LUCY:

I shot up to a sitting position, pushing back the darkness that had just engulfed me for a fifth time. I wasn't really drowning at the bottom of the Black Lake. I was safe. So why didn't I feel any better?

"Same old nightmare, Lucy," I muttered to myself, but those words weren't enough to slow my racing heart. It didn't matter how many times I had the nightmare --- I never got used to the terror that gripped me every morning when it woke me up.

I glanced at the clock. 6:24 again. I shook my head, realizing there was no way I'd get back to sleep. I changed into my robes for the day. As I dug through my trunk for my socks, I found the stuffed osprey I had gotten for Cedric --- since I had my patronus in stuffed animal form at home, I thought it would be only fair to do the same for him. I considered giving it to him before the task, but I thought he might appreciate it more if I gave it to him at the end of the night, when it was all said and done. If he lost, it would hopefully remind him of all of the good times he had over the year anyway, and if he won, well, it'd just add to the celebration. I had been working with the twins and Henry for the better part of the week to put together a joint party for Cedric and Harry for after the task. They were both Hogwarts champions, after all, and we figured that there would be no better way to officially set aside the rivalry throughout the year than with a huge party, whether they won or lost.

As such, I wasn't terribly surprised to see Henry in the Gryffindor common room with the twins when I headed down, putting the finishing touches on what looked like the poster Dean had painted --- they were adding a couple of charms to make the letters change colors.

"Morning, boys!" I said, wedging myself between George and Henry. "Need any help?"

"Not with the charmwork, but if you wouldn't mind making sure Harry doesn't see any of the things we've stashed in the corners, that would be great," Fred replied.

I looked around the room; the "things" were spilling out of every corner, sticking out from underneath every chair, and falling off of bookshelves. "How? Steal his glasses?"

George glanced around and laughed. "You have a point. We need to hide everything better."

I checked my watch. "And fast. He could come down any minute, I doubt he's slept very well."

"I'll have to try to sneak back down before Cedric wakes up, so I can take some of it with me," Henry added. "Lucy's right, we should hurry."

The four of us were a remarkably efficient team; we barely even needed to talk as we passed various posters and bottles and fireworks and bags back and forth. Henry disappeared through the portrait hole just before seven, and Harry came down not five minutes later.

I hoped for a nice, normal breakfast at the Gryffindor table since I knew I'd be spending the rest of the day with my family, but Rita bloody Skeeter made that impossible.

Hermione spewed her pumpkin juice all over the front page of the Daily Prophet. She shoved it under the table to me so Harry didn't see it, and I cleaned away the pumpkin juice with a flick of my wand in order to read the article.

June 24, 1995

HARRY POTTER "DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS"

The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behavior, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to attend Hogwarts School.

Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often heard to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying.

It is possible, say top experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potter's brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion.

"He might even be pretending," said one specialist. "This could be a plea for attention."

The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public.

"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a dueling club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves and giants too. We think he'd do anything for a bit of power."

Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art. Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Force Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are historically associated with evildoers." Similarly, "anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence."

Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening.

My hands trembled with anger. I had half a mind to rip the newspaper in half. I could feel myself growing red in the face, and the ring on my finger burned scarlet with the combined fury of both Hermione and myself.

"It's about me, isn't it?"

I couldn't meet Harry's gaze.

"No, it's not, it's nothing," Hermione lied on my behalf.

"Let me rephrase. Lucy, please give me the paper." I glanced up at him, and he cocked his head in a Please? gesture. "It's written all over your face. You wouldn't get this angry if it were nothing."

I still held onto the paper, but Draco's shout across the Great Hall got our attention. "Hey, Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling alright? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?"

"The only person going berserk will be me," I muttered, tossing Harry the paper and plunging my hand into my pocket for my wand.

Harry lunged across the table and grabbed my wand arm. "Don't. It's what he wants."

"Oh, so you're allowed to attack him before Potions, but I can't right now?"

"Not today, Lu," he said, looking mildly amused. "Okay?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Tomorrow?"

His amused expression gave way to a smile. "We'll do it together tomorrow. I'll get him for Valentine's Day, and you can get him for this."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I shook myself free from his grip. "I'm holding you to that."

While Hermione and Ron read the article over his shoulder, the twins turned toward me.

"Valentine's Day?" they asked in unison.

I bit my lip, the flush of my cheeks now due to embarrassment rather than anger. "I'd rather not talk about it. Harry and I will sort it out tomorrow."

"What is there to sort?" George pressed.

