Savannah watched as her anxious daughter paced the kitchen for the fifth time, pausing at the window for a moment, before looping back around the kitchen table.

"Hayley.. love," Savannah called, a gentle smile on her lips as the birthday girl turned quickly to face her, looking almost surprised that her mum had been standing there the whole time. "It's only ten o'clock. Your letter will come, but you must be patient."

"But mummy, I was born like.. three hours ago! Shouldn't an owl have been here then?" The eleven-year-old asked, frowning as her little sister appeared beside her.

"Hoot!"

"Skylar!" Hayley called, running down the hall from her bedroom, past Noah's room, into the livingroom - weaving around furniture and ducking under tables as she followed her two-year-old sister throughout the house.

"Skylar Natasha Diggory!"

The toddler in question giggled loudly, running as fast as her little legs would carry her. Clutched between both hands was one of Hayley's shoes, the one missing from her right foot as she ran after her little sister.

"I have to get ready for school!"

Not watching were Skylar was going, Hayley didn't have time to react when Skylar went tumbling into Noah.

When her mum and dad had come home from the hospital with Skylar, they were so proud of her for spelling her baby sister's name on the welcome home banner without any help from Aunt Alexis.

Still beaming from their praise, Hayley carefully cradled her bundled baby sister where she sat on the couch, her little brother seated beside her - where he kept moving around, until their mum asked him to sit still for just a moment. Vincent sat on her other side, at the end of the couch with his infant brother, Hayes, on his lap.

"Say cheese!"

Standing in the middle of her bedroom, Hayley ran both hands down her plaid skirt, smoothing it. Summer break was coming to an end, and with that, she was headed to Hogwarts.. and Maxwell was going to Durstrang.

It was hard to imagine going off to school without him. Sure, she would have her cousin, Noel, and her best friends, Chloe and Grace, and maybe even Sienna in another year or so, but Hayley couldn't help but think it just wouldn't be the same without Max around.

From downstairs, she could hear her mum: "Hayley, Maxwell is here."

Hayley sighed.

As the old, worn hat was lifted from her head, Hayley Diggory slipped down from the three-legged stool and made her way toward the table of blue and bronze to join her new housemates, her new house. Ravenclaw. She wasn't a Hufflepuff, but a Ravenclaw.

Part of her was surprised, - but not too surprised, since Chloe had doubted she would be a Badger at all, - and a bit disappointed as well. Mostly, though, her thoughts were on her bedroom and the bright yellow walls that her mum and aunt Lex had painted just for her. Her 'Huffinpuff' walls.

Normally, toddlers were restless and full of energy, making it nearly impossible for sitting still - never mind holding an even smaller child. This was not the case for three-year-old Hayley Diggory, though, as she sat on the blanket surrounded by grass with her new baby cousin, Vincent Krum, laying on her lap.

She looked fascinated, amazed even as she very carefully and gently put her hands on both of Vincent's tiny arms, only to move one hand toward his head, as if preparing to pet him.

"What do you think of your cousin, Hayley?"

Hayley looked up, surprised. "Mine!"

Dear Mum and Dad,

My classes are going well. I'm sure you've both been waiting to hear that, haven't you? I'm quite good at Care of Magical Creatures, and flying has been fun. I didn't sign up for the Quidditch team, I hope you're not disappointed in me, dad. I'll try out next year.

Things are getting strange around here, and I can't figure out why.. but don't worry, I'm safe. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Plus, I have Noel.

I miss you.

Love,
Your daughter, Hayley.

And with that, she set the quill aside.

Sitting in the grass near the great lake, an assignment in her lap, Hayley's attention drifted toward the owl flying toward her. Tilting her head, the First year shoved her homework back into her open messenger bag and pulled out one dragonhide glove, which she slipped onto her left hand.

"Here, Hector!" The small girl shouted toward the sky, arm outstretched as she waited for the large barn owl to land. He belonged to her family. Once his talons gripped the glove, Hayley carefully untied the letters attached to his leg, and pocketed them. "Let's get you to the owlery."

