The Girl Who Lived part 61-70

Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I finally have GTQ caught up with all of my "the Girl Who Lived" progress on wattpad. I hope you like it. Wow, 70 parts.

I never ever, would've thought that I would've gotten this far. And I wouldn't have had gotten this far alone. Check my next quiz of shout outs where I thank like everyone that's read my quizzes!

Are you ready for...
Our "When Will I Die" Quiz?

  1. Part 61
  2. I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness. Where was I? How long has it been? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? I could recall the last few events before I'd been hit by a spell. I kept my eyes closed. It might be the best method for my survival. I waited, slowed my breathing, and listened. Footsteps came down the stairs. The way it echoed. I came to the realization that I was still in Malfoy Manor. Keys jingled. The door opened. As I looked at the cobblestones, I knew I was in the dungeon. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the worst. The footsteps came closer. I was yanked by the hair, so I had to look at my captor. My hair became the color of fire and my eyes changed from blue to an intense brown that appeared black. My hair seemed several inches longer than when I'd checked last. My arms weren't restricted in any way, but my right ankle was cuffed to the ground. Lucius. He cut my hair with a dull blade. As he sawed through my hair, the ends that had been cut fell out of his tight grip. "Why are you doing this?" I practically screamed. With his other hand that wasn't holding my hair, he held my chin so I had to look into his cold eyes. "The darkness is returning. You're lucky I haven't killed you yet". He had said. "Why don't you just get it over with?" "That's not what the Dark Lord wants". "What does the Dark Lord want?" "You'll find out soon enough". He cast that same spell on me again. It was lights out. I woke again with a certain grogginess. My head was spinning. My hair had been cut again. But this time, it was cut evenly. It had returned to it's normal length. I searched for my wand. Lucius must've taken it. The chain on my ankle had felt looser. The cobblestones made me feel cold, but the feeling of being alone, and possibly never found made me feel even colder. I heard footsteps down the stairs. The echo. And soon, it was no longer an echo. The footsteps halted outside my cell. Keys jingled. Agatha, one of the maids whom I'd been friends with, stepped into the room, with Lucius behind her. He had a wand. It looked like no other wand. He grabbed my arm forcefully and placed the tip of the wand above my left forearm. I felt an instant pain that became worse and worse. A burning sensations that just got hotter and hotter. As I screamed from the pain, Agatha looked away as she held a cloth over my mouth to muffle my screams. The burning stopped getting worse, but the pain was definitely still there. Tears rolled down from my eyes. By the time the burning lessened, my throat had been too sore to talk. When Lucius left, Agatha gave me a small vial. "Take this. It's Sleeping Draught. It won't do much, but it'll distract you from the pain". I drank the potion, and soon found myself surrounded by darkness. She was right. It did distract me from the pain. But the question was, for how long? I cleared my mind from all the events that had happened to most recently. I thought of the Borrow. Mrs. Weasley giving everyone a warm hug to welcome them home. The twins, who were always up to something. Right now, they were probably making fun of Ron or playing a prank on some poor soul. I thought of Ron who was probably shoving his face full of food, despite the time of day. Harry, who was most likely hating being at the Dursley's right now. Hermoine, who was most likely studying so hard that you wouldn't be able to pull her from that desk of hers, surrounded by books that surpassed my level of thinking. Oliver, who I bet had dragged a random person into one of his rants about quidditch without letting the other person utter so much as a word. I thought of Hogwarts and all the memories we had shared in each room. I woke, startled. I'd been doused with a bucket of cold water. My hair had been completely soaked. I rung it out with my hands, squeezing out a majority of the moisture. I found myself staring into the eyes of.... well, myself. It was like looking into a mirror. She copied my movements. Or, was it that I copied hers? She smirked wickedly. I should never smirk. It makes me look like I'm about to snap. Like a ruler under an immense amount of pressure. "Do you like what you see?" She spun around a complete 360 degrees. "To be honest, I think I wear it better". She commented, looking at me up and down. Her eyes cold and emotionless. She wore my clothes. Or at least, ones that looked like mine. Her hair was up in a ponytail like I had usually fixed it. My ribbon, tying it back. "Who are you?" If I had my wand, I'd definitely be able to take her....me, down. "You haven't guessed yet? You're slower than I thought". The cold, calculating look, the smirk. It had all been there. "Lucius" "I was starting to think that you'd never figure it out". She said. Never had I hated myself more. "I'll never let you get away with this. And neither will my friends. They'll see through your little ruse". "I highly doubt that". "They will". I protested. "Dear Scarlet, you don't know just how long it's been". She laughed. How long had I been here? It couldn't have been more than a few days. Could it? "Then tell me, Scarlet. How long has it been?" It was odd referring to myself in third person. But then again, she wasn't me. "Let's just say, that there's an event you need to attend. The World Cup". My eye widened in surprise. I'd missed the other portion of the year at Hogwarts. I've been gone so long. What had I missed? "If you had planned to use the polyjuice potion, then why be me? Why return me to Hogwarts?" "We've planted a bomb. A ticking time bomb. And when it explodes, "The Boy Who Lived" shall fall". She paused. "And you're the fuse". She smirked once again. I felt a shiver run down my spine. I attempted to jump at her, but no such luck. My legs had given out and the chain that bound me to the floor had kept me from doing so. "I'll never betray them". I argued back. "I beg to differ". She cast a spell and I felt myself becoming lightheaded. I was awakened by the screams of a crowd. I was wearing clean clothes and my wand had been returned. But where was I? Maybe it had all been a dream. Just a dream. I pulled up the left sleeve of my sweater. The Dark Mark. It had most certainly not been a dream. I viewed my surroundings. I remembered what Scarlet..... Lucius, had said. I was at the World Cup. I stood in the madness, my legs wobbling uncontrollably. Just as my legs were about to give out, I had fallen into the arms of someone who appeared to be my age. He had long hair black hair. Well, for a guy, anyway. Blue eyes, and round glasses. His face was recognizable, but not enough for me to immediately know who it was. "Scarlet!" His voice had been the best clue of all. "Harry!". He embraced me, and I felt something I hadn't felt in what felt like forever. Warmth. "I was really worried about you. You said that you needed to use the restroom and hadn't come back. I thought you'd gotten attacked". I'd never heard Harry sound this concerned before. Never with this amount of tenderness. "You must've been terrified. Look, you're shaking". He pointed at my legs. "I'm not terrified". I said bluntly. "You don't have to act around me. It's okay to be scared". He stroked my hair, which was now in a ponytail, tied back with my ribbon. In truth, I wasn't scared. My legs were only shaking due to the fact that I hadn't walked in a while. But if I told him the entire truth, he'd be suspicious. We met up with Fred, George, Hermione, and Ron within the madness of the crowd. Faces I hadn't seen in the longest time. I noticed how I was no longer around their height. They'd grown several inches since the last time I saw them. "Fred! George!" I practically tackled/fell on them. I crushed them both in a large hug. I think I'd missed them most of all. "Scarlet.... Can't..... Breathe" They struggled to say. I released them from my tight grip. "Sorry". I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment. I moved on to Ron, crushing him like I had the twins. His hair had grown quite a bit longer. When we broke from our hug, Ron's face was red. "I smell romance in the air" Commented George. "Or, Scarlet just hugged him too hard and he couldn't breathe" Offered Fred. "Harry, You better look out. Isn't that right, Freddie?" "Right George". I looked at Harry. An emotion I'd never seen on him flashed across his face, and was gone in an instant. But my time for a reunion was cut short. Mr. Weasley appeared out of the crowd that had been pushing and shoving each other violently. "Get out of here now. We'll fend them off". As quickly as he had come, he left.