"There will be nothing to sort after tomorrow," I said, cheekily dodging his inquiry.

George opened his mouth to ask another question, but Harry had finished the article. He folded the paper and handed it back to Hermione.

"Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?"

I smiled. "Can I still go off on her even if you're not bothered by it?"

Before he could answer, Ron tugged on Harry's sleeve to get his attention. "How did she know your scar hurt in Divination? There's no way she was there, there's no way she could've heard-"

"The window was open. I opened it to breathe."

"You were at the top of North Tower! Your voice couldn't have carried all the way down to the grounds!" Hermione said insistently.

Harry shrugged. "Well, you're the one who's researching magical methods of bugging. You tell me how she did it."

"I've been trying! But I... but..." Her voice trailed off, and her eyes widened.

"Rita Skeeter better watch out," Fred said with a laugh, "because that right there is the face of a witch who has just had a breakthrough."

Hermione was running her fingers through her hair, then bringing her hand to her mouth, muttering to herself the whole time.

Ron looked at her askance. "Are you alright?"

"Yes... I've had an idea... I think I know... because then no one would be able to see... even Moody... and she'd have been able to get onto the window ledge... but she's not allowed... she's definitely not allowed... I think we've got her! Just give me two seconds in the library, just to make sure!"

She jumped up from the table and bolted from the Great Hall.

"Oi, we've got our History of Magic exam in ten minutes!" he shouted after her, but it was no use. Hermione was off doing what she did best. "Blimey, she must really hate that Skeeter woman to risk missing the start of an exam. What're you going to do in Binns's class, Harry, read again?"

He shrugged. "S'pose so."

But I spied Professor McGonagall over his shoulder and smiled knowingly. Mrs. Weasley had owled me ahead of time that she would be there for Harry.

"Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast. Miss Diggory, you may go on in now," Professor McGonagall said.

I rose from my seat and tossed my braids over my shoulder, ruffling the twins' hair just for the heck of it. I was nervous for the third task, sure --- I'd have been a fool not to be --- but I was oddly giddy too, thinking that within 12 hours, the Triwizard Tournament would at long last be over and we'd all be partying in the Gryffindor common room.

Harry's face blanched. "But the task's not till tonight!"

Professor McGonagall glanced up at me briefly --- torn between amusement and exasperation --- before looking back at him. "I'm aware of that, Potter. The champions' families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them."

"See you in a bit, Harry," I said, heading off to the chamber. I poked my head in and surely enough, four families were already assembled.

I darted toward Mum first and hugged her.

"Cedric is going to be so excited!" I gushed. "It's great to see you!"

"It's great to be back," she commented, gazing fondly around the room. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Amos?"

Dad nodded, rocking back and forth on his feet. "Ced will have to take us down to our old common room. Did you ever go there in your time as a student, Susan?"

"Of course. That's where all of the board games are."

I laughed. "The Gryffindor common room needs board games! Hufflepuff has always had them all?"

"I don't see Gryffindors as having the patience required for a good old-fashioned board game," Dad remarked. "Most prefer much more destructive forms of entertainment, like entering dangerous tournaments underage and-" He stopped suddenly, beaming. "Ced, my boy!"

Cedric grinned as he hurried over to hug Mum then Dad. "Come to watch the third task, have you?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Mum said as she studied him. "Merlin, Cedric Diggory, we'll have to buy you new robes again next year. You're still growing!"

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, I reckon I am."

I glanced over my shoulder at the rest of the room. Fleur and Viktor were already there with their families, but Mrs. Weasley and Bill were standing by themselves, eyes on the door. Mrs. Weasley glanced over at me and smiled, and Bill lifted his hand in greeting. I waved back, then turned to my family.

"I'll be right back. I think Harry is under the impression the Dursleys of all people are coming for him."

Without waiting for a response, I marched over to the door, opened it, and marched over to Harry, who was sitting by himself at the Gryffindor table. I sat next to him, backwards on the bench, and leaned my elbows against the table.

"Harry, looks like you're done with your breakfast," I said casually, tilting my head so I was closer to his face. "Come on. Your family's waiting for you."

He didn't meet my eyes. "Lucy, I..."

"Harry, please don't tell me you were thinking of the Dursleys."

I found my answer in the silence, and in the way he turned to look at me with subtle surprise in his emerald eyes.

"Come with me," I said softly. "Like I said... your family's waiting."

We walked together to the chamber. Harry's face lit up when he saw Mrs. Weasley and Bill, and he immediately hurried over. I returned to my family, smiling.

