Of course, if Paige knew a secret, that meant Fred, George, and Lee knew it, too. Willow found herself being helped by all four sixth years by the end of the week. They tested out all different ranges of emotions, from fear to anger and despair to glee. Willow enjoyed the pranks they did, but other than that, she was in a constant state of fighting against her powers. It was exhausting, trying to balance her emotions, especially when she was so used to simply ignoring them. Fred and George were remarkably patient with her, even when she copped quite the ungrateful, aggressive attitude after one particularly difficult sadness session.
Paige was always respecting her boundaries. Willow was so grateful that the older girl was okay with long periods apart from one another. Any physical touch generally made Willow uncomfortable, but even with Paige, whom she was pretty comfortable touching, her heart began racing upon first contact, and it became hard to reign in the powerful emotions the touch generated. Willow longed for the day when she would finally be able to take a nap without waking up to a jolt of pain through her ribs.
Above all, she missed being able to shove aside her emotions.
Two weeks before the second task of the Triwizard Tournament, Willow headed out to yet another Care of Magical Creatures class sans Hagrid. Draco was still wary of standing anywhere near her after what happened last time. He seemed rather sorry about straining their relationship again; he was never this quiet around so many subjects to entertain. Willow ignored him yet again, however. The last thing she needed was to get angry with him again and have her powers lash out for the whole world to see.
Professor Grubbly-Plank amiably chatted with the girls on their way out to the paddock. She'd taken a particular liking to the Gryffindor Sisters, what with their numerous relative questions and curiosity about the subject in general. Willow would have connected with the Professor, too, but she'd kind of left a first impression that was hard to forget. The woman still edged carefully around the explosive Gryffindor whenever she checked her work.
If only she knew my powers have me on a leash, Willow grumbled to herself.
Today, the lesson dealt with unicorns again, but this time, they were unicorn colts: brilliant, shiny, golden little creatures that shyly approached anyone with a treat. The boys could actually interact with the little ones, as they hadn't grown fearful of men yet. Willow looked over at Miranda too see her throw her hands up; the first time she was female during Care of Magical Creatures all year, they were working with animals that didn't prefer women to men. Figures.
Willow's heart warmed to see Dean and Seamus holding hands as they worked with their own unicorn foal. The pair had finally become less shy about being a little affectionate in public. People began to notice, and to their pleasant surprise, everyone seemed to root for them. Not a soul dared to badmouth their untraditional relationship — though that might have been because they were afraid of what Willow and the Gryffindor Sisters would do to them otherwise.
When the bell rang, Willow began to trudge up to the castle when she realized Hagrid's hut wasn't even puffing out smoke anymore. The temperature had dropped significantly over the past few weeks; it must have been positively freezing in there by now. Willow risked a glance over her shoulder to check if Professor Grubbly-Plank or the Slytherins were watching. When she recognized they were all absorbed in getting back to the castle, out of the biting wind, she quickly escaped down the hill to Hagrid's front door. No one saw her as she quietly slipped inside.
Immediately, the smell of burnt meat singed Willow's nostrils. She wrinkled her nose at the foul scent. Checking the fireplace, she confirmed that the fire had, indeed, sputtered out. A slab of of God-knows-what sat blackened and charred to a crisp on a bent grill grate. The smoke still hung in the stale air around it. In fact, the whole cabin seemed stale, with boots scattered across the floor, tools covered in dust, and buckets tipped over sideways, their contents hardened on the floor.
"What are ya doin' 'ere?" Hagrid slurred. "Come ter sack me? I gotta pack me stuff...Fang's been scatterin' it all o'er the place..."
Willow glanced up to see Hagrid hunched over in the corner, sitting on a wobbly old stool. Fang was passed out at his feet, but when he opened his eyes and saw Willow, he let out a joyous bark and scrambled for her attention.
"Hagrid, I'm not here to sack you," Willow said carefully. "I'm here to check on you."
"Willow?" Hagrid sniffled in disbelief. "Why aren't you in class?"
"Dumbledore...excused me from Divination from the time being." It was true. The class had been driving her prophetic powers crazy, nearly causing her to pass out every time she stepped into the North Tower. McGonagall provided her with an excuse to remotely learn the class. "How long has it been since you left your cabin?"
"Oh, it doesn' matter...not like I got much time left 'ere anyway...someone else'll have ter take up gamekeeper duties..."
"Hagrid, what do you mean?" Willow said.
"The letters'll start pourin' in before ya know it. No parent wants their kid learnin' from a half-giant, now, do they?"
"I'm pretty sure that's the least of their worries, Hagrid," Willow soothed. She stepped across the room until she was right next to the burly man. "In fact, I'd rather learn about magical creatures from you than any other professor. You're the only one that understands them properly and has the ability to take care of them when they get rowdy."
"But giants are dangerous!" Hagrid howled. "They're gonna want me behind bars for hidin' it all these years, I reckon! They'll send me back to Azkaban!"
"Hagrid, no one's going to send you to Azkaban. People are becoming more open-minded these days, you'll see. And with Dumbledore at the top, you really think they'll get past him if they somehow, in an impossible, backward way, come after you?"
Hagrid blew his nose. "No...pro'bly not..."
"See? You've got nothing to worry about." Willow removed the grate from the fireplace and relighted the wood. She tossed a few more logs on. "You can't worry about what others think of you, Hagrid. Everyone who's met you thinks very highly of you unless they're one of those Malfoy ferrets. Most people know Rita Skeeter's a blind cow, anyway, so they take her writing with a grain of salt."
