Chapter 16

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

Dear Melissa,

It is so good to hear from you, and I am glad you are well. It has been far too long since I have last seen and heard from you.

As for your question, I never knew Sean was a wizard. The school officials I met and corresponded with never mentioned magic. In fact, they presented themselves and their school as a non-magical institution.

It troubles me that he is there, so close to you. I agree he may have changed, but you cannot count on that without proof. If possible, try to find out if there have been other instances at his school. Most importantly, stay as far away from him as possible, and—if you feel threatened—tell someone in a position of authority immediately. Your safety and health are more important than his reputation.

Please keep me informed, so I know you are safe.

All my love,

Victoria

Mel folded the letter and slipped it into her bag. Makes sense, she thought, offering bacon pieces to Aurora. Durmstrang doesn't even accept muggleborns to the school. It's doubtful they would even want a muggle to know of the school. But why was he accepted to Durmstrang and not Hogwarts?

"Mel, did you ever get your dress robes?" Lindsey asked, flipping through The Daily Prophet.

"No."

"Good, you can go shopping with me for some in Hogsmeade tomorrow," she said excitedly.

"Boys will be wearing dress robes. Girls will be wearing dresses," Angela sighed exasperatedly.

"Our supply list said dress robes, and you don't even know what the event is," Mel said matter-of-factly.

"Actually, I think I do," Angela said smugly.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Mel asked doubtfully.

"Well, I've been doing some reading," she said, pausing to glare at the mock looks of shock on her friends' faces. "And there is this little thing called a Yule Ball that is apart of every Triwizard Tournament."

"If that's so, then why haven't any of the professors said anything?" Lindsey asked.

"I guess they want to surprise us," Angela shrugged. "So don't tell anyone. I don't fancy a trip to the headmaster's office for letting this get out."

Mel rolled her eyes at Angela's imagined drama. Her career choice of going into the fashion industry was very appropriate.

"So, Tuesday's the first task. What do you think it will be?" Lindsey asked timidly. Mel had been more and more on edge as the task drew nearer. Her friends had done their best not to mention it in front of her. Mel took a moment to compose her emotions.

"Something dangerous and life-threatening," Mel said sardonically.

"Come on, Mel," Angela whined. "It won't be that bad. They've taken safety precautions."

"And yet a fourteen year old boy is competing," she muttered.

Angela and Lindsey fell silent. They had decided weeks ago that they would not fight with her on this. She was way too stressed out and worried about Cedric as it was, and they did not want to cause another fainting spell. They did find it odd that she was concerned and not annoyed or angry that Harry was in the tournament, but, again, decided it was in everyone's best interest to not push her on it.

"So, dresses tomorrow, then?" Lindsey asked, changing the subject.

Angela nodded—too enthusiastically—and launched into a spiel about which colours and dress types would look best on Lindsey and Mel. Mel only half listened to what she was saying. She did not want to think or talk about the tournament. In fact, she had been avoiding Cedric so she did not have to. She absentmindedly pushed her porridge around as Angela talked. Apparently she zoned out completely because she jumped a little when a small owl landed next to her and dropped a scrap of paper before taking off again.

"Who's it from?" Angela asked.

"No idea," Mel murmured as she picked up the letter and opened it.

Melissa,

I know this is short notice, but I need you to meet me at the edge of Hogsmeade tomorrow. I believe I have found some information that could help you. Meet me at one, just past the Hogshead.

-Padfoot

"Do guys mind shopping in the morning?" Mel asked. "It looks like I have some extra prefect duties to do tomorrow afternoon."

XXX

The girls got up early the next morning and quickly made their way to Hogsmeade. There was a new clothes boutique next to the post office that they wanted to check out. Angela looked like she was in Heaven the minute she entered the store.

"Oh, where to start?" she squealed.

"Formal wear would be my guess," Mel mumbled. Angela glared at her, but half-ran to the back of the shop. "All right," she said, already searching the clothes racks, "let's find some dresses."

An hour and a half later, they left the shop with three new dresses and matching shoes.

"I can't wait to wear these," Angela said, excitedly shaking the box of shoes. Mel laughed. She still felt a little self-conscious about her dress, but Lindsey and Angela had talked her into getting it. It was not something she would normally where, which is exactly why they wanted her to buy it.

"Cedric and Drew will die when they see these," Angela said giddily. "Now, Lindsey, we just need to work on finding you a date."

Lindsey blushed and looked at Mel for help. Mel gave an apologetic grimace and shrugged. There was no stopping Angela: She was a powerful, unstoppable force.

"I've noticed you've been spending an awful lot of time with Anthony Rickett," Angela continued with a knowing look. Rickett was a year above them and a beater on the Hufflepuff quidditch team. He was just under six feet tall, pale, blond, and brown-eyed. He was not the smartest person in the school, but he seemed nice enough and made Lindsey laugh.

Lindsey turned even redder and muttered, "I'm actually meeting him for lunch at the Three Broomsticks."

"Shoot! What time is it?" Mel asked. She had forgotten to look at the clock before she left the shop. Angela rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. "It's twelve-fifty."

