A/N: I'm actually surprised to have made it to Year 5. I never thought that I would make it this far. All I knew was that I had the endgame planned, wanted Hailey to be in Ravenclaw and not Slytherin, and not have it be Draco/Hailey, but to make it this far is amazing.

The face-claim to Hailey is Elizabeth Gillies.

The skinny fifteen-year-old girl was lying in the flowerbed under the window of Number 4 Privet Drive. She wore combat boots, black skinny jeans that were ripped at the knees, an overly large baggy shirt that had once belonged to her overweight cousin, and combat boots. Her hair, which was turning brown, had a red tint to it, was messy, and on her forehead was a lightning bolt scar. She had grown another inch over the summer now making her 5'6. Her overall appearance was the bane of her neighbours' existence. What didn't help was that her aunt and uncle told everyone that Hailey went to Saint Mercy's Institution for Wayward Girls, a school for troubled girls, to explain her long absences.

It was kind of hilarious back then, but after recent events in June, she was certainly feeling more troubled now.

Her hiding under the window enabled her to listen to the news without having her aunt and uncle grind their teeth, or get suspicious glares for daring to the watch the news or get questioned about why she was watching their news since she has her own news.

So, Hailey hid under the window, trying to hear the news, which was getting a little frustrating because her uncle said, "Glad that the girl's stopped trying to butt in. Where is she at anyway?"

"Not in the house," Petunia replied in a happy, unconcerned voice. "Maybe she's outside pulling up the weeds or something."

Uncle Vernon grunted, "Better not be around boys, especially not around that good-for-nothing boy from King's Cross."

Hailey felt her face turn red at the memory. Her friend or boyfriend, they haven't discussed their relationship status yet because she wanted to do it in person instead over owl, had kissed her goodbye at King's Cross. Unfortunately, Vernon witnessed it and had ranted at her in the car all the way back to Privet Drive about having no boyfriends because they need to keep up the appearance of normalcy, which just made Hailey blush furiously throughout the entire rant. If he reacted over that over one kiss, she didn't want to know how he would've reacted if he found out that they had kissed a few more times before that; a few more times on the Hogwarts Express and once by accident in the Quidditch pitch when she was thirteen, after she won the game making Ravenclaw advance to the Quidditch Cup. Or what he would say if he found out that she was at Michael's flat for a week; even though their friend Mandy was there, too.

She did know that Michael's shaggy black hair and kind of creepy looking appearance had given him the impression of him being a good-for-nothing boy.

Hailey watched her old cat-loving babysitter, Mrs Figg, walk slowly by. She lived on Wisteria Walk. Every time Hailey had ran into Mrs Figg, the elderly woman kept asking her over for tea. The teen would've agreed, but the house smelt like boiled cabbage, the cake was stale, and Mrs Figg showed her pictures of all her previous cats. Hailey was a little fond Mrs Figg, but she didn't have the time, because she was more focused on the news. She got the Daily Prophet every day, but the newspaper didn't even mention the return or Voldemort, so she sat by and listened to the news trying to find any sort of clue or strange disappearance, but there was nothing.

Her friends, Mandy and Michael kept sending her newspaper articles that mentioned her and articles that even mentioned her, some weren't just not by name. Those articles made her out to be some attention seeking, madwoman. So far, her favourite piece of nastiness was the one about an accident and 'let's hope she hasn't got a scar on her forehead or we'll be asking to worship her next.' The three Ravenclaws believed that Fudge was behind it and Rita Skeeter was lying out the formula to make Hailey very untrustworthy.

Vernon asked, "Dudders out for tea?"

"At the Polkisses'," replied Aunt Petunia sounding fond. "He's got so many little friends, he's so popular…"

Hailey repressed a snort because the Dursleys were so blind when it came to their son. She knew that Dudley hadn't been out having tea with his friends. On her evening walks, she saw Dudley and his gang vandalizing the play park, smoking on street corners, and throwing stones at passing cars and children.

