#ElizabethKaneandtheGobletofFire

[braveclementine]

Chapter 20

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖓𝖔𝖔𝖓, I was sitting in Professor Dumbledore's office. He had just finished telling my dad everything that Barty Crouch had done and said, not bothering to gloss over the fact that he had tortured me or that I had no visions about myself and most embarrassingly of all- he told dad about the only vision I had ever had about myself. Dad seemed a bit horrified about that.

"Severus is my age!" Dad hissed, on his feet suddenly. "Elizabeth- what- I don't-"

Dumbledore looked tired and sad but he smiled. "I understand where you are coming from, and I have no idea how it will work out, but rest assured, there must be a reason that it happens and I can't think that it is a bad one. But now, I have a question for just the two of you. I believe you, Elizabeth, to be Harry's sister."

I looked up at dad who had turned a bit pink. I knew that he deeply admired Dumbledore and the last thing he wanted to do was lie to him. I stared down at my feet.

"It's obvious now, isn't it?" Dad finally asked.

"I've known about her existence for about 15 years now." Dumbledore said lightly.

Dad and I looked at him in amazement. I felt guilty for lying in my second year now. "How?" I asked.

"Severus went to James' house the night your parents died. He stayed outside the house and saw Sirius coming out with a second child, a girl. When you showed up to school. . . well you look extremely like your mother, except for James eyes of course. But what Severus recognized was the locket you wear. It was your mothers. Professor McGonagall recognized it as well. We three Professors are the only ones who know and I suppose Sirius and Remus know as well."

I hesitated and said, "Firenze knows too, and my friend Trang. But Harry doesn't. I. . . well when I was sorted into my house, the Sorting hat told me it was too dangerous for me to be in Gryffindor. . . obviously it probably should've just put me in there anyways considering. . ." I drifted off and then started up again, "Anyways. . . I found that I shouldn't tell Harry until after we graduate Hogwarts. I don't know why, I just do, so please?" I begged Dumbledore, "Please don't tell anyone else."

"Do not worry Elizabeth." Dumbledore said. "I was never going to tell anyone. Severus and Minerva have already promised not to tell a soul as well. Though I am curious about how Crouch believed Harry's sister was dead?"

I blushed. "Well, I told you my dream I had over the summer. Dad and I thought. . . well I mostly thought it up. . . if we put something in the house that showed there was a daughter but that she had. . . that she had. . ." I couldn't put the words forth and Dad finished for me.

"Elizabeth wrote up a sign that stated the birth and death of herself though under a different name. We put it in the crib in case Voldemort came checking on Pettigrew's story. I didn't want Elizabeth taken from me because she was Harry's sister. Though of course, I knew Voldemort was more likely after her visions anyways."

Dumbledore nodded. "Ingenious and well thought out. You do seem to have tricked him."

"And Crouch tortured you?" Dad said with a pale face. "You didn't say anything!"

"He was going to kill Professor Snape. . ." I said softly.

Dad snorted. "Could've taken care of himself, I would think."

"You don't understand." I said, twisting my hands in my lap. "When I was under the imperius curse, he made me steal from him. . . and he caught me and gave chase. . . and he spoke through me, saying he would kill me if Snape said anything to Dumbledore. So Snape went to Moody for help, because Moody was an Auror. . . but of course, Crouch was Moody. He made me. . . he made me. . . he made me go to Snape's office in the middle of the night. If he was going to kill him, he could've done it right then and there. But instead, he made me wake him up and. . ." I drifted off.

"And?" Dad prompted me sharply.

I blushed and edited a little bit. "Made me torture myself in front of him, as punishment for Snape going to Moody. I couldn't. . . I couldn't do anything to risk him dying. . . and when it was a choice between. . . between Ced and Professor Snape. . ." tears started up again and I wiped them away angrily. "I would've rathered risking myself than the people I love."

Dad looked at me in anxiety. Dumbledore however leaned forward and said, "I admire your bravery Elizabeth. I am sorry about Cedric."

"He was my only friend in Hufflepuff." I whispered. "And I still couldn't save him. . ."

Dad put a hand on my shoulder and Dumbledore looked at me and said, "Do not blame yourself Elizabeth. There is nothing you can do-"

But I sat up and reached under my shirt and brought out the time turner but Dumbledore was already shaking his head. "There is nothing we can do Elizabeth, we can not turn time back on death."

I lowered my hand, disappointed.

"Remus." Dumbledore said. "I would be much obliged if you'd stay at the castle until term ends? I think Elizabeth's going to need your support, as much as she likes being on her own. And I think there will be several students here who will be happy to see you. I believe Alastor might be happy to have you around as well."

"Of course." Dad said, though he looked a bit surprised by the request like he had last night.

Dad and I left the office after that.

Dumbledore had been right. Multiple students had came up to Dad and asked him questions, whether about what Dumbledore had said, or classes, or just to ask how his summer had been. Moody, who was very paranoid now, seemed to be staying very close to dad as well.

I spent time with either dad or Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Hermione had shown me the trapped Rita Skeeter in her glass jar but she hadn't shown Harry or Ron yet. She said she would wait, because she knew Harry was grieving. She said she knew I was grieving too but that she thought I would like to see. It took all my strength not to grab the jar and shake it up and down.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I went down to visit Hagrid on one of our lessons off. It was a bright and sunny day, weather that I did not think was appropriate for mourning. Fang bounded out of the door and Hagrid said, "Who's that? Harry!"

He strode out to meet them and pulled Harry into a one-armed hug, "Good ter see yeh, mate. Good ter see yeh." Then Hagrid pulled me into a hug and I closed my eyes so that I didn't cry.

"Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe. She's jus' left." Hagrid said, motioning to the large cups and saucers on the wooden table.

"Who?" Ron asked stupidly.

"Madame Maxime, o' course!" Hagrid said.

"You two made up, have you?" Ron asked inconsiderately.

"Dunno what yeh're talkin' about." Hagrid said as he reached into the cupboards for more cups. He made tea and gave us doughy cookies. "You all righ'?" Hagrid asked Harry gruffly.

"Yeah." Harry said.

"No, yeh're not. 'Course yeh're not. But yeh will be. So will you Elizabeth." Hagrid said.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach so that I wouldn't cry. "Don't know about that." I muttered. Harry said nothing.

"Knew he was goin' ter come back." Hagrid said suddenly and Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "Known it fer years, Harry. Knew he was out there, bidin' his time. It had ter happen. Well, now it has, an' we'll jus' have ter get on with it. We'll fight. Migh' be able ter stop him before he gets a good hold. That's Dumbledore's plan, anyway. Great man, Dumbledore. 'S long as we've got him, I'm not too worried. No good sittin' worryin' abou' it. What's comin' will come, an' we'll met it when it does. Dumbledore told me wha' you did, Harry. Yeh did as much as yer father would've done, an' I can' give yeh no higher praise than that."

Harry gave Hagrid a smile and opened his mouth but Hagrid wasn't done. He turned to me and said, "An' you Elizabeth. Dumbledore told meh what yeh went through. Yeh were as brave as yer father, Dumbledore said."

I blushed and looked down at my feet. I wondered if Dumbledore had told Hagrid. I didn't think so. Hagrid was probably saying it from Dumbledore.

"What's Dumbledore asked you to do, Hagrid? He sent Professor McGonagall to ask you and Madam Maxime to meet him- that night." Harry asked.

"Got a little job fer me over the summer. Secret, though. I'm not s'pposed ter talk abou' it, no, not even ter you lot. Olympe- Madam Maxime ter you- might be comin' with me. I think she will. Think I got her persuaded."

"It has to do with Voldemort?"

Hagrid flinched at his name and said evasively, "Migh' be. Now. . . who'd like ter come an' visit the las' skrewt with me? I was jokin'- jokin'!" He said quickly, chuckling.

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𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖞 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕴 sat down by the lake. It was just the two of us. Even Hermione and Ron were not around.

"Cedric mentioned you." Harry said suddenly and I looked at him.

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He told me to tell you that he loves you too." Harry said.

I blushed, tears flying down my cheeks.

"About your visions. . ." Harry hesitated. "About the one where you and Snape get married. . . you aren't going to follow through with that, are you?"

"I- I don't know." I muttered, blushing. "I mean, if it's the only thing I've ever seen about myself, doesn't it mean I should do it? And as stupid as it sounds. . . I do really like him. But I don't see how it could come true. I mean, he's never really shown great interest in me, has he?"

This was a huge, fat lie and we both knew it.

"He does treat you differently from any other student." Harry said lightly.

"Yes, I suppose that's fair." I muttered.

There was some silence and then I said, "You really were brave, you know?" I kissed his cheek.

And then I got up from where I was sitting and walked away, tears falling down my cheeks still. Cedric had loved me.

Love hurts.

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𝕴 𝖍𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖉, 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 outside of the potions classroom door. I made up my mind, pushing it open. Professor Snape was sitting behind his desk, looking worried, his head in his hands, and he looked up as I came in.

"How'd it go?" I asked softly. "You obviously aren't dead."

Snape stared at me for a moment and said, "No, I'm not. He listened. . . he believed. . ."

I closed the door behind me and strode up to the desk and stood in front of him. He was still sitting down, and looking at me with apprehensive eyes. I squeezed my hands in fists and relaxed again.

And then, I leaned forward and kissed him. I had surprised him. His hands came up to my face, pulling me in farther. My hands went onto his chest, balancing myself. And then he pulled my face back and asked, "Did you change your mind then?"

I hesitated and then said, standing back, "I needed you to know. . . how I felt. . . I mean, besides words. . . and I know now that you knew my mum and I thought that perhaps. . . that perhaps you only loved me because I looked like her. . . and I don't really look like her. I don't have her eyes and I know that's what you really liked most about her, and I didn't want to be a replacement. . . I didn't want to be in love with you and you only love me because I'm Lily's daughter. .  . I wouldn't have been able to stand that. . . being a replacement."

Snape stood up quickly and he was taller than me. "You never were a replacement Elizabeth." His left hand was on my face.

"Then. . ." I whispered. "Then. . . you wouldn't mind. . . if my vision. . . the one Crouch talked about. . . you wouldn't mind if that came true eventually. . . would you?"

In answer, he kissed me again, pulling me onto his lap as he sat back down. His arms were wrapped around my waist. My lips were pressed to his. An electric shock went through my entire body, ending in my heart and I pushed my lips against his harder. I moved my hand up his chest, curling around the back of his neck. One hand he left on my waist, the other trailing up my back, pressing me into him.

I was finally, finally where I belonged.

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𝕳𝖚𝖋𝖋𝖑𝖊𝖕𝖚𝖋𝖋 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖜𝖔𝖓 the house cup this year which I thought was horrible because Cedric was not here to celebrate it. I was sitting with the Hufflepuffs. There were yellow banners hanging around, but behind the teachers table were the black colours of mourning.

Not one Hufflepuff was talking nor eating. The food remained on serving plates and we all just stared down at our empty plates. The only ones moving at the Hufflepuff table were the Durmstrang students. Except Krum, who also looked quite downcast. We were sitting next to each other again, this time in silence. Eventually, Dumbledore stood and the quiet Great Hall got every quieter.

"The end of another year." Dumbledore said and then paused, looking at our table. Tears were already falling out of Hannah's eyes and other Hufflepuff students looked close to being there. I knew I was.

"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight, but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here, enjoying our feast with us." the tears spilled over and I put my face in my arms on the table. "I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."

We all did, benches scrapping as everyone in the Hall stood, including the Professors, and saying "Cedric Diggory." I saw dad down at one end and Snape down at the other. Professor Sprout was also crying.

"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house. He was a good and loyal friend, 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." Dumbledore added. I looked up in surprise and he continued, "Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."

Panicked whispers broke out amongst the crowds and Susan grabbed my arm and gasped, "Is he telling the truth?"

I nodded my head, tears falling down my face still. "Yes. He's back."

"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death, I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter. Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort. 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 and saluted Harry with his goblet. Nearly everyone followed suit, raising our glasses and murmuring Harry's name. Even Snape and through my tears, I smiled at him. His cheeks coloured and he looked away from me. Dad's eyes narrowed, watching the exchange between the two of us. I quickly looked away. Dad might have a heart attack if he found out me and Professor Snape were kissing each other.

"The Ministry of Magic, 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, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and 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." Dumbledore said.

I kept my head high though tears were streaming down my face. Voldemort was going to pay and I was going to make sure of it. How, I wasn't so sure, but he was. I looked over at where dad was sitting, looking at Dumbledore with rapt attention. Professor Snape was looking at me anxiously. I looked back at Dumbledore.

"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 said, looking at Madam Maxime and Hagrid, then the Beauxbatons at the Ravenclaw table, and then the Durmstrang at the Hufflepuff table. Krum was sitting on the other side of me, looking sober.

Krum looked almost frightened as though he thought Dumbledore was going to say something horrible about the Durmstrang students. I put a hand on his arm and squeezed it gently, giving him a watery smile. He smiled hesitantly back.

"Every guest in this Hall, 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. It is my belief- and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken- that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. 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. Remember Cedric Diggory!" Dumbledore finished.

The Hufflepuff table was crying, most of us already had our heads down on the table, or held high like mine, just letting the tears flow. We left the Great Hall as we were dismissed. Instead of going to the Hufflepuff common room, I went to the potions classroom, and sat on Snape's bed until he came in.

"I thought you might be waiting for me." He whispered, sitting on the bed next to me. He put an arm around me and fell back, laying down on the bed. I laid down next to him, burying my face in his robes, but didn't cry. I was burnt out from crying.

"Dad's not happy about a certain vision." I muttered.

"You told him?" Snape asked lightly.

I snorted, "No, Dumbledore did."

"What's it to him?" Snape asked lazily.

"He's my dad, or at least the closest thing to a dad that I have and has been for 14 years Professor, I think he has a right to worry about who I date." I said this very lightly, so that he might miss the word date.

He frowned, "Dates a light word, isn't it? And don't call me Professor, that's too weird."

I laughed a little. "What do you want me to call you then?"

He went bright red and said. "Jeez Elizabeth." He sighed, pulling his arm tighter around me. "Just call me Severus."

"Severus." I repeated softly, tasting the word in my mouth. He shivered, squeezing me tighter. "I've always wanted to call you that." And then I reached up and kissed him on the lips.

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𝕯𝖆𝖉 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕴 got on the train a few days later, one of the first people on the train. Dad went off somewhere and Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined us later. Dad came back sometime before lunch and then left again. I think he was visiting students or something. Hermione brought out the Daily Prophet and Harry looked at it apprehensively.

"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." Hermione said, sounding smug.

"He'll never keep Rita quiet." Harry said as Dad came back into the compartment. "Not on a story like this."

"Oh, Rita hasn't written anything at all since the third task. As a matter of fact, 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." Hermione said in a trembling voice.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked.

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

"How was she doing it?"

"How did you find out?"

"Well, it was you, really, who gave me the idea, Harry." Hermione said.

"Did I? How?"

"Bugging." Hermione said happily.

"But you said they didn't work-" Harry said, frowning.

"Oh not electronic bugs. No, you see. . . Rita Skeeter is an unregistered Animagus. She can turn, into a beetle." Hermione said, reaching into her bag and pulling out the glass jar.

"You're kidding. You haven't. . . she's not. . ." Ron said.

"Oh yes she is." Hermione said, shaking the jar.

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

Dad was sitting mildly in the compartment, looking at the jar with interest.

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

"There was a beetle on the statue the night we heard Hagrid telling Madame Maxime about his mum!" Harry exclaimed.

"Exactly. 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 the tree. . ." Ron said slowly.

"He was talking to her, in his hand. 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."

The door of the compartment slid open and I got to my feet immediately. "Elizabeth. . ." Dad muttered and I shook him off.

"Very clever, Granger." Draco said, not seeing dad because I was blocking him from view. "So. You caught some pathetic reporter and Potter's Dumbledore's favorite boy again. Big deal. Trying not to think about it, are we? Trying to pretend it hasn't happened?"

"Get out!" Harry snapped.

"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-" I cut off the rest of his words as I lunged at him knocking him out of the compartment. I punched and kicked every part I could reach, dodging their own blows until all three of them were laying on the floor in agony. Dad grabbed my arm, pulling me back into the compartment.

"Sit down and cool off." he said gruffly, making me sit down on the bench.

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were on their feet again and they didn't seem to care Dad was there. "I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this! Too late now, Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back!" Draco said, jerking his head at Hermione, Dad, Ron, and me, "Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers and part humans first! Well- second- Diggory was the f-"

There was a blinding flash of a dozen spells zooming towards them. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I had our wands out.

"Thought we'd see what those three were up to." Fred muttered, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. George followed, who stepped multiple times on Malfoy.

"Interesting effect." George said. "Who used the Furunculus curse?"

"Me." Harry said.

"Odd." George said 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. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the décor."

Ron, Harry, and George kicked the bodies out of the compartment and then shut the door.

"Hello Professor Lupin." Fred said lightly. "Don't suppose you sent a hex of your own now, did you?"

I giggled against my better judgement. Dad ignored him, pulling out a book.

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" Fred asked.

I won three of the four games and we were in the middle of the fifth game when Harry asked, "You going to tell us, then? Who you were blackmailing?"

"Oh." George said, frowning, glancing up at dad who had peered over his book. "That."

"Just tell them." I said lightly.

"Ludo Bagman." Fred said.

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

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

"Well, what, then?" Ron asked.

"You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?" Fred asked slowly.

"Yeah." Harry and Ron said slowly together.

"Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots." Fred said.

"So?"

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

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

"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." George said, laughing bitterly.

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

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

"He didn't refuse!" Hermione gasped in horror.

"Right in one." Fred said. I snorted.

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

"Tell me about it. Course, we found out what was going on in the end. Lee Jordan's dad had had a bit of trouble getting money off Bagman as well. Turns out he's in big trouble with 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?" George asked.

"How?" Harry asked.

"He put a bet on you, mate. Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins." Fred said. "'Course, he asked Elizabeth first and she told him that you'd tied with Cedric but Bagman didn't want to risk it."

"So that's why he kept trying to help me win. But I did win, didn't I?" Harry asked. Dad looked very interested now, the book was in his lap again, and he was looking at us.

"Nope. The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, 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 said with a sigh.

"Should've listened to Elizabeth." Fred said.

I put my exploding snap cards down and went to sit next to dad, curling up next to him and leaning my head on his shoulder. Dumbledore had been right, I thought. I really had needed my dad.

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𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕯𝖆𝖉 𝖆𝖓𝖉 I got home, Sirius was laying in dog form in the garden. Trang was sitting next to him, scratching his head.

"Elizabeth!" She said, jumping up and hugging me. "Oh, it's so good to see you."

"Hey Trang." I said softly, hugging her back.

Trang took one look at me and her smile fell. "Let's go fly, shall we?" she asked, her way of saying she wanted to talk to me.

"Sure." I said, feeling a bit better. "Let me get my broom out, okay? And put my stuff away."

Trang nodded. "I'll meet you back here." She dashed off down the road.

Dad unlocked the door and Sirius trotted inside and Dad and I followed. "I hope you weren't waiting long Sirius." Dad said as Sirius turned into a human. I noticed he was wearing dad's robes I'd given him back in the cave.

"Where's Buckbeak?" I asked.

"Out in the garden." Sirius said. "You have high enough fences that he ought to be okay out there. Dumbledore said he'd be in touch so we probably won't be here long."

I nodded and carried my trunk up the stairs and tossed it into the corner. Then I grabbed my broomstick and went over to the top of the stairs and listened.

". . . worried about her Sirius." Dad was muttering. "I've never seen her so upset. . ."

"She just lost her best friend Remus. Don't you remember how you felt, when you heard about James?" Sirius said. "And you weren't there when Crouch explained what he he'd been doing. She's been tortured multiple times and was under the imperius curse. She hasn't had a good year and I know her Remus, she's blaming herself for her friend's death and nothing either of us say- or anyone for that matter- is going to convince her otherwise."

"I know that. . . I just feel so helpless and I can't tell her that. . . she hides her feelings when she knows I'm worried about her. If I tell her I feel helpless, she'll just pretend that she's fine. She hid the fear that I didn't love her for nearly 8 years Sirius." Dad sighed. "And. . . oh Merlin's Beard. . . this vision she had about herself and Snape. . ."

Sirius snorted. "Please. She has better taste than him."

A smile twitched across my lips and then faded. Dad sounded frustrated when he answered, "I'm not so sure, Sirius. The way they look at each other when no one else is looking. . . or at least when they think no one else is looking. . . And I know she's been going to his office often after the incident. . . I mean, by Merlin Sirius- he's our age! That's like if she married you or me or- or Wormtail! I mean Severus is the same age as her father would be! How can I, as her father now, but okay with that? With anyone marrying my daughter?"

Sirius chuckled, "I knew you'd be a good dad Remus. You'll figure it out."

The doorbell rang and I stomped down the stairs and opened the door. Sirius had turned back into a dog. Trang stood there with her broom. "Come on in for a second." I said.

"Elizabeth I don't think this is a good idea. . ." Dad said sharply.

"Sirius." I said, ignoring Dad, "Can you please revert to your usual form?"

Sirius stayed a dog and my lips twitched into a smile. "Alright, fine, just turn into a human."

Sirius did as I asked and I turned to Trang who's mouth dropped and then recovered and she said, "That's so cool! Er- who are you?"

"This is my Godfather, Sirius Black." I said.

Trang blinked and then held out her hand to shake it and said, "Cool. Elizabeth's talked about you. I'm Trang Nyguen."

Sirius looked a bit stunned but shook her hand.

"Alright, let's go fly." I said and we turned out of the house. I looked up at the setting sun.

The sun would turn into a night sky and the sky would be filled with stars. Stars, the imprint of people's lives. People who were remembered.

I would remember the boy who gave me my spot on the Quidditch team. I would remember the boy who came and visited me in the hospital wing after the dementors made me faint. I would remember the boy who cared about whether I got enough sleep or ate that day. I would remember the boy who asked me to the ball. I would remember the boy who loved Quidditch and life. I would remember the boy I had kissed good-bye.

I would remember Cedric Diggory. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 19

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

💙💙💙💙

𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 𝖚𝖕 feeling warm and happy, and it took a second for everything that had happened to crash down on me. I felt Sirius's fur in my hands so I knew he was still in bed with me. I could hear people whispering around me.

"They'll wake them up if they don't shut up!" Bill said, sounding extremely annoyed and a bit worried.

"What are they shouting about? Nothing else can have happened, can it?" Ron was asking now.

"That's Fudge's voice." I heard Mrs. Weasley say. "And that's Minerva McGonagall's, isn't it? But what are they arguing about?"

I could hear them now, their voices getting louder, "Regrettable, but all the same, Minerva-" Fudge was shouting.

"You should never have brought it inside the castle! When Dumbledore finds out-" Professor McGonagall was shouting. I opened my eyes as the hospital doors burst open.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Harry sit up and put his glasses on. I stayed laying down- I didn't want to move. I whimpered softly and Sirius turned his head towards me and whined softly out of concern.

Fudge was striding up the ward. Professor McGonagall and Snape were following behind. Snape's eyes swept over to where I was hugging Sirius, and back to Fudge.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded Mrs. Weasley.

"He's not here. This is a hospital wing, Minister, don't you think you'd do better to-" Mrs. Weasley said angrily.

Dumbledore swept into the hospital wing now. I struggled to sit up. Sirius moved over so that he was sitting next to me. "What has happened? Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you- I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch-"

"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore! The Minister has seen to that!" She shrieked. I had never seen Professor McGonagall lose her cool like this. Her hands were balled up into fists and she was trembling with anger from head to foot. There were angry pink blotches on her cheeks.

"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events, he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch-" Professor Snape said softly. I noticed he didn't call him Minister Fudge, but Mr. Fudge, a sign of disrespect and a small smile came onto my face, and faded as quickly as it came.

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore!" Professor McGonagall interrupted Snape angrily. "I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle, but-"

"My dear women! As Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous-" Fudge said, who was also the angriest I had ever seen him.

"The moment that- that thing entered the room, it swooped down on Crouch and- and-" Professor McGonagall was screaming. Madam Pomfrey was standing by Uncle Moody's bed in anxiety.

"By all accounts, he is no loss! It seems he has been responsible for several deaths!" Fudge blustered.

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius. He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people." Dumbledore said in a reasonable voice.

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it? He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me, he seems to have thought he was doing it all on You-Know-Who's instructions!" Fudge exclaimed.

"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius. Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."

Fudge looked like someone had slapped him in the face. He looked dazed. He stuttered over his words, "You-Know-Who. . . returned? Preposterous. Come now, Dumbledore. . ."

"As Minerva and Severus have doubtless told you, we heard Barty Crouch confess. Under the influence of Veritaserum, he told us how he was smuggled out of Azkaban, and how Voldemort- learning of his continued existence from Bertha Jorkins- went to free him from his father and used him to capture Harry and Elizabeth. The plan worked, I tell you. Crouch has helped Voldemort to return."

"See here, Dumbledore." Fudge said and, to my bewilderment, a smile was creeping onto his face, "you- you can't seriously believe that. You-Know-Who- back? Come now, come now... certainly. Crouch may have believed himself to be acting upon You-Know-Who's orders- but to take the word of a lunatic like that, Dumbledore. . ."

"When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort. Elizabeth tried to prevent it herself and paid dearly for it. Harry witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth. I will explain it all to you if you will step up to my office. I am afraid I cannot permit you to question Harry or Elizabeth tonight." Dumbledore added as Fudge looked at us.

"You are- er- prepared to take Harry and Elizabeth's word on this, are you, Dumbledore?"

There was a moment of silence and then Sirius started to growl from my bed. I felt anger sweep over me, the first emotion I had that wasn't sorrow.

"Certainly I believe Harry and Elizabeth. I heard Crouch's confession and I heard Harry's account of what happened after he touched the Triwizard Cup." Dumbledore said, his eyes blazing. "The two stories make sense, they explain everything that has happened since Bertha Jorkins disappeared last summer."

"You are prepared to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, on the word of a lunatic murderer, and a boy and girl who. . . well. . ." Fudge looked at us again.

"You've been reading Rita Skeeter, Mr. Fudge." Harry and I said coldly in unison.

I was shaking with fury again. Mrs. Weasley, Ron, Hermione, and Bill all jumped, not realizing that we were awake.

"And if I have? If I have discovered that you've been keeping certain facts about the boy and girl very quiet? Parselmouths, eh? And having funny turns all over the place-"

"I assume that you are referring to the pains Harry has been experiencing in his scar?" Dumbledore asked coolly.

"You admit that he has been having these pains, then? Headaches? Nightmares? Possibly- hallucinations." Fudge asked quickly.

"They aren't hallucinations." I snapped.

"Listen to me, Cornelius." Dumbledore said, stepping forward, radiating power. "Harry and Elizabeth are as sane as you or I. That scar upon Harry's forehead has not addled his brains. I believe it hurts him when Lord Voldemort is close by, or feeling particularly murderous."

Fudge took half a step back from Dumbledore and said, "You'll forgive me, Dumbledore, but I've never heard of a curse scar acting as an alarm bell before.."

"Look, I saw Voldemort come back! I saw the Death Eaters! I can give you their names! Lucius Malfoy-" Harry shouted, trying to get out of bed but Mrs. Weasley held him down. Professor Snape made a movement and then his eyes flickered back to Fudge.

"Malfoy was cleared! A very old family- donations to excellent causes!" Fudge bellowed.

"Really?" I yelled, almost at the point of shrieking, but not quite there yet. "You're going to let Malfoy off because of money donations? How pathetic can you get?"

Fudge turned a horrible shade of purple. Snape's eyes flicked from me to Fudge.

"Macnair!" Harry continued. "Avery- Nott- Crabbe- Goyle."

"You are merely repeating the names of those who were acquitted of being Death Eaters thirteen years ago! You could have found those names in old reports of the trials! For heaven's sake- Dumbledore- the boy was full of some crackpot story at the end of last year too- his tales are getting taller, and you're still swallowing them- the boy and girl can talk to snakes, Dumbledore, and you still think they're trustworthy?"

Sirius was growling very angrily now, his haunches set back, looking like he might attack Fudge.

"You fool!" Professor McGonagall cried. "Cedric Diggory! Mr. Crouch! These deaths are not the random work of a lunatic!"

"I see no evidence to the contrary!" Fudge said angrily, matching McGonagall's anger. "It seems to me that you are all determined to start a panic that will destabilize everything we have worked for these last thirteen years!"

"YOU!" I shrieked and my tone was so piercing, everyone stared at me in shock, even Dumbledore. I had leapt out of bed and my legs were still shaking. "CEDRIC'S DEAD!" Sirius leapt down from the bed, pulling on my nightgown to get me into bed. I was shaking in anger. "Cedric's dead! And you stand there, doing nothing! You stand there, a coward. You stupid man! I knew you were going to be a let down of a minister, but by Merlin, I didn't know how horrible you were going to be!" I was shrieking mostly nonsense. Pomfrey, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione all had their mouths dropped in surprise. Dumbledore looked worried, Snape looked tense, McGonagall a mixture of something that was perhaps pride and also shock, and Sirius still had my nightdress in his mouth, trying to pull me into back into bed. Madam Pomfrey was hovering near Moody's bed, trying to figure out if she should come over or not. "VOLDEMORT'S BACK!" I shrieked, tears falling down my face. "Peter Pettigrew killed Cedric because Voldemort is back. Because you wouldn't listen last year. If you'd listened, Peter Pettigrew could've been captured! Peter Pettigrew wouldn't have brought Voldemort back! It's your fault! Cedric's death is your fault!"

Anyones fault but mine. . . mine. . .

"You are grieving!" Fudge said, purple in the face with anger, bellowing right back at me. "Now stop spreading these lies. The teachers might believe you, but you could get away with anything by using your visions, couldn't you?"

I took a step forward in anger and stumbled, nearly falling. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape both dashed to my side and put me back in bed. I collapsed back into the bed, shaking in anger and exhaustion.

Fudge turned back to Dumbledore. "Voldemort has returned. If you accept that fact straightaway, Fudge, and take the necessary measures, we may still be able to save the situation. The first and most essential step is to remove Azkaban from the control of the dementors-" Dumbledore started.

"Preposterous! Remove the dementors? I'd be kicked out of office for suggesting it! Half of us only feel safe in our beds at night because we know the dementors are standing guard at Azkaban!" Fudge said.

I opened my mouth to argue back and Snape pinched my lips together, shooting my a warning glance.

"The rest of us sleep less soundly in our beds, Cornelius, knowing that you have put Lord Voldemort's most dangerous supporters in the care of creatures who will join him the instant he asks them! They will not remain loyal to you, Fudge! Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and their pleasures than you can! With the dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!"

Fudge opened his mouth and closed it. Dumbledore continued, "The second step you must take- and at once, is to send envoys to the giants."

"Envoys to the giants? What madness is this?" Fudge shrieked.

"Extend them a hand of friendship, now, before it is too late, or Voldemort will persuade them, as he did before, that he alone among wizards will give them their rights and their freedom!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

"You- you cannot be serious! If the magical community got wind that I had approached the giants- people hate them, Dumbledore- end of my career-" Fudge blustered.

"Then it should be the end of your career!" I spit out angrily. I heard Snape sigh behind me.

"You are blinded by the love of the office you hold, Cornelius!" Dumbledore said, raising his voice. "You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so- called purity of blood! You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be! your dementor has just destroyed the last remaining member of a pure-blood family as old as any- and see what that man chose to make of his life! I tell you now- take the steps I have suggested, and you will be remembered, in office or out, as one of the bravest and greatest Ministry of Magic we have ever known. Fail to act- and history will remember you as the man who stepped aside and allowed Voldemort a second chance to destroy the world we have tried to rebuild!"

"Insane. . . Mad. . ." Fudge muttered.

Madam Pomfrey was now standing now at the foot of Harry's bed, her hands over her mouth. Mrs. Weasley had her hand on Harry's shoulder. Bill, Hermione, and Ron were staring at Fudge. Sirius was still standing by my bed. Professor McGonagall had unballed her fists, her arms were now crossed. Snape stood next to me, his hand on my shoulder.

"If your determination to shut your eyes will car you as far as this, Cornelius, we have reached a parting of ways. You must act as you see fit. And I- I shall act as I see fit." Dumbledore said coolly.

"Now see here, Dumbledore. I've given you free reign, always. I've had a lot of respect for you. I might not have agreed with some of your decisions, but I've kept quiet. There aren't many who'd have let you hire werewolves-" I bristled and Snape pressed his hand farther down on my shoulder. "-or keep Hagrid, or decide what to teach your students without reference to the Ministry. But if you're going to work against me-"

"You are not a King!" I spat out. Snape squeezed my shoulder, telling me to shut up.

"The only one against whom I intend to work, is Lord Voldemort. If you are against him, then we remain, Cornelius, on the same side."

Cornelius stayed quiet and Snape let go of my shoulder, striding forward and lifted his left sleeve up and shoved it under Fudge's nose, who recoiled.

"There." Snape said in a harsh voice, "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the mark of any Death Eater, we were to disparate, and apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eaters to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Fudge stepped back, shaking his head. "I don't know what you and your staff are playing at, Dumbledore, but I have heard enough. I have no more to add. I will be in touch with you tomorrow, Dumbledore, to discuss the running of this school. I must return to the Ministry."

"You're being stupid." I said. "The evidence is right in front of you, all of it, and you won't listen to it, will you?"

"Well." Fudge said. "I've never trusted what I can't see anyways." He strode to the doors and then came back, dumping a bag of gold on Harry's bedside table. "your winnings. One thousand Galleons. There should have been a presentation ceremony, but under the circumstances. . ."

He crammed his stupid hat on his stupid head and slammed the door behind him. The moment he was gone, Dumbledore turned to everyone standing around Harry's bed. "There is work to be done. Molly. . . am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"

"Of course you can. We know what Fudge is. It's Arthurs fondness for Muggles that has held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride." Mrs. Weasley said, looking white but determined.

"Then I need you to send a message to Arthur. All those that we can persuade of the truth must be notified immediately, and he is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as shortsighted as Cornelius."

"I'll go to dad." Bill said, standing up quickly. "I'll go now."

"Excellent. Tell him what has happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry-" Dumbledore warned.

"Leave it to me." Bill said. he kissed his mum on the cheek and clapped Harry's shoulders. He came over to me and kissed my cheek, and then got his traveling cloak, and left the room.

"Minerva, I want to see Hagrid in my office as soon as possible. Also- if she will consent to come- Madame Maxime."

Professor McGonagall nodded and left without a word.

"Poppy, would you be very kind and go down to Professor Moody's office, where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress? Do what you can for her, and take her back to the kitchens. I think Dobby will look after her for us."

"Hermione." I said very suddenly and motioned to her and the remaining people in the room looked. She came over and I whispered. "Dumbledore wants Sirius to emerge, but Rita Skeeter is on the windowsill. Get her before that happens, please?"

Hermione nodded once and made her way over to the windowsill where she slammed her hand down and caught Rita Skeeter. "Sorry." She said as everyone looked at her.

I motioned that Dumbledore should continue. "And now, it is time for two of our number to recognize each other for what they are. Sirius. . . if you could resume your usual form." Dumbledore said.

Sirius jumped down from where he had been sitting on my bed and he resumed his human form.

"Sirius Black!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, jumping back from the bed.

"Mum, shut up. It's okay!" Ron shouted.

Sirius stayed by me and I kept a hold on his sleeve.

"Him!" Snape snarled. "What is he doing here?"

"He is here at my invitation, as are you, Severus. I trust you both. It is time for you to lay aside your old differences and trust each other." Dumbledore said. "I will settle, in the short term, for a lack of open hostility. You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth do not stand united, there is no hope for any of us. Elizabeth, you'll need to let go of Sirius for a second."

I didn't seem to be able to move my fingers and Sirius gently took my hand off his sleeve and returned to glaring at Severus. Very slowly, the moved towards each other, shook hands, letting go quickly. Under different circumstances, I might've laughed.

"That will do to be going on with. Now I have work for each of you. Fudge's attitude though not unexpected, changes everything. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus fletcher- the old crowd. On second thought, Remus should be here soon. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there."

"But-" Harry and I said at the same time.

"You'll see me very soon, Harry. And you'll see me even sooner Eilís. I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?" Sirius said, grasping Harry's hand.

"Yeah.. Yeah.. of course I do." Harry said softly.

Sirius turned to me and I threw my arms around him and he kissed my cheek. Snape grimaced and Sirius turned back into a dog and ran towards the end of the hallway.

"Severus, you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready.. if you are prepared. . ." Dumbledore said.

I stared helplessly at Snape. We had so much to talk about, I didn't want him to leave either.

"I am." Snape said.

Suddenly, the hospital wing door burst open again, and Dad burst through the door, huffing and puffing, surveying the hospital wing. "Elizabeth!" He gasped and rushed past Snape to hurry to my side, throwing his arms around me.

Dumbledore finished talking to Snape who's eyes lingered on me for another second. Then Snape left the room.

"Remus." Dumbledore said as I buried my head into Dad's chest. "Don't question your daughter tonight. I'm sure Molly will give you information while she sleeps. I want to talk to both you and Elizabeth tomorrow afternoon after I address the school. Sirius will be waiting for you at your house when you return from Hogwarts. I'd like if you stay at the school for the remaining time."

"Of- of course." Dad said, looking at Dumbledore in a startled way.

"I must go downstairs." Dumbledore said. "I must see the Diggory's." I burst into fresh tears. "Harry, take the rest of your potion. Remus, get Elizabeth to drink her potion soon. I will see all of you later."

Dad rubbed my back in smooth, soothing motions. "Cedric's dead." I muttered. "Cedric's dead and I couldn't do a thing to stop it. I tried. . . I did try, I swear I tried and I couldn't do a thing." I sobbed, tears streaming down my face. I had sworn I would never let dad see me cry again but now I couldn't stop.

"Shh, Elizabeth shh," Dad whispered, holding my face in his hands, putting his lips to my forehead. "Everything's going to be okay. Let's drink up the potion, alright? Get some sleep, you look horrible."

I hiccupped instead of laughing and gave him a weak smile. My hands were still shaking and dad seemed a bit alarmed that I still wasn't stable. He helped me drink the potion and then I lay back on the pillows. Mrs. Weasley and Harry were hugging next to me.

"Daddy?" I murmured as I started to fall asleep.

"Yes, sweetheart?" He whispered in my ear.

"I really did love him." I whispered, more tears leaking over my eyes and I fell asleep. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 18

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

💙💙💙💙

𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕴 𝖆𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊, it was because there were heavy footsteps on ladder rungs. I went to open my eyes, but they remained closed. I wondered if I was under the imperius curse, unable to move, and then realized I must have the full-body bind curse on me. My wrists, felt like there were circles of cold around them. I felt wood between my right hand. My wand- most likely. There was also a thin, silky feeling over me but I wasn't sure what that was.

Then, the voice that spoke was not Moody's or Crouch Jr.'s, but Dumbledore's and if I could've moved, I would've given a start. "Stunned- controlled by the Imperius Curse- very weak. Of course, they would have needed to keep him alive. Harry, throw down the impostor's cloak- he's freezing. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, but he seems in no immediate danger."

There was a whooshing sound so I supposed Harry had dropped the cloak down. Why didn't Dumbledore see me? Then it occurred to me- If Crouch Jr. knew there was a possibility he'd get caught tonight, he'd want to hide me so that the Dark Lord would still get access to me- to my visions. Clever, too clever.

I heard footsteps on the ladder again, this time ascending but there was no sound of the trunk closing. I heard something like liquid splash against the floor.

"Polyjuice potion, Harry, you see the simplicity of it, and the brilliance. For Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well known for it. The impostor needed, of course, to keep the real Moody close by, so that he could continue making the potion. You see his hair, the impostor has been cutting it off all year, see where it is uneven? But I think, in the excitement of tonight, our fake Moody might have forgotten to take it as frequently as he should have done. . . on the hour. . . every hour. . . we shall see."

There was silence and I supposed they were waiting to see if Dumbledore's prediction was true. Meanwhile, I tried to remember back to First-year Charms for the counterspell to the Body-bind Curse. Would I even be able to reverse it nonverbally? I wasn't so sure, I couldn't do many nonverbal spells- only the simple ones.

Then I heard a voice, Snape's voice say, "Crouch! Barty Crouch!" There was a scratch of what sounded like paws.

Then Professor McGonagall's voice, which was slightly high-pitched said, "Good heavens."

Then there was a squeaky voice that said, "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here? You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master's son!" It must've been Winky, from the sound of it.

"He is simply stunned, Winky. Step aside, please. Severus, you have the potion? McGonagall did you find her?" Dumbledore asked.

There was silence from Snape, so I guessed that Professor Snape handed Dumbledore something. Professor McGonagall said, "No, no one has seen her since lunch time."

There was more silence and I wasn't sure what was going on and then Dumbledore said, "Ennervate."

"Can you hear me?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes." Barty Crouch Jr. muttered, so softly, I could barely hear him.

"I would like you to tell us, how you came to be here. How did you escape from Azkaban?" Dumbledore asked.

"My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father to rescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. He agreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potion containing one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance."

"Say no more, Master Barty, say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!" Winky proclaimed but Barty continued to talk.

"The dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person entering Azkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My father smuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watching through their doors. My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drink Polyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing my appearance. Everyone believed her to be me."

"And what did your father do with you, when he had got you home?" Dumbledore asked.

"Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. The house-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to be controlled. My father had to use a number of spells to subdue me. When I had recovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master. . . of returning to his service."

"How did your father subdue you?" Dumbledore asked.

"The Imperius Curse. I was under my father's control. I was forced to wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night. I was always with my house-elf. She was my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give me occasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior."

"Master Barty, Master Barty. You isn't ought to tell them, we is getting in trouble." Winky sobbed above.

"Did anybody ever discover that you were still alive? Did anyone know except your father and the house-elf?"

"Yes, a witch in my father's office. Bertha Jorkins. She came to the house with papers for my father's signature. He was not at home. Winky showed her inside and returned to the kitchen, to me. But Bertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heard enough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived home. She confronted him. He put a very powerful Memory Charm on her to make her forget what she'd found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged her memory permanently."

"Why is she coming to nose into my master's private business? Why isn't she leaving us be?" Winky continued to sob.

"Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup." Dumbledore said.

"Winky talked my father into it. She spent months persuading him, I had not left the house for years. I had loved Quidditch. Let him go, she said. He will be in his Invisibility Cloak. he can watch. Let him smell fresh air for once. She said my mother would have wanted it. She told my father that my mother had died to give me freedom. She had not saved me for a life of imprisonment. He agreed in the end. It was carefully planned. My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early in the day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sit there, invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge. Winky would appear to be alone. Nobody would ever know. But Winky didn't know that I was growing stronger. I was starting to fight my father's Imperius Curse. There were times when I was almost myself again. There were brief periods when I seemed outside his control. It happened, there, in the Top Box. It was like waking from a deep sleep. I found myself out in public, in the middle of the match, and I saw, in front of me, a wand sticking out of a boy's pocket. I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban. I stole it. Winky didn't know. Winky is frightened of heights. She had her face hidden."

"Master Barty, you bad boy!" Winky said.

"The only one to suspect anything was wrong was Elizabeth Kane. She had seen my foot under the Invisibility Cloak and had started to suspect that my father was hiding anything. She didn't say anything."

"Why didn't she mind her own business!" Winky sobbed. Party of me wished I had.

"What did you do with the wand?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"We went back to the tent. Then we heard them. We heard the Death Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had never suffered for my master. They had turned their backs on him. They were not enslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merely making sport of Muggles. The sound of their voices awoke me. My mind was clearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand. I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left the ten; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. She used her own brand of magic to bind me to her. She pulled me from the tent, pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back. I wanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyalty to the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it. I used the stolen wand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky."

There was a pause and then, "Ministry wizards arrived. They shot Stunning Spells everywhere. One of the spells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting us was broken. We were both Stunned. When Winky was discovered, my father knew I must be nearby. He searched the bushes where she had been found and felt me lying there. He waited until the other Ministry members had left the forest. He put me back under the Imperius Curse. He was interrupted by Elizabeth Kane. She told him that my master would come for someone- him- and that he had to be careful. She told him that Bertha Jorkins was dead and that everything she knew would become my master's. I don't think she realized it was me they were coming after. My father didn't take heed in her warning and took me home. He dismissed Winky. She had failed him. She had let me acquire a wand. She had almost let me escape."

There was a wail of despair from Winky.

"Now it was just Father and I, alone in the house. And then. . . and then. . . My master came for me, just as she had said. He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant Wormtail. My master had found out that I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania. He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about the Triwizard Tournament. She told him the old Auror, Moody, was going to teach at Hogwarts. He tortured her until he broke through the Memory Charm my father had placed on her. She told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him my father kept me imprisoned to prevent me from seeking my master. And so my master knew that I was still his faithful servant- perhaps the most faithful of all. My master conceived a plan, based upon the information Bertha had given him. He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered the door. It was very quick. My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master. Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled. My master forced him to go about his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I was released. I awoke. I was myself again, alive as I hadn't been in years."

"And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?"

"Two things. First, he needed me to go to the Potter's house in Godric Hollow. He had heard from Wormtail that there was a possibility that Elizabeth Kane was Harry Potters sister. He wanted me to find out for him. . . he didn't trust Wormtail's information. But as it turned out, Kane never really was Harry Potters sister, though he had one at one point. But she died in April and so my master did not bother with the idea anymore. Second, my master said he needed a servant at Hogwarts who would guide Harry Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. A servant who would watch over Harry Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard cup. Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to my master. But first-"

"You needed Alastor Moody." Dumbledore said in a calm voice.

"Wormtail and I did it. We had prepared the Polyjuice Potion beforehand. We journeyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. We managed to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his own magical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; I became Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face Arthur Weasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance. I made the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heard intruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody's clothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with moody, and set off for Hogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able to question him. To find out his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool even Dumbledore and, as it turned out, his niece, Elizabeth Kane. I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The other ingredients were easy. I stole boomslang skin from the dungeons. When the potions master found me in his office, I said I was under order to search it. But there was another problem."

"Let me guess, Elizabeth Kane." Dumbledore said and though he hadn't given off emotions in his tone of voice before, this phrase was said in a slightly cooler tone.

"Yes, Elizabeth Kane." he said simply and I would've shivered if I could. "Wormtail had alerted my master and I that she could see the future- to a very successful end. This worried my master and intrigued him at the same time. He did not want her interfering with his plan, but he wanted her for himself. The way to keep her alive and not tell Dumbledore about the future was to make her believe that her visions were starting to go the wrong way. Under the guise of Occlumency lessons, I was able to see some of her visions, and change them. Small things like telling Hermione Granger to change the name of her House-elf club or turning Draco Malfoy into a polecat instead of a ferret. She started to lose faith in herself. I told you to use her as a hostage instead of Ron Weasley but she'd already lost faith in her visions before then- when Fred Weasley and Cedric Diggory asked her to the Yule Ball instead of the girls she saw them asking. That was when she finally decided not to look into her visions anymore. But she would never had predicted Fred and Cedric asking her to the Ball because she doesn't have visions about herself- only other people. . . except for one."

"Which was?" Dumbledore asked.

Barty Crouch laughed and said, "The only vision she's ever had of herself is marrying Snape."

So that was why anytime I tried looking for my future I saw my 'mother' and Snape getting married. Because that was the only vision of myself.

There was a stunned silence and then Dumbledore asked quickly, perhaps to get back on track asking, "And what became of Wormtail?"

"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watch over my father."

"But your father escaped."

"Yes. After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. The conversation that we saw take place was Elizabeth Kane urging my father to throw off the Imperius Curse. She suspected he was already under it. Because of her, he started to fight it. There were periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was no longer safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to the Ministry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglected his duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed that he was heading for Hogwarts. One look in Elizabeth Kane's mind confirmed that suspicion, for while she no longer trusted her visions, I knew they were correct. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything, to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban. I was ready for when my father came through the forest, and yet another complication with Elizabeth Kane."

"Elizabeth knew who you were, didn't she?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes." Crouch said. "She had discovered my secret back in April, after a visit to her Godfather, Sirius Black, though she had started piecing it together with conversations with my father. Black had shared some of my history with her and she managed to piece together from the Quidditch Cup, to his illness, to mine and my mother's deaths. I had slipped up during class as well, saying that I had received a letter from Professor Lupin, her father. But Moody had gone to her father over the summer, she knew that. She wrote to her father, asking if he'd sent me a letter. He said he had not. She realized that every memory that had been different- I had been apart of. She went into my office at dinner one night, looking for Harry's map."

"Map? What map?" Dumbledore asked.

"Potter's map of Hogwarts." Crouch said. "Potter saw me on it. Potter saw me stealing more ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's office one night. He thought I was my father. We have the same first name. I took the map from Potter that night. I told him my father hated Dark wizards. Potter believed my father was after Snape."

"Continue about Elizabeth."

"She found the map and realized who I was. She was going to go straight to you and I barely made it to the office on time. She was just leaving. I put her under the Imperius curse. She was under it for weeks. But she was strong- too strong and she threw it off after Snape cornered her in the Astronomy tower. She attempted to kill me. I tortured her under the Cruciatus curse multiple times." Here, there was a sound of a dog growling and I realized Sirius was above me with the others. "The only thing that really worked at controlling her was threatening Snapes' life. She didn't dare say anything to Dumbledore if his life was on the line. When my father came, she attempted to change the future by trying to carry my father out of the forest. She nearly did it too. I had the map with me. Potter was in the castle, getting Dumbledore. I stunned Krum and Kane. I killed my father."

"Nooo!" Winky wailed. "Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?"

"You killed your father." Dumbledore said in a hard voice. "What did you do with the body?"

"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I watched Potter run into the castle. He met Snape. Dumbledore joined them. I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the castle. I walked back out of the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told Dumbledore Snape had told me where to come. Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father's body. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I Transfigured my father's body. He became a bone. . . I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak. I tortured Elizabeth Kane again for interfering. I put her back under the Imperius Curse."

"And tonight?" Dumbledore asked over more growling from Sirius.

"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner. Turned it into a Portkey. Elizabeth tried to interfere. She knew Cedric was going to die. She was going to take the Cup herself, and go to where my master and Wormtail was waiting. She had the foreknowledge. She was going to kill Wormtail and destroy my master's body. I dueled with her in the middle of the maze. She nearly reached the cup before I stunned her. I used the broom that she had used to bring her back up to the castle. I would've killed her then except for the fact my master needed her. I erased my memory of where I put her, sending a message to Wormtail about her whereabouts if I got caught and couldn't deliver her to my master. But she doesn't matter now. My master's plan worked. He is returned to power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards."

I heard a sound of frustration, that I was pretty sure came from Professor Snape. I wish I could make a noise, let them know where I was, but I couldn't.

"How are we going to find her?" Professor McGonagall asked in a strangled voice.

To my surprise, but also pleasure, it was Harry who came up with the solution. "The map!" he exclaimed quietly, his voice sounding dead. "If we can find the map and she is on Hogwarts grounds, it will reveal her location."

"Where is Harry's map?" Dumbledore asked Barty Crouch Jr.

"Top drawer of the dresser on the left." Barty Crouch's voice said. It still sounded rather unemotional, so he must've still been under the truth potion.

I heard footsteps, either Professor Snape or Professor Dumbledore's, crossing across the room. A drawer was opened, parchment was riffled through, and the drawer was closed.

"Harry? How does this work?" Professor Dumbledore said.

Another set of footprints crossed the room and there was a bit of silence. I supposed Harry was searching for me. I waited anxiously. I knew that Harry could find me- I had found Uncle Moody on the map- but would they realize that I was in the trunk? Especially after Dumbledore had already been down here- checking on Uncle Moody?

It took maybe three minutes before Harry said, "It says she's in this room."

"But that's not. . . the only place she could be is the trunk and Dumbledore's already been in there." Professor McGonagall said, her voice sounding faint.

There was another pause of silence. I wondered if they were looking around the room.

"He could've transfigured her into anything!" Professor Snape exclaimed, spitting angrily.

There were loud sniffing noises and I wondered if Sirius was trying to sniff me out. I think I would've laughed if I could've.

"I don't think so Severus." Dumbledore said calmly. "Moody had an invisibility cloak and I didn't explore the entire trunk."

I heard hurried footsteps on the ladder again. Someone was on their hands and knees searching. From above, there was a concerned whining sound. Then, someone's hand found the invisibility cloak and pulled it off. There was a tap of a wand and my body relaxed, free from the curse.

"Elizabeth?" Professor Snape's voice whispered, "Elizabeth?"

I moved my lips, my eyes fluttering open. Professor Snape's face was closest to me. Above, looking down into the trunk, was Professor McGonagall, Harry, Dumbledore, and a familiar black dog's face. I turned my attention to Snape. "Cedric?" I asked hoarsely. "Where's Cedric?"

Professor Snape hesitated and said, "Come on." He scooped me up in his arms. I clutched my wand as he hauled me back up out of the trunk. Professor McGonagall helped me out, her face white. Dumbledore looked furious. I stood on shaky legs, leaning against Professor Snape. Sirius came up to me, whining, and prodded my leg with his nose. I put a hand on his head and then dropped down next to him, unable to stand any longer.

"Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry upstairs?" Dumbledore asked, his voice almost trembling with anger.

"Of course." Professor McGonagall said, looking nauseous.

"Severus, please tell Madam Pomfrey to come down here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Bring Elizabeth with you. Then go down into the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He will undoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospital wing in half an hour's time if he needs me. And then send a letter to Remus Lupin- he'll want to come up to the school immediately."

I looked up from Sirius's eyes and choked out, "No! No, he'll be so upset and angry. I don't want him to know!"

Dumbledore knelt gently in front of me. "It's alright Elizabeth. Your father has to know."

My fingers tightened in Sirius' fur and he nudged my ear in encouragement. I struggled to my feet, grabbing Snape's arm for support.

Snape led me out of the room as I struggled to walk. I wasn't sure what was wrong with my legs. I also couldn't tell if Snape was angry or relieved. I looked down at my legs. There were holes in my pants and blood across both the knees. I stumbled again. Professor Snape scooped me up into his arms.

"Are you angry?" I whispered.

"Extremely. Why the hell did you think you should take the Cup? What made you think you could kill him?"

"To protect Cedric." I whispered. "To save both his and your life."

"Damnit Elizabeth, I can take care of myself." He said, his arms tightening.

"Is he. . . is Cedric.. please, I need to know." I whispered.

"He's gone." Professor Snape said softly. "I'm so sorry Elizabeth."

I let out a sob, clamping my hand over my mouth. It was all my damn fault. Professor Snape just pulled me closer and brought me into the hospital wing. Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione were in there, asking for Harry. They all looked up when Snape entered and their eyes fell on me.

