Chapter Ten

It's about halfway through the holiday with my dad, and I roll out of bed with a yawn. I wrap a dressing robe around myself and glide down the stairs, smelling something from the kitchen. I walk in to see my father in his dark robes, standing at the stove. After our conversation the first night here, we're back to semi-normality. We came to an unspoken agreement about happened. Father has been mostly friendly, and I haven't pushed him any further. He must sense my presence in the room because he spins around.

"I'm making omelets, if you'd like one," he says.

"That would be lovely. I'll make tea for us," I offer.

Just as I am pouring tea into two cups, Father places two plates down on the table. We sit down and begin to eat in silence. The omelet is wonderful, probably the best I've ever had.

"This is really good," I tell him.

"I've had practice," he mutters, cutting a bit of his omelet.

Just as we are finishing up our meal, a large, white owl lands with a thud on the window seal, making me nearly spill my tea down my front. Father scraps his chair back and walks to the window over the sink. As soon as he slides the panel open, the bird hops in, cooing as if to communicate something with us. He sticks his foot up and Father gently slips the note off of his leg. The owl doesn't move, so I expect he must be awaiting a reply. Father unrolls the note, and I watch as his eyes scan the parchment, one of his eyebrows quirking up.

"We've been invited to dinner at Malfoy Manor tonight," he explains.

I feel myself perk up some. I would be nice to see Draco and get out of Spinner's End.

"Are we going?" I ask.

"I don't see why not. Be ready to leave by six o'clock."

I watch in silence as Father scribbles a reply to the Malfoys and attaches it to the leg of the owl. It flies out of the window before I even realize it and Father snaps the window shut again.

"What should I wear?"

As soon as I speak the words, I realize who I am talking to. I'm pretty sure asking Professor Snape for fashion advice is one of the strangest things I've ever done. He turns to face me and quirks an eyebrow.

"Clothes," he states sarcastically.

I sigh, "I know that. I just don't know how to dress. I've never been to dinner at a Manor before. Is there a dress code or something?"

Father furrows his eyebrows at me and I can see a smirk playing at the corner his mouth.

"Just…dress nicely," he finally answers.

Dress nicely. I think to myself how little help his advice was as I flip through my armoire that afternoon. I know Draco's family is wealthy. I'm sure they'll be dressed exceptionally well, and Father always looks dressed up in his solid black robes with the white trim, which seems to be all that his wardrobe consists of. Finding something for me to wear is a little trickier. I feel like I'm in my school uniform when I try on any of my skirts and blouses. I don't feel like any of my pants are dressy enough. I finally settle on a light pink dress that has a modest neckline and a touch of cream lace at the bottom and around the sleeves. I pin my hair back from my face and apply a little makeup. When I slip on my flats and step back to look at myself in the mirror, I almost laugh at the fact that the way I am dressed completely opposite of my Father with my light colors and soft lace.

"Lena!" I hear my father call from downstairs, and I know it must be time to leave.

I hurry down the steps and meet my father in the entryway. He holds his arm out to me.

"The Manor is a ways away. We need to apparate there," he explains.

I nod and grip his arm, the sensation of being sucked through the air coming shortly after. When we come to a sudden halt and I gather my bearings, I look up and have to stifle a gasp. The large Malfoy Manor stands before us, grander than any other building I have ever seen, barring Hogwarts and Gringotts. The dark building stands three stories tall, warm light peeking out from behind drapes in the ornate windows. Lampposts dot the walkway up to the door. We start down the long gravel drive, and I stare in amazement at the large hedges that make a fence around the grounds. They remind me of something out of a book. The hedges come together with a pair of detailed iron gates in the center. As we get to them, Father flicks his wand and walks right through them, so I follow his lead. As we step up to the door and Father knocks, I smooth my hands over the skirt of my dress. It isn't long before the large, wooden door is eased open and we are greeted by one of the prettiest women I have ever come face to face with. That might be an exaggeration, but she is very beautiful with her sharp, angled features, bright blue eyes, golden hair, and cherry red lips.

