Always - Welcome to the Wizarding World

Part 1

"Who are you waving at?" I asked him. Cedric lowered his head to me and whispered in my ear.

"Okay, don't be nervous, but Harry Potter's over there. Remember? The one I told you about". Harry Potter. The Boy who Lived. He had survived an attack from You Know Who, he was the reason You Know Who was gone. I'd admired this boy ever since Cedric told me his story. I expected Harry to be quite tall, handsome and strong, but he was almost the exact opposite. He was handsome, but he was short, skinny and quiet. He shook hands with Ced and simply smiled at me. I elbowed Ced jokingly.

"Good friends, are we?" I teased.

"Oh, shut up!" he chuckled. Mr Weasley and Harry were accompanied by five other people; Ginny Weasley, whom I thought to be quite a pretty girl; the Weasley twins, Fred and George, and Weasley's youngest son, Ron. Ron seemed exhausted and quite miserable at first sight; they had obviously walked quite a while to get to the hill. Ginny, Fred and George on the other hand were quite cheerful and obviously very excited for the match. Ginny, who was in the year below me, seemed to be permanently stuck to the other girl accompanying them, Hermione Granger. She was stunning and very slim, which made me exceedingly jealous of her. She was lovely to me and exceptionally intelligent, so she made it impossible for me to be bitter about her beauty!

"So, you're just starting at Hogwarts? I thought I didn't recognise you! Are you Cedric's sister?" she asked, her brown eyes wide.

"Erm, no. I'm his friend. I live with him and Mr Diggory" I explained.

"Why? Where's your parents?" Ron asked, his mouth full of the chocolate that he'd nicked from his dad. Hermione slapped him harshly on the arm.

"Don't be so rude, Ronald! And don't talk with your mouthful, it's disgusting!" she snapped. Ron swallowed sheepishly whilst tentatively rubbing his arm. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ginny muffling her laughter. This sort of behavior who obviously normal between them.

"No, it's okay. My dad was killed a few years ago in the Ministry of Magic and I was taken away from my mother because she neglected me" I said. Everyone just stared at me. No one seemed to know what to say.

"I'm sorry" Harry murmured after a long and uncomfortable silence. I smiled at him piteously.

"Thanks, Harry".

"Wait, wasn't your dad Scorpius Snape?" Ron piped up. "He got shot at the Ministry, didn't he? My dad was there that day, he said it was petrifying". Hermione gasped over-dramatically.

"Oh, gosh. I remember reading about that in the Daily Prophet. I'm so sorry, Radia" she said. I just smiled at her. I understood that people didn't know the appropriate reaction to my father's death. It wasn't a normal death for a wizard. I appreciated their sympathy though. I decided quickly that I would quite like to stay friends with this group.

Ginny, Hermione and Ron walked ahead, chatting about the tournament arrangements. Harry hung back slightly with me.

"Your dad, his name was Scorpius Snape?" he asked me.

"Yes".

"Was he, by any chance, related to Professor Severus Snape? He's the Potions Master at Hogwarts". I nodded.

"I know. My dad was Severus' brother. I couldn't go and live with him when dad died because...well, I don't know why actually" I replied, chuckling nervously. Harry smiled at me; it was a sweet smile, made me feel safe.

"Well, I won't say anything bad about him if he's your uncle" he joked.

"Go for it, I've never met him!" I laughed.

"Well, I think he's a slimy bastard who's also a terrible teacher". I chuckled heartily.

"Oh God" I muttered, giggling.

"Don't worry about him, we'll look after you!" Harry promised, smiling at me cheekily.

"Thanks, Harry. I appreciate it" I beamed. Harry returned my look and we walked on together.

Out of breath and sweating slightly, my scarf wrapped tightly around my neck, we finally reached Stoatshead hill.

Mr Weasley called out "there it is. Come along, everyone! Hurry up!" On the top of the hill, in front of the still, orange sunset, sat an old muddy boot. Everyone was stood round it, then they knelt down and grabbed onto different parts of it. I knelt down in between Cedric and Mr Weasley.

"Ced, what are you doing?" I questioned.

"Just grab the boot and hold onto me" he instructed. So I did as he said and before I knew it, we were spinning out of control. Hermione squealed loudly and Ron screamed, until suddenly, thud!