Professor Snape set me down on an empty bed and turned to Madam Pomfrey. "Dumbledore needs you to go to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. You will find Minerva in there. Alastor Moody needs your care. Come back and take care of Elizabeth Kane. Give her whatever you give someone whose been under the Imperius and Cruciatus curse."

Madam Pomfrey, Bill, Hermione, Ron, and Mrs. Weasley's mouths all dropped open. "Also, probably something for stress and something to help her sleep." Professor Snape continued. "I must go get Fudge, excuse me." He swept out of the room.

I took a look at myself in the mirror. My face was pale white and thin, dark shadows under my eyes. I looked like a ghost. Madam Pomfrey hurried over to me, putting up a privacy curtain and had me change into the infirmary robes. Mrs. Weasley helped. Then Madam Pomfrey healed my knees and told Mrs. Weasley to stay with me and went off to get professor Moody.

"Elizabeth?" Hermione asked hesitantly. "What happened?"

Slowly, I told Bill, Ron, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley piece by piece about what Barty Crouch Jr. had said and a bit extra from what I had pieced together. I choked up over Cedric again and brushed away the tears angrily. By the time I was finished talking, Madam Pomfrey had brought Alastor Moody back and had listened to the end of my story.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked after I was done.

"With Dumbledore and S-Snuffles." I said quickly.

Bill and Mrs. Weasley looked confused by this, but Hermione and Ron nodded.

Some time later, Harry, Dumbledore, and Sirius in dog form came into the hospital wing.

"Harry! Oh Harry!" Mrs. Weasley screamed, running towards Harry. Dumbledore moved between them.

"Molly, please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him, you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."

Mrs. Weasley nodded, looking nearly as white as I was. She rounded on Ron, Hermione, and Bill and hissed, "Do you hear? He needs quiet!"

"Headmaster, may I ask what-" Madam Pomfrey said, looking down at the black dog.

"This dog will be remaining with Harry and Elizabeth for a while. I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Harry- I will wait while you get into bed. I will be back to see you as soon as I have met with Fudge, Harry. I would like you to remain here tomorrow until I have spoken to the school. Elizabeth, I will speak with you sometime tomorrow or the day after with your father."

I patted the bed and Sirius hopped up on it and he lay down with his head on my chest. I hugged him as Dumbledore left the hospital wing.

"Is he okay?" Harry asked.

"He'll be fine." Madam Pomfrey asked so I assumed that she meant Moody. She came over to Harry, giving him pajamas and pulling a privacy screen around him. Meanwhile, she came over and gave me a potion. "This'll help you sleep."

I took it with trembling hands, nearly dropping it. Sirius whined with worry. Bill hurried over to help me drink it and it trickled down my throat. My eyes fluttered and Bill laid me down on the bed and I fell fast asleep.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 17

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖆 pain like nothing else. Fire, ice, and lightning striking my body. Of course, I'd felt this pain before- twice. But somehow, it seemed almost worse this time. Perhaps because he was angrier than before. Before, he'd been amused, but this time I could've screwed things up for him.

He lifted the curse and I was able to breathe again. It was the end of the day, fairly close to curfew. Uncle Moody- the real one- had woken up sometime throughout my torture, looking fairly tortured himself.

"Let her go." Uncle Moody croaked out, his voice barely a whisper. "She hasn't done anything to you."

Barty Crouch Jr. ignored him completely, grabbing my hair and slamming me against the ladder bars. I gritted my teeth in pain as the rungs dug into my back.

"I suppose I didn't warn you enough. You didn't tell anyone. . . but you interfered, damnit! Crucio!"

I screamed at the pain. I remembered that this was the man who, alongside the Lestranges, had tortured Neville's parents into madness.

When he let the curse up, he let me lay there for a moment, going up to the ladder and closing the trunk lid.

"Elizabeth." Uncle Moody croaked from the corner, "What happened to you?"

I trembled, unable to answer for a moment and finally made it into a sitting position and hugged my knees. "I found out he was the impostor." I muttered. "I tried to go to Dumbledore but he intercepted and threatened someone's life that I love." Tears dripped down my face along with sweat. "I can't tell anyone now or he'll kill them."

Uncle Moody put a gnarled hand on my own. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." I said. "If I didn't love him so much you'd be free by now." I snorted shakily. "God I'm pathetic."

"Love isn't a bad thing." Uncle Moody said dreamily. I knew he was under the imperius curse and probably so tired he couldn't fight it. He was probably going to drift back off to sleep any moment now. Indeed, he was soon snoring lightly.

I got to my feet, stamping out the sleepiness. I wasn't sure why Barty Crouch Jr. had left, but I wasn't all that sure I was supposed to leave. The torture still fresh in my mind, I sat back down in the opposite corner from him.

However, Crouch Jr. returned fairly soon and set the curse on me again. After twenty moments, he told me to leave. My limbs were shaky, my face wet with salty tears, and my voice hoarse from screaming. I nearly fell climbing the ladder and had to stop several times on my way to the common room.

Once in the common room, I had to avoid Cedric and get up to my dorm so I could fall asleep. Cedric called my name as I slipped through the door but I didn't turn back. I didn't want hi m to see me like this.

Over the next few days, I helped Harry get ready for the third task. I was thankful that the third task was coming soon and exams were almost here and I could leave this horrible place. I would make Snape come home with me so I could then send a letter to Dumbledore about Moody and Barty Crouch Jr. It was a daydream, a stupid one, but it gave me a bit of hope.

Harry had worked on the Stunning spell mostly and kept stunning Ron over and over. Hermione and I watched.

When the bell rang, Hermione headed off for Arithmancy, I went down to Care of Magical Creatures, and Harry and Ron went to Divination.

Hagrid had us dealing with fairies today which was a very interesting experience. They are very vain creatures, fairies. They liked mirrors and other shiny things. Hagrid had us building small houses for them- each one had to have a mirror- for we were going to have a fairy farm. I made four before class was over and set them with the other ones.

When I went back up to the castle, Ron and Hermione were sitting at the Gryffindor table. Harry was no where to be found.

"Where's Harry?" I asked, my voice trembling just slightly. I was very near tears most of the time. Along with being shaky and terrified all the time.

"Hospital wing." Ron said in a worried voice. "He had a sort of. . . fit in the Divination classroom."

"I see." I said, pulling over a plate of cakes and taking one.

After dinner, I went with them up to the Gryffindor common room. I had open a big Defense Against the Dark Arts spell book, and was looking for more spells for Harry to try out, writing them down on a list.

Harry came in and sat down near us.

"How was Dumbledore's?" I asked without looking up.

Hermione and Ron's heads turned to me and then back up to Harry.

"Interesting." Harry said. "I was listening at the door at first, because Fudge, Moody, and Dumbledore were all in there talking. Fudge reckons that it was Madam Maxime because of her possibly being half-giant. Of course, Dumbledore wasn't happy with that." Harry looked in the fire and said, "Dumbledore told me to wait in the office and there was thing he called a pensieve."

"Memory catcher." I said aloud to Ron who looked confused.

"Yeah. Anyways, I accidentally went into some of Dumbledore's memories." Harry said, looking extremely thoughtful. "The first trial was Karkaroffs'. It was pretty much as Elizabeth said back in the cave. Most of his names were useless and he tried to use Snapes name. Dumbledore stood up and confirmed that Snape had indeed been a Death Eater but that Snape had been on our side. The second trial was for Ludo Bagman. Apparently he'd been caught passing information to Rookwood who turned out to be a Death Eater. But none of the witches and wizards seemed to want to convict him. Instead, they seemed a bit outraged he was even on trail. Bagman said that he thought he was collecting information for our side. Anyways, Mr. Crouch seemed to be the only one that wanted to convict him. The third trial was his son's trial. I don't know if he really ever did it." Harry looked at me for a second.

I put the book down. Of course, I knew that he had- he'd been an evil little git, but still.

Harry continued saying, "Crouch's son kept yelling that he didn't do it. He begged his mother and his father not to send him to the dementors but he did. . . Mr. Crouch really didn't care about his son..." Harry seemed lost in his thoughts and then continued saying, "That was when Dumbledore showed up to take me out of his memories. I asked what it was and he told me it was a pensieve and that the stuff was his memories."

Harry paused, running his hands though his hair, looking frustrated, "He showed me an example, by taking his thoughts out of his head and putting it into the basin. It was a memory of Snape saying, 'It's coming back. . . Karkaroff's too. . . stronger and clearer than ever. . .' I don't know what he was talking about though. Dumbledore then brought up a girl- Bertha Jorkins. Of course, he hasn't told the ministry about her death."

"He hasn't?" I asked sharply. "Well, why not?"

"Evidence or something like that." Harry said. "He doesn't think the ministry will listen to him. I then told him about my dream where Voldemort was torturing Wormtail. . . because he'd failed or something but it was fixed because someone had died. . . I don't really know what that was all about either."

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked, frowning. "He must've been talking about Mr. Crouch. Wormtail must've been keeping an eye on Mr. Crouch for some reason but if Wormtail took his eye off him or something and he managed to get up here. . . well it was a blunder on Wormtail's part wasn't it? And if Mr. Crouch is dead, then the blunder is fixed."

There was silence for a moment. "Continue Harry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, that's okay." Harry said, "It's just another thing to think about, isn't it? I asked Dumbledore if he thinks Voldemorts rising again and he said he believes he is. He thinks Bertha Jorkins, Crouch, and a Muggle named Frank Bryce are all connections. Apparently you confirmed that Frank Bryce was the muggle in our dream?" Harry asked me.

I nodded, "I didn't know his name, of course, but I recognized him when Dumbledore showed me his picture in the paper."

Hermione and Ron looked back and forth as we talked.

"Dumbledore also thinks Crouch's son might not have been part of the torture they did either." Harry said and I knew he was editing because Dumbledore had told him not to tell us about Neville's parents. "He said Bagman was never convicted of any Dark activity and that neither has Snape." Harry finished.

"Dumbledore reckons You-Know-Who's getting stronger again as well?" Ron whispered in horror. "And he trusts Snape? He really trusts Snape, even though he knows he was a Death Eater?"

"Yes." Harry said.

I felt a bit annoyed with Ron. "I know you guys don't like Professor Snape, but he really isn't as bad as you guys make him out to be."

"Just because he has a soft spot for you-" Ron started disgruntled but Hermione interrupted him.

"Rita Skeeter." Hermione muttered.

"How can you be worrying about her now?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"I'm not worrying about her, I'm just thinking. . . remember what she said to me in the Three Broomsticks? 'I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl'. This is what she meant, isn't it? She reported his trial, she knew he'd passed information to the Death Eaters. And Winky too, remember. . . 'Ludo Bagman's a bad wizard.' Mr. Crouch would have been furious he got off, he would have talked about it at home." Hermione said, talking to her knees.

"Yeah, but Bagman didn't pass information on purpose, did he?" Ron asked defensively.

Hermione simply shrugged.

"He could've been under the Imperius Curse, no one can really detect when people are under it." I said and then realized I sounded a little bitter and stopped talking.

"And Fudge reckons Madam Maxime attacked Crouch?" Ron asked Harry.

"Yeah, but he's only saying that because Crouch disappeared near the Beauxbatons carriage." Harry answered.

"We never thought of her, did we? Mind you, she's definitely got giant blood, and she doesn't want to admit it-" Ron started.

I interrupted sharply, "Of course she doesn't. Why would she? Look what happened to Hagrid when he opened his mouth about it! Fudge is already jumping to conclusions because of it! Who needs that kind of prejudice?"

Hermione looked at her watch, "We haven't done any practicing! We were going to do the Impediment Curse! We'll have to really get down to it tomorrow! Come on, Harry, you need to get some sleep."

I said goodnight to the others and made my way back to the Hufflepuff Common room. Halfway there, I saw someone coming down the hallway and I froze. It was just Professor Snape and he froze when he saw me too. We stared at each other for a moment and I said, "I'm not under the curse. I was coming back from the Gryffindor common room."

He nodded curtly and motioned to me to hurry up. "Let's get you to the Hufflepuff common room quickly."

He kept his arm around me tightly and when we got to the Hufflepuff common room I took his left arm. "Can I?" I whispered. "I mean, I know you already have it and you don't have to show me if you don't want to but. . ." I trailed off

He pulled his sleeve up and I saw the dark mark on his arm. It was the same skull and snake that had appeared in the sky. I lightly ran my fingers over it and looked up at him. "He's going to come back, isn't he?"

"Yes, I believe he is." Snape said.

I stared up at him, wanting to kiss him. I let go of his arm slowly and turned and said, "good-night Professor." I entered the pattern to go inside and headed up to my dorm.

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𝕺𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 few days we continued to help Harry learn more spells instead of studying for our exams.

"I don't mind practicing on my own you know." He said. "You guys should be working on your exams."

I shrugged, laying on the desk, looking up at the ceiling, waving my wand around, and lazily creating gold bubbles to float through the air. It was relaxing. "What's there to study? Besides astronomy I mean and no one expects me to get a good grade on that exam."

"Besides." Hermione said, crossing off another spell on the list. "we'll get top marks in Defense Against the Dark Arts. We'd never have found out about all these hexes in class."

"I'm not so sure about that." I muttered under my breath.

"Good training for when we're all Aurors." Ron said happily.

June entered and I was much happier. Though I was still carrying the heavy burden of a secret, I hadn't been tortured recently which was a nice plus for me. However, at breakfast one morning, a screech owl arrived for Hermione. She read the front lines and spat out a mouthful of pumpkin juice all over it.

"What?" Harry, Ron, and I all asked together.

"Nothing." Hermione said quickly, shoving the paper away but Ron grabbed it and said, "No way. Not today. That old cow."

"What?" Harry asked. "Rita Skeeter again?"

"No." Ron said, shoving it out of sight.

"It's about me, isn't it?" Harry asked, almost amused.

"No." Ron said.

"Hey, Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?" Draco Malfoy called over from the other table.

"Let me see it. Give it here." Harry said.

Ron reluctantly handed over the paper and I looked over Harry's shoulder to read the following:

HARRY POTTER "DISTRUBTED 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 Pot- ter's strange behavior, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in the demanding comeptition 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 Hos- pital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Pot- ter'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 spe- cialist. "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 care- fully concealed from the wizarding public.      "Potter can speak Parseltongue. So can his friend/ sister Elizabeth Kane," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth- year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people though Potter or Kane was behind them, especially after they saw Potter 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 they would regard any wizard or witch who could speak Parseltongue "as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspic- ioius 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."     As Elizabeth Kane lives with a werewolf, this causes for major questions about why she stays so close to Harry Potter.      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 des- peration to win the tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening.

"Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?" Harry asked lightly, shooting me a glance. I was holding my knife so tightly, I'd cut myself. He reached over and pried the knife out of my fingers. Blood dripped sown my palm.

"Not all werewolves are vicious," I snarled and I stood up abruptly, and made my way off to the chamber behind the teachers desk, ignoring everyone's glances. In front of the fireplace was Mrs. Weasley and Bill. They both looked at me in surprise.

"Elizabeth!" Mrs. Weasley said, and giving me a hug, "What are you doing back here?"

"Well." I said, a bit sarcastically and I tried to change my tune because I wasn't really upset with her. "The Daily Prophet seems to make it out that I'm Harry's sister so it's my sisterly duty to be here for Harry."

Mrs. Weasley seemed stunned and I smiled in a stressed way, and said, "Sorry, the Daily Prophet's been driving me crazy with all it's fake news and they just attacked dad and I'm a bit put out."

"Ah yes." Bill said, grinning at me and a light blush crept over my cheeks. "I believe your dad's the dangerous, violent, werewolf, no?"

I scowled at him even though I knew he was joking.

"Lighten up." Bill said, nudging me with his shoulder. "You'll get frown lines early."

I stuck my tongue out at him. He took my hand and said, "Ferula." Bandages wrapped around the cut.

"Thanks." I said.

Cedric came in and waved at me and went over to where his parents were standing. Fleur was talking with her mother in fast French and Krum was talking to his mother and father in Bulgarian. I picked up a few phrases but none of it made much sense to me.

Harry entered only after Cedric went back out to get him. I supposed he didn't think any family was going to be there. He waved at Gabrielle, who was holding her mother's hand and had waved at him first.

"Surprise!" Mrs. Weasley said excitedly as he smiled broadly at us and walked over. "Thought we'd come and watch you, Harry!" She kissed his cheek.

"You all right?" Bill asked, shaking Harry's hand. "Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn't get time off. He said you were incredible against the Horntail."

"This is really nice of you. I thought for a moment- the Dursleys-" Harry muttered.

"Hey Bill." I whispered, nudging him. "That girl over there is interested in you and I think I foresee a future between the two of you." My eyes twinkled.

Bill glanced furtively over at Fleur who quickly looked away, a blush creeping up on her pale cheeks. "Not bad." He said softly to me.

I laughed. I hugged Harry. "I have to go, of course. I'll have to turn time back a little to make it to exams. You'll do wonderfully tonight." I kiss his cheek and, waved to Cedric again and dashed from the room.

I turned back time for thirty minutes outside the Transfiguration classroom and then went inside just before the bell rang to start my exams. And then I saw the vision. Oh, I wished I hadn't seen the vision.

At lunch, I ate with the Hufflepuffs instead. I sat near Cedric and his parents. His father had a lot to stay about the Harry Potter situation, but if I hadn't known that there was a possibility Cedric was going to die tonight, I would've snapped at him.

As it was, I was trying very hard not to break out into tears. There wasn't much I could do: It was either Cedric's life or Snape's life and I was going to have to choose. I dug my fork into the potatoes I wasn't eating and tried to figure out a way that I could save both of their lives and it dawned on me.

"Ced." I whispered in his ear when I got up, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure." He said and he followed me out of the Great Hall. I went into an abandoned classroom, closing the door behind us. "What's wrong?"

I was trembling and Cedric put his arms around me. "Elizabeth, what's wrong?"

"I- I can't say. . ." I said, forcing the words out through gritted teeth, "I- literally can't- say." I looked up at him with pleading eyes. "But- I feel that- this could be- the last time- I see you." My eyes welled up with tears, "And I need you t- to know that- I- I do love- love you Cedric. Perhaps- not the way- Cho loves you- but I- I- I do love you."

Cedric looked down at me with mixed emotions: Panic, confusion, worry, and also something that looked a bit like love as well. "Elizabeth. . ."

"I know." I said a little easier, "I know you don't love me that way, that you love Cho- I know that. But I needed you to know in case- in case things don't work out- how I want them to-" I took a deep breath. The imperius cruse weighed heavily on me now. I'm not going to tell him, I thought. The imperius curse lifted a little bit more.

Cedric took my face in his hands and smiled, "Don't worry Elizabeth. Everything's going to work out fine! I'm always going to be here."

I smiled up at him sadly, and put my lips against his and pulled away. "Good luck Cedric." I left the room, leaving him behind- perhaps seeing him for the last time. I couldn't look back.

I walked as innocently as possible out the front doors and down into the woods. My heart was pounding and it felt that it might be in my throat. I just had to hope. . . I just had to pray that he wasn't going to be nearby.

I knew any moment the champions would be coming down to the Quidditch pitch. I had to act quickly and I had to act without Crouch Jr. finding out my plan. I slipped my wand into my hand, wishing I had an invisibility cloak or a map. The map! I started sprinting through the forest. If he saw me on the map, well he could only guess what I was doing.

I had never run so fast in my entire life. I shouted, "Accio Cleansweep!" and continued to run. About a minute later, the broom caught up to me and I grabbed it and swung my leg over and flew up over the pitch. The hedges were about twenty feet tall and I zoomed across them, searching for the Cup.

I knew Moody had already placed it in here, I knew that the spell was already on it. All I had to do was grab it, show up, kill Pettigrew, and destroy what was left of Voldemort. Difficult, but not impossible. I wished I'd learned to become an Animagus so that I could hide as some sort of animal. But it was to late now.

I saw the Cup in the middle of the maze and quickly flew down to it. I propped the broomstick up against the hedges and it got sucked in. The hedges sometimes changed shapes, I knew. I hurried over to the cup and on the other side, Moody appeared, looking livid.

"Oh shit." I whimpered, clutching my wand.

"This is the last time Kane! I will not let you interfere with this!" He shot a nonverbal spell at me and I dodged it. If I could just get to the cup. . .

I ducked another spell and threw one of my own. It hit him and he flew back ten feet. I rushed forward for the Cup, ignoring him, and my fingers reached out to grab it, and then everything went dark.

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[braveclementine]

Chapter 16

Warnings: Torture (cruciatus curse), nudity, self-torture (imperius curse), 18+ readers only please

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖉𝖊𝖈𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 I needed to figure out the mystery and fast. If Crouch's son really was playing the part of Uncle Moody, I needed to figure it out without alerting him first. It made sense too, really, when I thought about.

Each vision that had changed- Moody had been a part of. The polecat, the House-elf club, I'd walked past him before I had foreseen my name coming out of the Goblet. He could've easily put it into my mind with a spell. He'd been going into my mind constantly because of Occlumency.

But was I becoming paranoid for no reason? After all, Fred and Cedric had asked me to the ball and I hadn't foreseen that and no one had interfered with that. No one would've had to ask them to ask me to the ball- they had done it on their own.

I knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office and a voice said, "Come in." I pushed open the door and, surveying the room, saw that it was just the two of us. "Ah, Miss Kane, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Er- just a quick question." I said. "I was wondering. . . for the second task, I had foreseen Harry saving Ron. . . as the hostage. You said that someone prodded you into using me instead. I was just curious who it was."

Dumbledore looked at me lightly and said, "Professor Moody. He believed it to be another add on to the challenge considering Mr. Potter, Mr. Diggory, and Mr. Krum all had some sort of connection with you. Just to make it a little harder. Is there something wrong?"

"No." I replied, because I wasn't sure that there was anything wrong. It was a very solid argument about why I was used. "I'm just piecing a puzzle together."

I left after that, having nothing else to say. I had a private lesson with Uncle Moody tonight- if he really was Uncle Moody. I wondered if it would be possible to get a look at Harry's map. Surely he wouldn't have it out in the open. But perhaps if I could get into his office before he was there? Was he carrying the map on him?

I doubted it. Harry hadn't told him how to use the map so he'd want to keep it locked up somewhere special. Perhaps in the trunk he had in the corner of the room? And if Crouch's son was impersonating Uncle Moody. . . well, where was Uncle Moody then?

It also explained- in my mind at least- why Mr. Crouch wasn't going to work. Was his own son controlling him? Or perhaps Voldemort had him under an imperius curse. Or Peter. There were a number of other possibilities of course.

And of course, this must be what Mr. Crouch wanted me to stay out of. What I was about to do right now.

When dinner started, I made sure that Moody was sitting up at the teachers' table and then I carefully made my way to his office. I slipped inside, unlocking the door, and locking it behind me. I searched the drawers and cabinets carefully, though much slower for my liking, and finally found the map in one of the bottom most drawer. I pulled it out, observing it.

I found the Great Hall and searched the tables and found that between McGonagall and Flitwick was Barty Crouch. I held my breath and looked down at Moody's office. It said he was in here! I looked wildly around as though he would be standing somewhere. My eyes fell on the trunk.

That could wait until later. I had to go to Dumbledore now. I carefully put the map back in the bottom drawer and listened at the trunk. I didn't hear anything but it was possible the trunk had been magicked- like the tents at the Cup. For all I knew the trunk contained a maze or had obstacles.

I looked around to make sure nothing was out of place and then went to unlock the door when it opened on its own and Moody was standing there on the other side. He didn't look surprised to see me, though I was quite startled to see him.

"Thought it might be you." He said, closing the door behind him and locking it.

I swallowed hard. Even though this wasn't the real Moody, he was sure to know a lot of spells. This man was dangerous. Would I be able to defend myself and get to Dumbledore in time?

"So you figured it out." he continued slowly, both eyes on me. "I wasn't sure if you would or not. . . but I thought it was a possibility. You'd been talking to my dad to much."

I kept silent. He drew out his wand and I raised my own higher, a determined look setting over my face.

A twisted smile appeared on his face, "You want to fight?" he asked in a dangerous voice.

I licked my lips in a quick, nervous motion. I was actually a bit angry. How dare this man wear my Uncle's body like this? It wasn't right!

"Crucio!"

I ducked out of the way and the spell hit his desk instead. I blocked his next spell and sent a spell of my own. The duel continued, fear fighting through my veins the entire time. But there was adrenaline as well and I was hoping that it would be enough to get me through this alive.

"Imperio!" The spell hit.

I stopped moving immediately and then dropped my wand. I tried to fight the spell with all my might but I'd been drained throughout the battle. I couldn't fight. It was to perfect. He knew all my weaknesses- I'd been taking lessons with him for over half a year. I dropped to my knees and he approached me, putting his wand to my throat.

"Well this'll be more difficult than I thought." He murmured, almost to himself. "I'd expected you to fight, of course, you have a lot of fire in your soul, but I didn't think you'd fight so hard."

I didn't say anything- I couldn't. I was forced to remain silent.

"I could kill you. . . you'll foresee the rest of the plan but the Dark Lord needs you. . . there must be some way. . . Legilimens!"

I seized, trying to keep him out of my mind. But he was searching, pressing deep into my mind. I fought back. The faces of Fred, Cedric, Dad, Harry, and Sirius flashed through my mind before he rested on the memory of Snape dancing with me in the forest, and me whispering "I love you." I shoved, trying to throw him from my mind.

He laughed, letting out of my memories. "So, you fancy a Professor, eh? Now that was unexpected! But it works. . . I won't have to kill you now, isn't that nice? Instead, I'll kill Snape if you open your mouth."

His wand dug into my cheek and he lifted the Imperius curse next. "Do you understand me, Kane?"

I gave a curt, dreading nod. I understood alright.

"Now let me be a little clearer, because I know you like loop holes." He said, digging the wand harder into my cheek. I winced, but didn't move. "If you tell Snape, I'll kill him. If you tell Dumbledore, I'll kill Snape. If you write to your dad or your Muggle girlfriend, I'll kill Snape. If you talk to the centaurs in the forest, I'll kill Snape. If you tell a single soul, animal, plant, the air... if you mention it to anyone that I'm an imposter. . . I will kill Snape. Now, do you understand?"

My heart sank lower than it had been moments ago. There was no loop hole and I wasn't going to risk Snape's life. I gave another, less vigorous nod. My plan had not gone as planned. I felt a flash of pain, realizing that I hadn't kept my promise with Sirius.

"Stand up." he said. I got to my feet, leaving my wand on the floor. I glared at him defiantly. "Take your wand and get out. I'll be watching Kane." I picked my wand up and felt that sense of calm drift over me again. I tried to fight it again and he laughed, "Always monitored Kane."

I walked out in a daze, still trying to fight the imperius curse, and being unable to. I found myself walking down to the Great Hall. I found myself eating stuff I didn't normally ate. I found myself in the Hufflepuff Common room doing homework. He was controlling everything a little bit and I had no choice.

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𝕬 𝖋𝖊𝖜 𝖉𝖆𝖞𝖘 later, I was sitting at the Gryffindor table, still trying to fight the ridiculous imperius curse. It was like a heavy weight on my shoulders that I couldn't lift. I was able to do what I wanted and go where I wanted and say what I wanted, but if I got close, my tongue seized up and I usually ended up saying something much different.

When the post owls arrived, Hermione looked up eagerly.

"Percy won't've had time to answer yet. We only sent Hedwig yesterday." Ron said, looking at Hermione too.

"No, it's not that. I've taken out a subscription to the Daily Prophet. I'm getting sick of finding everything out from the Slytherins." Hermione said, still looking expectant.

"Good thinking!" Harry said, looking up at the owls too and I looked up briefly before flickering my eyes towards imposter Moody. His magical normal eye was on his food and his magical one was upon me. I gritted my teeth and turned back as Harry said, "Hey, Hermione, I think you're in luck-"

"It hasn't got a newspaper, though." She said. "It's-"

The gray owl landed in front of her plate and then four barn owls, a brown owl, and a tawny. I had a bad feeling about this. "How many subscriptions did you take out?" Harry asked, grabbing Hermione's goblet before it tipped out.

"Not subscriptions." I said, a bit dreamily. My voice had started sounding dreamy under the imperius curse and I hated it.

"What on earth-?" Hermione asked, opened the letter and starting to read, "Oh really!" She went rather red.

She thrust the letter at Harry and I read over his shoulder YoU are a WickEd giRL. . . HarRy PotTER desErVes BeTteR. Go back wherE yoU cAMe from mUGgle. The words were made out of separated letters from a newspaper.

"She opened another envelope and a yellowish-green liquid smelling strongly of petrol gushed over her hands.

"Undiluted bubotuber pus!" Ron said, sniffing the envelope.

I opened the last envelope which opened with a bang and I flew out of my seat, cracking my head on the tile.

"Elizabeth!" Harry gasped. Hermione was running towards the hospital wing, yellow boils on her hands. I sat up, rubbing my head. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping me to my feet. I gingerly sat back down at the Gryffindor table, quite aware of the stares I was getting.

"Fine." I muttered, wincing at my hurting head. "Hogwarts should get the mail checked before they let students get mail."

Harry, Ron, and I headed down to Herbology. I was still holding my head in pain. "Maybe you should go to the hospital wing." Harry said in concern. I was going to ignore that but I felt that I should.

"Tell Professor Sprout for me." I said and hurried back into the castle. I took my hand away. So my head was bleeding. How bloody wonderful.

I was intercepted by Professor Snape at the entrance of the Great Hall. "What are you doing inside?" he asked, his eyes glancing from my face to my hand covered in blood. "Never mind, let's go to the hospital wing."

"You don't have to accompany me." I muttered as I continued on my way to the hospital wing.

"I think we have some things to talk about." Professor Snape said, his cheeks colouring.

"We don't- okay." I said, my cheeks turning red as well. "I'm sorry, alright? I overstepped my bloody boundaries, I know. If you'd just forget I said anything. . ."

"Do you regret saying anything?" He asked sharply.

"No." I said shortly, blushing more furiously still. "I meant what I said, but it doesn't mean it was the right thing for me to say. I get that, okay. I just want to forget about embarrassing myself in front of you."

Professor Snape was silent for the rest of the walk and he left me at the Hospital Wing. Hermione was sitting in bed and Madam Pomfrey glared at me as I came in. "What'd you do now?"

"Cursed envelope." I muttered, sitting down on a bed. "My head's killing me and I think it's bleeding." Well no shit, my hand was covered in blood.

Madam Pomfrey tsked. After she finished with Hermione's hands, she came over and worked on my head. I fell asleep and woke up sometime around lunch. Hermione was gone and I left too. Madam Pomfrey had wrapped a white bandage around my head and I supposed I was supposed to go down to the Great hall wearing the ridiculous thing.

Over the next couple weeks, Hermione received hate mail which included Howlers that exploded in the Great Hall. Harry kept telling people that he wasn't Hermione's boyfriend.

Things were getting tricky for me on the other side of the parallel. A few days after the blowing up envelope, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night and stealing potion ingredients from Professor Snape and bringing them back to Professor Moody's office.

I realized how perfect this situation was for him and I started trying to fight it again, with even more vigor but it was a relentless hand pushing me down.

Enter April and Percy had sent back a letter. It was short and bitter and read:

As I am constantly telling the Daily Prophet, Mr. Crouch is taking a well-deserved break. He is sending in regular owls with instructions. No, I haven't actually seen him, but I think I can be trusted to know my own superiors handwriting. I have quite enough to do at the moment without trying to quash these ridiculous rumors. Please don't bother me again unless it's something important. Happy Easter.

Toffee Eggs had come with the letter as well. Ron, Harry, and I had gotten dragon sized eggs while Hermione's was barely the size of a chickens. I felt a bit of anger towards Mrs. Weasley. She really ought to know better than to believe the ridiculous stories written in there.

Thing continued to go downhill from there. A week after April, things got dicey under the imperius curse. I was in Snape's office again, stuffing ingredients in my bag when Snape came running into the room, his wand raised at me. He looked shocked to see me and he asked, "You've been stealing from me?"

The impostor took over on the imperius curse real quick, and made me bolt from the room- something I wouldn't have done. Professor Snape however, gave chase. I found myself running towards the Astronomy tower which would have been abandoned at this point in time. Why was he making me go here?

I skidded to a stop by the window and found myself on the window ledge. I held my breath. Professor Snape stopped in front of me, frowning, and perhaps a bit frightened, "Elizabeth get down, what are you doing?"

"Get away." the imposter spoke through me. "Get away from her Snape or I'll make her jump." My eyes had gone all out of focus and I couldn't see Snape's reaction. I could hear him though.

"What do you mean?" He asked suspiciously.

"Oh, is it not even a bit clear to you Severus? I wouldn't dare steal the ingredients myself, so I acted through students. She was a bit difficult of course." I felt a smile go over my face. "She's still fighting, but I thought it would be nice if you caught her stealing. Of course, it goes a bit against my plan but considering you're not seeing my face, only my object, it's not that big of a deal to me."

My eyes focused back on him and his face was expressionless.

"Now leave, Severus." I said mechanically. "I'm sure you wouldn't want her to slip now, would you?" I felt my foot move of its own accord, going backwards.

Professor Snape took a step back.

"Oh." I said. "Before I forget, I should probably mention that if you mention any bit of this to anyone- and I mean quite literally anyone- a student, a Professor, writing an owl- I'll kill her. She means nothing to me and everything to you. You've been warned. Now you'll stay here and count to 150. I will know if you follow her. I suggest you do what I've told you."

I started walking and I walked past him. I was fighting, just as he said and for the briefest moment, I froze, free for a second and said. "Professor- I- he's-" I looked up at him, still fighting and his hand reached out. But then the impostor was back in control and my face smoothed over. I turned on the spot and dashed away.

I laid the ingredients out on the imposter's desk back in the office. He was smiling and that was enough to throw the spell off completely- full of rage. He didn't feel it though. I lifted my wand as he turned his back but I'd forgotten he could see behind him. "Avada-" I started but he turned around and lunged at me, knocking the wand out of my hand.

"You want to play games, Kane?" He asked in a deadly voice, all humor gone. "You think you can kill me, eh?"

I struggled against his body mass. He pulled me up, dragging me over to the trunk. He picked up my wand and stuck it in his pocket. He unlocked the trunk and dragged me down the ladder and threw me to the floor. I landed hard, the breath knocked out of me. It took me a moment to sit up and look around. It was just a box. The real Moody was sitting in a corner, stunned.

"Crucio!" He shouted.

There was a pain unlike any other pain. It was so painful, it was nearly painless. An exploding, white hot sensation that couldn't be describe. Like being on fire, being drowned, being stabbed with knives, being punched, having limbs broken all at once. But it was worse than all that, at least ten times worse. I knew I was screaming, but the pain was so bad, I couldn't hear myself scream. My senses seemed to have cut off.

He moved his wand away and I lay on the floor of the trunk, panting, sweating, gasping for breath. I wanted to curl up into a ball but I was afraid that if I moved a limb, the pain would start up again.

"How did that feel?" He hissed in my ear. "Ready to try and kill me again? Going to sneak up on me in the middle of the night? Crucio!"

I felt that my body might be flopping up and down like a fish. There were tears in my eyes and nothing I did was stopping the pain. My throat hurt from screaming, my body was on fire, my eyes were having nails shoved into them. The curse lifted a second time. I was trembling in pain on the floor.

He knelt down, cupping my face in his hand. "Now then." He said. "I've given you a little taste of what might happen." He let go of my face, moving his hand down my neck and then farther down across my chest, slipping his hand under my shirt. I whimpered, more in fear than in pain. The pain he was causing now- the squeezing and the pulling- was nothing compared to before. But he seemed to enjoy this more- perhaps because he was physically causing me pain himself.

Then he stood up abruptly and yanked me to my feet. I stumbled a little bit, leaning against the wall. My legs felt like jello. "Go now." He hissed in my ear. "And let's see if you're so confident to try and kill me another time."

I climbed up the ladder, my wand in my pocket and hurried back to the Hufflepuff common room. I ignored the workload of homework I had and curled up in bed and fell asleep.

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𝕿𝖜𝖔 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖐𝖘 𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗, in the beginning of May, I found myself on another nighttime wandering. I was headed to the dungeons, though I wasn't sure why. Perhaps I was going to steal more ingredients again.

However, when I entered the office, I closed the door behind me, locking it. Professor Snape was asleep in bed and though I was under the imperius curse, I was able to see again how peaceful he looked when he was asleep.

'Wake him up' Moody's voice whispered in my ear. I approached the bed and very roughly, woke him up. His eyes popped open and he reached for his wand, but my wand was at his throat, and he didn't move.

"Get out of bed Severus." I hissed.

Slowly, he got out of bed. "Incarcerous!" I said calmly, pointing my wand at him. Ropes sprung out of my wand and bound his wrists to the chair and his ankles together and he fell to the floor. I knelt down, grabbing his shirt front and propped him up.

"You've made a mistake. . . Severus. . ." I whispered in his ear. "I know you thought Moody was a good person to go to and you were probably right. It's to bad he makes it so obvious when he's looking for an imposter. . . but I thank you for not going to Dumbledore. . . it makes this much easier. . ."

Professor Snape didn't answer, his teeth gritted tightly together.

"Well. . ." I said slowly, setting down the wand. I lifted my shirt over my head, tossing it to the floor, revealing nothing underneath. Professor Snape's eyes widened in shock and then flicked them away, towards the wall. "Now, you're going to pay, aren't you?" I smiled an evil smile. "Or at least, she'll pay for you."

"No!" Professor Snape protested angrily.

"To late." I whispered, pulling down my pajama bottoms. "You should've thought of the consequences before you went to Moody for help."

I was completely naked now and if I hadn't been under the imperius curse, I would've been blushing like crazy. I picked my wand up again. "Now let's see. . . where is it going to hurt the most. . . Diffinido!" I pointed my wand at my own arm and a deep gash appeared there, blood streaming down the cut. I felt the pain, but couldn't react to it.

"Stop!" Professor Snape almost. . . pleaded.

"Not yet." I whispered. I didn't say the incantation the next few times, simply pointing my wand to different places on my body, cutting them open. I winced in pain, the pain showing on my face- for effect I think. Professor Snape looked tortured.

"Now." I said, leaning close to him, dripping blood over his nightdress. I'd cut myself in at least twenty different places. Blood dripped on the floor, starting to pool up as it ran down my body. I was slightly blind, a gash on my forehead and blood running down my face, some of it had crossed my left eye. I grabbed his chin in a seductive way, our lips nearly touching. "Have you learned your lesson?"

Professor Snape looked like he didn't want to answer but through gritted teeth he said, "Yes."

I appraised him for a second and then smiled and said, "I mostly believe you. Now try to save her life." I backed away, pointing my wand at myself. He jerked against the ropes as I held the wand towards my stomach. "Sectumsempra!" I said and winked at him. His eyes widened in horror. The imperius curse was lifted. I fell to the ground, blood leaking from the cut in my stomach. I raised my wand weakly, and said, "Releshio."

The bonds released and he raced to the bedside table and grabbed his wand and knelt next to me, running his wand over my cuts, muttering quickly under his breath. My sight started to black, the blood loss killing me. I could briefly hear him muttering my name but I couldn't respond. And then, there was a different feeling, sight coming back. The wounds started to heal, the blood going back into my body. Once they were completely healed, he collapsed by my side, pulling me into a hug.

I sobbed into his chest, his arms forming a protective barrier around me. His hair curtained my face and I felt tears drip onto my neck. He was crying too.

"I'm so sorry." he whispered into my ear. "I'm so so sorry."

"It's a-alrigh-ht." I said, leaning back, wiping tears from my face. "my blo-lo-ody fault." I remembered I wasn't wearing anything and quickly snatched my clothes up off the floor and threw them on. Professor Snape was looking at the blood on the office floor with a tortured look. I touched his nightdress. "Sorry about the stains." I said stupidly, finding nothing else to say.

He shook his head. "I don't care about my clothes Elizabeth."

My stomach was turning butterflies and then, his hands were on my face and he pulled me in for a kiss. My heart started to pound, our lips meshed together, and he pulled away. "I love you Elizabeth."

"Don't." I whispered against him. "Don't. I can't. . . you can't . . this. . . I. . ." I dissolved into tears again, pressing my face against him. He rubbed my back soothingly.

I wiped my tears away and got up from where I was sitting with him. "I- I - I should go- go back to the- the common room." I said, licking my lips, looking down. I was trembling.

"Elizabeth." Professor Snape said, standing too. His hair was hanging in front of his face and his night clothes were covered in blood and tears. "I-"

"Don't say another word. . . please?" I begged, backing away towards the door. "I can't. . . I can't stand if you mock me on this. . ."

I turned and fled the room, tears streaming down my cheeks. What a nightmare. I climbed back into bed and buried my head under the pillow, sobbing and shaking. I never fell asleep.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, I sat pale faced at the Gryffindor table. I was very subdued. Professor McGonagall came over and told Harry he was to go down to the Quidditch pitch at nine o'clock to meet Mr. Bagman. I knew that Mr. Crouch would make an appearance tonight. Or at least, if my visions were right, that was.

I went into the forest to find Firenze. When I couldn't find him, I put my back against a tree and fell asleep. I woke up to Firenze nudging me. It was much darker out, but as it was May- it was warm.

"Are you alright Elizabeth Kane?" He asked gently.

"Oh, sorry." I said, struggling to my feet and smiling as naturally as possible. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine, thanks."

Firenze smiled too, though his eyes looked more concerned. "The forest is a restful place for a nap, but a bit dangerous for you, don't you think?"

I grinned reluctantly. "I'll head back up to the castle then."

"Good idea." Firenze said, frowning deeper still. "I'll see you later, shall I?"

"Of course." I said.

I made my way through the forest and heard Viktor's voice saying, "You haff never. . . you haff not. . ."

"No." Harry said in a firm voice.

I heard Krum say, "You fly very vell. I vos votching at the first task."

"Thanks." Harry said. He looked up and saw me. "Elizabeth? What are you doing out here?" Harry asked in surprise.

"I was looking for Mr.-" And then Mr. Crouch appeared from the forest. His robes were ripped and bloody, his face scratched. He was unshaven and gray like a rag that hadn't been washed in a long time.

"Vosn't he a judge? Isn't he vith your Ministry?" Krum asked.

Harry nodded and walked slowly towards Mr. Crouch.

Mr. Crouch meanwhile was saying, ". . . and when you've done that. . . Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve. . ."

"Mr. Crouch. . .?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Harry." I said sharply. "Go get Dumbledore, now."

". . . and then send another owl to Madam Maxime, because she might want to up the number of students she's bringing now that Karkaroff's made it a round dozen. . . do that, Weatherby, will you? Will you? Will. . ."

"Harry!" I said sharply as Mr. Crouch staggered sideways and fell to his knees. I rushed to his side.

"Vot is wrong with him?" Krum asked in alarm.

"No idea." Harry said. "I'm going to go get Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore!" Mr. Crouch said, seizing Harry's robes. "I need. . . see. . . Dumbledore. . ."

"Okay. If you get up, Mr. Crouch, we can go up to the-"

"I've done. . . stupid. . . thing. . . Must. . . tell. . .Dumbledore." Mr. Crouch said with difficulty.

"Go now!" I yelled at Harry. Harry jerked away from Mr. Crouch and ran out of the forest. I attempted to carry Mr. Crouch part of the way there. But I didn't get to move him far. He was very uncooperative and Viktor didn't seem to want to get near him.

"Come on Mr. Crouch." I said anxiously. "Let's go up to the castle. It's really just a few steps more." With a bit of coaxing, we were starting to move closer to the edge of the forest. And then, Mr. Crouch turned, raising his wand and shouted "Stupefy!" Krum fell, stunned.

I heard footsteps behind me. Barty Crouch Jr. was standing there, looking very angry. "You should've known better than to interfere Kane. I'll deal with you later. Stupefy!"

Stupidly, I threw my hands up to protect myself. But I had one thing left, one thing that could get Firenze here, maybe stop Crouch Jr. I screamed as loudly as I could. Then I blacked out.

When I awoke, I saw Dumbledore and Harry leaning over me. I blinked my eyes multiple times and asked "Where's Crouch?"

"We don't know yet." Dumbledore said grimly. "I don't suppose you know who attacked you?"

I shook my head, feeling the guilt of the lie eat me up inside. "Mr. Crouch attacked Krum. . . and then. . . and then I was stunned and that's all I know."

Hagrid and Fang came with Karkaroff following. "What is this? What's going on?" He asked, seeing both Viktor and I on the forest ground.

"I vos attacked! Mr. Crouch or votever his name-" Krum started.

"Crouch attached you? Crouch attacked you? The Triwizard judge?"

"Igor." Dumbledore said but Karkaroff interrupted him.

"Treachery! It is a plot! You and your Ministry of Magic have lured me here under false pretenses, Dumbledore! This is not an equal competition! First you sneak Potter into the tournament, though he is underage! Now one of your Ministry friends attempts to put my champion out of action! I smell double-dealing and corruption in this whole affair, and you, Dumbledore, you, with your talk of closer international wizarding links, of rebuilding old ties, of forgetting old differences- here's what I think of you!" Karkaroff spat at Dumbledore's feet.

Before the rest of us could blink, Hagrid had shoved Karkaroff up against a tree, his hand around his throat, a couple of feet off the air. "Apologize!" Hagrid snarled, the angriest I'd ever seen him be.

"Hagrid, no!" Dumbledore shouted, his eyes flashed behind his glasses.

Hagrid removed his hand and Karkaroff slumped to the floor. "Kindly escort Harry back up to the castle, Hagrid. And escort Elizabeth to the hospital wing, please." Dumbledore said.

Breathing heavily, Hagrid gave Karkaroff a heavy glare. "I'll leave Fang with yeh, Headmaster. Stay, Fang. C'mon, Harry, Elizabeth."

I got up from the ground, and leaning on Harry for a bit of support, we made our way up to the castle. "How dare he," Hagrid growled as we crossed the grounds. "How dare he accuse Dumbledore. Like Dumbledore'd do anythin' like that. Like Dumbledore wanted you in the tournament in the firs' place. Worried! I dunno when I seen Dumbledore more worried than he's bin lately. An' you! What were yeh doin' wnader' off with ruddy Krum? he's from Durmstrang, Harry! Coulda jinxed yeh right there, couldn' he? Hasn' Moody taught yeh nothin'? 'Magine lettn' him lure yeh off on yer own-"

"Krum's all right!" Harry exclaimed as we made our way up the stairs to the hospital wing. I wondered if I felt weak because I'd been stunned or because I'd been under the imperius curse so long, I no longer had my own strength. "He wasn't trying to jinx me, he just wanted to talk about Hermione-"

"I'll be havin' a few words with her, an' all. The less you lot 'ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be. Yeh can' trust any of 'em." Hagrid groaned. I went into the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey threw her hands up in the air upon my arrival-though after Hagrid explained what had happened, she looked concerned and helped me into bed, giving me something to drink.

I quickly fell into a deep peaceful sleep.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 15

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖋𝖊𝖑𝖙 𝖘𝖚𝖓 on my face and I was soaking wet when I woke up. There was an arm around my waist and I spat water out of my mouth and coughed.

"Harry?" I asked, trying to look at him. The sun was blinding and I squinted.

"Yeah, it's alright." He said, struggling to keep the three of us afloat.

"I can swim on my own now." I said and his arm disappeared from his waist. The mermaids were up around us. "Oh good, you brought her up too."

"Help me with her, will you? I don't think she can swim well." Harry said. We put the little girl between the two of us and swam back to the bank where the judges stood watching. The mermaids were singing a horribly screechy song, swimming around us like we were some sort of royal procession.

I looked up into the crowd. Professor McGonagall was clutching the railing tightly, Professor Dumbledore was smiling, Professor Snape looked tense, and I looked away from him quickly. Uncle Moody looked grumpy, leaning on his staff. The way he always did, I guess.

I stumbled up onto the banks, my legs hadn't been working for about 18 hours and helped the girl to the banks as well. Madam Maxime had been restraining Fleur who was fighting hysterically to get back into the lake for her little sister.

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'hurt?" She was screaming.

"She's fine." I muttered.

Madame Maxime let her go, now that we were out of the water and Fleur raced over and hugged Gabrielle fiercely. "It was ze grindylows. . . zey attacked me. . . oh, Gabrielle, I thought. . . I thought. . ."

"Come here, you." Madam Pomfrey said, wrapping a thick blanket around Harry's shoulders and forcing potion down his throat. I went to walk away, preferably up to the castle but Madam Pomfrey caught me and wrapped a towel around me as well. She forced the hot potion down my throat and I coughed when it went down. The towel was nice and warm though.

"Harry, well done! You did it! You found out how all by yourself!" Hermione said, delighted.

"Well. . . yeah that's right." Harry said. I noticed that Karkaroff was looking our way. I turned my back on him.

"You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny."

Hermione brushed the water beetle away and said, "You're well outside the time limit, though, Harry. . . Did it take you ages to find us?"

"No. . . I found you okay. . ." Harry muttered. I patted his arm reassuringly. I still felt uncomfortable though. Why me? Why not Ron? All the things I'd originally foreseen- Fleur kissing Ron's cheek, Percy running out to rescue Ron. . . those things were gone now. Or perhaps they were never going to have happened in the first place.

I decided it was officially time to stop relying on my visions. They were screwing me up and I was worrying over them. Enough was enough. I wasn't going to look at them anymore, I wasn't going to react to them anymore. I was done.

Madam Pomfrey was trying to clean Fleur's cuts on her face and arms but Fleur wouldn't let her. Instead she said, "Look after Gabrielle." Fleur then turned to Harry and said, "You saved 'er, even though she was not your 'ostage."

"Yeah." Harry said.

Fleur bent down, kissed Harry twice on each cheek and then turned to me. "And you too- you 'elped."

"Er- sure." I said and she pulled me into a surprising hug. Well, at least she hadn't tried to kiss me.

"Ladies and gentlemen ,we have reached out decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows. .. Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retriever her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

"I deserved zero." Fleur said, shaking her head. Ron was approaching us slowly and finally came to stand by Ron. Fleur smiled at him and he blushed.

"He's the one who would've helped- if he'd been the hostage." I said. Fleur of course, like the other foreign students, knew about my future seeking powers, "I wasn't supposed to be in the lake, he was."

Fleur appraised him for a moment and Ron looked nervously between me and her. She swooped down and kissed both his cheeks too and said, "That's for eef you 'ad saved her." Ron's cheeks were bright red and I smiled. At least I could fix mistakes. Hermione looked furious.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minutes outside the time limit of an hour. We therefore award him forty-seven points. Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We aware him forty points. Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. he returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own. Most of the judges," Ludo threw Karkaroff a nasty look, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However. . . Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."

There was roaring applause from the crowd and I smiled up at him. "Congratulations."

"There you go, Harry!" Ron shouted, "you weren't being thick after all- you were showing moral fiber!" I giggled.

Fleur clapped very hard- probably relieved that Harry had saved Gabrielle too.

"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

Madam Pomfrey started ushering us back up to the castle in order to get into dry clothes.

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𝕬𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖙𝖜𝖔 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖐𝖘 later, Sirius sent a letter to Harry which read

Be at stile at end of road out of Hogsmeade (past Devish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can.

"He hasn't come back to Hogsmeade?" Ron asked incredulously.

"It looks like it, doesn't it?" Hermione asked.

"I can't believe him, if he's caught..." Harry said tensely. "What do you think, Elizabeth?"

I shrugged. "Don't know anymore. I mean, technically, I don't foresee any trouble but it's not like that means anything anymore."

"Someone's bitter this morning." Ron said.

"Her visions have been off, Ron, what do you expect?" Hermione asked with a huff.

"Off?" Harry asked, frowning. "Like what?"

"A bunch of little things that are all adding up together." I muttered. I took my glasses out of my bag and put them on. "By the way, another Witch Weekly article came out about you two. Pansy Parkinson will give you the article before Potions class. I wouldn't read it until after however, or if you read it in class, put it in your bag or something because if or when Snape sees it, he'll read the entire thing out loud."

"I thought you didn't trust your visions." Ron said thickly through a piece of bread.

I didn't answer and just got up in a huff and went to Ancient Runes. I wasn't really angry at him- I was frustrated with myself. What wasn't I seeing?

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𝖂𝖊 𝖑𝖊𝖋𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 castle grounds, our cloaks thrown over our shoulders in the mild weather. Harry had put food in his bag which contained about a dozen chicken legs, a loaf of bread, and flask of pumpkin juice.

I, on the other hand, had gone straight down to the kitchen and had gotten two dozen chicken wings, some fruit, a couple glass jars of milk, and some cakes and had put them in a container which I had shrunk and was now carefully carrying in my hands. I also had a bag of supplies on my shoulder.

We went to Gladrags Wizardwear first because Harry wanted to buy socks for Dobby. There were many different types of socks. Socks that changed colors, socks that switched patterns, socks that screamed when they became too smelly, socks that were simply the most ridiculous colors you could get. I got a pair of coloring changing socks for Trang. She'd enjoy them.

Then, at half past one, we made our way up the street to the stile that Sirius had indicated we come to. Waiting for us was a dog on his hind legs, his front paws on top of the top bar. He had newspapers in his mouth and was wagging his tail.

I grinned, ran, and vaulted over the stile. Landing on the other side, I carefully put the box down and petted Sirius' head and scratched behind his ears. "Hi puppy." I muttered quietly.

"Hello, Sirius." Harry said as the other three reached the stile. They climbed over. Sirius sniffed Harry's bag and wagged his tail again. Then, he started to trot away into the rocky mountain ranges. I picked up the box and hurried after him.

Sirius led us to the foot of the mountain which was covered in boulders and stones. He started up it, easily for him with four paws. The rest of us staggered behind, climbing over the boulders and trying to find an easy footpath.

I loved it though, it was like an adventure game in real life. The path was steep, winding, and stony. But we followed Sirius' wagging tail like a beacon. The sun beat down on us- surprisingly warm for March weather. Then at last, we slipped into a narrow fissure in the rock.

I looked around the dimly lit cave. At one end was Buckbeak the hippogriff. We all bowed to him. Buckbeak lowered himself into a bow. Hermione rushed over to pet him. Harry turned to our godfather who had turned human, spitting the newspapers out of his mouth. I launched myself into his arms and he gave me a huge hug, chuckling.

He was wearing his ragged gray robes from Azkaban still. His black hair was longer than before, which I was glad about but it was matted again. He looked very thin.

"Chicken." He said hoarsely after I released him. Harry pulled the food out of his bag and handed over the food. "Thanks. I've been living off rats mostly. Can't steal to much food from Hogsmeade; I'd draw attention to myself." He said as he ripped into the chicken.

