[Ahem] BLACK LIVES MATTER! If you can protest: Do. If you can't: Donate. And if you have no money: spread the news. Do not close your eyes. This is real, this is happening. All Nazis and white supremacists will be blocked or if they're too much of a coward to come off anon then their comments will be ridiculed before I delete them. I don't expect those bitch babies to actually read this note, but I want you all to know that I'm not gonna ignore that shit or let it go.
The holiday was nearing an end. Hermione spent a lot of time with her family, but she also wanted help deciphering this diary before she went back. Or… at least… she wanted someone who knew how to decipher codes to give her some pointers. So, while Esperanza was fitting Cedric into a new wardrobe, Hermione and Viktor sat in the garden to look through the diary.
"And you are certain it is not coded through magic?" Viktor asked.
"Positive," she said. "I would feel it if it did."
"Old fashioned way then," said Viktor. "Let me see the code?"
Hermione flipped the diary open.
Cvttgtfvb Wmrua
Qfdyir kz tcorwef alrd Z em sbmtucc rkzmeq zr tjl vrxbw oh alv Nrvk Nvvu'c zrngy gzbtpe. K ks eyk xhkuo krrx iv pw soteuul M rw gvohpgzoex ot cmtsfys. K iicsvze voip cvi mg tsio rw a npxkvv tev. Lexoi xo fv xyozv bkkhzxx, efthmu df hiuwpvkji. Pgylrzj M ao. Alv yepy hymvxu M hcci zx kle yvvcn zw ma iicymid jvyjo-vpf. K avvkk lio rmenvv tjhr dkec oh tc jdrxuu hru S silklzv dyet kz aykk qamlw krv hihmiioege. Pvx vfvr Skymlc lrdgywkyfh wjf M tkii fqy Oiorghgy wf wlgh. Jpw zc kle qupp grvmvo M ykmi exlv bxfan cuh Z kd ynelvkkzr wjlr di dstjlv iodsvgz lzc yiaf btfx yms tlxzbvqepa M nscp bg hfco ks scci wkti, tjvyxr jevkuk wkti iu tc jzvgicsxp. Uiiaeoii sj qy qupp mfrfkkeed rrd qupp rv onqdw di iisgyzrdzsnu hffek xhg Keiu Csrf.
Viktor studied it for a long moment with his brow furrowed. His lips moved slightly as if he were trying to decipher it just in his head.
"This looks like Vigenere Cipher," he said at last. "It is only able to be translated if you have key. However, we can look for letter frequencies, assuming he did not change the key for each entry."
"And if he did?"
"Then it is just slightly more difficult to crack." Viktor had an excited gleam in his eye. "That just makes it fun."
"Yeah, I guess so. I just worry about it taking too long and we learn the truth too late."
"I will teach you how to cipher and decipher, then," he said. "That way, you can work on it at your own pace and if the key changes, you know how to proceed."
"That would be brilliant, thanks Viktor."
They worked for about an hour where he taught her how to recognize the variant ciphers as well as how to calculate the index of coincidence, which tells the length of the key, which can be a single word or a phrase. Hermione hoped it was just one word. She suggested trying a few out, but he convinced her to wait until she had the length as it could take too long to try every possible word.
"I think I can take it from here," said Hermione. "Though perhaps we can copy a couple pages for you to take home and crack. Once we crack this, I can crack what that locket is and crack Phase 1."
"Say crack again."
"Crack."
~o0o~
The lunar clock chimed, signaling it was time for Cedric to get to a quiet room for his transformation. Hermione and Hana went with him upstairs. Cedric chugged down the potion and changed into a dressing gown behind the door. When he opened it, Hermione entered and, to his surprise, Viktor and Esperanza followed.
"You too?" he asked.
"We thought it was good idea," said Viktor. "We kept up with it even apart."
"Okay, after potion is on the shelf there," said Hana. "I'll be outside until your transformation is done just in case you end up getting a delayed negative reaction to the potion."
"We'll be fine, Mom," said Hermione.
She hugged her stepmother and her outline grew fuzzy as she shrank down to her animagus form. Cedric was once again struck by how adorable otters were.
Esperanza and Viktor did the same, leaving a swan and a seagull respectively in their places. Judging by her solid black beak, Esperanza seemed to be a trumpeter swan. Cedric didn't realize how massive swans were, and when she ruffled her feathers, he was certain they'd take up half the room fully extended. Viktor was rather large for a seagull as well. His head was covered with black feathers and his beak was a red to orange gradient starting from the tip.