"Severus, welcome!" she says, stepping aside and opening the door wider for us to enter.

"Good evening, Narcissa. Thank you for having us," my father addresses as we cross the threshold into the house.

My assumptions are confirmed that she is Draco's mother when Father calls her by her name. Family is something Draco and I talk about often.

"Of course! And you must be Lena," Narcissa says, shutting the door behind us.

"Yes, Mrs. Malfoy. It's nice to meet you," I say.

Her lips spread into a sparkling smile, "It's wonderful to finally meet you as well. We've heard so much about you."

Draco's been talking about me to his parents? I feel a blush rise onto my cheeks, and Narcissa must notice, because she holds a hand up.

"Oh, don't worry dear. It's only been good things," she laughs. She turns her attention back to my father, "Lucius is in the drawing room, if you'd like to join him. Draco should be down soon. I'm going to go check on our dinner."

I watch as she retreats down the long hallway, her long grey dress swishing around her black heels. Father begins to walk toward a door off to the side and I follow him, not wanting to be left alone in this large house where I would most definitely get lost. As soon as we walk through the door, Draco's father stands to greet us. He keeps a long cane beside him, with a jewel encrusted snake adornment at the top, leaving no one to question his house alliance. The intricate silver embroidery on the black leather of his robes brings out the stormy grey in his eyes, and that coupled with the long, platinum blonde hair he has pulled back with a ribbon makes me think that he could be Draco in twenty years in the future.

"Severus, I'm so glad you could join us. And Lena, it is a pleasure to meet you," he says with a smile, holding a hand out to me.

I shake his hand and meet his eyes, "It is nice to meet you as well, Mr. Malfoy. Thank you for inviting us."

"Draco suggested it actually, and I'm very glad we agreed to his idea," he says.

Before we can say anything else, I hear footsteps and then a familiar voice.

"Father, I thought I heard the door. Are they-" Draco stops short when he enters the drawing room and eyes meet mine. "Lena," he grins before quickly turning his attention to my father, "Professor."

"Hello, Draco," my father says.

Just then, Narcissa appears in the doorway.

"Dinner is ready. Let's move to the dining room, shall we?"

Draco and I stay back as our parents leave the room, and he pulls me into a hug so quickly that I let out a sound from the force.

"Hi," I muffle into his shoulder.

"It's so good to see you," he says, pulling away.

"You as well," I smile, "We should hurry and join them before they realize we're missing."

Draco nods and we slip down the hall and into the dining room behind our parents. The dining room is extravagant and the deep purple walls with gold trimmings remind me of royalty. We walk down the sides of the long mahogany table that has to seat at least twelve. Lucius takes his seat at the head of the table, but not before pulling his chair out for his wife at his right. Father sits on his left, and I reach for the chair beside him when I realize that Draco is already pulling my chair out for me. I smile at him and sit, and he pushes me back toward the table before going to sit across from me. A house elf, the only one I've ever seen outside of Hogwarts, bobs around the table, filling our glasses and placing platters of food on the table. Once everyone has their share of food on their plates, conversation begins to pick up again.

Narcissa smiles at me as she stirs her fork through her mashed potatoes. "Lena, I just have to point out that you look lovely, so much like your mother."

"Yes, if it wasn't for that dark hair of yours, people would never know you belonged to Severus," Lucius nods.

"She's Ravenclaw, just like her mother as well," my father says.

For the second time tonight, I feel a blush heating my cheeks. I decide to turn the conversation elsewhere.

"You knew my mother?" I ask, looking between the both of them.

"Of course! Severus brought her around when they started dating. We were all good friends. Lucius was best man in the wedding," Narcissa says.

I glance at Father and notice he is staring hard at his plate. There is so much he hasn't told me.

"I didn't realize," I almost whisper.

Draco clears his throat, "Professor Snape has been teaching us quite a bit in private lessons. He's been letting Lena and I duel for practice."

"Yes, I'm glad you both are getting this extra training. Draco obviously enjoys it, and I assume you do as well, Lena?" Lucius asks.

I nod, "It's nice to have practical training. Draco tends to beat me in the dueling. I much prefer Occlumency."

