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Y/N's P.O.V. 

She didn't remember much after Moody - at least, she assumed it was Moody - took Harry and herself away. The corridors were dark. Y/N didn't know where she was being taken.

"The cup-" Harry choked out, "The cup was a Portkey..." 

 "Took me and Cedric to a graveyard...and Voldemort was there...Lord Voldemort..." 

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Up the marble stairs...

"The Dark Lord was there? What happened then?" 

"Killed Cedric...they killed Cedric..." 

Y/N let a sob slip. They didn't kill Cedric...they didn't...but they did, and he was gone. Cedric was gone.

"And then?" 

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Along the corridor...

Harry was mumbling, never letting go of Y/N. "Made a potion...got his body back..." 

"The Dark Lord got his body back? He's returned?" Moody sounded excited...but that couldn't be. Y/N must be mistaking the tone in his voice for concern.

Harry kept speaking. Y/N was getting a terrible feeling, but she didn't have the energy to tell him to stop. "And the Death Eaters came...and then we dueled..."

"You dueled with the Dark Lord?"

"Got away... my wand...did something funny...I saw my mum and dad...they came out of his wand..."

"In here, Harry...Miss Sterling...in here, and sit down...You'll be all right now...drink this..." 

Y/N heard a key scrape in a lock and felt a cup being pushed into her hands. She was sitting now, somehow. "Drink it, you two...you'll feel better..." He gave Y/N a once-over. "come on, now, Harry, I need to know exactly what happened..."

Y/N watched Moody helped tip the stuff down Harry's throat; he coughed - Y/N didn't want to drink the liquid, but she supposed that Harry had, so it must be relatively safe. Plus, Moody couldn't do anything with Dumbledore nearby. In fact, she wasn't sure Moody was even a bad person in the first place. 

Taking the risk, Y/N downed the drink. It left a peppery taste on her tongue, and she too coughed, but Moody's office came into sharper focus, and so did Moody himself. . . . He looked as white as Fudge had looked, and both eyes were fixed unblinkingly upon Harry's face. It was eerie. He didn't acknowledge Y/N. "Voldemort's back, Harry? You're sure he's back?"

Y/N's head started to feel a little bit dizzy...a little woozy...

Moody continued "How did he do it?" 

"He took stuff from his father's grave, and from Wormtail, and me," said Harry. 

Y/N could still hear screaming and shouting from the distant Quidditch field. Hundreds of students in distress, one student unbreathing. Her stomach churned. Her breath fell short.

"What did the Dark Lord take from you?" said Moody. 

"Blood," said Harry, raising his arm. His sleeve was ripped, a long gash along his forearm. Y/N stared at the wound, an felt nauseated, even though blood usually wasn't a problem for her. 

Moody let out his breath in a long, low hiss. "And the Death Eaters? They returned?" 

"Yes," said Harry. "Loads of them...I..." Harry looked at Y/N, his brows furrowed, "I...I feel like I heard a familiar voice." 

"How did he treat them?" Moody asked quietly. 

Y/N wasn't present, much, for the rest of the conversation. Her breath was coming in short puffs. Her vision still came in patches of blinding white, and she could feel tears dripping down her face. She heard a couple of things, though, like Karkaroff's name...and something about Moody putting Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire. 

Moody's want was pointed at them, now.

This caught Y/N's attention, but even so, the ringing in her ears was becoming unbearably loud. Everything was hazy. Her head began to droop. Her eyes slipped closed, and now, she could only hear. Y/N was fighting to stay awake. 

"He forgave them, then?" came Moody's gruff voice. 

Y/N felt Harry shift beside her, grabbing her hand, squeezing hard.

 "The Death Eaters who went free? The ones who escaped Azkaban?" 

"What?" said Harry. This was a bad joke, it had to be. 

"I asked you," said Moody quietly, "whether he forgave the scum who never even went to look for him. Those treacherous cowards who wouldn't even brave Azkaban for him. The faithless, worthless bits of filth who were brave enough to cavort in masks at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled at the sight of the Dark Mark when I fired it into the sky." 

What...? The ringing was getting louder. Exhaustion was overtaking Y/N. Was there something in that drink? Why wasn't Harry getting all...woozy?

"You fired...what are you talking about?"

"I told you, Harry...I told you. If there's one thing I hate more than any other, it's a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them. Tell me he tortured them, tell me he made them pay. Tell me I'm not doing this for no reason."

Harry squeezed her hand tighter - it was one of the sensations Y/N could still feel.

"Tell me he told them that I, I alone remained faithful...prepared to risk everything to deliver to him the one thing he wanted above all...you. And then, some. Something I'll get soon." 

"You didn't..." Harry stuttered out. "It - it can't be you..."

Of course, Y/N and Harry had always been uneasy around the man. They never knew he was this...terrible. 

 "Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? I did. Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or prevent you from winning the tournament? I did. Who nudged Hagrid into showing you the dragons? I did. Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon? I did."