Funny… Viktor often referred to Esperanza as a swan and now it turned out her animagus form was one. A seagull made sense for him as he was clumsy on land but graceful in the air.
"I talked with a few customers," said Hana, getting Cedric's attention once more. "You know, the ones from Wisconsin. They theorize that a lot of the aggression comes from boredom. They sent me this toy and I filled it with peanut butter."
She gave him a rubber toy that looked like a cone stung by a bee.
"Thanks," he said, already feeling dizzy from the potion. "I appreciate it."
Hana squeezed his shoulder and left the room, shutting the door behind her. There was no click of a lock. They trusted him so much. It was nice to not be locked up in the Shrieking Shack for once.
He stumbled over to the mound of cushions and collapsed into them. Hermione took his hand in her little otter ones and chirped. He chuckled.
"You are so adorable. And your hands are so tiny, look at your little paws!" He became completely fascinated with her hands. "It's interesting, I thought that sea otters had paws, and while you have the snoot of the sea otter, your hands and size are more like a river otter. Do you think your mixed background could be a result of that?"
Hermione's whiskers twitched in thought and she shrugged.
"So cute…" he whispered.
His euphoria didn't last long as, once again, his skin prickled and began to burn. His human scream became a chilling howl, and he scrambled for some sort of hold, but only made scores into the wood floor with his nails. He collapsed once more into the cushions, breathing heavily and whimpering. Hermione took his paw, kissed it, and stroked it gently. He was more wolf this time around. The moon must've been perigee.
Would you like the toy? Hermione asked.
Good. He could understand her in this form.
Please.
Hermione got the cone and brought it to him while Esperanza and Viktor waddled over and nested on his other side. Cedric made a hyena-like cackle when he saw Merelin hanging around the swan's neck. The sight was just so funny.
It felt pretty good to gnaw on something and the second release of the potion hit Cedric a moment later. He was much more relaxed and happy to have his friends. Professor Lupin was better than no company, but his self-loathing was too strong for Cedric to ignore and it leeched into his own feelings about his lycanthropy. At least here his friends' only thoughts were to keep him company so he wouldn't be lonely. They'd do that regardless of any underlying conditions and the thought comforted him.
How about a story? Hermione suggested.
I'd love one.
She settled in against his side and watched the moon for a long moment.
Look at the moon, she said. See the dark shadows? They look very much like the branches of a tree. The moon did not always have these shadows. Long ago, when the world was new and what we know had not yet taken form, there was a woman named Hina. Now, Hina made her own cloth from tree bark and everyone loved it so much that her orders were never ending!
I know how that goes, said Cedric.
And yet, she continued, nobody appreciated Hina for her work. Her sons, all named Maui, took her hard work for granted and were always tearing the nice clothes she made them. Especially her youngest son, Maui-a-kalana. Always getting into trouble! Finally, Hina had enough. She packed up her gourd and set off to find somewhere new to live. Somewhere where she will be appreciated and loved.
Cedric yawned and felt his eyes droop as Hermione told him the tale. He licked a bit of peanut butter off his snout and drifted off to sleep.
He was rudely awakened by his reversion to his human form, but he was instantly wrapped up in a warm blanket that soothed his aching muscles.
"Open up," said Hermione.
She helped him drink his potion and gave him a peanut butter and honey sandwich to chase the taste away. Tavi insisted on helping him dress in a t-shirt and basketball shorts. As he changed, Esperanza and Viktor left to go do their own thing.
"Rest," Hermione ordered gently when she was allowed back into the room. "You can have this quiet room all day if you wish."
"I might get up later," he said. "Right now, I'm just so tired."
Hermione ran a brush through his hair. "I have half a mind to stay here with you. Bad luck month and all. At least you have a few more days to recoup before going back."
"How'd you get this blanket so warm?" he asked, pulling it tighter around him.
"You'd have to ask Zaza," said Hermione, plaiting his hair. "But she researched muscle healing and Dad told her about heated blankets. So she figured out how to recreate it by weaving magic into that blanket."
"Neat." He settled into the cushion pile and sighed. "I would appreciate it if you'd stay here."
"Certainly." She sat up with her back against the wall and opened a book of short stories.
Cedric inched closer so his cheek was resting on her thigh and closed his eyes. He didn't want this holiday to end and dread was filling him up about returning to Hogwarts.
No doubt Umbridge had made several new Educational Decrees to ring in the new year. Several new ways to make his life miserable. He still wasn't sure if she hated him or Harry more.
