Melody Riddle and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 37: Making Acquaintances

 "There's nothing you can do?" Draco asked the following day. We were sitting together on the couch in the library as, lately, it was the only place we could sit in peace due to the constant traffic of people coming and going — other than my room, which Severus had placed as off limits when it came to just being the two of us.

I leaned into his side, soaking up as much of his warmth as I could as his arm that was wrapped around my shoulder pulled me in tighter. I was resisting the urge to let out a frustrated screech.

I knew I couldn't do anything about Marcus. There was nothing to do. Dad wasn't going to back out of that decision whether I denied the choice or not. He wanted three people per each team going in, and that was just what I had to deal with. I only picked two, so he picked the third for me... but it did feel like there was a reason behind his choice.

"Nothing..." I sighed. "We just have to deal with him — well, rather I have to deal with him. Keep him focused on the task at hand, and make sure he doesn't mess anything up so we get our part of the mission done properly."

"You do mean 'we,' Mel," Draco squeezed me lightly as he responded. "We're in it together. Bad enough you'll already be focusing on the aging spell for the three of us, you can't put everything on only your shoulders."

"Of course I have to," I moaned. "I'm the one in charge."

"That's no guarantee that he'll listen to you. Becky and I will be there, too, you know. I'll help, and you know for sure that Becky will take him down a few pegs — even if she doesn't need to."

I snorted, twisting my head to look up at him. "I believe you... but, you're wrong about one thing."

"What's that?"

"You're not going to be any help with Marcus."

He held a hand to his chest in mock dismay, "What are you trying to say?"

I sat up slightly with a playful smirk, poking him in the ribs as I said, "If he doesn't listen to me, then it's not very likely for him to listen to you either."

His eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Well, why not? I could beat him in a duel just as well as you can."

"It's not about beating him in a duel," I replied, pulling away to lean my back against the couch. "It's about respect. Respecting my authority. That's not something he's going to give willingly, especially not after what I did to him last year."

Tying and gagging Marcus up had not been one of my best moments but, to save Barty, I had deemed it a necessary precaution when switching Barty out with his father. Barty took Marcus' place in the exams and, luckily, passed so I wouldn't have to see Marcus another year.

Hey, it was his fault for threatening to fail, I thought. It almost felt like I was defending my actions to myself, sadly enough. That my conscience had to stoop so low for the things I'd done to seem like no big deal.

"I could enforce that respect."

Did... did he just say that? I stared back at Draco in dismay. Out of all the hare-brained responses he could give, I could only wonder what in the world made him think that that was a possibility? "How —"

His finger pressed against my lips to shut me up as he turned to the figure walking briskly towards us. I smacked his hand away from my face so I could do the same, giving him a pointed glare before turning my attention to...

Cassandra.

She gave a small wave as she continued toward us, brushing past without any words and eyeing each of the shelves as she paced down the rows in search of some particular subject. She finally seemed to find what she was looking for when she disappeared down an aisle.