Loving someone never gives you the right to control them. You can't force them to love you the way you want.
- Janja Pond
"What do you mean your plan didn't work?" Severus hisses at Draco.
The blonde scowls at him in annoyance. "He figured out my identity. But I never even saw him when we were supposed to be meeting at the tower, so I don't know how."
Severus sighs. He didn't want to have to do this, but it looks like he doesn't have a choice now. It's already been nearly a week since Draco had failed. It seems the boy had been avoiding him since then, until Severus had grown impatient and pulled him aside after Potions. "Follow me, Draco. We're going to see the Headmaster."
"Now? Why?" Draco gulps.
"Yes, now. Because I said so." He sweeps out of the room, leaving the gawking boy scrambling to follow him. Severus doesn't slow down until he's in front of the gargoyle guarding the passageway to Albus's office. "Pixie puffs," he mutters. His recitation of the correct password prompts the gargoyle to reveal the previously hidden staircase, which he and Draco proceed to climb.
A few moments later, Draco and Severus are seated in front of Albus Dumbledore. "Whatever is so important that you had to speak with me so suddenly, Severus?" the Headmaster inquires.
"Draco and I have reason to believe that one of our students here at Hogwarts is being abused during school breaks. We have both spoken with an individual via the journal competition and received startlingly similar stories of abuse from non-parental relatives written in identical handwriting. Given that neither of us have been able to identify this individual, we feel that it is proper for us to report what we have learned to you, so that you may deal with the situation more effectively than we are able to."
As Severus spoke, he noticed Albus' expression change from calm expectation to shock to something strangely guarded. He's barely finished speaking when Albus says, "I see. Well, this is certainly a delicate situation. But neither of you need concern yourselves. I will handle it. And don't expect to be updated about how it goes, as this is a very private and personal situation for the student in question. Thank you for your due diligence, Severus, and I apologize that you have been involved in something so unpleasant, Draco. Have a good day now!"
And just like that, they're dismissed.
After leaving Dumbledore's office, Draco meets up with Cedric. He's relieved to stop thinking about something as unpleasant as child abuse and allow himself to instead be distracted by the warmth of Cedric's embrace that surrounds Draco a mere moment after he turns the corner.
Draco isn't sure if he's in love with Cedric. It seems like having been this close with someone for only about a week shouldn't be enough time to fall in love. But his chest feels so light whenever Cedric's near. The other boy's presence calms him like nothing else ever has. And his touch ignites the most primitive, passionate desire from Draco. His parents never exactly made him feel love, so he has nothing to compare these feelings to. He can't even use his parents as an example of what love should look like. Because they certainly don't love each other, and he doubts they ever did.
"So I was thinking we could go walk around outside for a bit. It's such nice weather outside today," Cedric tells Draco as he ends their hug and slips an arm around Draco's waist.
"I would like that," Draco responds slightly breathlessly, struggling to focus on anything besides the warm feeling of the arm holding him close.
As they walk outside, Draco glimpses Harry sitting by himself under a tree. He feels an urge to go join the Gryffindor, but instead of following the urge like he would have unquestioningly about a week ago, he just tears his gaze away and squeezes Cedric's hand. This unintentionally prompts the other boy to stop and kiss him, lightly but with a promise of more to come. Such sweet moments truly make him feel like everything is fine and good in the world, offering him the kind of contentment that he's completely unfamiliar with.
Draco's too busy kissing his boyfriend to notice how Harry tenses up a few feet away when he sees the scene in front of him. He doesn't see how difficult it is for Harry to look away from him. And he certainly doesn't hear the sadness with which Harry mumbles "Draco," before finally forcing himself to close his eyes and lay his head back against the tree.
Albus Dumbledore had almost known for certain that Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy had been unknowingly referencing Harry Potter during their recent visit to his office. He simply couldn't tell them so. The wizarding world would have a collective conniption if it were to become public knowledge that the Boy-Who-Lived was stuck in an abusive situation with his muggle relatives.
So it is with great resignation that he summons Harry to his office a few days later. After the boy is seated, he smiles at him as kindly as he can and asks, "So, Harry, how have you been faring this school year?"
Harry seems understandably conflicted as to how best answer the question. He settles for saying, "As well as I think can be expected given the circumstances, Professor."
Albus nods sadly. He always wishes there's more he could do for this boy who's always doing so much for others. "And . . . may I ask if you have spoken with Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy in your journal this year?"
Harry looks surprised, but he nods in confirmation. "I have. But why do you ask?"
"They have expressed some . . . concern about your home life, Harry, based on their conversations with you in the journals. They didn't know it was you, of course, but I see that I assumed your identity correctly. I suppose I know you better than they do." He winks at Harry and chuckles, trying to lighten the mood.
"Wait . . . You've known how horribly the Dursleys have treated me this whole time, and you've never done anything about it?"
