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Note: This is hopefully a helpful chapter! Happy reading.

Meet the Fates

"Okay, what are they?" was my first question. She leaned back in the chair, debating on how much information she should throw at us, debating which pieces were most important, debating on finding her book. After a few minutes she relaxed even more, her desire for her book faded, she had memorized, I could see it in her eyes, I had to smile, she was proud of herself, and she had every right to be.

"Well, as you know from your vision The Fates are part of the Seers, they're the top of group, they're the all known. They don't make the paths, they just make sure you stick to one of your paths to your future, your destiny, your life—"

"Hang on, there's more than one path?" I asked, even though I hated interrupting her, but I wanted to make sure I understood everything.

"Yeah, people get one path, but then, I guess The Fates factor in human nature, mistakes, natural disasters, all the bad things, and gives us alternatives. It's like roots…." I smile at her comparison. "There's narrow paths and wide paths, smaller narrow short ones connect to the bigger ones. But like there's only a certain number of roots on a tree, there's only so many alternatives a person can get. There's only so many chances The Fates give, sometimes they don't even warn people…" her voice trails off. I'm not I want to ask the next question but I do anyway, I had to.

"Warn people of what?" I asked. Melinda doesn't answer, and I understand. I nodded in interesting and looked at Draco who seems to understand too. "Okay, why are The Fates warning us, it's happened twice?" Melinda looked at me, as if should already know. I didn't.

"You and Matt are both Seers, you're their kind, they think you deserve to know." She must have some gracefulness, at least they told us in advance, but it was probably my fault to begin with. Probably my reaction and refusal to be with Matt. I looked back at Melinda, wondering if she thought the same thing.

"Was it something we did?" I asked, remembering back to the pastry shop. The lady seemed so old and innocent; I never would've guessed she was warning me my life was danger. "Do you think it was them at the tea shop?"

"It was me," she started as she looked away in shame. "At the tea shop, when I saw Draco and Courtney, I just mentally couldn't deal. I got angry, really angry. In my mind and I could feel it bubbling up. I could feel it in my hand, in my wand, it was like my anger was charging a spell I was going to lose control of…and then The Fates blasted at us. They never intervene, but they did that day because there were too many connections, too much of a mess to clean up. Even if one of us died it would lead everyone off the set course." Melinda was still looking away. "When I was hiding, I happen to catch a look at the door, they were all there. No one else can see them, but I did. You were still okay, you were good, you hadn't messed up at that point yet." Draco moved down toward the end of the bed.

"What do you mean yet?" he asked looking from me to her.

"Well, I think all three come to push us out of potential danger. Like, danger we've gotten ourselves into, otherwise they would've gotten rid of Professor Madison ages ago." Melinda explained.

"But I haven't seen them" Draco exclaimed.

"Because you're not the thing that doesn't belong…" I start slow, trying to understand as I speak. "You were here this whole time, you and everyone else. We came to you, we grew on you guys. I bet you anything Matt can see them or will see them, he's part of us now too. Your future changed because of us, it's our 'fault' so it's fit that we'd be the ones punished if we screw up."

"They had to recreate a whole new future, for all of us, a whole reality of sorts, don't you think they're going to get pissed if Melinda does something like blow up a tea shop because you're an idiot?" I asked Draco.

"So she can fight me, not Melinda, and you haven't done anything" Draco's voice was raised now.

"But we're really only changing because Professor Madison is messing with our emotions" I shouted.

"And Courtney" Draco piped in. I hadn't thought about Courtney.

"It doesn't matter; it's us, not them, not any of them, not even the wicked." Melinda's comment was as much to me as she was herself.

"You think Matt can see them?" Draco asked when silence fell.

"Probably, why else would he send us gifts? All us? He knows Fred hates him, and George too. And you and Melinda are at wit's end and quite honestly, well I'm seconds from throttling you. But we wouldn't be here—" I cut off because Melinda's yelp made me jump.

"We wouldn't here if it weren't for Matt!" I looked at her, that was what I was going say. I thought to myself. "No, Tammie, I don't think you get it, we physically would not be here. I'd still be in that room shocked and you'd be feeling the wrath of George until you head popped off or he found a wand. You heard Fate, she had some kind of grip on me hoping George would react, hoping we would get kicked out; if not yesterday some day later this week, it's been tense in that house." I didn't want to admit, but yes, the tension had risen.

"So if they were warning you before, why didn't you listen, what was the warning?" I looked at Melinda. We were in the store together, I was buying presents for—my thoughts abruptly halted as I looked at Melinda, I knew my eyes were as big as hers. "But the pastry shop? What was it that they were warning about?" Melinda asked. I leaned back against the wall; I had been sitting all the way back on Draco's bed, over by the window. I hated this view; I hated the desire to always look out the window. Now I'm glad it's here.

"I hadn't been doing anything…" Which was true.

"Nothing regarding Draco?" Melinda asked; I thought again. I had Draco's money bag, did that count? No, that's stupid, I thought to myself.

"Okay, let's go back, what were you doing in that store then?" Melinda asked, a little confused, and also trying to recall something from memory. This time she was really listening, not just ready to jump in and help explain but listening to figure out what she was missing.

