Disclaimer: (I do not own anything recognizable to the wonderful book series Harry Potter. All plots, characters,/quotes, and storylines recognizable from the books and movies belong to their rightful owners.)
Claimer: (I do own Eleanor Wimsbly :D)
Hey friends! Thank you so much for all your support on this story! Sorry it has taken me so long to update again! I have lots of schoolwork that unfortunately has to come first. Also, thank you to those who helped point out that there are some coding issues with Chapter 4. The reason for that is I had to delete that chapter and repost it, but I copy and pasted it first so then it was showing all the coding and I forgot to delete some of the last bits of it that you can see. I don't have that chapter saved anymore, so if I tried to update it again, i would have to work through deleting the codes again, and I don't want to do that, so I will just have to ask you to bear with me. The code things mean that the word was supposed to be italicized. Sorry about that folks.
Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!
Eleanor walked out of her end-of-term exams feeling much better than she had expected. Charms was a breeze, Transfigurations was exactly how she expected it, and she felt that she had positively nailed the Wizarding Architecture class. Muggle Studies was slightly more difficult than expected, but she was grateful to Edwin, who had sent her many letters about information she thought was just simple and idol chatter, but had ended up being a few points on the exam. She would have to thank him for sharing his knowledge with her.
After having a long discussion with Helminia about exams and a certain question that she had felt had been written inadequately, exchanging looks with Marian as Timothy pulled her away (the pair of them had been seeing each other. They kept it quiet, but Eleanor was quite shocked at the transformation of the once quiet Timothy, into the happy, sweet, thoughtful boy he was now) Eleanor made her way down to find the twins at lunch. They met her at the entrance to the Great Hall, and they seemed quite pleased with themselves.
"Well you both look rather cheerful for just taking exams," Eleanor commented as they reached each other.
George nodded, "We're happy to be free."
"Nothing could possibly go wrong at this point in the school year," Fred said happily.
"Don't jinx us," Eleanor teased.
The three of them walked into the Great Hall, and immediately spotted two redheads sitting at the Gryffindor table next to Harry. Fred and George exchanged looks, "It's mum and Bill!"
"What are they doing here?" George asked.
"They are here to support Harry," Ginny said, who had just appeared beside the three of them.
"Blimey, Ginny. We've taught you too well. We didn't even see you sneak up next to us." Fred remarked, looking at his sister with pride.
She beamed back, "Just trying to be like my older brothers."
George grinned, "What an excellent goal to have, little sister."
"Shall we go say hello?" Ginny asked, nodding her head towards the table.
Fred and George nodded, and Ginny started to lead the way towards the table.
Fred turned back to look at Eleanor and nodded his head, "You coming?"
Eleanor noticed that as Fred this, Ginny turned her head slightly towards them, a small frown on her face. Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows at the look, but then gave her attention back to Fred.
She shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it should just be a family thing? I don't want to intrude."
Fred rolled his eyes, "My delectable peach pie, don't be ridiculous. You are more than welcome over there."
Eleanor kept a straight face, "I don't know, sweet lemon custard. Your mother wants to see you. I'm sure she would love to have more of your undivided attention, which I will only take away from her if I sit over there. I always do seem to steal all of your attention."
Fred stared at her, keeping the smile off his face, "But lemon tart,"
Eleanor shook her head, "Butts are for our trousers, Freddie Weddie booboo bear," Fred's eyes widened at this nickname, and he had to stop himself from smiling and losing their favorite game to play (seeing who could make the other laugh first by giving each other absolutely absurd nicknames), "Go say hello to your mother."
With that she spun on her heels before he could think of anything that would make her break. She did not like losing this game, and Fred was always very good at getting her in the end. She heard Fred call something out about his sorrow at her departure, but she didn't look back.
Before she had made her way to the Ravenclaw table, she ran into Cedric Diggory and his father Amos. Cedric smiled broadly when he saw her, but his father gave her a curt nod. He had clearly not forgotten about the last time they had seen each other.
"Eleanor, it's good to see you," Cedric said cheerfully.
"It's good to see you too," Eleanor replied, giving him and his father a smile, "Are you feeling ready for tonight?"
Cedric grinned, but took a deep breath, "I sure hope so. This is what I've been waiting for all year long."
Eleanor laughed, "Have you? I thought you were just taking it easy this year."
Cedric chuckled, and his father gave him a pat on the back, "Cedric has put in more than enough work. Rita Skeeter may not have much to say about him, but I have high hopes for him. He's twice the man Harry Potter is. He'll make it all the way."
Cedric gave Eleanor an embarrassed look before turning to his father, "Dad, you know Harry has worked just as hard as the rest of us. We've all done good work."
Eleanor felt the urge to stick up for Harry, but she knew this would only aggravate Amos Diggory more, and she didn't want to have to deal with that, so she kept her mouth shut. Her parents would've been so proud of her.
His father rolled his eyes. Eleanor cleared her throat, "It must be fun to be back at Hogwarts with your son, Mr. Diggory."
A look of nostalgia took over his face and he nodded, "This place had many good memories for me. I'm glad my boy is able to represent the Diggory's in such a dignified way here." He looked around the Great Hall and sighed, "Well, let's go get some lunch then. You will need all of your strength."
Eleanor nodded, "Yes, don't let me keep you." She moved to the side so that they could get passed her, "Good luck Cedric."
Amos made his way to the Hufflepuff table, giving a couple of Cedric's friends pats on the back as he past them. Cedric however didn't move. He gave Eleanor a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry about my father."
Eleanor shook her head, "Don't be. Trust me, I know all about parents that speak their mind all too well. And parents that don't speak what they truly feel enough. Your father is just proud of you."
Cedric looked over at him, "He's always been very supportive of me, but this tournament has made him a little...obsessive."
Eleanor laughed, "Well, it will all be over soon enough. And whatever happens, I hope you know you did well."
Cedric smiled at her, "Thank you. I'm glad we were able to get over our differences. I hope you consider me a friend, as I consider you one."
Eleanor smiled kindly back, "Of course. Good luck Cedric. Don't do anything stupid in that maze."
