Don't Cross the Streams

Chapter 2

Dora headed up the stairs and into the hallway; she looked around quickly before spotting her books neatly stacked in a pile near the wall. She bent down to pick them up and felt a small tap on her shoulder. A small scream and jump accompanied the sound of her books being dropped; Dora turned around and found herself face to face with her charms professor, Luna Lovegood.

“Nymphadora, I had a feeling I would find you up here,” Professor Lovegood said pushing her long blonde hair back.

“How did you know?” She asked sitting on the ground placing her books in her bag.

“You skipped my class again, why is it always my class? Don’t you think it might be important to learn something about technique? You have all the potential that your father had but you also have all of his reckless behavior. It is your third year here don’t you think it is time to start going to class?”

“But how did you know I was going to be here?”

“Flit told me, she told me that you come up here a lot.”

“How does she know? I haven’t told anybody other than Scorpius.”

“She’s your best friend don’t you think that she knows you?”

“How does she know?”

“You’ll have to ask her, but right now we need to discuss you skipping my class.”

“It won’t happen again. I just needed to take care of some things.”

“I took 15 points from Ravenclaw for you skipping class.”

“Can I still go to practice?”

“No, and if you don’t start coming to class I won’t let you go to practice anymore.”

“I’ll go to class, I need quidditch it’s the only thing I like about this school.”

“Good I’m glad to hear it. Now speaking as your godmother and not your teacher, what’s going on? Flit came to talk to me after class and she said you were in a weird place, she said something about James.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Tell me what happened.”

“No, you’ll just go tell everybody. The last thing I need is for the entire family to be angry with me. I’m going home this summer, less than five owls and I get to go home. So if I promise not to screw up anymore can you just not tell my dad about all of this mess?”

“I promise I won’t tell anybody, tell me what happened.”

“I don’t belong in my family do I? Nobody in my family likes me do they? James said that nobody likes me, not in my family and not in this school. He’s right isn’t he? Nobody likes me, not Aunt Ginny, not James, and not my dad. Am I right?”

“No you aren’t, of course you belong in your family. Your family is made up of exceptional wizards. You are an exceptional wizard and if you would just come to class and let us help you, you could be even better.”

“Ok I know I’m a Weasley, my natural hair color is red. Being an exceptional wizard does not mean that I belong in this family. If they don’t like me then I can’t do much about it.”

“Your dad does like you. He loves you; he’s just had a hard time. But everything will be fine, your dad has a huge heart and is doing what he thinks is best for you. And you just said you can go home this summer so that’s a start.”

“You’re right. Do you mean it? Do you really think I’m an exceptional wizard?”

“Of course, I bet I could give you any spell right now and you could do it.”

“What?”

“Avis.” Dora pulled her wand out of her bag and twirled it around her fingers a few times before casting the spell. A small group of birds started to fly around the hallway. “See exceptional.”

“They’re just birds and it’s just a spell.”

“That to my knowledge you have never cast before, most students don’t get right the first time and even if they do they never get a group. So see you are going to be fine and come summer you will see how much your dad cares about you.”

“Thank you and you promise you won’t tell anybody anything I just said?”

“I promise. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” Luna swept around the corner in a swirl of fabric and Dora was alone again. She looked around quickly to make sure she had everything then made her way back to the Ravenclaw house. Flit was sitting on the beds when Dora walked in.

“You had no right,” Dora said throwing her bag onto her bed, “How can you call yourself my friend?”

“I’m guessing Professor Lovegood found you?” Flit said standing up.

“What do you do spy on me?”

“No.”

“Then how did you know where I go? That’s my spot, nobody is supposed to go there and find me. That’s where I go to get away from everyone.”

“I’ve known about that place since we met. I saw you go there once when we were first years and a few times last year. I’ve known you for three years why wouldn’t I know about that place? And if you haven’t noticed I hadn’t said anything about it to anyone in all those years, I don’t think it was such a bad thing to tell her. She was really worried about you; a lot of us are really worried about you. You’ve been a lot moodier this year than before and I’m, we are worried.”

