My Summer Vacation,

Chapter 3

"Morning," Mae said to her mother the next morning. "Sleep well?"

"Very funny," her mother said as she sipped her coffee. "You should have woken me up!"

"You looked too peaceful to disturb," Mae said with a shrug. "I'm making tea," she said. "I don't suppose you want any?"

"Nah," Merelie replied with a shrug. "My coffee's fine."

"What do you want for breakfast?" Mae asked, rummaging in the fridge. "I could make eggs, but we had those yesterday."

"Why don't I make it?" Merelie asked. "You should go have a lie-in, or watch some TV." She looked at Mae strangely. "What do most kids your age do on a Sunday morning?"

"Mum," Mae said, rolling her eyes. "I thought we'd already agreed that I'm not like most kids."

"I know," Merelie said seriously. Mae realized how strange it was to see her mum looking like that. "And that's partly my fault. I never really thought of you as a child I suppose. I guess I wanted you to be my best friend, instead of my daughter. Thus, I ended up depending on you far too much. That's probably why you get along better with Sylvia and Donna than you do with girls your own age. You're practically an adult as it is, and that's my fault."

"It's not your fault I am who I am," Mae said. "I've always been like this."

"I'm not trying to change who you are," her mother said. "I'm just trying to change what you have to do. You shouldn't have to make breakfast and supper every day. It's nice that you're responsible like that, but that should be my job."

"Fine," Mae said with a smile, leaning up against the fridge. "How about this? You start waking up earlier and making breakfast. I'll keep cooking dinner. We'll split the cleaning. And," she added. "I'll always let you know when I'm spending the night out. Just don't try and stop me." She knew the last part was a bit mean, but she had to add it. She couldn't make promises she couldn't keep.

"I'm not too sure about that last bit," Merelie said with a sigh. "But it's all I'm about to get, right?"

"Right," Mae said sternly. "Well," she said, loosening up a bit. "What are you sitting around for? A teenager girl's got to eat."

* * *

Mae read Roger's letter over and over again, stroking Bernie's soft feathers as she did so. It was comforting to hear from him, but he didn't sound normal. It was strange to hear him talk about Tristan. It was painful to hear him talk about Cho.

Dear Mae,

I'm glad to hear you've made a new friend. He sounds nice. He sounds like he cares about you very much. Which is good, because he's your friend.

On a different note, I invited Cho to spend a week or so with me this summer. Which means a week or so with you as well. Should be fun, yeah? I think it'll be great. It'll be good to get a new face or two in the neighbourhood.

You don't really have to write back, since I might not even get the letter before I leave. I'm not really sure what else there is to say, I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you.

I miss you.

Roger

Mae read the letter, not feeling the usual closeness she felt after receiving a letter from Roger. She felt as if he had pushed her away, then grabbed her at the last moment with his final I miss you. It was all so confusing. She hadn't wanted to make Roger jealous about Tristan, but it sounded like he was anyway. She wanted to like Cho, but she doubted that would be happening. Roger wanted Cho to come and stay with him. That went beyond obligation. Surely that went beyond obligation. But the most heart-breaking part of the letter was when he said he wanted to see some new faces in the neighbourhood. He didn't mean that. He couldn't mean that. New faces in the neighbourhood meant him making new friends. New faces in the neighbourhood meant him forgetting all about what the three of them had had. Not just forgetting Mae, but Cedric as well. He didn't mean it.

Suddenly an idea overtook her. If it was meant to be, it would happen, right? She thought of what she had told Tristan... I'm not ready to tell him how I feel yet. You can't rush me. Now she knew what she had to do.