There were opening music notes for the seven o'clock news which made Hailey perk up because maybe tonight would be the night for—

"Record numbers of stranded holidaymakers fill the airports as the Spanish baggage-handlers' strike reaches its second week—"

"Give 'em a lifelong siesta, I would," snarled Vernon interrupting the newsreader's report.

Hailey relaxed, because if the news reports were full of strikes, instead of death, destruction, and disappearances, it was good. She tensed up again, wondering if it will happen tomorrow.

There was a report about the drought in the Southeast, a report about a helicopter that had almost crashed in a field in Surrey, a report about a famous actress divorcing her famous husband, and a report on Bungy the budgie who went water-skiing at the Five Feathers in Barnsley.

CRACK!

Hailey jumped to her feet and smashed her head on the window sill. Even though she was dazed, she saw a cat run out from under a parked car, she heard Petunia scream, Vernon swearing loudly, and breaking china.

Hailey pulled out her wand from the waistband of her jeans and tried to find the source of the sound, even though her eyes were streaming with tears.

Two large, beefy hands wrapped themselves around her upper arms. "Put! It! Away!" Vernon snarled in Hailey's face as he shook her rather roughly. "Now! Before! Anyone! Sees!"

"Let! Go! Of! Me!" Hailey ordered using the same tone, as she tried to pry her uncle's large, sausage-sized fingers off her right arm with her left hand, while she kept a tight hold of her wand in her right hand. Her head throbbed, and Vernon yelped, releasing Hailey's arms as if he received an electric shock.

Hailey stumbled backward, nearly ending up in the hydrangea bush. She looked around, but there weren't any signs of the cracking noise and she hastily put her wand back in her jeans and tried to act like she didn't own a wand.

"What the devil do you mean by it, girl?" Vernon demanded through gritted teeth.

"I didn't do it," Hailey responded, feeling agitated of being accused of making a cracking sound.

Petunia appeared next to her husband, looking livid. "Why were you lurking under our window?"

"Yes—yes, good point, Petunia!" Vernon responded calmly to his wife. To his niece, he bellowed, "What were you doing under our window, girl?"

Hailey sighed and responded, "Listening to the news."

Vernon and Petunia looked at each other in outrage. Vernon spat, "Listening to the news! Again?"

"It changes every day you know," replied Hailey.

Vernon snarled, "Don't you be clever with me, girl! I want to know what you're really up to—and don't give me any more of this," he used a high-pitched voice, "'listening to the news' crap!" He had gone back to using his normal voice, "You know perfectly well that your lot—"

"Careful, Vernon!" warned Petunia.

"—that your lot doesn't even get on our news!" Vernon finished in a voice so low that Hailey had barely heard.

"As far as you know," replied Hailey. Her aunt and uncle goggled at her for a few seconds.

Petunia said, "You're a nasty little liar. What are all those—" she lowered her voice, "—owls—doing if they're not bringing you news?"

"Aha," Vernon whispered triumphantly. "Get out of that one, girl! As if we didn't know you get your news from those pestilential birds!"

Hailey was feeling too annoyed to even be shocked that Vernon knew what 'pestilential' meant and used in a proper sentence. "The owls aren't…bringing me news."

"I don't believe you," Petunia said.

"No more do I," replied Vernon.

"We know you're up to something funny," stated Petunia.

Vernon stated, "We're not stupid, you know."

"Well, that's certainly news to me," said Hailey scathingly, feeling angry. She turned and walked away before the Dursleys can call her back. She stepped over the low garden wall and walked up the street.

She knew that she was going to be in trouble, but she would face the consequences later for being rude, but she didn't care. She had more pressing matters to think over.

The cracking sound was someone Apparating or Disapparating, because it was the sound Dobby, the house-elf, made when he sometimes vanishes. Maybe Dobby followed her onto Privet Drive, but it was impossible for house-elves to be invisible, but then again, no one knew what the extent of house-elves' magic was. She knew that they were powerful enough to Apparate and Disapparate on school grounds, despite the barriers limiting witches and wizards.

