A/N: This story if for the International Wizarding School Championship: Round Five. I do hope you enjoy. But, if you don't it's understandable. I would not call this story one of my best works and I'm sorry in advance. If I could have a chance to rewrite it, I would. And, maybe I will in the future.

School/Theme: Mahoutokoro- Zonko's Joke Shop

Special Rule- Incorporate the color grey and it's meaning- depression.

Year: Four

Main Prompt: [First Line] "Looking back, [s]he could not tell you how [s]he got here."

Additional: [Event] Party/ [Emotion] Anticipation

Word Count: 1,805

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.

Looking back, he could not tell you how he got here. Not even if he tried really, really hard.

The day had started out normal enough for Leo. He'd gotten up, dressed into his robes, and departed for his class with all his materials in hand. Classes had gone by easy enough, too. Each assignment proved to be no trouble at all, and he found himself getting praised by his teachers again and again. The glares he'd received from his peers hadn't even bothered him, either, because they simply stayed as glares the entire time. Not once in the hallways was he pulled aside and laughed at or beaten up.

It almost felt too good to be true.

When lunch came, he'd eagerly gone to the Great Hall and sat with his family and the few friends that always seemed to be around. His brother even seemed slightly calmer than usual, not cracking as many jokes at his expense. And, his sister had never looked so lively. She'd even accompanied him halfway through lunch in order to walk through the dimly lit halls just to go to the library so that he could pick out a few books that he'd had his eyes on for a while. (It had made the journey seem less lonely.)

And, she hated the library. "It's too quiet." she'd complain. "Like, what are they trying to hide under all that silence?"

He would simply shake his head, going on to defend the beauty of so many books in one place.

But, despite how cheery it felt, they all seemed to have failed to remember one thing- which included the ones he considered friends.

As the day continued on, he found that he hadn't frowned once. There were no tear stains on his cheeks, and his robe was still perfectly clean. It almost seemed foreign.

Sure, there were days when he just barely managed to get away unscathed. Where he didn't find himself buried under the sheets of his bed, wrapping them so tightly around him in the hopes that he'd pass out from the lack of fresh air and amount of heat. Or, finding himself in the prefect's bathroom with his entire body submerged in the water, thinking that, maybe, drowning wouldn't be so bad.

But, today just seemed so surreal. It was unnerving, not knowing if this was all some big, elaborate joke that his fellow fifth years were attempting to play on him. What if they were luring him into a false sense of security only to deliver the final blow at the end of the day?

Yet, a part of him figured that he should be more grateful. Today was supposed to be special anyways, seeing as it was, in fact, his birthday.

And, maybe, he should have been a little upset at the fact that his siblings had yet to say a word about it. There had been no song, no presents, not even a small "Happy Birthday." But, again, that was probably his fault. After all, Leo had always stressed how much he didn't need a party or gifts. Just knowing that there were people around him was enough- though, he never said that aloud. He was content in just knowing that he had aged another year without having to celebrate it.

Besides, all it did was remind him that another year had passed since his mother's death.

And, he didn't need that. He didn't want that.

Because, each time he thought about it, it was like a punch to the gut, knocking all of the air out of him and forcing him to fall to his knees, hunched over in absolute pain. His eyes would sting horribly as he tried to keep the tear at bay.

So, as the years began to pass- especially after he joined Hogwarts- he had been somewhat grateful that his siblings and friends never threw him a party and, instead, settled for wishing him and giving him presents he'd always protest against wanting. ("You didn't have to, really. You could have used that money on something else!") Usually, Leo would sneak into the restricted area during after hours, with a little candle being his only source of light in the surrounding grey shadows as he spent his time soaking up whatever knowledge he could before the sun rose once more and marked the end of his 'special day.'

That was the best present he could get, honestly.

The day had ended relatively quietly, leaving him to gather his things from his last class and retreat to the comfort of the library to finish his homework in peace. Wandering through the hallways, he found them particularly quiet, not even being able to spot many of his fellow Ravenclaws. Even his brother, who was just down the hall, didn't appear to walk with him like they usually did before parting ways for the night.

He sighed dullfully. It was becoming more and more apparent to him that they had forgotten of his birthday.

He felt a tug at his chest.

It didn't make sense, though. How could they have forgotten so easily? Had he done something wrong without realizing it?

