Disclaimer: I own no rights to Harry Potter, just my personal characters.
Note: Same as the last chapter. All those reading this who like it, please feel free to comment. Continue to enjoy. Also, for those who like visuals...if I were to explain compare the characters to actors (the following are visual comparison not acting): Tammie looks like...KeKe Palmer, Melinda looks like Jennifer Lawrence. Courtney looks like Hayden Panettiere Matt looks like Liam Hemsworth and Professor Madison looks like that boss in How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days. Side note: Burnner looks like Torrey DeVitto, and Barrass looks like Benedict Cumberbatch (as a ginger). If those visuals ruined the story I apologize, try to go back to visually you're own characters. Happy reading! =)
Cry Wolf
I looked around at everyone clapping. Did they really have no idea? I wondered but then noticed Melinda was clapping too. Something must have been wrong if she was clapping. "Professor Madison you said?" I asked Abby who nodded and then shrugged but frowned when she turned to face me.
"Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost" she said and then smiled a bit as I saw Nearly Headless Nick out of the corner of my eye.
"Not quite" I said though I was really talking to myself. I looked back at the staff table, Professor Madison was looking right at me. Her long wavy brown hair, her thin lips, her accusing sinister smile. It was like she was practically screaming she knew I killed her.
"Hey, you gonna eat?" Fred asked as he nudged me.
"What?" I asked thoroughly distracted. "What's wrong?" Fred said instantly catching my expression. I looked back at the staff table, Madison was looking at Melinda—who seemed to be clueless—with the same expression.
"I—I, I'll be right back" I told him not waiting for him to say anything as I sprung from my seat and out into the hallway. Deep breathes, just breath, calm down, she can't really be there, she's dead, she's not there. I kept repeating over and over as I walked back and forth, my body still tense.
"Tam?" I heard Fred's voice say as I leaned against a wall. "Hey," he said with concern as he came over to me.
"She's here" I said as I leaned into him as he wrapped his arms around me.
"Courtney? Yeah, I know, it's okay, we said we weren't going to freak out about these visions" he said lightly as I shook my head and pulled away, my breathing still close to a panic attack.
"No, not Courtney," I started though I was unable to get the rest out, my mind now filling with images of third year, your first near death experience was never something you forgot. "Burnner" I said trying to shoo away the images.
"What about her?" Fred asked. I swallowed hard and looked at him.
"What do you mean, what about her? You didn't see her?" I asked though it was quite plain he was wondering how sane I was.
"Do you feel okay?" he asked, the concern rising.
"I'm fine! It's not me, she's here! She's the new Professor" I told him.
"The hag?" he asked. Normally I would've at least rolled my eyes but the thought of Burnner being alive was overwhelming.
"Yes, sorta, she's—I don't know, she's her, somehow" I told him. "A shapeshifter or something" I said as Fred put a hand on my shoulder. The interaction got me to breathe a little easier.
"Hey," he said quietly as he placed his other hand on my other shoulder. "You killed that bitch, she's not back" he said but all I could do was shake my head.
"Fred, I know what I saw and I saw her, I swear" I said feeling smothered and not sane. "It's her, you have to believe me, I wouldn't lie about this, you know I wouldn't. I haven't thought about out loud all summer. I wouldn't be bothered if I wasn't telling the truth" I said, almost begging him to believe me. "Please, I know what I saw, it's her" I told him. For a minute I thought he'd walk away or tell me again I didn't see something correctly. But then he moved his hands to my cheeks and took a step closer.
"If you really think it's her—"
"It is!" I couldn't help but interrupt.
"If it's her, okay, we'll figure something out, we'll tell, okay?" he said rubbing my cheeks as I started to calm down.
"I'm scared" I whispered as his face softened and he pulled me into a hug.
"Don't be" he said kissing my forehead. "I'm never going to let her hurt you again" he said confidently. I reckoned that part was more to himself, he still felt like he failed to protect me third year, even though it was completely on me, and Melinda.
"I have to tell Melinda!" I remembered as I pulled away from Fred only to nearly run into Professor Snape.
"Is there a good reason you two are out in the hallway?" he asked.
"I saw Professor Burnner" I blurted, I couldn't help it, I had to tell someone, and Snape was someone.
"Excuse me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Professor Burnner, she's here" I told him, finally feeling a tad better.
"You mean the Professor you and friend oh so cleverly snuck out to confront and almost ended up getting killed by?" he asked. I stiffened a bit at his tone. Go figure it'd be this professor to be the jerk about it.
"Yes, that one" I replied feeling just as sarcastic.
"She's joking; we were making out" Fred interrupted as I shot him a look. Since when did he want to be nice to a professor, let alone Snape? "We're going back inside now" Fred said taking my arm and bringing me back into the Great Hall. As soon as we got back to the table I pulled away.
"You don't believe me!" I accused.
"I didn't say that, but, Tammie, you're talking to Snape, he'll be the first to assign you dentition cleaning Professor Madison's office while she's there" he said. I continued looking angry but I knew he had a point. Still, he sat down with his brother. He should've been standing, on his way to tell Dumbledore. I looked up at the staff table, Professor Madison was happily in conversation with the Professor next to her while Snape went back to his place, though he did look over at Madison a few times. I looked at Dumbledore but eventually felt the hopelessness of telling him. Who would believe me? If she looked like a grouchy old librarian that's what she looked like. My word—which was boarding on insanity—against what everyone else saw with their own eyes. But she was there, and she knew who she was, I knew she knew. She knew what she was doing. Still. I closed my eyes for a moment, willing myself not to cry and turned to head out.