"Oh, I guess you're right..." Hagrid blubbered.
Willow shoulder-bumped him. "Come on, let's at least clean up your house. You'll feel better if you do something."
After a long moment of wiping the tears off his face, Hagrid slowly rose to his feet and joined Willow in cleaning up the hut. They opened the door to let some fresh air in, swept out all the dust and dirt, scraped the grime off the floor, picked up buckets full of tools, and replaced many odds and ends that had fallen onto the floor. Willow put some tea on and brought some more wood into the house. Hagrid shrugged off his fur coat as the temperature rose, then rinsed off his salt-stained face in the snow. He was looking a lot better by the time Willow poured him a cup of tea.
"Thank you, Willow," Hagrid said. "Yer a right kind soul."
"I was raised right, that's all," Willow replied.
"Naw, there's always been somethin' special about ya, you just don't see it."
Willow's heart warmed exponentially. "Thank you, Hagrid."
She gave Fang one last pat on the head, then left for the Great Hall. The warm grin on her face couldn't be wiped off by the freezing cold of February, nor the prospect of being in close proximity to so many people. She was just about to enter the Entrance Hall when she realized her emotions had gotten too giddy.
"Oh shit — Not again — "
With a flash of pain, Willow's consciousness was stolen away, and she hit the stone stairs
"Are you serious?"
"No, I'm Willow."
There was a familiar groan. "She's back. She's definitely back."
Willow's eyes fluttered open. Fred, George, Paige, and Lee were standing above her, looking down at her crumpled form. Willow's cheeks tinted when she realized a few first years were peeking from behind the Entrance Hall doors. She brushed herself off and quickly rose to her feet, albeit shakily.
"Wow, that was a powerful one," Willow muttered.
"You think?" Lee chortled. "You've been knocked unconscious a lot in your lifetime, Willow, but never from your own happiness."
"It was happiness, right?" Fred asked.
"Fortunately, yeah," Willow admitted.
"Good. At least if you'd died, you would have died happy this time," George cheekily remarked.
"GEORGE! Do not joke about that!" Paige scolded.
George put his hands up. Paige sighed exasperatedly. She unobtrusively checked Willow over for any signs of major injury, but found none. The younger Gryffindor appeared perfectly normal aside from the festering black stain within her bloodstream reaching up to her neck. Paige's jaw hardened when her gaze passed over this particular point, but she said nothing, not wanting to worry the twins and Lee.
"She's good. Thanks for helping me wake her up, guys," Paige said.
The twins and Lee bounced off to their next class, none the wiser. Paige, however, discreetly brushed her fingers over Willow's stomach.
"How is it?" she whispered, guiding the younger Gryffindor through the Entrance Hall and up the marble staircase.
"Receding, for the most part," Willow breathed. She winced when she accidentally slipped on a step. "But still a pain in the arse, that's for sure."
"Is any of it lingering?"
"Sometimes, yes, but it always goes away when I take that Sleep Potion and the Suppression Potion together."
"You can't live your life relying on potions to keep you afloat, Willow."
Willow glanced to her left to see Paige's forehead creased with worry. The brown in her beautiful irises had deepened. Willow read them like she was reading the lyrics to a heart-wrenching song, and it pierced her heart with sadness. She was dragging Paige down with her. The older Gryffindor didn't deserve this sort of torture. But she was still here, somehow, sticking by her side, and Willow felt more in debt to her than she ever had before.
Paige stopped outside of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She took both of Willow's hands in her own.
"Don't you dare skive off class again," Paige warned. "I'll know before Professor McGonagall does."
"Same goes for you," Willow chuckled.
She gave Paige a quick kiss, then ducked into the classroom, quickly taking her seat in the back. For once, she was early, but that wasn't exactly a gift. Willow had been arriving to all her classes late in an attempt to prevent her Gryffindor Sisters from dragging her back into their mess. As much as she hated drama, though, she would have given anything to be helping them with it right now. She never realized how much she missed their company until it was taken away from her.
Thankfully — and unfortunately — the Gryffindor Sisters did not notice Willow as they entered. They were too busy whispering about some cute Ravenclaw boy to pay attention to anything else. Willow tried her best to convince herself it didn't hurt to be excluded from their plans.
"So you're snogging Paige in the hallways now. Great way to keep a low profile, don't you think?"
Willow flicked her wand, and Draco was immediately pinned against his desk. "I'd hardly call it snogging."
"Ouch, Wisp, you're hurting me!" Draco complained.
"Oh, I'm sorry, is that desk digging into your arm? I should have thought before I acted."
Draco directed a withering gaze at her. "Are you seriously holding that over my head?"
"Yes, actually, and until Hagrid recovers from it, you're in the doghouse. You've got a lot of making up to do."
Draco groaned. "Look, Wisp, I'm sorry! How many times can I say it? I didn't think that Rita Skeeter was going to write so...terribly about him. I just thought it was going to be an expose."
"Well, it's not, and now Hagrid's a mess because he thinks he's going to lose his job. He's afraid the parents will come raining down on the school with demands to sack him." Willow shot Draco a meaningful glance. "Just try to use that dusty thing up in your cranium every once in a while, will you?"
Draco opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Professor Moody swept into the classroom. All fell silent.
