Authors Note: Thank you to the people who've read this. Yes, I did change my username for absolutely no reason at all, I also changed the cover photo, the old one was getting a bit boring and I found some lovely pictures from recent holidays.

I would really like to hear your thoughts on how the stories going. Do you have any expectations or things that you want to see? I will listen and I really like getting feedback and reviews.

I know where this story is headed but I think the subplots and small things are equally as important to the story so please review!

Disclaimer: I doubt J. K. Rowling is writing fanfiction but anyway . . . I do not own Harry Potter.

Exams.

Exams.

More exams.

Stress Eating.

Exams.

Mental breakdowns.

Exams.

Here we have displayed for you, a simplified but accurate description of Cordelia Bode's week.

It had not been fun.

And now she was lining up outside her Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, anxious about her practical exam because she had never actually created a fully-fledged Patronus before and it would probably kill her if she got something wrong.

Would it help to bang her head against the wall?

Ahh, yes; she had already tried that.

"Cordelia could you please stop muttering to yourself?" asked Ella, waving her wand wildly to try and get something to happen. "People are staring."

"Yes I was talking to myself," said Cordelia matter-of-factly to the onlookers. A couple of Ravenclaw girls sniffed and turned their back on them. Cordelia grinned, it was so nice not to have a reputation.

She looked over her shoulder and saw James sitting down the line with the other 'P' people. He gave her a supportive thumbs-up and Cordelia pretended to shoot herself in the head which James smirked at.

"Bode, Cordelia," called one of the examiners, poking her head out of the doorway.

Cordelia rose from the floor with the feeling that she was walking to her doom. This was her last exam and she really needed to do well on it. There was that sick feeling in her stomach, the one that was reserved only for schoolwork and going to Hogsmeade with Robert Fisher in fifth year.

Forty-five minutes later and she realised she really shouldn't have been so worried; Cordelia passed and didn't get anything wrong – not even the Patronus. When the examiner asked her to conjure one she focused on the happiest memory she could think of and a stream of silver light burst from the tip of her wand, actually making the shape of a creature.

Thank merlin.

Now she was sitting in the great hall, heaving great sighs to release all the nervous energy built up from her worrying. All except one of her friends were gathered around her, happily chatting about the end of exams.

"Woooooooooo!" someone screamed at the doorway. "NO MORE EXAMS!" The sixth year Gryffindor's all turned around to see who was causing the commotion but quickly returned to their plates all thinking 'we don't know him'.

Well, except for James, of course, who stood up and joined Fred in his celebration. Cordelia laughed when Professor McGonagall came through the door, and instead of telling them off she gave Fred a high-five. "Well done boys," she said curtly and went to join the other teachers.

Everyone sat in stunned silence for a few seconds. Fred kept staring at his hand.

Once the volume had returned to normal, the two boys strolled back to their friends with huge grins on their faces. "One more week and then we're done," said James, sitting next to Cordelia. Hazel shot him a dirty look for pushing her further down the bench.

"Next year is our last year," commented Beatrice quietly, sounding a bit confused. Cordelia understood this, it would be weird to go into the world after Hogwarts; it had been such a huge part of her life that it would be strange to go into the wider magical community. Hogwarts was magic. And also, she had spent the first eleven years as a muggle, the next seven as a magic student in the middle of nowhere with people her age, and then she'd have to live in the magical world; it all was too close.

Fred looked around at their sad expressions. "Stop it! You're making this less fun for me. Anyway, seventh year is going to be great; we can order the younger kids around, do whatever we like, plan our futures perfectly only so they let us down. Amazing," he exclaimed, throwing his hands behind his head.

"I think you're missing the point," replied Cordelia. "The last year is about work and responsibility."

"Head boy and girl," added Henry, leaning on the table to see everyone. "Thoughts?"

All eight of them pondered this for a moment, doing a mental list of everyone in their year-level.

"I think you'd be a good head girl, Cordelia," said Hazel suddenly, surprising everyone. Cordelia smiled, it wasn't everyday her friend gave her a compliment like that.

"I agree," said Ella. "You'd be all like 'I'm the head girl; obey me or perish'" Beatrice laughed and nodded, sharing a shy glance with Jasper, both blushing . . . okay, there seemed to be some development there, she'd have to ask Bea later.

"Well," Fred began, resting his head thoughtfully on his hands. "I would be inclined to disagree." Ella and Hazel raised their eyebrows at him but Cordelia was curiously amused. "The number of times she's threatened James and I throughout our years at Hogwarts can't be considered professional behaviour. If someone gave Bode power, they'd have to be sure to restrain her temper."

