(A/N: Hogwarts Mystery spoilers are present in this chapter! If you aren't up to Year 6, Chapter 18, you may want to skip the last scene. It isn't terribly relevant to the plot, but it does help shape Cedric's character as he reflects upon the events of his first year at Hogwarts.)

CEDRIC:

"Happy birthday, Cedric Amos Diggory!" a voice boomed as something landed on my legs.

I ripped my eye mask off and laughed when I realized it was a someone and not a something. "Thank you, and good morning to you too, Henry."

"Figured I'd mix it up on your birthday this year," he said with a shrug and a stupid grin. "Anyway, get dressed and hurry up, the other lads are already down in the Great Hall."

"They're normally louder than three mountain trolls apparating at once when they're getting ready in the morning," I chuckled as I grabbed my robes and ducked into the bathroom to change. "How'd they get out without waking me up?"

"They heard about your sister's silencing charm against the Slytherin Quidditch team and figured they'd learn it for this morning so they wouldn't wake you up and ruin everything. She taught them last night while we were at practice. Speaking of your sister," he said, stepping into the bathroom and holding up a hat made out of parchment and glitter, "she told me to give you this."

I quickly pulled the rest of my shirt down over my chest with one hand and placed the hat on my head with the other. It immediately began to sing a very loud birthday song, but when I tried to take it off, it only sank lower and lower onto my head. I stopped resisting when it fell over my eyes, and the song gave way to Lucy's voice.

"Happy birthday, Cedric!" she said. "Take Henry's hand and follow him wherever he leads you. And just so you're not tempted to peek at where you're going..." The front of the hat caved inward ever so slightly until it was literally holding my eyes closed.

I held my hand out, laughing. "Alright, Hen. Lead me. But um, would you mind if I grabbed shoes first?"

"Oh, blimey!" he exclaimed. "I was so looking forward to seeing what the hat would do I didn't even realize you didn't have those on yet. Yeah-" He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bathroom. "-let's get you some shoes."

Once I was fully ready for my day --- I hadn't packed my bookbag either --- he led me by the hand down the stairs, across the common room, through the barrels (that in and of itself was impressive), and to what I thought might be the Great Hall. Every time we passed somebody, Henry would yell "Blinded birthday boy coming through! Watch out!" The fact that I was blushing every time he did so was largely hidden by the hat that had secured itself over my face from the nose up, but I could feel the heat rising inside. Just the same, I couldn't stop smiling. It was fun.

Just when I thought we'd arrived at the Great Hall, Henry let go of my hand. Someone else with a smaller and colder hand grabbed it and led me down another hallway.

"Happy birthday, Ced!" Lucy exclaimed. "I see the hat's working."

Before I could reply, she let go and both of my hands were grabbed.

"Our turn!" the twins shouted in unison.

"Take him away, boys!" Lucy cheered, Henry laughing behind me. The twins walked faster and faster, to the point where I struggled to keep up. Just when I was about to ask them to slow down, the bag was ripped off my head and a frigid breeze hit my face.

"Happy birthday, Cedric!" a group of people, probably a dozen or so altogether, screamed.

"Thanks, everyone!" I exclaimed, taking in the scene as my eyes adjusted. The sun was just beginning to rise, and my friends had gathered in a small circle on the front steps of the castle, swaddled in blankets and scarves to ward off the late October chill. In the middle of the group was a large package, which was shaped quite suspiciously like a firework the size of a small child. "Wow, this is crazy. All this for me?"

"Of course," Lucy said, grunting as she picked up the gift and lugged it to me. "This is your gift. Everyone pitched in on it, and we all decided to try to make a meal of it. Dishes, everyone!"

To my surprise, everyone brought various dishes out from their bundles of blankets. Lucy grabbed a stack of bowls off of a nearby bench and distributed them among those of us that hadn't joined the circle yet. I accepted it in confusion and made the first tentative rip in the yellow wrapping paper, half-expecting it to start singing like the hat. When nothing happened, I cautiously made another rip.

"It doesn't bite, Ced," Lucy giggled. She glanced at the twins and grew serious. "Right? You didn't add something after I fell asleep last night?"

"No, it doesn't bite," one of them assured her.

"We'll help him out regardless," the other said, drawing his wand and pointing it at the package. "Diffindo!"

The paper peeled away to reveal a firework that had been painted to look vaguely like a yellow pygmy puff. I must have looked as confused as I felt, because Lucy laughed again. I couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so much in such a short amount of time.

