III
Catherine or Cate
III
What Should Have Been
III
The Final Task
III
Viktor waited beside the cup as it stood in the centre of the maze listening to Harry reason with the sphinx. Somewhere through the hedges to his left he could hear Fleur and Cedric breathing heavily and walking slowly. They were coming the same way he had. Viktor hoped he had incapacitated that spider properly, it wouldn't do for Fleur to lose her nerve now. It wouldn't do for their plan.
Harry then appeared sauntering up the ally as sounds of spell fire were heard from the otherside of the hedge. Cedric's chuckle gave away the morsel of information that Fleur was making sure the spider was dead before going anywhere near it. Viktor chuckled too and let Harry help him up from the ground.
"It's a good plan, I can hear the hum of the audience," Harry said. "How did you get here so fast?"
"Brute strength!" Viktor replied. "I blew up and burnt away the hedges."
Harry grinned and nodded before slapping him on the back. "Nice."
"Thank you," Viktor replied as Cedric led a shaking Fleur up to the cup.
"Agringes!" Fleur said flinging her hands around before cursing cleverly in French. "Gah! Agrineges! Spiders are 'orrid!" she concluded.
"You good now?" Cedric asked, his eyes sparkling in amusement.
Fleur nodded. "Viktor, 'ow did you get…"
"He blew a straight path through the hedges," Harry said interrupting.
"Nice!" Cedric declared holding his hand up for a high five.
Viktor slapped his palm.
"Ready for the real third task?" he asked. "It is a portkey."
Harry stuck out his hand so it hovered next to one handle. The other Englishman and Frenchwoman quickly followed.
"Tree, two, one," Viktor counted down before they all grabbed.
They reappeared in a cemetery.
Viktor's hand immediately went to Cedric's neck and pushed him to the ground. Harry had already pulled down Fleur.
"Are we good with the plan?" Harry asked quietly.
The three other's nodded.
Harry stood and walked forward.
Viktor listened to their conversation, it was clear that Harry had the upper edge, even after he had been tied to a head stone by some whining lacky. Silently, Viktor hoped that his beautiful Hermione had considered the implication of Harry allowing himself to be caught and his blood taken into her plans. He knew better than to ask.
The potion was finished and Viktor and the two other hiding champions lifted their heads to see Voldemort reborn, looking nothing like any of them expected. He was almost handsome.
"I'm shorter," the man hissed in displeasure before summoning his rat of a servant to him to use the Dark Mark on his arm.
"Ready?" Viktor asked.
Grim silence was his response, but Cedric started easing himself away and around the cleared area to the right. Fleur began doing the same to his left but staying within Viktor's line of sight. She was a talented witch but knew she would be better as a distraction especially if she could partially transform. Viktor hoped she could.
The other Death Eaters arrived and Voldemort made his speech. And as he forced Harry to fight Viktor reminded himself to kiss Hermione. The golden dome of brother wands appeared exactly as they intended.
Launching himself up, Viktor attacked, pulling masks off and ploughing bodily into the hovering Death Eaters. He spotted the masked man who was helping them and quickly tagged him with a tracking spell so that Cedric and Fleur knew who he was and not to attack him.
As he destroyed masks, Viktor looked at faces, he knew that Cedric was close by doing the same, trying to identify all of the evil people who would help the monster return.
Fireballs began raining down and Viktor knew Fleur had successfully transformed at least her arms into a Veela. She was in the fight and trying to memorise faces too, he hoped. Hermione's plan had to succeed. Fleur's scream of pain was the signal and Cedric spun getting hit in his side with a cutting curse. The ghosts whirled around Harry inside the dome. Cedric stayed at Viktor's back sending cover fire to Fleur who was pinned down and injured. Viktor knew odds. They had enough information to do damage.
"Harry!" he bellowed.
"Fleur," Cedric hissed.
"Run for the cup. Give me cover. I vill get her!" Viktor shouted already moving for the Frenchwoman.
He spotted her, unconscious and bleeding heavily from the chest. Dragging her up into his arms, he charged a Death Eater firing curses with his left hand at another. The charge worked and the Death Eater dived and Viktor cut past graves toward Cedric.
An explosion to his left signalled Harry still had his back. The younger teen quickly reached his side and constantly moved and spun shooting off spells. Cedric had the cup hovering in the air, his and ready to grab the base as Harry and Viktor raced towards him.
Viktor could feel his heart in his throat. His chest burnt and Fleur was unmoving in his arms. He couldn't feel her breathing.
"Three!" Cedric called as Harry skidded to a halt and raised his hand.
Viktor reached out as the final number was called and soon he was a swirling mess of magic landing back outside the maze at Hogwarts.
