"We need to talk."

Brenden looks up from his school bag that he was unpacking with a slight frown. "About what?"

I look quickly at my watch and wince. Tracking Brenden down took more time than I expected and I am supposed to meet the guys at the Quidditch pitch for practice in ten minutes. I should have known he would be in the library. He is a Ravenclaw after all. "I don't have time to get into it, now. Will you meet me after practice?"

"Practice again, tonight?" Brenden's surprise is not unfounded. The team has been having extra practices in preparation for the Hufflepuff match and while I'm not an official member, I really need to be present to keep James from getting into it with Fletcher.

"We need it," I say matter-of-factly. "With the match coming up, James said…" I trail off as his frown deepens. "Meet me at that door on the fifth floor that hates me," I tell him instead. I watch him closely for any kind of reaction.

Nothing. I have to admit – Brenden has an excellent poker face.

"Okay," Brenden agrees, his voice conveying confusion. "That's oddly specific."

I close my eyes and say, "I'll be there around 10, so I'll see you there," before turning and walking away without waiting for a response. No turning back, now.

This ends tonight, I encourage myself as my hands start shaking and I pace back and forth in front of the door waiting for Brenden to show up. I can do this. I'm not going to stand for him messing me around. He's in the wrong and I'm not going to let this go on.

Despite my internal cheering, I'm still dreading this encounter. Brenden has a way of making me feel in the wrong no matter how much something is his fault. I knew it, but it took me until seeing him with Cynthia to truly accept that fact.

But he was still my first boyfriend. He was the first guy to show a real interest in me.

Or so I thought.

I shake my head and take a deep breath. No. I can do this. He's a manipulative, cheating bastard.

I go over in my head my rehearsed lines again. I've practiced and practiced. There shouldn't be any issues.

I clench my fists together and will them to stop shaking. I take another deep breath. Brenden will be here any minute, but I still don't feel prepared. My best bet will just be to get this over with quickly and get back to Gryffindor Tower.

Strong arms encircle me unexpectedly and I let out an involuntary shriek. I cover my mouth quickly and look behind me to see Brenden smirking. "What are you thinking? You'll get us caught!"

Brenden's smirk widens. "You screamed. If we get caught, it would be your fault."

I huff in frustration. There it is again. It's my fault. "I was perfectly quiet until you scared me."

Brenden's arms are still around me and he bends down and whispers in my ear, "It's cute that you're still so nervous to meet me." His face moves closer to mine, but I break his hold and move away before his lips make contact with mine.

I turn to face him and purse my lips. "I asked you to come here to talk," I tell him, annoyed. Surely he knows what this is about. If not, surely the 'we need to talk' that I gave him earlier told him he was at least about to get dumped.

"Fine." Annoyance drips from the one word like tar. "Talk, then."

My racing heart beats even faster at his words and tone. I clench my fists and prepare to go through the words I've been practicing all day. "What did you do last night?"

There is brief pause and Brenden stiffens ever so slightly. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Brenden sniffs and rolls his eyes. "What a stupid question."

I clench my teeth as my anger starts to build. "What were you doing?" I glare at him intently to let him know he's not going to get out of answering.

A look of minor disgust crosses Brenden features before he licks his lips and says, "I finished my homework in the library and went to bed."

The lie hits me hard and the knot in my stomach tightens. I had been hoping he would come clean and we wouldn't have to go through the rest of this.

"What's this about, Meredith?" Brenden crosses his arms across his chest and leans against the wall. "Did one of your so-called friends say something about me?"

"No," I say feeling off-guard. So-called friends? The phrase hurts worse than Brenden's lie. I swallow hard and push it out of my mind. "Brenden, did you meet Cynthia Driscoll last night?"

Brenden's poker face breaks and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise, before contracting into a deep frown. "Of course not! Where would you get an idea like that?"

Another lie. Another painful tightening of the knot in my stomach.

"I saw you, Brenden." The words hang in the air between us and Brenden's face is betraying his alarm. "I saw you here with her last night."

There. I said it. I feel like I'm going to vomit. I feel like I'm going to cry. I'm doing all I can to not break down in front of Brenden.

"How many times have you met her?"

Brenden doesn't say anything. I stare at the floor unable to look into his face.