“Don’t worry I’m fine. And if you want me to be really happy and smiling and laughing all the time I will be but you need not to send people after me. Not there.”

“I’m not going to anymore. I won’t send anyone after you but that doesn’t mean I believe you are fine. And I don’t need you to be happy all the time I just need you to be real with me. What’s going on with you? What did James say to you earlier?”

“Nothing, it’s not his fault.”

“But he upset you.”

“It’s not him.”

“Then what are you not upset?”

“No, I’m upset because you sold me out I thought you were my friend but you’re not. I mean honestly why did you have to get me trouble, you know all I want from this school is to play. And if I want to skip a class to figure something out I should be able too.”

“I’m not your friend? Then you are nobody’s friend. You lost us 15 points. I don’t know if they are going to let you participate in quidditch, you’re our best chance at winning and you might have just ruined that. Why can’t you think about someone else for once? Why does everything have to be about you, your scheme, your revenge, your whatever. Sometimes I don’t even know why I’m your friend you are one of the most selfish people I know.”

“Why are you angry at me? Didn’t I just get feathered for getting your package from your mum back? Did I just betray your trust by telling your teacher where you hideout when you needed to get away for a few minutes? Honestly, how do you think you have the right to be angry with me? Where is this coming from?”

“Why couldn’t you have just gone to charms? Why do you have to skip class? Why can’t you just do what is expected of you maybe if you weren’t so reckless your dad wouldn’t mind you being at home.”

“Why is everyone playing the dad card today? All I did was skip one class to go do something. And apparently I’m not the only one who does that.”

“What is that supposed to mean? Who else skipped charms?”

“Nobody else skipped charms as far as I know, But Scorpius Malfoy skipped divination. I met him in the forbidden forest he stopped me from going in because the centaurs were stampeding. We sat in the garden and talked. It was nice. He wanted me to skip another class but I said no because I had to come back so I could go to quidditch and I can make my next class. And I had to go get my books from the hallway because I ran out too quickly when Peeves started to bug me. I just want to play quidditch that’s all I want to do.”

“Well I don’t know if you can make that happen. And why are you hanging out with Scorpius? You need to start coming to class.”

“No I really don’t and I’m hanging out with him because he is nice and he listens to me. I think at some point we should all hang out together he’s not bad.”

“Yeah well I don’t think you should be hanging out with someone who encourages you to skip classes. And you do have to go to class.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll tell your dad.”

“No you won’t.”

“Ok so I won’t but this has to stop, you have to start coming to class and I didn’t mean what I said earlier. You don’t need to stop being so reckless.”

“I’m glad you’re my friend, I just need you to have my back this time.”

“I’ll help you with whatever you are trying to pull you just have to tell me.”

“You can’t, I’m not planning anything. The plan is over I mean I can’t do it.”

“But you were so mad what changed?”

“I’m still mad but I can’t do this, I can’t do the original plan because he’ll get hurt. I’m pretty sure that if he got hurt I’m sure they would write home. I’ll get him back but it won’t be anything big.”

“We don’t have to go to our last class until tonight, I mean we should get some sleep sometime between then and now but until then we should talk.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Dinner isn’t for a few hours.”

“We can sneak down to the kitchen, get a snack.”

“No, we can wait for dinner.”

“But I’m hungry now.” Flit reached into her bag and pulled out the package that Dora had given her earlier. “What’s that?”

“My mum sent me some snacks. You can have some. Thanks for getting them back for me. There was a letter too it was important.” Flit handed the box over and Dora pulled out a homemade pumpkin pastry. “So what did you give James?”

“A variety of exploding gum, some things from skiving snackboxes, and canary creams. There is a good chance James won’t be very happy to see me during dinner.”

“Did you give him everything your dad sent?”

“No, I kept a lot for myself.”

“You’re so lucky your dad owns a joke shop.”

“Yeah I’m really lucky. Everything is perfect.”