As I said before, this is not originally my story. I was given an outline and changes on behalf of the original author. Almost everything here was pre-approved.

There was so much chaos. Calliope was more than capable of running by herself, but her mother refused to put on her on the ground. All around her were shouts, loud booms, and a lot of breaking glass. Calliope thought she was in one of her Uncle Dan's war movies. She yelped when a spell flew over her head, but the fear was short-lived as her Raven appeared from the shadows. With wild motions, her Raven sent several spells to keep the strangers at bay. Her Raven turned briefly, a soft smile on her face before she disappeared into the chaos. Calliope whimpered, and her mother kissed her temple.

"She will be fine, love."

Calliope knew that, but that didn't mean she couldn't worry. She kept watching, hoping for another glimpse of her Raven, but she never got the chance. Her mother ran into the family room and closed the door. She set Calliope down and rushed around the desk. She pressed a button beside the cabinet, and a secret drawer popped out. Her mother removed a small box and ran back to Calliope. She opened the box and removed a black stone necklace. She placed it around Calliope's neck and cupped her cheeks.

"You must listen to me, okay?" she said. "This necklace is yours. You must never take it off. Even in the bath, you must keep it on, do you understand?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Now, when Uncle Lucius gets here, you must go with him."

"But-

"No buts," she interrupted. "Uncle Lucius will take you somewhere safe, and when you get there, you must do whatever he or Aunt Cissy says. Do you promise to do that for me?"

Calliope nodded. The shouting got closer, and her mother looked over her shoulder. She cursed under her breath and turned back to Calliope.

"Who loves you more than me?"

"No one, Mama."

Her mother brought their foreheads together and whispered, "Exactly. I love you more than the universe itself, and I will always be with you. In your heart, your mind, and your soul. Always."

The door opened suddenly, and Calliope's pushed behind her mother, but they both relaxed when Lucius closed the door. He had blood caked on his forehead but was otherwise unharmed.

"You need to take her to the safe house."

"But Rayna-

"Take her!"

Lucius swallowed and hurried over. He picked Calliope off the ground, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her mother put a hand on her back and kissed her forehead.

"I love you forever and ever," she said. "Do you love me too?"

"Yes, Mama. Forever and ever."

"Good girl." There was a crash in the distance, and her mother pushed Lucius. "Go! I will hold him off!" she said.

Lucius nodded and ran toward the balcony. As he stepped outside, the door swung open. Calliope watched her mother duel a white-bearded man, and just as the world started to twist, her mother turned. She smiled sadly and blew her a kiss. The last thing Calliope saw was a green light hit her mother in the back.

End of Year Four

Hermione ran her finger along the rim of her cup. She couldn't get Cedric's body out of her mind. His lifeless eyes and pale skin. Had Cedric not gotten involved, he might've lived to graduate. But he wanted to save Harry, wanted to die a martyr, and instead, he died a victim. Hermione stopped her finger and cocked her head. She didn't cast the spell. She was in the stands with everyone else, but sometimes she wondered what would happen if she snapped. Not the innocent kind when Ronald did something stupid, or the kind when Harry went along with whatever Dumbledore told him. No, a full-blown snap where she slit everyone's throats or tortured them until their bodies shut down on their own. She smiled to herself.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Hermione blinked away the thoughts and turned to Ron. She forced an apologetic smile and said, "No, sorry. I have a lot on my mind."

"I asked are you going to the Halloween Ball," he said.

Hermione saw Harry flinch in the corner of her eye. Though she despised him, she knew what it was like to have the whole world celebrate the death of your parents. She looked back at Ron and said, "No. I stopped celebrating the holiday a long time ago. Plus, I doubt anyone will be in a partying mood after what happened."

"Cedric would want us to be happy."

"Do you ever hear yourself when you talk?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

Ron grumbled something under his breath and turned to Harry. There was mention about the Patil twins, and she zoned out. She glanced out of the window and took a sip of coffee when a flash of blond walked past the window. Hermione rolled her eyes when Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle walked inside. Her face twisted into annoyance at the sight of Crabbe and Goyle. She wished her cousin would surround himself with better friends, but Crabbe and Goyle were loyal pups that came in handy more often than not.

Draco caught her eye and subtly jerked his head to the back. She waited until he was gone before she stood up from the table.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Has your name suddenly turned into Daniel Granger?" she scoffed.

"I was just asking," he muttered.

"To the restroom, Ron," she sighed.

Hermione shook her head and left while Ron pouted. She didn't mean to snap at him that time, but the way he gets under her skin should be awarded. Hermione went the normal way toward the restrooms and went down the hall. Still, instead of turning left, she turned right and entered the back room, where she found Draco seated on an empty barrel.

"Those jeans look awful on you."

Hermione glanced down and said, "Jean said they made my legs look longer."

"Well, they do. You look like a giraffe."

"Thank you, Draco, for the boost of self-esteem."

'You're welcome."

Hermione leaned against the opposite wall and said, "I thought you were spending your time at the apothecary today."

"We got hungry. Plus, I thought you would be in the bookstore."

"Harry and Ron hunted me down, dragged me here, and I decided to just wait it out. Though, I am grateful you came when you did. I needed a break."

Draco cleared his throat and hopped down from the barrel. Coming up beside her, careful not to be seen from the hallway, he folded his arms and leaned against the wall.

"I got a letter from Dad."

"And?"

"He's a bit tired but alive and eating again. They're going to try solids tomorrow."

"Good. I was worried Cedric messed everything up."

"No, and I was told to tell you he's looking forward to seeing you this weekend."

Hermione clenched her jaw and said, "I'm not ready to see him yet."

"But I thought-

"I'm happy he's alive, but being alive isn't going to make up for the last decade or so. He abandoned me when I needed him the most, and I need time to work through that."

Draco bowed his head and shoved his hands into his cloak.

"I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to be on the receiving end of that."

"No, it's okay," he said. "I forgot you were still angry with him. I assumed you were coming to the manor after the train."

"I need to see Dan and Jean first. I," she paused, "I will see him soon. Just not this weekend."

"Okay."

"I need to go back."

"See you on the train," he said.

Hermione pushed off the wall and walked out first. As she sat down, she found that Harry and Ron had switched to Quidditch. She subtly warmed her coffee and settled in for yet another Hogsmeade trip wasted on Quidditch.