For the Future

"Leave our children alone Voldemort," Elvira points her wand shaking, towards the heartless man before her.

"Not Harry. Please not Harry—" the woman behind her begs with her heart and soul.

"Step aside foolish girl,—"

"Harry!"

He jerked back to life lying flat on the classroom floor. He sat up and felt a cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses.

"Are you alright?" Said Lupin.

"Yes..." he pulled himself up on one of the desks and leant against it.

"Here—" the professor handed him a chocolate frog, "eat this," but Harry couldn't. He felt sick and if he had any more food it would be all over the tables in seconds. There was only one thing he wanted—answers.

"Who was that woman," he blurts out.

"I'm sorry.. who?"

"That woman..she-she was there when my mother was killed." Harry looks up to meet Lupin's softening eyes.

"Ah yes. Elvira." The professor replies still in thought.

"You know her?"

"Ofcourse I do dear boy. That was Cora's mother. The reason you are alive today, all thanks to her."

"Could you at least come to Hogsmeade with me?" Laurie begs to her best friend.

"Nope. It's Ravenclaw against Gryffindor next week and I am not losing any chance of winning." Cora explains while tying her shoelaces.

"Come on Cora! You're acting like you even have a chance—Gryffindor has the best players school! George, Fred. Especially Fred, you'd get lost in his eyes mid match—"

"No I wouldn't."

"You would and Harry! He's got a freaking Firebolt. Cho has no chance."

"Gee Laurie. It's like you're hoping for us to lose." Cora says, grabbing her broom from the side and beginning her journey out of the changing room with Laurie following her.

"No it's not like that—"

Cora gives her a look.

"Maybe it is that but I'm just stating the truth. And why you should hang out with me instead of quidditch."

"Fine i'll do one round and ill meet you in thirty minutes." Cora sighs to her best friend.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Laurie squeals and attacks her best friend in a hug.

The duo entered the Three broomsticks and was blessed with the smell of butterbeer. They find a table just for the two of them and order a butterbeer.

"Well two wrongs never make a right," Cora states as she sips from her beer.

"Well leo cheated on two girls and they became best friends," Laurie shrugs.

"Except that." Cora laughs. Before she could take another sip a cough from her left interrupted her.

"Oh Hi Cedric," she smiles at the boy next to her.

"Hello Cora. Um—how—how are you?"

"Im good?" Laurie notices the awkwardness in Cedric's face and makes the decision to flee.

"I'm gonna go and find Kyle...bye." But before Cora could answer she ran.

"Come have a seat. I'm sure whatever you need is important." Cora smiles bitterly at the boy as he grabs a chair.

"Erm not exactly—I uh wanted to ask if you were free next Sunday?" The boy asks, swallowing hard.

As oblivious Cora was, she didn't know why Cedric was asking her this.

"Yeah I am..why?"  Her blunt question made it an unnecessary struggle for the boy.

"Well I was thinking if-if you wanted to go out— it's okay if you don't—"

"Sure. I have no plans. It would be nice to go out once in a while with other friends." Cora answers obliviously.

"Yeah..friends."

The walk back to Hogwarts was lonely since Laurie was nowhere to be found but Freds appearance made up for it. And more.

"Sparrow? What're you doing here by yourself?" Fred runs up beside her.

"I could say the same to you. Where's George? Finally gotten rid of him have you."

"He was getting Angelina to do his homework for him. The idiot has no idea what he got himself into." He sighs.
"Are you free next Sunday?"

"Apparently not. I'm hanging out with Cedric for the day. Why?"

"You're what?"

"Im. Hanging. Out. With. Cedric." Cora repeats.

"You're going out with Cedric?"

"I just said that. Have you gone deaf? Hm. Cedric was being weird about it aswell. We're going out as friends. It's not like I'm leading him to his death or something. I mean I hope I'm not." She looks into the distance, actually giving time to the absurd thought.

"Yeah sure, 'Friends'."

