JENNIFER

Three weeks had passed since I had a meeting with Dumbledore. Three weeks of near peace. I didn't like it.

I stopped having dreams again. It was like Lance was luring me into another false sense of security until he could figure out his next move. Well, that wasn't going to happen.

I had mastered the Anti-Disapparation Jinx and how to take it off. Blotts hadn't even noticed that I borrow books, which led to the small stack of books on my bedside table, waiting for me to read them.

It was mid-October now, and what a day it would be. Today, Cedric and I were off to Hogsmeade to patrol while they let the students have a visit. It would be so nice to see everyone and to spend a day with Cedric, even though we'd be working.

"Hogwarts has snow," Cedric said from behind The Daily Prophet as I walked in to make breakfast.

"Goodness, in October?" I asked, accepting the mug of coffee he handed me.

"Yeup. So we'd better wear thick cloaks if we're going to be patrolling all day."

"Right. Eggs and bacon?"

"Sure, thanks," he said, smiling at me and smoothing down the paper.

"Anything new in the Prophet?" I asked as I started the bacon cooking.

"Nothing. It's been almost... quiet."

"Well, we can't let our guard down. That's probably just what Voldemort's waiting for."

"Of course."

I scrambled some eggs before pouring them in a separate pan to cook. My stomach growled as the bacon began to smell.

"So, how was your meeting with Dumbledore and Harry?" he asked, putting the paper away. "I never did get the chance to hear about that."

"Well, it was... weird, to be honest," I said, scraping off the eggs onto two plates already set with the finished bacon.

"Thanks. And why? What happened?"

We started eating. "Dumbledore's sort of giving lessons about Voldemort," I said, a bit uneasy. "Like, he wants Harry to understand his background. I have no clue why."

"Well, if Harry knows Voldemort's past, maybe there's something in there that can help him win the war," Cedric reasoned.

"I guess. I mean, I think that's what Dumbledore's trying to get at."

"But why were you there?"

"I think Dumbledore wants my views on something later on... I dunno, he said something about guesswork. It was really confusing."

My plate was clean, but Cedric was only half-done. My stomach growled for more.

"You do know lots of stuff that Harry doesn't," Cedric pointed out. "And I mean, if you're looking at Voldemort historically, that would be your forte, right? You're the history fan."

"I guess."

"Anything else happen?"

"We went into a memory in the Pensieve. It was this Ministry bloke going to this house called Gaunt, and we apparently met Voldemort's mum and dad," I said, frowning. "They weren't a pleasant lot."

"Did you expect them to be?"

"No, but... they were dirt poor. I mean, they made the Weasleys look loaded. His mum's family, anyways."

Cedric raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything as he took his now-empty plate and mine to the sink to wash them off. When he was done, he offered his arm to me. "Shall we?"

I rolled my eyes. "Cedric, I'm not going to Splinch myself again, it's fine."

"I wasn't implying that. I simply want to travel with you."

I blushed. "Oh, alright," I muttered, throwing my cloak on and taking his arm. We turned on the spot and popped up at the very edge of Hogsmeade, the edge where Sirius in dog form had met myself, Harry, and the others a little under two years ago. I tried not to look at the mountain as we walked into town, arm in arm.

Cedric took a deep breath and grinned. "It's good to be back, isn't it?" he said cheerily, snow crunching softly under his boots.

"Yeah, it's nice," I commented, shivering a little. "I wonder when the students will get here?"

"We used to go down around nine or ten, didn't we?" he asked, checking his watch.

"I suppose."

Things were actually fairly calm in the village. No one suspicious was around, so Cedric and I permitted ourselves to The Three Broomsticks and get Butterbeers on the go (which Cedric insisted on paying for). The warm liquid made me stop shivering and cheered me up a little. With any luck, I'd get to see Harry and Hyden again, and Launa had mentioned in Hyden's letter last week that she had finished her miracle mind-protection potion for me, so I might be able to get that too. I was going to owe her so much if it worked.

It wasn't long after we had passed the now-closed Zonko's the second time that students started arriving. They were in pairs of two or three, keeping mostly to themselves but still talking lively. Cedric and I greeted students we knew, fellow members of the DA and simply anyone who recognized us. I kept a watchful eye out now for anyone who looked like they needed a good hexing. I didn't know why anyone would be so stupid as to attack a student at Hogsmeade, with it being so close to the school, but we couldn't afford to be without extra caution anymore. This day was not going to be disastrous.

