A/N: I don't have classes today, so I thought I would celebrate the occasion with another update! I borrowed many quotes in this chapter from Harry Potter and Philospher's Stone in this chapter. Actually, I managed to condense the majority of the first book into this one chapter. I figured that if you wanted to reread the first book, you would just read the actual book. I only covered the highlights of first year, and the events I felt would be changed significantly by the presence of Bethany. Therefore, any time there is a line break in the chapter, it signifies a time jump. Anyway, enough of my rambling, enjoy!

Momento Mori

Chapter Three: Fade Away Into Peace

The brisk pace of Hogwarts was exactly the sort of thing Bethany had been searching for her whole life. Gone were the classrooms with harassed, tired teachers trying to teach noisy, uninterested brats the basics of algebra, and in their place stood accomplished professors who instructed interested students on how to levitate feathers or brew a fantastic potion. Not to mention, they had a choir, which Bethany was glad to be a part of. Sure, one of the requirements was to hold a toad, which was bizarre, but at least there was an opportunity for her to sing.

In many ways, it was overwhelming. She was practicing magic. Real magic. Things she had read about in fairytales and seen in countless movies, all at her fingertips. Nothing about this school was boring to her. Even the History of Magic class entranced her, even though Professor Binns, an old grey ghost, put nearly half the class to sleep with his lectures.

Her favorite class, however, was Potions. She seemed to have a true affinity for the art of potion brewing. Bethany wondered if it was an inherited ability from her mother. And it was further improved by the fact Professor Snape taught it, and would frequently award Ravenclaw with points.

The only class Bethany found that she disliked was Herbology. It wasn't that she had anything against the plants or Professor Sprout, but something about it failed to captivate her interest. That, and the fact that she didn't like her hands getting dirty. It didn't help that the class was one of the few Ravenclaw had with Slytherin. Obviously, there were exceptions to every rule, but nearly every single one of them was rude, entitled, and stuck up— namely, Pansy Parkinson. Bethany found herself loathing the girl, gritting her teeth as she heard the girl making unkind comments about Professor Sprout's weight while her friends laughed.

Draco wasn't much better. He would join in half the time, though he at least would pay attention, which was more than she could say about Pansy. He had barely interacted with Bethany since the Sorting. Bethany wasn't about to shed any tears about his lack of interest, but it was disappointing that he would dismiss her so easily for being sorted into a different House.

Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had only one class together, much to Bethany's dismay, but she always sat in the seat beside Hermione and in front of Ron and Harry. Hermione, who had all but memorized the textbooks, seemed to enjoy talking to her about a multitude of topics. Bethany would usually spend her time outside of class in the library, where she would either discuss her thoughts on whether or not there would be Potions quiz tomorrow with Hermione, or engaging in chats about everything else with Ron and Harry.

"She's not that bad," Bethany said, defending Hermione after Ron had declared her to be a 'tyrant'. "She's just passionate about school, that's all."

"Bethany, she yelled at the twins last night for laughing. Laughing!"

"Well, I think she's had a hard time making friends in the past," Bethany said, taking a seat at their usual table. "I mean, we only really ever talk about schoolwork. She just doesn't know how to make friends the proper way."

"You said the same thing about Malfoy," Harry observed, frowning slightly.

"Well, yes. I did. It's clear the only reason he has the friends he does is because of his father's influence," said Bethany, flipping open the textbook. "He honestly has poor social skills."

"You mean he's a jerk?"

"You're not wrong," Bethany said, thinking about how she had heard him mocking Lisa Turpin for her glasses the other day. "I think he really did try to be your friend, Harry, but his lack of self awareness, which is direct result of the environment he grew up in, allows him to state his opinions without thinking about the consequences or how others might feel."

A silence fell over the trio. "I think I'm going to need a dictionary to figure out what that meant," Harry teased, while Bethany laughed.

"You sounded just like Hermione!" Ron said with a shudder.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Hermione's very intelligent, after all."

"How is it that you see this stuff, anyway?" Ron asked, picking up his quill.

She shrugged. "I try to find the good in people. And usually, when it is difficult to find, I start to question why."

"Why on Earth did the Hat take such a long time to Sort you? I think the only person who was ever more of a Ravenclaw than you was Rowena herself!" Ron exclaimed, earning a pointed "Shush!" from Madame Pince.