Cedric laughed, "Is that your way of saying, don't die?"
Eleanor shrugged, "Not what I was saying, but I suppose it could mean that too. I would hope that there isn't anything in there that could put you in that much danger, but I suppose you never know."
Cedric nodded, "Well, thank you. I'll try my best to not die." He gave her a playful smile, then nodded toward the Hufflepuff table, "I better get over there. My father looks like he is bragging again."
Eleanor laughed, "Well you better get over there so he has someone to point at as he does so. Good luck again."
Cedric nodded goodbye and made his way over to his father and Eleanor made her way to her own. Marian was siting next to Timothy, their heads together as they whispered to one another. Helminia was sitting with Sisley and Candice, whose eyes were rolled back in their heads and she knew that Helminia must still be going on about the exams.
Eleanor turned to look back at the Gryffindor table. Mrs. Weasley had her back to the Ravenclaw table, but she could tell that the woman was babbling away about one thing or another. Ginny and George were snickering about something next to her. Bill, Harry, Ron and Hermione were all discussing something else, and by the look on Ron's face, it was something quite humorous.
Fred was sitting across from his mother so he could see her, and he waved his fork at her. She sat down, picked up a spoon and waved back before digging into some beef stew and biscuits.
Candice slid down the bench, "Save us." She whispered in Eleanor's ear.
Eleanor grinned and looked over at Helminia, who had not seemed to notice Candice had slid away from her. She cleared her throat, "So Helminia, where's Fabian these days?"
Helminia froze mid-sentence and turned to look at Eleanor, "What?"
Eleanor tilted her head, "Fabian? The Durmstrang. Where is he? I haven't seen him in a while."
Helminia pursed her lips, "No. You wouldn't have. He doesn't tend to come around when I'm around my Ravenclaw friends."
Eleanor furrowed her eyebrows, "Why not?"
Helminia straightened up a little and turned her eyes to her food, "He...izimtmdtdbioo."
"Gesundheit," Sisley said.
"Yeah, we didn't quite catch that." Eleanor said, leaning forward.
Helminia sighed, "He's intimidated by you."
"He's intimidated by us?" Sisley giggled.
Helminia shook her head, "Not all of you. Just Eleanor."
Eleanor's mouth gaped, "What? Intimidated by me? What have I done to him?"
Helminia gave her a look, "Don't you remember when you corrected him when he was talking about the construction of the Illead Acornilla?"
Eleanor scoffed, "He said that the Scandinavians were the ones who first came up with the idea but obviously that building was founded in Greece so-"
Helminia rolled her eyes, "And that time that you snuck one of Fred and George's freak candies into his Firesnaps and he was throwing up all the way to Madam Pomfrey's?"
"I told you he didn't need to go to her. I had the antidote!" Eleanor said defensively.
"Or when you threatened to transfigure him into a chicken if he ever said that the Ballycastle Bats have better strategy than the Montrose Magpies ever again."
"I was joking!" Eleanor cried, "And also the very thought of that is ridiculous."
"He doesn't like you Eleanor. That's the end of the matter. Someone doesn't like you. Get over it." Helminia turned away from her and proceeded to eat her food. Eleanor turned her attention to the Slytherin table, scanning each person until she found Fabian. He was sitting next to the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, who was telling, what Eleanor assumed, a cruel joke. Fabian chuckled along with the others, but she could tell he had no idea what was so funny.
His eyes must have felt someone looking at him, because the next moment, they made eye contact. His eyes seemed to widen slightly and he quickly looked away. Eleanor pursed her lips.
Candice nudged her, "Don't feel bad about it El. He's just one guy."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just surprised is all." Eleanor said, turning back to her friends. After a moment of silence, she bit her lip and turned to Candice, "Is there...anyone else, who doesn't like me?"
Candice stared at her for a moment, then straightened herself up, "Eleanor, don't ask a question you don't want to know the answer to."
Eleanor frowned, but Candice refused to say anything else, so Eleanor ate the rest of her lunch feeling quite unhappy with the way this lunch had gone. Maybe she should've sat with the Weasley's afterall.
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The champions had just be sent down to the stadium. The rest of the students waited five minutes, and then were excused to make their way down. Eleanor felt nervous, even though she wasn't going to be doing any competing. But the jittery atmosphere gave her a sick feeling in her stomach. She walked with Marian and Timothy, as Helminia had gone off to walk with Fabian (he wouldn't want Eleanor to walk with them) Candice and Sisley had run off to find their latest beaus, and Fred and George had disappeared in the crowd somewhere with their family.
Eleanor didn't speak much as they walked down towards the Quidditch field. She, Lee and the twins had gone and taken a peak at the maze that had been built within the Quidditch field a few days ago. Eleanor had been in awe of the structure of it and the work they were doing to create it, but as she thought about it now, she could only feel anxious about what horrors could be awaiting the unsuspecting champions.
She imagined Harry with his wand, wandering around in the misty darkness, having to battle who-knows-what. As she imagined Harry holding his wand up in that maze, he morphed into Edwin, and she felt remorse. Edwin would never be in a situation like that because Edwin would never have a wand. He would never come to school here.
"Eleanor!"
Eleanor shook her head and looked at Marian.
"Fred is waving to you," By the way she had said this, she knew that this was not the first time Marian had said these words. Eleanor scanned the crowd and spotted her redhead, waving his arms wildly, already in the stands.
"Shall we go over there?" Marian asked, tugging at both Timothy and Eleanor's arms.
"Yeah, let's go."
As they made their way towards the stand, Eleanor heard her name being called once more. She froze in place and immediately whipped her head around.
"Eleanor! Eleanor, dear!"
She finally found her parents, making their way towards her. Eleanor quickly told Marian and Timothy to go sit down, and that she'd meet up with them in a moment, then made her way over to her parents.
"What are you doing here?" she asked as soon as they were within earshot.
Her mother's smile faltered only for a moment, "We're here to see the final task, dear."
Her father stood next to her mother, his arm linked in hers. He was smiling at Eleanor, but he had a look in his eye. He knew that Eleanor was displeased by his article in the paper. He didn't want to say it, but he knew.