"We certainly need to be prepared," Father says.

With this statement, I notice that Narcissa looks down and Lucius seems to sit up straighter in his chair.

"Are there more signs pointing to…a return?" Lucius asks.

"You know as well as I do that there are. You have the same mark as me. It's darkening, isn't it?" Father huffs.

"Yes, I've noticed it. I was just hoping there was another explanation."

"I don't see how there could be, with the other rumors floating around. It's coming soon, and there's going to be hell to pay when it happens."

I can feel my heart rate begin to rise as they talk about the Dark Lord, and my eyes dart in between them like I'm watching a tennis match. I can feel Draco's eyes on me.

Narcissa speaks up now, "What are you thinking, Severus?"

"I don't know, but it will be bad. You both denied that you were ever involved with him to the public in order to evade prison, and I essentially did the same thing with Dumbledore clearing my name and taking me on as a professor. He will not be happy with us. We also will be lying to his face this time, as we're all aligned with the Order now, hiding essentially a double life from him. I've done this before, but it's not a situation I would like to get put into twice. Our Occlumency must be perfect. One slip, and we'll be begging him for death."

Lucius's face has gone ashen and Narcissa has looked back down at her plate. Draco puts his napkin on the table.

"Father, mother, may I take Lena on a tour of the grounds?"

Narcissa looks up at us with a weak smile, "Of course dear."

I stand and hurry out of the room as quickly as I can without making a scene, Draco close behind me.

"Thank you," I whisper once we're out of the room.

"I'm sorry dinner conversation took that turn. I didn't realize bringing up our lessons would cause that."

I shake my head, "It's okay. I suppose we should get used to it. I'm just…afraid."

Draco grabs my arm with the lightest of touches, "I am too. I think we all are. But we left the room so we wouldn't have to dwell on it now. I want to take you to the gardens, but first, we should get coats from my room."

"Alright," I smile.

The Manor is like a maze, and when we reach the stairs, Draco offers me his arm for stability. His room is on the second floor, down a long hallway. Paintings litter the walls on the way to his room, and they appear to be portraits of Malfoy ancestors. We stop, and Draco pushes a heavy wood door open to reveal his room, ushering me inside. It's very clean, and other than a book that is opened and face down on his deep green bedding, it looks as if he hasn't been home at all this holiday. The desk, bookshelf, armoire, and other furniture are all dark wood with detailed carvings. The décor exudes Slytherin with his dark green comforter, silver pillows, silver drapes, and black rug. I stand awkwardly a few steps into the room and wait as Draco walks over to the armoire and withdraws two coats. He holds the green one open for me, and I slip my arms in. As he's putting on his black coat, I wrap mine around myself and smile involuntarily. It smells like him.

"I think we're ready now," Draco says.

On our walk downstairs and to the gardens, I find myself spinning my head in all directions, taking in as much of the Manor as I can. I feel like I'm in a historic museum, but it still has a homey feel.

"I would take you on a tour of the house, but it's all very similar. But if you would prefer…"
"Oh, no that's okay. I'd love to see the gardens," I say.

He smiles at me. We reach a set of French doors in the back of the manor and Draco holds one open for me. The chill bites at my cheeks as I step outside. The garden is just as impressive as the house. There are lampposts spread out perfectly so that everywhere is well lighted. Various flowers and bushes surround a large fountain in an intricate pattern. It's almost like all the flowers come together to form one giant blossoming flower. Along the pathways, benches are tucked in the middle of the greenery, some hidden behind bushes. My eyes catch something moving.

"Are those…peacocks?" I ask.

Draco chuckles, "Yes, we own peacocks. Would you like to go see them?"

My eyes widen, and I nod. We walk closer to the stretch of grass where they are gathered and I gasp in amazement as one fans out its beautiful feathers.

"They're magnificent," I whisper.

"My parents love them. I used to run around with them when I was younger."