"I had a lot of questions," Bethany glanced down at the book in front of her, avoiding all eye contact, "and we ended up having a rather long discussion."

Truth be told, Bethany didn't want to admit to her Gryffindor friends that she had been almost placed in Slytherin. The house had a horrible reputation, and judging by the students in Bethany's year, she could see why. She didn't want to be associated with people like that.

"How does this look?" Harry asked, pushing a piece of parchment towards Bethany. It was the latest Herbology assignment.

She glanced over it. "Seems alright," she said, confident he would pass, but certain Professor Sprout wouldn't be waxing on about the genius that was Harry Potter's essay on dried nettles. "You know, if you were a bit nicer to Hermione, I'm sure she could give you some more help. She's better at Herbology then I am."

Harry grimaced. "I'll pass, thanks."

Bethany merely shrugged and turned back to her own Herbology essay.

"It's not fair!"

The whine was punctuated by Draco as he began packing dirt into a clay pot. Bethany, who grimaced as she dug her nails deep into the dirt, turned around. Draco's entire face had gone pink with rage.

"It's horrible! He should have been expelled!" Pansy Parkinson sniffed.

Bethany frowned. "Sorry," she said loudly, setting her pot down at they looked up at her. "I couldn't help but overhear. What's happened?"

"Harry Potter's on the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" Draco spat.

Bethany bit back a smile that was threatening to form. She doubted she'd get anymore out of Draco if she made it evident that she was, Merlin forbid, happy for Harry. Still, she was confused. "But... I thought first years weren't allowed to play on the Quidditch teams?"

"Well, they're letting Potter play!" He said Harry's name as if it were a curse word.

Pansy, who seemed to determined to make Draco feel better, said, "Don't worry, Draco. You'll be on the Slytherin team next year. If Snape had seen you flying around, he'd have put you on our team." She stuck out her chin. "I bet they only gave it to Potter because he doesn't have parents! They just feel bad for him— I bet he got into a lot of trouble and played the pity card—"

Bethany felt a boiling anger spark within her. "Oh, really? Well, if that's case, maybe I should march up to Professor Flitwick right now and demand he put me on the Ravenclaw team, if that is the only qualification," She said conversationally, though her nails were digging into her palms. "But I don't know. I think Harry would rather have his parents than a spot on the Quidditch team, which makes me think that he probably got to spot based on pure talent!" With that, she spun around, forcing her plant into its pot with an intensity that had not been there before.

A monument or two later, she heard Pansy whisper, "She's sitting all by herself! No wonder she has no friends—"

"Shut up, Pansy," Draco hissed back.

The next time Bethany spotted Harry in the hallway, she sprinted towards him and gave him a hug before saying, "I just heard you're on the Quidditch team! Congratulations!"

"You can't be serious."

Bethany gaped at Ron and Harry with an incredulous expression. "Let me get this straight," she said, lowering her book. "Draco Malfoy challenged you to a Wizard's Duel—" This statement was directed at Harry, "which will take place tonight, and you—" her gaze shifted to Ron, "volunteered me to be his second?"

"Sounds right to me," said Harry, who smiled weakly at her.

Bethany's voice became rather shrill. "What were you thinking? Why did you drag me into this? Why didn't you volunteer yourself? You're from a wizard family for crying out loud, you know more about wizard duels than I do!"

"You're muh better at spells than I am," Ron insisted. "Besides, I'm coming with you both. For moral support."

"You do realize that Draco is probably too cowardly to fight you and this is all probably a scheme to get you in trouble?"

"I don't think it is," Harry said. "He seemed really angry. I think he wants to fight it out."

She sighed, closing the book. "We could be suspended or even expelled if we get caught. You do realize that, right?"

"So are you saying you'll be there?"

Bethany looked at the two idiots standing in front of her. The idea of sneaking out after hours filled her with fear, but they were her two best friends. Had it been anyone else asking her, she would denied them on the spot. She sighed. "...yeah. What time will you be at the Ravenclaw dorm?"

Bethany was surprised to see Ron and Harry were accompanied by Hermione and Neville. "Don't ask," Ron said before she could even open her mouth.

Hermione, who seemed very cross, scowled at her. "Well, I am surprised to see that you are a part of something as childish as this. I thought that you at least had some sense."

Bethany, affronted by her sharp accusations, snapped, "Then why are you here?"

Before Hermione could respond, Harry interrupted. "There's no time for this. We'll be late. Come on, and try not to make any noise."