I sat back, grabbing the small container and tapping it with my wand. It grew into the large sized box that it originally had been and pushed it over. "That's more food and. . ." I rummaged in my bag, pulling out multiple items and announcing them as I pulled them out, ". . .robes, parchment, ink, quills, water bottles, blanket, and pillow."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sirius all stared at me in various shades of amazement and amusement.

"Where did you get all this?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

"House-elves" I said, pointing to the food, "Dad refuses to wear those robes, he hates the color- bit stupid really- just some spare parchment, ink, and quills I had, and the blanket and pillow are duplicates from the storage bin."

Sirius chuckled.

"What're you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asked nervously.

"Fulfilling my duty as godfather. Don't worry about it, I'm pretending to be a lovable stray." He said, gnawing on the chicken in a dog-like way.

Sirius was still grinning, but he could read the anxiety on Harry's face and said, "I want to be on the spot. Your last letter. . . well, let's just say things are getting fishier. I've been stealing the paper every time someone throws one out, and by the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's getting worried." He nodded to the papers.

I'd already read most of them. They were talking about Mr. Crouch being ill and Bertha Jorkins disappearing.

"What if they catch you?" Harry asked as Ron picked up the papers. Hermione was still petting Buckbeak. I got up to go pet him as well and he greeted me cheerfully. "What if you're seen?"

I heard Sirius behind me say, "You four and Dumbledore are the only ones around here who know I'm an Animagus."

There was a bit of silence and the shuffling of the newspapers and Harry said slowly after a few moments, "They're making it sound like he's dying. But he can't be that ill if he managed to get up here. . ."

"My brother's Crouch's personal assistant. He says Crouch is suffering from overwork." Ron informed Sirius.

"Mind you, he did look ill, last time I saw him up close. The night my name came out of the goblet. . ." Harry said, "Didn't he Elizabeth?"

"Bit like a dead man walking." I confirmed. "And while I didn't stay around, I know for a fact from my visions that Dumbledore was a bit alarmed at his condition as well."

"Getting his comeuppance for sacking Winky, isn't he? I bet he wishes he hadn't done it now- bet he feels difference now she's not there to look after him." Hermione said with an edge to her voice.

"Hermione's obsessed with house-elfs." Ron muttered.

I stopped petting Buckbeak, kissing the top of his head and going to sit down next to Sirius. "Crouch sacked his house-elf?" Sirius asked in interest.

"Yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup." Harry said and quickly told Sirius what had happened in the clearing at the Cup. When Harry had finished, Sirius was on his feet, pacing up and down the cave.

"Let me get this straight. You first saw the elf in the Top Box. She was saving Crouch a seat, right?" He asked, brandishing a fresh chicken wing in the air like a wand.

"Right." All four of us said at once.

"But Crouch didn't turn up for the match?"

"No. I think he said he'd been too busy." Harry said.

"Harry, did you check your pockets for your wand after you'd left the Top Box?"

"No." Harry said. "Elizabeth already said that she believes it was taken in the top box."

"Winky didn't steal that wand!" Hermione said hotly.

"The elf wasn't the only one in that box. Who else was sitting behind you?"

"Loads of people." Harry said. "Bulgarian ministers. . . Cornelius Fudge. . . the Malfoys"

"The Malfoys! I bet it was Lucius Malfoy!" Ron said extremely loudly.

"Anyone else?" Sirius asked.

"No one." Harry said.

"Yes." I said.

"There was Ludo Bagman." Hermione said.

"I don't know anything about Bagman except that he used to be Beater for the Wimbourne Wasps. What's he like?" Sirius asked. I snorted in distaste and Sirius glanced over at me.

"He's okay. He keeps offering to help me with the Triwizard Tournament but he keeps asking Elizabeth for gambling advice." Harry said.

"Does he, now? I wonder why he'd do that." Sirius said with a frown. I wondered which part he was referring to.

"Says he's taken a liking to me. Apparently he's having financial problems." Harry said, answering both.

"Hmm." Sirius said.

"We saw him in the forest just before the Dark Mark appeared, remember?" Hermione asked the three of us.

"But there was the person under the invisibility cloak too." I pointed out as Ron said, "yeah, but he didn't stay in the forest did he? The moment we told him about the riot, he went off to the campsite."

"How d'you know?" Hermione asked. "How d'you know where he Disapparated to?"

"Come off it. Are you saying you reckon Ludo Bagman conjured the Dark Mark?" Ron asked.

"It's more likely he did it than Winky." Hermione said.

"Told you, told you she's obsessed with house-" Ron started but Sirius held up a hand to stop him.

"When the Dark mark had been conjured and the elf had been discovered holding Harry's wand, what did Crouch do?" Sirius asked thoughtfully.

"He went to look in the bushes." Harry said. "But there wasn't anyone else there."

"Of course. Of course he'd want to pin it on anyone but his own elf. . . and then he sacked her?" Sirius asked, frowning.

Hermione answered in a heated voice, "Yes, he sacked her, just because she hadn't stayed in her tent and let herself get trampled-"

"Hermione, will you give it a rest with the elf!" Ron said exasperated.

Sirius shook his head however and said, "She's got the measure of Crouch better than you have, Ron. If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." He ran a hand over his unshaven face. Razors- that's what I'd forgotten. "All these absences of Barty Crouch's. . . he goes to the trouble of making sure his house-elf saves him a seat at the Quidditch World Cup, but doesn't bother to turn up and watch. He works very hard to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, and then stops coming to that too.. It's not like Crouch. If he's ever taken a day off work because of illness before this, I'll eat Buckbeak."

"D'you know Crouch, then?" Harry asked.

Sirius' face darkened with hatred. "Oh I know Crouch all right. He was the one who gave the order for me to be sent to Azkaban- without a trial."

"What?" Ron and Hermione asked together.

"You're kidding!" Harry said incredulously.

I said nothing, just looking at him.

"No, I'm not. Crouch used to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, didn't you know?" Sirius asked, taking another bite of chicken.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shook their heads. I nodded.

"He was tipped for the next Minister of Magic. He's a great wizard, Barty Crouch, powerfully magical- and power-hungry. Oh never a Voldemort supporters, no, Barty Crouch was always very outspoken against the Dark Side. But then a lot of people who were against the Dark Side. . . well, you wouldn't understand. . . you're too young. . ."

I felt a bit irritated with this answer and Ron clearly felt the same way because he said, "That's what my dad said at the World Cup. Try us, why don't you?"

A grin flashed across Sirius's thin face. "All right, I'll try you. Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves. You're scared for yourself, and your family, and your friends. Every week, news comes of more deaths, more disappearances, more torturing. . . The Ministry of Magic's in disarray, they don't know what to do, they're trying to keep everything hidden from the Muggles, but meanwhile, Muggles are dying too. Terror everywhere. . . panic. . . confusion. that's how it used to be. Well, times like that bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. Crouch's principles might've been good in the beginning- I wouldn't know. He rose quickly through the Ministry, and he started ordering very harsh measures against Voldemort's supporters. The Aurors were given new powers- powers to kill rather than capture, for instance. And I wasn't the only one who was handed straight to the dementors without trial. Crouch fought violence with violence, and authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses against suspects. I would say he became as ruthless and cruel as many on the Dark Side. He had his supporters, mind you- plenty of people though he was going about things the right way, and there were a lot of witches and wizards clamoring for him to take over as Minister of Magic. When Voldemort disappeared, it looked like only a matter of time until Crouch got the top job. But then something rather unfortunate happened, Crouch's own son was caught with a group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of Azkaban. Apparently they were trying to find Voldemort and return him to power."

"Crouch's son was caught?" Hermione gasped.

Sirius nodded, throwing his chicken bone to Buckbeak and threw himself down next to me and began to tear pieces of bread off. I grabbed his hands, frowning. "You're going to make yourself sick, eat a little slower."

Sirius grinned at me and slowed down a little bit and then turned back to the story, "Nasty little shock for old Barty, I'd image. Should have spent more time at home with his family, shouldn't he? Ought to have left the office early once in a while. . . gotten to know his own son."

"Was his son a Death Eater?" Harry asked.

"Yes." I confirmed, monitoring the size of bread Sirius was stuffing in his mouth.

"I was in Azkaban when he was brought in. This is mostly stuff I've found out since I got out. The boy was definitely caught in the company of people I'd bet my life were Death Eaters- but I'd just thought he was in the wrong place at the wrong time like the elf."

"Did Crouch try and get his son off?" Hermione whispered.

Sirius barked a laugh. "Crouch let his son off? I thought you had the measure of him, Hermione! Anything that threatened to tarnish his reputation had to go; he had dedicated his whole life to becoming Minister of Magic. You saw him dismiss a devoted house-elf because she associated him with the Dark Mark again- doesn't that tell you what he's like? Crouch's fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn't much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy. . . then he sent him straight to Azkaban."

"He gave his own son to the dementors?" Harry asked quietly as though he couldn't wrap his mind around the concept. Perhaps he couldn't. Not him, not him who would have loved parents, could not imagine horrible parents because his- our- parents had died for him.

"That's right. I saw the dementors bringing him, watched them through the bars in my cell door. He can't have been more than nineteen. They took him into a cell near mine. He was screaming for his mother by nightfall. He went quiet after a few days, though. . . they all went quiet in the end. . . except when they shrieked in their sleep. . ."

Sirius's eyes got a dead look in them and my heart twisted. "Sirius. . ." I whispered and put my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around me and kept it there.

"So he's still in Azkaban?" Harry asked.

"No. No, he's not in there anymore. He died about a year after they brought him in."

"He died?" Harry asked in shock.

"He wasn't the only one. Most go mad in there, and plenty stop eating in the end. They lose the will to live. You could always tell when a death was coming, because the dementors could sense it, they got excited. That boy looked pretty sickly when he arrived. Crouch being an important Ministry member, he and his wife were allowed a deathbed visit. That was the last time I saw Barty Crouch, half carrying his wife past my cell. She died herself, apparently, shortly afterward. Grief. Wasted away just like the boy. Crouch never came for his son's body. The dementors buried him outside the fortress; I watched them do it." Sirius threw aside the bread now, reaching for the pumpkin juice and drained it in one go.

I frowned at him, but held my tongue. He was going to make himself sick.

"So old Crouch lost it all, just when he thought he had it made. One moment, a hero, poised to become Minister of Magic. . . next his son dead, his wife dead, the family name dishonored, and, so I've heard since I escaped, a big drop in popularity. Once the boy had died, people started feeling a bit more sympathetic toward the son and started asking how a nice young lad from a good family had gone so badly astray. The conclusion was that his father never cared much for him. So Cornelius Fudge got the top job, and Crouch was shunted sideways into the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

There was a long silence. I thought carefully about something. Crouch had lost both his son and wife. There was someone Crouch was hiding under the invisibility cloak. There was someone that Winky wasn't going to talk about. There was someone that was taking ingredients from Snape's potion ingredients. There was someone that Voldemort needed for the job of getting Harry. There was someone that had attacked Uncle Moody before his job. There was someone. . . someone. . .

"Moody says Crouch is obsessed with catching Dark wizards." Harry said out of the blue before I could finish my thoughts.

"Yeah, I've heard it's a bit of a mania with him. If you ask me, he still thinks he can bring back the old popularity by catching one more Death Eater." Sirius said, nodding his heads.

"And he sneaked up here to search Snape's office!" Ron said.

"Yes, and that doesn't make sense at all!" Sirius said.

"Yeah, it does!" Ron said excitedly, his hatred for Snape overcoming his logic.

"Listen, if Crouch wants to investigate Snape, why hasn't he been coming to judge the tournament? It would be an ideal excuse to make regular visits to Hogwarts and keep an eye on him."

"So you think Snape could be up to something, then?" Harry asked.

"Look, I don't care what you say, Dumbledore trusts Snape-" I said hotly.

"Oh give it a rest Elizabeth. I know Dumbledore's brilliant and everything, but that doesn't mean a really clever Dark wizard couldn't fool him-"

"Why did Snape save Harry's life in the first year, then? Why didn't he just let him die?" I interjected, getting even angrier.

"I dunno- maybe he thought Dumbledore would kick him out-" Ron said, struggling.

"What do you think Sirius?" Harry asked quickly.

"I think they've both got a point. Ever since I found out Snape was teaching here, I've wondered why Dumbledore hired him. Snape's always been fascinated by the Dark Arts, he was famous for it at school. Slimy, oily, greasy-haired kid, he was." Harry and Ron grinned at each other. I frowned. "Snape knew more curses when he arrived at school than half the kids in seventh year, and he was part of a gang of Slytherins who nearly all turned out to be Death Eaters. Rosier and Wilkes- they were both killed by Aurors the year before Voldemort fell. The Lestranges- they're a married couple- they're in Azkaban. Avery- from what I've heard he wormed his way out of trouble by saying he'd been acting under the Imperius Curse- he's still at large. But as far as I know, Snape was never even accused of being a Death Eater- not that that means much. Plenty of them were never caught."

"He was." I said softly. "it came out during Karkaroff's trial. He used Snape's name but Dumbledore stood up for Snape. He had, at first, joined because that was what his friend group was doing but after a certain circumstance, he turned, letting Dumbledore use him as a double-spy. He's been on the good side ever since."

The others stared at me in amazement. I frowned at them. "What? I know some things."

"Why are Moody and Crouch so keen to get into Snape's office then?" Ron asked stubbornly.

"Well. I wouldn't put it past Mad-Eye to have searched every single teacher's office when he got to Hogwarts. He takes his Defense Against the Dark Arts very seriously, Moody. I'm not sure he trusts anyone at all, and after the things he's seen, it's not surprising. I'll say this for Moody, though, he never killed if he could help it. Always brought people in alive where possible. He was tough, but he never descended to the level of the Death Eaters. Crouch though. . . he's a different matter. . . is he really ill? If he is, why did he make the effort to drag himself up to Snape's office? And if he's not. . . what's he up to? What was he doing at the World Cup that was so important he didn't turn up in the Top Box? What's he been doing while he should have been judging the tournament?" Sirius said, rubbing his chin.

Personally, I thought that if Uncle Moody had killed more people he might've lost less body parts, but that was just me.

There was more silence. Then Sirius looked at Ron and said, "You say your brother's Crouch's personal assistant? Any chance you could ask him if he's seen Crouch lately?"

"No." I said. "Not no because Percy won't answer, but no, he won't have seen him."

"Guess that answers that." Ron muttered.

"And you might try and find out whether they've got any leads on Bertha Jorkins while you're at it." Sirius said. "Well any leads about what they think happened to Bertha anyways."

"But she's dead?" I questioned, confused.

"I know." Sirius said, nodding slightly. "But the Daily Prophet doesn't know that, do they? It'd be good to know what they are thinking."

"It is?" Ron asked.

"Well, Bagman's quoted in here," Sirius said, gesturing to the article. "Blustering on about how bad Bertha's memory is. Well, maybe she's changed since I knew her, but the Bertha I knew wasn't forgetful at all- quite the reverse. She was a bit dim, but she had an excellent memory for gossip. It used to get her into a lot of trouble; she never knew when to keep her mouth shut. I can see her being a bit of a liability at the Ministry of Magic. . . maybe that's why Bagman didn't bother to look for her for so long. Now what did you see?"

"Memory charms can hurt the mind. . ." I murmured out loud, staring at the wall.

"Elizabeth?" Hermione asked uncertainly and I held up a finger. I needed to think.

Bertha Jorkins worked under Crouch. What if, she'd stopped at the house and seen his son- if per say, the son had been taken from Azkaban- how I didn't know yet. But assuming the Son was out of Azkaban, Bertha Jorkins finds out, confronts Crouch, he erases the memory with a powerful spell. So powerful in fact, that her memory was damaged. Hypothetically, of course. Everyone would think she had a bad memory afterwards because the spell had affected it. It changed her personality. So if the boy had been a Death Eater, which I was sure he had, he would've wanted to return to Voldemort. He could've potentially been the one to sneak up on Moody which meant. . . and Moody was trying to get into Snape's office, where potion ingredients are kept. . . potion ingredients for the Polyjuice potion. A man that lived in Crouches house that Voldemort would want back. . . his son had been on trial.

"Elizabeth?" Sirius asked alarmed as my face paled, "Are you alright?"

And Percy had said to his father that Mr. Crouch was taking a special interest in Bertha Jorkins whereabouts. Of course he would, if he had indeed put her under a spell or erased her memory.

"Huh, oh yeah, fine, I was just trying to digest some information. The theory is a work in progress." I said quickly.

"What time is it?" Sirius asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Quarter to four." Hermione said, checking her watch.

"You'd better get back to the school. Now listen. I don't want you lot sneaking out of school to see me, all right? Particularly you, Elizabeth, I know how much you wander about outside. Just send notes to me here. I still want to hear about anything odd. But you're not to go leaving Hogwarts without permission; it would be an ideal opportunity for someone to attack you." Sirius said, getting to his feet.

"No one has tried to attack me except a dragon and a couple of grindylows." Harry said and I laughed.

"No one has tried to attack me period." I said before remembering that I'd been attacked once before.

Sirius scowled at both of us. "I don't care. . . I'll breathe freely again when this tournament's over, and that's not until June. Harry, Ron, Hermione, could you give Elizabeth and I a second?"

"Sure." Hermione said and the three of them left through the fissure.

Sirius turned to me, "What's wrong?"

"It's just a hypothesis and I could be wrong." I said, frowning. "But I think I know who put Harry's name into the Goblet of Fire. It's only a guess though so I don't want to say in case I'm wrong."

Sirius measured me with his eyes. "You aren't going to confront them, are you?"

"I'm not stupid." I said defensively. "I just need solid proof that isn't guess work or coincidences."

Sirius kissed my forehead. I hugged him tightly. "Thanks for everything Eilís"

"Of course." I said.

Then we went outside. Sirius turned back into a dog and we headed back to the stile as fast as possible so that we could get back to Hogwarts. He allowed Harry, Ron, and Hermione to each pat him on his head, but I got on my knees and pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of his head. "I know I smother you with love." I whispered in his ear. "But I can't help it." And then I stood up and joined the others on the other side of the stile.

"Wonder if Percy knows all that stuff about Crouch? But maybe he doesn't care. . . it'd probably just make him admire Crouch even more. Yeah, Percy loves rules. He'd just say Crouch was refusing to break them for his own son." Ron said, making up his mind.

"Percy would never throw any of his family to the dementors." Hermione said severely.

"I don't know. If he thought we were standing in the way of his career. . . Percy's really ambitious, you know. . ." Ron debated.

Little did we know there was a bit of truth to that.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖚𝖕 to the dorm, to drop off my winter stuff before I went to Dumbledore's office. There was a pair of heels on my bed- purple heels, the ones I'd left in the forest. I touched them briefly. Severus must've sent them. I smiled. I really hoped I wasn't going to die.

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[braveclementine]

Chapter 13

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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"𝕸𝖆𝖞 𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 your attention." Snape said coolly at the end of a potions lesson. He looked extremely bitter. I assumed that whatever it was, he didn't actually want to tell us. All the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws stared at him expectantly.

His mouth was set in a grimace. "It is my unfortunate duty to educate you on an event that is happening on Christmas. The Yule Ball." Some of the girls giggled and he glared in their direction. "The Yule Ball is a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament- unfortunately- and will be open to fourth years and above. However, you may invite a younger student if that suits you."

The girls, despite his glares, giggled again. I grinned, my cheeks red. "Dress Robes are to be worn and the ball will start at eight o'clock and end at midnight in the Great Hall. Now get out."

The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws sprang up and dashed for the door, the girls are congregating in the hallways to laugh and talk about whatever they were talking about. I rolled my eyes and got up much slower, stuffing my textbook in my bag.

"Who are you going with?" Snape asked from behind his desk, not looking at me, "I'm sure you've foreseen it."

I paused, "No, I haven't actually. It's not Fred- He's going with Angelina Johnson. Ced's going with Cho. Harry's going with Parvati, Ron's going with Padma, and Viktor Krum is going with Hermione. So that doesn't leave much for me. I'm thinking about not going."

Professor Snape scoffed, throwing a stack of parchment in the trash. "Yes because I'm sure only five boys like you in the entire school."

"I'm just saying I don't foresee me going with anyone." I paused and then in a teasing voice I asked, "Who are you going with? Professor McGonagall?"

"Funny." he said, sitting down behind the desk. "Get out."

"Yes sir." I said sweetly, and smiling, left the room.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖗𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖑𝖊 seemed filled more with girls than with boys by the time Christmas break started. I wondered if the boys had all escaped, or if it just seemed like there were more girls because I was hoping a guy would ask me.

Against my visions, Fred and Cedric asked me first and I told them who I'd foreseen them going with without even saying yes or no. They accepted my visions however and they both decided they would go with Angelina and Cho, respectively.

I was anxious again. Another mark against my visions. I was also sad, wishing that I had accepted one of their offers, despite my visions.

Hannah Abbott was going with Ernie Macmillan of course. They'd been dating for a couple of weeks. Susan was going with Zacharias. Seamus was going with Lavender. I wondered briefly who Dean was going with- or if he was going at all.

Harry and Ron approached me as the weeks continued. Harry still hadn't asked Cho and Ron hadn't asked anyone yet either.

"Look." I said, running my hand through my hair. "Here's the thing. Harry, you're going to ask Cho. Ron your going to ask Fleur Delacour. I'll meet you back at the Gryffindor common room tonight."

And so, later tonight, I waited a the portrait when Ron came tearing up the stairs, Ginny coming after him. "Why'd you make me ask her?" Ron asked, ashen face. I stared back, unamused.

"Fairy lights." Ginny said and I followed them in. Ron made his way to a far corner. Ginny was trying not to smile.

A moment later, Harry came up, looking equally depressed.

"What's up Ron?" Harry asked, not looking at me as he joined us.

"Why did I do it? I don't know what made me do it!" He said wildly, throwing me a glare.

"What?" Harry asked.

"He-er- just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him." Ginny said, still fighting her smile, patting Ron's arm sympathetically.

"Oh." Harry asked, briefly looking at my stony face.

"I don't know what made me do it! I mean, I knew I was going to but still! There were people- all around- I've gone mad- everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the entrance hall- she was standing there talking to Diggory- and it sort of came over me- and I asked her."

"Well, he sort've yelled it at her." Ginny said, her smile fighting to the surface of her face.

Ron put his face in his hands, groaning and said, almost incoherently, "She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. And then- I dunno- I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."

"She's part veela. You were right- her grandmother was one. It wasn't your fault, I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it- but she was wasting her time. He's going with Cho Chang. I asked her to go with me just now, and she told me." Harry finished dully.

Ginny stopped smiling.

Ron glared at me. "This is mad, We're the only ones left who haven't got anyone- well except Neville. Hey- guess who he asked? Hermione!"

"What?" Harry asked, distracted and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I know! He told me after Potions! Said she's always been really nice, helping him out with work and stuff- but she told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn't want to go with Neville. . . I mean, who would?"

"Shut up!" I snapped so sharply they stopped laughing. "Ginny's going with Neville."

Hermione came through the portrait at that moment. "Why weren't you two at dinner?" she asked, joining us.

"Because they've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!" Ginny said angrily.

"Thanks a bunch Ginny." Ron said sourly.

"All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" Hermione said loftily. "Eloise Migden, starting to look quite pretty now, is she? Well, I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere who'll have you."

I laughed.

"Hermione, Neville's right- you are a girl." Ron said, staring at her suddenly.

I stopped laughing.

"Oh well spotted."

"Well- you can come with one of us!"

"No, I can't." She snapped.

"Oh come on, we need partners, we're going to look really stupid if we haven't got any, everyone else has." Ron said impatiently but Hermione interrupted him.

"I can't come with you, because I'm already going with someone." Hermione said, blushing.

"No, you're not! You just said that to get rid of Neville!" Ron said.

"Oh did I?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowing and flashing and she had a hard edge in her voice, "Just because it's taken you three years to notice, Ron, doesn't mean no one else has spotted I'm a girl!" She stormed off toward the girls' dormitories.

"She's lying." Ron said flatly.

"No she's not." I said angrily.

"Who is it then?" Ron asked sharply.

"I'm not telling you, it's her business."

"Ginny you can go with Harry-" Ron started and I growled, rolling my eyes.

"I can't." Ginny said, blushing too. "Didn't you hear Eliza? I'm going with Neville. He asked me after Hermione turned him down and it wasn't like I could go anyways since I'm not a fourth year. I think I'll go have dinner." she said abruptly, getting up and leaving.

"What's got into them?" Ron asked.

"Hermione wanted you to ask her but someone asked her first and she said yes." I said flatly. "Ginny wanted Harry to ask her but he's got his eye on Cho and Ginny's got enough dignity not to ask."

"What about you?" Ron asked. "Who are you going with? I heard you turned down Fred and Cedric."

"Yeah, I did." I said sharply. "Because I saw Fred going with Angelina and saw Cedric going with Cho. I don't interfere with the future."

"Then who are we going with? And why did you tell us who we were going to ask if we weren't going with them?" Harry asked.

"Because it's important that Cho knows you like her, despite the fact she won't be going with you. And Ron was going to do it whether I told you or not. And you, Harry are going to go over there and ask Parvati right now. Ron, you are technically going to go with Padma, but considering you'll be in such a terrible mood at the ball and won't even dance with her, it'd probably be better you don't go with anyone. If you are going to ask them though." I said, glaring at them angrily. "IF, you do ask them, you'd better dance with them, do you understand me? Girls hate not dancing."

Harry and Ron looked at each other and both of them nodded. "Here comes Parvati." I muttered. Parvati and Lavender had just entered the common room. Harry got up and went over and said, "Parvati? Will you go to the ball with me?"

Parvati giggled, blushing under her dark skin and then said, "Yes, all right, then." She said.

"Thanks." Harry said in relief. "Ron wants to know if Padma will go with him."

"I'll ask her." Parvati said, smiling.

"Thanks, that would be great." Harry said and came back to where we were sitting.

"Elizabeth are you going with someone?" Harry asked.

I shook my head, a bit downcast. "I haven't been asked by anyone that I haven't seen the future about."

"I'm sorry." Harry said.

I realized that I sounded extremely upset and I jumped to my feet. "No! Sorry, I'm fine, don't worry. I'm going to go eat."

I walked out of the Gryffindor common room. I went down to the Great Hall and grabbed something to eat and walked out to the forest. It was still light out and I found Firenze easily.

"Elizabeth Kane." He greeted me.

"Hi Firenze." I said, sitting down nearby.

I was quiet and he asked what was wrong.

"Well. . . nothing really." I said. "I just don't like being able to see the future much right now."

Firenze laughed, "Can't see who your going to the ball with?"

I blinked. "How'd you know?"

"Girls are usually very interested in balls and such. So judging by your down face, I assumed it had something to do with that." Firenze said, continuing to sharpen his arrows.

"It's just. . ." I hesitated. "It's stupid to complain about not having a date, you know? There are worse things than not having a date. And it's not like I wasn't asked. . . it's just that those who asked I'd already seen going with other people. . . you know I hate interfering with the future."

Firenze nodded, "I understand that and you are right that there are worse things. But I think someone as young as you shouldn't be worried about worse things. But perhaps that's a biased answer considering how much I like you."

He held my gaze for a second before tossing another arrow onto his pile of fixed arrows. I got closer, interested in the process.

"Can you teach me how to make arrows?" I asked, changing the subject.

He showed me that using fire could help bend arrows- and bows- into the shape that you wanted. Plants could be stripped and plant insides could be used as bow string. There were flat rocks that had to be chiseled and sharpened to turn into arrow points and more twine and feathers and leaves to attach the heads to the sticks and decorations for the bottom of the arrows.

I practiced with some of the wood he had laying around. I could make decent arrows but I couldn't make a good bow. I was very frustrated by this fact and it showed on my face.

"Your being to gentle with the wood." Firenze said, "here." He placed his large hands over mine and pulled on the wood harder. "See?"

I tried concentrating on what I was doing, but I was more distracted by his hands. They were so warm, big, and comforting. I blinked, trying not to think about them.

There was a better bow shape than I had done. "But if I pull to hard it'll snap in half." I said.

"No, that's what the fires for." Firenze said. "It's gentle, fast, and hard all at the same time, see?" And then, for some reason, his face turned red and he took his hands off mine and busied himself with the rest of his arrows.

I looked at him curiously. "What? I don't understand." I had never seen Firenze flustered before.

"It's nothing, Elizabeth." He said, his face still red. "I'm just saying that while you have to be careful with the wood, you have to pull hard to make the shape."

"Oh." I said, but that hadn't been what I'd meant at all. I was trying to figure out why his face was all red. I'd never seen Firenze embarrassed before. But I let the conversation drop.

"Who would you like to go to the ball with?" Firenze asked suddenly, tucking his back legs out to the side in a more comfortable position.

"Well. . ." I hesitated, holding another arrow in my hand. "I would've liked to go with Fred or Cedric but it wasn't possible of course. . . and anyone else I could've asked is much older- like graduated from school old- so they can't come obviously. . . I don't know if I'll even go."

Firenze was quiet, carving the stone into a triangle point. We talked about different topics for the rest of the time until it got dark, and then I headed back up to the castle. I wondered how Sirius and Dad were. I wondered how Trang was. I ought to write to them all tonight.

I did just that, going straight up to the dorm and pulling our parchment and ink.

Dear Sirius, Yule Balls coming up... yay. I guess. Anyways, I just wanted to make sure you got the chicken. I don't want you to be feeding on only rats! I'll send more food when I get a chance. Miss you a lot, Write soon Love, Elizabeth

Dear Dad, Perhaps I should've come home for Christmas- don't know why in the world I wanted to stay. I just realized only now that I don't dance. I suppose I should've thought ahead better. Wish you could come up here for Christmas since I messed up. I miss you a lot. I can't wait for summer to see you again. I love you. Write soon, okay? Love, Elizabeth

P.S. Did you ever send a letter to Uncle Moody about classes? He said on our first day that he got a letter from you describing what the class had been over. I just figured you'd told him when he came to our house. Perhaps you sent a follow up letter?

Dear Trang, There's a ball going on at school this year! I know you talked about a 'homecoming' back in September. I suppose this dance is something like that. It's called the Yule Ball. I don't have a date but I might go anyways. I only said no to Fred because I foresaw him going with Angelina. I think if I didn't have visions I would've said yes. But maybe there's a reason I don't go with him- right? Anyways, wanted to get your opinion on Magical candies. I'm going to send you a lot of different things for Christmas. It'll probably get there after Christmas though. Depends on how fast Sadie can get to America. (owls don't fly over oceans well of course). Write soon okay? I want to hear all about your crazy American friends. How's Carter? Have you found anywhere secluded to fly? Did you go to that homecoming dance? Love, Elizabeth

I stuffed each letter in an envelope, scrawling their names on the outside, and put them aside so that I could send them off tomorrow. Three days until the ball. I took a deep breath. I thought about what Professor McGonagall said a long time ago. She was right. My self-worth wasn't my visions. My self-worth wasn't if I had a date at the ball. I'd been asked and I'd turned them down.

Feeling much better, I laid down and went to sleep.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, I rose and hurried up to the owlery. I'd need three owls. Sadie had come back from Sirius, a small note attached to her mouth. "I have a letter I need you to take to Trang." I said. "I know they aren't your favorite trips and I know it's a long wait so get some sleep, okay? I'll leave the letter with you and you can take it when your ready." She hooted softly. I tied the small letter to her leg, making sure all the flaps were down. She went up to the straw and slept.

I took Hedwig down so that she could deliver a letter to Dad and then I borrowed a school owl for Sirius. I'd attached parchment to Sirius letter so that he wouldn't have to scrounge around for parchment.

I sent them off and then was going to leave the Owlery when Dean Thomas came in. We bumped into each other and both clutched our foreheads in pain.

"Hi Dean." I said. I noticed he had no letter in his hand. What was he doing up here?

"Will you go to the ball with me?" He asked breathlessly in greeting.

I stared in surprise. "Oh."

"I mean, I wasn't going to go with anyone and I know you weren't going to foresee me going with anyone so I wanted to know if you'd go with me." Dean said awkwardly. Perhaps he blushed, but it was to hard to tell because his skin was so dark.

"Sure." I said, blushing. "yeah, I'll go to the ball with you."

He grinned. "Great, okay. I'll meet you in the entrance hall, yeah?"

"Yeah." I said.

He dashed down the Owlery steps and I stood there for a second. Then I cursed. I'd just sent those letters off! Bloody hell.

Groaning in frustration I set down the stairs. I entered the Great Hall and sat down with the others. "Guess who just asked me to the ball?" I asked lightly.

"Who?" Ron asked, interested. Padma had told him she'd go to the ball with him.

"Dean Thomas."

"Really?" Hermione asked, a bit amazed. "I didn't think he was going to go with anyone."

"Yes." I said, pulling over a plate of toast and the butter dish. "He said as much in the Owlery. However, I didn't foresee him with anyone, probably because he wasn't going to go with anyone, so I said yes."

"I'm surprised." Harry said. "Thought you'd go with Fred or Cedric."

"Well. . ." I said slowly. "They did both ask me, as I've said before. But since I'd seen them with other people. . . I didn't feel comfortable interfering with the future for selfish gain."

Ron was shaking his head and muttered, "Mental." I gave him an annoyed look.

We left the Great Hall and Ron ducked behind Harry to hide as Fleur went past saying, "It is too 'eavy, all zis 'Ogwarts food. I will not fit into my dress robes!"

"Oooh there's a tragedy." Hermione snapped. ''She really thinks a lot of herself, that one, doesn't she?"

"Hermione- who are you going to the ball with?" Ron asked quickly. He'd been asking her frequently, trying to startle her into giving in. It wasn't working.

Hermione simply frowned and said, "I'm not telling you, you'll just make fun of me."

"You're joking, Weasley! You're not telling me someone's asked that to the ball? Not the long-molared Mudblood?" Draco's voice came from behind us.

Harry, Ron, and I spun around and my wand was out. Before I could cast a spell, Hermione beamed, and waved to someone behind Draco and said, "Hello, Professor Moody!"

Draco went pale and jumped backward, looking wildly around, but Uncle Moody was still up at the teacher's table, eating.

"Twitchy little polecat, aren't you, Malfoy?" Hermione asked scathingly and we went up to the library.

"Hermione, your teeth." Ron said slowly, looking sideways at her.

"What about them?" She asked defensively.

"Well, they're different." Ron said, frowning.

"Of course they are- did you expect me to keep those fangs Malfoy gave me?" Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I mean, they're different to how they were before he put that hex on you. . . They're all. . . straight and- and- normal sized." Ron said.

Harry and I leaned around to see her mouth too as she smiled mischievously. They were different.

"Well. . . when I went up to Madam Pomfrey to get them shrunk, she held up a mirror and told me to stop her when they were back to how they normally were, and I just. . . let her carry on a bit. Mum and Dad won't be too pleased. I've been trying to persuade them to let me shrink them for ages, but they wanted me to carry on with my braces. you know, they're dentists, they just don't think teeth and magic should- look! Pigwidgeon's back!" She said, pointing.

Pigwidgeon was twittering on top of the banisters, a scroll of parchment tied to his leg. People passed by, pointing and laughing and group of third year girls paused and said, "Oh look at the weeny owl! Isn't he cute?"

"Stupid little feathery git! You bring letters to the addressee! You don't hang around showing off!" Ron said, grabbing Pigwidgeon out of the air in a fist. Pigwidgeon hooted, his head protruding above Ron's fist. The third-year girls looked scarred for life.

"Clear off!" Ron snapped at the third-years girls. I frowned at him. "Here- take it, Harry." Ron added.

In the corner of the Gryffindor common room, Harry read aloud Sirius' letter.

Dear Harry, Congratulations on getting past the Horntail. Whoever put your name in that goblet shouldn't be feeling too happy right now! I was going to suggest a Conjunctivitis Curse, as a dragon's eyes are its weakest point but your way was better, I'm impressed. Don't get complacent, though, Harry. You've only done one task; whoever put you in for the tournament's got plenty more opportunity if they're trying to hurt you. Keep your eyes open- particularly when the person we discussed is around- and concentrate on keeping yourself out of trouble. Keep in touch, I still want to hear about anything unusual. Sirius

"He sounds exactly like Moody. Constant vigilance! You'd think I walk around with my eyes shut, banging off the walls. . ." Harry said, pocketing the letter. I giggled.

"But he's right, Harry. You have still got two tasks to do. You really ought to have a look at that egg, you know, and start working out what it means. . ." Hermione said.

"Here." I said. "Cedric's going to give you a hint and you should take it up."

Harry scowled.

"I know." I said, rolling my eyes. "But he's already figured it out. Stupid thing really, he won't exactly be paying you back and I'm not telling you what it is. But if you take up the offer sooner rather than later, you'll be much better off."

"Want a game of chess Harry?" Ron asked.

"I'll see you guys later." I said. "I'm going to get some homework done."

"Sure Ron. See you later Elizabeth." Harry said and I left the common room.

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𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 up on Christmas day, I bounced out of bed to see the stack of presents at the foot of my bed.

Dad had sent books, of course. Lord of Chaos, Insomnia, The Bingo Palace, and Born in Fire. He'd also sent me a binder with sleeves in it. I wasn't sure what it was for a moment until, after looking at it, I realized it could be used to hold my Chocolate Frog cards. He'd also sent a letter.

Dear Elizabeth, Is Hogwarts really so bad that you wish it was summer already? And I'm sure you'll end up being glad that you stay at Hogwarts for the winter. Despite that, I do miss you too. I love you a lot. No, I never sent Mad-Eye a letter. Perhaps he's mistaken or perhaps he wrote down the contents of our conversation which he then mistaken for a letter. Not entirely sure. Or maybe he just didn't want the students to know that he knows me personally. I can understand and respect that. Anyways, let me know if anything else goes on at Hogwarts. Love you, Dad

I frowned. Sure, Uncle Moody made some rash decisions but mistaking his own handwriting for a letter from dad? Not likely. Of course. . . not every wizard or witch liked to admit they knew a werewolf. . . and while dad could respect that, I most certainly couldn't. And I couldn't see Uncle Moody being ashamed of knowing Dad. He didn't care about people's opinions. So why had he said he'd received a letter from dad over the summer?

Hermione had sent me a Quidditch book titled Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland.

Trang had sent me American candy and new books from the Vampire Diary series.

Ron sent me a book called Mythology and a note saying that I should stop reading IT. I had actually gotten him the book IT for Christmas. I wondered if he'd get nightmares from reading it. Then I wondered if he would even read it.

Harry had sent me chocolates from Honeydukes.

Hagrid had sent treacle fudge and a carved dragon statuette.

Mrs. Weasley had sent me hot fudge cakes and a pink sweater with white rabbits knitted on it. She had also sent a letter thanking me for the portrait I'd done of the family and told me that it was hanging on the wall in the living room.

Fred and Cedric had sent me more charms to put on the bracelet that Fred had originally bought for me on my first Christmas here. Fred had sent a rabbit, dolphin, and British flag charms. Cedric had sent a snitch charm and a book charm. I added them to the bracelet immediately.

Bill had sent me an artkit, fit with a book, to learn how to Gongbi, a type of Chinese style painting.

I was glad that Dean hadn't given me anything for Christmas because I hadn't gotten him anything.

Sirius had sent me a penknife, not unlike the one he sent Harry. I had been meaning to ask him about the house key he'd sent for my birthday but was afraid of the answer.

As always, there was an anonymous present, which I was almost always fairly certain came from Professor Snape. I dropped the rock into my hand and stared at it curiously. It was black onyx but it didn't seem to be a decoration of any sort. There was no holes or loops to put string through to make it a necklace.

Then, looking through a small part of the onyx, I saw that there was a diamond in there. It wasn't large. Probably smaller than my pinky fingernail. But it was there. It had to have hidden meaning- I just didn't know what. I set the onyx down carefully on the table, not wanting it to get broken.

Then, I noticed there was one last present. It was wrapped in a sheaf of animal skin and I carefully laid it on my bed and opened it up and gasped. It was a bow. It was beautifully crafted- obviously handmade with a pink tint to the wood. There were about a dozen arrows with it as well. Everything about it was perfect. There was a handwritten note inside that read For my favorite human.

I laughed and set the animal skin, bow, and arrows underneath my bed. I grabbed my cloak and scarf from the bedside table and raced down the stairs, out of the castle.

I had to search a little bit before I could find Firenze. He and Ronan were talking amongst themselves. Ronan bowed to me and I bowed back quickly. "Hello Ronan." I said. "How are you?"

"Very well, and you, Elizabeth Kane?"

"Decent." I said with a smile. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" Ronan said with a smile. He nodded to Firenze. "I will converse with you later." Firenze nodded back and then turned to me as Ronan galloped off.

"Thank you for the bow and arrows Firenze." I said, smiling still. I didn't want to use the word gift or present in case that was offensive to their kind. Firenze already had animosity with Bane- I didn't want to create anymore.

"You are quite welcome." He said with a smile. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a drawing I'd done of him. There were actually a few sketches on the page. He took the page, looked at it, and laughed. "I think you've overdone my arm muscles a bit Elizabeth Kane."

It was probably true- I'd done up the muscles in his arms and stomach. I blushed. "It's fairly realistic in my mind."

Firenze put a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you Elizabeth Kane." Then, to my surprise as he rarely showed any type of physical affection to me, he pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back tightly, savoring the moment for I was sure this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"You're welcome Firenze." I said, smiling upwards. My stomach growled. He laughed again.

"I suppose you came out here without breakfast?" His teeth were absolutely perfect and white. We pulled out of the embrace and started walking back towards the edge of the forest.

"First thing." I said.

"Got a date for the Ball?" He asked.

I sighed, "His name's Dean Thomas. It was a bit of an unexpected invitation to be completely honest. I'd never gotten a vibe from him that he was interested in me, but I accepted as I didn't see any futuristic problems about going with him."

Firenze nodded, "That's fair enough I think."

"Anyways!" I said cheerfully. "I think I'll go inside and get some breakfast. How clear do you think the stars will be tonight?"

"Hmm." Firenze stared up at the light sky. "Probably clear. What time does the Yule Ball end?"

"Midnight." I murmured. "Best time for viewing."

My stomach growled again. I said good-bye and hurried back up to the castle to eat.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖉 quickly- most likely because I was dreading dancing. I forgot I didn't know how to dance.

There was the normal Christmas lunch that took place every year. The tables looked weird because everyone was visiting different tables. There were Hufflepuffs sitting with Ravenclaws and Gryffindors sitting with Hufflepuffs. It was very bizarre to see, especially with the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons sitting throughout the four tables.

Then, afterwards, I went outside with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione. We had a snowball fight. We mostly targeted Ron. Ginny was very good at throwing snowballs and more importantly- dodging them.

Hermione however, decided to watch on the steps. I would've thrown a snowball at her just to get her to join in, but I knew what she wanted to do with her hair so I refrained from the temptation.

She left a full three hours before the dance started. Ron shouted after her as she went up the steps, "What, you need three hours?" and then, "Who're you going with?"

But she didn't answer and simply disappeared into the castle. "Who is she going with!" Ron said in frustration, taking another snowball to the head.

"You know." I said. "If she doesn't want you to know, you'll just have to find out at the ball-" I ducked a snowball thrown at me by Fred. "-and then, you have to promise you're still going to dance with Padma."

I threw a snowball at George's stomach and it hit. I went in with about an hour and a half left and I pulled Ron aside, and said seriously, "I'm serious. You pay attention to Padma tonight, do you understand?"

"Yes, I get it." Ron snapped.

"You're going to be looking for Hermione until you find her and not paying attention to Padma. Try and change the future and give her some attention. You'd better dance with her." I said and walked away, dodging one last snowball thrown by Fred.

In the girls dorm up in the Hufflepuff house, Susan was wearing green dress robes and Hannah was wearing pink.

I quickly got into my own long purple dress. Susan zipped up the back. It took me about twenty minutes to finish my makeup. I played up the eyes and lips. Then, with a bit of help from Susan, I finished my hair in an elegant bun with small braids circling on my head. I stuck in pearl bobby pins to keep everything in place.

I helped Susan with her hair in return, and then went over to my dresser and took out the silver heels I had saved for the occasion. As jewelry, I put on the black sunflower necklace that Snape had given me for Christmas last year and the dragon ring that Dad had given me for a past birthday. I didn't wear the charm bracelet- it was to juvenile, I thought. I left my glasses off as well. My vision was a bit wonky but clear- I'd been getting used to it.

I walked down the stairs to the entrance hall. My vision was slowly adjusting. Dean came out of nowhere, wearing black dress robes.

"You look lovely." He said, a blush creeping up his dark cheeks.

I smiled at him. "Thank you."

A moment later, Harry came down with Parvati, Ron trailing after him.

"Hi Harry, Hi Parvati." I said in greeting. My arm was around Dean's.

"Ah, you look so pretty!" Parvati squealed.

I blushed. "You look lovely as well." She really did. She was from India and had worn the traditional Indian dress with a sash. The robes were a shocking pink. Her dark black hair was plaited with gold and she wore gold bangles on her wrists and gold jewelry about her neck. Her sash- if that was what it was called- was a purple color.

"You turned out well." I said to Harry.

"Gee, thanks." Harry said, looking extremely nervous.

"Chin up." I said. "You've got a pretty date and she's a strong dancer too." I winked at Parvati. She smiled. "Besides, four or five dances isn't that much now, is it?"

Ron was looking around the crowd. Parvati found her sister and brought her over to meet Ron.

"Hi." Ron said, and I was pleased to see that he was looking directly at her rather than around the crowd.

Padma was just as pretty in her dress robes. They were the same style as Parvati's, but turquoise in color with a yellow sash. In my opinion, I thought she might even be prettier. She had slightly fuller lips than Parvati and I preferred the colors of her dress robes.

"Oh no." Ron cried out and ducked as Fleur passed with the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, Roger Davies. He stood up as she passed by without a single look at us.

I ignored a group of Slytherins that had just come up from the dungeons. Instead, I focused on the front oak doors. A moment later, Professor Karkaroff entered, the Durmstrang students and their partners following after.

Krum was at the front of the party with Hermione. Her hair was done up elegantly and sleek looking. Her dress was periwinkle colored. I looked over. Harry had a blank look on his face, not knowing who she was. Ron however, looked a bit sour and I stomped on his foot and glared at him. He winced. I'd forgotten I'd been wearing heels.

"Champions over here please!" Professor McGonagall called from across the Great Hall.

"See you later." Parvati said to Ron, Padma, Dean, and I. Dean gave me his arm and I took it. Ron gave Padma his arm and she took it delightedly. His robes, I'd forgotten to mention where a dark maroon and looked well on him. No lace or nothing.

We walked past the champions. I smiled at Hermione and nodded to Cedric as we passed. Cho looked absolutely beautiful and I was glad I had declined. I wouldn't have looked like that next to Cedric. The two of them were made for each other. I found I wasn't jealous like I thought I might've been. After all, I couldn't be with all my crushes.

On the other hand, Cedric scowled at Dean, looking quite jealous. I paid him no attention. Luckily, Cho hadn't noticed- looking at her Ravenclaw friends in the crowd.

Ron and Padma followed. We made our way to a small round table in the back and joined Seamus, Lavender, Neville, and Ginny. Ginny looked lovely in her blue robes and Lavender was wearing. . . lavender robes. Us girls grouped together and the boys all sat with each other. I didn't mind though.

The champions entered in a line, following Professor McGonagall up to the high table. She was wearing crimson robes which I thought would've looked nice on her if she hadn't put such an ugly wreath of thistles around her hat.

Everyone in the Great Hall started clapping and I joined in. Ron wasn't looking sulky, the way I'd seen before, but he was getting close to it, staring at Hermione and Krum with a look of distaste. But he looked at me and immediately turned to engage Padma in conversation.

I turned my attention to the high table. There was Dumbledore, wearing robes of blue. Then Karkaroff, he was wearing a moody expression, as he watched Krum and Hermione, to rival Ron's. I remembered his bias against Muggle-born witches and wizards. Ludo Bagman was in robes of bright purple with yellow stars- ugly to say the least. Madam Maxime was wearing a flowing gown of lavender silk, applauding politely and properly. Mr. Crouch, of course, was not there- the reason still remained unknown to me. However, in his place was Percy Weasley.

I was slightly irked about Mr. Crouch not being here, as I had wanted to corner him and see if he'd managed to throw off the curse. Or maybe he'd thrown off the curse and that was why he wasn't here. The thought made me uncomfortable.

I looked over to where some of the other teachers were sitting. Professor Sprout had ditched her normal patched and frayed clothes and was now wearing clean dress robes of tinted gold. Professor Flitwick was wearing navy blue. Hagrid was wearing his usual horrible brown suit. Professor Snape was wearing black, but not his usual overflowing robes.

He was wearing long black pants and a stiff white shirt which he'd covered with a long black coat. The edges of the bottom of the coat stuck out, the entire outfit was crisp. His hair looked exactly the same and he was wearing an expression of extreme boredom. He looked extremely handsome- I couldn't help noticing.

Professor Moody was wearing brown as well with a white ruffled shirt. He kind've looking like those explorers that Trang had showed me in one of her American history textbooks, except he was missing the funny black hat. But he had the long white socks and black buckled shoes. Pilgrims- I think was the word. I wasn't very certain about American history as I was British.

Once dinner ended, our entire table got to their feet so that we could start dancing. I had my arm on Dean's again. Harry had one hand on Parvati's waist and his other was clasped in her head. Seamus and Dean sniggered and waved at him.

The Weird Sisters- not one of my favorite bands- started up a mournful tune and the champions and their partners started to dance. After an appropriate amount of time, other couples stepped in. Dean led me into the circle and we started to dance as well.

As much as I complained about not being able to dance, it was easy when it was choreographed to be somewhat the same. There was a pattern to be memorized, it wasn't just something left up to everyone.

Dean and I moved in a circle, closer to the teacher's table. I tried my best not to glance over at Professor Snape- I cared about his opinion way to much to see if he was looking at me or not. I noticed though, that Karkaroff was nearby, staring at the two of us, wearing robes of white with a black belt across his waist.

Finally though, as Dean twirled me around, I gave the briefest flicker with my eyes over to the Professors. Professor Snape seemed to be staring into my soul as our eyes met for a second. And then, my eyes were back on Dean and we were waltzing away.

Another dance started up and my eyes darted over to where Harry and Ron were but they continued to dance and I relaxed a bit.

Both Fred and Cedric interceded with Dean to get a dance or two in with me. Angelina didn't mind so much with Fred, going off and dancing with George and Lee, but Cho was another story. She threw jealous glances mine and Cedric's way, while talking to her Ravenclaw friends.

I frowned at Cedric, "You're making Cho jealous."

He looked uncomfortable as we danced, "I wanted to take you."

Now I was uncomfortable.

"Why'd you turn me down?" He asked.

"Because I saw you going with Cho and I don't interfere with the future." I replied honestly.

"What if you couldn't see the future?" Cedric asked.

I hesitated and then admitted, "I probably would've said yes."

He seemed a great deal happier with that answer and I quickly said, "But it doesn't change the fact that you were and are supposed to be with Cho."

He pursed his lips. "It's a dance Elizabeth. This is the only dance I get with you probably ever. Let me enjoy it."

I scowled at him. "I'm enjoying it."

"Good." He said with a grin and twirled me around. I finally laughed.

"You are a good dancer." I admitted.

"I know. You're terrible." Cedric teased.

I blushed, laughing again. "Oh Ced. . ."

The song ended and we broke apart, staring at each other for a moment before Cho glided over, taking Cedric back into her arms. I took the hint and went to find Dean.

Around eleven o'clock, I said goodnight to Dean. I stopped by Hermione who was in deep conversation with Krum and another boy by the drinks table. He was incredibly short.

"You look gorgeous Hermione." I told her earnestly and she smiled at me.

"And you look beautiful." She complimented me back.

"Hello Viktor." I said and simply nodded to his other friend.

"Elizabeth, you looked very nice." Viktor said awkwardly, looking at Hermione like he hoped she wouldn't take offense to him complimenting me.

"This is Viktor's friend Felix er- I can't pronounce his last name." Hermione said quickly, introducing us.

I shook hands with him. He was thin and tall with light brown hair. He was from Sweden and was only eight years old, though he looked at least twelve. I was surprised by his age. Apparently he worked under Karkaroff as a study. I thought it was very interesting. His last name was: Kjellberg. Apparently understudies started at young ages. Probably because learning things at a young age made it stick longer in the brain.

I said good-bye to them and made my way out of the Great Hall and down into the entrance hall. I noticed Harry and Ron had taken a walk too, though not with Parvati and Padma. I wondered briefly if they would still over hear Hagrid and Madam Maxime's conversation or if that had already happened.

Snape and Karkaroff had just passed them. Karkaroff had broken off from Snape, passing me now. He slowed and we exchanged a look. I shivered and looked away.

I turned down a side path, away from Karkaroff, that would lead to the greenhouses- but I went into the forest instead. I wondered where Firenze could possibly be tonight. I looked up at the sky as I walked. Firenze had been right, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"You look stunning tonight." a voice that wasn't Firenze's said. My heart started to beat extremely fast. I turned around slowly. Professor Snape stood there, his arms behind his back. He had no expression on his face, though there was a faint colour in his cheeks.

"Thank you." I said, barely whispering. My words carried across the clearing. I realized how story-book this was. The perfectly circular clearing with the stars shining down on us. The lovely glowing flowers that were in half-bloom. If only it was the summer and not the winter and lightning bugs were flying around.

Professor Snape seemed to be thinking along the lines of the weather because he said, "Aren't you cold?"

I looked down. I had forgotten a cloak. I shrugged instead, "I was only planning on staying out for an hour or so."

He took a step closer, a hesitant one. His eyes were locked on mine. I felt the way I had in the potions classroom with Karkaroff, except I wasn't frozen from fear- but anticipation. I shivered. He mistook the shivering however.

I met him halfway in the clearing. He held out his hand and asked, "May I have this dance?"

It was such a corny, fairy tale like line that I was utterly surprised he had used it. I placed a hand in his, noticing how warm his hands were. That surprised me even more, I think. Being in the dungeons was freezing and I expected his hands to be cold.

I put my other arm around his neck. His other hand was on my waist. I had expected him to be a good dancer- an expectation that he met.

"I did mention how beautiful you look tonight, didn't I?" he whispered in my ear.

"Yes." I whispered softly. "And though I never said a word, I think you look extremely handsome tonight."

Though I had grown over the summer, I still wasn't quite as tall as him. My head rested just on his shoulder. We'd stopped dancing formerly and were now more swaying side to side. I was trembling now, a bit from the cold, and a bit from nerves.

"You should've brought a cloak." He murmured again, against my cheek.

"I don't usually think before I act." I muttered. "You know that."

He laughed, a real one, and said, "Yes, I suppose I do."