It was all piecing itself together. Moody went on to speak about how he carefully planned everything, rigging the Goblet, giving Harry hints in ways it couldn't be perceived as him. Y/N forced her eyes open, there were still blinding spots in her vision. 

"...It was I who Stunned Fleur Delacour, it was I who stopped Viktor Krum. It was I, who helped you, Harry, get to the cup," he chuckled dryly. "I wasn't expecting that stupid Diggory boy," he spat. 

Anger burned in Y/N's stomach. Stupid Diggory boy...yet, she couldn't do anything. Tired, unmoving, unable to see properly. Still crying. 

"You're mad," Harry muttered, "absolutely...mad..." 

"Mad, am I?" Moody laughed, throwing his head back. Before, his wand was on Harry. Now...it was pointed at Y/N. 

"You point that thing away from her!" Harry yelled, about to stand, but Moody held him down. 

"Don't worry, Potter," Moody said gruffly. "She can't do anything, anyway. She can barely see, I bet. If you move, though, she's gone."

Harry's hand hadn't left her own, but Y/N could barely comprehend what was happening. Harry nodded reluctantly. 

"Now, Sterling..." Moody muttered, producing a vial from his pocket. Y/N watched as he brought it towards her. She flinched as she felt the cool glass against her skin, unmoving for thirty seconds or so. When Moody pulled back the vial, Y/N could make out bright, glowing liquid inside. Her tears. 

"What are you doing?" Harry demanded. "Stop! What are you doing to her"

"That should be enough..." Moody murmured quietly, ignoring Harry completely. He backed up slightly, and surveyed both Harry and Y/N. Enough...? Y/N's eyes were drooping. She could barely think. 

"The Dark Lord and I," said Moody, and he looked completely insane now, towering over them, leering down, "have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers...very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure...the very great pleasure...of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!" 

"You're mad," Harry said once more, voice shaking. Y/N's voice didn't work. "you're mad!"

"Mad, am I?" said Moody, his voice rising uncontrollably. "We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter, you did not conquer him - and now - I conquer you!" 

Moody raised his wand, he opened his mouth; Y/N was intoxicated, Harry plunged his own hand into his robe pocket-

"Stupefy!" There was a blinding flash of red light, and with a great splintering and crashing, the door of Moody's office was blasted apart, the vial fell from his hands, ultimately shattering - 

And Y/N was awake no more.  

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Y/N woke up a couple hours later - or, she hoped. Blinking her eyes open, she found herself staring at the ceiling of the Hospital Wing. When she craned her head, she observed Harry, Ron and Hermione. 

They had pulled another hospital bed close to hers. It was early morning, Y/N assumed, for the three of them were curled up in slumber. Ron had one lanky arm around Hermione, the other under his head. His nose scrunched when Hermione's curly hair got too close. 

Harry was laying, languidly, at the foot of the bed. Usually, when he was asleep, he looked peaceful. Now...it was a different story. His brows were furrowed, and his lip curled into a pout-almost-frown. It was rather endearing, Y/N thought. 

But why was Harry stressed? The Tournament was over-? 

Oh. 

The tournament was over. 

It was all coming back to her now. The Cup, his story of the graveyard, of Voldemort. Of Cedric.

And suddenly, her head was pounding, and her breath was fluctuating in ragged breaths. The tears welled up again, taking away her sight. Cedric was gone.

Perhaps Y/N hadn't realized it, but she was being rather loud. A couple of minutes was enough to wake Harry, enough to rouse him to take Y/N into his arms. 

"Silv?" he whispered panickily, "Silv, you're alright. What's going on?" 

Y/N shook her head miserably, clutching to the front of his shirt, sobbing into it. "Cedric," she wailed, "he's...gone..." Saying it aloud made it even worse, she decided, and so she kept silent after that. 

Harry rubbed soothing circles on her back, ran a hand through her hair. "I'm..." he began, "I'm...you don't know how happy I am, seeing you awake." 

Loosening her hold on his shirt, Y/N angled her head upwards to meet Harry's eyes, vision still blurry from the glow. "What do you mean?" 

"You've been out for three days," Harry confessed. "Moody...he put something in your drink. The blast from the spell that broke the door resounded off of you, but that isn't even all of it..." he sounded scared. 

"That's...strangely pathetic," Y/N said disappointedly.

"It's not pathetic," Harry said sharply. "I'm supposed to wait until Dumbledore tells you this, but I don't really care." 

"Go on..." 

"You exhausted yourself," said Harry, "when Cedric...passed...it was all you could think of. Your eyes and tears were glowing so bright, nobody could even see your face. It took a huge tole on you, Y/N. Plus, the attracting metals thing...when you were hugging Cedric, the ground was thrumming. When Moody tried to touch you, these...er...huge shards of metal shot out of the ground. Y/N, you could have died." 

