-Chapter 17-

Gossip. To a normal person, gossip was merely whispers in the hallway about a girl you don't like, maybe a giggle at a sleepover about a boy you had a crush on. For Brooke that wasn't the case. Gossip surrounded her life, sometimes accurate sometimes inaccurate, but none the less gossip.

Upon returning to school gossip again followed her, in her dorm, in her classes, in the hallways, Merlin even the teachers gossiped. Of course, Brooke didn't complain about what the gossip was about.

"Did you hear they finally got together?"

"Really a Weasley?!"

"Predictable, I saw that happening in 1st year"

"Can you believe it?!"

Ron squeezed her hand as they weaved through the hallways, a small grin on his lips as the ridiculous comments continued.

Hermione, much like Brooke herself had enough of the comments. "Honestly you would think this war would have more people concerned than Brooke's love life!" She glared at a group that was gawking at both Ron and Brooke's interlaced hands. "Really there is a new attack everyday and yet here they stand…And you two-" she rounded on the two as they entered the common room, "We really need to focus on our studies, just because the OWLS are done does not mean that our time here at Hogwarts is done!"

Brooke rolled her eyes as she slung her bag onto the couch and planted herself next to it, groaning as Hermione continued to drown on.

"You two should be happy that you were even accepted into Potions this year-"

"Yeah with Snape gone and Slughorn teaching we may actually manage to get past a Troll for a grade!" Ron laughed, plopping down beside her.

Hermione slammed her books down, "If you get anything below and acceptable, honestly you really shouldn't be taking it at all…" she sighed, as though she thought better of herself, "If you two really want to be Aurors you need to be studying more and slacking off less." She flicked a piece of hair over her ear.

Brooke continued to roll her eyes.

"Now I need to go show some of the 1st years around, something I would like you to keep in mind Ronald that you should be doing as well!" Her brown eyes pierced her two grinning best friends mischievous ones, "Now when I get back I would hope that you two will have your homework either finished or almost completed." And with that the brown haired girl turned and walked out of the Common Room.

Brooke sighed resting her head down on one of the pillows as Ron relaxed back on the sofa beside her.

"I hope you two know she is crazy!' Ginny laughed, seeming to appear out of nowhere.

"No we haven't noticed Ginny, thanks for pointing it out though!" Ron snapped back.

Ginny laughed, "Are you two getting excited for Quidditch practice, I mean Brooke you are Captain after all-"

Ron sat up at the comment, "Yes I hope you find a wonderful Keeper…."

"I hope you don't mean you!" Ginny quipped in amusement, "Honestly Brooke if you haven't noticed Ronald here might not have told you, but he certainly has been practicing all summer!"

Ron turned red at the comment, his ears being the brightest. His chest seemed to puff up as though he were about to say something loud, his brown eyes narrowed.

Brooke couldn't help think that he looked cute when he was angry. Of course she had known that Ron wanted the keeper position, he had only mentioned it since 1st year. In fact when Brooke found out she was Captain he seemed to stop talking about Quidditch all together. Fred and George brought it to her attention, mentioning the fact that it probably had more to do with the fact that he didn't want her picking him just because he was her boyfriend…well only friend at the time.

In all honesty Brooke hadn't thought much about Quidditch since she had been elected Captain, not that it wasn't important but with all the attacks happening, the fact that Draco Malfoy was at the top of the Death Eater in training brigade, and also the small letters that Dumbledore kept sending her, Quidditch was the last thing on her mind.

"-and because of this you think that you'll make it?!" Ginny was laughing and Ron was redder then Brooke could remember seeing.

"Though I hate to break up this fight, I actually have to run to Dumbledore's office," Brooke interrupted, grinning as the two sighed, swallowing their words in their mouth as they did so.

Ginny looked at her curiously, "Whatever does he want so early on in the year?"

Brooke shrugged her shoulders, giving Ron's hair a light squeeze before she stood, "I think it has to do with what we chatted about over the summer…" grabbing her bag she made her way to the door, "I'm sure it is nothing too crazy, I mean after all like you said it is only the first week of classes…"

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"Did you know….Did you know then?"

Dumbledore eyed her behind his half moon spectacles, "Did I know then that I had met the most dangerous Dark Wizard of all time?" he asked, running a hand through his beard, "No…I didn't." he sighed as the words left his mouth, they sounded so much like disappointment…failure even.

"No you couldn't have…" Brooke sighed herself, still staring down into the bowl of never ending memories. They were white and blue and seemed to just float around aimlessly in the pensive, begging to be picked to view.