Dear Roger,

I don't want Cho to come and stay with you, because then you won't have time for me anymore. I don't want new faces in the neighbourhood, because then you'll make new friends and you'll forget all about Ced and me. I don't want Tristan. Not in the way I want you. Because I'm in love with you. It took me a while to realize it, but I did. I don't want to lose you, ever. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I'm putting my fate in a letter. My destiny is in the claws of an owl. Oh heavens, I'm screwed. I don't know what I'll do if you get this. But at least I'll have to do something, which is more than I can say for the last sixteen years of my life. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you. I love you. I think about you every day. I think about you all the time. I feel like I'm always thinking about you. What you and I have, and what you and I and Ced all had, they mean everything to me. I can't let go. I hope you can't either. If you get this letter, then I'll know it was meant to be. If you never do, then I'll just have to accept it. Please, get this letter. I can't stand the thought of you never knowing how I feel.

Yours,

Mae

Mae read through the letter, feeling delirious with anxiousness. Could it hurt to be this nervous? But she meant every word, and she knew she had to send it now that she had written it. She fed Bernie quickly, who nipped at her in annoyance as she tried to make him send yet another letter. Surely he must be exhausted, but Mae had to send this letter.

"Sorry Bern," she said softly, picking him up and setting him on the windowsill. "I'll miss you while you're gone. Get this letter to Roger, okay?" She smiled. "It's all up to you, you know. Just do your best." Bernie ruffled his feathers, as though to say that she was insulting him at the thought of him doing any less than his best. "I'll miss you," she said, and watched him take off, his figure flying into the afternoon sun.

"Someday," she heard her mother say from behind her. "You're going to explain to me exactly why we have a bloody owl as a pet."

* * *

It was Mae's last day of school. She didn't have any football of course, and she wouldn't have gone anyway. She was meeting Sylvia, George, Amos and Donna at King's Cross to meet Roger off the train. She was excited. They'd said they would even show her how to get onto the secret platform and Mae couldn't wait.

"You sure you don't want me to come with?" Tristan asked as they walked together to their last class of the year. Mae was so excited. The summer was beginning in an hour, and it was a beautiful day to top it all off.

"No thanks," Mae said, shaking her head. "I think he might take that the wrong way. I might wait a few days to get him to meet you. Just so that he's a bit more comfortable."

"Nervous about the letter?" Tristan asked.

"Yes," Mae said, entering the classroom. She had explained the whole letter to Tristan, except the part about the owl. He knew about Bernie, though she hadn't quite told him he delivered mail yet. That could get weird. "I'm about to be sick. I'm so excited and happy and nervous at the same time. And slightly," she paused. "Relieved maybe."

"Yeah," Tristan said with a slight smile. "Makes sense."

The class passed quickly, just being spent receiving report cards and comparing grades. Mae beat Tristan at English, French, History and German, while he passed her at Science and Math. Mae hated science and math. She'd barely passed her biology and chemistry classes.

"That went well," Tristan said, investigating his report card again. "Can't say I was expecting much better."

"We did good," Mae said. "Superb. Dynamite."

"Yeah," he said with a grin. The two walked to his car. Tristan had started driving Mae from school on the afternoons when she didn't have football, and even stayed sometimes on the days when she did. "King's Cross?"

"Right," she said. They drove in silence, Mae panicking about what she would do when she saw Roger. Would he kiss her again? Would he have gotten the letter? If he had, would he say anything about it? "Tristan?" she asked, feeling the butterflies beginning to stir in her stomach. "What do I do when I see him?"

"Hug him," Tristan said. "If he kisses you, then great. If he mentions the letter, then great. If he doesn't, then just hug him." He shrugged. "I think that's all you can do."

"You're right," Mae said as they pulled up in front of the station. "When in doubt, hug." She grinned. "If something goes wrong I may have to get you to pose as my insanely jealous boyfriend. Kay?"

"Done and done," Tristan said with a smile from the driver's seat. "Good luck," he called before driving away. Mae headed for Platform 9, where she had agreed to meet Roger and Cedric's parents.

"Hi!" she called to them, racing to great them. She hugged Sylvia and George, and Donna and Amos more carefully. She knew what this must be to them. It was hard for her too.

