Chapter 24.

"Harry Potter."

Magnolia felt herself freeze. Her entire body tensed up. Her mind went blank. She couldn't have heard that right. The rest of the school was silent. It felt like Magnolia could have been completely alone in the room. Moments later, chatter started to fill the Hall, angry chatter.

Magnolia felt a hand on her arm, Pansy was trying to get her attention. She couldn't think. Magnolia felt like she was under water, drowning from the name Dumbledore had just called out across the Great Hall. Had Harry done this? Why wouldn't he tell her? How had he done it when Fred and George couldn't?

Magnolia saw her brother stand, uneasy, from his seat at the Gryffindor table. It was like he was the only thing she could focus on. Everything else seemed a mile away, distorted from the fog that had surrounded her, but Harry was crystal clear.

He was looking straight at her, their eyes locked, and Magnolia could see that he was terrified. He hadn't done this. Dumbledore called him again, telling him to join him. Magnolia moved at the same time as Harry did, standing up as he began to shuffle through the angry throng of students. She felt Pansy's hand shift from her arm to her hand, forcing her to stay where she was.

Magnolia was frozen where she stood as she watched her brother walk through the door the Champions had walked through. She could feel Pansy pulling her to sit down, she could feel the eyes of the school turn to her as her brother disappeared. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Maggie… Maggie, you need to sit down."

She heard the words, but she could barely understand them. Her ears were ringing, and the angry chatter from the other students was getting louder and louder.

"She looks like she's going to faint."

"She's completely white."

"Is she ok?"

"Potter, breathe."

"We need to move her."

"She isn't going to want to leave until she's spoken to Harry."

"She can't stay in here with the rest of the school!"

"Mags, you need to sit down."

The voices were speaking around her. She couldn't focus on what they were saying though. She could only hear Dumbledore's voice telling them that the Triwizard Tournament had first been stopped because of the rising death toll, that the age restriction had been put in place due to the danger that the Tournament put the Champions in. And her brother's name being called.

Slowly, the chatter and buzz that had filled Magnolia's head began to quieten until she couldn't hear any of it. She blinked, and things started to come back into focus again. The Great Hall had emptied except for the few people around Magnolia. Her friends were watching her with a mix of fear and worry.

"Maggie! Are you ok?"

Magnolia glanced at Pansy and nodded slightly.

"Professor Snape and McGonagall said we could wait here with you until your brother came out. Everyone else was sent to their Common Room's."

Magnolia glanced around at the worried faces of her friends and apologised for scaring them. She was still worried about Harry's name being pulled from the Goblet, but she was sure that Dumbledore wouldn't let him compete. When Krum and Fleur appeared through the door that they had disappeared into, Magnolia's friends left her so she could talk to her brother alone.

Magnolia stood from her seat and started walking towards the staff table when she saw Harry and Cedric walk through the door. She ran to her brother and threw her arms around him. He enveloped her in his arms too and held her tight.

"So, what happened!?" Magnolia cried, "Dumbledore is getting you out of doing the Tournament, right?"

"Erm, no."

Magnolia could feel Cedric's gaze on her, watching her for a reaction. She needed to speak to her brother alone to find out exactly what had happened. She smiled at Cedric and congratulated him before pulling Harry away to sit on one of the tables in the Great Hall.

Harry burrowed his head in his hands when they sat, his shoulders slumped forward. Magnolia put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. The twins sat like that for a while, both thinking about what was going to happen this year.

Magnolia couldn't help but think that Harry's dream and his scar hurting, and him now being in the Tournament wasn't just a coincidence. Someone wanted Harry as a Champion. It would be the perfect way to get to him.

"We should tell Sirius."

Harry lifted his head to give Magnolia a scathing look.

"He's already worried enough, if I tell him about this do you really think he'd hesitate to march through the Castle doors?"

"Do you want him to find out through the paper?" Magnolia questioned, "This is going to be everywhere."

Harry sighed and fell quiet again.

"Harry, we have to tell him." Magnolia urged, "Do you really think this is a coincidence? That dream you had, you're scar hurting, the Quidditch World Cup and now this?"

"You think it's linked?"

"How can it not be?"

Magnolia watched as her brother dropped his head back into his hands. She didn't want to believe that this was all connected, but she couldn't see how it wasn't. Magnolia thought to her own nightmares, the flashes of green light, the screaming, the utter terror. Could all this be a sign of something coming?