What was this? I had never really expected romantic feelings from him- him being a teacher and all. He hadn't danced with anyone at the ball and had left early. I knew, of course, he'd had feelings for my mum and that could've been a reason he never loved anyone. The words, "I act heartless because my heart died with her" kept popping into my head when I thought about his cold demeanor.

But this wasn't cold, this wasn't heartless, and this was certainly borderline romantic. Okay, it was completely romantic. Dancing in the moonlight in a forest. His hands were warm and so was his body. I was growing careless.

"The stars are pretty aren't, they? I suppose that's the reason you came out here in the first place." he whispered. Did he just call the stars pretty? How completely unlike him.

I opened my mouth to explain exactly why I came out here, but my brain didn't work and instead I whispered, "I love you."

We stopped dancing. He froze and I froze and then I clapped a hand over my mouth in horror. His eyes were locked on mine, looking almost frightful. Without saying another word, I drew away from him, dashing past him. Kicking off my heels, I ran back to the castle, leaving Professor Snape behind in the clearing.

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[braveclementine]

Chapter 12

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

💙💙💙💙

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕳𝖚𝖋𝖋𝖑𝖊𝖕𝖚𝖋𝖋𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖜 a party for Cedric for being in first place. I didn't enjoy it much as whenever I was near someone they would mutter "Surprised she didn't go to the Gryffindor common room." Or "she's not even a Hufflepuff really."

Well, I wasn't. I was a Gryffindor put in the wrong house. Yet, at the same time, I was extremely defensive and wanted to shout "I am a Hufflepuff!"

But I was also to preoccupied with Barty Crouch to really celebrate. Watch my back? Was that suggesting that he knew about me being attacked in the Potions classroom? Was he really trying to get me to stay out of this? But what was this?

I couldn't stay out of anything. Why did Voldemort want to put him under the Imperius Curse? Wouldn't it have been better to go after someone who was higher up in the departments at the Ministry like an Auror or even the Minister himself?

Granted, there was a lot of security around the Minister but if Voldemort had imperiused a guard of the Minister, that would do the trick as well.

So it couldn't be that Voldemort wanted Barty Crouch as a weapon. Maybe he wanted Crouch's connections because he had a lot of them. But what connections did Voldemort want?

Or maybe, I thought, it wasn't about Barty Crouch at all. What if it was about the person that had been under the invisibility cloak. If I could figure out who that person was, maybe I could figure out what Voldemort was after. Or who.

I decided that the next time I saw Barty Crouch, I'd get him alone and question him. Of course, Dumbledore was going to be hard to avoid, considering he'd just seen me talking to Crouch when I'd told him weeks ago that there was nothing going on between the two of us. I suppose I could say I was asking him questions about what languages he spoke. It wasn't exactly a secret that I was thirsty for knowledge.

But it probably didn't look good that he'd grabbed my arm and jerked me back. I didn't have an explanation for that. My stomach twisted in knots, thinking about the lies I was going to have to come up with tomorrow or eventually, whenever Dumbledore called me to his office again.

Cedric eventually made his way over. I was sitting in the arm chair watching the other people mingle, thinking. Nothing about my visions had been different today, so that must be a good thing.

"Hey." He said, sitting down and handing me a drink. I took it without really looking.

"Hi." I said. "You did well today, but I'm sure everyone's telling you that." I looked away from the spot on the wall I was staring at to give him a teasing grin.

"Why didn't you tell me about the dragons?" Cedric asked.

I glared at him and then shrugged, "Because I already knew Harry was going to tell you." I looked at his face and then said, perhaps a bit angrier than I meant to, "And I didn't give Harry and tips either."

"I never said that you did." Cedric said drinking his drink.

Before another word could get in, a bunch of girls came and sat around him, blocking me out. I got up and went up to the Hufflepuff dorm, even as Cedric called my name, and laid down on the bed, putting my hands over my eyes. I sighed and rolled over and got out my art sketchpad.

I worked on the people first. I drew Ginny's outline with Charlie's arm around her and worked on them for a while till they looked perfect. I drew the twins in the middle with beards and in the same pose. Ron was sitting on the ground, Pigwidgeon sitting on his shoulder. Bill stood on the outside, his hands in his pockets and his ponytail flying out behind him. Percy stood straight as a board, but I did make him smile in the picture. His horn rimmed glasses were perched on his nose.

I had Mrs. Weasley with her wand out and a swirl of pots around her. Mr. Weasley had his glasses on with a book in his hands called Muggles for Dummies, looking absolutely delighted. I drew Hermes and Errol flying above their heads and there were chickens in the background.

It wasn't perfect and it was no where near done, but I knew I had some time before Christmas. Then, I carefully put the drawing away and then got into bed and went to sleep.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖔𝖋 December came. Dumbledore had never called me to his office and I wondered what he was thinking. I sat down at the Gryffindor table- sick of the Hufflepuffs attitudes- and Ron pushed me over a custard cream.

"No thanks." I said, pushing it back. "I don't like custards."

"What a pity." Ron muttered.

I smirked. I didn't fancy turning into a bird right now.

I went down to Care of Magical Creatures while they all went off in their own directions. There were heavy fumes coming from the Abraxan horses since they drank whiskey. This made everyone light headed which was not good.

A few days later at lunch, Harry told me that Rita Skeeter had come to their Care of Magical Creatures.

"Where did those creatures come from?" Hermione asked, worrying.

"Oh." I said. "Well, Hagrid created them."

They all stared at me. "What do you mean he created them?" Ron asked in horror.

"But cross-breeding between creatures is illegal." Hermione hissed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Watch guys. The article won't end up in the paper. The Ministry let Hagrid breed them."

They looked shocked. "Why?" Harry asked.

"Well. . ." I said slowly, looking around and leaned in, "They're going to be part of the Triwizard Tournament. They're supposed to be an obstacle."

"Oh wonderful." Harry said grumpily.

"At least you're forewarned." Hermione said, starting to eat. "So the Ministry will want to keep the story on the downlow."

I nodded. And I was right, a few days later after Hagrid and Rita had met, no article came out about the Blast-Ended Skrewts.

As we started to reach Christmas break, I was with Ron and Harry, going to the Gryffindor common room.

"One second." I said as Harry opened his mouth to say the password. "She's coming from that direction." I said, jerking my head.

We waited and Hermione came running "Harry!" She shouted, "Harry, you've got to come- you've got to come, the most amazing thing's happened- please-"

She seized Harry's arm and started to try to drag him back along the corridor. "What's the matter?" Harry asked, letting himself be dragged.

"I'll show you when we get there- oh come on, quick-"

Harry looked back at Ron and I. Ron shrugged and I smiled. Ron and I looked at each other and then followed after them.

"Hermione, where are we going?" Harry asked as we went down stairs and turned corners in the corridors.

"You'll see, you'll see in a minute. Elizabeth don't you dare ruin the surprise!" Hermione shot back at me.

I grinned, "How about we blindfold them?" I asked innocently.

"No thanks." Harry said quickly. We made our way down a hallway that ended at the other end. On the wall was a large portrait of a silver bowl with fruit in it.

"Oh hang on. . . wait a minute, Hermione." Harry said, starting to slow down.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking excited when she turned to look at him.

"I know what this is about." Harry said and he nudged Ron and pointed at the silver fruit bowl.

"Hermione! You're trying to rope us into that soea stuff again!" Ron said.

"No, no I'm not! And it's not soea Ron." Hermione said hastily.

"She's not." I said. "Or else I wouldn't be here."

"Changed the name, have you?" Ron said, frowning at her, completely ignoring me. "What are we now, then, the House-Elf Liberation Front? I'm not barging into that kitchen and trying to make them stop work. I'm doing it-"

"I'm not asking you to! I came down here just now, to talk to them all, and I found- oh come on, Harry, I want to show you!" Hermione said impatiently and grabbed his arm again and started dragging him again.

She tickled the pear and the pear turned into a large green door handle. Hermione pulled the door open and pushed Harry in. I laughed. And then a House-Elf threw himself at Harry, hugging him around the middle and shouting, "Harry Potter, sir! Harry Potter!"

I stepped past them into a high-ceiling room, large as the Great Hall above it, with large piles of brass pans and pots and cooking utensils hanging on the walls. There was a large fireplace made of brick at one end of the room. There were also four replica tables of the house tables.

"D-Dobby?" Harry gasped, out of breath.

"It is Dobby, sir, it is! Dobby has been hoping and hoping to see Harry Potter, sir, and Harry Potter has come to see him, sir!" Dobby squeaked, finally letting Harry go. I sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

I looked over at Dobby. He was wearing a tea cozy with many badges pined to it, a tie with horseshoes on it, blue soccer shorts, and two socks. One was black, the other was pink and orange striped.

"Dobby, what're you doing here?" Harry asked in amazement.

"Dobby has come to work at Hogwarts, sir! Professor Dumbledore gave Dobby and Winky jobs, sir!"

"Winky? She's here too?"

"Yes, sir, yes!" Dobby took Harry's hand and led him over to where the fireplace was. There were at least a hundred house-elves, smiling, bowing, and curtsying as Dobby and Harry walked past. I notice they were all wearing pillowcases tied like togas with a Hogwarts stamp on them. Dobby stopped in front of the fireplace and I got up and moved closer as he said, "Winky, sir!"

Winky looked a bit like a doll- an ugly one- but a doll nevertheless. She was wearing a little blue and white skirt with a blue blouse with a matching blue hat. There were holes in the hat for her ears. While her clothes were cute and probably very pretty, there were burns on her skirt and stains on her shirt.

"Hello, Winky." Harry said, a bit nervously I thought.

Winky's lip quivered before she burst into sobs.

"Oh dear." Hermione said behind me, "Winky, don't cry, please don't..."

Dobby beamed up at Harry over Winky's sobs. "Would Harry Potter like a cup of tea?"

"Er- yea, okay." Harry said awkwardly.

Instantly, there were about six house-elf who brought up a silver tray with a teapot, four cups, a milk jug, and a large plate of biscuits.

"Good service!" Ron said in an impressed voice and while Hermione frowned at him, the elves on the other hand, looked delighted.

"How long have you been here, Dobby?" Harry asked as Dobby handed the tea around. I took mine to find out that it was English Breakfast. I quickly put sugar in it.

"Only a week, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby came to see Professor Dumbledore, sir. You see, sir, it is very difficult for a house-elf who has been dismissed to get a new position, sir, very difficult indeed. Dobby has traveled the country for two whole years, sir, trying to find work! But Dobby hasn't found work, sir, because Dobby wants paying now!"

The rest of the house-elves who had been listening in with interest, looked away. Hermione said, "Good for you, Dobby."

I stepped away and motioned to a couple of house-elves who followed me over to the table.

"Hi, my name is Elizabeth." I said, a bit awkwardly, "Er- do you mind if I ask you guys a question?"

"Not at all miss." One of the house-elves squeaked.

"Well. . . My friend Hermione, she's been working on house-elves, like seeing if they want to be free. I was wondering what you guys thought about that?"

The house-elf quickly squeaked "We like our work and we like working under Dumbledore. We don't want freedom or clothes or money. Those aren't things House-elves should be concerned with!"

The other house-elves squeaked an assent and I asked hesitantly, "So you guys like your situation?"

"Very much indeed miss!" A second house-elf said eagerly. "There's nothing we like better than working for Dumbledore."

I smiled. "I'm very happy for you. I was wondering if house-elves felt like Dobby. My friend, of course, thinks all elves should be set free."

The other elves shuddered with horror at the idea. "Don't worry." I said quickly. "She wouldn't do it against your will. I was simply curious about how you guys felt about the matter."

Winky's sobs got louder and louder and Dobby was shouting over her to talk to Harry. The house-elves shook their heads and said, "We like where we is."

I nodded, "Thank you for talking to me." and I got up and went back to where Harry and the others were. It seemed as though a light load had been lifted off my chest, knowing that it wasn't just how wizards believed. They truly, 100% loved doing what they were doing. And really, who didn't love working for Dumbledore, human or not?

"Professor Dumbledore offered Dobby ten Galleons a week, and weekends off but Dobby beat him down miss.. Dobby likes freedom, miss, but he isn't wanting too much, miss, he likes work better." Dobby said, giving a little shudder at the idea of so much money.

"And how much is Professor Dumbledore paying you, Winky?" Hermione asked kindly. I snorted. There were no other house-elves around by this time.

Winky stopped crying and glared at Hermione, "Winky is a disgraced elf, but Winky is not yet getting paid! Winky is not sunk so low as that! Winky is properly ashamed of being free!" Her face was sopping wet and red with anger.

"Ashamed?" Hermione asked incredulously. "But- Winky, come on! It's Mr. Crouch who should be ashamed, not you! You didn't do anything wrong, he was really horrible to you-"

I sighed as Winky clapped her hands over her ears and shouted, "You is not insulting my master, miss! You is not insulting Mr. Crouch! Mr. Crouch is a good wizard, miss! Mr. Crouch is right to sack bad Winky!"

"Winky is having trouble adjusting, Harry Potter. Winky forgets she is not bound to Mr. Crouch anymore; she is allowed to speak her mind now, but she won't do it." Dobby said softly.

"Can't house-elves speak their minds about their masters, then?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh no, sir, no. 'Tis part of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. We keeps their secrets and our silence, sir. We upholds the family's honor, and we never speaks ill of them- though Professor Dumbledore told Dobby he does not insist upon this. Professor Dumbledore said we is free to- to-" Dobby beckoned Harry closer. Harry and I leaned forward and Dobby said, "He said we is free to call him a- a barmy old codger if we likes, sir!" Dobby giggled a little, "But Dobby is not wanting to, Harry Potter," He said, shaking his head quickly, his ears flapping, "Dobby likes Professor Dumbledore very much, sir, and is proud to keep his secrets and our silence for him."

"Good for you Dobby." I said.

"Thank you miss." Dobby said, grinning.

"But you can say what you like about the Malfoys now?" Harry asked, grinning too.

A doubtful look came into Dobby's eyes and he said, "Dobby- Dobby could." He squared his shoulders and said, "Dobby could tell Harry Potter that his old masters were-were- bad Dark wizards!" Dobby stood still for a moment, quivering and then rushed to a table and started to band his head crying "Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!"

Harry quickly seized Dobby by the back of his tie and pulled him back to the fireplace.

"Thank you, Harry Potter, thank you." Dobby said, rubbing his head.

"You just need a bit of practice." Harry said and I snorted.

"Practice!" Winky squealed in a furious voice, "You is ought to be ashamed of yourself, Dobby, talking that way about your masters!"

"They isn't my masters anymore, Winky! Dobby doesn't care what they think anymore!" Dobby said defiantly, crossing his arms.

"Oh you is a bad elf, Dobby! My poor Mr. Crouch, what is he doing without Winky? He is needing me, he is needing my help! I is looking after the Crouches all my life, and my mother is doing it before me, and my grandmother is doing it before her. . . oh what is they saying if they knew Winky was freed? Oh the shame, the shame!" She buried her head in her skirt again, fresh tears streaming down her face.

I felt bad for her- you had to. Imagine having a family legacy (though I wasn't sure if slavery was a good legacy) and having it taken away from you for something that wasn't your fault? I was sure I would be ripping mad.

"Winky, I'm quite sure Mr. Crouch is getting along perfectly well without you. We've seen him, you know-" Hermione said.

"Hermione!" I groaned.

"You is seeing my master? You is seeing him here at Hogwarts?" She asked breathlessly, lifting her face from her skirt.

"Yes, he and Mr. Bagman are judges in the Triwizard Tournament."

Winky's face turned angry again, much to Harry, Ron, and Hermione's surprise. Not mine so much as I had foreseen quite a bit of this conversation, "Mr. Bagman comes too? Mr. Bagman is a bad wizard! A very bad wizard! My master isn't liking him, oh no, not at all!"

"Bagman-bad?" Harry asked, looking confused.

"Oh yes. My master is telling Winky some things! But Winky is not saying. . . Winky- Winky keeps her master's secrets. . ." She dissolved into tears again and said, "Poor master, poor master, no Winky to help him no more."

I finished my tea. Dobby chatted happily about his life and plans for his wages. "Dobby is going to buy a sweater next, Harry Potter!" He said, pointing to his bare chest to emphasize why he might need one.

"Tell you what, Dobby." Ron said, smiling. Despite Hermione, he seemed to have taken a great liking to him. "I'll give you the one my mum knits me this Christmas. I always get one from her. You don't mind maroon, do you? We might have to shrink it a bit to fit you, but it'll go well with your tea cozy." Ron said. Dobby was absolutely delighted.

We were getting ready to leave soon and the elves pushed many snacks into our arms. While Hermione refused, looking pained as they bowed and curtsied, Harry and Ron filled their pockets. With a quick whisper to an elf, I had a bowl of chicken legs.

"Thanks a lot!" Harry said to the elves and I quietly thanked the elf who had brought me the chicken. "See you Dobby!" Harry said, smiling.

The elf looked hesitant and then said, "Harry Potter. . . can Dobby come and see you sometimes, sir?" He asked tentavely.

"Course you can." Harry said.

"You know what?" Ron asked as we left. "All these years I've been really impressed with Fred and George, nicking food from the kitchens- well it's not exactly difficult, is it? They can't wait to give it away."

I separated from them after that, carrying the bowl of chicken up to the owlery. I put the chicken into a paper bag as Sadie flew down, ready to take it. "Leg or beak?" I asked her, pointing to the bag. She took it in her beak and flew upwards and then came back down, hooted, and put it in her mouth again and flew off. "Safe flight!" I shouted after her.

And then I headed back down the stairs to get a good night's sleep. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 11

Warnings: Allusions and innuendos towards OC sleeping with a Professor

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, Harry showed me a letter from Sirius. Sadie had come back with the reply. It read:

Harry- I cannot say everything I would like to in the letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted- we need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November? I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself, and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose. Be on the watch Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can. Sirius.

Then Harry handed me an unopened letter, also from Sirius. "Thought you'd want your own letter."

"Thanks." I said, taking it.

Eilís, Don't risk anything. I don't want you caught outside at night. Someone's obviously after Harry and I'm sure they're after you too. I know you're in Hufflepuff, but see if you can meet with Harry on the 22nd of November, if he can make it. I'd like to see you too, just in a safer zone for all of us. Love, Sirius

"He puts love in your letters?" Harry asked, "Why doesn't he do that with me?"

"Maybe because I sign my letters with love first." I said with a shrug, putting the letter in the bottom of my bag.

"You think he loves me?" Harry asked thoughtfully and I looked at him in surprise.

"Of course he does." I said warmly. "But you two are a man and a boy. Males show love a bit differently than girls do. We nearly always sign our letters with love and the boys or men we write to always know to sign their letters with love."

Harry looked slightly cheered and said, "I wonder what his reaction would be if I did sign a letter with love."

"He'd probably think someone's impersonating you." I said, a bit amused, spearing scrambled eggs on the end of my fork.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, The Daily Prophet released the article. I got a copy that morning. I read it and started laughing. Harry leaned over my shoulder to read the following paragraph.

I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now. . . Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it. . . I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me. Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevy, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one of two girls, either Hermione Granger, a Stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl or Elizabeth Kane, a gorgeous half-blood, both of who are top students in school, just like Harry himself.

Harry's face turned red. "I didn't say any of this!" He said in a panic.

"I know." I said. "I wasn't laughing at that. I was laughing about Hermione and I being part of the stupid newspaper."

Hermione wasn't even fazed. "She lies a lot when she writes, doesn't she?"

"It's her Quick-Quotes Quill." I said through a mouthful of egg. I swallowed and said, "Her quill is meant to exaggerate for better stories. More sorrow, more hype. It's just for longer stories as well 'cause the Quill uses more words."

"Stupid thing." Harry said vehemently.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip coming up." I said. "Want to go? I think I'll bring food for Sirius..."

"Sirius is nearby?" Harry asked. I nodded.

"We won't go to his hideout right now, considering he won't know we're coming and I don't want to scare him, but I can leave food on a rock at the Shrieking Shack. I told him that's where I'd leave food."

"Sure" Harry said and that was the end of that.

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𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖞 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖎𝖓𝖌 a bad time, snapping at people when he finally had enough. He confided in me that he admired the way Hermione and I dealt with it.

"It's nothing Harry, you just let them get to you and I don't blame you. I've gotten into a couple of fights with Draco already, but I usually keep them on the downlow." I'd replied. "But yes, I'm with you in admiring Hermione." I paused and then said, "here's some good news. Ron will be your friend by Tuesday."

"That's good." Harry said a bit vacantly.

I spent a lot of time in library. Viktor Krum was spending a lot of time in there too. Sometimes we studied together and he confided in me that he was very interested in Hermione Granger, though he didn't know her name. He simply said, "your friend." and with a couple questions, I found that it was Hermione.

I was pleased by this and often talked Hermione up when I had the chance. Hermione on the other hand, was irritated by Krum's presence in the library.

"He's not even good-looking!" she muttered angrily as I studied with her and Harry one day. A group of giggling girls were spying on his from behind the bookshelves. Hermione hated the noise. "The only like him because he's famous! They wouldn't look twice at him if he couldn't do that Wonky-Faint thing."

I dropped my mouth in horror, goggling at her and started to cough. "Wronski Feint." Harry and I said at the same time. Harry's teeth were gritted and he burst into laughter at my face.

Hermione glared at us and we stopped laughing, but continued to grin.

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𝕾𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝕳𝖔𝖌𝖘𝖒𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊. Harry took his invisibility cloak, wanting to hide from Ron. I rolled my eyes but let it go.

We went to Honeydukes first and bought large chocolates filled with white cream. It was thick, a bit like frosting and they were good. We walked out eating them. It was a much different atmosphere now, and I could tell Harry could feel the difference. We were more free, no one was shouting horrible things at Harry- they couldn't see him.

I had a basket filled with sweets on my arm along with Chicken legs that I'd taken from the Lunch table this afternoon. We walked down to Shrieking Shack and I set it down on top of a rock. I didn't wait, I told Sirius we wouldn't wait- not wanting anyone to see him- and, looking around, I didn't see him in person or as a dog and we went to the Three Broomsticks afterwards.

Hermione went to get the butterbeers. I did not want to talk to Madam Rosmerta, who I knew was curious to meet me. I went with Harry to a table in the back. We passed Ron who was sitting with Fred, George, and Lee. Fred looked up for a moment, but I passed by without looking at them.

I had nothing against Fred- I quite liked him, though I found my crushes on him and Cedric and others were waning (Snape shined brighter than ever). However, I felt that if I stopped to talk, I might end up chewing Ron out, and I didn't have the energy.

Hermione slipped Harry a butterbeer under his cloak and I drank my own. It tasted delicious and I realized I was going to have to buy some to put in a bottle and send to Trang. Nah, I was going to wait and bring her here. Yeah, that was best.

Hermione pulled out her S.O.E.A. notebook. I noticed Harry and Ron's names were at the very top of the very short list. She'd barely gotten anyone to sign. Nearly everyone thought it was a joke.

"When are you going to give up this Elves rights thing, Hermione?" Harry asked through a large gulp of butterbeer.

Hermione's eyes flared up and said, "When house-elves have decent wages and working conditions! You know, I'm starting to think it's time for more direct action. I wonder how you get into the school kitchens."

"No idea, ask Fred and George." Harry said.

"Hagrid's going to come over and tell you to visit him at midnight." I murmured, taking another sip of butterbeer.

"Why?" Harry asked in interest, looking around, "I don't even see him."

"You'll see him eventually, he'll be talking to Moody. Anyways, you'll wave, but you're under the cloak so he won't see. But Moody's eye sees under the cloak so he'll bring Hagrid over to you." I said after I finished swallowing the hot drink.

I watched at the next table as Ernie and Hannah swapped chocolate frog cards, wearing Support Cedric Diggory badges. Hannah had asked me to come and swap with them and I'd politely declined saying I'd rather not. She'd looked over and seemed a bit surprised that I wasn't with Harry.

Susan was at another table with some of the other Hufflepuffs. She never got a Support Cedric Diggory badge and I liked her all the more for it. If I had to hang out with a Hufflepuff, she was my go to.

I wondered who Harry was looking at. Probably Cho- she was sitting with some Ravenclaw girlfriends. Harry would be happy that she wasn't wearing a Diggory badge.

"Look, it's Hagrid!" Hermione said, motioning.

I wasn't sure if Harry waved or not. Maybe he was waving, or maybe he was waiting until Moody was looking in our general direction. Either way, eventually Moody and Hagrid made their way over to where we were standing.

"All right, Hermione? Elizabeth?" Hagrid said loudly.

"Hello." Hermione said, smiling back.

"Hey Hagrid, Hey Uncle Moody." I said, smiling at both of them. "Professor, I mean."

Moody waved away my apology and stomped around the table to bend down and mutter "Nice cloak, Potter."

"Can your eye- I mean, can you-" I hard Harry whispering beside me. Perhaps he hadn't heard me the first time. Or maybe he was just checking to see if Uncle Moody's eye really saw invisibility cloaks.

"Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks. And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you."

Hagrid was beaming down at where Harry was sitting. Moody had, of course, told him about the cloak. Hagrid bent down and said very, very quietly, "Harry, meet me tonight at eleven thirty at me cabin. Wear that cloak."

"Nice ter see yeh, Hermione, Elizabeth." Hagrid said, winking and then Uncle Moody and Hagrid moved away, heading out of the pub.

"Eleven thirty?" I questioned out loud, frowning. "I'm positive I had foreseen midnight."

Hermione was frowning too and said, "It is strange that some of your memories are being changed. I wonder why that is."

"They aren't large changes." I muttered, frowning at the table, trying to figure out the puzzle. "Maybe Trelawney will know something."

Hermione snorted vehemently and Harry choked on his butterbeer. "Sure." He said, laughing. "Sure."

I had to laugh too. We soon left.

"Anyways," I said, wrapping my cloak tightly around myself as snow started to come down. It didn't stick and would probably be gone by the night. "Eleven thirty is better anyways considering you have to meet with Sirius tonight as well."

"Will you be there?" Harry asked. "You know the Gryffindor password."

"I'll think about it." I said honestly. "I don't know if I'd risk it, but it'd be worth it. I haven't talked to him in forever."

I separated from Harry and Hermione as we entered the castle. I went to the Hufflepuff common room and went upstairs for a nap. I woke up around ten and headed out of the castle. It was dark out and the stars were shining brightly. I had my wand and art pad and pencil. I was hoping I could find the moon flowers that I had found last time. Besides, the dragons were going to be out tonight and I hoped to get some good drawings of them.

I met with Firenze halfway through the forest. I was glad, because I could've sworn I'd heard footsteps behind me, but hadn't seen anyone.

"Elizabeth Kane, wonderful to see you again." Firenze said softly.

"Hello Firenze." I said cheerfully. "There's dragons in the forest tonight. I'm hoping to get some good drawings."

Firenze smiled. "Yes, we've stayed far away from the dragons. We don't enjoy Centaur barbecue."

I stared at him for a moment, my mouth open in surprise and when I found my voice I said, "You actually made a joke!"

"Was it good?" Firenze asked, smiling, and sounding amused.

"Very." I said, grinning. We set off into the forest. He led the way, already knowing where the dragons were.

I crept forward when we got there. There were four of them, each of them had about seven dragon keepers around them. The Chinese Fireball was already laying down, sleeping. I flipped open my sketchpad. I squatted down and worked on the drawing, capturing as many angles as possible in a short amount of time.

I recognized Charlie and that gave me an idea for Christmas. But I simply wrote a note for it and continued. There was also a Swedish Short-Snout, Hungarian Horntail, and Common Welsh Green. Harry would get the horntail of course, going last.

The dragons were all sleeping for now, I knew they'd drunk some sleeping draft before they'd been transported here.

Suddenly a wizard got very close and waved to Firenze, "Hello there."

"Charlie!" I said, popping up from the ground. Charlie took a few steps back out of shock.

He recovered and stuttered, "E-Elizabeth?"

"Firenze, this is Charlie Weasley, I've mentioned him before. Charlie, this is Firenze, he's a Centaur, obviously." I said, quickly introducing them.

"What are you doing out so late?" Charlie asked, nodding to Firenze politely. Firenze nodded back.

"Oh, well, I wanted to see the dragons and draw them." I said, showing him my rough dragon sketch.

"That's good considering the lack of light." Charlie complimented me. "How'd you know about the dragons? Your visions?"

I nodded. "The visions alerted me. Though they aren't extremely reliable, so I wasn't sure if they'd be here or not." I paused and said, "Hagrid's going to bring Madam Maxime soon."

"Great." Charlie said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll leave you now, Elizabeth Kane." Firenze said, putting a calm hand on my shoulder, "I shall converse with you later."

"Bye Firenze." I said, smiling and watched him gallop away.

I jumped the bush line to get a better look at the dragons.

"I love the Chinese Fireball." I said, starting another rough sketch. "And the Swedish Short-Snout is a very pretty dragon." I said.

"You know the different types?" Charlie asked in surprise.

I nodded. "I pay attention in Care of Magical Creatures class." I paused and then said, "Harry will have to get past the Hungarian Horntail- at least that's what I see for now. It could change."

Charlie brought me around the dragon camp so that I could see the dragons better. I added more detail to my Chinese Fireball dragon.

"I should go back up to the castle." I said, after I had rough sketches of all four dragons done. "The dragons will wake up soon so I want to get out of your way."

"Alright, hopefully I'll see you at the first event." Charlie said with a smile.

I smiled back and then said, "Hey umm, so I know Mrs. Weasley- your mum- is upset about Harry. Tell her that he doesn't actually cry about his parents, will you? Cause he doesn't. Everything Rita Skeeter wrote in there- or nearly everything- he never actually said."

Charlie nodded. "I figured as much. Mum was in floods after reading the article."

"It'll be nice if she knows it wasn't true." I said.

Charlie nodded again. I could hear Hagrid and Madam Maxime's voices approaching and the dragons were starting to wake up. The Hungarian Horntail started to breathe fire and both Charlie and I had to hit the deck to avoid being burned.

"Go, I'll let mom know. And don't tell Harry about this, understand. None of the contestants are supposed to know!" Charlie said.

I kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, I won't."

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"𝕯𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖔𝖓𝖘." 𝕴 𝖘𝖆𝖎𝖉 as Harry approached the Gryffindor Common Room portrait.

"I know." Harry said. "I just saw them. Balderdash."

The portrait swung open and I followed him into the Gryffindor common room. It was 12:55. "You stayed late." I commented.

Harry nodded. "I hoped Charlie was going to drop some hints about what the tournaments going to be like. Any ideas?"

I sighed. "I'm afraid that if I say, my visions will change."

"Well-" Harry said but stopped talking as he had spotted Sirius' head in the fire. "Sirius- how're you doing?"

"Aww man." I complained. "You cut your hair."

Sirius grinned at me but said to Harry, "Never mind me, how are you?"

"I'm-" he hesitated and then blurted out all his feelings about how he's felt in the past week. How no one except Hermione and I believed he didn't enter his name- along with a few teachers. How Rita Skeeter's article had lied about him and he couldn't walk down a corridor without being sneered at. For some reason, he threw in about Hermione and I being punished about it too. And he talked about Ron and how much he missed him and how jealous Ron was.

I stayed silent the whole time, becoming a background object and letting him speak. "...Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner." Harry finished.

"Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute- I haven't go long here... I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you about."

"What?" Harry said.

"Karkaroff." Sirius said and I stiffened. "Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"

"They were at the World Cup." I muttered.

"Yes-hes one?" Harry asked.

"He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year- to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place."

"No wonder he's so scared of him." I murmured.

"Karkaroff got released?" Harry asked. "Why did they release him?"

"Information." I said.

"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic." Sirius said, nodding to me. "He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names. . . he put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place. . . He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, form what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."

"Snape warned me." I said suddenly. "He came after me when I got to close to the ship. He thinks Karkaroff wants to use me to win the Tournament."

Sirius' face darkened. "Snape. . ." he muttered. "He could be right though, as much as I hate to say it."

"Are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. he seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing." Harry said slowly.

"We know he's a good actor, because he convinced the ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he? Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet, Harry-"

"-you and the rest of the world-" Harry replied bitterly.

"-and reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm, but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely, Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror that Ministry ever had."

"So. . . what are you saying? Karkaroff's trying to kill me? But- why?" Harry asked.

"He can't possibly want to kill you." I hissed, "Remember my dream, Voldemort wants you. If it is Karkaroff, and I'm not all that sure it is, he'll use the tournament to get you to him."

"What dream?" Sirius asked sharply.

I hesitated. "It doesn't matter."

"Tell me." Sirius said.

I sighed and repeated nearly the whole story to him, leaving out the part about me and talking only about Harry. Somehow though, perhaps through my sucked in cheeks, he knew I was hiding something.

"Spit it out." He said, a bit harshly.

I kept my mouth shut and Harry, who'd heard the story twice, told him what was said about me. Sirius' face darkened even more.

"So Bertha Jorkins is dead and Voldemort is rising because of Pettigrew." Sirius said angrily. "I knew I should've killed him."

"I don't know if it's true." I said, exasperated. "Dumbledore seems to think so but my visions haven't been coming along so truthfully. Besides, it was a dream."

"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins." Sirius said in a grim voice, "She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap."

"So. . . so Voldemort could have found out about the tournament? Is that what you mean? You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?" Harry asked, pondering this information.

"I don't think Voldemort would be all that happy with him." I said, frowning. "I suppose it's possible though. . ."

"I don't know. . . Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your name in the goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident."

"Looks like a really good plan from where I'm standing. They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff." Harry said, grinning a bit bleakly.

"Right- these dragons. There's a way, Harry. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell- dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon-"

"Yeah-" Harry started.

"Shh." I said.

"You can do it alone, there is a way, and a simple spell's all you need. Just-" Harry held up his hand to shush him.

"It's just Ron." I hissed.

Harry and I turned and waited apprehensively and indeed, it was Ron. He stared at us and then at the fire, put couldn't see Sirius from where we were.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." Ron said, hesitating in the archway. "Is that. . . is that Sirius?"

Harry and I looked at each other and Harry said, "Yeah."

Ron hesitated and then said, "Er- tell him I said hi. I'll go back to bed." He walked back up the stairs. I turned back to Sirius.

"Ron says hi, but I reckon the witch or wizard will be back soon. I'll tell Harry the spell, Love you."

"Love you too Elizabeth. Good luck Harry."

"Oh, Sirius." I said quickly and grinned broadly, "Harry wants to know if you love him too."

Harry pushed my shoulder so that I nearly fell over, spluttering and blushing, "Shut up Elizabeth."

Sirius snorted, "Of course I do, what a silly question. Also, thanks for the food Elizabeth."

"Bye." I said and with a pop, he was gone.

I yawned and stretched and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Look, I will tell you the spell, not tonight. I want to let Uncl- er Professor Moody talk to you first because he's got a great idea. If he doesn't talk about it though, I'll let you know both things, alright?"

"Sure." Harry said, a bit uneasily. "Night Elizabeth."

"Night Harry." I got up and left the Gryffindor common room and walked back to my own. Would Moody pull Harry into his office? It would be because he talked to Cedric. But would Harry know to talk to Cedric on his own? I was sure he would. I'd keep an eye on it.

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𝕸𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 we were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating. Harry looked sick, eating his bacon. We were about to leave for Herbology when Harry said, "Hermione, Elizabeth, I'll see you in the greenhouses. Go on, I'll catch up with you guys."

"Harry, you'll be late-" Hermione started but I interrupted.

"Good idea Harry, we'll see you later." I said, and dragged Hermione down to Herbology.

"What was that all about?" Hermione hissed.

"Just something I foresaw." I muttered back, "Or, hopefully foresaw."

She didn't ask anymore questions.

Today in Herbology, we were pruning Flutterby bushes. Flutterby bushes quivered and shook, throwing their perfume in the air. The perfume was meant to smell differently to a person, and lure the unwary to them. To me, it smelled a bit like the sea. I'd never been to the sea- we'd never had money for a vacation. I'd always wanted to go to the sea and I supposed that's what the Flutterby bush smelled that way.

I worked carefully as I pruned my bush. I didn't want to cut any unnecessary branches. Harry hurried in after about ten or fifteen minutes into class and came over to where Hermione and I were working.

"Guys," He hissed, "I need your help."

"What do you think we've been trying to do, Harry?" Hermione asked, looking at him over her bush with round eyes. They'd been in the library researching for the simple spell that Sirius had mentioned since I wouldn't give it yet.

"I need to learn how to do a summoning charm properly by tomorrow afternoon." Harry muttered.

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𝖂𝖊 𝖕𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖊𝖉 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖆𝖉 of having lunch. Hermione and I worked with him until class was about to start. Hermione wasn't going to skip Arithmancy and I didn't want to skip Care of Magical Creatures (I suppose I could've redone the hour but figured Harry didn't need to miss Divination either).

We ate dinner and then rushed to the classroom we'd been before, working on it. I had started practicing it to, demonstrating, while Hermione said theories would help. We worked late into the night- we had the invisibility cloak.

However, Peeves showed up around midnight, pretending that Harry was throwing things at him and started chucking chairs. We quickly left before Filch was attracted to the noise. I made my way back to the Hufflepuff common room, but saw someone moving down to the dungeons.

Curious, I followed. They were creeping around by the Potions classroom. I followed them in after a couple seconds. They weren't anywhere around which meant that they must be in the office. I hid behind the door, crouching down. They wouldn't see me here in the dark. I drew out my wand, waiting.

The office door opened and I waved my wand but I was to slow.

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𝕾𝖓𝖆𝖕𝖊 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖈𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖈𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 over me, his wand pointed at my face, his own face pale. "Are you okay?" He asked when my eyelids fluttered open.

I grimaced, "Oww, yeah." My head was pounding furiously. I put a hand to my head. "What happened?" I asked.

"I was going to ask you that." Snape said, helping me to my feet.

"I saw someone sneaking around and I followed them. But I guess they knew I was here. . . I don't know how though. . ." I said, frustrated. "I know for a fact that they never saw me. . . they came out of your office. I never saw what he- or she- looked like."

"You shouldn't have followed them." Snape said in a terse voice. "You could have been more seriously hurt than just stunned."

"I. . ." I hesitated. "I was- I was worried." I admitted.

"Why?" He asked, frowning.

"I-" I blushed and turned away and said, "I thought he might try to kill you."

There was a pause. And then he groaned and said, "Damnit!"

"What?" I asked, turning around in shock. He was running a hand through his long hair.

"If he was going to kill me then you most definitely shouldn't have come!" He said very angrily.

"But-"

"No!" He said harshly, slamming his fist against the wall.

I recoiled. I blushed and said, "I couldn't just stand by-"

"You better." Snape said, glaring at me.

We both stared at each other angrily for a long time. Then Snape ran his hand through his hair again and I blurted out, "I l-" I stopped, biting my tongue, blushing furiously. Snape looked at me with piercing eyes. "What?" He asked, a bit curiously.

I shook my head, blushing even more. He took a step closer. My breath caught in my throat and I said, "It's nothing, okay. I'll- I'll go now, I-" He took a step closer, reaching out and taking a lock of my hair. He wasn't looking at me anymore, but looking down. My heart thudded in my chest and I tried to steady my breath.

"Elizabeth. . ." he whispered in my ear and I shivered. His fingers lightly grazed my cheek down to my chin. "Go to bed."

I nodded and choked out, "Yeah. . . of course." I stumbled backwards and turned from the room. I lay in bed, burying my head in my pillow. One of these days, I was going to screw myself up and admit my feelings and I was sure after that I'd have to drop potions or face eternal embarrassment when he admitted he didn't feel the same way.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I felt horribly sick with nerves. Harry would be facing the dragon tomorrow and while I was sure he would do fine, I had my doubts. My doubts weren't based on Harry, but on whether or not things would play out the way that my visions declared.

At breakfast, I barely ate, drumming my fingers on my sketchpad. Then, I went to Moody's classroom. I didn't have class, but I wanted to tell him about the intruder and to ask him to keep an eye out.

I knocked on the office door and heard a voice growl, "Come in Elizabeth."

"Hey, I just wanted to run something by you real quick." I said, stepping into the office.

"Really?" Moody grunted, drinking from his hip flask. "Doesn't have anything to do with your visions, does it?"

I hesitated, imaging Harry flying past the dragons, "Well, no, it doesn't. Actually, last night, I was helping Harry with his summoning charm. And well, when I left, I saw someone sneak into Snape's office."

Moody frowned, or at least what was an attempted frown. His magical eye was zooming around the classroom, but his normal eye was fixed on me, "Really? Did they take anything? Was Snape there? What happened? Do you know?"

I shook my hand, "They stunned me. I don't think Snape was there though. I don't know if they took anything either, he didn't say. But I wanted to let you know, considering your an Auror, that someone's sneaking around."

"Might be a Durmstrang student trying to help Krum. . ." Moody muttered. "or even a Hogwarts student if they thought something in there would help Diggory or Potter. Don't know why they'd think any potions ingredients would help with this task though. . . though they don't know what the task is so maybe. . . hmm."

"Maybe." I said hesitantly. "I have to get to Charms, but I thought you should know."

"Thank you Elizabeth. I'm sure Snape already told Dumbledore, but I'll let him know you came by as well. It's important he knows. I'll keep an eye on students as well." Moody said thoughtfully.

I nodded and quickly left, sprinting down the corridor so that I would make it to Charms on time.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐 to Snape's classroom after school ended, but the door opened before I could knock or open it myself. I found myself face to face with Karkaroff.

"What are you doing here?" Karkaroff asked.

"I have a-a private lesson with Professor Snape." I stuttered, blushing. He was so tall!

"A private lesson, huh?" He sneered, leaning forwards. I jerked back, hitting my head against the doorframe, realizing just how unfortunate the situation was. I was frozen in fear, our cheeks almost touching as he whispered, "And how private, is private?" His body was pressed against mine. One hand was on my leg, trailing upwards. I stayed frozen.

"I-"

"Karkaroff!" Professor Snape snapped.

Karkaroff moved backwards slowly, moving his hand up to twirl his goatee. "I see. . ."

"It's not- It's not like that!" I said quickly, shooting at look at Professor Snape, a panic I couldn't explain inside of me.

"She has private lessons with several Professors." Professor Snape said, moving between the two of us. He was shorter than Karkaroff, though not by much, but somehow managed to tower over him at the moment. "Now get out."

Karkaroff snorted but said nothing, leaving the potions classroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" Professor Snape asked quickly, his demeanor changing abruptly.

"Ah. . . no." I said, blushing. "I'm sorry, I should've chosen my words better."

"No matter." Professor Snape said, brushing my apology away. "He's been looking for a chance to get close to you regardless. Shall we start the lesson then?"

"Oh, right yes." I said, sitting down at our usual table where the ingredients and list had already been set out and we started.

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𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕴 were sitting on either side of Harry in the Great Hall for lunch. None of us were eating much of anything. I supposed it was nerves. But it was worse than before a Quidditch game- which was stupid. I wasn't even competing this time.

"Potter," Professor McGonagall said, coming over to the Gryffindor table, "the champions have to come down onto the grounds now. . . You have to get ready for your first task." Her face was white and though her body and manners seemed steady, her hands were shaking slightly.

"Okay." Harry said, dropping his fork onto his plate mindlessly. It made a loud clatter.

"Good luck, Harry. You'll be fine!" Hermione said.

"Good luck!" I said anxiously.

"Yeah." Harry said in an off-tone voice and followed Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall. About twenty minutes later, Hermione and I went down to the arena that the champions would be competing in. We were sitting near the teachers. Ginny, Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville were sitting with us. I looked at Snape, who was looking at me. I blushed and sat down and quickly engaged in a conversation with Seamus and Dean.

Ludo came up on stage at the blow of a whistle. He was commentating again. To bad, I would've liked Lee to have commented. Lee looked bored, in the front row and was looking up at Ludo as though insulted that he'd taken his job.

There was another blow of the whistle and Cedric entered the enclosure. I had my fingers crossed tightly, my sketchpad on my lap. The Swedish Short-Snout was in the arena with him. I remembered that they weren't as vicious as the others and was glad that this was the one that Cedric was going up against.

Cedric transfigured a rock, turning it into a yellow Labrador. I was surprised, that was a pretty good bit of magic. Of course- Cedric was brilliant, no doubt about that. The dog barked at the dragon. Cedric was trying to get around the dragon, as the dragon was drawn to the dog, gaining on it.

It took a long time, Cedric was trying to move very slowly, trying not to draw attention to him moving behind his back. I could see the dragon's nest somewhere behind that. Ludo was commenting, "A neat bit of transfiguration right there. . . wonder if it will work. . ."

Cedric sprinted for the eggs and grabbed the golden egg. The dragon turned, around blowing fire. I screamed- and I wasn't the only one. The fire caught part of his face. The dragon keepers were climbing into the arena now, containing the dragon. I saw that Charlie was among them. I crossed my fingers but no one was hurt.

Cedric was taken to the medical tent to get his face healed up. I realized I was gripping Deans' arm tightly and I let go. "Sorry." I muttered to him.

"It's fine." he muttered back, his face darker than usual.

I made sure to keep my hands to myself after that, gripping my knees instead, digging my fingernails in as Fleur came out next against the common welsh green. Again, not a particularly dangerous dragon. Fleur was muttering and waving her wand and the dragon seemed a bit dazed, as though it was being put into a trance. I wondered if Veela could charm animals as well. Looking around, I noticed so of the guys seemed to be in a sort of a trance too.

Out of curiosity, I looked up at the teachers panel. Snape's face was slack and I started giggling and poked Ginny who looked over and started to giggle too. "She's a Veela." She murmured in my ear. "And Professor Snape. . ."

We giggled harder. We watched as Professor McGonagall looked over and saw Snape's face. She quickly slapped him across the face and he reeled back. I think she was very happy that she got to do that, for as she faced back around, she was smirking.

Snape got up, rubbing his cheek and our eyes met. I was still giggling and sucked in my cheeks and looked away, trying not to laugh anymore. Ginny had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.

"It was a bit funny." I muttered. My hand was on my pencil and I was already drawing the scene, still grinning.

The common welsh snorted and flames caught Fleur's skirt as she got close to the egg. She put the flames out with water and got the golden egg.

The common welsh was taken away and the Chinese Fireball was put in place and the whistle blowed for a third time. Krum walked out, looking extremely surly. I wondered if he felt like this before every Quidditch match.

He was very quick in acting, but so was the dragon. The Chinese Fireball didn't get it's name for nothing after all. It kept blowing fire at him and he kept ducking behind rocks that had been strategically placed there as barriers. He was much quicker than Cedric or Fleur and Krum lifted his wand and yelled something. He was using the Conjunctivitis Curse.

The spell hit the Chinese Fireball in the forehead and she bellowed in agony, stumbling around. Krum got the egg but the real eggs were destroyed when she trampled them and then bellowed in agony at losing her eggs. I actually felt a bit bad for the dragon. Imagine losing your babies like that.

There was the fourth and final whistle and I drew closer on the edge of my seat. Harry came out, looking a bit sick. He raised his wand in the air and shouted something that no one could hear over the Hungarian Horntail's roars- but I knew he was summoning his broom. My fingers were crossed so tightly that the blood was draining from them.

Harry stood there for a moment, looking dazed and people started to whisper. But then, I heard a swooshing sound and heads turned to see his firebolt zooming towards him. It stopped dead in midair beside him. The crowd was shouting for joy. Bagman was shouting, "Well who would have guessed this!"

Harry swung his leg over the broom and soared upwards, and then- he smiled.

He was looking down at the eggs and muttering something and I relaxed. Harry was going to do wonderfully. He dived. The Horntail's head followed him though she didn't move. He swerved out of the way as a jet of fire came blowing out.

"Great Scott, he can fly!" Bagman shouted, "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"

Harry soared higher in a circle, the Horntails head revolving on its neck. He was trying to make it dizzy. Harry plummeted again after a moment, dodging flames again. However, the Horntail's tail came up and graze his shoulder, ripping his robes. I screamed again, this time, clutching Ginny's arm. She'd screamed as well.

Harry zoomed around the back of the Horntail and then moved back and forth. Slowly and gradually, he pulled just a little bit further away, just out of reach of the tail and flames. The dragon roared in exasperation, unable to get to him. Then the dragon reared onto her back legs, her wings spread out, blocking the view for some of the other viewers. He dove, going between her legs and scooping the golden egg up under his uninjured arm.

I jumped up with the Gryffindors, cheering!

"Look at that! Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!" Ludo Bagman was shouting excitedly. He looked hot inside his wasp robes- his face was red and sweat was trickling down his face. I reckoned he should be glad to be hot considering how cold it was outside.

I rushed from the stands as Harry landed in front of Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Hagrid.

"That was excellent, Potter." Professor McGonagall said, smiling, though her hands were still shaking, "You'll need to seem Madam Pomfrey before the judges give out your score... Over there, she's had to mop up Diggory already.."

"Yeh did it!" Hagrid was cheering.

I threw my arms around him. "You did wonderfully Harry." I whispered in his ear.

"Thanks Elizabeth." Harry said.

I went with him to the hospital tent, feeling very excited. Madam Pomfrey on the other hand, was in a horrible mood.

"Dragons!" She exclaimed in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside and making him go into a cubicle. I waited outside, listening to her rant. "Last year dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You're very lucky. . . this is quite shallow. . . it'll need cleaning before I heal it up, though. . ." A pause, a hiss from Harry and then Madam Pomfrey came out of the tent saying, "Now just sit quietly for a minute- sit! And then you can go and get your score!"

"Hey Elizabeth." Harry called from inside the cubicle. "What's my score?"

"Forty points." I called back. "If my vision is correct, of course. You'll be tied first with Ced."

Harry was on his feet, coming out and I put a hand on his chest. "Sorry, medic in training, go sit down." I said, smirking at him.

"Oh buzz off." Harry said, rolling his eyes jokingly.

Hermione and Ron entered the tent. I kissed Harry's cheek and said, "I'll let you be. I'm hungry."

I started to walk away when I heard someone call my name quietly. I turned to see Barty Crouch there. I stopped walking. He jerked his head, starting to walk towards the Forbidden forest. I hesitated for a second before I followed.

"Let me guess, I was right." I asked, crossing my arms as we came to a stop.

"You need to stay out of this." Mr. Crouch said. "You're just a kid."

Well, that stung. "Just a kid?" I asked, perhaps a bit angrier than need be. "Who warned you about what was going to happen, may I ask? Oh that's right, it was me. The kid. You really ought to listen to me more."

He glowered at me, "Stay out of it." He started to walk away.

"What? That's it? Stay out of it?" I snapped. He stopped turning back to me.

"What? Were you expecting something else?" he asked. His wording, his way of talking, it was all off from the clean, business like man I had met at the Quidditch World cup.

"You're already under it, aren't you?" I asked. "The Imperius Curse, I mean."

There was wavering behind his eyes but he said, "Of course not, that's ridiculous."

"Of course you are." I said, trying to sound kinder than I previously had. "I can help you."

His expression was guarded. "I'm not under the curse."

"So you say." I sighed. "More likely, you're just saying that. I've been under the curse. You're an adult wizard, aren't you? Throw it off. Have the will to throw it off. Cause if I can throw it off and you can't, then you must not want to actually throw it off."

This wasn't true, but I knew anger was a good motivator for throwing off the Imperius Curse. I turned to go and he grabbed my arm, jerking me back.

"Watch your back" he muttered in my ear before letting go of my arm, almost thrusting it away from himself. I tripped over my own two feet, but caught myself before I fell.. He started walking off back towards the tents. I caught sight of McGonagall, Dumbledore, Snape, and Moody looking at us from far away, but I pretended not to see them, making my way up to the castle instead.

I shook my head, sighing in disappointment. If only I could help him! Then, I could solve this mystery.

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[braveclementine]

Chapter 10

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕸𝖞 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖈𝖍 𝖜𝖆𝖘 twisting and turning at dinner. Snape had been. . . well I didn't really know what emotion had played out on his face. He'd kind've frozen, and then of course, I'd said there was nothing we could do about it if it was already hoodwinked and he turned kind've purple. Perhaps it was a medical condition. Shock could do that to people. Or maybe he just cared about me. . . no, I'm sure that wasn't the reason. Shock, definitely shock.

The other students were excited, talking about the possible house champions. I mean, if Cedric did get it and I was the second, well it was a double Hufflepuff win which would be nice. I wondered who the others were and why I had seen only my name coming out of the goblet. It was a bit funny, I'd never really seen a vision where I was involved. I only assumed that was because I saw the visions from my point of view.

The Halloween feast was just as good as yesterdays, but not as many people seemed to have enjoyed it. Maybe because two feasts in a row is not as good as one feast every couple of months. The Bulgarians seemed to enjoy themselves though. A few boys were sitting with Krum and I today. I didn't speak much, mostly listening to everything they had to say. Some of the stuff they talked about was fascinating enough that I momentarily forgot about the Cup.

Ron had asked me to get a signed autograph from Krum but I figured he could get it himself if he really, really wanted it.

When Dumbledore stood up, the Great Hall got silent very quickly. I looked up at the teachers table. Madam Maxime and Karkaroff were both tense. Karkaroff's eyes met mine- or maybe they were looking at the students behind me, I wasn't sure. Ludo looked extremely excited and was winking at various students in the crowd though I noticed he particularly avoided the Gryffindor table. Mr. Crouch had a stoic face on an looked utterly bored. I met Snape's eyes. I held them for a second before looking away. He looked how I felt- sick.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision. I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called," and here Dumbledore's eyes briefly flickered over to mine. So Snape had told him- good, "I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions." Dumbledore motioned to a door behind the staff table.

He took out his wand and waved it. All the candles that floated in the air were extinguished and so were the flames in the lanterns on the walls. Only the candles in the pumpkins stayed lit. The Goblet of Fire was almost painful to look at- the blue white flames were extremely bright. My stomach grew even more nervous and I thought that I might just throw up.

I counted down the seconds in my head and when I reached 0, the flames inside the goblet turned red. Sparks began to fly from it and a tongue of flame shot into the air, a piece of parchment fluttered out of it. The whole room gasped but my mouth wouldn't open. I think it was glued shut. Despite being fairly certain my name would come out last- my stomach turned.

"The Champion for Durmstrang will be Viktor Krum!" Dumbledore read. The Bulgarians cheered and I turned and looked at him and said, "Congratulations." with as big of a smile as I could manage. He smiled back and got up and slouched to the door that Dumbledore had indicated. Everyone could hear Karkaroff shouting, "Bravo Viktor! Knew you had it in you!"

