I felt sick as I looked down at the newspaper before me.

The Dark Mark.

I had just finished packing my things up for fourth year when I spied the Daily Prophet on the kitchen table just before it was suddenly whisked out of sight.

I looked up to see Gran's fretful face as she tucked the paper under her arm.

"I didn't mean for you to have seen that," she said brusquely.

"But Gran," I whimpered fearfully, "what does this mean? Are they- are they... back?"

"It would have just been some kids pulling a sick prank, that's all." Gran muttered, not quite meeting my eye. "The Lestrange's are still locked away where they will remain until their dying days. Now don't you fret anymore about it, Neve."

But I couldn't help but feel a funny stirring in the pit of my stomach as I boarded the Hogwarts Express that September.

Trying not to let it trouble me, I went in search of a friendly face.

In the end I settled for a compartment containing Harry, Ron and Hermione, where they proceeded to excitedly tell me about the Quidditch World Cup. Despite the whole Dark Mark incident, I was quite envious that I missed out.

"Gran didn't want me to go," I said miserably. "Wouldn't buy tickets. It sounded amazing, though."

"It was," Ron said. "Look at this, Neve..."

He rummaged in his trunk up in the luggage rack, and pulled out a miniature figure of Viktor Krum.

"Oh, wow," I breathed enviously. "Can I- can I touch him?"

"Knock yourself out," Ron said, tipping him onto my outstretched hand.

I watched in awe as Krum strutted about across my palm, winking up at me as he did so. I felt a little squirming in my stomach; admiring just how handsome he looked.

"Oh look, Longbottom's got herself a new boyfriend. Still, at least it's an improvement on a lumpy old toad."

I looked up to see Draco Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle; standing in the doorway, smirking down gleefully at me.

I quickly threw the miniature Krum down on Ron's lap, my cheeks flushing furiously. I felt as if I'd been caught in the act of doing something very naughty.

"Don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy," Harry said coolly, inspecting his fingernails.

"Now, now, no need to be so rude," Draco drawled with a hint of amusement in his voice, "just thought I'd pop in and ask who's going to enter? I expect you will Weasley, seeing as there's gold involved."

"What are you talking about?" Ron snapped.

"Are you going to enter?" Draco repeated. "I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss a chance to show off, do you? One thing's for certain - we can safely assume that Longbottom won't; they don't accept crybabies, after all."

I felt a lump form in my throat which I desperately tried to swallow down. I hated how Draco's words had the ability to upset me so much. I wished with everything I had that I could learn to be thick skinned just like the golden trio.

"Either explain what you're on about or go away, Malfoy," Hermione said testily, over the top of her school book.

But Draco remained firmly where he was as a gleeful smile spread across his pale face.

"Don't tell me you don't know?" he said delightedly. "My God, my father told me about it ages ago... heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry."

Laughing once more, he beckoned Crabbe and Goyle to follow him before pausing and turning to look back at me.

"Did you get a haircut or something, Longbottom?"

Looking up at him in shock, I mutely shook my head.

"Hmm," he frowned, eventually giving a little shrug, before finally disappearing.

What the hell was that about?

*****

So there was going to be a Triwizard Tournament. This was not music to my ears.

At least, I thought, I was too young to even have to bother to think up an excuse not to enter.

But it still meant there were going to be two more schools joining us to witness me humiliate my way through yet another year at Hogwarts.

And we had the scariest Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to date. I actually found I couldn't look directly in his horrifically scarred face where his eye roved grotesquely around without feeling queasy.

So this really didn't help matters, when during our first lesson, he decided to show us a demonstration of each of the Unforgivable Curses.

Yet I couldn't help but raise a shaking hand when Mad Eye Moody asked what the second Unforgivable Curse was called.

There was a collective gasp of surprise when everyone saw what I was doing. Except for in Herbology, I never put my hand up.

"Yes?" Moody said as his magical eye rolled right over to fix upon me.

"There's one - the Cruciatus curse," I said, in a small but distinct voice.

"Your name's Longbottom?" Moody said, his eyes studying me intently.

My heart thudded nervously as I gave a slight nod. I knew by the way he was looking at me, that he knew. He knew exactly how I understood about this particular curse.

Saying no more, he pointed his wand at the spider upon his desk.

"Crucio!"

White spots began to cloud my vision as the spider began to twitch horribly, rocking from side to side in a silent scream.

I felt the room tipping sideways as my breaths left me in panicked pants.

"Stop it!" I heard Hermione cry out in a shrill voice.

Moody lowered his wand as his gaze followed the rest of the class's; which happened to be upon me.

"Are you okay, Neve?" Seamus whispered quietly next to me.

I realised I was visibly trembling; my hands clenched so tightly upon the desk in front of me that my knuckles were white.

I nodded, staring off into the distance as Moody went on to use the Killing curse on the spider.

I felt spaced out; numb sort of. And it wasn't until I was a little way out of the classroom did I realise that I was actually just stood frozen on the spot.

"Neve?" Hermione said gently as she paused with Harry and Ron by her side.

"Oh, hello," I said, my voice a little to high. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Neve, are you all right?" Hermione urged.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," I gabbled, my voice still high. "Very interesting dinner - I mean lesson - what's for eating?"

I noticed Harry and Ron exchange a bewildered look.

"Neve," Harry said, "what-?"

But he was cut off by an odd clunking sound.

"It's all right, lassie," Moody's low growling voice spoke as he limped towards me. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on... we can have a cup of tea..."

That was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. I looked pleadingly back at Harry, Ron and Hermione as this terrifying man led me away. But they just shrugged, allowing me to go to my doom.

Thanks for nothing, I thought glumly.

It turned out he just wanted to give me a book; Magical Mediterranean Water-Plants and Their Properties.

Such a thoughtful guy.

"Apparently, Professor Sprout told Professor Moody I'm really good at Herbology," I said proudly to Harry as I showed him the book later on in the common room.

"Sure you are, Neve," Harry said, condescendingly patting me on the back. "Sure you are."

What a dick.

*****