Sorry about the long wait.

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Save a dance for me.

Chapter 4

Harry Potter was moving faster than he ever had before. Desperately trying to escape the nightmare he found himself in since grabbing the Triwizard cup. Racing through the graveyard, dodging curses and Death Eaters, he finally found what he had been searching for.

Harry shot out from behind a gravestone, wand extended. "Stupefy!" he shouted out as two Death Eaters hit the ground hard. Ten feet from the cup, he was forcefully tackled to the ground. A terrible pain erupted throughout his left shoulder. Without hesitation or bothering to aim he shot a spell over his shoulder. "Impedimenta!" he felt the weight lift off him and a warm sensation spread over his back. He then pointed his wand at the cup and prayed to whatever Gods might be listening that this worked. "ACCIO!" Harry shouted putting all the magic and concentration he could into the spell.

The Triwizard Cup soared straight into Harry's outstretched hand. The familiar sensation of a portkey activating and Harry knew he was on his way back to safety, back to Hogwarts.

Moments later Harry Potter slammed into the grounds at Hogwarts, pain shot through his left arm as someone attempted to turn the young wizard over. As he was turned onto his back, he noticed the warmth from earlier had turned cold and sticky. He looked up into the blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore and before anything could be uttered by the older man, Harry spoke while he still had strength enough to. "He's back, Voldemort is back." Then his world turned black, the last thing his eyes saw was the look of concern on his headmasters face.

xxxxx

Cedric Diggory made his way slowly out of the maze, barely able to stand after his duel with Harry. They had met in the very center, both ready to take the cup for their own.

Flashback.

Neither wanted to make the first move, both felt slightly indebted to other.

"Harry you told me about the dragons, you take the Cup." Cedric said feeling that it was only fair.

"And you told me about the egg, you take it." Harry said just as stubbornly.

They stared each other down for a moment before Cedric had an idea. "How about we duel for it? Winner takes all."

Harry thought it over for a moment; he could find no reason to disagree and consented to the duel.

They took there positions and raised there wands. "On three then?" Cedric asked looking to Harry who nodded his head.

"One - Two - Three." both immediately began to cast spells at the other. Cedric was amazed at how good Harry was, especially for only being in his fourth year. He was hard pressed to land a single hit on him. And when he thought his jelly leg jinx had hit the mark, it was rebounded back toward him and he was forced to dodge his own spell. Unfortunately that would be his undoing as he was hit in chest by one of Harry's stunners. Then all went dark and Cedric never saw what happened after.

End flashback.

Cedric reached the beginning of the maze and could once again hear the crowd. The noise level was deafening and he assumed that it was due to a celebration. 'Congratulations Harry, you deserved to win.'

That's when he heard the screams, not cheers, but blood curdling screams of terror. He raced through the crowd, pushing students out the way in haste to reach his fellow Champion. Then he heard something more terrible than the screams.

"HARRY POTTER'S DEAD!"

xxxxx

Hermione's mind had gone completely blank. Only a moment ago her best friend in the whole appeared covered in what seemed to be blood. Then almost instantly he was swarmed by the staff led by Professor Dumbledore, and followed by the students. First there was cheering, she was trying to get close and congratulate him, then came the screams, horrible screams that could only mean one thing, her worst fears had come true. Then someone from the center screamed, "HARRY POTTER'S DEAD!"

Hermione's body went on auto pilot as her mind was clinging to the world that was desperately trying to dislodge her. Harry could not be dead, he was Harry, the boy that saved her from a mountain troll in their first year. He saved her from a horde of Dementors at the end of last year. He was a survivor, he had survived Voldemort for heavens sake. He would never die in some stupid tournament.

All these thoughts passed through her mind as she struggled frantically to get to her best friends side. Just as soon as she reached him, he was already being carried away by Professor Moody. What she saw made the breath catch in her chest painfully. Harry laid completely limp in the old Aurors arms, blood dripping to the ground with every step.

