February 1995

As it turned out, Bethany was so busy with her Potions essay that procuring the Cloak was frighteningly easy (although giving it back might be a bit awkward; Hermione wasn't entirely sure Bethany even heard her ask for it).

After a quick trip to the kitchens, in which she packed as much food into her bag as was magically possible (which was quite a lot), she snuck out through the humped witch on the third floor.

Getting into the Honeydukes cellar and out past the counter wasn't easy, but she managed to keep the Cloak covering her, and slipped out of the door with another customer.

As promised, James was waiting for her and she followed him in silence as he reminisced about Hogsmeade, her own thoughts in turmoil. She hadn't been expecting to tell Sirius about James and Lily this soon, and after this morning, the situation was even more complicated.

Part of her wished that Fred had come with her, but things were going to be emotional enough without adding a 'meet the boyfriend' into the mix.

James led her right to the end of the road, past Dervish & Banges, to a stile that led to a rocky path up into the mountains.

Hermione climbed awkwardly over the stile and began to hike, all the while trying to keep the Cloak from slipping.

Finally, she stopped and looked back.

The cottages - just losing their snowy rooftops - looked almost like doll's houses now, and she decided she was far enough away to remove the Cloak, fold it carefully, and slip it into her bag.

"Is it much further?"

"Not far," James told her. "There's a cave just up here."

Wearily, Hermione continued her climb, muttering under her breath about reckless Marauders who took stupid risks.

"Up there," James told her, pointing to a spot a good five feet above her head.

Hermione stopped and tilted her head back, seeing an opening in the rock just big enough to hide a decent-sized cave. "Padfoot? It's Hermione, I brought food."

Footsteps sounded above her, and Sirius peered over the edge. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"A 'hello' would have been nice," Hermione said dryly. "How am I supposed to get up there?"

Sirius smirked at her. "Well, I turn into Padfoot and jump. Hold on, I'll come down and …"

"Don't worry." Hermione transformed, picked up the bag in her mouth, and leapt neatly up to stand beside him. She stretched, rather enjoying the look of stunned shock on his face, before dropping the bag again and turning human once more.

Seeing as Sirius was speechless with shock, Hermione slipped past him, her eyes travelling over the sleeping bag in the corner - and at least he'd had the common sense to Transfigure something - to Buckbeak at the back of the cave.

She made eye-contact and bowed slowly, waiting for him to bow back before approaching him to pat his feathery neck. "Hey Beaky. Are you looking after him for me?"

Buckbean squawked in a reassuring sort of way and ruffled his feathers, and Hermione turned to survey Sirius, who was sill gawping at her. He didn't look as gaunt as he had done in the summer, but he was still painfully thin.

"Let's start that again, shall we?" She asked with a smile. "Hi!"

Sirius finally cracked a smile and moved forwards to hug her. "Hello, Hermione. When did you do that?"

"It's a long story," Hermione murmured into his robes. "And one for another day. I can't be out here too long; I need to focus on the important bits."

"That's not important?" Sirius asked incredulously, releasing her.

"Well, it is," Hermione conceded. "But it's not as important as the rest. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Sirius asked slowly.

"The fact that Mum's a witch?" Hermione suggested. "The fact that I've known Bethany since she was born? The fact that I used to call you Dad? Any of those would have been a good start."

"Hermione," James chided gently. "I know you're upset, but watch the tone please."

"I'm not upset," Hermione said, half to James, half to Sirius. "I just want to know why you didn't want me to know. One father thinking I'm not good enough is enough, thanks."

Her voice broke on the last word, and she found herself swept into his arms again.

"Hermione, that's not why," he whispered. "That could never be why. I'm so sorry, sweetheart. It was never about not wanting you to know; I just wasn't sure you'd believe me. And you were far too upset over the summer to throw that in as well."

"It would have made me feel better," Hermione said plaintively, aware that she sounded like a child.

Sirius stroked her hair softly. "I'm sorry. You and Bethany kept me sane in there. I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me - it was just too soon after Bethany …"

"Why would I hate you?" Hermione interrupted, bewildered. "It's not your fault you weren't there. You didn't ask to be arrested."

But Sirius shook his head, looking pained, his guilt tangible in the air. "Hermione, I promised you that you would never go back there. And you did."

"Well, of course I did," Hermione said. "I assume because you couldn't take a baby on a rat-hunt."