The clapping and chatting died down and everyone's focus was on the Goblet once again. It turned red and shot up another flame and a second piece of parchment- a frilly thing, all folded up like a circular fan- came down and Dumbledore reached up and grabbed it.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!" Dumbledore announced. She didn't get as much applause from her own group. In fact, many of the girls burst into tears except those from Ombrelune who stared stoically ahead. Fleur Delacour was a girl who looked like a Veela. Her long silvery hair was nearly as long as mine, all the way down to her butt, which she shook as she walked up the aisle between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

When she went through the door, everyone stopped cheering immediately. The excitement could be tasted in the air and I wished that I could enjoy it. A third parchment slip shot up into the air and Dumbledore shot his hand up to grab it. A pause and then, "The Hogwarts Champion, is Cedric Diggory."

I managed to forget about the fourth slip as I joined in cheering for Cedric with everyone else. I jumped to my feet with the others, screaming. The only slight difference between my screams and the others screams were they were happy, I sounded a bit panicked. Cedric grinned at me as he passed by and headed off toward the chamber behind the teacher's table.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore shouted, trying to keep things normal though his eyes flickered to me once again. I had already sat back down, staring at the table, trying not to be sick. Could I be wrong? I'd been wrong about other things before. . . the polecat, for instance. . . and Hermione's badges. . . but wrong about something this big? I put a hand over my mouth, leaning on my elbow. I was going to be sick. . . I was going to be horribly sick.

"Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute-" And then he stopped talking as the goblet's fire turned red again, sending up another piece of parchment. The whole room gasped.

Dumbledore reached up and grabbed it, looking at me again. I found it difficult to swallow. He opened his mouth to read- what I supposed was my name- and then closed it, frowning. I felt hope come. Was there no name on it? That was the best case scenario. I found I was half-risen from my seat and then he said, "Harry Potter."

I sat back down heavily, stunned. I had been wrong again? My hands trembled and I placed them on the table, trying to take deep breaths to calm myself. What was happening? Were my visions slipping? Why was I seeing things only halfway? What was wrong with me!?

Professor McGonagall had gotten to her feet to speak to Professor Dumbledore. I glanced over at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry was saying something to Hermione and Ron. But his words didn't seem to register with them.

"Harry Potter! Harry! Up here, if you please!"

Hermione pushed Harry. Harry got to his feet, walking slowly up between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. He reached Dumbledore who, unsmiling, said, "Through the door, Harry." He looked at me again.

Harry went through the door and then I got up, and sprinted to the top of the stairs. Professor McGonagall made to move as though to stop me but Dumbledore touched her arm and I went past them. People started to murmur and I sprinted down the corridor.

Harry was standing to the side while Cedric, Krum, and Fleur all stood in front of the fireplace, looking at him.

"What is it? Do zey want us back in ze Hall?" Fleur was asking.

"No." I said as Harry just shook his head. Harry looked at me. "Elizabeth, what's happening?" He asked me in a strange voice.

"I don't know." I said, panicking. "I didn't foresee it."

Cedric had turned at the sound of my voice but didn't ask anything as Ludo Bagman came into the room.

"Extraordinary! Absolutely Extraordinary! Gentlemen. . . lady, may I introduce- incredibly though it may seem- the fourth Triwizard champion?" Bagman said, having taken Harry's arm, and led him to the fireplace. Viktor Krum straightened up at these words, his face darkening. Cedric looked from Bagman, to Harry, to me, trying to find something out. Fleur however, tossed her hair and said, "Oh, vairy funny joke, Meester Bagman."

"Joke? No, no, not at all! Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire!" Ludo said and he sounded positively joyful about it. I thought I might be sick again and Harry looked the same way.

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake, 'E cannot compete. 'E is too young."

"Well. . . it is amazing. But as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as his name's come out of the goblet. . . I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage. . . It's down in the rules, you're obliged. . . Harry will just have to do the best he-"

The door opened again and Harry and I turned to look to see who was coming. It was Dumbledore followed by Mr. Crouch, Karkaroff, Madam Maxime, McGonagall and Snape.

"Madam Maxime!" Fleur said at once. "Zey are saying zat zis little boy is to compete also!"

Through my fear, confusion, and shame I snorted in annoyance. Little boy? Would I have been little girl? My stomach did another turn and I sat down and put my head on my knees before I passed out. I really shouldn't have been taking this so hard, but contestants had died in the past. Part of me wondered if I was glad it wasn't me, or if I wished it was me so that it wouldn't be Harry. Strange though- I was so excited for Cedric.

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr." She said impatiently.

"I'd rather like to know that myself, Dumbledore." I heard Karkaroff saying. He sounded close by to me. "Two Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me the host school is allowed two champions- or have I not read the rules carefully enough?" He gave a short laugh.

"But Harry's not competing under Hogwarts." I managed to say, looking up. "It's impossible for the Goblet to pick two from any one place. Whoever put Harry's name in the Goblet put him down under a different school."

Everyone was silent for a moment and then Karkaroff said, "That as it may be, we were under the impression that the Age Line was to keep out younger contestants, Dumbledore. Otherwise, we would, of course, have brought along a wider selection of candidates from our own schools."

"It's not one's fault but Potters, Karkaroff. Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break rules. He has been crossing lines ever since he arrived here-" Snape said softly, his black eyes alight with mischief. I glared at him.

"Thank you Severus." Dumbledore said firmly and it was hard not to grin. Professor Dumbledore looked from me, to Harry and asked very calmly, "Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" he asked.

'No." Harry said.

"Did you ask an older student to put it into the Goblet of fire for you?"

"No." Harry said again.

"Ah, but of course 'e is lying!" Madam Maxime announced.

"No he isn't." I snapped.

"I don't know how you would know that." Karkaroff asked, looking at me sharply. "Unless you've been with him every moment of the day?"

I blushed. I certainly wasn't going to tell the foreigners about my vi-

"Oh, but of course!" Bagman said excitedly. He was so excited I was surprised when he didn't clap his hands together with joy. "You would've seen it through your visions if Harry had put his name in the cup."

I closed my eyes. Lovely- now they knew. "Right." I said bitterly. "And I didn't."

Madam Maxime didn't seem to care about my visions, but Karkaroff was giving me a calculated look now. Lovely. I looked over at the other Professors and saw that both Snape and Dumbledore were giving Karkaroff a guarded look now.

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line." Madam Maxime was saying.

"It is possible, of course." Dumbledore said mildly, looking away from Karkaroff who was still looking at me.

"Dumbledore, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake! Really, what nonsense! Harry could not have crossed the line himself, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that he did not persuade an older student to do it for him, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed, throwing a nasty look at Professor Snape.

"Well he didn't put it in." I muttered, but quietly because no one seemed to be listening to my opinions anyways. I was peering into the future again, trying to see what I'd missed the first time. It was strange. . . the names were coming so easily now. . . there was Harry's name on the slip of paper. . .why had I seen something different before?

"Mr. Crouch. . . Mr. Bagman." Karkaroff said slowly. "You are our-er- objective judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?"

Bagman was wiping his face with a handkerchief, looking the most excited out of anyone in this room. I licked my lips and stood up. I had a mind to leave but Dumbledore said softly, "Miss Kane. . ." I stood next to Harry instead, glaring at the floor.

Mr. Crouch spoke curtly. "We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

He looked over at me and we kept eye contact while a majority of the rest of the conversation took place.

"Well, Barty knows the rule book back to front." Bagman said as though that was the end of the discussion.

Had Voldemort already visited his house? Had the visit not happened? I didn't really know any of the details- they were hazy. What was he thinking about, looking at me. Still, neither of us looked away from each other.

"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students." His stupid smile was gone. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It's only fair, Dumbledore."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes but didn't say anything.

"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that. The Goblet of Fire's just gone out- it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament-"

"-In which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing! After all our meeting and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!"

"Empty threat, Karkaroff. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?" Uncle Moody said, having just entered the room.

Staring into Barty Crouch's eyes was like having a silent conversation. It felt like he was trying to tell me something and I wasn't grasping it. But now, at Moody's entrance, we held eyes for another second and then he looked away, stepping back into the shadows again. I looked at where Uncle Moody had just walked in.

"Convenient? I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody." Karkaroff said in fake disdain.

"Don't you? It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo whished to give 'Ogwarts two bites of ze apple!" Madam Maxime cried out.

"I quite agree, Madam Maxime." Karkaroff said, bowing to her. "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards-"

"If anyone's got reason to complain, it's Potter. But. . . funny thing. . . I don't hear him saying a word. . ." Moody growled at Karkaroff.

"Why should 'e complain? 'E 'as ze chance to compete 'asn't 'e? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand Galleons in prize money- zis is a chance many would die for!"

"Maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die for it." Moody said with a growl.

There was silence, a tense one, and then I gasped. Everyone's eyes shot to me and Professor McGonagall said, "Miss Kane, perhaps you should sit down before you pass out."

I did feel horrible, realizing what I'd just realized. "I think I'm going to be sick." I muttered and I ran from the room. I sprinted to the bathroom, the farthest from the Great Hall as I could get, and went inside, locking myself in a stall.

Of course! Hadn't Voldemort said that Bertha Jorkins had given him good information? Being in the ministry meant that she would've known about the Tournament. But how had he gotten here? I supposed it was possible that Pettigrew could have come in rat form. . . but Voldemort didn't trust him enough to leave by himself. . . nor was Voldemort in the position to be alone. Voldemort also had said he needed another servant. Who was it? Karkaroff? He was the only possible explanation. . . maybe Madam Maxime? I highly doubted it.

Thinking of how Voldemort had killed Bertha Jorkins and now Harry might die made me lurch over the toilet and throw up. I'd lost my parents. I couldn't lose Harry too. And with my visions being unreliable, how was I to keep him from dying?

"Miss Kane?" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out through the bathroom some minutes later. "Are you in here?"

"Yeah." I croaked. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to you." She said, sounding sympathetic.

"Sure." I muttered. I waited a few more seconds to make sure I wasn't going to throw up and then got up, flushed, and left the bathroom with her.

"Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.

I nearly nodded yes and then shook my head. "Harry's in danger. I hope Dumbledore doesn't let him compete."

She didn't answer and I knew she didn't want to be the one to tell me that he had to compete. I knew it already, but still. . .

Dumbledore was waiting in his office with Uncle Moody standing on the right side of the room, leaning on his cane. Snape was on the left side of the room, standing erect, with crossed arms. Professor McGonagall stayed near me, though she left me a little room.

"Are you feeling better Miss Kane?" Dumbledore asked kindly. He was standing behind his desk, looking preoccupied.

"Not really." I said weakly. "But I know I owe an explanation."

"Perhaps you could explain what upset you so greatly?" Dumbledore said, peering over his half-moon glasses.

I nodded and told him about the dream I had over the summer. I included every detail possible from how the room looked, to who was in the room, and every word that was said. I had thought about it so much, I had memorized every detail. About their mentioning the Quidditch World Cup, Wormtail offering to use a different wizard or witch, Voldemort's instance on using Harry, Bertha Jorkins, Voldemort's need for another helper. . . but I paused about them mentioning me.

Dumbledore seemed to notice my hesitancy. "Go on. Every detail is important."

So I reluctantly told him what was said about me. Snape's hands balled up into fists when I got to the part of Voldemort wanting to use me for my visions. McGonagall had her mouth over her hand. Uncle Moody leaned forward on his walking stick, something foreign behind his eyes. And then I finished up with the Muggle man coming into the room and Voldemort killing him.

"Why haven't you told the Ministry about Bertha Jorkins?" Snape asked quickly.

I rubbed my head in frustration. "Because this was a dream." I emphasized. "This wasn't a vision. Besides, Fudge wouldn't believe me last year about Sirius Black, so why would he believe me about Voldemort rising again using Peter Pettigrew- who Fudge believes to be dead? And besides," I added on hotly. "My visions haven't been entirely reliable this year, have they? Who can say if the dream even took place?"

"What was the Muggle man's name?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

I racked my brain for that information. "I don't think it was ever said."

Dumbledore rummaged in his desk for a moment and tossed me a newspaper and said, "Was that him?"

I read the headline: Frank Bryce found Murdered in the Old Riddle House

Riddle house. I snorted. That was hilarious. There was a picture of the man and I recognized him immediately. I tossed the newspaper back to him, "That's him, yes."

Dumbledore nodded, "I thought so."

"You have a lot more faith in my visions than I do." I snapped. Then I sucked in air because I shouldn't be mad at Dumbledore. It wasn't his fault that my visions were wacked.

Dumbledore looked at me in mild surprise, "You've always been right before."

"Exactly!" I said, exasperated. "And I've never slipped up more in my entire life! I'm foreseeing things and they aren't happening! There's something wrong with me and I don't think you should be relying on me until I figure out why I'm all messed up!"

"Your visions don't define you." Professor McGonagall said sharply.

"Maybe not." I vented. "but they're just about the only reason I ever end up here anyways so when I don't have anything to share, I'm pretty useless."

Snape's face was a strange shade of red. I wasn't sure what he was mad about, but I didn't really want to find out.

"I've known you for a long time, before I knew about your visions." Uncle Moody said, leaning on his walking stick. "Even as a kid, your insight's always been good. I trust that."

I blushed slightly, a bit pleased, but kept my face stoic. "Can I go?" I muttered.

"Of course. I'm sure Mr. Diggory is looking for you to celebrate." Dumbledore said, a bit bemused. "Oh, one last thing."

"Yes?" I asked, trying not to sound exasperated.

"Is there something about Barty Crouch that you wish to tell me about?" Dumbledore asked.

I was so glad I didn't blush and I said, "Nothing at all."

Dumbledore nodded once and then said, "You may go."

I left without looking at anyone and hurried from the room. But I couldn't bring myself to go to the Hufflepuff common room. Instead, I hurried to the entrance hall and slipped out through the doors. I walked down to the lake, and walked away from the Durmstrang ship. I didn't like Karkaroff.

I took my shoes off, putting my feet in the water and then sitting down on the gravel and rocks. I stared out at the lake. A bunch of flashes of visions burst into my mind suddenly.

"Get out of my head!" I shouted, pressing my hands to the side of my head. Then, putting my head on my knees, I started to cry.

I couldn't help it- really. I had tried to hold things in for too long. I hadn't want to cry in front of dad so I'd bottled everything up. I hadn't cried for a long time and it was a bit of relief to let go of all my feelings.

I sobbed into my knees, trying to keep quiet. Then I felt arms slip around my shoulders, pulling me into a sort of awkward hug. I wasn't sure who it was until I felt the long hair against my neck. Snape.

I put a hand on his arm, pulling it closer. I was being so stupid, I knew, but I needed this sort of closeness.

"You're not useless you know." Snape said, his chin resting on my head.

I hiccupped. I didn't want to cry in front of him either. I quickly bottled the tears, wiping them off my face with my sleeve. "Sorry." I said.

"I don't want you to apologize." He muttered, "and you don't have to stop crying either."

"I hate when people watch me cry." I muttered.

"Technically, I can't see you anyways." Snape said lightly and I laughed. It was a hoarse laugh, but it was a laugh.

"Thanks." I said, feeling better. "You didn't have to follow me, you know. I'm not running away or anything."

At first, I thought he wasn't going to answer and then he said, "You should stay away from the Durmstrang ship. Karkaroff..."

"He wants to use my for my visions too?" I asked bitterly. "I figured as much."

"Something like that." Snape muttered.

I noticed that with his chin on my head and his arms around my shoulders, he was hugging me a bit like how dad might've held me as a little girl.

I turned around, burying my head into his shoulder. He rearranged his arms and I felt much better. This was a different type of hold.

I wasn't sure how long it was before I said, "I should go to the common room. Maybe they've stopped celebrating."

"You hate celebrations?" Snape asked, sounding amused.

"No, not usually. Only because I want to go to bed but its' Cedric, you know? And since we're close I have to stay up."

"You could. . ." He started and then stopped and quickly said, "never mind."

"What?" I asked, interested and sat up, looking into his eyes. I was aware that we were very close, though it was dark.

"It's nothing." He said huskily, moving to get up.

"Well now you have to tell me." I said, teasingly, getting up as well.

"I was going to offer my office, the way I did in first year when Quirrell. . ." he drifted off again. "But you're right, I reckon they've stopped celebrating."

My cheeks were burning and I was glad it was so dark out. "I'll take up your offer anyways."

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𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 up, I tried to figure out where I was, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Of course, Professor Snape's office. I quickly rolled out of bed, pulling on my robes and shoes. I made the bed quickly and noticed that he was still sleeping on the floor, snoring.

My heart thudded in my chest and I froze. His silky black hair was swept across his face. He looked peaceful. He never looked like that when he was awake. I crept over to where he was and moved the hair out of his face. His hair was so soft. I touched his lips with one finger lightly. His snoring stopped and started up again, giving me a heart attack.

I reckoned he was awake. So, I bent down, brushed my lips against his cheek and whispered in his ear, "Thank you."

Then I stood and walked calmly out of the room. But once I closed the door behind me, I felt giddy and I left the classroom in great spirits.

I met Hermione coming out of the Great Hall. She had a stack of toast in a napkin, butter running through each piece onto the next.

"I'm going to get Harry, want to come?" She asked.

I nodded. I followed her up to the Gryffindor common room. The portrait opened before we even reached it and Harry came out and looked at us for a moment. "Hello, I brought you this... Want to go for a walk?" Hermione asked.

"Good idea." Harry said gratefully and then looked at me as we started walking and said, "Are you feeling better?"

I nodded. "I didn't want to compete in the Triwizard Tournament and when I had a vision my name was going to come out, I just didn't feel good. The pressure in there was just a little too much. Dumbledore's letting you compete?"

Harry nodded. As we were outside now, walking around the lake, eating, Harry told Hermione what had happened and caught me up with the other parts after I left.

"Well, of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself. The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! But the question is, who did put it in? Because Moody's right, Harry. . . I don't think any student could have done it. . . they'd never be able to fool the Goblet, or get over Dumbledore's-"

"Have you seen Ron?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Erm. . . yes. . . he was at breakfast." Hermione said after some hesitation.

"Does he still think I entered myself?" Harry asked.

"Well. . . no, I don't think so. . . not really." Hermione said a bit awkwardly.

"He's jealous." I piped up.

"Jealous? Jealous of what? He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the whole school, does he?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Look." Hermione said patiently, "it's always you who gets all the attention, you know it is. I know it's not your fault, I know you don't ask for it. . . but- well- you know, Ron's got all these brothers to compete against at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous- he's always shunted to one side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this is just one time too many. . ."

"Great, Really great. Tell him from me I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him from me he's welcome to it. . . People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go. . ."

"I'm not telling him anything." Hermione said shortly. "Tell him yourself. It's the only way to sort this out."

"I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up! Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself once I've got my neck broken or-" Harry said loudly.

"That's not funny." I snapped at him.

"That's not funny at all." Hermione agreed anxiously. "Harry, I've been thinking- you know what we've got to do, don't you? Straight away, the moment we get back tot he castle?"

"Yeah, give Ron a good kick up the ass?"

"Write to Sirius. You've got to tell him what's happened. He asked you to keep him posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. . . It's almost as if he expected something like this to happen. I brought some parchment and a quill out with me-" Hermione looked at me and I nodded.

"I know what the letter says." I said. Or at least, I hoped that it did.

"Come off it." Harry said, looking at us like we were crazy. "He came back to the country just because my scar twinged. He'll probably come bursting right into the castle if I tell him someone's entered me in the Triwizard Tournament-"

"He'll find out anyways." I said. "It'll be in the Daily Prophet by tomorrow." (I hoped). "He'd rather hear from you anyways."

I summoned my letters to Sirius and Dad from the castle as we walked up to the Owlery. They came shooting out the door and into my hand. "We'll send Sadie. She can mail my letter to Sirius and yours since you can't use Hedwig. I'll use Hedwig to send a letter to Dad."

Dear Sirius, You told me to keep you posted on what's happening at Hogwarts, so here goes- I don't know if you've heard, but the Triwizard Tournament's happening this year and on Saturday night I got picked as a fourth champion. I don't know who put my name in the Goblet of Fire, because I didn't. The other Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff. Elizabeth's pleased. Elizabeth and Hermione say hello. Hope you're okay, and Buckbeak -Harry

"Finished," He said and I took his letter and gave him the one I had written to dad. "Give that to Hedwig." I repeated as Hedwig flew down from the rafters.

"This is for Professor Lupin." he told Hedwig as he tied the letter to her leg. I worked on Sirius' letters with Sadie.

I petted her wings and let her out. "I ought to go find Cedric and congratulate him." I told the others. I hugged Harry tightly. "You're going to be fine, you know." I said reassuringly. "The other students aren't going to be happy and I'm sorry you'll have to put up with it, but Hermione and I'll be here." I promised.

"Thanks Elizabeth." Harry said with a tight smile.

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𝕴 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 𝕮𝖊𝖉𝖗𝖎𝖈 with some of his buddies in the library. I decided I wouldn't say anything because I didn't particularly like his friends. Cedric spotted me and jumped up and came over quickly. "There you are, I've been looking for you everywhere." he said.

"Congratulations." I said. "I'm really happy you got it."

"Walk with me." Cedric said, jerking his head out the library door. I followed behind him silently, a bit confused. "Are you okay?" He asked in concern as we were by ourselves. "You seemed really distressed about everything."

I sighed, running my hair through my knotted hair. "Yeah, I know. It's just. . ." I hesitated and then said, "When I had my visions, I-er- saw my name coming out of the Cup. And since I hadn't put my name in and I didn't want to compete in the first place, I was feeling horrible. But Harry's name came out and he didn't put his name in and when Professor Moody said maybe someone was trying to kill him well. . . I just got really upset."

"He really didn't put his name in the Goblet?" Cedric asked incredulously.

I nodded, "No one knows how his name was put into the Goblet. It's scary, really."

Cedric nodded, "Who put his name in it then?"

I shook my head, "I don't know. And that worries me. If I didn't seem something important, what else am I missing then?"

Cedric put an arm around my shoulder, "You shouldn't worry so much about those visions you know. They don't define you."

"McGonagall said something like that." I said. "But I still feel useless when I'm blind."

Cedric shook his head. "Get something to eat, alright? I know you didn't come back last night and you probably didn't eat breakfast."

I grinned reluctantly. "Sorry about not coming to the celebration."

Cedric waved his hand, "I don't care, Elizabeth. I just want you to be okay, alright?"

I nodded, "I'll go get something to eat.

Cedric hesitated, and then leaned in and kissed my cheek, "you do that." Then he walked back to the library. With burning cheeks, I headed to the Great Hall.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖋𝖊𝖜 days were hard on Harry. Only the Gryffindors were being kind to him. Everywhere he went, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins all hating on him. I got very frustrated with the Hufflepuffs who kept persuading me to stop being friends with Harry.

I'd been minding my business too, which made it even more frustrating. Cedric had been in the corner, talking to a huge group of people. Cedric was extremely popular and was usually always seen in a group of girls and boys. I'd been in the opposing corner, working on my homework. I still had a lot to do and I was rushing to get it done on time.

I didn't even realize that the girl was talking to me at first. She'd called "Hey!" And I didn't look up because I was trying to figure out what the Rune translation was. Then she called "Hey future-see-er." And I looked up.

"What?" I asked curtly. I hated being yanked out of homework reveries. When you have the flow, you have the flow. When you're interrupted, your thoughts stop and the essay is just harder to write when you eventually get back to it.

"Don't you like Cedric?" She asked and Cedric looked at her, frowning.

"Of course, I do." I said, trying to figure out why she might be asking about it. Half the girls were jealous about our close relationship.

"Then why are you still friends with Harry?" She asked defiantly.

I narrowed my eyes, "Why should I drop my friendship with him?" I asked harshly.

"Cause he's an attention-seeking git." Someone else said, laughing.

I slammed my books that I was holding down on the table so that I could shove them into my shoulder bag and said, "I can be friends with whoever the hell I want. I can support Cedric and Harry at the same time and if you all weren't such dunderheads, you'd be able to do that too."

Then I swept angrily out of the common room to go study in the Forbidden forest.

And then of course, there were the stupid Slytherins. I was passing through the hallway in the dungeon and saw the Gryffindors and Slytherins were lined up outside the Potions classroom. The Slytherins were howling with laughter and flashed their new badges to POTTER STINKS.

"Oh very funny. Really witty." Hermione said sarcastically.

"Want one, Granger. I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up." Draco said.

Harry and I had our wands out before anyone else could've blinked. I was feeling very angry right now and Draco was the perfect target.

"Harry!" Hermione said, not noticing me. No one seemed to notice I was there, their eyes were all on Draco and Harry. Good, I had a clear shot now.

"Go on, then, Potter. Moody's not here to look after you now- do it, if you've got the guts!" Draco said, his eyes glinting.

"Furnunculus!" Harry yelled.

"Densaugeo!" Malfoy screamed.

"Ebulblio!" I shouted.

Harry's spell hit Goyle in the face, Malfoy's hit Hermione, and mine hit Malfoy. Goyle bellowed as boils sprang up on his face. Hermione's teeth started to grow, and Malfoy was trapped in a transparent bubble. Crabbe lunged at me, knocking me to the ground. I guess he didn't like using his wand.

"And what is all this noise about?" A soft, deadly voice, said down the corridor as Crabbe punched me in the face. I kneed him in the groin, getting him hard, satisfyingly.

Snape grabbed the back of Crabbe's collar, hauling him to his feet. I got up to my feet on my own, blood dripping from my nose.

"Hospital wing." He said, pointing to Goyle, "Hospital wing." He said, pointing to Hermione. They both went off in the same direction. He took out his wand and undid the spell I'd done on Malfoy. "Get to class Kane." Snape said, then bent down and said, "Come back after class."

I headed off to charms wondering what he could possibly want now.

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𝕴 𝖐𝖓𝖔𝖈𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖔𝖓 the office door of the Potions classroom because he wasn't in the classroom. "Come in." He said in an ice cold voice.

I entered hesitantly. Why was he angry with me? Sure, I'd trapped Draco in a bubble and made sure Crabbe wasn't having children anytime soon but still. . . it's not like I'd been in the wrong.

He had his back to me, working at his private desk and said, "Sit." The only thing to sit down on was the bed.

"What do you want?" I muttered, staring at my feet. My nose was still hurting and I closed my eyes and pressed on it. It burned and hurt even more. Maybe it was broken.

His fingers touched my chin and he pulled my head up so he could see my face. "Episkey."

My nose snapped and I yelped in pain and shouted, "What was that for!"

But the pain in my nose was fading. Snape actually smiled and then said, "You could just thank me."

I rolled my eyes. "Thank you."

I was briefly aware that his fingers were still on my chin and I reached up and touched his hand. We were still for a moment and then I drew away and said, "Really, thank you." I was blushing bright red, looking down, trying not to smile.

"I-I should- should go." I stumbled over my words and turned and nearly ran into the door and then ran from the room.

I was sure that if I had another meeting like that, I might actually kiss him.

And I wasn't sure how he'd react about that!

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𝕴 𝖜𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖊 𝖔𝖚𝖙 a letter to dad that night.

Dear Dad, The Daily Prophet's probably made a piece about it already, I reckon it'll be horrible too. It's going to paint Harry as such a lonely little boy which he isn't. I reckon he didn't say anything that the paper printed he said. Rubbish really, I don't know why you waste money on it. I'm feeling a bit off, I think that's simply because I don't understand why my visions are all wrong. I didn't tell you this yet but I had seen my name coming out of the Cup. Of course, then it was Harry's name but I don't know how I could've made such a mistake! Anyways, I reckon the first task ought to be dragons. You know, perfectly safe. I have to say I'm really glad my name wasn't shot out of the cup. I don't think I could handle it, considering I don't know how reliable my visions are. Of course then, I do suppose that I'd have a better reckoning than the others since I have an idea. Sorry, I'm complaining a lot. Magic school isn't as fun as I wish it was. I feel that every year, Harry's got some sort of hate coming towards him and I feel that I get some of the hate too, simply for being his friend. Especially this year, good lord. I wished the hat just put me in danger in Gryffindor. It's like I have to decide between Cedric and Harry and I can't because I love them both, you know? Anyways, I'll try to be more positive next time. I'm not really down. I've heard from Sirius a couple times and I know where he's staying so maybe I'll pay a visit. But Snape's always following me around. He thinks I'm in danger from the Durmstrangs. I don't know, maybe he's right. I don't understand his attitude towards me at all! He likes me a lot, I feel, and that in itself is confusing because he really ought to hate me. He hates Gryffindors and he fully well knows that's where I was supposed to end up. And he even likes me more than the Slytherins! Oh well, I hope you're doing alright. I miss you a lot, wish you were teaching this year. I've got Snape teaching me how to make Wolfsbane potion during our private lessons so maybe I'll be able to get my hands on some at some point. Not sure how I'll get it to you yet but I'll figure it out. I love you so much dad. -Elizabeth

I waited for it to dry, making sure no one was reading over my shoulder, and then I rolled it up and went up to the Owlery. Neither Hedwig or Sadie were back yet and with Ron's permission, I used Pig to send the letter to Dad.

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[braveclementine]

Chapter 9

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖊𝖉 𝖗𝖊𝖑𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖑𝖞 behind Hermione as we made our way to the Gryffindor common room. She promoted elf rights the entire way there, as though I didn't know anything about it. Okay, so I didn't know anything about it. I'd just accepted it was a thing along with literally every other wizard out there.

I guess I could understand her from a point. After all, most wizards accepted that Werewolves were dangerous and didn't deserve to live, and of course, I believed quite the opposite. But it's hard to want to do something for someone who doesn't want it done for them. It's like telling someone you're going to give them a hair cut and they don't want it. House-Elves don't want freedom and honestly, a majority of them love their families and don't want to leave. Hermione was just forcing a rod into the system.

"Hello, I've just finished." Hermione said as she walked over to where the boys were sitting in the corner of the common room.

I sat down on the arm of Harry's chair while Ron threw down his quill and said, "So have I!"

Hermione sat down, laid the things she was carrying in an empty armchair, and pulled Ron's predictions towards her. "Not going to have a very good month, are you?" She said sarcastically and a bit disapprovingly. Crookshanks jumped up on her lap.

"At least I'm forewarned." Ron said with a yawn.

I looked over Harry's shoulder as he wrote on the last day of the month he was going to be decapitated because of a conjunction between Mercury and Saturn.

"You should make that Venus and Saturn." I muttered in his ear. "More likely."

"You seem to be drowning twice." Hermione said, looking over Ron's month.

"Oh am I?" Ron looked down and said, "I'd better change one of them to getting trampled by a rampaging hippogriff."

"Don't you think it's a bit obvious you've made these up?" Hermione asked, picking up the box of badges.

"How dare you! We've been working like house-elves here!" Ron said in mock outrage, trying hard not to let his smile through. "It's just an expression." Ron said as Hermione raised her eyebrows. I sighed.

"What's in the box?" Harry asked, pointing, as he put his own quill down having fixed the Mercury and Venus mistake.

"Funny you should ask." Hermione said, giving a nasty look to Harry.

"Bummer that you asked." I muttered in his ear. "You're going to regret it."

Hermione took off the lid showing the rainbow strewn badges. Each was a different color and the letters S.O.E.A. on them.

"'Soea?" Harry asked, picking up a badge. "What's this about?"

"Not Soea." Hermione said a bit angrily. "It's S-O-E-A. Stands for Stop Outrageous House Elf Abuse. Or the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. That's the subline."

Every time that she said that it made me cringe. Where the heck was S.P.E.W.?

"Never heard of it." Ron said with a shrug, rolling up his month chart.

"Well, of course you haven't. I've only just started it." Hermione said.

"Yeah?" Ron asked in a bit of surprise. "How many members have you got?"

"She just finished Ron." I said with a yawn.

"Well- if you two join- four." Hermione said.

I stared at her and said, "When did I ever agree to join?"

"And you think we want to walk around wearing badges saying Soea do you?" Ron asked.

"S-O-E-A" Hermione said hotly. "I was going to put Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status- but it wouldn't fit. So that's the heading of our manifesto." She pulled out the parchment that she'd shown me in the library and underneath that heading was the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. So S.P.E.W. had made it on the parchment somewhere. I still felt weird that another vision had been altered though without me doing anything.

"I've been researching it thoroughly in the library. Elf enslavement goes back centuries. I can't believe no one's done anything about it before now." Hermione said.

"Hermione- open your ears. They. Like. It. They like being enslaved!" Ron said loudly.

"Our short-term aims are to secure house-elves fair wages and working conditions. Our long-term aims include changing the law about non-wand use, and trying to get an elf into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, because they're shockingly underrepresented."

I groaned in frustration.

"And how do we do all this?" Harry asked. Why was he humoring her?

"We start by recruiting members. I though two Sickles to join- that buys a badge- and the proceeds can fund our leaflet campaign. You're treasurer Ron- I've got you a collecting tin upstairs- and Elizabeth, you're secretary, so you might want to write down everything I'm saying now, as a record of our first meeting."

"Ask Harry to do it." I muttered. "And besides, you will never get the non-wand use law out. It applies to every Magical creature like Centaurs and Mermaids and pixies and Gnomes. You really want a Gnome to have a wand? And Centaurs and Mermaids will be offended if you ever even mention trying to give them a wand!"

Suddenly there was a tapping on the window. Hermione looked mutinous and Harry hurtled across the room saying "Hedwig!"

Hedwig flew inside and landed on top of Harry's predictions. "Hi Hedwig." I said, petting her head feathers. "Have a nice flight?" I prayed Harry was going to keep his calm. "You have her treats, right?" I asked Harry as Hedwig hooted assent.

"Yeah." Harry said, going to his bag and pulling out a small bag full of treats and opened it. "Get Sirius' letter, will you Elizabeth?"

He sat back down and Hedwig settled on his knee. I took the letter from her leg and said, "Harry you better keep your calm."

Then I opened the letter and read aloud,

Harry- I'm flying north immediately. This news about your scar is the latest in a series of strange rumors that have reached me here. If it hurts again, go straight to Dumbledore- they're saying he's got Mad-Eye out of retirement, which means he's reading the signs, even if no one else is. Tell Elizabeth to pay attention to important details, she ought to sort it out before anyone else. I'll be in touch soon. My best to Ron, Hermione, and Elizabeth. Keep your eyes open, Harry. Sirius

"He's flying north? He's coming back?" Hermione asked in horror.

"Dumbledore's reading what signs? Harry- what's up?" Ron asked for Harry had just hit himself in the forehead.

"I shouldn't've told him!" Harry said furiously and Hedwig having been jolted out of his lap, flew up to my shoulder. I reached up automatically to scratch her head feathers.

"Harry!" I snapped at him.

"It's made him think he's got to come back Elizabeth!" Harry shouted at me. "Coming back, because he thinks I'm in trouble! And there's nothing wrong with me!" I handed up another treat to Hedwig, watching him, exasperated.

"He was coming back already." I said as Hedwig took another treat into her beak. "Because of Bertha Jorkins disappearance and the Quidditch cup was the last straw. He knew Bertha and she ended up in Albania. She's dead, but he doesn't know that."

"She's dead?" Hermione asked and I gave Harry an incredulous look.

"You didn't tell them?" I exclaimed.

Harry turned red and said, "I didn't know you wanted me too!"

"Back up, who's dead?" Ron asked, and I gave him an exasperated look.

With a little help from Harry, we relived the dream for them and by the end of it, they were both extremely worried- not only for me, but for Harry as well.

"Why haven't you told Dumbledore?" Hermione asked.

"Well one." I said. "A dream isn't on the same level as a vision. Who can say if the event really happened? Maybe it was my visions causing a nightmare. Does anyone really want to think my dream was real and that Peter isn't dead and that Voldemort's going to find a way to come back? Think about it Hermione, who's going to believe me?"

"Dumbledore will if no one else won't." Hermione said.

"Maybe." I said with an annoyed shrug. "But Dumbledore doesn't have the power over the Ministry to tell them that my visions are right- let alone the fact that what I saw wasn't even a vision."

"But if Harry had the same dream. . ." Ron thought.

"But Harry doesn't remember all the details." I said.

Harry was sitting back down. I fed Hedwig the last owl treat and petted her head again before bringing her over to the window so that she could fly back to the owlery. Then I closed the window and sat down by the fireplace, leaning my head on the brick.

"So You-Know-Who is after both of you. . ." Hermione reiterated slowly, thinking. "Harry to kill him and you. . . for your visions?"

I nodded.

"And Pettigrew thinks your Harry's sister?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Well Lockhart didn't help any." I scowled. "But I think everyone would know if Harry had a sister."

"True." Hermione said with a nod. "Considering the fact there's quite a few books written about Harry, the family, and their history. Dumbledore would've known at least."

"Exactly." I said, though it hurt to say so. "We learned that last year when Dumbledore offered to be Lily and James secret-keeper. If they were that close, he would've known if there had been a girl in the house too."

Harry was looking a bit down which hurt even more. "So what do I do about Sirius?"

My lips twitched. "Early tomorrow you're basically going to write a letter telling him that you must've imagined the pain and that he doesn't have to come back. You don't have to, but that's what I foresee you doing."

"Will he go back?" Harry asked anxiously.

I let out the smile. "No, but his reply is humorous."

Ron rolled his eyes. "I hate when you do this. Write the letter Harry."

"Okay." Harry said, looking curious. "What does the letter say Elizabeth?"

"Dear Sirius, I reckon I just imagined my scar hurting. I was half asleep when I wrote to you last time. There's no point coming back, everything's fine here. Don't worry about me, my head feels completely normal. Elizabeth says hi. Harry"

"Why didn't Harry write down that Ron and I said hi?" Hermione asked, a bit hurt.

"Actually he never put down any of our names, I just added that bit in." I said with a smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

I got up from where I was sitting. "I'll see you guys in the morning, okay? I want to get my Ancient Runes homework done before tonight."

I headed out of the Gryffindor common room and hurried to my own.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞 passed and that night I went to the dungeons because I had my private lesson with Snape.

He was waiting, as he always was, behind our customary table, looking extremely annoyed. It wasn't me, I was two minutes early. Unless he was annoyed that I'd come early- I wouldn't know. But if I were to bet on it, I would've been it was Uncle Moody.

"What are we doing today?" I asked, sitting down across from him.

He glanced up at me and his expression changed. He blinked and then he cleared his throat and pulled out a piece of parchment. "I thought if you'd want to learn a new potion, something we wouldn't cover until sixth or seventh year and we can work on that."

I nodded, taking the piece of parchment and reading down a list of different potions. There were a lot of them and I tried to read all of them but I kept being brought back to a potion called Felix Felicis.

"Felix Felicis?" I murmured.

"Liquid luck." Snape said, gazing at me thoughtfully. "That's the one you want to work on?"

"Well. . . I think so. I keep being drawn back to it when I try to continue down the list so maybe there's a reason I should learn that one." I said, handing the parchment back to him.

He simply nodded, which was his usual reaction to most of what I said. He got up and headed off into his office, most likely to get ingredients or the instructions on how to boil the potion. I found myself daydreaming like I usually did. I was probably the most peculiar person ever. Wanting to learn, taking extra lessons without needing them, and also I had a crush on a teacher probably twenty years older than me.

I tried to work out the math in my head. Thirty when I was twelve so yeah about twenty years. Something like that. I didn't like thinking about the years though. I tried to make it seem like we were only a couple years apart. Didn't matter though- he certainly didn't like me back. Not romantically anyways.

He came out with the instructions. "These are the ingredients for the Felix Felicis." He said, pointing the top left hand corner. Ashwinder egg, Squill Bulb, Murtlap tentacle, Tincture of Thyme, Occamy eggshell, Powdered common rue. All of the ingredients were hard to come by except maybe the thyme, rue, and murtlap tentacle.

"You have to let it stew for six months before consumption." Snape said, continuing. "There's a long list of do's and don'ts as there usually are with potions."

I read the list. Shouldn't be taken in large quantities or every day. Highly toxic. Shouldn't be used in gaming events, etc.

"It's easy to get wrong. . ." I murmured. "The ingredients are expensive. . . Why the heck did I pick this?"

Snape pursed his lips, a sign he was trying not to smile- at least when it came to me. "You tell me."

I sighed and muttered, "Touché."

And so the lesson started.

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𝕺𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 couple of weeks, I wrote to dad twice and Trang three times. I didn't write about anything exciting with dad. Just asked if he'd found a job yet and reminded him about the gold in my vault which he was extremely annoyed about. He told me he had found something to do but I wasn't sure if he really had or if he was saying that to get me off his back. Trang and I just wrote about normal things and I filled her in about the Triwizard Tournament.

Uncle Moody was very demanding with his course-work though of course that was up to my standards. All the teachers, as a matter of fact, were giving out large amounts of homework. Animate to inanimate transformations in Transfiguration, weekly essays on goblin rebellions for History of Magic, researching antidotes in Potions, three extra books to read for summoning charms, coming down on alternate weekends to work with the blast-ended skrewts that Hagrid had gotten from somewhere, and researching how to throw off the Imperius curse for Moody.

Of course, Uncle Moody also told our class that he would be using the imperius curse on us and we had to throw if off. While many of the students dropped their mouths- whether in shock or horror, I don't know- no one complained and we all lined up. I was somewhere in the middle of the line.

Hannah sang in a way that I'd never heard her sing before. Like opera and I knew for a fact she couldn't have done that without the curse- she was tone-deaf. Ernie did handstand pushups, which I also knew he couldn't have done. Susan was supposed to be doing gymnastics, but she fought it a little bit and I thought she was going to break her neck. Moody was pleased with this- she'd come close to throwing it off. Susan seemed pleased as well.

"My Auntie will be happy when I tell her." She whispered to me as she passed by, beaming.

When it got to my turn, Moody turned the wand on me. It was a wonderful feeling, the curse. It was a floating sensation and I found that I had zero worries in my head. I felt relaxed too- a danger, I knew, in the magical world.

Do a backflip. . . do a backflip. . . Moody's voice said in my mind. A backflip? I was going to break my neck if I did that. Yet my knees were bent.

Stop! my brain screamed at me and I paused, trying my best to ignore Uncle Moody's words in my brain. You can't do a backflip! You don't know how to! My knees were still bent. I fixed my eyes on the desk in front of me. What if there's a desk behind you? Of course not, Uncle Moody do a backflip moved all the desks out of the way.

BACKFLIP NOW!

But I didn't do it, I couldn't. I straightened my legs out and I took a step forward. As long as you don't do the backflip, do something else. Do anything else, my brain said. I took another step, fighting hard not to bend my legs and flip. And the curse was gone.

"Look at that, you lot. . . Kane fought! She fought it and she beat it! Did you all see that! On her first try too!" Uncle Moody's eye was burning bright with pride and something else I didn't recognize. I didn't like the second emotion very much, even though I wasn't entirely sure what it was. "Very good Kane, very good! They'll have trouble controlling you! Now everyone watch again, watch the eyes, that's where you see it."

I did it once more, everyone staring at me. It was harder the second time, and I very nearly did the backflip. It took me longer to walk out of it but I managed to do it and by the time I was done, I was exhausted and glad Uncle Moody didn't have me do it a third time.

According to Susan, it took me one minute the first time and two minutes the second time. It wasn't exactly good, especially if I was in a fight. I wondered if maybe I could have Uncle Moody help me throw it off faster when we started private lessons.

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𝕾𝖊𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊 𝖆𝖓𝖉 went and we entered October. I'd started private lessons with Moody. We alternated between throwing off the imperius curse and Occlumency. Dad and I had worked on Occlumency last year and I had gotten pretty okay with it. I was doing okay under Uncle Moody too but his will to get into my mind seemed to be stronger than dad's and so I had to concentrate harder under Uncle Moody and sometimes I didn't do so well.

I found it was harder to throw off the imperius curse when I was tired so Moody had started holding sessions when I was tired, hoping this would help build up resistance and practice but I still ended up doing a backflip anyways.

Cedric had started my Seeker lessons too. From what he could tell, I was a natural apparently. We usually did this on Saturday afternoons. The Quidditch pitch was never being used since there was no Quidditch cup.

When I left Charms on October 23, I made my way down to the Great Hall and saw that there was a large sign in the entrance hall. Many people were standing around it and I saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter the castle. They'd been out with Hagrid for Care of Magical Creatures.

I went over to them.

"What's going on Elizabeth?" Harry asked.

"It's about the Triwizard T-t-t-ournament." I said with a yawn. "Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be here on October 30th at 6 o'clock. Lessons will end half an hour early and students should return their bags and books to their dormitories and assemble in front of the castle before the welcoming feast to greet the guests."

"Brilliant." Harry said. "Potions is the class that will be cut. Snape won't be able to poison us."

"Only a week away!" Ernie said who was standing next to me. "I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I'll go and tell him. . ."

"Go on ahead," I said. "but I think he already knows."

Ernie walked off and Ron said blankly, "Cedric?"

I rolled my eyes. "Really?"

"Diggory." Harry said with a smile. "He must be entering the tournament."

"That idiot, Hogwarts Champion?" Ron scoffed as he pushed his way through the crowd.

"He's not an idiot!" I said angrily, blood boiling. "You just don't like him because he beat Gryffindor at the game last year. He's really smart and a good student."

"And he's a prefect." Hermione said with a tone of finality.

"You only like him because he's handsome!" Ron said scathingly.

I bristled and Hermione said, "Excuse me, I don't like people just because they're handsome!"

Ron coughed "Lockhart."

I said even angrier, "Cedric's my friend! And you're just going to have to keep your nasty opinions to yourself!" And I stalked off, leaving them standing there, and headed to the library without eating to start researching antidotes.

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𝕴 𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖔𝖚𝖙 to the forest later that day. It was cold, as it was nearly winter time, and I wore a thick cloak and gloves.

I saw Firenze immediately upon entering the forest and greeted him cordially. "Hello Firenze, did you have a nice summer?"

"Indeed." Firenze said, "And I suppose you did as well?"

"Yes. I went to the Quidditch cup. Ireland won. I suppose you've heard about the Tournament?"

Firenze nodded. "Part of the forest has been cleared to house some of the creatures that will be used in the tournament."

"Like the dragons?" I asked curiously. Surely they weren't here yet.

"Not yet, though I'm sure soon." Firenze admitted.

"Charlie's going to bring them." I said, smiling. "Charlie Weasley that is. I don't think you know him though."

"The name sounds familiar." Firenze said slowly.

"Hagrid probably talked about him." I admitted as Firenze and I started to walk. "Does Bane like me yet?"

Firenze chuckled. "Not anymore than he has in the past, though he hasn't started any recent arguments."

I sighed. "Well that's something. But I will leave if I become a problem though I wouldn't want to of course. I love the forest."

Firenze's sapphire colored eyes twinkled and he threw his long blond hair back. Trang had showed me pictures of American surfers. Blond hair, blue eyes, tan skin. So basically, Firenze was a horse surfer man. "The forest is not ours to keep or give."

"Tell that to Bane." I muttered, though not loud enough for him to hear, though I suspect he did hear anyways because his lips twitched.

As the moon and stars came out, Firenze led me to a clearing and showed me the different planets. We'd been doing this for three years so I was starting to get good at it. "Is Venus brighter tonight than it usually is, or is that just my eyes?" I asked, looking up at the bright planet.

"Perhaps a bit brighter, but not much." Firenze said, also looking up. "I suppose it simply means there's going to be a lot of love this year."

I thought about that. Maybe dad would meet a woman this year. I certainly hoped so. I'd like a mum. But for unselfish reasons, I believed dad needed someone to love that wasn't his daughter. He was still a virgin after all. But such are the curses of being a werewolf.

I wondered if maybe I'd admit to Snape. . . absolutely not. Jumping jacks Elizabeth, how could you even possibly consider that?

I asked, "Do you have someone you love, Firenze?"

Firenze did not answer for a long time and then he said, "Centaurs are different. Mating is. . . rough sometimes. We're a dying breed Elizabeth Kane. The forest is not always safe for the females and foals."

"I'm sorry." I whispered.

Once again, it was a while before he spoke. Venus seemed to shine brighter as he said, "You are a joy in my life Elizabeth Kane. Never be sorry for perusing knowledge." Another pause and then, "Yes, I loved someone once. Perhaps I still love them, I don't know yet."

I didn't say anything. The cold was starting to get to me and he knew it. He smiled down at me. "Go on back to the castle Elizabeth. I'll see you another time."

"Bye Firenze." I said glumly, wishing that I hadn't brought the question up, and headed back out of the forest and then up to the castle. I'd missed curfew and hurried to the common room before I met a teacher or prefect.

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𝕺𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 before Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrived, I sat down at the breakfast table next to Harry, avoiding Ron.

"Sirius letter comes today, that's the only reason I'm sitting here." I said coldly, barely aware of Fred and George nearby.

"Oh Elizabeth, just ignore Ron." Hermione said scathingly. "He doesn't think before he speaks."

"Clearly." I said bitterly.

Hedwig flew down on Harry's shoulder, folded her wings and held out her leg wearily. Harry offered Hedwig his bacon rinds and she took them. Harry glanced down at Fred and George and read out the reply.

Nice try, Harry. I'm back in the country and well hidden. I want you to keep me posted on everything that's going on at Hogwarts. Don't use Hedwig, keep changing owls, and don't worry about me, just watch out for yourself. Don't forget what I said about your scar. Sirius.

"Why d'you have to keep changing owls?" Ron asked stupidly.

"Hedwig'll attract too much attention. She stands out. A snowy owl that keeps returning to wherever he's hiding. . . I mean, they're not native birds, are they?"

"Thanks, Hedwig." Harry said, stroking her. She hooted sleepily and drank some of his orange juice and then flew back to the Owlery.

"I'll see you guys later at the welcoming." I muttered, getting up from the table now that the excitement was over. At that moment, Sadie flew down with a letter from dad. "Thanks Sadie." I said, petting the top of her head. "Help yourself to whatever you want."

Sadie hooted and I headed off down the corridor and sat down outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom since that was my first class today and opened the letter.

Dear Elizabeth, Stop worrying, I'm fine. Also, I don't think you should be worrying about your visions either. There could be a thousand reasons that there have been tweaks to your memories. I don't know any, but I'm sure if we knew how the visions worked, we could figure it out. Are you going to be coming home for Christmas? I know it's early considering it's only October but I thought about making plans. Of course, considering the tournament is happening, you'll probably want to stay and I wouldn't blame you. I would stay if I were you. I'm glad Uncle Moody is working on the imperius curse with you. Just don't get hurt. Brushing up on Occlumency probably doesn't hurt either. I love you. . . a lot Dad

I re-read the letter twice. I sighed and folded it up. I'd write a letter to him at lunch.

I stood up as Uncle Moody opened the door and shoved the letter into my bag.

People weren't being very attentive in my classes and I tried hard to focus on what my teachers were teaching despite the people chattering softly around me.

At lunch, I wrote a letter back to dad saying:

Dad, I can't stop worrying when I don't know if you're okay or not. And I can't stop worrying about my visions, what if someone's life were to depend on it? I wish I knew someone who could help me with them. I don't know about Christmas yet. I've heard rumours that there might be a dance on Christmas Eve and I think I want to attend that if I get invited. Of course, with my luck, if I stay at Hogwarts I won't be invited and if I leave, I'll get seventy invites. I'll let you know as Christmas gets closer. Uncle Moody's great. I don't know if he has the popularity that you did. He's not as well liked at any rate, but people respect him and think his classes themselves are cool. But you were more liked as a character. And your classes were more enjoyable. And you were more handsome of course. I love you a lot too. XOXO Elizabeth

Then, I scarfed down some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches- a first considering I hated bread. I just tore the crust off and ate the soft parts and it was alright but not my favorite. Then before I headed off to Charms, I wrote another letter.

Sirius, Glad you're back in town. I think I know where you're hiding so maybe I'll run up and give you food. Depends on if Harry let's me have his cloak or not. But maybe I can make it out of Hogwarts without it. I wouldn't go to your hiding spot anyways. I'd hide it nearby, maybe by the Shrieking Shack. Not sure yet and I'll let you know before I do it so you won't have to check every day. By tomorrow we'll know who the tournament champions are. I haven't foreseen them yet- don't know why. Hope Buckbeak and you are alright. XOXO Elizabeth

Then I folded both of them up and put them in my bag. I'd send them off eventually. Probably tomorrow or later today.

Charms ended a half hour early and I hurried to the Hufflepuff common room to put my things away. In my bag, I put my journal, art pad, a couple of quills, one bottle of ink, and an old fashioned charcoal pencil.

I hurried back down the stairs, excited. I knew Viktor Krum was going to be part of the Durmstrang group. Though he would be sitting with the Slytherins, much to my disappointment. But it would be cool to see him in such a different atmosphere.

I had to stand with the Hufflepuffs as we had to stand by house and then grade level. I was standing in the fourth row and I was glad I was much taller this year. If I hadn't grown, I would never have been able to see over the third-years head that I was standing behind.

The cold seemed to be getting to a couple of the other students. I didn't mind. I had my cloak wrapped about my shoulders.

After some time, Dumbledore called from the back where he was standing with the teachers, "Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

I looked up in the sky over the Forbidden Forest as other students cried, "Where!" I felt students moving behind me and then Cedric was standing next to me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, pursing my lips, looking up at him.

He grinned. "Getting a closer look."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not that hard to miss."

Cedric smiled a secret grin but didn't say anything.

One of the fifth-year girls tutted behind me and I heard her whisper to her friend, "What's he doing with her?"

"Maybe their dating!" Her friend whispered back jealously.

"Oooh I would hope Cedric had better taste than that." The first whispered. "Her hair is so messy."

I nearly reached up to touch my hair and see how it was when Cedric bent down and whispered in my ear, "Your hair is fine."

I glared at him. "You could just be saying that."

"But I'm not." He said and shrugged. "And I personally think my taste is good, what do you think?"

I blushed.

Then the carriage, that had been traveling in the sky, landed in front of us with a large crash. A shockwave went through the ground and a couple people jumped or knocked into each other. Cedric and I bumped into each other and he caught my arm and steadied me. Both girls hissed behind me.

"Are you trying to get me killed by your fanclub?" I asked lightly through my teeth so that they didn't hear me.

Cedric rolled his eyes. "It was a simple helping hand, it's not like I kissed you or anything."

I turned beet red, whipping my face away from his so he didn't see how red my face was. The words 'just friends' kept racing through my mind.

The carriage was the size of a large house, probably a bit bigger than Trang's house. It was powder-blue and it was pulled by 12 palomino horses the size of elephants. The horses had fiery red eyes.

"Wow," I exclaimed, standing on my tip toes to get a better look, wishing I could get closer to them, "Palomino Abraxan horses!"

Cedric looked down at me in surprise and said, "You know how lovely that is that you know what those are?"

I shrugged, not understanding the meaning behind his words. "I just pay attention in Care of Magical Creatures."

The door to the house carriage was opened by a boy in pale blue robes. He was obviously seventeen and had white hair. He unfolded a set of golden steps down from the house and then sprang back in respect.

