Sydney Cunning was one of the shy girls at Hogwarts and was rarely noticed. She didn’t talk much, but when she did, it sounded like a very faint whisper. Her long, faded blonde hair usually hung down in front of her face, hiding her beautiful brown eyes. It was rarely done in a neat ponytail or anything else.



This year, Sydney would be starting her seventh year at Hogwarts. She loved school, only because she hated home. Being raised in an orphanage wasn’t the best way to live, well, for Sydney at least. She felt like nothing. She felt useless and she felt as if nothing were ever to change that. She felt nothing could ever make her feel better, not after her parents’ death. It was too much of a devastating moment and even though she only knew them up to five years of age, she remembered the event vividly:



It was a cold Wednesday night and her father had still not come home from work. Her mother was sitting by the fire, reading her favorite book, while little Sydney played with her stuffed doll.



Sydney brushed the faded-red strands of yarn hair with her fingers. The doll was very tattered-looking and it looked to be one hundred years old. Yet, it was Sydney’s favorite. She looked at her and smiled, then hugged her as if she were her own child.



A sudden clamor of the door opening and closing alerted the two of them that the father of the household had come home. Sydney’s mother stood up from her armchair and started for the door to greet her husband. Sydney heard the sound of locking the door rapidly.



“Ben, what’s going on?� asked Sydney’s mother. Sydney crawled over to the wall that separated the hall and the family room to eavesdrop.



“Emily, they’re coming—tonight. I…I…I can’t explain right now,� stammered her father. Sydney heard her mother gasp.



“What do we do?� asked her mother, panicking.



“Hide…hide, that’s what we do. And make sure they don’t find Sydney. Oh lord, there they are! Hurry! Go and hide!� commanded her father. The sound of scampering feet was heard and Sydney crawled back, picked up her doll and stood up, holding it close to her.



Her mother rushed back into the family room.



“Okay, honey, come with me, okay?�



“Mummy, what’s going on?� said Sydney, her voice trembled.



“Oh, baby. Don’t cry okay? Everything will be all right.�



“I’m scared.�



Sydney’s mother hugged her tightly.



“Oh, baby, it’s going to be alright, I promise. Come with me okay? Grab my hand.� Sydney obeyed and her mother led her to her bedroom. Sydney could sense the fear and panic going through her mother and father, but she didn’t know what had caused it. What was going on? Who were ‘they’?



They reached Sydney’s bedroom. Her mother pushed her in without turning the light on.



“Okay, honey, I need you to hide under your bed, okay? I will tell you when it is okay to come out.� Sydney saw the glittering tears shine in her mother’s eyes through the dark as her mother kissed the top of Sydney’s head. “I love you, Sydney.�



“I love you too, Mummy.� replied Sydney.



“Okay, now get under your bed. And don’t make a sound!� Sydney obeyed and crawled under her bed, her doll still attached to her. Her mother walked for the door, turned around and said to her daughter, “I’m always there for you,� she put her hand on her heart. “In here.� Her mother smiled. Sydney copied the hand gesture and smiled as well.



“Okay, Mummy.�



After Sydney’s last words, her mother rushed out of the room and downstairs.



Sydney heard a loud crash at the door. She then heard her mother scream. Tears formed out of Sydney’s eyes and fear overwhelmed her as she lied on the soft, cream-colored carpet underneath her bed in the dark. She was afraid and worried for her parents.



“Mummy,� she whispered, more tears rushing down her face.



“No, what do you want?� asked her father from downstairs, his voice filled with fear.



“You know exactly what we want,� replied a cold, stony voice.



“I’ve told you before, we don’t have it! You have the wrong house!� cried her father. Sydney’s mother’s muffled sobs filled the house.



“Give it to us. We know you have it.� the cold voice said again.



“I don’t have it!!�



“AVADA KEDAVRA!� There was a flash of blinding green light. Sydney shielded her eyes and heard screaming, screaming and more screaming.