Sirius froze, and she didn't need to be an Empath to know that something was very, very wrong.

"What?"

"You took me back to Mum after Hagrid took Bethany," Hermione said slowly. "I assume because you couldn't take a baby on a rat-hunt. It makes sense."

"Hermione … you weren't there," Sirius said shakily.

"I was," Hermione said reluctantly. "I could remember around the Dementors, but I only just really remembered because Mum put a Memory Charm on me afterwards, and it's been breaking since July. But I was there. I'm a Natural Occlumens; I know what I'm hearing."

Sirius buried his faec in his hands, and Hermione propelled him to a rock where they could sit down. She glanced up at James, who was watching them sadly.

"Not much you can do," he told her softly, as Lily appeared beside him. "Just wait it out.

Hermione rested her head on his shoulder, hearing his muttered apologies. "Padfoot, I'm fine," she whispered. "We both are. Yeah, my father's a dick, but I made my peace with that a long time ago."

Sirius raised his head, looking anguished. "You shouldn't have to accept that your dad's a …"

"He's not," Hermione interrupted briskly. "My father is. Now would you please eat something?"

Sirius smiled weakly, hearing her unspoken words, and took the food parcel she handed him. "Thanks, sweetheart; you're a lifesaver. Have I told you that?"

"A few times, yes." Hermione shifted so she was leaning against the wall of the cave, observing him serenely. "You want the other important conversation now?"

"Is it anyone like the other one?" Sirius asked wearily. "Because I don't think I can handle two of those in one day."

Hermione thought for a second. "It's about as emotional, yes. But it's good news."

Sirius sighed. "Alright, hit me."

Hermione pulled her bag on to her lap and rooted through it, until she found the transcript of their conversation by the lake. "Okay," she began, holding it to her chest. "You know I'm an Empath. Have you heard the theory about spirits?"

"I have." Sirius gave her a quizzical look. "It's true?"

"Yeah, and there's a couple of spirits hanging around since just before Halloween," Hermione said, glancing over to James and Lily. "They were the ones who told me you were up here."

"Do their … bodies know?" Sirius asked worriedly.

"No, their bodies don't know anything," Hermione said. "Even if they did, it wouldn't be the end of the world; they know you're innocent." She took a deep breath, making sure her Empathy was fully contained. "It's James and Lily."

"James and Lily," Sirius repeated blankly. "Potter?"

Hermione nodded. "They were hit by a non-verbal transportation spell that gives of the same green light as the Killing Curse. Their bodies were never found. They're trapped on an island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific. They think."

Sirius took a shaky breath. "They here now?"

"Yeah, they're here," Hermione said softly.

Sirius nodded jerkily. "Beginning of sixth year, after they started dating, James had a quiet word with me. We never spoke of it to anyone else. What did he say?"

Hermione glanced over at James, who grinned reminiscently.

"That I didn't know whether to hug him or hit him, and that he should try funnelling some of those matchmaking skulls into his own love-life."

Hermione chuckled. "He told you he didn't know whether to hug you or hit you, and that you should try funnelling some of those matchmaking skills into your own love life."

"They're alive," Sirius whispered, light returning to his eyes in a way that made him look twenty years younger.

"They're not alone out there," Hermione said. "Addie and Leona are with them."

Instantly, she was hit with a barrage of emotion so strong that it took all of her efforts not to flinch back.

Sirius closed his eyes. "Is she … Are they alright?"

Hermione glanced at Lily, who nodded hurriedly. "They're fine."

"They're fine," Hermione repeated.

Sirius opened his eyes, looking like he had just been let off a death sentence. "But … I saw their bodies … Leona was at the house, and Addie … Addie was …"

Hermione handed him the transcript. "Turns out Dicta-Quills work on spirits as long as an Empath enchants it. They explained."

Sirius took the transcript with a shaking hand, and Hermione moved to fuss over Buckbeak, giving Sirius some privacy. She wanted him read out of the corner of her eye, an occasional smirk or grimace telling her where he was.

Finally, he chuckled, wiping his eyes. "I guess they want me to stop blaming myself."

"Good guess," Hermione said lightly, crossing the cave to hug him again. "Are you alright?"

"Never better." Sirius kissed her forehead. "Thank you."

