And Then I Met You

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Don't tell anyone. Don't let anyone know. 

Dumbledore's words echo through my head as I sprint down the hall. I stumble into the girls' bathroom on the second floor, my vision growing blurry with tears. My face crumples as I slide down the wall and onto the floor. I let the tears flow down my face. 

Just go back to living life as normal. 

But how could I live my normal life, knowing that I am practically a magnet, unconsciously attracting Voldemort? I pull my hair in frustration. I'm quite literally a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode. 

Why the hell did this happen to me? And why now? 

I slam my palm against the wall once. Twice. Five times. I repeat the action until my hand is red, and my frustration has somewhat died down. 

Much to my dismay, the frustration is replaced with anxiety. 

How was I oblivious to something this important? 

"You didn't know what was happening", I say out loud. 

Then why didn't anyone tell me? 

"Because they didn't know that it happened again, you idiot." 

Oh fuck, what if it happens again? 

Someone opens the door to the bathroom and I snap out of my internal crisis. Swiping the sleeve of my robe across my face, I wipe away my tears. 

"Madison?"

I get up quickly, smoothing out my uniform. "Hermione." 

"Are you alright? I couldn't find you after you ran off."

I barely stop myself from telling Hermione the truth by biting my tongue. "Um yeah, I needed a little time to myself... I just can't believe that Cedric is dead..." 

Not a complete lie, despite not knowing Cedric very well. After all, he was in a completely different house and grade. What really does overwhelm me, is the fact that I could've prevented his death. I could've said something, called off the tournament. 

In a way, it's my fault that he is dead. 

But nobody can know. 

"The Triwizard tournament is meant to be a cheerful celebration... A union of the schools, filled with fun memories and new experiences", Hermione mumbles. "And now, Cedric is dead..." She chews on her bottom lip anxiously. "By merlin, I wish I had the ability to see into the future." 

I gulp. "What do you mean?" 

"Oh, nothing..." Hermione shakes her head. "It's an impossible wish. But imagine how useful such a gift could be..." 

"I bet it would be very difficult to control though", I argue. "Think about the strain it would put on its wielder, the decision about which future occurrences are best left alone." 

Hermione furrows her eyebrows. "I would think the positives outweigh the negatives. Surely it could be used to avoid situations like these."  

I nod, wallowing in my guilt a little more. 

"But it's impossible", Hermione mumbles. "Such a gift doesn't exist, no matter how useful it would be." 

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Exactly..." 

Oh, if only she knew... 

I pull Hermione in for a hug, resting my chin on her shoulder. 

I come to the conclusion that it can't get any worse than this. The secret has been revealed, and Dumbledore will deal with it as soon as possible. 

- - - - - - - - 

The train ride back to London passes by in a surreal blur, and eight hours fly by in what seems like a matter of minutes. 

Cedric's sudden death has take its toll on all of us, and even the chattiest of students among us have been silenced. What pains me even more than Cedric's death, is the fact that any of us could be next. Voldemort is back, and one slip up, one mistake could lead to tragedy. Who knew that this is how my first year at Hogwarts would end? 

As the train pulls into the station, I see my mother waiting for me on the platform. My heart leaps when I see her. It's been far too long, and so much has happened. I don't even wait until the train has completely stopped, yanking my suitcase with me and running down the hall. 

When the train doors open, I burst out onto the platform. 

My suitcase drops to the floor and I leave it, sprinting towards the arms of my mother.  

As I fall into her arms, her warmth embraces me. Her touch is fuzzy, and wondrously familiar, and she smells of chamomile tea and sunshine and home. 

I glance up and see that her facial expression isn't as cheery as it usually is. She looks worried, scared. I take her hand and notice that it's trembling ever so slightly. 

"I don't know if you've heard", I start but she shakes her head and pulls me closer. 

"I know darling", she whispers while tucking my hair behind my ears. "I know"