"You're tense," Hermione noted. "Don't spiral."
"I'm not spiraling," he lied. "I'm cool as a cucumber."
"Mmhm."
He looked up at her. "I'm terrified."
She closed her book and gave him her full attention.
"I'm terrified of being a burden," he blurted. "I'm terrified that my employers will think I'm not worth having around and terminate my contract at the first opportunity. I'm terrified that just associating with me will hold you back and some days I wonder if it would be kinder to end things."
"I see," she said. "Here's what I think: I don't think that's a good enough reason to break up, your employers actively sought you out even with the news floating around about your condition, and I don't believe humans deserve the label as burdens. Burdens are big, ugly vases that you can't get rid of because they're a family heirloom, not someone who isn't able-bodied and needs assistance."
"I know," he said, "but these thoughts hit me a dozen times a day."
Hermione rubbed his back. "I love you, Cedric. Okay? And if you said the word, I would follow you back to Hogwarts and kick butt."
"Well, don't do that," he said.
"I won't. It would take something big to get me back there." She smiled at him. "You'd be worth it though."
He flushed. "Just six months to go. It'll go by in a flash. It always does."
"And then you'll be moving to Japan and, um, eating sushi and wearing kimonos."
"I don't think those are everyday things."
"I don't know much about Japanese culture," she admitted. "Most of the Japanese kids at Castelobruxo have never been or were there as little kids before moving to Brazil. I asked around, but it was difficult because most of them speak Portuguese."
"Isn't it similar to Spanish though? You understood Benny just fine."
"Eh, depends on how I'm doing that day. I don't know, it's hard to pick up sometimes. It might be the dialect, but I also think I might have an auditory processing disorder."
"Winnifred has that," said Cedric. "Gets her into a little trouble with class, but Astoria volunteered to help her. Luna takes over when she's having her bad days. Winnifred adores them."
"Winnifred is the one with selective mutism, right?"
"Yes. She speaks just fine with sign language."
"Yeah, but sign isn't well-known and they don't teach it in school. It was forbidden thanks to assholes like Alexander Graham Bell, oralism was pushed over manualism because they'd never fit in with society if they can't talk! Heaven forbid! They're defective if they can't be like us! Sign is still banned in many places, you know."
"This is a sore spot for you," Cedric commented.
"People place a lot of weight in intellect based on a person's ability to speak," she muttered. "If you can't be eloquent, you're not worth listening to. Heaven forbid you have a stutter. That's not how stammers work, you must be faking!"
He hated seeing her get like this. As good as she had it at home, she never had it easy out in the world.
"I think I feel up to a walk," he said.
"You sure?"
"Yes, the dizziness gets better if I walk it off. For me, anyway. Can't speak for other werewolves."
"You're just hoping to find a private place to snog, aren't you?"
"You got me," he said, grinning. "There are eyes and ears everywhere in this house."
They turned to the door and saw one of the cousins run away to get to the stairs.
Hermione got up and helped Cedric to his feet. He stumbled a little and winced.
"Maybe you should sit."
"No," he said. "I'm fine. Just stiff."
Cedric leaned heavily against her and they took the lift down to the ground floor.
The wind was warm and the day was lovely which meant a group was outside. They could hear chatter coming from the Quidditch Pitch and decided to investigate. Cedric still hoped to kiss Hermione soundly before the holiday was over, and there was still some time left for just that.
The pair turned the bend and saw Viktor teaching the young children how to do cartwheels while Esperanza was sparring with Bianca.
"How'd you get so good at cartwheels, Viktor?" Manolo asked.
"My father's side is circus," said Viktor. "Grandfather taught us acrobatics."
"Show us?" Rafaella begged.
"What do we say?" Esperanza prompted.
"Now."
"No."
"Please?"
"Can eyes get any bigger?" Viktor sighed. "Okay. Clear path."
Everyone ran to the benches, the little ones bouncing eagerly.
Viktor stood in one corner, bounced on his toes three times then took a running start before tumbling across the pitch. He did amazing cartwheels, flips, and tricks, ending on a somersault in the air that could have been magic, if Hermione's vision didn't just confirm that it wasn't.
Cedric snapped his fingers, while the others clapped.
"I want to do that!" said Manolo.
"It takes years of practice," said Viktor.
"I'll practice, I promise! I want to be just like you."
Viktor smiled and Cedric sensed he was overwhelmed with fondness for the boy. Nobody had really looked up to him like that before.
