Cedric met me outside of the Great Hall just as he had promised the previous night. My stomach erupted into a swarm of butterflies after just seeing him standing there. Part of me almost thought it had just been a dream. But Cedric waved me over once he saw me and I couldn't help but jog over to meet him.

"How was your evening?" he asked politely.

I turned pink at the thought of my friends gushing over him.

In response I heard him chuckling lightly.

"Don't worry, my friends gave me a hard time as well," he said knowingly, saving me from any embarrassment of having to repeat anything my friends had said.

We talked easily with one another on our way to Defense, but my heart almost skipped a beat when he took my hand. He was still holding it when we entered the classroom and I saw a smile cross Remus' face when he noticed.

"Good morning class," Remus greeted everyone once the class was seated.

He got a round of sleepy responses.

"I had noticed that your Defense Against The Dark Arts teachings have been somewhat lacking and was hoping to remedy that with some exposure to some dark creatures," he explained.

I saw many of the students peak with interest. No one was leaning on their desk anymore.

Remus started to gesture towards the looming trunk which I hadn't noticed was sitting in the front of the room.

"Today I want to show you all what a boggart is and how to deal with them. Especially since they can be found in one's home," Remus continued.

The excitement was almost palpable in the class. I had already learned about boggarts surprisingly last year since they had appeared in one of Gilderoy Lockhart's books; he had supposedly seen a boggart's true form since he wasn't afraid of anything. What a git.

I stared at the trunk apprehensively as Remus continued on with his lecture. I already knew boggarts took the form of whatever one feared most, and I realized I had never considered that about myself before. I pondered the notion, still staring at the looming trunk.

I definitely had a large dislike for snakes, especially after learning of the immensely large basilisk that had almost killed me. I also took a particular dislike to trolls, but that was just common sense. And then I thought of the dementors…

But then I thought of that night in my first year when I had sat with the twins in the Astronomy Tower. George had divulged that he was most afraid of losing me and Fred. Was that still true? And how would a boggart show that?

Then I started thinking of losing my friends, my family. What would I do without them, without Harry and George? Without Fred. I shuddered at the thought before a brand new one took hold. What if the boggart appeared as my mother? I obviously wasn't afraid of my own mum, but I knew deep down that her vacant expression hurt just as much as it had as a child. Of course, I didn't say anything anymore, but seeing her look at me was like deepening a scar that could never heal. But was that fear?

Cedric tapped me on the shoulder which brought me out of my plundering reverie. I noticed students pushing their desks to the sides of the classroom and I quickly got up to join them. I didn't want Cedric, or anyone else, to notice my anxiety.

Remus ordered us into a line and somehow, I still ended up near the front. Angelina had come out of nowhere to take my hand and dragged me towards the front of the line where she stood with the rest of my friends. Cedric had followed along to which I was very appreciative.

Angelina ended up being the first student to go up against the boggart, I could see the determination on her face. I also hadn't realized I was holding my breath until Cedric held my hand and rubbed his thumb over it in a soothing gesture, but I didn't take my gaze off of her.

Angelina held her wand at the ready as Remus unlocked the trunk. Immediately we were met by the sight of a hooded-cloaked figure. The man, or whatever it was, showed no face but stood their looming in an intimidating fashion. It took me a moment to realize this figure was supposed to be Lord Voldemort. I could see Angelina freeze in her own mind as she stood staring at the boggart. I couldn't see her face, so it was difficult to gauge her full reaction. However, a moment later, I heard her perform the charm against it, reducing the once fearsome being into big, blow-up balloon. It was almost eerie to watch the once menacing form idly float in front of Angelina, but most of the other students laughed.

We all high-fived Angelina as she walked past our group and went to the back of the room. Alicia was next. Like Ange, a figure stepped out of the trunk when Remus unlocked it, but this time it was obviously a man with a familiar face. It was Sirius Black. He looked like the posters I had seen in Diagon Alley which is no doubt where Alicia gotten these images. I hadn't realized that his escape had affected her so, but then again most of Britain was under high alert for his re-capture.