"Sorted?" Cedric asked, and the two of us watched as Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry to herself in a tight embrace.

"Sorted," I replied. I glanced away from the three of them and looked up at Cedric. "The day is yours, Ced. What do you want to do?"

He pursed his lips, thinking. His response was exactly what I expected. "I don't know. What do you three want to do?"

"Oh shut up," I chuckled, poking his ribs. "Don't try that. Not today. Today's your day."

"Er... I reckon Mum and Dad would like to see their old common rooms. Maybe we could head up to the Gryffindor common room first, then play a game in the Hufflepuff common room?"

I grinned. "That's more like it. Let's go!"

We were just about to leave when Dad was near enough to Harry to call out to him.

"There you are, are you?"

Harry paused and turned to look at him. I hated the frightened look in Harry's eyes, and I hated the Dursleys for conditioning him to feel that way whenever an adult so much as addressed him --- Mrs. Weasley was one of the rare exceptions to this rule, and I loved her all the more for always making Harry feel safe. My dad, however, was not an exception.

"Bet you're not feeling quite as full of yourself now Cedric's caught you up on points, are you?"

"What?" Harry asked, eyes flickering between me and my dad.

I opened my mouth to say something, but to my surprise, Cedric beat me to it.

"Ignore him, Harry. He's been angry ever since Rita Skeeter's article about the Triwizard Tournament. You know, when she made out you were the only Hogwarts champion," Cedric added.

But Dad was not about to be stopped. "Didn't bother to correct her, though, did he? Still, you'll show him, Ced. Beaten him once before, haven't you?"

I again opened my mouth to defend Harry, but this time, it was Mrs. Weasley who beat me to it.

"Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble, Amos! I would have thought you'd know that, working at the Ministry!"

"Go," I mouthed to Harry, feeling my cheeks begin to burn yet again. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head as if to say not to worry about it before leading Mrs. Weasley and Bill out of the room. I felt angry and humiliated tears stinging the backs of my eyes, but I refused to let Dad see how upset I was --- I knew how easily his anger against others could be redirected my way. So instead, I swallowed my emotions and forced a smile to the forefront. "So, Mum, want to see your old common room?"

As expected, Mum was pleased to see that not much had changed in the decades since she'd graduated, though she did comment that there were a number of new scorch marks in the corner of the common room the Weasley twins often occupied. Dad was excited to see his old common room as well, and the four of us played a very evenly-matched game of Scrabble, seeing as none of us were Ravenclaws.

I sat at the Hufflepuff table with my family and Cedric's friends during lunch; Mum seemed particularly enthralled by Archie, whereas Dad made very easy conversation with Cho. Cedric, Henry, and I entertained ourselves by making plans to organize another Quidditch match over the summer, just like we had played on Cedric's birthday. Henry didn't have an exam that afternoon, so he joined us as we walked around the grounds, taking turns telling story after story of the various adventures that one experienced during their tenure at Hogwarts.

At dinner, I made eye contact across the room with Harry.

I offered a thumbs up and raised my eyebrows. "You okay?"

He offered a half-hearted one in return, and I noticed that his food was virtually untouched. I pulled a scrap of parchment from my paper and borrowed a quill from Henry's bookbag.

On one side: I can't eat when I'm nervous, either. See? On the other: But we'll be okay. I know we will. We'll eat as much as we want tomorrow, because this will all be over.

I wadded up the scrap and tossed it directly at Harry's head. My Chaser's arm guaranteed that it bounced off his forehead, and his Seeker reflexes guaranteed that he caught it midair before it could hit the table. He uncrumpled it and managed a grin, glancing up at me. I gestured to my equally-untouched plate, and he nodded weakly.

I gestured for him to turn it around, which he did. I watched as a tiny bit of the tension drained from his shoulders, and he glanced up again. His nod was stronger this time, and I offered a final smile before turning back to the conversation at the table.

Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet a couple minutes later, and the Great Hall grew completely silent.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Champions and families, please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."

I rose to my feet, smiling as Cedric grabbed Cho and Henry by the arms as well. I glanced across the Hall --- Harry was leaving with all of the Weasleys, and Hermione as well. Deciding he was in good enough company without me, I followed my brother out. As soon as the doors closed behind us, I jumped onto his back.

He caught me, of course, laughing. "Too much walking for one day, Lu?"

"Well, this way, Cho can have one side and Henry can have the other." I tightened my grip and rested my chin on his shoulder. "You don't mind, do you?"