Hermione didn't bother asking why he was thanking her, and she sat down on the rock again, giving him a stern look. "I thought I told you to eat."

"And it's good advice," Sirius conceded, pulling some more chicken out. "I've been living off rats mostly."

Hermione grimaced, wrinkling her nose. "Pretend they're Wormtail."

"You look like Annie when you do that," Sirius said with a fond smile. "And, believe me, I have been. How was the Yule Ball? We had a Ball in seventh year, you know."

"I know," Hermione said. "Aunt Lily told me."

"Of course she did," Sirius said. "Who did Bethany end up going with? She never mentioned it."

Hermione faltered. "Cedric Diggory. The other Hogwarts champion."

Sirius frowned. "What's he like?"

"Nothing like his father," Hermione said, "since that's the one thing James keeps saying. He's a nice guy. Prefect."

"That doesn't necessarily make him a nice guy," Sirius said. "His father was a Prefect, and he was a complete arsehole."

Hermione waited a second, to see if he would elaborate, but he didn't. "Well, I've only really met Amos Diggory once, and I can't disagree. Cedric is nothing like him. He practically saved Bethany's life when the Dementors came to the Quidditch game."

"What happened?" Sirius asked, abandoning the chicken again. "I stayed long enough to see her fly; I didn't stay."

"Wasn't that why you sent her the Firebolt?" Hermione asked.

Sirius frowned. "I sent her the Firebolt to make up for twelve years of missed Christmases. I would have sent you something as well, but I figured it would freak you out."

"I mean, an anonymously sent top-of-the-line racing broom freaked everyone out anyway," Hermione said, "but it was also good timing. Bethany passed out when the Dementors arrived, fell about fifty feet. Cedric's the Hufflepuff Seeker; he caught the Snitch before he realised what had happened, and then caught her about ten feet from the ground. Broke three ribs."

"But she was alright," Sirius said, pale-faced.

"If he hadn't caught her it would have been a lot worse," Hermione said firmly. "The teachers were driving off the Dementors, no one had cast any spell to catch her. The ground was soft because of the weather, but I still wouldn't have wanted to hit it at that speed from that height. Her broom flew into the Whomping Willow; she got matchsticks back."

Sirius looked distraught. "I had no idea. If I wasn't …"

"The Dementors weren't there for you," Hermione said. "They were there because it was a crowd of very happy teenagers and they were hungry. Dumbledore was furious."

"And Diggory caught her?" Sirius asked.

Hermione nodded. "Tried to argue for a forfeit, but technically there's nothing in the rules about Dementors, oddly enough. The point is, he's a complete gentleman and he treated Bethany like a princess." She decided not to mention that Cedric and Bethany were now dating, unless he asked.

"And who did you go with?" Sirius asked.

"Viktor Krum," Hermione answered. "Just as friends. He's got a girlfriend back in Bulgaria, who wrote me a very nice letter thanking me for keeping the vultures away."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, I can understand that, I guess. He treated you well?"

"I had a very nice time," Hermione said. "Ron was a prat afterwards - I mean he's been acting like that since September, but he peaked after the Ball. Bethany and I both ended up crying."

"Were you both okay?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, the twins gave Ron a talking to." Hermione decided not to mention that Fred's talk was the next day, or why it had been delayed. "He's just … He's suddenly realised that we're not just his sisters, we're girls, and for some reason he thinks he should have been more overprotective so then he overcompensated."

Sirius chuckled. "To be fair, I did that with my sister."

"Jen," Hermione said softly.

Well, that explained why she resembled Sirius so closely.

Sirius nodded, a sad smile on his face. "Used to drive her batty. Don't think I ever made her cry though."

"He apologised," Hermione assured him. "And we've forgiven him. For now."

Fred and George were waiting on the seventh floor when she returned.

"Okay, how did the room disappear?" Fred asked.

Hermione giggled, pacing the corridor. "It only appears when you need it. So you have to walk up and down three times, asking for what you need and then …"

The door appeared.

"Ta-da!"

"How did you find it?" George asked.

"I've got a hunch," Fred said with a smirk.

"Have you filled him in?" Hermione asked, opening the door.

"Yeah, we talked in one of our drop zones," Fred answered.

Hermione paused. "I'm not going to ask."

"Good idea," George said. "Fred said you know who the Marauders are."