"Don't worry, it's more than a firework," she said, plunging her hand into her robes and drawing her wand. "Just the same, I advise you all to step back. Incendio!"

We all backed up a couple of steps as the fuse ignited and the firework shot off into the cloudy sky. When it exploded, sparks rained down, but so did nearly every sweet imaginable. Everybody's bowls and plates and cups zigged and zagged, trying to catch as many candies as they could. I myself was most excited by the Chocolate Frogs I managed to catch in my bowl. Once everyone had caught their breakfast, the feast began.

I found myself sharing a blanket with Lucy and Henry --- thankfully, Lucy had thought to bring an extra. They took turns explaining how the plan came to pass, from Fred and George's mysterious mission on Sunday to the silencing charm lesson the night prior to the last-second idea to paint the firework that led to an impromptu painting party in the Gryffindor common room at midnight. I absorbed it all with a smile that I hoped everyone could see came straight from my soul. I felt so loved in that moment, surrounded by my best friends and eating candy as we watched a Hogwarts sunrise on the first non-rainy morning in a month. It was truthfully the best gift I had ever received. And fortunately, the Colin Creevey character Lucy had told me so much about had heard the explosion from the firework, so naturally, he rushed down with his camera and began snapping pictures.

"Will you help me develop these, Lucy?" he asked. "I'll take a bunch, so everyone can have one!"

"Of course!" she replied immediately, and we all smiled as he took a photograph of the three of us sharing a blanket. "Have you tried an Every-Flavour Bean before, Colin?"

He shook his head. "Too scared. What if I get a salamander blood one? Or toenail fungus? Or sand?"

"I've never gotten any of those, don't worry," she said. She fished a liquorice wand out of her bowl and offered it to him. "Maybe you should start with one of these instead."

He excitedly took a large bite off the tip. His eyes widened. "Yum! Thanks, Lucy!" He quickly removed it from his mouth and tried to take a picture of the half-eaten candy with one hand.

"Maybe I should take the picture, Colin," she said with a laugh. He nodded sheepishly and passed off the camera. He smiled widely as the camera flashed. "I'll help you develop that one too."

"I'll put it right under the one with Professor Lockhart and Harry Potter! See you later, Lucy!" he called over his shoulder. "And happy birthday, Lucy's brother!"

"Thank you!" I called back as he ducked down a corridor and out of sight. I chuckled. "I wish I had his energy this early in the morning."

Lucy smiled. "He annoys Harry to pieces, but I think he's rather sweet." Her eyes widened, and she snickered, holding up her bowl. "Get it? Sweet?"

"Very funny, Lu," one of the twins groaned, tossing a jellybean at her that bounced off her forehead and into her bowl.

She rolled her eyes. "I forgot how much you hate puns, Fred. Oh well, at least I get more candy out of it." She fished the grey bean out of the bowl and popped it into her mouth without hesitation. She immediately gulped and wrinkled her nose. "Ew! Sardine!"

When I made my way to the Halloween feast, by myself because I hadn't gone to Hogsmeade, I was surprised to see Lucy heading the opposite direction of the Great Hall. I was even more surprised to see the red bandanna in her hair, which had been freed from its typical braids. I didn't even recognize that it was my sister that had passed me until she had nearly disappeared around the corner.

"Hey, Lu, where are you headed?" I asked.

She spun around, a wide smile on her face. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! I was invited to Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party! I'm meeting Harry and Ron and Hermione there now. I was going to walk down with them, but Lavender insisted that I borrow this," she explained, pointing to the bandanna. "But it took a while for her to convince me to leave my hair down instead of braiding it."

"Well, you look lovely, my sister," I said as I dropped to a grandiose mock bow, "and I do know you'll steal the hearts of everyone at that party."

She giggled. "You do know everyone there will be dead aside from my friends and me?"

"In that case, steal Harry's heart," I teased. "He's alive, isn't he?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "If you insist. Enjoy the feast!" She waved, and we went our separate ways.

"We thought you were going to miss it, mate," Henry teased as I slid into the open seat next to him. The rest of our friends were sitting together at one end of the table, which was too full to possibly have room for the three of us. We instead found ourselves surrounded by second-years, most of whom I thankfully knew because of Lucy.

"Me? Miss the Halloween feast? No way." I surveyed the room, and let out a low whistle when I saw the massive pumpkins. "I think that's a new record. They're huge."

Everyone followed my gaze and nodded their agreement.

"Reckon those are nearly half the size of Percy Weasley's ego," Ernie Macmillan, a second-hand, quipped. "Tried to take House Points from me just for accidentally tripping his sister, he did."