Y/N scoffed, "That's stupid. I stopped metal shards during the first task...the ones from the rocks." 

"Because you acted on instinct and feeling. You didn't want anyone to get hurt, and the adrenaline must've distracted you from the drowsy aftereffect," said Harry. "This time it was genuinely serious. Your power - what Dumbledore called it - it can hurt you if you're not careful. After all, it's a curse." 

Before Y/N could answer and tell him how ridiculous this all sounded, the Hospital Wing doors opened to reveal Albus Dumbledore, clad in silver robes, and Remus. 

"I see you are awake, Y/N," Dumbledore said in a serene voice. 

Contrasting this behavior greatly, Remus practically jumped on Y/N when in range, smothering her in a hug. Harry backed away to give them space as Remus tried not to cry into her shoulder. "Kid, Y/N, I...I'm so relieved you're awake. Please never scare me like that again, I...How...I wouldn't be able to live without you! And what would I tell Ayla and Terrell...that'd I'd...that you'd-" 

"It's okay, Dad," Y/N whispered, "I'm okay. It was kind of pathetic, but I'm all good." 

Remus pulled back quickly. He and Harry exchanged a look, like, what is she saying right now?

"It is, in fact, not pathetic, Y/N," Dumbledore said in his deep voice. "You could have died." 

"Please stop saying that word in relation to my kid," said Remus desperately. 

He and Harry were now each holding one of Y/N's hands. Wait - that meant she had two free hands...so where were the broken pieces of Cedric's bracelet? Fuck, no, no, no...had she lost them? She couldn't have lost them. 

As though Harry knew what she was thinking, he said comfortingly, "Hermione put the pieces in a pouch, put a chain on it. You're wearing them around your neck right now." 

Y/N looked down, and lo and behold. A brown pouch, containing the broken pieces of Cedric's protection was against her chest, right above her heart. 

"If I may intrude," Dumbledore said, "I really must explain to you, Y/N. It will help you feel better." 

After Y/N nodded slowly, Dumbledore continued, "Your curse, Y/N, has a strong connection with your emotions. When Cedric passed, well, you poured your heart into grieving. All your energy, all of your thoughts and sadness. Your whole being, in a sense, was consumed by this grief. And that is the problem-"

He paused, seeing the look in Y/N's face, "No, your emotions are not a problem. Them consuming you entirely is the problem..." 

Harry squeezed Y/N's hand as Dumbledore went on. "Another problem arises when we find that...the Curse of the Moon - well, it is the only thing keeping you alive." 

Harry stiffened, Y/N's eyes widened. A tear slipped down Remus' cheek. 

"Selene, ever vengeful in her curses, made it so you could survive only through magic. Just like she survived that fateful night through the spell she placed on Lykos' knife. Instead of the normal magic every witch and wizard possesses, you survive off of Selene's magic. Off of Selene's curse. Now, when your poured all of your heart, your energy, into your grief, it took a toll. You really did pour almost all of yourself away, consumed in your feelings. And when you made those shards of metal arise, it only made it worse. When your own eyes blinded you, you were already halfway gone." 

Y/N gazed at him. She couldn't quite comprehend this...

Dumbledore went on, "I am sure the mirror has cracked on multiple occasions-" 

"How do you know about the mirror?" Y/N interrupted. Nobody knew about that - well, perhaps except Spellie. 

He waved a hand, "I am aware of too many things that occur in this castle. Now, Selene's mirror-" 

"Wait a damn minute," said Remus suddenly. He pointed an accusatory finger at Y/N. "That thing was in my locked chest. How do you have it - never mind, you obviously stole it - when did you steal it?!"

"When I was way younger," Y/N said in a meek voice. "First, it was shiny. Second, technically it's mine. Selene cursed me. That's gotta have some perks." 

"We're discussing this later, young lady," Remus muttered under his breath. 

"As I was saying," Dumbledore said in a hard voice, "Please keep that mirror close, Y/N. In time, you'll learn to control your curse - of course, you will be helped. Remus and I are working on digging deeper..." 

"Wait," said Y/N, "Remus told me that only he knew about Lykos...and that stuff. 'S why we don't learn about it in class. How do you know, Professor?" 

Dumbledore gave her a smile, but did not elaborate. He turned and gestured to Ron and Hermione's sleeping forms - how they hadn't woken from the conversation was a mystery to Y/N. "Madam Pomfrey will come do a check up on you, Y/N, then I suggest you four leave to get ready and packed. The Leaving Feast is today. Remus, if you could come with me...?" 

Remus nodded, then turned to Y/N. "I've spoken to Molly already, you're staying with the Weasley's this summer, until you can...er...join us. I've got some things to do." 

Y/N frowned, "Okay...just, stay safe, alright? Wait - what about...Ced's funeral?" 

With a sad look, Remus bowed his head. "I...I've paid my respects. Y/N, you know he wouldn't want you to be so hung up on it. Amos and Rosetta have left me an honorary seat for the funeral. You'll...you'll get to go, I promise. Molly promised me." 