A large woman emerged, the same size as Hagrid. Her shoes were size children sleds and her dress was of black velvet. She was a handsome woman, despite the large size. She was olive-skinned and had large black eyes like Hagrid's. She had a bit of a beaky nose and her long black hair was pulled back into a low bun that hung at the base of her neck. She had magnificent opals gleaming at her throat as a necklace and had many rings upon her fingers that were laden with opals as well.

One of the teachers, most likely Dumbledore, started to clap and we quickly followed his lead. The woman seemed to relax more and smiled. She had pearly white teeth and she obviously cared about hygiene. I decided that I liked her. She seemed friendly enough. She had good style too.

She walked over to where Dumbledore now stood, having separated from the rest of the teachers. She extended a glittering hand and while Dumbledore was tall himself, he did not have to bend to kiss her hand. "My dear Madam Maxime, Welcome to Hogwarts." He said.

"Dumbly-dorr, I 'ope I find you well?" She asked in a thick accent. I bit my tongue so I didn't laugh. I was probably going to think of Dumbledore as Dumbly-dorr for a long time.

"In excellent form, I thank you." Dumbly-dorr said. I bit my tongue again.

"My pupils." She said and I looked back at the carriage. There were about a dozen boys and girls- more girls than boys- all standing behind Madam Maxime. They all wore one of three outfits. Beauxbatons had three houses: Bellefeuille, Papillonlisee, and Ombrelune.

The students of Bellefeuille were lovers of nature and also had great bravery and loyalty. It was a house as such if Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were combined. They wore outfits made of silk (all Beauxbatons wore outfits made of silk) in the colors of soft green and white. They house symbol was a leaf to represent their love for nature.

Papillonlisee were gifted in arts of visual and musical. Whether performing arts like dance or musical talents like singing or instrumental. They also prided themselves on beauty of mind and beauty of appearance. Their colors were purple and blue and their symbol was a butterfly to represent creativity and beauty.

Ombrelune were the cunning and manipulative group. Basically Slytherin in another school. They were usually best at intricate subjects like Potions and literature. They also rarely displayed emotion unless there was a gain in doing so. Their colors were grey and navy and their symbol was a moon to represent their coldness (I think). I could've made up the meaning in my dislike for them.

There seemed to be mostly Papillonlisee students above the other houses. Two of the four boys were Ombrelune, one Papillonlisee, and one Bellefeuille. About three of the girls were Bellefeuille and the rest were Papillonlisee.

They stared up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.

"'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madam Maxime was asking now.

"He should be here any moment. Would you like to wait here and greet him or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?" Dumbledore asked cordially.

"Warm up, I think. But ze 'orses-"

"Our Care of Magical Creatures will be delighted to take care of them the moment he has returned from dealing with a slight situation that has arisen with some of his other- er- charges." Dumbledore finished.

I giggled and said, "The Skrewts." Cedric grinned.

"My steeds require-er- foreful 'andling. Zey are very strong..." Madam Maxime said in a doubtful voice.

"I assure you that Hagrid will be well up to the job." Dumbledore assured her.

"Very well. Will you please inform zis 'Agrid zat ze 'orses drink only single-malt Whiskey?" Madam Maxime asked, bowing slightly.

"It will be attended to." Dumbledore said, also bowing, though his was a bit deeper than hers. Perhaps her frame simply didn't allow it.

"Come." Madam Maxime said and her students followed her up into the castle.

"How are the Durmstrang getting here?" Cedric murmured in my ear.

"Pirate Ship." I muttered.

Cedric and I watched the lake though others were watching the sky. Ten minutes later, there was a weird gurgling sound and Lee Jordan shouted, "The lake! Look at the lake!"

As predicted, a ship rose up from the black lake. I wondered briefly where it had come from as the lake did not connect with any other body of water. Though the ship did look as though it was a ghost ship from a Scooby-doo episode- just not glowing.

A tall thin man built along the lines of Dumbledore was leading the students off the plank. They wore heavy fur coats and cloaks along with fur hats. I knew underneath that their uniforms would be blood red. They did not have houses. They also were more selective and would not accept Muggle-born students. This prejudice was not shared with every student, I knew. However, to make up for student shortage, Durmstrang let students come from Bulgaria and other surrounding countries, not just the country it was located in.

Durmstrang was, of course, notorious for its Dark Arts program and I worried for a little bit about the Beauxbaton and Hogwarts champion. I hoped that the Durmstrangs would play fair.

Igor Karkaroff was the one leading in front and his robes were the color of silver unlike his students, which were brown. He had short gray hair and a small black goatee that curled at the end of his chin. He had rather yellow teeth and cold eyes.

"Dumbledore! How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?" he called as he led his students up the walk.

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff." Dumbledore replied, smiling.

They shook hands as Karkaroff then said, "Dear Old Hogwarts. How good it is to be here, how good. . . Viktor, come along, into the warmth. . . you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold. . ." Karkaroff beckoned Viktor towards him and the boy passed. I heard multiple people break out into whispers of excitement.

"Well." I said as the Durmstrang students passed. "This ought to be an interesting year."

We dispersed back to the Great Hall. I sat down at the Hufflepuff table as I was sure I had to and pulled out my art book. I was working on designs at the moment- new Quidditch robes for a new team. The Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students came to sit down. I knew, from my vision that Beauxbatons were to sit at Ravenclaw- Durmstrang to Slytherin.

However, while the Beauxbatons sat down at the Ravenclaw table, Durmstrang came and sat with us. And more to my surprise (as I had foreseen Krum sitting down next to Draco) Krum sat down next to me.

I looked over in surprise.

"Hello." He said in a quiet voice.

"Hi." I said, a bit in surprise.

He pointed to my sketchpad, "You like Quidditch?"

I looked back down at the robes I was working on and blushed. "Oh, yes. I came to the World Cup. You flew wonderfully- but I'm sure you get compliments all the time."

"You ver in the top box, no?"

I nodded, surprised that he remembered. There were curious glances from all around the school- and hostile glares from girls. Great I'd gone from Cedric to Krum.

"You 'ave a very impressive school." He said, looking around. "Durmstrang is not as nice as this."

"Oh." I said in surprise. I noticed the other Durmstrang were picking up the golden plates and goblets and observing them in awe and with impressed faces. They were smiling and removing their cloaks. "Thank you." I added.

I looked up to see Ron goggling at me and Hermione rolling her eyes.

"May I look?" Viktor asked, pointing to the art book. I slid it over. This artbook was completely Quidditch so there wasn't a single embarrassing drawing in there.

I had however, done profiles of both Lynch and Krum and Viktor stopped on his own. "This is very good." He said, sounding impressed.

"Thank you." I said again. "Er- do you think you could sign it please?" I asked, blushing. "I know you probably get requests all the time."

"Sure." He said, sounding pleased. He produced a quill from his bag and signed the page. It was neat and small, quite unlike Lockhart's huge scrawling signature.

"Thanks." I said for a third time.

Professor Dumbledore, Madam Maxime, and Professor Karkaroff quickly came in. The Beauxbaton students leapt to their feet and remained standing- despite the laughter- until their headmistress had sat down again. Dumbledore however, remained standing and our chatter quickly died down.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and- most particularly-guests. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

A Beauxbaton girl laughed a shrill laugh. I pursed my lips and tried not to glare at her. I got defensive about my school- I'm sure everyone did. It was a bit of an insult that she thought she wouldn't enjoy her stay here.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home." Dumbledore said and sat down. Karkaroff immediately leaned forward to talk to him.

Krum and I talked throughout the meal. He was a very interesting character, very different from who I thought he might be like. I didn't reveal a lot about myself. I'm sure rumours would be flying soon and I wanted to give him an honest view about myself without seeming too open.

Halfway through the feast, I noticed that Ludo Bagman and Mr. Crouch had showed up, taking seats on either side of the two new school heads.

When dessert came, I noticed that there were many different desserts that had never been there before. I supposed they were foreign. Krum pointed to a dish and said, "That is called Kurabiiki. Cookie, I suppose."

I decided I'd try one, per his recommendation. It was really good too. They were sweet, with powdered sugar across the tops of them.

"They're really good." I said, smiling at him after I had finished trying it.

He pointed out some other Bulgarian desserts like Banista, Kazanlak Donuts, Maslenki cookies, Bulgarian Honey cookies, and Tikvenik. He also pointed out desserts like Smelor buns and Kladdkaka which were native to Sweden and Cozonac, Romanian Chocolate cake, and Romanian Sweet Cheese pies which were native to Romania. (duh).

Dumbledore stood up once the dessert plates were clear and there was silence. Many of the students leaned forward to hear better. "The moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket, just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was polite applause for Mr. Crouch and huge burst of applause for Bagman, even from the foreign schools.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch," Dumbledore continued, "have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madam Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts. The casket then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Mr. Filch was wearing his horribly moldy tailor coat for the special occasion. I kept looking at Mr. Crouch. He looked horribly sick. I wondered what was wrong with him. He looked weird in wizard robes after seeing him in a suit at the Cup. His mustache and parting looked peculiar next to Dumbledore's long beard. Had Voldemort gotten to him already?

Mr. Filch carried forward a large wooden chest that was encrusted with jewels. I wondered briefly how much the jewels were worth. Probably millions in Muggle money. The wooden chest looked extremely old and probably very valuable by itself, despite the jewels.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman, and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways. . . their magical prowess- their daring- their powers of deduction-and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

At the word danger, the whole Great hall seemed to be holding its breath. "As you know, three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by the impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

"Oh." I gasped slightly, swinging my legs around so I could sit on my knees and see better. The Goblet of Fire was a wonderful artifact that had to be charged once a year and such. Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped three times upon the jewel encrusted crate. The lid creaked open slowly and Dumbledore pulled out a large, wooden cup, perhaps about the size of the Quidditch House Cup trophy that Gryffindor had won last year. The wooden cup itself was unremarkable but there were blue-white flames that were dancing inside of it, filling the entire cup with its flames.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross the line."

Dumbledore paused, looking around seriously at the students and then said, "Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

The students all hopped up and dispersed. I said good night to Viktor Krum, and made my way with the other Hufflepuffs back to our common room. I stayed up, pulling out a fresh sketchbook that I was going to use to draw scenes from the Tournament. My first drawing was a very detailed sketch of the Goblet of Fire.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌 I woke up early. I grabbed my Nimbus because today Cedric and I were going down to the pitch to practice. I wondered briefly if Krum would see and then scolded myself. I had enough crushes to last me a lifetime.

I made my way down to the Great Hall and grabbed some toast and made my way to the entrance hall. I wasn't the only early riser. Cedric was already waiting there with his own broom.

"Ready to go?" He asked as I chomped down on my jam and toast.

"Not yet." I said, taking another bite of toast and then swallowing. "I want to watch Fred and George."

"They can't enter, can they?" Cedric asked, frowning.

"No." I said, grinning. "But they're going to grow wonderful beards."

We settled down. Harry, Hermione, and Ron came and sat down. Harry sat next to me and Ron sat farthest away.

"Anyone put their name in yet?" Ron asked a third-year in front of him.

"All the Durmstrang lot, but I haven't seen anyone from Hogwarts yet." She replied, not turning around to see who she was talking to.

"You put your name in, didn't you?" I asked Cedric, frowning.

"Last night." He replied.

There was laughter behind us and I grinned, turning to see Fred, George, and Lee coming down the staircase, looking excited.

"Done it." Fred said in a triumphant whisper to Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I, trying to keep Cedric out of the conversation. "Just taken it."

"What?" Ron asked stupidly.

"The Aging Potions, dung brains." Fred said.

"One drop each." George said, rubbing his hands together. "We only need to be a few months older."

"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins." Lee said with a wide grin.

"I'm not sure-" Hermione started in a warning voice and I quickly shushed her.

"Ready?" Fred asked, winking at me. I rolled my eyes. "C'mon then- I'll go first." I watched him take his parchment slip out of his pocket and walked over to where the line was drawn and stood there, rocking on his toes with anticipation. Every eye was on him, knowing that he wasn't of age and seeing if it was going to work.

He stepped over the line and nothing happened. George let out a yell of triumph, jumping in after Fred. There was a sizzling sound and they were thrown out of the circle, landing ten feet away and beards popped onto both of their faces.

I burst out laughing. The beards weren't long and white, the way I'd seen. But they were nice, bushy, and red like their hair. I wasn't sure why the beards had changed but it was great. I think I preferred the red ones better.

"I did warn you." an amused voice said. Professor Dumbledore was coming out of the Great Hall. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey. She is already tending to Miss Fawcett, of Ravenclaw, and Mr. Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours."

This brought another round of laughter and Fred and George headed up to the Hospital wing. Lee followed them, laughing as well. I wondered how many people Madam Pomfrey would have in the hospital wing by the end of the day.

"Alright, shows over." I said to Cedric, "Ready to go?"

Cedric and I said bye to Harry and Hermione, ignoring Ron, and headed outside to play Quidditch. Cedric had borrowed the snitch from Madam Hooch.

We passed the ship where many of the Durmstrang were lounging around. I saw Krum and quickly looked away, trying not to draw attention to us. I was also trying not to stare.

"Did you support Ireland or Bulgaria?" I asked suddenly. "At the match?"

"Ireland of course, you?"

"Ireland." I said. "But I like all Quidditch teams so I liked the outcome."

"You like Krum?"

"Sure, he seems like a nice person. He was really friendly last night too." I said reluctantly.

"Yes, very friendly." Cedric said curtly.

"What?" I asked, frowning. "Don't tell me your jealous or something."

Cedric kept his mouth closed and I rolled my eyes, "Oh c'mon Ced, we're friends, you and I. I can be friends with whoever I want."

Cedric sighed, running a hand through his hair, blowing air out through is mouth. "Right, yeah, I know that."

"C'mon love boy." I said, hooking my elbow with his and dragged him into the Quidditch pitch.

Cedric let the snitch go and we both mounted our brooms and flew to opposite posts. I had a faster broom but Cedric had more practice so we were evenly matched. The objective was to find the snitch without stopping on the broom once.

I flew in circles around the stadium, looking for a glint of gold. I saw it, near Cedric's foot and I decided to try out the Wonski-Feint. I dived down and to my amazing luck, Cedric dove as well, leaving the Snitch behind him. Then, I curved upwards, shooting past him and held my hand out for the snitch. I caught it as Cedric came up to my side.

"Brilliant move Liz." He said, smiling. "Let's go again."

I let the snitch go and it zoomed away. We circled back to where we started out and tried again.

It started to sprinkle sometime in the afternoon and we both flew down. I had the snitch in my hand again and I gave it back to Cedric. I was exhausted and my butt hurt from sitting on the broom for a couple of hours.

"My butts sore." I muttered. "I'm not going to be able to sit down for a while."

Cedric laughed, "Get used to it."

I noticed that Harry, Hermione, and Ron were at Hagrid's and I said good-bye to Cedric and headed over there, running to get away from the rain.

I opened the door to find that Hermione and Hagrid were having an argument about elf rights. "It'd be doin' 'em an unkindness, Hermione. It's in their nature ter look after humans, that's what they like, see? yeh'd be makin' 'em unhappy ter take away their work, an' insultin' 'em if yeh tried ter pay 'em." Hagrid said, putting a large bone needle through some yellow yarn.

"Amen." I said.

"Hello Elizabeth." Hagrid greeted me.

"But Harry set Dobby free, and he was over the moon about it! And we heard he's asking for wages now!" Hermione said as though this applied to every elf.

"Yeah, well, yeh get weirdos in every breed. I'm not sayin' there isn't the odd elf who'd take freedom, but yeh'll never persuade most of 'em ter do it- no, nothin' doin', Hermione." Hagrid said, shaking his head.

"Besides." I said, sitting down in a chair, laying my broom across my legs. "Dobby was in a horrible household. I bet if he'd been under the Weasleys care or Dad's or Harry's, he wouldn't have wanted to be set free because he'd have been in a loving home, not a cruel one."

Hermione was glowering with anger as she put the box of badges back into her coat pocket. I didn't stay for long and I went back up to the castle before the others. As I crossed the threshold, I saw Uncle Moody, observing. I waved, but didn't talk to him as I made my way to the Hufflepuff common room.

A vision crossed my head and I froze in my tracks. But that couldn't be possible. . . could it? I debated about what to do and I quickly hurried into the dungeons before I really made up my mind. I flew through the door, panting, trembling. Snape looked up from behind his desk, annoyed, and then his face turned to understanding and slightly concerned.

"What did you see?" He asked as I approached his desk. I sat down in a chair, trembling. "Is it bad?"

I nodded my head, trying to find the words to speak and then I said, "A fourth name is going to come out of the Goblet of Fire!"

"Whos?" He asked sharply. "How?"

I shook my head. "I don't know who put the name in or how it was done. But considering it had to be hoodwinked, either a dark wizard or a powerful one."

"Who's name?" He asked again.

I licked my lips, trying to get the word out. I rubbed my eyes, caught my breath and then, looking up at him, finally managed to say, "Mine." 

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[braveclementine]

Chapter 8

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴𝖙 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 harder than ever as I lugged my trunk and Sadie out of the train. I covered Sadie's cage the best that I could.

"Hi, Hagrid!" Harry called over the crashing thunder and somehow, Hagrid managed to hear him.

"All righ', Harry? See yeh at the feast if we don' drown!" Hagrid yelled back and gave us all a gigantic wave.

I climbed into the first horseless carriage that I saw and found myself in a carriage with Susan Bones, Ernie Macmillian, and Hannah Abbott.

"Hi Elizabeth." Susan said with a smile.

"Hey Susan." I said, setting my trunk down and putting Sadie on top of it. "How was your summer?"

"Pretty good. Did you go to the World Cup?" she asked and then asked, "Since when do you wear glasses?"

"Yeah, it was amazing. Did you go? I've worn glasses since I was born."

She shook her head, "Quidditch isn't really my thing."

"Did you see the Death Eaters?" Hannah asked with large eyes.

I nodded. "I'm just lucky our tent wasn't burned. What about you Ernie?"

"We were okay." Ernie said, pushing his classes up on his nose. "We didn't really hear about the commotion till most of it was over. We'd gone to bed after the cup. We'd been cheering on Bulgaria so we didn't really have a reason to celebrate."

I nodded, "Yeah, you were farther into the campsite. We were near the beginning so we saw the start of it. Mr. Weasley sent us all in the forest. We were right by the person who cast the Dark Mark too."

The other three gasped. "Did you see who it was?" Susan asked in excitement.

I shook my head in disappointment. "No. We only heard his voice. It was a deep male voice, but that doesn't help any." I didn't mention Harry's wand or Winky or Barty Crouch's secret.

The rest of the carriage ride was spent in speculation about the wild possibilities of the identity of the man. I wondered what Barty Crouch knew about him and who he was to Crouch. His son? A brother? A father? A friend? But it was probably a relative or he wouldn't be protecting him so hard.

When the carriage rolled to the stop, I was out first, and I ran up the stairs as fast as was possible. I wrung my hair out when I got inside. Using my wand, I pointed it at my robes like a heater, waiting for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to come up. I put my trunk with the others and let Sadie out of her cage. She shook her wings, throwing water off of her, and flew off to the Owlery.

"Blimey." Ron said, coming into the Great Hall and shaking his head like a dog. "if that keeps up the lake's going to overflow. I'm soak- ARRGH!"

Peeves had just dropped a large red water balloon on Ron's head. A second one narrowly missed Hermione, and I dropped as it exploded on the floor, sending water into Ron and Harry's shoes. I dodged a large green one that Peeves had thrown right at my face. I wasn't sure why it mattered- I was already soaking wet.

"PEEVES! Peeves, come down here at ONCE!" Professor McGonagall shouted, running out of the Great Hall. She skidded on the wet floor and grabbed Hermione's throat to stop from falling. I winced theatrically.

"Ouch- sorry Miss Granger-" she apologized.

"That's all right, Professor." Hermione gasped out, massaging her throat.

"Peeves, get down here NOW!" Professor McGonagall shouted as Peeves lobbed a water balloon at a group of fifth years and cackled saying, "Not doing nothing! Already wet, aren't they? Little squirts! Wheeeeee!" Another water balloon was aimed at a group of second-years who had just come in.

"I shall call the headmaster!" Professor McGonagall shouted, "I'm warning you, Peeves-"

Peeves stuck out his tongue, threw the rest of his balloons high up into the air, watched them all fall down on the students and zoomed up the staircase, laughing.

"Well, move along, then!" Professor McGonagall said sharply to the crowd, "Into the Great Hall, come on! Miss Kane-"

I turned back and walked over to her and she held out her hand and dropped something into mine and I pocketed it. Then she asked, "You wear glasses?"

I sighed and wondered how many more times I was going to get this question asked, "Just for reading." I said and ran to catch up with the others. I ran my wand over my clothes, drying them out as I said good-bye to the others and headed over to the Hufflepuff table.

First day of school, Hufflepuff Quidditch matches, and last day of school were the only times I sat at the Hufflepuff table. Otherwise, I sat down at the Gryffindor table with the others.

Cedric raised a hand and I waved back. He shouted, "Since when do you wear glasses?"

My patience was starting to wear thin and I wondered if maybe I should just let my left eye go blind. "Since I was born." I shouted back, "I just don't wear them anymore."

I sat down next to Susan, pretty much my only favorite Hufflepuff besides Cedric and Heidi. Her and Hannah were talking about the weather. My robes were pretty much dry, though uncomfortable as somewhat wet clothes are. I let my hair down from its ponytail and started running my wand over it.

"I love your hair Elizabeth." Hannah said wistfully. "How do you keep it so long?"

I combed it out with my fingers, still running the wand over it, and said, "Not without a lot of work. But I've never cut my hair once so that's an explanation."

I realized after four years I've never really given a description of myself beyond the basics of colors and height. I have the brown eyes from dad and the red hair from mum. But it's not bright red like the Weasleys. It's a mort subtle red like. . red-brown? So more brown than red and the red shows up in the sun. I'm about 4"8' and getting taller. I'm pale in the winter and tan in the summer. My hair reaches all the way down to my knees.

I was a bit excited for the new sorting. I hadn't been to a sorting since my own. I'd been caught up with the platform wall in my second year and Professor McGonagall had given me my time-turner on the third year. That was what she'd dropped into my hand in the hallway before asking about the damn glasses.

The door to the Great Hall opened at that moment and Professor McGonagall led the students in. The first-years appeared to have swam across the lake, not rowed across. They were all shivering either from cold or nerves or both.

Professor McGonagall placed the three-legged stool on the ground before the first years and the Sorting Hat atop that. The first years stared at it, the same thoughts that ran through every first-years mind ran through theirs. The students sitting at the four tables and the professors stared at the Sorting hat as well.

And then, the Sorting hat opened up its mouth near the brim of the hat and started to sing:

A thousand years or more ago, When I was newly sewn, There lived four wizards of renown, Whose names are still well known: Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor, Fair Ravenclaw, from glen, Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad, Shrewd Slytherin, from fen. They shared a wish, a hope, a dream, They hatched a daring plan To educate young sorcerers Thus Hogwarts School began. Now each of these four founders Formed their own house, for each Did value different virtues In the ones they had to teach. By Gryffindor, the bravest were Prized far beyond the rest; For Ravenclaw, the cleverest Would always be the best; For Hufflepuff, hard workers were Most worthy of admission; And power-hungry Slytherin Loved those of great ambition. While still alive they did divide Their favorites from the throng, Yet how to pick the worthy ones When they were dead and gone? 'Twas Gryffindor who found the way, He whipped me off his head The founders put some brains in me So I could choose instead! Now slip me snug about your ears, I've never yet been wrong, I'll have a look inside your mind And tell where you belong!

I smarted a little about the never yet been wrong. He'd put me in Hufflepuff when he'd explicitly whispered in my ear that if it weren't for my visions I'd have ended up in Gryffindor.

I clapped anyways. I knew I belonged in Hufflepuff.

Professor McGonagall unrolled her parchment with the names of the newest students coming this year. Then she said, "When I call our your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool. When the hat announces your House, you will go and sit at the appropriate table. Ackerley, Stewart!"

"RAVENCLAW!" The hat roared.

The Ravenclaw table, which was one of the middle tables, clapped.

"Baddock, Malcolm!"

"SLYTHERIN!" The table on the farthest side of the room clapped.

"Branstone, Eleanor!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

I clapped with the other Hufflepuffs. Our table was on the complete opposite side of the room as Slytherin with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in-between. The small blond girl stepped down the stairs and took her seat on the edge of the table.

"Cauldwell, Owen!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

I clapped again as the young sandy haired boy came and sat down next to Eleanor. They shook hands and spoke quietly to each other.

"Creevy, Dennis!"

I gave a start, recognizing the last name. So Collin's brother had come to Hogwarts as well? He had Hagrid's huge moleskin coat wrapped about him. I assumed he must've fallen into the lake. I looked for Hagrid and watched him come in through the back door.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Dobbs, Emma."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

I clapped again. I wondered if maybe we could win the House cup this year. That would be nice.

There were multiple other students with Gryffindors and Ravenclaws and Slytherins.

"McDonald, Natalie"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Pritchard, Graham!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Quirke, Orla!"

"RAVENCLAW"

"Whitby, Kevin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF."

Professor McGonagall rolled up the parchment and picked up the stool and hat and made her way off the stage. Professor Dumbledore stood up expectantly and, looking around the entire Great Hall said, "I have only two words to say to you. Tuck in."

Food appeared on the dishes. I sighed. I looked up at the table and frowned. Uncle Moody still wasn't here. The Defense Against the Dark Arts table was empty. I frowned. Had Mr. Weasley had trouble getting Uncle Moody out of trouble? Maybe I should've gone with him.

I speared some hot Italian sausages and cut them up, popping piece after piece into my mouth. Crap, I was stress eating. I put my fork down and picked up my pumpkin juice, sipping it slowly.

Dessert appeared and I put a block of vanilla ice cream on a hot brownie and called it a hot fudge cake. I added a cherry and fudge sauce.

After dinner, Dumbledore stood and said, "So! Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it." His eyes twinkled and he continued saying, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students-" His eyes flashed towards me "-as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

"What?" Harry gasped from across the room with multiple other Quidditch players.

Suddenly Fred shouted, "A little warning would've been nice Elizabeth!"

Every student in the Great Hall (minus the first-years and Slytherins)- along with multiple teachers- laughed as I put my head down on the table and tried to die of embarrassment. Of course Fred was going to embarrass me in front of everyone.

"Yes well," Dumbledore continued with a smile, "regardless of the future, this is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teacher's time and energy- but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"

The Great Hall doors banged open and I turned to see what the commotion was. A man stood in the doorway, leaning upon a long staff and shrouded in a black traveling cloak. For one heart thudding moment, I thought perhaps Voldemort had invaded the school and then I breathed a sigh of relief as lightning flashed, and I saw that it was only Uncle Moody.

He was walking down the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw aisle. The students stared at him with gaping mouths and expressions of shock. I found that I was grinning like an idiot. Uncle Moody reached Dumbledore and reached out a hand. Dumbledore shook it, muttering. Then Uncle Moody took his seat behind in the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor's chair and pulled a plate of sausages towards him, not unlike the ones I'd just finished eating.

I turned my attention back to Dumbledore as he said, "May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Professor Moody."

Before, I had envisioned Hagrid and Dumbledore being the only ones who clapped for him. But since I'd warned the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione before now- Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione and I all clapped along with Hagrid and Dumbledore. This seemed to encourage some of the others students and soon there was scattered applause throughout the hall. But still, none of the teachers but Dumbledore and Hagrid had clapped.

Uncle Moody, of course, was completely indifferent to this welcome and was drinking out of his hip flask.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and I brought my attention back to him once again. "As I was saying, we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"YOU'RE JOKING!" Fred shouted loudly and everyone laughed. I was just glad he hadn't called me out this time.

"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley, though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar. . ."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and I wondered why'd they never married. She always kept him in line. Of course, I'd heard rumors that people liked Professor McGonagall with Snape. I wasn't sure how much I liked that one considering I fancied myself with Snape. Oh wait. . . I didn't say that.

"Er- but maybe that is not the time. . . no. . . where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament. . . well, some of you will know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities- until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

There were murmurs of excitement from the tables, but I didn't join in. It would be exciting to watch for most of us, because we wouldn't be allowed to compete.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament, none of which has been very successful." Dumbledore continued over the soft murmurs. "However, our own department of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger. The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."

I watched Fred hiss something down the table of Gryffindor. He wasn't the only one of course. And in complete honesty, only the first years looked nervous as though they might be required to possibly compete without knowing anything.

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts, the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age- that is to say, seventeen or older- will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." Dumbledore's eyes started to twinkle in the direction of George and Fred, both of them looking mutinous and I grinned. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen."

Dumbledore cleared his throat, paused, and then continued, "The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend ever courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give you whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!" He then sat down and started to talk to Uncle Moody.

I looked up at the table, frowning thoughtfully. There seemed something different about Uncle Moody but I couldn't put my finger on it. I would've thought after the attack- if there had been an attack (and I felt that there had)- he would've been more. . . nervous wasn't the right word but it fit best. But he seemed extremely confident.

"Elizabeth!"

I jumped. Hermione, Ron, Harry, Fred, and George were waiting by the door and, looking around, I saw I was the only other student left besides them. I jumped up and hurried over. "Sorry, just thinking." I said.

"Who's this impartial judge who's going to decide who the champions are?" Harry asked, I think to the general group, not just me.

"The Goblet of Fire." I said and Hermione oohed. They didn't get to ask anymore questions as I headed off down a corridor to my dorm.

In the dorm, quite a few Hufflepuffs had stayed up to talk about it. I pushed my glasses up on my nose and went to go up the dorm, but Ced called my name and I slowly turned.

The whole Hufflepuff dorm paused their conversations to hear what was going to be said and Cedric waved his hand at them, "It's not about the cup, carry on."

I rolled my eyes as the conversations started back up again, though a few others listened in anyways to make sure Ced wasn't lying.

"What's up?" I asked warily.

"Since there won't be Quidditch this year and next year Heidi will be gone, I was thinking about having Gladys Prescott for her spot-"

"And you want me to. . . what?" I interrupted, my heart breaking. "I mean, I'll give the Chaser position to-"

"No, no! Blimey Elizabeth, I won't even be here next year!" Cedric interrupted me, looking alarmed, "I was hoping you'd be the Hufflepuff Seeker. Besides, this is my last year so you wouldn't have to leave the team anyways."

I blinked for a moment, considering that. "Really?"

Cedric nodded, "Of course. I'll train you this year, I want you to be Seeker."

I grinned, "You really think I can be a good seeker?"

"I've watched you fly for two years Elizabeth. You're a natural, you'll be amazing."

"Right, thanks. I'm going to bed before I'm bombarded by the tournament." I said, grinning, and headed up the stairs. I was quite pleased with this turn of events. I wondered who be captain next year.

I fell asleep quickly and when I woke up, I headed down to breakfast. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already down there. Hermione saw me and raised my schedule up in her hand. I noticed Uncle Moody was sitting in his seat this morning, looking at me. I raised a hand and he nodded.

I sat down and took my schedule from Hermione. Herbology with Gryffindors, Transfiguration after that. Lunch, Ancient Runes and Divination were at the same time afterwards dammit. I was going to have to use the Time-Turner today. Luckily, though I would only have to use it two days a week instead of nearly every day.

"You're eating again, I notice." Ron said and I looked up to see Hermione putting jam on her toast.

"I've decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights." Hermione said in a haughty voice.

"Yeah. . . and you were hungry." Ron said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, grabbing my own piece of toast. "Harry stop worrying, your anxiety is giving me anxiety." I snapped angrily. "You have no idea how hard it is to stop visions when they have emotions embedded in them."

Harry gave me a shocked look, "Sorry."

"Sirius will write back." I muttered to him, "Just give him some time, okay?"

"When will I get the letter?" Harry asked in a hurried voice. "He's not in trouble, is he?"

"I don't know the exact day." I said. "But I know you'll be in the Gryffindor common room. And apparently you're frustrated by the news so you take your anger out on Hedwig which I suggest you don't do, do you understand? Make sure you have some sort of treat and no matter how upset you are, be nice." I glared at him and then started to put grape jelly on my toast.

"Message understood." Harry muttered. "I'll have a treat for her."

"Good."

I grabbed a second of piece of toasted, lathered it with grape jelly, and then said, "I'm going back to get my dragon hide gloves. See you soon."

I got up and headed out of the Great Hall. Soon a familiar clunk sounded through the hallway and I turned to see Uncle Moody. "Hi Uncle Moody."

"Hello Elizabeth." He said, using the walking stick to get around.

"Getting ready for your first class?"

He nodded, "Sixth year Gryffindors."

"Oh Fred and George Weasley are in that class." I said thoughtfully. "They cause a bit of trouble but they're good kids. Of course, Dad gave you a bit of information about the classes this summer." I grinned. "Anyways, I'm gonna be late for Herbology, see you later."

He nodded and I ran up the corridor.

I met Harry, Ron, and Hermione back outside and we walked to Herbology. I took my customary spot at a solo table. We were working with Bubotubers today. They were a plant that looked like a giant black slug. They grew vertically out of the soil and they squirmed. Each one had large, shiny swellings across the plant which were full of pus. The pus could be collected and used for acne. However, in it's undiluted form- what we were working with today- it could create horrible rashes or cause your skin to swell. I quickly put on my dragon-hide gloves.

I usually worked by myself in Herbology with a table to myself. I seemed to have an affinity to plants. They worked with me and I worked with them. I usually got more done than the other students, though Neville worked at a fast pace.

"Bubotubers." Professor Sprout told us quickly as we were settled around our tables. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus-"

"The what?" Seamus asked, sounding revolted. I giggled quietly.

"Pus, Finnigan, pus." Professor Sprout said impatiently. "and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."

Most of the students started squeezing the bulbs and letting them burst. I, on the other hand, took out a sewing pin. I gently eased the needle into the bulb and then pulled it out slowly. Then holding the bulging pod over the glass pint jar, I squeezed gently. It squirted into the Pint jar the way pus burst from a popped pimple. A disgusting description, perhaps, but effective. The liquid was a thick yellowish green like mucus and smelled of petrol.

The smell didn't bother me though. I didn't mind the smell of gasoline, though it usually made me lightheaded after a while.

I worked on popping the pustules in this way and collected about four pints by the time I was done. "This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy." Professor Sprout said, popping corks into the pint jars necks. "An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples."

"Like poor Eloise Migden, she tried to curse hers off." Hannah Abbott said in a hushed voice from across the greenhouse.

"Silly girl, but Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end." Professor Sprout said with a shake of her head.

There was the booming bell which ended the lesson. I trooped back to the castle for my Transfiguration lesson where we attempted to turn a Guinea Fowl into a Guinea Pig. My Guinea Fowl did not seem to like me and kept pecking at my hands and pulling my hair. I was covered in bite marks by the time the lesson ended, but with a successfully transformed Guinea Pig- which also didn't like me.

I had a free period after that and I spent the time in the library finishing my Transfiguration homework that had been given after class. There had been no homework for Herbology. The bell rang for lunch and I put my completed essay away and headed down to the Great Hall.

After a quick lunch, I went to Divination and then redid my hour for Ancient Runes. Then I went down to the Great Hall for dinner.

I met up with Hermione and the two of us met up with Harry and Ron.

"That'll take all weekend, that will." Ron was saying to Harry.

"Lots of homework? Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!" Hermione said brightly.

"Well, bully for Professor Vector." Ron said moodily.

We reached the entrance hall which was packed with people who were ready for dinner. A loud voice rang out behind them.

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

The four of us turned around. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle were standing there and they looked pleased about something which was always a terrible thing.

"What?" Ron asked hotly, already in a bad mood from Professor Trelawney's' homework.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley! Listen to this!" Draco said and the whole Great Hall seemed to quiet down to listen. And Draco read:

FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."

At that moment, Draco looked up. My hand was in my pocket, ready to pull out my wand at any moment. I pushed my glasses up on my face as he said, "Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" The entire Great Hall was listening and I wondered why there wasn't any teachers around.

Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder.

I smarted at that. Uncle Moody retired because he was tired. He was still smart, just wary. And there was nothing wrong with that considering the amount of enemies he had. I narrowed my eyes at Draco, just about ready to curse him to hell.

Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily

Prophet questions about why he had involved

the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.

"And there's a picture, Weasley! A picture of your parents outside their house- if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?" Draco crowed with joy, turning the paper around so that we could see two figures standing outside the Burrow, arms around each others waist, smiling.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy. C'mon Ron. . ." Harry said, pushing Ron's shoulder to go into the Great Hall.

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you Potter? So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?" Draco.

"You know your mother, Malfoy?" Harry asked rhetorically as both he and Hermione grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from jumping Draco. "- that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"

I laughed aloud along with some of the others in the Great Hall.

Draco went pink and said, "Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."

"Then shut up." I said as Harry said, "Keep your fat mouth shut, then." The four of us turned away to go into the Great Hall.

There was a BANG! and people screamed. Something rushed past my cheek- and Harry's-, as we'd been standing right next to each other.

I spun around as there was a second BANG! and got ready to defend myself but Draco was gone, a white polecat in his place. I burst into laughter, though I was confused as I had originally seen Draco turning into a ferret. Uncle Moody stomped down the stairs as fast as possible and shouted, "OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"

There was a terrified silence in the Great Hall considering a majority of people had seen the transformation. Once again though, I wondered why no teachers were here.

Uncle Moody turned and looked at Harry and I with his good eye, the other eye was pure white, meaning he was looking at Draco and the others behind him. "Did he get you?"

"No, missed." Harry and I said together.

"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.

"Leave- what?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Not you-him!" Uncle Moody said, jerking his thumb behind him. I was grinning. Crabbe had been about to pick up the polecat. Uncle Moody limped toward the polecat which gave a terrified squeak and started to run towards the dungeons

"I don't think so!" Uncle Moody roared, pointing the wand at the polecat and it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor and bounced once more like a basketball. "I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned. Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do. . ."

Yes, this was Uncle Moody alright. Any doubts last night that he was different were gone. I started to laugh as the polecat flew into the air, flailing its legs and tail around helplessly. "Never- do- that- again-" Moody said each time the polecat bounced.

"Professor Moody!" A shocked voice came from the marble staircase. Professor McGonagall came down the staircase, her arms full of books. I sighed in disappointment. The fun was going to end.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall." Uncle Moody said, bouncing the polecat even higher into the air. I laughed at how calm he sounded as though he was having a very normal day. Who knows, maybe he was.

"What- what are you doing?" Professor McGonagall asked nervously, her eyes following the progress of the polecat as it bounced up and down.

"Teaching." Moody said and I laughed even louder. Some other students laughed too, though we were in the minority. Most of the others didn't realize that this was just how Moody was.

"Teach- Moody, is that a student?" Professor McGonagall shrieked in horror, the books falling out of her arms and spilling across the floor.

With a wave of my wand, the books were picked up from the floor and settled into my arms.

"Yep." Uncle Moody said with pleasure and I giggled, almost dropping the books.

"No!" Professor McGonagall ran towards the ferret and with a wave of her wand, the polecat turned back into Draco. His face was pink, his blond hair a mess, and he got to his feet wincing. "Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?" She finished weakly.

"He might've mentioned it, yeah, but I thought a good sharp shock-" Uncle Moody said, scratching his chin in an unconcerned way and I grinned. So Uncle Moody- screw rules, do as I want, teach how I want, and they'll learn. I thought Draco would certainly learn this lesson better than doing lines.

"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!" Professor McGonagall said in exasperation.

"I'll do that, then." Moody said with great dislike. Draco's eyes were watering with pain and humiliation and muttered something about his father.

"Oh yeah? Well I know your father of old, boy. . . You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son. . . you tell him that from me. . . Now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?"

"Yes." Draco said in a resentful voice.

"Another old friend. I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape. . . Come on, you. . ." Uncle Moody said, grabbing Draco's upper arm and dragging him out of the room toward the dungeons.

Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them and then looked around for her books. I stepped forward and handed them back to her.

"Tha- thank you Miss Kane." She said, blinking and taking them from me.

I went back with Ron, Harry, and Hermione to the Gryffindor. Many people were getting their laughs out now that Moody, Draco, and McGonagall were gone.

"Don't talk to me." Ron said quietly to the three of us.

"Why not?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever." Ron said, closing his eyes. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing polecat."

"To be honest." I said with a frown after the three of us stopped laughing. "I had foreseen Moody turning him into a white ferret."

"Hmm." Ron said, his eyes still closed. "That might have been better."

I nodded but didn't say anything as I slowly ate my beef casserole. Why had the vision changed? I'd definitely seen a ferret, not a polecat. Was there something wrong with my visions? Something wrong with me? I'd never had a vision change before. I'd tried to change the future before- and had succeeded before (sometimes) like with Ron's robes- but I'd never not interfered with the future and have something different happen.

Harry's voice broke my revere. "Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?" He asked in amazement and I looked over to see Hermione eating at top speed. I stared at her in surprise, trying to register what I was seeing.

"Got to, loads to do." Hermione said thickly with a full mouth.

"But you told us Professor Vector-"

"It's not schoolwork." And in five minutes she was up, and speeding out of the Great Hall. I didn't mind to much as her seat was replaced by Fred.

"Moody! How cool is he?" He asked.

"Beyond cool." George said, sitting down across from me.

"Supercool." Lee said sliding down next to George, "We had him this afternoon." he said to us.

"What was it like?" Harry asked eagerly.

The twins and Lee looked at each other. "Never had a lesson like it." Fred finally said.

"He knows, man." Lee said, looking awed.

"Knows what?" Ron asked, leaning forward.

"Knows what it's like to be out there doing it." George said, sounding extremely impressed and I was getting a bit annoyed that he wasn't saying much more. I didn't have him until Wednesday.

"Doing what?" Harry asked.

"Fighting the Dark Arts."

"He's seen it all."

"'Mazing."

Ron dived into his bag for his schedule. "We haven't got him till Thursday!"

"I got him Wednesday." I said smugly. "I'll keep all the secrets."

Ron glared at me and I got up from the table to go and do my Ancient Runes and Divination homework.

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𝕿𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘, always a lovely time for me.

Snape was in a horrible mood, probably because his prized student, Draco, had been bounced around the Great Hall and he'd had to talk to Moody.

I grinned at him as I took my customary seat on the right side of the classroom near the back so people couldn't watch me. Snape's cheeks flushed for some reason and he looked away, addressing the class that we'd be brewing a strengthening solution from memory today.

I stayed behind after class and asked when he wanted to start up private lessons again. He stared at me for a moment, looking slightly preoccupied, and then said we could start again on Friday nights.

My schedule was a bit more free now since there was no Quidditch, though Ced had said he'd train me to be seeker. I thought this was bloody brilliant and I couldn't wait to start.

On Wednesday, the Hufflepuffs showed up early to Uncle Moody's class. We waited anxiously and he let us in. I hurried to get a front seat. Uncle Moody quickly read down a list of names and we assented if we were here- everyone was.

Then, Moody tossed the roll of parchment on his desk and said, "Right then, I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class."

I frowned, tilting my head just slightly. Had dad sent a follow up letter to Uncle Moody after the meeting? Or perhaps before, and that was when Uncle Moody decided to pay a visit for more details?

"Seems you've had a pretty thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures- you've covered boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that right?"

I nodded as others stated yes out loud or also shook their heads. "But you're behind- very- behind on dealing with curses. So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what wizards can do to each other. I've got one year to teach you how to deal with Dark Arts and I reckon you pay attention so you keep up."

He clapped his hands together once and said, "Right. So, curses. They come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm suppose to teach you countercurses and leave it at that. I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year. You're not supposed to be old enough to deal with it till then. But Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves."

Not to mention, I thought, You would show us anyways no matter what the Ministry or Dumbledore thought.

"He reckons you can cope, and I say, the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen? A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared. You need to be alert and watchful. So. . . do any of you know which curses are most heavily punished by wizarding law?"

My hand shot up in the air but much to my disappointment, a large majority of hands were in the air as well.

"Mr. MacMillan?" Uncle Moody asked and though I was disappointed, I supposed I was glad of not being favored.

"Er- Cruciatus curse." Ernie said a bit hesitantly as though he wasn't supposed to say the words.

"Yes, that would be one." Uncle Moody said and went to his desk and pulled out a spider from a glass jar. I felt my mouth go dry. He put the spider down on the desk and said, "Crucio!"

The spider began to wither on the desk and if it could have made noise, it would've been screaming. I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach and did a quick glance around. Some people's eyes were fixated on the spider and others were looking away.

Uncle Moody lifted the curse after a few seconds. "Any others?"

I raised my hand again but he called on Leanne. "Imperius curse." She said.

"Yes." Moody said, nodding. He put the second spider in the jar and went to the first jar and pulled out another spider. He put it on the desk up front and growled, "Imperio!"

The spider leapt from Moody's hand onto a piece of silk that had been attached between two jars on the desk. It started to swing from two legs, as though on a trapeze at a circus. It did a back flip and landed on the desk and then did two front flips and started to tap dance.

Everyone in the class was laughing now except for me. I watched the spider, doing whatever Uncle Moody wanted it to do and I shuddered. Imagine, just imagine for one second if that spell was used on you. . . a puppet on a string.

"Think it's funny, do you?" Moody growled, "You'd like it, would you, if I did it to you?"

The class stopped laughing, looking slightly nervous now.

"At least Miss Kane has some common sense." He growled and everyone's eyes flickered to me, seeing that I had not laughed nor smiled at all. My cheeks grew red and my stomach churned as I thought of the last spell. "Total control." Uncle Moody continued softly. "I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats. . .Years back, there were a lot of witches and wizards being controlled by the Imperius curse. Some job of the Ministry, trying to sort out who was being forced to act, and who was acting of their own free will. The Imperius curse can be fought, and I'll be teaching you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone's got it. Better avoid being hit with it if you can. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He barked at the end and everyone but me jumped.

"What's the last spell?" Moody asked and I reluctantly put my hand in the air for a third time. Everyone else kept their hands down, knowing what was coming and not wanting to say it.

"Miss Kane?"

"The killing curse." I said.

Uncle Moody looked at me for a moment. I stared back, unfazed, and he turned to take a third spider out of the jar. I kept my face neutral.

Pointing his wand at the third spider he said, "Avada Kedavra!" There was a blinding green light and a rushing sound and the spider was dead. Some of the students stifled cries as the spider rolled onto its side.

My face betrayed nothing. Moody of course, never knew my real parents. He'd always thought dad did a good job with me. But a part of me inside wanted to cry and my head said, That's how my parents died. Voldemort had killed my father first, mum screaming for him as he hid me in the basement, kissing my forehead one last time. He'd gone to fight Voldemort, telling her to take Harry and run. But Voldemort had gotten to her after that.

"Avada Kedavra's a curse that needs a powerful bit of magic behind it- you could all get your wands out now and point them at me and say the words, and I doubt I'd get so much as a nosebleed. But that doesn't matter. I'm not here to teach you how to do it. Now, if there's no countercurse, why am I showing you. Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation when you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" He roared and the class jumped again.

"Now. . . those three curses- Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus- are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills. . . copy this down. . ."

And the rest of the class was spent taking notes on the Unforgivable curses. I watched my quill make mindless loops across the parchment. They were words, but they didn't look like words at all.

As the bell rang- the class filed out and started talking excitedly, but Uncle Moody called me back, and I hurried over to his desk.

"Yes Un- I mean Professor?" I asked breathlessly, ignoring the dead spider on the desk.

Professor Moody waved his hand aside, "Call me what you want Elizabeth. I was talking to the other Professors and I heard you did private lessons with a couple of them?"

"Oh yes." I said. "Snape, McGonagall, and Flitwick. Sometimes Sprout, Madam Pomfrey, and Hagrid but those are more for when I have nothing else to do and want to help out. Why?"

"I was wondering if perhaps you'd want to learn more with me." He said solidly. "Not favoritism- of course."

"Right." I said, getting excited, "Yeah, I'd love too!"

Uncle Moody nodded and gave me a twisted smile. Or rather, a normal smile that his scarred features twisted. "Let's give it some time, three weeks perhaps as you fall back into pace with the other teachers and such. I'll let them all set up their lessons and we'll work something out."

I nodded, excited about what Uncle Moody might want to teach me. "Sounds perfect. See you next class."

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞 went smoothly and I got to the Great Hall for dinner before the Gryffindors. I ate at the Hufflepuff table because of that, and then headed to the library to knock out as much homework as possible.

I was working for about forty-five minutes before Hermione came and sat down at the table with me, working on something herself. It was a box of badges and a piece of parchment. I ignored her and continued on my Curses homework.

"Look at this Elizabeth." Hermione said, sliding over the long piece of parchment. I looked at it warily. Across the top was the title: Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status.

I sighed. "What are you doing Hermione?"

"I'm making a club to promote the abuse of house-elves." Hermione said, in a proud manner.

I sighed and rubbed my head. I had a headache. "Lovely."

She showed me the badges. Across the the badges were the letters: S.O.E.A.

I stared at the badges. I had foreseen the letters S.P.E.W. Why had she changed it.

"Er- Soea?" I asked hesitantly. I felt almost frightened of the badges, that they were different from what I had seen.

"S.O.E.A." She said. "Stop Outrageous Elf Abuse."

"Right. . ." I said, still hesitantly. "What about S.P.E.W. which stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare?"

"Well I did think of that." Hermione admitted, "But I was talking with Professor Moody about it, and he said that if I was so adamant about this, I should change it to be more persuasive."

Moody again? First the polecat, now this? But surely, it wasn't as though he was doing it on purpose. Of course not, I scolded myself. It wasn't as though he knew what my visions were anyways.

"I'm going to go show Ron and Harry, want to come with?" she asked, putting a lid on the box and standing up.

"Yeah." I said reluctantly, rolling my parchment up and putting in my bag.

Hermione pointed to my neck, "You're still using the time-turner?"

I nodded. "One of my classes overlaps with each other. But it's not as crazy as last year."

Hermione debated this for a second and then shrugged, "Let's go talk to the boys."

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 6

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝖜𝖊 𝖌𝖔𝖙 back to the tents, we all sat outside with our cups of cocoa. I was getting flashes now. They were hazy, lots of smoke and fire as though the tents were burning. I couldn't see a lot except black hoods and shadowy images. I frowned into the fire, not following the thread of conversation.

So, I didn't notice when Fred said my name about four times until Trang knocked my shoulder and I nearly dropped my hot chocolate.

"What?" I said loudly, looking up.

Everyone was staring at me.

"Did you see something. . . interesting?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

I was silent for a moment, not wanting to ruin the good mood, and then said, "Something bad is going to happen, I can feel it."

The others looked uncomfortable.

"What sort of bad thing?" Mr. Weasley asked urgently, "Here, you mean?"

I nodded, "But I don't know what, that's what I was trying to focus on. I think something is going to burn."

"Should we leave, dad?" George asked even though I was the one with the visions.

"No." I said, standing up. "We have to stay. . . for. . . for some reason I don't know." I said, frowning still and headed into the girls tent.

I went ahead and dumped my cocoa out. I had a headache and I dug Muggle Advil out of my bag, swallowing two with water before sliding into bed, falling asleep rather easily.

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𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊, 𝕲𝖎𝖓𝖓𝖞, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 Trang were fast asleep when I woke up. I could hear faint screaming but it wasn't bad yet. I grabbed my wand and put my combat boots on my feet. Pulling my hair up into a ponytail, I slipped out of the tent.

The Death Eaters were just at Mr. Roberts house, only now lifting him and his wife and his children up into the air. There were only three death eaters, but more were approaching. I felt my stomach roll. Tents were blasted out of the way and the people in the tents tore out of them, screaming. This woke up others. I dashed back into my tent.

"Wake up!" I screamed, jolting Hermione, Ginny, and Trang awake. "Shoes on, grab a jacket, we need to leave now." I hurried over to Trang's cot. She was shoving her feet in her shoes and struggling to put on a jacket.

I dashed out of the tent. I saw someone duck into the Weasleys tent. "Stay here." I said to the other three. I rushed into the tent and screamed, "Mr. Weasley!"

"I'm getting them up Elizabeth! I'm getting them up!" He yelled. "Go into the forest."

Fred and George stumbled sleepily from the tent and followed me out. We were standing outside and one of the death eaters, turned, looking at us and shot a fireball at us. "Duck!" George yelled. I jumped in front and I heard Trang scream my name. "Augmenti!" I murmured. The water met the fireball, but didn't completely cancel it and, with another spell, I cancelled the fireball.

"Elizabeth!" Mr. Weasley said. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Harry, and Ron were out of the tent now. "Go with the others."

I didn't argue, grabbing Trang's hand, and pulled her in front of the others. Ministry Wizards pelted towards us and past us, towards the commotion. Trang was panting, looking terrified. "Why is Mr. Roberts in the air?" She asked me in a scared voice.

"Death Eaters, muggle-baiting." I muttered, slightly incoherent. I was mostly talking to myself. "Need to get you to safety."

Fred, George, and Ginny were very close behind us. Hermione, Harry, and Ron were after them. I slowed up a little. "Hurry up you three." They caught up with us.

"I envisioned us getting separated." I said. "That can't happen, understand."

Everyone nodded and followed me. The colored lanterns were no longer lit and the forest was pitch black. "Lumos!" I whispered, lighting up my wand.

Fred, George, and Ginny all did the same. Then, Ron tripped.

"Ron, are you okay?" Hermione asked and lit her wand too.

"Tripped over a tree root." Ron said angrily.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to." A drawling voice said from behind us. I spun around with the others.

Draco Malfoy was leaning against the tree. He looked amused, like he was watching a nice little picture show.

"Go fuck yourself." Ron said angrily to Malfoy.

"Language Weasley. Hadn't you better be hurrying along, now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you." He nodded to Hermione and turned his amused expression on Trang, who balled her fists up.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hermione asked defiantly.

"Granger, they're after Muggles." Draco said in a scornful voice. "D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around. . . they're moving this way, and it would give us all a laugh."

George growled. Ginny was pulling on Fred's hand but Fred was standing his ground.

Draco turned his gaze on me as Harry snapped and said, "Hermione's a witch."

"Have it your own way, Potter. If you think they can't spot a Mudblood, stay where you are."

"Watch your mouth." I snapped at him. Mudblood was a very offensive term.

"And of course." Draco said. "I'm sure some of the death eaters in the crowd would love to lift you in the air Kane."

Fred grabbed my arm. Several people in the forest screamed. Trang was shaking with anger and fear.

"Scare easily, don't they?" He asked lazily. "I suppose your daddy told you all to hide? What's he up to- trying to rescue the Muggles?"

"What's wrong with that?" Trang asked, her eyes flashing behind her glasses. "At least they're dad is a decent person unlike your parents."

Draco got up from leaning against the tree very quickly but Trang stood her ground and I was proud of her.