  3. Part 62
  4. After pushing through all the chaos, we hurried towards, and through the woods. My legs were still weak, but my need for survival outweighed the wobbliness of my legs. We'd gone quite a distance from the campsite. I'd felt tired, not just because of being confined for half a year, but also my short strides couldn't compete with their long ones. There was the sound of a large thump. I looked behind me. Ron had tripped over one of the tree branches. I gave him my hand, so I could help hoist him up. "Come on, Ron. Hurry up! We might lose-" I glanced in the other direction, where the twins who were in front of me had been. "them". I had finished. The twins were gone and now, it was just the four of us. Ron was standing now, but we had lost the twins and Ginny. He brushed the dirt off himself. We ran into Draco as we searched for the twins and Ginny. "You might want to keep your little mudblood friend safe, Potter". Draco had said. " Malfoy, I swear-". Harry began. I tugged on his shirt. Talking over him would do me no good, so this was the best option. "Harry. Don't have one of your fights now. We need to find Fred, George, and Ginny". I said. He sighed, which meant that he knew I was right. As they turned in the opposite direction, I faced Draco. "Draco. I thought you were going to stop calling people "mudbloods". That's a really offensive term to some people". "To mudbloods". He smirked. I knew that the one way I'd be able to send a clear message to him, was through a tiny white lie. "I'm a mudblood. Therefore, I find that offensive". His smirk melted away, and it took him a while to answer. "You found out about your parents? When?" "I did. It was a while ago". "Where are they?" He seemed strangely interested in the whereabouts of my parents. "Dead. Just like you had said. Those letter's I'd been getting from my "father" was only from a family friend". "I'm sorry. I didn't realize-". I held my hand up to him with my palm facing him, motioning him to stop. "It's alright. You're not at fault. You didn't know. So you shouldn't be sorry". 'I'm the one that should be sorry' I thought. I was lying to my friends. To their faces. If.... No. When, they found out the truth, would they still accept me? I wanted to think 'yes'. That they'd believe that I hadn't become one of my own free will and had been forced to become one. But the ache in my heart told me otherwise. I knew that they wouldn't. I'd no longer carry the name "Scarlet Weasley". Instead, I'd be known as "Scarlet". Or even worse, be known as "Scarlet, the Death Eater", "Scarlet, the Betrayer", or "Scarlet, the Girl Who Lied". The Weasley's would never treat me the same. I'd be disowned. I would never have a family as warm and loving as much as the Weasley family. A green symbol appeared in the sky. It was fairly similar to the Dark Mark on my arm, except, I watched as the shape formed from a skull into a replica of the mark on my forearm. "I have to go". I told Draco. I then found my way back to the tent where the Weasley's and Harry awaited my arrival. That night, Mr.Weasley discussed what we'd encountered as I prepared dinner for us. He told us of the Dark Mark, which was the sign used by Voldemort's supporters whenever they murdered someone. He told us that the attackers are called Death Eater's. Normally when preparing food, I would roll up my sleeves. But that was a freedom that I could no longer have. As everyone talked about the Dark Mark and how despicable Death Eaters are, I couldn't help but pull down my slee ves even more. In the morning, we returned to the Burrow, where Mrs. Weasley was nervously waiting for our arrival. She embraced each person individually in a large hug. Even Harry. The trio headed to Harry's room to discuss something, while I went to my room at the top of the staircase. Everything had been kept extremely clean and neat. I ransacked all my drawers, looking for a hint. A clue. Anything, to fill in the other half of my third year. I found my wallet full of cash. I must've worked at Honeydukes for the remainder of the year. I found several letters on my desk. They were from Oliver. Unopened, and unanswered. I checked my neck for the golden snitch necklace he had given me for Christmas. Gone. I began opening each letter and answering them. I lied again. In my letter's to him, I said that I hadn't been feeling too well recently and hadn't had any time whatsoever to pick up a pen . Or, I'd been busy preparing for this year's formal event that I'd heard of. Excuses, excuses. Everything in my closet was in order. Not one thing out of place. It was almost as if, I had been myself for year three, entirely. But even if I had said those words, allowed, it wouldn't comfort me in the slightest. It may have seemed that way, but it hadn't been true. I hadn't been at Hogwarts for the rest of year three, and I hadn't been aware of the events that had occurred. "Scarlet!" I was called downstairs by Mrs. Weasley. As I had been desperately searching for some answers, time had gone by. It was now time to prepare dinner. With the assistance of Harry, I began preparing dinner. Moving pots and pans to the stove, mincing ingredients, and cooking over the stove. The works. He began to tell me of how his scar had hurt for the first time, and that was the first time the Dark Mark had appeared in the sky for the first time. "Don't you find it odd?" He asked me. "Mmmhmmm". I had said, more focused on preparing dinner than our conversation. As I had set the pots on simmer, I began setting the table with the plates we had. "So, what have you been up to since we've been back?". I froze. "Just organizing my room and preparing myself for another year of Hogwarts". Another lie, I had told. "That's good. I'm really looking forward to another year at Hogwarts". I then placed a fork and knife on each plate. I glanced over to see Ron next to the stove, with the wooden spoon I had been using in his hand, and a piece of candy in the other. I snatched the wooden spoon from him, and slapped his hand that had been holding the spoon. "You'll ruin your apetite for dinner". I said, confiscating his bag of candy. Ron looked as if he were a child who had their lollipop taken away from them. "You can have your candy after dinner. Does that make you feel any better?" "It's not so much the candy. I just wanted to taste what you had made for dinner before anyone else". Ron looked at me with those puppy-like eyes. Looking sad, doesn't work on me, and he wasn't one of the twins so I didn't have to worry about him getting back at me. He held this stare for several minutes. I gave in. "Fine. Here". I had dipped a large silver serving spoon into the pot and handed it to Ron. "Happy?" He nodded, and sat down in the living room. ............................................................................................................................................................................... When dinnertime had come, we all sat around the table. Instead of sitting in between the twins like I normally had, I sat next to Fred and Harry. George sat across from Fred. Mrs. Weasley turned to me. "Scarlet, there's a formal event coming up. You and Ginny need a dress. You'll go shopping in Diagon Alley. You'll buy you're dress robes at Madame Malkin's". Ginny had seemed rather excited. I'd never been one for shopping. But seeing that I couldn't simply just wear my normal robes, I had to go. The rest of dinner remained like this. Small talk. Everyone trying to distract themselves from everything that had happened the day before. As a normal Weasley tradition, everyone settled in the living room. Bellies full. I sat on the couch, reading a book to occupy my mind. Harry, had chosen to sit directly next to me, despite all of the other places he could have sat. Ron had gotten up from his seat in one of the chair's and returned with a bag full of candy. He found that Fred and George had taken his seat. "I was sitting there" Ron said. Fred was sitting upright, while George hung off the chair. "You snooze, you lose, dear brother". Ron looked at Mr. Weasley. "Just think of it, as a life lesson". He had said. Ron searched around the room for another place to sit. His eyes landed on the couch that Harry and I had been sitting on. As Harry stretched out his arm, to possibly put it around me, Ron sat in between us munching on a bag of chips. Loudly. Ron put his arms around both of us and was completely oblivious to the people around him. Harry retracted his arm, and sat uncomfortably squished into the end of the couch. As the night went on, and I continued reading, the Weasley's and Hermoine went up to their designated rooms, one by one. It was just me and Harry, who had fallen asleep with his glasses on. I ever so gently, took off his glasses and placed them on the table. I read for a couple more minutes, when the sleepy atmosphere finally got to me and I too, had found myself asleep. I hoped that when I had woken up, that this wouldn't be a dream. I wouldn't still be in that dungeon. That I wouldn't be chained down. I would still be here, on the couch, with the Weasley's, in the burrow. I woke, unlike I had when I was in the dungeon. According to my surrounding, I was still in the Burrow. I relaxed a little. There was a certain weight on my shoulders. A certain feeling. I looked on either side of me. I had been sitting closer to Harry than I remembered, with his arm draped around me. Harry had been treating me differently. Something had definitely happened between us since the other half of third year. And as I slept in Harry's arms, my conscience weighed heavy. Guilt. The lies I told. Betrayal. "Scarlet, the Death Eater".