"Come to see the unstable and possibly dangerous Harry Potter and his plea for attention?" Eleanor said flatly, boring her eyes into her father's. He stiffened slightly at her words, "We're here to support the Hogwarts champions."
"Only the champions parents are here. No other student's parents came along," Eleanor snapped.
"Other students don't have parents of high standing, Eleanor," her mother responded quietly, raising a thin eyebrow at her.
Eleanor scoffed, "Don't be vain. There are plenty of students with parents in high places. I don't see Mr. Malfoy prancing around here."
Her father rolled his eyes, "Don't put us in the same category as that unpleasant man."
"You put yourself there when you let Rita Skeeter interview you." Eleanor glared at him.
Her mother leaned closer, "Eleanor, at least control your facial expressions and don't let the whole world know you hold grudges."
Eleanor narrowed her eyes further, "Better mother?"
"Rita Skeeter twisted some of my words, you know that."
Eleanor scoffed, "She twists everyone's words father. You should have thought of that before you let her pull out her stupid quill. I don't have the time nor the patience to continue this conversation with you. Enjoy the task." She turned to walk away.
"You need to show more respect to your parents, young lady," her father whispered.
Eleanor turned slowly back to her father, "Sorry. Enjoy the task, sir." Eleanor spun on her heels without another word and marched up towards her friends without looking back.
When she made it to Fred, he gave her a questioning look, but she shook her head.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!" boomed Bagman's voice through the sonorous spell, "Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky.
"In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause (and some cheering from the Durmstrang and Slytherin). "And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!" More applause for Fleur.
"So... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -" he gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the maze. Eleanor watched Harry's figure disappear into the towering hedges. She wrung her hands together, and a few moments later felt Fred place his hand on hers.
She looked up at him and he gave her a smile, "He'll be fine. He's been preparing himself for weeks. Plus he had Hermione to help him."
Eleanor nodded her head, "You're right." She was being silly. Everything was going to be fine.
A few moments later, the whistle sounded again, and Krum went running into the maze.
A few moments after that, Fleur was allowed in, and the crowd sat down, knowing that they may be waiting there for quite a while.
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Fleur and Viktor were both out. Viktor looked a bit off as they brought him out of the maze. Eleanor felt the anxiety creeping in again, but also a sense of excitement. It was down to the two Hogwarts champions. No matter what at this point, a Hogwarts student was the winner. Everyone was buzzing about this as they sat and waited with anticipation to see who would come out with the Triwizard Cup.
Eleanor could hear Malfoy saying something about how he hoped Harry was burnt to a crisp by a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were now slouched and unhappy, as both of their champions were out.
It felt like they had been sitting there for hours. Harry and Cedric must have gotten very lost in this maze, because after a while, even Hogwarts students were losing their enthusiasm. It was taking much longer than Eleanor had expected, and she suddenly had a horrible feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.
"What do you think is going on in there," she asked Fred, linking her arm through his. He shrugged his shoulders, "Could be any number of things. Maybe Harry has to fight the dragon he versed in the first task," Eleanor looked up at Fred and he grinned at her to show he was teasing.
"Eleanor, calm down. Dumbledore has people surveying the maze on all sides. If anything happens to Harry or Cedric, they will know. Mad-Eye helped set this up himself."
She sighed, "I know, I know. I'm just ready for this to all be over."
George leaned over to look at Eleanor, "Think of how the champions feel."
Eleanor smiled, "That's true."
Fred suggested they do something to take their mind off of the tournament while they waited. Evan, who had been sitting in front of them, immediately turned to them and began singing some Muggle song. Something about and fighting and an eye of a tiger, whatever that meant. They all ended up choosing a song for them to sing, and Fred kept changing the words to connect with the tournament.
For a Weird Sisters song, he sang,
'Harry and Cedric, no one can beat. Harry and Cedric, two champions defeat.
They battled the dragons
They battled the cold
They entered a hedge maze, with creatures untold'
And suddenly, a large mass appeared in front of the maze. And eruption of cheers went off immediately, and everyone leapt to their feet. Eleanor stood on her tiptoes to see who it was.
It looked like Harry!
Eleanor cheered loudly, but quickly cut short as she realized something was wrong. Harry was clutching onto two things. She moved her head so she could see around the people in front of her.
She saw the Triwizard cup in one of his hands. Squinting her eyes, she tried to make out the other.
A scream escaped her lips as she realized what was in the other.
Harry was gripping Cedric. His skin looked pale. His eyes were open but there was no life in them.
Immediately, a group of adults, including Dumbledore surrounded the two boys and the cup, blocking them from everyone's view.
"He's dead!" she heard Fudge cry. Others began to echo his words as he shouted them.
"He's dead!"
"Cedric Diggory is dead!"
"Let me through. LET ME THROUGH!"
Eleanor saw Amos Diggory's body rushing towards the field. Some adults tried to stop him as he rushed through the crowds, but Amos pushed past them.
"That's my son!" he cried, finally making his way to the body laying on the ground, "That's my boy!"
He fell to his knees, gripping Cedric's shirt and looking down into his son's face, sobbing.
"My boy!"
There was screaming from girls throughout the stands as realization of what had happen was taking place for so many.
Eleanor's breath felt heavy. She couldn't breath. As she sucked in, she felt it shake and her body felt like it was shaking all over.
Cedric.
Cedric was laying there.
He was dead.
How did he die?
What happened?
She felt dizzy. Just earlier that day she had looked into Cedric's eyes and joked with him about not dying in the maze. Her knees buckled under her and she immediately sat down. Fred sat down next to her and she looked up into his face.
He was shocked.
There were so many emotions flashing across his face. For the first time in a while, he wasn't smiling, or trying to make things light. This was not a situation for that. He kept looking around, as if someone had an explanation for this, or there was someone who would come jumping out and yell, "Just kidding!"
Professors were yelling things, trying to calm down the students, but everyone was in absolute chaos.