Perhaps Y/N imagined it, but Harry had flinched at the name Rosetta. Then, he shook his head and took a breath. 

"Alright," Y/N said slowly. "Be safe, I love you, dad."

"I will. I love you too, kid," Remus said. He gave one last hug, a tight squeeze, then left the Hospital Wing, accompanied by Dumbledore. 

The door closed, then Harry propped himself against the headboard, laying Y/N down into his lap. "You scared the shit out of me," he told her. Y/N just hummed, and Harry began to fill her in on all that had happened in the past few days, more particularly, after she had passed out. 

Barty Crouch Junior, son of Bartemius Crouch, had escaped Azkban with the help of his mother and father. He used polyjuice potion to pose as Moody, to trick Harry through the tournament so he would end up in that graveyard. 

Unfortunately, before they could put him on trial, Cornelius Fudge had ordered the dementors to perform their Kiss - and all the evidence was gone. 

"I...er...I've gotten my winnings," said Harry. "I'm sorry - I tried to give them to Cedric's parents, and the said no, and I'm sorry, because it's all my fault-" 

"No it isn't, Harry," Y/N said softly, but quickly. 

He was still next to her on the bed, eyes filling with tears behind his glasses. He took her hands, "But it is, Y/N," said Harry, "if I hadn't...if I hadn't told him to take the Cup with me-" 

"You didn't know, Goldie," Y/N said with a frown. "Please, I promise. I promise, I promise. It isn't your fault. Amos and Rosetta aren't mad at you - I'm not mad at you. Harry, I'm glad you were able to bring him back, bring his body back and let his parents see him again. You let me see him again." 

A tear slipped down Harry's cheek, and Y/N wiped it away, dipping her fingers under his glasses. Her eyes mirrored his, and then she was crying too, a light glow falling upon Harry's features. He gave her a watery smile.

For minutes after, they simply held each other until their breathing slowed down.

Madam Pomfrey came hurrying over to check up on Y/N. When she deemed the girl alright, Harry and Y/N awoke Ron and Hermione. 

After a good, say, ten minute hug, Ron and Hermione let go of Y/N, and went on a tangent about how worried they were. Hermione sniffled into Y/N's shoulder, and Ron had her in a hug tighter than ever before. Y/N could feel his tears drip onto her shirt, but didn't say anything. He'd probably give her a smack 'round the head. 

As the quartet walked out of the Hospital Wing, Ron had already begun his complaining. 

"Hermione made us pack your entire trunk," groaned Ron, "and we had to organize it!" 

"It wasn't that bad," said Harry. 

Hermione frowned as Y/N laughed. "Ronald, your best friend almost drained herself of her magic and then proceeded to almost die. The least you can do is pack her trunk. And obviously we organized it. Y/N just throws everything inside at the end of the year." 

"Why would I organize it if I'm just going to dump it onto my bed when I get home?" Y/N said sagely. Yeah, she didn't want to acknowledge the her-almost-dying bit of Hermione's statement. 

Hermione sighed very loudly, glaring at Ron and Harry when the boys laughed. 

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Usually, the Leaving Feast was a celebration of the school year, when the winner of the inter-house championship was announced. Instead of four large banners of red, yellow, blue and green, the drapes were black. The table runners were black, but everyone knew which table was theirs anyway. Y/N just knew it was in respect for Cedric. 

From across the Great Hall, Y/N caught the eyes of Liana and Mathew. Mathew...he looked wrecked, his eyes were unfocused and brimming with tears. Beside him, Liana seemed numb. Almost completely numb - her eyes were fixed beyond the Slytherin table, on a pillar near where Elijah and Theodore Nott sat. 

The quartet sat silently, and turned to the staff table, awaiting the moment when Dumbledore would stand and begin his end-of-year speech. 

"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, "of another year." He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall, beside Y/N.

"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," said Dumbledore, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory." 

They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Cedric Diggory."  

What surprised, but did not perplex Y/N was that Liana and Elijah did not even move. Liana seemed, still, numb, staring beyond the Slytherin table. They were close, she didn't know how to react. Elijah was Cedric's cousin - Y/N could only guess the thoughts racing around his brain, how he never knew Cedric truly, how he could have known him. But Cedric was gone now. 

Y/N was sure there were tears on her face, but she didn't want to acknowledge them. 

Y/N caught a glimpse of Cho through the crowd. There were tears pouring silently down her face. She looked down at the table as they all sat down again. 

"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house," Dumbledore continued. "He was a good and loyal friend, like a brother to one, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about." 

The quartet raised their heads and stared at Dumbledore. "Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort." 

A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence. 

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so - either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory." 

Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall was turned toward Dumbledore now...or almost every face. Over at the Slytherin table, Y/N saw Draco Malfoy muttering something to Crabbe and Goyle. She felt a hot, sick swoop of anger in his stomach, but forced herself to look back at Dumbledore. She couldn't exhaust herself with that emotion again. 