Alicia froze for about just as long as Angelina had before transforming the gray-eyed murderer into a fluffy little dog. I guess his shaggy hair had inspired her.

Fred went up next. I started to feel slightly dizzy from the amount of time I was holding my breath. Once again when the trunk was opened a familiar person appeared out of it, but this time they were suddenly asleep on the floor. George was at Fred's feet, unmoving. I realized he must be dead. The gasp I released was audible and I felt Cedric's grip on my hand tighten. I didn't pry my eyes off of George, or at least the image of his dead body. I could also see the anger shuddering through Fred's shoulders as he somehow managed to udder the charm. However, instead of something funny appearing, George was replaced by a dead girl. My eyes somehow widened even more, instantly recognizing the girl as me. I gaped at the boggart-version of myself who was lying eerily still at Fred's feet. My body was stark white with no signs of life as my chestnut hair lay limp over my shoulders.

Fred's shoulders had stopped moving along with his entire body. He was just standing there like a statue.

Remus came over and put a hand on Fred's shoulders before summoning his own charm on the creature. I wondered how Remus was affected by it, I was his niece after all.

But after Remus uttered the defensive charm my body became a play doll before being thwarted back into the trunk. Remus took a moment before turning around and sending Fred to join the others in the back of the room. As he passed, he didn't even look in my direction.

Nobody was eager to go next after that.

I looked around as everyone else immediately found the floor or the ceiling highly fascinating. No one wanted to be called upon. Determinedly, I stepped forward since no one else seemed to want to, and all of a sudden, I felt like I had something to prove. I didn't want the vision of my own death to impede me from anything.

I stared decisively forward and was even patted on the back by George and Katie as I passed by. Soon I squared off from the trunk and waited in anxious anticipation. Once my wand was raised, I gave Remus a small nod, not wanting to take my gaze from the trunk.

Again, the trunk was opened to reveal a person stepping out of it. I was almost expecting to see Fred or George, much like Fred's boggart, or maybe even Sirius Black, like Alicia's. But the person coming towards me was a woman, and her appearance made my skin crawl. From her long, curly, black hair to her saucer-like dark eyes, everything about Bellatrix Lestrange was horrifying. Like her cousin, her image was well-known and often used in the Daily Prophet when news was slow. She was always labelled the most fearsome Death Eater alive. She was also the one who tortured my mother.

Like me, she also had her wand raised forward and looked as if she were about to use it. Thoughts of my mother seeing Bellatrix like this moments before being tortured into insanity filled my mind as I tried to maintain focus. I had to remind myself that I was not about to be tortured, that this time I had the upper hand. She wasn't real.

I repeated these thoughts until they became a mantra and I was finally able to cast the charm, turning the disturbed Death Eater into a plush toy with curly black hair. There was no way in hell I would ever want to play with that thing.

I turned to go and join the others in the back, feeling utterly exhausted. Angelina and Alicia congratulated me, but Fred still wouldn't look me in the eye. I knew he wasn't mad, so I decided to give him some space to sort himself out.

It wasn't any easier watching the others face the boggart even though my turn had finished. George's was similar to Fred's as I watched our dead bodies lay at his feet. Lee's ended up being a banshee which I felt was kind of random while Katie's ended up also being Sirius Black. The reoccurrence of both George and Katie's was not any easier than the first time to witness.

The only other fear I was interested in after that was Cedric's and he ended up going right after my friends. I watched more curiously since I didn't really have a clue as to what his boggart would show. I watched as Remus re-opened the trunk to shockingly see Mr. Diggory step out of it. As far as I knew, Cedric had a pretty close relationship with his father, and even saw past his blunt character.

I was almost waiting to see anger or something fear-striking in Mr. Diggory's face to explain the boggart, but I realized that his expression was sad. Grief-stricken actually. I knew the look all too well as it haunted my own mind. Images of my father from my childhood flooded back as I remembered what the separation from my mother had done to my own father.