After I get my share of staring at the peacocks, we walk along the pathways of the flowers with Draco explaining to me the magical qualities of some of the plants. We walk around the whole garden, laughing and talking. When we reach the fountain that bubbling with different soft colors, Draco gestures to a bench tucked into the flowers, facing the fountain.

"It's all so beautiful," I say.

"I'm glad you think so. I tend to get used to it all since this is home for me."

We're silent for a moment, and then I decide to bring up what's on my mind.

"Both of our fathers were death eaters originally. Father finally told me why he joined, but I think he's keeping things from me. Have your parents told you about their pasts?"

He nods, rubbing his hands on his pant legs, "Yes I know. They told me once I was old enough to understand. Father wasn't exactly a voluntary Death Eater. The Malfoy family always believed in blood purity and such, and my grandfather was a Death Eater. I think Father always felt it was expected of him to become on as well, but he still had the choice. When he was in his last year of Hogwarts, after he and mom were together, my grandfather died of Dragon Pox, and Father had to take his place in the Death Eater ranks. Mom didn't take the mark. Many of the wives didn't, but they helped in other ways. Mom learned so much with healing that she could get a job at St. Mungo's. The war was hard on them. Father just wanted to protect Mother. He did what he had to do to keep them safe. Life in general was hard on them. I should have several other siblings actually. When the war ended, they had me and with the Dark Lord gone, they had their lives back and they had peace, all they ever wanted. They kept to themselves a lot, stepping back from being in the spotlight. As the Malfoy family, we were still expected to be a certain way, and we upheld that view. Then when all the stuff about the philosopher's stone happened my first year of schooling, Father knew he had to prepare for something he never thought would happen. He knew the Dark Lord was a losing side, and he wanted to do what he could to protect us. And after everything the Dark Lord put them through, sending Father out to do his dirty work and get injured, Father didn't want to serve a man like that. He went to your father and arranged for us to become a part of the Order, and they began teaching me about how I should act at school. And you pretty much know the rest."

"Everything about this is…terrifying. I'm just glad that we're in this together," I say.

"Me too."

Draco points up the sky with a smile, "That's the Draco constellation."

"You're named after stars?"
He shrugs, "It's the Black family tradition, my mother's family."

We lean back on the bench and tilt our heads up to the sky. Draco points out as many constellations as he can recognize and tells me which ones he has family named after. At some point during this, our hands intertwine, and my palm feels like electricity is coursing though it. I didn't know hands had this many nerve endings. After a silent moment of just staring at the stars, Draco looks down at me with a frown.

"Your fingers are like ice. We should go inside."

Reluctantly, I withdraw my hand from his and tuck both of them inside my coat as we walk the paths back up to the manor, acting like our handholding never happened. We find our parents talking in the drawing room, my father and Lucius reclined with glasses of firewhiskey in their hands and Narcissa sitting beside her husband, one hand on his knee and the other holding a teacup. Father looks at us as we enter the room.

"I was just about to call for you," he says as he stands, "We should be going. Thank you for the lovely evening, Lucius, Narcissa. I'll see you in class, Draco."

I slip Draco's coat off of my shoulders. "It was nice to meet both of you, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Bye Draco," I smile, handing him his coat.

Our hands brush for the briefest moment and his grey eyes bore into mine.

"I'm glad I got to see you, Lena."

Narcissa sees us out and soon we are out in the cold again, walking down the gravel path. My thoughts are drawn back to the dinner conversation.

"Are we ready? For the Dark Lord's return, I mean," I ask, my voice barely audible.

"I don't know. We'll be focusing on Occlumency for you both this term. It will be essential," Father says.

He holds his arm out to me, and I know what to do.

As school starts back, so do our private lessons but with much more fervor. We've been focusing a lot on Occlumency. That's what we're working on tonight.

"Lena, you've mastered keeping me out of your mind. Now, it's time to show me what you want me to see. Falsify your thoughts," Father says, pacing in front of me.

I sit in a chair in the middle of the room and Draco sits in a chair by the wall, waiting his turn.

"Alright. What first?" I ask.

"Think of what you want me to see. Close your eyes if it helps at first. Create every last inch of the mental picture. It has to be whole and look as if you actually saw it or it will be obvious you're planting it."

