Chapter Fourteen: A Date with Cedric and a Discussion with Dumbledore

"Holly!" Cedric shrieked, brandishing tickets in front of her. "Guess what?"

"Snape has now plotted a new and elaborate plan to try and expel me?" she guessed. Cedric laughed and his gray eyes danced.

"No, you twit! I got us tickets!"
"Tickets?" Holly laughed. "Tickets to what?"

"It was Drew's idea," said Cedric. "He's a Muggle-born you know. I was going to take Cho, but she can't come. Has to study for exams or something… But I knew you never study for exams, so I knew you'd be free!"

"For your information, Mr. Diggory!" Holly shook her finger at him with a grin on her face. "I do too study!"
"Fine, then I guess you don't want to go. It's OK, I can take someone else…"
"No!" Holly shrieked as Cedric turned away. "I want to go!" He turned back to her with a grin.

"I thought so."

"Where are we going?" Holly asked, looking around the busy streets of London.

"The theater," Cedric replied, ushering her in.

"What?" Holly laughed.
"Muggle entertainment. I heard it's great fun."

"Oh," Holly shrugged. "OK. What do we do at the theater?"

"What do you to at a wizarding theater?" Cedric laughed. "You watch a show!"

"What show?"

"It's called A Little Night Music," Cedric replied. "I thought you'd like it." Holly smiled weakly.

"I'm sure I will," she said.

As the show ended Holly stared at the stage.
"That was brilliant!" she cried. Cedric laughed.

"Drew said the theater was great. He was right."

"I know! Did you see that? How Anne ended up with Henrik and Desiree sung that wonderful song! Send in the clowns!" Holly started humming the tune to herself. Cedric put his arm around her in a friendly fashion.

"I'm glad you liked it. I needed to get away from the school and the Tournament, and this just seemed like the best way to do it."

"This was a great idea," Holly said. "Remind me to thank Drew when we get back."

"I'll do it for you," Cedric said and they walked out of the theater laughing.

Holly felt her head loll in the middle of Astronomy as the professor droned on about the stars in Orian being a link between worlds or some such nonsense. She wondered why she had ever really signed up for the class in the first place. Fred and George had been smart and decided not to take it, but Lee was there, but he was falling asleep as well.

"Hi!"

"What!? I wasn't asleep, honest!" Holly jolted and looked around the room, Professor Sinestra staring coldly at her.

"Sorry, Professor," she mumbled. She then turned her head to her left and nearly screamed. Only about two inches away from her face was a ginger-haired girl with big blue eyes and a large grin. Holly sighed with relief.

"Hello, Cora," she muttered.

"All I said was hi, you didn't have to scream, you know," said the young and eager fifth year. "It was only a greeting—"

"Shut. Up." Holly said through gritted teeth.

"I know…" Cora sighed. "I talk too much. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite bright, so it's interesting, but nevertheless I talk too much. People hate it for someone to blurt out 'I'm bright!' They think the person's really saying 'I'm brighter than you are!' Which I'm not… Well, actually, I guess that kind of is what I'm saying. I'm brighter than a lot of people I know. Heck, I'm in this class, aren't I? Sixth year Astronomy and only in my fifth year! Wow!" Holly nodded with a forced smile.
"That's good for you, Cora," she said.

"What phase is the moon in tonight, Miss Phillips?" Holly jumped at the question and turned to the steely gray eyes of Professor Sinestra.

"Um, er, I—"

"You weren't paying attention, were you?" asked the professor. Holly sighed and remembered Remus.

"Waning," she replied. "It's waning. Three nights ago it was the last night of the full moon." Sinestra scowled unhappily.

"Well, yes, then… But pay attention, Miss Phillips and don't chat with Cora. She's a brilliant girl and I don't want you distracting her!" Sinestra smiled kindly at young Cora who grinned eagerly back. Holly scowled.

