Neither George nor Vanessa wanted to get out of bed the next morning. They had been so content wrapped in each other's arms all night that neither wanted to let go the next morning. But they both knew they had to. It was the first day of their last year at Hogwarts.

"Can you believe it's our last first day of school?"

"Nope, it's flown by. Though, Fred and I haven't put in as much work as you have, so that could be why."

"It's weird, going back without Cedric." She didn't want to cry, not today.

"You've always got Fred and I."

"Even though we're supposed to be pretending not to be friends."

They spent at least another half hour in bed together before finally deciding they needed to get up and get ready for their journey.

Everyone was bustling to get their things together. Fred and George had bewitched their trunks and ended up knocking Ginny down two flights of stairs. Once everyone had eaten, and the last of the trunks and animal cages were brought down, they took off to Kings Cross with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Moody, Tonks, and Sirius, who was in his Animagus form.

Platform 9 ¾ was bustling with families, all saying goodbye to their loved ones who were returning to Hogwarts or going for the first time. Vanessa said goodbye to everyone as best she could before boarding the train and taking off towards the Prefects compartment.

Vanessa, along with Roger Davies, met with the prefects during the ride, telling them of their duties during the duration of the trip. They had a good batch of Prefects that year, though she was worried about Draco and Pansy. She had never liked Pansy. And Draco, well, she had heard of his home life and believed that played a part in why he was such a prat. Though she couldn't excuse the way he treated Hermione.

Arriving in Hogsmeade, Vanessa got off the train and helped usher the first years to the former Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Grubbly-Plank. She wondered where Hagrid was but figured it must be Order business with everything going on.

After getting the first years sorted, Vanessa ran into her Quidditch teammates, Graham and Adrian. The three grabbed a carriage up to the castle, both giving Vanessa their condolences again on Cedric before talking about their summers and the upcoming Quidditch season.

"You look good, Diggory. The new hair suits you," Adrian said.

"Thanks. I made a few much-needed changes over the summer."

"Like dumping the Weasel twins. Don't you three normally go everywhere together?" Montegue added.

"Changes, as I said."

"Well, maybe one of your changes could be going out on a date with me?" Adrian added, smirking at her.

"Maybe," she shrugged her shoulders. Even though she had turned him down the year before, she knew this year was different. She had to be friendlier with her fellow Slytherins.

"Playing hard to get, I like a challenge."

When the carriage stopped, Adrian had helped her down. They walked up to the castle together, as he continued to ask her out multiple times, hoping she would go with him to Hogsmeade when the first trip came around.

Everyone assembled in the Great Hall at their house tables, listening to the Sorting Hat's song about how the four houses should unite against the external, deadly foes that were threatening Hogwarts. While the students of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff all got along, it was Slytherin that was always divided from the rest. While some Slytherins did have friends in other houses, it wasn't a common occurrence. Slytherins had long been defined as the house that produced the worst kinds of wizards and witches, though that wasn't always the case.

At the end of the feast, Professor Dumbledore welcomed back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who would temporarily be substituting for Hagrid while he was away. Next, he introduced a toad-like woman who was dressed all in pink and wore a bow atop her head. Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, would be their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

The chatter around the room started almost immediately but soon died when the woman interrupted the rest of Dumbledore's speech. Most of the teachers looked speechless at this action, as no one had ever interrupted the Headmaster before. When the students were finally dismissed for the evening, Vanessa helped usher some first years to their houses before heading to her new dormitory.

"Look forward to working with you this year, Diggory."

"Me too, Davies. But I'm still going to crush you on the Quidditch pitch."

"Look, I know I wasn't the first choice for this," Roger started before Vanessa cut him off.

"We don't have to talk about that."

"I'm here to talk if you need to. I know we aren't exactly friends, but as we'll be spending time together this year."

"I appreciate that. Speaking of, we should probably get to patrolling the corridors."

The next day was packed with classes. In potions, for the first time in her years at Hogwarts, she did not sit with Fred and George. Instead, she sat with Graham and Adrian, the latter of whom was still trying to convince her to go out with him.

