Dear Analeigh,

I hope this letter doesn't reach you too late. I had to send this owl past midnight after a particularly hard Ministry case study. Actually, I've been swamped with all these cases that were assigned to me and my colleagues. Our superiors have made sure to nitpick every single detail in our reports. Even when I think I've said everything possible — what went wrong, how to reverse it, the unintended consequences, what should've been done — there's always something more to it. I suppose that's just how the world of Transfiguration and Reversal Magic is... McGonagall wasn't lying when she told me that before I left Hogwarts. Then again, I'm glad she made sure not to beat around the bush. I'm sure I would've been too confident entering into this field if she hadn't warned me, especially since Sprout was excessively supportive of me (I still appreciate her, though).

On the bright side, I just finished my first day of field work. An official from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad took a few of us along with him to a muggle-born's school. Apparently, a young girl's classmates were jealous of her new pencil case and kept taking it away from her, so she got angry and transfigured it into a tarantula. Only a few students were inside the room as it was during break time, so the Ministry official modified their memories while I turned the pencil case back to normal. It seemed like such a simple task, but it was so thrilling at the same time. And my colleague was assigned with damage control involving the teachers — that just means she had to come up with an alibi. That sounds even simpler than what I did, but now that I look back at it, it must've been tricky to come up with an excuse as to why there was a tarantula in the first place, and why there were a bunch of young girls screaming and fighting in the room. As my instructors have taught us, though, the last resort would be to modify their memories as well, but it wasn't necessary today.

That's enough about me. How's Katie Bell? Are your friends alright after what happened, too? Are there any updates on who might've cursed the necklace?

And are you doing okay in your N.E.W.T. classes? How are the Quidditch matches looking so far? I'm betting on a Hufflepuff win this year (I'll never stop being loyal to my house, sorry).

I hope you're doing well. Please stay safe always. I love you.

Cedric

Analeigh's eyes scanned the letter a couple more times before deciding that she'd read through every single word already. She sighed, somehow both sadly and happily. She was missing Cedric even if she'd just seen him a while back during the Hogsmeade trip, but glad that she could still hear from him regularly through their letters.

The overlapping chatter and noises of utensils hitting plates in the Great Hall that morning were muffled to Analeigh as she worked on writing back to Cedric. Her hands moved rapidly as her quill scribbled onto the parchment paper, addressing every thing Cedric brought up and adding more of her thoughts and questions to it.

What other Ministry cases have you here working on?

Make sure you're still getting enough food and sleep.

I can only imagine how those little girls tried to explain a pencil case suddenly turning into tarantula...

... Katie's still in St. Mungo's... N.E.W.T.s are tough but manageable... there's a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match soon...

"Leigh, we should get going."

Analeigh looked up from her parchment to find Hermione eyeing her expectantly. The girl had already finished breakfast and was in the middle of checking through the things in her bag one more time. Harry and Ron were scarfing down the lasts of their waffles and drinks, also getting ready to leave for their first class of the day: Herbology. Deciding to finish her letter later, Analeigh folded the paper up, packed it up along with her quill and ink, and prepared to leave.

It was a regular school day once again, Analeigh realized as she left the hall and made her way through the castle. The past couple of days felt like a completely different lifetime, what with all events that came along with it.

As she and her friends walked across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses, Harry deemed it to be the perfect time to keep them up to date with what had been going on in his end. Aside from the Slug Club dinner — which they had already filled Ron in on — Harry also attended another one of his private lessons with Dumbledore that weekend. This time around, he had more interesting things to share. Dumbledore had taken him on a trip down memory lane through his Pensieve. But it was no normal memory. It was a memory of his first meeting with none other than Voldemort who, back then, was a seemingly innocent boy living in an orphanage and going by the name of Tom Riddle.

"So, he stole some stuff from kids and already knew he was a Parseltongue?" Analeigh clarified after Harry recounted what happened. "It can sound shady, but it's barely anything to worry about. Or maybe I just can't believe a boy like that grew up to become He-Who-Must-Not-BeNamed."

