A/N: Happy New Years to all, and happy birthday to Voldemort himself! Before this chapter begins, I would like to remind people that while I welcome criticism, I ask that it please be constructive. If you dislike this story, that's fine! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I know this story isn't for everybody. I only request that if you dislike this story that you simply stop reading and not leave hostile reviews.

And, as always, there are numerous quotes from this chapter taken from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Momento Mori

Chapter Twenty: Stars Shine Darkly

Draco trudged down to the lake with Crabbe and Goyle lumbering behind him. The sun had been clouded over and the waters of the lake were as dark as ever. He shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to keep the chill of the wind from affecting him.

By the time he arrived to the lake, it seemed as if Potter, Krum, and Diggory were all there. "C'mon," he said to his companions, "let's find a seat."

He began ascending the steps, scanning through the crowd for an open spot. He spotted Pansy at the top, joined by Daphne and Millicent. Draco hadn't spoken more than a couple words at a time to Pansy since the article in Witch Weekly, but their friendship had been strained after the Yule Ball. He knew, logically, that he hadn't been a very good date, but it wasn't any excuse to blab secret information to the likes of Rita Skeeter. Mother and Father had been furious, urging him to cut off all ties with Pansy.

His eyes widened when he realized Bethany was sitting alone in front of a group of Durmstrang students, her eyes fixed on the other side of the stands. For whatever reason, she had been avoiding him since the Yule Ball. She seemed more skittish that usual, averting eye contact and speaking quickly.

Deciding that he needed to talk to her, he marched over to her seat. Judging by the sound of footsteps behind him, Crabbe and Goyle had decided to follow him.

"Hi," he said when she didn't notice him.

Bethany jolted before seeing who it was and let out a loud sigh of what he presumed was relief. "Mind if we have a seat?" Draco didn't bother waiting for her response before sitting down beside her.

"Don't do that!" Her hand came to rest upon her chest, eyes widened. "You scared me!"

"Not my fault you weren't paying attention," he said, feeling more than a little sore. When she said nothing, he asked, "Why've you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't!" She said, but refused to look at him. "I've been helping Harry prepare for this task for weeks now. I haven't had much spare time."

Draco let out a sigh. He knew she was lying... or at least partially lying. He doubted Potter would be standing at the edge of the lake right now if it weren't for Bethany. "I got a low grade on that quiz in Ancient Runes last week," he told her.

"It's not my fault," Bethany insisted, and judging by her stiffening posture she was growing angry with him. "You have brains, you ought to use them every once in a while instead of relying on me to help you study."

Before he could reply, Goyle elbowed him sharply. "Ouch! Watch it!" Draco snapped, rubbing his arm.

"Look! It's her! It's Fleur Delacour!"

Indeed, it was. The blonde Champion was hugging two brunettes, her hair pulled back into a bun. There was something about her that managed to entrance him every time he laid eyes on her... maybe it was her laughter, or her—

A sharp kick to his ankles tore his gaze away. Bethany was glowering at him. "What was that for?"

"You were looking like an idiot again," she said, a small smile playing on her lips. "You're welcome."

Even though he was pleased he had finally managed to capture her attention, the stinging in his ankle caused him to scowl. "Why do you insist on kicking me when I look at other girls?" He snapped.

"Because you looked like an idiot. Plain and simple," said Bethany, folding her hands into her lap as she straightened her posture. "Besides, she's a quarter Veela. That's part of the reason you're so entranced by her."

A quarter Veela? Draco hadn't even realized it was possible. He wondered if Father had ever heard of such a thing before. He would have to ask him... he frowned. "Entranced?" How had she known that was the exact wording he used... Merlin, he hadn't spoken them out loud, had he? He doubted he could put up with the ridicule.

"You don't know what it means?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "My God, does she mess with your head that badly?"

"Never mind," Draco said hastily, looking back at the Champions, this time avoiding looking at Fleur. He didn't want to be attacked again.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle," Ludo Bagman announced, his voice booming throughout the vicinity. "They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One...two...three!"

A whistle pierced through the air, and Viktor Krum raced into the icy waters of the lake, waving his wand before submerging himself. Potter, Draco was pleased to see, looked like a fool as he tore his shoes and socks off and waded to the waters edge. He shoved something into his mouth, standing in the water even after Fleur and Diggory had gone under the water. A laugh escaped him. "Is Potter enjoying a snack? I thought it was Weasley's forte to wolf an entire meal down before doing anything!"

