrs. Wormwood into the room where everyone was gathering for lunch. It was the damned dress, she swore. She knew it. She had originally picked it out to delight him. They were to be together when she first wore it and sure enough, when she wore it, he was there.

Marie tugged at Maddy's gown, "Miss Maddy, did you know them?"

Maddy looked down at Marie and smiled, "No dear. I'm afraid I didn't…"

After she showed Marie where the other children were, she slipped into the dining room. All the guests were in deep conversation.

"Miss Maddy is one of the finest tutors around!" Mr. Wormwood boasted, "No one finer! No one more beautiful…" he added with a small wink in her direction.

"Hear, hear!" a few men down the table raised their goblets while their wives glared at them. Mrs. Wormwood slapped her husband's arm, and glared at Maddy. Maddy turned bright red.

"She studied for many years. She is more than qualified! In more ways than one, I might add…" Mr. Wormwood ignored the reproachful look from his wife.

"Where did you study m'dear?" an older man asked, gazing at Maddy over horn-rimmed glasses.

"Well…" she cleared her throat, "I studied with a tutor myself, for a good part of my childhood. Then I went to several Muggle schools in the United States. Finally, I attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

A few witches and wizards muttered words of contentment down the table.

"Mr. Potter, didn't you attend Hogwarts as well?" Mrs. Wormwood gazed down the table at Harry.

Harry was caught off guard by the sudden question, "Yes…I did…"

"How old are you Mr. Potter?" Mrs. Wormwood asked curiously.

Harry looked at his plate, "I'm twenty-four."

Mrs. Wormwood glanced in Maddy's direction. "Aren't you twenty-four Miss Maddy?"

Maddy smiled smugly, "A woman never reveals her age…"

She hated herself for speaking in such a manner to her employer, but she was at this party as a guest, not the tutor. She was not teaching grammar at this table, today. Mr. Wormwood, on the other hand, laughed wholeheartedly.

"Touché!" he guffawed, "Beautiful and brassy!"

Mrs. Wormwood was desperate to find something. She loved to gossip, and she did not like Maddy stealing all her husband's attention. "Well then, that would mean you two went to school together. The same house, even…possibly…"

"What house were you in, Miss Maddy?" Harry asked conversationally, not aware of Mrs. Wormwood's attempts at trying to reveal something degrading about Maddy.

Maddy coughed into a napkin, "Uh…Ravenclaw, actually…"

Harry nodded, "Ah…I was in Gryffindor. No wonder we never met…" Maddy wondered why he didn't call her out on her lie. Perhaps he didn't want the attention either.

An older wizard to Harry's left held his glass high, "Gryffindor! Fine house! Fine boy!" he added the last part with a small gesture toward Harry.

Mrs. Wormwood was determined to figure something out. There was something going on.

"Mr. Potter, tell us of your exploits at Hogwarts. You know, adventures with all your friends…" Maddy started to cough into her napkin again. Harry thought she was doing it deliberately, but he wondered why she was doing it so forcefully. She was going to hurt herself. "I'm sure those are some fascinating stories…" Mrs. Wormwood finished dramatically.

"Well…I-" Harry began. He was cut off as Maddy began to cough uncontrollably. "Maddy!" he cried out as he stood up to help her. Mr. Wormwood stood as well.

"Miss Maddy, is everything all right?"

Maddy nodded through her coughs, "Just…a…small…chest… cold…"

She stood up quickly and raced from the dining room. Ginny tugged on Harry's sleeve and he sat down quickly, still feeling a tad worried about Maddy. Mr. Wormwood sat down slowly, and cleared his throat.

"Poor dear…hasn't been herself lately. I believe the weather is getting to her…N-never seen her quite so shook up…"

In the hallway, Maddy clutched a hand to her chest. She was sure Mrs. Wormwood would think she had faked the entire thing, but the truth was, she hadn't. Maddy had really been coughing, and it scared her. She had not had a coughing spell in over five or six years. Why did they suddenly come back, when she was supposedly cured?

Her eyes opened slowly as she glanced down at the napkin clutched in her right hand. It was covered in blood.

A/N: UH OH! -overdramatic gasp- Lol. Anyways, please review. I want to know what you think so far. The more reviews I get, the faster I post and the faster you know what's happening. I probably REALLY won't update until friday...ish. I dunno. I won't have time tomorrow. Anyways, I'll update when I get the chance. Thanks again!