Hello everyone, welcome back! Here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it; I know I enjoyed writing it! :)

Chapter 11

A few weeks later, Harry was pacing in her suite, biting her lip. Twenty minutes past curfew, but Luna still hadn't shown up yet! Her little sister didn't have to sleep in her suite, but she'd stayed with her every night since they'd first met.

Getting a sinking feeling in her gut, Harry summoned the Marauder's Map. Quickly, she located Luna in an abandoned classroom on the sixth floor. Her blood ran cold seeing several more names there. Grabbing her invisibility cloak- which Dobby had cleaned and left hanging on a rack for her- she bounded out the door and raced along the corridors, praying she'd get there in time. When she arrived, the room was locked, but a muttered Alohomora took care of that. She quietly opened the door and bristled as righteous fury thundered through her veins like molten lava.

Just like when she'd first found her, Luna had been stripped down to her underwear and was huddling in a corner. This time though, there were three girls circling her like a pack of vultures. One of them twirled Luna's wand in her hand. The young blonde was glaring defiantly at her tormentors, a lone tear trickling down her face, as they casually debated which spells they should hex her with.

"How about the Balding Hex?" the Asian girl suggested.

"It's a good start, but not enough, Su," said the brunette next to her. "A simple one-off isn't going to teach her her place."

"How about we add a Pimple Curse or three to the mix then, Marietta? Oh, and a Wedgie Jinx too!" piped up the girl twirling Luna's wand.

Marietta shook her head exasperatedly. "You really love those Wedgie Jinxes, Mandy. Do you have a fetish for them or something?"

Mandy scoffed, but Luna interjected before she could respond. "You're all going to regret this once my big sister shows up!" Harry was proud of Luna; her voice didn't even tremble.

Marietta sneered. "You don't have a sister, Loony!" she spat acidly. "That freak isn't a real girl, and either way Potter won't be able to find you!"

And that was her cue. "Is that so?" Harry snarled, stepping out from under her Invisibility Cloak. The three bullies heads' whipped around so fast it nearly gave them whiplash. Their eyes widened, and Harry was pleased to see the Asian girl- Su Li- gulp. Softening her gaze, she turned to her little sister. "You alright, sweetheart?"

Luna's shoulders sagged in relief. "I am now."

Harry's eyes twinkled Dumbledore-esque. "Come here then, sweetheart. I can't take out the rubbish with you in the splash zone." Luna grinned and skipped over to her side, entirely uncaring of the three glares aimed her way, basking in the protective feeling of her sister's presence. Harry smiled reassuringly before snapping around to face her sister's bullies. Her emerald eyes glowed as she pierced them with a withering glare. The difference between the two looks caused Su Li to subconsciously take a step back.

Her cohort's reaction snapped Marietta from her shock. "Potter!" the brunette sneered. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't you hear me tell my little sister? I'm here to take out the rubbish," Harry said calmly, as if they were merely discussing the weather.

"You don't have a sister, freak!" Mandy screeched. "You two are just a couple of worthless orphans!" Harry's eye twitched as unwanted memories from her childhood resurfaced.

"Yeah! And Loony doesn't even have her wand. There's three of us and only one of you!" Marietta added.

"Oh?" Harry drawled, raising an eyebrow in grim amusement. Before they could react, a silent Expelliarmus caused Luna's wand to sail into her outstretched hand. She tossed it to its rightful owner, who snatched it gracefully from the air. "Still think you can take me?" Harry taunted.

Su Li shivered. If there was one thing her father's martial arts training had taught her, it was knowing when she was outclassed. Not even with her trained eyes had she been able to track Harry's movements, let alone stop them. The redhead was too quick- she was just a blur. She winced, already knowing she would lose; she prayed it would be over quickly.

Marietta grit her teeth. "Scalpere Capillum!" she cried.

Mandy was only a split second behind her. "Densaugeo!"

Smirking, Harry cast a silent Protego that effortlessly repelled the Scalping Hex and Teeth Growing Hex and sent them careening harmlessly into the wall. "Luna sweetheart, why don't you head back to the suite?" she suggested, still in the same calm tone. She handed her the invisibility cloak to cover herself with. "I'll catch up with you once I've thrown out the trash, alright?"

Luna nodded slowly, eyes wide and mouth hanging open slightly. She knew from experience how powerful the girls' hexes were. Blinking twice, Luna turned to give her would-be tormentors a pitying frown, then tilted her head to the side. "They seem to be a fan of wedgie hexes," Luna commented. "I wonder why."