"Oh, be quiet!" Bethany appeared to be fuming. "If you are going to insult my friends, I might as well leave!"

Draco's eyes widened. It had been nearly a month since he and Bethany had conversed; he had forgotten to keep his mouth shut about the band of misfits she called friends. "Wait, don't go! I didn't mean anything by it!" When he saw her exterior soften, he asked, "Speaking of Weasley, where is he? I would have thought he and Granger would be here supporting Potter with you."

"They're at the bottom of the lake," she replied nonchalantly.

"What?"

"Each of the Champions had something taken from them. The thing they would miss most," said Bethany. "And those 'somethings' were their friends."

"Potter's got to rescue Granger and Weasley?" Before Bethany could affirm it, he demanded, "Why aren't you down there, then? Doesn't he value you as a friend?" Draco doubted he could put words to explain the emotions he was feeling, but he knew that he currently wanted to hex Potter with something foul.

"He does," she stated, but Draco saw a flicker of insecurity in her eyes. She swallowed before saying, "I think he only is supposed to rescue Ron. Hermione is probably down there for Viktor."

Viktor? "You're on a first name basis with Krum?" He couldn't help but feel envious. He'd love to be friends with a professional Quidditch player... even if they had a lousy taste in dates to the Yule Ball.

"Not really. Hermione tells me about him a lot about him, though. And she calls him Viktor... I must have picked it up from her."

"They're together then? The Mud— er, Granger and Krum?" Dammit, he thought as she glared at him. All this time with nobody but Crabbe, Goyle, and occasionally Theodore Nott for company had taken a toll on his abilities to correct himself before speaking to her.

"Hermione and Krum are dating, yes," she finally responded. The look she was giving him sent shivers down his spine. Draco had yet to meet the Dark Lord, but he suspected this was a trait he had passed onto his daughter. Even though Father always spoke of the Dark Lord admirably, Draco knew he also feared displeasing the man he had devoted his service to.

"That surprises me," he said, knowing that he would likely incur her anger again by speaking the words, but it was the truth. Why Viktor Krum had chosen to associate with Granger was beyond him. Durmstrang was supposed to teach Dark magic and ban Mudbloods from attending. Either Krum was weaker than Draco had ever imagined he could be or Durmstrang's ideals were growing more lax. It was troubling on both fronts; he had to remember to mention this to Father...

"Hermione has plenty of wonderful qualities. The only reason you don't see them is because you are a bigot."

"I can't imagine they have much in common. That's all," Draco said, only half lying. There was nothing about Granger that would entice any man, in his opinion, even when one set her blood status aside. What on Earth would an eighteen year old international Quidditch star have in common with a fourth year Mudblood?

"He thinks she is kind," she told him. "And he's right." Her eyes focused on her knees. "I don't think he likes me very much, to be honest."

Draco frowned. "Why not?"

"I think he must have read Rita Skeeter's stupid article," Bethany said sadly. "A lot of people don't like me anymore."

That tight, angry feeling rose up once more. "Don't listen to what anyone has to say. They're just jealous."

She let out a humorless laugh. "Yeah. Right. Who wouldn't want to be the Dark Lord's daughter? It's loads of fun."

"What's that?" Goyle said, nudging Draco's arm before he could attempt to defend Bethany from herself. His friend was leaned forward, eyes trained on the waves of the lake.

Annoyed, he scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"That!"

Bethany, Crabbe, and Draco followed the direction in which Goyle was pointing. Sure enough, something was bobbling under the surface on the water. Seconds later, a drenched Fleur Delacour emerged from the water, stricken. "What's she doing?" Crabbe asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Draco snapped irritably.

Fleur climbed onto the dock, and Madame Maxime rushed to her side. Her face screwed up, and it was impossible to tell if she was crying or not due to the sheer distance and the water clinging to her skin. "What's this?" Ludo Bagman asked, his voice echoing throughout the makeshift stadium. Madame Maxime withdrew from Fleur, walking over to Bagman to speak quietly. "Miss Delacour has withdrawn from this task, citing complications with the Grindylows in the lake."

"Grindylows?" Goyle seemed gobsmacked. "I didn't know there were Grindylows in the lake."

"Neither did I," Crabbed chimed in.

Draco looked over at Bethany who caught his eye and smirked. Merlin, he had missed her company...

The girls seated in front of them began whispering to one another. "Elle est si bête! Je ne peux pas la croire!"