Albus frowns. This isn't how he wants the conversation to go. He needs Harry to understand. "Harry, unfortunately, the Dursleys are the only living family you have. You'll be able to handle continuing to live with them, won't you?"
Harry seems to still be in shock from the original revelation of just how much Albus knows. He mutters, "Yeah, I guess. I'm sure you would've gotten me out of there already if you'd planned on doing that."
Before Albus can respond and assure Harry that despite his best judgment, he would indeed relocate Harry if the boy felt it absolutely necessary, Harry stands up abruptly.
They speak at the same time:
"Harry-"
"I'm going to go now. But before I do, I just want you to know that I think my parents would be incredibly disappointed in you."
And then he's gone. Albus sighs regretfully.
It's for the greater good.
"No, Viktor, I'm not turning in an unfinished essay just because you want to take me to Hogsmeade tonight," Hermione growls as she continues scribbling away at her parchment.
"But Hermione, I do not care if you are a perfect student or not. I will still love you," he implores.
She stops writing. "Viktor, I care about being a perfect student. I'm glad you'd still love me even if I wasn't, but you have to value what I want for myself too." Hermione gives him a firm look and goes back to her essay.
But he doesn't stop there. Instead, he holds a package out to her. "I bought these robes for you. I want you to wear them to Hogsmeade tonight."
It's all just too much for her. "I am not your doll, Viktor. You can't just dress me up and put me where you want me. I'm staying here, in the robes I'm wearing now, and working on my essay. Please leave me alone. I'll see you tomorrow."
It seems like what she thinks of as a very reasonable statement has somehow offended him though. Because he doesn't kiss her on the cheek and leave the way he normally does when she makes this kind of request. Instead, he snatches the essay she's been working on.
Rage and adrenaline flow through her veins instantly. As much as she adores this young wizard, no one will control her like this. "Give it back right now, Viktor," she demands with a steely glare.
"Only if you come to Hogsmeade with me."
"I already said no."
"Then you don't get this."
Her mouth falls agape as the paper suddenly burns in his hand. "We're done, Viktor. I don't want to see you again."
She's proud of herself for not crying until after she's out of his sight. Stupid, stupid Hermione. You shouldn't have let yourself believe that he ever saw you as an equal rather than his plaything. You don't need romance! Not when you have your friends and your studies. Everything is fine.
But as much as she knows that's the logical way to look at the situation, she can't stop her heart from hurting. Tears spill down her cheeks as she remembers the beautiful scene Viktor had set to ask her to go to the Yule Ball with him. Then she recalls how amazing that dance had been, better than she'd ever thought such an event could be. And after that, there had been weeks of gazing happily into each other's eyes, kissing (and even doing a bit more than that when no one else was around), holding hands whenever they could, and having intellectual battles while eating together during meals in the Great Hall.
None of those things were the actions of a controlling person. So why does he seem so different now? But neither of them can take back the conversation they've just had. She sinks down onto her bed, hoping that maybe she can wake up from this nightmare.
Harry feels like losing the friendship he'd only briefly had with Draco was a mere sign of so many more bad things to come. He's just found out that Dumbledore has known about all the horrible treatment he's suffered at the hands of the Dursleys this whole time and has done nothing about it. And now Draco is so busy making out with Cedric (more obnoxiously than even the straight couples!) that he doesn't even seem to miss Harry's company at all.
So it only makes the bad feeling in his stomach get even worse when he finds out about Hermione and Viktor's breakup. Harry has an arm around her shoulders protectively while they sit in the Great Hall for breakfast across from Ron and Fleur. When asked if she wanted to talk about it, she'd just glumly bit into an apple without saying anything. They all took that as a "no."
The only good thing about this is that at least it's distracting him from a certain Slytherin. No! There is no "good side" to my close friend's pain, he berrates himself in frustration.
Breakfast passes mostly in silence. After that, Harry has some time to look at his journal again. The one thing he's happy about is that Draco has been speaking to him again through it, still without knowing it's Harry he's speaking with, of course. But they've been keeping the conversation light, and Draco doesn't respond nearly as often as he used to. Harry feels oddly like he's been replaced by Cedric, even though that comparison doesn't quite make sense.
There's also someone new that he's talking to. The only problem is that he's not as invested in this competition as he used to be. Harry has no desire to get close to yet another person only to watch it all fall apart after he figures out the other person's identity. So he doesn't bother to strategize his questions and answers now. He simply asks and answers the first things that come to mind. It probably won't be long before he finally gets eliminated from this awful competition.
Now if only the Triwizard Tournament would just end already too. The hype surrounding the third task keeps putting him on edge. But of course there would be even more drama demanding his attention before even that. Harry supposes his life would just be a little bit peaceful if he could enjoy some drama-free time. And the universe simply can't stand to give Harry a moment of peace, now or ever.
It turns out, Fleur had had a crush on Viktor too. Ron discovered this during a recent post-makeout session talk between the two of them. "Ron," she'd begun in her soft voice, "Have you fancied anyone besides me recently?"
