Mrs Weasley came back around six, laden with bags and Ron's broom. Megan, Harry and the others hurried to help her, which she accepted gratefully.

"Oh, thank you, dears," she said gratefully as her load grew lighter. "Those are a bit heavy, I must say."

"Thanks again for getting them for us, Mrs Weasley," Hermione said.

"Yes, it's so kind of you," Megan agreed.

She was feeling calmer now, probably thanks to her friends. Though now she came to think of it, she wasn't all that sure. Sometimes they helped, sometimes they made things worse... But she didn't want to think about that, right now.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just drop these in your rooms, we're expecting people for dinner." Mrs Weasley instructed.

And so, they all headed up with the bags. They quickly sorted through their books and dropped them on their beds, and went downstairs. Mrs Weasley had hung a banner saying CONGRATULATIONS RON AND HERMIONE – OUR NEW GRYFFINDOR PREFECTS!, and was already bustling about making dinner.

"Your father and Bill are on their way," she told Ron. "They're thrilled."

Sirius, Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley and Moody were already there.

"Oh, by the way, Alastor, I've been meaning to ask you, could you check the dresser in the drawing room? I think it's a Boggart but we wanted to be sure."

Moody looked up.

"Drawing room... ah, there we are. Yeah, that's a Boggart. Want me to get rid of it for you?"

"No, thank you, I'll do it myself."

He glanced at Ron.

"So. Prefect, eh?"

"Yeah, seems so..." he said.

"Congratulations. I always think authority attracts trouble, but no doubt Dumbledore thinks you're up to it."

Ron didn't seem to know what to answer, though Megan could tell he had gone rather pale, all of a sudden. She couldn't help a smile. Moody tended to have that effect on people, and not necessarily because of the slightly eerie blue magical eye he had which whizzed around the room. Megan had sometimes wondered if it could see through clothes as well as invisibility cloaks, but didn't really want to know the answer. Ron, however was spared a comment by Bill and Arthur returning.

Soon enough, everyone was seated. Arthur rose, his glass in hand, and a huge smile on his face as he looked at them all.

"A toast!" He called cheerfully as they prepared to tuck in. "To Ron and Hermione for being made Prefects!"

They cheered and clapped.

"I must say, why didn't they make Potter prefect?" Kinglsey asked.

"I suppose Dumbledore had his reasons," Lupin said.

"It would have shown confidence in him, though." Kinglsey said. "What with all the

rubbish the Prophet's saying..."

Megan hadn't thought of it like that, but she wasn't sure it would have done. If anything, it would probably discredit Dumbledore even more to see him trust such an "unstable" and "dangerous" person as her... Prefects were honourable, they were exemplary students. Of course, Ron wasn't exactly the model student Hermione was, but he definitely had moral fibre, and knew plenty about magic.

"I'd better go get rid of that Boggart..." Molly said. "Don't stay up too late, you lot," she added to the Hogwarts bunch. "Night everyone,"and she slipped out.

Megan, who suddenly felt uncomfortable in the middle all this agitation, quietly left too. She wanted a bit of peace to think. But as she reached the top of the stairs, however, she paused. What was that sound? It sounded like someone crying... she listened, her acute ears helping to lead her to the sound, which was coming from a door ajar to her left. She crept towards it, the sobbing becoming steadily louder. She peered inside the room, and froze. There, on the floor, lay Ron's body. He was pale as a ghost, his eyes wide and staring into nothing. Mrs Weasley stood there, crying shakily. Megan couldn't breathe. It was like a knife in her stomach. But then, she remembered: It was impossible, Ron was downstairs... But then... what was he doing here?

"R-Ridikkulus!" Mrs Weasley squeaked.

Dead Ron turned into Dead Ginny, her head lolled to the side.

"Oh... Rid... Riddikulus!" Mrs Weasley cried.

Dead twins.

"Ridikkulus!"

Dead Mr Weasley.

Riddikulus!" Mrs Weasley said with a trembling voice.

Dead Megan. That was probably the oddest of all. But then, she realised she wouldn't manage to get rid of it this way.

"Mrs Weasley!" Megan cried and sprung forwards. "Stand back."

She pulled out her wand, gently moved Mrs Weasley aside, and resolutely faced the Boggart. But instead of turning into a Dementor, like she had expected... it became a tall, pale-faced man, with small, cold, black eyes and slits for nostrils... Megan, totally caught off guard, stood frozen for a few seconds.

Just a Boggart. It's just a Boggart... she told herself.

"RIDIKKULUS!" Megan yelled.

A burst of light shot out and the Boggart vanished just as Lupin, Sirius and Moody charged in, wands out.