"Nous allons perdre à cause d'elle!"

"What lovely, supportive friends," Draco muttered, just low enough for Bethany to overhear him.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You know French?" When he nodded, she asked, "What are they saying?"

"They're insulting her."

Bethany glared at the backs of their heads. "That's awful! I'd like to see them try to compete in this competition!"

Pleased to see she was now in higher spirits, he mused, "I wonder if they'll leave Davies under the water or if he'll be fetched after the task."

"Rodger is here," said Bethany, turning her head. "See? He'd next to Nathaniel Newer."

Draco scanned the crowd and saw the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain was indeed with his friends, laughing, seemingly oblivious that Fleur was no longer competing and was sobbing in Madame Maxime's arms. "Their Yule Ball must have gone badly," he said without thinking.

"I don't think so," said Bethany, and he could see she was smirking. "Harry told me that they were snogging in the bushes."

Good for Davies, Draco thought, impressed. Still, that raised the question of who Fleur was supposed to rescue. Before he could voice anything like this, Bethany said, "I wonder who is under the lake for her, then. Her supposed friends are in front of us."

How had she done that? It was as if she had stolen the thoughts from his mind. She didn't know Legimancy, did she? When he didn't answer, she turned to stare at him curiously. "I don't know who else it could be," he responded, sounding more calm than he felt. How did she keep doing that? It was bizarre.

"Poor girl," she said, sounding more sympathetic than she had earlier when triumphantly telling him she was a quarter Veela. "Whoever it is, she must feel awful."

Draco agreed. Fleur's face was buried in Madame Maxime's giant shoulder now, her shoulders shaking. Suddenly, he felt sick. "What happens to the people in the lake? If they don't get there?"

"I don't know." Bethany seemed paler than usual. "I— They wouldn't just leave them there, would they? They couldn't!"

But Draco knew she was thinking the same thing he was. Under Dumbledore's reign as headmaster, he had allowed his worst enemy to infiltrate the school twice, had allowed Dementors to guard the school, and a fourteen year old was one of the Triwizard champions. Who was to say that batty old man wouldn't let someone drown?

They both grew silent, ruminating on the fate that awaited the person in the water. "Harry will probably save them. Whoever it is," Bethany finally said.

"Potter?" Draco had to admit, it wasn't an unlikely scenario. He was arrogant enough to do such a thing, to bolster his bravado with a display of heroics. "Makes sense," he told her. She beamed.

The rest of the task was rather boring. Unlike the first task with dragons, there was nothing impressive to watch. It almost seemed like a waste of time. He needed to study for Ancient Runes... without Bethany's help, he had languished in that class. As soon as OWLs were through, Draco was dropping that class.

Much to his relief, this time was already rejuvenating their friendship. The ease he was accustomed to returned, as they swapped stories from their month apart. The longer they talked, it was as if there hadn't been a divide at all.

Suddenly, there was a commotion. Draco turned to the lake and saw Diggory, drenched and pulling Cho Chang out of the water. "Finally!" Crabbe exclaimed. "It's been ages! I'm getting tired!"

"No it hasn't," Draco rolled his eyes. Leave it to Crabbe to over exaggerate everything.

"And our first champion has returned, along with his hostage!" Ludo Bagman broadcasted, amplifying his voice a second time. "He was gone for sixty three minutes and eighteen seconds."

Draco frowned. Two hours? "It hasn't been nearly that long," he exclaimed. "The task only just started."

Bethany didn't seem nearly as surprised as he was. "Time flies when you are having fun," she supposed, smiling.

It didn't take much longer before Krum re-emerged from the water, pulling Granger to the surface. "You were right," Draco said without an ounce of happiness. Honestly, something had to be wrong with Krum.

"I always am." Bethany was grinning, clearly

teasing him. But it quickly faded. "Now we just have to wait for Harry."

But ten minutes passed, and Potter had not appeared. Then fifteen. Then twenty. Bethany was on the edge of her seat, eyes scanning the lake for any trace for Potter. When thirty minutes had gone by, she looked ill.

Suddenly, from the depths of the lake arose three figures; Weasley was unmistakable, with his ginger hair darker than normal, and a small girl with blonde hair bobbed in the waters. The third had to be none other than Potter. "There he is!" Draco heard somebody shout behind them. "He's back! Potter made it!"

One of Weasleys brothers (Draco was fairly certain he was Crouch's assistant) walked into the water to meet his brother and pull him into a hug. Draco sneered at the display. Fleur was screaming, trying to lunge into the water herself.