"Where're your parents? Out there wearing masks, are they?" Harry said, his temper rising.

Fred laughed, but his hand tightened on my arm.

"Well. . . if they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter?" Draco drawled.

"Oh come on." Hermione said with a disgusted look on her face, drawing Ron away from Draco. We started to go and then Malfoy sneered, "Keep that big bushy head down, Granger."

Trang turned and I wasn't sure what she was going to do. Maybe she was going to punch him in the face. Draco's face turned to surprise as she charged him but I grabbed her shoulders and raising my wand, I shouted, "Rictusempra!"

Draco fell to the ground, wheezing and laughing and I dragged Trang after me. "He'll be laughing until his mummy comes and rescues him." I said with a smile. George grinned, but Ginny was leading Fred ahead, looking fearful.

We walked along and I was leading again. We saw a huddle of teenagers and they turned and said, "Où est Madame Maxime? Nous l'avons perdue-"

"Er- what?" Ron asked.

"Oh. . . 'Ogwarts." The girl said, turning her back on us and we continued on.

"Beauxbatons." Hermione muttered behind us.

"Sorry?" Harry asked.

"They must go to Beauxbatons. You know. . . Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. . . I read about it in An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe." Hermione said a bit louder now that we were out of earshot of the Beauxbaton students.

"Oh. . . yeah. . . right." Harry said.

Ron lit his wand too.

"Ah, no, I don't believe it. . . I've lost my wand!" Harry suddenly exclaimed.

Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Harry all stopped. Trang tried to stop too but I kept pulling her along. "No you didn't." I shouted back, "Someone took it from you in the top box. But I know where he is, come on."

The others ran to catch up with us. "Someone took it?" Harry asked me.

I nodded. "Everything's much clearer now that the events happened. In the top box, someone took your wand."

Trang was panting and her glasses kept slipping down her nose.

"I'm so sorry." I muttered. "I shouldn't have brought you. I forgot the dangers that happen when large groups of us get together. I'm so sorry."

"Elizabeth don't." She said seriously, looking up at me. "I've never had a better time and even now, this is exciting."

Yeesh, this was so like Trang.

Suddenly, there was a rustling noise and Winky came bursting out of the bushes, running with difficulty. I wasn't sure why, probably because she was taking the invisible man or woman with her. I wondered who they were.

"There is bad wizards about! People high- high in the air! Winky is getting out of the way!" She said and continued to run.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked curiously. "Why can't she run properly?"

"Bet she didn't ask permission to hide." Harry said.

"You know, house-elves get a very raw deal!" Hermione said angrily. "It's slavery, that's what it is! That Mr. Crouch made her go up to the top of the stadium, and she was terrified, and he's got her bewitched so she can't even run when they start trampling tents! Why doesn't anyone do something about it?"

"Well, the elves are happy, aren't they?" Ron asked. Ginny looked nervous. "You heard old Winky back at the match. . . 'House-elves is not supposed to have fun'. . . that's what she likes, being bossed around. . ."

"It's people like you, Ron-" Hermione said hotly and I interrupted.

"We need to keep moving guys."

Fred and Ginny were walking alongside the rest of us, the others keeping close behind. We saw goblins who didn't seem to care about what was happening back at camp. They were chuckling over some gold that had gotten and I was sure I overheard the words, ". . . serve him right. . ."

Farther along were a group of young wizards, all talking very loudly. In front of them were three, tall and thin Veela. Trang looked at them with a long glance, getting to see the Veela up close. "I pull down about a hundred sacks of Galleons a year! I'm a dragon killer for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures."

Trang giggled as the next young wizard shouted, "No, you're not! You're a dishwasher at the Leaky Cauldron. . . but I'm a vampire hunter, I've killed about ninety so far-"

And a third said, "I'm about to become the youngest ever Minister of Magic, I am." I heard Harry snort somewhere behind me and then I heard Ron shout, "Did I tell you I've invented a broomstick that'll reach Jupiter?"

"Honestly!" Hermione scoffed.

At least Fred wasn't trying to impress them, I thought. I reached out, finding his hand in the dark. He squeezed mine in a comforting way.

When we reached the heart of the forest, I stopped walking and sat down, tired. We were very much alone now, except for Winky and someone else. . . but who?. . . out there in the forest.

Ludo Bagman suddenly came out from behind a tree, looking white and strained. "Who's that?" He asked, trying to see us against the blaring lights. "What are you doing in here, all alone?" I noticed his pockets were all pulled out as though someone had been looking through them.

"Well- there's a sort of riot going on." Ron said.

"What?" Bagman asked.

"At the campsite. . . some people got hold of a family of Muggles. . ." Ron finished.

"Damn them!" Bagman said before disapparating.

"Not exactly on top of things, Mr. Bagman, is he?" Hermione asked with a frown. I closed my eyes, leaning back on the ground.

"I bet he was distracted with other things, didn't you notice?" I asked wearily.

There was silence as no one talked. Ron had taken his figurine of Krum out of his pocket and watched it walk around. Trang had her head on my shoulder, snoring softly. Fred had an arm around my shoulder, hugging me closer as I shivered in the cool summer air.

"I hope the others are okay." Hermione said after a long time. It was much quieter.

"They'll be fine." Ron said in a confident voice.

"Imagine if your dad catches Lucius Malfoy." Harry said with a bit of a smile. "He's always said he'd like to get something on him."

"They won't catch any of them." I said. "But it would've been nice if he had."

I sat up, jerking Trang awake.

"Those poor Muggles though, What if they can't get them down?" Hermione asked nervously.

"They will." Ron and I said at the same time.

"Mad, though, to do something like that when the whole Ministry of Magic's out here tonight! I mean, how do they expect to get away with it? Do you think they've been drinking or they just-"

She broke off and all eight of us held our breaths, having heard a noise behind our backs. It sounded as though someone was staggering through the trees. There was another crack on a branch. I held my wand up higher. The footsteps came to a halt.

"Hello?" George called out. Fred shielded Ginny from sight.

Silence. Harry got to his feet and the rest of us stood up too. "Who's there?" Harry asked.

And then a masculine voice yelled, "MORSMORDRE!"

Then a vast, green and glittering shape appeared in the sky. Looking as though it was made from glittering emeralds was a skull. A snake was slithering from its mouth and panic started to rise in me. It rose higher and higher into the sky like a constellation.

All as one, people in the woods started to scream, Ginny and I among them. A panic had filled my chest that I couldn't explain. I hadn't seen this! And. . . Oh God! Fred and George jumped, looking pale white and Trang stared at me in panic.

"Who's there?" Harry asked, starting forward and I clamped a hand over my mouth to stop from screaming, but I was still shaking.

Hermione grabbed his arm, pulling him backwards. "Harry, come on, move."

"What's the matter?" Harry asked. Ginny and I had both stopped yelling though I was using Trang as support and Ginny was shaking like mad. But we barely moved.

"It's the Dark Mark." I choked out.

"You-Know-Who's sign." Hermione said, tugging on his arm again, making him walk.

"Voldemorts?" Harry asked. Everyone except Trang and I flinched.

"Harry, come on!" Hermione begged.

Trang, Fred, George, Ginny, Ron, and I were already several paces in front of us. Then there were several popping noises and about twenty wizards popped up around us.

"Duck!" Harry screamed.

I jumped on Trang and Fred fell on me and we all huddled on the ground together.

"STUPEFY!" The voices roared and there were red lights passing over our heads.

"Stop! Stop! Those are my kids!" Another voice yelled, a familiar one.

Mr. Weasley was hurrying towards us, looking terrified. "Ron- Harry-Hermione- Fred- George- Ginny- Elizabeth- Trang, are you all right?"

"Out of the way, Arthur." A cold, curt voice said from a different direction. Trang was starting to shake.

"Which of you did it? Which of you conjured the Dark Mark?" Mr. Crouch asked coldly, waving his wand in our faces.

"We didn't do that!" Harry said, gesturing up towards the sky.

"We didn't do anything! What did you want to attack us for?" Ron said angrily, rubbing his elbow.

"Do not lie, sir! You have been discovered at the scene of the crime!" Mr. Crouch's eyes were popping out of his head as though we'd personally offended him.

I gritted my teeth as a ministry witch whispered, "Barty, they're kids, Barty, they'd never have been able to-"

"Where did the Mark come from, you three?" Mr. Weasley asked very quickly.

"Over there." I said, pointing, having recovered my breath and sanity. "There was someone behind the trees, male voice. They shouted an incantation."

"Oh, stood over there, did they? Said an incantation, did they? You seem very well informed about how that Mark is summoned, missy-"

"Only because she's the brightest witch at the school." Fred said indignantly.

"We're too late." The witch who had defended us before said, shaking her head. "They'll have Disapparated."

"I don't think so." Mr. Diggory said. "Our stunners went right through those trees. . . There's a good chance we got them. . ."

"Amos be careful." A few of the wizard said in warning and I wondered why they didn't simply just go with him for protection. But a few seconds later, Mr. Diggory shouted, "Yes! We got them! There's someone here! Unconscious! It's-but- blimey. . ."

"You've got someone?" Mr. Crouch asked in a disbelieving voice as though it really had been one of us. He was eyeing me particularly. "Who? Who is it?"

Mr. Diggory did not answer and so I answered for him, "Winky."

Mr. Crouch gave a start, looking at me, and then at the tiny form Mr. Diggory was carrying. He did not move or speak as she was laid at his feet. The other Ministry wizards were all starting at Mr. Crouch. "This- cannot- be. No-" Mr. Crouch said in a jerky manner.

"Oh but it could be us." I muttered under my breath. Mr. Crouch didn't hear me and strode off into the forest.

"Bit embarrassing. Barty Crouch's house-elf. . . I mean to say. . ." Mr. Diggory muttered.

"Come off it, Amos. You don't seriously think it was the elf? The Dark Mark's a wizard's sign. It requires a wand." Mr. Weasley said very quietly.

"Yeah, and she had a wand." Mr. Diggory argued back.

"It wasn't her." I said.

Mr. Diggory didn't pay me any attention. We weren't in school. These Ministry Wizards weren't Professors. They weren't going to take my word. If only Dumbledore was here. "Here, look." Mr. Diggory held up the wand. "Had it in her hand. So that's clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken, for a start. No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand."

"She didn't use it." I said, getting a bit annoyed.

There was a pop and Ludo Bagman appeared in the circle, goggling upwards. "The Dark Mark!" He sputtered. "Who did it? Did you get them? Barty! What's going on?"

For Mr. Crouch had returned, white and a bit shaky. He was hiding someone, I knew that much. But who?

"Where have you been, Barty? Why weren't you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat too- gulping gargoyles? What happened to her?" Bagman said, just noticing Winky laying on the ground.

"I have been busy, Ludo." Mr. Crouch said. "And my elf has been stunned."

"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why-" Ludo froze, coming to the conclusion and then said, "No! Winky? conjure the Dark Mark? She wouldn't know how! She'd need a wand, for a start!" Ludo insisted.

"And she had one." Mr. Diggory said. "I found her holding one, Ludo. If it's all right with you, Mr. Crouch, I think we should hear what she's got to say for herself, Ennervate!"

Winky stirred, a bit feebly, looking upwards. She raised herself shakily into a sitting position, looking around at all of us. Then, looking up at Mr. Diggory's face, she saw the skull above his head and burst into sobs.

"Elf! Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago, and you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!"

"I-I-I is not doing it, sir! I is not knowing how, sir!" Winky gasped between sobs.

"You were found with a wand in your hand!" Mr. Diggory said, raising the wand.

Harry gasped and said, "Hey- that's mine!"

"Excuse me?" Mr. Diggory said, clearly taken aback.

"That's my wand! I dropped it!" Harry declared.

"You dropped it? Is this a confession? You threw it aside after you conjured the dark mark?" Mr. Diggory said in astonished voice.

I scoffed. Mr. Weasley said angrily. "Amos, think who you're talking to! Is Harry Potter likely to conjure the Dark Mark?"

"Er- of course not. Sorry. . . carried away." Mr. Diggory said.

"I didn't drop it there anyways." Harry said jerkily and looked at me and then said, "Apparently it was stolen from me from the top box."

I closed my eyes, rubbing my temples.

"Someone stole it?" Mr. Diggory asked, looking at him.

"Well, I didn't know it was stolen." Harry sputtered. "Elizabeth er- told me it was."

Everyone turned to look at me now and my face grew hot. This wasn't school, these weren't Professors. These Ministry workers didn't know about my futuristic visions. "Well. . ."

Mr. Diggory turned to Winky and said, "You were sitting in the Top Box, weren't you elf."

"I- I was sir." Winky muttered.

"But Winky wasn't the only one sitting next to Harry." I said angrily. "There was someone under an invisibility cloak."

Mr. Crouch's head popped up and he turned to look at me, horrified. "Invisibility cloak?" He choked out. "Did you see who was under it?"

"Well. . . no." I admitted, wondering at his reaction. "I only saw the person's shoe for the slightest second. But I noticed Harry had his wand in his pocket and then when we left the Top Box, it wasn't sticking out anymore. But er, I thought perhaps he had put it somewhere else or shoved it deeper into his pocket so I didn't think anything of it. And I didn't think much about the invisibility cloak anyways because some people simply don't want to be seen."

There was silence and them Diggory turned to Winky and said, "Where did you find the wand?"

"Back- back there." She said pointing back to the trees where she had come from.

"Did you see anyone?" Mr. Diggory asked.

She gulped nervously, looking from Bagman to Crouch. "No one sir!"

"So did you use the wand?" Mr. Diggory asked.

"I is not doing it! I is not knowing how! I is a good elf! I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!" Winky said, in a terrified voice.

Trang was squeezing my arm. George, Ron, and Fred looked uncomfortable. Ginny had her hands over her mouth. Fire was burning in Hermione's eyes. Harry looked confused.

"Amos, think about it." Mr. Weasley said quickly. "No one except the Death Eaters knew how to conjure the mark. Where would Winky have even have learned the spell if she had indeed picked up the wand in the first place?"

"Perhaps," Mr. Crouch said, quiet cold anger lacing every syllable, "Amos is suggesting that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?"

I shifted nervously on my feet as silence filled the yard once again. But it wasn't confused silence like after my testimony. It was an uncomfortable silence. Fred moved closer to where I was standing. I felt that he might want to ask me a question and I stepped back closer to him.

"Mr. Crouch. . . not. . . not at all." Mr. Diggory said.

Fred bent down and whispered in my ear, "When does this end?"

I held up four fingers meaning four minutes.

"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjured that Mark! Harry Potter- and myself! I suppose you are familiar with the boy's story, Amos?" Mr. Crouch asked in anger, his voice steadily rising.

"Of course- everyone knows-" Mr. Diggory sputtered, highly uncomfortable.

"And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them?" Mr. Crouch shouted, his eyes bulging like some sort of insect, perhaps a praying mantis.

"Mr. Crouch- I- I never suggested you had anything to do with it!" Mr. Diggory said, turning red behind his large brown beard.

"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory. Where else would she have learned to conjure it?"

"She- she might've picked it up anywhere. . ." Mr. Diggory muttered.

"Amos, I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning, I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her." Mr. Crouch said, his voice lowered again.

I snorted. Not much of a suggestion once you've chewed him out.

"You may rest assured that she will be punished." Mr. Crouch said coldly.

"M-m-master. . . M-m-master please. . ." Winky murmured. I turned away, tears in my eyes. I pressed my face into Fred's chest. His arms went around me, hugging me tightly.

"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would not have believed possible. I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes." Mr. Crouch said behind me.

"No!" Winky's shout was high-pitched and terrified. "No master! Not clothes, not clothes!"

"But she was frightened!" Hermione burst out behind me. "Your elf's scared of heights, and those wizards in masks were levitating people! You can't blame her for wanting to get out of their way!"

"I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me." He said, "I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation."

"Well that's a crappy deal, isn't it!" Trang said indignantly.

"Well! I think I'll take my lot back to the tent, if nobody's got any objections- Amos, that wand's told us all it can- If Harry could have it back, please-" Mr. Weasley said quickly.

"Come on." Mr. Weasley said quietly and we turned and followed him. I grabbed Trang's hand and made sure she came with us as she was staring daggers at Mr. Crouch. Winky's sobs could still be heard in the clearing.

"What's going to happen to Winky?" Trang asked as we left the clearing.

"I don't know." Mr. Weasley said, giving me a brief glance.

"The way they were treating her! Mr. Diggory, calling her 'elf' all the time. . . and Mr. Crouch! He knows she didn't do it and he's still going to sack her! He didn't care how frightened she'd been, or how upset she was- it was like she wasn't even human!" Hermione said furiously.

"Well, she's not." Ron said simply.

Hermione and Trang both rounded on him saying furiously, "That doesn't mean she hasn't got feelings, Ron."

Hermione continued down her path saying, "It's disgusting-"

"Hermione, Trang, I agree with you." Mr. Weasley said quickly. "but now is not the time to discuss elf rights. I want to get back to the tent as fast as we can."

"Dad, why was everyone so uptight about that skull thing?" Ron asked stupidly.

I sighed in annoyance and Hermione sighed in impatience and probably- anger.

"I'll explain everything back at the tent." Mr. Weasley said in a very strained voice.

When we reached the edge of the forest, there were perhaps about a hundred or more witches and wizards standing there, asking questions.

"What's going on in there?"

"Who conjured it?"

"Was it you-know-who?"

"Arthur, it's not, him?"

"Of course it's not him." Mr. Weasley said impatiently. "We don't know who it was; it looks like they Disapparated. Now excuse me, please, I want to get to bed."

We pushed through the crowd and made our way back to the campsite. All the Death Eaters were gone but some of the tents were still smoldering. Luckily, both our tents were still intact. I wondered what was going to happen to those who's tents were ruined? I didn't think they could be repaired. They were magical spaces after all, not Muggle tents.

We ducked into the tent. Bill, Charlie, and Percy were all there. Bill had a bleeding arm and Percy had a bleeding nose. I hurried over to where Bill was sitting and removed the sheet from his arm. I muttered something and started to close up the wound.

"Where'd you learn that?" Bill asked, surprised.

"Madam Pomfrey taught me a couple of things." I said, not looking up, but concentrating on the cut. "I can also clean the blood up if you want."

I stayed where I was as Charlie asked, "Did you get them Dad? The person who conjured the Mark?"

"No. We found Barty Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark."

"What?" Bill, Charlie, and Percy all said together.

"Harry's wand?" Bill asked.

"Mr. Crouch's elf?" Percy seemed the most shocked that the person he admired most was involved in this.

Mr. Weasley told the story, asking for help with the details from Fred, George, Ginny, Trang, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I. I didn't speak much and mostly let the others talk. When the story was done, Percy had quite a lot to say.

"Well, Mr. Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that! Running away when he'd expressly told her not to. . . embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry. . . how would that looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control-"

"She didn't do anything- she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy and Trang nodded.

Percy was a bit taken aback and retorted, "Hermione, a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!" Percy said.

"She didn't run amok! She just picked it up off the ground!" Hermione shouted furiously.

"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was? It wasn't hurting anyone. . . Why's it such a big deal?" Ron asked impatiently. But Percy wasn't done talking.

"And you!" I lifted my eyes to see who he was talking to and found that he was looking at me, "You didn't want to give us a warning of any kind? What good is having visions if you can't use them ahead of time."

"Lay off Percy." Fred snapped at him.

I wasn't angry, I understood his frustration and I said, "I did try to warn you. I just didn't know what was coming yet."

Percy scoffed and turned away. "Look." I said, slightly impatient. "I said danger was coming- danger came. I said that we couldn't leave because we had to stay for something and we did. If we'd left- Harry might never have got his wand back."

"So you risk this entire family for Harry's wand?" Percy asked incredulously.

I was a bit stunned for I hadn't thought of it like that and I looked down at the table, turning red.

"Good Lord!" Trang snapped angrily. "You act like she's supposed to watch for every single move. She has a life to live too!"

"Enough." Mr. Weasley said, ending the argument. "Percy, it's not Elizabeth's fault. Fred, don't hit your brother." Fred had been very close to giving Percy a good one.

"The skull?" Ron asked impatiently as though no conversation had taken place just now.

"It's the Dark Mark, Voldemort's sign." I said impatiently, making everyone in the room flinch but Trang and Harry. I rolled my eyes. "The Death Eaters- Voldemort's supporters- always sent it up into the air after they killed someone. Imagine coming home from Hogwarts one year and the Dark Mark's hanging above the Burrow." I continued, staring at Ron.

"Yeah, well we got pretty close to that tonight." Percy snapped.

I slammed my hand on the table and got up and walked out of the boys tent. Fred, Charlie, and Bill were starting a row with Percy. Mr. Weasley was shouting too, at both groups while Ron asked stupid questions and Harry tried speaking. I went into the girls tent, laying down on the bed and squeezing my eyes closed. Why the hell did I bother saying anything? And why hadn't I seen the riot until it had already started? Something like that, I should've seen weeks ago. . . what was wrong with me?

I wrenched myself out of the cot, going for a walk. I'm sure it would scare the daylights out of the Weasleys and Trang, but I needed to get out. I needed to be away from people for some time.

I hurried back into the forest, hurrying back to the spot where the Dark Mark had been conjured. I didn't really want to come back here, something was leading me and when something led me, it was usually because I was going to discover something. Or die.

I could hear voices and I slowed down. It was Mr. Crouch's voice. He was murmuring spells of some sort, leading someone along under an invisibility cloak.

I turned a corner, nearly bumping into him and I jumped back quickly.

"What are you doing here?" He asked sharply, looking pale.

I didn't answer, gazing at the spot where the boy was. Then I looked back at Mr. Crouch and said, "Walking."

His lip twitched and he started walking away from me. I stayed rooted to my spot and then called out. "I see the future."

Mr. Crouch stopped walking, turning to me slightly. His eyes were starting to bug out of his head.

"You're in danger. Voldemort will return. . . Peter Pettigrew lives, Bertha Jorkins is dead. Everything she knew will be the Dark Lord's information. I just thought you should be warned." I said. The voice that was speaking was mine, but it wasn't mine at the same time. It seemed almost as though this was a dream, not a real event. I still couldn't see who was under the cloak, like the person was a blind spot. "They'll come for you. Peter and the Dark Lord. They'll come for you."

"Nonsense." Mr. Crouch sputtered and he hurried away as fast as he could.

I stood there, rooted to the spot for a long time, before I managed to walk away. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 4

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

💙💙💙💙

𝕸𝖗𝖘. 𝖂𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖑𝖊𝖞 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖎𝖓 a good mood when we went downstairs. She was cooking on the stove and informed us that we would be eating outside due to such a large amount of people in the house. Ron and Harry grabbed cutlery and Trang stayed by Mrs. Weasley's side, handing her pans when she needed them. I grabbed cups so that we could fill them with drink and headed out after the others.

Crookshanks was pelting after a gnome which was laughing. It dove into a boot and laughed wildly as Crookshanks put a paw in there, trying to get it out. I smiled.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the house, Charlie and Bill were making two tables smash into each other in a sort of battle. Fred and George were cheering, Ginny was laughing, and Hermione seemed to be split in her emotions between amusement and anxiety.

Bill's table caught Charlie's with a huge bang and knocked one of its legs off. There was a clatter from overhead and everyone looked up to see Percy looking down from the second floor.

"WILL YOU KEEP IT DOWN?!" He bellowed.

"Sorry Perce." Bill said, his long locks sweeping behind him as he lifted his head again. "How're the cauldron bottoms coming on?"

"Very badly." Percy said peevishly, slamming the window shut, making the windows rattle. Everyone laughed again as Bill and Charlie lowered the tables back to Earth. Bill reattached the table leg and then made tablecloths appear from nowhere.

Trang and I set the table in record time and soon Mrs. Weasley had all of the dishes of her cooking on the tables. I put some of the food onto my plate, sitting between Bill and Trang. Hermione, Harry, and Ron were sitting across from me. Both Fred and Charlie kept shooting glances down at Bill as he chatted with me.

I picked at my food, listening, rather than talking, while eating. I was mostly listening to Mr. Weasley and Percy's conversation.

"I've told Mr. Crouch that I'll have it ready by Tuesday." Percy said- meaning his cauldron report. "that's a bit sooner than he expected it, but I like to keep on top of things. I think he'll be grateful I've done it in good time, I mean, it's extremely busy in our department just now, what with all the arrangements for the World Cup. We're just not getting the support we need from the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Ludo Bagman-"

"I like Ludo." Mr. Weasley interrupted mildly. "He was the one who got us such good tickets for the Cup. I did him a bit of a favor: His brother, Otto, got into a spot of trouble- a lawnmower with unnatural powers- I smoothed the whole thing over."

"Oh Bagman's likable enough of course." Percy said in a dismissive manner. "but how he ever got to be head of Department. . . when I compare him to Mr. Crouch! I can't see Mr. Crouch losing a member of our department and not trying to find out what's happened to them. You realize Bertha Jorkins has been missing for over a month now? Went on holiday to Albania and never came back?"

My mouth went dry. I stopped eating.

"Yes, I was asking Ludo about that." Mr. Weasley said with a frown. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat but continued to listen in, "He says Bertha's gotten lost plenty of times before now- though I must say, if it was someone in my department, I'd be worried. . ."

"Oh Bertha's hopeless, all right. I hear she's been shunted from department to department for years, much more trouble than she's worth. . . but all the same, Bagman ought to be trying to find her. Mr. Crouch has been taking a personal interest, she worked in our department at one time, you know, and I think Mr. Crouch was quite fond of her- but Bagman just keeps laughing and saying she probably misread the map and ended up in Australia instead of Albania. However-" Percy stopped talking to take a sip of wine, "- we've got quite enough on our plates at the Department of International Magical Cooperation without trying to find members of other departments too. As you know, we've got another big event to organize right after the World Cup. You know the one I'm talking about, Father. The top-secret one." Percy said in a slightly raised voice.

I glanced over at the others to see Ron roll his eyes and say, "He's been trying to get us to ask what that event is ever since he started work. Probably an exhibition of thick-bottomed cauldrons."

Harry and Hermione laughed but I just gave him a strained smile. No one knew about Bertha? That hadn't occurred to me. Did I say something? But it was a dream, not a vision. . . so. . . even though I knew it happened and Dad believed me. . . would it be evidence? But Dad was always inclined to believe whatever I said, regardless if others believed me. . .but I'd been sure enough of the dream to fake my own death, hadn't I?

"Excuse me," I muttered and I got up from the table, heading back into the house, preoccupied. The others wouldn't be in for another thirty minutes or so. Maybe I could go to Diagon Alley and get my books or something. I went up to Ginny's room and dug in my trunk for the Hogwarts letter. I hadn't opened it. I'd forgotten in my rush to get here.

I opened it up.

I only needed one new book which was The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4 by Miranda Goshawk. That was convenient. There were also dress robes but I wanted to get those myself.

I turned to go back downstairs and saw Harry there. I nearly jumped in fright. "Are you alright?" He asked. "You looked upset at dinner."

I hesitated and then said, "You had a dream over the summer, right? About Wormtail and Voldemort and an old man, right?"

Harry looked surprised, "Yeah, how'd you know? Oh, wait, never mind. Of course you know."

"I had the same exact one." I said, chewing on my bottom lip in dismay. "And Voldemort mentioned Bertha Jorkins. . . how he killed her and when Percy and Mr. Weasley were saying no one knew where she was, I realized no one else knew. Perhaps not even you because you might not remember every detail."

Harry shook his head, "No. I don't remember a lot of it. I know they were talking about killing me. I know there was an old man. . . I think they mentioned you a bit and that's it. I didn't remember anything about Bertha Jorkins, not even now when you brought up that Voldemort and Wormtail talked about her"

I nodded my head. "They also mentioned about waiting until the Quidditch Cup is over."

We started walking down the stairs in silence until we got to the kitchen. The others were still outside. "Tell Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, if they ask that is, that I went to Diagon Alley, okay?"

"Sure." Harry said, looking troubled.

A moment later I was hurrying into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, stepping inside, and looking around. "Hello Miss Kane." She said. "Are you here for dress robes?"

"Yes please." I said. "I was looking for deep blue or purple. I don't need custom dress robes."

She nodded and bustled off into the back of the shop and came out with a variety of different dresses and put them on the rack, "Choose a couple, try them on. We're still open for twenty-five minutes."

I nodded and looked through them, surveying them, grabbed a few, and went back in the room so I could try them on. The one I decided on was a purple dress. It was a longer one and I was glad I had heels and had grown over the summer. It fit my slender frame too. It looked lovely too and I put on my other clothes and bought the dress.

"This one is a lovely dress." Madam Malkin said as she checked me out. "Have fun at Hogwarts this year dear."

"Thank you, have a nice year." I said as I headed out of the shop and made my way back to the Leaky Cauldron and then went back home. No one was in the kitchen, but not everyone was outside anymore.

I headed upstairs and hung the dress up on Ginny's wardrobe. The other three girls came in at that moment.

"Oh," Trang said. "That's a pretty dress Elizabeth."

"Thanks Trang." I said.

"We should get to sleep." Hermione said in a worried voice, "We got to get up really early for the Quidditch Cup."

I grinned at Trang, "Excited?"

She nodded, "Extremely excited."

Ginny laid down in her bed and the rest of us slept on camp beds. I fell asleep quickly, dreaming of a ball where I was dancing with Fred and then Lee then Cedric then Oliver (even though he had graduated) and then Snape who turned into Voldemort and I woke up with a start.

I looked at the clock. It was 4:45. I rolled out of bed and tiptoed around the other girls as I got dressed. I dressed in jean shorts and a white blouse. It would be cold this morning but it was only a few days into August and still very warm. I put on white sneakers. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and then snuck out the door, carrying my peppermint box.

I went down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley was already up, making breakfast and Mr. Weasley was sitting at the table yawning. He stood up and showed off his golfing shirt and blue jeans held up with a leather belt, "Does this look like I'm a Muggle?"

I nodded, yawning myself, "Yes."

Mrs. Weasley eyed my outfit and said, "Well Muggle girls do have good fashion I suppose."

I took some of the boiling water and poured it into 6 cups and put the peppermint tea bags into each of them and then used the excess in Trangs and mine tea cups.

Mrs. Weasley bustled off to wake up the boys. Mr. Weasley was organizing a sheaf of large parchment tickets.

Mrs. Weasley came back down and started stirring the pot on the stove. I yawned and then drank some of my tea which woke me up immediately with the sharpness of the drink.

Fred, George, Harry, and Ron all came downstairs, looking bleary eyed. Mr. Weasley showed his clothes to Harry and said, "What d'you think? We're supposed to go incognito- do I look like a Muggle, Harry?"

"Yes." Harry said with a smile, "Very good."

"Where's Bill and Charlie and Per-Per-Percy?" George asked with a yawn. I slid four of the cups over to them.

"That'll help wake you up." I said with a mischievous smile. I knew how sharp the taste was.

Ron picked up a cup and doused it in a swallow- I hadn't given them much- and his face turned bright red as he choked and sputtered. "What the bloody hell was that?" He asked, his face returning to normal color.

"Are you awake?" I asked, grinning.

"Well, yeah!" Ron said, still red faced and still sputtering.

Harry, Fred, and George picked their cups up. Fred smell his. "It smells like peppermint." He said and took a smaller sip than Ron. "Oh!" Fred said, his face flushing too. "That does wake you up."

Harry and George tried theirs next. George's eyes started to water and he put the cup down, but Harry just smiled, taking a seat next to me. "So what was that?" Harry asked me. Mrs. Weasley set bowls of porridge down in front of us.

"Peppermint tea." I said, dumping a large amount of brown sugar into my bowl and stirring. "Peppermint is a stimulant. It can also be used to cure different ailments like menstrual pains and nausea and muscle and nerve pain."

Everyone stared at me except Mrs. Weasley.

"What?" I asked frowning, setting aside the brown sugar and now putting a sprinkle of cinnamon on my porridge. "We learned about that in Herbology."

George shook his head in amazement. "Well at least we're all awake now."

"Oh, and to answer your question." I continued, now pouring milk into the bowl slowly so that I put the right amount, "Bill, Charlie, and Percy get to apparate so they get to stay in bed."

"Why can't we apparate too?" Fred asked grumpily.

"Because you're not of age and you haven't passed the test." Mrs. Weasley answered. Then she bustled out of the kitchen to get the girls up.

"You have to pass a test to Apparate?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes. The Department of Magical Transportation had to fine a couple of people the other day for Apparating without a license. It's not easy, Apparition, and when it's not done properly it can lead to nasty complications. This pair I'm talking about went and splinched themselves."

I flinched with the others.

"Er- Splinched?" Harry asked nervously.

"They left half of themselves behind. So, of course," Mr. Weasley said, putting treacle on his porridge, "they were stuck. Couldn't move either way. Had to wait for the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad to sort them out. Meant a fair old bit of paperwork. I can tell you, what with the Muggles who spotted the body parts they'd left behind. . ."

"Were they okay?" Harry asked, startled.

"Oh yes." Mr. Weasley said. "But they got a heavy fine, and I don't think they'll be trying it again in a hurry. You don't mess around with Apparition. There are plenty of adult wizards who don't bother with it. Prefer brooms- slower, but safer."

"To bad we can't use magic carpets anymore." I said dreamily before spooning another spoonful of lovely sugary porridge into my mouth.

"Indeed." Mr. Weasley said.

"But Bill and Charlie and Percy can all do it?" Harry asked, interested.

"Charlie had to take the test twice. . . He failed the first time, Apparated five miles south of where he meant to, right on top of some poor old dear doing her shopping, remember?" Fred asked with a huge smile.

"Yes, well, he passed the second time." Mrs. Weasley said as the rest of us laughed.

Hermione, Ginny, and Trang were all coming down the hallway looking sleepy. Trang pointed to the last steaming mug of Peppermint tea, "Is that for me?"

I nodded.

Trang picked it up and doused half of it in one go. The others, especially George and Ron who'd had bad reactions, watched in interest. "That's lovely." Trang said with brighter eyes. "Is there anymore?"

I tossed my peppermint box at her and she got up to make herself another cup of tea. I sipped mine casually.

"Why do we have to get up so early?" Ginny asked, rubbing her eyes.

"We've got a bit of a walk." Mr. Weasley said.

I kicked George and he looked up at me. I shook my head and put my hand under the table, tapping his knee. He handed me the Toffees' and I put them in my pocket. George nudged Fred and Fred passed me his too. Everyone else missed the reaction between us.

I obviously didn't have all of them, but hopefully Mrs. Weasley wouldn't notice. I zipped my bag closed so the Toffee's couldn't escape if she did want them.

"Walk?" Harry was asking in another startled voice, "What, are we walking to the World Cup?" Trang's mouth dropped too as though she thought this might be possible and I laughed, starting to eat my porridge again.

"Silly Harry, of course not." I said with a grin. "But with so many wizards coming in from all sorts of countries, we have to travel incognito. Even Muggles notice large congregations of people going in the same direction and often have the urge to check out what's going on, whether they knew about the event or not."

"George!" Mrs. Weasley shouted suddenly and everyone except me jumped. I rolled my eyes instead.

"What?" George asked, confused.

"What is that in your pocket?" Mrs. Weasley continued. I shifted my body below the table and saw that there was a bulge in his pocket. I sighed.

"Nothing!" George said, putting a hand over his pocket.

"Don't you lie to me!" Mrs. Weasley said, pointing her wand at George's pocket and saying, "Accio."

Trang watched in interest (She loved seeing magic in action) and I watched to see how the spell was conducted. Multiple objects came out of George's pocket and into her hand. Toffees. She kept pointing her wand at them and saying "Accio! Accio!"

Even I had to admit that they had come up with some pretty neat hiding places but I'd wished they'd given me more of their toffees. I checked my bag and saw that I had about twelve or so in it.

"We spent six months developing those!" Fred said angrily as she threw the toffees away.

"Oh a fine way to spend six months!" She shrieked in anger. "No wonder you didn't get more O.W.L.s"

We departed the Burrow very soon after. I stayed back for a millisecond and said to Mrs. Weasley, "Can you use some of the gold in my vault for Ron's robes? Get them new, like Harry's?" Then, I dashed off before she could say yes or no.

Trang, Fred, George, and I were all walking ahead of the others. Mrs. Weasley was still talking to Mr. Weasley and she called after us, "behave yourselves!" Fred and George glowered.

"I still have twelve." I said brightly. "Six for each of you."

"Not much." George said grumpily.

"You could have given me more." I said sharply, though sympathetically, not wanting to be blamed for their stupidity.

"How are we getting to the cup?" Trang asked.

"Portkey." I answered.

"What's that?" Trang asked.

"It's er- a magical device that transports people from one place to another. But they have certain times they take off and usually can only be used once." I said. "They are usually disguised as things that Muggles don't pick up. You have to be touching it to be transported, so don't let go of it when we get there."

"Grand." Trang said, sounding extremely nervous that she might get left behind.

We had to climb Stoatshead Hill was a long climb and before long, I had a painful stitch in my side. My legs were getting sore too but I continued on at a steady pace. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Mr. Weasley had caught up to the four of us by this time though I pulled ahead of the others with my impatience to get to the cup.

I ran up the last steps and saw two figures off in the distance. I went on ahead until I found Mr. Diggory and his son Cedric.

"Elizabeth!" Cedric said in glad surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I was staying with the Weasleys." I said, blushing just slightly. "They're coming on a bit slow, but they'll be here in a few seconds."

Cedric and I hugged and he introduced me to his father who was a boisterous and round-faced man. He was holding a muddy boot in one hand.

"Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it!" Mr. Diggory called out and I turned to see the Weasleys, Hermione, Trang, and Harry make their way over to us.

"Amos!" Mr. Weasley said, smiling and they shook hands. To the rest of us he said, "This is Amos Diggory, everyone. He works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you know his son, Cedric?"

"Hi." Cedric said, looking around at everyone, laying his eyes on Trang. I felt a strange twinge of jealousy, and then pushed it away.

Everyone said hi back except for Fred and George who only nodded. George had never forgiven Cedric for beating Gryffindor in the first Quidditch match and Fred had other reasons for disliking Cedric. What those reasons were had never been fully disclosed to me, though I had my suspicions.

"Long walk, Arthur?" Cedric's father asked.

"Not too bad. We live just on the other side of the village there. You?" Mr. Weasley asked while checking his watch.

"Had to get up at two, didn't we, Ced? I tell you, I'll be glad when he's got his Apparition test. Still. . . not complaining. . . Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sackful of Galleons- and the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy. . ." Amos said, looking at all the others he assumed Mr. Weasley bought tickets for. "All these yours, Arthur?"

"Oh no, only the redheads. This is Hermione, friend of Ron's, Trang, friend of Elizabeth's, that's Elizabeth right there though I assume you've already met- and Harry, another friend-"

"Merlin's beard! Harry? Harry Potter?" Amos Diggory said with widening eyes.

I started to giggle and turned away. Trang watched in a bit of confusion.

"Er- yeah." Harry said uncomfortably.

"Ced's talked about you, of course. Told us all about playing against you last year. . . I said to him, I said- Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will. . . you beat Harry Potter!" Mr. Diggory said tactlessly.

Trang's mouth fell open and Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked extremely embarrassed and muttered, "Harry fell of his broom, Dad. I told you. . . it was an accident. . ."

"Yes, but you didn't fall off, did you?" Mr. Diggory roared and slapped Cedric hard on the back, "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman. . . but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier?"

I wondered if Trang was going to be able to pick her mouth up off the floor as she looked from Mr. Diggory, to Harry, to me and back again.

"Yes." I said coolly for I too had fallen off my broom that match and had taken insult to his words. "Well I'd like to see anyone stay on their broom when a dementor makes them pass out because their parents were murd-"

"Must be nearly time!" Mr. Weasley interrupted loudly, checking his watch again. Fred and George were openly grinning now. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?"

Trang pulled me aside as Mr. Diggory answered him and asked me quietly, "Do people usually insult others in front of them in the Magical world?"

I shook my head. "Mr. Diggory just likes to brag about his son and speaks before he thinks, that's all."

There was a lot of difficulty trying to stand around the boot and touch it. There were about eleven of us and because we all had bulky backpacks, there was less space than there may have been. Trang's finger was barely staying on and I pushed her forward so that she had two fingers on the boot.

We stood there as Mr. Weasley counted down, "Three. . . two. . ." I checked to make sure Trang's finger was still on the boot. ". . .one. . ."

My feet left the ground and I saw Trang's mouth open in a silent scream. Our shoulders were banging together and there was a howl of wind and swirling colors. My finger was stuck to the boot, pulling me forward and with my other hand, I grabbed Trang's arm that was holding the boot, as she was trying to pull it off.

"No!" I shouted, but my voice was lost in the howling wind. She got the message anyways.

Then my feet slammed into the ground and I stuck my ground while Trang stumbled and fell on her face. Everyone fell onto their faces except Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Cedric. I had never stuck my ground before and I found why most people fell on their faces- it was exhausting finding the energy to keep standing. Part of me wanted to fall over anyways.

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill." A voice said.

I looked to see two Wizards dressed inexpertly as Muggles. Trang started having a fit of giggles and hid behind me so they wouldn't see her. One wizard was wearing a tweed suit with thigh- length galoshes and the other was wearing a kilt and poncho.

I started to laugh just like Trang and turned around so that they would see us laughing.

"Morning Basil." Mr. Weasley said.

"Hello there, Arthur. Not on duty, eh? It's all right for some. . . We've been here all night, You'd better get out of the way, we've got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five-fifteen. Hang on, I'll find your campsite. . . Weasley. . . Weasley. . . About a quarter of a mile's walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager's called Mr. Roberts. Diggory. . . second field. . . ask for Mr. Payne."

"Thanks, Basil." Mr. Weasley said and we followed him away. We were walking through a deserted moor, and there was such a thick mist, it was hard to see anything. Trang and I walked with linked arms. I really did not want to lose her here.

We said good-bye to the Diggory's at the turn and they walked off. We approached the cottage door.

There was a man there, Mr. Roberts, standing on the doorstep and looking out at all the tents. When he heard our footsteps, he turned his head to look at us.

"Morning!" Mr. Weasley said brightly. He loved Muggles and was always excited with every interaction he got with them.

"Morning." Mr. Roberts said a bit less cheerfully.

"Would you be Mr. Roberts?" Mr. Weasley asked carefully.

"Aye, I would. And who're you?"

"Weasley- two tents, booked a couple of days ago?"

"Aye. You've got a space up by the wood there. Just the one night?"

"That's it." Mr. Weasley said.

"You'll be paying now, then?" Mr. Roberts said.

"Ah- right- certainly." Mr. Weasley said uncomfortably and beckoned to Trang to follow him. I went with her. "Help me, Trang." He said, pulling out a wad of Muggle bills.

"How much is it?" Trang asked and Mr. Weasley gave her the amount. She took the bills, counted them out and then gave him the money to pay with and put the rest in his pocket.

"You Foreign?" Mr. Roberts asked as the three of us returned and Mr. Weasley gave a start.

"Foreign?" Mr. Weasley repeated, confused.

"You're not the first one who's had trouble with money." Mr. Roberts said, looking Mr. Weasley over. "I had two try and pay me with great gold coins the size of hubcaps ten minutes ago."

"Did you really?" Mr. Weasley asked nervously.

Mr. Roberts looked for change to give Mr. Weasley. "Never been this crowded. Hundreds of pre-bookings. People usually just turn up. . ." He looked back out at the tents and I shifted on my feet nervously.

"Is that right?" Mr. Weasley asked, holding his hand out for the change but Mr. Roberts didn't give it to him.

"Aye. People from all over. Loads of foreigners. And not just foreigners. Weirdos, you know? There's a bloke walking 'round in a kilt and poncho." He scrutinized us again, looking at Trang and I in nearly identical outfits except she was wearing a red blouse.

"Shouldn't he?" Mr. Weasley said anxiously.

"It's like some sort of. . . I dunno. . . like some sort of rally, they all seem to now each other. Like a big party."

A wizard in plus-fours apparated next to him and pointing his wand he said sharply, "Obliviate!"

Trang shrieked and grabbed my arm. Instantly, Mr. Robert's eyes slid out of focus and a dreamy expression crept over his face.

"A map of the campsite for you and your change." Mr. Roberts said in a softer voice to Mr. Weasley.

"Thanks very much." Mr. Weasley said, taking both of the items.

The wizard in plus-fours accompanied us toward the gate. He looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes and his chin was turning blue from cold. "Been having a lot of trouble with him. Needs a memory Charm ten times a day to keep him happy. And Ludo Bagman's not helping. Trotting around talking about Bludgers and Quaffles at the top of his voice, not a worry about anti-Muggle security. Blimey, I'll be glad when this is over. See you later, Arthur." He Disapparated without another word.

Trang was still clutching my arm. "Is Mr. Roberts going to be okay?" she asked me in undertone.

"Of course." I said. "It doesn't hurt them, it simply removes the particular components of the magical abnormalities from their minds, that's all."

"But why did he have to forget?" Trang asked in a concerned voice.

"Muggles aren't supposed to know about our world. The only way Muggles find out about the magical world is in two ways. A) they have a magical child who's invited to a magical school or b) they marry someone from the magical world. Other than that, they aren't supposed to know." I said.

"Will they erase my mind if they find out that I'm a Muggle?" Trang asked, shivering.

"No." I said fiercely. "Don't worry about that. I have multiple tricks up my sleeve. And there is no reason for anyone to know that you aren't magical anyways. We don't just go around asking random people if they're muggles or not. You're with us, Trang. No one's going to notice unless you shout it through the magical microphone."

Trang didn't seem to relax any. I put an arm around her as we continued to walk. The sun had come out, making the clouds dissipate and we could see the tents now and thoughts of having her memory change were put out of Trang's mind.

The tents were so magical it was stupid that we even had Muggles at the front gates. I couldn't blame Mr. Roberts for being suspicious.

Trang looked around, her mouth dropped for what was probably a fifth time already and it wasn't even nine in the morning yet. There were tents with multiple floors, front gardens, back gardens, pools, and a large tent that obviously housed an Indian family. It looked like the palace from Aladdin and had peacocks tethered to the front of the tent.

"Always the same, we can't resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us." Mr. Weasley said with a smile.

There was a small plot of land with a sign in front of it that read WEEZLY. I giggled.

"Couldn't have a better spot! The field is just on the other side of the wood there, we're as close as we could be." Mr. Weasley said, dropping his backpack. "Right, no magic allowed, strictly speaking, not when we're out in these numbers on Muggle land. We'll be putting these tents up by hand! Shouldn't be too difficult. . . Muggles do it all the time. . . Here, Harry, where do you reckon we should start?"

Harry stared dully at the tents. He'd never been camping in his life. Trang moved forward and started instructing us all what to do. I gave her an encouraging smile. Mr. Weasley was a bit of a hindrance, especially when he got to use the mallet. Trang was laughing the entire time and looking very happy. I think she enjoyed being able to help.

We all looked back to see how the tents looked. I certainly thought they looked like Muggle tents. But Trang was frowning now. "How are we all going to fit?"

Mr. Weasley laughed kindly and said, "Go on ahead Trang."

Trang went into the tent and gasped. Harry and I quickly followed after her. Harry's jaw dropped so that Trang and him looked identical in awe.

There were three rooms- a sitting room, kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. The chairs were mismatched and the covers were crocheted. There was a strong smell of cats which I didn't mind, but it was a bit overwhelming.

"Well, it's not for long." Mr. Weasley said, mopping his bald patch with his handkerchief. It was hot in here. "I borrowed this from Perkins at the office. Doesn't camp much anymore, poor fellow, he's got lumbago." He picked up a kettle and said, "We'll need water. . ."

I quickly spoke, "Ron, Hermione, Harry, Trang, and I will go get water. The rest of you are going to look for firewood." The others stared at me and I shrugged, "That's what I saw when we got here anyways." I left out the fact that I hadn't actually seen Trang or I going with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

So, everyone else shrugged, accepting my word, and the five of us headed out of the tent. We quickly looked in the girls tent and Trang, Hermione, and I put our bags down. I made a mental note to give Fred and George their toffees.

The girls' tent was smaller- kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and sitting room but the rooms were smaller. It was a good thing we didn't have more girls because there were only four beds. However, our tent was slightly cooler and there was no cat smell.

We set off across the campsite with pans and the kettle to fill them with water. The other campers were starting to wake up as well. The first to wake were the families with small children of course. For some reason, little kids weren't fans of sleep.

Trang, Harry, and I looked fascinated at a little boy no older than two, maybe three, who had a wand in his hand, poking a slug.

"Urgh." Trang complained as the slug grew to the size of a large salami. "That's disgusting."

I giggled, but privately agreed. His mother came out of the tent. "How many times, Kevin? You don't- touch- Daddy's- wand- yeecch!" She squealed as she stepped on the slug, making it explode.

"You bust slug! You bust slug!" The boy started to cry as the mother continued to scold him. Farther ahead, two twin girls were flying on toy broomsticks, only high enough that there toes skimmed the grass.

"Wow." Trang whispered softly. "Imagine if we'd had those as kids, Elizabeth."

"I had one." I said. "pink. But I didn't ride it often because dad didn't want me in the forest by myself and he never had time to watch me cause he was working so hard."

A ministry wizard hurried past us after the little girls muttering, "In broad daylight! Parents having a lie-in, I suppose-"

Adult wizards were emerging from the tents and starting to cook breakfast. A majority of them looked around furtively and conjured fires from their wands. Others were striking matches as though they thought they wouldn't work and then were so surprised that a fire was lit that they dropped the matches.

Three African Wizards were in a serious conversation and standing around a purple fire cooking rabbit. Trang stared at the purple fire with pleasure. Purple was her favorite color.

Suddenly, we were surrounded by a large amount of green. "Er- is it my eyes, or has everything gone green?" Ron asked.

The tents were covered in shamrocks, paper and real ones, so that they looked like hills that had sprung up from the Earth. We walked through and then we heard from behind us, "Harry! Ron! Hermione! Elizabeth!"

We all turned. It was Seamus Finnigan, a Gryffindor. He was sitting in front of his tent which was also covered in shamrocks. Trang seemed to be on the verge of laughing. There was a woman sitting with him who must've been his mother and his best friend Dean Thomas who was Muggle-born.

Seamus had grown his sandy hair out so that it tucked under his ears. Dean on the other hand was close to bald.

We headed over. "Like the decorations?" Seamus asked with a broad grin. "The Ministry's not too happy."

"Ah, why shouldn't we show our colors?" His mother said with beady eyes. "You should see what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents. You'll be supporting Ireland, of course?" She added. We all nodded.

"Hey Elizabeth!" Dean said, "D'you know who's going to win?"

"Sure I do." I said honestly, "But why should I spoil it for everyone?"

Dean laughed though Mrs. Finnigan looked annoyed. Maybe she'd put down a bet.

We left and Ron muttered, "Like we'd say anything else surrounded by that lot."

"I wonder what the Bulgarians have got dangling all over their tents?" Hermione asked.

"Let's go and have a look." Harry said, pointing.

We made our way to the Bulgaria tents. Each one had a poster of Viktor Krum on them. They were moving, blinking and scowling. Trang looked at them, a bit disappointed for some reason.

Ron muttered something and Hermione asked, "What?"

"Krum!" Ron said a bit louder, "Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker!"

"He looks really grumpy." Hermione said mildly and Trang started laughing.

"Really grumpy!" Ron said exasperated, "Who cares what he looks like? He's unbelievable. He's really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He's a genius, you wait until tonight, you'll see."

"Actually." I said. "He's seventeen."

Ron gaped at me.

I shrugged, "What? I know my Quidditch players."

There was a line for the water and we got behind two wizards. One of them was a very old wizard, probably in his eighties or so with a long white beard, nearly as long as Dumbledore's. He was wearing a flowery nightgown. Then there was a Ministry wizard who was nearly crying with exasperation. He was holding a pair of striped trousers.

"Just put them on, Archie, there's a good chap. You can't walk around like that, the Muggle at the gate's already getting suspicious-"

"I bought this in a Muggle shop." The old wizard said stubbornly as though Muggle shops only sold clothes that were made for both sexes. "Muggles wear them."

Trang was already quietly giggling, her fist in her mouth.

"Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these." The ministry wizard said, brandishing the trousers in the old man's face.

"I'm not putting them on." Archie said in indignation. "I like a healthy breeze 'round my privates, thanks."

I started giggling too and soon, Trang, Hermione, and I all had to hurry out of line so they didn't hear us laughing. We only got back in line when Archie and the other wizard collected their water and disappeared. Then, we collected our water and headed back.

We walked much slower because of the water we were carrying. We saw many students from Hogwarts though we didn't talk to most of them.

When I heard a familiar voice calling for Harry, I turned. It was Oliver Wood, past captain of Gryffindor Quidditch team. He said hello to Hermione, Ron, and I and when he laid eyes on Trang, his face turned bright red and he said, "H-hello, who are y-you?"

I turned away, smiling. Aww! Oliver had a crush.

Trang's face wasn't anywhere near as red since her dark skin was hiding her blush but she said, "Hi, I'm Trang, Elizabeth's friend."

They stared at each other awkwardly for another second and then Oliver recovered and dragged Harry over to meet his parents. Then he told us all that he had been signed to Puddlemere United reserve team.

"Oh Congratulations Oliver." I said, delighted. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks Liz." Oliver said, flashing me a smile.

We said good-bye and were about to continue on when Oliver called Trang back. The four of us watched as she walked over, holding a pan of water. They talked for a few seconds and then she came back, a small smile on her face.

"What'd he want?" Ron asked quickly.

"None of your business." Hermione and I said together.

"My full name so he could send me an owl." Trang said happily.

We were hailed by Ernie Macmillan next, a Hufflepuff student in my house. He was especially friendly with Harry and me.

Then there was Cho Chang and Harry slopped water down his front when he waved to her. She was a Chinese girl, very pretty with long black hair.

"My hair used to be like that." Trang said, shooting Cho another glance as we moved on. "And then I dyed the ends golden."

Indeed, her hair was black up at the top but had turned Ombre gold down near the bottom.

"Where are you from?" Hermione asked in interest.

"Well my parents are from Vietnam." Trang said. "But I'm British."

I laughed. It was a bit of a joke between the two of us though the others didn't understand.

"Have you ever been to Vietnam?" Hermione asked in interest. "to visit or anything?"

"Yes." Trang said, nodding, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes.

"I want to visit a lot of different countries." Hermione said wistfully.

"I just want to go to Australia." I said. "And Japan."

"You've been ages." George said when we finally got back to the tent.

"Met a few people." Ron said, setting his water pail down. I set the pan down, flexing my fingers. "You not got that fire started yet?"

"Dad's having fun with the matches." Fred said with a grin.

Splintered matches lay around his feet but he looked like he was having the time of his life. I giggled along with Trang.