They arrived to the trophy room, the room where the duel was to take place, a minute or so later. It was empty, save for the glittering trophies. "See!" Bethany hissed. "I knew it! He's far too spineless to show up! Come on, let's head back—"

A loud meow echoed throughout the room. "Mrs. Norris!" Neville squeaked, earning shushes from Harry and Ron.

"Who's there?" The unmistakable voice of Mr. Filch asked the empty room. "Show yourselves!"

In a instant, all five of them ran blindly through the castle, not caring if Filch heard them or not. Harry seemed to lead the pack, followed by Ron, whereas Bethany and Neville trailed at the end.

"We've got to get to the dorms, quick—Bethany, do you reckon you can make it to Ravenclaw without us?"

Before Bethany could tell him that she most certainly could not and they were the reason she was out of bed right now, so you had better help me, Hermione jumped in and said, "You know Malfoy set that up, right? He tipped Filch off, knowing you'd take his bait—"

"Let's go," Harry said, looking ashamed. Bethany shot Hermione a dirty look. It wasn't as if Harry wasn't aware that he'd made a mistake, and she didn't need to keep rubbing his nose in it.

However, things were about to be worst for the unlikely quintet. Peeves the Poltergeist was zooming about, happy to wreak havoc and draw attention to the rule breakers. They had no other choice but to run into a room expressly forbidden to them, where they found—

Neville opened his mouth to let out a scream, which Bethany stifled with her hand while Harry frantically groped around for the door knob. Staring at them was a three headed dog, with oversized fangs peeking out of its cheeks.

They found an empty hallway, to their relief. "What was that?" Harry exclaimed as they ran.

"Unless I am mistaken, we just met Cerberus himself!" Bethany responded, face ashen. She had always loved dogs, but she had never met one with three heads until now.

"Who?" Neville asked, pink cheeked.

"Cerberus!" Hermione began to explain. "He was the three headed dog of Hades, who guarded—"

She was interrupted by Ron. "Oh, shut it, Hermione!"

Harry figured the menacing dog they had met that night was protecting something— he remembered seeing a trapdoor or something of that nature with Cerberus. Bethany wasn't sure what to think. Maybe it was the dreamer in her, but she liked to imagine the canine was guarding the entrance to the underworld.

Halloween rolled around quicker than Bethany had anticipated it would. It seemed strange, not dressing up to go trick-or-treating. Dana would usually help them make costumes— simple things, like an old white sheet with holes cut out for eyes, or a black dress and a pointy hat with a broom.

It was strange to think that she had now seen witches and ghosts herself, real ones... in fact, she was a real witch.

Suddenly, Hermione pushed past her, sobbing. "Hermione? Hermione!" Bethany chased after her, following her into the girl's bathroom. "What's wrong?"

"Go away!" Hermione cried out, voice muffled as if she was covering her face with her hands. "I don't want to talk to anyone right now!"

Bethany back away. "Alright...if you need to talk to someone, just come find me, okay?" With that, Bethany ducked out of the bathroom.

Hermione never reappeared. Whatever had happened, it had to be bad. Bethany tried not to think too much about it, and focus more on the feast before her.

Bethany was reaching for her cup of pumpkin juice when the doors were thrown open dramatically. Professor Quirrell ran in, shouting, "Troll! Troll in the dungeons!"

Complete and utter pandemonium broke out. Bethany heard Hannah Abbott's scream from the Hufflepuff table, and watched as Goyle began running towards the door. Dumbledore managed to soothe the crowd and instructed the prefects to lead the students back to their dormitories.

Bethany frowned, glancing at the Slytherins. Aren't their dorms located in the dungeons? As much distaste she had for them, it didn't seem right to shove them where the danger was. Draco seemed to realize this as well and went pale.

Bethany was about to mention this to her prefect, Aurora Boot, when she saw Ron and Harry slip away from the Gryffindors... and head straight for the dungeons. Idiots! Bethany made sure nobody was looking and ran after them.

"What are you two doing?" She demanded, catching up to them. "Are you trying to get yourselves killed? That's where the troll's at!"

"We're going to find Hermione!" Ron exclaimed. "Neville told us that she's been crying in the bathroom all day! She doesn't know about the troll!"

He was right... "I'll go find a professor!" Bethany said, breaking away and running off as fast as she could.