Cedric shook his head. "Of course not."

The summer evening was cool, and the sun painted the sky beautiful shades of pink and purple and orange and yellow.

"Hogwarts will always have the best sunsets," I murmured.

"Some things never change," Cedric replied in agreement, and I smiled, remembering the summer evening all those years ago when we had first had that conversation. Merlin... it felt so long ago, and yet like no time at all had passed. Time was a finicky thing, I had learned.

The rest of the walk to the Quidditch Pitch passed in comfortable silence. Cho and Cedric were holding hands, as were Mum and Dad. I clung tightly to Cedric's back, and I watched as Henry crept closer and closer to Cedric as the Quidditch Pitch grew nearer and nearer. When the time came to enter the stands, I darted over to Harry to let Cho and Cedric kiss without an audience.

I hugged him for several seconds; I don't know who was holding the other tighter. "You can do this," I said firmly. "Just keep a level head like I know you can, and do your best to remember that whatever happens tonight, everyone is so proud of you." I finally released him from the hug, but the way he held my gaze, it was as if we'd never broken apart.

"What a year," he said after a moment, shaking his head.

I managed a breathless laugh. "What a year. Good luck, Potter. See you on the other side of the maze."

"See you on the other side of the maze."

He smiled back at me, trying to appear more confident than he truly felt, and headed in the direction of Ludo Bagman. I tore my eyes away from his retreating form and turned to Cedric. His arms were already open, waiting for me, and I launched myself at him, burying my face against his neck.

"I'm so proud of you," I said in a voice only he could hear as he pulled me tighter. "Win, lose, draw, I'm so proud of you, Cedric. What you've done this year... you're not the same person you were a year ago. And I thought you were the best a year ago. You're somehow even better now, and I can't wait to see what you do next. I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you for believing in me," he replied in an equally soft voice. "You always have." He set me down and grinned. "You know what sounds really good right now?"

I looked at him uncertainly, a small smile toying with the corners of my mouth. "What?"

He turned to Mum with the same grin. "Those pancakes you promised me last summer."

That effectively broke the tension, and everyone around laughed. He hugged her one more time, then Dad, then me again, then went to stand with Harry and the others. I found myself between Henry and George in the front row of the stands; I was just barely tall enough to rest my elbows on the edge of the railing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!" Ludo Bagman announced in a magically-amplified voice. "Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each: Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!"

I cheered as loudly as I could, since it was the first time I could cheer for both boys at once.

"In second place, with eighty-one points: Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy! And in third place, with eighty points: Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!"

All four champions turned to wave to the crowd, and I waved at both Cedric and Harry with the brightest smile I could manage.

The moment was gone too soon, interrupted by Ludo Bagman's voice. "So... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!"

Both boys turned back around and drew their wands. I held my breath as the countdown began.

"Three, two, one-" A sharp whistle sent both boys running into the maze.

And then just like that, they disappeared from view. The task had begun.

Two minutes later, Fleur was allowed to enter. Two minutes after that, Krum darted into the maze.

The wait began.

I had managed to prevent myself from falling into worry prior to that moment. There was always something to do. I could help Harry, I could make party preparations, I could study for final exams, I could work on collecting my memories. But sitting there between Henry and George, I found myself with nothing better to do than try to ignore the anxious thoughts running rampant through my mind.

The night was silent and still save for the murmuring of the crowd. That is, until a scream pierced the night.

I must have jumped three feet in the air.

"Fleur," I choked out, terrified for the kind girl who had saved me from a great deal of humiliation on Valentine's Day.

Red sparks shot into the air, and the patrolling professors hurried to the site. She was lifted to safety on a stretcher less than a minute later, and brought to the entrance of the maze. Madam Pomfrey and Madame Maxime blocked her from view, but Professor Dumbledore announced to the crowd that she would be alright, and we all breathed a little easier for a while.

I found myself hoping that if the maze proved to be too much for Cedric or Harry, they would have the good sense to send up the sparks and be rescued instead of trying to be brave.

But as soon as the thought occurred to me, I became aware of the reality. Both Cedric and Harry would fight until the end, whatever the cost.

Before I could dwell on this thought any longer, a shout broke the silence. Cedric.

"What are you doing? What the hell d'you think you're doing?!"

My breath hitched in my throat. What was going on?

Viktor Krum's voice answered my question. "Crucio!"

When Cedric's pained yells met my ears, I felt my knees go weak. They lasted for ten seconds... fifteen... twenty...