Brooke had spent the last 2 hours with Dumbledore, sorting through memories, learning more then she ever thought possible about Voldemort…who use to be just some small boy in an orphanage…Brooke wondered sometimes if that was why he ended up the way he did…No family, no Mum, no Dad, no Uncle…nobody. What would it be like to think you had no one….Sometimes Brooke supposed she took her won lovely family for granted…or use to be a lovely family? Maybe Voldemort didn't grow up with a family, but Brooke sure knows what it was like to have one and then not.

"Do not pity the Dark side Brooke…" Dumbledore said, his eyes trained on something out on the grounds, "We each have light and dark in us…it is our own choices that make us who we are."

She knew he was right.

"What you saw tonight Brooke was the story of Tom Riddle and what he made of it, all of his choices brought him to where he is today."

"Do you think he knew then…you know where he may end up…"

Albus rubbed his beard, his eyes twinkling slightly, "No I do not, however I do think once he came here to Hogwarts he realized how far magic could go." He strolled from the window that now showed the sun had set and darkness has set in, "What I do know is that Tom was a brilliant boy, with dreams and aspirations that were far beyond what any other child her possessed at the time…What I also know was 6 years ago when another brilliant girl walked through these halls for the first time, with braids I believe in her hair-"

Brooke blushed at the comment.

"That is what makes you and Tom different Brooke, you two possess the same talent, aspirations, and brilliance more than anyone I have met in my lifetime…yet two different futures have been made…one light and one dark…You Brooke Potter made your own life choices just as Tom did himself…That is why we do not pity the dark side Brooke."

She nodded, her eyes still taking in the darkening sky , "Professor…you told me once that Professor Slughorn wanted to collect me….Do you want me to let him?"

"Yes Brooke I do."

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"What does that even mean? Collect you as though you are some card to claim a prize with?" Hermione hissed in agitation as the trio sat in the library.

Brooke shrugged, "That's what he said!"

Brooke had been filling the two in on her conversation with Dumbledore that she had the night prior, she herself too tired to go over the night before when she returned back to her room. She had explained about their conversation, the memories that they sorted through, and even about the real reason that Slughorn was brought back to Hogwarts.

"It just seems strange that Slughorn would hide something too seriously from Dumbledore doesn't it?" Hermione asked, her mind racing as she tried to process all the information they had been given.

"It makes sense though...I mean think about it, Slughorn was a Potions Professor at the time, he knows loads of things…if Slughorn mentioned something that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wanted to know, he would have gone to him over anyone…"Ron stated, "Besides it is not as though Slughorn thought he was evil, you even said Dumbledore didn't suspect it at the time!"

Brooke just shrugged, her mind hadn't stopped racing since she left Dumbledore's office the night before…She couldn't figure out what Slughorn could possibly be keeping as a secret. "But why would he hide it now?" It was the question Brooke kept asking herself.

"It must be something terrible…I mean why else wouldn't he tell us?" Hermione ventured.

"I don't know."

Brooke sighed, biting her lip as she stared at the long lines of book shelves, students buzzing around as they did their homework. It was weird, some days Brooke felt so confident at knowing what was happening, what was going on, or even what was going to happen, but this last year had seemed to do her in.

Draco Malfoy acting sketchy, withdrawn, disappearing off the map had her on high alert.

Slughorn keeping secrets…Dumbledore wanting her to let him catch her.

Sirius and Remus constantly going on top secret missions.

Hermione NOT knowing what to do.

Ron making her have butterflies in her stomach every ten seconds.

"Hey." A hand reached out to squeeze hers, looking up her saw Hermione's brown eyes smiling back, "We will figure this out and get through this…I mean we always do."

"Yeah besides we have all year to figure it out…" Ron added, bumping his shoulder against her own, "We all know this routine, the bad stuff always happens at the end of the year…we haven't even hit Christmas yet!"

The two girls broke into a fit of laughter.

"I suppose you are right…" Brooke threw in.

Hermione nodded, squeezing her hand once more, "Besides its Quidditch try outs in a half an hour and I plan on being there to watch!"

"You!" Brooke stated in shock as the trio gathered their belongings, and started to hear out, "You hate Quidditch!"

"Yes but getting to watch tryouts is very amusing, and besides my two best friends are doing it, I want to be there to support you!" Hermione claimed.

Brooke and Ron gave each other a knowing look.

"Besides reading outside is really great for ones eyesight, and it also helps me not get as distracted!"

"Oh Hermione, I knew it would be something like that!" Brooke laughed.

"You two should try it, maybe I could start a reading club…we could go to different places everyday outside…it would be a wonderful experience-"

"Like your SPEW?" Ron yelped as Hermione swat him on the head.

"I'll have you know that I still work on SPEW Ronald Weasley!" Hermione yelled, "And also I will have you know those house elves love my idea-"

Brooke took a deep breath as the trio continued to make their way out of the halls. It was funny there was some things she knew would always be the same and she supposed that as long as she had these two by her side, she really couldn't complain.