"I left The Burrow; you asked if I could find George…" I paused to adjust TGHGmy tone. I didn't want Draco to know about the huge fight between Melinda and George, at least leave it out as much as I could. "I couldn't find him when I first got to Diagon Alley so I went to that place where their shop is going to be—"

"You went inside?" Draco asked. I nodded and then continued.

"I went inside and I was looking around for some form of life and that lady finally came over and told me to bring up some of the treats and the lost ring—"

"What lost ring?" Draco asked.

"Stop interrupting me and I'll tell you" I snapped at Draco.

"Guys" Melinda said, her voice shaper than me.

"Anyway, so I looked around for the stupid treats and then brought them up, and then some lady comes in all frantic about a lost ring. Well, no, she was speaking French so I didn't know she was going about a lost ring right away, but we figured it out. So then she left and I got a bit mad because the old lady didn't even offer to help, I assumed she worked there and spoke French, but obviously I was wrong about that…" I looked over at Melinda.

"Go on" she urged.

"Um, well I'd occasionally look at her and she looked like she was having a good laugh watching and not helping and just eating those snacks. Then George came in and I told him what happened and we left." I shrugged when I finished, trying to go over what happened in my mind again. "But let me get this straight, you went into shock because they just got a grip on you? Makes you wonder what else they can do…" I said.

"They can kill you too. If the consequences are small they'll attack. If they're large enough they won't attack. They intervened at The Burrow because we were making the tension too high. Even though Matt meant well; George is still freaked out, Fred is going to explode. And it's our faults. We can we removed, don't you see that?" she didn't ask with any kind of tone, more like worry.

"And I keep telling Fred it's alright so I don't hurt him" I nearly whispered.

"We're doing more harm than good" Melinda mumbled. I slowly nodded in agreement. "Matt's probably in danger too" Melinda added, something I already figured, which just made my stomach hurt.

"But if you pull Matt close, if you join up in a group, you Melinda and Matt you're pushing everyone else away. You'll break Fred's heart Tam…" Two things made me wince in pain at that moment. Draco's wording and his concern.

"Maybe they'll just go away…" I suggested.

"Not unless Professor Madison and Courtney go away" Melinda said through gritted teeth. "I can't avoid them, they fuel me with anger. They show me everything I hate about bad people and then I remember I'm a witch who can stop it" she explained. I admired her honesty but it was Draco who spoke next.

"But that's not you Melinda; you can do better than that. You use your brain, the logic; you keep your head and help us find ours. All you need is someone to remind you that you got brains." They slowly made eye contact, I almost smiled, but then Draco opened his mouth and I knew he wasn't going to say anything good. "That's not me Melinda, my head is still rolling on the ground. George cares though. He shook her" he thumbed in my direction. "I could never do that. I could never blame her if anything bad happened to you. I never have." It was all the things I wanted to hear. All the kind words I've always wanted to hear him say, but now, now was not the right time.

Melinda handled it effortlessly; I hated how easy she was preforming this. Even with George, I hated that too. "But what do they mean by themselves? Are you sure you didn't do anything small, you know your absent minded behavior better than me" she said, addressing only me.

"No, I did nothing different" I said, now confident I didn't have any new information, though, that was slightly depressing.

"So we need to find someone that does, have you talked to Matt?" Draco asked, trying to remain as he looked from me to Melinda, Melinda completely resisting eye contact again.

"Matt probably knows of them, but might not have seem them after all, he hasn't does anything wrong, he's encouraged our relationships, he's been good. Think about Melinda" I said. She did too; after a few minutes she agreed.

"Maybe he saw it in a vision and knew he had to send the message." Another light clicked in my mind.

"Right, I had asked him before, about the Fates but he never said anything, he probably had a vision of us talking to him, secretly maybe, because I can't tell Fred about this just yet. It has to be a sit down conversation. Same with George and everyone else. So he had a vision of us, maybe Draco too, I don't know, but us four talking, or three, and knowing we'd all need our little own words of encouragement. Especially since we're going back to Hogwarts, where Professor Madison is." I let out a huge sigh. The weights weren't lifting from my chest, they were just moving. But at the same time, I felt okay, I felt calm, I felt clear headed. "Hey, have either of you noticed I haven't jumped to write Matt a letter or Fred? And Melinda, you're still here, and Draco, you're not yelling or being completely mean." Melinda and Draco both looked at me. "If we're along with this Fate stuff, I'd say the Fates want us exactly where we are" I told her; and though neither of them outwardly agreed I see them both relax even more.

"I'm sure you'll see Fred in no time though" Melinda said realizing I did indeed miss him.

"I know," I said with a small smile.

"So what did you two do with Matt's coins?" Draco asked, mainly to get off the topic of how disheartened I was.

Melinda pulled out her necklace with the coin attached. I shook my wrist, showing my new bracelet with the coin attached to Draco.

"What's that?" he asked pointing at the bracelet below.

"It's a four leaf clover" I said tugging at the heart surrounding the clover.

"I know what it is, you know what I mean" he neck was pink, no red. He was flushed; he didn't want to say what he was thinking. I smiled, enjoying his suffering a little too much.

"You mean, who is it from? It's from Melinda, a birthday present." He frowned; right away I knew he was thinking of money and how a tattered gift could mean so much. I rolled my eyes as he continued frowning. "It's the thought that counts Draco, it's always the thought." He glared but didn't say anything. He looked like he was having another spasm.