Chapter One ~ To Hogwarts:
A soft tapping against the window woke me up early that Thursday morning. I sleepily rubbed my eyes and turned around in my bed. As the tapping continued I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed and got up. I walked to the wooden chair in the corner of my room and grabbed the oversized sweater that was once my brother's and put it on before turning to the window. Sitting in the early sunrays of the morning sat a brown barn owl impatiently waiting to be let in. I walked over to the window and while stifling a soft yawn opened the window letting the bird in. The bird spread its wings and fluttered into the room, landing on top of a stack of old battered looking books before sticking its leg out at me. Tied to the owl's leg was a cream colored envelope, in emerald-green ink address to me. The envelope was sealed by a ruby red colored wax seal. Not long after I untied the letter from the owl's leg it turned around and flew out the window. I closed the window and walked back to my bed where I sat down. This was it, the letter I had been waiting for for months, the start of my new future, the future my brother should have had, our future.
After everything that had happened last year it wasn't my future anymore, the things I would do from now on would be because of him. That included leaving Drumstrang behind and continuing where he got so brutally caught off, Hogwarts in Scotland. When we were little we had decided that one of us would go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while the other would go to Drumstrang Institute, where our favorite uncle was a teacher. Our parents had thought us to be crazy, but we were determined. It was me who finally decided that I would go to Drumstrang while my brother went to Hogwarts. After all it was him who was chasing the dream of becoming a professional seeker in the English Quidditch League, he would have the best chances for that in England. And so it happened that when on his eleventh birthday he got his acceptance letter of Hogwarts he accepted it with pride. A year later I did the same but with the acceptance letter of Drumstrang. We wrote every day, shared every single thing that happened, described our school in detail to the other, there wouldn't go an event by without the other know about it. And so it was that at the start of term, my fifth year and his sixth, that we both learned of the Triwizard Tournament, we were psyched! Then we learned of the age restriction, I was slightly bummed. We spend a good few letters discussing whether he should sign up or not. We discussed everything, the changes and opportunities, the risks. We both took it very seriously that previously people had died during this tournament and that neither of our Headmasters had come out unscratched when they participated. Eventually we decided that he would do it, he would train hard and be prepared as best as possible.
Through our letters I would help him, we would get him through this, eternal glory for us both, for our family. It seemed a wonderful idea back then.
The first task wasn't easy and if it hadn't been for Harry Potter, we wouldn't have known at all what the task was about until the day itself. We both spend hours in our respective libraries looking up everything we could on different dragons and their weaknesses. Like I said it wasn't easy, there were so many different dragons and every single one had its particular strengths and even personality traits to take into consideration. In the end we decided that if he could somehow distract the dragon long enough to finish the task he would be ok. And so he did, showing his transfiguration skills he conjured up a dog out of a stone and barely got to the egg he had to steal before the dragon caught on to him. I was glad he got out alive.
Then I went over for Christmas, we got to spend some quality time together, that we spend a large part of in the library. His egg caused both of us quite a headache before we realized that it might be a different language, one that definitely wasn't human. So we went looking for languages of creatures that lived in areas with related geographical circumstances to Scotland. Eventually we landed on water creatures. We came to the conclusion that if he opened the egg in a place that's alike to the natural in habitat of water creatures he might be able to understand it. In other words.. put the egg underwater and then dunk your head in it as well. He figured it out just before I had to go back to Drumstrang (I was only there on personal request to spend Christmas with him, only the students over 17 were allowed to come to the tournament). He came first after that task, he was so happy.
And then there was the third task.. It was only a small consolation that he had managed what we had planned for him, to win. It wasn't enough to cure the gaping hole that got punch right through my chest at the loss of him. Yes, he had won, but it had cost him his life.. Murdered. By Voldemort. I thought my life was over. It took weeks for me to accept it, I was in complete denial. In anger I had taken a knife and cut off my long blonde hair that he used to love. No longer would we be Ced and Cyd. No longer would he be there when I got home from school. No longer would people look at us and ask if we were twins. He always was my soulmate and now he was gone.. ripped away from my life, for good. It took me weeks to accept it, months to stop crying, but I don't think I will ever get over it. When I finally stopped crying for the first time I decided that I would pick up his life, make his dreams come true, that was all that mattered to me anymore. Achieve what he set out to do, it was the only way I could move on with my life. So that's when I started to make plans, I would leave Drumstrang and finish my last two years of education at Hogwarts. I would train my ass off over the summer to become the best Seeker I could be and get myself a spot on one of the teams that my brother always dreamed of.