Cordelia was a bit taken-aback by this statement. It was actually a good point. "Anyway, let's move on to another topic before I start questioning everything I've ever done. How'd you all do in Defence?"

"I think it went alright. What about you? Did you manage a Patronus?" said Henry.

"Yes!" said Cordelia loudly, remembering her triumph. "And it was amazing."

"What animal?" asked James.

"A lioness."

James raised his eyebrows. "Aren't they dangerous?"

"No," said Cordelia, sounding defensive of her animal. "They're intelligent and courageous and powerful and ferocious and they display assertion of the feminine."

They all smiled at this; a lioness seemed to fit Cordelia perfectly. For a while they all shared their Patronus'. Beatrice = deer; Jasper = elk; Ella = peacock; James = Alaskan malamute; Fred = fox terrier; Henry = pelican and Hazel = tiger. Cordelia thought it was so funny how suited they all were to the animals; each person was true to the symbolism and behaviours of each one.

"Well, if we become Animagus anytime soon we know who would win in a fight," said Fred in a long-suffering tone.

Hazel and Cordelia shot a mischievous grin at one another; knowing who Fred was talking about and liking it.

The train doors opened to let the masses of students out like an exploded water tap. When the chaos slowed, Cordelia emerged from the train a little melancholic but overall very pleased with the year she had experienced.

Admittedly, it had been a bit miserable around the middle but everything had worked itself out.

Sort of.

"I'll miss you," said Ella, tightly wrapping her arms around the girl. Beatrice joined in and Hazel was forcibly shoved into the group embrace by Fred who was uninvited.

"I don't like hugs," said Hazel stiffly, looking coldly at Fred who was using his body to stop her from escaping.

Cordelia smiled, nothing changed. "We know."

The five of them stood there for a whole minute, arms entangled and laughing/crying. Well, the four of them … and Fred.

"I'm going to miss you guys," cried Fred, doing a shrill imitation of the girls'. "Soooo much."

"Touching," replied Hazel dryly. "Let me go."

From her position Cordelia saw Fred's grin and caught his eye; he winked and snuggled in closer to the irritated girl.

"That's it!" shouted Hazel, she reached one hand behind her and before they knew what had happened, Fred was lying on his back, groaning loudly.

"Ouch," noted Cordelia.

"Hey kiddo," said a familiar voice; Cordelia turned to see her mother standing behind her. "Ready to go home?"

"Very," said Cordelia, embracing her parents and brother.

When she released them she spotted Fred limping towards the three boys who were saying their 'manly' goodbyes; they all saw a lot more of each other than Cordelia saw of her friends over the holidays.

"Come on," said Will. "We all know you want to kiss your boyfriend goodbye." He raised his hands in surrender as soon as he said the last words, predicting the cold glare and slap on his head.

Cordelia looked at James, knowing she'd see him again but for some reason which she couldn't put a finger on, it felt slightly painful to let him leave. She supposed it was because he had become such a constant sign of comfort and support that it would be strange not to be in his presence. Coming to a quick decision, Cordelia stepped forward and engulfed the tall boy in a strong hug.

James tried not to gasp as Cordelia embraced him. It wasn't like this was their most passionate moment but it felt … something. Warm. Comfortable. Spontaneous. Full of possibilities. Cordelia was definitely projecting a message with this.

He returned it, arms circling around her waist and holding her there, feeling her warm breath on his neck, her chest pressing into his, one of her hands fiddling with the ends of his hair which all sent tingling sensations over his body.

"This is nice," he said, almost kicking himself as the words came out of his mouth. What a stupid thing to say.

"I agree …" replied Cordelia softly, whispering in his ear. James held her tighter, there was something about the embrace that kept them totally in the moment.

It also felt very sexual.

Yes, James had thought those thoughts before. He was, in fact, a teenage boy, magic or no magic and he could place a bet that no guy his age, with the exception of Henry (inside joke), wouldn't focus on the curves and soft skin that were pronounced when Cordelia pressed herself against him. Cordelia was much better to look at when he could touch her.

All too soon, Cordelia pulled away, leaving him slightly disappointed.

"What, no more?"

Cordelia seemed very flustered, fanning her face and fiddling with her hair, blushing deeply as she realised their two families had been watching them the whole time.

"I would be happy with what you got," interrupted Fred, looking impressed at the effects on Cordelia.

"Yeah, but," began James, turning back to Cordelia who was now picking up her trunk, looking very ready to leave. "No kiss?" he finished, knowing he was pushing his luck.

