A week later Harry sat by the lake, his back against a tree, eyes closed as a crisp, cool wind ruffled his now shorter hair.  Hedwig was curled up in the grass beside him, a little black lump with a gray tongue that kept flicking out.  Jardin sat on his bond’s knee, a black statue whose golden eyes watched for anyone approaching.

Since that day of the third task, other students had been avoiding Harry more than usual, whispering behind their hands when he passed.  He hadn’t the urge to hex them.

He just wanted to be left alone.

At least the Diggorys didn’t blame him for what had happened to their son.

Even if he blamed himself.

Jardin turned his head and saw a dark-haired figure approaching from the school.  He looked at Harry then back at the figure.  He shifted slightly on his bond’s knee and waited for the person to approach.

Niamh walked towards her friend slowly, trying not to disturb him.  Ever since the third task and…Cedric’s death…he had been distant.

Most of all from her.

I wonder if he thinks I’m angry with him, she had thought one day when Harry had left the room when she’d entered.

Now she had finally caught him and she intended to talk to him.

So, walking around the tree, she settled herself down into the grass beside him.  He didn’t move.  She looked at him, studying his face, which looked weary and worn.

It was so unlike the Harry she knew, the boy she’d met in the common room the first full day at Hogwarts.  The boy who’d defended her against Draco.  The one who was always there, no matter what.  The one who laughed with her.  The one who was her best friend, the friend she felt she could always count on.

She couldn’t even say that about Cedric.

Yes, she’d loved him, by Slytherin she had.  But God knew where that would have gone.  Yes, she missed him dearly and she always would.  He’d been her first love and she could never forget that.

But Harry had been her first friend.

And some friendships came before love.

Niamh leaned her head against Harry’s broad shoulder and felt as though they were back on that night of the task.

Only this time she wasn’t the one grieving.

Harry didn’t move, didn’t speak when she did this.  Niamh sighed and closed her eyes, hoping that simply be being there she could help her dearest friend.

I don’t blame you, she whispered.

She knew not if she spoke it or if she’d said it mentally through Jardin.  But that brought a reaction.

Harry’s arm moved, slid around her.  His head leaned against hers now.  She could feel the weight.

Oh God help us all, she said to the heavens and the air around them.  Help us all.

Jardin heard this and mused to himself, < Now she’s discovered it. >

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

The Leaving Feast was very solemn.  Instead of the House colors decorating the walls, there were black drapes.

Black for death.

For Cedric.

The real Mad-Eye Moody was at the staff table now, extremely twitchy – most likely from his ten-month tenure in his own trunk.  And Mika had returned.  The Slytherin Four was complete again.

But the occasion that had made this so was not a happy one.

Mika’s mother was also there, sitting beside her ex-husband.  She was dark-haired and chocolate colored eyes – eyes like Mika’s.  Sometime after she had arrived, she had come to Harry, revealing to him that she was James Potter’s older sister.  And that she knew that her brother wasn’t his father.  He’d told her of it, she being his confidant in all things.

Harry could only blink when she’d hugged him suddenly and said, “But what a fine boy you are.  I’m glad that scoundrel of a Snape found someone to care for, even if it is my brother’s supposed son.”

Harry hadn’t known what to say to her and he still didn’t.

Professor Karkaroff’s chair was empty.  Merlin knew where he had gone.  Or if Voldemort had caught him yet.

Madame Maxime remained, sitting by Hagrid, talking quietly.

And to the joy of his heart, his father was there.  He’d been gone the entirety of the week and now he’d returned.  Harry thanked every god he knew of that he’d returned safely.  Now if only he could know Sirius was safe…

Dumbledore stood and the Great Hall, quieter than ever at a Leaving Feast, fell silent.

“The end of another year,” said the old wizard.  His eyes went to the Hufflepuff table, the most subdued and saddest table.

“There is much I would like to say to you all tonight, but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here enjoying this feast with us.  I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise you glasses, to Cedric Diggory.”

Benches scraped across the floor as everyone stood, raising their goblets and saying “Cedric Diggory” in one voice.

Beside Harry, Niamh gave a little sniffle and ran her hand over her eyes.  He half-hugged her as they sat down.

