Chapter 12

AN: Sorry for the wait! Finals will really eat into your free time. Thankfully, they're over! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that it makes up for the long wait. I will try to update weekly again, but I can't promise anything.

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter and co. I created Melissa.

"Why does it always seem to rain on September first?" Cedric asked, pushing his wet hair back.

"Because our mothers are sad at our departure, so their sadness is reflected by the weather," Ryan joked.

"If that's how it works, shouldn't your mother's joy of being rid of you overpower all this?" Drew said, smirking. Ryan glared at him and punched him in the shoulder.

"Shut up," he muttered. "So, have either of you figured out what this big, secret thing that will be happening this year? Mum and Dad kept talking about it, but I never heard anything specific."

"Nope, just a bunch of vague conversations about how exciting this year is going to be," Drew said.

"I've only heard about it from you two. My parents haven't said a word about anything," Cedric said.

"Yeah, well it's not like you would have heard them if they did," Ryan muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cedric asked.

"You have a tendency to miss things when she's around," Drew joked.

"Like your any better when Angela's around," Cedric muttered.

"You better be decent because we're coming in!" Angela called, sliding the compartment door open. Mel and Lindsey followed her in, both rolling their eyes.

"Do tell, what would you have done if we weren't?" Ryan asked as the girls sat down. Drew kicked Ryan in the shin while Angela smirked.

"So, do you two know anything about this secret event?" Cedric asked Angela and Lindsey. He noticed Mel start rubbing her temples. She had been having horrible headaches lately. He knew they were caused by how hard she was pushing herself and her abilities, but she refused to admit it or take a break. There was no doubt in his mind that she would start practicing as soon as she got to the dormitory that night. He wrapped an around her and let her lean against his shoulder.

"Nothing," Lindsey said and Angela shook her head. "You ok, Mel?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's just a headache."

Cedric clenched his jaw. He hated how she acted like these side effects were nothing. He knew their friends could not know the truth, but she used the same excuse for him—and he knew the truth. Cedric was debating whether or not he should go to Dumbledore with his concerns. She would be furious, but maybe Dumbledore could make her take the risks to herself more seriously.

XXX

The castle was buzzing with excitement as all the students made their way from dinner to their dormitories. Mel was having more difficulty than usual in directing the new Hufflepuffs to their dormitory: They were so distracted by the prospect of the Triwizard Tournament that they could barely pay attention to where they were going. She sighed; the first years were going to be even more lost than usual tomorrow. Finally, they arrived at the Hufflepuff common room, where she quickly directed the first years to their rooms before going to her own.

"There you are," Angela said as Mel entered the room. "We thought you got lost."

Mel rolled her eyes and began changing into her pajamas. "I kept having to go back for kids," she explained, pulling on a pair of thin, grey, cotton pants and an old light green t-shirt. "It would have been easier if Cedric had been there, but he disappeared as soon as dinner was over. Did either of you happen to see him?"

"No," Angela said and Lindsey shook her head. Mel caught them exchange a peculiar look.

"What is it?" she asked, sitting on the end of her bed, facing both of them.

"Well," Angela started, hesitantly. "Is…is everything ok between you and Cedric?"

"What?" Mel asked, taken aback.

"We just mean," Lindsey jumped in, "things seemed a bit tense on the train today."

"Yeah, everything's fine," she said, even though they were not. Things were tense, but it was not like she could tell her friends the reason why. "My headaches have just been more frequent as of late, and he has a lot of pressure from home…."

"Well, if everything's ok..." Lindsey trailed. "It's strange his mum could not help you out there."

"It is, promise," she lied. "And she has not been home much as of late. I didn't really want to bother her with them; she's done so much for me. I hate to bother her something so silly. I'll just go to Madam Pomfrey tomorrow and see if she can make that potion for me like she did a few years ago."

"Well, now that that awkward conversation is done," Angela said, bouncing on her bed. "I have some huge—"

A loud knock on the door interrupted her. The girls looked at the door curiously, no one ever knocked. Lindsey called out to whomever it was to come in. A blonde second year stuck her head tentatively into the room.

"Hi," she said quietly. "Cedric Diggory asked if Mel would meet him in the common room."

"Oh, ok," Mel said, uncertainly. "Thank you?"

The girl, now blushing, nodded her head and quickly closed the door. Mel exchanged a confused look with her friends.

"What do you think…?" Lindsey started.

"No idea," Mel muttered.

"Well, you best go down and find out," Angela said.

"Ok," Mel said, still unsure of what was to come. What a time for her foresight to be absent. "No gossiping without me."

"Of course not," Angela said in mock-horror.

Mel made her way down the staircase, receiving several glances from the younger girls as she did. When she reached the common room, she saw Cedric fidgeting in the corner by the window. She walked over to him. When he saw her, he seemed to get even more nervous.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"You don't have your wand with you, do you?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"No," she said slowly, crossing her arms and looking at him curiously. "Why?"

"Don't be mad," he started.

"What did you do?" she asked, her tone hard.

"I may have voiced my concerns about certain new side effects caused by your ability," he said.

"So, you did exactly what I asked you not to do," she snipped.

"Yes, because I believe your health is important—as does Dumbledore," he said firmly but in a low voice so no one could overhear him. "Besides, you're no good to Harry if these side effects end up hospitalizing you."

"I can't believe you did this," she hissed, glaring at him with more anger than she had ever felt toward him.

"I'm sorry that I prefer you alive and sane," Cedric snapped. "Dumbledore will meet you in the his office after breakfast tomorrow. Good night."

He tried to push past her, but she stepped in front of him and pushed him backward. It was Cedric's turn to glare. He was about to say something, when he noticed they were drawing an audience. He took by the hand and led her outside the portrait hole.