"Hi," George said gruffly. George was like the male version of Sylvia, very gruff and bold. Donna and Amos were both very quiet people, just the opposites of their neighbours. "The train's not in yet, I just checked."

"Where is it?" Mae asked eagerly. She momentarily forgot her nervousness. "When do we get to see the Platform?"

"Now," Sylvia said with a grin. "You just stick with me," she said, looping her arm through Mae's. "Watch and learn."

The two sauntered in between Platforms 9 and 10, where Sylvia looked around nervously. After nodding at Mae, she led her straight into the barrier.

Mae's first instinct was to hold her hands up to stop herself, but her hands passed right through, as did the rest of her after Sylvia tugged at her. She blinked about in amazement. She certainly wasn't in Kansas anymore.

"Whoa," she breathed. "I was not expecting this."

The platform was packed, and certainly not with ordinary people. Mae gasped at the various coloured robes and cloaks that she saw. Even the people in muggle clothes were dressed rather unconventionally. Muggles certainly didn't dress with this much imagination, she'd say that much.

"Whoa," she said again to Sylvia, who grinned.

"Welcome," she said with a smile. "To Platform 9 and ¾."

"Oh honestly, Sylvie," Amos said from behind them. Mae turned to see Donna, George and Amos. They moved to let more people through the barrier, Mae still gazing around in delight. "No need to be so dramatic."

"You like it?" Donna asked, timidly.

"I love it," Mae said, trying to reassure Donna. "It's amazing."

"What do you think?" George asked with a grin. "Pretty strange, huh?" Mae had momentarily forgotten he was a Muggle as well. "You'll get used to it." His grin widened. "Just wait 'til we take you to Diagon Alley."

"Let's deal with one thing at a time," Donna said, patting him on the arm. "We'll take her to Diagon Alley in a week or so. Now, we have to wait for Roger. I'm sure we're all very anxious to see him," she said, smiling at Mae. Mae squeezed her hand partly to ask for reassurance on the subject of Roger, and partly to remind her that even though Cedric was gone, she was still there.

They turned just in time to see the train coming in. Mae had never seen a train like it. It was red. It was fabulous. Steam poured from it, and Mae expected to see Roger emerging at any moment. Students streamed forth from the halted train, all in various Muggle clothes. Some looked natural in their muggle attire, whereas others looked like they were dressing up for Halloween.

"Hey!" Mae heard a voice crying over the sudden din. "Mums! Dads! Mae!" Mae felt herself lifted above the crowd as soon as she heard him call her name. "Over here!"

Mae ran in the direction the voice was coming from. It was quite difficult, given the crowds, but she managed to shuffle her way through. She recognized some of the students from Cedric's funeral. A few of them smiled at her. She smiled back, but kept going.

She pushed her way through a particularly rambunctious group of redheads, to where Roger was. He grinned and threw his arms around her, lifting her up like he had when they'd been children. He'd always been surprisingly strong. Mae was suddenly very strongly reminded of Cedric.

"Hi," she whispered softly into his ear as he held her against him. He drew away a bit and looked at her.

"I missed you," he said, before something overshadowed his face. "Been having fun lately?" he asked stiffly.

"Roger!" Mae heard Sylvia yell as she and George neared them. Donna and Amos were being held back by some of the families, no doubt offering their sympathies.

"Mum," Roger said happily, releasing Mae and hugging her. "Dad," he said, hugging his father as well. "It's been so long." His grinned faltered slightly. "You remember Cho, don't you?"

Mae noticed for the first time the pretty Asian girl who was standing near Roger. "Oh," she said stupidly. "Hi, Cho."

"Hi," Cho said shyly to them all. She turned to Roger. "I'll see you in a few weeks," she said, hugging him. She dropped her head onto his shoulder, and Mae felt her heart clench. George rested his hand on Mae's shoulder.

Cho and Roger said their goodbyes, which was all too heartbreaking for Mae. He finally turned back to them, clasping his hands. "I've got to see Donna and Amos," he said. "I'll be right back."