"I'm not sure, but I'll let you know once I find out." Luna giggled, pecked her big sister on the cheek, then skipped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Harry cracked her neck and smiled sadistically, baring her teeth eerily similar to a goblin. "Well ladies, you've had your fun. Now it's my turn!"

Ten minutes later, Harry took a deep breath as she entered her suite. Once again she was tackled by a ballistic blonde hug-missile as Luna barreled into her. Since the blonde refused to move, Harry began to fear the worst. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" she asked gently. However, the response she received was so not what she was expecting, but so typically… Luna, she later wondered why she bothered worrying in the first place.

The young blonde lifted her head and beamed at her. "I'm great, big sister!" Luna chirped- like an actual bird! "Thank you so much! You were even cooler than a Crumple-Horned Snorkack!"

Harry grimaced. "You- are you sure you're alright, sweetheart?" she asked again, more hesitantly this time. "You're not sad? Or upset?"

A look of honest confusion settled onto Luna's face as she frowned. "Why would I be? The nargles didn't really do anything to me. Besides, I knew you would come for me, big sister!" Luna's smile was positively luminous as she squeezed her tighter.

Harry's brow furrowed. "But how did you know that?"

Luna released her to look directly into her eyes. "Because I believe in you," she told her, as if she were stating a simple fact of life. "You're my big sister; I know you'll always be there for me."

A warm glow filled Harry's chest. Shaking herself, she patted Luna's head. "Never change, Luna." The young girl giggled happily and Harry grinned. "Come on, time for bed, sweetheart." Nodding obediently, Luna let out a big yawn then grabbed Harry's hand and followed her to their bedroom. Too tired to shower, Harry simply cast a Scourgify on the both of them before climbing into bed and cuddling her little sister as they fell asleep.


Two days before the third task, Harry, Hermione, and Luna were lounging about in Harry's bed, reviewing all the useful spells Harry had learned for the tournament. As they studied, Harry thought back to a month ago when Bagman had ordered the champions to the quidditch pitch for a briefing on the third task.

The pitch had been completely unrecognizable, with huge hedges growing all over it. Bagman had them guess what the hedges were there for, but being intelligent people, they all deduced the Third Task would be a maze rather quickly, much to Bagman's consternation. After realizing the man-child had nothing important left to tell them other than that there'd be obstacles- which was ridiculously obvious, in both senses of the word- the four champions had then spent the rest of the meeting giving the retired Beater grief for the heinous crimes he'd committed against the Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch. Even Fleur, who wasn't a Quidditch fanatic like the other three, had gotten in on the fun. The Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports had grown redder and redder in the face as the barbs just kept on coming, each more creative and insulting than the last. Finally, he'd reached his limit and stalked away in a huff. The four champions had sniggered at his tantrum before heading back to the castle together, laughing and chatting away.

Her little sister's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "You're going to win the whole tournament, I just know it," Luna said proudly.

The blonde's confidence made Harry beam at first, but soon a tendril of doubt wormed its way inside her mind. How could Luna possibly think that? The tournament was designed for fully grown witches and wizards, and she was only in her fourth year, for Merlin's sake! Her heart beat erratically as fear plagued her thoughts. Her eyes shifted around the room furtively as she bit her lip and twirled a strand of her hair around her finger.

Luna frowned. "Are you alright, big sister?"

Harry- not wanting Luna to worry- did her best to push her fear aside, and plastered a cheerful grin on her face. "I'm fine, sweetheart. Just want the tournament to be over. Come on, quiz me on the Impediment Jinx!" She turned around to grab another book.

Luna saw right through her fake smile. "You're allowed to be afraid, big sister," she said sympathetically. "I'm not going to think less of you for it."

Harry froze in place. "Thank you, sweetheart, but I'm fine," she said, her voice hitching almost imperceptibly.

"Harry, I've been your best friend for almost four years now, do you really think I can't tell when you're lying through your teeth?" Hermione pointed out, shaking her head sadly.

"I-I'm fine," Harry insisted, clearly not. "No need to worry."

"Big sister," Luna muttered pleadingly. Harry slowly swiveled her head and the girls were stunned to see her eyes glistening with nascent tears. "'People cry, not because they are weak. It is because they've been strong for too long'," Luna quoted wisely. She did not speak in her usual airy tone, but in a solemn one, filled with compassion. "Since the first time we met, you've always been there for me, big sister. This time, let me be there for you."

It took all of Harry's willpower to continue keeping her tears at bay. "I'm scared, Luna," she admitted in a very small voice. "Every year, I go through one life threatening situation after another. First the stone, then the basilisk, then Pettigrew, and now this. I've only managed to survive by the skin of my teeth thanks to stupid amounts of luck, but luck doesn't last forever. I don't-" A warbled gurgle rose from the back of her throat. "I don't want to die!" she croaked.