"Ah, lay off the boy," I said. "He's just being a protective brother, if a little overly so."

"Sounds a lot like someone I know," Henry retorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Once your sister comes to Hogwarts, you'll understand."

"I'll have it easy by comparison," he said as he took a casual sip of pumpkin juice. "Your sister's best friends are the biggest troublemakers in this school."

"They're great!" Justin Finch-Fletchley exclaimed from further down the table. "I mean, didn't they save the school last year?"

"I think so," I agreed with a laugh, "but hopefully those days are behind us all. I'm ready for a boring year."

"What happened your first two years, Cedric?" Susan Bones inquired.

Before I could answer, Archie and Cam slid in between her and Hannah Abbott.

"Is it okay if we sit here?" Cam asked, her dark eyes flashing beneath her glasses. "Just for tonight. Malfoy won't shut up about how his dad is coming to watch his first house match and how his dad would love to hex Archie into oblivion for 'bullying' his son if it wouldn't damage his reputation as a member of the school's governing board."

"Which is complete dragon dung," Archie grumbled. He straightened up and smirked. "Everyone knows I would throw the first punch. And win. No magic needed, no tricks up my sleeve."

"I don't doubt that, Arch," Henry said with a good-natured chuckle, "but you better keep your hands to yourself around Lucius Malfoy."

"Violence doesn't often solve anything anyway," I added as I reached for another helping of potatoes. "Just keep doing what you're doing, both of you, by standing up for what's right even when it's hard. He'll come around eventually, they all will."

"And in the meantime, you're always welcome here!" Hannah exclaimed, holding up a bowl of bread. "You two want some bread?"

They both nodded and reached into the basket so enthusiastically they nearly knocked it from poor Hannah's hands. The meal passed in a blur of delicious food and the occasional burst of magic sent forth from the wands of the teachers at the front of the room. I laughed when a swarm of bats swooped over each of the tables; the twins had told me Lucy hated bats, and I figured she would be incredibly glad to have attended the death day party instead. Little did I know how wrong I'd be.

After the feast, we had just reached the second floor when we were abruptly stopped by a massive crowd of students that plugged up the hallway. I turned toward Henry, raising my eyebrows in a silent gesture of "What's going on?" but he merely shrugged at me. The people behind us pushed us forward, and I saw for the first time what everyone was seeing.

Mrs. Norris was hanging from the ceiling by her tail, body unmoving and eyes unseeing.

Bea pushed through the crowd until she got to me. "Cedric," she whispered hoarsely, clutching my right arm as tightly as it seemed she could. I laid a comforting hand on top of hers as I read the blood-red words on the wall.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE!

I began to scan the crowd frantically. Where was Lucy in all of this? My heart dropped when I found her red bandanna; she was in the middle of the semi-circle that had formed, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Harry, Ron and Hermione standing slightly behind them. She looked pale and frightened, and I felt my heart twist in my chest.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" Draco Malfoy crowed, looking sickeningly jubilant.

"Shut up, Draco!" Archie snapped from my left side. "Do you have any idea how serious this is?"

Before anyone could make further comment, Mr. Filch approached. His scowl turned to a look of pure horror when he saw his beloved pet. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" His eyes landed directly on the small knot in the middle, Harry in particular. "You! You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"

He lurched forward toward Harry. Quick as a porlock protecting a horse in danger, Lucy jumped between Harry and the caretaker.

"No!" she gasped. I lunged forward myself, but before I could get anywhere, Professor Dumbledore pressed through the crowd to the center of the semi-circle, a number of teachers immediately behind him.

"Argus!" he boomed. When Mr. Filch froze, the headmaster calmly reached forward and took Mrs. Norris down. "Come with me, Argus. You, too, Mr. Potter, Miss Diggory, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."

"My office is nearest, Headmaster!" Lockhart chirped, not at all disturbed by the gruesome scene. "Just upstairs, please feel free!"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," he replied, ushering the four second-years forward through the crowd, which parted like a silent sea. Lucy looked over her shoulder, searching for me, fear written all over her face, but her eyes did not meet mine before Professor Snape grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and propelled her forward. When the crowd began to disperse, I tried to get to her a third time, but someone grabbed my left arm, and Bea's grip tightened on my right.

"We should get back to the common room, mate," Henry said gently.

