Before the chapter starts I want to go ahead and warn everyone that I don't have access to the book itself, so most of this year and the years after will be from what I remember and what I have in my other story. If there is anything major that I change/leave out, please let me know in a nice way, and if necessary, I'll edit the chapter. I'm really sorry if I leave too much out, but I'm going to do what I can.
Thank you for reading and please comment, like and share! I love seeing your support and opinions!
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Claire couldn't stop shaking, but she didn't know if it was from nerves or excitement. It was the day before the Quidditch World Cup, so her nerves were high.
Since the Malfoy parents weren't fans of the girl, the ticket that Draco gave her was a secret. Blaise Zabini, one of Draco's friends, traded his ticket so that he would sit with the Malfoys and Claire could sit with the Weasleys, since that was the section Blaise would've been in. The Malfoy parents just simply thought that Draco gave the ticket to Blaise.
Claire was a little upset because she knew that she probably wouldn't be able to actually talk to Draco since his parents would be there and she would be with the Weasleys. Draco barely responded to any letters, but neither did Claire, so they could barely make any plans to meet.
As for the Weasleys, they had decided that Claire wouldn't spend the night at the Burrow with everyone else. There would be so many people there that Claire would just be overwhelmed, so she decided to just stay home and wake up extra early. Remus wasn't exactly a fan of the plan because he wanted Claire to be more social, but mainly because he didn't want to wake up so early. He was under the impression that the Weasley family got another ticket for Claire, so he didn't understand why Mrs. Weasley hadn't insisted that Claire spend for night. Either way, it would be an early morning for them all.
"You have everything?" Remus asked as they ate the night before the World Cup.
"I need to pack my toothpaste and stuff in the morning," Claire responded. Remus nodded and stifled a yawn behind his hand. Claire frowned a little but tried to hide it by eating some of her fries from McDonald's. Remus had gotten a muggle job recently, so they had been eating more muggle food. Unfortunately, Remus was also always extra tired because the job required long hours and lots of hard work.
"I'm sure I can just floo over in the morning instead of you waking up," Claire said for the hundredth time.
"No, Claire," Remus said with a small chuckle. "I want to see you off before you go, and I want to make sure Mr. Weasley is okay too. I'm going with you. Plus, I haven't seen Amos Diggory in a while and he'll probably be at the port key too."
"Amos Diggory?" Claire asked, frowning as she tried to place the name.
"He went to school with me, but he was a few years ahead," Remus explained. "He has a son a few years older than you...Cedric, I think."
Claire's cheeks suddenly turned pink and she shoveled more food into her mouth. Cedric was one of the cutest boys at Hogwarts, and she couldn't help but have a small crush on him, although it didn't mean anything.
"Nope," Remus said upon seeing her blush. "You're not going anymore. You'll run off with Cedric! I'll have to tell Amos and Mr. Weasley that the boy better stay far away."
"Remus, no, please," Claire whined, covering her face with her hands. Remus laughed, obviously enjoying how embarrassed she was getting.
"Fine," Remus laughed before getting serious. "Although, based on some rumors and what I saw at Hogwarts, I should be more worried about the Malfoy boy."
"I'm leaving," Claire said, standing up to hurry to her room. Remus gently touched her wrist and gave her a look. Claire sat down slowly, crossing her arms across her chest as if protecting herself. The atmosphere got a lot tenser and Claire just wanted to leave.
"Look, crushes during the school year are okay, but I've noticed the Malfoy owl coming a few too many times," Remus started. Claire couldn't meet his eyes, staring down at the old table instead. "That family isn't good, Claire. They were most likely followers of Voldemort, and they're just as evil and cruel now as they were then. If they're smart enough to put two and two together and if they know about Moon Children, they could try and bring your guard down around them and then use you for their own selfish causes. It's not safe."
Claire was silent for a moment as she thought of what Remus was saying. The Wizarding world wasn't aware that Natalie was a werewolf, but families close to the Rosiers probably did. A shiver ran through her spine as she thought of what would happen if the wrong people realized that she was the offspring of two werewolves. But Draco wasn't the wrong people.