"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death," Dumbledore went on. "I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter."

It was as though someone had dropped a rock into a still pond. Ripples of conversation flowed through the students, everyone's head eventually turning to Harry. Under their gaze, he shrived into Y/N's touch, and she held him, as he held her. 

"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him."

Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. Y/N, Ron and Hermione brought their goblets up, but knew not to bring them obnoxiously close to the boy, or he'd just end up feeling terrible. 

They murmured his name, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him. But through a gap in the standing figures, Y/N saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. 

When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened - of Lord Voldemort's return - such ties are more important than ever before."  

Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table.

"Every guest in this Hall," said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again - in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open." 

Y/N caught Fleur's eye, and they exchanged weak smiles. Fleur shook her head, her sheet of silvery blonde hair shining in the firelight.

"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort." 

Y/N took a shuddering breath before Dumbledore ended his speech. 

"Remember Cedric Diggory."

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Y/Ns trunk was packed; Bandit was back in his cage on top ofit. Hermione had informed Y/N that her mirror was safely inside her trunk, wrapped in the mirror cover Hermione had gotten her for Christmas. 

Of course, Y/N could never forget Spellie, her miniature Hungarian horntail. Today, Y/N was wearing a black tank top with army green oversized cargo pants with huge pockets (which was a little surprising, as these were women's pants...). Spellie, who...well, the teachers didn't know she existed beyond the task, had to stay hidden. So, the small dragon was asleep in a large pocket on the side of Y/N's leg. 

Periodically, Y/N would pet her head and Spellie would sigh. Sometimes Harry would also stroke Spellie's head and the dragon would look at him with big glossy eyes. Y/N always swatted his arm when he referred to himself, to Spellie, as "dad."

She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting in the crowded entrance hall with the rest of the fourth years for the carriages that would take them back to Hogsmeade station. It was another beautiful summer's day.

She supposed that the Burrow would be welcoming, and cozy, and she'd have Ron and the others. She'd see Harry and Hermione soon enough. But...Y/N would see Cedric once - she wouldn't even see him, really - she would be seeing his casket. Seeing Amos and Rosetta in tears, and Y/N would be right beside them.

" 'Arry!" the whole group looked around. Fleur Delacour was hurrying up the stone steps into the castle. The Beauxbatons carriage was about to take off. "We will see each uzzer again, I 'ope," said Fleur as she reached him, holding out her hand. "I am 'oping to get a job 'ere, to improve my Eenglish." 

Y/N could tell that Fleur didn't mean it with bad or romantic intent - and smiled when Fleur grinned at her. 

"It's very good already," said Ron in a strangled sort of voice. Fleur smiled at him; Hermione scowled.  

"Good-bye, 'Arry - et Y/N! Oh, and you - um..." she hesitated..."Hermione and Ron!" said Fleur, turning to go. "It 'az been a pleasure meeting you!" 

The group watched Fleur hurry back across the lawns to Madame Maxime, her silvery hair rippling in the sunlight. "Wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back," said Ron. "D'you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?" 

"Karkaroff did not steer," said a gruff voice. "He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork." Krum had come to say good-bye to Hermione. "Could I have a vord?" he asked her. 

Y/N, though she wasn't in the best mood, nudged Hermione forward with a slight smirk.

"Oh...yes...all right," said Hermione, looking slightly flustered, and following Krum through the crowd and out of sight. 

"You'd better hurry up!" Ron called loudly after her. "The carriages'll be here in a minute!" 

He let Y/N and Harry keep a watch for the carriages, however, and spent the next few minutes craning his neck over the crowd to try and see what Krum and Hermione might be up to. They returned quite soon. Ron stared at Hermione, but her face was quite impassive. 

"I liked Diggory," said Krum abruptly to Y/N. 

Please don't cry, please don't cry, please to cry, Y/N repeated to herself.

"He vos alvays polite to me. Alvays. Even though I vos from Durmstrang - with Karkaroff," he added, scowling. 

"Have you got a new headmaster yet?" said Harry. Krum shrugged. He held out his hand as Fleur had done, shook Harry's hand, and then Y/N's, and then Ron's (Y/N knew he'd already shook Hermione's hand - possibly more).

Ron looked as though he was suffering some sort of painful internal struggle. Krum had already started walking away when Ron burst out, "Can I have your autograph?" 

Hermione turned away, smiling at the horseless carriages that were now trundling toward them up the drive - Y/N was controlling light laughter - as Krum, looking surprised but gratified, signed a fragment of parchment for Ron. 

The weather could not have been more different on the journey back to King's Cross than it had been on their way to Hogwarts the previous September. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky. It greatly contrasted Y/N's feelings. She didn't...she didn't exactly know how to feel now. 