Harry was pulling Fleur off his chest and lay her on the ground throwing blood clotting spells at her chest. Viktor could do nothing but puff as the other two champions worked together to stablise the Frenchwoman.
"What…" was all Viktor managed before Harry conjured a hover board and with help from Cedric pushed and pulled Fleur onto it.
"You carried her at full sprint for almost one hundred meters," Harry snapped leaping to his feet and using his magic to hover Fleur with him as he raced for the castle. "Get to the hospital wing as soon as you can."
Viktor nodded and vaguely was aware of Peter and Draco lifting Cedric who was now mostly limp and racing for the castle with Jemima shooting spell after spell into his back as they ran.
"Up!" Neville said lifting one of his arms as Ivan grabbed the other lifting him off the ground. Hermione smiled tightly as she shot spells at him. "Feather light," Neville requested as they stood and began dragging and carrying him up to the school.
Viktor frowned as McGonagall appeared before him next to Hermione, moving quickly for someone of her age.
"Vere's Dumbledore?" Viktor asked loudly and the older professor cringed.
Viktor hissed in displeasure.
"Most of the students are about to be taken to donate down in the chamber by Jo. Dumbledore is with the political leaders but Narcissa has got her good people heading for the hospital wing," Neville explained. "They are going to copy your memories, first thing and act fast before anyone can say you were all compromised by the conditions."
"There is bound and gagged people at the cemetery," Viktor said.
"Harry had a trace, Vik," Ivan said in English for Neville's sake. "There are people already there catching whomever they can. The minister is a smart lady. She has got you and Harry and our friends protected. They will protect us all."
Viktor nodded.
Hermione appeared back in front of him as they reached the hospital wing.
"Don't close your eyes yet, Viktor. You need to give your memories of tonight to Auror Amelia Bones," Hermione begged. "Just like we practiced. Push them to the front of your mind."
The woman who had more than a passing resemblance to her niece then touched her want to his temple and withdrew the silvery liquid.
"Thank you, Mr Krum," she said softly.
"Sign these documents, Vik," Ivan said appearing at his hand with a quill. "They are safe. I have read them. They read like something Hermione would write."
Viktor took up the quill and scribbled.
"Potions!" Hermione declared shoving vials at him.
Viktor just kept accepting and swallowing trying to forget the image of the man exploding from before his eyes. He exploded from a spell he had shot.
"Sleep," Ivan urged shoving a vial into Viktor's hand and exchanging a worried glance with Hermione.
Viktor swallowed and tasted dreamless sleep. Reaching out he grabbed one of their hands each before closing his eyes and praying for blackness.
III
Cedric watched as Viktor took the vial of dreamless sleep potion offered to him. He himself had decided not to take it. His pain was going to be real. His headache was going to be massive with not thanks to his father.
"Shut up, Dad!" Cedric said finally snapping. "You need to sit down there in that chair and shut up. You do not know what is going on. You do not know why I knowingly risked my life tonight."
It was his mother that got his father to comply. Madame Pomfrey however smiled and squeezed his arm before going back to treating his side.
"Fleur?" he asked.
"She will have a long recover, but she's strong. I don't know why bit it's as if something protected her from most of the spells power. That said with was dangerously overpowered. I would assume that it was meant to sever her in half," the matron said candidly and Harry growled under his breath from the next bed.
"She was partially transformed at the time," Cedric said softly.
His parents' eyes and those of the medi-witch widened in shock.
"That would explain it," his mother said, her own medical training coming to the fore.
"Harry," Cedric said turning his head to look at his friend. "I need to borrow the pensieve. I need to show Mum and Dad what I am fighting for.
"I'll get it," Neville declared, opening the door.
"Thanks, Neville," Moneypenny declared sweeping in to the room.
Cedric caught Harry's eyes and the other teen shrugged in confusion.
"I'll wait until Neville get's back to explain," he declared unpacking document after document from his bottomless bag and laying them down on empty beds around the ward.
Urquhart and his Ravenclaw were the first to arrive and Cedric sat up in bed.
"We're moving now?" Cedric said in alarm as more of the older students on the lists of those who wanted to go into hiding arrived into the hospital wing.
Neville reappeared with the empty pensive and the jar of memories it had previously held. Handing the stone bowl to Cedric his grimaced. Cedric rolled over and picked up his wand from the bedside table. Pulling out all the memories he put them in the bowl.
"In you go, Dad," he urged, but his father remained frozen in his chair.
"Ced, how did you know how to do that?" the older man asked.
His mother hissed her displeasure. "Amos," she said. "I'm sure that he knows far more than we want him to about many things. He knows about a pensieve is for Merlin's sake. Just take the trust he's offering you and look at the proof."