"Wait! Bethany! Bethany, hold on!"

But Bethany ignored them, rushing around trying to locate a teacher. Honestly, what were they going to do if they ran into the troll? Fight it off? They were eleven years old!

Bethany crashed into another figure. "Miss Riddle?"

It was Professor Quirrell, looking dazed and disoriented. "I'm sorry, sir!" Bethany gasped, "Ron and Harry are— Hermione—"

"Riddle?"

Bethany stopped talking. A strange, siblilant voice had just spoke. It hadn't sounded like Quirrell, nor had his lips moved. "Sir, did you say something?"

Professor Quirrell grew pale. "What? No—"

"Yes...of course you would be at Hogwarts now...you would be eleven years old. My, my time does fly. It seems like yesterday that you were a baby. You were so small..."

Her eyes darted around. Goosebumps had settled over her skin. The hallway was empty, save for the two of them. An uneasiness settled over her. "Professor Quirrell, is everything alright?"

Quirrell's eyebrow twitched. "Of course. Nothing is wrong," he said, more to himself than her. "What is it you were saying?"

"He lies," the unknown, unseen voice rasped. "He knows I am upset, that I am keeping him out of the loop. He never told me there was a Riddle at school...you must not raise your hand in class, or else I would have heard of you by now. Now why is that? Surely, you must be a bright girl, if you have inherited any of your father's brains...or are you just too shy and timid, like your sniveling mother?"

Bethany watched as Professor Quirrell's lips trembled. A bead of sweat fell down the visible part of his forehead. He wasn't the only one. She felt icy cold. How is it the voice knew she was too shy in many of her classes to raise her hand, for fear of being wrong? And why would it insult her mother so cruelly? "Sir," she said very quietly, "do you hear it, too?"

He shook his head once, a short jerking movement. "He hears it," the voice said, seeming to delight in the man's fear, "but he doesn't understand. Only you can. Isn't that a curious phenomenon, Bethany?"

Bethany locked eyes with Quirrell. This was no fantasy, no folie a deux. Something sinister, something evil was with them.

"Miss Riddle!" The sharp voice of Professor McGonagall rang out. Bethany saw the dark haired professor, followed closely by Professor Snape. "What are you doing here? You should be in your common room!"

"Professor— it's Hermione— Ron and Harry— they're in the girl's bathroom, by the dungeons!" She managed to gasp, still rattled to her core.

"Stay with us, Miss Riddle," Professor Snape said, "it's unsafe for you to wander the hallways alone."

The three professors and Bethany trekked to the bathroom, where they found an unharmed Ron, Hermione, and Harry, along with an unconscious troll. They were all scolded and reprimanded sharply, but Professor McGonagall awarded them a small amount of points for their valor and ability to fight off the troll successfully. "And fifteen points to Ravenclaw," Professor McGonagall added, "for seeking out a teacher, which is what should have been done in the first place."

After that, Hermione became a permanent fixture to their meetings in the library, something that pleased Bethany immensely. It was nice to finally have a female companion, and an intelligent one to challenge her intellect at that.

"It's very strange," Hermione said after Bethany shared the bizarre incident with Professor Quirrell. "And nobody else was there?"

"Nobody," Bethany reaffirmed. "It was awful though. It knew things about me. And it insulted my mother. I know Quirrell heard it too, whatever it was."

Harry pushes his glasses up his nose. "Are you sure it wasn't Peeves playing a prank?"

"I'm certain. Something was there, with us. And whoever it was, it was nobody good."

"I still don't think it was Professor Snape," Bethany insisted, gripping her book bag tightly. She was walking to the library with Ron to meet Hermione in the library. "He wouldn't do something like that."

"But Bethany, it had to be," Ron said. "Harry's broom went back to normal after he lost concentration."

Bethany glowered, recalling how Hermione had set his robes on fire. That particular move had driven a wedge between them, and Bethany had scolded her for it. "I still don't think it was him. It had to be a coincidence."

"I don't understand why you're defending him! He's a right git, especially to Harry!"

"He's smarter than that, though. If he really wanted to hurt Harry, he wouldn't have done it in a stadium full of witnesses," Bethany said, scowling. "And he's always been nice to me!"

Ron glowered. "You're just trying to protect him because he likes you!"

