Alastriona had tears streaming down her face but they were getting soaked up by Uncle Finn's flannel jacket.
Finn sniffed but managed to hold back his tears.
"It's all right, lass, I'll see you for Christmas and as soon as you send Arwen with a letter I promise I'll write back the very same day." He reassured her, running a large hand over her curled locks.
"I know, I know." Alastriona said, her voice muffled by her uncle's jacket.
Finn held onto his niece a little tighter. "If anything happens -- if you want to come home, I swear I will find a way to come and get you, okay?" He forced her to look him the eyes. "I need you to swear to me, Alastriona, swear you'll reach out to me."
Alastriona nodded and wiped her tears on her sleeve. "I swear, Uncle Finn." She promised him. Alastriona kissed her uncle's cheek, "I love you." She said with a smile.
Finn kissed the top of her head and said, "I love you too."
Once Finn let go of Alastriona he saw Darcy hovering awkwardly behind her.
Finn didn't waste a second and drew Darcy in for a hug, he ran a hand over her dark shoulder length hair, he'd taken her to the hairdresser just the other day.
"The same goes for you, Darcy." He whispered into her ear. "I'm just an owl away, lass."
Finn cupped her cheek and smiled, glancing at Alastriona he said, "Look after each other, okay? I love you both."
Finn waved goodbye to both the girls.
Darcy gripped Alastriona's hand firmly in hers and they both waved at Finn until they climbed onto the Hogwarts Express. Once on the train Darcy hugged Alastriona tightly and smiled at her when she pulled away.
"Should we find a compartment?" Darcy asked softly.
Alastriona sighed and ran a hand over her tired face. "I've got to go to the Prefects cabin, meet the other Prefects..." She trailed off.
Darcy didn't know how to help her. "I'm sorry, Red, I know you don't want to do this." She said, feeling helpless.
"I just wish she'd asked me..." Alastriona whispered softly. She cleared her throat and nodded at Darcy, "I'll see you later."
Alastriona turned and left. She found herself to be the last Prefect to enter and she was pleasantly surprised with her fellow Prefects.
Of course she'd already known about Draco becoming one but Alastriona smiled when she saw Tracey Davis by his side.
Alastriona ran to her and hugged her immediately, taking Tracey by surprise.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Alastriona demanded to know.
Tracey shrug, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Thought I'd surprise you." She replied meekly.
Alastriona glanced at the other faces around her.
Ernie Macmillan rose and gave her a quick hug before sitting back down.
Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil, the new Ravenclaw Prefects gave her a small wave and a pitiful smile that Alastriona ignored.
Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley said hi to her as well. Hermione stood and quickly hugged her before sitting down again.
Alastriona sat in between Draco and Ernie and she gripped Draco's hand tightly in hers as the Head Boy and Head Girl instructed them of their duties.
Alastriona paid no attention and instead focussed on the feel of Draco's soft hand in hers.
Alastriona knew that if Pansy hadn't attacked her last year that it would probably be her in this compartment right now and not Tracey and she found herself weirdly grateful that it happened.
Alastriona was leaning against the train window in the corridor, Draco's arm hanging around her shoulder, one of his hands playing with a particularly bouncy curl. He was distracting himself because he so clearly did not want to be part of the conversation.
Hermione had stopped on her way past them and said hi to Alastriona, forcing Ron to stop as well.
"I wrote to Harry over the summer but he never got back to me." Draco tensed at Alastriona's words but said nothing.
Hermione and Ron shared a look and Hermione winced. "Um, he -- he wasn't really..." She cleared her throat, "It's a long story." She laughed awkwardly and threw a glare at Ron as he nudged her side again.
Draco moved behind Alastriona and buried his head into her neck, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned back into him without even thinking.
"I'll have to ask him for the whole story someday." Alastriona said with a smile.
Draco had his eyes closed, pretending he wasn't standing this close to Ronald Weasley without physically hitting him.
Hermione resisted smiling at the sweet scene. Instead she said, "We should go, we'll make some rounds, I think, check on the first years."
Alastriona smiled. "Good idea." She said.
Alastriona sighed heavily after they left and closed her eyes, leaning back fully into Draco's embrace.
"You all right, love?" He asked softly, resting his head on her shoulder.
"Yeah." She replied. "I just feel like this year is going to suck." She admitted.
Draco kissed Alastriona's neck, causing her to shiver. "I don't know, I don't think it'll be too bad."
His fingers dug slightly at her sides and she squealed in laughter and tried to wriggle out of his grip.
"Ah! Stop!" She laughed out, gasping for air as he continued his tickling torture.
"Never!" He growled playfully in her ear.
A throat clear behind them and they turned to see Cho Chang with her arms crossed over her chest and a fierce glare pointed at Alastriona.
"You're in my way." She said blandly.
Draco rolled his eyes as Alastriona apologised.
Cho marched past them when they moved out of her way.
Draco sighed, "I suppose I should deliver you to the others now."
Alastriona couldn't help the giggle that slipped out as Draco kneeled on the ground and glanced back at her. "Your chariot impatiently awaits, love."
Alastriona laughed but climbed on and allowed herself to be carried through the train as they looked for their friends.
In times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
'Together we will build and teach!'
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might some day be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest.'
Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest.'
Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name,'
Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same.'
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with duelling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfil my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether Sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you ...
Let the Sorting now begin.
Alastriona pondered the Sorting Hats song. She couldn't remember the Sorting Hat ever giving a warning before but she agreed completely that the four Houses should be united.