"What a prat," George whispered to Fred.

"Calm down, Georgie. You know she doesn't have feelings for Pucey."

"Well, she's not exactly turning him down either."

"Stop looking at her before someone says something."

Their eyes met for a moment before she looked away. She focused her attention on what Professor Snape was going on about the N.E.W.T.s they would be taking at the end of the school year.

Glad for the lesson to finally be over, she next made her way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. When Umbridge started going over her plan for the year, something in Vanessa wanted to scream at her. The Ministry was trying to hush up Harry and Dumbledor's accusations about Voldemort's return. She said that Cedric's death was a tragic accident but had nothing to do with a certain Dark Wizard's return to power. They weren't going to be using defensive magic, only reading about it. Umbridge didn't think they had anything to worry about.

As Vanessa was packing up at the end of the lesson, Umbridge had called her to her desk.

"Miss Diggory, it's a pleasure to meet you finally." Her voice was sickly sweet and made Vanessa feel ill. "I first would like to pass along my condolences on the tragic passing of your brother last year. I understand, however, that you are Head Girl. I hope that you know you can come to me with any problems you have with certain students or professors."

"Thank you, Professor, but I've never had a problem with one of the other Professors. They've all been wonderful, and I wouldn't be top of my year without them."

"Of course, dear." The older woman let out a small laugh. "I would like you to keep your ears open though, report back to me if you hear anything out of the ordinary going on."

Vanessa looked down at her curiously.

"Such as?"

"You're a smart girl. I'll leave you to use your better judgment on that. Feel free to stop by my office anytime. You may go now."

She left the classroom as soon as she could. She wanted to talk to the twins, Hermione or Ginny, but she knew she had to keep her distance.

The next week proved to be a busy one. Everyone had heard about Harry speaking out against Umbridge in class, earning him detention. Schoolwork had almost tripled in size for Vanessa. She, however, still found time to hold Quidditch tryouts for Beaters. She ended up choosing Crabbe and Goyle, knowing both of their fathers were Death Eaters. They weren't the best, there weren't many options to choose from, but she knew it needed to be done.

It was announced on Monday of the next week that Umbridge had been made High Inquisitor of Hogwarts and that she would be inspecting classes. She had seemed to take an interest in Vanessa, as she was almost always asking her opinions on her professors, which she gave honestly.

Most of her time the rest of the month had been spent between classes, the library, and doing her Head Girl duties. She had even been spending more time in the Slytherin common room, though as she predicted, no one was talking about Voldemort. Many of them had noticed the change in Vanessa, complimenting her on finally getting rid of her blood traitor and Mudblood friends.

The day before their first trip to Hogsmeade was the day she finally got to talk to Hermione. While they made it look as though they were discussing Prefect duties, that wasn't the case.

"We're getting a group of people together, people we think would be interested in learning about Defense Against the Dark Arts, properly. We're meeting at the Hog's Head tomorrow if you want to come."

"Mione, make sure that you trust the people who are coming."

"I've already bewitched a signup sheet. If they sign and tell anyone, well, let's just say they won't look very pretty afterward."

Vanesa turned down Adrian's offer to go to Hogsmeade with him that weekend but said she would on the next trip. Since the first year, the two had been friends, but between Quidditch practice and spending time together in the Slytherin common room, things were changing. Her plan to fit in seemed to be working rather well. Even Draco and Pansy were more friendly with her than they had ever been.

She met up with the trio at the Hog's Head the next day, careful not to be seen by any of her fellow housemates. Several people were already there when she arrived, but she was the only Slytherin, which caused a bit of a commotion.

"Shut it all of you. She's got every right to be here," Hermione piped up.

"You shouldn't be too loud. You never know who's listening."

There were some odd patrons in the room. Any one of them could have been spying for Umbridge. She went and stood against a wall, keeping her distance from most of the group. Fred and George walked in a minute later, noticing her standing there. She smiled half-heartedly at them both. She missed them, and they missed her.

