Hogwarts Love Story pt 37

Finally, after far too long, part thirty-seven is out! I hope you enjoy this part, and I hope to do this school year justice -- it's one of my favourites.

Last part the sixth year started, Cailey and Ariella argued with their parents, and they went to the burrow. Oh, and we had the shocking revelation of Cedric's disappearance.

Created by: vulturemonem
  1. Over the following couple of weeks, I spent the majority of my time on a broomstick, playing two-a-side Quiditch with Harry, Ron and Ginny, Hermione flying around above us to make sure we stuck to the rules. Unsurprisingly, she made an incredibly good referee. Harry's sixteenth birthday celebrations were interrupted by the arrival of Remus – not that he seemed to be complaining. In fact, Harry looked almost relieved when the attention turned away from him. Remus accepted a piece of cake from Mrs Weasley, and sat down on the chair between myself and Fleur (who was taking the chance to play with Bill's hair). "There's been another attack," Remus said. Mrs Weasley shot him a glare, but he pretended not to notice. "Igor Karkaroff was found dead." Nobody around the room looked surprised. "It's a miracle he survived that long," Bill said, "after he ran from the Death Eaters." "Regulus Black lasted a couple of days, if I remember correctly," Mr Weasley pointed out, much to his wife's annoyance. She pursed her lips. "Yes, well, perhaps we should talk"”" "I heard that Ollivander's gone." I interrupted Mrs Weasley, desperate not to move back onto the chatter we'd been exchanging before. Remus looked at me. "Yes." "Where are people going to buy wands?" Ginny asked, looking almost shocked. Remus looked grim. "They'll make do with other suppliers, but Ollivander was the best. And if Voldermort has him on his side, that's a blow for the rest of us."
  2. With the following came the arrival of our Hogwarts letters - books lists and a requirement on my part for new robes meant that we could put off a trip to Diagon Alley no longer. We were all extremely grateful when Bill handed us our gold from Gringots, meaning that we didn't have to spend hours queuing up to get it. Mr Weasley had managed to lay hand on a luxurious Mercedes (extended by magic, of course) to drive us to our destination, but Mrs Weasley seemed unable to be happy about anything. The driver dropped us off just outside the Leaky Cauldron, where we met Hagrid. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I headed towards Madame Malkin's. We stepped inside, just as I caught sight of Rebecca Gardener walking down the street outside. I tensed, following her with my eyes. After all her efforts last year to make my school year a misery, and to ruin my relationship with Cedric, I felt considerable trepidation when faced with the thought of speaking to her on a daily basis again. She'd been planning on taking several of the same classes as myself, from what I remembered. I dreaded the day she mentioned Cedric's disappearance. The thought made my throat tighten. I was snapped promptly from my thoughts by an outcry from Madame Malkin, ordering wands to be lowered. I frowned, spun on my heel, and was met with the sight of Harry and Ron brandishing their wands at a haughty-looking Draco, Hermione standing awkwardly beside them. Narcissa Malfoy's eyes swivelled to mine, and they narrowed slightly as she looked at me. I stared back at her, raising my chin slightly, until she looked away. Draco, on the other hand, seemed not to have noticed me. I wasn't sure whether to be glad about that or not, after our lack of communication over the summer and his strange behaviour at the end of last year. "Come on, mother," he said, stalking out of the shop. It was only as he reached the door that he spotted me. His step faltered for a second - enough time for me to notice that his eyes were tired and his face haggard. The look he gave me was one I couldn't decipher - something between worry and pain. Then both he and his mother continued out the door and down the road, leaving Madame Malkin to serve myself and my friends.