  5. Part 63 (This is in Harry's point of view)
  6. I had found myself awakened, by Scarlet. She had been up late, reading. I felt my glasses being taken off by her, and the noise they made as she set them on the table. I had tried to go to sleep, but the thoughts of the Dark Mark and the pain from my scar, had kept me from doing so. I glanced over at Scarlet, who was now fast asleep. She would shiver a few times during the night. She'd mumble things in her sleep such as, "Malfoy Manor", "Polyjuice", and "Third year". It must've been some dream. I placed my arm around her, which I could finally do now that Ron wasn't here. It seemed to ease my worrying, as it did hers. Her sleeptalking had stopped, and so had her shivering. I slept for the rest of the night, with nothing but the feeling of comfort. I dreamed of third year. I wasn't sure about my feelings for her, then. We'd been friends, and like when friendships turn to something more, I was worried that if something were to happen, then we'd never be friends the same way ever again. But as third year went on, I found myself falling for her even more. She made me feel as if she would always be my family. Regardless of what I was, my blood status, or anything else. I'd known that Ron and Hermoine had accepted me in these ways too, but in several ways, this is different. Third year, she'd given me so much reassurance. She'd been one of my few supports. Probably even my strongest one. If that support collapsed, I don't know what I'd do. She'd shown interest in Oliver Wood at the beginning of the year. I'd always felt a certain feeling in my heart whenever I saw them together. A feeling that I had known when I felt it. A feeling that every person feels when they feel it. Although, I'd never like to admit to having this feeling. I was jealous. Of Oliver. **Flashback** (Honeyduke's on the Hogsmeade trip before Christmas break) I watched as she talked to him. I had stopped paying attention to my conversation with Ron and Hermoine, and began focusing on theirs. He'd given her a necklace for Christmas. A golden snitch. Something so personal. How I had longed for that to be my necklace around her neck. For her to be accepting a present from me. But I had nothing to give. Nothing that was nice enough to even consider giving to her as a present. So, I gave her candy instead. I heard as Ron made fun of all of Oliver's terrible pick-up lines. I was secretly cheering him on, as he made rather loud comments that could be heard from across the room. **Present Day** But it wasn't just Oliver. It was Malfoy, and Ron, the twins, and Neville. There was only one thing Malfoy had that I wanted. The same last name as Scarlet. "Scarlet Potter" had a pretty nice ring to it. Much better than "Scarlet Malfoy". I cringed at the name. Possibly even better than "Scarlet Weasley". I had been jealous of the Weasley's for the same exact reason. And Neville.... He may not be as courageous as Oliver, but he was kind. Scarlet would always confide in him. How much I'd wanted to be her confident. For even the smallest things that a normal person wouldn't think much of. I hadn't had much hope for our relationship, at first. She was always with the twins, and with anyone but me. But during the middle of the year, all that had changed. She'd begun to hang around me more, and I had finally worked up my courage. "Scarlet, would you mind going out sometime?" I had asked. Well, not exactly like that. I may have said, "Scarlet, would you mind getting a pint with me? ..... I meant a pint as in butterbeer........ not a glass of alcohol...... Can I start over?". But who remembers exactly how I said it, anyway. What really mattered, was that she had said yes. Despite our busy schedules, we'd found time to spend with each other. We'd study potions in the library, sit together in the common room, and on our Hogmeade trips while she'd be working. I woke, when I felt her stir. I opened my eyes, and looked down at her. My vision had been a little blurry, but I could still see her smiling up at me. "How did you sleep?" She had asked. "Couldn't have had been any better". -Harry
  7. Part 64 (Lucius's point of view)
  8. As I washed my face, I couldn't help but glance into the mirror. It had been nice to look in the mirror and see myself. Whenever someone would say "Scarlet", I'd look, as if they were calling me. I'd grown accustomed to that name. I had felt proud of myself, and insulted at the same time. Conflicting emotions. I couldn't stand being associated with the help. But I was proud of how easily I had decieved them. I thought of Potter. I felt so utterly disgusted when he had admitted his feelings to me. Although, I did look like Scarlet. **Flashback** (Honeyduke's Hogsmeade trip after Christmas) Harry was a fool. The Dark Lord had nothing to be worried about. Whoever said, "never underestimate you're opponent" was terribly wrong. Voldemort could easily win against Potter. No question. The owner of the store asked me to clean one of the counter's. I had said I would. Never had I ever been treated this terribly. But then again, I was disguised as Scarlet. I touched the filthy counter's and began scrubbing them down. "Scarlet, can we talk?" Potter had entered Honeyduke's and stood near me. "Scarlet, would you mind getting a pint with me? ..... I meant a pint as in butterbeer........ not a glass of alcohol...... Can I start over?" "Yes". I had said. But I would've loved to have had said, "I wouldn't bee seen anywhere with you, even if you were the last filth (person) on the Earth". But I had restrained myself. "Does the "yes" mean that I can start over, or does it mean that you'll go out with me?" "The second one". I had said. But I thought, "No, you insolent baboon". I thought of wringing his scrawny neck, just to get this over with. But that's not what the Dark Lord wanted. He wanted Potter alive. **Present Day** As we continued to spend time with each other, which I despised, I had found myself closer to him than I had liked. I'd run into Draco a few times. I smiled when I saw him bossing around Crabbe and Goyle. He had squirted them with vinegar when they misbehaved. Just as I had taught him. He waved his finger in the air. I taught him that, too. The way he treated others, made me feel proud. He acted superior, which he was. I'd met Neville. I haven't the faintest clue as to why Scarlet confided in him. He was such a cry baby. No wonder Draco bullied him. If I weren't Scarlet, I'd probably bully him myself. I'd never trust him with any of my things. I had always felt that when you're as nice as Neville, you have something underneath your sleeve. Behind those hideous bucked teeth, that utterly ridiculous hair, and stupidly annoying smile, was a plan. A devious one, at that. I could actually talk to the twins. I understood their type. They were calculating. Especially that George. Now him, I approved of. I could always anticipate that they'd pull something. I was always one step ahead of them. Now them, I could handle. Unlike that Neville character. He was always unpredictable. Once, he offered me a flower. A forget-me-not. I took it, figuring that's what Scarlet would've done. Well, I hadn't actually "figured" anything. I'd read her diary. She said that her favorite flower was the forget-me-not. But I reluctantly took it. There was definitely something sketchy about this Neville person. He was nice. Too nice. I found her diary under her bed when I rearranged everything in her room. She has a horrible sense of organization. I began to read it. After I had broken the lock, of course. And boy, does this girl have dirt on everyone, especially the Weasley's. I found that Ron had told her that he secretly loved Viktor Krum. Although, Scarlet referred to it as, a "man crush". I never found that player very good. I always referred to him as "the crummy Krum". Above everyone else, I'd gotten so much dirt on the twins. Scarlet believes that they sold pictures of Ron dressed up as a girl to Draco, who then blew up the images and spread them around school. She also believes that they're the reason that Flitwick is so short, and that Mcgonagall is cautious when opening her desk. She even had the proof to back it up. She said that the twins had told her of a few pranks that had gone wrong, and didn't end very well. There was a tiny bit on Draco. She had found out from Crabbe that Draco was secretely upset that Harry had refused their friendship in year one. Nothing had been written about Oliver, Harry, or Neville. But I definitely had plenty of dirt on all three of them. Potter always was extremely romantic whenever we would hang out. Definitely too romantic. I always found it really creepy. And Neville, don't even get me started. I couldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. And from his appearance, that wasn't very far. Then, there was Oliver.... **Flashback** (Honeydukes Hogsmeade trip. A couple weeks later) Potter and I had practically become joined at the hip. I despised every moment of it. Now, I finally understand why women stay in the bathroom for so long. Oliver had greeted me. I hadn't anticipated Scarlet to have a relationship with this loser. I don't know why the girls fawned over him. He would tell these awful pick-up jokes that somehow worked whenever he said them. I had found out from Scarlet's diary that he'd given her the necklace. For this mission to go smoothly, I needed to cut all the loose ends. So I returned the necklace to him. He seemed upset. It seemed as though the necklace was an object of affection. For the Dark Lord's plan to work, I needed to squash her chances with any other person but Potter. **Present Day** I washed my face once again to make sure that I was me again. "Thank goodness that's over". I said to myself. -Lucius