She walked on, glancing back every so often because someone magical had been near her as she was lying in the garden, but why didn't they show themselves to her? But then again, maybe they didn't know she was right there.

It could've been something else other than something magical. She could be so desperate for something magical; she assumed that the cracking sound was something magical.

She felt helpless again like she had been feeling all summer.

Tomorrow at five in the morning, she would get up to the alarm and pay the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet, but she wondered if there was any point on receiving it. She only looked at the front page and tossed it to the side. Voldemort's return would obviously be headline news, that is, if the idiots that wrote the newspaper actually acknowledged his return and stopped trying to smear her name some more.

If she was lucky, there would be owls carrying letters from her other best friends: Ron and Hermione. However, her expectations were destroyed.

Some of the letters from Ron and Hermione went:

"We can't say much about you-know-what, obviously…"
"We've been told not to say anything important in case our letters go astray…"
"We're quite busy, but I can't give details here…"
"There's a fair amount going on, we'll tell you everything when we see you…"

Those letters sent Hailey writing to Mandy and Michael about what was going on with Hermione and Ron.

Mandy and Michael didn't know what was going on, because they got nearly the same responses from the two Gryffindors, even if their letters were short.

Mandy said that she couldn't reply because she was lying low just in case Voldemort's tracks her down, but expected to see her on the Hogwarts Express. She did send a few letters to her detailing funny things her dog did, some letters detailed some of the beasts that her dad fought, or sent her a few pictures of her new cat, Sami, for her fifteenth birthday. Sami happened to be a long-haired tortoiseshell cat, with a mix of orange-and-black fur, that had black paws. The pictures mainly consisted of Sami sleeping. She did say that Ron and Hermione weren't telling her what they were up to, which was angering her because of the lack of answers, which got to the point Mandy stopped writing letters to them.

Michael said that he couldn't talk much because of Voldemort and his parents hovering over him, although he managed to send a few letters detailing that his cousin, Eva, is still making lots of Galleons, even though he has no clue how she was making money. He did say that he missed her, couldn't wait till he saw her on the Hogwarts Express, and wanted her to stay safe. He did send her a few short letters saying that he tried asking what the two Gryffindors were doing, but he had no luck.

The three Ravenclaws agreed that it seemed like the two Gryffindors were at the same place together, but doing what, they weren't sure what was going on.

For her birthday, Hermione had written, "I expect we'll be seeing you quite soon," in her birthday card. Hailey wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. The sweets that they all sent her were a good thing because for dinner that evening, she ended up with a pathetic excuse of a salad.

For her birthday, Michael had sent her more beaded bracelets that Eva made, while Eva sent her own, which was a three-layered bracelet, that had Hailey's name as the first layer, then the second had heart beads, and the third layer was Michael's name. Eva had left a cryptic little note that said: I know. Hailey left that bracelet in her trunk because she wasn't sure what Dudley would've said about it. He probably would've destroyed it.

She turned onto Magnolia Crescent. Halfway along, she passed a narrow alley of the side of a garage, where she had first locked eyes with her godfather, Sirius. He had sent her letters too, but they were cautious and consoling, with things like:

"I know this is frustrating to you…"
"Keep your nose clean and everything will be okay…"
"Be careful and don't do anything rash…"

She turned onto Magnolia Road, heading straight to the darkening playground. Well, she didn't do anything rash, like packing up her trunk, tying it to a broomstick, and head to the Burrow or head to Mandy's home and Michael's flat or hop on the Knight Bus with her stuff. She deserved a round of applause for even staying and put up with the Dursleys for as long as she did. She exhibited good behaviour after being reduced to hiding in a flowerbed just to listen to the news which might have some clue about what Voldemort was doing, even if the Daily Prophet was turning her into a joke and refusing Voldemort's return.

She climbed the locked park gate and walked across the dry lawn to a swing that Dudley and his gang hadn't broken. She sat in the swing and grabbed the chains as she glared at the ground.