Her father chuckled merrily, waiting for his family to start walking before he twisted back and clapped a hand on James' shoulder. "Not while I'm here."

Christopher straightened up, smiling broadly and for the first time James realised how tall this man was. He was taller than James and that was saying a lot.

"Dad!" shouted Cordelia, making them both jump. James got the feeling that Cordelia's father was a little apprehensive when it came to his daughter. Unfortunately, the only times Christopher was scary was when he met his daughter's potential suitors. "What were you talking about?" she asked them both suspiciously.

"Nothing," they replied simultaneously. Christopher walked a few paces to join his family and they started to walk off.

"What about my question?" called James bravely to the golden-haired girl.

Cordelia waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah," she replied dismissively.

"Next time then," he concluded hopefully.

"Goodbye James," said Cordelia. She bit her lip and blushed, for some reason she had been doing that a lot lately and James took that as a good sign.

He was so in.

As Cordelia took one last look at Platform Nine and Three Quarters she locked eyes with James and blushed. For some reason she had been doing that a lot lately. It probably had something to do with James but … no, she really couldn't think about that.

Friends. And just in case she needed more reminding. FRIENDS!

Why was it so hard with him?

With one last wave she fell through the barrier, forgetting how easy it was and was left lying unceremoniously tangled in the middle of Kings Cross Station.

Brilliant.

The one thing she needed.

"Come on my graceful girl," chirped her father as he stepped through after her. "We need to get you home."

Cordelia nodded tiredly, pushing herself up onto her hands and knees. "Maybe Barnabus will spare me from playing with him."

"You wish," snorted Will loudly. "I swear he knows you're coming home today."

"Has he been really happy?" asked Cordelia, loving the thought of her not-so-little-puppy-dog wagging his tail and running around excitedly.

Will grinned and said, "More like he's pouting, he keeps blocking the doorway like he doesn't want anyone to come in." Her brother received an elbow for that one.

"Stop it you two," said Julie as William began to retaliate. "Christopher, I don't think you need to worry about Cordelia growing up too fast, she's still greatly immature."

"Hey!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Will's punching me too."

Christopher looked down at her sternly. "Yes but you're older and you should know better."

The witch didn't respond but left the train station in a huff, forgetting, just for a minute, about the dangerously thin lines between where James stood and where Cordelia was comfortable with him standing.

Cordelia dropped her trunk onto the floor and straightened herself, looking around at the small room. There were white walls, navy curtains and dark polished floorboards like the rest of the house but her room had little features that made it stand out from the others.

The books, for instance, would sometimes shift around on their shelf so one morning she'd wake up and they'd be in alphabetical order and the next they'd be in order of what food the main character likes best, healthiest to least healthy. The door knob would sometimes talk, spouting vulgar words like an old sailor; no one knew why and it was part of the family now. There were spellbooks and odd items in abundance and a curious substance bubbling away in a corner. But the best part was the ceiling; it stretched up quite high and was decorated with beautiful paintings. These had been put up before Cordelia was born, made by her mother who had been an aspiring artist before she decided to get a 'real job'. The drawings that decorated her ceiling were magical, literally; witches and wizards and dragons and fairies and centaurs and everything.

It was very ironic.

And now they moved because Cordelia had coated them in a special potion which brought the paint to life.

Yes. This was her room.

"Cordelia."

"Cordelia."

"Cordelia!"

"CORDELIA!"

Cordelia screamed as she was flung onto the floor; arms, legs, hair, all entangled and extremely uncomfortable.

"WILL," she screeched. "WHAT THE FUCK!"

A slight commotion outside revealed two, very zombie-looking parents, one of them carrying a cricket bat.

"What's going on here?" asked her father, peering through the doorway, careful to avoid his wife's weapon. "Will, get up from the floor."

Will was lying face down, immobilised with laughter.

"I hate you," grumbled Cordelia, pushing herself back up onto her bed. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you."

"You wouldn't get up," replied Will; innocently walking to the door and greeting their parents. "I had to act."

"I was dreaming!" said Cordelia.

"Oh yeah," challenged her brother. "Who were you dreaming about?"

Cordelia shot him a dangerous glare. "I was actually having a brilliant dream about a world where my brother isn't a snarky git." Will laughed and her parents sighed, all exiting the room.

"You're so funny," she called after them.

A quiet holiday – wishful thinking.