"It's a scary thought, the boy You-Know-Who," added Ron. They entered the correct greenhouse, not even noticing that they were one of the lasts to arrive, and took their places around one of the gnarled Snargaluff stumps that was part of this term's project. "But I still don't get why Dumbledore's showing you all this. I mean, it's really interesting and everything, but what's the point?"

"Dunno," Harry replied as he pulled on his protective gloves. "But he says it's all important and it'll help me survive."

"I think it's fascinating," Hermione said earnestly. "It makes absolute sense to know as much about Voldemort as possible. How else will you find out his weaknesses?"

"That is true," said Analeigh, slipping on her protective goggles. "There might be something in his childhood or school days that could be more than meets the eye."

"Exactly. On that note, I'm more curious than ever as to why Dumbledore asked you to get close to Slughorn —"

"Quite enough chat over here!" Professor Sprout briskly, causing them to turn with a start. She bustled over to their table, looking stern. "You're lagging behind. Everybody else has started, and Neville's already got his first pod!"

Analeigh looked around; sure enough, several of their classmates had already started, and Neville was deeply engrossed with his work. He was sporting a bloody lip and a couple of scratches along his face, determinedly handling an unpleasantly pulsating green object that was about the size of a grapefruit.

"Okay, Professor, we're starting now!" Ron said. Sharing knowing looks, the four Gryffindors decided to dive into their work.

The gnarled Snargaluff stumps sprang to life. Their long, prickly, bramblelike vines flew out of the top and whipped through the air, effectively victimizing the group by tangling into their hair or slapping their faces. It took what felt like forever — but in reality, was only around 10 minutes — to tame the stump and keep it under control.

"You know, I don't think I'll be having any of these in my garden when I've got my own place," Ron said, pushing his goggles up onto his forehead and wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Pass me a bowl," said Hermione, holding the pod at arm's length. Analeigh quickly handed one over to her, and Hermione dropped the pod into it with a displeased look on her face.

"Don't be squeamish, squeeze it out, they're best when they're fresh!" called Professor Sprout. Analeigh's face only contorted further into a look of disgust at that comment.

"Anyway, speaking of Slughorn; he's going to have a Christmas party soon," Hermione continued normally as though a magical piece of wood had not just attacked them.

"He is?" said Ron.

"Yeah, we got the invitations just last night, didn't we?" Analeigh said, receiving nods from the other two.

"So?" Ron pressed.

"Well, I bumped into Slughorn earlier, Harry, and there's no way you'll be able to wriggle out of this one because he actually asked me to check your free evenings, so he could be sure to have it on a night you can come," Hermione said.

Harry groaned as Ron asked, "And this is another party just for Slughorn's favorites, is it?"

"Just for the Slug Club, yes," Hermione answered, not yet catching onto the boy's irritated tone.

Ron squeezed a pod too hard. It ended up flying from under his fingers, hitting the greenhouse glass and rebounding onto the back of Professor Sprout's head, resulting in her hat getting knocked off.

"Sorry, Professor!" Analeigh called out when Ron didn't even make a move. While she picked up Sprout's hat and apologized once more, Harry went to retrieve the pod from a few feet away.

"Slug Club," Ron was repeating with a sneer when they gathered back at the table again. "It's pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug —"

"We're allowed to bring guests," Hermione interjected hotly. Her high-pitched voice caused Analeigh to turn to her and find out that the girl had turned a bright, boiling scarlet. "I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother!"

Analeigh and Harry, who stood in between Hermione and Ron, suddenly wished that the pod had flown a little farther or that Sprout had reprimanded them instead. Feeling the air grow thick with tension, the two busied themselves with the plant.

"You were going to ask me?" asked Ron, sounding completely different from before.

"Yes," Hermione huffed. "But obviously, if you'd rather I hooked up with McLaggen..."

"No, I wouldn't," Ron said very quietly. There was a long pause.

And then, Harry accidentally dropped one of the bowls, causing it to break into pieces.

