CHAPTER FIFTEEN:

TIMES LIKE THIS

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Dawn didn't mean to sound rude by any means, but the last place she expected to find Fletcher Usaf in the kitchens. Mind you it was almost three o clock in the morning.

After their last encounter the two of them hadn't spoken much - well if you ignore the awkward glances they shared in the hallway or the times they would run into each other in Herbology (because unfortunately they still sat together). And of corse Dumbledore's army. At first Dawn was going to try and mend things between them but as the weeks went on it became more harder to.

She understood him struggling with having to choose between what his mother wanted for him, and what he wanted. But he couldn't live his life of other people expectations.

One thing she liked about James was the fact he never made her or Harry try and be something they weren't.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asks strolling to sit across from him.

His eyes meet hers briefly. He had dark circles under them both. "No. No I couldn't. Draco snores loudly. You?"

"Hermione and I were studying till kept me awake for ages." she explained. "Since OWLS are coming up might as well start revising. I heard it's going to be especially hard this year."

"Never thought it heard you say you were studying."

"Lily made me notes," she replied, "Pretty helpful."

He gave a small laugh and her attention turned towards one of the house elves who brought in her a cup of tea. He wore a full knitted outfit. She gave him a quick thanks before returning her attention back toward the boy.

"We haven't spoke in weeks."

His eyes flickered up to meets her momentarily before returning to the ground. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Are you?" she retorts.

"Of corse I am," he replied immediately. She wanted to scoff but didn't considering he appeared somewhat offended when she asked this. "Of corse I'm sorry that it has to be this way-"

"Uh. No it doesn't."

"I don't want you to get hurt." he said slowly as if talking to a two year old child.

"I'm already feeling a little hurt considering I practically confessed my love for you and you said-"

"What?" he asked eyes bulging from the sockets. "What did you just say?"

Her eyebrows furrow before they widened. She had just love. "I said I'm a little hurt."

"Love?"

"Profound strong liking."

Suddenly he stands up and comes over to her. He takes her hand into his softly.

"Dawn, I like you. I don't even know what it is I feel for you but I know if anything happened to you I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." he replies, his grip still on her hand. "You know I've liked you since the moment we met in the common room. When I left and came back here and you were with Matthew, he's right for you, he's not going to become a death eater like me! He's good for you-"

"But I don't want Matthew. I don't like him. I like you." when his eyes widened slightly she added. "I like you! I want to be with you. Okay, we've waited this long. I think you're forgetting the fact my mum died. And it had nothing to do with you...bad things happen everyday. Whether or not I'm involved with you makes no difference."

His mouth opens. "But if you get hurt?"

"Then I'll put in a bandage and call it a day."

His eyes fall to the ground momentarily.

"You don't have to become a Death Eater, just because your mum or your friends are doesn't mean you have to also! You're a good person I know you are and I know you aren't going to become a Death Eater. Slytherin or not. Okay you can leave your home and come live with me-"

"Your dad hates me." he said softly.

"My dad hates all boys I talk to."

"What other boys do you talk to?" he asked with a small growing grin and she saw it come back into his eyes. The person he was. "Because..I want to be the only one."

Before she could reply, he leaned forward and kissed her.

He cupped her face gently in his hands and she could feel his left hand softly caressing the side of her face. It was a gentle kiss.

Sometimes she forgot that they only kissed once. This time it was much better. Without the pressure of him leaving it was just them in the lonesome kitchen.
Even though he was kissing her she couldn't help but wonder what this meant now.

Dawn had to stand up on her tippy toes which was now starting to grow quite sore now. She pulled away. Her eyes met his.

"I missed that." was all the boy said softly, and without so much as another word he pressed a kiss to her cheek before leaving the kitchens.

Once he was gone she glances around the kitchen.

"James was right. Persistence is key."

After this she left the kitchen and headed back up to the common room. The only person she encountered was Luna Lovegood who was wandering halls for whatever reason. She spent the remainder of the night trying to figure out what had just happened.

The following morning she made her way down to the Great Hall and took her usual seat. Without a second of hesitation she reaches forward and takes a slice of toast and starts buttering it. When he looks up, she realises Harry had joined her. He wears a red Gryffindor jumper. Once again the boy was not in uniform. It was almost like he was trying to get detention.

"Morning," he mentions taking a slice of toast for himself. "You look angry."

Her eyebrows furrow. "What? I'm not angry-"

"Ha. Just kidding. Are you going to drink that?" he asked gesturing towards her untouched glass of orange juice and before she could answer he drank it. "Thanks."

She glares at him lowly and he simply looks around the Great Hall. "Have you seen Ginny? I was thinking I'd meet her before lessons?"

"No. Harry I haven't." Dawn said calmly.

"Right, how disappointing. Have you gotten a change to do the Herbology homework? I couldn't make sense of it. I owled dad and he sent it back to me with a question mark, I didn't ask mum because she would give out about the fact I haven't been-"

She groaned. "Merlin Harry. Can you shut up for four seconds-"

"I haven't even spoken!" he argues rolling his eyes. He is quiet for a few more seconds. "So have you seen what-"

Thankfully he is cut off when her owl flies in and drops a letter on lap. Dawn rubs the owls head lightly before he flies off. She takes the letter (not before hitting Harry across the head with it which brought him to yell out in exaggerated pain.)

"You're so like dad," she mutters. "Dramatic."

Harry grins.

She presumed it was from Dave because they were owling all last week but when she opened it she soon realised that was wrong.

Dawn

I have not yet received a response about the name I requested you find: Chefterl. You have two weeks to find the papers on the name and meet with me.

You know who this is

Her face fell downwards and she frowned. Why was it something bad always happened? She hadn't forgotten about him. She thought maybe he was so drunk that night he didn't notice. She should tell James but he would be angry if news got out of her being his daughter. What was she suppose to do?