"But my sister-" I started to protest, but Henry jerked his chin toward Beatrice. Her brown eyes flashed in the torchlight, and her breath was coming in ragged gasps. She swayed on her feet, and I quickly shot out to catch her. "It's okay," I murmured as Henry rushed to her other side and grabbed her elbow. "It's going to be okay. Let's go back to the common room."

"Something else," she panted, leaning heavily against me, "something else is happening... it's still not safe here, it... it never has been... and never will be..."

"You're safe, Bea," I assured her as best I could, though I felt my own chest tightening with fear. As we rushed to the common room, I couldn't shake the images from my mind. The writing on the wall. The dangling cat. And Lucy, somehow in the middle of it all, small and scared and without her brother to help. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

One person at a time, I told myself, the words of Madam Pomfrey, spoken to me so many times, coming to mind. Give your best to one person at a time. That is all we can do, as helpers and healers.

I couldn't help Lucy, not at that moment, but I could help Beatrice, and I intended to do exactly that to the best of my ability.

When we reached the common room, most of our house mates were quietly climbing the stairs to their dorms. Some of the younger kids were whispering behind their hands as they went, wondering what Harry Potter had done this time, but most of the older kids were exchanging solemn looks and explaining to the others in low voices what had taken place three years prior. I guided Beatrice to the chair nearest the fire and gestured to Henry to head up to the dorm, I'd take care of Beatrice. He nodded understandingly and disappeared.

I knelt before my friend and gently laid my hands on top of her shaking ones. I forced away the emotions that threatened to overtake me in the moment. Helping Beatrice was all that mattered.

"Look at me, Bea," I said, gentle but firm. She did so slowly, and the firelight made the tears in her eyes flash and flicker. "You're safe. You're okay. Nobody was hurt."

"It won't stay that way," she whispered, her voice cracking on every other word. "It never does."

"We're better prepared now than we've ever been. You and me. We can handle anything that comes our way. Circle of Khanna, remember?"

The laugh that escaped her lips was harsh and mournful, and she looked away as a sob wracked her body. "I don't want to have to mourn another student, Cedric. Losing her was... was bad enough."

"You won't have to mourn anyone," I assured her in the most confident voice I could manage. "It's going to be alright. We'll be safe here."

"Have we ever been?"

I nodded. "I'd like to think so."

"I've never seen you turned into a portrait," she snapped. "I've never seen you floating half-dead in the Black Lake. Safe, Cedric? Safe? Your sister was attacked in the Forbidden Forest, for Merlin's sake! Not to mention what happened with Harry and Quirrell in the dungeons last year! Cedric, we've never been safe here and we never will be!" She jumped up and shoved me aside, storming across the room and throwing a punch at the opposite wall. I rushed forward and caught her hand before she could throw another punch. She tried to wrench herself free, but I ducked under her arm and stood between her and the wall, using my free hand to grab her other hand.

"Bea, stop." She complied instantly, her blond hair falling in her face. "It's the fear talking. I don't want to talk to your fear. I want to talk to Beatrice Haywood, the girl who cheers the loudest from the stands at all of my Quidditch matches. I want to talk to Beatrice Haywood, the girl who has been top of her class every year despite every terrible thing that's happened to her because she works harder than anyone else. I want to talk to Beatrice Haywood, the girl who would do anything for the people she loves. Please, Bea, for me?"

She nodded slowly, and I reached forward to brush the lock of hair out of her face before leading her back to the couch and sitting beside her. She leaned into me, burying her face in the nape of my neck as she sobbed. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her cry until her tears dried up.

"Better?" I asked.

"A bit," she replied weakly. She sighed. "I don't think I'll get any sleep tonight."

"Me neither," I admitted. "Want to play a game to pass the time?"

"A game? Really, Ced?"

"Would you rather study to take your mind off things?"

"I do have O.W.L.s this year, but... no. I'd rather play a game."

I rose from the couch and offered her a hand up. We walked together to the massive cabinet of games in the corner. This cabinet had existed from centuries, boasting a variety of games from the earliest Gobstone prototypes that sprayed mild poisons to the latest Muggle board games.

"Your choice," I said, gesturing to the cluttered shelves.

She reached forward and grabbed a deck of cards. "It's been forever since I just played that game Alex taught us. What do Muggles call it again? Go Fish?"

I grinned. "Yeah, that's what they call it. Let's play."

We were halfway through our fourth game when Beatrice slumped over the table, dead asleep. I got up to put the cards away when the barrel swung open.

"Oh, good, I'm glad you're still awake," Professor Sprout said, glancing toward Beatrice. "Well, one of you."

