▬▬ four; the old woman
⋆.｡.:* ☆:**:.

HE HAD ALWAYS SECRETLY LOVED COMING BACK HERE. While he whined with his friends about how boring school was, he actually really enjoyed it. This castle felt more home than anywhere else so after spending summer by himself, coming back to Hogwarts was always a relief. Now, however, it felt wrong. He was almost ashamed that he had sat down on the train, that he had walked through the huge main doors, that he had settled in his chamber. It felt wrong because she wasn't there. The entire dinner felt like a waste of time because he knew that he wouldn't be sneaking away afterward to meet her in the basement. The new professor, the pink and uptight lady Umbridge was just another small white dot on the sky because he wouldn't be able to laugh about her with Lauren tonight.

Draco found himself constantly looking over at the Gryffindor table but he just met Hermione's stern eyes and the back of Harry Potter's head. He deserved their disrespect against him, but he wished he could just walk over there and talk to them. He wished he could find the guts to apologize and then find comfort with them, he wanted to be close to them because they meant a lot to Lauren. 

Instead, he remained among his friends that loved to spit insults at everyone, that loved to make fun of remarkable people and the weak ones. This time he wasn't participating in it. He became invisible to them, trying to stay away from everyone so he could think about one person only so that he could imagine seeing her brown locks and her bright smile across the room.

Why hadn't she responded to his letters?

While he drowned himself in self-doubt and questions about how she was doing and where she was, Lauren Diggory herself stared into the mirror in her bathroom. She looked at her own reflections differently than before, desperately trying to understand the eyes she was staring into. The sad girl before her was unfamiliar to Lauren, she didn't know who she was anymore.

Hearing the sound of someone else being near her had always just been a trick. A trick that her lonely heart had played on her and her fragile conscious had fallen for it like a fool. So now, when another sound of footsteps downstairs broke the constant silence, she just sobbed louder. The sound of someone being there made her feel even more tired, why wouldn't she let herself rest?

But she soon came to the realization that those light steps didn't belong to the ghost that wandered in this house, no, these belonged to someone else. Turning back to the eyes in the mirror she wiped her wet cheeks and inhaled quietly. Her first instinct was to run and hide or jump out the window, escape whoever had intruded her home. But she didn't. Her curiosity left the bathroom and went for the stairs.

While her soundless steps walked to the stairs it became silent downstairs. After a few minutes, she heard how things were being moved around. . . gently. It sounded like someone placed a book on the table or picked up a glass from the floor or poured water in the sink. Someone was cleaning. 

She walked down the staircase quietly and held her wand tightly by her side. Lauren leaned against the wall and breathed so quietly before facing the living room and whoever was there without an invitation. 

—

Entering the crowded common room of chattering Gryffindors became a walk of shame as Harry noticed how everyone became silent in his presence. He walked past his 'friends' by the couch and asked, "Dean, Seamus. Good holiday?"

"All right," one of them responded. "Better than Seamus', anyway."

While people seemed to be holding their breaths Harry looked at Seamus who stood up from the armchair, "Me mum didn't want me to come back this year."

"Why not?" Harry asked, growing even more uncomfortable.

"Let me see. Because of you.The Daily Prophet's been saying a lotof things about you. . . and Dumbledore as well," the Irish boy spoke. 

"What, your mum believes them?" Harry frowned.

"Well, nobody was there the night Cedric died," Seamus snorted, making Harry hide a flinch. He still hated to hear it, to think about everything that had happened, everything he wasn't able to do.

Instead of cowering, he spoke higher and angrier, "I guess you should read the Prophet, then, like your stupid mother."

"Don't you dare talk about my mother like that!"

"I'll have a go at anyone that calls me a liar." 

Interrupting the heated argument that was about to evolve into yelling, Ron Weasley stumbled in and walked through all the students just watching the two boys, "What's going on?"

"He's mad, is what's going on," Seamus told Ron and pointed a finger at Harry. "Do you believe the rubbish he'scome out with about You-Know-Who?"