"Reparo," Analeigh said hastily to help out. The bowl sprang back together again. However, the crash appeared to have awoken Ron and Hermione to their friends' presence. Hermione looked flustered and began fussing about for her copy of Flesh-Eating Trees of the World to find out the correct way to juice Snargaluff pods. Meanwhile, Ron looked sheepish but also strangely pleased.

"We're supposed to puncture them with something sharp..." Hermione broke the silence.

"I'll get the tools," Analeigh volunteered.

"I'll help," said Harry, though there was literally no need. He just wanted to escape.

As Analeigh and Harry left their friends, they both let out huge exhales.

"That was... something," Analeigh said under her breath.

"I was sort of expecting something like that to happen sooner or later, but..." Harry trailed off.

"You were?" said Analeigh incredulously, not believing that Harry was able to pick up on the hints. In response, he sent her a pointed look. "Sorry, go on."

"It's just... well, Cho and I can barely look at each other, let alone talk to each other nowadays," Harry mumbled. "What if Ron and Hermione... er, you know... and then they don't... so the same thing might...."

Analeigh didn't need Harry to complete his sentences. It was clear that he was worried about the prospect of them dating and then breaking up. He didn't want their long-standing friendship to go through that trouble, both for his and their sake. He cherished his friends so much that even if he wanted them to get together for their happiness, he also wanted to avoid the possibility of things going south and causing a rift in their relationships.

"Gotcha!" Ron's voice alerted them. Analeigh grabbed a pair of large garden scissors and motioned for Harry to return with her. She wasn't able to respond to his concerns, but she knew that their conversation was far from ever. It was just a matter of time when the topic would come back up again — or when something else would happen between Hermione and Ron.

★ ★ ★

A chilly Saturday in November 1996 marked a very important day for many students: the first Gryffindor versus Slytherin match of the year. Bundled up in Gryffindor-themed clothing, Analeigh was one of the many students who couldn't wait to watch the game. There was only one problem as a Gryffindor, and it — he — was sitting right next to her. Ron Weasley was the Gryffindor Keeper, and while he had done well in tryouts, word had gone around that he was performing horribly at trainings. From Harry's side comments after practice, Ginny's rants in the dormitory, and even Dean's stories as he had recently been recruited to substitute for Katie as Chaser — all of these revealed that Ron wasn't doing well at all. He was inconsistent, suffering from nerves and a lack of confidence, and these all affected how he played. This fact only sounded worse now that it was finally the day of his first match, which so happened to also be against Slytherin.

The boy couldn't even bring himself to eat breakfast. His toast and eggs stared up at him, almost as if they, too, were judging him for being a dreadful Quidditch player.

"I'm counting on you, Ron! I have 2 Galleons on Gryffindor today!" Seamus whooped when he passed by.

Startled by that, Ron knocked over some of the items on the table. Analeigh jumped when a goblet of pumpkin juice spilled before her, some of the liquid dripping onto her pants.

"Shit, my bad, Leigh," said Ron, though he didn't look very sorry nor focused at all.

"Ron, you numpty —" Analeigh began but hurriedly stopped herself before she could let out a string of insults. Ron was already feeling down in the dumps, and there was no point in getting angry with him. Instead, she wordlessly waved her wand and cleaned up the mess.

"That's it?" Hermione said in confusion.

"No use crying over spilt potions," Analeigh shrugged, though she had to agree that it was uncharacteristic of her to let that slide. She was just feeling particularly sympathetic that day.

"Or spilt pumpkin juice," Harry joked, though no one laughed and Ron stayed stiffly seated at the bench.

Clearly, the reason for the redhead's mood was his performance in Quidditch thus far. He knew he wasn't doing good, and not only did it make him feel awful about himself, but he also did not want to bring everyone else down with him.

Suddenly, Lavender Brown approached them. Ron didn't even notice at first, whereas the other three watched the girl apprehensively.

"Good luck today, Ron," she said. Ron mustered up what little confidence he had left in him to look up and acknowledge her. "I know you'll be brilliant."

She smiled giddily at him before scurrying away. Once she was out of earshot, Ron leaned forward and looked Harry straight in the eye.

"I'm resigning," he said. "After today's match, McLaggen can have my spot."