"Oops!" he said when he lit one and then dropped it.

"Come here, Mr. Weasley." Trang said kindly, though grinning. She took the box from him, showing him how to do it properly and then let him do it himself.

The fire was lit, finally, though it took an hour for it to be hot enough that we could actually cook on it. Meanwhile, Trang and I were swapping Chocolate frog cards and eating them at the same time. Harry looked on in interest.

"Don't you have a collection?" I asked Harry as I traded a Dumbledore card for a Newt Scamander card. I already had twenty-five of him, but I also had sixty-three of Dumbledore and this way, it evened my cards out to twenty-six and sixty-two. I liked even numbers.

"Nah." Harry said. "I don't eat enough Chocolate frogs to keep up a collection. Not that my Uncle and Aunt wouldn't throw it out immediately anyways."

"Sad." I said bluntly, rearranging my cards in alphabetical order.

Ministry members ran back and forth trying to keep things under control and Mr. Weasley kept a running commentary of who was who and what they did. Trang kept looking up, interested. "That was Cuthbert Mockridge, Head of the Goblin Liaison Office. . . Here comes Gilbert Wimple; he's with the Committee on Experimental Charms; he's had those horns for a while now. . . Hello Arnie. . . Arnold Peasegood, he's an Obliviator- members of the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad, you know.. and that's Bode and Croaker. . . they're Unspeakables. . ."

"They're what?" Trang and Harry asked at the same time in interest, both of them pushing their glasses up on their noses. Fred caught my eye and we looked away before we laughed.

"From the Department of Mysteries, top secret, no idea what they get up to. . ." Mr. Weasley said and Trang looked over her shoulder to get a good look at them.

Mr. Weasley let Trang and I cook sausages and eggs. Mostly because it was rumored that I was a good cook and Trang already knew how to cook over a fire from her many camping trips.

The sausages and eggs were done in record time just as Bill, Charlie, and Percy were strolling toward us, looking refreshed.

"Just Apparated Dad." Percy said in a loud voice and looked around to see if anyone had heard him, "Ah, excellent, lunch."

I giggled quietly as Trang served out food to everyone. The sausages were juicy and the eggs were light and fluffy.

Halfway through our lunch period, Mr. Weasley jumped up, waving a man over. "Aha! The man of the moment! Ludo!"

Ludo Bagman was wearing old Quidditch robes from when he used to play. They had thick horizontal stripes of bright yellow and black. An enormous wasp was stitched onto the front of the robes. He was powerfully built in the shoulders and legs but his stomach was bulging against the robes. His nose was squashed, most like broken by a bludger. His eyes however, were bright blue. With his short blond hair and rosy complexion- he looked a bit how I thought an American schoolboy might look.

"Ahoy there!" Bagman called happily. He was walking with springs in his steps. "Arthur, old man, What a day, eh? What a day! Could we have asked for more perfect weather? A cloudless night coming. . . and hardly a hiccough in the arrangements. . . Not much for me to do!"

Behind him, four ministry wizards were rushing toward a wizard's tent where a fire had gotten out of hand. It was bright blue and was throwing violet sparks twenty feet into the air. Trang laughed aloud and then quickly stiffled it.

Percy hurried forward at that moment with his hand outstretched. Apparently he wanted to make a good impression. I rolled my eyes. If I didn't like someone, I wasn't going to act like I did to get on their good side. I'd act just as I said.

"Ah- yes." Mr. Weasley said with a knowing smile. "this is my son Percy. He's just started at the Ministry- and this is Fred- no, George, sorry- that's Fred- Bill, Charlie, Ron- my daughter Ginny- and Ron's friends Elizabeth Kane, Hermione Granger, Trang Nyguen, and Harry Potter."

Ludo lifted his eyes to Harry's forehead, looking at the scar.

"Everyone, this is Ludo Bagman, you know who he is, it's thanks to him we've got such good tickets-"

"Fancy a flutter on the match, Arthur?" Ludo asked, waving his hand aside.

I quickly got up and went inside the tent. I didn't want to be asked who was going to win. Once the betting was over, I headed back out, sitting down next to Bill.

"Couldn't do me a brew, I suppose? I'm keeping an eye out for Barty Crouch. My Bulgarian opposite numbers' making difficulties, and I can't understand a word he's saying. Barry'll be able to sort it out. he speaks about a hundred and fifty languages."

Trang looked at me from across the fire, her mouth open. I nodded. She got up and came and sat next to me.

"Mr. Crouch? He speaks over two hundred! Mermish and Gobbledegook and Troll. . ." Percy said with admiration.

Trang giggled, "What are those languages?"

"Mermish is mermaid-" I started.

"There's mermaids!"

"Anyone can speak Troll." Fred said in a dismissive voice, "All you have to do is point and grunt." About half of us laughed.

"Any news of Bertha Jorkins yet, Ludo?" Mr. Weasley asked and I stopped laughing. Harry and I exchanged an uncomfortable look.

"Not a dicky bird. But she'll turn up. Poor old Bertha. . . memory like a leaky cauldron and no sense of direction. Lost, you take my word for it. She'll wander back into the office sometime in October, thinking it's still July."

"Yeah, yeah there's mermaids and centaurs and dragons and pixies and fairies and unicorns." I muttered under my breath trying to ignore the ongoing conversation. "Ghosts, poltergeists, house-elfs, vampires, a lot of different magical creatures."

"You don't think it might be time to send someone to look for her?" Mr. Weasley suggested.

"There's a lot of creatures that even Muggles don't know about like bowtruckles or fire crabs or acromantula." I continued hurriedly.

"What are Acromantula?" Trang asked in interest.

"Huge talking spides." I said.

Trang shuddered.

"Barty Crouch keeps saying that." Ludo said, taking a tea from Percy. "but we really can't spare anyone at the moment. Oh- talk of the devil! Barty!"

Barty Crouch apparated out of the air, wearing a stiff, impeccable suit and tie. Everything from his neatly combed hairdo to his polished shoes yelled professionalism and rule-follower. Fred actually wrinkled his nose while I thought Percy might bend over and kiss his shoes.

"Pull up a bit of grass, Barty." Ludo said, patting the ground next to him.

"No thank you, Ludo. I've been looking for you everywhere. The Bulgarians are insisting we add another twelve seats to the Top Box."

"Oh is that what they're after? I thought the chap was asking to borrow a pair of tweezers. Bit of a strong accent." Ludo said.

Trang and I laughed.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Percy asked breathlessly, in a sort of half bow. Trang was giggling like mad.

"Oh. Yes- thank you, Weatherby." Mr. Crouch said in a bit of mild surprise, looking at Percy.

Tea spewed from my mouth as I snorted and I quickly covered my mouth. Fred and George both choked on their tea and Trang's giggles increased. Percy's ears turned red.

"Oh, and I've been wanting a word with you too, Arthur. Ali Bashir's on the warpath. He wants a word with you about your embargo on flying carpets." Barty Crouch said, staring down at Mr. Weasley as he still hadn't sat down.

"I sent him an owl about that just last week. If I've told him once I've told him a hundred times: Carpets are defined as a Muggle artifact by the Registry of Proscribe Charmable Objects, but will he listen?"

"Why are magical carpets banned?" Trang asked me in undertone.

"If a Wizard tried to sell it to a Muggle pawn shop for money- well Muggles don't think carpets fly now, do they?" I said.

"Ali thinks there's a niche in the market for a family vehicle." Mr. Crouch was saying, "I remember my grandfather had an Axminster that could seat twelve- but that was before carpets were banned, of course."

I rolled my eyes.

"Soo, been keeping busy, Barty?" Bagman asked stupidly.

"Fairly. Organizing Portkeys across five continents is no mean feat, Ludo." Mr. Crouch said in dry sarcasm.

"I expect you'll both be glad when this is over?" Mr. Weasley asked curiously.

Ludo Bagman managed to look shocked. "Glad! Don't know when I've had more fun... Still, it's not as though we haven't got anything to look forward to, eh, Barty? Eh? Plenty left to organize, eh?"

Mr. Crouch raised a disapproving eyebrow. "We agreed not to make the announcement until all the details-"

Ludo waved a hand. "Oh details! They've signed, haven't they? They've agreed haven't they? I bet you anything these kids'll know soon enough anyway. I mean, it's happening at Hogwarts-"

"Ludo, we need to meet the Bulgarians, you know." Mr. Crouch said interrupting whatever he was about to say. "Thank you for the tea, Wetherby." He pushed the tea back to Percy, untouched. Bagman got to his feet with a bit of difficulty, gold jingling in his pockets.

"See you all later! You'll be up in the top Box with me- I'm commentating!" He waved while Mr. Crouch simply gave us a curt nod and they both Disapparated.

"Wish Lee Jordan was commenting." I said mildly.

George laughed while Fred asked Mr. Weasley what was supposed to be happening at Hogwarts this year.

"You'll find out soon enough." Mr. Weasley said smiling.

"I won't." Trang said dejectedly.

"Don't worry, I'll write to you about it." I said.

"It's classified information, until such time as the Ministry decides to release it." Percy said in a stiff voice. "Mr. Crouch was quite right not to disclose it."

"Oh shut up, Weatherby." Fred said shortly.

I laughed again and then got up and went into the girls' tent to take a nap. 

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 3

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

Present

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𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 a start. What had woken me up? And then, I felt the burning pain against my chest, quickly sat up, lifted the heart shaped necklace off from around my neck, and tossed it across the room. It made a dull clunking noise as it hit the wall, falling to the floor. I slipped out of bed and crossed the room.

I quickly rushed to the bathroom and pulled the ice cold knob out in the bathtub. The water pooled in the bottom of the tub while I undressed and then I climbed in, facedown, resting on my elbows so that the ice cold water would heal the burning mark on my chest.

Perhaps the bath was a mistake- my entire body was freezing except for the spot where my locket had burned me. Though, slowly but surely, my body started to adjust.

As I lay there, I thought about what this meant. The last time the locket had burned my chest was when Voldemort had possessed Professor Quirrell in my first year at Hogwarts. . . nearly three years ago.

I remembered my dream of course, every word of it. Voldemort suspected that I was Harry's sister. Of course, he would be right, but no one was supposed to know. I felt a shiver go through me, but it could've been the ice cold water.

There was a knock on the bathroom door, "Elizabeth?" Dad's voiced sounded sleepy, but concerned.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" I asked. In my panic, I had forgotten to check what time it was. It could've been two in the morning for all I knew.

"Yes, but it's okay. Are you okay?" Dad asked, less asleep, still concerned.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it when I get out, okay? Or you can go back to sleep." I offered.

"I'll make breakfast." There was a pause and then he said, "Happy Birthday."

"Thanks." I whispered. I wasn't even sure if he heard me.

I heard his soft footsteps on the stairs. I laid there for a few more minutes, letting the cold water splatter against my chest under the faucet and trickled down into the drain. My back was starting to pain. . . perhaps my period was starting again. Trang had been right- periods were a terrible, awful, painful time.

It wasn't just myself I needed to be worried about. It was Harry too. And there was someone called Bertha Jorkins. Maybe I could prevent her death if the dream was a scene in the future. I had to get my hands on a newspaper.

I got out of the tub, wrapping a towel around me and trudging to my bedroom. I saw that Carter had landed on my windowsill, a present in his claws.

I fed him an owl treat for the delivery and he swooped off out the window. Sadie clucked her beak. I gave her a treat too.

I put the present aside, not opening it yet and got dressed. I turned on the light and checked where the locket had been lying against my chest. There was a large red mark but the heart had not seared on my chest. The red mark didn't even look like a heart, just a reddish-pink blotch.

It was strange. When Harry's scar burned, it was internal. When my chest burned- and I was sure it was caused by the locket- it was external. Why? How?

I picked the locket up off the floor and touched it gingerly. There was nothing wrong with it now. In fact, it was positively cool.

I put it down on the side table and pulled on my shoes and pulled my hair up into a messy bun. Then, grabbing Trang's present, I headed into dads' bedroom. I went over to where he kept the latest newspapers and flicked through them. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. There was nothing in the news.

Crumpets had already been made and there was syrup and honey and sugar on the table. Dad had circles under his eyes and I finally checked the time.

Oh, only 7:00, that wasn't bad at least.

I sat down at the table, pushing Trang's present up with the other ones, and yawned.

"So," Dad prompted, pushing a crumpet on my plate, "What happened this morning?"

I explained what had happened as I filled my crumpet with syrup. Dad listened patiently, his brow furrowing when I got to the part about Voldemort asking about me, and Peter's intuition about whether or not I was Harry's sister. I mentioned the crib.

"So he doesn't know. . ." Dad said, looking thoughtfully down at his own plate. There was a half buttered crumpet there. "That's something. . ."

"Dad." I hesitated and then said, "I was thinking that maybe. . . maybe we could go to Godric's Hollow today."

Somehow, the dream felt different. I didn't think it was a vision, I think it had happened as I dreamed it.

Dad looked up at me, his eyes thoughtful. "Yes, I thought you might say that. What do you think we could do? It's not as though we can get rid of the crib or change it's color. The damage there is done. Voldemort knows a baby girl lived in the house at one point."

I hesitated again and then, got up from my seat, and headed into the kitchen to get parchment and a quill. I sat back down at the table and, writing in my best calligraphy, wrote the following sentence:

In loving memory of Isabelle Lily Potter 07/31/1980- 04/16/1981

I showed it to dad. He took the piece of parchment in his hand and looked at it. Surprise went over his face, "This is your plan? You're going to fake your death?" I blushed and went to defend it when he said in a different voice, "It's actually brilliant."

"I was going to paste it in the drawer. I don't know if Peter looked through the drawers or not, but if there was something the drawer, maybe it could be put over it so that it looked as though it was hidden. . . I don't know if Voldemort will go back and look or not."

"We should go now." Dad said, standing up.

I got up, clutching the parchment, and said, "How are we going to get there?"

Dad thought about it for a moment and then said, "We'll apparate. Grab my arm."

I looked at him in shock, "We're apparating out of the house."

Dad nodded, his face determined. I realized he was a lot more worried about me than I had thought. I remembered back to last year, saving Sirius, when Sirius had mentioned what might happen if Voldemort got ahold of a person who could see the future. "Now." He said, sticking his arm out to his side.

I grabbed his arm and immediately, there was a swirl and my feet left the ground and then touched back down and I nearly threw up. I was dizzy too. Dad helped steady me and then we started up the street.

I didn't have my wand but dad did and I clutched the piece of paper in my hand as we walked down the street. It was early- no one else was up and I was able to look around at the buildings in detail.

I lived here once. I thought, looking at the old fashioned buildings with thatched brick roofs and wooden doors and fences with gardens in the backyards. I could've been neighbors with any of these people. . . could've been friends with any of these people. It was a weird feeling.

Dad led me down the street. Apparently, he'd been here before. We stopped in front of a dilapidated house and my breath caught in my throat. I'd lived here.

I put my hand on the iron gate and pushed it open and stepped inside. Nothing happened.

"Let's hurry." Dad said, putting a hand on the small of my back. "In case someone from the Ministry heard alarms or something. I have no idea if alarms were put on the house. Probably not or else there'd have been something in paper from Peter being in here, but nevertheless. . ."

We hurried and I led as though I knew exactly where I was going. We stepped through the door and we closed it behind ourselves. I picked my way over wooden beams and then made it to the basement door and opened it up.

I turned on the light and walked down the stairs as though in a trance and against the back wall was a pink and white crib. There was only one drawer and it was closed. It was also locked. Dad unlocked it and I pulled it open. There was a small, pink blanket in it and on the blanket was a stitched letter E.

I picked up the blanket with shaking hands. It wouldn't be able to stay here, the E was a dead giveaway. Dad performed a sticking charm on the back of the parchment and stuck it down on the drawer bottom. Looking around, I found another blanket with no marks or letters and after folding it up, put it in the drawer. Dad changed the green color to pink in case Peter had already opened the drawer and had only simply seen that it was pink. With another wave of his wand, he created a stitch I on there. For Isabelle.

Then, we closed the door again and dad locked it with his wand. I looked around the basement. There was cat food in another corner, moldy and rotten. A carton of books on a small, round table. I ran my hands over those. They were muggle books- probably Mums. I recognized Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key. There were kid books in another carton. Mum had probably read those to Harry and I.

Tears collected in my eyes and I brushed them away. Dad put an arm around my shoulder, leading me back up the stairs. I'd come back for these things one day. Today just wasn't that day.

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𝕭𝖆𝖈𝖐 𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖊, 𝕿𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌 watched me open my presents. I hadn't told her where I'd gone and done today and she didn't ask. Something about my demeanor kept her from asking.

Fred had sent yet another charm for the bracelet he had given me in my first year. I wore it occasionally. Hermione had sent me four books and a package of Chocolate frogs. Trang was fascinated with the frogs and I let her open the boxes. She was horrified at the thought of eating the frog until I ate one. "They aren't real frogs." I said amused. "Its just a charm put on the chocolate." She finally ate one and declared it delicious. I let her keep the cards. I had multiple copies of all of them anyways.

Harry hadn't sent me anything because, as I knew, he didn't have access to anything. So I didn't really feel bad. I'd sent him a cake I'd baked the night before, along with a letter and the book on Hippogriffs.

Grandfather had sent earrings which I was surprised about. They had paste sapphires in them. I wondered if they had possibly been grandma's but I didn't ask dad. He'd forgotten that I didn't have pierced ears and couldn't wear them. But I treasured them regardless.

Hagrid had sent treacle fudge which Trang also wanted to try, but I told her it was best to let it heat by the fire before eating since it could be as hard as a brick sometimes.

Dad had gotten me The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Skeleton Crew, and Ender's Game. I'd been asking for Skeleton Crew forever (I only ever asked for books). Dad didn't like Stephen King books ever since he'd opened IT in curiosity. Unfortunately, he'd opened to the page about Beverly and Tom and was disgusted about how rated R the book was. He'd burned it and said I wasn't allowed to read it ever again.

Trang got me a second copy. It was hidden under my bed.

Trang had gotten me books which included Pet Semetary, Cycle of the Werewolf, Speaker for the Dead, and Nightmares in the Sky. Three of them were Stephen King books and I showed Cycle of the Werewolf to dad, giggling.

Dad eyed it shrewdly and said in a light voice, "If it's written by Stephen King, I'm sure it's quite in depth."

I laughed harder, though Trang didn't get the joke.

"Did you know they made a Pet Semetary picture?" Trang asked, "We should go see it after you read the book."

"Sure." I said.

Ron's present had a letter attached to it.

Elizabeth- DAD GOT THE TICKETS- just like you said. We have enough that you won't have to buy any which I'm sure you'll be glad about. Dad says it might be a bit of a squeeze, but it ought to be good. Hermione's arriving sometime this afternoon so you better hurry over. We're getting Harry at five o'clock this Friday! Also, Percy's started working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Perhaps you'd find it interesting- I don't know. But if you don't want to talk about it don't say the word "abroad". See you soon - Ron

I showed the letter to Trang, "What d'you reckon? You want to come?"

"Of course!" Trang said with bright eyes. "This Friday is only in three days though. . . I wonder if mum and dad will let me come. . ."

"When does your plane leave?" I asked, folding up the letter and reaching for the last present.

"Two in the afternoon on August 27 ." She said, picking up the letter.

"I think I can get Mr. Weasley to drive you. . ." I stopped. Mr. Weasley no longer had a car. "Perhaps side along apparition? Anyways, we'll get you to the airport, don't worry." I said.

"Let's go ask mum and dad, ight?" Trang asked, getting up from the table.

"Give me a second." I said, opening the box that Sirius had sent me. Inside was a key. I slid it out onto my hand and looked at it. Along the side were the rune letters: Hagalaz, Othala, Uruz, Sowilo, and Ehwaz.

Trang peered at the letters. She'd been studying Ancient Runes ever since she laid hands on the textbook at the book shop. "House." She read. We exchanged a look.

"Can I see?" Dad asked in a strangled voice.

I handed him the key and he examined it. "Did he give you a letter?"

I peered in the small box and shook my head. "No. I'll put it upstairs in my drawer so I don't lose it."

Dad gave it back and I raced up the stairs. I wrote a letter to Ron telling him we'd be there at his house today, and then put the key in the drawer. The letter went off with Sadie after I told her to get it to him as fast as possible, and then stay there because I'd be coming there soon.

I went back down the stairs and went with Trang back to her house. I slipped up the stairs while she went into the kitchen to talk to her mum and dad. I packed up her broom and the books she wanted in my bag.

I told Carter to go to my house and take his cage with him. With his cage securely in his talons, I watched him fly down to my house. I put the bag on my shoulder. What a bizarre sight.

Trang had already packed her suitcase, some nights before in case we got this letter, and I pulled it down the stairs and set it down by the door.

". . . this family will get you to the airport on time?" Trang's mother seemed very relieved.

"Yes." Trang said, trying to keep calm though she was very excited.

"And you'll be staying with them for at least two weeks?" her dad asked cautiously, "Are there any boys in this house?"

"Only one." Trang said. I winced. I'd forgotten to tell her about Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Percy, and Harry. They were a lot more than one boy. "Elizabeth's friend Ron. But his sister Ginny, Elizabeth's friend Hermione, Elizabeth, and I are all going to be sleeping in the same room together.

"Oh!" Trang's dad sounded happy as well, "Well then, that's quite alright with me if it's alright with your mother."

"It's alright with me too." Her mother said, "You know how your father and I have been worried about how to get you to the airport on time. This is a gift in disguise."

"Thank you mum! Thank you dad!" Trang said.

"When do you leave?" Trang's mother asked.

"Tonight." Trang said. "I didn't know I was going until Elizabeth asked me. They thought she was going to be going later."

"Well. . ." Her mom hesitated and I held my breath. "It's quite a short notice, but since it works out so well, you should probably go and pack."

Trang squealed, kissed her parents, and shot out of room, and dashed upstairs. I snuck out the door with her suitcase and the bag of books and her broom. I dumped them near the fireplace in my own house, and then dashed up stairs to collect my own things and pack.

Carter was waiting, already in his cage and I closed the lid gently and brought his cage and Sadie's empty cage down and put them next to the fireplace as well. I packed my trunk with only my robes and textbooks I used yearly. The others I left since I didn't have room for them. I also packed my dog-eared worn book IT. I made sure I had artpads and an art kit I'd gotten for my eighth birthday.

I grabbed my own broom and brought it downstairs. I had everything. I had my dragon ring from my dad, my silver locket (on the outside of my clothes in case it tried to burn me again), and other jewelry from my friends and family.

Trang came through the door with her school bag and school supplies. I managed to fit a majority of her things either in her trunk or in the enlarged bag. We didn't leave right away, I wanted to give Sadie a chance to deliver the letter first.

We ate dinner with dad who didn't seem upset at all about staying home. "It'll be a full moon anyways." Dad said, shrugging his shoulders, "Besides, I'd hate to be in those crowds." He gave a fake shudder and we laughed.

Dad gave me a hug when we were about to leave and said, "Write a lot, okay?"

"I will, don't worry." I said. "Also, I dug out your best suit for the interview you have soon." I added with a wink. He didn't look the least bit surprised that I knew.

He kissed my cheek. "Thanks Sweetheart."

"Anything for you dad." I said, kissing his cheek and giving him one last hug. I stacked my trunk and Trang's suitcase in the fireplace, putting the bag across my shoulder, and grabbing my broom. That left the two cages and school bag for Trang. I grabbed a bit of floo powder.

"The place we're going Trang, is called The Burrow." I said.

"The Burrow." She repeated as though we were in English class.

I giggled. Then, I stepped into the fireplace and threw down the powder and shouted, "The Burrow!" And I whooshed through the fireplace and fell out at the Weasley's house. I quickly pulled the trunk and bags and stuff out of the fireplace.

"Fred? Ron? Hermione?" I called out, a bit nervous. We had just intruded, of course.

Trang shot through a moment later, Carter hooting indignantly. "Where are they?" She whispered to me nervously

"Oh! Elizabeth dear!" Mrs. Weasley said, coming in through the back door, nearly making me jump. "We only just got Sadie's letter. And who is this sweet girl?"

"This is Trang." I said, introducing her to Mrs. Weasley. "She's my Muggle friend but she knows all about the Wizarding World. She couldn't wait to see a Quidditch game."

"Arthur will be thrilled to meet her." Mrs. Weasley said with a gentle smile. "I'll take your things up to the girls room, shall I?"

"Oh, don't worry." I said quickly. "We can do it."

"Nonsense." Mrs. Weasley said, taking the luggage, "Go on outside."

Trang and I headed on outside where Sadie was hooting on a branch. Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Mr. Weasley, Ginny, and two other boys were standing out in the garden. Crookshanks rushed by, running after a gnome.

Trang looked at the gnome in fascination, "What is that?"

"A gnome." I said simply.

Mr. Weasley turned at our voices and said, "Elizabeth! How lovely to see you! And who's this?"

"This is my friend Trang." I said. "And Trang, this is Mr. Weasley, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, Ginny, Charlie, and Bill."

Charlie looked at me and said, "How'd you know our names if we've never met."

Fred laughed and clapped a hand on Charlie's shoulder, "She can see the future Charlie."

Charlie rolled his eyes and said, "Really now."

"No, he's dead serious." I said brightly. "I have visions and I can see the future. But it's not because of my visions that I knew who you were- well, mostly anyways. You just have blisters on your hands, which means that you work with dragons, so you must be Charlie. Which then means that Bill is Bill because he's not Charlie."

Fred and George roared with laughter at Charlie's stumped face. Bill, smiling, stepped forward and shook my hand.

Mr. Weasley ignored us and said kindly to Trang, "So do you go to Hogwarts too?"

Trang looked at me nervously and I said, "Oh, no, she doesn't. She's a Muggle." I didn't say this loudly, really only loud enough for Mr. Weasley to hear, but everyone else seemed to hear anyways. "But she's known about the magical world since she was seven. She also flys and plays a little Quidditch."

The others looked impressed and Fred said- almost in a daring way-, "Let's go fly now."

"Okay!" Trang said excitedly, and perhaps a bit nervously.

"We'll go get our brooms." I said and we hurried inside, Hermione and Ginny accompanying us.

Trang and I grabbed our brooms and we headed back downstairs. "Don't worry." I said to Trang "We won't be using real Quidditch balls."

This cheered her up greatly.

"Are you going to fly with us, Ginny?" I asked.

Ginny opened her mouth to answer when Hermione interrupted her.

"Elizabeth, can I talk to you for a second." Hermione said in a nervous voice. I knew that voice. It was the one she used on Harry and Ron either before or after they did something stupid.

"Sure." I said. "Ginny, you can take my broom and use it till I get out." I handed her the Nimbus and she took it and went down the stairs with Trang who was shouldering her firebolt.

I followed Hermione into a separate room and she said in a low voice, "Is it really a good idea for a Muggle with no connections to the magical world to be here?"

I frowned, "First off, I am her connection to the magical world- I'm her best friend. Secondly, she's known about the magical world since she was seven and she's never told a soul. I didn't tell her either so I never broke the Stature of Secrecy. She saw dad transform one night on a camping trip."

Hermione's mouth dropped in horror, "She's not a werewolf, is she?"

I got a bit defensive, "Dad's never bitten anyone!"

"Sorry, right." Hermione said quickly. "Well if you trust her than I guess it's alright."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. I'd have hated to have turned Trang back home. Though, to be completely honest, just because Hermione didn't think it was a great idea was no reason for me to turn Trang away anyways. I didn't hear Mr. or Mrs. Weasley complaining. In fact, they were rather delighted with Trang's presence and they'd only known her for a few minutes.

Hermione and I went downstairs where the others were already flying, including Trang.

Ginny flew down and handed my broom off to me and I joined the others in the air.

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𝕿𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌 𝖘𝖆𝖙 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 to Mr. Weasley at dinner every night. He bombarded her with questions about the Muggle world and she answered them graciously and bombarded him with questions about the Wizarding world. Sometimes, the rest of us talked over them and sometimes, we just listened with amazement at the conversations they were having. Apparently Mr. Weasley found the functions of rubber ducks fascinating.

I'd already talked to Mr. Weasley on the side, who said he'd be delighted to take Trang to the airport. I said she was okay with side-along apparation and the matter was settled. I had a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Weasley couldn't wait to see the Muggle planes. He'd been just slightly to enthusiastic about bringing her to the airport.

Much to everyone's surprise, Trang got along quite well with Percy, who was willing to tell her everything about his work and she listened with rapt attention to the smallest details, grilling him with questions.

Harry was supposed to be coming Friday, which was today at 5 o'clock, but Mr. Weasley was having trouble with the fireplaces connecting. I explained to Trang that Muggle fireplaces were not normally connected with the magical floo network which stopped wizards who got lost in the floo system from entering through a Muggle grate on accident.

While Mr. Weasley fixed the problem, Fred asked me what was going to happen.

"Yeesh." I said with an eye-roll, "You make it sound like the trips going to be so. . . exciting." And then I grinned evilly and said, "You'll drop your Ton-tongue toffee's and pick all of 'em up except one which Dudley will grab and eat."

"Lovely." Fred and George said together and I rolled my eyes again. I couldn't wait to see Harry.

"Would you like a Ton-tongue Toffee Trang?" George asked with a grin.

"Er-" Trang quickly looked at me and I glared at George.

"Absolutely not." I warned him. "I'll hex you." The others around us roared with laughter. Hermione remained amused.

"How's it coming dad?" Ron asked, just as eager as I was to see Harry. Hermione and Ginny left the room. Trang had out another book reading and I had out IT, much to Ron's annoyance.

"I'll have it up in a few minutes." Mr. Weasley said, testing the powder out. Ron glanced at my book again. He rolled his eyes.

"What?" I asked exasperated.

"How many times have you read that book?" Ron asked.

"About seventy-two times, why?" I asked. I didn't really know the real number but it just rolled off the tongue.

"I don't know. Don't normal people read a book once or twice and then never read it again?" Ron asked. "Is that the only thing you read?"

I sighed in pretend exasperation and said, "Am I normal Ron?"

Ron grinned, "No, I suppose not."

Charlie and Bill came into the room and sat down on either side of me. Fred shot them both a furtive glance. I barely looked up from my book and Trang didn't notice their presence. She was watching a Quidditch match through a book. She said it was like a portable TV that showed small clips.

"It's up." Mr. Weasley said. "Let's go."

Ron, Fred, and George were all going with Mr. Weasley.

"See ya when you get back." I said, winking at Fred. He grinned. Mr. Weasley went back and then Fred and then George and then Ron.

Trang looked up then, "Did they go?"

Bill, Charlie, and I all laughed. "Yeah Trang." I said with a smile, "Is the book good?"

Trang blushed, pushing her glasses up on her nose. Sometimes I wondered why she didn't get better fitting glasses. "I wanted to watch."

"It's alright, they'll be back very soon." I said, returning my attention to the book. "It won't take that long."

Indeed, five minutes later, Fred came back through the fire and waited. A few moments later, George came back with Harry's trunk. Trang was now paying rapt attention as though there might be a test on this later.

Ron came back a few seconds later.

I grinned. "Harry'll take a bit longer to get back." I said.

Fred and George grinned and explained to Bill and Charlie what they had done. Both of them grinned.

A few minutes later, Harry came spinning out of the fireplace. He nearly fell on his face and Fred helped him up and said, "Did he eat it?"

"Yeah." Harry said, straightening up. "What was it?" He looked like he was trying to hold in a laugh.

"Ton-Tongue Toffee." Fred said in a brisk voice. "George and I invented them, and we've been looking for someone to test them on all summer. . ."

The rest of us burst into laughter, even Trang. Harry looked at us and I grinned. I got up and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek. "Good to see you Harry." I said.

"You too Elizabeth." he said with a grin.

"How're you doing, Harry?" Charlie asked, holding out a hand which Harry shook.

Bill shook Harry's hand too.

Harry peered curiously at Trang then who was beet red which was a hard feat considering her dark skin.

"Oh, Harry, this is my best friend Trang. She gave you the camera for your birthday." I said. "Trang this is Harry."

They shook hands as well.

"You don't go to Hogwarts, do you?" Harry asked curiously.

Trang shook her head, cheeks redder. "I go to school in America. I'm a Muggle."

The others laughed as she used the word to describe herself. "But she's known about the magical world since she was seven so it's alright." I assured Harry.

Mr. Weasley appeared out of thin air behind George's shoulder. He looked extremely angry, angrier than I had ever seen him before. Trang looked nervous next to me.

"That wasn't funny, Fred!" Mr. Weasley said. "What on earth did you give that Muggle boy?"

"I didn't give him anything." Fred said innocently, grinning. "I just dropped it. . . It was his fault he went and ate it, I never told him to."

"You dropped it on purpose!" Mr. Weasley roared in anger. Trang retreated back to the table and opened up her Quidditch book. Bill looked quite amused by this as I sat on the arm of his chair, Ron having taken my seat. "You knew he'd eat it, you knew he was on a diet-"

"How big did his tongue get?" George asked eagerly.

"It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!" Mr. Weasley said.

Harry, Trang, the Weasleys, and I all roared with laughter.

"It isn't funny!" Mr. Weasley shouted again. "That sort of behavior seriously undermines wizard-Muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of Muggles, and my own sons-"

"We didn't give it to him because he's a Muggle." Fred interrupted indignantly.

"No, we gave it to him because he's a great bullying git, right Harry?" George said.

"Yeah, he is, Mr. Weasley." Harry said earnestly, trying to get the twins out of trouble.

"Actually Fred-" I interrupted. "I was wondering if I could have some of those to give Draco Malfoy."

George, Ron, Fred, and Harry all laughed. But Mr. Weasley wasn't done. "That's not the point! You wait until I tell your mother-"

"Tell me what?" Mrs. Weasley's voice came in through the kitchen. Her eyes were narrowed with suspicion. "Oh, hello, Harry, dear." Mrs. Weasley said kindly, spotting Harry. "Tell me what, Arthur?"

Mr. Weasley hesitated and I quickly jumped up and said, "It was just a laugh that we were talking about."

Everyone looked at me in amazement. Hermione and Ginny came in behind Mrs. Weasley. They both grinned at Harry and I assumed that Harry had smiled back because Ginny turned red as well.

"A laugh?" Mrs. Weasley asked uncertainly, "That's not what I thought I heard, Arthur sounded angry."

"Well you see, when they were at the Dursleys, the Dursleys er- got a bit rowdy when the fireplace was blown up cause it was boarded up and Mr. Dursley was throwing stone ornaments at Mr. Weasley's head. He's just a bit upset about that. Perhaps a story is more accurate than a joke. We were laughing, he wasn't."

"Oh." Mrs. Weasley said and then turned to the stove, "Well if that's all it was, then you can fill me in later Arthur, I'm going out to feed the chickens. I thought perhaps it had something to do with Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

"I'll be out to help in a second." Mr. Weasley said.

She left the kitchen and the other Weasleys, Hermione, Harry, and Trang all stared at me. "What?" I asked.

"Wow, Elizabeth." Fred said. "That was. . ."

I blushed. "Well it's my fault for telling you what was going to happen. And besides, that is technically what happened, just some of the parts were omitted so that your father and mother didn't have a fight. But don't expect me to cover for you guys again, k? Now, Ron, let's go show Harry where he's staying." I looked at him meaningfully and Ron got up from my spot and I rose where I was still sitting on the arm of Bill's chair. "Coming Trang, Hermione, Ginny?"

"Sure." They all said and the six of us left the room. I heard Mr. Weasley say, "Just because she covered you doesn't mean that your out of trouble with me, understand boys?"

"Fast thinking." Ron said chuckling.

"I don't like lying, though the event did happen, Harry could've backed me up." I said uncomfortably as we walked up the rickety staircase. "I just didn't want the twins in trouble."

"And you like Fred." Ginny said with a grin and I blushed.

"What's Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?" Harry asked confused. We all laughed except for Hermione.

"Mum found this stack of order forms when she was cleaning Fred and George's room. Great long price lists for stuff they've invented. Joke stuff, you know. Fake wands and trick sweets, loads of stuff. It was brilliant, I never knew they'd been inventing all that. . ." Ron said.

"We've been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually making things." Ginny explained. "We thought they just liked the noise." I giggled.

"It's fascinating." Trang said eagerly. "Creating things that don't already exist."

"Only, most of the stuff- well, all of it, really- was a bit dangerous." Ron said in a more subdued tone. "and, you know, they were planning to sell it at Hogwarts to make money, and Mum went mad at them. Told them they weren't allowed to make any more of it, and burned all the order forms. . . She's furious at them anyway. They didn't get as many O.W.L.s as she expected."

I snorted, "Don't know why she expected them to get so many O.W.L.s."

"And then there was this big row." Ginny said. "because Mum wants them to go into the Ministry of Magic like Dad, and they told her all they want to do is open a joke shop."

"They told Trang she could help out because she knows so much about business." I said with a grin. Trang blushed.

"Not me." She said. "Just stuff I've picked up from dad."

Yeah, maybe dad couldn't get a job at wherever Trang's dad worked. He hated businesses. Not businesses themselves, just working for them. He got headaches. He preferred teaching.

Just then a door on the second floor opened, an annoyed face wearing horn-rimmed glasses poked out.

"Hi Percy." Harry said.

"Oh hello, Harry." Percy said, "I was wondering who was making all the noise. I'm trying to work in here, you know- I've got a report to finish for the office- and it's rather difficult to concentrate when people keep thundering up and down the stairs."

"We're not thundering. We're walking." Ron said irritably. "Sorry if we've disturbed the top-secret workings of the Ministry of Magic."

Trang giggled.

"What are you working on?" Harry asked in interest.

"A report for the Department of International Magical Cooperation." Percy's voice was smug. "We're trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too think- leakages had been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year-"

"That'll change the world, that report will. Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks." Ron said, rolling his eyes.

"It's interesting." Trang said with a frown. Percy looked smug again.

"Yeah, yeah." Ron said, stomping up the stairs. Percy slammed his door shut.

We followed up and when we got upstairs into Ron's bedroom, I flopped down on Fred's bed. Pigwidgeon was hooting hooting loudly in his cage.

"Shut up, Pig. Fred and George are in here with us, because Bill and Charlie are in their room." Ron said. "Percy gets to keep his room all to himself because he's got to work."

"Er- why are you calling that owl Pig?" Harry asked Ron, confused.

I laughed.

"Because he's being stupid. It's proper name is Pigwidgeon." Ginny said.

"Yeah, and that's not a stupid name at all." Ron said sarcastically. To Harry he said, "Ginny named him. She reckons it's sweet. And I tried to change it, but it was too late, he won't answer to anything else. So now he's Pig. I've got to keep him up here because he annoys Errol and Hermes. He annoys me too, come to that."

I snorted, knowing Ron all to well.

"Where's Crookshanks?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Out in the garden, I expect. He likes chasing gnomes. He's never seen any before." Hermione said, sitting down on a bed as well. I noticed Trang kept looking at Harry and then away. Ginny had competition.

"Percy's enjoying work, then?" Harry asked sitting down on the same bed as I was.

"Enjoying it?" Ron asked in a dark voice as though it was against the law to like working. "I don't reckon he'd come home if Dad didn't make him. He's obsessed. Just don't get him onto the subject of his boss. According to Mr. Crouch. . . as I was saying to Mr. Crouch. . . Mr. Crouch is of the opinion. . . Mr. Crouch was telling me. . . They'll be announcing their engagement any day now."

Trang laughed and then asked, "But surely it's not a bad thing to like your boss?"

Ron scoffed, "When it's an obsession it is."

"Have you had a good summer?" Hermione interrupted. "Did you get our food parcels and everything?"

"Yeah, thanks a lot. They save my life, those cakes." Harry said fervently.

"And have you heard from-" Ron started and then cut off.

I quickly said, "Twice, huge tropical birds."

"Nice to know." Hermione said.

"What?" Ginny asked, confused.

I patted her on the shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll tell you after the end of this school year." and I winked at her. "Alright!" I said cheerfully to the others, "Let's go downstairs and help your mum with dinner, shall we?" And I led the way out of the room, Ginny muttering darkly about murder behind me.

⬅️➡️

[braveclementine]

Chapter 2

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

First week of July

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𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖘 𝖜𝖆𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 the blinds in a large tub of water and soap in the backyard. This was because every couple of years, the blinds collected dust and so I would wash them so that they could air dry and then they would get hung back up.

Trang was washing the drapes in a tub across from me and we chattered about the magical world and the Muggle world and everything in-between. We had about 10 windows in the house but only 6 of them had blinds. I'd already finished two sets, working slowly so I didn't cut my fingers. The blinds were old, but the edges were still sharp. And the cuts wouldn't be deep- they'd be like getting a paper cut. . .a plastic cut.

Trang had finished with half the drapes and hung them up on the clothes line to dry out. I got up, having finished my third set of blinds when I heard a somewhat familiar sound coming up on the stone path from the garden.

I set the blinds across the back of one of the chairs to dry and grabbed the fourth set, dumping them in the water and looked up as the man entered. He always came in through the back gate. He was wearing a green bowler hat that covered up half of his face. He was only wearing one shoe because his other leg ended with a clawed foot.

The half of his face that we could see was lined and scarred and Trang quickly turned around, her eyes bugging out of her head so she wouldn't seem rude.

I broke into a smile and called out, "Uncle Moody!"

His face broke into a grin and said, "Well hey there Elizabeth."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, getting up, shaking my hands so that the water would fly off before embracing him. He hugged me fiercely and when we let go I said, "If I'd known you were coming to visit I'd have made dinner sooner!"

Uncle Moody waved his hand as though dinner was a stupid occasion. "It's alright. I just wanted to talk to your dad for a moment, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." I said, pointing my thumb over my shoulder. "He should be in the living room."

Uncle Moody stomped in through the back door and I sat back down to wash up the rest of the blinds.

"Who is that?" Trang hissed. "What happened to him?"

"His name is Alastor Moody but everyone calls him Mad-eye." I stated, starting at the bottom of the blinds and wiping with a sponge to get all the dust and dirt off the blinds. "He's an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. He's one of the best Dark-Wizard catchers ever. Course, he's gotten a bit paranoid, which I don't blame him, but he's a good guy."

"But what happened to him?" Trang said again, more urgently.

"Oh, well the Dark-Wizards will fight back a majority of the time. Being an Auror is a dangerous job." I paused and then said, "It's the job that I want to go into."

"What!" Trang said. "You want to do that?"

"Well." I said. "It isn't as dangerous anymore because the Dark-Wizards usually lay pretty low. He's retired now." I paused again and said, "I know a lot of Death Eaters that are walking free right now. Lucius Malfoy and his wife- they only escaped because they made lots of donations and also because Malfoy said he was under the imperious curse. Then there's Macnair. He laid low. Nott and Rookwood were cleared." I made a sound of disgust.

"That's stupid." Trang said, frowning. "They shouldn't get out of. . . you guys have a jail?"

I nodded. "It's called Azkaban. The dementors guard it. They suck the life and happiness out of these people. My Godfather, Sirius Black was in there."

Trang gasped, dropping the drapes in the grass. "I heard about him! He's a dangerous criminal who killed 12 people. He's your godfather?"

I explained what had happened last year and by the end of the story she was convinced of his innocence as well. "And the minister of magic didn't believe you?" She asked sadly. "That's horrible."

"Luckily, he's safe." I said, though I would've much rather he be safe and free rather than safe and illegal. "So that's a good thing."

Trang nodded fervently. Then she said, "I wonder what he's talking about with your dad?"

I got up, putting the fourth blind out on the deck to dry. "Let's go see."

We went inside and listened at the door.

". . .the classes are nice, though the Slytherins have to be watched out for." Dad was saying thoughtfully. "There's a particular Slytherin, Malfoy, he's got it out for Elizabeth, especially as of last year. . . and Harry."

"Well I've never liked Slytherins." Uncle Moody said in a disgusted voice.

Dad chuckled. "They aren't all bad."

"The only reason I even let Dumbledore talk me out of coming out of retirement is because Karkaroff is going to be there." Uncle Moody said in a satisfied voice.

"Still upset the Ministry let him out?" Dad asked mildly.

"Took me six months to track him down and they just let him out!" Uncle Moody said angrily. "Took a chunk out of my nose too!"

Dad sighed and there was the sound of paper being folded. "What do you plan on teaching the class?"

"Curses. I got from Dumbledore what the past teachers have taught. Mainly dark creatures for a majority, though apparently Quirrell did teach something about curses. Not saying you weren't a good teacher Remus, Dumbledore said you had a high approval rating." Moody said with a laugh that sounded harsh though it wasn't.

"Yes." Dad said and I thought by his voice he might be smiling. "Elizabeth said as much when she came home."

"Is she a good student?" Uncle Moody asked thoughtfully.

Dad chuckled. "The best, I believe, though perhaps some would say Hermione Granger is. The teachers certainly approve of Elizabeth though- even Severus."

"Hmm." Moody sounded disgusted with the mention of Severus Snape. "Another one that should be in Azkaban."

"As I understand it, he was on our side in the war." Dad said complacently.

"I don't trust spies." Moody said. "For either side."

"I trust who Dumbledore trusts and Dumbledore trusts him." Dad said and there was a sound of him standing up and going over and putting something down and then sitting back down again. "I suppose you won't be staying for dinner. You should, Elizabeth's cooking meatballs I think. She's gotten fantastic in the kitchen."

"Thank you Remus, but I've already told her I'll be going home. I simply wanted to know what the classroom was like before going. It always helps having insider information."

Dad laughed aloud in a nice fun way, not jesting, "It's a classroom Alastor, not a warzone."

"Some may believe it to be a warzone." Uncle Moody said grimly. He hesitated and then said, "I'm sorry for your loss, Remus. I wish I could've been at the funeral."

I flinched. Grandfather had passed away a few weeks ago, the funeral had been soon after. There hadn't been many people there. Me, Dad, a few family members on both my grandfather and grandmother's side that I'd never met, some friends, and some coworkers. I had been devastated. Dad had been as well, but not as much as me.

"He lived longer than he was supposed to." Dad said when he'd been hugging me, salty water falling from my eyes as we laid flowers onto the freshly plowed grave.

"W-what?" I asked, wiping my tears away. "What do you m-mean?"

"My mum- your grandmother- died in 1982. Dad was quite upset after that. It's hard, I would imagine, to lose someone you love. I can only imagine the pain I'd feel losing you, and you are my daughter, not my wife. There are stories of course, about husband and wives who die months apart out of loneliness. . . "

"But he didn't die- not till- not till-" I couldn't finish the sentence.

"The worst moment was in 1989. I figured I'd lost him, he'd gone over the brink. But I hadn't told him about you, and I brought you to see him. I thought maybe him seeing you would give him something to live for." Dad continued.

I had been eight at the time, the first time I'd met my Grandfather. He'd been at St. Mungo's staring with creepy dead eyes out of a window. I'd been afraid of him, more afraid of him than I'd ever been of Uncle Moody. His eyes. . .they were dead, haunted. His skin was sallow, stretched thin over his bones, giving him a skeletal appearance. The contrast was that his hair was still thick, falling almost to his shoulders.

Dad had introduced me to him as his daughter. Lyall Lupin hadn't said much, but there was a light in his eyes and he'd asked dad why he'd made him a Grandfather so young. (Dad being only 27 1/2 at the time).

I came back with Dad every day to visit my grandfather until he started to look less like a Holocaust survivor, and more like a person. There was a fun light in his eyes and we started to be able to see him outdoors, at his own home, and other places.

"Anyways," Dad said after a moment of silence, leaving the orange roses on the grave, taking my hand, and pulling me back to where cab was waiting, "He lived longer than expected. And for someone his age, it was a miracle. So don't be sad Elizabeth, alright?"

I looked up at him. He was sad, I could see it in his eyes, but he wasn't crying either. Then again, Dad didn't cry. I'd only seen him cry once- but I hadn't even seen his face, I just assumed he'd been crying. But that really wasn't the same.

"Okay dad." I said, "I'll try to be happy."

"Good," Dad said, opening the cab door so we could go home, "It's what he would want you to do."

"It's alright," Dad's voice yanked me back to the present. I could feel Trangs sympathetic hand on my arm. "It was a quiet affair. Good luck at Hogwarts Mad-eye, keep an eye on Elizabeth for me, alright?"

"Of course Remus." Uncle Moody said.

I heard his foot hit the floor and I grabbed Trang's arm to pull her back out and Dad called out, "Elizabeth, we know you're there."

I popped around the side of the wall looking disappointed, "How?"

Uncle Moody chuckled, "I can see through walls, you know."

Trang's mouth dropped. "Seriously?"

Moody looked amused. "Of course."

Trang looked at me in shock and amazement, but I was still sulking. Dad laughed, "Cheer up Elizabeth, you'll be a great Auror in no time. No one would've known you were there if it weren't for Alastor's eye."

Uncle Moody clapped a hand on my shoulder, "See you at school Elizabeth."

"Bye Uncle." I said and he stomped out the back door.

"Are the shades almost done?" Dad asked, picking up the magazines.

"No." I sighed, "Two left."

Trang and I went back out to finish up the shades and then grabbed our brooms- she'd already brought hers over- and went out to the field to go fly. She was getting really good at flying and we threw apples at each other to practice catching.

At dinner- Trang had gone home- I asked dad why Moody was going to be teaching if he was in retirement.

"I mean. . ." I added, "Dumbledore usually puts the advertisement in the paper. Why'd he ask Moody personally?"

Dad thought about it, "Well. . . I don't really want to ruin the surprise about what's going to happen at Hogwarts this year. . ."

I glared at him.

Dad continued to talk, "But I figure that you'll eventually foresee it anyways. Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be attending. Igor Karkaroff is a Dark Wizard and head of the school. I do believe that's why Dumbledore wants a trained Auror there, plus the fact that Moody is the one that caught Karkaroff in the first place, ought to keep him in line."

"Oh." I said. "I suppose that makes sense." I murmured, spearing a meatball on the end of my fork and stuffing it in my mouth.

"Elizabeth. . ." Dad said in a disapproving way. I moved the meatball to the other side of my mouth.

"Sowy." I said with a full mouth and then grinned at him.

Dad rolled his eyes and pulled up his newspaper. But I saw his grin before he covered it up.

"Do you think he'll be a good teacher?" I asked after I had finished eating the meatball.

"Probably." Dad said without lowering the newspaper. I saw there was a small section dedicated to Sirius in a small column. No sightings since the last one in June in south England. That was good. "Do you think he'll have the same amount of approval that I did?"

"No, less." I said loyally.

Dad chuckled. "I think he will."

I shrugged, but he didn't see it as he flipped to another page.

I cleared the table, washed the dishes slowly, and then made my way upstairs to my room to grab a book to read.

I put on a Beatles record, meditating on my bed while reading a Marvel comic.

". . .Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes. . .Wet beneath the blue suburban skies. . .I sit and meanwhile in Penny Lane, there is a firefighter with an hourglass. . ."

After about an hour of that, I decided to catch up on my Muggle homework so that I could send it in before the end of the summer. It was just a little program from a Muggle school so that I could brush up on my math, science, history, and English skills. Dad believed it important to have a Muggle education along with a Magical education.

"In a couple of years they have built a home sweet home with a couple of kids running in the yard. . .of Desmond and Molly Jones. . .ha ha ha. . ."

Of course, this all stemmed from dad being a werewolf and not being able to get a job. If he'd had a Muggle education, he thought, perhaps he could be a Professor at a college or a scientist or a business man or anything else. So, he wanted me to have a dual education in case I ran into the problem where I couldn't get a job in one of the worlds.

"Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner, But he knew it couldn't last. . .Jojo left his home in Tuscon, Arizona for some California Grass. . ."

I was okay with it too. Science and history was interesting, and there really wasn't much to learn when it came to English except pronunciation and verbs and grammar and writing business letters. Math was my difficulty.

"Christ you know it ain't easy. . .You know how hard it can be. . .The way things are goin'. . .they gonna crucify me!"

I set the homework aside after some time, turned off the record player, and went to sleep, unable to wait for tomorrow.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, Trang and I went back to Diagon alley because I was looking for a decent present to send Harry for his birthday. I knew I'd bake him a cake but since Sirius, Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all going to send him cakes as well, I'd like to send him something else as well. I had already gotten him candy as well (sugar quills and chocolates).

I didn't want to get him a book, though Trang went in and bought three more. We wandered around the pawn shops and I finally decided to get him some of the ink solvent that Trang and I had gotten on her first trip here. I wasn't sure if there were any pictures he wanted to take or make move, but figured that it would be a good gift nevertheless. Trang got him a camera to go with it. That was he could take pictures whenever he wanted. I knew he didn't have anything of his own and the camera was a good idea.

We ate at the Ice Cream Parlor again and then we went home and I wrapped up Harry's presents and sent put them on the stool in the bedroom. I wouldn't send them before sending the cake.

"So what are we going to do today?" Trang asked, reading through a Herbology textbook.

"Not sure." I said, going into the kitchen. Sushi scampered past my feet, jumping into his cage to get some lettuce. "Maybe just relax around the house, read, play with Sushi. Was there anything you wanted to do?"

Trang shook her head, flipping the page and gazing at the artistic drawings of a Whomping Willow.

"Have you ever seen one of these in real life?" She asked, holding up the book to show me the drawing.

"Yeah, there's one planted on Hogwarts grounds." I said, putting water into a pan and setting it to boil. I reached into the cupboard for peppermint tea teabags. "It's planted over a hole and serves as a secret entrance to a haunted house."

"That's amazing." Trang said. "I wish I could see your school."

"Maybe one day, I'll take you to Hogsmeade and we can see the school from there," I said, leaning against the counter.

I thought about it. She'd definitely like Butterbeer and would get a kick out of our post office there. She'd love Zonko's and she'd fall in love with the tea shop. She'd probably declare Honeydukes as her favorite shop and say she'd move into the Shrieking Shack.

Trang flipped to the next page, done reading about the Whomping Willow. I looked around the kitchen. White cupboards, blue walls, black stove. Childish drawings of ladybugs, bees, and flowers were painted on the cupboards along with a cute eyed-werewolf. It was neat, I guessed. I peered out the window, wondering if dad was okay. Tonight was full moon and I was sure he was gone.

"Thinking about your dad?" Trang asked suddenly.

I looked at her, "Oh well, He's going to be alright. He does this every month."

"Are you going to be okay?" Trang asked in a deep way.

"Well. . ." I said slowly. "It's always hard when he's away, ya know? It's not like he's on a business trip or somethin' like that. He could get hurt, he could hurt someone else. . . that's why he always goes so far away. . ."

The water was boiling and I turned off the stove and poured the water into two mugs and added the teabags. "You do like peppermint, don't you?" I asked.

"Elizabeth, I've been your friend for. . . well I don't remember how long, but a pretty long time. Of course I love Peppermint tea!"

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