"Draco is the only one who knows what it's like," Claire finally muttered. Remus' frown deepened as he saw Claire almost cave in on herself. He had wondered what forms of torture Lucius could do to his son, and it seemed as if Claire could answer that.
"Sirius does too," Remus said softly, his mind running as he tried to come up with other reasons to leave the Malfoy boy alone. He signed heavily as nothing came to his mind. "I can never relate to what you've gone through, and I understand that the Malfoy boy can, but Sirius can help you more than he can. So please, please, stay away from Draco."
"I can't," Claire whispered, wiping a tear away. She abruptly stood, rushing to her room. Remus sighed and ran a hand over his face when he heard the lock click. And minutes later he cursed, lightly slamming his hand on the table when he saw the Malfoy owl land by Claire's window.
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"Are you sure you have everything?" Remus said before yawning. Claire nodded her head as she also yawned. Tensions were still high in the Lupin household, and they were barely addressing the other as they got ready.
"Can we just go?" Claire mumbled. Remus nodded and awkwardly held out his hand. Claire grabbed his pinky and squeezed her eyes shut as they apparated to a hill.
"Glad to see you found us, Remus!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed once they walked a few hills and finally found the family. There was another red head that Claire could remember seeing in photos at the Burrow, but she was too tired to ask who it was. The kids all sent Claire a wave, which she sleeping returned. She had barely slept all night because of the conversation with her father, so she was extra tired. It was also close to the full moon, which seemed to be affecting her more than usual.
"I'm glad too," Remus said politely. "Where's the Portkey?"
"A few hills over, I believe," Mr. Weasley responded. Claire held back a groan and leaned onto Harry's side as a greeting. He chuckled and threw an arm over her shoulders.
"It's good to see you too," Harry laughed. Hermione came and grabbed Claire around the middle in an awkward hug as they walked.
"What's got you all down?" Hermione asked.
"I'll tell you later," Claire mumbled, sending the back of Remus' head a small glare as the man laughed with the Weasley patriarch.
"If it makes you feel better, Cedric Diggory will be traveling with us," Ginny said with a small giggle.
"Lupin only likes Malfoy," Ron said with a grimace.
"We can change that, can't we Georgie?" Fred asked.
"The git isn't good enough for our little wolf," George agreed.
"What's it like, having a werewolf for a father?" Ginny asked, being reminded by the twins nickname. Claire and Ginny had never really talked before, and with such a personal question, Claire could feel herself shake a little.
"Just like having a normal father, I guess," Claire said. "He just has a furry little problem."
Ginny and the rest of the teens seemed content with the answer, moving off into their own conversations. Hermione moved to talk about Cedric with Ginny but Claire stayed with Harry, his arm comfortingly over her shoulder as he talked to Ron.
"Ah! There you are!"
Claire not so subtly moved behind Harry some at the new voice.
"Amos!" Mr. Weasley said happily. A loud thump alerted everyone to Cedric Diggory as he jumped out of a tree that he had been sitting in.
"You all know Cedric, my son, I suppose," Amos said bragingly. "Are these all yours, Arthur?"
"Oh, no, only the redheads," Mr. Weasley answered. He started naming everyone, and Claire learned that the one she didn't know was Charlie, the oldest. "And then that's Hermione Granger, Harry-"
"Harry Potter," Amos interrupted, instantly locking eyes on Harry. Claire panicked and stepped behind her father, who had stopped so that he was standing next to her. Remus gently moved so that Claire was next to him, but slightly behind him as well. "Of course. The scar... it's a pleasure to meet you... the boy who lost to my Cedric!"
"Dad," Cedric sighed, looking embarrassed and upset. "I already told you it was the dementors."
"Well, one player stayed on the broom and the other fell," Amos said with a laugh.
"And this is Claire, my daughter," Remus said suddenly, gently pulling Claire forward before Amos could further insult Harry. Claire cringed a little at the look Amos gave her.
"Yes...the Rosier girl," Amos grimaced. No one could miss the way Claire cringed at the name, and Remus suddenly regretted interrupting the man by introducing Claire. "Cedric, stay away from her. She might kill you."
Harry grunted a little and Claire glanced up from the ground to see that Ron and a very angry Hermione were holding him back.