"Have it your way," was all Harry said. Analeigh and Hermione eyed him strangely, wondering why he wasn't encouraging the boy to stay in the team. "Juice?"

"Sure," Ron mumbled. Harry pushed a goblet towards his best mate. Ron lifted it up and was about to take a sip when a light, dreamy voice greeted them.

"Hello, everyone." It was Luna Lovegood. The fair, blonde Ravenclaw was donning a large lion-topped hat that could've served as a mascot on its own. "You look dreadful, Ron. Is that why you put something in his cup?"

All eyes narrowed in on Harry. Just what did he put in Ron's cup?

"Is it a tonic?" Luna went on. Not even bothering to be discrete, Harry moved to pocket a tiny vial that anyone who was taking sixth-year N.E.W.T. level potions would recognize.

"Liquid luck," said Analeigh.

Aghast, Hermione said, "Don't drink it, Ron!"

But he didn't listen. After only a split second of hesitation, Ron raised the goblet to his lips and downed all its contents. He had taken Felix Felicis.

"You could be expelled for that," Hermione hissed at Harry.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry said simply.

Now looking rejuvenated, Ron was the one to remind Harry that it was time to head to the locker rooms.

"Come on, Harry, we've got a game to win!" he said with a beam. Harry beamed back and gave Ron a hi-five before the two got up and jogged out of the hall.

Neither of the girls even had the time to process the stunt Harry had just pulled because they, too, had to head to the Quidditch pitch to find good seats. One end of the stadium was red and gold, and the other was a sea of green and silver. Many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had taken sides too. Notably, Luna's lion get-up stood out in the crowd.

At long last, it was time for the game to begin. Harry stepped up and walked to the middle to meet with that year's Slytherin Captain, Urquhart.

"Captains shake hands," said Madam Hooch. "Mount your brooms. On the whistle... three... two... one..."

The whistle was blown. The Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams kicked off hard from the frozen ground and up into the air.

"Well, there they go, and I think we're all surprised to see the team that Potter's put together this year. Word has it that Ronald Weasley's performance as Keeper has been patchy and would cost his place in the team, but of course, a close personal friendship with the Captain does help..."

Jeers and applause sounded from the Slytherin side. Analeigh frowned and craned her neck to look for the new commentator, who was obviously no longer Lee Jordan as he had already graduated the previous year. She scoffed when she realized it was Zacharias Smith, a Hufflepuff player who had always been a bit short with Harry.

"Oh, and here comes Slytherin's first attempt on goal, it's Urquhart streaking down the pitch and — oh, Weasley saves it, well, he's bound to get lucky sometimes, I suppose..."

The group in red and gold cheered at Ron's save, not quieting down even as he threw the Quaffle back to his teammates and the match resumed.

Ron's newfound determination and confidence showed throughout the entire game. By the time half an hour had passed, Gryffindor was leading sixty points to zero. Ginny scored majority of their goals, and while that was surely worth commending, Analeigh already knew she was an excellent player. It was Ron that threw her off, and she was sure many others felt the same. He had made some truly spectacular saves, some by the very tips of his Keeper gloves. Even Zacharias stopped making rude comments on whether the Weasleys were only there because Harry liked them, but he resorted to belittling the Beaters, Peakes and Coote, instead.

"Of course, Coote isn't really the usual build for a Beater," Zacharias said loftily. "They've generally got a bit more muscle."

But nothing could put Gryffindor's spirits down. They continued to score more points, and again and again, at the other end of the pitch, Ron saved goals with ease. It was as if a smile was permanently etched on his face now. And when he made a very impressive save, the crowd even began to chant, "Weasley Is Our King!"

But Zacharias's next words caused everyone's heart to stop and for breaths to be held in anticipation.

"And I think Harper of Slytherin's seen the Snitch!" he said through his megaphone. "Yes, he's certainly seen something Potter hasn't!"

For a moment, Harry thought that Zacharias was just taunting him, but he was wrong. The Slytherin Seeker, Harper — who was substituting for Malfoy, by the way — had indeed seen the Snitch speeding along high above them, glinting brightly against the sky.