"Yes, Professor," she mumbled. "I won't talk to the nosey fifth year again." Holly leaned her head on her hand and stared out the window at the conjured stars in the similarly conjured night sky that Sinestra was discussing. She could hear Lee Jordan snoring quietly next to her and elbowed him deliberately in ribs with her free hand as she continued to stare at the stars.

"Huh?" Lee grumbled. "I'm not used to being up this late…"

"You consider this late, Lee?" Holly chortled, quietly. Before Lee could answer, someone was at the door.

"Yes?" Sinestra scowled.

"Dumbledore asks to borrow Miss Phillips, if that is alright with you," said Snape, with equal amounts of scowling.

"Fine, take her!" Sinestra muttered.

"Thank you," Snape forced a grin, but when he looked at Holly, it disappeared. "You. Come with me."

As they walked down the stairs of the tall Astronomy tower, Holly's curiousity got the better of her.

"What does Professor Dumbledore want?" she asked.

"Despite what you may think, Miss Phillips, he doesn't tell me everything! My best guess is that you and the Weasley twins are in trouble again," Snape muttered in reply, his pace quickening. "Come on, come on, don't dally! He said to be prompt!" Holly sighed and also picked up speed.

"I don't think I'm in any trouble, sir. At least, I can't think of anything I did…"

"You do so many horrible things, it's no wonder," Snape almost laughed.

"Excuse me, sir, but I am an over-all obedient student, am I not?"

"Not when you're arguing with teachers, Miss Phillips. Five points from Gryffindor. Now hurry up!"

"Holly…" Dumbledore mumbled from his desk. Holly looked skeptical.

"What is it, Professor?" she asked. "Snape seems to think I did something." Dumbledore laughed out loud at that remark.

"Oh, you did nothing, Miss Phillips, I assure you! Again, the reason I need to speak to you is about your brother…"

"OK, what did he do now?" Holly laughed, but Dumbledore's expression was solemn and she halted.

"It's quite serious," said Dumbledore. "I was siphoning off thoughts into my Pensieve and some of them was about you… I was also reviewing the trials that happened years ago with the supposed Death Eaters… however, Harry was in my office because he had just awoken from a disturbing dream… He found my Pensieve and looked through it…"

"No…" Holly shook her head.

"Relax, Holly. It's a miracle he did not find my memories of you and his parents. He only saw the trials. Though, I believe if I hadn't interrupt him he would have seen it. But I also called you here to discuss the dream he had. It was one of Lord Voldemort again." Holly recoiled at the name.

"Don't," Dumbledore said pointedly when he saw her. "There's nothing wrong with a name." Holly sighed.

"I know," she said. "I know."

"The dream, he said, included a discussion between the Dark Lord and Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew, or Wormtail as he is being called now, was tortured and Voldemort threatened to feed him to a large snake. But instead, the Lord offered Harry instead."

"Why does this involve me?" Holly asked. Dumbledore smiled, sadly.

"If the pain in Harry's skull hadn't awoken him, I wonder what he would have heard Voldemort say about you?" Holly shivered.

"So you know, then?" Holly asked. "You know that Voldemort knows?" Dumbledore nodded, slowly.

"Harry told me when he was here."

"So he knows?!" Holly suddenly couldn't breathe. But Dumbledore shook his head.

"He has an idea, but he doesn't remember. I pieced it together with the fragments of the dream he could remember." Holly sighed with relief.

"I realize now," she said, "That the more people who know about me, the more dangerous my life becomes." Dumbledore nodded, slightly exasperated, with his eyes closed.

"Unfortunately, you seemed to have realized that too late. Voldemort knows of you, Holly, but what I wonder is how he knows?"

"Believe me, sir!" Holly cried in defense. "I wonder that as well! I didn't tell anyone except…" Holly trailed off at Dumbledore's surprised look.

"Except?" He prompted. Holly heard the angst in his voice and possible slight anger. She sighed, about to come clean. She had never seen Dumbledore angry before.