"Why aren't they doing something?" Henry asked, his voice higher than mine with his panic.

"I don't know," I replied, my voice little more than a whisper. Tears stung the back of my eyes. "Sparks, Cedric, send up the sparks, don't be brave, be safe-"

After a couple more seconds, Harry's voice could be heard over the sound of Cedric's agony. "Stupefy!"

And then it was silent again.

"Thank Merlin for Harry," Henry muttered, his hands trembling as they gripped the railing in front of us.

I nodded and took a deep breath to steady myself. After fifteen seconds of silence, red sparks once again rose into the sky, which was now dark blue but not dark enough to show any stars. Henry and I both held our breath as the stretcher was lifted from the maze, and I'll admit we both sighed in relief when we saw it was Viktor Krum and not Cedric.

Another tense period of time passed. We could still see the glow of spells fired, and from time to time, we heard the growls and snarls of various creatures in the maze.

Then suddenly, Harry shouted, "Cedric! On your left!" A couple of seconds passed, and the sound of a struggle followed. "Stupefy! Impedimentia! Stupefy! Stupefy! Expelliarmus!"

"STUPEFY!" shouted Harry and Cedric together.

Then it was Cedric yelling. "Harry! You alright? Did it fall on you?"

"No!"

Hermione leaned forward and called to me. "Does the 'No!' mean 'No, I'm not alright,' or 'No, it didn't fall on me?'"

"Why are you asking me?"

Ron leaned forward too. "You know why. You know him, Lucy."

I bit my lip. "I think it means 'No, it didn't fall on me,' but I guess we'll find out for certain in a moment."

I glanced away and watched for red sparks, but none came. The crowd was almost completely silent, but no new sounds met our ears.

The minutes dragged on --- whether it had been ten minutes or an hour, I had no idea --- and the crowd continued to wait in near silence.

That silence is why I heard the call of a bird, flying far above us. The short bursts were high-pitched, yet not piercingly so. Rather, its call was almost song-like. It was sweet and confident, assuring and melodic.

When I looked up, I saw that the call belonged to an osprey, whose white feathers cast it in a ghostly type of glow.

My eyes did not leave the bird as it flew in a perfect circle over the Quidditch Pitch. I watched as, upon the completion of its circle, it settled on top of what I knew was once the location of a Hufflepuff banner, before the stands of the Quidditch Pitch had been altered to accommodate the crowd.

I could have sworn that the bird looked directly at me before flying away and out of sight.

I have never been able to adequately describe the emotion I felt in that moment. But it is one I will never forget as long as I live.

CEDRIC:

"Avada kedavra!"

With a single flash of blinding green light, I found myself surrounded by stars. But these weren't the distant stars of the night sky --- they were so close I felt I could reach forward and touch each and every one. I did reach my hand forward, and a glowing door appeared in the stars before me. I laid my hand on the doorknob, but before I could twist it, a gentle voice, the only sound among the endless stars, stopped me.

"You have done so well, Cedric," it said. "So well. But there is one thing left to do. Wait just a bit longer, then you are free."

I lowered my hand from the knob and turned around slowly. As if through a telescope, I could see the graveyard.

"What must I do?" I asked the voice, but there was no answer. So, I did as it said. I waited.

As I waited, I wondered what I would have said to everyone, if I had known this night would end this way.

I would have told Henry that I'd always loved him, and that I always would. I would have thanked him for being my best friend through everything. I would have told him not to cry for me, knowing some of my very best memories were spent by his side.

I would have told Cho to find a new dream, and that I loved her too. I would have told her I hoped I showed her the kind of love I knew she deserved, and that I hoped she would settle for nothing less than that in the years to come.

I would have told Bea not to hate the world for deciding my time had come. I would have told Adalyn I wouldn't have been the person I was without her.

I would have thanked Professor Sprout for always believing in me. I would have thanked everyone for believing in me.

I would have told Dad that I hoped I made him proud, one last time. I would have told him not to mourn for me, for my life had been good and whole, even if it didn't end the way he always dreamed it would. I would have told Mum that I hoped she still thought of me when she saw the color yellow. Her sunshine son, she always called me. I would have thanked both of them for bringing Lucy home, bringing Lucy into my life.

Lucy.

My Lucy.

I would have told her I was sorry we'd never get to live the life together I promised her.

I would have told her that it would be okay just the same.

I would have told her to breathe. In, and out. In, and out. One day at a time.