"Yeah. I do," Ron said and stood beside his best friend. "Has anyone else got a problem with Harry?" They didn't answer and instead looked down, and as Harry disappeared up the stairs to the chambers people went back to whatever they were doing before.

When in the chamber he shared with Harry, Seamus, and Neville, he saw the boy with glasses sit down on his neatly made bed. 

"You all right?"

"Fine," Harry shortly said.

"Seamus was bang out of order, mate. But he'll come through, you'll see," Ron tried to comfort him. 

"I said, I'm fine, Ron."

An awkward silence then tried to push Ron out of the room, "Right. I'll just leaveyou to your thoughts, then." But that was the least Harry wanted right now, but still he just silently allowed the redhead to walk out with his cloak flying around his feet.

That following night Harry was barely able to sleep. He constantly shot up in bed all sweaty and heavy and uneven breathing, and the vision of Lord Voldemort in his black clothes just never left his head. Like he had seen him at the train station, Harry saw him everywhere. In the corner of the room, he could imagine him standing, just looking at him. 

—

In the very back of the classroom, Draco shared a bench with Pansy. He had always seen her as a friend, even though she could very mean sometimes—right now he actually enjoyed her being there. Of all his friends, the only girl in his friend-group seemed to be the only one feeling a little bit of compassion.

He sometimes thought she knew more than she let on to, but it didn't matter. Pansy didn't ask questions, she didn't laugh at him when he showed his worried eyes, she just respected him and left him alone but in her company. She talked quietly with the two girls in front of them, not involving him in any way. 

In front of the classroom and white paper dove flew around and made Hermione smile even though she felt very sad. While laughing and loud chatter filled the professor-less room Hermione could only think about how Lauren's seat beside her had been taken by a blonde girl named Jannice. She was very kind and tried to start a conversation with Hermione but it felt so wrong. She always sat beside Lauren, in every class, since their very first day at Hogwarts.

In the middle, Ron and Harry were seated, talking about the weird girl Luna had met the other night on their way to the school. But everyone's light moods just faded with the paper bird was set on fire and crumbled down as ashes on the Patil twins' table at the very front.

Everyone returned to their seats and turned around, frowning at the woman dressed all in pink with brown curls under her pink hat. 

She walked forward with her small heels clicking against the shiny wood.

"Good morning, children.Ordinary Wizarding Level examinations.O-W-Ls," while she walked she used her wand to make a chalk write her words down on the blackboard. "More commonly known as OWLs.Study hard and you will be rewarded.Fail to do so, and theconsequences may be severe.Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven.But you'll be pleased to know, from now on. . ."

Another swing with her wand when she stood by the board made the pile of books fly out and spread out on the desks. ". . . You will be following a carefullystructured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic."

Hermione raised her hand while looking up from the book she had already looked through. Professor Umbridge nodded, "Yes?" 

"There's nothing in hereabout using defensive spells?"

"Using spells?" Her high-pitched voice chuckled. "Well, I can't imagine why you wouldneed to use spells in my classroom."

"We're not gonna use magic?" Someone frowned. 

"You'll be learning about defensivespells in a secure, risk-free way," she explained patiently.

"What use is that? If we'reattacked, it won't be risk-free," Harry spoke.

"Students will raise their handswhen they speak in my class," she said and shot Harry a sharp look. "It is the view of the Ministry that a theoreticalknowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations. . . which, after all, iswhat school is all about."

"And how's theory supposed toprepare us for what's out there?" Harry once again spoke without having raised his hand the slightest. 

"There is nothing out there, dear.Who do you imagine wants toattack children like yourself?" She smiled and giggled.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe Lord Voldemort."

She inhaled deeply and started to look at all the students while explaining, "Now, let me make this quite plain.You have been told. . . that a certain darkwizard is at large once again. This is a lie."

"It's not a lie," Harry interrupted. "I saw him. I fought him!"

"Detention, Mr. Potter," she said through gritted teeth. 

"Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?"

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident."

"It was murder. Voldemort killed him!" Harry said upset.