  3. I glanced down at my list once we reached the apothecary, and realised that I needed to stock up on rather a lot of ingredients for potions. By the time Hermione and I were done, Mrs Weasley announced that we could only go for 'a quick look' at Fred and George's shop. The place that met our eyes was fantastic. In the left window, a various array of brightly-coloured, whizzing, popping, spinning, shrieking items were flying around and spelling words. Hermione was suitably impressed by the sign advertising a day-dreaming potion. In the right-hand window was a joke about 'U-No-Poo', which had us in fits. I pushed open the door, and we crowded in, working our way through to the back. Fred and George quickly whisked Harry off for a tour, so Hermione and I went off on our own. I spotted a stack of shield hats, and stopped. "Aren't they the things the Ministry ordered a load of?" I asked, nudging Hermione and pointing up. She raised her eyebrows. "I think so. I didn't realise they were from here." "Me neither." We continued on our circle of the shop. I found a self-inking quill, which was shockingly practical for Frd and George. I picked one up and bought it, earning a wink from Fred as I paid him. I flushed, and hurried back to where the Golden Trio was standing with Ginny. "What the hell are they?" I asked, staring at the little fluffy creatures in blue, pink and purple. "Pigmy Puffs," Ginny said. She turned to Mrs Weasley. "Mum, can I have one?"
  4. As Mrs Weasley stepped to the side, myself and the Golden Trio got a perfect view of none other than Draco Malfoy hurrying down the street. As he passed Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder, probably to check he wasn't being followed, and continued. Within a matter of seconds, Harry had his invisibility cloak out, and motioned quickly to the rest of us. Ron slipped under quickly, and, after a moments deliberation, I joined them. "Come on, Hermione," Ron hissed. "Oh, but"”" "Come on!" Harry repeated. Hermione joined me, and the four of us squished a tad too tightly together. Our ankles were probably visible, but we managed to get through the shop unnoticed. We followed Draco awkwardly down Knockturn Alley, and turned the corner just in time to see him head into Borgin and Burke's. Ron pulled out a pair of extendable ears, and we listened carefully as Draco talked to Borgin in a rather threatening manner, before proceeding to reserve an item and stalk out of the shop. I squirmed slightly, a bit uncomfortable. Watching Draco made me realise that however much he presented himself differently to me, he could still be the same bully I'd hated in my first year. Hermione made a rather lame attempt at seeing what Draco was doing, and returned with flushed cheeks. "At least I made an effort," she snapped at Ron on the way back. "Yeah, but"”" They argued all the way back. I smiled to myself.
  5. "Where have you been?" Mrs Weasley demanded when we reappeared in the shop. "We've been here all the time," Hermione said. "We were at the back," Ron added. Mrs Weasley didn't look convinced. "Honestly, we were," I said, "you just can't have looked properly." "Well, now you're all here, let's go! I don't want to dither today." As we headed back to the car, I couldn't help but think about Draco. What was he doing in that shop? And what was he reserving? It had to have something to do with all his strange behaviour at the end of the previous year, surely? What terrible things could a sixteen-year-old boy possibly set in motion?
  6. Harry spent most of the following couple of days pondering over Draco's behaviour... And if I were being perfectly honest, so did I. I simply didn't understand what he'd been doing in that shop, and what it was he wanted Borgin to help him fix. And what had he shown Borgin to make him so nervous? Harry, to my disappointment, spent most of his time discussing things with Ron and Hermione while Fleur bored me with talk of weddings. While I liked her far more than anybody else in the Weasley household seemed to, I felt a bit left out - I'd have much rather talked to Harry about what on earth Draco had been doing. Though, I had a feeling that my reasons for wanting to know were entirely different to Harry's. Harry seemed desperate to find out that Draco was up to something terrible. As I headed upstairs the night before we were due to return to Hogwarts, a copy of Advanced Arithmancy held in my hand, I heard my name hissed from behind me. I spun around to see Harry, who was looking shifty. "What?" I asked him. "Sh!" He gestured with his hands. I frowned at him, but followed him down to the deserted kitchen. "What?" I asked him again. "Malfoy. I think I've worked something out." This, of course, sparked my attention, so