Peter stood and Cedric nodded at the unasked question.
"Come on, Amos," the teen said. "I'm going to need help getting out again."
Cedric watched as the three disappeared into the bowl and at the perfect time as Sirius Black, Andromeda Tonks, Remus Lupin, Blaise Zabini and his mother all entered the wing.
"Everyone inside?" Sirius asked and Moneypenny confirmed.
"Madame Pomfrey, I think there has been an unconfirmed outbreak of something," Sirius suggested moving to Harry's side.
"I'll have to put the hospital wing into lockdown. No one in or out," she declared.
Narcissa Malfoy and her husband tripped in the door as a number of ministry employees too their cues and left. Amelia Bones stayed taking a seat on the bed next to her niece.
"Wait for Miss Sparks," Severus declared sweeping into the wing and heading straight to a bed and lying down. "He's very angry Lucius' connection is gone. Though he said it was just his lack of presence. My being there did little to smooth over the situation."
Joelle moved into the wing with a soft smile to the Harry and himself.
"Fred and George are organising everything. Plenty of cooperation. House elves are providing drinks to everyone after they donate," she said.
"Is that everyone?" Madame Pomfrey asked again.
"I'm pretty sure this time," Moneypenny said. "I can't think of any other extras we may need. Just let's make sure the headmaster can't get in. It won't do having him knowing anything."
"The headmaster can get through those wards," Professor McGonagall said moving from her place on the far side of Harry.
Joelle grinned. "Don't stress. I doubt he can get through a parseltongue locking spell. Madame Pomfrey, do your thing, I will add to it at the end."
The mediwitch waved her wand and Joelle took up hers the moment the elderly woman was finished.
"Call the elves, Harry," Moneypenny declared, before moving to stand in the middle of the room.
Cedric looked to Harry who muttered under his breath and then spoke to several house elves that appeared.
Then his father reappeared, mostly calm but supporting his father. Peter took one look at Cedric and vomited on the floor. Madame calmly vanished the mess.
"Alright," Moneypenny said. "We're going to organise this as best we can, ambush style as much as we can. Those of you who are confident your parents won't be going into your bedrooms at home, use these elves or your personal elves to clear them out, and have them bring everything, including old clothes and uniforms back to Neville and Daphne. Money is about to get tight for a lot of people and we could do with having a spare wardrobe and access to old text books and the like to help get your peers through these tough times."
Having realised he hadn't seen Daphne since before going into the maze Cedric looked around before spotting her in the shadow of Madame Pomfrey's office speaking with Professors Snape and Flitwick. Mrs Malfoy was doing something similar in another corner with one of her aides, the French and German Ministers, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
"Okay, everyone," Moneypenny continued after the first wave of elves had disappeared. "This is what is going to happen. This is a full list of where everybody is going to live protected behind wards. Listen up. I'm going to start at the top. Then Blaise is going to take over on behalf of his mother and then I will finish up with anyone left individually."
"I want to do mine," Neville said moving to stand before Jemima who was seated on a spare bed. "Jemima, my grandmother, the Dowager Lady Longbottom and I would like to offer you and your immediate family asylum in our ancestral home. Please consider this repayment for services you have provided to the House of Longbottom and our ally the House of Potter."
"Neville!" Jemima whispered coving her mouth and tearing. "Of course. I accept. Thank you."
"It's all good," Neville said hugging the young woman who had thrown herself into his arms. "I make the same offer to Ivan and Viktor Krum and their family."
"I accept on our behalf," Ivan said formally bowing his head then glancing to Cedric with a tight smile.
"Hermione?" Harry asked and the bushy haired witch began to shake with her sobs as she agreed to take asylum with her friend. "Potter Manor isn't quite restored yet but give it some time, I'm sure your parents will be comfortable there."
"As long as we are safe," Hermione told them unsteadily.
"Here, here," someone up the back declared and Cedric noticed his father nod his head.
Blaise stepped forward with his mother half a step behind.
"I am the heir to many estates," he began. "After speaking with my mother we have come to a temporary arrangement to help protect all of you. The previous owner of the Fletcher Estate in London, Sir Dorian Fletcher was the great uncle of Katherine Bell. As such, Katie and family I offer you the protection this house and its wards can provide for the low price of one sickle per month rent until this conflict against Voldemort is concluded."
The room began to hum as those gathered recognised the name of one of Blaise's many stepfathers and the efficient simplicity of the plan. Family homes would provide better protection to those who could claim blood better than normal houses with the very best wards ever could.
"An excellent plan, Mr Moneypenny," Lucius Malfoy acknowledged. "You have used the close nature of wizarding heritage to excellent advantage."