Harper was already speeding towards it, and Harry followed closely after and accelerated as much as he and his Firebolt could. The stakes were high; Gryffindor was only a hundred points up, so if Harper got there first, their current points would mean close to nothing.

Harper was now mere feet away from the Snitch... now only inches left... his hand was outstretched... Harry had to change tactics.

"Oi, Harper!" Harry shouted in desperation. "How much did Malfoy pay you to come on instead of him?"

Harry knew it was a dirty move, but it worked. Harper did a double-take, causing him to fumble the Snitch and let it slip through his fingers. It shot past him and Harry made a great swipe for it, successfully enclosing the tiny, fluttering, gold ball tightly his hand.

"YES!" Harry yelled.

The stadium, mostly from the Gryffindor side, erupted into cheers when they realized what happened: Gryffindor won.

"Party up in the common room!" Seamus announced. While his voice could barely be heard above everyone's cheers, it didn't take long for the announcement to be passed on among the members of House.

Sure enough, a party in the Gryffindor common room was in full swing that evening. A celebratory banner was hung on the wall, confetti was being thrown around, and loud music blasted in the background. There were tables full of snacks and drinks, and seats were pushed aside to create more space. It was a blur, really; one moment, Analeigh was just entering through the portrait hole with Hermione and grabbing a drink, and the next, people were intoxicated and getting rowdy. She couldn't blame anyone for being overly energetic, though. Quidditch matches always got everyone so excited, and with this one being against Slytherin and after seeing Ron's improved performance, the energy was higher than ever.

Although Harry had secured the win, it was Ron that impressed everyone that day. In everyone's eyes, he was the one who deserved to be celebrated as he had helped lead them to victory.

"Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!" everyone chanted nonstop. "Weasley! Weasley! Weasley!"

While Analeigh still didn't approve of the Felix Felicis being used, Ron just looked so happy. She didn't want to dampen his mood, and all the more she couldn't do that with everyone else around.

"You shouldn't have done it," Hermione said, her voice supposedly only for Harry and Analeigh to hear as they stood off to the side in a quieter area of the room.

"I know. I suppose I could've just used the Confundus Charm," Harry shot back.

"When did you get so perceptive?" Analeigh wondered, mostly to herself.

Hermione stared at the bespectacled boy with wide eyes, saying, "That was different. That was tryouts, this was an actual game."

Harry reached for his pocket and fished out the vial of Felix Felicis again — but it was completely full.

"You didn't put it in?" Hermione spluttered before it dawned on her. "Ron only thought you did."

"So, he saved everything because he felt lucky... he was confident," Analeigh realized. "He did it all himself."

Harry nodded, a proud smile on his face. The three of them turned their attention back to Ron, who had been placed on a literal pedestal in the center of the room while everyone cheered him on. It almost seemed like the perfect time to personally congratulate him, and to tell him that he performed that well on his own, too — almost.

Out of nowhere, Lavender Brown had come up to his side. In one swift movement, she tugged on his arm and pulled him down to her level. The two of them shared an intense gaze, and all of a sudden, they were locked in a close embrace and kissing one another fiercely.

The Gryffindors only whooped and clapped louder than ever as the pair snogged each other. Analeigh and Harry were so shocked as well that they could only let their jaw drops and watch the scene unfold. It was only seconds, maybe even minutes later that they realized that Hermione was no longer by their side.

"Oh no," Analeigh muttered, eyes scanning the room frantically. She felt guilty for not realizing sooner how Hermione would feel about that. "I'll go around and check the dorms after."

"I'll check outside," Harry offered. The two friends split up in search for their friend, all while Ron Weasley and Lavender Brown continued to exchange intimate touches and flirty words with one another in the middle of the common room.

A/N: Another late update, but y'all must be used to it by now :') As much as I wanted to write earlier, I actually found myself struggling a bit since I felt quite rusty. Med school has taken over my life lmao but I'm trying to find more time to write because it keeps me sane :> At this point, I'm really just writing for myself and the few consistent readers I see here, so as always, thank you and I hope you're still enjoying.