I motioned for Harry to continue. "I think he's replaced his father as a death eater." I choked, and stared at Harry, incredulous. "Don't you think that's a bit far-fetched?" "This about it," Harry insisted, "it makes sense. In Madam Malkin's. She didn't touch him, but he yelled and jerked his arm away from her when she went to roll up his sleeve. It was his left arm. He's been branded with the Dark Mark!" I was still unconvinced. "Harry..." "No! I know I'm right! In Borgin and Burkes, he showed Borgin something. His arm! You saw how seriously Borgin took him." I hesitated. "Harry, he's sixteen. Do you really think Voldermort would want a sixteen-year-old in his inner circle?" "That's what Hermione and Ron said," he muttered. "Look, I agree that what happened was suspicious. Extremely. And I agree that there's something going on. I want to know as much as you do, trust me. But do you think that your hatred of Draco is making you see things that aren't there?" It was Harry's turn to falter, but he regained his courage. "I'm not wrong about this. I know I'm not." He looked at me. "Do you think that maybe your like of him is making you blind to things that ARE there?" I felt a stab of hurt go through me. "That's not"”" "Come on, Cailey. We know that you're friends, for lack of a better word. And as much as I don't like it, I accept that it's got nothing to do with me. But you want to think the best of people you like – everyone does." I said nothing in reply for a moment. What if he was right? What if Draco really was a death eater? What was it he'd said last year? Something about, it wouldn't take Potter long to work it out... Did he mean this? Did he realise that Harry would immediately jump to this conclusion? Could I afford to think such a terrible thing about Draco? But then, could I complete disregard it? Because no matter how much it hurt to think it, the solution made sense, in some twisted way. Eventually, I said, "I'm not agreeing with you yet, Harry. I need more proof than a few pins and a threat. But there could be some kind of link." Harry let out a breath. "Thank you. I think we need to look at what he's doing when"”" "I am not agreeing to spy on him." Harry sighed. "Fair enough."
  7. Our trip to King's Cross the next morning was far smoother than usual, and we got through the barrier with a rather large escort, consisting of five large, intimidating, silent aurors. Harry went off to have a conversation with Mr Weasley, and I jumped onto the train with Ginny, saying goodbye to Hermione and Ron when they headed off to the prefect carriage. Just as I was about to swing into a compartment with Ginny, I felt a hand tapping my shoulder. The train started rolling, and I stumbled sideways. I turned to see Rebecca Gardener, who was smirking slightly at my fall. However, when I righted myself and glared at her, the expression on her face was not one of dislike or plain contempt as I'd become used to. "Can we talk?" she asked quietly. "What, so you can taunt me about Cedric? No thanks," I snapped, voice cold. "I don't want to talk about Cedric," she said. "I don't want to be like I was last year." I rolled my eyes at her. "Oh really? You don't want to pretend to be my friend and actually be a back-stabbing witch?" "No. I don't. I want to talk to you." I sighed. "Fine. Talk." Rebecca looked around nervously, and stepped a little closer. "My father told me something over the summer. He had a sister, but they fell out and didn't speak when he married my mum or something. I don't really know the story. But"” Oh, work it out yourself. What was your mother's maiden name?" I pulled a face. "What kind of stupid question is that?" "Just answer!" "Gardener." I realised what I'd just said. "Oh my god." I covered my mouth with my hand, staring at Rebecca. "Oh my"” No. Just no. We"” You"”" "Welcome to reality," Rebecca said with a rueful smile, "cousin." "That's stupid," I said, gathering myself. "There are thousands of people with that surname." Rebecca laughed humourlessly at me. "Yeah, this is why I didn't just tell you. Your mother had a brother, right? A brother she doesn't see anymore? A brother who married a woman the rest of the family disliked?" I stayed silent. Everything Rebecca was telling me made my head spin. How could any of this possibly be true? And yet it made sense. "Why now? Why have you worked all this out now?" I asked. "Because my mum showed me something about the Gardener family tree. Four generations ago, we were magical. Then there was a squib, and the magic line ended, until us." "So...?" "So, I'm not going to act like your enemy anymore. It was too much work. We're related. We may as well get along." Rebecca turned away, raised a hand in farewell, and disappeared.