Mae stood there, reaching up and grasping George's hand.

"If it makes you feel any better," Sylvia said. "I can tell him he's not allowed for her to visit this summer."

"No," Mae said. "I just--no." She closed her eyes, thinking of the letter. It was all over, it was really over. "It wasn't meant to be," she said softly. "I know that now."

"Don't be silly," George said. "You two were destined to be together. This is just a speed bump."

"I'm not sure it is," Mae said. Just then, Roger, Amos and Donna joined them.

"All right," Amos said. He was looking at the steam engine with a face full of emotion. "Let's head home."

They went back to the entrance to the Muggle world, where they were let through in pairs. Roger grabbed her by the waist. "I can't wait for our summer to get underway," he said. "It's going to be the best."

No it's not, Mae thought. Because you're in love with Cho. This summer is not going to be the best at all. A different part of her was shivering at his touch. That was the more physical side of her. She made a mental note not to listen to that side anymore.

He had his arm around his waist all the way back to the car, where he and his parents went in one car while Mae went with Cedric's parents. The drive back was silent, mainly because Mae knew Cedric should have been there. But she knew that in a lot of ways, he was.

"You're staying for supper?" Donna asked as they pulled into the driveway. They were spending the evening at Sylvia and George's, and Mae couldn't imagine herself anywhere else.

"Of course," Mae said as they climbed out and walked to their neighbours' door. George, Sylvia and Roger pulled in behind them.

Mae made supper with Donna and Sylvia, though she was too anxious to say much. They knew she was upset about Cho coming for the summer, but it was more than that. It was so much more than that.

They brought the supper in, and Mae found herself seated next to Roger. He grinned at her as he helped himself to the Shepherd's Pie.

"It's the summer," he said. "This is what we've been waiting for."

Mae sighed as she took some string beans. "Are you excited to be seeing Cho again?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "She needs me." Mae didn't know how to take this answer. It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it wasn't what she'd been dreading either. "Is Tristan going to come stay with you?"

"I doubt it," Mae said with a shrug. "He doesn't live that far away, so that's not really necessary. Besides," she added. "I was looking forward to spending the summer with you."

Roger didn't say anything, just began telling them all about his classes. Mae was interested, but she was distracted at the same time. Her life was crumbling before her eyes. Seeing Roger again was supposed to be an amazing moment. But instead it was just distressing.

"Snape actually gave Ravenclaw points this year," Roger was saying. "We all worked really hard in Potions, and he actually gave us points. It was only ten, but still something. I doubt he's never given Hufflepuff or Gryffindor points."

"Impressive," Amos was saying with approval. "Snape's the Potions professor," he explained to Mae. "He's Head of Slytherin house, and always favours them. I went to school with the prat."

"Amos," Donna said warningly. "It's not very polite to talk about Roger's teachers that way. He may not be a very nice man, but he's on our side, isn't he?"

"Side?" Mae asked. "Which side is this?"

"Oh," Roger said, looking at her. "She doesn't know?"

"Know what?" Mae asked, panicking slightly. "What don't I know?" she asked, looking at George. He had to understand what she was going through.

"There's a war in the wizarding world," Sylvia said to Mae's surprise. "This--this-- well he's a bit like Hitler, except he's a wizard. He's trying to eliminate all the Muggle-borns. Those are the wizards and witches whose parents are Muggles."

"It's a bit of a long story," Amos said. "You're sure you want to hear it?" Mae nodded, wondering if she was linked more to this story than she had expected. "His name was Tom Riddle," he said. "He went to Hogwarts years ago, and was in Slytherin. He grew up, and started going by the name of Lord Voldemort." He shuddered. "We call him You-Know-Who though."

Mae shivered. "Okay," she said.

"He became obsessed," Donna said, so quietly Mae could hardly hear her. "He thought only pure-blooded wizards--wizards whose families were purely magical--deserved to live in the magical world. He found followers, and they were called Death Eaters. He killed hundreds, and not just Muggle-borns either. He killed anyone who defied him. If he wanted you dead, you were dead."