She'd always hated how divided the Houses were and how the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor seemed to grow more ferocious with every passing year, splitting the students of Hogwarts even further apart.
Alastriona briefly recognised that Professor Hagrid wasn't present but otherwise she just kept staring blankly into the air, unable to focus on anything.
Alastriona managed to clap for every student (with particular emphasis on the ones sorted into Hufflepuff), the last one sorted was Rose Zeller, and she took a seat at the jubilant Hufflepuff table.
Alastriona heard Professor Umbridge being introduced as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher but as soon as she began speaking Alastriona could feel her eyes drooping.
Alastriona glanced around the Hall. She knew she wouldn't find Cedric's face amongst the students and yet there was always that tiny part of her that hoped he would just appear by her side and start piling food onto her plate.
Alastriona's cheeks flushed when she found Draco staring at her from the Slytherin table, he was smirking at her, almost as if he knew she couldn't be bothered listening to this new so-called professor.
With welcoming feast finished Alastriona and Ernie went to the first year students belonging to Hufflepuff.
She smiled kindly at them. "How good was that feast?" She asked keenly and grinned when they all nodded sleepily. "Let's get you back to the dorms so you can get a good nights sleep."
They certainly looked as though they needed it.
Ernie lead them from the front and Alastriona fell behind to prevent anyone from getting lost.
The Slytherin students fell into step beside the Hufflepuff's and Draco fell back to walk with Alastriona, they held hands and suppressed their laughter at the students shocked expressions.
They must've paid close attention to the Sorting Hat's song.
"I reckon these are the tiniest first years Hogwarts has ever seen." Draco muttered to her under his breath. "They're nearly as small as you were." He teased.
She elbowed him in the ribs as they made their way to the dungeons. "Hey, I grew." She mumbled pathetically.
Draco laughed and leant down to kiss her freckled cheek. "Yes, you're the perfect height, love."
Alastriona noticed where they were and called for Ernie and Tracey to hold up. She and Draco made it to the front.
"This is the cross roads," Alastriona gestured around them, "It's where Hufflepuff and Slytherin split up." The new students looked very confused. "I want you to look at each other." Alastriona requested, the Hufflepuff's and Slytherin's assessed each other. "If you ever get lost, find one of the people you're looking at and make it back to this spot."
Alastriona smiled at the young Slytherin's, "It's always a good idea to grab a Hufflepuff if you're lost, we're particularly good finders." She boasted.
Alastriona hugged Tracey, "See you tomorrow, Tracey." She gave Draco a kiss on the cheek, well aware of the eyes on them. "Night, Draco."
Draco grinned down at her. "Night, Red." His face turned stern and stoic again upon facing the new Slytherin students.
He and Tracey lead the shocked first years down the hall that would take them to the Slytherin Common Room.
Ernie and Alastriona showed the newest Hufflepuff's how to enter the Common Room and to their dormitories, once they left the two Prefects high-fived, calling it a successful night.
Alastriona finally made it to her own dorm room and was hit in the face with a Fizzing Whizzbee, thrown by Susan Bones.
"Come on, Alastriona!" Susan called, laughing. "We've saved you some stuff but Hannah is being a fiend!"
Alastriona laughed and launched herself onto Hannah's bed, covered in sweets, the first night back at Hogwarts was always fun with those girls.
Alastriona stood in a dark room, she could hear a voice and stumbled closer towards it.
The closer she got the more she could make out the person.
"I know you're with Draco, and I know you're happy with him-"
"Cedric?" Alastriona whispered breathlessly into the darkness.
It was Cedric, standing, talking to the darkness around him.
"Ced!" Alastriona called but he stood still, not facing her.
"And I'm not asking anything of you, Alastriona-"
"Cedric! Turn around!" Alastriona screamed. She couldn't move!
"I just wanted you to know." Cedric couldn't hear Alastriona's cries, he just kept talking to the darkness. "I'll wait for you, Red, I'd wait forever and day."
Cedric turned around and a scream ripped from Alastriona's throat.
His face was half flesh, half rotting bone with worms burrowing into his flesh.
"I wouldn't be like this you had just said something, Alastriona!" He yelled, but his voice wasn't his, it was harsh and cruel! He stepped closer and Alastriona could smell his rotting flesh. "You deserve to be where I am!" His boney hands reached forward and pushed!
Alastriona cried and stumbled back, she flinched and when her eyes opened she was face to face with Pansy Parkinson.
She stumbled again and looked down at her feet. "No..." She whispered tearfully, she was back on that boat.
"You really should've stayed away from Draco." Pansy hissed. "You've already killed one person who loved you, and you're going to kill Draco, too!"
Pansy's face morphed into snake-like features and she hissed at Alastriona as she launched forward and pushed Alastriona back!
Alastriona thrashed around as the freezing water of the Great Lake engulfed her!
But she could breathe this time.
She squinted until a light showed in the water.
It was her. Tied to a rock, sleeping. Cedric hovered before her.
He turned and faced her, his flesh nearly all gone now, one of his eyes sockets empty and hollow.
Alastriona felt sobs shaking her body.
"I was wrong." Cedric taunted. He looked back at Alastriona's sleeping body. "Wrong to save you. This is where you should've died." He grinned menacingly at Alastriona then back to the sleeping form.
He took out his wand and aimed it Alastriona's sleeping form under the water but his eyes were focused on the Alastriona's awake self who was screaming at him and begging him to stop!
"Avada Kedavra!"
Alastriona awoke with a scream that split the air.