  9. Part 65 (Will be in Scarlet's point of view from now on)
  10. "How did you sleep?" I asked Harry. I looked up at him. His arm was still around me. It was a strange feeling. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't necessarily good either. But as I continued to stay in his arms, I'd become more used to it. His face was extremely close to mine. I didn't move, knowing that this was the something that had happened during the end of third year. Lucius must've gotten close to Harry when he had used the polyjuice potion.But why? He said that I'd have to betray him and my friends. I knew that I never would, but the dark mark on my arm had told me otherwise. I would tell him the truth. Harry, I mean. But then the entire truth would be revealed. That I'd been kidnnapped. That I was now a Death Eater. But I knew that he'd never believe me. No, not completely. I knew that as much as he would believe me, there'd be the same amount of doubt to match it. So I kept quiet, as the secret began to weigh heavier on my shoulders. "It was marvelous". He had responded to my question. The couch was comfortable, but it wasn't "marvelous" comfortable. Must've been a good dream. He smiled at me and I smiled at him. It wasn't a real smile, though. Whatever Harry had felt for me, I knew that I hadn't felt the same way. Ginny and I found ourselves shopping at Madame Malkin's later that day. Mrs. Weasley had given us money to shop. It had been enough for two simple dresses. But together, was enough to buy one beautiful one. I had brought my own money. I shouldn't have mooched off the Weasley's any more than I have already. We searched the dress robes. Rack by rack. I didn't like shoppping as much as Ginny, who was amazed by all the racks of dresses. None of them particularly stood out to me besides one. It was a white strapless seashell dress that came to the knee on me. It was simple, but beautiful. And, in my price range. I bought my dress with my own money, and informed Ginny that I had done so. She was delighted that she could buy any dress she wanted now. I told her to tell Mrs. Weasley that the store was having a sale and that we had bought both dresses for a great price. We returned with our bags of clothes and shoes. I'd gotten a pair of white flats to go with my dress. I placed all of my belongings in my room and headed downstairs to prepare dinner once again. "Dear, you don't always have to prepare our meals". Said Mr. Weasley. "I know that I don't have to, but I feel as though I should. You've done so much for me these past couple of years. This is the least that I could do". As we sat down for dinner, we began talking about the next year at Hogwarts. "Time flies by so fast. We'll be sending you off to Hogwarts tomorrow". Mrs. Weasley had said, looking rather sad. "This year will be even more fun than the last. We plan on topping all our pranks this year". Said the twins. That was definitely concerning. We talked about the event that would occur later this year. We all came up with ideas on what it could be. After dinner, I packed my things in my bag. I didn't have much to pack but my dress, my shoes, a couple pair of clothes, and my letters I had gotten from Oliver. I left all of the letters I'd recieved from my "father" over the years in the trash. I would no longer need them, and I had no longer felt as though they had any sentimental value. I searched for my necklace from Oliver. It had not been around my neck, nor anywhere else in my room. No such luck. It must've had something to do with the time I'm missing in third year. I packed my diary which I had always hidden underneath my bed and a few snacks. I crept downstairs early in the morning to prepare breakfast. I enjoyed the quiet, which was normally very hard to get around here. I set the table, the forks and knifes clinking against the plates. The twins were the first to come downstairs. "Smells delicious". They said. It wasn't anything special. Just a bit of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. "Are you excited about this year at Hogwarts?" I had asked them. "Definitely. We plan on taking pranking to a whole new level. Isn't that right, Freddie?" "Right, George". "Great". I had said sarcastically. "Although, we have to work a lot more to raise money this year". Said George. "But I thought that you almost had enough money". I commented. "We did, but we bet it all at the World Cup and lost it all". Answered Fred. I pulled out the remanants of the money I had in my wallet that I hadn't spent on my dress from out of my back pocket. I handed Fred the money. "Here. This is what I've earned while working at Honeydukes. I want you to have it". "But Scarlet, we can't take your money". Fred told me. "You may not, but I can" Said George, taking the money from Fred and then placing it into his pocket. "You're donation will be remembered". Said George. By this time, everyone was awake and downstairs but Ron. He was a heavy sleeper. "Time to go wake our dear brother". Said the twins. They made me come along, because they wanted to show me how to wake him in case of an emergency. We entered his dark room. We found difficulty finding a clear path that wasn't blocked by clothes or junk that covered a majority of the floor. They began by pulling his legs, trying to drag him off the bed. He didn't budge one bit. They then started jumping on the bed. Up and down. Ron still didn't budge. "So you can't seem to wake him up. Do you want me to give it a go?". "We've got this Scarlet. Just watch the masters". They said. George and Fred used several of Ron's dirty socks to try and wake him up. I'm pretty sure that his socks could be considered toxic waste and should be stored in some sort of facility. Several attempts later, they found that nothing worked. "Like I had said earlier, do you want me to give it a go?" The twins had become exhausted trying to wake Ron up. I took a piece of candy from out of my apron that I had worn. It had become a habit of mine to keep candy on me at all times to either shut Ron up, or to bribe him. I took a piece of toffee that I had made and wrapped in plastic wrap. I waved the piece of toffee underneath his nose. It was only then, did Ron stir from his deep sleep. "Good Morning, sleeping beauty". Said the twins. I left the piece of toffee on his pillow. "Breakfast will be served in ten minutes". Ron began to move as slow as a sloth. "If you're not at the table in ten minutes when breakfast is served, then you won't have any breakfast and I won't pack your snacks for the train". I said. This got Ron to roll out of bed and get ready for breakfast. "Whenever you need something from Ron, food is the only thing that works". I said to the twins. We returned to the kitchen, and served the food shortly after that. Time passed by rather quickly and we found ourselves at the train station in front of the magical pillar that led us to platform 9 3/4. Like usual, the twins fit me inside their cart with the rest of their belongings. George and Fred were fighting over who got to push the cart into the pillar. "I want to push the cart into the pillar". Said Fred. "But you got to do it last year". Said George. "But I'm older". Stated Fred. "Only by two minutes". Countered George. Thankfully Harry intervened. While the twins were arguing, he put his hands on the cart. "Ready?" He asked. "Ready". I answered. And so, my fourth year at Hogwarts began.