"There was a family," Amos said, taking over and patting his wife on the shoulder. "The Potters. There was Lily and James, and their son Harry. James came from a long line of wizards, but Lily was a muggleborn. Their son Harry was just a baby at the time."

"There was an Order that Headmaster Dumbledore started," Sylvia said. "They worked against You-Know-Who. They were called the Order of Phoenix. Lily and James were part of the order. You-Know-Who knew this and wanted them dead."

"They took precautions of course," Amos said. "They wanted to protect their son. They were nearly impossible to find. But then he found them, and tried to kill them."

"What happened?" Mae asked softly. Donna shook her head.

"You-Know-Who killed Lily and James. Then he tried to kill Harry. Something happened though, and his curse rebounded and hit himself instead. His body was dead, but his soul was still alive and kicking. He wasn't heard from for years."

"What happened to Harry?" Mae asked, trying to grasp that a man's body could die and his soul still live. She'd heard that on the rare occasions she'd gone to church, but that was different. This soul had obviously hung around for a while.

"He's a hero now," Roger said. "He's fourteen, in Gryffindor." He shook his head. "One hell of a Seeker."

"You-Know-Who tried to come back a few years ago," Donna said. "When Roger was just in his third year. You would have been twelve at the time. But Harry stopped him again, with a few of his friends. Then in Roger's fourth year, his memory came back through his old diary, and took over a young girl. He controlled her, made her release this monster on the school that would eliminate all the muggleborns. But Harry stopped him again. Then," she said, her voice fading. "Just this year, he came back again."

"What did he do?" Mae croaked. She wanted to know, but she didn't at the same time.

"There was a competition," Roger said, staring at the table. "With Hogwarts and two other schools. Each school got to have a competitor in the competition. Somehow," he said slowly. "There were two competitors chosen from Hogwarts. Harry Potter and Cedric."

"Cedric?" Mae asked, surprised he'd been brought into the conversation so soon. "Cedric was in this competition?"

"Yes," Roger said. "The Triwizard Tournament. It was rigged you see. There was this magic goblet that got to choose the competitors. It chose Cedric, but it was rigged to choose Harry as well. You-Know-Who had kidnapped our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, and put one of his supporters in his place. This Death Eater was fixing the competition so that Harry would make it to the end, when he would get the cup. When he touched this cup, he would be transported to a set-up. Where You-Know-Who would kill him."

"But something went wrong," Amos said quietly. Mae jumped. She could hardly hear him. "Cedric made it to the end as well." He closed his eyes. "Voldemort killed him without a second thought," he said, his voice shuddering with anger that Mae had never seen him with before. "Harry escaped, and brought Cedric's body back with him." He opened his eyes and Mae saw he was crying. "Nobody believes the Potter boy, but he claims he saw Cedric's ghost as well as his parents' ghosts and several others. Cedric asked him to bring his body back to us. So he did."

"God," Mae breathed. "What happens now?"

"You-Know-Who will try and strike again," Sylvia said. "He has his body back, and even more supporters. But the government won't admit that he's back. We'll all be caught with our pants down."

"Not everybody," Donna said. "Dumbledore's starting up the Order again. They're preparing for war."

"Wait," Mae said. "How bad was the last war if I didn't even notice it?"

Amos shook his head. "Most of the Muggle world didn't know what was going on. You didn't move in until after it was all over." His face clouded over. "We all had to take precautions. Nobody was safe."

"Why would You-Know-Who kill Cedric?" Mae asked, choking on the words. "You're both magical, aren't you?"

"He was in the way," Donna answered. "He didn't care who Cedric's family was, he was in the way. He didn't matter." She sobbed, resting her forehead against her palm. Amos put his arm around his shoulder. Mae closed her eyes.

"I'm a half-blood," Roger said, making Mae jump. "I'm not safe, you see."

