I went down to Hagrid's with the rest of the Gryffindors and Slytherins, but even though Draco didn't show up because of our little incident, Care of Magical Creatures class still turned out to be a disaster. But nevertheless, it was a good distraction, just like Fred had promised it would be.

     Although my mood was quickly picked up that same day when Moody turned Draco into a ferret, giving everyone a good laugh.

     The next few days passed quicker than expected. I was now less scared to see the ghosts and prepared to walk on the moving stairs. I had even learned to avoid walking past the grumpy portraits.

     I found myself enjoying all the classes; from Astronomy to Herbology, and despite Snape's foul mood, I turned out to love Potions and it soon became my favorite.

     In other classes such as Charms or Transfigurations, I only acted like sweeping the wand Dumbledore had given me, but obviously nothing ever happened. After a week, everyone had started to assume that I was just stupid or talentless when it came to magic.

     Maybe I was just being paranoid, but I could swear that (the fake) Moody gave me dangerous and suspicious glares throughout his first class, when he taught us about the Unforgivable Curses.

     Weeks passed, but I found myself wondering about my parents and friends again, this time more horrific thoughts getting into my head, that one day I had no choice than to pay another visit to Dumbledore's office.

     Climbing up the staircase behind the gargoyle statue, I knocked at his door and opened it after I heard a faint 'come in'.

     "Ah, Miss Hooper." said Dumbledore with a smile as he sat behind his desk. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

     "May I have a word, Professor?" I asked shyly.

     "Yes, of course." He gestured me to come in and so I did, closing the door behind me.

     "Professor, I was wondering... how am I supposed to get back?"

     "Oh, you want to leave us already?" He chuckled at his own joke.

     "Sir, I – I love to be at Hogwarts. It was my ultimate dream to become a witch and come here ever since I was a kid. But I just need to know what will happen to me in the future. And that how it happened in the first place that I'm here, and why."

     "I'm afraid, none of those questions I have a complete answer to." He said, standing off his seat and coming close to me. "Someone has, indeed, sent you back in time. But who, I do not know. Certainly because they wanted you to change something, but how they managed to bewitch the barrier, I cannot tell; but I dare say only a powerful wizard or witch can do such thing."

     "Then am I supposed to stay at the wizarding world? What about my family?" I retorted, starting to get annoyed at his inability to answer me fully.

     "I'm afraid, you can't go back to them now." He said. "You see, now that you are in another timeline, your parents already have a daughter named Lexi Hooper, although she is only one years old. Do you think two Muggles are going to believe you if you burst into their house, claiming you're their fourteen years old daughter, coming from the future?"

     I didn't answer that, my glance falling onto the ground along with all the confidence I had managed to hold, knowing all too well that he was right.

     "Then how can I go back? A time-turner, perhaps?"

     "Time-turner isn't the answer, Miss Hooper." He said sympathetically. "I'm sure that you will be sent back, when the time is right, just like how you got here. Although when, how, and by whom, I don't know."

    "Then what am I supposed to do until that time comes? What if it takes years? Like you said, I can't go back to my family!"

     "I've realized that you've been spending time with Mr. and Mr. Weasley–"

     "–If you're suggesting that I spend my entire summers there, you have it wrong, Sir. I've only known them for a month. I don't want to be a burden to anybody." I shook my head, sighing. "Well... if I'm going to stay here... if this is all real... then I can't waste any more time," I said mostly to myself.

"And what do you mean by that, Miss Hooper?" Dumbledore asked, but something in his tone told me that he already knew what I was talking about.

"The war isn't over, Professor, as I'm sure you know this as well," I tried to reason. "Voldemort will return and many innocent people will die. They need to be saved." My heart sank painfully at the thought.

I was expecting Dumbledore to agree with me, to ask me who was going to die and tell me what I could do to prevent it, but he only gave me a sad smile and shook his head lightly.

"Miss Hooper, you have to understand that horrible things happen if one meddles with time recklessly," he said. "You cannot save someone by letting them know of their fate. It might cause worst outcomes."

"But — you can't expect me to sit around and do nothing!" I protested.

Cedric, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Fred, Dobby, and so many more innocents were going to die as a result of this cruel war. I couldn't let that happen, now that I had the chance to stop it all.

"Unfortunately, I have to ask you not to meddle. Or at least, not until the time is right," he said calmly, but then continued more firmly, "The only time you might be allowed to change something in this timeline and to save a life, until the last possible moment; only seconds before the disaster takes place. This way, if you succeed, the consequences will be minimized. So I need you to promise that you wouldn't try to change anything, unless absolutely necessary. Don't try to warn anyone before then."

I opened my mouth to speak, but suddenly I saw a flicker in Dumbledore's illuminating blue eyes that gave me the sense that he had looked into my head, seeing through all my thoughts.

     Before Dumbledore could say anything else, the door to his office opened and in came a man. "Ah, Barty. I was waiting for you!" said Dumbledore brightly before turning to face me again. "We shall continue this later."

He gave me a kind smile, but with the look he gave me, I could tell that he wanted to remind me one last time of my promise.

     I nodded my head to politely bid them goodbye and then left Barty Crouch and Dumbledore alone, leaving the office and returning to the Great Hall, my mind racing.

     When I nearly got to the Hall, I had to stop by the entrance hall, where a large crowd had gathered over a piece of paper stuck to the wall, like an announcement.

     "What's going on?" I asked Harry, Ron and Hermione as I reached them near the announcement.

     "It's the Triwizard Tournament." said Ron. "The other two schools are arriving in a week."

     Just then we heard a Hufflepuff boy named Ernie Macmillan say excitedly, "I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him..." and off he went.

     "Cedric?" said Ron blankly.

     "Diggory," said Harry. "He must ne entering the tournament."

     I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my heart by hearing Cedric Diggory's name. Why would Dumbledore ask me not to warn anyone? When did he reckon the right time was?

     I was bursting with questions, but I tried to ignore my racked thoughts for the time being. So I walked along the trio through the Great Hall and we finally sat down next to Fred and George, who were acting weird all week, talking in whispers wherever they went.

     "It's a bummer, alright," George was saying to Fred. "But if he keeps avoiding us, we'll have to send hin the letter after all."

     "Who's avoiding you?" said Ron, sitting next to them.

     "Wish you would," said Fred, looking irritated at the interruption.

     "What's a bummer?" Ron asked George.

     "Having a nosy git like you for a brother," said George, making me snigger.

But then when the conversation turned in the direction of the Triwizard Tournament as it always did, I shifted uncontrollably in my seat, remembering everything that was going to happen.