Episode 4 – The Fleeting Meeting

Previously on All My Wizards: Season 2:

--Harry and Draco have a meeting, and though Harry's nervous about the blackmailer, Draco is unphased
--Hermione and Dean each meet with their respective secret lovers
--A mysterious female composes a letter to Rita Skeeter showing desires to sell information.

--[AMW2]--

"Mona?" whispered Crabbe as the two sat together on a couch in the Slytherin Common Room, staring at the empty hearth. It was midday and the two chose to skip charms that day for some necessary alone time.

"Yeah?" whispered Mona back. Apparently, she'd fallen into a bit of a daze in her beau's arms. Though their initial hookup had come from a malicious ruse, the two had remained a viable couple, inseparable and unbreakable.

"I just wanted to say…" Crabbe paused, nervous. "I've never loved anyone as much as I've loved you."

"Yeah? Haven't you already said that a few times?

"But now, I know I really mean it."

"Oh now, so you were just lying before?" Mona snickered at her sarcasm and moved in with a kiss.

"…Mm…Mona, I'm serious. This is—this is the real deal," said Crabbe.

"I know that, silly."

"Well…well then I wish you would take this more seriously."

Mona paused for a moment, and her face turned somber. Have I hurt Crabbe? "Vincent…I…I didn't even realize…"

"Don't—calm down Mona," said Crabbe, noticing Mona was getting distraught.

"No, no, you deserve better than this," she whispered, her face remaining sad. "It's just that I—I've had some rough experiences with this before and I was just…protecting myself. Which is just crazy, really, because I know you love me and…and you would never betray me."

"Of course I wouldn't!"

"And I know that," Mona whispered back, moving her head in for another kiss, this one deeper, this one meaning something.

The two had fallen asleep there on that couch when the Slytherins returned from their classes. Pansy Parkinson gave the two a look of disgust. She hated anyone who had the nerve to cut class. Pansy was always deathly afraid of falling behind, failing the next exam, or worse, getting caught, and had therefore never skipped a class.

"Look at the two lovebirds," hissed Pansy to Daphne Greengrass.

"Aww, I think they're kind of cute."

"I think they're disgusting. Cuddling is not a good enough excuse to cut."

"Sheesh, Pansy," replied Daphne. "Someone's jealous because Malfoy decided to dump your sorry ass."

"Daphne!" gasped Pansy dramatically, but started laughing soon after. "I guess I was getting a bit above myself. Still, that new Lovegood girl has not been amusing me. Necklines lower than the Giant Squid's home, constant flirtation with every boy, it has all gone too far!"

"Then why don't you get some revenge," whispered Daphne with a smirk.

"That's what I was thinking, but I couldn't come up with one good scheme!"

"Oh well," said Daphne. "Maybe you should wait this one out. Chances are Mona will get in deep trouble soon…probably for some sort of nip slip."

Pansy cackled along with Daphne and the two returned to their dorms.

--[AMW2]--

Professor Umbridge stalked the hallway, casting a spell on each of Hogwarts' many romantic pairings who were a few steps too close. She looked down at her schedule which had the name "Harry Potter" written in bright pink letters set to meet with him in five minutes. Atop his name was a small post-it note saying "To be punished" in curly script. Ahead of her in the hallway was her target.

"Mr. Potter, are you…excited to meet with me?" Umbridge smiled displaying her bright white and somewhat fang-like teeth.

"I'm excited for my meeting…but not with you," the smiling Harry replied as he ducked off into a small office that certainly wasn't the toad-like woman's. Umbridge was shocked to see her former coworker Victoria Stein behind the desk.

"Victoria! This is…unacceptable! I refuse to allow this madness."

"Sorry Dolly, but Madame Headmistress has permitted it," replied the smirking Victoria as she closed the door. "You'd better head off and torture another student." With the door closed and a smile on Harry's face, the session began.

"How is everything, Professor Stein?" asked Harry politely, sitting down across from Stein's desk.

"Hey, hey! I ask the questions here!" replied Stein with a mock harshness. Harry smiled and she returned it. "So how is everything going? Other than Transfiguration of course, because I know that you think it's the greatest class ever with the most beautiful, amazing professor ever!"

Harry laughed again, happy he'd gone to McGonagall. "Things are okay with all of my classes. It's nice to finally not have Professor Snape around at least. But everything else is a whole different story."

"Everything else?"