In that moment I looked away, feeling as if this moment was too intimate for me to witness. I ended up hearing Cedric utter the charm and didn't look back until Cedric was coming to sit beside me. I studied his expression as he sat down and saw the anxiety paired with embarrassment fill his face. I took his hand as a sign of comfort and was glad when he didn't move away. I hoped he would also take the gesture as a sign that I didn't need an explanation or even expect one. I had my fair share of complex family situations so I definitely wouldn't judge him for his.

By the end of the lecture, most of my friends were beaming with self-assuredness. Ange was definitely the worst as she acted like she had just triumphantly taken down a mountain troll. Cedric however had excused himself politely and promised to meet up with me later after dinner. I just smiled when he left, not wanting him to feel any pressure.

The twins however were uncharacteristically quiet. I ended up walking in-between them and matching their pace as I waited for one of them to speak. Both of them didn't utter a word the entire way back to the common room but did end up each taking one of my hands. At least I felt I was comforting them a little.

XXX

It wasn't long before the twins bounced back, returning to their regular-animated selves by dinner. They hadn't said a word about their own boggart yet, but I already knew their feelings on the matter. It seemed little had changed since our discussion on the Astronomy Tower several years ago.

They did however jump out of a broom cupboard when Lee walked by, shrieking like a banshee. This caused Lee to let out a high-pitched scream in response and he still hadn't forgiven them.

By the time dinner was cleared, I excused myself from my friends to go and find Cedric. A little surprisingly, but as promised, he was waiting by our usual bench. A small smile reached his lips as I approached.

"Care for a walk?" he asked, reaching to take my arm.

I happily obliged, letting him lead us towards the Divination Tower. No one would be there at this hour. As we walked through the quiet corridors, I could feel some anxiety start to form in the pit of my stomach. I knew I had already decided to tell him, I just never liked this part.

"Bellatrix was the one who attacked my mother," I blurted out unexpectedly.

Cedric stopped and turned to look at me with concern.

"You don't have to explain yourself Marnie," Cedric said kindly.

The joy I felt at his words competed with my growing anxiety.

"I know. And I thank-you for that and I extend the same curtesy, but I want to tell you about my mother now," I explained.

He continued to look at me kindly, allowing me to continue.

"I was three years old the night she tried to save Harry's parents. But she was too late, and only ended up rescuing Harry," I paused, drawing a breath to continue.

"That was very brave of your mother, I'm glad she was able to get Harry to safety," Cedric said, causing me to nod.

"Yes, that was very lucky. My mother actually came face to face with You Know Who that night, but by then he was already too weak. She was able to get Harry to safety, but somehow ended up being caught on her own again by Bellatrix who was furious about You Know Who's sudden departure. She tortured my mum into insanity in retribution and my mother has been at St. Mungo's ever since," I was trying to suppress my tears by this point.

"She has no recollection of ever having a husband or daughter either," I ended sadly.

I had no voice to continue. In response, Cedric took hold of me and brought me into a tight embrace.

"I am so sorry Marnie, I am just so sorry," he repeated sympathetically.

I could hear the sincerity in his voice. When I eventually pulled away it was to look into his eyes.

"I just wanted you to know that I understand your boggart, there's no need to explain. My father wore that same look for years, it's not something you ever forget."

Cedric nodded solemnly, not elaborating on the subject. He knew there was nothing to explain. After continuing our walk, Cedric eventually ended up escorting me back to the Gryffindor common room just before curfew.

"Good-night Marnie," he said softly before bringing his face to mine and kissing me softly on the cheek.

His warm breath sent shivers throughout my body and caused my face to turn hot.

"Good-night Cedric," I whispered, watching him leave down the stairs.

It was long after he had disappeared from view when I finally turned towards the portrait of the fat lady.

"Much like your mother you are," the fat lady said in an almost patronising tone.

"My mother wasn't in Gryffindor," I snapped back, not having any patience for quips against my mother.

"No, but that lad of hers was," she replied slyly.

"My father was never at school," I answered blankly.

The fat lady gave a sly smirk.

"My dear girl, I am talking about your mother and Sirius Black."