“NOOOOOO!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!� her mother screamed between sobs.



“AVADA KEDAVRA!� And again, the blinding green light burst through the whole house. There was a thud and nothing else. Sydney waited for her mother’s voice again, but all was quiet.



“Search the house. You know what He wants and you know what it is,� ordered the same voice and the sound of scampering feet was heard.



Sydney lied under her bed, sobbing uncontrollably, yet silently. She kept to her mother’s word to stay silent.



‘Mummy…Daddy…’ she said in her mind.



There was crashing and banging from furniture and other items being thrown around. Sydney was scared to death and was terrified by the thought of what they would do if they found her. But she had to be silent, so she was.



Sydney heard a pair of feet moving up the stairs. She froze. She felt her heart stop. Sydney just watched as she lay there under her bed, still as stone.



The feet walked across the hall. Sydney saw the feet of a tall figure, his black cloak reaching the floor and dragging behind him. He walked across the hall and then into her own room. Sydney felt as if she were dead. She watched as the black figure made his way across her bedroom, rummaging through all her things on and inside her drawer, wardrobe closet and toy box. She clutched her doll even tighter as he made his way closer to the side of her bed.



There he was, his feet right there in front of her. Sydney just stayed, her eyes wide open, not breathing a single breath. She trembled inside her body, but outside, she was frozen. She was petrified. He reached down slowly to look under the bed when…



“Macnair!� Another pair of feet arrived at Sydney’s doorway. “Let’s go, their home is filled with nothing but junk. The Mudblood was right, this was the wrong house,� said the cold voice. “We’re leaving.� And the two of them left. Sydney sighed with relief and all in her body went back to normal.



She waited for the sound of the front door closing to get out from under her bed. Once the coast was clear, she climbed out from under the bed and carefully walked downstairs. And with each step she took, she was cautious.



The entire downstairs looked as if a hurricane had been through it. Furniture thrown, lamps and glass valuables broken, pots and pans in the kitchen scattered and canned food was thrown aside.



Sydney was upset and afraid. But, what frightened her most was the sight of her parents, absolutely no life in their eyes, lying there, motionless, and speechless.