"Let go of me," she snapped, yanking her arm free. "You do not get to do this! You cannot make decisions for me like I'm a child. You are my friend and boyfriend, not my parent!"

"I know that!" he yelled. "But you do realize that I am one of a handful of people who knows the truth about you? And of those people, I am the only one who actually knows what goes on in your life on a day-to-day basis? As much as Lupin and Black may care about you, they're not here. So I will look out for you as your friend and boyfriend because I am here!"

Silence fell between them. Cedric used it to regain some composure, while Mel began to fidget and avoid eye contact with him. She knew she was overreacting, and that he was right. She also knew that she had probably hurt him because she had been shutting him out. It was just that she hated feeling like she was not in control of her powers. Mel was also annoyed that he made more sense than she did at the moment.

Taking care to control his tone, Cedric said, "Did you ever think that if you can get rid of, or lessen, the side effects, it might help you to improve your abilities?"

"No," she muttered. "I'm sorry I snapped. I'm sensitive about my ability, and I'm used to looking out for myself."

She turned to leave, but he reached out and grabbed her hand.

"I'm not apologizing for what I did," he said, causing her to frown slightly. "I believe what I did was right. Also, I've been looking out for you for a while now."

"I don't care how reasonable you're being, I'm still mad at you," she said. "Not only did you go behind my back, but, instead of talking to me, you've spent the last three days clenching your jaw and ignoring this whole issue."

"That's because you refuse to listen to anything I have to say," he said, matter-of-factly.

"You're impossible," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I could say the same about you," he said, pulling her to him. "So, how long are you going to stay mad at me?"

"I don't know," she said, contemplatively. "I guess we'll just have to see how my meeting with Dumbledore goes tomorrow. Good night."

She turned and went through the portrait hole, leaving a frustrated Cedric in the hallway.

XXX

Mel sat in a chair across from the headmaster's desk. She was bouncing her foot nervously and chewing her lip as she waited for Dumbledore. She really did not want to hear what he had to say on the subject. She was sure he would side with Cedric. Then she would have to live with him being smug for who knew how long. Besides, she doubted there was anything that could be done for the side effects. It was not like there were a lot of people in her situation.

She heard the door open behind her, and turned in her seat to see Dumbledore walking in.

"Good morning, Miss Evans," he said, sitting across from her.

"Good morning, sir," she said, shifting nervously.

"I understand that you've been experiencing some ailments as of late," he said, studying her over the tips of his fingers.

"Just some headaches and lightheadedness, sir. It's really nothing," she said, working to her voice light. "They've just been a bit more frequent because I've been practicing more."

"Ah yes. You are trying to find how Voldemort plans on getting to Harry. Have you seen anything?"

"No, just the same thing I saw over the summer," she said, a small bit of disappointment creeping into her voice. She dropped her eyes as silence fell. She was upset with herself for not progressing any further in several weeks. She also felt like he could see into her mind. He sat in thought for several minutes, gazing in her direction but not really at her.

"Miss Evans," he said after several minutes. She raised her eyes, a little startled to him speak after the silence. "I want you to take a break from practicing for a few days. It could be that you are so intent on finding something that you are actually preventing yourself from seeing it."

"But Harry—"

"Will be fine," he said firmly. "The staff is always keeping an eye on him. It'll do you some good to not have any headaches or dizziness for a few days. Perhaps things will be clearer after a break."

"How long?" she sighed.

"Two weeks," he said.

"But, sir!"

He held up a hand, silencing her protests. "Two weeks," he repeated.

"Yes, sir," she said, standing up. "Is there anything else?"

"No, you may leave," he said kindly.

"Thank you, sir."

She left and made her room to the third floor for Charms. She was about fifteen minutes early, but wanted the time to herself to calm down. Two weeks and she could not practice? What would that mean for her abilities? While she had not made any progress regarding Harry, her abilities had grown and strengthened exponentially. She was worried two weeks off would hurt her progress, or cause her to regress. Stupid Cedric, she thought, butting in where he shouldn't. I swear I could kill him right now.

"You're going to chew your lip raw."

Cedric slid onto the bench next to her. She shot him glare, and then became very interested in her textbook. He sighed and slumped into the bench.

"So what did Dumbledore say?" he asked, pretending she was not ignoring him. She placed her book on the table before digging a roll of parchment, quill, and ink well out of her bag and placing them on the desk next to the book.

"So you're still mad at me then," he said, rolling his eyes. "That's fine. It just means I was right."

She gritted her teeth at his smugness. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him smirking and looking pleased with himself.

In a strained voice she said, "I'm not supposed to practice for two weeks."

"You've gone a few weeks without practicing before, it didn't hurt you."

"It set me back in what I was able to do, as will this," she snapped. "Not to mention, Harry's life is still in danger."

"Harry's life is always in danger," Cedric said, lowering his voice as more students entered the room. He had also lost his smugness. "Nothing is going to happen in two weeks. And you don't know if it'll set you back or not."

She started to say something, but stopped as Professor Flitwick and a bunch of students walked in the room. Mel could barely focus on the lesson. All she wanted to do was get out of this classroom, though why she could not explain even to herself. She was not mad at Dumbledore or Cedric, not really. In fact, she was pretty sure she was not mad at all, but she could not explain what she was feeling.

After what seemed like forever, Flitwick dismissed them. Despite her desire to run out of the classroom, she gathered her things slowly. She noticed Cedric waiting for her. She wished he would go away; all she wanted was some time to herself.

"Mel," he sighed, looking apologetic.

"Just stop," she said, her voice higher than usual. "I can't do this right now."

She turned and quickly walked out of the room. Cedric sighed, picked up his bag, and followed her out.