Looking to the Past and Future
Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table and immediately knew something was wrong. Hermione was nervously reading through her Potions book, muttering to herself and writing on a piece of parchment, which she then passed to Draco to read. Melissa and Sheila had a pile of parchment in front of them and were whispering to each other as they started putting them into columns. Fred and George were keeping busy by turning various items on the table into rats and back again.
�All right, what�s going on?� Harry asked. One person from each group looked up to give him an answer.
�Finals,� Sheila said.
�N.E.W.T.s� Fred said.
�O.W.L.s,� Hermione said, putting down her quill for a moment.
Harry swore under his breath, which made half the people at the table drop what they were doing and stare at him in surprise. Most of them had never heard Harry swear before, even Hermione.
�I completely forgot,� Harry sighed. �So, what�s on the tests?�
�Apparating, sleeping potions, you name it,� Hermione said, going back to her writing. �I�ve been studying all week, so I agreed to make Draco some notes to study from.�
�Look at the bright side,� Draco said. �Since Professor Felina disappeared, we don�t have to know anything about Crups.�
Hermione glanced quickly at Harry, who shook his head slightly. Draco didn�t know the truth about Professor Felina, and they weren�t going to tell him. All he knew was what Fudge had told the rest of the students: that Felina had simply disappeared. Of course, to give Fudge a bit of credit, he didn�t know what really happened either.
�I�m sure you�ll do fine,� Hermione said as she closed the Potions book and got out her Transfiguration book. �You�ve been in class all year.�
�Yeah, but I haven�t been paying attention,� Harry said.
�Not an excuse I would recommend using,� Sheila cut in. Then, she turned to Melissa, holding up a piece of parchment. �You got it written down wrong.�
�No, you just can�t read my handwriting,� Melissa said, grabbing the parchment from Sheila. �You�ve got it upside-down.�
Sheila grabbed the parchment back and shook her head. �You�re hopeless,� she said.
�Then why do I get better grades than you?� Melissa asked, snatching the paper back again.
�Cat fight,� Fred announced, grinning.
�Ooh, you�re gonna regret saying that,� George muttered as Sheila turned on Fred now.
�Do you have a death wish?� Sheila asked, glaring.
�Depends,� Fred said, �can I wish for my life to be spared?�
Sheila smirked and glanced at George. �You�re brother�s smart. Maybe I should be dating him.�
�Oh no,� George shook his head, �I�m not falling for it this time. I know your kidding.�
�Am I?� Sheila asked. Then, she leaned across the table and kissed George. When she backed up, she smiled. �Okay, I�ll let you have that one.�
�You mean I won?� George said, his eyes widening. �I actually won?�
�Don�t push your luck,� Sheila said, �or I might give your brother the same test I just gave you.�
�I�d just like to say that I�m in favor of the latter,� Fred said, leaning forward. �Go on George, keep arguing.�
�Ugh, now I know I got the right one,� Sheila groaned, pushing Fred away.
�Oh, you know you want me,� Fred smirked and leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. This, unfortunately, wasn�t a good idea. He fell over backwards onto the floor, and everyone at the table looked up and burst out laughing.
�Oh yeah, I don�t know how I restrain myself,� Sheila said sarcastically.
�I�d love to see the end of this conversation,� Draco cut in, �but I�d just like to point out that we have to be in class in about ten minutes and�hey wait for me!� He shouted these last words, as the others had already gotten up and were hurrying to get to their first classes.
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The O.W.L.s lived up to their reputation of being the hardest tests they�d taken so far. For Harry the Transfiguration test was the easiest, as it had been altered so that their grade was based mostly on how well the students could Apparate. Both he and Hermione passed this test with flying colors and received their Apparation licenses. Ron, however, failed miserably when he splinched his arms and one of his ears. He would have to retake the test next year.
Potions was a disaster waiting to happen though. Harry couldn�t for the life of him remember the ingredients of the sleeping potion they were supposed to making. In the end, he was able to produce something that looked vaguely like it was supposed to, though it was a dark, murky green instead of bright green. He strongly suspected that he�d failed. Hermione, of course, passed, though not with a perfect score. This didn�t bother her much, as Professor Snape had never been known to give a Gryffindor a perfect score in his life.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts test was written, with one hundred questions about all of the curses they�d studied that year, including an essay with detailed descriptions of the Unforgivable Curses, their effects, and how they can be countered, if they can. Half the class wrote wonderful essays, including Harry, Hermione, and Ron. It seemed that Professor Moody�s lessons from last year were still fresh in their minds, even if they didn�t remember everything Professor Wilson taught them this year.