"At some point in your magical career, you're going to be faced with a threat you can't defend against. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Willow rolled her eyes as a few Slytherin girls jumped. Moody had been barking that phrase since the first day of class. To be honest, it was getting old. How had they not gotten used to it by now?
"You're on your way back to your house, on your doorstep, and suddenly a Death Eater corners you. They've got Dark Magic. You don't."
"That's what he thinks," Cypress hissed from behind Willow. She had to stifle a knowing giggle.
"What are you doing to do when they start using curses you hardly dared to learn the names of? What happens when you forget every charm you've ever learned?" Professor Moody's eye roamed the class. "WEASLEY! Stand!" Poor Ron scattered his papers in his hurry to comply. "Come over here, son, and stand right by the window. That's it. Now — on the count of three — I want you to cast the jelly-legs jinx at me. Got it?" The redhead nodded nervously. "One...two...three!"
"Locomotor Wibbly!" Ron commanded.
"Protego!" Professor Moody countered.
A jet of pink light shot out of Ron's wand, but with the blink of an eye, Moody's spell surrounded him in a translucent barrier. Ron's spell bounced off harmlessly. The class oohed and ahhed at the brilliant charm.
"That there is called a shield charm," Moody explained. "It will repel most spells if cast correctly. The better you get, the more powerful the shield becomes. The wand movement is simple: straight down, circle around. Now pair up and practice. Only cast the jelly-legs jinx for now! CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
Willow was about to ask Cypress to be her partner when Draco suddenly yanked her to the other side of the room. She aggressively threw off his hand as soon as she got the chance.
"What are you playing at, Malfoy?" Willow said.
Draco winced. "Please don't ever call me Malfoy again. It's just not right coming from you."
"What, would you rather me call you a dork?"
Draco rolled his eyes. He raised his wand. "Come on, then, this is one of your only chances to attack me with permission from a teacher. Don't waste it."
Willow conceded the point. She hardly gave Draco a chance to ready himself before she fired off the jelly-legs jinx. His shield charm managed to block it, but it sputtered out moments later. Willow opened her mouth to tease the Slytherin Prince when he leveled his wand at her. She quickly uttered the incantation for the shield charm. Hers proved more successful, taking on a full cover and staying strong even after the curse hit it. Draco raised a brow.
"So you are good at one subject after all," he teased.
"Oh, you did not just insult my intelligence," Willow chuckled.
She shot another jinx right for his legs, then fired off another one too quickly for Draco to summon another shield charm. The Slytherin Prince found his legs locked together in an instant. He scoffed at Willow's laughter.
"So we're playing it dirty, now, are we?"
Before they knew it, it was an all-out battle between the pair. Willow and Draco cheekily fired off the most embarrassing jinxes and curses they knew. Draco fell to the ground with enlarged ears, and Willow went tumbling head-over-heels clucking like a chicken. Professor Moody didn't seem to care that they ignored his instructions. In fact, he joined the rest of the class as they cheered on the two competitors, who had already begun to rely on the new shield charm like their reputations depended on it — which, in fact, they did.
Well, that's one way to learn a charm, Willow thought to herself.
The cheers worked their way through both students' egos, spurring them on to cast increasingly complex spells. Willow hit Draco with a curse that made flowers sprout from his nose, then he returned the favor with a hex that made her sneeze bubbles. It was beginning to get out of hand, what with both of them being so competitive, but they weren't doing anything malicious. For once, Willow wasn't angry with Draco; they were both just having fun.
Far too late, Willow realized her happiness was converting to glee. Her stomach began to seize up. Sizzling pain struck her through the ribs. It was all she could do to hide her torment. She let the smile on her face become a plaster. Discreet deep breaths reminded her body to be at peace. She repeated a calming mantra over and over in her head. She didn't realize how much it was distracting her until Draco hit her with a powerful banishing charm. It broke her shield, which sent her to her knees. Her abdomen spasmed.
"Finish her, Draco!" Pansy shrilled.
"Come on, Willow, you've got this!" Lavender screeched.
Willow could tell Draco was hamming it up for the crowd. He aimed his wand at a seemingly defeated Willow, taking his sweet old time to cast the final spell. In his moment of glory, Willow seized the opportunity to strike. Across the room, Draco's shield suddenly broke, and he went stiff as a board. His frozen body crashed into the nearest desk. Everyone turned to stare at Willow, her wand still discreetly hidden behind her knee.
"Someone might want to help him," Willow chortled.
Just then, Pansy abruptly screamed and fired off a retaliation hex. Willow had no time to react as it struck her directly in the chest. A flash of white-hot agony nearly ripped a scream from her throat.
Then, a familiar yelp of alarm sounded nearby.
Willow's eyes fluttered open to a shocking scene. Mia was trapped inside a ball of electricity, which lashed out at her every so often and caused her to shriek. Professor Moody quickly dissipated the hex with a flick of his wand, then turned to Pansy, his glass eye dangerously fixed on the Slytherin girl as well.
"Don't ever use Dark Magic in my classroom, girl," he growled.
Pansy huffed and turned away, her lip out in a pout. Moody stared at her for a long, unnerving moment, then finally turned his attention to Draco, who was still on the ground, thanks to the full-body bind curse. Willow stared at the scene from her vantage point on the floor. What just happened? Pansy had hit her with a hex — but then it hit Mia — it didn't affect her at all —
Wait. That doesn't mean...