Luna raced forward to wrap her arms around her big sister in a loving embrace as Hermione surreptitiously cast a privacy charm at the door just to be absolutely sure nobody could listen in on them. "It's ok to be afraid, Harry," Hermione told her. "You don't have to be a tough guy anymore. You're not one right now, after all."

For some reason, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Harry finally gave in and allowed the tears to cascade down her cheeks like a waterfall. "That's it, big sister, let it all out," Luna whispered encouragingly.

"I'm so scared! I-I don't want to die! I'm too young! There's so much I still want to do!" Harry blubbered. "But I haven't even finished my fourth year yet! How can I possibly survive this? That maze is meant to be challenging for fully grown witches and wizards! Something is going to happen to me and I'm going to die. I don't want to die!" she repeated hysterically. Luna just squeezed her tighter.

"Harry James Potter, that is a load of rubbish!" Hermione admonished furiously, putting her hands on her hips. "You are better trained and better prepared for the Third Task than you've ever been for any of our previous adventures!"

Harry whimpered. "But- But, Hermione, I-"

Hermione raised a hand to cut her off and looked her right in the eye. "You. Are. Not. Going. To. Die!" she growled fiercely. "You hear me, Potter? You're not! You are going to go out there and you are going to do what you always do- win!" Harry's eyes widened. Hermione had never yelled at her before- not like that.

Luna ran her small fingers through Harry's long hair comfortingly. "Hermione's right, big sister. You're going to be fine."

Harry switched her gaze between the two of them. Meeting their eyes, she sniffled then nodded mutely. Hermione conjured a handkerchief and handed it to her. "Thanks," Harry said quietly before blowing her nose. Hermione nodded, a proud smile replacing her stern look. Harry turned to her sister. "Sorry I got your shirt wet, Luna."

The little blonde smiled brightly. "It's fine; I can always wash it later." She winked and Harry chuckled weakly. Suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, Harry lay down, and Luna quickly shifted her big sister's head so it rested in her lap.

"Sleepy, g'night," Harry mumbled, before passing out with a small smile. Hermione stared at her best friend sadly while Luna brushed some of Harry's hair out of the redhead's mouth.

"I can't wait until this tournament is over," Luna said.

Hermione rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I know," she agreed. "Harry's under so much pressure right now. She hasn't cracked a single joke all week. It'll be good to hear her laughing again."

Luna smiled wryly. "I don't think she'll be waking up anytime soon. We should probably sleep too."

Hermione nodded and slid off the bed. "Good night, Luna."

"Good night, Hermione." The brunette quietly left the suite and headed for her dorm room. Luna lay down, carefully adjusting her position so that Harry's head was comfortably nestled between her breasts. Harry's always made the best pillow for her; she was hoping hers would do the same.


At breakfast the day of the task, Luna was quizzing Harry and Hermione on the Goblin Rebellions of the 18th Century as the three witches piled pancakes and eggs onto their plates. Well, Harry and Luna did at any any rate, Hermione was too busy fretting over their upcoming exam to care about trivial things like food and her health.

It had caused a bit of a kerfuffle when Harry had shown up to take the first exam with her yearmates. Being a Triwizard champion, she was technically exempt, but she'd decided to take them anyways to show Professor McGonagall that the faith she'd show in her at the start of her prank had not been misplaced. Ron had protested loudly over Harry's presence, but McGonagall had read him the riot act. She'd said Harry was to be commended for taking her studies so seriously before giving the youngest champion a real smile. What further cemented in Harry's mind that she had made the right choice though was the way Hermione had beamed at her as she told her how proud of her she was.

As they ate and studied, Professor McGonagall walked over to them. Her lips twitched when Harry attempted to get Hermione to put down her book and have a slice of toast. She cleared her throat to get their attention. "Miss Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the hall after breakfast."

Harry's brow furrowed. "But the task's not until tonight, isn't it?"

The professor nodded. "It is, Miss Potter, but the champions' families have been invited to watch the final task. This is a chance for you to greet them." McGonagall was surprised to see Harry purse her lips and cross her arms.

"I have no family who would be there," Harry pointed out icily, and the professor flinched at her own callousness. She gave the young redhead a solemn look.

"My apologies, Miss Potter, I had not realized how my words could be misconstrued. You do have visitors waiting for you, although you are correct that they are not blood related. Nevertheless, I'm sure they'd be delighted to see you. I'd tell you who they are, but I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." With one last apologetic look, the professor turned on her heel and left the Great Hall. Harry's eyes tracked her until she was out of sight. Eventually, the redhead turned to face her best friend and little sister.