"What? What do you mean?"

The boy sighs in annoyance "Nothing sparrow. Come on, we're gonna be late for dinner."

If it was one thing that could get Fred weak in the knees it was Cora in her quidditch uniform. Weird right? But it was a weakness in quidditch for him as it was for her and none of them knew it. Cedric came and shook hands with Cora wishing her luck on the match. Laurie attacked her in a hug once again. As she got closer she spotted the twins and skipped to them before the game could start.

"George, Fred," she addresses them.

"Cora,"

"Good luck," she brings out her hand for the twins to shake.

"We won't be needing it, but thanks," George gloats as he grabs her hand and shakes it.

"But you will," Fred smirks, doing the same.

"Cocky much." Cora scoffs, letting go of Freds hand. She did something that surprised all of them. Cora kissed Fred on the cheek. Before she turns, she smiles softly at the reddened boy. It was a last second thought and slapped herself at the need to do that.

Fred said goodbye to the land of the living and hello to dreamland.

"Well shit." George cursed.

The game was good overall— for the Gryffindors. Cora was in a sane mental state until she found out Draco's childish prank on Harry. She was tired- from the match. She was angry- for losing. She was stressed overall. Draco was her breaking point. She hops off her broom and runs to the hooded boys. She slips through Harry and the professor ready to shout at the boys.

"What is your problem!? You get a hippogriff killed and now this? Draco what the hell?" Draco looks down shamefully with the two boys attempting to leave.

"Where do you think you're going huh? Sit down," and they obeyed. Cora was scary sometimes, rightfully so, and this was one of the times.

"You," she points at Draco. "You're coming with me." Draco gets up and follows her to the locker rooms to put her broom away. No one else dared to follow.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Cora stands questioning the boy on the bench.

"Draco are you okay? Are you not hurt from getting hit by a spell? If I were Harry you'd be carrying me to the med wing."

Cora puts a hand to her face "Draco don't act like you're the victim—"

"But am I? You barely talked to me since the start of the year. No letters no nothing. You visited me once in the medical and that's only because Kyle was there. You treated me like a stranger. So am I really a victim?"

Cora was silent. She hasn't realized the pain she inflicted upon him. He was jealous and rightfully so.

He noticed the look of realization on her face and put his head down.

"I'm sorry Draco...I-I haven't realized how bad of a sister I was being I can't believe I.." she was lost for words as she sat next him with his back turned on her.

"You're not even my sister so it doesn't even really matter—"

"I am Draco and I've been a...horrible one. Please let me make it up to you. It's just I— I have no excuse for this. I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you.." she puts a hand on his shoulder waiting for an answer.
He gets up pulling the cloak off his shoulder and turns to her.

"Ok. I forgive you Cora." It was hard really, not to forgive her. She was the first person that showed real affection to him.

Cora brings him in a hug which was normal for the two. His shoulders relaxed in the hug and wished it never ended.
But good things always come to an end.

It was late at night and Cora was in the astronomy tower like she always is. Reading through her fathers journal and looking at his drawings of her mother. Today she tried to look at her mother from a different perspective. Uncle Severus always told me stories of her. She was wise but also funny. She was serious but also childish. No one actually knew her. Not even her own brother.

She felt a breeze of stares. As if someone was watching her. More than one. It faded, seconds later  a scream interrupted the silence through the Gryffindor towers.

It sounded horrifying. Someone came in mind. With this terrifying thought in her mind she runs abnormally fast to the Common rooms in her pyjamas, has a conversation with the portrait, repeats the password and enters the Common room to the shouting of Ron.

"IT WASN'T A NIGHTMARE. PROFESSOR, I WOKE UP, AND SIRIUS BLACK WAS STANDING OVER ME, HOLDING A KNIFE!"

"Don't be ridiculous how coul-" but Cora interrupts.

"He's right." All eyes switch to her. "Sirius Black broke into the Gryffindor Common room."