"Tammie, you should eat" Fred insisted lightly but I shook my head.
"Not hungry" I said flatly as I walked out.
I walked all the way to the Slytherin common room even though I knew no one was there. Least of all Draco. I was tempted to just stay there until he arrived but I didn't know how much longer that would be. They probably were just finishing the food, and dessert had to be passed out. I started back toward the Gryffindor common, slowly, but halfway there I decided to go check the Owerly. I missed my owl.
Unfortunately it looked like he was off having dinner himself so I was stuck with the other owls. I didn't stay long, I was always afraid one of them would pop on me. So I headed out, thinking about the Threstals. I saw them, their eerie boney bodies, the morbidly black skin. You didn't seem them unless you saw death. I saw death, I saw Burnner die. But I was not crazy, I was not imagining her. She was here, she was that Madison woman.
I repeated this to myself all the way back to the well light area of the castle, there was a low but excited mumble all around, they must have been further in the meal than I thought if they were getting out already, I thought to myself as I maneuvered my way around the most crowded people. I saw Melinda, my first instinct was to warn her, say anything, but she just looked so happy. George was with her, they were holding hands, Andrew looked a bit crossed, and there were some girls around them. No, I wouldn't tell her, I wouldn't ruin her night.
I spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione next, Hermione was going on about something but I couldn't hear from where I was, Ron was being obnoxious and yawning while Harry was at least attempting to pay attention. I could tell them, but Hermione would no doubt tell Melinda or spend hours in the library pouring over books. That was something I could do myself. Worst, she could rationalize it, she could be like Fred and not believe me. I scanned the crowd for Fred but I didn't see him. He should've followed me out, I thought selfishly.
Shaking my head, trying to let my annoyance die down I spotted Draco. He was walking alongside Courtney and Pansy and Crabbe and Goyle. I rolled my eyes, I hated those two. Still. I moved easily through the parting crowd and caught up to Draco, swatting him to catch his attention.
"Hey" he said casually as Pansy glared at me. I wrinkled my nose back at her, she hated when I did that. It meant I didn't care.
"Can I talk to you?" I asked as he glanced at his friends.
"Er, yeah, I guess" he said uncertainly. I rolled my eyes but was glad to see him follow as I moved to a more isolated corner of the hall.
"Do you remember Professor Burnner?" I asked trying to think of how I was supposed to tell him.
"The one who put a death wish on your head third year and you somehow luckily escape the wrath of?" he asked sarcastically. "Or was there another nicer, less psychotic Burnner you knew?" he asked as I felt the temptation to smack him.
"She's back" I said quickly his face paling just as quick.
"Tammie, she died" he said point blank.
"I know, but, she didn't" I said as he searched my face and then let out a loud tired sigh.
"Listen, I know you're stressed—from whatever—and that's fine, it is, you're allowed to have breakdowns and be stressed, but, Burnner isn't here—"
"She's that Professor Madison woman" I insisted.
"So she gained a hundred pounds and took a fifty year aging potion?" he asked sarcastically as I ignored the jab to my chest.
"Draco, I'm serious—"
"So I am, you killed her. She's gone Tams," he said as I shook my head but didn't respond. "If you want me to go with you to talk to Dumbledore and Snape about giving you something or seeing someone—"
"I'm not crazy" I told him feeling the tears lurking.
"Okay" he said waving his hands. "Just, go get some sleep. You're tired, you look dead tired. You'll be fine in the morning" he said putting a hand on my arm and giving me a tight smile. At least it was sincere I thought to myself as I nodded. Fine, he didn't believe me either. I thought as I pushed away the lump in my throat and walked back over with him to his friends.
"Good night Draco" I said drily as Courtney searched my face, what was her problem? I wondered feeling almost like prey or a toy.
"Were you talking about Burnner?" she asked. It wasn't so much the fact of what she said that she said that sent up warning bells but how she said it, how excited she got, how she, knew that I was talking about Burnner.
"No" Draco said firmly. "Burnner's dead" he added with a firm nod in my direction. I didn't respond nor did I nod, I wasn't letting it go, she wasn't dead, at least, at the most she was here. "See you tomorrow" he said as he headed off, his friends behind him. I reached for my wand, one little trick, tying his shoes together so he'd fall, making him fart, just something small. But no, eventually he'd come to see I wasn't lying. As would Fred.
With that thought in mind I headed back toward the Gryffindor Tower, the halls seemed to have cleared out quite a bit. I absently started thinking about Quidditch, was Harry the captain this year? Then my mind wondered to Transfiguration. I couldn't wait for that class, my favorite class. At least there I could not be stressed. But then I'd have to worry about Defense Against the Dark Arts and it wasn't like it was a class I could drop.
My mind continue to roam until I felt the impact of myself bumping into something—no, someone—else. I needed to start paying attention to where I was walking. I scolded myself as I started to apologize—one of these days my absent mindedness would get me in trouble, I thought but then realized I had come face to face with Matthew, all words instantly failing me.