Fred wrapped his arms around Eleanor and she immediately wrapped her arms around him. She could feel him trembling slightly.
Burying herself into his embrace, she let tears fall down her face.
Cedric Diggory was dead.
Eleanor's face suddenly popped up. She quickly stood up, trying to see through the masses of people, her eyes scanning for one person. One person who knew what had happened and was probably traumatized. One person who kept looking a lot like her brother every time she imagined him.
But she couldn't see him anymore.
Where was Harry?
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It was a few days after the tournament. The halls had been quiet for days, except for the whisperings of speculation, and the crying from friends of Cedric. Cho Chang hadn't spoken to anyone since the last task. She wouldn't even come to the Great Hall for meals. Dumbledore had addressed the school, telling everyone to not ask Harry to recount the events of that night. Eleanor didn't know if she'd even want to.
But it did bother Eleanor that the school had to go on as if nothing had happen. No one spoke about Cedric, except for those who were crying. All the Head professors of the houses announced that they would be there for any students who felt like they needed to talk to someone about it, but other than that, there wasn't much that was said. It was as if no one else felt the pain.
But Eleanor felt a pain in her chest every morning when she got up and had to look at Cho Chang, slouched in a sofa by the fireplace, every afternoon walking down the corridor she used to pass Cedric in, every evening, looking at the Hufflepuff table. Their last conversation echoed through her mind over and over again.
"Good luck Cedric. Don't do anything stupid in that maze."
Cedric laughed, "Is that your way of saying, don't die?"
But to Eleanor's surprised, Fred and George had taken the death of Cedric pretty hard themselves. That night when all the schools were rushed back to their dormitories, Fred's face was pale, and his eyes held so much emotion. He just kept looking around, as if he was searching for him. As if Cedric would pop out at any moment, have a good laugh, and move on with his life that should have had so many more years in it.
Today was one of those days where Eleanor slowly walked down the hall. She looked at the pictures that she had never really taken the time to appreciate before. Had there always been candelabras there? She'd never really noticed before.
The corridor was empty and quiet, as many students were in class right now. She had taken this opportunity to clear her mind. She slowly stopped in front of one of the paintings, which contained a snoring wizard. His hat was drooped down over his eyes and his hands rested on her large belly. She looked to the right and was reminded of the time Cedric had come walking down this hall with the flock of girls, all wearing Support Cedric badges. She had really chewed him out about those.
She wished she hadn't yelled at him now.
A creak of a door opening snapped Eleanor out of her daze. She turned just in time to see Harry coming out of an empty classroom. He quietly closed the door and turned, freezing mid-step when he saw her.
There was a look on his face. A very somber look.
A look that begged her not to ask him why he had been in there.
So she didn't.
She nodded her head at him, giving him a small smile, then turned back to the picture of the sleeping wizard. She didn't want Harry to feel like he had to talk to her, but she realized that maybe turning away from him made it seem like she didn't want to talk to him. She considered turning back to him and ask him something, but she didn't know what she would say.
"I didn't realize a sleeping wizard could be so interesting to someone." Harry took a few steps in her direction. His voice was so conflicted. As if he was trying his hardest to sound normal, but part of him wanting someone to know he was hurting.
"He was a famous Herbologist, I think," Eleanor said, turning to look at Harry.
Harry raised his eyebrows thoughtfully, "Huh."
Eleanor nodded, "If I remember correctly, he was the one who first figured out that mandrakes weren't just a dangerous plant that could kill a person, but actually could be used for something useful. Made the first draft of Mandrake Celia. It's a potion that helps with small paralysis."
Harry looked at the old man, "Never heard of that."
"My father talked about it once during my time at the hospital with him one summer." Eleanor explained.
Harry nodded again.
They stood and looked at the picture in silence for a few moments. Eleanor supposed that Harry didn't mind the silence.
"The cup was a portkey," Harry said suddenly, still staring at the painting.
Eleanor didn't say anything, letting him have time to say what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath.
"He got to the cup first. We grabbed it together, and it took us to a graveyard. He died. But he asked me to bring his body back to his family."
Eleanor didn't understand what he meant by Cedric asking him to bring his body back to his family, but she still felt a stab in her heart as she watched him. The pain so evident in his eyes.
He blamed himself for Cedric's death.
"Harry," she started.
"I know what you're going to say, and I don't want you to say it. Please." he said.
Eleanor immediately clamped her mouth shut.
They stood in silence for a moment longer.
He sighed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's okay. You've been through a lot."
Harry didn't respond for a moment. When he did, he turned to face her, "They gave me the winnings from the tournament, but I don't want it. It shouldn't be mine. I'm trying to figure out what to do with it."
Eleanor shrugged her shoulders, "It's an awful lot of money. Whatever you do, make sure it goes to something or someone who deserves it. Someone who will use it for something good."
Harry nodded his head, "I will."
She debated whether it would be appropriate to hug him or not. She finally decided it would be best to just let him be, but she would let him talk for however long he needed to.
Harry finally looked around the corridor, "I should probably go. Ron and Hermione will be wondering where I am. I promised Ron he could beat me at Wizards Chess."
Eleanor laughed, "Well, we wouldn't want to make a liar of you, now would we?"
Harry smiled for the first time during this whole conversation, "Thanks for listening, Eleanor."
"You're welcome."
She watched Harry as he made his way down the hall and turned, disappearing from sight.
Eleanor continued her way down the corridor, not going anywhere in particular, going down corridors and up stairs. She ended up by Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and she was going to walk past it, when something caught her attention.
There was a sound coming from the bathroom, and it wasn't moaning.
It sounded a little bit like someone was crying.
Worrying that it might be Cho, Eleanor cautiously entered into the bathroom. There was some sniffing coming from the back of the bathroom.
"Cho?" she called out, walking slowly towards the stalls. The sniffing stopped immediately.
Moaning Myrtle rose up from one of the stalls, smirking at Eleanor, "Finally someone looks as sad as I am."
"That's nothing to be happy about, Myrtle," Eleanor said. Myrtle shrugged her shoulders.
Eleanor made to keep walking but Myrtle shook her head, "I don't think you should. He'll be embarrassed if you see him."