I would have told her to go out and let her inner spark ignite and turn into the brightest flame, a fire I could see even from where I was.

I would have told her not to blame the stars for taking me home.

I would have told her she'd always be my sister. Always and forever, and then beyond forever.

Suddenly, I found myself flying back toward the graveyard.

"Don't break the connection," the voice said.

I was getting closer and closer. I could see that Harry was straining, holding his wand out in front of him with sweat and tears pouring down his face. I could see a bright golden light, almost as bright as the stars behind me, as I flew faster and faster toward him. Suddenly, I was back in the graveyard, nothing more than a shadow of what I had once been.

"Hold on, Harry," I said. His eyes widened, but he didn't lose his focus.

This must have been what the voice meant.

Harry had to hold on.

For Lucy, if for nobody else. Lucy needed Harry, especially if... there was no me.

One by one, other ghosts joined me. An old man, a Muggle from the sounds of it. Bertha Jorkins. Lily Potter, and James Potter.

We all seemed to understand what to do, though we didn't speak to each other at all.

Harry's father stepped closer to his son. "When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments, but we will give you time. You must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts... do you understand, Harry?"

"Yes," he panted, his face white and his hands around his wand even whiter.

I, too, approached Harry. "Harry... take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents, and Lucy? And... and take care of Lucy for me? Please?"

He nodded. "I will. I promise."

"Do it now, and be ready to run," James Potter whispered. "Do it now..."

"Now!" Harry yelled.

We moved as one, Voldemort's victims, and swarmed him. I gazed one last time upon the face of the man who had ordered my death, then, just as soon as I had done so, I felt myself getting lighter and lighter. I drifted upward, to the stars. I never once looked down.

I reached the door again, and this time, when I reached a hand forward, the voice did not tell me to wait. It did not say anything at all.

So I laid my hand on the knob, turned it slowly, and stepped into whatever lay beyond the stars.

LUCY:

There was a sudden flash of light at the entrance to the maze.

I saw Harry clutching the Triwizard Cup in his right hand and Cedric's wrist in his left hand. Before I even knew what I was doing, before anybody could stop me, I vaulted over the railing and sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me over to where they were. As soon as I was six feet away, I froze as if rooted to the ground.

Harry was heaving for breath, crying, shielding Cedric.

Cedric's eyes were staring up at the stars, vacant, unseeing.

A scream could be heard over the cheers of the crowd.

Then Professor Dumbledore was shouting Harry's name, asking what had happened.

Then the crowd began to fall silent.

Harry found his voice, lifting his head to look at Professor Dumbledore.

"He's back! He's back! Voldemort's back! Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back! I couldn't leave him! Not there!"

Professor Dumbledore gripped Harry's head in his hands. "It's alright, Harry, it's alright. You're home. You both are."

Cornelius Fudge's voice. "Keep everybody in their seats! A boy's just been killed."

That was the moment I was no longer frozen. Suddenly, I was running for all I was worth, out of the Quidditch Pitch, down the hill, through the grass, as far away as I could get.

Once I reached the shores of the Black Lake, I found I couldn't run anymore.

I crumpled to my knees and screamed.

My throat knew well how it felt to scream. I had screamed before and after every transformation.

No scream had ever hurt as much as that one.

I was frozen again, unable to move.

The darkness pressed in from all sides. My worst nightmare had become more than just a terror of the night.

My nightmare was real, and it was all around me.

I heard distant voices shouting my name, getting closer. Then I felt strong hands gripping my shoulders.

"We're here, Cub, we're here," George panted.

Fred's grip tightened. "We're here," he echoed. "We're here."

I didn't acknowledge what they said. I couldn't bring myself to nod, or speak, or move anything at all. I could feel myself trembling, I could feel the raw pain in my chest, but I couldn't bring myself to move.

After a period of silence, Fred's grip tightened again. "Dumbledore asked us to follow you and bring you to his office. We should go."

I still couldn't bring myself to speak or move, but I managed the slightest, slightest nod.

They pulled me to my feet, and I staggered forward in an attempt not to fall.

"Fred, it looks like they're emptying the stands," George muttered.

One of Fred's hands disappeared, and the hood of my robe was pulled over my head.

"Just so nobody tries to bother you, Cub," George explained in a soft voice.

I managed another nod.

My legs trembled so violently as we made our way up to the castle I frequently tripped and fell against one twin or the other. They made sure my hood remained over my head, and their grips around me tightened with every stumble. Eventually, I found myself outside of Professor Dumbledore's office, and I freed myself so I could sink to the ground with my back against the wall.