"Just like…personal stuff you know. Ron and Hermione were dating, but they broke it off a few weeks ago. Now they're remaining cordial but things are still…"

"Awkward?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just…I just feel like sometimes there's nothing I can do to bridge the gap between the two. Hermione's off hanging out with different people, and Ron is just growing more and more jealous. I feel like they're tearing me apart."

"Look, Harry," said Stein, "remember that you're not obligated to everyone. You can't make every person happy. You've already made quite a few happy, so you need to worry even less."

"I know, I know, I just feel like they're my two best friends so the weight of this falls mainly on my shoulders. And I'm busy enough as is…"

"With?"

"Well I have a girlfriend of my own, of course."

"Yeah, Ginny. How are things with her?"

Harry paused, having to decide in the split section whether to be honest or whether to divulge the truth. He started, and stopped.

"Harry?"

"…Fine. Things with Ginny are just fine."

"…Are you sure?" asked Professor Stein. Her eyes were bright and welcoming. Harry paused again.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. We're…we're great."

--[AMW2]--

Hermione was walking through the hallway up from the dungeons that afternoon. She seemed a bit nervous, and continued shifting her eyes back and forth, as if guilty. Her breathing was heavy. Luckily, she made it up to the Entrance Hall undetected, and breathed a sigh of relief upon reaching the bright atrium. No sooner had she exhaled when she felt an arm stretch around her shoulders. Still a bit tense, Hermione jumped and uttered a small yelp.

"Is my arm really that scary?"

"George," breathed Hermione, blushing but laughing it off. "You…you scared me!"

"...I think we already established that," said George with a wink.

"Oh hush, you!" Hermione replied, starting to walk off. George, however, wasn't finished.

"Well then, give me a chance to repay the favor," said the redhead. Hermione stopped and turned around to look at him. He'd grown skinnier and more muscular since his Hogwarts days. His features had obviously matured, and he was sporting a small goatee that was nothing short of devilish. Devilishly handsome, she corrected in her mind.

"Be a little more specific, Mr. Weasley," said Hermione, moving back towards him slowly.

"I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Miss Granger. There's more than one Mr. Weasley."

"So I've heard," said Hermione, moving a little closer. "Well then, George Weasley. Fess up. What are your intentions?"

"I simply intend to treat you like a lady," said George, slowly closing the gap between them. "When's your next Hogsmeade weekend?"

"A week from this Saturday."

"It's settled. Meet me at the shop."

Hermione scoffed flirtatiously. "Don't I get any say in this?"

George smiled back. "Well who could refuse a chance with the one and only Mr. George Weasley?"

"Someone's a bit conceited," replied Hermione, turning her back and making her way up the stairs. She turned around suddenly and noticed that George was still watching her. "One more thing, George. No Madam Puddifoot's!"

George seemed taken aback, but Hermione just began laughing as she made her way back to the Common Room.

--[AMW2]--

That night at dinner, two people were conspicuously absent. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy would have to go without a meal that night, for they had a blackmailer to meet. They sat in the small, dark room behind the patchwork quilt, waiting to be joined. They weren't snogging. Harry had lit his wand and Draco was shooting sparks at a spider climbing in the corner of the room. He purposely missed every time, for if he hit the spider, what then?

"I met with Professor Stein today," whispered Harry, breaking the awkward silence. "You know…instead of Umbridge. I didn't tell her about us."

"Good," said Draco, not turning his head. His facial expression conveyed the fact that this was all he wanted to say. He kept shooting his sparks and Harry kept staring at the spot on the wall ten centimeters left of Draco's head.

Harry wanted to say something, something that would make Draco listen, something that would make Draco act or understand or even speak. Harry wanted so bad to hear the blonde scream the truth, scream his feelings, make any noise out of his throat that wasn't in some conceited drawl. Instead, those cold gray eyes were devoid. Draco wanted nothing more than Harry's body. And that's the way it has to be.

The two both jumped, though, when they heard the sound of the tapestry move aside. Harry heard a hand on the doorknob, and his heart beat quickly as he watched it turn. The ancient wooden door opened and he gasped with recognition at the female standing there…

--[AMW2]—

On the Next Episode of All My Wizards: Season 2:
--We finally learn the identity of the mysterious blackmailer, along with her motive
--Nagini and her sidekick Georgiou return and hatch another plan to destroy Harry Potter
--Hufflepuff drama! How does Ernie feel about Justin and Hannah's new relationship?