"Will you guys take my things? I won't have a chance to drop them off in the dormitory," she asked. They were outside the Three Broomsticks now. Mel tried to keep the urgency out of her voice; she did not want them to think something was up.

"Sure," Angela said, holding out her arms. Mel laid her dress bag on top of Angela's and Lindsey took her shoes.

"Thanks, see you later," she said, taking a few steps away from the pub.

"No problem," Angela smiled. They waved good-bye and went inside. As soon as they were out of sight, Mel turned around and walked quickly down the street. The Hogshead was at the very edge of Hogsmeade; she was probably going to be a few minutes late.

XXX

Angela and Lindsey navigated the crowded pub to Drew, Ryan, and Cedric's table. They placed their purchases in an empty chair. Angela then helped Lindsey fix her clothes and hair for her lunch date with Rickett. She watched as Lindsey walked happily to his table before sitting down with Drew and the others. She caught Drew's grimace when she sat down.

"What?" she asked.

"Who's carrying all that up to the castle?" he asked.

"Well, Lindsey may or may not come back for her things, and Mel's gone to do some prefect duties, so us," she shrugged.

"Prefect duties," Cedric repeated, sounding confused.

"Yeah, she got a note yesterday morning. She just headed up to the castle."

"Excuse me," he said. Thanks to his quidditch skills, he was easily able to maneuver the crowd. Once outside he shrugged on his coat and looked around the street. He spotted her halfway down the road, heading in the opposite direction of the castle. Eyebrows furrowed, he jogged after her.

XXX

Mel was startled by someone wrapping their arm around her shoulders from behind. She spun out of their grip and turned to see Cedric with pink cheeks and breathing slightly heavier than normal.

"What the hell?" she snapped.

"Just wondering where you're going?" he asked, falling in step with her.

"To see someone. You can't come," she said, folding her arms in front of her.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to see…an estranged family member," she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, the escaped convict," he said, lowering his voice.

They reached the edge of town and Mel pulled Cedric behind the Hogshead.

"Ok, you know where I am going. Now go back to the others. I'll see you later," she said using her most authoritative voice.

"No," he said, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. The November weather was cool, and she could tell Cedric was wishing he had dressed warmer. "I'm going with you, and then we can talk about why you've been avoiding me."

She was about to protest, but was stopped by the sound of a bark. She looked to her left to see a large black dog wagging its tail. It was watching them too intently to be an ordinary dog.

"Hi Padfoot," she said quietly. The dog barked again and turned around. Mel followed him, silently accepting that Cedric was coming too. The flat ground began sloping upward, getting steeper as they walked. Pretty soon, they were climbing up the side of a small mountain.

"I haven't been avoiding you," Mel said between breaths.

"Really?" Cedric asked, his voice full of doubt and strained as he pulled himself up. "Because outside of classes and meals, I haven't seen you in days. That's saying something considering we're in the same house. In fact, you're only at meals long enough to eat a small dinner and barely say two words while you're there."

"I've been researching," she said, climbing on top of a boulder. Sirius was ahead of them by several feet. She hoped they were almost there. Her arms and legs were aching from all the climbing.

"Whatever," Cedric muttered.

"Well, your fan club doesn't help. If possible, they've been even more annoying as of late. I can't think when they're hanging around all the time!"

She was stretching the truth big time. Those girls may be annoying, but it was clear she was lying about avoiding Cedric. She watched as Sirius disappeared over a ledge about five feet up.

"Oh please," Cedric said, seeing through her lies. "If that was true, I wouldn't have seen for the last few months, not the last few days!"

He hoisted himself over the ledge. Then he leaned down to help her up. She accepted his help, and landed on the cave floor, gasping for breath.

"Did you ever think that maybe it's really difficult for me to deal with all these girls flirting with you all the time?" She was really grasping at straws now.

"Don't even start with the jealous girlfriend crap. You don't get jealous, remember?" he snapped. He bent down and pulled her up by her upper arm. "It's the tournament, isn't it?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped.

She took a deep breath and tried to reign in her frustration. There was the sound of someone clearing their throat and they turned to see Sirius Black wearing an amused smirk. Mel felt herself blush from embarrassment. Behind him, she saw a grey hippograph with bright orange eyes lying on the ground. He watched them curiously, but did not get up to see them.

"Sirius, this is Cedric, my boyfriend," she said sheepishly. "He decided to tag along."

"To see a deranged murder?" Sirius asked jokingly.

"Mel trusts you. That's enough for me," Cedric said, walking forward and offering his hand to Sirius. Sirius shook it and said, "Smart boy."

"Why did you need to see me?" Mel asked, walking toward them.

"I have something for you, and I wanted to see how you were doing. So," he smirked, "how are you?"

"Fantastic," she said sarcastically. "I suppose Dumbledore wrote to about my incident?"

"Which one?" he asked, sitting on the cave floor and gesturing for them to do the same.

"What do you mean?" she asked, sitting down.