"How long has this been going on?" I press on.

Still no response. Brenden hasn't even moved.

"Did you…" I gulp down a sob. "Did you sleep with her?"

I feel the tears welling up and I blink quickly to clear them from my eyes. I didn't mean to ask that. I didn't practice it. It didn't even occur to me until just now.

There is a weighty silence between the two of us and I'm finding it hard to breathe. Brenden is staring hard at me and I'm still avoiding his eye.

"Yes, Meredith!" He shouts finally. His outburst startles me and I look fully into his face. He looks pissed. There's no trace of shame or embarrassment on his features. "Yes! I. Shagged. Cynthia. Driscoll."

I stare dumbly at him, unable to speak. I came up with many different scenarios of how this would play out and this was not one of them.

"I shagged her and I don't regret it," he continues. Brenden pushes off the wall and takes a step towards me, gesturing while he speaks. "You think I'm a bad guy? Well, what about you? Do you think I'm just going to sit still while you and your little shag buddies go 'practice' nearly every night?"

"Brenden… what…?" My mind is blank. I have no idea how to respond.

"So what if I slept with Cynthia? Maybe if you put out for me like you do Potter, I wouldn't have to do things like this."

"What are you talking about?" I shout, finding my voice. "You know they're only my friends!"

Brenden rolls his eyes, stretching his neck back to look at the ceiling. "Really?" He straightens back up and looks me directly in the eyes. "Who would want to be friends with someone so bloody boring? How else would you get them to hang out with you when you have nothing else going for you?"

I feel like I've been slapped. The knot in my stomach is so tight, now, I feel the need to double over. "But… they're… they're my friends," I manage weakly.

James. Fred. Roger. Phillip. All their faces pop into my mind and I clench my fists tightly. My friends.

No. Brenden's wrong. He's a manipulative, lying, cheating bastard. I'm not going to let it go on like this. He's way out of line.

"I don't know why I wasted so much time on you," he says taking a step back.

"I'm sorry," I say in a low voice.

"Sorry?" he scoffs. "You should be. I've put in a lot of effort and have nothing to show for it."

My nails are digging into my palms as I clench my fists even tighter. "I'm sorry I ever agreed to go out with you."

Brenden is visibly dumbfounded at my statement. "What?"

"I'm sorry you're such a pathetic man that you had to stoop so low."

Disbelief and anger are growing on Brenden face. My words are obviously not what he wanted or expected to hear.

"I'm sorry I ever liked you," I spit. Brenden takes another step back at my tone. My voice is growing stronger as I let my anger finally show. "You can go to hell. I want nothing to do with you anymore."

I push past Brenden, bumping his shoulder with my own, and make my way quickly down the hall. Tears prick my eyes once more and I walk faster to try to finally get away from this whole situation.

"So that's how it's going to be?" Brenden shouts after me down the empty corridor. Hearing his voice causes a shock of panic to shoot through me. "You're going to leave me high and dry?"

A sense of dread has settled over me as I walk away from Brenden. I was supposed to have the last word and be rid of him. He wasn't supposed to call after me. I'm determined not to make any indication that I've heard him or that what he's said has bothered me.

"I can't let you do that." Brenden's voice holds a malice I had never heard come from him before. I hear footsteps behind me and I feel my adrenaline start pumping as a look around and see Brenden stalking down the hallway after me.

What is he doing? I think desperately, searching for a way to escape. I pick up my pace, almost breaking into a run. I see a girl's lavatory on my left and I tear open the door, race in, and slam the door behind me.

I take deep breaths in an effort to calm myself. It's ok, now. He won't follow me in here. Still breathing hard, I head towards the sinks to wash my face.

The creak of the door behind me turns my blood to ice and whip around to see Brenden standing menacingly in the doorway. His posture and aura make him seem monstrous in size and manner.

"There's no way I'm going to let some bint talk to me like that." Brenden rushes towards me intently. I try to avoid him, but he grabs my wrists and pushes me roughly against the wall next to the sinks, pinning my arms to the wall next to my head.

"Just who do you think you are?" His mouth is just at my right ear, close enough that I can feel his breath as he speaks. "You're nothing. Without those brainless morons you're shagging, you have nothing. You don't deserve anything better than this."