"Then I will teach you beginnings to practice every day."
"Thank you!"
"Come on, Zaza," said Bianca. "I think my stance was a little off. Herminia, you want to spar? Maybe try out those new rings?"
"No, I'm going to go for a walk with Cedric," said Hermione.
"Be home in time for dinner," said Esperanza. "It's family night."
"We will," said Hermione.
Cedric's legs were feeling much better and after some brief stretches, he was able to walk and hold Hermione's hand without using her as a crutch. They took a foot path down to the beach and sat on a rocky overhang, the spray of the sea tickling their feet as the ocean crashed on the shore. There was a spot of sand not too much farther down. A good, hidden away spot safe from prying eyes.
"Do you want to dance with me?" Cedric asked.
Hermione lit up and he smiled. She loved dancing so much.
"Do you feel up to it?" she asked.
"Absolutely," he confirmed. "And if I fall, I'm pretty sure you could catch me."
"Probably," she agreed, wrapped her arms around his thighs, and lifted him off his feet. "You've gotten very lean."
He laughed and she set him down so she could set up her Walkman on a flat stone. A chiptune instrumental lead by an acoustic guitar played. It was upbeat, yet soothing. It didn't have any lyrics, but it didn't need any. Hermione spun around in a neat circle and took his hand.
Cedric grinned, letting the music move him while admiring how she looked when she danced. She hardly ever looked this carefree and he was thrilled there was a club for her at Castelobruxo she could attend. He was a little jealous that her dance partner wasn't him, but it wouldn't always be that way.
"How's your arm?" she asked, touching his right bicep lightly. "It looks a little raw. If the prosthetic is rubbing there's still some time to get it refitted."
Thank God for the jélvre gel or there would be no hiding Umbridge's punishment. He didn't want to think about that.
"Yeah, maybe," he said, waving her hand away. She interpreted that as a silent boundary and removed her hand. "I did read it can change shape over time."
To change the subject, he spun her out and drew her back in, swaying gently to the new song which was slower than the last. She leaned against him and closed her eyes.
"Can I kiss you?" Cedric whispered.
Smiling, she faced him once more.
It was slow and sweet and left Cedric feeling all giddy. When they parted, he held her tightly, burying his face in her hair; she held him right back. They must've stood that way for nearly twenty minutes, not saying a word, but filling the gesture with warmth and love.
"Herminia!" a voice called. "Cedric!"
"It must be dinner time," Hermione sighed.
"Must be."
She kissed him again. "You apparate, I swim?"
"Might be easier," he said. "See you back at the house."
"See you home." She turned into an otter and dove into the water.
Cedric raised his arms above his head and stretched, then apparated into the reception room.
Meanwhile in England
"Harry," said Sirius, looking most unhappy, "could you come to the kitchen, please?"
"Yeah, sure." Harry assured Ron he'd be back and went downstairs to see Professor Snape sitting at the table.
"Why are you here?" Harry asked shortly.
"Is that anyway to talk to a Professor?" Snape asked. "Remember, Potter. I am here to help."
"With what?"
"Dumbledore asked Snape to teach you Occlumency," Sirius sighed.
"What? No!" Harry protested. "Cedric is teaching me and I have the amulet and guardians Hermione gave me to protect me. Cedric said I'm showing great progress and that one day I could stop attacks even if Voldemort is in the same room as me."
"Perhaps if you're quite the prodigy Mr. Diggory thinks you are," said Snape, "then I will determine if my services are required or not. However, the Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency and a mind like yours would crack so easily."
"Cedric could read minds since he was fourteen," said Harry sourly. "And he's a great teacher."
"And yet you so carelessly refer to the delicate art of sorting memories and twisting them as "reading" is another thing that gives me reason to believe you are no match."
Cedric referred to it as reading. Snape was just being pretentious.
"Sorting and twisting memories?" said Harry. "I could see that in the Sun."
Sirius laughed and Snape's cheeks flushed red.
"You laugh and mock like your pig of a father," said Snape. "Legilimens!"
Harry was not expecting Snape to attack and found the room swimming. It wasn't like Cedric's legilimency which seemed more keen on receiving loud thoughts like a radio receiver. This was probing. Invasive. As memory after terrible memory flicked through his mind like the world's worst movie, Harry could barely summon the strength to fight back.
His memory of being chased up a tree by Ripper the dog was replaced by one of a dark corridor leading to a black door. He saw a spinning room, a room filled with thousands of crystal balls. These weren't his memories… Harry touched a crystal ball and focused on switching the scene.