"Enough!Enough.See me later, Mr. Potter. My office."

—

Her heartbeat jumped at first, imagining the very worst, but to her surprise, a woman stood smiling at the picture frames above the fireplace. The old lady turned around when she noticed the girl dropping her wand to the floor, staring dumbfounded at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to scare you." Her short brown hair was curled around her face, and the gray hat matched her coat perfectly. She looked elegant, even with a face filled with wrinkles and some gray strands in her hair.

"Who are you?" Lauren frowned, feeling slightly familiar with the smile this woman gave her.

She chuckled and put the picture of Lauren and Cedric back where it had been before, and then she used her folded umbrella to lean on. "So stupid of me, of course, you don't remember me. But sweet Lauricella, I can see it's you."

Lauren furrowed her eyebrows, "my name's Lauren, ma'am. Why are you in my house?"

The lady glanced at the slightly open door, "my apologize, I thought you were back at Hogwarts."

When Lauren noticed a small scar just under the woman's left ear it cleared up for her, "I've seen you before. In a picture."

The woman looked away from the dirty dishes covering the livingroom's floor, "it doesn't surprise me. Now, you must wonder why I'm here?" Lauren nodded, guiding the old lady to sit down by the kitchen table. "You see, I've been hiding out for a while now, awaiting my finish line. Until Albus Dumbledore came knocking on my door. I believe it's time you are introduced to the truth for once, Lauricella."

"I'm not following," Lauren frowned, still not pleased with the name she was being announced with.

"I don't expect you to understand, but I think it's best if you come home now."

Lauren sat up instantly, finding herself in her soft bed breathing quietly. Looking out the window she only saw blackness, and glancing around in her familiar bedroom she didn't hear anything but her own breathing. Was it just a dream?

She rushed downstairs and it was empty, and no picture had moved, all dust was there. But the door stood open, and listening closely she picked up the sound of paper being thrown around. She followed the sound into her father's office room, and the door was wide open.

"Come on," his voice groaned. 

"Dad? What are you doing here?"

He stopped pacing around and looked at his daughter with his red eyes with dark circles under them. His hair was a big mess, and his clothes looked dirty and well-worn. He sighed and closed his bag, "I forgot something."

"It's the middle of the night." Not asking where he had been, why he had left her on her own, she didn't even think about the fact that he didn't even ask how she was doing, she just wondered who he was.

"I know, dear. You should. . . uh, go back to sleep," he seemed to be stumbling on his words. This man in front of her was a wreck, not near the man who provided for a family of four. This man wasn't even strong enough to comfort his daughter.

"I lost him too, you know. I'm a kid, I'm your kid," she said, standing paralyzed in the doorway. Suddenly she felt the urge to scream, to scream at him, to scream at this coward. "By leaving you'll lose me too."

"I'm sorry. . . But it wouldn't be the same."

She stood frozen while it felt as if the roof just fell down on her, as the walls caved in a bit. Like her legs began to tremble. "Is that why mom left? I don't count anymore?"

"She moved on, we all should."

"Will you move on even if it means that you lose your daughter?" A single tear left her eye, but her voice sounded emotionless. 

When he just avoided her eyes she understood, she heard him say it without words. Now, she felt as if nothing mattered anymore. Her parents had walked out the door, leaving Lauren behind willingly. 

"Look at me!" She yelled, and he looked up. "At least be kind enough to look me in the eye when you say it."

Her father, no, Mr. Diggory met her glassy eyes, but he didn't speak. He didn't even look ashamed for what he was meaning to say.

"I hate you."

"You should."

This man walked right past her with a small bag of brown leather in his hand. He didn't give her a hug goodbye, he didn't turn around and give her one last glance, he didn't say anything. He walked out the door to never be seen again. And the last thing she had told him was that she hated him, she would never be able to change that.

▬▬ author's note ▬▬

i became just the slightest bit emotional writing that last part. also, to confuse you! this old woman and lauren hearing stuff downstairs it was just a dream, i hope i made that clear :)

stay safe u guys, ily!
stay tuned, thank you! <3