Two Souls

Chapter Forty Two

I stagger backwards, nearly falling onto Grayson's bed. "W-What do you mean she's dead?" I ask. I've never seen Grayson look more serious than right now, so I know he couldn't be joking.

"At the end of May — she suffered a severe allergic reaction. And she — she — you know," Grayson says.

I stand up. "And you didn't bother to tell me? I came all the way here and you didn't even think of telling me?!" I ask angrily, my voice raising. "Wouldn't you want Francesca to tell me what had happened to you if the roles were reversed?"

"Amelia, I —" Grayson starts.

"It doesn't matter," I say, my voice going back to its calm tone. "The damage is done. How was the rest of the term at Ilvermorny after her passing?"

Grayson sighs. "It was awful. Everyone was so melancholy for the rest of the year. Some of the Professors watched her pass in the hospital wing. Professor Tom was so distraught that he resigned as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts permanently — she left you a letter, Amelia," He tells me. "I think she might've had something to tell you."

Grayson hands me a crisp, sealed letter. I can tell it has never been opened by how smooth it is. Grayson looks at me with wide eyes, expecting me to open it, but I just tuck it into my trunk. If it really is as severe as Francesca had warned me about, I won't want to get Grayson involved.

"I- I can't believe she's gone. It doesn't feel real," I tell him, trembling. Grayson sits down next to me and places a comforting arm around my shoulder.

"You can cry, you know. I cried an awful lot when I first found out. It's kind of settled with me, though," Grayson says softly, as if I were very fragile.

I sigh. "First Cedric, now Francesca. This is an awfully unfortunate year," I tell him, laughing coldly.

Grayson nods but doesn't say anything.

Abruptly, I stand up. "I can't dwell on the past. Voldemort is back and could be killing people right this second and I'm at my friend's house without a care in the world. I'm an awful person."

"No, you're not," Grayson assures me. "Think of it like you're here to protect me. I'm from a no-maj family, so he'll surely come after me first," He tells me, a sad smile on his face.

"You know, in Europe, they call what you are muggles. So you would be called a muggle born wizard," I tell him, laughing a little.

"Muggle?" Grayson asks. "That doesn't even have the word magic in it!" He exclaims.

I giggle. "It's ridiculous, right?

******

Later that evening, Grayson and his family take me to a muggle restaurant before letting us walk around aimlessly in a large shopping center. His parents took Grayson's siblings to a theme park designated for younger children, so we are allowed to stay in the area.

My mood has significantly brightened since earlier. I've decided that I can't change the past (no matter how much I'd like to), so I might as well focus on the future. And that's exactly what I'm doing.

"Grayson . . .," I say, with a large smirk etched upon my face. "I triple dog dare you to walk up to that man and ask him where you can buy condoms."

Grayson's face turns red. "Absolutely not!"

"Why—? Are you scared?" I ask cheekily.

Grayson huffs. "I am not scared! I just don't — you know what? Fine! I'll do it," He says grumpily.

I take a few steps back into a nearby alley so I can get the perfect view of Grayson. I watch the man turn red as he awkwardly tries to point Grayson in the direction of a muggle drug store.

I stifle my laughter by covering my hand with my mouth as Grayson runs into the alley with me. "I can't believe you made me do that!" He says, laughing. "Now I need to find something to dare you with," He tells me matter-of-factly.

"Well, you can think of that later. Let me bask in the glory of embarrassing you," I say, giggling.

"Oh, you —"

"Shh!" I quickly say, covering my hand over his mouth. I hear the words of other people nearby. I grab Grayson's sleeve and tug him behind a large dumpster, so that we can overhear the conversation.

"It's only a matter of time before the Dark Lord manages to kill Potter," A deep voice says. I can't help notice his distinct British accent, meaning that he mustn't be from her.

"I've heard he's sent Dementors to his muggle Uncle's house," A second voice says chuckling. "I can't imagine how they must react."

"You know the boy is deathly scared of Dementors, right? He fainted at the sight of them two years ago," The first voice says, chuckling sinisterly.

"The boy who lived can't even manage a dementor? How pathetic," The second voice adds.

The two of them walk off, and I only catch a glimpse of their backs. They must be Death Eaters.

Once they're out of sight, I turned to Grayson with a panicked look. "We have to warn Harry!" I exclaim. "I don't know his address or anything — I'm an awful friend!" I say sadly.

Grayson puts a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure a Dementor or two won't defeat the great Harry Potter. Besides, I reckon he knows a patronus by now," Grayson assures me.

I nod, not entirely convinced.

That evening, once I'm in bed, I pull Francesca's letter out of my back pocket. The butterflies in my stomach fly around rapidly. 

Amelia,

If you're reading this, I've predicted the worse. I'm either dead or in hiding — because the information I found out is CRUCIAL. I was doing some research in the library one night, and I found out You Know Who's real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle.

So I asked Professor Tom what his last name was. He immediately became all flustered and refused to answer, telling me that it was none of my business. If my suspicions are correct, he's You Know Who. And he'll be returning to England very soon.

You're my best friend and I love you so much. Keep Grayson safe, as he's a no-maj. Hopefully I'll see you soon.

With love, Francesca

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ALL YOUR COMMENTS MEAN THE WORLD TO ME AND IM TRYING TO READ THEM ALL BUT WATTPAD IS GIVING ME ADS ON MY OWN BOOKS BYE