"Plenty of teachers like me," she quipped. "But Professor Snape is my favorite teacher." It was an opinion she knew was unpopular in her group of Gryffindor friends— and, to some extent, even in the Ravenclaw common room. It was something she never spoken out loud until this moment. "I know you don't like him, and you are entitled to your own opinion, but he's not so bad once you get to know him."

Ron shook his head, mumbling, "You're mental."

Christmas arrived to Hogwarts shortly after. Bethany was actually looking forward to it, for once in her life.

"I do feel sorry for all the people who have to stay at Hogwarts because nobody wants them at home," Pansy Parkinson chose to say loudly to Daphne Greengrass while walking behind Bethany after class.

Bethany grit her teeth. Ever since she had defended Harry for earning a spot of Gryffindor's Quidditch team, Pansy had made her dislike apparent for the other girl.

"And I feel sorry for all the parents who have to deal with their unpleasant children who come home for the holidays, but are too polite to say anything," Bethany muttered under her breath.

Bethany—

Meet us outside the Ravenclaw dorm at 12:30 tonight. I found something I want to show you.

—Harry

Bethany stepped out, dressed in her pajamas. Christmas had been yesterday, and one of the best ones to record. She spent the whole day in the Gryffindor common room with Ron, Harry, Fred, and George. She had even received real presents.

The first had been a lovely, hand knit sweater from Mrs. Weasley. She had made it blue, to match Ravenclaw's house colors, with a green B. "To match your eyes," Ron had explained, as she stared down at it with wonder. "She didn't have hazel yarn, though."

The second gift had been anonymous. Bethany hadn't even found it until later, when she spotted a small, tawny owl in her empty dormitory. A parcel, wrapped in green wrapping paper and tied with a white bow, was clasped in its claws. A small letter was attached around the owl's ankle, reading: Happy Christmas.

She had ripped open the package only to find Hogwarts, A History.

It was a curious mystery. At first, she wondered if it was Hermione, but then why hadn't she just written her a real letter? Not only that, but the handwriting wasn't Hermione. Her second theory had been Professor Snape, but again, the handwriting didn't match. Ron and Harry had been ruled out, so who could it be? The boys had teased her, saying it was secret admirer, but Bethany had ignored them. She was happy with the gift, nonetheless, and had been flipping through its pages greedily for the last day or so.

Bethany glanced about the hallway, searching for Harry and Ron. Nobody was there. Then—

"Psst!"

Her eyes followed the noise. Harry's disembodied head grinned at her. "Come here!" He said, more of his body being revealed, as well as the top of Ron's head.

"What?"

"Harry's got an Invisibility Cloak!" Ron explained. "Cool, huh!"

Her eyes lit up. "Really? Can I—"

"Get in! Quick!"

Bethany raced down, diving underneath the cloak. Miraculously, it seemed to swallow them up, rendering them completely hidden. "This is amazing," she whispered, "Where exactly are we going?"

"I found this mirror— it showed me my parents!" Harry told her excitedly. "I want to show you and Ron, so you can meet them!"

Soon enough, they happened upon a vacant room. Harry whipped off the cloak, standing in front of it. "Look! See! It's them! It's my parents!"

But Harry's parents were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a tall man with brown hair so dark it could be mistaken for black stood behind Bethany. He was older, maybe around age fifty, with dark brown eyes and pale skin. He twirled a thin wand lazily in his right hand, but his lips were curved up into a smile as he stared down at her.

On the other side of Bethany was a beautiful woman of average height, with thick, dark curls. Her hazel eyes seemed to gleam in the dark, and her delicate hand was placed on Bethany's arm. She was very tan, a stark contrast against Bethany's pale skin. Bethany knew, without a doubt, that these were her parents.

"Well?"

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Asked Ron. "I don't see anybody!"

"Here— stand right here—"

The boys squabbled as Bethany stared at her Mum and Dad. They seemed so unlike, but they seemed to be so in love— and they loved her.

But if they had loved her, why had they left her? Why had they sent her to an orphanage, to watch as tiny babies with chubby cheeks went to live with wealthy families while she sat alone in her room with only her books for company? Why hadn't they sent her to live with her father's relatives or one of her mother's sisters?

A lone tear drop fell from her left eye, streaking down her cheek. Bethany watched as her mother crouched down and wiped it away with her thumb before pressing a kiss to the forehead of her twin in the mirror. Her father withdrew an emerald green handkerchiefs and handed it to her, letting her wipe away the excess moisture.