  11. Part 66
  12. The train ride had seemed longer than I remembered. I sat in a car with Ron and Harry on either side of me. Harry held my hand, while Ron held my wrist. "Why are you all sitting over there?" Asked Hermoine, who sat alone, opposite of us. She forcefully pulled Ron to the other side of the train car. I placed a thick metal bracelet that entirely covered the mark on my left arm. Neville entered our compartment. "Do you happen to have any room?" "Neville!" I stood to hug my plant loving friend. I pulled him all the way into the compartment. "You don't even need to ask". I said. As soon as I had once again taken my seat, Harry held my hand again. He entwined his fingers with mine. My fingers had tingled where Harry's skin touched mine. I turned to my plant loving friend. "Did you hear? There's supposed to be some sort of event this year that involves glory and money". "I haven't". "No one knows what it is. It's so exciting". The mystery of it all was the most fascinating. After our excitement and our curiosity had died down, I asked Neville how his summer had been while Hermoine was nagging Ron about his eating habits. "It wasn't anything special. I did some planting and research". He had answered. I told him of our trip to the World Cup over the summer. At least, the portion that I had been there for. The train came to a slow stop and we, just having changed into our robes, grabbed our belongings and found ourselves a carriage. Hogwarts was even more magical than I had remembered. To think that I had thought that I'd never see this place again. As we walked down the halls and to the common room, I thought of all the memories that these halls had held. Neville and I walked ahead of Harry, Ron and Hermoine, side by side. "Let's make make this year even better than the last". I said. Hopefully, it would be better than last year. Any year could be better than last year. "Yeah". Neville agreed. We arrived at the common room, to then split up and place our things in our rooms. I enjoyed my room. I didn't have to share it. I didn't have a problem with sharing, but when you share a room with several other girls, it's hard to relax completely. I unpacked my clothes from a duffle bag that I had packed and placed most of them in the trunk at the end of my bed. There was a closet in the corner of my room, in which I hung my white dress. I met Neville in the common room after unpacking. My stomach growled. "I guess that means we'd better be on our way to the Great Hall". Said Neville. As we made our way there, we continued our conversation. "Hard to imagine that just a few years ago, we were the ones getting sorted. And look at us now. We're fourth years". "Time really flies". Agreed Neville. "We've changed quite a bit". "How so? I know that you've gotten prettier. I haven't changed at all". "I beg to differ. You're no longer that timid boy that I used to know". I said, looking at him. He scratched his neck in embarrassment. Did he still lack a bit of confidence and courage? Yes. But, he was a significantly different person compared to the "Neville" I had met my first year of Hogwarts. We entered the Great Hall and found seats near Fred and George. I sat next to Fred, who sat across from George. Neville took a seat beside me. A few moments later, the golden trio joined us. Harry asked Fred if they could switch seats. "Not a chance". Said Fred. "It's my turn to sit next to Scarlet. Isn't that right George?". "Right, Freddie". Said George. And after trying to strike a bargain with the twins, for a seat, Harry finally gave up. Dumbledore cleared his throat. This caught everyone's attention. He first began by introducing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mad-Eye Moody. His face had looked as if he'd endured several long years of labor, as it was scarred. His wavy gray hair appeared to be thinning. But out of everything, even his artificial leg, his eyes stood out the most. One of his eyes had somewhat of an eyepatch over it. Although, it was quite different. It wasn't like any other eyepatch I'd seen. It was an artificial eye. The color of the artificial eye differed from the shade of his actual eye. "This year, we have the honor of hosting the triwizard tournament. One champion will be selected from each of the three largest wizarding school who will compete in a series of three trials for the prize of one thousand galleons. However, only those over 17 will be competing". Dumbledore continued speaking, but I stopped listening. And by looking over at the twins, they had too. "You can't possibly be thinking of a plan to enter". I said to them. "But that, dear Scarlet, is where you're wrong". I instantly knew that they were up to no good. I was rather tired after the long day and so I decided to head upstairs to the common room and then to my room. I changed out of my robes and into my pajamas. Nothing fancy. Just a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. I brushed my teeth and untied the ribbon that held my hair back. Sometime during the day, it had changed from my normal black hair to my wavy ginger hair. It'd grown so long, even after Lucius had cut it to shoulder length with that dull blade. I woke in the morning, and first tied my now black hair back into a loose ponytail with my ribbon. I went about the rest of my morning preparations like normal. It was only when I had dressed in my robes, pulling down my sleeves, had I seen the aged envelope on my bed. 'This is odd. This wasn't here last night when I went to sleep'. I thought to myself. I opened the sealed envelope, trying not to completely destroy the envelope and its contents. Inside, a clean crisp piece of paper. Folded once into three sections, each the same size to the millimeter. On the paper were letters that had been cut from a magazine and had been arranged and glued onto the piece of paper, to form a letter. Not just any letter. A threat. "If you wish to live, and save your friends, then pledge your allegiance to us. However, if you don't do as we have asked......... let's just say that we've gotten rid of your kind before without anyone being the slightest bit suspicious". I had thought it was the twins at first. Some sort of prank. But when I saw the bottom of the letter, I knew that it hadn't been any joke. It was signed. Not just any signature. A picture. A skull with a serpent.
  13. Part 67
  14. I walked to breakfast on guard. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whipped around, my wand out and pointed at the person who had tapped me. My muscles relaxed when I had seen who it was. Neville. Someone who couldn't hurt a fly, much less write a threat using serial killer letters and then acting upon it. Even though my muscles had relaxed, there was still tension in the air. Neville held his arms up in the air. Lowering my hand, I placed my wand back into my robes. "You've got fast reflexes. I just wanted to know if you wanted to walk to breakfast together". "Sorry, Neville. That sounds lovely". I sat next to Neville when we'd arrived at the Great Hall. He was incredibly excited about our first class. Herbology. He told me of all sorts of plants and their functions. He even worked in a shpeel on why photosynthesis is important. It was fun to watch him go off like that. There was an indefinite spark in his eyes. However, it wasn't entirely fun to listen. He'd start talking to you, but then he'd just wander off and talk to himself more than to the person he was talking to. I'd been a little shaken by the note from earlier. I didn't eat very much. When Neville looked away, I used my fork to push food off my plate and onto the napkin on my lap to make him think that I had eaten. I looked over my shoulder. And then again once more. I could feel eyes on me. Someone was watching me. I felt even more unsettled. When it was time for herbology, Neville and I walked together. I stood next to him as he closely inspected one of the plants. "You see, this plant has a very significant history. It-". My thoughts began to drift from Neville's babble to the note from earlier. It'd been signed by the death eaters. I suppose I won't be getting a good night's rest, soon. Only when dinner had rolled around had I found myself not thinking about the threat. But that was only because an argument broke out between Draco and Harry. Draco made rude comments about Mrs. Weasley with several words that I'd rather not repeat. I shot him a look that said 'don't cross the line'. Then Harry began insulting Narcissa. I didn't care for Narcissa, but she wasn't a bad person. In fact, she often got me out of trouble when Lucius yelled at me for something. But insulting Narcissa made him almost no better. "Harry". I tugged at his arm. "Don't get yourself into trouble". And as I had finally convinced him to turn his back on the Draco and the fight, Draco pulled out his wand. He began muttering a spell underneath his breath. I turned slightly. I grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him out of the way for what was to come. But nothing happened. Draco had not completed his spell and had been transfigured into a white ferret. Moody had been the one to do this. As he waved around his wand, Draco, now a ferret, began bouncing around. It was only several minutes after laughing, did Professor McGonagall intervene and fuss at Mad-eye. "Transfiguration should is not a punishment for student". She said in her proper tone. She flicked her wand and Draco had been turned back to normal. Well, not exactly normal. He skittered away like the rodent he had been just moments ago. I found Draco outside the Gryffindor common room later. Near the painting of the fat lady. It appeared he was deep in thought . I was about to walk past him, thinking that I shoudn't disturb. He called my name. "Scarlet. I didn't mean any of those things about Mrs. Weasley. I was honestly just trying to get back at Potter, is all". He had said. "Please don't speak ill of the Weasley's. I know that you and Harry don't like each other. But the Weasley's took me in, despite their financial situation. I finally felt like I was actually worth something when I started living with them". "We made you feel like you were worth something. We took care of you. You were one of us. Pureblood, or not". "That's rich, coming from you. So you would say that you and your parents let me stay in that dark basement with the other servants because you cared for me? Have you ever heard Lucius talk to me? He treats me like trash. Like I'm not even good enough to be seen with you. Like I'm the scum of the Earth. I even recall someone trying to rid of me and