And here's Chapter Sixteen! :)
It was almost morning and Melissa was tossing and turning in her bed. She was having the same nightmare that Harry had told her and Sirius about a while ago. She saw Wormtail standing next to an old armchair in an old abandoned house. A large snake slithered into the room and it slithered up the chair and rested itself on the arm.
"My lord I only meant that if perhaps we were to do it without the boy and girl," Wormtail said in a shaky voice.
"NO," a weak raspy voice shouted. Melissa guessed that it was Voldemort. "They are everything," Voldemort continued. "It cannot be done with out them. It will be done exactly as I say."
"I will not disappoint you my lord," a third man said as he walked up to the chair and knelt down in front of it.
"Good," Voldemort said. "First, gather our old comrades. Send them a sign."
Voldemort then made a hissing sound. He was talking to his snake in parsletounge.
"Nagini tells me the old caretaker is standing outside the door," Voldemort told Wormtail and the man.
Wormtail rushed over to the door and stared at the terrified looking caretaker.
"Step aside so I can give our guest a proper greeting," Voldemort ordered Wormtail. Wormtail moved out of the way and Voldemort shouted the killing curse. "Avada Kedavra!"
"Melissa," Hermione said as she gently shook her. "Melissa wake up. You're having a nightmare."
Melissa bolted straight up in her bed and she started breathing heavy. She turned her head and saw her friend standing next to her bed with a concerned look on her face.
"What did you see," Hermione asked.
"I'd rather not say at the moment," Melissa told her. "Not with everyone else in the dorm."
"Oh well we can go down into the Common Room," Hermione said.
"It's late," Melissa told her. "You should get some rest."
"I'm fine," Hermione assured her. "Besides it's six in the morning anyway. Not to mention it's Christmas. I'd be getting up in an hour or so."
"Alright," Melissa said.
The two of them each changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater. They grabbed their presents from the end of their beds and they walked down to the Common Room. They had decided to wait to open their gifts until their friends woke up. After sitting down on the couch in front of the warm fireplace, Melissa told Hermione about her dream.
"Didn't Harry have that same dream a while ago," Hermione asked her.
"Yeah," Melissa told her friend.
"I just thought of something," Hermione said.
"What," Melissa asked.
"What if Voldemort somehow managed to get yours and Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire," Hermione said.
"I don't think it was him that did it," Melissa told her. "He sounded too weak. But he may have had someone do it for him."
"Maybe Wormtail," Hermione suggested.
"I don't think Wormtail would risk coming back to Hogwarts," Melissa said.
After talking for a few more moments about Melissa's dream she changed the subject.
"So are you alright Hermione," Melissa asked her friend.
"What are you talking about," Hermione asked at the sudden change of topic.
"I'm talking about last night," Melissa said. "You know the fight you had with Ron."
"Oh that," Hermione said. "Yeah I'm fine."
"Are you sure," Melissa asked. "I mean you looked pretty upset."
"Trust me I'll be okay," Hermione assured her friend. "It's just that if Ron really wanted to ask me I wish he would have asked when we first found out about the ball. And it was just the way the subject came up. I wish he wouldn't use me as a last resort you know. I mean do you think he really likes me or was he just being jealous that someone else asked me out?"
"I'm not sure," Melissa said. "If you want my opinion I think it's a little bit of both. Especially when you showed up with his favorite Quidditch player."
"Are you saying that it's my fault for him acting that way," Hermione asked a little angrier than she intended.
"No not entirely your fault," Melissa said quickly.
"But you are saying that it's partly my fault," Hermione said.
"Look Hermione I don't want to take sides here," Melissa said. "Ron's my friend and so are you. But don't you think that you were trying to make Ron a little jealous by showing up with Krum?"
Hermione looked away from Melissa and she stared into the fire. After a few seconds she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know maybe. I mean Ron made me so mad that day when he acted like no one would want to go with me. That I would end up going alone or something."
"See you can't blame the whole thing on Ron," Melissa told her.
"No I guess I can't," Hermione said. "But I can blame him for treating me as a last resort."
"Yes you can," Melissa said. "No one wants to be treated like that. I agree with you one hundred percent."
"Thanks Melissa," Hermione said with a small smile on her face. "You're a good friend you know that."
"You're welcome Hermione," Melissa said returning the smile. "I'm glad you're feeling better."
About a half an hour later, students started filling the Common Room. Harry, Ron, Fred, and George came down to the Common Room with their arms full of presents and they spotted Hermione and Melissa sitting in front of the fire.
"Happy Christmas," Harry said with a smile on his face.
"Happy Christmas," Melissa and Hermione said together.
George sat next to Melissa and Fred sat in one of the armchairs. Ron sat on the other side of Hermione and Harry took the last armchair. They exchanged their presents and they opened them.
"Oh wow," Fred said with a smile on his face as he unwrapped the new beaters club that Melissa had got him. Melissa had it engraved and the words read in big bold letters 'To My Best Friend.' "Thank you Melissa," Fred said.
"No problem," Melissa told him.
"Hey I got a new club to," George said with a smile on his face as he unwrapped his gift from Melissa. It was also engraved. The words read 'To My Boyfriend Thanks for Being There for Me.' "I love it," George said after he kissed her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Melissa said with a smile on her face. "You two looked like you needed new ones."
"We did thanks," Fred said.