"You'll remember to never speak to my daughter that way again," Remus said darkly, pulling himself up to his full height, which allowed him to tower over Amos.
"Oh, look at the time!" Mr. Weasley said nervously. Remus stepped away from a nervous Amos, his face changing immediately as he faced his daughter.
"I'm sorry," Remus apologized. Claire shrugged and hugged her dad. "I love you."
"I love you too," Claire mumbled. Remus sighed, squeezing her a little tighter and letting her go. Claire hurried to stand next to Hermione so that Harry could say bye to Remus.
"Sorry about my dad," Cedric said. Claire jumped a little and her eyes widened as the older boy came to stand next to her. They were all circled around an old boot, although Claire didn't know why.
"Y-you're fine," Claire replied. Harry came, shoving his way into the circle next to Claire.
"Everyone touch the boot!" Mr. Weasley yelled out. Harry and Claire shared confused looks but did what they were told.
"Thanks again for the ticket, Arthur!" Remus yelled as the boot started to glow.
"What ticket?" Mr. Weasley replied, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "The Malfoy boy gave it to her!"
And with that their feet were picked up and they were transported far away. Claire hit the ground hard with only one thought on her mind: she was in lots of trouble for lying.
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It took them forever to find where they were camping. The man checking them in was a muggle, so Mr. Weasley needed help from Harry and Hermione to know what to do. The poor muggle man was so confused by all the wizards, and the many times that he had to have his memory swiped didn't help. The Diggorys didn't stay long, hurrying to find their tent so they could rest.
Once they got there, it took them even longer to set up the tents. Mr. Weasley wanted to do it like a muggle would, but he had no idea what to do. Hermione ended up knowing enough to help out, but it still took close to an hour to complete both tents. The girls would be staying in a smaller tent than the boys, but this wasn't really an issue since there were less girls. The tents had been loaned to Mr. Weasley by a work friend, and they smelled faintly of cats.
"Where's Crookshanks?" Claire asked Hermione, not seeing the cat anywhere.
"She's at the Burrow," Hermione replied. "This isn't really the place for a cat."
"I wish I could have a cat," Ginny sighed.
"Me too," Claire agreed.
"Y'know, you're not as bad as everyone makes you out to be," Ginny said to Claire. "Maybe I just know what it's like...but you're not bad."
Claire awkwardly nodded her head, not knowing what Ginny meant. Hermione squeezed Ginny's hand in a comforting manner and then jumped off the bed.
"Let's go see if the boys need anything."
Mr. Weasley wasted no time once he saw them. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Claire were tasked with finding water for everyone. Claire just hid behind Harry most of the time because everyone wanted to talk to him. Most of the people they talked to just ignored Claire anyways since it was mostly Gryffindors, so she didn't mind. By the time they got back, another hour had passed.
"Took you long enough," Fred mumbled angrily. Claire could tell that something was bothering the twins but she didn't know what and she didn't want to ask.
"We stopped and talked with some people," Ron replied.
Mr. Weasley's gasp attracted the attention of all the teens. The man was playing with matches, watching in excitement as they lit up and doing nothing to keep them from going out.
"This poor man," Hermione mumbled quietly enough that only Claire could hear it. Claire hid her laugh in a yawn, which didn't go unnoticed by Harry.
"You should go lay down," Harry told her. Claire tried to argue. "Look, just lay down and we'll come get you well before the match starts. And I'll buy you something nice."
"You're bossy," Claire complained.
"And you're a little child who needs to sleep," Harry replied.
"We have the same birthday," Claire reminded him.
"Except I asked Snuffles, and he said that I was born before you which means that I'm older and in charge," Harry said matter of factly. Claire just gave him a look before sticking her tongue out at him and entering her tent.
"You and Harry are really like siblings," Ginny noted with an amused snort. The girl was laying in her bed, obviously trying to take a nap as well.
"W-we really are," Claire responded. Ginny yawned and turned over so Claire didn't attempt to talk anymore, climbing into her own bed.
It wasn't long before she went to sleep, but it was a restless one. Her dream wasn't a dream, but something foreboding, causing a headache to hurt her even in her sleep.