She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had managed to get a compartment to themselves. Pigwidgeon was once again hidden under Ron's dress robes to stop him from hooting continually; Hedwig was dozing, her head under her wing. Bandit was flapping his wings and sending wind at her. Hedwig woke up and hooted very loudly, as though demanding Harry to make it stop.

Harry and Y/N sat on one side of the compartment, Ron and Hermione on the other. Harry didn't try to advance on her - nothing. She was grateful, because he probably just wanted her to feel comfortable. Y/N knew she wasn't up to much at the moment, but grabbed his hand. 

Crookshanks was curled up in a spare seat like a large, furry ginger cushion. Y/N, Harry, Ron, and Hermione talked more fully and freely than they had all week as the train sped them southward. 

Y/N felt as though Dumbledore's speech at the Leaving Feast had unblocked her, somehow. Of course, it was hurting, so, so much...but...it was less painful to discuss what had happened now. 

They broke off their conversation about what action Dumbledore might be taking, even now, to stop Voldemort only when the lunch trolley arrived. When Hermione returned from the trolley, she her moneyback into her schoolbag. After handing out pumpkin pasties to each of them, she dislodged a copy of the Daily Prophet that she had been carrying in there. 

Y/N took a glance at Harry, who was staring at the newspaper, probably wondering what jackshit Rita Skeeter had written this time. 

Hermione, seeing him looking at it, said calmly, "There's nothing in there. You can look for yourself, but there's nothing at all. I've been checking every day. Just a small piece the day after the third task saying you won the tournament. They didn't even mention Cedric. Nothing about any of it. If you ask me, Fudge is forcing them to keep quiet." 

This made Y/N frown. Nothing about Cedric? Absolutely nothing about how a school boy was murdered...

"He'll never keep Rita quiet," said Harry. "Not on a story like this."

 "Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the third task," said Hermione in an oddly constrained voice. "As a matter of fact," she added, her voice now trembling slightly, "Rita Skeeter isn't going to be writing anything at all for a while. Not unless she wants me to spill the beans on her." 

Y/N's face spread into a slow smile, and she believed she knew what Hermione had done - what she had rushed to the library for right before their History of Magic Exam. 

"What are you talking about?" said Ron. 

"I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she wasn't supposed to be coming onto the grounds," said Hermione in a rush. 

Y/N grinned, but she also had the impression that Hermione had been dying to tell them this for days, but that she had restrained herself in light of everything else that had happened. "Herms..."

"How was she doing it?" said Harry at once. 

"How did you find out?" said Ron, staring at her. 

Hermione explained how Harry said the word, "Bugging," and this made Ron and Harry perplexed.

"Oh not electronic bugs," said Hermione. "No, you see...Rita Skeeter" - Hermione's voice trembled with quiet triumph - "is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn -"Hermione pulled a small sealed glass jar out of her bag."- into a beetle." 

Y/N laughed aloud as Ron ran a hand down his face. "You're kidding," said Ron. "You haven't... she's not..." 

"Oh yes she is," said Hermione happily, brandishing the jar at them. Inside were a few twigs and leaves and one large, fat beetle. 

"That's never - you're kidding -" Ron whispered, lifting the jar to his eyes. 

"No, I'm not," said Hermione, beaming. "I caught her on the windowsill in the hospital wing. Look very closely, and you'll notice the markings around her antennae are exactly like those foul glasses she wears." 

Y/N looked and saw that she was quite right. She also remembered something. "I...I saw a beetle on a pillar - the night of the Yule Ball when Elijah and I were in the garden."

Harry flinched at this statement, but added his input, "Ron and I saw one when we...er...were listening to Madame Maxine and Hagrid...y'know, before I...yeah. Before I talked to you."

 "Exactly," said Hermione, before Y/N could tell Harry that it was alright. "And Viktor pulled a beetle out of my hair after we'd had our conversation by the lake. And unless I'm very much mistaken, Rita was perched on the windowsill of the Divination class the day your scar hurt. She's been buzzing around for stories all year." 

"When we saw Malfoy under that tree..." said Ron slowly. 

"He was talking to her, in his hand," said Hermione. "He knew, of course. That's how she's been getting all those nice little interviews with the Slytherins. They wouldn't care that she was doing something illegal, as long as they were giving her horrible stuff about us and Hagrid." 

Hermione took the glass jar back from Ron and smiled at the beetle, which buzzed angrily against the glass. She tossed the jar to Y/N, who shook it slightly, just to give Rita a little scare.

"I've told her I'll let her out when we get back to London," said Hermione. "I've put an Unbreakable Charm on the jar, you see, so she can't transform. And I've told her she's to keep her quill to herself for a whole year. See if she can't break the habit of writing horrible lies about people. "Smiling serenely, Hermione placed the beetle back inside her schoolbag. 

The door of the compartment slid open.  "Very clever, Granger," said Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were standing behind him...and Pansy Parkinson. Unfortunately. 

