It was late. Or early. It was hard to tell, either way it was cold and dark. She pulled her cardigan closer around her as she wondered the halls, feet padding along the cold stone. She'd done this a couple of times before, none as late as this though, visiting each memorial and flicking her wand above them. Refreshing the flowers and talking to the ghosts that now filled the halls after curfew.

"Hello." A voice she was instantly familiar with. She hadn't realised that she was walking through that hallway. She hadn't realised whose memorial she was passing, but now that he was stood in front of her she couldn't not look at him.

"Cam." She tried not to stare at the silvery blood that covered half of his face, but it was hard. He smiled wearily at her as he brought a hand up to cup her cheek and wipe away a tear that was already falling down her cheek. He wasn't quite used to his ghostly form as the tear passed through his hand.

"I wondered where you were wandering off to at night." She turned at the voice that had become almost as familiar as her own head of houses, looking at McGonagall at the start of the hallway. " I didn't think it would be here, but I should've guessed." Lydia pulled her cardigan closer around her and turned back to her brother who had vanished, leaving her staring at the small memorial with flowers she had yet to replenish.

"He was only 16, our birthday was in the summer." She couldn't face her teacher as she pulled her wand out from her pocket and circled the flowers, replacing them with violets, his favourite.

"Your situation -is unique to say the least." Minerva walked closer, stopping behind the girl. "Your home, like many, was here so you felt the need to protect it. Although I assure you your parents loved you dearly, they were too busy to look after you 2 during the summer. Your mother was a Gryffindor and your father a Ravenclaw, a deadly combination if I ever saw one, its hardly surprising that they had 2 Slytherin children, they themselves being very ambitious and smart."

"What's that got to do with us?" Lydia's hands were shaking by her sides as she turned to look at the head of house. McGonagall sighed.

"You both could've easily been placed in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, but you both chose Slytherin. That in itself was odd." She let out a breath of air that could have classed as a laugh. " Then the war came and both of you instantly knew what to do. That was one of the things with you 2, you always analysed and thought on your feet. You started taking them to the Slytherin common room, the biggest and safest place that you knew of."

"Cam was a fool to go after the child." Lydia said bitterly, turning away from the memorial to face Minerva.

"What he did was brave, he should have been in Gryffindor, you both should have. I believe everyone that was within a 50 foot radius heard you launching spells and curses at them for it." Lydia started to cry, dropping her wand and falling into McGonagall's arms. "Come child, how about we see madame Pomfrey, see if she can fix you up a sleeping draft." Lydia nodded and let her head teacher lead her to the hospital wing.

Poppy was already up, Lydia noticed that almost every bed was full. The elder woman turned and glanced at Minerva and Lydia quickly before turning back to the boy she was tending to, wrapping bandages around his wrists.

"Another one Minerva? Sit her down by Mackie."

"Oh no, she just requires a sleeping draft." Poppy turned back to face them after tying off the boys bandages, Lydia vaguely recognised him as a boy from her potions class last year, his eyes looked haunted.

"That I can do, come here dear I need to ask if you would like me to add some St John Wart. It should help with the depression." Lydia flinched.

"How did you guess?" She tucked a brown strand of hair behind her ear as she nodded.

"I've seen that haunted look in every pair of eyes I have looked in since the beginning of term. Here, take this before you go to bed. You should have a dreamless night. Come back in a week and I'll make you a fresh batch." Poppy smiled and Lydia turned to leave, walking past McGonagall on her way out.

"Thank you Poppy. I was starting to worry about her, she's ghosting around so much she may as well have been the one who died." Lydia ignored the comment and walked back to her dormitory, stopping outside the damp stone wall that hid the door. She knocked and muttered under her breath when no one answered the door.

"Blood Purity." The door opened and she glared at the door, walking into the barely lit common room. She wasn't the only one in the common room, a few students were lying on the sofas clutching blankets or childhood toys that they had brought with them this year. The common room seemed warmer this year, blankets scattered around for the students who couldn't sleep. Lydia grabbed one and draped it over a second years shoulders.

Holding the Thermos closer to her she walked up the stairs to her dorm room, which she shared with her friends Tristan Marie, Kaii, Lizzy, and Sophie. Tristan was sat in her bed, sheets pulled up over her knees as she glanced at Lydia.

"How you holdin'?" her voice was shaky as she spoke, glancing at the other empty bed in the room. Lydia shrugged and sat down on her bed, pouring herself a cap full of the sleeping draft before refilling it and handing it to Tristan who took it without asking.

"Better, yourself?" Her friend pulled a face as she handed her back the cap. She laid down before replying.

"I'll get over it." She yawned as Lydia laid her head against the pillow, a sad smile playing on her lips. She watched as Tristan fell asleep thanks to the sleeping draft, and, slowly, let it claim her as well.