That summer I kept myself busy, emotions where a distraction that I did not need right now. Every day I got up before the break of dawn, jogging cross country for a total of 2 hours to improve my stamina. Then I would wolf down a breakfast consisting of several vegetables, bacon and eggs and then I would get up on my broom for another hour or 3, practicing patterns, feints, speed and all that combined. By the time the last week of the summer holidays came around I was in the best shape I'd ever been in and I felt good. I knew I was doing the right thing and the memories of Cedric pulled me through it all, it was worth it.
And now here it was, the letter that would confirm that all my training this summer would not be in vain. It had come later than expected, giving me only today to get everything sorted out and get all my stuff together. My hands trembled slightly as I slid my finger under the seal, breaking it. I opened the envelope and pulled out two sheets of parchment. My eyes scanned over the letter and as a small smile tugged at the corner of my lips I started reading every word eagerly.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Miss Diggory,
We are pleased to inform you that your transfer application to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been accepted. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. Upon arrival at Hogsmeade Station take one of the carriages up to the castle, where one of the staff members will be in contact with you.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
UNIFORM
Sixth-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.
COURSE BOOKS
All students should have a copy of each of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6)
by Miranda Goshawk
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
by Newt Scamander
Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard
Numerology and Grammatica
by L. Wakefield and M. Carneiro
Advanced Rune Translation by Yuri Blishen
OTHER EQUIPMENT
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 set brass scales
Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad.
Yours sincerely,
Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus
Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions
Looking over the list of required books I crossed the hall and entered the bedroom opposite of mine. I stood still for a while after I crossed the threshold, I breathed in through my nose taking in the scents that still lingered there. This had been Ced's room. Neither I or my parents had wanted to clear it out, so we just left it the way it was, in memory of Cedric. Once in a while I came here, I'd sleep in his bed whenever the only thing that could calm me down was the scent that still lingered on his sheets. After a few minutes I walked over to the shelve that held his school books. I scanned my list and retrieved the books I needed. I only needed to get one new book, I had several books that were the same as the ones I used at Drumstrang, the others were the same as Ced's last years books.
I was about to leave his room as something else caught my eye. In the corner, leaning against his desk stood his carefully polished Cleansweep Eleven. He'd been saving up for a new broom for years and last summer he was only a few galleons away to buy the new Cleansweep. I gifted him the money he lacked and he bought the broom. All summer he spend on the damn thing, he never looked happier soaring around on it in the backyard. That's all he got, one summer with his new broom. I walked over and touched the shiny handle. Carefully I picked it up and balanced it on my palm. I knew my brother well, he wouldn't want a perfectly good broom wasting away from disuse. With determination I swung the broom over my shoulder and brought it back to my own room, packing it carefully in my trunk with the books and other items.
After packing a couple of Ced's old sweaters and shirts I got dressed. Keeping on the sweater I had put on earlier I added my favorite pair of light blue faded jeans, I ran a hand through my shoulder length hair and went downstairs to get some breakfast. After eating I said goodbye to my mum, hugging her close and promising I would be back as soon as I got the last items I needed for school. Ever since Ced's murder they were reluctant to let me go, something I understood very well for I was the same with them, I already lost my brother I didn't want to lose more loved ones anytime soon. I took the floo to the Leaky Cauldron and made my way into Diagon Alley. I got my book and had a little chat with Ollivander about wands and cores and such. Lastly I went to the Quidditch shop to look at their latest supplies, I got myself a new Broomstick Servicing Kit and returned home. I had packed my last things just before Dad arrived home from work and mum called me down for dinner. I did the dishes after that, hung around downstairs for a while and then went to bed. Sleep came easy that night.
And that wraps up Chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think :)
~ Lor