said, "go ahead and take her. She's a waste of space anyway". I don't mind being your friend, but only if you try and stop making a complete-" Someone stepped into view. "Harry". I said. He moved in between us and grabbed Draco by the collar. "Malfoy, I swear if you-" "Harry". I put my hand on his arm. "I was done talking to him, anyway". And as we whispered the password to the painting of the fat lady, Draco gave a response that made Harry as angry as I'd ever seen him before. "She can't always be there to save you, Potter". I could sense his anger. He looked as if he were about to turn around and strangle Draco. I yanked his sleeve with me as I walked up to the common room so he'd have no choice and wouldn't be able to turn back. We sat in the common room, next to each other. "I could've just punched Malfoy for that comment". He clenched his fist. The fire warmed my arms, which were always cold. The colors of the roaring fire reflected off of Harry's face. I placed my hands over his. His hands loosened and eventually held mine back. This enough would've made any girl blush furiously. But I wasn't sure of my feelings. Did I care for Harry in this way? I at least had to make him think I did until I discovered my feelings. If I didn't then I'd just show some signs and make it seem as if we were growing apart. Yes, that's what I'll do. And then, we'll hopefully return to being friends like we were before the middle portion of year three. We stayed by the fire until we had to return to our rooms. I had slept with one eye open. There was no such thing as "too cautious" in my mind anymore. When I got myself up at the sound of my alarm, I sleepily readied myself to go to breakfast and then to attend classes. After putting on my robes, I quickly glanced at myself in the mirror. Between the glass of the mirror and the frame, was a letter shoved in between. I felt several chills run down my spine. I yanked the letter. It appeared aged, like the last one. I opened the letter, no longer caring about it's contents. My stomach lurched as I unfolded the letter. I dreaded reading it. And for a good reason, too. I discarded the envelope into the trash bin. The letters were cut out and glued to the paper. The back of the letter felt damp. I moved one of the letters with my finger. It had been freshly glued. The writer was surely still here. Somewhere. I checked the rest of my room. Checking every nook and cranny. When I knew my room was secure after a second thorough check, I began reading the letter. "Dearest Scarlet, if you don't follow our instructions, we'll expose your secret. And remember, we're ALWAYS watching". The "always" was cut and pasted all in caps. My hands shook violently, as I let the letter fall from in between my hands to the floor. My mind went blank, and my only thought was to run. And so I ran. As I ran, one other thought popped into my head. I can't trust any one. For all I know, it might be an imposter drinking a polyjuice potion. I didn't know where I was running, but I knew that I couldn't stop. I'd get caught that way. I constantly looked over my shoulder. And as I looked back for what seemed like the eighteenth time, I ran straight into someone. "Harry". "Scarlet. There you are. I was just looking for you. I was wondering if you wanted to have breakfast together". He grabbed my hand and began dragging me towards the Great Hall as if I had already said yes. "Sure. Sounds lovely". I tried the venom that hid underneath my words. What if there wasn't an imposter? Was I just crazy? No. The writer of the letter was definitely still here. The glue was still wet. But who could it be? I scanned the long tables. It could be anyone here. Maybe it was someone close to me. Yes, that's the best way of watching someone. I sat across from Hermoine who was deeply concentrating on one of her books. If you combined my comprehension level with Ron's, Harry's, George's, Fred's, and Neville's, we still wouldn't be able to understand that book. It couldn't be Hermoine. She didn't seem any different. But that's what they want you to think. 'No'. I thought. I barely talk to Hermoine. They'd want to use someone close to me. Very close. My eyes darted to Harry, who still held my hand, even though he was eating. I felt the temperature in the room fall ten degrees Celsius when he turned towards me. "Scarlet. Are you feeling alright?" He pointed to my food with his fork. I ate a few bites to assure him. I couldn't have him be suspicious. I began to taste the food again when I hadn't even cared to taste it the first time. "Just peachy". I answered him, while trying to keep the food down. At the moment, there was only one thing that I knew for certain. I could not trust anyone.
  15. Part 68
  16. I went to the girl's bathroom later. I'd begun tasting the food a third time, and I'd preferred for it not to be a fourth time. I'd felt weaker these past few days, but that didn't mean I shouldn't have my guard up. I was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She watched as I wiped the remnants of the food off the corner of my mouth. I knew that it couldn't have had been her who placed the letter. She was a ghost. She couldn't touch any object without her almost transparent hand going through it. "You lucky, lucky girl". She said, before sighing. "Lucky" is that last possible word that I'd describe myself as. "Why do you say that?" I asked. I washed out my mouth with the water from the sink. "You've got boys falling for you left and right". She sighed once more. "I wouldn't say that". I commented. "Don't be modest. They definitely like you. They may be blind when it comes to realizing their feelings, though. Just like they were to the fact that you weren't quite yourself from the middle of last year to the end of last year". She put an emphasis on the word "yourself". "You know?" I asked. I panicked on the inside. "I may be dead, but that doesn't mean that I'm blind". She said, crossing her arms. "How did you figure it out?" "I've seen your arm when you push up your sleeves to wash your hands". She said. "You musn't tell anyone about this". I begged her. "I won't. I'm a ghost, not a monster". I gave a sigh of relief, wiping my brow where I had felt sweat beginning to form. "May I ask how it how it happened?" She asked. "I'd rather not say. Maybe later". I touched my ankle that had been chained down for so long. There were still scars from where the tight brace had pinched my skin. "I've got to get to class". I rushed back out into the world, with the risk of being exposed. I made sure my sleeve was pulled all the way down, and I went to my first class. I entered Mad-Eye's classroom. I glanced around the room. There was hardly anyone I could trust. My eyes shifted from person to person. All I saw was guilt, deciept, and lies written all over their faces. I looked at Harry who patted the seat next to him. Could it be him? My mind and my heart argued with each other. He gave me a smile. My heart jumped, but my stomach lurched. It was hard to imagine that I'd have such conflicting emotions. I felt heartwarmed, yet disgusted. The threat said that they'd be keeping a close eye on me. And Harry, was just about as close as you could get. Ron sat next to Harry, shoving piles of food into his mouth. No one quite had an appetite like Ron, but it wasn't that hard to make yourself look like, and eat like a pig. He was the perfect cover. The best friend of the "Boy Who Lived". Someone who people barely payed enough attention to. He was definitely a suspect in my long list of all the students at Hogwarts. And not one name had been crossed off yet. My glance transferred to Malfoy. He sat with Crabbe or Goyle as usual. We all knew that he was scared of Lucius, so he'd most likely do anything that his father wanted. It couldn't make more sense. His father probably made him do all of his bidding for him. Lucius, was the one who kidnapped me, after all. And like most people say, "like father, like son". I looked around the room again. From Harry... no. Potter. To Weasley, to Draco. I couldn't trust anyone. For all I knew, I was still chained up in Malfoy Manor. But as much as I had wished for it to be a dream, I knew that it wasn't. The pain from the Dark Mark and the weight on my shoulder's was too much of a nightmare for it to be a dream. If it were in fact a nightmare, I would've woken up by now. And I suppose that before I had known it, my nightmares had become somewhat of a twisted reality. My eyes continued to scan the room, until my eyes landed on one person who I knew that I could always trust. I took my place next to Neville. He was too good of a person for anyone to imitate. If it was an imposter, I'd be able to pick them out as simple as that. The class soon began. "According to the Ministry, I'm not supposed to show you the illegal dark curses, but I think otherwise. Now class, who can tell me why they are called the "unforgiveable curses"?" Hermoine reluctantly raised her hand. I didn't like the feeling I got from Moody. Although, it could've just been my paranoia. "Granger". He called on Hermoine. "Because if you use one, they're unforgiveable. They're a one-" "A one way ticket to Azkaban". Moody finished her sentence as he began writing "the unforgiveable curses" on the chalk board. He said this with a sort of hatred in his voice. "Who can tell me one of the curses?" He asked the class. Weasley raised his hand. "I've heard my dad talk about one of those. It's the imperius curse". "Very good, Mr. Weasley". He found a spider and cast the imperius curse. He controlled the spider as it jumped around the classroom. It danced on Weasley's head. He looked mortified. Malfoy laughed, but soon found egg on his face. Well, it wasn't so much egg. It was much grosser. The hairy spider had landed on his face. He was no longer lauging. He asked for another one of the curses. He called on Neville. Neville supplied the information on the crucius curse. I'd known why Neville knew this information from my days when I worked at Malfoy Manor. I heard Lucius talking about how Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom had been tortured to insanity and could no longer remember Neville. I'd also known about this curse. I witnessed it happening to Malfoy. Moody cast the spell on the spider and we watched it wither in pain. I squeezed Neville's arm. For my sake, and for his. He looked as though he were going to be sick. "Stop it! Can't you see it's upsetting him?" I practically yelled from across the room. "Very well, then". Moody cast the last and possibly worst unforgiveable curse of all. The killing curse.