I sit there with my eyes shut tight, thinking up a grand party at Spinner's End.

"Okay," I say once I have thought of every detail.

"Open your eyes and stay focused on that image. Don't block me when I cast the spell."

I do as he says.

"Legilimens!"

When he finally drops his wand, he steps back and nods.

"Good. The image was a bit fuzzy, but it was good for your first time trying."

I smile, and Father waves Draco over for his turn. We trade places, and Draco takes a deep breath, rubbing his palms on his pant legs. He furrows his brow and Father casts the spell. I can see Draco's eyes fade slightly, and I know he has failed to block Father from his mind. When Father drops his wand, Draco jolts back to the present and he grips the edges of his seat as redness creeps up my father's neck. Whatever he saw, he didn't like, and Draco is afraid of his reaction. He stares hard at Draco, his lips pressed into a thin line. After a few moments, Father takes a deep breath and readies his wand.

"Again," he says, barely giving Draco any time to prepare before casting the spell.

They repeat this several more times until Draco stands and kicks his chair back with a growl.

"You're not focusing enough," Father spits.

"I'm trying! You're not giving me enough time."

"You'll have no time with the Dark Lord."

Draco runs his hands through his hair, "But he isn't here yet, is he? Lay off!"

Father narrows his eyes, "I think that's enough for tonight. I expect you two to be practicing on your own."

Draco storms from the room, and I utter a quick goodnight to my father before following after him. I'm able to catch grab his wrist before he goes into the Slytherin common room.
"Draco, don't let him get to you. You'll get it eventually. Just like I did with dueling."

He rubs a hand across his eyes, "I know. I'm just…tired."

"Okay. Get some rest. You don't need to walk with me all the way to the tower."

"Alright. Goodnight, Lena," he says, pushing the portrait door open to his common room.

I smile at him and watch as he disappears.

A few days later, we sit on the floor of the Room of Requirement, panting from our duel. Father showed us the room so that we could use it for practice. It's Saturday, so we have free time and no one will be looking for us.

"Why don't we practice Occlumency? Father taught me a little bit of Legilimency. I'm not as good as him, but I can do the basics. Maybe you'll be able to do it with me," I suggest.

Draco just stares at me for a moment, rolling his wand between his fingers, as I know he is doing with my suggestion in his mind.

"Alright," he says, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Just take a moment to focus. Clear your mind and try not to think of anything but keeping me out."

He nods, closing his eyes. After a few deep breaths, he opens his eyes and nods at me again. I raise my wand."
"Legilimens," I mutter.

Nothing happens. I don't see anything in Draco's head. I'm just staring into his stormy, grey eyes. My lips involuntarily spread into a smile, and I drop my wand.

"You did it! You blocked me!" I exclaim.

Draco throws his head back in laughter, his eyes twinkling with joy over his accomplishment.

"I knew you would get it. Do you want to try again?"

He nods his head fast, his blonde hair shaking, "Yes. I want to get as much practice in before I have to do with Professor Snape again."

We continue, and with each success, Draco's smile grows. On our fifth time, however, something cracks and I find myself deep in Draco's thoughts. I see him when he is little, playing with the peacocks with his mother. I see him a little older, floating a few inches off of the ground on his first broom, Lucius chasing after him. I see him walking into Hogwarts for the first time and facing the sorting hat. And then I see…I see me. I see me walking down the hallway, my head down. It had to have been one of my first days. I see me in class, chewing my lip as my quill scratches on parchment. I see me staring at the stars in the Malfoy gardens. I see me all dressed up for the Yule Ball, spinning around the room. Startled, I drop my wand, and I'm vaguely aware of Draco putting his head in his hands.

I reach out and place a hand on his knee. "Draco, do you have…feelings for me?"

He looks up at me, letting his fingers slide across his face. "I didn't want you to find out like this."

"I don't care. I'm just glad it's out there, because now I can say that I have feelings for you as well," I smile.

Draco lets out a sort of strangled laugh before pulling me into a hug. It's awkward with both of us sitting cross-legged on the floor, but it's still nice.

