I sat in the bedroom that night, reading a book I had gotten as a gift. Thankfully no one cared that I was awake, they were used to it by now. I thought about the evening, thankful that Lupin hadn’t said or done anything to indicate what my true reasoning was.

When this thought hit me, I realized it had been awhile since I did have anything to fill me. Quietly putting my book down and marking my page, I swiftly tip-toed down the hall. As I was about to go down the stairs, I heard a noise; someone was getting out of bed.

Looking straight down the hall, I saw a door slowly open. I couldn’t see who was leaving, but since it was a dark figure, I assumed it was Harry.

“Wut’re you doin?” he asked, yawning as he finished.

“Forgot something downstairs,” I responded, shrugging.

“At 4 in de mornin’? Wut’re you doin’ at dis hour?”

“Does it really matter?” I said.

“You should be sleepin...”

“We’ve been through that, Harry,” I sighed.

“Yeah, yeah...” he started to turn around, but turned back again and said, “When I’m more awake, can we talk?”

“What about?”

“Can we?” he repeated.

“Why not now? You’re waking up more,” I pointed out, smiling innocently.

“Not really...”

I quickly pulled out my wand and did a wordless Lumos. Harry cringed at the sudden light and yawned. Thankfully he was wearing full pyjamas.

“Fine, I’m up...”

I smiled. Harry closed the door to Ron’s room quietly.

“Can I ask you something? I just want to know I’m jumping to conclusions or something...”

“Go ahead...” I responded warily.

“Do you hate Lupin?”

I did my best to keep a straight expression, only wincing inwardly at the memory of Remus Lupin.

“What makes you think that?”

“I heard bits of your conversation with him a few days ago.”

Anger flamed in my eyes. I saw a look of confusion on Harry’s face; my fury had shown for barely a split-second, just enough time for him to think it was merely his eyes playing tricks on him.

“What’d you hear?”

“The way he was talking about your secret, I’m assuming he knows...”

I nodded. Harry looked surprised.

“Why does he know and I don’t?”

“He figured it out quickly enough a long time ago,” I responded with a shrug. I tried to remain vague about describing the conversation.

“Did he know you before you came here?”

Unfortunately.

“He has a good memory; I met him once,” I responded simply.

“How?”

I was silent. There was no way I’d tell him about that now, and lying can’t be used all the time.

“Ok...” Harry said softly, his tone wary. “What was this about not having a heart?”

I managed to keep my face unreadable, staying silent.

“Dee...”

“Don’t call me that,” I growled. He knew I hated the name.

“What makes you think you don’t have a heart? You hang out with Slytherins and still remain who you are; that’s more than enough proof.”

I inwardly sighed. Sometimes Harry’s attempts at jokes were a bit too much.

“Do you want to know about my private conversations?” I said after a few moments of silence.

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but shut it within moments. I slowly shook my head.

“I can’t believe you...” I turned onto the stairs and quietly ran down each step. I heard Harry try to keep up, but I went so fast he had to stop. I left The Burrow and headed into the surrounding forest. As I walked under the shadows of the trees, the moonlight of a crescent moon shining over me, I smelled a familiar scent in the air. Spinning around, I heard a twig crack.

“Who’s there?” I called rather quietly. If it was who I imagined it to be... I swear! “Don’t be a coward.”

A pale face poked out from behind a tree.

“I told you...” I started to snarl.

“Before you try to kill me, I’d like to point out I didn’t follow you,” Cody cut in, still behind the tree. I left when everyone did and I’ve been just around the countryside ever since.”

“And you managed to land here of all places?” I snapped back pointedly, looking at him skeptically.

“The place that you’re at is protected by many spells; it’s not like I can get through anyways.” I could tell Cody shrugged behind the thick tree trunk.

“Did my scent suddenly stop?” I asked, smiling in a sickeningly sweet way.

“I fought the urge to follow it. You should be proud of me.”

I held a straight face for a moment, but I couldn’t help but break into a chuckle. I managed to stop after a few moments and was able to comment, “Did you stay in the area once you found my scent?”

Cody didn’t respond. My expression lit as I began to smirk.

“Have you been in this area?” he asked me.

“Maybe...”

Cody scoffed and finally stepped out from behind the tree.

“Why do you think I’m in this one forest out of the others around wherever you’re at?”

I thought about it. I then realized something; Cody had actually listened to me. Out of all the times he could’ve actually listened to me, he chose now. Well, it’s better than nothing but still, he stayed away, even if it was borderline ignoring by still being so close, but I didn’t care; he actually left me alone when I asked him!

“Why are you really here?” I finally asked, sighing.

“Don’t you remember what I said the last time you asked me that?

The memory came to me clearly as soon as he reminded me.

Dawn loomed in the sky as a sliver of the sun poked above the horizon. I, being unable to sleep, sat on a fallen log by the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. I was thinking about why I ended up in Spain, having originally started in Switzerland. Why did it have to be me? It’s always me; I’m always the one singled out to be different.

His sweet, enticing scent hit me strongly, like a wrecking ball smashing into my face.

“Go away,” I snarled.

“Are you ok?”

“Not anymore.”

There was a long silence, and as the awkwardness grew, He broke it and spoke. “Why come here of all places?”

“You tell me to leave you, so I do. You come find me, and you’ve left your family, your ethics... and you’ve lost yourself in it all. You’ve chased me here, and you think I’m ok with that?”

“I never said that,” Cody pointed out. I could sense he was barely feet behind me.

“Then why are you really here?” I asked, finally daring to look over my shoulder. Cody didn’t respond at first.

“You. You’re the reason I’m here.”

“You don’t get the hint I don’t want you here?”

“I’m aware of that, but I can’t just stay away.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you.”

The image of his face disappeared from my mind, and I came back to reality looking into his black, golden specked eyes. I saw that somewhere, deep within the mask of mystery and hate, was passion. A passion that drove him to follow me, a passion that was determined to keep me within his reach... the passion he had before he lost himself all those years ago. It was the most vital thing that the Dark Lord had stolen from him. When I thought that, I realized; had he really? Had the Dark Lord really taken all the ardor Cody ever had?

It was then that a song came to my head. I never understood it, but now I finally got it.

On the way down
I saw you
And you saved me from myself
And I won't forget the way you loved me
On the way down
I almost fell right through
But I held onto you...

“Why’re you out here?” Cody asked me, breaking into my thoughts.

I blanked for a moment; why was I out here? I looked back at him and remembered.

“You can guess easily enough. I find it difficult to live in the same house as a man that is half a werewolf that loves rare, bloodied meat.”

I noticed Cody winced sympathetically. What had me going to The Burrow done to him? Why was he so different suddenly?

“Living with werewolves now?”

“Remember the one that attacked me back in Scotland?”

Anger clouded his eyes as he nodded.

“He’s part of the Order.”

“The Order? The Order of the Phoenix? You’re living with them?” he asked, astounded. “Why do they have a dog among them?” He spat the word as if it was poisonous.

“I don’t know,” I responded with a shrug. I saw a rabbit scamper into the bushes, and I said, “I’ll... see you later; I’m going for a walk.”

He knew what I meant. With that said, he disappeared among the trees, stealthily prowling about to leave me be. Throughout my ‘walk’ I was preoccupied with unwanted memories.


I was listening to a song as I was doing the ending and it influenced how it went. I also realized it really suited Cody as a character so I included it.

The song: On The Way Down by Ryan Cabrera