  17. Part 69
  18. The next few days went by painfully. It hurts when you finding yourself not being able to trust anyone. I no longer had any reason to go outside my room except for at meal time and for classes. But even then, I wouldn't eat. I no longer tried to make it appear that I was eating. And my sessions with Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom after each meal began to feel old. Harry seemed worried. Emphasis on "seemed". It's easy to fake emotions like that. I couldn't stand being decieved anymore, and I also couldn't stand lying to everyone else. The weight on my shoulder's seemed unbearable. Simply opening my mouth was a challenge. Besides the meals, I'd stay inside my room. No one got in, no one got out. It was as simple as that. My collar bone and my spine stuck out now. My robes had become looser and looser every time I had worn them. I had set somewhat of a makeshift alarm on the door, just in case someone broke the lock on the door. It was fairly simple. Nothing more than a bunch of cans attatched to the a piece of string that I normally hung on the door knob. The contraption would make lots of noise when someone opened the door. Whenever I would leave the room and after securing the several locks I installed, I placed a feather in between the door and the wall. The feather would then fall if someone had opened the door. Often during nights, I couldn't go to sleep. So I sat against the door, another safety measure. I rocked myself to sleep and hummed the melody of a familiar tune in the darkness. A familiar tune, indeed. Chim Chim Cheree. The sound echoed throughout the room. It sounded as if I was singing back to myself. Back and fourth, I rocked myself. Back and fourth. The floor board creaked as I put my weight forward. I got up when I saw something in the corner of the mirror. It felt as if the floors were tilting as I walked. I stepped over the clothes and things that I had thrown on the floor in my search. I stood in front of a reflective glass. The girl on the other side of it, copied my movements. Mocking me. "You". I said, pointing to the girl that had looked so much like myself. "That's right". She said. "You ruined my life! I can no longer trust anyone, I'm in a relationship that I don't even want, and I have this!" I pointed to the Dark Mark that was hidden underneath my sleeve. She looked at me in the eye and smirked. "I didn't do this. You did it to yourself". She responded. At the same time, we whipped out our wands. And as we did this, our extremely messy ponytails came undone when our ribbons fell to the floor. We held each other at gun..... wand point. "But if I did do this..." She began. "Then what?" I asked, with a threatening tone in my voice. "Then you should actually be grateful to me". "Grateful? For this? This isn't a blessing! It's a curse!". I retorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. But you're lucky. You're with the "Boy Who Lived". If it weren't for me, he wouldn't so much as look your way". "I didn't want that! I would've just preferred it that way!" This seemed more like a one sided arguement more than anything else. "Think about it, you two deserve each other. He'll just die anyway. And if you don't follow the threats you've been recieving, then you can die together". "You know about the threats! I haven't told anyone! You've been sending me the threats". I accused her. "You idiot. I'm not the imposter you are". "No. I'm not the imposter! I can't be!". "You're a mess. Good thing for the Oliver Wood fellow. He dodged the bullet". She said. "What about Oliver?" I asked, with venom running through my words. "I suppose you wouldn't know. You returned his necklace to him. I use the word "returned" very loosely. You dropped the necklace and crushed it with your shoes. You may as well have had stomped on his heart right in front of him. Good thing he got out when he did". My arm tensed. "You may think you're better than me, but I can assure you that you're not. It'd actually be reversed. I play you, better than you. It would've been better if you had just stayed chained in the dungeon. They wouldn't have had noticed that you were gone, anyway". "I've just about had enough of you". "And I, of you". She answered. "You're not worth me using my wand". I said to her as we both put away our wands. "Let's finish this. On the count of three". She said. "One". "Two". "Three". Together, we clenched our fists and punched the reflective glass. The mirror shattered, and a majority of the glass fell from the mirror and onto the floor. I smiled to myself. "I win". I said. There was a knock on the door. I threw several piles of clothes over the shattered mirror and glass. "Scarlet , do you want to come with me to breakfast?" It was Neville. I opened the door, stepped out, and shut the door quicky so he wouldn't see the state of my room. I made sure that all of my locks were in proper working order. "Let's go". "You missed the arrival of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang last night. Ron and Harry were practically drooling". "Mhmmm". We went to breakfast, and I sat next to Neville and Fred. Harry once again, tried to barter with one of the twins to sit next to me. "Please Fred". Harry pleaded. "Sure, Harry". Fred was about to move when George cut into their conversation. "But for a price. It is his turn, after all". "What kind of price?" Asked Harry, with an eyebrow raised. "I couldn't quite put a price on sitting next to Scarlet" Fred began. "Assuming that I put a price on I'd say two galleons". Finished George. "George!". I reached across the table and slapped him on the arm. I bet he planned this. Harry reached into one of his pockets and grumbled something about this being a "highway robbery". He produced two galleons that I was sure that he had been saving up. "Hey, I'm just trying to make a living". Said George. Fred moved from his seat and took a spot next to George. Harry sat in Fred's seat and turned to me. He tried to put his hand over mine. I flinched at his touch. I pushed his hand away hastily. Several "Oo"'s, "Burn!"'s and "sizzle"'s came from across the table from Fred and George who for some reason, had a bag of popcorn that they ate, as if this were some sort of suspenseful movie. "Don't touch me". I said, with an edge in my voice. Harry, who may not have had even been Harry, looked hurt and retracted his hand.
