Nicole Stevens: Blood and Daggers

Chapter Three: Hey, We're Not Romeo and Juliet!

When last we left them...

"That's a load of rubbish, and you know it. I want the truth," Harry said.

"The truth? Okay, Harry. The truth: I'm madly in love with Draco, and I think we should see other people."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked.

"It was a joke, Harry. God, you're so paranoid!"

"Well, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because," I rolled over to face him. He looked ticked off, unsurprisingly. I pulled him closer, giving him a quick kiss on the nose, "Because, I love you, and I would never do that. You know that, don't you?"

He sat up, wearing an expression of utmost frustration. Harry ran his hand through his hair, tousling it even more. When he had finished, he stared intently at me. His dazzling green eyes shone in the darkness, as they seemed to pierce through my heart. He searched my face, looking for something hidden deep beneath my calm exterior. As he looked into my eyes, I felt bare and unprotected. His eyes darkened as he found what he was looking for. He had found that shred of truth behind the lie. I knew that I would have some major explaining to do.

"Why did you say that?" His question sounded like I had betrayed him.

"I didn't mean it. I was only joking. I didn't realize that you would--"

"What, you didn't realize that I might actually believe you? You didn't stop to think about my feelings? You don't think about me! I don't know a lot about girls, but most of them don't treat their boyfriends like this! Look at Ron and Hermione! They're not being like this to each other! They really think about each other's feelings! How are we ever going to have a relationship, when you make sarcastic jokes about other guys? I mean, sure, you can check out a guy every once in a while, but this is ridiculous! You're fraternizing with my sworn rival! Is that something every girl does?"

He was quite out of breath when he finished his rant. I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

"Harry, whatever I'm doing, I promise you that what I really want is to be with you. However I've been acting, I don't mean to. All I want is to be with you. I know this sounds stupid and idiot and rambling, but I am completely serious. My life, believe it or not, revolves completely around you!" I watched the look of utter surprise on Harry's face. Whatever he had been expecting me to say that certainly hadn't been it.

"Y--You mean that?"

"Yeah, Harry. I mean it."

"Oh."

He lay back down on the pillow beside me. I rolled back on my other side, so as to escape further questioning. He wrapped his arm around my waist, drawing me to him. I relaxed considerably when he whispered in my ear,

"I'm sorry."

"I am too. It's no big deal."

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"So, what was the yelling about last night?" Ria asked.

I turned to face her. She had obviously followed me down from the house. I was in my grove of trees, inspecting the oaks with interest. They were silent today. Good thing, it wouldn't have done for Ria to hear me talking to trees. She wouldn't understand.

"You two weren't--you know, doing that...were you?" she sounded interested.

"No, we weren't. We were just discussing our relationship."

"Must've been a heated argument. I heard yelling from both of you. I couldn't hear what you were saying, but I figured that it wasn't good."

"Well, great for you," I returned moodily. "Nothing's wrong, or anything. We were just arguing about something. Not a real problem, though. We resolved it."

"Oh," Ria sounded disappointed. "That's...nice."

"Isn't it?" I asked her sweetly. "Could you leave? I came to be alone."

"Shawn thinks you spend too much time by yourself. He wants to talk. I don't know why," she added, seeing the look on my face.

"If he wants to talk, we can talk. Not now, though. I'm busy."

"How can you be busy if you're alone?"

"Easy. I think about things. I work out problems. Now, will you go?" I asked. She shrugged, her burgundy hair cascading in waves down her shoulders.

"I don't care. I just came out here because Shawn told me to. He's not going to be happy that you won't talk with him now, but whatever you want." She walked out of the wood, leaving an empty feeling in the air.

Well, maybe it was a not-so-empty-after-all feeling.

"Do you bring news, keeper?" the voice of Melagh asked.

"Very straight to the point, aren't you?" Justicia quipped. "No formalities whatsoever. What are your manners coming to, Melagh?"

"What is this that I hear of the keeper?" a new voice wondered. "Is she here? I have not met her yet. Keepers, oh how very many we have had. There were a great number at one time, but it has died down. Rarely do we find a suitable person. It is a flaw, becoming most common in humans these days. How is the keeper? She is here, no?"

