Chapter 28

AN: Again, sorry for the huge delay in updating. I have no new excuses: school and work keep me pretty busy and I've really been struggling to figure out where to take this story. After a lot of thought and plot drafts, I've decided to wrap up this story. I think there will be two more updates after this post. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this story, especially Slytherin Princess Jade, Airabelle, happypanda19, DreamUnicorn247, invisible-gurl, and everyone else who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story. I really appreciate your support and feedback.

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

Cedric was awoken by the nightmare yet again. He started to reach for Mel before remembering he was in his bed at school. He rolled over on his back and focused on his breathing. The nightmare was occurring less and less now, but he doubted it would ever go away completely. He was thankful for placing a silencing charm around his bed. He was sure he'd been talking as he slept. Mel said he usually muttered things when he dreamed about the graveyard.

When his pulse had returned to normal, he glanced at his clock. It was four-thirty in the morning. He groaned. He doubted he'd be able to fall back asleep in time to get any rest. It was weird that Mel wasn't here, though he felt guilty for wishing she were now. He had woken her up so many times; he was surprised she didn't look permanently exhausted. This was probably the first night in weeks that she would get a full night's sleep.

He sighed and pulled one of the pillows over his face, hoping it would block everything out and he'd be able to get back to sleep.

XXX

Their last year flew by in a blur. Their professors had them hard at work preparing for their N.E.W.T.s. Mel hadn't felt this stressed for her O.W.L. Her and Cedric's relationship continued to have its ups and downs, but they were still together. Quidditch had been a good distraction for Cedric. It was a good release for his emotions, and kept him from blowing up at Professor Umbridge, who was a witch in more ways than one. She wished the same could have been said for Harry, but he continued to get himself into trouble with the horrible toad. A part of her felt she should talk to him more, but she often managed to convince herself that he was just being an angry teen. If anything were really wrong, Ron, Hermione, or Sirius would know about it. She wouldn't have been able to convince herself of this, if it wasn't for her studies.

"Come on, Mel," Angela said, nudging her side gently. "If I can stay awake to get through this pile of homework, you can."

Mel sat up and shook her head. She had been more tired than usual, and was having horrible headaches. She wondered if it had anything to with her Sight. She hadn't had any weird dreams or vision for most of the year, but that didn't matter. Her Sight caused most of her problems. She doubted this time was any different.

"Sorry, I've just never been this bored when working on Defense Against the Dark Arts. I doubt the exam will have anything to do the theories of defense," Mel complained. "Maybe parts of the written exam, but this won't be the only thing on there. How is this supposed to prepare us for anything?"

"I know. At least we all got to practice will spells in the D.A. before Umbridge caught us," Angela sighed. "Call it a night?"

"Please," Mel said, closing her book. Their walk down to the Hufflepuff dormitory was a quiet one: Angela was lost in her own thoughts. For once the corridors weren't empty when they left the library. There were still quite a few people out in the halls. Halfway down the staircase between the third and second floors, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," Cedric said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He looked pale, nervous. "Of course," Mel said, growing concern. She turned to Angela and said, "I'll see you later."

Cedric lead them back up the staircase on to an empty corridor. Mel turned to face him. He was standing closer than she expected, only a few inches from her.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," he said, pulling her to him and holding her tightly in place. "Should there be?"

"It's hard to tell these days."

"Not as fun being like all the other mortals, is it?" he teased. She sighed and leaned her head against his chest.

"So, why'd you bring me here?"

"For this." He tilted her chin up and crashed his lips to hers. She hadn't expected his fierceness and had to grip his shoulders to steady herself. Cedric's only reaction was to move one hand to the small of her back and knot one in her hair. Mel was just relaxing, when she felt the beginnings of a vision. It hit her so fast; she just had time to pull away.

She must have passed out for a minute because she found herself sitting on the cold stone floor, a nervous Cedric beside her. Her head was throbbing, she wondered if she had hit something.

"What happened?" she asked, leaning her head against her knees.

"Kissing, vision, I think you blacked out for a second," he said, brushing her hair off her neck, which, she realized, was slightly sweaty. "What did you see?"

Mel took a deep breath, trying to sort out what she had seen. She felt like she only had gotten a quick glimpse, though she was sure she had seen more than she could recall at the moment.