But the real Bethany Riddle felt the tear cling to her jaw before falling off, and had only the back of her hand to wipe away the salty tears.

"I can't believe you didn't see them," Harry said for the umpteenth time to Ron. "They were right there! Bethany, you saw my mum and dad, right?"

She shook her head. "I think we had better go back, Harry," she said quietly. "I think this mirror is dangerous."

"I don't know why you're blaming me for all this," grumbled Draco as he stepped on a dry leaf left behind from the previous autumn. "If anything, you should be blaming that oaf, Hagrid—"

"Don't call Hagrid an oaf!" Bethany hissed back, not daring to raise her voice. She gripped Fang's leash tighter.

After Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Bethany had been caught sneaking around the castle after giving Norbert to Charlie's friends, they had managed to land themselves in detention. Draco, who had discovered their plans, had tried to catch them himself, had been given detention as well. Bethany was relieved that, for Hagrid's sake, she hadn't believed there was a dragon.

The one thing she was sorry about was dragging Neville into the mess. He had overheard them talking about it as well, and snuck out after hours. With no proof of Norbert, he believed he had tricked. Harry and Ron had told her he cried himself to sleep that night.

And so it happened that they were all serving detention in the Forbidden Forest, helping Hagrid search for some creature that was killing unicorns.

The idea of happening upon a dead unicorn tied Bethany's stomach in knots. She had never dealt well with death; the first time she had seen a dead bird laying in the courtyard at the nursery, it had unnerved, frightened, and saddened her all at once. She remembered running away from its tiny corpse, screaming and crying. The image hadn't left her mind for weeks. She knew, deep down, she should be more anxious about finding the killer, but the image of a bloodied unicorn was scaring her out of her wits.

Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Neville were all with Hagrid; nobody else had been willing to deal with Malfoy, so Bethany reluctantly split away from her friends to patrol with him. Hagrid had given them Fang for protection, but it didn't ease her nerves any.

"Well, what do you propose I call him, then?" Draco asked. "An ogre? He might not be full blooded, but I suppose he could be half—"

"Don't you ever stop?" She whispered. "Why do you have to be so—so—mean all the time?" The words didn't have all vitriol that Bethany had felt, but perhaps it was her fear that was dampening her ability to express proper distaste. Bethany just let out a sigh. "Come on, then. Let's just look around some more."

"Don't you think it's mad, though? Dumbledore sending us out into the Forbidden Forest?" Draco finally asked. "He goes and tells us we aren't allowed in it, then sends us to it for detention!"

"It's...unorthodox," Bethany admitted, eyes focused on Fang, who was sniffing the ground in front of them. "But... he wouldn't have sent us somewhere that was truly dangerous, would he?"

"There are werewolves out here, Riddle." Bethany gave a jolt when she realized he had used her last name. It was something she hadn't ever recalled hearing before. "I'd say we are in danger, and I don't think this mutt will serve as much protection."

"Be nice to Fang! He's a very good boy!" As if to prove her point, Bethany stopped and patted the dog on the head.

"Are you a dog person then?"

"I suppose you could say that. I like cats too, but I'm allergic. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to make conversation."

The walked further into the forest, moving closer together as it grew darker and darker. "What do you think will happen if we find it?" Draco whispered abruptly. "I think we should just run for it now. Leave them to deal with it."

"And let them think we've been killed?" Bethany asked, stepping closer to him, so close she felt their arms brush one another. "We can't do that."

A twig snapped. The pair froze, and Fang stared straight ahead.

Silence.

Bethany and Draco exchanged a dubious glance before nodding and taking another step. They resumed their previous pace, only they were now gripping each other's hands. "Not a word of this to anyone," Bethany hissed. She didn't know if she could deal with the expressions of shame on her friends faces.

"As if I would tell anybody!"

They walked further and further. It seemed as though perhaps they had imagined it, until—

A dead unicorn lay directly ahead of them, sprawled ungracefully across the ground. Silver blood dropped down its neck, and a cloaked figure bent over it, drinking the blood. The sight made Bethany's stomach churn. She felt as though she would vomit or faint or both...The figure ceased its disgusting task, jerking up to look at them.

"What are you doing, Bethany Riddle? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

It was that voice, the same voice she had heard in the corridor with Professor Quirrell. "Do you hear that too?" She whispered to Draco, her voice practically inaudible.

"What are you talking about?" Draco whispered back, his hand gripping tighter on hers.