Cordelia lay on the couch, a bowl of ice-cream on her chest and her legs flung lazily over the armrest. Her mother sniffed irritably as she walked out to go to work, her daughter was so unladylike. Cordelia didn't care because she had spent the whole year on her toes, constantly afraid of everyone and now she was safe. Safe in her home that only Hazel knew the location of.

"Aren't you going to do anything this summer?" asked her dad, amusement flashing across his face.

"Nope," replied Cordelia, licking a bit of melted ice-cream from her fingers.

Christopher took her laziness as a personal offence and walked over to the couch, pretending he didn't see her and sat on her stomach. Cordelia spluttered and her dad stood up again, laughing madly.

"That could be classified as child abuse," she said, annoyed at the interruption to her casualness.

"You've been home for three weeks now and haven't done a thing," her father said. "At least I got you to move."

"Haven't you got work to go to?" Cordelia said bitterly.

Her father raised his eyebrows at her attitude and turned to his son, watching the whole display with enjoyment. "I give it two more days before she goes into 'The Ultimate Irritator'." Cordelia groaned, this was how they had labelled her behaviour over the previous summers. It wasn't that bad, she just went a little stir crazy with boredom and took up a manner of strange hobbies. All right, her parents had returned from work once to see her knitting some underwear for a rather naked statue her mother had, but she wasn't crazy!

"You're on," said her brother. "Three pounds says she's like that by tonight when we get home."

"Nice working with you Mr Bode," said her father, shaking Will's hand.

"You too Bode Senior," replied Will, laughter in his eyes as his father's face darkened.

"Never call me that again," said Christopher seriously, but his kids knew he was joking. Cordelia smirked, her family were a bunch of dorks but she really did love them.

A shadow went over her as they stood in front of her couch. "Will's going out and I'm off to work, your mother will probably be back around five."

"Where are you going?" said Cordelia to Will.

"I'm meeting Harriet, we're going to see a movie," said Will.

"Okay, tell her I said hi, I haven't seen her in ages."

"Will do."

They both left, leaving Cordelia on her own; not that she minded of course, it gave her time to think. She had been doing nothing and she had been loving it but it was like there was something important she was forgetting, right on the edge of her mind.

Eh, it was probably nothing, she thought, shrugging it off. The ice-cream had made her tired and she felt her lids closing slowly, falling asleep to the sound of the next door neighbour's argument with her son.

BANG!

Cordelia shot up from her position; her eyes, however weren't so quick and she opened them groggily, figuring out where she was.

Just as she was about to put her head back down she heard the soft sound of someone moving upstairs. Her ears pricked up, after sixteen years it was easy to tell who was making the sound. She swung her legs onto the floor, and grimaced as she felt a crick in her neck because of the position she had been resting in.

Her mouth opened, as if to call out to whoever was up there but something made her stop. The Bode family never would have walked past the lounge room without either waking her up or making so much noise that she woke up; they were extremely considerate people that way.

Making sure to be as quiet as possible, Cordelia rose from her chair and tiptoed across the room, squeezing herself through the gap in the doorway so the door didn't make a sound. Somewhere in a part of her mind that was apparently really random reminded her of a time when her brother and herself would play spies – sneaking up on their parents and scaring them. This game had been stopped when they inadvertently caused their grandfathers second heart attack. He survived.

Someone shuffled again, moving further across the top floor. Cordelia started to panic; what if this was someone trying to hurt her . . . again.

Taking the first step on the stairs, Cordelia drew her wand, not stupid enough to let it leave her sight ever since she'd come home. The scary thoughts clouded her mind again but she brushed them off, it couldn't have been anyone harmful; how would they know where she lived?

Yes, she assured herself, this must be one of Will's friends; or maybe her parents had decided to be nice to their sleeping daughter. Her breathing calmed slightly and she took the rest of the stairs, still quietly; gosh this year had made her paranoid.

No one knew where she lived.

No one knew where she lived.

No one knew where she lived.

And she would have believed herself, if it wasn't for that one memory that pushed itself to the surface.

"You are Cordelia Anne Bode of number five Daisy Lane, Fulham, London, correct?"

"Yes."

Authors Note: Sorry if this chapter's a bit jumpy, I just really needed to get it out of sixth year because I have a lot of stuff planned for their seventh year that only Fred and Ella saw coming *wink*. Anyway, I will have maybe one or two chapters about the holidays, depending on what transpires.

My sister pointed out to me that the plot is quite confusing - just to assure people, it's meant to be that way which the story will reveal in due time. Please excuse my randomness.

Stay with me! And please review, it's such a nice feeling when I get one.