What If? Year 1

Chapter 56

Once everyone left, I decide that it was a good time to go off to bed. Ara tells me she's going to stay up with Evie and Harry for a little while longer. I start up the stairs and quickly notice that Mum is following me up.
"You don't have to sneak up, Mum.." A sigh is all I hear before she is by my side.
"I.. I just wanted to catch up, you know, the two of us," she whispers, "if you dad saw me coming up here, he would have wanted to as well." I nod and we walk up the rest of the stairs quietly. I close my door and turn the lock.
"If he tries to explode in like he usually does, he'll run into the door." Mum laughs and sits down on my bed.
"So," she says, as I sit down besides her, "how have you been?"
"I've been good," I reply, "a little stressed, but overall good."
"Dad and I were worried when we weren't getting any letters that you had grown up, but when Evie said that she wasn't getting any.. that really confused us."
"Did you write at all to me?"
"Of course.. we wrote you when we started moving into here, but I guess you didn't get it."
"Oh, yeah.. I tried to have Ara write you too, but that didn't work." Mum frowns and scoots closer.
"You gave your father and I quite a scare," she says, "Minerva flooed to the office with tears in her eyes and got us. She was so nervous and blamed herself for telling you about Tom Riddle and the whole thing.. she was almost as much of a mess as I was. And then Harry went missing and Ara was inconsolable, it was just a whole mess. Please promise me that you won't do anything that that again. It was far to dangerous."
"I know," I whisper, staring at the group, "but.. Ginny was in trouble and I knew where it was and.. I just wasn't thinking straight, sorry." She leans in and gives me a hug.
"I thought I was going to loose both of my babies." I sigh and tuck my nose into the crook of her neck.
"I'll be more careful." She smiles and pays my hand.
"Now," she continues, trying to be smooth, "I know you didn't wanna talk about it with your uncles.. but.. can I hear about Cedric?"
"Alright," I sigh, "but no squealing to Dad, okay?"
"Promise." I smile and open my trunk. I pull out the box with my skate in them.
"So for our first date we went ice skating on the Black Lake," I begin, "and he got these for me." I open the box and pull out the beautiful skates.
"Those are beautiful," she says, feeling the embroidery, "he got you those and that ring?" I nod.
"What about the rest of the dates?"
"The rest of the dates were mostly lunch or dinner date because of the security, but they were still wonderful."
"How did you two meet? It seems like an unlikely meeting."
"Well.. you know how Dad sent me a howler to tell me how proud of my he was... well that kinda stemmed a panic attack and I ummmm. I ran from the hall not wanting to sit through the rest of it and curled into a ball in a random corridor. He found me and check on me. He took me to the hospital wing for an anxiety potion. Then he continued to check up on me." Mum nods and frowns, angrily.
"I told him not to mention you in Harry's howler, but I guess he didn't want to listen.. I'm sorry that happened.. or maybe not? I mean you met Cedric, didn't you?"
"Yeah.. he's very sweet, Mum."
"He's certainly got you twisted around his fingers..." I blush and fidget with my ring.
"I guess I should let you sleep some," she says, getting up from the bed, "and remember our agreement."
"Studying doesn't start till Monday, promise." She kisses my forehead and leaves the room. I listen for the creaking of every last stair before beginning to get ready for bed.

I lay down and close my eyes. I open my eyes again soon afterwards and I am in the spirit world. I walk down the stairs and intro the living room to see what everyone was doing. Mum and Dad are sitting on the loveseat, watching Ara, Harry, and Evie play LIFE.
"What took you so long?" Dad asks Mum, "I thought you were just making sure that she wasn't going to study."
"We just talked for a while," Mum replies, and I smile.
"About what?"
"Does it matter?"
"You talked about HIM!" Dad exclaims, jumping up and pointing a finger. Ara and Evie start to laugh and Harry's face turns pink.
"It was just girl talk, James.." Mum scolds, "and don't shout.. you'll wake her up."
"Tell me everything!"
"No, why don't you ask her about her semester tomorrow?" Dad frowns and sits back down.
"You're such a drama queen, James." Harry laughs at that and Dad glares at him.
"Don't be laughing.. you're a mini me, Harry James." Ara and Evie laugh at Harry as he throws a car at Dad.
"Boys," Mum says, "behave.. I don't want a game bored piece war please and thank you." Dad frowns at Harry and waits for Mum to look away to peg Harry with it. Harry knew better than the vocalize the pain. I decide it was time to go back to bed.
I creek open my door and notice my necklace on the floor with the hallway light. I scoop down to grab it and as I straighten back up I catch and glimpse of me and someone else in the mirror. I shriek and drop the necklace, causing the person to disappear. I stare at the mirror and bend down to grab my necklace again.
"Please don't scream again," a woman says, "I didn't mean to scare you." I look up and am face to face with my Aunt Mari.