"Is that what my dad saw the other night?" I ask as we pull away from each other.

"Yes, and he wasn't very happy about it."

"He's just being protective. He's being a…father," I soothe.

"If you say so."

There is a beat of silence between us before I bring up the question that is hanging in the air.

"So, what do we do with this now?"

"I don't know. Is this the right time for this? Are we ready?"

"We're never going to be ready. For anything in our lives," I say.

Draco shakes his head, "I just want to be sure. I want to be sure that I am one hundred percent ready for this. Sometimes I wonder…it's just, we spend so much time together, how do we know that what we feel is real and not just a result of being together all the time?"

"I don't know," I mutter, looking down at my hands.

Draco reaches out and grasps my wrist, "How about this? We can't exactly spend less time around each other, but surely time will tell if what we're feeling is real or not. Let's just give it some time. If our feelings don't go away or if one of us doesn't find someone else after a while, we'll have this conversation again."

"Okay, I can agree to that. I think that's reasonable."

"Good. Come on; let's go enjoy what's left of Saturday. We've spent enough time working," he smiles.

I nod and follow him out of the Room of Requirement. I have no idea how long he needs or how long this will take, but I would be willing to bet that my feelings for Draco are not going to go away.

As the semester carries on, my assumption is correct. My feelings for Draco don't lessen any at all. In fact, it's arguable that they get even more intense. Our friendship continues on the way it always has. Mostly. There are times that I catch Draco looking at me when he thinks I don't realize it, and there are times that I catch myself just watching him. I notice every time our fingers brush, which is more than I ever noticed before. He still walks me to my common room, but he lingers there when it's time to say goodbye, like he wants to say something more. I feel like something hangs in the air between us every time we are alone. I want to end this and just tell him that I'll still have feelings for him no matter what, but I know that he needs to be certain for himself, and I'll let him take as long as he needs to decide if this is what he wants. I just hope he doesn't take too long.

The term goes by quickly with our vigorous training and the excitement leading up to the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. We train with Father as often as we can, and Draco and I spend even more time on our own in the Room of Requirement working. He's gotten so much better in Occlumency. I think it's helped a lot that we're able to practice on our own, just him and me. The future still scares us, but we are feeling the slightest bit more prepared.

The final task is only a few days away, nearly three weeks before term ends, and the Great Hall is buzzing with talk of it as I come in for lunch. As I scan the room for Draco, my eyes meet Harry's and I offer him a small nod. I know he must be stressed, not knowing what he is about to face. I keep walking, not stopping enough that anyone would notice me acknowledging The Boy Who Lived, and find Draco sitting with fellow Slytherins, pushing food around his plate as the others talk animatedly.

"What are they going on about?" I ask, slipping into the seat next to him.

He looks up at me and smiles before glancing at his housemates, "The final task, what else? I guess I get the hype. I mean, the chance that someone could die is a bit exhilarating, but we can hardly see anything that's going on! We're just sitting around waiting!"

"I know, but I enjoy the suspense. You'll go with me, won't you?"

"Of course," he smirks.

I catch a bit of the conversation going on between his housemates and realize they are placing guesses as to what the task will be.

"There's no use in trying to figure it out. They surprise every time with something bigger than we thought it would be," I shrug.

Draco waves his hand dismissively as I dish food onto my plate, "Let them have their fun. Let's arrange now that I'll meet you on the bridge the day of the task, and we'll push down to the front so you can get a good view."

"Sounds wonderful," I say, taking a sip of my pumpkin juice.

A few days later, I'm doing just as he says and making my way down the long, covered bridge on the grounds. I spot him about halfway down and hurry my steps to meet him. He smiles when he sees me and grabs my hand, beginning to pull me through the crowds of students. Before I know it, we are standing nearly at the front of the stands, not far from where the teachers are gathered discussing what will take place. We take our seats and I am astounded at the ginormous hedges that stand before us. They look like walls to a city, and from the opening in them I can see more of them twisting and turning inside. They're sending the Champions through a giant hedge maze.

