A Change in Fate || Cedric Diggory [1]

Chapter 45: Caught

As the school year progressed, everyone at Hogwarts became considerably busier. The O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s were fast approaching, so the fifth and seventh years poured all their time and effort into preparing for them. Analeigh was one of those students who spent as much time in the library as she could — with Hermione, of course, and they would occasionally drag the boys to join them, too. Meanwhile, Cedric also had his Head Boy duties to fulfill, so he was even busier. And then there was Harry who had no choice but to spend his evenings with Snape as he attempted to master Occlumency — unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much improvement, because he always returned to the common room in a bad mood.

The D.A. also decided to push through with their added sessions. A couple of students couldn't make it to some of them for personal reasons — Cedric was one of them, claiming that he had other responsibilities to attend to. Ever since their slight disagreement, Analeigh decided not to pester him about his stance on the D.A. anymore. She still wished he was more worried about the brewing war happening outside rather than what Umbridge might do if she found out about them, but in the end, she knew he was just trying to be careful. She didn't want to make a big deal out of it, and he still tried to attend the meetings when he could.

Aside from that, Analeigh had other things to think about, like the mass breakout from Azkaban. None of her friends, not even Cedric, knew about her father's history with Death Eaters. All they knew was that he was a part of the Black family. Part of her wished she could just tell them because she needed to vent her concerns, but the more logical side of her reminded her that she had to keep it in the dark as long as possible for her family's safety.

It was a warm morning as winter had finally come to an end when Analeigh found herself in hers and Cedric's "secret room." With Umbridge lurking in every corner and literally separating girls and boys if they were too close, this was the only place in the castle where they could actually spend time with one another. She had just settled in on the cushioned seats by the window when she heard a tapping sound. She looked over her shoulder to find an owl flapping its wings outside the window, a letter strapped to its leg.

Slightly taken aback since owls usually delivered letters at the Great Hall, Analeigh hurried to open the window. The owl hopped inside and stuck its leg out to her. Analeigh felt bad that she didn't have any treats to give it, so she hoped a small pat to its head would be enough for now. After taking the letter from the owl, it hopped back out and flew away.

It was from her father. Without missing a beat, she broke the seal and opened the envelope. She retrieved the letter, unfolded it, and began to read:

Dear Analeigh,

How are you? You've been staying out of trouble, haven't you? Your mother and I miss you a lot — she's been wanting to send some more pastries to you and your friends, but I reminded her that Hogwarts has more than enough food for you to indulge in.

I didn't want this letter to be so serious, but I'll get straight to the point: I'm resigning from the Ministry. With You-Know-Who's return, it isn't safe for our family anymore. It doesn't help that my former "colleagues" (for lack of a better term in case this letter gets in the wrong hands) have been visiting the Ministry quite a lot recently, and I can't avoid them forever. It's been difficult to tell if they're aware that You-Know-Who's back... if they are, it's also hard to figure out if they're on his side again this time around.

I'm know you've heard about the mass breakout from Azkaban. It disgusts me (and Padfoot) that our cousin (unfortunately) is one of those escapees. With so many Death Eaters roaming free, it's better for me to keep a low profile. In the meantime, Dumbledore has assigned me to more undercover work for the Order.