It was nearly eleven before we found Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry was in a right state.

"Jennifer!" he cried, stomping over to me, displacing large amounts of snow. "Did you see him?"

"Nice to see you, too," I said sarcastically. "Who?"

"Mundungus!"

"No?"

"He nicked Sirius's stuff!" Harry yelled, kicking snow. Ron and Hermione looked nervous, unsure of what they should do.

"What?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.

"Yeah! He was trying to sell stuff here, and then just Disapparated!"

"Look, I'll... I'll find him tonight Harry. Don't worry about it," I assured him, clenching my fits. That stupid bloody... troll. I was going to kill him, no matter what Dumbledore might or might not say. "He'll give it back, one way or the other."

"Harry, let's... let's go," Hermione said, tugging him away.

"Bye, Harry."

"Bye, Jen, Cedric," he muttered, and Ron and Hermione led him away down the street.

As soon as they were gone, Cedric said, "Jen, don't go after him."

"Who?" I asked, jaw set firmly, running over Dung's possible hiding spots in my head.

"Mundungus. He's not worth it."

I rounded on him. "Not worth it? Cedric, he stole Sirius's stuff! Which, I might remind you, is mine, Harry, and Hyden's stuff, since he left it to us. It's all we have left of him!"

"Look, Jen, it's just—"

"Hey Jennifer, Cedric." Hyden came up to us, frowning slightly. His hair was far too unruly, even for him.

"Hey Hyden, what's up?" I asked.

"Have... have either of you seen Launa around? She said she was going off to the loo, but I can't find her—ah, there she is," he said, spotting Launa, who was coming out of the Three Broomsticks with a package in her hands. "I'll be right back, I've got something to give you, Jen," he called over his shoulder and he ran through the snow towards her.

Cedric smiled and shook his head as we watched Hyden.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, he's just.. I know exactly what that's like."

"What what's like?"

"To be that in love with someone," he said, grinning at me.

I laughed awkwardly, my face burning red. "L-let's go by Honeydukes again, you know, secret passageway and all."

"Right."

We were half-way there when we heard screaming from the other end of the village. We looked at each other, pulled out our wands, and sprinted through the village. My asthma started to kick in and I slowed down, but Cedric kept running, and then I was passed up by Hagrid, who came thundering by, Harry barely keeping up with him. I forced myself to continue, lungs burning, until I made it to the source of all the chaos.

Launa was on the ground, twitching and screaming madly. Beside her in the snow lay a silver and opal necklace in a torn brown packaging. Ron, Hermione, and Harry were all around her, wide-eyed. Hyden had dropped to his knees to reach out to her, but Cedric yanked him back.

"Out o' the way!" Hagrid yelled, scooping up Launa and running up towards the castle at a breakneck pace.

I took advantage of the moment to cast Anapeo on myself, my breathing starting to even out.

"What happened?" Cedric asked, keeping his voice even.

Hyden answered, shaking. "She just had this package, and kept saying she needed to deliver it to Dumbledore, and we had a bit of a row 'cuz I told her she shouldn't do it and asked her why she was being so weird. Then I tried to take it from her, but the packaging ripped, and I think she touched the necklace, and—"Hyden stopped, his voice stuck in his throat. He ducked his head, trying subtly to wipe at his eyes.

Harry went to pick up the necklace, but I wheezed out, "Don't touch it!" I waved my wand and rewrapped the package tightly. "We're going to take this up to Dumbledore. Come on, all of us." I started up towards the castle, levitating the package in front of me, and everyone but Cedric followed.

"I'm going to make sure nothing else happens," he said, and I nodded.

"Good plan. I'll let Dumbledore know."

And so I led the freezing sixth years up to the castle, the only sounds the wind and the crunching of snow under our shoes. Harry sped up and walked beside me.

"I've seen that necklace before," Harry told me, motioning to the package proceeding us. "In Borgin and Burkes."

"It's definitely cursed," I confirmed. "One of the more useful things Fake Moody taught us."

"Least he did us some good."