  8. When I eventually gathered my wits and found a compartment in which Harry, Neville and Luna were sitting, I found the doorway blocked by a large group of fourth years, all giggling and staring at Harry like he was some kind of awe-inspiring, snog-worthy celebrity. And, perhaps, he was. But I wanted to sit down. "Excuse me," I said. The girl nearest to the door shot me a disdainful look. "Excuse me," I said again. They didn't budge. "Oh, for"”" I sighed with irritation, and muttered a low incantation I'd heard Umbridge use the previous year. The girls sprang apart, shooting me filthy looks. I smiled sweetly at them, and sat down beside Luna, crossing my legs. Who knew? Umbridge had actually managed to teach me a grand total of one useful thing. The girls walked off, looking disappointed. "Hello," I said to Neville and Luna, the former of which was grinning. "Somebody told us to give you that," Neville said, pointing to a piece of paper folded on the seat. "Good summer?" "Not bad, thank you," I said, reaching for what I presumed to be a letter. "You?" I pulled a face when I read through the note, and looked up at Harry. "Why the hell does Slughorn want to see me? I'm not special "” that's what you said he wanted, right?" "You got a lot of O grades," Harry said. I rolled my eyes. "So did every other Ravenclaw in the school."
  9. Harry, Neville and I headed to Slughorn's apartment, and saw Ginny curled in the corner, red-faced. We sat down with her, and looked around at the array of other people in the compartment. Cormac McLaggen smirked at me, so I flashed him a rude hand gesture when Slughorn was otherwise occupied. McLaggen looked away from me quickly. Slughorn went round the carriage, interrogating students, until he eventually came to me. He gave me a rather levelled look, which made me wonder why on earth I was there. "You seem a very well-rounded young witch, Cailey," he said, smiling. "Top OWL grades, from what I've heard, excellent Quidditch player, good friends with Harry here, and at the Department of Mysteries..." Slughorn trailed off. "And of course, you were close with poor Cedric Diggory, were you not?" I stiffened. Was Slughorn really so shallow as to bring me here because of my dead-or-missing boyfriend? How did he know about my relationship with Cedric, anyway? I settled for a curt nod, which set off Zabini, a sixth year Slytherin, in peals of laughter. Ginny snapped at him, and thankfully, the attention was momentarily turned away from me. "Come now, Cailey. Professor Snape told me that you have some knack for rule-breaking yourself." He twinkled at Harry. "Good times, eh?" I was entirely sure how to respond, and thankfully, after another couple of minutes, Slughorn turned to Harry for the remainder of our lunch.
  10. Eventually, Slughorn let us go. I strode beside Neville, fuming. "Funny sort of man, isn't he?" Neville asked. "Oh yeah, hilarious," I said sarcastically. "I'll just drag along some girl and ask her questions about her boyfriend, who happened to go missing a few weeks ago. Oh, and I've certainly been shady about where I've got my information about. Students' relationships are totally a public thing." Neville glanced at me anxiously. "I didn't mean"”" "I know what you meant. Sorry." Harry stopped abruptly in front of us, causing me to bash into his back. I balanced myself with a hand on his shoulder. "Have you got to do that?" I complained. "What's the matter?" "Cailey..." Harry turned to me. "You want answers, right?" "I suppose s"”" "Then get under here." Harry threw his invisibility cloak over both of us, and began hurrying after Zabini. "What are we doing?" I hissed. "We're spying on Malfoy." "Harry, didn't I say that I'm not spying on Draco?" "It's not spying. It's watching." "Oh, because that's so much bet"”" "Sh!" Harry caught the door to the compartment just as Zabini went to close it. We slipped through carefully, but I was sure that Harry's trainer was momentarily exposed. "Harry this is ridiculous," I whispered. Harry motioned for me to be quiet, eyes wide, and, very carefully, we hauled ourselves onto the luggage rack to wait and see what, if anything, Draco had to say to his Slytherin friends.
  11. *vulturemonem* So! Hello... I know, I'm sorry. I haven't updated since August. I'm a terrible person. But hey, I'm going to attempt to upload within the next couple of days, so I should get back on track. And yes, I have just left that on a cliff-hanger. It was getting on a bit in length, and I didn't really want to do the whole Draco bit in this one. I think I'm going to be continually nervous about this year -- I hope I'm doing it justice so far!! xXx

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