"Who do you think it is?" Harry wondered.

"The Weasleys," Hermione replied promptly, finally taking a bite to eat, sensing an unavoidable lull in the studying.

Harry snorted very unladylike. "Probably, I don't exactly know any other wizarding families, do I?"

"Maybe it's Daddy?" Luna theorized, putting a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "I have told him quite a bit about you, after all, and he's very interested in meeting you."

Harry eyed her warily. "Is he now?"

Luna beamed, not noticing- or more likely, purposely ignoring- Harry's obvious reluctance. "Oh yes!" she said brightly. "Daddy wants to thank you for looking after me, and to invite you to Sweden this summer, to hunt for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks with us."

The tension visibly drained from Harry's shoulders. She gave her little sister a kiss on her forehead. "I'd love to, sweetheart! Come on, let's go see who it is." The redhead held out her hand, and Luna immediately intertwined hers with her sister's, giggling softly.

Hermione's lips twitched upwards. "We'll need to talk summer plans later; my mother has ordered me to invite you two over some time this summer." The sisters grinned. They then noticed Fleur and Cedric heading for the hall, with Viktor following not too far behind them. "I'll see you at the exam, Harry!" Hermione said. She threw her book bag over her shoulder, snatched up the History textbook in one hand and her half-finished piece of toast in the other, eating and studying as she left the Great Hall.

Harry and Luna followed after the champions, still holding hands. They entered the chamber and saw a door a little to the left. Opening it, they entered the room.

Off to the side, stood the Diggorys. Cedric rolled his eyes at something his father said before he noticed the two girls and waved at them. Cedric's father scowled at Harry as she waved back, and Cedric's mother stifled an amused giggle at her husband's reaction. Huddled in a corner were Viktor Krum and his parents, conversing in rapid Bulgarian. Whatever they were talking about seemed to make Viktor very happy; Harry had only ever seen him smile that brightly when he'd been dancing with Hermione. On the other side of the room were Fleur and her parents, with little Gabrielle holding her sister's hand as she jabbered away in French. Lurking by the fireplace, Molly Weasley observed the foreigners suspiciously, while her eldest, Bill, kept sneaking glances at the French competitor.

"Oh poo! Hermione was right," Luna complained. Harry giggled as her sister pouted. The mention of the muggleborn caused Mrs. Weasley to turn their way. She looked at them confused before something seemed to click in her mind. She pursed her lips, and Harry felt a eerie sense of foreboding as the two Weasleys walked over to them.

"Hey there Harry! Have to say, you're looking much sexier than the last time I saw you," Bill greeted her, waggling his eyebrows. Harry blushed, but recovered quickly. She smirked then flipped her long hair over her shoulder saucily, but was interrupted before she could say anything by an irate Weasley matriarch intent on delivering a personal Howler, face-to-face.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" Molly's shrill voice grated on the ears of everyone in the room and silenced all conversations taking place. Mrs. Weasley put her hands on her hips and began her tirade.

"I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN I READ ABOUT IT IN THE DAILY PROPHET! I WAS CERTAIN THERE WAS NO WAY SUCH A SMART YOUNG MAN WOULD DO SOMETHING SO DISGRACEFUL! TO CHANGE YOUR GENDER LIKE THAT IS- IS JUST- I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD BE SO SHAMELESS! YOUR PARENTS WOULD BE DISGUSTED BY YOUR BEHAVIOR, YOUNG MAN, AND I HAVE NO DOUBT THEY WOULD BE JUST AS DISAPPOINTED IN YOU AS I AM! NOW, YOU ARE GOING TO STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS AND TAKE THE ANTIDOTE TO THAT HORRID POTION IMMEDIATELY, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Mrs. Weasley inhaled deeply to catch her breath before continuing.

"AND ANOTHER THING! RONALD HAS TOLD ME ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE BEEN UP TO LATELY! I AM APPALLED THAT YOU WOULD TREAT YOUR BEST FRIEND LIKE THAT! THE SECOND THAT ANTIDOTE PUTS YOU RIGHT, YOU ARE GOING TO GO STRAIGHT TO HIM AND APOLOGIZE FOR YOUR INEXCUSABLE BEHAVIOR! YOU BEST HOPE HE FORGIVES YOU, YOUNG MAN!"

When the woman finally finished shouting, Harry's lips were pursed thinner than McGonagall's. Her eyes blazed with an emerald fury that had Bill take a step back. He was a professional Curse-Breaker who recognized danger when he saw it. Luna squeezed her sister's hand tighter to give her as much non-verbal support as she could.

Harry replied to Molly's diatribe with a single word, her tone frigid and unyielding. "No."