She was at a loss.

"Who is that from?" Harry inquired, reaching forward to take the letter. Her grip had been so tight though that it didn't budge from her hands, bringing him to give her a look. She shoves the letter into her bag.

"It's private."

"Is it from dad?" he asked and when she shook her head his eyebrows raise. "Who is it from then? Dave?"

"It's from my secret lover," she answered.

"Ah so Fletcher." he mentions with a casual shrug.

"What makes you think that?"

"Considering the fact he has been sneaking glances at you for the last four minutes." Harry responded.

To this, she turns around slightly to see the Slytherin boy. He sits beside Malfoy talking about god knows what. He must have felt her eyes on him because his head raises and glances around the Great Hall before landing on her. He sends her a small smile.

"God." Harry groans bringing her attention back to the boy. He rolls his eyes. "That just ruined by morning."

Her mouth opens but stops when Professor McGonagall is walking towards them both. She sighed when she saw them.

"Mr Potter and Miss kale." the woman greets in a strict tone.

Harry and Dawn exchange looks.

"-I would like to have a quick word with you both. It has been brought to my attention the two of you are continuously talking, and acting the fools in lessons. Especially Herbology. Professor Sprout is not happy with the both you."

As she thought about it, her and Harry had been messing quite a lot in lessons. To anyone they probably looked oddly strange considering they never spoke before last year and now they acted the way they did.

To this Harry sipped on his juice leaving her to respond with, "Yeah, so?"

McGonagall sighed. "Miss Kale I don't appreciate the sarcasm. You two are to behave in your lessons or else both your guardians will be contacted. OWLS are coming soon and you two will both do very well it you put your head down and start preparing. Pay attention in your lessons. Potter do you hear me?"

Harry lifts his head. "Loudly. Yes."

Once she leaves not after throwing Harry a look, the two of them groan.

"See. I'm telling James you're a bad influence on me-"

"Don't you dare."

After this, Dawn eventually catches up with Colleen and Drew who were both holding hands happily. Matthew was also there except he was to busy talking with Neville to even spot her. Since they called things off the two of them had been better than just friends. They got along a lot more better. She enters the Dungeons Snape had been writing on the board and everyone was taking down notes. Her eyes flickered around the room in boredom.

As she sat there her mind travelled back to the night before. Momentarily her eyes land over towards Fletcher who had been scribbling words on his parchment.

She glances back down at her parchment and just as she does so a scrunched up ball of parchment lands on her desk. Harry who was sitting around the circular table in front of her gives her a look. She looks around before opening it.

Can we meet tonight?
-F

Dawn didn't know how things were going to go with Fletcher. One minute they broke up, next they were kissing in the kitchens. Frankly the boy was a pile of mood swings. He was either going to end whatever this was or do the opposite. She avoided his eyes because she could practically feel them burning holes in her head.

She starts to scribble back down her response.

Her response was very..eloquent.

However when she went to throw it back to the boy suddenly Snape was standing in front of her. He went to grab the ball of parchment from her hand but she had grabbed it quickly.

"What is this, Miss Kale?" his lip curled. "Passing notes in my lesson? Let's read this note shall we?"

Without so much so as a second thought she threw the ball to Harry who did quite possible the most stupidest thing. He put the small ball into his mouth. This brought an immediate response of laughter from the rest of the class.

Snape turns to him. "How incredibly like your father you are Potter. Always trying to grab the attention of your fellow classmates."

He shrugs. "Thank you. I don't grab by the way, it just naturally comes to me-"

Harry earned a detention for that.

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"Hey. What's going on?"

She directed her question towards Neville and Matthew who had been leaving the castle and entering the grounds. Along with them were several other students who were all also following them. Colleen and Drew stood beside her equally as confused.

"Umbridge." she faintly heard Matthew answer.

"Fantastic." Drew sighs. "What has the psycho done now?"

"Probably set fire to the place." Colleen replies.

The three of them follow the ground and see there is even more people outside watching what was happening. Instantly her lips fall into a frown when she sees Professor Trelawney was there. Her belongings were on the ground and she could see one of her crystal balls had been shattered.

"You've got to be kidding me." Dawn mutters. "How can she think this is okay?"

"-sixteen years, I've lived and taught here." the woman cried, "Hogwarts is my home. You can't do this!"

"Actually I can." Umbridge smiled sweetly.

" P...Please, you cant..."

Dawn felt a hand come into hers, and glanced to her left to see Fletcher. Behind them Malfoy stop also looking disgusted by the scene. He gave her hand a small squeeze.
When she turned back, Professor McGonagall came through the crowd.

They hadn't gotten a chance to talk as she was in detention since after dinner.

Umbridge squinted her eyes. "Is there something you'd like to say, Professor?"

"Oh, there is several things I'd like to say."

Her eyes focused on the doors of Hogwarts which opened abruptly. Professor Dumbledore came out through them. It was surprising considering he had been gone for a few weeks and they rarely saw him anymore.

"Professor McGonagall may I ask you to escort Sybill back inside the grounds?"

"Dumbledore." she began. "May I remind you that under the educational terms number three hundred twenty three that acted by mini..."

"You have the right to dismiss my teachers but you do not have the authority to banish them from the grounds. That powers remains with the headmaster." he replied in a calm tone.

"For now."

And in the middle of the mix, no one seemed to care about the Slytherin and Gryffindor holding hands because they had bigger problems.

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Okay this book isn't that dead

chapter dedicated to auroradawnx sellanar21 frowninghale thank you all for all your support, you're literally the reasons I have motivation to update

Flawn is thriving and Harry and Dawn r a duo