"He?" Eleanor asked. Myrtle made a face, like she'd just spoiled a secret, then grinned.
Eleanor immediately rounded towards the stalls. The person who had been crying had gone into one of the stalls and had locked it. Eleanor slowly walked down towards the stall, "Hello?"
Silence.
"I don't mean to intrude. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
More silence.
Eleanor bit her lip, "You know, it's okay to be sad. We just lost someone who was a big part of this school. You don't have to be embarrassed about crying. I know I did. Still am all the time actually."
The person shifted in the stall.
Eleanor pressed on, "If you want to talk to someone about it, I'm willing to listen. I've been told I'm a pretty good listener."
There was a sigh from inside the stall, and the door unlocked. Eleanor stepped back so that they would have room when they came out. The stall door slowly opened up.
"Fred?" Eleanor was shocked.
He didn't look her in the eyes. He looked around the lavatory, avoiding her gaze completely.
Eleanor immediately took a step towards him, "Fred."
He didn't say anything, but his eyes looked a little red. He ran a hand through his hair.
"Freddie," Eleanor grabbed his arms. She didn't know what to say. Of all the people she expected to be in that stall, he was at the very bottom of that list. She'd seen him cry only once before when Ginny had been taken a few years ago.
Words were useless anyway, so she pulled him to her and hugged him. She could tell he was embarrassed, but he reciprocated the hug, resting his cheek on her head.
They stood like that for a good minute. No words. She heard him sniff a couple of times. She squeezed him a little tighter when he did this.
"I feel so stupid," Fred finally whispered.
Eleanor shifted her head up so she was looking at him, "Why?"
"I always hated him. Held such a childish grudge against him. Even when he apologized, there was still a part of me that wanted to hate him."
"Because of Quidditch?" Eleanor asked.
He nodded, "That, and..." he sighed looking around again.
Eleanor tilted her head to the side, waiting for him to continue.
"Because of your old crush on him." Fred whispered, "It's stupid, but I was jealous."
Eleanor tightened her grip on him, "Fred, it's natural to feel like that."
Fred laughed humorlessly, "Yeah, but that doesn't make it any more stupid. When he went into that maze, I kept thinking that it would be great if he just stayed in there and never came out."
He stopped, and Eleanor could see he was getting choked up.
"I didn't mean it. I just..."
Eleanor grabbed his face and directed his gaze to her, "Fred Weasley. There is absolutely nothing about this situation that is your fault. It's honorable that you feel so strongly about this, but you have to realize, your thoughts didn't kill Cedric. Something evil killed him, and none of us had any control over that."
Fred exhaled deeply.
"Fred, I understand how you feel. The very last thing I said to him was to not die in that maze. I literally teased him about dying," Eleanor stopped talking as she felt a lump in her throat form. She felt the sob rising, and she couldn't speak.
Fred understood that. He rested his forehead against hers, holding her tenderly in his arms.
"I think everyone has something they wish they would've done different," Eleanor finally whispered. Fred nodded his head.
They allowed themselves some time to stand there in silence, listening to the sound of dripping water, and the moans of Myrtle.
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The Great Hall was not decorated in the usual way. Instead of the winning House's colors decorating the room, there were black drapes. Eleanor knew the moment she walked in that they were for Cedric.
Eleanor and her friends wound up sitting a few seats down from Cho Chang. Her eyes were red and puffy. Eleanor wondered if she had stopped crying at all since the Tournament a few days ago.
Dumbledore stood up, and the already quiet room, fell even more silent.
"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at them all, "of another year."
He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall.
Eleanor turned her gaze to the Hufflepuff table as well. Her eyes immediately landed on Evan. His face was somber, and he kept looking down at his plate.
"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," said Dumbledore, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."
They did it, all of them; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Cedric Diggory."
The tears started falling freely down Cho's face again. Eleanor felt water welling up within her own eyes as she gazed at the friends of Cedric, and all the students who honored him as they stood up. She glanced at the Gryffindor table. Fred and George held their goblets high in respect, looking just as somber as Evan.
"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house," Dumbledore continued. "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."
Eleanor straightened her shoulders a little bit, listening.
"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."
A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence.
Marian turned to Eleanor, eyes wide, "What?"
Eleanor shook her head in disbelief.
Voldemort? Back from the dead?
How?
She immediately glanced at Harry. He looked nervous. As if he worried people wouldn't believe him, and she knew immediately that it was true.
"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so - either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, 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."
Stunned and frightened, every face in the Hall was turned toward Dumbledore now.
"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death," Dumbledore went on. "I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter."
A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in Harry's direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore. He seemed to slump in his seat a little.
"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him."
Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured his name, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him. Except for one table.
Eleanor looked back at the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. Dumbledore, who after all possessed no magical eye, did not see them.
When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened - of Lord Voldemorts return - such ties are more important than ever before."
Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Krum, Eleanor noticed, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh.
"Every guest in this Hall," said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again - in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for preading 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 his statements after that and sat down. The rest of the Leaving Feast was quieter than usual. It was as if no one wanted to raise their voice. Everyone was pondering the words that Dumbledore had said, and some debated whether they believed if it was real or if Dumbledore had finally gone off his rocker. Eleanor turned to look at the Slytherins again. Some were smirking as they ate, and shot looks at the Gryffindor table.
Eleanor narrowed her eyes at the Slytherin girl she had had a row with when she had yelled at Cedric those few months ago. The girl smirked at her and rolled her eyes before turning to her friends and giggling cruelly at something the Quidditch Captain had whispered.
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The day they all headed to the train to go home for the summer was beautiful and warm. Eleanor set her trunk down on the ground outside the castle, waiting for a carriage to come pick them up to take them to the train station. The entire vibe of going home felt different for her this year. She looked around at the grounds of the school, feeling more like she was leaving home than going home. A pang of sadness hit her, but then she remembered she would be able to see Edwin again, and that lifted her spirits a bit.
She pulled a letter out of her pocket, unfolding it and rereading it. She had received it a few weeks ago during breakfast. She hadn't told anyone about it as the shock of it still hadn't worn off.