The twins followed suit on either side of me, wands drawn just in case.

"We'll stay until Professor Dumbledore arrives with Harry," George whispered.

"You're safe here with us," Fred added.

But before he arrived, a large black dog appeared at the end of the hallway. I recognized it, and lifted my hand in greeting, the small action requiring monumental effort.

George tensed beside me; I remembered the conversation so many years ago when he confessed to being afraid of dogs.

"Do you know the dog, Cub?" Fred asked in a gentle voice.

I nodded and lowered my hood.

Sirius recognized me with my hood down and bounded toward me, making a sympathetic whine in his throat as he laid down in front of me and rested his head on his paws. He let me scratch behind his ears, the rhythmic motion rather soothing.

Professor Dumbledore didn't arrive for a very long time. Whether it was really ten minutes or two hours, I didn't know, but eventually, I heard distant footsteps, and Harry's voice, just a mumble.

"Professor, where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory? And... and Lucy?"

His voice shook as he replied. "His parents are with Professor Sprout. She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best. Lucy is right here."

I looked up from Sirius to see that Harry and Professor Dumbledore had arrived. Sirius bounded over to Harry and nuzzled his head against his leg, and the twins pulled me to my feet.

Professor Dumbledore whispered something to the twins that I didn't catch, and they nodded. They slowly let go of my arms, and I didn't fall.

"Be back in a bit, Cub. You're in good hands now," Fred said, and he and George took off at a jog in the same direction we had come.

I looked at Harry, but he was looking down at Sirius. Professor Dumbledore murmured the password, and the four of us climbed the winding staircase to his office. Once the door closed behind us, Sirius transformed into a man and looked wildly back and forth between the two of us.

"Harry, Lucy, are you alright? I knew it, I knew something like this... what happened?"

Professor Dumbledore conjured three chairs with a flick of his wand. Harry sat in the middle one. I sat to his left, Sirius to his right.

"What happened?" Sirius asked again.

Professor Dumbledore looked at me for a long second. "Lucy, does the name Barty Crouch Jr. mean anything to you?"

I managed a small nod.

He sighed heavily, looking at Sirius. "The real Alastor Moody has been living out of a chest since the beginning of the school year." He looked at me. "The Professor Moody you know was really Barty Crouch Jr. all along, drinking polyjuice potion from his hip flask."

He then launched into a story I didn't fully comprehend. Words like "Imperius Curse" and "house elf" were frequently used, but by the end of the story, all that I understood was that Barty Crouch Jr. was to blame for everything that had gone wrong that year.

When the story was over, I heard a soft rush of wings. For half a second, I wondered if it was the osprey returning, but a flash of red and gold informed me it was Fawkes.

The bird landed in between Harry and me, looking back and forth between the two of us.

"'Lo, Fawkes," Harry mumbled.

Our hands reached forward to stroke the feathers at the same time, and when our fingers grazed, I found that suddenly, Harry was my lifeline. I twisted my hand around so that our fingers intertwined, and his fingers tightened around mine. He was the only thing tethering me to anything tangible and warm and real, and I got the feeling he felt the same way about me.

Silence fell, and Professor Dumbledore leaned forward. "I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze, Harry."

"We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore? Let him have a sleep, let him rest! And what about Lucy, why aren't her parents here to hear this, too?" Sirius burst out.

Unfazed, Professor Dumbledore continued looking at Harry. "If I thought I could help you by putting you into an enchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would have to think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you to demonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened. And Lucy... I know you would rather hear this now with us than with your parents come morning. You and Harry have always understood each other beyond what anybody else ever could. I ask you to be brave as well."

Fawkes, sensing Harry's reluctance, made a noise deep in his throat that seemed to make the candles in the room shine a little bit brighter and seemed to hold the chill seeping into my bones at bay. I offered Harry a reassuring squeeze.

He took a deep breath and began to talk.

"We decided to take the Triwizard Cup together. We'd saved each other's necks a couple times each. Neither of us felt right taking it by ourselves. So we each grabbed a handle, and the cup was a Portkey. We found ourselves in a graveyard. We pulled out our wands, and a figure appeared, holding what looked like a baby. Before we could do anything, my scar hurt, more than I think it ever has before. Then... then I heard Voldemort tell Wormtail... 'Kill the spare.'"

Stars filled my vision as the reality of my brother's last moments struck me like a bolt of lightning. But Harry's fingers tightened around mine, keeping me anchored. I held a little tighter to him, determined not to lose him, too.