"Yes, Wendil. She is here. Keeper, meet Wendil; he is the Converser. He communicates with the animals. And I know we have not told you of our positions. I am the Wind-Carrier. I speak with the birds. Very useful creatures, birds," Argil said.

"And I, keeper, am the Dream-Tree. I am the Vision-Carrier. I have seen your visions. You do not remember them, but I do. We will discuss them later," Justicia quietly whispered. She seemed to be the quietest tree of the lot.

"Keeper, I am the Soul-Finder. I do the job of resolving conflicts and disputes. I also can locate any person or animal in the world. I talk with Spirits. And, I might add, we can converse over long distances. Mentally, we could still speak with you, even if you were in America. Not a bad trait," Melagh informed me.

"Keeper, you have not met me before. I am Salem. My bark can be used for potions, thus the name Salem. My bark is powerful. It can substitute for anything. I have the power to call the Goddess Isis's powers. It is not used for anything but the most important issue."

"Deluad is the Water-Caller. He brings rain. Very silent, he has been. Calling up a Thunderstorm, most likely. Takes about two days to do," Argil said.

"Wait, we can all talk, even if I am at school?"

"Yes," Justicia answered. "If you need anything, or if we need news."

"Okay. Well, Melagh, could you possibly find two souls for me?"

"Anything for the keeper," she said.

"Alright," I paused, pondering whether I really wanted to know what I was going to ask about. "Okay, Melagh. Please find...Lord Voldemort."

"Very well," there was silence, while Melagh supposedly found him. "Keeper, you asked for me to find Lord Voldemort. He knew he was being tracked. I tried to find him before he flung up his shields, but it was no use. I apologize. Would you like for me to try again?"

"No. Maybe later, though. Now, will you please find one of my friends? His name is--"

"His name is Draco Malfoy, Melagh. I see it in her head. The keeper is worried about him. Hurry, Melagh. I have a feeling he will be difficult to find," Justicia predicted.

"Of course," Melagh replied. She went quiet.

I asked, to no-one in particular, "Can you all see what I'm thinking?"

"No, only I can do that," Justicia told me. "In a sense, we all can, yes. We are not speaking aloud now, but you can hear us. You must speak aloud, if even in a whisper. However, there are some instances where you could speak mentally with all of us. If you were away, for example; at school, on holiday. It is only rarely used. Speaking vocally is much less difficult for humans."

"Okay. I guess that makes sense. Why is she taking so long?" I suddenly asked myself. "She should have found him by now."

"I told her it would be tricky to get a hold of that one. Draco Malfoy, yes. I do know of the Malfoy family. Very dark, Malfoys. Yes. We can wait for her to finish. Time is no issue."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I'll just wait. No need to get worried," I reassured myself.

"You are a seer, did you know?"

"Yeah, actually."

"Well, that is a wonderful gift. It will protect many," Justicia informed me.

"Okay," I said restlessly. Why was Melagh taking so long?

"You wish to know of your dreams, correct?"

"Yes, it would be nice," I snapped testily. "It's not that I don't want to know, but I just want to be quiet while we wait for Melagh to finish."

I sat down on the moist soil, leaning back against the willow. The dirt was slightly damp, and I could feel the life that was contained within it. It calmed me, letting the pent up frustration flow out through me into the earth. I felt the soil soaking up my emotions, relieving me of the worry that had come with the news that Lord Voldemort could not be tracked, would not be tracked.

"I have found him," Melagh's voice brought me from my reverie of thought. I looked up, staring into Justicia's branches.

"Where is he, Melagh?"

"I have found that he is not very far from here. Your Mister Malfoy is in London. The Leaky Cauldron, to be precise. I do not know what he is doing there," Melagh answered my unasked question.

"Okay, thanks. I'm just going to stay here for a while longer, if you don't mind?"

"Of course not, keeper. You may stay however long you like. But, if you would mind, please inform us of goings-on in the outside world," Argil asked.

"Oh, well, I don't know, really. I saw an article in the Daily Prophet. It said that there has only been one occurrence of Death Eater activity in the past three months. I'd like to say that no news is good news, but that would contradict my personal feelings. From my dealings with Voldemort, he doesn't seem like someone to tangle with. I'd bet my life that he already has an evil scheme. He's just waiting for the right time to strike," I told them.