“Cedric,” said Dumbledore, “was a person who exemplified many of the qualities tat distinguish Hufflepuff House.  He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play.  His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not.  I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about.”

Both Harry and Severus looked sharply at Dumbledore at this.

“Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort.”

Panic swept through the Hall.  Students eyed the headmaster in disbelief.

“The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this.  It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so – either because they will not believe Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are.  But it is my belief that the truth if preferable to lies and that any attempt to suggest Cedric died as the result of an accident or a blunder would be an insult to his memory.”

“There is also,” said Dumbledore, “someone else who should be mentioned in connection with Cedric’s death.  I am speaking of Harry Potter.”

“Harry managed to escape Lord Voldemort.  He risked his own life to bring Cedric’s body back to Hogwarts.  He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him.”

Dumbledore lifted his goblet and nodded to Harry.  The other students did the same.  They murmured his name as they’d done Cedric’s.  And Harry saw many of the Slytherins too had done this.  As he looked down the table, Draco lifted his goblet and nodded at him.  Harry nodded in return then turned his eyes back to Dumbledore as he continued.

“The Triwizard Tournament’s aim was to further and promote magical understanding.  In the light of what had happened, such ties are more important than ever.”

Dumbledore looked at everyone in the Hall, the Durmstrang students, the Beauxbatons students, each table of the four Hogwarts Houses, then the professors to his left and right.

“Everyone in this Hall will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come.  In the light of Voldemort’s return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.  Lord Voldemort’s gift fro spreading discord and enmity is very great.  We can fight it only be showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust.  Differences are nothing if our aims are identical.”

“It is my belief – and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken – that we are all facing dark, difficult times.  Some of you here have already suffered at the hands of Lord Voldemort.  Many of your families have been broken.  A week ago, a student was taken from our midst.”

“Remember Cedric.  Remember, if there ever comes a time when you must make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort.”

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Harry, Niamh, Mika, Ron, and Hermione stood in the entrance hall with the other fourth years waiting for the carriages to take them down to Hogsmeade station.  Ginny had already gone on with the third years.

But Harry would see her soon.  For this summer, he would be staying with the Weasley’s.  His father had told him that it would be too dangerous for either of them to be at their cottage or for he, Harry, to be at Hogwarts.  So he was being sent with the only family his father trusted to care for his son.

“’Arry!”

Harry looked and saw Fleur coming up the stairs toward him.  Behind her, out on the grounds, Hagrid was helping Madame Maxime back two of the gigantic horses into their harness.  The Beauxbatons carriage was about to leave.

“We will see each uzzer again, I ‘ope,” said Fleur as she reached him.  “I am ‘oping to get a job ‘ere, to improve my Eenglish.”

“It’s very good already,” said Ron, earning a glare from Hermione.

“Good luck in that,” said Harry, smiling slightly.  “And tell your sister not to be captured by anymore merpeople.”

Fleur laughed and said, “I shall tell her.  Good-bye, ‘Arry.  It ‘az been a pleasure meeting you!”

Harry watched as Fleur ran back across the ground to the Beauxbatons carriage.

“I wonder how the Durmstrang students are getting back.  D’you reckon they can steer that ship without Karkaroff?” said Ron.

“Karkaroff did not steer.  He stayed in his cabin and let us do the vork.”

Krum had suddenly appeared behind them and said to Hermione, “Can I have a vord?”

“Oh…yes…all right,” said Hermione, following him through the crowd.

“You’d better hurry!” yelled Ron after her.

He then tried to peer over the crowd to see the two of them, earning a box on the ear by Niamh.

“Stop that!” she scolded as the two returned just as the carriages rolled up.

“I alvays liked Diggory,” said Krum to Harry.  “He vos alvays polite to me.  Evne though I vos from Durmstrang.”

“Yeah, he was,” said Harry.  “Have you got a new headmaster yet?”

“Probably Kurvoltz.  But I do not know.”

He shook Harry’s hand then, as the rest of them picked up their trunks and headed for the carriages, Ron abruptly asked, “Can I have your autograph?”

