DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.

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Chapter 23: A Silvery Thing

"'And Professor Lupin stepped over you, and walked towards the Dementor, and pulled out his wand,' said Hermione. 'And he said, "None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go." But the Dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned round and sort of glided away...'" -Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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1993

(Cedric and Hermione's past)

Platform 9 3/4 was jam-packed again. Cats mewling - including her new pet Crookshanks, owls hooting, witches, and wizards talking loudly and some young ones were crying while saying goodbye to their siblings.

"Hermione!" Susan threw herself around her excitedly and Hermione returned the hug.

"Hi, Sue!"

When they broke apart, Hermione greeted Mr. Diggory who was holding her best friend's trunk. "Hello, Mr. Diggory!"

"Hello, dear. Sorry, I didn't get to greet your parents. Can't leave little Susan alone here," he smiled.

It was just Cedric and Mrs. Diggory who came to get her from the other side of the barrier this time, helping her with the trunk and Crookshanks' cage. "It's alright!"

"Let's find you a compartment, dears," said Mrs. Diggory.

Ian and Terrence showed up. "Where's Ced?" she looked around.

"Prefects' carriage, dear. He might join you lot later," explained Mrs. Diggory and smiled affectionately. "Oh, my boy's a Prefect..."

"Just like his mum," Mr. Diggory said fondly.

"Uncle, you weren't a prefect?" asked Susan as they hopped on the train.

Mr. Diggory chuckled. "No. Not my thing."

"But he was a Quidditch captain," said Mrs. Diggory proudly. "We were betting which title Cedric would get first - Prefect or Quidditch Captain. I won the bet."

Hermione turned to Mrs. Diggory with a smile and the older witch winked at her.

They finally found a compartment. The Diggorys bid them goodbye and the four of them settled in. Hermione gathered her new pet from its cage and placed him on her lap, toying with the ginger fur.

"Your pet looks like a Weasley," teased Ian.

"And he looks mad," chuckled Terrence.

"Nonsense. Crookshanks is happy with me. Aren't you, Crooks?" she turned to her pet.

She got him in summer at a pet shop in Diagon Alley. Her parents gave her extra money as an advanced birthday gift. At first, she was planning to get an owl so that she wouldn't be borrowing Harley from Cedric anymore, but then the sales witch said that Crookshanks, a part-kneazle, had been there for a long time. Nobody wanted him. Hermione's heart melted. She decided to get him instead.

Crookshanks looked either like a big cat or a small tiger (without stripes). He was a bit bow-legged and the face looked grumpy and oddly squashed.

"You're lucky you're a Hufflepuff. Everyone will like him there," commented Susan.

A few moments later, the door opened. Hermione half-expected that it would be Cedric, but instead, she was greeted by the face of Harry Potter.

"Er, sorry." His cheeks suddenly went pink when his green eyes turned to her. Crookshanks made a noise. "Oh, you have a pet."

She smiled at him. "Hey, Harry."

Ian and Terrence cleared their throats. "Sorry. Thought this is empty." Harry stepped back and told Ronald Weasley behind him to look for another compartment.

"Hey," Ian whispered when Terrence locked the door. "I heard Mr. Weasley talking to Harry earlier on the platform..."

"I didn't take you for a gossip, Ian," Susan teased.

"He became one when Harry Potter arrived at Hogwarts and got special treatments from Dumbledore and McGonagall," Terrence informed them.

"Because dark wizards are after him," she said, exasperated.

"You're a marshmallow when it comes to Potter," teased Ian.

Susan rolled her eyes. "She's a marshmallow to everyone, except for two Weasleys."

"So, are you going to tell us what you heard, or what?" she asked Ian.

"Well, apparently, the Ministry doesn't want Potter to know that Sirius Black's after him - "

"But the Daily Prophet printed that information. Are they crazy?" Susan snorted.

"Yeah, but that was Rita Skeeter's article. The Minister didn't even know how she knew about it because he has only told Dumbledore and his assistant... But the point is, there will be Azkaban guards patrolling at Hogwarts."

"No!" Hermione, Terrence, and Susan all exclaimed together.

"They can't let Dementors enter Hogwarts!" Terrence said in fury. "Those are scary creatures."

"Exactly," Susan agreed unhappily.

"Why would Dumbledore let - "

"Dumbledore's against it," Ian cut her off.

"So this is why Professor Snape suddenly showed up and teach Cedric the Patronus Charm in summer," she murmured.

"He knew this was going to happen," Susan sighed.

"Oh, Merlin. This time, I can't believe I'm actually liking Professor Snape than the headmaster," Terrence groaned.

"We're not criminals, but still, the Dementors might suck our souls," Ian realized.

"You've been reading," Hermione teased.

Ian gave her an eye roll. "I'm going to take my O.W.L.s this year, midget. You're not the only one who likes reading."

"Hermione, you know, the best thing you can do this year is to stay away from Potter. He would try to stick his nose to where it doesn't belong, like always. Unlearn being concerned with Potter," Terrence said solemnly.

She sighed and leaned back on her seat. Susan reached for her hand that wasn't petting Crookshanks to squeeze it.

An hour later, Hermione and Susan were reading and Ian and Terrence took a nap.

"What's your happiest memory, Sue?" she asked, closing her book after placing a bookmark given to her by Ced - with the Starry, Starry Night image.