I grinned. "You barely missed her. What brings you here so late?"

"I had a feeling you two would be struggling more than most with tonight's events," she explained. "The Heads of Houses just had a very impromptu meeting with the headmaster, after your sister and her friends left."

"I wanted to follow Lucy, but Bea needed me more. How is she?"

"She's a natural protector," she replied, smiling. "Planted herself firmly between Mr. Potter and Miss Granger and didn't budge."

"Will Mrs. Norris be alright?"

"Oh, yes." Professor Sprout nodded very quickly. "We will be able to cure her easily, once the Mandrakes come of age. I thought you would like to know, though, that she was petrified."

It felt like the floor gave way beneath me, but I managed to keep my balance. "Like the statue curse, Professor?"

"I'm afraid so. I was hoping to deliver the news myself to Miss Haywood, too, before word travels too far around the school, but I'd rather not wake her up."

"I'll catch her in the morning before she goes to the Great Hall," I said. "I can sleep down here with her."

"It's alright, Mr. Diggory, you've done more than enough."

I smiled. "A true healer's work is never done."

In my dream that night, I was chasing Lucy down a corridor illuminated only by dim blue torches. It didn't seem she was running away from me; she was running away from whatever was behind me.

The corridor seemed endless. It never turned, never changed. The shadows continued to stretch further and further down. No matter how fast we ran, we were never able to see the end of it. And no matter how fast we ran, whatever was behind us got closer and closer.

I couldn't hear running footsteps or heavy breathing behind me. There was no audible indication that it was getting closer, or that there was anything chasing us at all. But I could feel it, the heavy sense of darkness that weighed increasingly on my heart as we ran.

To my horror, Lucy suddenly tripped. I reached forward to steady her, to catch her, but I fell too, sprawling on the ground next to her. She screamed, an ear-splitting and soul-wrenching scream that chilled me to the core. I shut my eyes tightly and threw myself on top of her to protect her from whatever it was that was chasing us, but it wasn't enough. She screamed again, and this time, the scream woke me up.

I jerked awake, gasping for breath and on the brink of tears. I guessed it was around seven in the morning. I buried my head in my hands, trying to stay as quiet as possible, but Henry was already awake.

"What's wrong, Ced?" he asked, and I heard rustling sheets as he came to sit next to me on my bed.

"Bad dream," I panted.

"Haven't had one of those in a while," he commented softly, tentatively laying a hand on my back.

I nodded, lowering my hands from my face.

"Reckon it would help to talk about it?"

"It's alright," I lied. "Just a dream."

"Okay. Just don't let Professor Trelawney hear about it, yeah?"

I managed a chuckle. "I'll be sure to exclude it from my next Divination essay."

"The last thing you need is her predicting your death again," he said, patting my back a couple of times before returning to his own bed.

I nodded as I swung my legs over the side of my bed and rose shakily to my feet.

"Where are you going? It's a Sunday, you can sleep in."

"I probably won't go back to sleep," I admitted. "Might as well get up."

"Want me to go with you?"

I shook my head. "You can sleep. I'll be okay."

"If you're sure," he said with a yawn. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Okay. Thank you."

Beatrice was in the common room, staring into the fire with a blank expression.

"Hey, Bea," I said softly. "How are you?"

She glanced up at me, not saying a word. I nodded understandingly and took a seat next to her.

"Professor Sprout told me what happened to Mrs. Norris. Did she tell you?"

Beatrice shook her head. I shifted uncomfortably --- I hated being the bearer of bad news.

"Bea... Mrs. Norris was petrified."

Her face contorted into an expression equal parts anger and fear, and she jumped to her feet.

"Don't follow me, please," she hissed before turning on her heel and sprinting away.

I knew better than to follow her; the last time I tried, I found myself attacked by a flock of birds until I was a kilometer away from her. I learned the hard way that day that when Beatrice said she needed space, she really meant it. She would come to me when she needed me, and not a second before. And I was okay with that. I wanted some space of my own anyway.

I was on my way to the Great Hall in a sleepy daze when I spotted my sister.

"Lu!" I called, rushing toward her and throwing my arms around her, the horror of my nightmare still fresh in my mind. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and squeezed hard. "I'm alright. Didn't sleep much. You look like you didn't either."

I shrugged. "I probably got a solid... four hours."

Lucy grinned. "I think I got two. I'm glad it's Sunday and not Monday." She glanced over her shoulder at Hermione, who had sagged against the wall with a thick book in her hands, and her smile faded. "I should probably go. Hermione needs me."