"It isn't safe out here...it is the Forbidden Forest, after all... I doubt Lucius and Narcissa will be happy to hear Draco is out of bed as well..."

Bethany gaped, stealing a glance at Draco, who was paralyzed in fear. He looked back at her, his eyes wide and an expression of pure terror on his face.

"Go back to the castle, child. Speak of this to no one."

Bethany didn't need the voice to tell her twice. Without hesitation, Bethany, Draco, and Fang began running for dear life. "Draco, send up the sparks!" She cried out as they swerved around a tree.

Draco groped about in his pocket until he withdrew his wand, screaming the incantation as loudly as he could and firing the red sparks into the air.

"What are ye doin'?" Hagrid asked as the saw them sprinting towards it. "What's teh matter?"

"Hagrid, we saw it!" Bethany babbled hysterically. "It was awful!"

"It was drinking the unicorn's blood!" Draco interjected, his pale face ashen.

A grave expression crossed Hagrid's features. "Let's get ye' back up to the castle."

They walked out of the Forest and back into Hogwarts, Bethany trembling the whole way back.

Bethany sat anxiously at the top of the trapdoor. Ron, Hermione, and Harry had gone down ages ago, it seemed. Fluffy, the three headed dog, slept soundly. She had offered to stay behind and make sure he wasn't awoken. She had sang one of the songs she had learned in the Frog Choir, which had caused his eyelids to grow heavy. "You have a really lovely voice, Bethany," Hermione said with a smile. "Thank you."

And they had all jumped down the trapdoor, leaving her behind to stand watch. In a way, Bethany was glad to stay behind; she didn't do well with danger, it seemed. But she also felt a sense of being left out, as she sat there alone. It was an aching, lonely feeling.

Trying to banish these melancholy thoughts away, Bethany leaned over and stroked Fluffy's middle head. The dog stirred sleepily. Really, she had come to take a liking to this dog, even if Hagrid had missed the brilliant opportunity to name him after Hades' three headed dog.

Ron and Hermione emerged suddenly, Hermione supporting a weak, bloodied Ron. "Oh my God, what—"

"Go get Professor Dumbledore!" Hermione exclaimed shrilly. "I have to take Ron to the Hospital Wing!"

Bethany nodded, shaken, and ran as fast as she could.

Harry explained everything to them once he awoke in the hospital wing, relatively unscathed. As it had turned out, Professor Quirrell had been living the entire year with none other than You-Know-Who himself living on the back of his head. He had been hidden by the purple turban that Quirrell had worn.

"It's a wonder you weren't killed," Hermione said, sniffling.

Bethany, who had also been distressed by Harry's story, blinked slowly. "So...if You-Know-Who was the one drinking that unicorn's blood, and if he was with Quirrell..." she trailed off. "My God... he was that voice I kept hearing."

A stunned silence fell over the four. "But why would You-Know-Who risk exposing himself by talking to you?" Hermione questioned.

"Why would he want to talk to me at all?" Bethany wondered aloud. "I'm just Bethany."

Nobody seemed to have an answer.

The Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross. Bethany felt a twinge of jealousy when she saw Ron waving excitedly to his parents and sister, but swallowed it down.

Before they clambered off the train, Hermione seized Bethany into a hug. "I promise to write you. All of you," she added, addressing Ron and Harry as well.

"Just try to send owls to me at nighttime," Bethany reminded them. "I don't need anyone at the orphanage asking me questions that I will have a hard time answering."

They all greeted each other farewell before Ron and Hermione rushed off to find their parents. Bethany glanced at Harry sadly, knowing he felt the same emptiness she did.

They pushed their trolleys through the wall and returned to the Muggle world for the first time in months. "See you next year, Harry."

"See you," Harry echoed, walking towards a car where a blonde, horse faced woman and a mustached man sat scowling.

Bethany located Dana's rusty old car, and she was greeted with a hug. "Now tell me all about your year, and don't leave anything out!" Dana said.

"Well... it was certainly magical."

A/N: Thank you again for all the lovely reviews, favorites, and follows! As always, I appreciate any and all feedback! Now that we are really delving into the events in canon, I would love to hear what you think about Bethany or the changes in this AU. I have never attempted something like this before, so if you have any constructive criticism on how I can improve, or if you liked something specific, please let me know! Thank you again, and I hope that you enjoyed!