Professor Trelawney told the class that she felt something terrible had happened somewhere, so she hadn�t had time to put together an exam. Instead, they were expected to remember what they learned in third year about tea leaves and to make a prediction for their own future. Harry tried this a couple of times before finally just giving up and writing that he would meet an untimely demise when he would run into a werewolf in the Forbidden forest. Needless to say, he got a perfect score.
History of Magic was the same as always: question after question about things ranging from fugitive goblins of the 15th century to the rise and downfall of Uric the Oddball. Charms involved enchanting beetle shells so they could be used in potions. The Herbology exam was a collection of everything they�d learned since first year. Astronomy involved identifying several major constellations and their magical properties. Harry received pretty average grades on all of these.
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Melissa went to sit next to Draco the morning after finals. �So, how�d you do on the O.W.L.s?� she asked.
�Huh?� Draco looked up from his book. �Oh, I did all right. At least I�ll go on to sixth year.�
�What�re you reading?� Melissa asked, leaning to read over his shoulder.
�Nothing,� Draco said quickly, shutting the book. �Do you know where Sheila is?�
�She said something about going to the library,� Melissa answered, eyeing Draco suspiciously. �Why?�
�I have to go,� Draco said distractedly, standing to leave.
�Draco�� Melissa started, but he was already gone. She propped her elbows on the table, rubbing her temples. �I can�t handle this right now,� she muttered.
�Can�t handle what?� Harry asked as he and Hermione arrived at the table.
�Nothing,� Melissa said dismissively, shaking her head.
�Where�s Draco?� Hermione asked, her eyes immediately drifting over to the Slytherin table.
�Don�t ask,� Melissa said, gritting her teeth. �Please just change the subject.�
�Okay,� Harry said, �I just found out today that Dudley failed all of his exams. He�s getting dropped down to first year.�
�Harry!� Hermione scolded, but laughed anyway.
Melissa also gave a forceful laugh, but her mind was elsewhere. Draco was getting worse. His eyes had acquired that unfocused, emotionless look that was so much like Harry�s had been a few months ago. All of their conversations had become forced and one-sided, with Melissa trying desperately to get him to talk to her. She�d thought when he told her about the Dark Mark that things would get better, and they had for a little while. But Melissa had the feeling that the Dark Mark, though still part of the problem, was only a side issue to whatever was pulling him away from her.
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Draco scanned the library and found Sheila sitting at a table by a window, reading a very large book. He went over immediately and sat across from her.
�Hey Draco,� Sheila said, �I was just doing some research for next year.� She held up the book so Draco could see the title: 7th Year Pranks of the Past and Present.
�Yeah,� Draco said, �um�can you do me a favor?�
Sheila raised an eyebrow at him. �Depends on what it is.�
Draco opened his book to the page he�d been reading earlier and gave it to Sheila. �Can you do that hidden message spell on this?�
Sheila examined the page for several moments before nodding. �It seems to be the right kind of ink.� She pulled out a piece of parchment and closed the book so that it was on the page. She looked around to make sure no one was watching before waving her hand over the book and muttering the spell.
�Here ya go,� she said, handing the book back to Draco. �I won�t ask questions.� She stood up and walked away. Draco opened the book and read the words that had appeared on the parchment.
The only thing certain about the Dragon is his year of birth. It took historians hundreds of years of searching the oldest of prophecies before determining that the Dragon will be born in the year of 1980, granted that the calendar was not changed since this discovery was made. The Ministry files, however, do not tell us when this discovery was made, as prophecies are seen to be unreliable and virtually useless.
Draco read over this again, making sure he�d read right. He didn�t know what he�d been expecting, but it certainly wasn�t this. The year that a prophecy is meant to take place was almost never found out until after it happened. Since the book said �will be born in 1980� Draco was pretty sure they�d found out ahead of time though. There was almost no doubt about it now. He was the Dragon.
This, however, was exactly the thing that he didn�t want to find out. He�d been hoping to find out something that could convince him that what he saw in his dream was just that: a dream. He didn�t know what that something was, but he hadn�t found it. Instead, what he�d found out seemed to make what happened in the dream even more likely to come true.
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On the day that the student were to go home on the Hogwarts Express, Melissa woke up with an idea. When Sheila got up, they talked it over and agreed that they�d give it a shot. After all, he did deserve to know, and it seemed that he was finally well enough to handle it.
* * *
Melissa looked at her watch and hissed under her breath. They had an hour until the Hogwarts Express left and Harry still hadn�t come to breakfast yet. He finally showed up ten minutes later, followed by Hermione.