"It's her sister," Bethany stated as the blonde little girl was hugged fiercely by Fleur.

"I didn't know she had a sister."

"I didn't either. But they look so similar..."

A large crowd began huddling around Potter, who was soaking wet. Draco was astounded to see the water had actually flattened Potter's unruly hair. "Are you going to see them, then?" He asked Bethany, who was on the edge of her seat.

She seemed to hesitate before saying, "I better not. I don't want to interfere."

Interfere with what? Draco wanted to ask, but Ludo Bagman began to announce the scores. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows...

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points." Draco began to clap and noticed that the girl looked rather sad. There was no way she was going to be able to win the Tournament now.

Bagman continued. "Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour." The Hufflepuffs in the stands began cheering loudly. "We therefore award him forty-seven points.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points."

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own. Most of the judges," Bagman glared at Karkaroff, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However... Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."

Bethany cheered loudly at this. Not wanting to spark another arguement, Draco clapped for Potter as he had for the other champions, but with considerably less enthusiasm. Crabbe and Goyle didn't even bother, scowling at Potter as if he were a cockroach.

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

"I have to go see him!" Bethany had leapt to her feet, seeming to have changed her tune. "I'll meet you in the library tomorrow... if you want, that is," she added hastily, seeming somewhat nervous. "We could work on Ancient Runes, so you don't fall behind again."

Draco nodded, relieved. She was finally herself once again. "See you then."

Beaming, Bethany raced down the stairs, ignoring all the other students as she met Potter, wrapping her arms around him. Draco felt the same, annoyed feeling he had felt at the Yule Ball when he had seen her with Potter. "Let's go," he said to Crabbe and Goyle, rising to his feet.

Albus Dumbledore's Great Mistakes by Rita Skeeter

The Boy Who Lived, it seems, continues to suffer under the negligence of Hogwart's incompetent headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Miss Granger, a dull girl who is supposedly 'the cleverest witch at Hogwarts', has bewitched both Mr. Potter and international Quidditch star, Viktor Krum. Her dalliances with both men have caused a strain in Harry Potter's romance with the rumored daughter of You-Know-Who, Miss Riddle.

"[Granger] is upset that Potter moved on so fast," claims Daphne Greengrass, a pretty fourth year at Hogwarts. "She is always flaunting her relationship with Krum in his face, which makes him jealous and I think Riddle is starting to get sick of it."

According to numerous letters sent to Witch Weekly, Miss Riddle is a respectable young lady with a mysterious past and an all consuming love for Mr. Potter. Blaise Zabini told our reporter that she spent weeks in the library to help her boyfriend prepare for the second task, only for him to embrace Miss Granger, who had been rescued from the murky waters by Viktor Krum.

Viktor Krum, who has fallen for Miss Granger's tricks, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl." Numerous students at Hogwarts have suggested that Miss Granger may be influencing him with the use of a Love Potion. However, Albus Dumbledore has not taken the appropriate measures to ensure neither Triwizard champion is being drugged with these potions, something that concerns the public. Nevertheless, Miss Granger remains a favorite amongst teachers at Hogwarts, and shall continue to bewitch these two powerful men until her lust for power is satisfied.

"What a load of rubbish!" Bethany slammed the magazine down on the table, scowling. "It's...it's nonsense, is what it is!"

"I told you!" Ron hissed at Hermione as she collected the magazine. "I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you out to be some sort of- of scarlet woman!"

Hermione began giggling. "Scarlet woman?" Bethany was snickering as well.

"It's what my Mum calls them," Ron said, face flushing.

"If it's the best Rita can do, she's losing her touch," Hermione said, laughs continuing the escape her. "What a pile of old rubbish!"

"It's lacks her usual pizzazz," said Bethany, pleased Hermione was taking it well. She was dealing better than Bethany had, at any rate.

Hermione smiled and waved, and when Bethany turned her head, she saw there were a group Slytherins, including Pansy and Daphne, who were watching to see Hermione's reaction. Draco wasn't there, thank God— he had been keeping his distance from his housemates recently, much to her delight. He'd began pairing up with her instead of Pansy during Herbology, which was fantastic on a number of levels; it gave them time to talk and it infuriated Pansy to no end.