Willow felt her powers festering madly within her. That was exactly what had happened. Her powers may have concentrated themselves within her, but that didn't mean they weren't just as protective. They'd struck out against Pansy's curse to protect her, which only caused her more pain and hurt someone else. Willow's face paled.
I have no control over when they lash out anymore. Everyone can get hurt now.
"Guerrero!"
Willow felt like throwing up as Moody wandered over to her. "Yes, Professor?"
"You're quite the powerful witch," he began, his glass eye darting around suspiciously. "Not many wizards and witches can block a hex like that. You had to have something special to do that."
Willow gulped. He knew. Soon, everyone would know. She had to stop this. "Professor —"
"It's that locket, isn't it?"
"My — What?" Willow glanced down. Recognition and relief flooded her system. "Oh! My locket! Yes, yes, my mother gave it to me a few years ago. It's supposed to be an Un —" Willow's eyes widened. "— Sorry, a curse reflector."
Moody stared at her oddly. "Take care of that, girl. That's a powerful tool to have on your side." He turned to the rest of the class. "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"
At that moment, the bell rang. Willow gathered her stuff and hightailed it out of there. She skipped the Great Hall entirely and headed to the Gryffindor common room, where she quietly slipped into the secret room. Her creatures couldn't even calm her racing heart. Phoebe and Griffin especially sensed something was wrong. The baby griffin cuddled up to her, and Phoebe clung to her middle. They both gently nudged her neck where the darkness of her veins was still apparent.
"I know, I know, it's bad, I'm working on it," Willow said hurriedly. She exhaled slowly, leaning her head back against Griffin. "I won't let me die until I've finished the prophecy and secured my loved ones' lives. Promise."
Fidget chirped sadly at her as he nuzzled her cheek. Willow cracked a smile at the bowtruckle's display of affection. Leave it to her smallest creature to be the most supportive.
A buzz in her pocket alerted her to an incoming call from her name tag. Willow scrambled to answer it. Relief washed over her like a tropical waterfall when she saw Sirius's face, bright and unharmed.
"Sirius! I haven't heard from you since January! Where have you been?"
"Flitting around the English countryside, avoiding aurors, the usual," he replied. At Willow's withering gaze, he laughed. "Alright, alright, I know it's not a joke. I'm fine, though, thanks for asking. How are you?"
"I was getting there," Willow scoffed. "I'm...fine."
"You literally look like you crawled back from Hell. What happened? Whose arse do I have to kick?"
"Don't worry, I could take Pansy down with my hands tied and my eyes blindfolded," Willow chuckled. "She just hit me with a hex, that's all."
"That's not all. Give me the full story. What happened?"
Willow bit her lip. Sirius should probably know, too. "I'm going to tell you something I only told Paige, alright? Promise me you won't be mad?"
"Promise."
That promise was broken approximately two minutes later, when Sirius exploded on Willow for imploding on herself when literally everyone was warning her about it all this time. He calmed down after a bit, but he was still clearly upset.
"Willow, this is worse than the prophecy, by far. Your powers are killing you. You've got Paige and the Weasley twins to help you, but that's not nearly enough. Your life is on the line. You need real emotional counseling, from someone who's good at helping with this kind of thing."
"But I can't do that. They'd have to know about my powers and what they do, and I'm not willing to open up."
"I know, Willow, I know, but you might not have another choice." Sirius was silent for a moment. His voice shook when he next spoke. "I just...I just wish I could be there to help you. I wish I could help you like you helped me."
Willow smiled sadly. "Me too, Sirius, me too. But that wretched Peter stole it from us."
"He stole everything from me," Sirius sniffled.
Willow's heart broke for him. She forcefully swallowed the lump in her throat. "God, I wish I could hug you through this screen right now."
"I'll see you soon enough Willow," Sirius said. "I promise. You'll see me before the school year is over."
"Don't get caught before then, please," Willow laughed mirthlessly.
"I won't."
The video call ended, and Willow buried her face in Griffin's feathers.
"Harry."
"What."
"You have 36 hours. How have you not figured this out?"
Harry slumped in his chair. "Because the library is against me succeeding, apparently. Seriously, the moment this Tournament is over, I'm never stepping foot in that place ever again."
"Oh, quit being dramatic, I'm sure you'll find use for it again," Willow chided.
"I wish I had your powers. Then I could transform into a fish and breath just fine."
I wish my powers weren't currently killing me, but since when do we get what we want? Willow thought. She unobtrusively cleared her throat. "Well, you clearly can't do that, so I'm sure you'll find another way."
"In three days? I might as well throw myself off the Astronomy Tower and hope to live; I'd have better chances."
"Hey, careful how you talk, you might start sounding as hopeless as me," Willow chortled. "Anyway, I came here to distract you, not wallow in self pity together. Care for a terrible song written by yours truly?"
Harry fluttered his eyelashes. "Can't wait."
"You're such a jerk." Willow pulled out her guitar and tuned it. She opened the song with the first few chords, then began to sing.
"I told you to run but you still stayed
I told you the truth, and I tried to drive you away
But you're still here, stubborn voice in my ear
Reminding me that love's not a sin
But I can't let you in
I can't feel a thing but then you crash into my life
Numbness subsides, passions alight
Clouds part to reveal your face and there you stand aglow
Babe, I swear I see your halo
...What if I love, and then I don't leave?