"Moony's Remus Lupin; Wormtail's Peter Pettigrew; Padfoot's Sirius Black and Prongs is James Potter," Hermione listed. "Moony because he's a werewolf; the others come from their Animagus forms. From what I've learned, Lily and her friends were also considered Marauders and have nicknames, which I assume were for the same reasons, but I haven't asked. And they're not currently here," she added.

"We gave the Map to the right person then," George said. "Although why does Moody have it?"

"More importantly," Fred added, to Hermione's surprise, "you didn't seem as surprised about Dumbledore as I was. Why not?"

Hermione sighed. "Has Ron ever told you about what happened in first and second year?"

The twins exchanged a look.

"No," George said finally. "We know the rumours obviously …"

"… but never had actual confirmation," Fred finished.

Hermione nodded, taking a seat. "Okay. Let me start from the beginning."

It was harder for her to tell the story than for Bethany to do it, because there were parts that only Bethany was present for, but she did her best. She told them everything she was aware with about the Philosopher's Stone, and the Chamber of Secrets, and the events of the year before, before filling them in on everything they knew about the Goblet, including how Bethany had given up the Map.

By the time she had finished, they looked identically furious.

"Just to clarify," Fred said, his voice shaking, "there was a grown man …"

"… sleeping in our brother's bed?!" George asked.

Hermione grimaced. "Yes."

The twins looked at each other.

"There's no way Dumbledore didn't know You-Know-Who was in the school."

"And what was he thinking?"

"The Cerberus."

"The tasks"

"The Mirror?"

"Yeah, what was that about?"

"If the Stone was in the Mirror …"

"… why was the Mirror in some random classroom?"

"If Quirrell put a troll down there …"

"… Dumbles must have known he let the troll in."

"And Ginny?"

"Not sure he knew about Ginny."

"Could have closed the school."

"Should have closed the school."

"Not to mention the Dementors."

"And the dragons."

"Boys," Hermione interrupted, rubbing her temples. "Please. You're giving me a headache."

George got to his feet. "Well, I certainly understand why you don't trust him very much."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "I used to. I used to think it would make sense when I got older. But the older I've got, the less sense it's made."

"We're older than you," Fred said. "Makes no sense to us either."

"I'll leave retribution to you," George told his brother. "I solemnly swear this will stay between us."

"Thank you," Hermione said tiredly as he left the room. "Wait, retribution? What retribution?"

Fred smirked. "You know how much we wanted to know who the Marauders were, and you never told us."

"Ron never told you either," Hermione protested.

"He's our brother, I expect him not to."

"Neither did Bethany!"

"I'm not dating her." Fred sauntered over until he was towering over her in the arm chair, leaning down to make eye contact. "I'm very disappointed, Miss Granger."

"Careful, darling," Hermione said, smirking. "We did just learn I'm the daughter of a Marauder, remember?"

He froze for a second, then scooped her out of the arm chair, eliciting a squeal as he spun her around. "You are! That hadn't even occurred to me!"

"Fred!" Hermione could hardly speak through giggles. "Put me down!"

Fred sat down in the armchair, with her landing on his lap. "You just became even more attractive, you know that right?"

Hermione snorted, taking the commented as it was intended. "You are unbelievable."

Fred kissed her. "You love me anyway." He kissed her again, not giving her any chance to respond.

And as she sank into his embrace, she realised that he was absolutely right.

February 1995

Bethany had never really given much thought to Valentine's Day. It had never been a thing at the Dursleys, and the only time she had ever seen it celebrated at Hogwarts was the Lockhart fiasco in second year.

She had received a couple of cards, all of them anonymous, and one singing Valentine that she was fairly sure was from Ginny (presumably under the influence of Tom Riddle, which was even weirder).

This year was different.

Hermione had reminded her during their last Hogsmeade trip and asked if she and Cedric would be celebrating.

They hadn't discussed it, but Bethany had picked up a small gift anyway, figuring that she could always give it to him for his birthday if they didn't.

When she got to the Great Hall that Tuesday morning, her eyes automatically scanned the Hufflepuff table, but there was no sign of him.

That wasn't hugely unusual - he often had breakfast early in the kitchens so he could get ahead on homework, but Bethany couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

Hermione joined her shortly afterwards, looking a little red and dishevelled, as though she had taken a detour via a broom cupboard.

"It's like I don't even know you anymore," Bethany said, shaking her head.