"Ms. Granger please follow me." Hermione vaguely heard someone say after what may have been a few seconds or a few hours. All she knew was that Harry had gone somewhere she couldn't follow. He had gone off on that final adventure alone. She didn't notice as she was taken to the hospital wing, or when she was put on one of the beds. She wasn't aware of taking a potion for dreamless sleep. She no longer knew anything of the world around her as her eyes closed and she fell into an enchanted sleep.

xxxxx

Cho Chang was in shock, complete and utter shock. She was one of the first to arrive at Harry's side after the teachers. She saw the look of horror in his eyes as he said Voldemort had returned. She saw his blood covered body, his pale face, his unsteady breathing, she saw him go still. She watched as Professor Moody picked him up and limped toward the castle when the Headmaster had turned to speak to the Minister of Magic.

Cho had seen everything, she watched as Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall followed quickly behind Moody once they realized he had gone. Unwilling to believe that the boy who had captured her heart would die like this, she too pursued the staff.

She refused to even acknowledge the possibility of Harry dying. He had already done so many great things. She watched him take on a dragon, and had heard so many other stories of his bravery. He had even admitted, rather bashfully, that there was some truth behind some of them.

How could a boy like that just die so suddenly, she had just seen him, healthy and strong, not even an hour ago. She couldn't fathom how something like this could have happened.

Cho had watched as her professors blasted down a door, and entered. She waited with baited breath for what felt like a lifetime, until the one person she had waited to come out finally did.

Harry was still unconscious, Professor McGonagall had him on a stretcher and was levitating him towards the hospital wing. She couldn't tell if he was breathing or not, so she followed them still.

Yet again Cho was unable to gain entry to where Harry was, so as before she waited outside. It wasn't until her own Head of House and Hagrid showed up, that she was able to get into the hospital wing unnoticed. Hagrid was carrying someone, she couldn't see who but she notices he was being exceptionally gentle for someone so massive. After they disappeared behind a curtain she silently moved closer to the curtained bed that she assumes was Harry's due to all the voices coming from it.

She listened closely to what the others were saying.

"I'm sorry but this is beyond my ability to heal. The only thing I can do for him now is to make him as comfortable as possible." Madam Pomfrey said in a morbid tone.

" Are you quite sure Poppy, there is nothing more you can do for him." Professor McGonagall said in a voice laced with worry.

"I'm afraid not Minerva." Madame Pomfrey said choking back a sob.

"Albus, surely there is something you can do?" McGonagall said almost pleadingly.

"I'm sorry, but there is not." Dumbledore said in a subdued tone.

"But Albus, he's so young..." McGonagall began but was cut off by Dumbledore.

"I know Minerva, and I fear for our world when they find out." Dumbledore said, grief clearly expressed in his voice.

That's when it truly hit home for Cho. Harry Potter, the boy who lived had died,and she never got the chance to say how she felt about him. Unable to withstand the breaking of her own heart, Cho began to hyperventilate.

Greif took hold of heart and all sane thoughts were gone. She had to see him again, to tell him how she felt. She had to bring him back, and this time she wouldn't let him go. She would find away, but first she had to see him.

Disregarding all thoughts of caution Cho through the curtain open, revealing a topless Harry eyes closed, with a horrendous wound torn across his left shoulder, blood, open flesh, and torn muscle all visible.

She paid no attention to the other people surrounding him as she reached out and gently caressed his cheek before abruptly fainting. Tears remained leaking from her eyes even in unconsciousness.

xxxxx

Fleur Delacour woke to a very somber crowd. She was expecting cheering and celebration. She was expecting the victor to be on the shoulders of the crowd. What she was not expecting was to see her younger sister in hysterics, crying her eyes out. Or her mother looking at her with sympathy, as if she too was weeping.

"Mama, what's wrong with Gabrielle? Why do you look so sad? What has happened?" Fleur asked, an icy feeling creeping in the pit of her stomach.