"I think it was a battle, but… I can't remember anything else. Not who was there or where there is, nothing," she shrugged.

"It doesn't matter," Cedric said, his voice suddenly hard. "Let's just get you back to the dormitory. Can you stand?"

She nodded her head and pushed herself off the floor, Cedric guiding her. He wrapped an arm around her waist, offering her support. She didn't need it, but let him lead her anyway.

"I wish I could remember what I saw," she said quietly.

"Maybe you weren't supposed to."

"What do you mean?"

"Only that if you were supposed to see it all, you would have. No need to go digging further," he said shortly. Mel heard a bit of anger in his voice. She couldn't understand why he'd be upset. Not feeling up to a discussion, she remained silent. He walked her all the way to the common room and then to the staircase to the girls' dormitories, pausing only when they stood at the foot of the stairs.

"Are you interested in going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?" he asked, letting his arm drop from her waist.

"Sure." She leaned forward and gave him a light kiss. "Cedric?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

Cedric half-smiled, "Let's go while the coast is clear."

XXX

The boys' dormitory was unusually quiet for a Friday morning. Cedric, like most of the seventh years, had his final N.E.W.T. exam that afternoon. However, it was in History of Magic and he wasn't overly concerned about it. Plus, Mel was snuggled up next to him. He nudged her, not wanting to make too much noise in case his roommates were still in the room. She stretched in response, whacking him in the face as she did.

"Sorry," she mumbled, rolling over onto her stomach and resting her head on his chest. "What time is it?"

Cedric snuck a look at his clock, which was on the other side of the bed curtain. As he did, he noticed that the room was empty a part from him and Mel. "Ten in the morning."

"Shit," Mel sighed. "I wanted to study more before the exam."

"The exam isn't until two," Cedric said, rolling his eyes. "You have plenty of time to study."

"I'll acknowledge that you have a point, but please note that I don't care."

"Noted. Now, would you like to eat something?"

She nodded her head as she sat up on her knees.

"Then go get dressed an meet me downstairs. I'll sneak us into the kitchen."

Mel rolled her eyes at him, as she slipped on her clothes from yesterday. "Like I couldn't get it myself."

He laughed and pulled her to him, so he could kiss her. "Just go get dressed and don't be so mouthy in the morning. She stuck her tongue at him and twisted out of his grip. He heard her mumble something about morning breath as she left, pausing only to smirk at him.

XXX

"I can't believe it," Angela sighed. "We're done."

"Yeah, it's exciting and weird. We've been here for seven years. I can't imagine being anywhere else," Mel said.

They had finished their final N.E.W.T exam and were officially done with their Hogwarts education. Mel, Angela, and Lindsey were lying next to the lake and enjoying the nice weather, for one of the last times. Mel was unusually tired and having a difficult time staying awake, especially under the warm sun. She drifted off for only a minute when she had the vision from last night again, but it was much clearer this time.

Fighting the dizziness, she shot up and scrambled to her feet. Lindsey and Angela asked her what was wrong, but she only mumbled she had forgotten to do something. She sprinted back up to the school and weaved in and out of people in the corridors up to the fourth floor. When she arrived, Umbridge's door was unlocked and there were several unconscious and hexed Slytherins inside. She closed the door and sprinted back down the stairs, hoping to find the only Order member left.

Gasping for breath, she pounded on the Potions Master's door. An annoyed "Enter" followed. She pushed the door open so enthusiastically that it slammed against the stonewall. Surprised was not a good enough description for what Snape was when he saw, but Mel couldn't care about that now.

"You —have to—alert—the Order. Harry's in—trouble."

"What do you mean?" Snape asked, handing her a glass of water. She took it and hesitated. Did he know? Could she worry about that?

"Do you know about me?" she asked.

"I know you're a Seer, yes," he said quickly. She could still hear the skepticism in his voice.

"I had a vision. Voldemort tricked Harry, using their connection, into the Department of Mysteries. Some of the others went with him and they're all in trouble. It's a trap," she explained urgently. Snape studied her a moment longer before making a decision.

"I'll alert the Order. You go to the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey give you a calming drought. Don't make any detours," he said, his tone threatening on the last bit.