"Oh dear. I have heard from the birds," Argil said. "There seems to be a massing in the north. Many wizards have been meeting privately. It troubles me that no one has heard of it. The birds do not speak to humans, and neither do the animals. It must be that your--Voldemort did you call him? Well, it must be that this Voldemort person is very discreet. Even the birds do not know what the wizards have been meeting about. I suspect that he is behind all of this. I feel it."

"Oh, great. I need to tell Harry. He'll want to know, I think. I'm going to go tell him. See you later, okay?"

"We aren't going anywhere," Justicia said. I laughed, thinking of how odd it would look for the trees to begin walking away.

"Yeah," and with that, I hurried away, up to my house.

I hopped up the stairs of the wraparound porch, running carelessly through the front door, straight into my favourite cousin Shawn. He caught me in his arms, and helped me stand. I brushed the dirt off my clothes as he watched. When I had finished, I hurriedly apologized.

"So sorry, Shawn. I'm in a hurry to talk to Harry. Could you please let me by?"

"Not so fast, dear cousin." He smirked at me, "I was coming outside to see you. I wanted to talk with you, as Ria mentioned. Would you mind taking fifteen minutes off from your precious boyfriend to talk with me?"

"Later," I brushed off his request.

He pressed on, "It wouldn't take long. I promise. Just fifteen minutes. Please?"

"Argh, fine. Come on, we'll talk outside." I turned around and walked back through the door that I had just entered.

Shawn grinned, more of a smirk than a grin, but it was a grin all the same. The door swung closed behind us, as Shawn followed after me. He gestured at the porch chairs, and I sat in one of them, he followed suit.

"So, Nicky," Shawn started, "I was talking with Mark after dinner the other night. He didn't seem to be happy with the results of your little talk. I still don't understand why you won't accept his offer. He's the best you could hope for."

"It's a nice offer, I'll grant you that. But, what you can't seem to get into your head is that I LOVE HARRY! Now, if you're trying to set me up with him again, I'm warning you: Don't you dare. Don't try it, or I will fix the problem once and for all. I'm leaving, I don't need this." I stood up and stormed through the door, listening to it slam shut behind me.

When I checked in my room, I found only Harry's school trunk. I ran into the hall, looking for him. He was nowhere to be seen. Darting up the stairs, I dashed top-speed into my father's home library. There were only a couple of books lying on the table. I scowled and ran back downstairs. Once I was in the kitchen, I paused for a moment, thinking of possible places that Harry might have disappeared to.

Maybe he's outside.

He's not, dear, my conscience answered. I heard some noises coming from in there: Ria's room.

No way! She wouldn't DARE! No, I won't think that, not even of her. Ria would never, never try to seduce Harry. And besides, it wouldn't work.

I wouldn't be so sure, argued my conscience.

"Oh fine," I said aloud. I headed over to Ria's door, pressing my ear against it.

"...Harry, dear...never know...what does she mean to you? Nothing...it's not wrong...no it's not..."

"But, I love Nicky...stop that...Ria, I'm serious...mmm...mmm...good..."

I suddenly regained my senses, and threw open the door. For a few seconds, I stood staring amazedly at the scene in front of me. Harry was lying on her bed, his shirt long gone. Ria was sitting on her knees beside him, seemingly in the middle of unbuttoning his pants. Her auburn-maroon hair was tumbling over her shoulders, onto Harry's chest. He looked extremely nervous. His jet-black locks stood out brightly against the white bedspread. The colors jumped out at me; red curtains, bright-golden wood floor, the black of Harry's tresses, the sheet of burgundy that was Ria's hair, Ria's black shirt that was halfway unbuttoned, Harry's pale hands that were resting on Ria's hips, and the vivid green of Harry's eyes. Then, everything went double-speed. Harry hopped up from the bed, pushing Ria away from him. He ran over to me and began to furiously explain. Ria stared stock-still at him, never allowing her eyes to stop feasting on his body. I heard my own voice as if from far away say, Don't explain, I can tell what happened; How could you? Then I turned and ran out the door, down the hall, through the front door, down the lawn, into the grove, and finally through the dark path that led to my willow. I climbed up into Justicia's branches, thankful for her boughs and leaves that hid me from view. I leaned back against my favourite branch, breathing heavily from all of the running I had just done. My tears began flowing.