"You're a monster."
"Oh, as if you're one to talk."
Claire shot up in her bed, sweat clinging to her face and a scream stuck in her throat.
"Claire? What's wrong?"
Hermione was by her side in an instant, a worried look on her face.
"Bad dream," Claire mumbled, grabbing her head as a sharp pain hit her.
"Are you sure that's all it was?" Hermione asked. "We haven't talked about it, but both your parents are werewolves. That means you're....you're a Moonchild."
"Drop it, Hermione," Claire said firmly, shocking herself and Hermione with her tone. The other girl frowned a little but nodded worredly.
"Well...it's almost time for the game to start so you should probably clean up a bit," Hermione said awkwardly. It wasn't even five minutes before they could hear the crowds outside as they started heading to the stands.
"C'mon!" Ginny said excitedly as she ran back into the tent. Claire and Hermione made their way outside where the whole group was waiting.
"This is for you," Harry said, handing Claire a pair of binoculars. "They're magic so they help you see even better."
"Thanks," Claire said. She was a little anxious with all the people around, and her conversation with Hermione and the dream she had weren't helping. Harry didn't seem to notice, hurrying to catch up with a very excited Ron. Claire just walked by herself most of the way, which was a lot farther than she expected. Once they got to the stadium, they had what seemed like hundreds of seats to go up. They had just gotten to their seats when they heard someone addressing them.
"Well, well, well, look who it is."
The cold voice made Claire shiver as she recognized from her dream. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was Draco and his father. Hermione lightly nudged Claire, and she noticed that her cheeks were burning a little. Draco also seemed a bit pink, but he avoided looking at Claire for more than just a quick wink, which made her stomach do flips.
"Hello, Lucius," Mr. Weasley said uncomfortably. It wasn't a secret that the Weasleys were blood traitors, and their relationship with pureblood families wasn't great.
"Oh! There you are!"
Claire had seen the Minister of Magic in photos before, but seeing him in real life was quite odd. Cornelius Fudge happily greeted both Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Weasley before turning to another man and attempting to communicate, although it seemed like there was quite a language barrier. Percy Weasley had bowed so deeply that his glasses had fallen off, so he was hurrying to fix them and try to not be so embarrassed.
"What did you have to do to get these tickets?" Lucius said lowly so that the minister couldn't hear. "I can't imagine your poor excuse for a house would be this much."
Mr. Weasley and the rest of the group looked about ready to throw punches, but Fudge had no idea what was happening.
"Mr. Malfoy donated some money to St. Mungo's, so he's here as a guest," Fudge explained, avoiding the man he had been talking to before.
"And I'm sure you remember my son Draco, and my wife, Narcissa," Lucius introduced. Draco gave a small smirk and head nod, while a woman already sitting gave a small wave. Draco's mother was beautiful, but she didn't look pleased.
"Oh, of course," Fudge exclaimed. "And we can't forget that Mr. Harry Potter is here as well!"
Harry's eyes widened as the man Fudge had been talking to earlier started loudly talking, pointing at Harry and back to his forehead.
"That's the Bulgarian prime minister," Fudge explained. "Can't understand a word he's saying. I need Crouch for that, but he's not here."
"Ready to go?" Another man said as he joined everyone.
"Ludo Bagman!" Ron said breathlessly. Claire could faintly remember that Bagman was a famous quidditch player, but she couldn't even remember for what team.
"Let's go sit," Mr. Weasley suggested, gently pushing his children towards their chairs, which were a bit below the Malfoys. Claire stumbled a bit when someone gently grabbed her hand for a second, leaving a note in it. In a moment of bravery, she lightly squeezed the hand as she grabbed the note. Not wanting to get Draco in trouble, Claire kept walking without even looking at him, but her cheeks were probably a bright red.
"I saw that," Hermione said with a giggle once they got to their seats. It was so loud that they could barely hear each other since Harry was talking to a house elf behind them and Bagman was preparing to start the show. Claire used this to her advantage and just shrugged. With a loud cheer and a presentation from both teams, the game started but Claire could only focus on the note:
Meet me at the edge of the forest at 11
And suddenly the seconds felt like years.