Leaning into the corner of a couch in her common room, blue-grey eyes gazed down at the parchment in one hand, a quill held loosely in the other as she read over what she'd just written:

'...I'm not sure when Hogsmeade weekend is, but I wish you could make it. I know you can't, Durmstrang is a long ways away from here. And I know my mum and dad will come to visit me, so it's not that I'm home sick. I just miss my best friend. So maybe I'm best friend sick.

I miss you, Max.

- Hayley Diggory'

Hayley Diggory was officially eleven-year-old, as of less than a month ago.

Excitement in her steps, the small brunette checked over her shoulder a couple of times, assuring herself that her family - mum and dad, brother and sister, Aunt and Uncle and cousins, were still behind her. Of course they were. This was a special occasion. Today was the day she would get her wand!

Looking up at her dad as he came around to her side and opened the door, giving her an encouraging little nod and amused smile, Hayley skipped into Ollivander's with a big bright smile.

Laying across her mum's lap, the ten-year-old stretched out her legs and arms, and stayed that way - appearing as if she planned to make a snow angel on her parent's bed. "Mum, where did you and Dad meet?" Hayley asked, tilting her head to catch her mum's gaze.

"At Hogwarts," Savannah answered, smiling gently. "On our first night there, after the feast in the common room. Your dad and I were in the same house, remember?"

Hayley nodded, almost thoughtfully. She was trying to picture it. "Hufflepuff." Her parents former house, and her future one. She was sure of it.

Seated amongst those of blue and bronze, Hayley moved around the eggs on her plate, listening to something her cousin and best friend, Noel Wallace, was saying. The second year smiled, glancing upward just in time to spot a very familiar owl flying toward her. One of her mum and dad's owls, Pippy.

Moving things around a bit to make room for the elf owl preparing to land, Hayley untied the letter attached to her leg carefully, and offered the left over scrambled eggs as a treat before unrolling the parchment.

In her seven-year-old brother's rather messy writing, Hayley read:

'Hayley,

You will never believe what happened today! Remember that trick-or-treat thing in Diagon Alley? Did mum tell you about it? Maybe you heard from someone at Hogwarts.. '

"Hayley," Noel's voice brought her attention back to him, a curious expression offered. "We're going to be late for class." He finished, watching as she took another glance down at the letter before folding it.

Slipping it into her school bag, Hayley gave Pippy's wing a stroke and stood from the bench, saying a farewell to the owl as she joined Noel at his side.

"C'mon, the Arithmancy class room isn't far."

Running toward the sound of Skylar's scream, Hayley paused, standing in the doorway of the attic. Blue-grey eyes were alert, taking in the scene before her. Skylar, trembling, stared at the same thing she was - the demented looking goblin, that clearly belonged in Knockturn Alley.

How on earth had a goblin gotten into their Great Grandparents house?

"Skylar.." Hayley practically whispered, one hand reaching to grab the back of her sister's shirt and tug her backwards. With a glare, the goblin turned his gaze on her, and .. turned into Noah and Vincent, both looking equally disappointed in her.

Two day old Noah was the center of attention, resting in the middle of Savannah and Curt's bed, surrounded by the family that had been eagerly awaiting his arrival. Large eyes opened, catching the gaze of his sister - Hayley, as something brushed his tiny hand. Little Noah wiggled, shifting ever so slightly as the culprit, two-year-old Vincent, was moved into someone's arms.

"Looks like Hayley likes her new brother," Curt said, breaking the short-lived silence.

Hayley's nose wrinkled all of a sudden, and without warning, the little girl sneezed.

"Looks like Hayley's allergic to her new brother." Alexis corrected.

People were acting weird, Hayley noted. Not that they didn't always, this was Hogwarts after all. Weird things happened all the time, weird was.. normal, if normal even existed, and Hayley wasn't convinced it did.

Her peers, especially, were acting stranger than usual though. Even her closest friends. It was like an illness was spreading, first with Gracie, then Noel, and now.. even Chloe seemed to be acting odd. It was hard to say what was changing, but something was.

Tapping her quill against her parchment, the thirteen-year-old tried to push away her pesky thoughts in favor of her homework.