"The one that happened earlier this month, or the one that happened two years ago?" Sirius asked, watching her reaction closely.

"How do you…?" she asked, feeling confused and anxious all of a sudden.

"The woman from the orphanage wrote Dumbledore about it after you wrote her. He then wrote me, figuring I would like to know. She thought it would help your case if the boy tried anything."

She could feel the 'I told you so' stare from Cedric. She refused to look at him.

"It was a long time ago and I can take care of myself," she shrugged. "What is it you have for me?"

Sirius watched her a moment longer and then sighed. He reached to his left and pulled a bag over by the strings.

"I was able to contact some people who had access to the ancient texts we used to…create you," he said gently. "After disguising myself, I was able to get access to them and steal them. I'm not sure what's in there, but those are all the books and scrolls we used 17 years ago. I was even able to snatch a translation guide. I didn't know if you were studying Ancient Runes or not."

"I am," she said quietly. She took the bag from him and opened it. Inside were almost a dozen old books and scrolls. The smell of old, musty paper assaulted her nose and she closed the bag.

"I thought there might be something in there to help you expand your powers."

"Thank you," she said smiling.

"We should be heading back," Cedric said, glancing at the mouth of the cave. "It's getting late."

Mel nodded and stood up. Cedric took the knapsack from Mel and swung it onto his back. Mel walked over to Sirius and hugged him good-bye. He kissed the top of her head and whispered "take care."

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Black," Cedric said.

Sirius nodded. "Watch out for her," he said, causing Mel to roll her eyes. However, she noticed Cedric nod in consent.

They climbed back down the mountain in silence. Cedric went extra slow in order to help Mel down in the fading light. They had to run back to Hogsmeade in order to meet curfew. Carriages had been sent down for the stragglers. Cedric ran to one and helped Mel inside. Once Cedric closed the door and sat down, Mel snuggled up next to him.

"Done making up excuses?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled into his jacket.

"It's going to be ok," he promised. "The task takes place in the day and it's fall. I'm safe."

Mel nodded in response, but she did not say anything. Instead, she took her hands out of her gloves and held one his in her hands.

"You really need to wear gloves in this weather."

"Yes, love," he said slightly patronizingly. "Are you done avoiding me then?"

"Why must you make me feel stupid?" she groaned.

"Well, you've been acting a little stupid," he teased. "I mean, you tried to pull the jealous girlfriend act earlier. When you're your smart self, you don't do that."

"Shut up," she said, playfully punching him in the side. She pulled away and glared at him as he laughed.

"Though, I will admit those girls are starting on my last nerve. I just don't know what to do about them," he said thoughtfully. "It's not a secret I'm with you or anything. I really don't get what they're thinking."

"Don't know what to tell you," Mel sighed, closing her eyes.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me!"

"I'm sorry. That hike made me tired," she yawned.

"Why don't you get jealous?" he asked after a minute.

"Because I have spent years listening to Angela tell me how much you're in love with me," she teased. "Plus, ya know, we fight a lot, but you've never broken up with me. I'm pretty sure most guys would've bailed by now."

"I feel like there was a compliment in there, but I can't tell," he said, feigning confusion.

She laughed and stood up. She walked over to him slowly. Once in front of him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and straddled him. He tightly wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her from falling

"Though, I can't say I will always be so rational about the situation. So, you'll want to do something about that soon."

"I don't know," he said. "It might be worth it to see you jealous."

"If it's anything like when I'm angry, I'm pretty sure you don't."

He chuckled. She was thinking of a retort when she felt his hand in her hair and push her mouth to his. It was intense and rough. Mel could barely breathe, but, instead of pulling away, her fingers knotted into his hair. His grip on her waist tightened as the hand in her hair moved to her waist and then under her many layers. She shivered as his cold fingers touched her skin. The carriage came to a sudden stop, causing them to break apart.

They sat for minute; the only sound their heavy breathing. Mel disentangled herself from Cedric and hopped out of the carriage. She began walking toward the castle. She heard Cedric follow a few minutes later, though his pace was slow. She adjusted her clothes and hair as she walked. She heard someone running behind her as she walked into the entrance to the Great Hall.

"Mel," Cedric gasped slightly, pulling her to the side.

"What was—" she started to ask, but was stopped by Cedric kissing her again. The kiss much more reserved this time, but when he pulled he away she was blushing furiously. A few of the boys in the entrance whooped and clapped, while the girls giggled. She looked past Cedric and saw some his admirers looking slightly crestfallen.

"Nice," she whispered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you told me to do something," he said innocently. He linked hands with her, lacing their fingers. "Plus, you left me in that…condition," he smirked. She shook her head and led them away from the Great Hall.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"The kitchens," she said. "I'm not going into the Great Hall after that performance."

"Plus, more alone time," Cedric said suggestively.

"I'm promising you nothing," she said, struggling to keep a straight face.

AN: Sorry for the late night/early morning update. I was out with one my bff's that I haven't seen in a year and just got engaged, so we had a lot of catching up to do. Thank you for continuing to read/favorite/review this story! :)