'Ms. Wimsbly,
We have received your application and read your letters of recommendation from your professors at Hogwarts, and we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to have an internship with us this summer at Wizarding Builds.
You will be expected to start June 30th, and will continue until August 25th. We are pleased that you will be joining us, and we hope that you will be able to learn much. This is a field very few venture into, but it is a necessary field, and is very rewarding. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Sincerely,
Marcus Bludderman'
Eleanor beamed down at the letter. For the entire summer, she would be interning at one of the greatest Wizarding Architecture companies in the county. She wasn't sure what she would tell her parents, but she hoped they would at least be pleased that she had an internship of some sort, so as to not be "wasting" her summer with the "red-headed hooligans".
She rode to the train station with Marian, Candice, Sisley and Helminia. Marian informed them that she would be sitting with Timothy on the train ride home. Helminia told them about her awkward goodbye with Fabian, and how she had cut the ties with him after he said that he would write her as long as she didn't not mention anything about the raven-haired girl (she narrowed her eyes at Eleanor when she said this). Helminia had decided that trying to have a long-distance relationship with him would not be worth it, especially if he was frightened of someone like Eleanor (Eleanor asked what Helminia meant by that, but she would give no response). She was now going to be riding the train with some friends from her Ancient Runes class to discuss the exam.
Sisley and Candice had both found new beaus to sit with for the ride home.
"We knew you would sit with Fred anyways," they had said, to which Eleanor had not responded, but smiled and looked out the window.
She found her Gryffindor friends once they were at the train station, and they found a compartment quickly. However, Eleanor quickly noticed that Lee, Alicia and Angelina did not join them. She turned to Fred, raising an eyebrow.
"Problem?"
Fred shook his head, "Lee and Alicia wanted to sit together, if you know what I mean, and Angelina went to sit with some girl who she was competing for an internship with or something like that."
George nodded, "So it's just the three of us this time."
Eleanor took a seat by the window, with Fred sitting next to her, and George sitting across from them, but close to the door.
George fell asleep quite quickly after the train took off, so Fred and Eleanor scooted closer together, taking this opportunity to be close without feeling like they were leaving George out (not that he ever really felt that way with them). The two of them whispered quietly together, and Eleanor took this time to tell Fred about her internship. He was very pleased, just as she had expected, but he jokingly complained a few times that he would never be able to see her during the summer.
"Perhaps I can use some Floo Powder and come visit the Burrow a few times this summer?" Eleanor suggested, resting her head on his shoulder.
Fred smiled, "Perhaps, if your mother doesn't mind the soot, George and I could come visit you once or twice."
Eleanor smiled, "I don't think you'd like my house very much. There are far too many rules. No space to test Weasley Wheezes."
"Ah, is that just a nice way of saying that we aren't welcome in your home?"
Eleanor shrugged, "Both I suppose."
Fred chuckled, "Too bad. I would like to get to know Edwin a little better."
Eleanor shifted her head up to look at him, "I think Edwin would like that. And I would like that very much too."
Fred grinned and leaned in.
They sat like this for a very long time before pulling apart, both grinning and feeling grateful that George had not woken up yet. The trolley lady passed by, and they bought a few treats to share between them, saving a Chocolate Frog for George when he woke up.
They sat in silence for a moment, and something occurred to Eleanor. She shifted a little to get a better look at Fred's face.
"Fred?"
"Yes Ellie Bellie?"
Eleanor ignored the nickname she so desperately wished the twins had never learned, ""What do you suppose Dumbledore will do this summer, with everything that's happened?"
Fred's playful grin slowly slid off his face. He sat silent for a moment, thinking. He finally took a breath, "I don't know El. With...him being back and all...I'd expect that he'll be putting together some sort of task force against them."
Eleanor nodded, "Did you see the Daily Prophet today? They hardly mentioned the Triwizard Tournament. They didn't even mention anything about Cedric, or...You-Know-Who. I don't think Fudge wants people to know about this."
Fred scoffed, "Well he can't keep it a secret forever, can he? What's he going to do when You-Know-Who starts attacking again?"
Eleanor shrugged, "I think that maybe Fudge doesn't believe that You-Know-Who is back."
"Ridiculous. Harry told him what he saw. The man can't possibly..."
"Fear does strange things to people, Fred." Eleanor said.
Fred nodded, taking a moment to gaze out the window. The weather was a lot nicer heading home than it was coming to Hogwarts. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but there was a darkness out there somewhere. Not a visible darkness, but Eleanor could feel it. She could feel that things were changing.
"I heard from my parents that there was this group that fought against You-Know-Who before he disappeared," Fred said finally, "I can't remember what they were called, but my parents said that everyone in it was brave. Maybe Dumbledore will start that group up again."
Eleanor nodded her head thoughtfully. If Dumbledore did create an army, who would be in it? How would one qualify?
"You two aren't getting all serious over there are you?" George's tired voice said. He sat up, stretching out his legs and arms as he did so, taking up his whole side of the compartment.
Fred and Eleanor grinned at George, and Fred scooped Eleanor's hand up in his, "Just a little sappiness to end the school year. You don't mind, do you brother?"
George gave a tired laugh.
"Which compartment did they go into Goyle?" a whiny voice asked outside of the three friends compartment.
"I don't remember. I was putting my stuff away," a voice responded and an outline of a very large and broad person appeared on their door.
"Well come on, then, let's go this way. I want to see the look on his little baby face. See if he's still crying about everything going on."
"Malfoy," Eleanor said, pulling a face.
Fred and George's face shared similar expressions.
The figures in front of the door walked away, and the three of them looked at one another.
"What do you suppose those oafs are up to?" George asked, sitting up straight, looking very much awake now.
"By the sound of it, he's searching for someone to be his victim."
"I'll give you two guesses as to who that is," George said.
"I don't even need one," Eleanor responded, looking at the door.
Fred shrugged his shoulders, "Anyone fancy a walk to stretch our legs?"
Eleanor and George nodded.