A scream catches in my throat as Brenden pulls back slightly and forces his mouth against mine. I desperately try to pull my arms free, but between the stone and Brenden's full weight, I can't move them at all.

Brenden releases my lips, finally. His face remains close to mine. "You're helpless."

Something clicks in my brain and my mind restarts. I am not helpless.

I desperately analyze the situation, taking a tally mental of what I can and cannot move.

I am not helpless. Not all of me is incapacitated.

"You're pathetic. You act tough, but the truth is you can't even-"

My heart is racing and I let out a loud, "NO!" and swing my knee up between Brenden's legs.

My knee makes contact with a pained "oomph!" from Brenden. He frees my wrists and doubles over, barely catching himself on the wall behind me. I rip myself away and try to run to the exit, my right hand already reaching into my jacket pocket.

I'm stopped with a jolt when Brenden manages to grasp my left wrist as I try to pass. I shout in fury and thrust my recently retrieved wand into his face. "Let go," I say dangerously, my voice is louder than I intended it to be, but I don't care. "I swear I will not hold back if you don't." Red sparks start emitting from the tip of my wand as if warning Brenden that I'm not bluffing.

Brenden lets my wrist go and he falls to the ground. I back away from him, making my way to the door once more with my wand still out in front of me. The door behind me suddenly opens and I whirl and point my wand at the newcomer instinctively.

Professor Longbottom takes a step back with an alarmed expression. Relief floods me and I drop my outstretched arm to my side as I realize that it's over. I'm safe.

"Ms. Blount? What in Merlin's..?" I rush over to him and grab the front of his robes hiding my face and sobbing. All I can think as I cry is, 'It's over. I'm safe. It's over. I'm safe.'

The silence in the room is pressing around me. I stare dully at my clasped hands in my lap, mind blank. I can't tell how much time has passed since Professor Longbottom left me in his office. It feels both like hours and only seconds.

After Professor Longbottom found us, he sent a Patronus message to Professor McGonagall who appeared a few minutes later. I was led to her office where I managed to recount the events of the evening. The Headmistress silently listened to my story and sent me off with Professor Longbottom after I was finished, leaving me unsure of her thoughts on the matter.

We had passed Brenden on our way out of McGonagall's office. The glare he gave me is now burned into my thoughts as I am left to reflect alone.

This is all my fault. How could I have been so blind? So stupid? Why would I think anyone would want me? I'm not pretty. I'm not particularly talented. I couldn't even make the Quidditch team when trying my hardest.

I'm a failure.

*****"And honestly," I continue, "if you had told me differently, I would have been disappointed."*****

I'm a hypocrite. How could I have said that to James and the next day do something like…

Stop! I tell myself. This is not your fault.

But I can't believe that. I am the one who let this happen. I should have known better. I should have done something different.

I should have never dated Brenden O'Toole.

I lean forward over my lap, propping my forehead up on the palms of my hands. What is going to happen now? Am I going to be suspended? Am I going to have detention for the rest of my life?

Are my parents going to pull me out of school?

Tears that I thought had finished drip onto my arms. If I leave school, will the guys forget about me?

*****"Who would want to be friends with someone so bloody boring?"*****

Will they hate me if they find out about this? I can't imagine that they wouldn't. There is nothing about me that deserves to have friends like them.

They can't ever know. I can't lose them, especially not James. Just trying to imagine going through the rest of my life without knowing him is painful.

I know I promised to give them an explanation, but I have to break that promise. They can't ever know.

The rattle of the door latch alerts me to Professor Longbottom's entrance. I sit up straight and hurriedly wipe the tears from my eyes.

Professor Longbottom steps carefully to his desk that I am sitting in front of and sets a tea tray down. "I brought you some tea," he says with a gentle tone as he pours the hot tea into one of the teacups on the tray.

"Thank you," I say, taking the cup from him carefully. I sip the warm beverage, allowing the familiar scent and warmth soothe and relax me.

"I contacted your parents," Professor Longbottom says, pouring a cup of tea for himself. "They should be here shortly."

I cradle the cup in my cold hands and take another sip. After a moment, I ask, "What's going to happen to Brenden?"

