Through All the Pain // N. Longbottom

Seventh Year // Chapter 6

The next morning, I woke up earlier than normal and went upstairs to snoop around. Trying to see if anything had changed since my horrid summer here going into the fifth year (mainly of my own doing), and came to find that nothing had really changed. I found myself sitting in the room that used to hold Ginny, Hermione, and myself and sat down on one of the beds and stared at the ceiling. As I lay there, I thought of the sadness that this room was filled with during that summer, I remembered Cedric and the letter he wrote me. I felt tears forming in my eyes but quickly wiped them away. 

It has been just over two years since he had died, just over a year that Neville and I have been together, and ever since I started dating Neville ... I hadn't shed a single tear over Cedric. Merlin as I lay there, looking at the ceiling I remembered the good times with Cedric. His jokes, his laughter, his singing off-key just to annoy me, but most of all ... I missed his advice. The school advice, the life advice, the food advice, and of course his Quidditch advice. Creaking came from the doorway and I flew straight up to see Harry standing at the door. 

"What are you doing up so early?" he asked, pulling off his glasses to rub the sleep out of his eyes. 

"I just wanted to see if anything had changed ... nothing has." I fluffed the pillow that was on the bed and got up. Apparently, my eyes were still filled with tears as Harry shook his head.

"Thinking about Cedric, weren't you?" he asked, leaning on the doorframe.

"Pssh, no." I tried to play it off, but Harry just looked over at me. "Yeah, sitting here I just remembered how awful it was for me after he died. Not saying that it wasn't awful for you, I mean ... you saw him die ... but as his girlfriend at the time ... I was gutted."

"I understand, Lori." Harry walked into the room and sat on the bed. "Did you ever sit down and talk to Professor McGonagall about those feelings? Or even to your older brothers?"

"Yeah, like I'm able to do that." I scoffed, walking back and forth. "I may seem like the favourite child, but once we are on the brink of war ... all of us children are in a state of every man for themselves. Especially now that I have the power to block the killing curse, I do not know how or why but I do, and that makes me the one who can't be weak. I can't be scared, I have to be solid and the one to protect us all."

"Damn, who knew we were both feeling the exact same way?" Harry mentioned getting up and wrapping me in a hug. "After the war, both of us should turn on everyone and just -" Harry got cut off by Ron's shouts from down the hall. We quickly rushed out of the room and down the hall to where he was standing. 

"I think I may have found something," he said pointing to the door. 

"Lovely," Hermione said approaching the door. As she slid past Ron, I couldn't help but noticed that they both blushed, and I think Harry noticed as well as he quickly turned around to look at a cobweb on the ceiling. "Regulus Arcturus Black." Hermione read off a small name plaque on the door.

"R.A.B!" Ron and I exclaimed in unison walking closer to the door. We then retreated back down to the kitchen where Hermione reread the note from the Horcrux aloud. After she was done Ron sat back in his chair in amazement. 

"R.A.B. is Sirius' brother."

"That's shocking." I said, "Had he ever mentioned a brother, Harry?"

"Well -" Once again, Harry got cut off, but this time by a loud clattering coming from the cupboard. We all exchanged small, cautious glances between each other before walking to where the clattering came from. Harry got closest and threw open the door to reveal none other than Kreacher standing there. Harry grabbed the House-Elf and tossed him into the room. I quickly ran over to the other door and closed it so he had nowhere to go.