The story continued, and I paid as much attention as I could to the details of what Harry had gone through. I offered reassuring squeezes in what I hoped were the right places, though I didn't fully understand everything he was saying. I felt like I was drowning, but I gamely held on to Harry, my only hope for staying afloat in the storm.

The mention of the golden beam of light that connected Harry's wand to Voldemort's brought me back to the surface for a brief moment.

"Priori Incantatem," Professor Dumbledore said.

"The Reverse Spell effect?" Sirius asked disbelievingly.

"Exactly. Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand share cores. Each of them contains a feather from the tail of the same phoenix. This phoenix, in fact. Fawkes. Mr. Ollivander wrote to tell me you had bought the second wand, the moment you left his shop four years ago, Harry."

"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?"

"They will not work properly against each other. If, however, the owners of the wands force the wands to do battle, a very rare effect will take place. One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate spells it has performed in reverse. The most recent first, and then those which preceded it...which means that some form of Cedric must have reappeared."

Harry and I tightened our grips on each other at the same time.

"He came back to life?" Sirius asked.

"No spell can reawaken the dead. All that would have happened is a kind of reverse echo. A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged from the wand. Am I correct, Harry?"

Harry's grip tightened again. "He spoke to me. The... the ghost Cedric, or whatever he was, spoke."

"An echo, which retained Cedric's appearance and character. I am guessing other such forms appeared, less recent victims of Voldemort's wand."

"An old man, Bertha Jorkins, and..."

"Your parents?"

"Yes."

"The last murders the wand performed in reverse order. More would have appeared, of course, had you maintained the connection. Very well, Harry, these echoes, these shadows, what did they do?"

"They... they protected me," Harry said slowly. "All of them. Voldemort seemed afraid of them. My dad... my dad told me what to do. And Cedric asked me to bring his body back, and... and to..." Harry's eyes met mine for the first time. "And to take care of you for him."

I dropped my gaze, feeling pain tear through my chest anew.

Fawkes hopped down to the ground and healed Harry's leg with his tears. Sirius had buried his head in his hands. Harry and I were both shaking, our fingers still locked together.

"I will say it again. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you tonight, Harry. You have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it, and you have now given us all that we have a right to expect. You will come with me to the Hospital Wing. I do not want you returning to the dormitory tonight. A sleeping potion, and some peace. Sirius, would you like to stay with him?"

Sirius nodded, and Professor Dumbledore turned to me.

"Am I correct in guessing you would rather face your friends than your parents tonight, Lucy? You can either go with Harry, or return to your dormitory. The choice is yours."

It took me a couple of seconds to find my voice --- I had not used it in quite some time. I glanced up at Harry before meeting Professor Dumbledore's eyes again.

"I d-don't want to see my parents," I managed, my voice trembling violently. I was cold, so cold. "I-I'll go to the common room to tell Ron and Hermione that Harry'll be in the Hospital Wing."

It was settled. But before we left, Professor Dumbledore had a final comment.

"You two will understand each other's pain in a way no one else will, as the one who doesn't know life without Cedric and the one who had to see his life end. Help keep each other above water, whatever that looks like as you find yourselves in the depths of grief. As Harry has explained, that was Cedric's final wish, and I happen to think it incredibly wise."

Neither of us spoke, but we didn't need to. Our fingers were still firmly intertwined, white with the effort of holding so tightly to each other. The Muggles say a picture is worth a thousand words --- I would argue that a picture of our hands that night would be worth a million.

The world stood still for a moment.

Then it began to turn again.

Sirius changed back into a dog, and I parted ways with the other three at the staircase.

I placed one foot in front of the other all the way up to the common room. I used my voice again to croak out the password, and I stepped through the portrait hole to find a common room utterly devoid of the cheer it always had.

Before I even had both feet on the ground, Ron's arms were wrapped around me. Half a second later, Hermione's were wrapped around me, too. Then Ginny's, then Neville's.

I slipped away after a couple of seconds, looking down at my toes and wrapping my arms around my midsection.

"Harry's spending the night in the Hospital Wing, if you want to see him. I... I'll be in the dormitory."

With that, I sprinted across the common room and up the stairs.

Can there be a day beyond this night?
I don't know anymore what is true
I can't find my direction, I'm all alone
The only star that guided me was you
How to rise from the floor
When it's not you I'm rising for

"The Next Right Thing"
Kristen Bell