Ron and Hermione had tuned out the rest of the world, it seemed, as Hermione uncharacteristically continued to tease him about 'scarlet women'. Bethany was wondering why they weren't dating already. Who else would prompt Hermione to tease them? "Maybe we ought to have a bet going to see how many times she'll mention us in one of her rubbish articles," she said to Harry.

"She was a lot nicer to you this time," remarked Harry to Bethany.

"Oh, I'm not surprised," she said. "Lucius sent me a letter saying he sent them a nasty letter and pulled out a lot of money that he uses for advertising in their magazines."

Harry blinked. "Huh."

Bethany bit down on the inside of her lip. "I know what you're thinking, and I understand, but they really are nice to me." It was an understatement, given all they had done for her.

"There is something funny, though," Hermione said, addressing the whole group. "How could Rita Skeeter have known..." she trailed off, eyes darting to Ron as she blushed.

"Known what? You haven't been mixing up Love Potions, have you?" He asked.

"Don't be stupid!" She snapped. "No, it's just... how did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?"

"What?" Ron's voice was so loud that it drew attention from the other Gryffindors at the table. Harry exchanged a look with Bethany, and she immediately knew he knew.

"He asked me after he pulled me out of the lake. After he'd got rid of his shark's head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said, if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to—"

"And what did you say?" Ron interrupted, seeming both aggravated and interested.

"Well, I was too busy seeing whether you and Harry were okay to answer," Hermione glanced about nervously. As Ron opened his mouth to presumably ask another question, she stood up and said, "I need to go to the bathroom, excuse me."

Ron stared after her, sputtering. "She can't go with him to Bulgaria! He's eighteen years old, for Merlin's sake!"

Bethany and Harry exchanged a second look, neither of them certain of what to say. Thankfully, Ron didn't seem to care about a lack of response, merely letting out a huff and inquiring Bethany about the Potions essay due the following week.

Defense Against the Dark Arts has become Bethany's least favorite subject. Each lesson detailed and presented acts that were more vile than the last, and the cherry on top was that all of these details were preceded by reminding everyone that "You-Know-Who" and his band of Death Eaters had used these curses against students. What's more, Professor Moody had taken to asking Bethany questions when she preferred to blend into the background. Occasionally, she knew the answer due to her reading of the textbooks, but whenever she didn't, he made a noise akin to tutting before calling on another Ravenclaw.

In any case, Bethany was damned. If she knew the answer, she would overhear Michael Corner muttering that "she must have learned it from her father". If she didn't, she heard Lisa Turpin saying that "she must have tricked the Sorting Hat to let her into Ravenclaw, she didn't even know the incantation to the Blood Curse!" Bethany knew the only reason Moody kept calling on her was because of that stupid article, and she grew to loathe the class more and more with each lesson.

After a nasty lecture discussing hexes, Professor Moody barked out, "Riddle! I need to speak with you!"

Bethany heard gasps from behind her as Isobel and Lisa gathered their bags. Instantly, the worst came to mind; Moody would arrest her, citing her as a danger to society and she would be sent to Azkaban for the rest of her days. Calm down, Bethany told herself, though her hands were shaking, you're being dramatic. He can't arrest you— you haven't done anything wrong. Still, her anxiety did not dissipate as she walked to the front of the room.

Moody was examining her, his magical eye zooming in before zooming out again. "Professor Snape has told me you are good at Potions," he stated. "Is that true?"

"...I suppose, sir," she replied. "It's, uh, my favorite subject."

Moody nodded. "Interesting. Your mother was talented with them as well."

She froze. How did he know who her mother was? Bethany gulped before saying, "I've been told that, sir."

"Not good at much else, but she knew how to make a damn good potion."

Her fingers gripped her wand tightly. "I would prefer it if you didn't speak ill of my mother, Professor," she said cooly, for once not caring about directly opposing an authority figure. "She is not here to defend herself."

"Of course, of course." He shuffled about the room, moving over to his desk. "I've looked at your records, Riddle, and your marks this year aren't as high as they were last year. You're only pulling an A."

Maybe it's because you're a raving nutcase, Bethany thought angrily, but instead she said, "I didn't know that, sir. I promise to study harder."

He nodded, before bending over to pick something up. "I have a book that I think will interest you," he said, setting a thick, leather bound tome on top of the desk. For a moment, Bethany thought it was her father's diary and seized up, only to realize the book was taller and wider than the diary, filled with thick, yellowing pages. Moste Potente Potions, the title read. This was the same book she had used with Hermione to brew the Polyjuice Potion.