"What happened? We heard screaming."

"... Y... You-Know-Who!" Molly gasped.

"What?!" Moody snarled. "Where?"

"No, it's okay... it was a Boggart." Lupin said, glancing at the residues on the floor.

"What happened, Megan?" Sirius asked, while Lupin tended to Mrs Weasley.

Megan had slumped onto a chest and buried her face in her hands.

"... I heard crying... and I saw Mrs Weasley trying to get rid of the Boggart... it was her family dead, and she was having trouble... so I meant to help. I was expecting a Dementor, but it caught me off guard... I'm really sorry, Mrs Weasley."

"No, it's not your fault," she said shakily. "I just – I'm so worried, I... half of them are in the Order, most of the rest want to join... I worry about what would happen to Ron and Ginny if anything happened to us... and with You-Know-Who back, I..."

"We're better prepared, this time, Molly," Lupin said. "We're more numerous, we knew he was back quickly. But she's right," he added to Megan. "You're not to blame. If anyone's at fault, I am. I should have told you the Boggart could change."

"Can they?" Megan asked, looking up.

"It's not that frequent, but it can." Sirius said.

"You've gotten more used to tackling Dementors," Lupin added. "Because you've faced them several times, they're not so frightening to you any more and you manage to control its effects better... And the way you witnessed Voldemort's return was brutal, and would obviously be a trauma. So of course it would take over as your worst fear..."

Molly let out a gasp at Voldemort's name.

"Molly, really, it's time you got used to hearing the name." Lupin said firmly. "And d'you really think we'd abandon Ron and Ginny? Or any of you?"

She shook her head.

"See? We'll be okay. Come on..." Lupin said.

He led her out, followed by Moody. Sirius stayed by Megan who hadn't moved.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"... Everything I do makes others suffer..." she said miserably.

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen with that stupid Boggart," he said. "No one could have."

"But I should have expected it." She said, tears welling up in her eyes. "If there was anything that frightened me, it was that night...! I was terrified, and I thought Cedric had been killed, I-I –"

Sirius put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Megan..."

"No, you don't!" Megan shouted, jumping to her feet and stepping away, tears streaming down her face. "You all keep saying that you understand, that you know how awful it was, but you have no idea! You don't know what it was like to... to be there, in front of him, the pain of his curse, the pain in my scar because he was there, and... hearing him say he would kill me, thinking he'd killed Cedric... you don't know! You don't... you don't know..."

She fell to her knees and burst into tears. It was like all the pain, the fear, the sorrow that had built up inside her for so long was just pouring out. Sirius knelt down beside Megan and pulled her against his chest, silently. Megan buried her face in his chest, and didn't see Cedric, Harry, Ron and Hermione watching her uncertainly.

Hermione and Ginny didn't talk to Megan when she came in after cleaning up in the bathroom. They just glanced at her hesitantly. Megan felt stupid. She had brought the whole thing up, probably caused Mrs Weasley even more stress, and she, Megan, was the one breaking down... it was completely pathetic. She couldn't believe herself... She lay awake, the scene playing over and over again in her head. And then, the drawing room turned into a graveyard, and Boggart-Voldemort became the real one, his black robes floating about, his pale skin looking blue in the darkness. He stared at her, a cold smile on his lips, his black eyes glittering with satisfaction.

"You are going to die... as you knew you must..."

He raised his wand, his smile widening, and a burst of green light shot out...

She woke up with panting, sweating, her scar stinging, and feeling sick. Careful not to wake Ginny and Hermione, she slipped into the adjoining bathroom. Running a hand through her hair as she flicked the light on, she glanced at the tiled walls, then looked into the mirror. And gasped. There, in the mirror, was Voldemort. Pale face, slit nostrils, black eyes... She whipped round... and found nothing but the door. She exhaled.

"Stupid..." she muttered, shaking her head.

https://youtu.be/Im5aoy5hKVA

She turned around and looked at the mirror again. It was her... and then, not her. She stepped closer. Her hair was the same, if a bit unkempt... her scar hadn't moved an inch, of course... her eyes were still green, even if her face expressed how exhausted she was from lack of proper sleep for the past few weeks... and yet... she felt that she wasn't the same person any more. She had looked Voldemort in the eye, he had come really close to killing her... and though she didn't like to admit it, Cedric was right: ever since he had returned, she had behaved differently. Snapping at her friends, feeling contradictory sentiments... dreaming over and over about the graveyard... she splashed some water on her face, took deep breaths, and sat down on the cool floor, leaning into the door. Closing her eyes, she let her head rest against the wooden panel.