Professor Longbottom pauses and takes a sip of tea before responding, "There is a formal process that must be followed with cases like this, but once things are resolved, an infringement this severe will no doubt result in expulsion. Legal action against him is also a possibility."

I nod and look down at the bottom of my teacup. "What's going to happen to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will I be expelled as well?"

"Ms. Blount," Professor Longbottom starts, confusion in his voice, "you are not responsible for what happened. There will be no punishment."

No punishment? My eyes widen and a small shimmer of hope forms in my mind. I'm not going to be kicked out.

A knock on the office door interrupts my thoughts and the hope that I had found quickly extinguishes. Even if I'm not forced out by the school, my parents are probably going to pull me out anyway.

How could I have let this happen?

I rise to my feet and turn to face the door as Professor Longbottom opens it for my parents. I stare at the floor as he invites them in and prepare myself for the worst.

Quick footsteps are followed by warm and comforting arms as Mum wraps me in a hug. "Oh Meredith, I'm so happy you're alight." She's been crying. Her thick voice reminds me of my own. "I was so scared when we got the owl saying…" Her voice drops off and she squeezes me tighter.

"I'm sorry, Mum," I say with my own thick voice as return her hug.

"Shhh," she hushes me soothingly, rubbing my back. "You don't have to apologize." Mum releases me and begins to guide me over to a small sofa against the wall of Longbottom's office. I look up and see Dad, his face solemn, standing just inside the door. He hasn't said anything yet and I can't read his expression.

"I'll leave you alone, then," Professor Longbottom tells us after Mum and I sit down. "I need to check in with the Headmistress. I'll be back shortly."

The door shuts behind him with a soft 'click' and silence surrounds me again. Mum keeps one arm around my shoulders and her free hand gently pats my hands that are resting in my lap. Dad hasn't moved.

The dense silence presses on me. Dad must be furious. Mum may be relieved, but I know Dad must be thinking how he was right and I should have listened to him.

The truth is that he was right.

I don't know what to say, so I say what is at the forefront of my thoughts. "Are you angry with me?"

It feels like with that one question, I sucked the air out of the room. Mum stops, her hand tilted up mid-pat, and looks over to Dad still standing by the door.

In a rush of movement, Dad stalks over and kneels in front of the sofa, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me into a frantic embrace, sobbing.

"Oh honey, I was so scared." His voice, usually deep and strong, is high-pitched and desperate. "My little girl… How could I let this happen? It's all my fault."

I am completely shocked. I have never seen Dad so upset or heard him sound so scared. More tears appear in my eyes as I hug him back saying, "No, Dad. It's my fault. I-"

"Don't say that," he cuts me off, kissing my cheek and stroking the back of my head gently. "You didn't mean for this to happen. I'm sorry, Meredith. I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you."

"Daddy…" I whimper and he hugs me tighter. "Oh, Daddy." I let my tears fall freely, savoring the comfort and protection I feel in my dad's strong arms. It has been so long since I've allowed him to do this and I regret it.

Mum's uneven breaths beside us lets me know that she has started crying, too. She throws her arms around both me and Dad and the three of us huddle together finding the comfort and support that we have been needing.

After a few minutes, I ask, "What's going to happen now? Are you going to pull me out of school?"

My parents both pull back and Dad rests back on his heels, eyebrows creased together in a pained expression. He looks to be battling within himself as his eyes trace my face. Dad inhales steadily and replies, "No. As much as my mind is screaming at me to say yes, we can't pull you out of school."

My heart leaps and I allow myself to smile. Mum visibly relaxes at his words. Apparently she didn't know what he was going to say either.

Dad takes my hands in his own and stares down at them. "Things tonight could have gone much worse. I couldn't stop thinking about that fact the whole way here. But the fact is: it didn't. The worst didn't happen because you protected yourself and were able to get away. Now you have O.W.L.s coming up and even though pulling you out may make me feel better in the short term, it would me compromising your future. I can't do that."

Dad cups my face in his hands and looks me in the eyes. "You're my little girl, but you are not a baby anymore. I have to accept that you are a strong, intelligent, independent young woman with a bright future ahead of her."

"Daddy…" My emotions once again overwhelm my composure and I fling my arms around Dad's neck sobbing. I sob into his shoulder as he kisses my head. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, sweetie."