Ron had panicked a bit, worried that she suspected him of cheating on her or something. "I haven't been with anyone but you since the Yule Ball," he'd said.
Perhaps he'd sounded a bit too cagey, looking back on it, because she'd pressed on. "But I have seen the way you look at Viktor. You desire him the same way you desire me." Upon seeing his look of alarm she'd added, "But don't worry, I like him too. And now that he's not with your friend Hermione anymore, perhaps we could convince him to have some fun with us, no?"
So that had left him with the uncomfortable moral dilemma of to what extent must he put his respect for a friend over his own desires. Hermione and Viktor had broken up, so they wouldn't be stealing her boyfriend or anything like that. But still, seeing her newly ex-boyfriend hook up with two of her close friends was unlikely to speed along her emotional recovery. It didn't help that Fleur seemed so eager to do this with him, and she kept reassuring him that Hermione would understand that it was perfectly acceptable for him to follow his own desires.
That's how he and Fleur ended up cornering Viktor in the corridor outside the Great Hall. Ron didn't think Viktor would actually say yes. Perhaps that was just his hero worship of Viktor trying to convince him that Viktor would be the one with the higher moral grounds, that he'd be the one to stop this whole thing before it really started.
Except Viktor had agreed. And Fleur had taken their hands and led them into a broom cupboard somewhere. And now she's kissing him and he feels Viktor's hand on his cheek and then he's kissing Fleur's neck and suddenly Fleur pulls away and guides Viktor's mouth to his. It's everything Ron wanted for so long, but his mind is just registering that this is wrong when the door to the broom cupboard is yanked open.
Draco and Cedric are standing there, bewildered. And Ron and Fleur are both still clinging to Viktor when they see Hermione abruptly appear behind them. She bounds away before any of them have time to say anything.
Hermione comes to him, sobbing. Harry had thought she was doing better recently. She'd been smiling more and didn't seem to stare longingly at Viktor every time he was within eyesight anymore. But now she seems as upset as she did the day they broke up, if not even more so.
"What happened, Hermione?" he asks in concern.
"RonandFleurandViktorinthebroomclosetIjustcan'thandle―" she babbles at the speed of light before sobs overwhelm her once more. He pats her back soothingly (at least, he hopes the gesture comes across as soothing). Now doesn't seem like the time to demand clarification about what she'd just said. "It just h-hurt so much that th-they w-would d-do something s-so c-cruel and inconsiderate!" she cries into his shoulder.
When Ron, Viktor, and Fleur all stumble around the corner of the library towards them, it all makes a lot more sense. Harry's shocked to see Fleur's pink lipstick smeared across both Ron's and Viktor's faces. All of their hair and clothes appear a bit disheveled from wandering hands. Harry looks aghast from the three of them back to Hermione, who's stopped sobbing but turned decidedly away from them. Harry's no genius, but luckily it doesn't take a genius to figure out what's happened that's gotten her so distraught.
"I think you guys should go," he says coolly.
"Hermione―" Viktor and Ron begin pleadingly.
"Stop," Harry declares more forcefully and glares at them. His hand moves to his wand as he hugs Hermione closer.
They seem like they want to stay and talk to Hermione, especially Ron and Viktor, but they do listen to him and leave.
After that, Harry walks Hermione back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Along the way, he talks with her about random things, like what the house elves do with all the leftovers from all their meals. The conversation seems to have her in a slightly better mood, but he's still relieved when Fay Dunbar takes her upstairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry doesn't have much experience comforting heartbroken girls, after all.
While his mind is still distracted by Hermione's situation, he does some more writing in his journal. His current partner has been asking him all kinds of in-depth questions about his life, which he's happy enough to blandly answer while only asking basic questions in return. He and Draco are having a slightly more enjoyable conversation about love and how to recognize it. Harry tries not to think about how the topic being brought up by Draco means that he probably thinks he might be in love with Cedric. It's none of his business, and why should he care if Draco loves Cedric?
The next morning's breakfast is incredibly awkward. Harry had hoped that he and Hermione wouldn't be stuck at their usual spots across from Ron and Fleur, but they'd gotten to the Great Hall so late that those were the only available seats left. She avoids looking at them as best she can, though it's clear to Harry that they keep trying to catch her eyes.
Eventually, Fleur breaks the silence by saying Harry's name. He startles a bit, surprised that he's the one she'd want to talk to out of the three of them. "My sister Gabrielle says that it's been nice getting to know you in the journal," she says with a smirk.
It takes Harry a moment to register what she means, and when it finally clicks in his brain, he's really just relieved. He quickly opens his journal and sees You are Harry Potter written there.
Harry's participation in the journal competition is finally over. Only the third task is left for him to endure.
Though it feels like there's chaos all around him, Harry takes a deep breath. Everything is fine. (Things have never felt further from it.)