I pulled my knees up to my face and crossed my arms over them. Then, I buried my head in my arms and let myself sob unrestrainedly. The sound of my crying echoed through the trees, yet there was a musty silence around. My tears splashed onto Justicia's branch, and for once, I was thankful of her silence. Emotions coursed through me; hate, fear, betrayal, sadness. Sadness was the feeling that washed over me, burying me in its foamy wave of depression. I was swept away, allowing the grief to wash me away in its tides. The sorrow overcame every other emotion I had. No hate or fear could compete with that feeling of utter misery.

Soon, my crying became softer. Fewer tears fell, and I was only hiccupping occasionally. I coughed, my breathing raspy. Then, I heard a soft, comforting voice saying,

"Keeper, do not be sad. Your sorrow is unnecessary. You know that. Now, stop crying. Just relax. It is all right. Everything is going to be fine." It was Justicia.

"H-how can I?" I cried. "H-he was snogging my COUSIN! I thought he loved me! He is such a narcissistic liar!" I yelled into the stuffy quiet.

"Keeper, you know that that is not true. She is only trying to lure him. You know that that girl is a temptress. Now, why don't you listen to what he has to say?"

"Because I don't want to," I told the willow. "Harry doesn't deserve my attention."

"Possibly you are overreacting. It does not seem likely that--"

"Nicole! Nicole, are you in here? Come on, I'm sorry! Please come here!" Harry's voice rang through the wood, breaking the calmness of the forest.

I paused, pondering whether or not I wanted to answer. After a few moments, which seemed like ages, I called out, "I'm in the willow!"

"What?" Harry asked.

"The willow! Go through the clearing and you'll see it!"

He must have done what I had told him to, because I suddenly heard the telltale of cracking twigs. I looked down, seeing the eight feet that was between the ground and me.

"Jump," I heard Justicia's voice in my head. "You won't hurt yourself. I promise."

I nodded resolutely and hopped down from the branch. I landed catlike on the ground, and stood. Harry was standing in front of the willow, looking surprised at my sudden appearance. His shirt was only half-buttoned, and he had obviously been in a hurry to get outside. He started to move towards me, but I motioned for him to stop. I leaned back against the willow-trunk, and asked as smoothly as possible.

"So, you've decided to stop making-out with Ria? How lucky I am. What did you come here for?"

"I was coming to apologize for what I did. It was wrong."

"I know," I retorted.

"Well, what you saw, we hadn't...done anything."

"Really?" I asked antagonistically. "From what I'd heard and seen, you'd done quite a bit. Or maybe you need to be refreshed: When someone moans 'mmm' then it usually means something not good. Yeah, you did a lot more than you'll admit. And might I ask where your shirt went and how it got there? Or, maybe I should ask why she was trying to get your pants off."

"I can answer both of those questions," he replied. "She took off my shirt, and it was on the floor. And she was trying to get my trousers off because that's what she does."

"Lame excuse," I snapped. "How could you? I was planning to have a nice day with you, as this is your birthday, but I suppose that you can celebrate with her."

"Look, please don't be this way."

"What WAY? Now, you're the one who has this 'way' you keep talking about! I haven't been going around in a lip-lock with Ria!" I shuddered. "Why don't you just go away and leave me alone? Tonight, you can move your cot into HER room. Not that you'll need it, after all. I know you'll just be dying to get into each other's pants!"

"What! That's not true and you know it! I'd never! How could you think that?"

"How could I think that? Oh god, this is so stupid. I think that because you were undressing! I swear, you're so idiotic: 'how could you think that?' Ugh, I'm leaving!" I turned and shoved past him, he grabbed my arm and dragged me back.

"You're not listening to me."

"NO, you're right!!! I'm not!" I slapped him and yanked myself out of his hold. He stood, staring bewilderedly at me as I ran out of the forest, to the safety of my bedroom.

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