CHAPTER 2: Fifth Year at a Glance

'Emma! Over here!'

'S'cuse me...'

'Neville! You've forgotten Trevor!'

'Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!'

'Coming through!'

Bethany felt the train start to move beneath her feet as she made her way slowly through the crowded passage in the Hogwarts Express, trying to find her friends.

Thanks to her troublesome brother Andrew and his opposition to getting dressed in the mornings, she'd arrived late, again, and hadn't been able to find her friends before boarding the train with seconds to spare.

She moved slowly, trying to see through the people running in the corridor and into the compartments. About halfway through the train she finally spotted them.

'Hey guys.' She said sliding the door open and shoving her trunk onto the luggage rack.

'Hey Beth...' Daisy said distractedly. 'You haven't by any chance seen Amy on your way here right?'

'No.' Beth said. She glanced around the compartment and sighed.

'She hasn't turned up.'

It wasn't a question.

Her friends all shook their heads.

'This can't be good.' Beth sighed again.

'Well she's got to be on the train somewhere.' Kiandra reasoned.

'Lets split up.' Daisy nodded.

"...But this idea was soon banished and her spirits were very differently affected, when, to her utter amazement, she saw Mr Darcy walk into the room. In a hurried manner he immediately began an enquiry after her health, imputing his visit to a wish of hearing that she were better. She answered him with cold civility. He sat down for a few moments, and then getting up walked about the room. Elizabeth was surprised, but said not a word. After a silence of several minutes he came towards her in an agitated manner, and thus began, 'In vain have I struggled. I t will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and-"

'Amy!'

Startled, Amy lifted her head up from the book she was reading by the light of the window.

'Oh.' she said, lowering her head again as she realised who it was. 'Hello Daisy.'

Her friend sat down in front of her.

'What are you doing Amy?' Daisy asked her gently.

'Reading.' Amy pointed at her book.

Daisy shook her head.

'That's not what I meant.'

Amy didn't answer her.

'Why didn't you come to the compartment with me and the others?' Daisy asked.

'Because I wanted to read in peace.'

Daisy sighed.

'Please Amy?' Daisy said quietly. 'We're worried about you.'

'Why?' Amy looked up.

'You just...' Daisy struggled to find the right words. 'You just don't seem yourself.' she said finally.

'We haven't seen you all summer-'

'I've been away.'

'-You haven't answered any of our owls-' Daisy said, continuing as if she hadn't said anything.

'I've been busy.'

'And now you're hiding from us!' Daisy finished off.

'I'm not hiding!' Amy protested. 'I just wanted to read.'

'You can read in our compartment.' Daisy pointed out.

'Not if I want peace, I can't.' Amy retorted.

Daisy sighed.

'Well, we're there if you change your mind.' She stood up. 'And I hope you do.

Amy didn't say anything as her friend left the compartment.

'It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year'

Amy wasn't that bothered.

She'd tried out for Seeker in her third year, but had been beaten by her classmate, Cho Chang. Not that she could really blame them for not choosing her. She was well-known for her clumsiness.

Even though she wasn't interested, she could tell that most of her classmates were. Especially Jacob. He'd always been the Quidditch fanatic of the group.

'This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy – but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-'

Even Amy looked up as the door to the Great Hall flew open to reveal a terrifying-looking man wrapped in a travelling cloak and leaning on a long staff.

As he passed in between the tables to reach the Head table, Amy noticed several students gawping at him and some were muttering between them.

'Woah.' Amy heard Eddie mutter. 'Man, he's ugly.'

As soon as Amy had to agree with him.

The man had a horrible face. Not horrible as in your average ugly. But frightening. Half of his nose was missing, his mouth was twisted and every inch of his face seemed to be scarred.

His eyes were really weird. One was small, dark and beady, the other was big, round and electric blue. The blue eye seemed to be able to move around independently of the smaller eye.

The stranger reached the Head table, and Dumbledore shook his hand, muttering quietly to him. The man nodded a few times and replied equally as quietly. Dumbledore smiled finally and gestured the man to the empty chair on his right hand-side.

Amy hadn't noticed until then that it had even been empty.

'May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher,' Dumbledore said cheerfully, into the stunned silence of the Hall. 'Professor Moody.'

As soon as he said it Amy heard several people gasp. Most wizards had heard of Mad-Eye Moody. He was an Auror. A really good one. The sort that make legends. She'd heard about him from her father who worked in the International Magical Office of Law.