"If you're right, then we have a problem."

"No, you have a problem. I have an idiot who keeps getting into one." Magnolia replied, trying to lighten the mood between the twins.

Harry cracked a smile and laughed a little at his sister, who smiled back at him. They had both thought that this year might be quieter than the previous school years, they were obviously wrong. Magnolia sighed, maybe paying a bit of attention to boys this year would be a welcome break from the stress that her brother caused her.

They didn't say much for a while, until Professor Dumbledore appeared with the other Head teachers, Ministry workers and teachers, and ushered them out of the Great Hall to their Dorms. Harry grabbed Magnolia's hand as they walked out of the Hall, squeezing it tightly.

"We'll figure this out, Harry." Magnolia whispered, "We'll figure it out together."

Harry hugged her and sent a small, worried smile to his sister as they parted ways. Magnolia watched him walk up the stairs before she turned to walk to her own Common Room.

As she was walking, a cold feeling swept down her back, and she felt like someone was following her. She quickly glanced over her shoulder but sighed frustratedly as she saw no one was there. As she turned back around though, she saw Mad- Eye Moody stood in front of her, watching her expectantly.

"Professor!"

"Evenin', Miss Potter."

"I, erm, I didn't hear you."

Magnolia tried to look anywhere in the hallway except at her teacher, she could feel the cold feeling prickling at her skin, telling her something was wrong. Her breath deepened as she realised she was completely alone with her creepy Professor.

"Thought I'd check on you after your brother's name was called. Gotta be a bit of a shock."

"Yes, it was, but I'm fine."

"Well, if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." Moody replied, stepping towards her, "I've dealt with my far share of Dark Magic."

Magnolia nodded, trying to regain control of her mind. Harry's name being called and her panic after floated through her mind, seeing him fighting against Tom Riddle's Basilisk whilst she stood helpless, the countless times she didn't help him when the Dursley's punished him in their childhood.

Magnolia gasped, and stepped away from her Professor, "I should get to my friends, they'll be worried."

She quickly side stepped the man in front of her and hurried down the corridor to the Dungeons. She hadn't seen some of those memories for so long, she tried not to think of their childhood. Magnolia chastised herself, obviously the meditation was not working to shut her mind to Moody's mind reading. How had she resisted the Imperious Curse so easily then?

Magnolia expected to find her Common Room full of chatter when she entered but was shocked to find it was practically empty. Only the younger years seemed to be sat around discussing what had happened. Magnolia looked around the room for one of her friends and was glad when she saw Tracey and Daphne appear out of the Dorm staircase.

"There you are!" Daphne cried, "We're going to the Hufflepuff's Common Room; they've thrown a party for Diggory becoming Champion."

"They wouldn't refuse us going, and most of us wouldn't refuse a drink." Tracey laughed.

"A drink sounds good right about now."

Tracey wrapped her arm around Magnolia's waist, "Come on, let's go get your mind off Harry."

As the three girls walked towards the Hufflepuff party, Magnolia was on edge and kept sending glances around in case Moody jumped out at her again. Her skin was still crawling from the strange encounter.

When the girls entered the Hufflepuff Common Room, the party was in full swing. Someone had set up a music system, and a table to the side was filled with different drinks. Magnolia followed Tracey and Daphne to the table and picked up the first drink she could, downing it in one.

The heat that burnt her throat was unexpected and made her cough violently. Beside her, Daphne giggled as she sipped her own drink. Magnolia refilled her drink, determined to make this one last longer. They quickly found their friends; Pansy was hanging off of Malfoy and they both had drinks in their hands, Theo, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle were all also drinking and seemed glad to see the three girls' approach.

"Maggie, is that alcohol!?" Pansy exclaimed.

"Have you ever had a drink before?" Malfoy sneered.

It was the first time they had spoken since the night he hadn't arrived for their evening meditation. Magnolia was almost shocked to hear his voice; he had turned into a glaring silent figure in her life. Magnolia frowned at him as she continued to sneer at her, she didn't understand what she had done to annoy him so much, but she was suddenly furious with him.

"Is now really the best time to have your first drink?"

"Well, you know Malfoy, I was thinking if my brother being put into a Tournament that has killed people isn't a good time to try it for the first time, when is?" Magnolia shrugged as she snapped.

"Guys, come on, this is a party." Daphne mumbled.