Susan eyed her book. It was Cedric's; she borrowed it from him. It was the one he had been reading all summer.

"What's yours?" Susan asked her instead of answering.

"When I was tucked between Mum and Dad while watching TV, I guess?" She wasn't sure.

Susan's look became downcast.

"I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me," she mumbled.

Susan forced a smile. "It's okay. I guess I have to think deeply to figure out what my happiest memory is..."

The Honeyduke's trolley came by, just in time for Cedric's arrival, carrying his trunk and Harley in his cage.

"Hey, Ced, buy me a chocolate bar." Susan looked happy and normal again. Hermione was glad for that.

"Get a boyfriend this year so you won't ask me to buy stuff for you," Cedric groaned, but reached for his pouch to get some coins.

"Terrence, buy me Bertie Bott's," said Ian.

Terrence faked a sneer. "Buy your own treats."

"Hermione, what do you want?" Ced asked but he didn't wait for her answer. "Pumpkin Pasty, of course... and Sugar Quills."

"Ced, look, they have a new product!" said Susan happily, pointing at a box of chocolate balls.

It reminded Hermione of Maltesers, but these were bigger and the box said then had strawberry mousse inside.

"I think I want to try them..." she said, reaching for her own purse to buy some, but Cedric was quick to get two boxes of chocolate balls, giving them to her and Susan and then paid for the treats.

"How's the Prefect meeting?" she asked when Ced sat on her other side, taking a bite of a cauldron cake. He looked exhausted.

"Boring. Percy Weasley did most of the talking." He sighed. "And then Patricia and I have to patrol later, after an hour." Patricia was in Cedric's year and she was the female Prefect.

Hermione popped a chocolate ball in her mouth. Cedric eyed her with amusement. "Good?"

She nodded, chewing the chocolate.

"Give me some?" He opened his mouth and Hermione fed him with one chocolate.

"You two already look like an old married couple," teased Ian, watching the two of them. "Honestly, just go to Hogsmeade together."

Terrence slapped their friend and Susan kicked his feet. As Hermione felt her cheeks blush, Cedric's face went pink as well, but they exchanged smiles.

Suddenly, the train stopped and Hermione felt cold.

"What's happening?" asked Susan. "I'm cold..."

"We can't be there yet," said Ian, looking outside. "It's too dark."

Ced stood up and drew his wand from his left sleeve. "I'll check what happened. You all stay here."

Although she felt so cold, Hermione reached for his hand. "Ced, be careful."

Ced bent forward to kiss her head, then left. Hermione felt Susan pull her backward. They hugged each other because it felt like winter already. Even Ian and Terrence were almost embracing each other while the latter was trying to cast warming charms.

The temperature changed a bit, but it was still cold. Then, they all saw through the glass of the compartment door something that appeared to be blinding light. Afterward, the temperature was warm again and the lights went back.

"Did you see that?" someone said outside.

"Potter fainted. Diggory just cast the Patronus Charm to make the Dementors leave!"

"Yeah! And saved Potter!"

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July 2020

(the present)

"Some things never change, huh? You still have that look when you disapprove of something."

Hermione froze at the voice for a moment before looking up. The owner of the voice was a familiar wizard, wearing black Auror robes.

"Hello, Healer Granger."

"It's Diggory," she corrected kindly at the wizard who had jet-black hair, round eyeglasses, bright green eyes... "It's been a while, Auror Potter."

The Auror smiled. "Yeah. It means no one had been in the hospital in a while..."

She went back to work. "So, what brings you here?"

"My son's in Room 315, poison... I mean, potions accident. Susan is with him," he replied, sounding exhausted.

She looked up to him. "I'm sorry about that," she told him sincerely.

Harry nodded.

"How did it happen?"

He shrugged and rested his back on the wall near the counter between them. "Fred and George were inventing for their joke shop and Art just entered their flat carelessly and ate something."

"You should tell the twins to ward their place, even their Floo. A bunch of nephews and nieces might encounter accidents as well."

Harry Potter nodded. "How are you?"

Hermione nodded without looking up. "I'm good. And you? How're things at the Ministry?"

"So far so good... Erm, listen, my birthday is coming up and maybe you can come... there's a pub at Godric's Hollow, near our house..."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you don't like parties?"

He chuckled. "I don't. But you know... this year I'm forty."

She laughed as well. "Thanks for the invitation. I have to work on that day. Well, it's supposed to be my off but I changed it for... uh... Neville's birthday."

She felt horrible. Harry had always wanted to be friends with her, but she couldn't, not because she was married to Cedric but because of his wife and the rest of the Weasleys.

Harry nodded. "Yeah. Sure. No problem."

Hermione nodded apologetically. Harry was about to leave when the fireplace behind him - the one used for entrance only (you cannot Floo away) roared into flames. Harry quickly moved to help whoever was coming through.

"Aunt Mione, help!"

Upon hearing the voice, Hermione moved quickly to get the boy out of the fireplace. "Al?"

But Harry beat her. He was already carrying the half-conscious boy in his arms. Al was panting, having a hard time breathing.

Hermione quickly drew her wand. "Expecto Patronum!" A silver four-legged large creature appeared in front of her. "Something happened to Al. Third-floor, St. Mungo's, now," she commanded. Her Patronus left to send her message to Cedric.

Then, Hermione approached the two wizards to check on Al, but the boy's eyes were on the green ones like his. "Dad?"