Even Amy noticed how strange it was when nobody except Hagrid and Dumbledore clapped. And that was saying something. Since her mother's death she'd had even more trouble concentrating than usual. Only with her books, could she really pay attention.

Dumbledore resumed his speech again as Amy was thinking this. She made an effort to tune into what he was saying. If they were cancelling Quidditch, it must be for something important.

'-an event which has not been held for over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year.'

Several people gasped but the tension in the Hall was abruptly broken.

'You're JOKING!'

Even Amy smiled. Around her, everyone was laughing. She couldn't see the face of who had said it. Sometimes being short had it's drawbacks. She could just see that it had come from the Gryffindor table and that the owner of the comment was someone with red hair.

'One of the Weasleys.' she thought immediately. Her dad had had several dealings with Arthur Weasley over illegal Muggle exploitations.

As Dumbledore started to explain the concept and process of the Triwizard Tournament, Amy tuned out. She'd read enough books during the summer to have read about the Tournament. Three schools, three champions and three challenges. The winner took home a thousand Galleons and their school got the Triwizard Tournament Cup.

'Basically, lots of action, lots of danger and lots of stupidity for a few Galleons.' Amy thought.

For something to do, she pulled out her book and began reading again.

She hadn't used to read so much. Her parents had always wanted her to read more, each for their own reasons.

Her father wanted her to improve her mind and culture her spirit.

Her mother, though, wanted her to be able to enjoy reading more, like she did. To read about fantastic creatures, lose herself in beautiful locations and experience beautiful love stories.

During the summer, Amy and her dad had gone to spend a few weeks with his brotherm, Morathy and family. Just before they'd left Amy had remembered her mother's wish.

She had picked up her mother's faourite classic, Pride & Prejudice and started reading. After the first chapter she had reconsidered reading the whole book, but her mothers memory made her carry on and she ended up enjoying the story.

After that, she had started reading with a vengeance. She had brought back with her to school, basically her mother's whole book collection and she planned on making the most of it.

Her father wouldn't miss them. He was, apparently, trying to forget he ever even had a wife. Something Amy resented greatly, though she could understand it. Losing the one woman he had ever loved was very painful for him. Trying to forget her seemed to be his way of numbing the pain.

Her father had buried himself in his work after coming home, and was basically ignoring her as well so Amy dedicated her time to sinking into an imaginary world.

Being in a fictional world full of imaginary people seemed to help ease the pain and numb the feeling of loneliness she felt, though unlike her father, she was terrified of forgetting her mother.

'-your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!'

Amy suddenly realised Dumbledore's explanation had finished and everyone was standing up to leave the Hall. She slowly started to put her book away, not wanting to walk up to the dorm with her friends.

That was something else she'd noticed about herself since her mothers death. Before, she had always loved being in the centre of a large group of people, talking, laughing and having fun. Now... Now all she wanted to do was be by herself and read.

But was that so bad?

Amy was sitting on her own. Not that that was very strange. She spent a lot of time sitting and reading on her own. Her favourite spot was by the lake. A few days after coming back she'd discovered a place by the lake, under a sprawling oak tree, that was solitary, peaceful and perfect for reading in.

She also loved the library with it's huge wooden shelves piled high with tons of interesting old books. Before this year she had never really looked around the library properly, just going in there to look for a research book for some essay, normally. But now she found it a relaxing, quiet place to read in without being interrupted by Bethany or Daisy or any of her friends trying to get her to join in the conversation.

She appreciated their efforts, but she didn't want to have to talk to people.

And when she did actually hang out for a bit in the common room, she normally ended up tuning out, as all everyone seemed to be able to talk about lately was the eminent arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students.

Sometimes though, like last night, not listening in on the conversation was slightly, well...impossible.

The topic of conversation had finally changed, but Amy wasn't sure it was for the better. The much awaited arrival of the foreign students had finally arrived and it seemed that that was all the students could talk about.

Bethany had gone on and on and on and on and on and on and (okay you get the gist of it) about Viktor Krum, about whether to try and get his autograph or not and whether there was a possibility that he had a girlfriend back in Bulgaria.

'And did you see those Hufflepuffs fawning over him?' Bethany demanded. 'Lipstick! They wanted him to sign their bags with lipstick!'

The boys hadn't exactly helped. Eddie had still been trying to find a way of becoming older so as to enter the Tournament, a feat which, as Daisy reminded him, would be impossible due to Dumbledore's Age Line.