All four of them looked more pleased with themselves, more arrogant than Y/N had ever seen them. "I do not have the energy for this right now," Y/N muttered under her breath. It got a chuckle out of Harry, so that's a win, she presumed.

"So," said Malfoy slowly, advancing slightly into the compartment and looking slowly around at them, a smirk quivering on his lips. "You caught some pathetic reporter, and Potter's Dumbledore's favorite boy again. Big deal."

 His smirk widened. Crabbe and Goyle leered. "Trying not to think about it, are we?" said Malfoy softly, looking around at all four of them. "Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?" 

"Get out," said Y/N, but her voice had doubled - she realized that Harry had said the same. 

And somehow, they were on their feet.

She had not been this close to Malfoy since she had watched him muttering to Crabbe and Goyle during Dumbledore's speech about Cedric. She could feel her palms tingle and a ringing in her ears. 

Y/N's hand gripped her wand under her robes. 

"You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!" He jerked his head at Y/N, Ron and Hermione. "Too late now, Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and, Half-breed freaks and their kids... Muggle-lovers first! Well - second - Diggory was the f -" 

And how dare he say that?

It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, Harry blinked and looked down at the floor. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. 

She, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were on their feet, all four of them having used a different hex. Nor were they the only ones to have done so. 

"Thought we'd see what those three were up to," said Fred matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He had his wand out, and so did George, who was careful to tread on Malfoy as he followed Fred inside. Following them was Lee and Elijah. 

"Interesting effect," said George, looking down at Crabbe." Who used the Furnunculus Curse?" 

"Me," said Harry. 

Y/N checked up on Spellie - she was alright. Still asleep through the racket and noise. 

"Odd," said George lightly. "I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face." 

Ron looked closer and then laughed very loudly, making sure to step on Crabbe's hand. 

"Who used human-to-object transfiguration?" Elijah asked, kicking Pansy's arm, which looked stiff - like wood. "It didn't mix well with my bee-sting jinx."

"That would be Y/N," said Harry, almost challengingly. When Y/N gave him a soft glance, he continued in a kinder voice, "she's the best out of all of us at Transfiguration." 

At this, Hermione stuck out her tongue and pulled Y/N back into the compartment. 

"Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor," said Fred, looking down at the bodies. 

"Out into the corridor?" Lee suggested. 

"Yeah."

Ron, Harry, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle - each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit - out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut. 

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards. Y/N nodded immediately, glad for the distraction from...everything else.

"Fine," Elijah grumbled, "but I'll kill you if you explode on me again."

Fred grinned, an began to distribute the cards as Lee yelped when Bandit tried to peck his fingers through the bars.

They were halfway through their fifth game when Harry decided to ask them. "You going to tell us, then?" he said to George. "Who you were blackmailing?" 

Elijah sighed very loudly, and Y/N glared at them.

"Oh," said George darkly. "That." 

"It doesn't matter," said Fred, shaking his head impatiently. "It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway." 

"We've given up," said George, shrugging. 

But Y/N, Harry, Ron, and Hermione kept on asking - Lee and Elijah didn't need to, they were just disappointed - and finally, Fred said, "All right, all right, if you really want to know...it was Ludo Bagman." 

"Bagman?" said Harry sharply. "Are you saying he was involved in -"

"Nah," said George gloomily. "Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains." 

"Well, what, then?" said Ron. Fred hesitated, then said, "You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?" 

"Yeah," said the quartet slowly.

"Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots!" George exclaimed angrily.

"So?" 

"So," said Fred impatiently, "it vanished, didn't it? By next morning, it had gone!" 

"But - it must've been an accident, mustn't it?" said Hermione. 

George laughed very bitterly. "Yeah, that's what we thought, at first. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us." 

"In the end, he turned pretty nasty," said Fred. "Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything." 

"What an arse - and I thought he was funny," Y/N grumbled.

"So we asked for our money back," said George glowering. 

"He didn't refuse!" gasped Hermione. 

"Right in one," said Fred.  

"But that was all your savings!" said Ron. 

Elijah simply sighed again, and Lee did the same, and they shook her their aggressively in the twins' direction. Harry and Y/N laughed.

"Tell me about it," said George. 

" 'Course, we found out what was going on in the end." said Fred. 

"My dad's had some trouble getting money off Bagman too, he's a right foul cheat," Lee said. "Been doing this false gambling for years now, just keeps borrowing from goblins."

George nodded. "Turns out he's in big trouble with the them, the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them. A gang of them cornered him in the woods after the World Cup and took all the gold he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. They followed him all the way to Hogwarts to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two Galleons to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?"

 "How?" said Harry. 

"He put a bet on you, mate," said Fred. "Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins." 

"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!" said Harry. "Well - I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!" 

"Nope," said George, shaking his head. "The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with...er..." he glanced at Y/N, and she simply nodded. "...With Cedric, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So Bagman had to run for it. He did run for it right after the third task." 