"It was the Potter boy, he won but I'm afraid he didn't make it. The Headmaster and the professors took his body back to the castle." Apolline said.

Fleur's world turned dark, without every really considering it she had grown quite close to the youngest Triwizard champion.

xxxxx

Pain! Devastating and all consuming. Tearing though his body like a tornado through a house. Absolute agony is the state in which Harry Potter found himself in. Never before had he felt such terrible pain. Not after being bitten by a basilisk, not when he was struck by the tail of a Hungarian Horntail, not even the Cruciatus Curse from Voldemorts very wand. No this was pain beyond any he could have imagined, and surely he would go mad from it.

It spread slowly down his back, to the bottom of his feet. From his shoulder it spread up his neck to his head, ripping its way into every last cell like viciously sharp and jagged teeth.

Time no longer existed in this world where pain ruled. There was no warmth in this place, no compassion and no mercy.

Finally he came to the conclusion that he had died in that graveyard, and this place, this place could only be hell.

xxxxx

Harry Potter "The boy who lived" on the verge of death!

The FrontPage headline of the Daily Prophet that came out the morning after the Third Task. It had been an entire day since that article was printed and Hermione and Cho were being released from the hospital wing.

Fluer clutched at the rolled up newspaper in her hands, she had too show them what they would surely see within the first hour after their release. She'd found out the morning after the third task when the paper was first released.

She felt her heart ache at the memory of that morning. The great hall had been a somber place after the Daily Prophet arrived.

As she walked to the secluded area in the corner nearest the Nurses office, she noticed that the curtains were drawn closed, and that no sound could be heard from the other side.

Figuring that it was enchanted to block out sound so that the girls could rest undisturbed, she walked around the curtain. Suddenly she heard the anxious quiet talking of two girls. As soon as she was within their respective sights they immediately hushed. They looked at her with hope shining through their eyes.

"Fluer! Please tell us how Harry is. They won't tell us anything!" Hermione cried as she tried and failed to get off of her bed.

"Is he awake? Is he ok? Please just tell us something, anything." Cho begged quickly.

Fluer found herself unable to look the younger girls in the eye. She clutched the newspaper tighter fighting back tears in her eyes.

"Noone has seen or heard anything from Harry. He is no longer at Hogwarts, according to the Daily Prophet he was moved to an undisclosed location and he- he..." Fluer could not continue, she instead handed the paper to Hermione and turned to leave. Before she was around the corner she turned and looked at both girls, in that moment all three young women felt a connection to each other. One wrought through the mutual pain of loss. "He is very brave, I will never forget him." With that Fluer Delacour was gone.

xxxxx

Hermione and Cho sat in silent tears, both lost in their own thoughts. Neither wanting to believe the words printed in that wretched paper. Both unwilling to believe that he could leave this world, that he would leave them without so much as a goodbye.

"He wont die, I know he wont!" Hermione suddenly said, the certainty in her voice clear.

"Hermione-" Cho began but was instantly cut off by said girl.

" No, he'll pull through! You don't know Harry like I do. He has faced much worse than this, he's fought trolls, hordes of dementors, dragons and even the most evil and powerful dark wizard in history and has always come back to his friends." Hermione said a fire lit behind her eyes.

"Hermione-" Cho began once more but was again interrupted.

"No!" Hermione yelled loudly. "I know he'll pull through, he's my best friend, he was my first friend. The first person to ever accept me for who I am. He's-"

"Hermione!" Cho yelled this time interrupting her, and causing the bushy haired Gryffindor to look shocked. "I was going to say I don't think he'll die either. I saw him before I fainted. He wasn't in good shape but he was breathing."

"Why didn't you tell me that before?" Hermione demanded.

" You haven't given me a chance." Cho said. "The Prophet must have it wrong, someone must be behind this, someone must want the world to believe that Harry is dying."