�What took you so long?� Sheila asked.
�What do you mean?� Hermione asked. �The train doesn�t leave for a while. Where�s Draco?�
�He said he was going to return a library book. We agreed to meet on the train,� Melissa said. Then, she turned to Harry. �We have something to show you.�
�What?� Harry asked, looking suspicious.
�Come with us,� Sheila said, lowering her voice. �We�re going to visit Hogsmeade.�
They all stood and left the Great Hall, hoping no one would miss them. The hallways were almost deserted and, luckily, the dementors had been sent back to Azkaban a couple days early.
�Do you think we�ll be able to get there in time?� Melissa asked, looking at her watch to check.
�We know a short cut,� Harry said suddenly. He whispered something to Hermione who nodded, and they went over to the Whomping Willow. Harry grabbed a long branch that had fallen to the ground and poked a knot on the trunk of the tree so that it wouldn�t try to kill them. He and Hermione led the way through a gap in the roots. They hurried down the tunnel and came out in an old, abandoned house that Harry had been in two years earlier.
�The Shrieking Shack,� he muttered, kicking at the remains of a chair that had long ago been chewed up by a werewolf.
�I�ll have to remember that shortcut,� Sheila said. �I won�t be able to stand it if we can�t come here again next year. Well anyway, follow us.�
They left the Shrieking Shack and walked down the streets, which were almost empty of people. It seemed that most of the visitors to Hogsmeade were Hogwarts students. Melissa and Sheila led Harry and Hermione to the graveyard and the grave they had visited on one of their earlier visits. Harry hadn�t gone with them on that day. In fact, that was the night that he�d tried to kill himself.
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Harry knelt in the circle of flowers around the grave and read the names on the tombstone. These were his parents� graves. It had never occurred to him to wonder where they were buried before. He stayed there for a moment, lost in thought.
He was just about to get up when something caught his eye. There was something written under his parents� names. He used his sleeve to wipe away the dirt that obscured the words and read: They gave up their lives to save their son.
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Melissa stood back with her sister and Hermione as Harry knelt in front of Lily and James Potters� graves. She considered going forward to join him, but she had a feeling that he needed some time alone.
After a few minutes, Harry turned to face them, but rather than getting up, he silently waved Hermione forward. She carefully stepped over the flowers into the circle and knelt beside him. He whispered something to her and she nodded, pulling out her wand and tapping the tombstone. It glowed bright white for a moment before turning back to dull gray. They both stood and walked back to join Melissa and Sheila.
�Let�s go,� Harry said quietly and started off without another word. Sheila and Hermione followed him, but Melissa stayed behind. She wanted to know what Hermione had done.
She stepped into the circle and knelt in front of the tombstone, squinting at it. The names were there just as they had been, but there was something else: an inscription at the bottom that she�d never seen before. Most of the words seemed to be years old, almost worn away, but last two looked as if they�d been carved recently. The inscription read: They gave up their lives to save their son and daughters.
Melissa gave a small smile and turned around, hurrying to catch up with the others.
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Harry and the others reached the train on time, but just barely. They had only just stepped into the last compartment when it started to pull away.
�Whew,� Sheila breathed a sigh of relief. �We made it!�
�Really?� Melissa said sarcastically. �I didn�t notice. I�m going to find Draco.� She stood and left the compartment.
There was a moment of tense silence as Melissa�s footsteps faded into the distance before Harry spoke. �Is anyone else worried about her?� he asked.
�Yeah,� Hermione nodded, leaning her head on Harry�s shoulder.
�I�m more worried about Draco,� Sheila said. �He�s been acting odd. When he�s with all of us he�s fine, but when Melissa tries to talk to him alone, well, I�ve seen how he avoids her. I haven�t told Melissa, but a few days ago he asked me to use the hidden message spell on a passage in a book. It was called the Dragon Prophecy, or something like that. Do any of you know what that is?�
Harry and Hermione both shook their heads.
�I think Melissa does though,� Sheila continued, �and I think it has something to do with why he won�t talk to her. But look, don�t mention anything to them. I don�t want Draco to know I told you.� At that moment, Melissa and Draco walked in, making Sheila shut her mouth immediately.
�What were you guys talking about?� Melissa asked as they sat down.
�The price of dog food in China,� Sheila said before the others could think up a good lie.