"I understand. Get some sleep, Lu."

"You too, Ced." She approached Hermione and gently took her by the arm, leading her still-reading friend into the Hall.

I considered following her, but I was never hungry after not sleeping well, so I headed to the Quidditch Pitch instead.

After the events of the previous night, I would have expected rain to be pouring down in torrential sheets and angry lightning to crack across the sky. But the sun was peeking through the clouds, and a gentle wind made my robes billow around me as I walked.

I climbed all the way up to the top box, something I didn't do very often, and watched the clouds roll across the deep blue sky.

I knew I should have been studying for the next day's Transfiguration test, but given the events of the past 24 hours, it suddenly seemed insignificant. The words on the wall chilled me to the bone. The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware.

Had Adalyn left a Cursed Vault untouched? Had someone re-opened one we thought was already destroyed?

As I sat there, I felt less and less like Cedric Diggory, fourth-year Hufflepuff Chaser and aspiring healer and future prefect and hopeful Quidditch captain. I felt more and more like Cedric Diggory, first-year Hufflepuff struggling with the weight of everybody's expectations of me. Everybody talked about me, for a reason I was never fully able to fathom.

It began with the Haywoods. I was the first Hufflepuff to be sorted in my year, and I found myself seated at the table between a prefect, Adalyn Benson, and a girl who quickly introduced herself as Penny Haywood. Adalyn mentioned that she had met my father a few years prior, and laughed when I blushed. I knew Dad had a way of speaking too highly of me, of projecting everything he wished could have been onto me, his first-born, his only son. After the feast, Adalyn led the way to the common room, but Penny pulled me to the back.

"I hate to do this, considering we've only just met," she sighed, "but somehow I already know you'll be the best person for what I'm about to ask of you."

"I'm happy to do whatever it is!" I said with a smile. "I like being helpful!"

She smiled back, and I noticed for the first time how sad she looked despite how happy I could tell she tried to be. "Thank you, Cedric. Well, I have a sister, and her name is Beatrice. She'll be a second-year, but she might be in some of your classes."

"Was she at the feast?" I asked, trying to recall every face I could and not being able to remember one that looked quite like Penny's.

"She wasn't," her sister replied.

"That's too bad," I said, furrowing my brow. "Does she need a friend?"

Penny nodded. "She does. Please never tell her I asked you, but will you please look out for her? I'm a sixth-year, and I need to know someone will be there for her when I leave in two years."

"I'll be the best friend I can be," I promised. And so far, I had done my best to keep that promise.

Penny was right; Bea was in a fair few of my classes. I soon learned it was because she had been trapped in a portrait for the better part of her first year at Hogwarts. My heart went out to her, and I did my best to help her as much as possible when she was struggling in class. She was embarrassed at first, but she soon started to accept my help more and more, and she quickly caught up with her other classmates and joined her second-year classmates for the second half of the year. After the death of Rowan Khanna, she shut me out entirely along with everybody else. When my attempts to help her got me nowhere, I began to make new friends. Then the talk about me really took flight.

It started with duels with Diego. Then people realized I was quick to learn Transfiguration, which most people considered the hardest subject of all. Then I became the one who was there when Madam Pomfrey was petrified.

The school seemed split. Half the school would never stop talking about how great I was. The other half would do anything to try to bring me down.

As for myself? I tried to ignore it all. I studied hard. I spent my free time volunteering in the Hospital Wing. When Beatrice opened back up to me, we spent hours talking, over Gobstones or textbooks or sometimes a combination of the two. I kept my head down but my chin up. I pushed through one day at a time, believing it could and would get better. And in time, it did.

I'll admit that the arrival of Harry Potter played a large role in shifting the spotlight off of me, as did Lucy's Forbidden Forest incident. I watched as Harry and Lucy endured much of the same talk I had, but I knew it was because of their scars and their stories. I bore no scars, I had no story to tell except the one I hoped to write one year at a time. But from the second I arrived, people started trying to write my story for me.

As I sat in the top box, a slight rain beginning to fall even though a few meek rays of the sun still shone, I wondered where my story would go from there, what my role would be in the chapters to come.

I liked the term Professor Sprout had used to describe Lucy, "natural protector." I had always been a natural healer, someone who tried to bring comfort after catastrophe had come and gone. But with the danger at Hogwarts still very much present and threatening, I found myself wondering if I could be more like Lucy. A natural protector, someone who stepped in to prevent disaster rather than someone who cleaned up the remnants after the storm had passed through.