What if we try this and throw away misgivings?
Darling I can promise you this, right from the start:
I won't let me break your heart..."
Willow stopped strumming as Harry stared at her with raised brows. "It's still in the works, but that's the beginning —"
"You wrote that for Paige, didn't you?" Harry said, a half-smirk mischievously lighting up his face. Willow blushed immediately.
"Yeah. There's no two ways about it. Just...yeah. I wrote that for her before the Yule Ball, when I was kinda scared to start a relationship, but then I just did it, and I don't regret a thing. I'm going to finish the song after our next date."
"Willow's a total sap. Who knew?"
Willow hit Harry with a pillow. "Stop insulting my reputation, you're ruining my ego."
"Trust me, nothing could ruin that."
Harry broke into a laughing fit as Willow gaped in shock. She whacked him with another pillow, then banished all the pillows in the common room onto his head for good measure. Harry emerged from the mountain of cushions absolutely hysterical.
"Your face — I can't even —!"
"Alright, distraction time is over, back to research for you," Willow said. "Chop chop! Gryffindor expects their Champion to at least represent! You better win, though!"
"Fine," Harry huffed. He unburied himself from the mountain of pillows, shooting a grin at Willow. "Thanks for the distraction. I needed it."
"You're welcome. Now go figure out how to kick Krum's arse."
"Will do."
Willow made her way out of the portrait hole and into the corridors of Hogwarts. Talk about the library had her thinking about the endless shelves of reading material, so she decided to pay a visit for once. Madam Pince peered over her spectacles suspiciously when the young Gryffindor placed a heavy volume about dangerous magical beasts on her reception desk, but checked her out nonetheless. Willow placed the book under one arm and, under cover of darkness, snuck out to the Forbidden Forest. She made a beeline for the Insomniac Shack, where Luna was already reading a version of the Quibbler.
"Hello, Willow," Luna said, not even looking up from the magazine. "The nargles hinted you would be coming tonight."
"Oh, that's...interesting, Luna." She peered at the girl for the longest time. "I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but why do you read that upside down? Doesn't that make it harder?"
"I do not know. I read an article written in runes once, and it made more sense upside down. I guess I always read the Quibbler upside down."
"Huh. That's the most unique fun fact I've ever heard about a person."
The girls settled down for a few hours of sheer bliss. Sweet, uninterrupted time passed as they poured over pages of interesting material. Willow learned about all the different types of dragons: their identifying marks, which ones could breath fire the farthest, how big each species was, and interesting tidbits about the way they went about hunting prey. Luna immersed herself in what appeared to be a Muggle sci-fi volume from the Ravenclaw common room's library. Willow made a mental note to check out their collection of Muggle books; she missed pleasure reading in her free time.
Eventually, the thestrals called for them, so they put down their books and devoted their affection to the magnificent creatures. Willow found that no matter how bad she felt before arriving at the Thestral Clearing, she always left in high spirits. The thestrals simply took her sadness and threw it to the wind. Their innocent, loving gestures lightened her heart and filled it with hope. The world didn't seem so bad after all when she was playing with a thestral colt so giddy from excitement that it tumbled head over heels in its rush to see her. Willow grinned from ear to ear as she patted its bony neck.
The biting cold got to the girls, so they retreated to the Insomniac Shack to warm up again. Willow tossed a blanket over Luna and herself as they huddled on the couch for body heat. They lulled into a comfortable silence.
"Something is weighing heavily on your mind," Luna said quietly.
Willow's whole body jolted in surprise. "How could you tell?"
"You gaze through the window and hold your wrists tight when you are contemplating troubling thoughts."
"...Oh."
"I hope it's not Paige, is it?"
"What? No, not at all! Paige and I are fine!" Willow said. "No, it's just...I'm in a tough spot right now, Luna. If I'm being honest, it's one of the worst spots I've been in, worse than even being on the run from the Ministry. To dig myself out is going to require something I thought impossible before."
"You thought dating Paige was impossible before," Luna reminded her. "You thought Sirius escaping the Ministry was impossible, too. Many things suddenly become possible when you are involved."
Willow's face flushed. "You're too kind to me, Luna."
"You need to hear kind words more often if you're going through something so terrible."
She's right, Cebba agreed.
To Willow's great surprise, she agreed, too.
Willow jolted awake on the morning of the Second Task. She checked her watch in a panic, then realized it was only six in the morning. She thanked Merlin that she hadn't overslept and missed it; Harry would have been so disappointed.
Harry! Willow suddenly thought. He doesn't know what he's going to do!
Sending a prayer to whoever would hear it, Willow plead for her friend to be struck by some divine knowledge in time for the Second Task. Harry had confided in her that he would have to rescue someone at the bottom of the Black Lake within an hour's time. There was no way he would hold his breath long enough. With Merpeople, grindylows, and the giant squid lurking those depths, he'd need to retain all his strength from land, too, if he was going to rescue this person and live to tell the tale.
Merlin help him. What kind of arsehole put his name in this Goblet, anyway?
Willow shook off her momentary anger. She went down to breakfast as soon as the clock struck seven. The Weasley twins were already there, selling their pranking wares and Gryffindor swag to eager buyers. Willow smiled to herself. It was nice to see the twins' work being appreciated as much as it deserved. Lee approached her just as she finished up her oatmeal.
"Come on, Willow, you know you want one," Lee enticed.