"But I don't know how powerful this thing is, or what it even did to Launa," I went on, opening the oak front doors. "I mean, she just brushed it, right?"

"That's what Hyden said."

I glanced back at Hyden. Hermione was giving him a concerned look, her hand hovering hear his shoulder. He looked paler than anyone, dead, almost. I hadn't seen him look this way since he found out about Sirius.

McGonagall met us on the steps of the Grand Staircase. "In my office," she said sharply, and we followed without question. Once there, I set the package on her desk.

"What has happened?" she asked. Hyden couldn't bring himself to tell the story again, so Ron told it, Hermione occasionally supplying details. Filch entered her office, standing in the back and listening to he end of Ron's story. "Potter, what is this?" McGonagall asked me, pointing to the package.

"It's the thing Launa touched. I rewrapped it."

"Take that to Severus, Argus, and take care not to touch anything but the wrapping," McGonagall instructed, and Filch took it and left without comment. "Potter, I want you to escort Mr. Black up to Madame Pomfrey and then assist her with Miss Lupin in any way you can," she told me. I nodded, set a firm hand on Hyden's shoulder, and steered him out of the office and up towards the fourth floor.

"She just... she just..." Hyden sputtered, eyes not even focused on where he was going and instead on his thoughts. I had to guide him so he would walk straight.

"I know Hyden."

"Screaming... and writhing..."

"I know."

"She was in so much pain."

I squeezed his shoulder, blinking away my own tears. "We'll make her better, you know that. She will get better." I hoped my voice sounded convincing. I had to keep Hyden together.

I didn't even knock on the hospital wing door and just ushered Hyden inside. Pomfrey was hovering over Launa, and didn't look up at us when we closed the door behind us.

"I've got Hyden here, Pomfrey," I told her, making him sit down on a bed. "He needs some sort of shock potion."

"In the cabinet in the back, fourth shelf, green bottle," she said shortly, waving her wand over Launa and muttering incantations. I wanted to make Hyden look away from her, but I went to get the potion instead. At least Launa had stopped screaming, but she was still twitching violently. I grabbed what I hoped was the right potion and uncorked it, poured some in a glass, and put it away before setting the glass in Hyden's hand.

"Drink," I ordered, and he did, mechanically. His eyes were fixed unblinking on Launa's twitching body.

"Potter, need a favor from you," Pomfrey said, glancing up at me.

"Anything."

"I need you to take Miss Lupin to St. Mungo's. This is beyond me to heal," she admitted, still waving her wand over Launa.

"Got it," I said, waving my wand and trying to focus. "Expecto Patronum!"

My lion patronus appeared, standing proud. "Go to Sarlanda Malfoy and tell her that Launa Lupin has been cursed and will be arriving at St. Mungo's shortly by house-elf." It nodded its shaggy head and vanished.

Pomfrey gave me a slightly puzzled looked before I yelled, "Kreature!"

With a crack, the disgruntled elf appeared, leering up at me. "Yes, Mistress?" he asked greasily.

"You are to take Launa Lupin to St. Mungo's. Only give her over to Sarlanda Malfoy, got it?" I asked. "And when you're done, report back to me that's she's made it."

"Yes, Mistress," Kreature said, glaring at me and walking over to Launa. He made a face at her shudders, but gripped her wrist tight with his bony little fingers and with a crack, they were gone.

"At least he's useful sometimes," I muttered to myself, checking Hyden's expression again. He had some colour back to his face, but I didn't trust that he was going to be very well.

"Well, Mr. Black... you should stay here for a while to recover from the shock," Pomfrey said, coming to herself and bustling over to him.

"I'm fine," he said blankly.

"Oh no you're not," I said, forcing him back down on the bed when he tried to stand. "You know perfectly well you're not, so you're staying here until Madame Pomfrey is satisfied that you're better."

Hyden didn't protest, and I shot Pomfrey a quick look of thanks before exiting the wing.

In the corridor, Kreature cracked back to me. "Miss Malfoy says that you should not worry and that she has everything under control," he said almost sarcastically.

"Thank you Kreature, that will do. Go back to your work."

With a forced bow, he was gone.

I walked a little ways down the corridor before I stopped and leaned against the stone wall, slid down it, and set my head in my hands. "How could I have let this happen?" I asked myself. "This is all my fault."