Clara Diggory, Girl of Secrets - a HP fanfic

Prologue

"Pleeeease let me come, Dad?" I asked. Ricky was going to Durmstrang in two weeks, so they were heading to Diagon Alley. I love it there - it's not often that you're surrounded by people like you instead of muggles. Not that muggles are bad, just... Well, they don't understand.

"Fine."

"Yes!" I jumped in the air, punching the space above me triumphantly. "Diagon Alley, here I come!"

***

"Right then. Cedric, you take Clara and meet me back here in half an hour while I go to Gringott's. And don't be late!" He shouted after us, as we hurried off.

"Finally we're rid of him!" Ricky said, laughing.

"Oh, Ricky, don't say that. Just because Daddy gets cross sometimes -"

"Yeah, whatever. And don't call me Ricky!" He said, shoving me playfully. I shoved back, but it didn't have much effect.

"So, where now?"

"Well, I've got to go to Madame Malkin's and get some new robes, but after that we're done - oh wait, no..."

While Cedric realised just how many things he'd forgotten, I was distracted by something in the opposite shop window.

It was a broomstick, but not just any old broomstick. It was a Nimbus 1997.

I walked over to have a look. It looked incredible, something I knew Cedric had sought after ever since it was first advertised on a corner of the Daily Prophet.

I turned to go tell him about it, but he was gone.

Panic shot through me. Mum had always warned me to stick with my brother whenever we were in a crowded place - "You're only eight, Clara, we don't want you to get lost" - and what do I do? Wander off and get lost.

I didn't know what to do, so I tried to look for him in the crowd. I couldn't see him, so I tried to make my way through the mass of people, which is what I was doing when I bumped into a tall, red-haired, brown-eyed boy who looked about Ricky's age.

"Are you lost?" He said to me.

I nodded. He took hold of my shoulders and guided me to the side of the street, away from most of the people.

Then,

"GEORGE!" He yelled. "OVER HERE!"

On the other side, a boy who looked exactly like the one in front of me saw us and began to make his way over.

"Fred, we need to find Ginny! Mum'll kill us!"

"Well, yeah, but this little girl's lost too," The boy - Fred? - replied. He turned to me.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Clara. Clara Diggory," I replied.

"Nice name. I'm Fred Weasley, and that's my twin brother, George. How old are you, Clara?"

"Eight."

"Oh. We've got a sister your age, too. Her name's Ginny. Have you got any siblings?"

"My brother," I told him quietly. "His name's Cedric and he's eleven."

"Oh, we're eleven, too!" Fred said (haha, that rhymed). "Is he going to Hogwarts?"

I shook my head. "No, Durmstrang."

"Oh. Okay, so-"

"Clara!"

The three of us turned to see Cedric at the end of the street, with a small red-haired girl by his side.

"Ginny!" The twins cried.

We walked towards each other and met in the middle of the street, where Cedric pulled me into a hug and the twins did the same to their sister.

Cedric released me and then gave me a condescending look.

"Where have you been?" He asked. "I turned around and you weren't there any more! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," I mumbled.

My brother sighed, then turned to Fred and George.

"Thank you for looking after her," He said sincerely.

"No problem," Fred replied.

"Thanks for finding our sister," George said, smiling gratefully.

Cedric was about to reply, when -

"Fred! George! Ginny!"

"Oh, no," Whispered Fred.

"Cedric! Clara!"

"Uh oh," Muttered Ricky.

"Where have you been?" Dad approached us, with a look that told us our chances of survival were from slight to nonexistent.

"Uh - we - er -"

"I got lost," I cut in. "That's when these two boys" - I indicated behind me - "Found me."

Dad still looked mad (hey, that rhymed again). "We'll sort this out when we get home," He muttered. "In the meantime -"

"Excuse me."

Dad turned around to see a red-haired woman who I presumed to be Fred, George and Ginny's mother.

"I hope you don't mind, but I would just like to thank your son for finding my daughter and looking after her when she was lost," She said warmly.

"Oh, well, I'm sure she was no trouble. In fact on the matter of thanking people, I would like to thank your two sons for helping my daughter."

"Oh! Well, that was... Very kind of them," She replied uncertainly. Something told me she was extremely surprised...

"Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Molly Weasley," She introduced herself, offering her hand for Daddy to shake. He did so.

"Oh, you must be Arthur's wife? I'm Amos Diggory."

"Nice to meet you."

Behind them, I caught eyes with Ginny. She smiled at me, and I grinned back.

About a week later, I received a letter from her by owl. She was asking me if I wanted to come over one afternoon, to which I quickly agreed. Soon it became a regular thing, and before long we were best friends, especially after Cedric went to Durmstrang, leaving me alone.

Next year, I started to spend as much time as possible at The Burrow, where the Weasley's lived. Ginny could tell something was up, from the hint of terror I knew was in my eyes every time I had to go home. At one point, she just asked me outright, and I told her my secret that not even Cedric knew...

Because bad things happen behind closed doors.