She glanced at the THAT'S OUR SEEKER! badge in his hand. "How am I to know it won't burst out with some choice words in the middle of Potions?"
"That remains to be seen," Lee said, his eyes twinkling mischievously.
"In that case, the fault can hardly be pinned on me."
Willow bought the badge and stowed it in her deepest robe pocket. Lee tipped his Gryffindor hat to her and strolled off to con some more students into buying his tricks. Willow sincerely hoped he'd charmed the badge to insult Snape, because she was really starting to lose patience with the increasingly touchy man lately.
After grabbing a stack of toast and wrapping it in a bundle of napkins, Willow returned to Gryffindor Tower, where she promptly woke up her lazy roommates and forced them to eat. They groggily fixed their hair and bundled up in all manner of hats, scarves, and fuzzy socks, each bearing the Gryffindor logo. As much as they detested the cold, the girls loved the Triwizard Tournament more. In fact, all of Gryffindor was positively buzzing with anticipation, the cold forgotten as they marched out onto the grounds and filled the stands by the Black Lake.
"Harry's going to win, I just know it!" Parvati squealed.
"I thought you hated him after the Yule Ball?" Lavender questioned.
"Well, now he's back in my good books, since he's about to do something heroic and all," Parvati said firmly.
"Fair point," Mia admitted.
"Has anyone seen Hermione?" Willow asked.
"No, she and Ron went to see McGonagall yesterday, and they haven't been back since," Mia reported.
"Huh. Odd." Willow shoved down the rising dread that formed in the pit of her stomach.
"Guys, look!" Fay gasped.
The girls followed her outstretched hand to see a massive grandstand situated on the shore of the Black Lake. Four lanes, each dedicated with one of the Champions' names, ran right into the water. Willow grinned to herself as her roommates came up with wild theories of what the task would entail. Mia wasn't far off when she suggested that Harry might have to fight the giant squid; if he came upon the creature, he just might have to give it a good hex to get away.
Students from all three schools flooded into the grandstands. It wasn't long before the fourth-year Gryffindor boys joined them, and soon after, the Weasley twins, Lee, and Paige were galvanizing the Gryffindor section into excessive cheers. Willow was dragged into the action, and before she knew it, she was in a jostling crowd of over-excited seventh years, trapped between their ear-splitting cheers and light-hearted insults to the other schools.
"Need a little help?" Paige asked.
"Please," Willow gasped.
Paige cheekily picked her up wedding-style and carried her back to the fourth years. Willow rolled her eyes at all the teasing she got from her roommates. Paige didn't put her down.
"You know, this is pretty comfortable. I might just keep you here."
"Good luck trying."
Willow's feet hit the floor, and within seconds, she'd flipped Paige, then scooped her up in her own arms. Paige laughed at the Weasley twins' jeers.
"You are such a top."
"And what if I am?" Willow said, smirking. "Does that make you a bottom?"
"Not in the slightest. The competition is endearing."
"Good, because you're never going to win."
Willow kissed Paige, then gently set her down. The older girl shot Willow a delightfully sinful look as she returned her own year's section. The Gryffindor Sisters practically exploded with glee. It was all Willow could do to keep them from getting overexcited. She eventually got them to calm down only to notice one of them was missing.
"Where's Sally? She was here a minute ago."
"Oh, she and Sam headed back to the castle," Lavender explained. "They both caught some nasty colds, and they didn't want to exacerbate them."
Willow furrowed her brow. "Ah, that's too bad. I hope they get better soon."
She was glad none of her roommates questioned her disbelieving tone. Moment later, she was rescued from her thoughts by three energetic third years. Ginny and Colin practically bounced up to Willow, Luna not far behind. They drug her to the front row, where Percy was acting rather subdued compared to his typical pompous attitude. He actually flinched when Willow said hello.
"Oh — didn't see you there — good to see you, Willow — " he mumbled.
"There's nothing to be worried about, Percy, cheer up!" Ginny said. "You're killing the mood!"
At Willow's confused look, Colin explained, "They've got Ron at the bottom of the Black Lake. Harry gets to rescue him! Isn't that exciting?"
Willow suddenly understood why Percy was three shades paler than usual. She cleared her throat to distract herself from the terror welling up in her chest. "Yeah, Colin, that's awesome. Can't wait."
The four took their seats. Luna's perceptive silver eyes shifted as she gazed at Willow.
"Do not worry about Ron," the Ravenclaw said quietly. "The Ministry has put many precautions in place for the safety of students involved."
Willow smiled gratefully.
The Champions took their place on the shore. For a moment, Willow wondered where on Earth Harry was, but he came running at the last second. He looked rather disheveled and half-awake, but he was there. Willow breathed a sigh of relief as he took his place on the sand. The announcer began to count down.
"I wish someone would look at me the way Ginny looks at Harry," Colin sighed.
"Oh, shush, I am not fancying the Boy Who Lived," Ginny said, though her cheeks warmed.
"Then why are you staring at him like that?"
"Because I wish I could be Champion instead; he's bound to mess it up somehow."
Willow burst out laughing. "Ouch, don't let Harry hear you say that!"
The countdown hit zero, and the Champions dove into the Lake. Harry waded in, looking rather unsure of himself. Willow wanted to tell off the Slytherins for jeering at him, but she bit her tongue instead. She blocked them out and focused on Harry, praying, pleading, begging the Almighty that he'd figured out a way that worked. The Gryffindor Champion took one more step forward, shivering violently.