"Cedric Diggory. And… That's it," she lied. She couldn't tell him about Rita Skeeter. Then she would really get reprimanded for that. She was exactly the kind of person Dumbledore and Remus had warned her about. Was it possible that Rita Skeeter could have told Voldemort? No, that was impossible… Wasn't it?

"Just Cedric?" Dumbledore pushed. Holly froze. Could she really lie to this man?

"Yes." She could.

"Did anyone hear you telling Cedric?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not that I'm aware of."

"So it could have been someone you didn't see? A spy, perhaps?" Holly froze again. Had Rita Skeeter been the only one watching them?

"Yeah, that makes a lot of sense… Or Professor, I'm so, so sorry!"

"It is not I who you put in danger, Miss Phillips," Dumbledore whispered. Those words were worse than reproach for they reminded Holly of the truth in them.

"I know," she uttered, softly. "I know."

"Now, it's not only Harry you must keep a close eye on, it's yourself as well. I will alert Remus—"
"No!" Holly shrieked. "You can't! He will kill me!" Dumbledore sighed.

"Is it Remus, or Lord Voldemort that you are more afraid of?"

"That's a hard question…"

"He has to know, Holly, so he too can be aware of your surroundings."

"Why does everyone else have to be aware of my surroundings?" Holly demanded. "Why do I have to be aware of Harry's surroundings?" Dumbledore smiled, weakly.

"Apparently you do not realize the weight your destiny carries."

"Pardon?"

"What once was lost is now found, what was forgotten is remembered, the Child will arise from the ashes of its parents and become the downfall of the Dark Lord Voldemort."

"That's what… That's what Cedric said…" Holly said.

"He knows of the prophecy."

"Prophecy?"

"And so does Voldemort," Dumbledore continued, ignoring Holly. "Which is why he wishes to eliminate every Potter child."

"It's a prophecy?" Holly was still stuck on that. Dumbledore nodded.

"Which is why you both must be watched closely. Though we believe the prophecy is most likely referring to Harry, since it was made on the day he was born, Voldemort will want to secure his reign." Holly's face burst with ecstasy, despite the situation.

"I'm important…" she said with a smug grin. "For once in my life, I am actually going to amount to something!"

"Holly, don't get carried away, the prophecy is probably not referring to you—" But Holly ignored him.

"I am actually as important as Harry Potter!"

"Of that there has never been any doubt!" said Dumbledore hastily. "We are all important in our own ways."

"Yes, but I'm really important!" Dumbledore sighed and leaned back in his chair, giving up. "I… I mean something!"

"I don't think you're taking this appropriately."

"I'm important!" Holly repeated.

"You're blowing this out of proportion. I probably shouldn't have told you of this prophecy."

"I'm really important! Really!"

"This is nothing to be excited about, you are in severe danger—"

"I'm in danger, but if I'm in danger, shouldn't I be able to bask in the glory of being important?" Holly asked. Dumbledore had to laugh.

"You are quite a complex child."

"I am quite a complex young woman, you mean!" Holly corrected. "An important complex young woman!" Dumbledore laughed again.

"Will you ever learn to take things seriously?"

"I get it from the Weasley twins." Holly beamed. "Hey, Dumbledore! Guess what?"

"What?" Dumbledore asked with a grin, humoring her.

"I'm important!" Dumbledore changed the subject.

"Remus informs me you know of Sirius Black's innocence?" he asked. He looked impressed, but Holly didn't know why. She nodded.

"Remus explained it to me."

"Sirius sent Harry a note telling him to be wary. He said if someone wants to hurt him, they're on their last chance. I can only hope he's correct and I can only hope nothing will happen during that third task. I want you to be wary of him as well, more so than before. Things are becoming very dangerous… And remember, don't draw too much attention to yourself. That display in the Great Hall when the champions were announced was enough to make anyone suspicious. Another incident like that…"

"I'll be careful, Professor," Holly promised. "And I'll look out for Harry…"