�Translation,� Melissa said, �you don�t want to say. Right. I sense a change of subject is in order. How�s it going with George?�
�Slow,� Sheila muttered through gritted teeth. �Damn idiot still won�t kiss me unless I kiss him first.�
�Are you still on about that?� Melissa asked. �That was a long time ago, and besides, technically, it was your idea to switch places in the first place.�
�Grr�screw the technicalities,� Sheila said. Then she looked thoughtful. �Hmm�that�s an interesting choice of words��
�Ugh, you have a sick mind,� Melissa groaned.
�So, what�s your point?� Sheila asked.
�I think I speak on behalf of everyone,� Draco said, �when I say we have no idea what you�re talking about.�
�Don�t worry Draco,� Melissa said apologetically. �Someday I�ll teach ya�lls American humor.�
�And that will truly be the end of the world,� Draco added dryly.
�You should�ve learned by now,� Hermione pointed out, �that talking about the end of the world around us isn�t such a good idea now that it seems we might end up seeing it.�
�And being a part of it,� Harry added.
�Well, aren�t we morbid,� Draco said. �Am I the only sane person left in this room?�
�Careful Draco,� Hermione warned, smiling slyly. �Just because you�re Melissa�s boyfriend doesn�t mean I still won�t slap you for being a smarmy git.�
�Now, now,� Sheila said, sounding very much like Professor McGonagall, �there will be no slapping in here.�
�Ha!� Harry laughed. �Look who�s talking!�
Sheila crossed her arms and looked offended. �I�ll have you know I haven�t slapped anyone all day,� she said proudly.
�Wow, you should receive an award,� Melissa said sarcastically, �but since we don�t have one�� She started clapping madly and the rest of them joined in.
�Thank you, thank you,� Sheila said, bowing slightly. �I�d like to take this opportunity to thank my victims for all their support. If it wasn�t for them, I surely would�ve bottled up enough anger to have become a mass murderer by now. Now I can follow my dream of becoming a spy.�
�The question is,� Melissa said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, �how do we know you aren�t one already?�
�Well, I�d tell you,� Sheila said, �but then I�d have to kill you.�
They laughed and kept talking the whole trip back. Their topics covered everything from Quidditch to Harry and Hermione telling Melissa and Sheila about their old Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Hagrid. Draco contributed little to this final conversation, however, other than to offhandedly call Hagrid an oaf. He was silent after receiving a glare from Hermione, but they all knew he was just kidding.
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Ron sat alone in an empty compartment, staring out the window. He needed somebody to talk to. The silence was almost more than he could bear. For a moment, he even considered going back to talk to the others.
But he couldn�t go back there, because he knew Malfoy was with them. He knew that they were still fooled by his innocent act. But Ron saw right through him. He couldn�t believe that, even after what he�d witnessed in the Astronomy Tower months earlier, Melissa still believed that he was good.
Just remembering the incident made Ron clench his fists in anger. He hated himself for letting Malfoy get away with hurting Melissa. He thought she must have been brainwashed somehow so that she wouldn�t know that what he did was wrong. Ron knew that if the others knew what had happened, they wouldn�t be so accepting of Malfoy either.
It�ll only be a matter of time, Ron thought solemnly. Malfoy would revert to his old ways again, he was sure of it. He had enough experience with Slytherins to know that they were like that. The others would find that out in time. What scared him the most, though, was that by the time they did, it would likely be too late.
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�Blaise? Blaise!�
�Huh?� Blaise looked away from the window. �What do you want?�
�I�m going to get something from the food cart,� Daniel Nott said, standing up. �Would you like anything?�
�No thanks,� Blaise said distractedly. Daniel had been hanging around her a lot lately, ever since he broke up with that Ravenclaw girl, Cho Chang. Blaise wasn�t the least bit interested in him, but she put up with it.
Blaise went back to her thoughts about Ron. She�d given up hope that she�d ever be able to be with him, but that didn�t stop her from thinking about what could�ve been. But he had his family and she had hers. They had been raised to hate each other, and were expected to do just that. The only way she could keep herself sane was to tell herself that it just wasn�t meant to be.
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�We�re here!�
Draco looked up in surprise. Sure enough, they had arrived at King�s Cross Station and the train was slowing down.
�Professor Wilson said earlier that she had something to tell us,� Sheila said. �I wonder what it is.�
�It�s still strange hearing you call her Professor,� Hermione said.
�I have to go,� Draco sighed, looking at Melissa. �I can�t let my father see us leaving the train together.�
�Okay,� Melissa said, �remember though, if you ever need somewhere to go, you know where I live.�
�Yeah,� Draco nodded. She�d given him her address earlier. He leaned in and kissed her briefly. �Bye.� He reluctantly stood and left the compartment, unconsciously reaching up to hold his left arm where the Dark Mark was. After walking for a while, he finally entered a compartment and stepped off the train as if he�d been in there the whole time.