The slipped out of their compartment, and walked down where they had seen Draco and his crones head. They finally caught a glimpse of them at an open compartment.
"You've picked the losing side, Potter! I warned you! I told you you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!" Draco hissed.
Eleanor and the twins looked at each other, and headed closer. Eleanor spotted Ron's red hair in the compartment, even though they were still a little ways away.
"Too late now. Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers first! Well - second - Diggory was the f-"
It was as though someone had exploded a box of fireworks within the compartment. Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, Eleanor blinked and looked down at the floor.
Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all lying unconscious in the doorway. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were on their feet, all three of them having used a different hex. Nor were they the only ones to have done so. Fred, George and Eleanor had all had the same idea as well. Eleanor lowered her wand as she looked at the three on the ground.
How dare Draco even speak Cedric's name with such disdain.
"Thought we'd see what those three were up to," Fred said matter-of-factly, stepping onto Goyle and into the compartment. He had his wand out, and so did George, who was careful to tread on Malfoy as he followed Fred inside. Eleanor stepped over the bodies, not feeling it quite right to actually step on them, no matter who they were.
"Interesting effect," said George, looking down at Crabbe. "Who used the Furnunculus Curse?"
"Me," said Harry.
"Odd," said George lightly. "I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face. Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor."
Ron, Harry, and George kicked, rolled, and pushed the unconscious Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle - each of whom looked distinctly the worse for the jumble of jinxes with which they had been hit - out into the corridor, then came back into the compartment and rolled the door shut.
"Exploding Snap, anyone?" said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards.
They were halfway through their fifth game when Harry decided to ask them.
"You going to tell us, then?" he asked George. "Who you were blackmailing?"
"Oh,"George said darkly. "That."
"It doesn't matter," Fred said, shaking his head impatiently. "It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway."
"We've given up," said George, shrugging.
But Eleanor could see that Harry, Ron, and Hermione were not going to let it go so easily. They continued to ask questions until finally, Fred said, "All right, all right, if you really want to know ... it was Ludo Bagman."
"Bagman?" Harry said sharply. "Are you saying he was involved in -"
"Nah," George said gloomily. "Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains."
Eleanor didn't comment, him being a family friend and all, but she certainly agreed.
"Well, what, then?" Ron asked.
Fred hesitated, then said, "You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup? About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?"
"Yeah," said Harry and Ron slowly.
"Well, the git paid us in leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots."
"So?"
"So," said Fred impatiently, "it vanished, didn't it? By next morning, it had gone!"
"But - it must've been an accident, mustn't it?" said Hermione.
George laughed very bitterly and Eleanor shook her head, "Trust me, it wasn't."
George nodded, "Yeah, but that's what we thought, at first too. We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us."
"In the end, he turned pretty nasty," Fred said, "Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything."
"Funny that he said that, seeing as he was the one telling your father to allow you to gamble a bit," Eleanor scoffed.
"So we asked for our money back," George said glowering.
"He didn't refuse!" Hermione gasped.
"Right in one," Fred nodded.
"But that was all your savings!" Ron cried.
"Tell me about it," George said with a nod, "'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."
"What?" Eleanor asked. This part was news to her. George ignored her.
"Turns out Bagman'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?"
"How?" Harry asked.
"He put a bet on you, mate," Fred said, "Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins."
Eleanor gasped, "You're joking."
Fred shook his head.
"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!" Harry said. "Well - I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!"
"Nope," George said, shaking his head. "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 sighed deeply and started dealing out the cards again.
Eleanor leaned over to Fred as George dealt, "You did not tell me nearly half of this information Fredory Weasley."
Fred smiled sheepishly, "Well...it's all out in the open now, isn't it."
Eleanor glared at him and grabbed her card hand, and made it her duty to make sure Fred lost the game every single time.
The rest of the trip back was pleasant, filled with laughter and card games (Eleanor successfully got Fred to lose twice before he realized she was doing it on purpose and demanded she stop). When the train had finally come to a stop, everyone hurried about, trying to grab their things and get over Malfoy and his two lugheaded friends. Ron and Hermione headed out the door, but Harry stayed put in his compartment.
"Fred - George - wait a moment." Harry called just as they were about to head out the door. Harry looked at Eleanor, "You can stay two. I've just got something I want to give them."
The twins turned. Harry pulled open his trunk and drew out his Triwizard winnings.
"Take it," he said, and he thrust the sack into George's hands.
"What?" Fred asked, looking flabbergasted.
"Take it," Harry repeated firmly. "I don't want it."
"You're mental," George said, trying to push it back at Harry.
"No, I'm not," said Harry. "You take it, and get inventing. It's for the joke shop."
"He is mental," Fred said in an almost awed voice.
"Listen," Harry said firmly. "If you don't take it, I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't want it and I don't need it. But I could do with a few laughs. We could all do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long. Eleanor told me that if I didn't want it, I should give it to something or someone who would use it for good. I think that's you two."
The twins looked at Eleanor, who smiled, and then back at Harry.
"Harry," George said weakly, weighing the money bag in his hands, "there's got to be a thousand Galleons in here."
"Yeah," said Harry, grinning. "Think how many Canary Creams that is."
The twins stared at him.
"Just don't tell your mum where you got it... although she might not be so keen for you to join the Ministry anymore, come to think of it. . . ."
"Harry," Fred began, but Harry pulled out his wand.
"Look," he said flatly, "take it, or I'll hex you. I know some good ones now. Just do me one favor, okay? Buy Ron some different dress robes and say they're from you."
He left the compartment before they could say another word, stepping over Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were still lying on the floor, covered in hex marks. Fred and George stared at the bag in George's hands, awestruck.
"Did you know?" Fred asked, looking up at Eleanor.
"That he would give it to you?" Eleanor asked, "No. But I think he's right."
George gave a shocked laugh, "This is...this is a miracle."
"Well, boys, put your miracle in your trunks and let's get off this train before it takes us all the way back to the castle." Eleanor said, motioning them to the door.