"Don't say that," Sylvia said. "We'll all be fine."

"Clearly," Roger said, standing up. "We aren't all fine. We've already lost somebody, who's it going to be next?" He stormed out of the room, and Mae heard the door slam behind him.

"I'll talk to him," Mae said, rushing after him.

* * *

"Hi," she said, announcing her presence. Roger was seated in Cedric's swing in the park. This might not have meant much to anybody else, but it meant everything to Mae.

"I'm sorry," he said, staring at the ground. "I shouldn't have said that."

"You're upset," Mae said. "I am too." She took her usual swing next to him.

"It's just sickening," Roger said. "The monster that killed Ced might kill my mum or my dad or even me. Hell," he said. "He could kill Donna or Amos too. He could kill Cho. He could kill you."

"Why on earth would he kill me?" Mae said comfortingly. She rested her hand on his shoulder.

"You-Know-Who hates Muggle-borns," Roger said, looking at her for the first time. "So why on earth would he like Muggles any more?"

"Oh," Mae said. "I didn't think. Surely though," she insisted. "He'll be defeated, won't he?"

"Maybe," Roger said with a shrug. "It could happen."

"Have faith," Mae said before she could stop herself. "It'll happen. You'll be fine. I'll be fine."

"I used to have faith," Roger said. "But then Cedric died. It could happen to anyone." He looked at Mae, searching her face. "I don't want to lose anybody else."

"Me neither," Mae said, closing her eyes. She leaned her head down on his shoulder, like she had just a week or so before. "But I know I won't."

"Thanks," Roger breathed into her ear. "For following me." Mae grinned. It was a cool night, but she was warm against him. "I guess I'll have to cheer up a bit," he said with a forced laugh.

"No," Mae said. "We're entitled to be sad tonight. Tonight we can remember and be sad and cry all we want. That's what we'll do tonight."

Roger smiled at her as she picked her head up off his shoulder. "Come on," he said, standing and holding his hand out to her. "Let's have a sleepover."

* * *

"You mum was fine with it?" Roger asked as he emerged from the bathroom in his pyjamas. He was wearing his flannel pyjama pants, without a shirt on. Mae was slightly flushed, though she was used to it. Roger had never slept with a shirt on. He was terrified of being strangled in his sleep.

"Yeah," Mae said. She was sleeping in her white boxers and sleeveless shirt, as usual. "We've agreed I always have to tell her before I spend the night out, so she was happy."

"You spend the night out often?" Roger asked. "Is there something I should know?" He climbed into his sleeping bag, next to the bed.

"I went running the other night," Mae said with a shrug, pulling back the covers. She slipped in between the soft and worn flannel sheets. "Fell asleep by the river."

"Sure," Roger said with a wink, turning out the lamp. "Whatever."

They lay in the darkness, though Mae knew he wasn't asleep. He couldn't be. In this full moment, with so much hanging between them, Mae knew whom Roger was thinking about. She was thinking about him too. "He's out there, you know," Mae whispered.

"But where?" Roger asked. "I've never had to question what happened after we died before. Now I need to know."

"If there's such a place as heaven," she whispered, closing her eyes and letting the tears come. "That's where he'll be."

"What if there's not?" Roger asked. "What if he's just gone?"

"Then he'll be in the stars," Mae said. Her shoulders shook. "Or in the air. He's right next to us." She smiled. "You were right, you know. He'll always live right next door." She held her hand out over the edge of the bed, and he took it. He didn't answer, just sat up and slipped out of his sleeping bag. He climbed onto the bed, pulling the covers back. Mae moved over to make room.

He reached out and wiped her tears away in the dark, wrapping his arms firmly around her. He pulled the blankets up around them, like a cocoon. She curled up next to him, burying her face against his bare shoulder. His skin was warm, and smooth to the touch. She realized how much she had missed him. She realized how tired she was.

After she had cried against him while he stroked her hair, she dozed off to the sound of his beating heart.