"Shut up," Hermione said, her grin taking any sting out of the words.

Ron looked between them. "Am I missing something?"

"Nothing you don't want to miss," Bethany said with a snigger.

A hoot caught her attention, and Hedwig fluttered down among the post owls.

As well as the letter attached to her leg, she was clutching a blue flower in her talons.

An iris.

Hedwig landed in front of her on one foot, hopping a little to keep her balance.

"Thank you," Bethany said softly, taking the flower.

"Now I know I'm missing something," Ron said.

"It's Valentine's Day," Lavender told him, rolling her eyes.

"Is it?"

Lavender shook her head. "Why an iris, Bethany? Wouldn't lilies be more appropriate?"

Bethany grimaced. "I don't actually … like lilies. I told him before Christmas that my favourite flowers were irises and orchids."

"You told him?" Parvati repeated.

Bethany shrugged. "He asked."

Apparently that was a Good Thing for a boy to do, because the two melted into puddles at that, and Bethany left them to their cooing, unrolling the note.

Beth

Sorry to miss you at breakfast this morning - Snape's given us enough homework to last a lifetime, so I'm trying to get that out of the way.

Please join me for dinner in the Room of Requirement at 7pm this evening.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yours,

Cedric

Bethany couldn't help smiling. She jotted a quick acceptance back and sent it off with Hedwig, before turning back to her breakfast.

The day seemed to last ever so slowly, but finally she was approaching the Room of Requirement. With the exception of her dress robes, Bethany had never actually owned any clothes of her own outside of her uniform - everything else was Dudley's old hand-me-downs.

Jess had tried that summer while they were in London, but Bethany had been reluctant to allow her to spend too much money on her, and she wasn't sure how much damage her trust fund could take.

When Lavender realised this while Bethany was getting ready, she had put her foot down and insisted Bethany borrow one of her dresses.

"I'm not giving it to you," Lavender had said, when Bethany protested. "I want it back. I'm lending it to you. That's what friends do."

Bethany had been wrong-footed by that, as she didn't think Lavender had ever referred to Bethany or Hermione as a 'friend'.

And the dress was beautiful - a simple sun-dress in deep red, which didn't look like she had made too much of an effort (which confused Bethany, but apparently that was A Thing). It was a little shorter than Bethany was used to, but she felt good in it.

And it was certainly worth it when she saw Cedric's face when he saw her.

Impulsively, she did a little twirl. "Like it?"

"You look lovely," Cedric said, kissing her. "I don't think I've ever seen you dressed like this."

"Well, I borrowed it from Lavender," Bethany admitted. "I don't actually have anything that's not uniform. You know the Room doesn't provide food, right?" She asked, before he could dwell on that.

Cedric looked like he wanted to ask, but offered her his arm. "Well, I had a chat with some people."

"Some people?" Bethany repeated.

"Alright, some house-elves," Cedric conceded, opening the door for her. "They were kind enough to set up something for us."

The room was same as it always had been, but instead of a coffee table there was a small candlelit table for two, set for dinner with roast chicken and mash.

"The elves knew what your favourites were," Cedric admitted, pulling the chair out for her, "except dessert. I knew that one."

Bethany blushed a little bit. "I think everyone knows that one."

They chatted over dinner, catching up on everything they had missed since the last time they had time for a conversation. By silent agreement, neither of them talked about the second task, sticking to safer topics.

Like Snape's homework.

After the dinner things disappeared, they shared a plate of treacle tart and had a friendly debate about the Quidditch League.

All too soon, the plate was clean, and he pulled her to her feet, tugging her closer so he could kiss her.

Bethany closed her eyes, melting against him. The taste of treacle tart and Cedric mingled on her tongue and she let out a little moan into his mouth.

"I love it when you do that," he murmured, trailing kisses down her throat. "I have something for you."

Bethany reluctantly untangled herself from him and retrieved her bag. "So do I. Ladies first?"

"By all means," Cedric said, taking the small wrapped gift from her.

Bethany chewed nervously on her lower lip. "I have no idea if you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will," Cedric said, rather predictably, but when he opened it, a genuine smile crossed his face. "Beth, this is brilliant."

She had got him a book about professional Quidditch players who had been scouted in school and what they had gone on to do after their time in the game.

"I hoped it would give you a bit of ammunition against your dad," Bethany said with a smile.

