Obliviate My Heart {Book 2}

20. The Dragons

The next morning, Harry and I read Sirius's letter in the common room, accompanied by Gennie. The letter read:

Harry, Rory, - I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted - we need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November?

I know better than anyone that you can both look after yourselves and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you both. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose. 

Be on the watch--both of you. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can.

"Even Sirius knew you didn't put your name in." Gennie murmured. "I feel like an idiot."

I looked at her. "Well it doesn't matter now. We're friends again, that's all that matters."

* * * * 

Many people were quite shocked to see how quickly Gennie and I had cleaned up our augment. It was understandable, as the last time we fought, we didn't speak for two months.

But the fact was: Gennie and I had both been stupid towards each other. And we did need to stick together. Dark times were coming. If everything was going to stay calm in the world, I wouldn't be loosing my memories and seeing Voldemort in my dreams.

So Gennie and I's friendship was staying. For good.

But what was really keeping me going was the fact of talking to Sirius, face-to-face. The first task was drawing closer, and I was feeling the most anxious I had ever felt in my entire life.

Admittedly, I didn't see how Sirius was going to make me feel any better about having to perform an unknown piece of difficult and dangerous magic in front of hundreds of people, but the mere sight of a friendly face would be something at the moment.

Harry wrote back to Sirius saying that we would be beside the common room fire at the time Sirius had suggested; and Hermione, Gennie and the two of us spent a long time going over plans for forcing any stragglers out of the common room on the night in question.

If the worst came to the worst, they were going to drop a bag of Dungbombs, but they hoped they wouldn't have to resort to that - Filch would skin them alive.

Things were worse for Harry now though. Rita Skeeter had published an article about him. It was meant to be a balanced article on the five of us, but instead had turned into a colourful story about Harry.

Fleur and Viktor's names had been misspelled in the last few lines, and Cedric and I hadn't been mentioned at all.

Well, technically I had been mentioned. 

The part of the article that made me cringe still swirled into my head at random occurrences.

I suppose I get my strength from my parents, and sister. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now. . . . Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it. . . . I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me. . . I still wonder how my sister would react to seeing me in such a dangerous part of my life...

"Well I think she would be very concerned," I drawled when I first read that segment of the article. "I think she might even come back from the dead to smack you up-side the head."

By saying that, I had caused Gennie to go into hysterics, and even Harry cracked a smile at that one.

But Rita Skeeter had gone even further than transforming his apparent "er's" into long, sickly sentences: She had interviewed other people about him too.