They all grabbed their things and headed off the train. They pushed their trunks along until they got to Eleanor's stop. George winked at Eleanor several times, then the group left Fred and Eleanor alone to say goodbye. Eleanor noticed, yet again, that Ginny gave a disdainful look as they left the pair. Eleanor made a mental note to ask Fred about it later.
Fred smiled at her, "Well my little bumblebee,"
"Well, my red robin," Eleanor said.
Fred grinned. He pointed at Archimedes, who was sitting in his cage on top of Eleanor's trunk, "I expect I'll be seeing a lot of you this summer. More than her."
Eleanor rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, just don't forget to write, alright red?"
Fred turned back to her, "I'm pretty sure I proved to you last summer and this year that I don't plan on forgetting you any time soon. Don't forget me with your fancy internship."
He opened his arms and Eleanor went into them, wrapping her own arms around him and hugging him tight. Fred kissed the top of her head, then pulled back, giving her a wink.
"Bye Ellie Bellie."
"Bye Freddy Boo Boo."
"See you later, pumpkin doodle."
"Visit you soon my strawberry whipped cream sweet tart!"
Fred grinned, "Bye you black-haired hag."
Eleanor let her mouth fall open. Melinda had called her that right before Fred dumped her. She shook her head, "That was low, you troll fart."
Fred laughed loudly, coming back to her and scooping her face in his hands, kissing her. And then, he let her go, grabbing his trolley and rushing away, turning around once to yell, "FAREWELL MY LITTLE DOVE!"
Eleanor couldn't help but giggle, waving at him until he disappeared from sight. However, the moment he disappeared from sight, a strange, sinking, feeling hit her, and she felt an odd sense that she would not be seeing him anytime soon.
Shaking her head to get the feeling away, she grabbed her trolley and walked through to her platform, scanning the crowd until she heard, "ELLIE!"
Eleanor felt Edwin before she saw him. He jumped onto her, hugging her so tight and with so much force that she almost knocked her trolley over.
"Hey Eddie-win-win," Eleanor wheezed. She pulled him back to get a good look at him, "You're getting bigger."
Edwin beamed, "I've grown!"
Eleanor nodded, "I can tell. Stop that right now mister."
He giggled loudly as she poked him playfully.
"Ahem."
Eleanor looked up at her parents, who were glancing around the area. Eleanor knew immediately that they were searching to see how people were reacting. They were worried people would be looking at Edwin. Eleanor sighed and straightened up from her crouch by Edwin.
"Time to go?" she asked, raising a criticizing eyebrow.
Her father tilted his head, "No hello? No hug?"
"Well, I saw you not too long ago," Eleanor responded coldly. Edwin looked up at her, then at his father, then back at her. She saw the confused look on his face, and knew she needed to pretend, for him.
"But," she said, "I suppose I forgot the last time I saw you." She and her father shared a quick embrace. Her mother allowed her to kiss her on the cheek.
"Well," her mother said, clearly satisfied, "Shall we head home?"
Eleanor nodded, "Great idea."
Edwin talked the entire way home, jumping up and down with excitement as he told Eleanor about some of his friends who apparently lived not too far away from their manor. When he suggested that perhaps they come visit during the summer so he could play, Eleanor saw her parents exchange a look.
Once Eleanor had settled into her bedroom, let Archimedes out of his cage and allowed him some well needed exercise, grabbed the book that Fred had given her for Christmas, and fell onto her bed.
Before she could even get through a paragraph, there was a knock on her door. She sighed, closing her book, "Come in."
The door opened, and her father entered the room. She sat up on her bed.
"Eleanor."
"Father."
He closed the door behind him and took a door before he spoke, "Eleanor."
"Yes?"
Her father glanced at the book in her hands, seemed to have an internal battle within himself then continued, "We need to talk."
Eleanor nodded, "Yes. I think we do."
"I think you know what I'm referring to."
Eleanor nodded again, "I think so." She reached into her pocket, pulling the letter out of her robes, prepared to have the discussion she would be coming. Father would tell her about an internship at the hospital, she would tell him about the internship she had already been accepted into, he would get angry, she would get angry but not back down, and he would leave the room."
"Eleanor, I've been concerned," he started.
"About my summer plans, I know." Eleanor continued, holding up the letter, "But father, I have some great ne-"
"No Eleanor, I'm not here to discuss your summer plans. You are old enough to make those decisions for yourself. I don't need to show you another internship. This is a little more serious than that."
Eleanor lowered the letter, "Oh..."
Her father shifted in his seat, "Eleanor, about the Triwizard Tournament."
Eleanor stared at him.
"There are many speculations about what happened in that maze," he continued.
"But there's only one story that matters," Eleanor interrupted again, "Harry's story."
Her father stared at her for a moment, "I know what you are thinking. Dumbledore told you a story. I do not know if it is true or not-please allow me to finish my thoughts before you intervene Eleanor-but I must warn you, things are going to be different. We as a family must be more wary, more cautious, more careful. The Ministry is not happy with what Dumbledore has said, and he is going to be keeping a close eye on people, to make sure they are not going against his authority."
Eleanor watched her father as he spoke. He looked worried.
"Eleanor, I know what you believe. You trust Harry, and that is your opinion, but I must ask you to not do anything that will draw the Ministers eyes towards you. You must be careful. Our family. Not just for our image, as I'm sure you are assuming this is about, but for Edwin's sake. Everything is going to be different Eleanor, and I do not want any attention on us, if at all possible."
"Father, what's going on? What do you know?" Eleanor asked.
Her father shook her head, "I don't know anything, but I am asking you to stay low Eleanor. Please."
Eleanor looked into his eyes. She had been so angry with him at Hogwarts, and the article he had allowed to be posted, but looking at him right now, she saw not the prideful Healer, but a concerned father. This scared her. He knew something. He was worried about something. He wouldn't say it, but Eleanor had a suspicion that her father believed You-Know-Who was back.
And he was scared.
Eleanor nodded her head, "I understand, Father."
What is Alcom so scared of (besides Lord Voldemort of course)? How will these events affect the situation surrounding Edwin?
Thank you so much for reading my story and sticking through it, even though it isn't anything special. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!