"A new wizard's chess set," Ron said with a smile on his face as he tore the wrapping paper off of the box. "Wow you didn't have to get me a new one Melissa."
"I know but I wanted to," Melissa told her friend. "You've been saying how your old broken chess pieces don't listen to you anymore because of how damaged they are. You won't have that problem now."
"Thanks," Ron said.
"Thanks sis," Harry said as he examined his new Broom Compass. "This will come in handy."
"Thought you'd like it," Melissa said with a smile on her face.
"Ooh I love my book," Hermione said as she examined the gift that Melissa had got her. The title of the book read Famous Witches and Wizards Through the Ages. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Melissa said.
Everyone continued to open their presents. Melissa received a pair of earrings with little wands dangling from them from George, a joke set from Fred, a book on Defensive Spells from Hermione, a Broom Servicing Kit from Harry so she could keep her brooms polished and looking like new as well, a Quidditch book from Ron, and homemade sweets and a red sweater with a golden M on the front and a golden quaffle on the back since she was a chaser from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
Harry received homemade sweets and a green sweater with a golden H on the front and a golden snitch on the back from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, a joke set from Fred and George, new Quidditch gloves from Ron, and a book on potion ingredients and where to find them from Hermione.
Fed and George both received enchanted organizers from Hermione and they each gave her a book. Fred gave her a book on magical creatures and George gave her a book on enchantments. They got dark red sweaters from their mom and dad and homemade sweets as well. On the front of Fred's sweater was a large golden F and on the front of George's sweater was a large golden G. Ron gave each of his brothers a set of Filibuster Fireworks and he received a pack of stink pellets from Fred and a pack of non-explodable luminous balloons from George. He also received a maroon sweater with a golden R on the front and homemade sweets from his mom and dad. And finally, Hermione gave Ron a book all about his favorite Quidditch Team the Chudley Cannons and Ron gave her a book on the different varieties of broomsticks. Hermione also received homemade sweets from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and a blue sweater with a golden H on the front.
After they unwrapped their presents they put them upstairs in their trunks and they headed downstairs for a Christmas breakfast. Before they knew it Christmas came and went and now Harry and Melissa only had about a week to figure out their eggs. They tried to work out the clue almost every night before they went to sleep but the most they got out of those horrible screams was a banshee. But it couldn't be that easy to figure out. They must have been doing something wrong.
Two days before the second task Harry, Melissa, and Hermione were walking across a bridge outside the castle. They stopped to rest and the three leaned on the railing and looked out over the black lake.
"You two told me you figured out that egg weeks ago," Hermione said. "The task is two days from now."
"Really," Harry asked with sarcasm in his voice. "We had no idea."
"I'm sure Victor's already figured it out by now," Melissa said.
"I wouldn't know," Hermione admitted. "We didn't actually talk about the tournament. Actually we didn't really talk at all, Victor's more of a physical being," Melissa and Harry turned to her with smiles on their faces. "Not that," Hermione said quickly. "Most of the time he just watches me study. It's a bit annoying actually," she then got a serious look in her eyes and she tuned to her friends. "You two are trying to figure your eggs out aren't you?"
"What's that supposed to mean," Harry asked.
"I mean the tasks are supposed to test you in the most brutal way. They're almost cruel," Hermione said. "And um, I'm scared for you two. You two got by the dragons mostly on nerve, I'm not sure it's going to be enough this time."
"Harry, Melissa," Cedric's voice called from behind them.
They spun around and saw him walking up to them.
"Hello Cedric," Harry and Melissa said together.
"Can I talk to the two of you for a moment," Cedric asked.
"Sure," Harry said.
"I'll see you both back in the Common Room," Hermione said. She then turned around and started heading back to the castle. Once she was out of hearing range Cedric spoke.
"How are you two," Cedric asked.
"Spectacular," Harry said with sarcasm in his voice. Melissa glared at her brother and she elbowed him in the side.
"Fine and you," Melissa asked.
"I'm alright," Cedric told her. "Look I never really thanked you properly for tipping me off about those dragons."
"Don't worry about it," Harry told him.
"Yeah I'm sure you would have done the same thing for us," Melissa said.
"Exactly," Cedric said. He then looked around to make sure that they were alone before continuing. "Do you guys know the prefects bathroom on the fifth floor?"
"Yes," Harry and Melissa said.
"It's not a bad place for a bath," Cedric told them as he started backing away. "Just take your egg and mule things over in the hot water," Cedric finished before he spun around and walked away from them.
Harry and Melissa turned to each other with confused expressions on their faces.
"What the bloody hell was that supposed to mean," Harry asked his sister.
"No idea," Melissa said as they started making their way back to the castle. "It had to have been a clue to figuring out the egg."
"Should we trust him," Harry asked. "I mean what if he's setting us up to get caught."
"Cedric wouldn't do that," Melissa told her brother. "He's not like that."
"So which one of us is going," Harry asked.
"I can't," Melissa told her brother. "Hermione's helping me finish my Ancient Ruins homework. That class is harder than I thought it would be."
"Alright then I'll go," Harry said.
"Just to be on the safe side, I wouldn't go until dark and I'd take the map and the invisibility cloak," Melissa told him.
"Good thinking," Harry said as they opened the castle doors and walked inside.
And the next chapter will be the second task. I'll try and have it up soon. :)