After hesitation from several students and support of Harry and his accomplishments by others, everyone who had attended decided to participate, though some were more cautious about it than others. Vanessa lined up behind the twins, gently grabbing George's hand for a moment as she did so. She signed her name under his and then left quickly to head back to the school.

The following Monday, another Education Decree had gone out, this time banning organizations, societies, teams, groups, and clubs, all of which would only be able to reform with Umbridge's approval. With pressure from her fellow teammates, Vanessa went to Umbridge to ask to reform the Slytherin team, which she allowed without hesitation.

She planned out their practices for the next few weeks, wanting to be ready for the beginning of the season.

Later that night, while patrolling the halls, an underclassman had come to her with a note from Dumbledore, asking to see her in his office. Upon arrival, she knocked on the door and was told to enter.

"Miss. Diggory, we need to talk. Please sit down."

Vanessa did as she was told, walking further into the office and taking a seat at the desk across from the Headmaster.

"Sir, if this is in regards to my job for the Order-," but Dumbledore put up a hand to stop her.

"It is actually in regards to the meeting you attended at the Hog's Head. While I won't ask you any details, I must inform you that the Order, as well as the Ministry, have spies everywhere. You must be careful with whom you are spending your time. Had Professor Umbridge been informed of who was at the meeting, I fear the punishment you would have received. As for your work for the Order, while I want you to keep an eye on your classmates still, I also want you to spend time with Professor Umbridge. I know it's not a pleasant scenario, but as she is working for the Ministry, having you on her good side could be of great value to us."

"Of course, Professor, whatever you need."

"Thank you, Miss Diggory. You are free to go."

The first Dumbledore's Army meeting was scheduled for that Thursday at the Room of Requirement. Vanessa went on her own, as she was the only Slytherin, and figured it would be best not to draw attention to herself by going with other people.

They practiced the disarming charm. She had partnered with Neville at his request. She helped him out as much as she could and slowly started to see improvements with him, though he still hadn't completely mastered it. At the end of the meeting, Hermione had given them all charmed coins, which would notify them of the upcoming meetings.

Vanessa went about not talking to her friends, finding it harder and harder to do so as time passed. She and Adrian had finally gone to Hogsmeade together, which she had enjoyed, but he wasn't the one she wanted to be there with. The constant back and forth on if she was doing the right thing was slowly driving her crazy.

She was relieved when their first Quidditch game arrived. She would be playing against her friends, but at least she would be able to get her frustrations out on the pitch. Draco had thought it would be funny to make a song mocking Ron's abilities as Keeper, which he titled 'Weasley is our King.' The song went on the entire match, which Vanessa found rather annoying.

During the match, Vanessa had been hit with a bludger that had been intended for Adrian. She knew it was George who had done it by the look on his face after it connected with her arm. She took a moment to compose herself. Her arm was throbbing painfully, but she flew off to continue the match. Crabbe and Goyle were doing their best to hit bludgers at every Gryffindor team member they could. It was one of the most violent games she had been a part of.

Harry caught the Snitch, ensuring Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin. As she touched down to the ground, Adrian rushed to her side to see if she was alright. But it was Draco they had to worry about. He had asked Harry and the twins what they had thought about the song he created and proceeded to provoke them until Harry and George attacked him.

Both teams got involved in trying to break it up, but it was McGonagall who had finally stopped them, giving Harry and George detention for fighting. When back in the locker room, Vanessa started yelling at everyone, even Draco, for how they played that day. Her frustration had finally gotten the better of her, and she decided to take it out on them.

Later that day, another Education Decree had gone out, this time giving Umbridge the right to strip students of all privileges. Umbridge then gave Harry, George, and Fred a lifetime Quidditch ban, even though Fred had not participated in the attack. Angelina approached Vanessa later that day, yelling at her for not having her team under control.

"Just because your teammates have short fuses does not give you the right to come and yell at me."

Vanessa was not going to take this. It wasn't her fault that Draco was a prat. She had been trying to stop him for years, but it never worked.

The two continued shouting back and forth at each other for several minutes until Umbridge approached them. "I will not have ladies yelling at each other. Miss Johnson, 10 points from Gryffindor."

