Amelia Merlin

Part Twelve: Meeting Boys

A/n
Hey everyone! Really glad you're reading this! Please comment so I know what you think, good or bad I don't care I'd just love to get some feedback. Btw the plot has been thickening so pay attention!

"Fred! George!" Amelia ran over to her two favourite people and hugged them.

"Amelia! My precious darling!" Fred exclaimed in her ear. "How were your holidays?"

"How was that absolute delight of a mother you have?" George asked.

"Is she still as fit as I remember?" Amelia swatted Fred's arm.

"Don't be disgusting Fred, it doesn't suit you," she glared playfully. She told the twins about the general things that happened on her holiday but didn't reveal everything. Her promise to Jeremy was killing her, she really just wanted to tell someone already!

They walked along the grounds chatting, as the three of them hadn't been together in two weeks, they had lots to discuss. Fred and George were seriously considering kicking Ron out of the family but after Amelia pointed out that if they had kept Percy, Ron really wasn't a big shame, they decided to keep him. And they were telling her all about their plans to raid Filch's office. And of course, how they really needed to find a way into the Slytherin common room. They ended the afternoon by discussing Quidditch in the Gryffindor common room.

"Alicia's not bad at all, she's actually quite good!" Fred said.

"Yeah but she's no Angelina," George countered.

"Well no one really is," the twin sighed blissfully.

"Someone has a bit of a crush?" Amelia poked him.

"Do not!"

"Do too,"

"I respect her as a team member and a brilliant chaser, but no," Fred insisted. The common room was warm and Amelia could feel herself getting sleepy.

"Oliver is a great keeper,"

"Don't know where we'd be without him,"

"It's probably his giant ego that blocks all those quaffles," they both chuckled lightly in unison.

"And Angelina's good looks that distract the other teams keeper, it's why she scores so much!"

"True true. Don't forget about Harry,"

"What's he got again?"

"Nothing, everyone just feels bad for him so they let him catch the snitch,"

"Of course! How could I forget?" Amelia had completely dropped out of the conversation. She watched the fire crackling in the wood, and she was able to make the flames dance any way she wanted. She could make them move and play with each other, although she couldn't make them into shapes or anything. The fire was taking her advice, but she wasn't yet a puppet master. The twins discussed the other house Quidditch teams, totally oblivious to what Amelia was attempting. Finally Amelia became bored and tired so she said goodnight and went to bed.

She woke up at four in the morning with bleeding palms. She had dug her fingernails into her hand, but she didn't remember having any nightmares.

Things returned to normal back at Hogwarts and Amelia felt stabilized. She had started talking to the Hufflepuff kids in her year and they were all quite nice. She had spent a lot of time with Oliver Rivers, Hannah Abbot and Ernie Macmillan. And a few times Cedric Diggory dropped in and talked to them a bit. Amelia immediately liked him, he was so kind and didn't look at her like she was a freak. Most people judged her on her family and tried to get her to talk about what it was like to be a Merlin. But not Cedric, which she really appreciated.

One day she was sitting in the library with Hannah, Lavender, Dean, Seamus, Parvati, Oliver, and Ernie, when Cedric approached them.

"Working on Herbology?" He said, his voice was soft and the simplest words sounded so charming. "I'm quite good at that, would you like help?"

"That would be lovely," she smiled at him and Hannah nudged her from under the table. Cedric sat down with them and explained the plants in detail.  The girls couldn't stop staring at him and neither could the boys. It seemed everyone either wanted to have Cedric and wanted to be Cedric. And who could blame them? He was incredible.

Amelia couldn't help admiring his gorgeous hair, and that crooked smile that played with his lips. She adored his dazzling eyes and his voice that sounded like dark chocolate tasted.

She stayed in the library with Cedric for hours after everyone left to go eat. They stopped talking about Herbology and were discussing the most random things. Amelia was completely at ease around Cedric, and even though he was in his third year and she was in her first, he didn't treat her like she was any less.

"You know, I've heard a lot about you Amelia,"

"Is that so?" Please be good things, she wished.

"All your classmates are terribly impressed with you. They say your spells are an absolute dream," he praised her, and she felt colour rising in her cheeks.

"Well... I..... Um I guess," she stuttered, having no clue what to say.

"It's a compliment Amelia," Cedric laughed at her awkwardness, but not in an unkind way.

"I know! I'm just not sure how I feel about it,"

"How'd you mean?" He said, genuinely curious.

"Well a lot of the time I think people only interact with me because they think my family history is interesting. I mean everyone knows about what happened over the summer," she said, referring to her fathers arrest, "and I don't want that to be the reason people like me. As though I'm some sort of interesting creature, rather than a person," her eyes darted away from Cedric's.

"If I may say something?" He said putting a hand over hers, she nodded and looked into those eyes everyone was so mesmerized by, "people don't like you for your family Amelia, they truly do like you, for you. You're a wonderful person, and people feel happy around you. Don't sell yourself short," he smiled and Amelia let out the breath that had been in her lungs for god knows how long. At that moment, Madame Pince decided to shriek at them to leave the library immediately.

Cedric walked her to the common room and said goodnight.

"He is such a gentlemen," Amelia said to herself once Cedric's gorgeous head had disappeared.

"Just try not to get pregnant dear," the fat lady sighed behind her. Amelia rolled her eyes and crawled through the portal.

She woke the next morning with her bleeding palms again. She really ought to cut her fingernails, Amelia decided.