"Do you know how many original copies of this book are in existence, Riddle?" Professor Moody asked. When she didn't respond, he answered. "Five. One of them is in Hogwarts library as we speak. It's a rare thing. Treat it well." He pushes the book across the desk and Bethany realized, with a start, that he meant for her to keep it.

"Sir, I can't take this book," she insisted. Not only would she never forgive herself if she damaged this book, but she did not trust Professor Moody at all. He was the most unhinged, fearsome Defense she had ever had— which was saying something, considering Quirrell has her father living on the back of his head.

"If you've even the fraction of Delilah Shafiq's talent, you deserve it," Moody pushed the book towards her again, and Bethany backed away from it as if it were on fire. "Dark times are ahead of us, and I have a feeling your skills will be useful. If you can memorize these potions, you'll protect yourself from a great deal of danger."

Maybe he was right... and it was such a lovely book... "So you think m— You-Know-Who will return?" She had almost said my father.

"Wizards like him don't just disappear, Riddle. I know he'll be back... and sooner than most of us would like, I reckon."

His words sent chills down her spine. Nervously, she reached out and took the heavy book. "Thank you, sir," she said, shoving the book into her bag and absconding the classroom before he could say anything else.

Much to her surprise, Terry Boot and Padma Patil were waiting outside of the classroom. "Hey, Bethany!" Padma greeted her cheerfully. Even though Padma had been one of the few Ravenclaws to refrain from publicly ridiculing her, Bethany was instinctively mistrustful.

"Hi."

"So what was Professor Moody talking to you about?" Padma asked, eying the closed door.

Bethany shook her head. "I'm not doing well, that's all. He said that I needed to work harder." Bethany didn't like lying or only telling half truths, but she wasn't about to let them know that she was now in possession of one of the most fascinating books on potions the world had ever seen.

"Oh," Padma said. "He's kind of creepy, isn't he? I don't like his eye."

"Padma," Terry spoke up for the first time, almost chastising her. He faced Bethany, saying, "We wanted to make sure you're alright. We know a lot of the Ravenclaws—" Padma let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like "Michael"— "haven't been the nicest since that rubbish article came out. We wanted to know if you'd sit with us at lunch today."

Bethany was dumbstruck. Terry and Padma were close friends with Michael and Anthony. In spite of knowing logically that it wasn't her fault, she felt a stab of guilt at possibly creating a schism between the Ravenclaw Quartet. Still, it was nice to know that she had allies in her own house, considering Ravenclaws weren't known for their loyalty. "Sure."

They both beamed. "Excellent!" Terry professed.

Bethany was stunned as she walked with them. Padma had always been kind to her, but she was unaware if she had ever spoken to Terry before. "We knew that Rita's article was a load of garbage from the start," said Padma, chattering away. "Terry and I wrote some complaints. Su did too, which was nice to her, and I convinced Parvati and Lavender to unsubscribe to Witch Weekly."

Bethany's eyes widened. Merlin, she hadn't realized so many people were on her side. "Michael made a few comments at first," Terry said, almost shyly, "But we thought he would come to his senses eventually."

"But he didn't," Padma crossed her arms over her chest. "So we aren't speaking to him at the moment."

"Oh," was all Bethany could manage.

"I think our campaign has been working well," Padma said, beaming. "Su swiped Lisa's latest magazine so we could read Rita's latest article—" she raised her hands up to use air quotes, "and she certainly backed off."

Bethany smiled gratefully at them. "Thank you. That means a lot." After a beat, she said, "Lucius wrote a letter to them as well, and stopped running advertisements, so I think that helped as well."

"Lucius?" Padma's eyebrows furrowed.

"As in Malfoy?"

"Yeah," said Bethany, suddenly realizing she had never explicitly told anybody in Ravenclaw that she lived with the Malfoys. "Him and his wife are my guardians."

"Really?" Terry seemed surprised.

"Is that why you always are hanging out with Malfoy in the library?" Padma asked.

Bethany nodded. "I never knew that," Terry commented. "Theodore Nott is my cousin, so he usually tells me what's going on."

Bethany's eyes widened. Now that he pointed it out, Bethany could see the stark resemblance. They were both tall, weedy boys with brown hair in nearly the same shade. Bethany wondered why she hadn't seen them together.

"I shouldn't be surprised, though." Terry's lips twitched. "Theo isn't all that observant. Not when it comes to people. He's pretty book smart, though."