He insisted he would be able to do it, but as Daisy pointed out,

'Sweety, you have trouble fooling Trelawney with your homework excuses...' She explained gently. 'And she's not exactly the sharpest crayon in the box. You really think you're going to fool Dumbledore?'

'There's got to be a way.' He said stubbornly. 'And I'm going to find it!'

And Jacob...Well Jacob hadn't exactly had the best evening either. He'd managed to sit himself quite close to one of the pretty French girls and, well...

'She's a bloody Veela!' Kia had shrieked thumping him over the head. 'You're breaking up with me over a Veela who probably doesn't even know you're alive!'

'But she's so beautiful...' Jacob had said dreamily. 'Ow!'

Yep...It definitely hadn't been a good night for most people.

Amy was just glad to have the night over with and go to bed. She hadn't even sat up reading till late, afraid that if she did, Bethany would never shut up.

Today was Saturday, Hallowe'en, the day for people to put their names into the Goblet of Fire. The famed object itself was resting on the Sorting Hat's stool in the centre of the Entrance Hall, inside a thin, gold, perfectly-drawn circle Amy recognized as an Age Line. Around it, about twenty students were wandering around nibbling on toast and chatting with their friends.

As usual, Amy had been one of the first up and had seen the Durmstrang students put all their names in one by one. So far, though, no-one from either Hogwarts or Beauxbatons had attempted it.

'Come on - I'll go first.'

At these words, Amy lifted her eyes up from her book and observed as one of the Weasley twins approached the thin gold line.

Behind him, Amy could see his identical twin; a dark-skinned boy she recognized as Lee Jordan, the Hogwarts Quidditch commentator; Harry Potter; the clever bushy-haired girl, Granger, and another, younger-looking red-haired boy; all looking on apprehensively as the first boy stood on the edge of the line and rocked backwards and forwards nervously. She could feel the whole Hall holding their breath.

Finally he stepped over the line...

And nothing happened.

His twin brother (Amy could never tell which one of them was which) shouted triumphantly and jumped in after him.

The next second, they were both hurled out of the circle by an invisible force.

They landed a couple of feet away from Amy so she was able to see the shocked expressions on both their faces. Even better were the looks on their faces when there was a sudden pop and they both sprouted long fluffy white beards.

Amy started laughing. It was the first time she had laughed properly since her mothers death. And it felt good. Strange and unusual, but good.

In that second, her eyes caught one of the Weasley boys' eyes. It was the second one, the one who had jumped in after his brother. He grinned at her and she smiled back at him.

'I did warn you,' Dumbledore said with a smile, coming out of the Great Hall. 'You'd better-'

'I think I might give sticking my name in a miss...' Amy heard Eddie say weakly, as he watched the twins sprint up the stair-case.

"Her eyes opened in spite of herself. And then she actually smiled – for what she saw she had never seen in the attic before, and she knew she never should see.

'Oh, I haven't awakened,' she whispered, daring to rise on her elbow and look all about her. 'I am dreaming yet.' She knew it must be dream for if she were awake-"

'Oi Cassidy!'

Amy jumped. She'd been so caught up in Sara Crewe's magical room that she had forgotten where she was.

She felt a sudden irritation flood through her and realised she now knew how the heroine of her book felt when she was interrupted from her story. She felt like cursing whoever it was that had interrupted her, into oblivion, but controlled herself.

'What do you want?' she growled, turning towards whoever it was who had interrupted her.

'Oh.' Her eyes narrowed. 'It's you.'

Cursing was starting to seem more of a possibility.

'Now that's not very nice, Cassidy, is it?' Montague said sweetly.

'I'm sure you'll get over it.' Amy turned back to her book.

'Oh I'm not sure I will, Cassidy.' Montague dropped the sickly sweet tone. 'In fact, I think it's time I taught you some manners...'

Amy sighed.

'This is getting boring Montague.'

'I'm not bored.' he smirked again.

'Yeah, well you're not the one who's missing out on a good book.' Amy pointed out. 'I'd be surprised if you even knew what that was actually...'

'Is that a Muggle book Cassidy?' Montague's smirk changed to a look of disgust.

'Don't worry.' Amy reassured him. 'You're not at a high enough reading level to understand it yet.'

Montague scowled.

'Tarantallegra!'

Amy felt her legs begin to jig energetically.

'Oof!' she fell over. Amy's legs weren't the easiest to control at the best of times, and she'd never been very good at dancing.