The two clever witches spent the rest of the morning trying to convince each other that Harry would live. Both knowing it was a very slim chance that he actually would, but neither willing to accept the alternative.

xxxxx

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, face in his hands. A copy of the daily prophet laying open before him. First Harry Potter, the child of prophecy, the one destined to destroy the dark lord, returned by portkey in a state that neither he nor Madame Pomfrey could save him, not even the tears of Fawkes could heal his wounds. Next this bloody paper had spread the word that the savior of the wizarding world was dying and that it was only a matter of time before he was gone.

And last but not least he had too deal with the two hysterical witches in the hospital wing. Both he believed would play a very big role in his plans for the future. And both were also amongst the most intelligent students to ever walk through the halls of Hogwarts since he had become headmaster.

He knew that Ms. Granger was an exceptionally bright young witch as well as being very close to Harry. She would go to the ends of the Earth and beyond to help her friend, school rules or wizarding law be damned.

As for Ms. Chang, she was romantically involved with Harry, and she seemed to care a great deal for the boy. She would also go out of her way to find the truth behind all the madness.

Just then Minerva McGonagall walked into his office, she did not knock nor did she bother with pleasantries. "Dumbledore, they know! Ms. Delacour went to visit them this morning, and she left a copy of the Prophet with them. They are demanding answers that I believe at least one of them is entitled too." McGonagall stated briskly.

Dumbledore looked at his deputy headmistress and saw the concern and anger within them. "What would you have me do Minerva?" he asked, not placating her but genuinely asking for advice.

Slightly taken aback by the sincerity of his words Professor McGonagall calmed a little, "I believe that you should tell Ms. Granger at least, even if you do not think it wise to tell Ms. Chang. But know this; the truth will come out very soon regardless. It has already gotten too far out of hand."

"I believe you are correct Minerva, bring Ms. Granger to my office in one hour." Dumbledore said.

xxxxx

Ron Weasley had not been having a good year so far. First he acted a major prat to his best friend because he let his jealousy blind his better judgment. Even after everything they had been through since beginning at Hogwarts together, and knowing Harry as well as he did, he still sided with the crowd in there treatment of the reluctant champion.

Even after the row he and Harry had in the common room he still couldn't bring himself to properly apologize. The first task came and went and their friendship seemed like it was back to normal. Then the Yule Ball happened and everything seemed to change.

It seemed to Ron that the closer Harry and Hermione got, the more he was being left out. After Neville's brilliant idea about using Gillyweed, he had really felt obsolete. Harry and Neville spent hours at a time discussing and researching the magical plant. In thanks Harry had even promised to get Neville any plant that his heart desired after the tournament was over.

But the last straw had been the Rita Skeeter article. His envy had reached new levels when he saw the pictures of Harry and his "harem". In truth he had no claim to any of the three witches, and he had never discussed his feelings about the youngest to anyone, he was still in denial with himself. And at first it seemed that there was little truth to the article, but then he started to notice things.

Fluer would come to sit at the Gryffindor table, but only when Harry was there, and she would only sit next to him. She still acted as though Ron didn't even exist, and only spoke to Harry or Hermione, or Krum who had also started to hang around the Gryffindor table, yet another cause for Ron's envy.

And then there was Hermione. He had noticed the way she would look at Harry. Whenever she thought no one would notice, she would let her guard down and she would have this look of longing in her eyes, and he knew that it was for Harry.

Fluer was one thing, but Hermione was something completely different. And the smile that he noticed on her face when she danced with Harry at the Yule ball haunted him. He had never seen her smile like that for anyone else before or since. How he longed for her to smile like that for him, but knew that it was for Harry alone. That was when he started to really pull away.

He felt their friendship dwindling day by day. He was convinced that once they noticed he was gone, that they would come looking for him. That Harry would do anything to keep him around, and he knew it was selfish of him but he couldn't help it.