"He's weird," Padma said. "I can't believe you're actually related to him."

"Almost everyone in the wizarding world is related to one another," Terry pointed out. "We just happen to be more closely related."

Padma shrugged. "The only person I'm related to here is Parvati."

"I don't know who I'm related to," Bethany spoke up, causing Terry and Padma to let out good natured laughs. "Maybe I should look into genealogical records."

"Well, you've got to be related to the Malfoys somehow, since you're living with them," Padma reasoned.

"Not necessarily," Terry said. "Riddle isn't a name on the Sacred Twenty Eight." Bethany was shocked he wasn't mentioning the obvious about her father. "Your mother was a Shafiq, wasn't she?" When Bethany gave him a questioning look, he said, "I remembered you telling Pansy our second year. When you two got into that fight." He grinned widely.

"I almost forgot about that!" Padma made a noise halfway between a gasp and a laugh. "I don't know how, though! That was so funny!"

Bethany smiled. "She was," she affirmed.

"Well, there hasn't been a Shafiq-Malfoy marriage in centuries. I think the last one was in the 1500s, and I think that line died out. I'll have to double check that, though," he said. "So I don't think you're related."

Merlin, how did he know that? "I don't understand how you can stand all that crap," Padma spoke up.

"My mother was a Nott. She's obsessed with making sure I 'maintain the pure blooded standards'. What else am I supposed to do when she shoves all the family trees in front of my face?" He rolled his eyes as he said so.

"Your dad is a halfblood!"

"Hence why they are divorced," said Terry, smirking.

Padma shook her head as they entered the Great Hall. Ron, Harry, and Hermione weren't at the Gryffindor table yet. For the first time in roughly a month, Bethany sat down at the Ravenclaw table. They were on end of the table, much to Bethany's relief. It would be easier to make an escape if she needed one.

"Well, Narcissa told me that my parents were friends with them," she said lowly. "So I suppose that was why I live there."

"I guess that makes sense," said Padma, reaching for a glass of pumpkin juice. "Draco's sort of like your brother then, isn't he?"

"No," Bethany replied automatically, without any thought. It was strange, considering Lucius and Narcissa served as the only parental figures in her life, but he had never been anything... well, brotherly. "He's... just my friend. But we have different views on a lot of things," she added. She didn't need them thinking she was a pureblooded maniac.

The conversation took a number of directions, usually concerning family. Padma talked about her parents, who both worked for the Ministry as Unspeakables. Terry shared stories about his father and older sister, Aurora. She noticed that he spoke little of his mother.

Padma was halfway through a story about how her and Parvati had convinced their parents to buy them a puppy when Bethany noticed that Fleur Delacour sat only a few seats away from them. She was as pretty as ever, but a sort of sadness clung to her. Bethany realized that she was alone. She wondered if the two spiteful French girls had abandoned her or if Fleur had decided not to sit with them.

"—and she was the cutest little thing... I wanted to name her Toffee because that's the color of her fur, but Parvati started to call her Boots, so it stuck."

"And it's a very fine name," Terry said, earning a laugh from Padma. When they realized Bethany wasn't laughing along with them, they followed her gaze. "She does look upset," Terry noted.

"I bet she's embarrassed," Padma said, running a hand through her dark hair. "I'd hate to lose a competition in front of so many people. She came dead last."

"I think I'm going to talk to her," Bethany said before she thought about it, and suddenly felt nervous. She usually didn't initiate conversation with others. Still, Fleur looked as if she needed some cheering up.

"Oh," Padma said, exchanging a glance with Terry.

Bethany waited until lunch was nearly over before she anxiously approached Fleur. Her meal seemed relatively untouched, as her gaze fixed upon something far away. "Um, hello," Bethany said, managing to grab her attention. Fleur turned around, lips parted slightly. Before Bethany began to doubt herself, she stammered, "I, uh, I just wanted to say that you did a good job in the second task."

Fleur shook her head. "No, I didn't. Forgive me, but I do not deserve any praise. I'm too cowardly. They shouldn't have given me any of ze points zat zey did."

"You did loads better than I would have in your shoes. It would have been terrified."

"I was terrified. Zey attacked me, and..." Fleur trailed off, looking forlorn. "Thank you. For coming over here. You are too kind."

Even though Fleur did not look particularly happy, Bethany was comforted by the fact she had at least spoken up. She offered Fleur a quick smile before ambling away.

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and left reviews, and I hope you have a wonderful start to 2019!