Then, without warning, he threw himself in the water.
Willow let out a shout of alarm with the rest of the crowd, but it soon turned into cheers when he didn't resurface. He'd done it! He figured out a way! Willow wished she had her powers to locate him, but it wouldn't have helped ease her worries one bit. She would only be alright when Harry emerged from the water with a live Ron in tow.
Seconds turned into minutes, but the minutes dragged by. Time passed so slowly that Willow swore someone used a Time Turner and restarted the day. Everyone was on the edge of their seat, waiting in a tense anticipation for their Champion to emerge triumphant from the murky depths. When Fleur was pulled from the water early without her rescuee, Willow's panic only increased. What if that happened to Harry, too? What if they didn't get to him in time? By the look on Percy's face, he was thinking the same thing.
The hour was up, and three Champions were still in the water. Cedric suddenly threw himself on shore, Cho Chang, his girlfriend, right behind him. The Hufflepuff section roared with approval; their Champion was the first back! Willow clapped politely with the majority of the Hogwarts students. Whispers flew around like wildfire about the Champions having to rescue the one person they couldn't live without. Willow's heart warmed to know that Harry couldn't live without Ron, but it seized up again when she realized neither of them might live to see the end of this.
Krum was the next to return, and this time, Hermione was in tow. So that's where the girl had gone off to! McGonagall had taken Hermione and Ron for the Task! Willow had to be restrained from running to her Gryffindor Sister's side.
"Relax, Willow, Madam Pomfrey's got them," Colin reminded her.
Willow begrudgingly sat down. Her foot tapped incessantly. She pressed her interlocked hands to her lips. Everything felt like it was spiraling out of control. Harry still wasn't back yet — Fleur was screaming about her sister, who was still at the bottom of the Lake — Ron was still down there — no one was doing anything to help —
And then Harry launched himself onto the shore, both Ron and a little girl in tow.
"RON!" Percy shrieked, leaping to his feet.
Both Percy and Willow sprinted to the Gryffindors' sides, their friends unable to stop them. Willow heaved Harry to his feet, the Champion coughing up lake water, and got him over to Madam Pomfrey. Fleur clambered for the little girl, who was apparently her sister, if Willow was understanding her desperate French-English combination correctly. The little girl gratefully sank into Fleur's warm embrace. Ron was doing nearly the same with Percy, who had paled to such a shade of white he appeared ghostly. Willow wrapped a violently shivering Harry in four blankets.
"You saved both Ron and the girl?" she questioned.
"Well, I couldn't just leave them!" Harry protested. "I took that warning seriously!"
Willow shook her head. "Merlin's beard, you're such a Gryffindor."
Hermione and Ron fought their way to Harry's side, so Willow cleared out of the crowded space. She rejoined Colin, Ginny, and Luna in the grandstands and awaited the final verdict. To their great surprise, after Dumbledore conversed with the merpeople and reported to the judges, they decided to award Harry second place, both because he reached the prisoners first and because of his decision to wait and make sure everyone got rescued, which prompted him to bring Fleur's sister along as well. Willow screamed her lungs out with the rest of the Hogwarts students. Harry and Cedric were tied for first place!
The ensuing celebration was nothing short of historic. For the first time since Willow had arrived at Hogwarts, the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and even some Ravenclaws and Slytherins celebrated together. There was butterbeer, joyous songs, and merriment being made all over the place. The Hufflepuff common room had never had so many students in it at once. Willow and Oliver danced their fool heads off, not caring that everyone could see how terrible there were at the fun activity. When their friends from all houses joined it, it only got better.
The party was only interrupted by a quick dinner in the Great Hall. Iris swooped down and delivered a quick message for Willow, which she stored in her pocket for later. She partied until the early hours of morning, then, at long last, exhausted from all the excitement, she bid her goodbyes to her friends and collapsed in her four-poster. She opened the message at last.
Meet me on the mountainside next Hogsmeade visit. Can't wait to see you.
A hippogriff claw print accompanied the message.
"Come on, Paige, hurry up, will you?"
"It's too early for exercise," the older girl groaned.
"Don't make me drag you. I will do it!"
Paige put her hands up. "I'd rather not have snow up my back, thanks. I'm coming!"
Willow practically ran all the way to Hogsmeade. The other students were having a grand old time visiting stores, eating at the pubs, or drinking tea at Madam Puddifoot's, but Willow had her sights set beyond the tiny village. It took everything she had to walk normally through the streets. If she ran, she would most certainly arouse suspicion, especially from the older folks. She couldn't risk that for Sirius, not after everything they'd been through to keep him hidden.
Paige kept up, albeit with limited oxygen, as Willow charged up the snowy mountainside. They escaped onto their usual path. Though their previous footprints were long gone, Willow instinctively picked her way across the pass, and Paige was easily able to follow. Soon, Willow brought them to a halt.
"We can't possibly be to the top yet," Paige panted. "What are we stopping here for?"
Willow grinned as something caught her eye. "For him."
Paige turned around and finally noticed the giant black dog standing further along the path. She gaped at the sight. "That — That isn't him, is it?"
"Only one way to make sure."
The Animagus took off running. Willow ran after him, struggling to rein in the giddy surges of her emotions. She hardly cared if her powers lashed out right now, though; she was finally going to see Sirius after months of only being able to see his face through a screen. She pushed on until he disappeared into a shallow crack in the mountain. Willow slipped in after him.