Sydney climbed off the Hogwarts Express, her Ravenclaw robes on and her faded blonde hair hanging down in front of her. No one seemed to notice her as she walked to the carriages that took them to Hogwarts castle. She got the whole carriage to herself.
While in the carriage, Sydney took out the tattered doll she kept in her robes. She just looked at it with woe and misery. She carried it everywhere she went, at least she tried to. It was her only friend, and it was the only thing she had left of her parents. But what she didn’t understand was, why did they give it to her? Why couldn’t they just destroy it?
The night sky was completely black, besides the shiny white stars that glittered over the lake. Sydney watched the first years sail in the boats with Rubeus Hagrid, the grounds keeper and teacher of Care of Magical Creatures. She remembered being a first year, and yet, she remembered the first day she got her letter. She remembered the excitement of getting out of that horrid orphanage for a good ten-in-a-half months, coming home for just the summer.
The carriages reached Hogwarts. Sydney stuffed the doll back into her robes, climbed off the carriage and started immediately for the Great Hall, her head down and her faded blonde hair falling in her face again. She was so saddened that it was her last year.
Should I make the best of it? Sydney asked herself while walking to the Great Hall. It is your last year, why not enjoy it and become part of a group or something? Sydney shrugged to herself and she walked through the giant double doors to the Great Hall.
Sydney was the first one at the Ravenclaw table. There were other students at the Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin tables, all chatting amongst themselves.
Should I go join a group? Sydney asked herself again. But, what if they don’t like me? What if they laugh at me or rudely reject me or…ignore me? Sydney sighed and just sat at her own table, not taking any chances at all to making new friends. What was the point? What was the point if everybody already ignored her?
Soon, the rest of the Ravenclaws, along with the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins, came in through the double doors and sat at their tables. After they arrived, the first years came through, all traveling behind Nymphadora Tonks, the Transfiguration teacher. Sydney sat still, watching the frightened and excited first years get Sorted into their House.
After the last student was Sorted, Professor McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, said a couple of words:
“I would like to first welcome all of you to, and back if returning, Hogwarts. Now, just a couple reminders: As we all know, the Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden, hence the name Forbidden Forest, as always. And there will also be no magic-foolery in the corridors,� she said, looking directly at specific people. “There will be no need to wander the school at night. And also, the Graduation Ball will be on June twenty-fourth.� The seventh years cheered. Sydney, however, was silent. “More information on that will be posted on the Notice Board.
“Now, let the feast…begin.� And the five tables, including the teachers’ table, filled with food of all kind and everyone dug in.
Sydney shyly picked up a slice of turkey and began cutting it into little pieces for herself. Her head still hung down and her hair still in her face. No one seemed to notice her though.
You need to make the best of your year! Sydney said to herself.
I know, but I don’t know how! she replied. She sighed silently as she consumed the microscopic piece of turkey she put in her mouth.
When the students were allowed to be excused from the Great Hall, Sydney was one of the first to leave. She quickly walked through the empty corridor to Ravenclaw Tower, which was in the west side of the castle.
When Sydney arrived there, she was the only one. She sighed and plopped into a fancy dark blue armchair that was in front of the neatly lit fire.
The first years will be coming soon. Might as well head up to your dorm, thought Sydney.
The next morning, Sydney walked down the corridor. There was a nice, cool September breeze blowing. The trees had lost some of their brownish leaves onto the ground. She remembered when she first saw her way around the school, when she met her new friends and when she went to her classes for the first time and meeting her teachers. She loved her classes and she loved her teachers (except, well, maybe not Professor Snape). But now, class meant nothing to her and she never felt the same affection for teachers. She sort of had a hatred for them.
Sydney giggled amongst her friends. A really kind second year, who had shown her around the school, and her friend, who had told Sydney about all the ‘cool’ and ‘uncool’ people at Hogwarts, were walking down the corridor to lunch. It was the middle of March and the trees outside were blooming apple blossoms. Sydney loved her new friends. They were both really kind and smart.
“So, Sydney, what class do you have after this?� asked Cho Chang. She had long, gleaming black hair pulled together in a half-ponytail. Cho was also in Ravenclaw, yet she was one year older than Sydney.
Sydney took out her schedule from her robes pocket.
“Uhh…Potions with Snape,� she sighed. “Potions is okay I guess, but Snape is just the worst.�
“Yeah, he is,� said Sydney’s other friend, Marietta Edgecomb. She had medium-length brown hair, which was tied up in a ponytail with a blue ribbon. “Pity.�
“Well, think of the best; she likes the class,� shrugged Cho. Sydney nodded in agreement. Cho always looked on the bright side. “And,� she continued, “if she likes the class, that means she’s pretty good at it, right Sydney?� Sydney nodded again.
“Yeah…yeah, I guess I am.� Sydney lightened up. “You’re right, Cho! Thanks!� Cho smiled at Sydney.
“Any time,� Cho said, in a friendly manner.
Cho Chang was one of Sydney’s closest friends. She was always there for Sydney. Whether she was feeling down, or stuck with some homework, Cho was there to help her out.
And, with Cho being Sydney’s friend, Sydney had become part of that “popular crowd.� She was introduced by Cho to all of Cho’s friends. Sydney got along with them well and the more friends she made, the more popular she got. And Sydney became loving school more and more.
Sydney became so appealed into her daydream that she did not realize she had run into someone.
Sydney immediately looked down without even looking at who it was she ran into. She didn’t apologize, but kept walking. She was so embarrassed and imagined what she looked like back there. She then noticed that a strand or two of the doll’s red yarn hair was sticking out of her pocket. Immediately, Sydney stuffed it back in and walked away even faster.