There was a brief darkness and then a train that flickered between solid black and the scarlet of the Hogwarts Express. Harry knew Snape was watching but just imagined the eerie faces and the hands stretching out.
"What is this?" Snape whispered.
Knowing he had control, Harry spun it until Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" played. He saw the music video once and it often popped up in his thoughts when he least expected it.
"ENOUGH!"
Harry was back in his kitchen, sporting a massive headache. He clutched onto his scar which began to prickle. He hadn't felt that since Hermione gave him the amulet. He clutched onto it and rubbed it with his thumb. The prickling subsided and he found his words.
"Believe me now?" he asked.
"That stunt you pulled just made it more clear that you are mentally disturbed."
"How dare you speak to my godson like that?" Sirius growled and stood up. "How dare you attack him?!"
"I've only been at it for a couple months," said Harry, feeling drained. "Cedric said it takes time and we're working on it. For once, I don't care what Dumbledore says, stay out of my head!"
"Legilimens do whatever they want," said Snape. "It is naïve to think otherwise."
"Well, that just makes you a jerk," said Harry, temper boiling. "And a bully! Again, stay out of my head, Snape, or you will truly see disturbed."
With a huff, Harry left the kitchen and rubbed his burning forehead. He could hear Sirius and Snape getting into a shouting match, but didn't care. After that experience, he just felt… violated. He slowed to a stop and poked his head into Bill and Charlie's room. They had temporarily moved in just the other day and planned to stay after the others went back to school for their mum's sake. Charlie had been hired part-time by Gringotts to take care of their personal dragons, which Harry didn't know they had and was happy not to have seen them during his visits to the bank.
"Can I talk to you two?" he asked.
"Sure," said Charlie, setting his book down. "What's up?"
"What jobs don't require you to have a N.E.W.T. in Potions?" he asked.
"Well, since Snape took the position," Bill mused, "a lot of careers have had to take down the potions requirement since he doesn't accept any student who received below an Outstanding. From what I hear, though, you'd make an excellent teacher."
Harry sat down on the edge of Bill's bed. "Yeah?"
"We've had an inconsistent education," said Charlie. "If it weren't for this one friend we had and their interest in Cursed Vaults, neither of us might've done well in Defense."
"Everyone knows the position is cursed," said Bill. "Maybe you'll be the one to break it. No curse is unbreakable in my experience. Designing a curse with no way to break it actually breaks the laws of magic. You can make it difficult, but if it's impossible then it doesn't set properly and fades within a few weeks."
"I'm actually enjoying teaching more than I thought I would," said Harry. "There are a few people I can't stand, but when someone casts a spell properly? It's so rewarding."
"There are lots of careers," said Charlie. "Course, all I ever wanted to do was work with dragons."
"You're a bright kid, Harry," said Bill. "I think you could do whatever you put your mind to."
"Thanks, Bill," he said. "How's everything with Fleur?"
"She spent the holidays with her family," he said. "Things are going steady, but given the circumstances we agreed not to have a holiday with the parents."
"But you spend the night at her place," he said without thinking.
Bill flushed. "We're taking things slow and seeing where this relationship goes. Really, anytime I stay over is because I end up falling asleep on her couch."
"So chivalrous," teased Charlie.
Bill threw a pillow at his brother.
"Anyway," said Charlie, hurling the pillow back. "Don't let life get you down. Hogwarts has always kinda been bullshit. My first year there was cursed ice and then there was the sleepwalking curse that would lure students to an acromantula den."
Bill shuddered and scratched his arm. "Don't forget the portraits sucking in students, the boggarts, and the statue curse. And then there was Professor Rakepick. She was intense, and she trained me to be a curse-breaker until… well, I'd rather not say."
Charlie nodded solemnly. "Yeah. If you ever feel the pressure, Harry, remember you're just the lottery winner of cursed child. Before you was our friend, we called them Boss."
"Before them was a bloke named Jacob," said Bill. "And before him was a girl named Susanna and before her…. What we're getting at is Hogwarts has the resident trouble child that's stirring things up. If it weren't you, it'd be some other kid."
"Is it bad that that pattern is oddly comforting?" Harry asked.
"Nah," said Charlie. "Listen, if you ever need the help of the centaurs, call for Torvus and say Charlie sent you. They like me. Oh, and always bring a gift. Something unique they can't get anywhere else."
"Good to know." Harry stood. "I oughta get back to Ron. Thanks for the help."
"Anytime, Harry," said Bill.