Mika, Harry, Niamh, and Hermione all burst out laughing while a surprised looking Krum signed a fragment of parchment for Ron.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

By the time they reached the train, Ginny had already taken charge of a compartment.  She had apparently run two first years out of it by glaring at them.

“Your turning into another Niamh,” said Mika as he sat down beside her.

“What’s wrong with that?” asked Niamh as she shoved her trunk under the seat.

“Nothing.  Just that one of you is enough.”

Niamh glared at him but Harry smiled and said, “He’s right, you know.  One of you is quite enough.”

“I feel insulted.”

Harry nudged Niamh in the ribs with his elbow and she scowled at him then shoved him away.

“Oh, geroff!”

Harry laughed then looked at Mika.

“So, how was the frozen north?”

“Frozen.  Like an icicle.  I generally hate here because its always seems to be raining when I look out the window, but I’ll take rain any day over ice every day.”

< You and I both, > said Jardin from his perch on the luggage rack.  In the cage beside him, Pigwidgeon hooted loudly and he glared at the little bird.  < Oh hush, you poor excuse for a bird! >

“Stop insulting my owl,” said Ron as he entered the room.

“Ron,” said Hermione, coming in right behind her with Crookshanks in her arms, “your always insulting Pigwidgeon.”

“So?”

Hermione sighed and threw herself into a seat.  She batted Crookshanks as the ginger cat eyed Jardin.  The raven narrowed his eyes and growled, < Try me, feline, and we’ll see how far you get. >

The six of them talked about the year until the trolley arrived, whereupon they bought snacks.  As Ginny put her money back in her bag, Niamh saw the edge of a copy of the Daily Prophet.  Seeing her look, the girl grinned and said, “Don’t worry.  There’s nothing in there.  There was just a small piece after the tournament saying Harry’d won.  Nothing about Cedric or You-Know-Who.”

“Skeeter won’t keep quiet,” growled Niamh.

Harry remembered the last thing he saw in the infirmary – Ginny holding something in her fist triumphantly.

“I think she will.  Right, Gin?”

The ginger-haired girl nodded and grinned.

“I was right.  And she won’t be writing anything unless she wants us to tell about her.”

“Right about what?” asked Mika, completely out of the loop as to what was going on.

“Skeeter.  I found out how she was listening in on private conversations when she’s wasn’t supposed to be on the grounds.”

“How?” asked Niamh.

“Bugging,” said Hermione.

“Muggle bugging?” said Niamh.

“Not electronic bugs,” said Hermione with a smile.

“Nope!” said Ginny.  “You see, Skeeter is an illegal Animagus.  She can turn into - ”

Ginny reached into her bag and pulled out a small glass jar.

“ – a beetle.”

“You’re kidding,” said Ron.

“You didn’t…” began Mika, nodding at the jar.

“She did,” said Hermione.

Ginny grinned and waggled the jar in their faces.  Inside was, indeed, a large, fat beetle.

“See the markings around her antennae?” said Hermione, pointing.  “They’re just like those foul glasses.”

Harry peered at the bug for a moment then looked at Ginny.

“Good show, Gin.”

“Thank you,” said Ginny proudly.  “I told her she’s stuck with me until she stops writing lies about people.  And if she doesn’t, I’ll hex her so much she won’t be recognizable.”

“Be an improvement to what she looks like now,” said Mika, tapping the jar.  The bug inside buzzed angrily against the glass.  “What a sly thing you are, Gin.”

“Thank you,” said Ginny, putting the jar back in her bag.

As she did, the door of their compartment slid open.

Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and several other Slytherins stood there, looking right pleased with themselves.  Harry noted that Draco was not among them.

“How clever you all think you are,” sneered Pansy.  “You caught a reporter and Potter’s all high and mighty again.  But the mighty do fall.”

Everyone in the compartment reached for his or her wand, excluding Harry, who just glared at Pansy.  Above his head Jardin spread his wings and let out a sort of hiss, eyes gleaming.  From Harry’s wrist, Hedwig issued her own cry, hissing loudly and saying rather rude things.

“I bet your all trying to pretend it didn’t happen,” said Pansy.  “Fat chance.  You all picked the losing side.  Now that the Dark Lord has returned, all of them (she nodded her head at everyone but Harry) will be the first to go.”