Mel nodded, but had no intention of listening. She did her best to calmly exist the office and make her way through the castle. She was speed walking now, still getting her breathing under control. If she could make it to the gates without getting stopped, she could help Harry for once. The Order was going to be too late. She was halfway across the grounds when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards. She spun around to see a glaring Cedric.

"Where are you going?" he growled.

"To help Harry!" she snapped, yanking her arm away from him.

"The Order will take care of it," he said through gritted teeth.

"They'll be too late. I'm going. You can come if you feel you need to," she said, turning and making her way toward the gates. She heard him groan in frustration and run to catch up with her.

"This isn't safe Mel."

"Of course it's not. It's a war, but I can't just sit here and wait, not after last year."

They reached the gates and Cedric opened them, his face set in a glare. Mel sighed as she walked through the gates.

"I love you Cedric," she said, taking his hand. "But I need to do this."

He gave a small nod and squeezed her hand. Mel took a nervous breath and they apparated to the Ministry of Magic.

XXX

They apparated near the statue of the witch and wizard surrounded by magical creatures. The corridor was empty and completely quiet. Slowly and with their wands raised, they walked toward the lifts. Mel's heart was pounding. She had seen a battle in her vision, this hall in particular, but no one was here. How was she supposed to help anyone if she could not find them?

They were about thirty feet away from the lifts when they heard them moving. Cedric forced them into a small nook as the lift clanked into place. A maniacal laugh echoed through the marble corridor. A figure dressed in black and with wild black hair ran by them without a second glance, as there was a second clang from the lifts. A few seconds later, they heard someone utter a curse and saw a flash of red light. Mel maneuvered herself from between the wall and Cedric and peered around the corner. She saw an upset Harry with his wand pointing at Bellatrix Lestrange. Mel stepped out between them, her wand lowered.

"Harry—," she began gently.

"SHE KILLED HIM! SHE KILLED SIRIUS!" he screamed, his voice cracking. His pain and anger was evident in his face, but she could not let him do torture someone, or try to. It was not him. She walked over to Harry, but kept her eyes on Bellatrix. Cedric followed her movements, but remained closer to the wall. She was only a few feet away when a blast knocked them all to the ground.

The blast destroyed part of the floor, causing dust and rubble to surround them. The dust also caused them all to cough. Mel squinted through the haze. At first, she could only see the outline of a man. As the dust settled, the figure became clear: It was Sean.

Cedric was the first to react. He was on his feet in seconds, standing between her and Sean and pointing his wand at the center of Sean's chest. Harry was almost as fast as Cedric, and made to help her up. In her peripheral vision she could see Bellatrix dancing around and could make out the sounds of laughter and taunts through her muted hearing. Before Mel could regain her balance, Sean had attacked and knocked out Cedric with one spell.

Mel felt as if her heart had dropped into her stomach and was sure she stopped breathing. After a few long seconds, she the rise and fall of Cedric's chest. Harry was trying to drag her away, but she pulled away from him and shot a curse at Sean, who was laughing coldly. He saw it at the last possible second and deflected it.

"You're going to lose," he said smugly. "You'll lose Diggory, who should already be dead. You'll fail Potter, and then you'll die."

"Funny, I thought I was the one with the Sight," she said, her even-toned voice sounding foreign to her. She could sense Harry's nervousness. He was behind her and kept tugging on the hem of shirt. She ignored him, as she realized she was about to do exactly what Harry had wanted to do to Bellatrix. She tried to tell herself that this was different. Sean was here because she was here. He had no purpose, but to cause pain. She had to stop him; that's why she had committed the spell to memory. It would stop him from causing more pain in this world, at least direct pain.

"Relinquere," she said, her voice strong and firm. A blinding yellow light erupted from her wand and shot toward Sean. He tried a shield charm, but it was too weak for her spell. He exploded into pieces of light when it him. However, she felt a burning pain in eyes as he exploded. The pain was so great she stumbled backward and tripped over some rubble. Harry barely caught her in time. She grabbed her face and felt a something warm and wet streaming from her eyes. She could hear screaming, but could not hear in words. There was another burning pain, but this one was stronger and passed through her whole body, causing her to black out.