"Lumos," she whispered.
The cave instantly brightened to reveal Sirius standing next to a very disgruntled Buckbeak. The hippogriff recognized Willow, and he scrambled forward to greet her. Both bowing their heads respectfully. Then Buckbeak got distracted by Paige and went to greet her, too. Willow seized the moment to rush into Sirius's outstretched arms. He laughed against her tight embrace.
"You've gotten stronger," he noted.
"You've gotten thinner," Willow shot back.
"Why, thank you, I have been trying to slim down for the ladies."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Good thing I brought you a meal and a half, then. Lunch was unbelievable today."
Sirius gratefully sat down and enjoyed the made-from-scratch lunch Willow had snuck out of the Great Hall. He gave some of the meat to Buckbeak, per usual, but Willow was satisfied with how much Sirius ate. When he was finished, Willow started a fire and burnt the scraps. Sirius almost imperceptibly inched closer to the warmth. Willow smiled to herself.
"So, is this the Paige I've been hearing so much about?" Sirius asked.
"That depends; what has she been telling you?" Paige replied smartly.
"You're definitely the one." Sirius turned to Willow and silently wowed. "How did you end up with this one, Paige?"
"Simple. I'm attracted to courageous idiots with a smart mouth, and I typically get what I want."
"Yeah, sure, we'll go with that," Willow chuckled. "Actually, she and George both asked me to the Yule Ball, and since I finally was forced to make a decision, I figured out Paige was the one I really wanted."
"Aw, how romantic," Sirius said. "I've heard all about Willow's perspective, but how about you, Paige? Has Willow been treating you like she should?"
"And then some," Paige admitted, shooting a wink at the younger Gryffindor.
Sirius's eyebrows shot up. "Ooh, do tell?"
"Oh no," Willow coughed.
"Well, she nearly passed out when she saw me walk down the stairs for the Yule Ball, but she recovered alright. She played matchmaker for all her friends and got them to dance together, then she finally danced with me properly, and it actually wasn't bad. She doesn't have two left feet anymore. Then she took me out into the gardens and — well — let's just say I've never blushed more in my life."
"Willow, you didn't!" Sirius exclaimed.
"I...did?"
"She's a damn good kisser," Paige said.
"Oh God, I can't listen to this," Willow said, wincing.
"Please go on, I love seeing her embarrassed," Sirius encouraged.
"She took me on a date the last Hogsmeade visit, and it ended with her dragging me up this God-forsaken mountain, then passionately making out with me yet again — " Sirius howled with laughter as Willow flushed a deep shade of scarlet — "and I pretty much con her into a kiss every day before she wanders off to bed at a ridiculously early hour."
Sirius was practically rolling on the ground in hysterics. Willow thought she was bound to burst a blood vessel with as much blood as she had flooding into her cheeks. Paige smirked triumphantly at Willow's self-consciousness.
"Come on, Willow, you have to admit, you're a damn good girlfriend," the older Gryffindor said. "You might as well have some pride in it."
"Yes, Willow, take some pride in it!" Sirius said. "You're the luckiest kid this side of anywhere, with Paige as your girlfriend!"
"Alright, fine, just leave me be for a second!" Willow chortled.
The younger Gryffindor was most definitely not left alone, however, as she was teased into oblivion for the next half hour. Willow couldn't deny that she enjoyed it, though. She was more than happy to sit through excessive compliments about her flirtatiousness with her girlfriend, the gifts she constantly gave her, and the absolute romance she gave Paige whenever she wanted it, as long as it cheered up Sirius. The stricken man was in such high spirits that Willow hardly dared to interrupt his fun.
They couldn't stay forever, though. The students had to get back to Hogwarts by a certain time or they were done for. Willow sadly hugged Sirius goodbye.
"I can come back every so often, right?" Willow asked.
"Only if it's safe," Sirius warned her. "I don't want you getting in trouble for me again."
"I get in trouble without you all the time, remember?" Willow chuckled half-heartedly.
"I know. Just be careful, alright?"
"I will."
After giving one last belly rub to Buckbeak, Willow and Paige checked that the coast was clear, then left the cave as discreetly as possible. They made their way down the mountain and into the village with no problems. Not even the group of old witches walking by seemed to think they were up to no good, suddenly appearing from the mountain like they did. Willow breathed a sigh of relief and made her way to the path that would take them back to Hogwarts. Paige instinctively took her hand, and they trudged through the snow with shoulders touching.
They emerged from the forested path, and at long last, Hogwarts towered before them. The girls picked their way up the hilly path back to the Entrance Hall's steps. Willow suddenly paused when she reached the courtyard, however.
"What is it?" Paige whispered.
"Is that Sam, outside the Owlery?" Willow breathed.
The girls peered through the snowy haze only to find that Sam was indeed outside the Owlery. He suspiciously peeked over his shoulder, as if making sure no one was following him, then disappeared inside. He emerged moments later with a nondescript school owl. Hastily checking for passerbys once again, he quickly tied a note to the owl's foot and sent it off. Willow and Paige exchanged a look.
What the hell was that?
Willow had a horrible feeling gnawing at the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to believe it before, but after Sally and Sam had mysteriously retreated from the student body again, then missed the Second Task, she knew for sure: the Smith twins were hiding something.
And that something was dangerous.
