Forgotten [Cedric Diggory]

•prologue•

4th June 1988

The warm summer air flowed through the 18th  century windows and straight into the library. Amelia Castore had perched herself on top of a window seat slotted into the ancient cobblestone, made long before her time. The library was stocked with books written in the early Victorian era right up until the 20th century. She would always be found with her journal in one hand and a jewelled fountain pen in the other, so she could scribble down some new ideas for her collection of fantasy novels. Her parents tried to steer her away from wild daydreams and fantasies but all efforts failed tremendously. They wanted her to be happy in a way they thought was acceptable for a nobleman's daughter. Tutors would try to teach her the proper way of analysing literature texts or how to sit at the table, even then Amelia opposed every opportunity thrown at her. She knew she wasn't like the other girls in her age group, who dreamed of marrying a wealthy man just for the sake of pleasing their parents. How can someone be that cynical of love? Amelia wanted to experience the truest kind of love, but she told herself that she would be lucky to find someone who cared for her, like those in her favourite tales.

June remained her parents favourite time of year. It came down to the annual Castore summer ball, where members of the English aristocracy talked about the latest divorce or pregnancy. Nothing of interest to a 10 year old literature fanatic. She tended to stand at the edge of the ballroom and gaze at the beautiful ball gowns. That was the only thing she liked about it. Her parents had their own inner circle and would share secrets about each other. Amelia didn't even want to think about their stuck up children, who had no interest in associating themselves with people of lesser worth. They couldn't understand how a girl could waste her time surrounded by books and distance herself away from reality. The ring leader Rosalie, targeted Amelia each year for not being like her 'normal' sister. Amelia didn't want to be normal, she just wanted to escape her mundane life. Yet, it would take a miracle for that to happen.

The floor boards in the library began to creak, signalling to Amelia that someone was approaching. She had hoped it was Matilda, the house keepers daughter, who constantly listened to Amelia's reviews on her most loved books, but that hope soon faded away as her Mother dashed across the room, in an elegant ball gown. Amelia knew that she would have to put her books away for one evening. This wasn't her idea of fun.

"Darling, why aren't you dressed yet?" her mother asked, appearing to be horrified by her lack of care. "You do know what day it is? Or will I have to remind you again".

"No. I know exactly what day it is, because you drill it into my head each year", Amelia answered with a subtle eye roll and slammed her book shut. She didn't want to get into an argument with her mother. She knew for a fact that her mother preferred her younger sister, Cristina, who was the apple of her father's eye. The perfect child.

Amelia's mother, Georgiana Castore could sense her daughter's frustration and anger from being forced to attend the summer ball. She knew this wouldn't make her daughter happy but this was for her protection. "Amelia, I'm not as stupid as you may think and I understand that you don't want to go to this ball. But you need to understand that this is the only way to be happy", Georgiana explained, trying to gather her daughter's attention.