A/N: Another short chapter.

Chapter Four

Lurking Dangers

It was a nice sunny evening, which Harry was wasting in a greenhouse, wrestling with a Fanged Geranium that was trying to take a bite out of him. Once the class was over, Harry and Sam decided to take a quick shower. During the long walk up to the tower, the two boys were once again discussing the possible tasks.

"Now that you're a champion, this topic seems a bit heavier, ey?" Sam asked. Harry blindly nodded, and then asked Sam a question.

"Just wondering, but do you think there's ever been a champion that forfeited a task?"

"I'm sure there have been all sorts of people befor-", Sam paused in front of the Fat Lady, and turned towards Harry, "you know, as hilarious as it would be to see you forfeit, I would have to personally kill you, if you actually did that."

"I know, I know. Plus, Potters never give up in the face of challenge."

"More so, because you're also the son of a Marauder."

"Right." They entered through the portrait, and made their way to their bedroom, to grab a change of clothes.

"By the way, how did your parents handle the news?"

"Well, mom was worried, and dad was proud I guess. I think he made a bet with Uncle Padfoot, so he's pretty smug about his winnings."

"Oh dear uncles, what a fine example they set for us." Harry shook his head as they walked out of the room, and headed for the showers.

The date of the task was getting closer, and Harry was finding it hard to overcome his nerves which seemed to act up more often. Dinner had just ended, and Harry was making his way towards the grounds of Hogwarts, to get some fresh air. On his way, he saw a couple snogging in the corner, and smirked. He was considering pranking the two, when he realized who they were. Stella and Joseph. Before he could slip away, the couple broke apart, and noticed him.

Stella's cheeks were slightly flushed, and her hair was messy, while Joseph remained handsome, even when his clothes were all disheveled. Stella's hands were wrapped around his neck, while Joseph's hands were located dangerously low on her small back. Trying to control his anger, as much as he could, he addressed Jospeh.

"Thought you only lowered yourself to snogging out in the public when it came to all your disposable whores. But, apparently I was mistaken." Harry saw with pleasure, as Joseph clenched his hands in a fist, and took out his wand.

"What's this? Still crying over the fact that I would make a better champion than you?", he retorted bitterly. Harry narrowed his eyes and sent a Stinging Hex towards Joseph, which he easily blocked. "I don't know what's up with you lately, but I'm getting tired of you acting like an arse around me, Potter." He grabbed Stella's hand and walked away. As Stella walked passed Harry, she had a cold expression on her face.

"I thought you were better than this." He didn't know why, but her words had painfully sunk into him. He didn't know if he felt ashamed or angry, but her words had oddly left him feeling empty.

With the horrible feeling of loss that drowned his heart, Harry aimlessly walked onto the grounds of Hogwarts. Without realizing exactly where he was going, he found himself on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The night sky was surprisingly clear, and the moon was brightly shining down at him. When he looked back, he saw the magnificent castle, which brought the recent memory to his mind. Without a second thought, he entered the forest, going a little deeper, against his better judgement. After a few minutes, he came to a small clearing. He saw a rock, leaning against one of the trees, and decided this would have to do for his perfectly pathetic escape from reality. Harry let out a sigh. He knew he shouldn't be here, but he felt like doing something stupid and reckless.

A few minutes passed, as Harry stared into the shadows beyond the trees. Before he could thoroughly creep himself out with his own imagination, he heard a noise coming from the other side of the clearing. It took a moment for him to distinguish reality from his imagination. However, when he heard it the second time, he immediately jumped off the rock, and hid behind it. He quietly took his wand out, and waited for the thing to flee or attack, while his heart pounded against his ribcage. As he turned his head from left to right, he caught a sudden movement in the corner of his eyes. Against his better judgement, he decided to step forward to confront it. When he got closer to the edge, to his horror, he saw two huge milky white eyes staring at him. He nervously backed away, as the creature gracefully came out into the clearing. He was about to make a run for it, when he realized what it was. Thestrals. Then he froze, out genuine fear.

More than an acromantula, or even a dragon, thestrals were the creatures he feared the most. After his encounter with them during his second year, with the carriages, it was always the object a boggart would turn into, when he faced one. People used to make fun of him for being afraid of nothing. Since many people haven't seen death, many weren't able to see the thestrals. He didn't really mind the tease, but what he did mind was the simple fact that he was able to see them, when he was certain that he had never seen death before. Everyone else had dismissed it, saying that he probably just couldn't remember. But, that was exactly what was ridiculous. Thestrals could only be seen if you were consciously able to recall witnessing a death. However, he didn't, and that was the root of his fear. Those skeletal creatures were always a reminder of how when it came to Harry, things weren't really the way it appeared to be.

Harry couldn't even blink, as he stayed frozen watching the beast come closer. Then quite suddenly, the figure of the black skeletal horse started to change, and in the next moment, a girl was standing in front of him instead. She took a step forward and offered her hand, which Harry unconsciously took, realizing that he had somehow landed on the ground. When he slowly started to regain some of his senses, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"What the hell?" The girl went over to the rock he had occupied earlier, and sat down. She looked back at him and shrugged. "That was impossible", Harry stated.

"It's called animagus, dear child", Eve said in a patronizing manner.

"No I meant, you can't do that-I mean, you shouldn't be able to turn into a magical creature." The girl just shrugged again at his statement.

"Just because all the registered animagi thus far have been regular animals, bugs, and etcetera, doesn't mean there haven't been any animagus who could turn into a magical creature. It's not the first time people's ignorance have caused them to come up with silly conclusions about magic."

"But I thought one of the reasons why people shouldn't turn into a magical creature was because it's harder to maintain your human consciousness, unlike regular animals and creatures."

"Yes I've heard rumors about some people forgetting who they actually were, while in their animagus form, but rumors are simply rumors. Even if they were true, you must understand that magic always comes with a risk."

"No, only Dark magic comes with a risk." Harry was getting slightly irritated, as he found himself in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, arguing with a girl who could literally turn into a horrible monster. Eve got up from the rock and walked towards Harry, until they were only inches away from each other.

"Quite the light wizard, aren't you?", she asked with a smirk.

"I rather call myself neutral", Harry retorted. He looked down at her with narrowed eyes. "Who exactly are you Evelyn Riddle? People don't seem to notice, but I can see through all your petty little mask you wear around." Evelyn didn't even bother to hide the coldness in her eyes, as she continued smirking at him.

"Why, two points for Gryffindor." She started walking past him, and then paused. "But if I were you, I wouldn't stick my nose where it doesn't belong."

"I don't care what you do, as long as you stay away from my friends."

"Friends as in Black, and that filthy half-blood? The last time I saw you three, it didn't look quite friendly to me." Harry's face flushed as he recalled the memory. He was furious about the possibility of her witnessing the whole thing.

"Don't tell me you have a nasty obsession for stalking people around, you freak." Within seconds, Harry saw a red light coming towards him. He didn't have time to do anything else but dodge. Just as he was about to ask what the hell she was doing, he rolled out of the way of another curse. However, this time he didn't manage to completely avoid it, and felt the curse graze his right arm, leaving him with a painful slash. He wasn't able to stop the hiss that escaped from his mouth, but before he could say anything, Eve stepped over him, and cast Silencio, preventing him from being able to speak. She turned around and made her way towards the castle, but before she left the clearing, she told him one last thing.

"It's called Legilimency, Potter."