THE HEIRESS

Uprooted (C)

I let my emotions get away with me and when my emotions got away so did my powers.

At least that's what I suspected had happened when I was shaken awake by an alarmed voice. I barely managed to get up and so the person decided to carry me. As we walked through the forest I blinked around me and I could make out 100 year old trees laying on the ground, uprooted. The person carrying me, only a wobbly figure to my sight, was swaying heavily. I guessed the ground had been shaken by an earthquake like force, making it impossible to walk through smoothly.

The person didn't say anything while they were carrying me but I couldn't have understood them anyways. Everything was blurry and strange to me. I could only make out shapes.

Only one thing I saw visibly clear. The tree. There tree Cedric and I used to have as our spot, the tree where he told me he loved me... its leafs had turned black.

After an eternity I was laid down, my back meeting something soft. I felt a warmth on my forehead that I could only identify as a touch of some sort. Then I passed out.

When I woke up again I was in the hospital wing, multiple bandages covering my body.

I spent about a week there. Madame Pomfrey was exasperated with me, having no clue why I wouldn't get better. If she only knew my wounds weren't physical.

Cedric didn't show up at all. My brother and friends did. Multiple boys brought me flowers and chocolate. One left me a mysterious black rose with no note or anything on it.

But no sign of Cedric. So I guess it was really over.

I had only cried about it once, when I told Harry, Ron and Hermione about it. It was embarrassing for me but the hugs they gave me, even if they were more than awkward, did help.

In school no one knew the real story. Hell, even I didn't. Who had dragged me out there? Had it been one of the centaurs?

Everyone just thought silly me had gotten lost on the grounds and a tree had fallen on me during the storm. I felt as if it did.

As I went back to classes everyone must've felt something was off as they doted on me more than usual. Johnny would barely let me out of his sight, boys would try to make me laugh, girls asked me for their advice on fashion and generally everyone was being terribly polite.

That's why I loved to hang around the Gryffindor table. Everyone was way too oblivious to be overly nice. The second I sat down Ron told me I looked like shit and I gave him the first real smile ever since Cedric and I broke up.

"I didn't think he'd be that much of an ass," Harry said as his eyes flickered over to the Hufflepuff table. I didn't follow them. I didn't want to see him.

I sighed and laid my fork down
"He isn't. That's why it's so annoying," I said. Harry gave me a pitiful look before raising his fork to my face.

"What? Do you want me to blow on it?" I asked as I looked at him. He rolled his eyes and pushed the fork forward.

"Are you feeding me, Potter?" I asked, the corner of my mouth twitching.

Harry groaned and grew red,

"Just eat something, please,"  he begged and I laughed at his discomfort.

"If you're going to feed me then do it the right way. What happened to the whole 'here comes the broom' thing?" I joked and Harry whined. I took pity on him and grabbed a bite.

"That's actually good," I said. When was the last time I had actually eaten and not just looked at my food? I couldn't remember.

"Here," Harry just said, pushing his entire plate towards me. I ruffled his hair.

"So, Kim," One of the Weasley twins spoke up. It was George.

"How long will you leave the entire school hanging?" His brother asked. I quirked an eyebrow at them.

"Well, you're undoubtedly the most requested partner for the ball in this school yet you haven't chosen anyone," George conducted.

I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat,

"Well, I-"

"Kim, you still don't have anyone?" a boy next to Ron suddenly asked, eying me with big eyes.

"Um, I-"

Suddenly chaos erupted around the Gryffindor table.

"You want to go with me?"

"No, I asked first!"

"Okay so I already have a date but if you-"

It only took a couple of minutes before boys from every house, even some from Durmstrang, swarmed me. I looked helplessly between them and then glared at the Weasley twins who were laughing their asses off.

"Kim, I'll get you everything you want! My father has a high position in the ministry!"

"I know how to Waltz! He doesn't but I do!"

"We don't even have to make out we could just-"

I jumped up from my seat in panic and pointed at Harry.

"HIM!" I called out, in hopes of shutting them up. It worked.

"Harry! I'll go with Harry!" I said in panic, hoping they'd leave me alone.

"Um," I heard Harry next to me say and I sat back down again, grasping his hand under the table.

"Please, I beg you! Cho said no, right? Please Harry, I'm begging you and I'm way too pretty to be begging!" I whispered under my breath. Harry frowned but took pity on me as he looked at all the other boys with flushed cheeks,

"Yeah, um, I'm taking her to the ball... Sorry, guys..." he said awkwardly. My shoulders sank in relief as the faces of the crowd fell and they scrambled.

The Weasley twins were hollering by now and I took the nearest thing I could find, which turned out to be a tomato, and threw it at them. It landed in George's hair and caused Fred to laugh so hard he fell off the chair and to the ground. Okay, that was funny.

As I laughed I forgot that there was a certain direction I didn't allow myself to look at.

My head turned and I saw Cedric starring at me in shock and my smile faded. Cedric looked between me and Harry, anger, irritation and confusion in his eyes. I turned my head away only to find another pair of eyes watching me. Draco's.

"What?" I mouthed. Draco squinted his eyes at me and I rolled mine.

Boys were idiots.