She downed the rest of her drink and turned to get another before Malfoy could reply. He was infuriating, he had obviously drunk before so he shouldn't be telling her she shouldn't. And she needed a release. She could feel the tension and stress building already and Harry's name had only just been called.

The night continued much the same; Malfoy continued to make snarky remarks, Magnolia continued to drink, and their friends continued to try and make them civil. Instead, Magnolia decided to try and stay as far away from him as possible, every time she saw him, he made her stomach clench.

Pansy tried to split her time between them, dancing with them both, although Magnolia was a much more willing participant. Magnolia didn't mind, the rest of her friends were around and the Hufflepuff's were ok too.

Magnolia and Tracey were often stood by the drinks table gossiping and giggling about the older Hufflepuff boys.

"Ah! The man of the hour!" Tracey exclaimed.

Magnolia turned and saw Cedric sauntering towards them with a smile.

"How did you ever manage to get away from your loving public?" Magnolia teased.

Cedric had been surrounded by a group of students all evening, all wanting to talk to him or just be close to him. He and Tracey laughed at Magnolia as Cedric refilled his drink.

"I won't lie, it was difficult." He grinned, "But I told them that I couldn't possibly let two pretty girls stand by the side of the dance floor, and they had to let me go."

Beside Magnolia, Tracey giggled into her cup. Magnolia could see her cheeks reddening, but she wasn't sure if that was from the compliment or the alcohol. Magnolia turned back to Cedric with a smirk, and a lot of confidence thanks to the drinks.

"And how do you plan on rectifying that situation, Diggory?"

Cedric grabbed the girl's hands and pulled them both onto the dance floor until they were in the middle of the crowd and close to him. Magnolia laughed and let herself lean into Cedric's body whilst the three of them danced.

A few hours later, Magnolia was leaning against the wall watching her friends dancing as a fifth year Hufflepuff talked to her about how exciting it was that Cedric was the Champion. Magnolia nodded along with the girl, not really paying that much attention.

Instead, she couldn't help but watch Pansy as she held Malfoy close to her. Pansy was definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol she had consumed and looked blissfully happy. She obviously hadn't noticed Malfoy's grimace as they danced, or the far away look he got in his eyes when Pansy was demanding his attention.

"Sorry, if you'll excuse me…"

Magnolia walked away when the Hufflepuff was still mid-sentence, having made up her mind to go back to her own Dorm. Her head was feeling woozy as she walked through the hallway towards her own Common Room and made a split-second decision to get some fresh air instead.

It had been a good party; she hadn't done anything ridiculous in her almost drunken state, she had had fun and not let the worrisome thoughts plague her, but now they were setting back in. Magnolia shook her head; she didn't want to think about any of that yet tonight. As she attempted to stop thinking about the danger her brother was now in, an even worse thought popped into her mind.

Memories of the Quidditch World Cup night resurfaced; the dream she had been woken from before the Death Eaters arrived, when Malfoy's hands had tightened on her waist as he knew exactly what had really spurred her to run towards the Mark, and the soft feeling of his lips against her forehead.

Magnolia groaned; she shouldn't be thinking of any of that. She should be thinking of George, the boy who was friends with her brother and had never let her down. He was the better choice, the safer choice, the easier choice. He was also not snogging her best friend and had expressed that he liked her.

Magnolia crept to the Courtyard and sat down, hoping that no teacher would come her way. Much like her brother earlier, Magnolia burrowed her head in her hands. The cold night air was soothing and was helping to bring her back to her senses.

Worrying about boys was a nice distraction, but not something she should be doing. She was Harry Potter's sister, everyone would be expecting her to be thinking about him and how to get him out of the predicament he found himself in, or at least helping him get through it safely.

Somebody in the Castle must have put Harry's name in the Goblet; it couldn't be a student, they would need enough experience to get past Professor Dumbledore's Age Line and to fool the Goblet into thinking that there were four schools participating in the Triwizard Tournament.

Magnolia grimaced as she realised that that meant it must have been a teacher or one of the Ministry officials, which didn't seem likely at all. She sighed and brought her head out of her hands to lean back on the stone wall behind her and look up to the stars.

"Potter."

Magnolia closed her eyes at the voice and grumbled to herself. She let her head fall to the side so she could see the boy standing in the archway to the courtyard. She didn't know why he was here, he hadn't seemed to care at all recently, but she couldn't tell herself that she wasn't glad to see him as Malfoy stepped out of the shadows and sat on the cold floor beside her.