  19. Part 70 (ChopinSonata1849: I've finally caught GTQ up with my progress on wattpad)
  20. For the first class of the day, we attended Herbology. The class was fairly easy. For a large majority of the time, my mind was on autopilot. I was in between Harry and Neville. "Scarlet. Is it something I did?" I hadn't talked to Harry since breakfast when I had told him to get away from me. I felt bad. What if I really hurt his feelings? When class was over, I removed my gloves, and quickly pulled down my sleeves. Neville decided to stay behind and help the teacher clean up. I decided to return to my room and clean up the glass shards that were in my room. Harry walked with me for a while as I walked to the common room. "Are you not feeling well?" He asked concerned. "I'm feeling fine. "Are you sure?" "I think that I'd know whether or not I was feeling fine or not". I answered. "Then why are you upset with me?" I wish that he'd just drop it. "I just want to be alone for a while". I entered my room, locking the door behind me. I picked off all the clothes from the floor. I still didn't know who I could trust, but I realized that I couldn't draw too much suspicion that something was wrong. I could now see the floor. I straightened up my bed, which I hadn't made in the morning. I pulled back the covers to fold them. Underneath, laid an aged envelope. "Not again!". I ripped open the envelope. It was written in those magazine letters that had been cut and pasted. It was signed with the Dark Mark. The letter was rather brief. "Stay close to Harry". So it wasn't Harry. The letters hadn't been freshly glued this time. I was no closer to figuring out who had sent the letter than I was when I had gotten the first one. Well, maybe a little closer. The imposter couldn't be Neville or Harry. That much, I knew. But, why did I need to get close to Harry? Why was it important to the Death Eater's? I found myself wondering this as I walked to my next class. "Scarlet". It was Draco. "I'm sorry about earlier. Potter brings out the worst in me". He said. I didn't answer him. We'd been having these fights lately. Out of all people, he was definitely the most suspicious. "Alright. I have to get to class". I couldn't look him in the eye until I knew for sure, he hadn't been the one sending those letters. I attended the rest of my classes, with these thought plaguing my mind. Dinner had soon arrived and I sat next to George and Neville. Harry asked George if he would change seats with him. "Cough". George said, holding out his hand, waiting to accept two galleons. "Harry, don't give George you're money". I pulled out two chocolate coins from my pocket and put it in his expecting hand. George moved to the other side of the table, looking pleased with himself. "What kind of currency is this?" He asked. "Chocolate". I answered, when Harry had taken over his seat. "I believe you've been scammed". Said Fred. "Indeed I have". Said George. "She played you like a fiddle". Fred commented. "Thanks, Fred". George said. Sarcasm dripping from his words. "Are you still mad from earlier?" He asked, still concerned. "No, I'm not". I proved this to him, by entwining my finger with his. I still felt strange doing this, but it was better than earlier. I still can't trust people, but at least I have two people that I know haven't been sending me those letters. Dumbledore began to speak. He was announcing the names of the contestants in the Triwizard Tournament. I had almost forgotten about the Triwizard Tournament. I'd been so busy trying to figure out who it was who'd left the letters, that I'd competely forgotten about it. None of the names stuck out to me besides when Harry's name was called. I felt the grip of his hand tighten on mine. I turned to face him. "Harry? Is that even possible?" "I don't know. I didn't sign up for this". He left to collect his name written on a piece of paper with his name written on it that Dumbledore held. After minutes of questioning whether it was possible or not, Harry was called to meet with the other champions. "Who the bloody heck does he think he is?" Said Ron. It was a rhetorical question. Ron was clearly upset by this and ate more than usual, which is rather hard to imagine. "He couldn't have had entered. He wouldn't have had been able to pass the Age Line". Said Hermoine. "It's honestly not easy being friends with the "Boy Who Lived" all the time. I'm always left in the shadows compared to him". He said this in his Ron language, which was him trying to say things while he had food in his mouth. This language of his could only be interpreted by me, Harry, Hermoine, and the Weasley's. Harry returned later to join us in the common room. The "us" I am referring to, is me, Hermoine, the twins, Neville, and a very peeved Ron. "Look who decided to grace us with his presence. Oh, the mighty "Boy Who Lived"". Ron bowed. "I told you, that I didn't put my name in the cup. Why won't you believe me?" Ron stomped off, bringing all the snacks that he could carry, with him. "Just give him a bit of time to cool off. Well anyway, I must get going. I've got plenty of extra reading that I should be doing". I could sense that she had sided with Ron. "You believe me, right Scarlet?" "Yeah. What did they say?" I was referring to the meeting that he had with the other champions. This was good. I had something to distract me from the blackmail. "I have until November 24th to figure out and prepare for the first challenge"."I'm worried. What if you get hurt?". I said. He placed his hand on my shoulder. And gave me a look that said 'thanks for caring'. I heard Fred and George talking in the corner. "My money's on Harry". Said Fred. "Not me. My money's on Cedric. Harry doesn't have a-" George wasn't able to finish his sentence, as I had gotten up from my spot next to Harry and hit George upside the head. "Ouch, Scarlet. It actually hurts when you do that". George said."Then don't be rude". I answered. "No wonder I don't do well on the O.W.L.'s. It's cause you keep destroying all my brain cells". George defended himself. "You're bad scores has nothing to do with it". I said, arms crossed. George looked rather insulted. And for once, he couldn't make a comeback. "Looks like she got you". Said Fred. I returned to Harry. "You really didn't have to do that". Said Harry. "But, I did". After a while of sitting near the fire together, Harry hurriedly ran upstairs. He'd forgotten to do divination homework. It was just me and Neville. "Scarlet". "Yeah?" I was mesmerized by the fire. "I was going to keep to keep my mouth shut, but I felt like I had to ask". "What is it?" "I saw a tattoo on your arm". The Dark Mark. He had seen the Dark Mark. "When did you see it?" "During Herbology. I got a look at it when you took your gloves off and your sleeves were pulled up. It looked like a-". I covered his mouth with my hand. I could feel his breath on the palm of my hand. We went to the Black Lake and stood underneath the tree. I couldn't risk getting myself exposed. "If I'm not mistaken, that looked like-". Neville began again when I took my hand off his mouth. "You're right. It is". There was no use in trying to weasle my way out of this one. He'd already seen it. And I don't think I can handle any more lies. "Take a seat". I said. We sat comfortably on the damp grass underneath the tree. And so I told him. Not just part of the story, but all of it. The kidnapping, the threats, and the Dark Mark. I waited for Neville's response. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for his answer. If Neville didn't accept me, then I wouldn't be able to live with myself. He stayed quiet for a while. And then he finally answered me. My hands shook at the very anticipation. He took my hands into his. He looked me in the eyes. The moonlight reflected off his skin and his brown eyes. When he spoke, I could see his breath. "I don't hate you. I never could. It's not your fault". "I don't know how much longer I can do this. The lies keep piling up. I can't trust anyone. It's too much for me to take". I broke away from his hands, ran my fingers through my hair which was no longer held back in a ponytail, and then slapped my hands against Neville's collarbone. "Scarlet". He patted my back as if I were a small child. "Neville... What do I do?" I felt like an egg. I was cracking. But even more specifically, Humpty Dumpty. Even with all the King's horses and all the King's men, I could not be put back together again. "You endure it". "How?" I looked him in the eyes again. "I can't trust anyone. I still don't know if someone has been placing those notes in my room attends Hogwarts or not". I continued. "Scarlet. I don't think it's that you don't trust anyone. I think it's that you're scared. Scared that you're going to be hurt. Someone once said, "that you don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you can choose who hurts you". This is one of those things where you need to take the chance of getting hurt. ". And as he trailed on and on about how I could end up hurting more, by not trusting others, he restored my faith in all of humanity. Teling me stories of how some people gold. There was only a fraction in the world that was pure, but it was still worth looking for. As we huddled together outside in the harsh weather, I gained something else besides my faith in humanity. Something that only the last leaf on the coldest and the last day of Autumn, could give me. Hope.

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