“Or second really,” sneered Blaise, “now that Diggory’s gone - ”

There was a loud bang and a flash of light and then the Slytherins were lying unconscious in the hallway.  Harry stood by the door, his back to his friends.  He looked up and down the hall then shut the door, still standing there.  Niamh rose and went to him, touching his shoulder.

He looked at her and Niamh swore that his eyes were completely and totally black for a moment.  Then they were green again.

He smiled at her and said, “Well, that takes care of them, doesn’t it?”

Niamh grinned and everyone laughed nervously as the sat back down and went back to their conversation.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

When the train stopped, the six people in the compartment grabbed their things and walked out over the still unconscious Slytherins.  Niamh was the last one out and she paused for a moment, flicking her wand at them, then walking out with a wide grin on her face.  Anyone who would have been behind her would have seen tentacles growing on all of the Slytherins faces.

As the six of them met out on the platform, Fred and George came up to them, grinning at Harry.

“With us again, aye, Harry?”

“Such fun we’ll have.”

“Mind if we borrow your snake?”

Harry chuckled and said, “I think she’d bite the two of you.”

“She’s not poisonous.”

< I can make her so, > said Jardin, from his perch on Harry’s shoulder.

The twins looked at the bird then at Harry.

“Could he?” they both asked.

Harry only shrugged then saw the others heading away from them towards the barrier.  He started after them then said, “Fred, George.  Wait a minute.”

The twins stopped and stared at him as he opened his trunk and reached inside, pulling out the bag of gold, his winnings from the tournament.  He closed the trunk with a snap and thrust the sack at them.

“Here.”

George said, “We couldn’t.”

“Take it,” said Harry.  “I don’t want it.  Use it for your jokes.  I think we all could use a laugh.”

“Harry,” said Fred, looking at the bag, “we couldn’t…”

“You can and you will,” said Harry, thrusting the bag into Fred’s hands.  “I don’t need it and I don’t want it.  And if you two don’t take it, I’m going to toss it into the nearest lake.”

The twins looked at the bag then at him.

“Harry,” breathed George, “there’s got to be a thousand Galleons in here.”

“Yeah,” said the dark-haired teen.  “Imagine how many Canary Creams and fake wands that’ll make.”

“Just,” he added, “don’t tell your mum where you got it…and for Slytherin’s sake and everyone else’s, buy Ron some new dress robes.  And don’t hug me or I’ll hex the two of you so badly your descendants in 5089 will feel it.”  This last was because the two of them looks like they were going to jump him.

Mrs. Weasley was waiting patiently beyond the barrier for them.  She enveloped him in a hug when she saw him then hugged Hermione and Niamh as the two girls got set to leave as their parents approached.  She smiled and said to them, “You two are always welcome at the Burrow.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Weasley,” said the two girls.  As Hermione’s parents stood waiting for her, she said goodbye to her friends and hugged Harry, to the teen’s great surprise.

“Bye, Harry!”

“See you, Mione!” yelled Ginny after her.

Then Niamh’s mother appeared, a nervous little wisp of a woman.  She waved at her daughter, who turned to her friends and said, “Oh, Slytherin, I’m going to miss the lot of you.  Don’t do anything exciting without me!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” said Ginny.

“We would!” chorused the twins.

Niamh shook her head at them then looked at Harry for a long moment.  She then gave him a long hug and said, “You be careful, mate.”

“You too,” said Harry, remembering her father’s reaction to him and his own father going to her house and snatching her away before their third year.

Niamh smiled at him then went to join her mother.  Harry watched them until they disappeared then he turned to the Weasley’s, who were all waiting for him.  He grinning at them and said, “Shall we go?”

Mrs. Weasley smiled and said, “Indeed we shall.  Come along now.”

Harry trailed along behind Ron as they left King’s Cross, Ginny walking beside him.  He looked at Jardin on his shoulder then at Hedwig on his wrist.  As they exited the station, he saw Hermione getting into the car with her parents and Niamh and her mother shoving her trunk into their car.

He smiled as he and the Weasley’s shoved their luggage into a new car the Weasley’s had gotten.

Despite the events of the last year, it seemed to him that this summer would be one of the best he may yet ever have.