She had to find a new place to listen to the news and after, she nothing to look forward to, besides having another strange dream of a long, dark corridor that ended with dead-ends and locked doors, which resulted in her having a trapped feeling when she woke up. The lightning bolt scar always prickled uncomfortably, but she didn't want to fool herself into thinking that her friends would find that interesting. Besides, her scar always hurt whenever Voldemort was getting stronger, but now that he's back, it had to be expected…so it was nothing to worry about.

Streetlamps were now casting a misty glow over some figures, making them look like silhouettes. The figures were going across the park; one male was singing a crude song that mad the others laugh. There was a ticking noise the came from the expensive racing bikes that they rode.

Hailey narrowed her eyes at Dudley and his gang. Dudley was obviously in the front. He was still large, but for a year he had been a diet and became a Junior Heavyweight Inter-School Boxing Champion of the Southeast, that Vernon took a lot of care to brag about and always called it a noble sport.

Back in their primary school days, Dudley seemed a lot more formidable, but now, he was pathetic compared to what she saw. She wasn't scared of him, but him knowing how to punch harder and accurately wasn't something to celebrate over.

The neighbourhood children were terrified of him—even more terrified than they were of "that Potter girl" who was troubled. Some of the boys her age seemed more interested in the fact that she was troubled, because they seemed to fancy that. She managed to get them to back off by saying she had a boyfriend went to St Brutus' Secure Center for Incurable Criminal Boys and that he had done something really inhumane to a few boys who had decided to bother her. It caused those boys to leave her alone. She was sure that if she asked, Michael would show up and play the part, if they continued to harass her.

She scowled as she watched Dudley and his gang cross the grass, wondering who they had been beating up.

They went out of sight, heading along Magnolia Road. Hailey stood up because her aunt and uncle believed that whenever Dudley returned, it was the right time to be home, so anytime after that was much too late. Once, Hailey returned a few minutes after Dudley, and Vernon roared at her about boys, appearing normal, and threatened to lock Hailey in the shed if she ever returned home after Dudley again. She stifled a yawned and scowled again as she stomped to the park gate.

Hailey liked Little Whinging at night because the curtained windows made patches of jewel-bright colours in the darkness and she didn't have to hear disapproving mutters about her 'delinquent' appearance when she passed the households. Halfway along Magnolia Road, Dudley's gang had finished saying farewells at the entrance to Magnolia Crescent.

"Bye Dud!"

"See ya, Big D!"

The gang had left and she came into view of Dudley, who was trolling along, humming.

Hailey shouted, "Hey, Big D, over here!"

Dudley turned and narrowed his eyes at Hailey, "Oh, it's just you."

Hailey smirked, "How long have you been called 'Big D'? Is it short for something?"

"Shut it!" ordered Dudley turning away again.

"You know, you'll always be known as Ickle Diddykins to me," Hailey said.

"I said, shut it!" snarled Dudley, making fists.

"Shouldn't your friends know that what your mum calls you?" taunted Hailey.

"Shut your face," Dudley replied, looking like he was close to punching Hailey.

She knew that Dudley wouldn't even dare to punch her in the face, but probably the stomach. She pointed out, "You don't tell your mum to shut her face. Since I can't call you that, can I call you 'popkin' and 'Dinky Diddydums' then?" Dudley didn't say anything, because it looked like it was taking all of his self-control to not hit her. "So, who've you been beating up tonight?" Her smirk was beginning to fade, "Another ten-year-old? I know you did Mark Evans in two nights ago—"

"He was asking for it," interrupted a snarling Dudley.

"Oh, yeah?" asked Hailey, "How?" She wanted to hear the lame 'reason' that justified in beating up a ten-year-old.

"He cheeked me," responded Dudley, as if that was a good reason to beat someone up.

"Is that so?" asked Hailey. "Did he say that you look like a pig that has been to walk on its two hind legs? You know that's not cheek, because it's true…" A muscle twitched in Dudley's jaw and she felt satisfied knowing how furious she was making Dudley.