This angered Angelina further, as Umbridge had not taken any points from Slytherin.

November feed into December. Hagrid had returned to teach Care of Magical Creatures and told Vanessa all about his plan for the rest of the year. She had found out that Hermione had told him to keep it simple, as Umbridge was watching, and Vanessa agreed. She didn't want him getting sacked.

Vanessa still had no news to report on the Slytherin students, and her cozying up to Umbridge wasn't providing anything useful. It was making her loathe the old toad even more than she already did.

Right before the holidays, the D.A. was notified of their final meeting that would be taking place until after the New Year. Many had given Vanessa the cold shoulder upon her arrival because of the actions at the Quidditch match. Angelina refused to talk to her, but Ginny reassured her that she knew it wasn't her fault.

"Okay, we're going to practice stunning spells. We'll partner off and take turns. Make two lines and stand across from your partner. Ron, Hermione, you're up first."

Hermione's stunning spell sent Ron flying into a wall in the Room of Requirement. Everyone took their turn with their partners, some showing more force in their stunning than others. Vanessa looked across from and saw Fred and George talking. She realized she and George would be partnered up together.

She walked up to him, twirling her wand between her fingers like she so often did.

"I'll be sure to take it easy on you." She spoke low enough so only he could hear her.

"Give me all you've got, sweetheart," he said, winking at her.

She walked to one side of the room, clutching her wand in her hand and taking her stance.

"On the count of three," Harry said. "One, two, three."

"Stupefy," they shouted in unison.

Red sparks emitted from both of their wands, as George was sent flying back in a similar fashion as Ron. Fred and Ginny were giving George a hard time when he finally stood up and rejoined them.

The rest of the pairs went, and Harry announced that the meeting was over and that they would meet again sometime after the holiday. Vanessa said her goodbyes to Harry before taking off to do her nightly rounds.

Much later that night, Vanessa returned to the common room, ready to finish her packing before the holiday. Roger rushed in after her moments later, holding out a letter for her.

"This is from Dumbledore. I had run into him while I was doing my rounds by his office. Said it's important. He looked a little worried."

"Thanks." She took the note and went into her room to read it. Mr. Weasley had been attacked at the Department of Mysteries, and the twins, Ron, Ginny, and Harry, were already at Grimmauld Place awaiting their mother's arrival. There weren't many details about what had happened, but Dumbledore suggested she go to Grimmauld Place to spend the holidays with the Weasleys and so that she could be with the Order.

She decided that she would go to see her mother for a few days, then go to Grimmauld Place to be with the Weasleys. She wanted to see her mother. Cedric was gone, and her father had no recollection of their life together. She was all her mother had left. While she had been enjoying spending more time with her sister, Vanessa could tell by her mother's letters that she had missed her.

There weren't many people in the Great Hall when Vanessa went down to breakfast the next morning. Everyone was either still packing or still sleeping. Draco had entered the Great Hall shortly after her and took the empty seat next to her.

"Morning, Draco."

"Morning, Diggory." He looked around the hall for a moment, as if to make sure he wasn't being watched, and then leaned closer to her. "I don't know what you and your Gryffindor chums are up to, but you should know, Umbridge has an inkling that something is going on."

She looked at him, not giving any indication that she knew what he was talking about.

"Draco, in case you hadn't noticed, I haven't been spending any time with the Gryffindors this year. I've decided to sort out my priorities, and being friends with them isn't part of that."

"You're a great Quidditch Captain, but you're a terrible liar. Look, I know I'm the last person you probably trust-," she put a hand up to stop him.

"Draco, you're right. I don't trust you. I don't know what you're playing at here, but nothing is going on."

"Look, I'm just trying to help you."

Vanessa stood up suddenly, not wanting to listen to him anymore.

"I don't need your help Draco. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Vanessa made her way to Hogsmeade several hours later, walking with Adrian and discussing their holiday plans. The two shared a compartment, along with several other Slytherins in their year. Draco's words were still ringing in her ear though. Could he possibly have been genuine in his warning? Or was he just trying to goad her for information? Either way, she would be sure to talk to the Order about it when she saw them.