'Lets see you read that Muggle crap now Cassidy!' Montague jeered.

'Finite Incantatem!' Amy frowned as she stood up on her shaking legs. 'That all you got?'

Montague scowled even harder as he raised his wand. Amy was ready for him this time though.

'Furnuncu-'

'Petrificus Totalus!' Amy shouted. Montague dropped to the floor in a full body-bind and Amy smirked..

'Albastru Tergum!'

Amy grinned as she levitated Montague, simultaneously lifting the body-bind, and dumped him in the lake near a group of second-year Gryffindors.

'Happy Ravenclaw Day Montague.' Amy mockingly saluted him across the lake as the Gryffindors started laughing at the Slytherin boy's blue skin.

She never noticed the tall red-head boy watching her with a grin.

'So, er... Amy.' The dark haired boy blushed. 'I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Yule Ball with me?' His pink cheeks turned scarlet.

'I'm really sorry Steve...' Amy said gently, 'I'm not going to be here for the ball. I'm going home for Christmas.' she explained.

'Oh.' he said surprised. 'Oh well, in that case. Have a good Christmas.'

She forced a smile and carried on walking.

Amy sighed. Steve was the third person to ask her to the dance. She wished they wouldn't. She felt sad she had to say no, but it wasn't an excuse. She really was going home for Christmas.

It was the first Christmas after the death of her mother, and she and her dad were going to be spending it in France with her dads brother, his wife and their two children.

She was a bit sorry she couldn't stay though. She knew she was only one of about four upper-school students who were going home. Everyone else was staying for, what was promising to be, the party of the year. Amy had even heard rumours that The Weird Sisters were going to be playing.

Cedric and Harry, in fact, all the champions had donde really well in the first task. She had gone to watch it and it had been a tense few hours watching them all battle their way through their dragons. It hadn't been helped by the gasps, screams and tears emmanating from her friends. Bethany especially.

'Ohmygosh!' she had shrieked. 'Viktor! Is he OK?'

Amy shook her head. She couldn't understand Bethany's obsession with Krum. He wasn't even that handsome. And she was starting to get very boring.

'I love how he walks! You know, with that sort of bad boy slouch?'

'His nose is so cute!'

'Look! Did you see! He went into the library! That means he likes reading! Amy can you lend me something?'

Amy made a decision.

She turned and started walking quickly in the opposite direction. She wouldn't go down to dinner. She wasn't that hungry anyway, and she couldn't stand to spend half an hour with Bethany nattering non-stop about her hero.

She'd go and curl up on her bed with the hangings drawn and read her book. She was on Shakespeare's Macbeth now, and Amy wanted to find out what was going to happen once Macbeth killed the King...

'So.' He dealt the cards. 'I'm going with Angelina, Lee's going with Katie, Alicia's going with some Ravenclaw seventh year. Even ickle Ronniekins is going with some girl from Ravenclaw. So who are you going to go with?' Fred asked.

'SNAP!' George said. He watched as Fred collected the cards and sighed. 'I don't know yet, I'll find someone though don't worry.'

'I'm sure you- SNAP! -will.' Fred continued. 'I mean look at us. Gorgeous, funny, great company. Who wouldn't have us!'

George laughed with his twin. Later in bed, he thought about it. He didn't really have anyone he especially wanted to ask. He got on well with a lot of girls, but he didn't have anyone special. He probably would have asked Alicia but the Ravenclaw guy had beaten him to it. He wouldn't have dared ask Katie. Lee would have bitten his head off. And Fred had asked Angelina that same evening... So he was the only one left.

As his thoughts drifted, he found himself thinking of the pretty dark-haired girl who had smiled at him on the day of the what he and his brother now called "The Hairy Incident". He rubbed his singed eyebrows and yawned. Maybe he'd ask her if he saw her tomorrow...

AUTHORS NOTE: woohoo I have REVIEWERS!!

Moonlight's Serenity: I've always used these quotation marks... Can I have some feedback people? Does anyone else think that they're confusing? If it's a majority I'll try and change it. Thanks!

classically emily: As you can see the Harry potter characters are starting to come through. But for the first two or three chapters I'm mainly focusing on Amy. After that things will start to get more interesting (I hope!)

Thanks guys!

AUTHORS NOTE (revised): Thanks classically emily for pointing out my blooper about Oliver Wood! I really should check my facts out a bit more...That's twice I've been caught out!

Disclaimer: I own nothing that isn't mine

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