Cedric kissed her. "It's brilliant," he said again. "Thank you." He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her.

Bethany opened it to find a bracelet; it looked like it had been made out of leather, but it felt like metal, various shades of black, brown, blue, green, white and yellow woven together like a more intricate friendship bracelet.

"It's beautiful."

As she glanced up at him, she saw something cross his gaze, but the next second it was gone, and she wasn't sure she hadn't imagined it.

"You're beautiful." He lifted it out of the box. "And it's waterproof, in case you were wondering. May I?"

Bethany nodded, holding her arm out so he could fasten it around her wrist. "Thank you."

"I know we haven't really discussed it," Cedric said, "but I … I hope it's okay with you that I refer to you as my girlfriend."

Bethany's smile widened. "Of course it is."

She touched his cheek, leaning in to kiss him again. His hand rested on her bare knee, sending little shockwaves through her body, but he kept it there, even as his other hand tugged her hair out of its braid.

"Good," he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers, "because I already am."

February 21st 1995

The evening before the second task was filled with an anticipatory buzz. Tomorrow morning, they would journey down to the lakeside.

Hermione couldn't help agreeing with Bethany that the organisers hadn't really through this task through, from a spectator perspective.

Unless they had found some way of recreating Muggle underwater video cameras and set up a live-feed (unlikely, given they still had no way of broadcasting Quidditch games except over the wireless), all they would be doing was staring at the lake for an hour.

In February.

"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Sick," Bethany said faintly. "Like someone's pulled my guts out through my mouth and tied them around my neck."

"Chocolate Frog?" Ron asked, offering her the box.

Hermione didn't even bother to berate him. "You'll be fine, Beth. You've got the Gillyweed, you know what you're doing. Just keep focusing on Saturday."

Upon returning the Cloak, she had told Bethany about Sirius and that he knew about James and Lily now, and the four were planning to visit whilst in Hogsmeade that weekend.

The one thing Hermione hadn't mentioned was her discovering about her mother. She would tell Bethany, once she had managed to get her head around it, and when Bethany's attention wasn't solely taken by the second task.

Bethany nodded, attempting a smile, but failing miserably. "Any last words of advice?"

"Whatever the song says," Ginny said, "they won't let anything happen to whatever's been taken. Don't do anything stupid. Just get in, grab whatever it is, and get out."

"Billy, don't be a hero," Hermione agreed.

"Er, Hermione?" Ron asked, looking like he feared for her sanity. "That's Bethany, remember? Not Billy."

Bethany finally smiled. "It's a Muggle reference, Ron."

None of them had paid any attention to the portrait hole swinging open until the rest of the Common Room went quiet, whereupon they looked up to see Professor McGonagall.

"Mr Weasley, Miss Granger," she called over the students, "if you could come with me please. Mr Ron Weasley," she added, when Fred and George made to stand as well.

"Is there a problem, Professor?" Hermione asked.

"You won't need your things, Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said, causing her to drop her back. "You're not in any trouble. Come along, quickly."

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, said goodbye to the others, and followed Professor McGonagall out of the Common Room.

They walked in silence, but the two Lions could tell that their Head of House was unhappy about something. Her movements were stiff and stilted and, when they reached the entrance to the Headmaster's office, she stopped and spoke to them in a low voice.

"Now I want you to remember that this is a request, not a demand. If either of you want to decline, I urge that you do so. Do you understand?"

For once, Hermione didn't understand at all and, looking at Ron, it was clear he didn't either.

Nevertheless they nodded, and she gave the password to the gargoyle, who jumped aside.

"Go on," Professor McGonagall said, sounding more like herself. "He's waiting."

Hermione stepped onto the spiral staircase, letting it carry her up to the big oak doors, Ron standing just behind her.

Neither of them had been in Professor Dumbledore's office before, but Bethany had told them it was quite a sight to behold.

Hermione took a deep breath and knocked sharply on the door, just above the gleaming gold name plate.

"Come in."

They pushed the door open to see Professor Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, talking to Professor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime. Sitting on one of the sofas behind them were a Hufflepuff boy Cedric's age, and a young girl of about eight with the same silvery blonde hair and blue eyes as Fleur.

As all eyes in the room turned to fall on her and Ron, Hermione felt her heart stop.

We've taken what you'll sorely miss …