Mt. Molly erupted once more. "WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME, YOUNG MAN?"

Harry glared at the woman she once respected. "I said no!" she repeated indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I'm not a man, I'm a girl! Or are your eyes as faulty as your information? I'm not changing back and I'm not apologizing to Ronniekins. He's the one who should be apologizing to me! Do you know why I took the potion to begin with? Why I've been giving Ron the cold shoulder? Do you have even an inkling of why I've done what I have? NO. YOU. DON'T!" A visible aura of Harry's magic formed around her, reacting to its master's anger.

"And how dare you claim to know what my parents would think of me!" Harry hissed, so mad she almost slipped into Parseltongue. She caught herself though, and took a deep breath to try and calm down a little. "Your precious Ronniekins made his bed when he decided being a jealous git was more important than our three years of friendship, and now he has to lie in it! He's the one who wronged me, not the other way around. Instead of yelling at me for the choices I've made- which is something you have no right to do since you are not my mother!- go and teach your son to be a decent human being!"

Molly bristled, but before she could launch into another tirade, Bill put a hand on her shoulder to cut her off. He shook his head at her questioning glare then turned to Harry mournfully. "What did Ron do?" he asked. Harry took another deep breath, but it was Viktor Krum who answered him.

"He insulted her at Yule Ball. If I had not stopped him, he would haff punched her in face," the Bulgarian replied in his usual gruff accent.

Bill nodded at him. "Thank you," he said solemnly.

Molly blanched. "Bill! How could you believe this… boy, over your own brother!" she exclaimed, eyeing the foreigner suspiciously.

"Because I know Ron, and this sounds exactly like the type of jealous shite he'd pull!" Bill spat, glaring at his mother. "And even if Ron was telling the truth, that's still no excuse to air this out in public! Harry's right- you are not her mother! You do not have the right to berate her and tell her what to do!" He bowed low to Harry, hands clasped firmly at his sides, staring down at the floor. "Miss Potter, as the Heir to the House of Weasley, I would like to apologize to you for the actions of our own," he intoned gravelly.

Harry blushed at the formality, and Luna- knowing her big sister was not well versed in pureblood etiquette- quickly whispered in her ear what she should say if she wished to accept the apology or not. "As… heir- heiress? As the last scion of the House of Potter, I accept the apologies of the Heir to the House of Weasley."

Bill straightened and smiled at her warmly. "Thank you, Harry." Her cheeks tinged pink as she averted her gaze shyly, biting her lip. Merlin-damned hormones! Bill turned back to his mother. "Come on, Mum, we need to have a chat with Ickle Ronniekins. Sorry for disturbing your conversations everyone." With that, the professional Curse-Breaker thundered out of the room, Molly following in his wake after glowering at Harry one more time.

Once the door closed, Harry felt the full weight of Molly's invective press down on her, compounded with all the negative emotions associated with Ron's betrayal the woman had reawakened. If it weren't for the strangers in the room, she'd have already broken down. Luna hugged her tightly, trying to convey all of her feelings for her through that one action.

"I love you, big sister," Luna reminded her, and Harry took a deep, calming breath as she attempted to regain control over her haywire emotions.

She felt a calloused hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Viktor Krum frowning. "Do not listen to harpy," he advised, his lips twitching. "She is bitch."

"I take offense to zat!" Fleur chimed in from behind them. The quarter veela wrinkled her nose. "My 'arpy form iz not nearly as 'orrible as zat woman's voice! Iz she always zat loud?"

"Molly Weasley is famous for her howlers," Cedric contributed, winking conspiratorially at the youngest champion. He scrunched his brow and stroked the stubble on his chin that passed for a beard at his age. "She's much louder in person though…"

Harry smiled at their support. "Thank you."

The champions and Luna shared a look. "Avec plaisir, mon amie," Fleur said warmly, speaking for the group.

A bell rang and Luna gasped. "We need to head to class or we'll miss our exams!"

Harry chuckled. "Well, we can't have that! Hermione would kill me."

"Don't you mean 'us'?" Cedric asked, scratching his head.

Harry snickered and shook her head. "No, she'd blame me for 'corrupting' Luna."

Viktor grinned. "She does get bit obsessed, no?"

Harry held her thumb and index finger half an inch apart. "Just a bit."

Cedric grinned. "This is why I'm not taking the exams," he teased.

"Oui," Fleur agreed, nodding her head. Harry maturely stuck her tongue out at them before grabbing Luna's hand and sprinting out the door.

And that's a wrap! I hope you all enjoyed it! Don't forget to leave a review; they're what keep me alive and writing! See you all next week!

Edited: 5/13/19