�Draco,� his mother came up to him immediately, �hurry up, your father is waiting for us.� She grabbed his arm and started to lead him away.
�Yes Mother,� he said, knowing it was pointless to argue. He walked along with her, but his mind was still back with Melissa. He would have some job this summer trying to send her letters without his father finding out.
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Harry glanced quickly at Melissa as Draco left. She was staring after him, seeming to be on the verge of tears.
�I wish he didn�t have to leave,� she said in a barely audible whisper. �I wish he didn�t have to go back with them.�
�Hey,� Hermione said, making Melissa turn to look at her, �I�m sure he�ll be all right.�
�We�d better go,� Sheila said.
As Harry stood up with the rest of them, he felt a sudden wave of fear. The Dursleys had sworn never to let him come back after Dudley was sent to Hogwarts. Where would he go now? He hesitated at the door as everyone else left the train.
�Harry!� Hermione�s voice drifted back to him. �Come on! Someone�s waiting out here for you!�
Harry looked up in surprise. Who could it be? Certainly not the Dursleys�
He took a deep breath and stepped off the train. The image that met his eyes made his jaw drop. There, standing on her tiptoes and waving at him from across the platform was�
�Mrs. Fig,� Harry said in disbelief as the old woman fought her way through the crowd to get to where he stood.
�Yes Harry,� Mrs. Fig said, �you�ll be staying with me this summer, if that�s all right with you, of course.�
�Are you kidding?� Harry said excitedly. �I finally get to leave the Dursleys?� He would�ve done back flips if he had more room. Then he thought it might be better that he didn�t, since he would probably have broken his neck.
Mrs. Fig gave a little laugh and nodded. Harry grinned and turned to tell Melissa and Sheila the good news, but they were already gone. He scanned the crowd and saw them talking to Professor Wilson. A few minutes later they came running over.
�Harry!� Melissa shouted over the talking of the crowd around them. �Guess what? We get to stay!�
�What?� Harry asked, hardly believing his ears.
�Yes, that was what I was going to tell you next,� Mrs. Fig said. �Lisa and I had a little talk and we decided that it would be better for you and your sisters to spend the summer together.�
�Congratulations Harry,� Hermione said, �I hope you have a great summer. My parents are probably waiting for me, so I�d better go, but before I do�� She reached up a hand to touch Harry�s cheek and leaned in to kiss him.
Harry was so surprised by this that he just stood there, completely stunned. When Hermione stepped back, he was still left speechless.
�Oh yeah,� she said, giving a sly smile, �it�s settled. You are better than Viktor.� She then turned to Melissa and Sheila. �Is that enough for you?�
�Yeah,� Sheila nodded, �consider the debt repaid.�
Hermione looked back to Harry. �See you next year,� she said and turned to walk away.
�Bye,� Harry said, finally unfreezing enough to say that one word. He mentally kicked himself for not being able to come up with anything better.
�Is that the girlfriend?� he heard Mrs. Fig ask his sisters in a whisper.
�Uh-huh,� Melissa said. Then, she grabbed Harry�s shoulder. �Come on Harry. Let�s go.�
Harry tore his eyes away from the spot where Hermione had disappeared into the crowd and the four of them moved through the crowd, leaving Platform 9 �. As he got into Mrs. Fig�s car, he couldn�t help but think about the last time he got into a car. It was at the Dursleys� house before the school year started, when they�d taken him to Mrs. Fig�s house. He�d been wondering at that time if his birthday wish would come true so that he would never have to go back to the Dursleys.
And it had, in the best way it possibly could have. He�d been able to keep his promise of coming to visit Mrs. Fig. His sisters were going to live there too. On a completely side issue, he and Hermione were finally together. His worst enemy had even become his friend. Even when all of the bad things that happened to him this year were factored in, including losing Ron�s friendship, Harry still thought that overall, the year had turned out pretty well in the end.
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Author's note: Forgot about the birthday wish, didn't you? I didn't, I planned this all along. Anywho, enough of my gloating. Sounds like the end, doesn't it? You're sitting there, growling at the screen because I left so many loose ends, aren't you? Well, cheer up, 'cause it's not the end. We've still got the epilogue to go. I can't tell you much about it, only to expect it to be realistic, which means not everyone will have a happy ending. Oh, and I can reveal that the last word of the epilogue will be "Lily." Have fun contemplating the meaning of this while I go and try desperately to finish it.
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