When all didn't go according to plan, he watched as Neville took his place. And he fell into Neville's place with Dean and Seamus. He didn't even bother going to the Second Task. It wasn't until it was over that he found out Hermione had been Harry's treasure. That had been a serious blow to Ron, that Hermione was the thing that Harry would miss most. After the Second task, it became all too clear that their trio was no more. Fred, George and Ginny continuously berated him for his pigheadedness and stupidity.

Ginny had all but poured her heart out to her older and less mature brother. She let him know that she knew how it felt to watch someone you cared deeply for look at another in a way that they would never look at you and that if person was happy, even if it wasn't with you, then you should be happy for them. When he still couldn't get that into his thick skull she had hexed him something terrible and told him that he didn't deserve friends like Harry and Hermione.

Fred and George had told him in no particularly nice way that he needed to pull his head out of his arse or they would do it for him. None of this had made any real impact on the youngest Weasley male.

It wasn't until the night of the Third Task did it truly hit home for Ron how stupid he had been. It had taken the near death of his greatest friend for him to realize that he threw everything away over a girl who neither knew of his feelings nor obviously did she reciprocate them. And it was all he could think about as he lay on his four poster bed in his dorm room, 'As soon as Harry gets back here I'll make things right. I don't care if he never wants to speak to me again, I have to at the very least apologize.'

Xxxxx

Hermione and Professor McGonagall stood quietly awaiting the arrival of Professor Dumbledore. He had summoned them and then asked that they wait there for only a moment, that he would explain everything once he returned. That had been nearly twenty minutes ago, and there was still no sign of the headmaster returning anytime soon.

"Please Professor, what is this all about? I thought you said I was going to get to see Harry?" Hermione said with a small amount of anxiety.

"That is precisely why you are her Ms. Granger; however you have been called here by the Headmaster for another reason. I cannot tell you anymore until Albus returns I'm afraid." Professor McGonagall said, and after what felt like hours Albus Dumbledore finally arrived in a burst of Flames.

"Ah, my apologies Ms. Granger for taking so long, I had to insure that all was well before I took you along." Dumbledore said with a small twinkle in his eye. "Now if you would please take hold of my arm, we can be on our way." Then he turned his gaze to Professor McGonagall, "Minerva if you would please tell Poppy, to have a bed ready when we return."

"And when should I presume that will be Albus?" McGonagall said sternly.

"I believe first light would be a good estimate Minerva." Dumbledore said, "Now Ms. Granger hold on tight, this is a rather unique way of traveling that I am sure you are not yet accustomed too."

And before Hermione could do more than tighten her grip, fire had completely covered her from head to toe. Panic was her initial reaction, however the fire was not burning her, and it wasn't even hot. She felt warm all over, then the fire burst outward and she was no longer in the Headmasters office, but in a place that she did not recognize at all. It was a dimly lit area with wall paper that was peeling off of the wall, behind her was a long hallway that ended, or rather began, with a front door.

However before she was able to investigate her surroundings any further, a firm hand grasped her shoulder. "Now before we go any further, you must know that whatever you discover beyond this point, will have to remain between yourself and Harry, word of his condition cannot yet get out. Do you understand Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore asked looking her directly in her eyes. Hermione readied herself for the worst, and nodded her head. Dumbledore pleased with her response nodded back. "Follow me please."

He led her down a small flight of stairs, and to a door. Pausing for only a moment he opened the door stepped through and held it open for the young witch. Upon entering Hermione thought that she had possibly fainted and walked into a nightmare. At the opposite end of what appeared to be an emptied kitchen was a giant cage that filled about one quarter of the rather kitchen. It was not the cage that frightened her however, but what was within it.

Crouching within the secure and enchanted bars was a monster. Terribly sharp looking fangs showed from within its elongated snout, and claws that could tear through steel or concrete like butter clenched and unclenched menacingly. Thin hair covered most of the beasts' body but its muscular frame was easily seen.

Though the part that terrified Hermione the most was not the weapons it had for appendages. No, what made her shiver with fear were the beasts' eyes, emerald green eyes, the eyes of her best friend. "Harry?"