George sighed deeply and started dealing out the cards again. The rest of the journey passed pleasantly enough, besides the endless thoughts of Cedric; Y/N wished it could have gone on all summer, in fact, and that she would never arrive at King's Cross. If summer came, school was over. School was where Cedric had been last.

But as she had learned the hard way that year, time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies ahead, and all too soon, the Hogwarts Express was pulling in at platform nine and three-quarters. The usual confusion and noise filled the corridors as the students began to disembark. 

Y/N, Ron and Hermione struggled out past Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, carrying their trunks. Harry, however, stayed put. When Y/N gave him a confused look, Harry gave her an all-too-attractive smile, and said, "Go, I'm coming." 

Elijah and Lee exited as well, but Fred and George hung back.

Y/N, Ron and Hermione exited the train, dragging their drunks and pets with them. Spellie was still happy in Y/N's pocket,

Missus Weasley was waiting, and she gave each of them a huge hug when they reached her. "Remus and I talked, you're with us this summer - so is Hermione," said Missus Weasley. Her eyes softened, "You'll be at Cedric's funeral, I promise. We all will." 

Y/N gave her a watery smile, and hugged the ginger-haired woman even tighter. 

Giving Lee a one-armed, aggressive, sibling hug, Y/N patted him on the back as he went back to find Fred, George and Harry, who were just exiting the train. 

"Bye, Ellie," said Y/N, holding out her arms for a hug. 

Elijah obliged, and he held her close, and Y/N could tell he was still getting over the rejection. She was glad he wasn't trying anything, though. "Bye, you rascal," he said. When they pulled away, he gave her a smile, ran a hand through his blond hair, and then went to say bye to Fred and George. 

Y/N knew she'd be looking for pieces of Cedric in Elijah for the rest of her life. They were cousins, after all, and the numbness in Elijah's eyes just...it didn't sit right with her. He barely even knew Cedric, and now he was gone. 

Ginny had found them sometime in the chaos and was being hugged by Missus Weasley.

Harry appeared at Y/N's side, and an arm went around her waist hesitantly. "Hey, Goldie," she said. 

"Hi, Silv," Harry said quietly. "I don't want to go back. When will I see you again? And the others?" 

"I dunno, Harry," Y/N said sadly. "But this summer definitely. 'Kay?  We gotta go now, though - your uncle looks like he's about to blow a fuse." 

Harry turned to where Y/N was pointing to see his Uncle Vernon on the outside of the barrier, glaring very hard at Y/N and Harry. At everyone, really, but mostly them. And how their arms were around each other. 

"Okay..." Harry said sadly. "I'll miss you." 

"I'll miss you too. I love ya, Goldie," Y/N said with a small smile. 

She gave him a peck on the cheek, but Harry was not having it. "Nuh uh, I love you Silv, fun, yes, now kiss me properly - well, okay, er...like, only if you're comfortable right now because-" 

With a roll of her eyes, Y/N pulled him closer by the neck of his shirt, and their lips met in a longing, goodbye kiss. There were flurries in Y/N's stomach, and his hand placement was perfect, just as always. 

They pulled away from each other when they heard Ron, Fred, and George making exaggerated gagging noises. "Shove off, you three," said Y/N, "this is why Hermione is my favorite." 

"Am I not your favorite?" Harry said lowly into her ear. 

"You shove off too!" Y/N exclaimed, pushing him away playfully. Harry chuckled, and then he picked up his trunk. 

He and Ron exchanged a brotherly hug, with lots of patting on the back. Fred and George smothered him, and Hermione gave him a hug as well. Missus Weasley kissed his cheek, then let him go.

It seemed as though it was taking a great deal for him to look at his aunt and uncle. He gave Y/N a last kiss, then turned and walked towards the barrier where his aunt and uncle were waiting. There was a loud snickering that informed Y/N she was staring, and so she turned back to the Weasleys and Hermione. 

"Let's go?" asked Missus Weasley. 

"Let's go," a chorus came back to her, of the Weasley children and of Y/N and Hermione. 

As they left, Y/N took one last glance of the Hogwarts Express, the train she exited to leave Hogwarts. Or, in other worlds, leaving the place where Cedric Diggory had last been alive. 

─── ☆: *.⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ .* :☆ ───

so, that was the last chapter of fourth year!! 

i don't have much to say, except a huge "thank you!" to all my readers, old and new, who are here. it genuinely means so much to me, because i never rly thought i'd get this far.

a lot of my progress is due to your encouragement, and i really appreciate how you guys put up with my ASS updating schedule like that shit is genuinely out of whack idek!! 

woah that last sentence is definitely veering off of this sentimental path but wtv! 

so yeah. thank you guys, and i love you guys a ton <3 

there were too many hints to count in this chapter, so go back and skim through if you have time ... >:) 

alright, that's it! onto fifth year we go 

hope to see you there

bye, troublemakers <3 

- dizzy