Melody Riddle and the Goblet of Fire

Chapter 10: Back to School

"Oh, don't worry so much about that! Come on, ask me something else!"

I stared at him suspiciously, but I took the opportunity. "Okay then. What was it like to get your memory back?"

His expression went blank. "What?"

"What was it like? Was it as if it had always been there, was it like an alien putting something you've never seen before in your brain, did it feel like a figment of your imagination? I'm purely curious, you never exactly hear someone explain their experience with something like that every day."

He looked me in the eyes for a long minute before conceding. "It was like waking up from a dream. A long one... where I continue to have trouble fathoming how it was even possible to forget two of the most important people to come into my life."

The pain I felt from his answer was unbearable — his feelings were so open to me that I hadn't even tried to look into his mind in order to feel it. I lowered my gaze to my lap, "I'm so sorry."

His arm wrapped tightly and he pulled me close, body heat still as warm and comforting as I remember it. "It's not your fault, sweetheart. And all I can do now is move forward."

It's thanks to his answer that I couldn't fathom how he was able to continue to act so happy about anything and everything considering the many years mom took away from him. How would he have felt if it had gone on any later?

Also... if Nick was the culprit behind him remembering... how did he do it?

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We squeezed into the car the way mom had planned it. Apparently, Jim really wanted to drive just so that he could practice driving on the left side of the road. It was typical for his level of curiosity. I used to tell him that he might as well be the adult guy version of Alice in Wonderland.

As he drove, he asked, "Does it really matter to wizards if you're a – a Muggle, is it – or a Muggle-born wizard or witch?"

"Yes," I responded. "To many of them, it is of the utmost importance, and that's just purebloods for you. It's mainly comprised of witches and wizards who don't think Muggle-borns should be treated equally. They can't do anything to you in an open environment – like King's Cross – but they will do their best to insult you."

"Huh..." Jim said. "Fascinating."

I choked into laughter, "Seriously? I tell you that you'll probably be insulted, and you think it's fascinating?"

He chuckled, "How insulted am I really going to be? It's not often that a real wizard will be threatened enough by me to act like they're better than me."

I shrugged, "Whatever keeps you entertained."

We drove in silence for a few minutes. Gerald started tapping the dashboard with his feet.

"Will you stop that?" mom asked him irritably.

"I'll stop when —"

"Orele, do you think Nick will be a wizard?" Jim interrupted quickly.

Mom hesitated. "It's definitely possible, especially if he's the reason you got your memory back. But.. he also might not. For years, I was hoping with all my heart that Melody wasn't a witch. She wasn't showing any signs, but she was surprisingly able to keep her magical abilities a secret until I told her I was a witch."