They turned right down the narrow alley, which was a shortcut between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. It was empty and really dark.

"Think you're so tough carrying that thing around, don't you?" Dudley said.

"What thing?" prompted Hailey, knowing what Dudley meant.

"That—that thing you're hiding," Dudley sputtered.

Hailey smirked again, "I see that you're not as stupid as you look, which is a miracle in itself. I s'pose if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time…" She pulled out her wand and gave it a twirl.

Dudley looked at it, "You're not allowed. I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."

"How d'you know if that they didn't change the rules, Big D?" questioned Hailey.

"They haven't," responded Dudley, though he sounded like he wasn't convinced. Hailey giggled and Dudley snarled, "You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?"

"Says the one that needed four mates behind him just to beat up a ten-year-old," Hailey counted. "You know that boxing title you and your dad keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?"

"He was sixteen for your information," snarled Dudley, "and he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he four times as heavy as you. You just wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out—"

"Oh, so you're running to Daddy now, are you?" Hailey taunted, "Is ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Hailey's wand?" She waved it in front of Dudley's face, who stumbled backward to get away from it.

It looked like he had regained his composure, because he sneered, "Not this brave at night, are you?"

"Very good, Dudley," Hailey responded, "That's what they call it when it goes all dark like this." She motioned all around her.

"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.

Hailey stared at her cousin. From what she could make out, it looked like her cousin was looking triumphant. She tried to sound unconcerned, "What d'you mean, I'm not brave in bed? What—am I supposed to be frightened of pillows or something?"

"I heard you last night, talking in your sleep," Dudley responded, sound triumphant, "Moaning."

Hailey felt cold because she had the nightmare of the graveyard where her fellow Triwizard champion had been killed by Voldemort and she had nearly gotten killed by Voldemort. "What do you mean by that, Dud?"

Dudley did a harsh laugh and used a high-pitched, whimpering voice, "'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric—your boyfriend? Whatever happened to that creepy looking boy, Michael? Did he dump you?"

"I—you're lying—" counted Hailey quickly. She knew that Dudley wasn't lying, because how else would Dudley know about Cedric. He could've read a letter she had written but left it unattended for a few minutes, but can Dudley actually read?

"'Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad!'" Dudley mocked, still using the high-pitched voice. "Boo-hoo!"

"Shut up," replied Hailey through gritted teeth. "Shut up, Dudley! I'm warning you!'

"'Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me!" Hailey pulled her wand out, "'He's going to—" Hailey pointed her wand at Dudley, "Don't you point that thing at me!" He backed into an alley wall.

Hailey pointed the wand where Dudley's heart should be if he even had one. "Don't ever talk about that again! You don't know what I had been through and Cedric is much more of a man that you'll ever be! D'you understand me?" She could feel fourteen years' worth of hatred against him.

"Point that thing somewhere else!" Dudley yelled.

"I said, 'do you understand me?'" Hailey snarled.

"Point it somewhere else!" demanded Dudley, looking terrified.

Hailey shouted, "Do you understand me?"

Dudley shouted, "Get that thing away from—" He gave an odd, shuddering gasp because everything seemed to go dark and silent.

For a moment, Hailey thought she had done magic by accident, but she didn't have the power make everything go dark. She turned her head, trying to spot something, but there was nothing.

"W-what are you d-doing?" Dudley demanded, sounding terrified, "St-stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything, you idiot! Shut up and don't move!" ordered Hailey.

"I c-can't see! I've go-gone blind!" Dudley whimpered, "I—"

"I said shut up!" Hailey interrupted, growing frustrated. She stood still, trying to find something, but she couldn't see anything. The cold was so intense, she began shivering.

It was impossible…dementors couldn't be here…not in Little Whinging…she would've heard them…

"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered, "W-where are you? What are you d-do—?"