Leo continued down the darkened hallways. For him, it seemed that, no matter how much light fell through the archways and windows, they could never fully chase away the shadows that always surround the castle halls.

But, just as he was about to turn the corner- in a matter of seconds- he felt his vision being obscured by some sort of cloth. His arms were brought behind his back, being held there by fingers that were foreign to him.

He stumbled over his feet, catching wisps of distant whispering. But, he could barely make anything out with the way his blood was rushing through his ears. He could feel his airways closing in on themselves, blocking any chance of breathing properly. And, no matter how hard he tugged, he couldn't break free of the person's grasp. He felt himself choking on his own spit.

For this, was fear.

What did they even want? Where were they taking him? What had he even done to deserve this?

Maybe, it was the big blow he had been thinking about earlier. Maybe, after all the peace and quiet he'd received, this was the final punishment. How could fate have been so cruel?

And, on my birthday no less, a part of him thought bitterly.

Suddenly, his body was yanked sideways and, vaguely, he could feel a warmth flooding his face. And, that smell; almost as if it was freshly cut grass. He could feel his nose being tickled at the scent of pollen.

"Alright, we're here." a gruff voice spoke- one that sounded so familiar to Leo. Could he be…

The cloth was ripped away from his face, forcing his eyes to be hit with a blur of colors so bright that he thought he might go blind. There were swirls of red, dots of blue, and even speckles of yellow. Behind it all was a large, oak tree which stood tall and firm with a long, white banner hanging from one branch to another. On it were a variety of confetti pieces that were strategically glued on, along with various drawings of what looked like presents and people smiling. And, there, in the center of it all, were three blue, painted words that read: "Happy Birthday, Leo!"

"Happy Birthday, Leo!"

His gaze drifted down from the banner, falling on the previous blur of colors which became clearer to reveal people. They were from almost every house, wearing the most bizzare party hats and large smiles on their faces. And, he could name each of them.

He could name every single one of them because they were people who constantly tried to be around him.

They may not have been a large group, but they were people who liked him for him. They never thought he was a hassle and always told him that they enjoyed being in his company even when he didn't believe so. They were people who constantly tried to make him feel better.

And, for a second, he felt absolutely ashamed.

His knees buckled from underneath him, his head dropping as he could no longer meet their eyes. He felt so… numb.

"Hey! What wrong?!"

"Leo!"

"Hey, say something."

These people, despite all his faults, were standing in front of him. They cared, and all he could do was constantly drown himself in his sorrows, always feeling regretful of the things he couldn't do, but never proud of the things he had actually accomplished.

To come this far despite everything that had happened to him. To have people around him even when it was not so long ago when he had nothing. How could he think they would have forgotten? How could he have been so… stupid?

He looked up, meeting each one of their gazes. "You… You did this for me?"

"Of course, we did!" Sam cried, bending down to his level. "We all love you. Why wouldn't we have?" She paused. "But, I'm sorry if it came across as ignoring you. It was Jack's idea because he wanted you to be surprised."

Leo looked towards his red-haired brother, a sliver of a smile crossing his lips as he watched the other boy shy away with an embarrassed expression.

"Thank you." he whispered, but Jack caught it.

"Yea, yea." he muttered. "Whatever." Unknown to him, Jack turned away fully as his own small smile graced his features.

Carefully, Sam helps Leo to his feet, keeping her hand tucked in his in a reassuring manner. "So," she said. "You ready to get this party started?"

He gazed around again, his eyes falling on the banner. They did this because they cared. They had remembered him.

His eyes hardened.

"Yea." He gave a firm nod. "I am."

"Then, let's do this thing already!" Jack exclaimed, diving into a nearby table of food. Leo watched as the others followed suit, laughing and chatting away the evening. He himself picked up a drink or too, but took to mostly watching others as they played whatever games his brother had concocted for them.

His eyes stung.

All of this was for him. Maybe the hallways would always be a dark, tainted place that would serve to provide a source of pain, but, maybe, he could finally see that there was a light- filled with the most wonderful colors- in his life that could chase away the grey.

So, yes. Looking back, he could not tell you how he got there. He couldn't tell how much it had cheered him up to be reminded that so many amazing people were in his life. He couldn't tell you how he managed to go from lonely nights in the library to a lively evening.

But, to Leo, he wouldn't ever change a thing.