"There's got to be more to it than just the hedge maze," I say to Draco, watching the champions walk up in front of us to Dumbledore.

"I'm sure. Otherwise it'd be a rubbish ending to this big thing."

Once all of the students and faculty are seated in the stands, the officials gather our attention and begin to explain how the game will take place, making sure that we understand that horrors await the champions inside the maze. After a quick chat with the competitors, a horn sounds and they all go running at full speed into the maze. And now, as Draco mentioned before, we just wait.

"It's probably going to be a while," he says, leaning over to me.

"Probably, but we never know when the victor will pop up in front of us."

For the first few minutes of the competition, the stands are filled with hushed whispers. The teachers sit just across from where Draco and me sit, and I am able to catch my father's eye. He looks a cross between pained and stressed. It makes me wonder what really could be going on behind those hedges, although I'm not sure if I want to find out. As time passes, the students get louder, more restless. Suddenly, we are all silenced by a horrific scream piercing the air and sparks flying up past the hedges. I grasp Draco's arm in fear, and the rescue crew descends on the maze. In just a few moments, we see the crew helping out a very ashen Fleur Delacour. They sit her on a bench in front of the teachers and wrap a blanket around her shoulders, Madame Maxime swooping down on her like a mother hen.

"I hope she's okay," I whisper to Draco.

"They've got healers here. I'm sure she'll be alright."

We make it about another half an hour with nothing happening before more sparks shoot into the sky. This time, the team brings out a stupified Viktor Krum. Other than being disoriented, he seems to be fine once they de-stupify him.

"This means one of the Hogwarts champions will win!" I exclaim.

Draco lifts his chin, a smug look coming onto his face, "I knew we would. We're the best wizarding school."

I raise an eyebrow, "Oh, so you've abandoned the belief that you would have been better off at Durmstrang?"

A blush creeps up his neck, "I suppose I have."

There isn't much activity after that and it seems to be hours before anything happens again. The crowd has returned to loud chatter and the officials are beginning to pace along the front of the stands. With a large flash and a bang, everyone freezes. I jump up from my seat in surprise, trying to get a closer look. The Triwizard Cup lays discarded a few feet from the landing point and Harry is sitting on the ground over a very still Cedric. Harry looks panicked and disheveled. Dumbledore and the officials rush over to them, but it is Fleur that notices what is wrong before anyone else. Her scream once again pierces the cheers from the crowd and she covers her face. More teachers flock to the two students and Cedric's father pushes himself up into the circle. An anguished cry rips from his lungs as he falls to his knees beside his son and Harry is pulled away.

"He's…dead," I mutter, staring blankly toward the body.

Draco stands silent beside me. As Harry is pulled away and toward the bench with Draco, I hear him frantically saying something about someone being back, and my heart drops into my stomach.

"Did you hear that? We need to find your father," Draco says.

Without saying anything, I start walking over to my father who is now talking to Dumbledore while medics look Harry over. Draco follows close on my heels.

"Yes, it's burning," I hear Father say as we reach them.

I look down and notice that he is gripping his left forearm tightly. If it's possible for my heart to sink any lower, it does.

"Dad?" I ask, my voice cracking, "What's going on?"

He looks down at me and his eyes soften. I know he can see the fear in mine.

"It's time. Draco, take Lena to my office and both of you stay there until I come find you."

I hear Draco mutter a "Yes, Professor," to him and he pulls me away, my mind racing. As Dumbledore calls for the rest of the students to shut themselves in their common rooms, Draco and I scurry down the bridge and into the castle. We don't slow down until we shut Father's door behind us.

I walk over to a sofa, shaking my head. "I didn't think it would be this soon."

Draco sits beside me, "I think we'd ever be ready for it to happen."

"I don't know. I'm scared," I say.

I lean my head over on Draco's shoulder and he wraps an arm around me. I close my eyes as a single tear slides down my cheek.

A/N: Whew, that took way longer than I thought and ended up being a lot longer than I thought. Huge shout out to TheSlytherinRose for Lucius's backstory. All creds for that go to her!