"Will you shut up?" Hailey hissed at him, "I'm trying to lis—"

There was a long hoarse, rattling breath interrupted her. It was the thing that Hailey was dreading.

"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you, I swear I will!" Dudley shouted.

Hailey snapped, "Dudley, shut—"

SMACK

Dudley slapped Hailey, sending her sprawling to the ground. Her wand had flown out of her hand because she had grabbed her cheek. She yelled, "Dudley, you moron!" Her eyes were watering with pain and she got to her knees. She started feeling the ground, trying to find her wand, as she listened to Dudley stumbling away, and hitting the alley fence.

"Dudley! You're running to it!" Hailey shouted.

There was a squealing yell and silence. There was a chill coming to her, which meant that there's more than one dementor.

"Dudley, keep your mouth shut! Whatever you do, don't open your mouth!" Hailey ordered and muttered, "Wand." She felt the ground, "Where's—wand—come on—Lumos!"

Light flared up, inches from her right hand because the wand tip lit up. Hailey grabbed it, got to her feet, and turned around.

There was a towering, hooded figure, gliding smoothly toward her. It was hovering over the ground. Its feet and face weren't visible because of the robes. It made Hailey feel sick as she stumbled backward. She raised her wand and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery wisp of vapor shot from the wand, which made the dementor slow down a little, but the spell hadn't worked. Hailey tripped over her feet as she retreated farther away from the dementor that was bearing down on her. Panic was making her lose focus.

Grey, slimy looking scabbed hands came from the robes it wore, which were reaching towards her.

There was a rushing noise in Hailey's ears, she shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" Her voice sounded dim and distant to her ears. Another wisp of silver smoke came from the wand, but it looked feebler than the last.

A shrill high-pitched laugh came in her head. She could smell the putrid, death-cold breath from the dementor. She thought, think…something happy… However, she couldn't feel happy…the dementor's icy fingers were closing on her throat. The high-pitched laughter was getting louder and loud, "Bow to death, Hailey…It might even be painless…I would not know…I have never died…"

She was never going to see Michael, never know if they were dating. His face came clearly in her mind as she fought to breathe, "Expecto Patronum!"

A silver doe erupted from the tip of Hailey's wand; its head catching the dementor in the stomach, throwing it backward, as if it was weightless. The doe charged again and the dementor swooped away, defeated.

"This way!" shouted Hailey to the doe. She turned around and ran down the alleyway, holding up her lit wand high. "Dudley?" Her cousin was curled up on the ground, his arms held over his face. A dementor crouched over him, grabbing his wrists, prying them slowly and almost loving apart. "Dudley!" The dementor lowered its hooded head towards Dudley's face, "Get it!"

The doe galloped back past her. The dementor was barely an inch from Dudley when the doe head-butted the dementor away. The dementor was thrown into the air and soared away, like its fellow dementor. The dement was absorbed in the darkness and the doe cantered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist.

The moon, stars, and streetlamps came back into existence, like a light switch flicked back on. A warm breeze came into the alley, and Hailey heard trees rustling in the neighbouring garden, and there was a rumble of cars driving in Magnolia Crescent.

Hailey was shaking where she stood, taking in the abrupt return to normality. A part of her couldn't believe what had happened because dementors were there, in Little Whinging…

Dudley was still curled up, whimpering and shaking. Hailey crouched down to see if he was well enough to stand, but she heard someone running behind her. She turned around, raising her wand again, but it was Mrs Figg.

The elderly woman's grizzled grey hair was escaping the hairnet; she had a string shopping tied to her wrist which was holding something that clanked together, and her tartan carpet slippers looked like they were half-on or half-off.

Hailey tried to hide the wand from view, but Mrs Figg shrieked, "Don't put it away, idiot girl! What if there are more of them around? Oh, I'm going to kill Mundungus Fletcher!"

For a moment, Hailey wondered if Dudley slapped her harder than she originally thought, probably giving her a concussion, because there was no way that Mrs Figg knew about the wizarding world. Right? In a blank tone, she said, "What?"