"It was Miss Hermione's idea, fleshed out with Blaise before it was bought to me, Lord Malfoy," Moneypenny admitted before Blaise continued, addressing the Urquhart siblings who were both, somehow, present.
"If we want to, can we take our mother too? Or at least our young brother?" Urquhart asked.
"At your own risk, Urq," Blaise said softly, and the two siblings moved until the Slytherin teen was giving his older sister comforting hug. Cedric felt his heart crush as his considered having to leave one of his parents or siblings behind in this situation
"Ah," Joelle said grabbing everyone's attention. "Someone is trying to break through the ward I put up and it's not Professor Dumbledore."
Sirius looked up and around in alarm. "Open it!" he ordered urgently.
Joelle and Madame Pomphrey dropped the wards and a beautiful and very pregnant woman raced it.
"Lock it again!" she shrieked. "That Dumbledore! I want to break his nose!"
"What did he do Maddy, Darling?" Sirius asked as Andromeda Tonks, who was equally pregnant stood.
"He said to me, Madeline, you have no reason to be down here donating your blood to protect Hogwarts. You are a security risk. Please leave!"
"He didn't!" Andromeda declared.
"He did!" Madeline declare her accent getting stronger with every word. "So I told him that as Lady Black I will be considering other schools for the Black Heir to be attending if he was going to be Headmaster when my baby is ready to start school!"
Sirius shook his head. "How about you two both sit down?" he suggested steering his wife over to a bed. "Calm yourselves a moment."
"We already know that Albus' intelligence is leaking out his ears," Minerva declared comfortingly to the two women.
Cedric watched as events continued and the first and second waves of house elves returned presenting a box to each student.
"We should get your brothers back behind the family wards," his father said bringing Cedric attention back to his bedside. "Martin at least. To protect our granddaughter."
Cedric shook his head. "Marty won't believe it. Take the memory and show him."
As his parents stood Cedric smiled as best he could to them.
"Don't do anything else heroically foolish, Cedric," his mother told him pressing her lips to his brow.
"I won't promise anything, but probably not this week," Cedric replied with a real smile. "You go get Marty and Oliver to get back behind the family wards. It's going to be squishy."
"Olly could help with the fidelus," Amos declared. "Take care, son, we love you."
Joelle and the matron opened the door again and a flux of students left the hospital wing as two dozen ministry employees entered.
"Any leftovers, without homes and safe places to go?" Cedric asked Harry.
"A few Muggleborns and half-bloods. We have a protected house but the wards are new and not as strong. They should be fine in that group home situation. Nymphadora Tonks is going to move in there too as a bit of guidance and supervision. They will also have an extra elf to help protect them all," he replied.
They both watched as the three Ministers banished beds and conjured chairs for an impromptu meeting.
Cedric shook his head. "I can't believe I am here watching history."
"You're part of that history, Cedric," Draco said moving from Fleur's side where Daphne had taken up vigil and sitting down between their beds.
Cedric swallowed.
III
Harry grinned as Narcissa took hold of the meeting like an old army general.
"This is what is going to happen. Due to circumstances being what they are, that is twenty five Death Eaters being caught or killed at a Death Eater meeting this evening and the return of Tom Marvolo Riddle to physical form the quidditch world cup is being moved to Germany. The German Chancellor has offered to buy the finished finals stadium for a significant sum and have it transferred to Germany. I have agreed to this arrangement. All tickets that have already been sold will be honoured and international portkeys provided to ensure no one misses their game."
A smattering of applause rose quickly from the listening crowd and Harry grinned, please Narcissa had support.
"It has also come to my attention that the Lord Black requested to my predecessor an inquest into the Triwizard Cup. Before now, considering the quest is binding I refused his additional pleas, especially after Barty Crouch Junior was caught. Madame Bones, I now order you to reopen the investigation into the sabotage and hoodwinking of the Triwizard Cup while under the protection of Hogwarts."
"Of course, Minister," Amelia agreed with a nod to Harry. "I believe Mr Potter and the other champions have already helped my case by donating their memories this evening."
"Thank you, Amelia," Sirius added from his seat further away from Narcissa.
"What of the Death Eaters from the cemetery?" Narcissa asked and a man with shaggy hair stood.
"Rufus Scrimegeour," Professor McGonagall told Harry when he looked questioningly at her. "A man of action."
Harry nodded.
"Minister, I am pleased to announce that Tom Riddle had twenty five few Death Eaters this evening. Six dead. Three from severe burns from a magical creature , two from exploding curses to the head, one killing curse we aurors believe was friendly fire from one of his comrades. Werewolf Fenir Greyback was among those incapacitated, he is currently being charged with dozens of crimes. He had refused a public defender. Andromeda Tonks will be prosecuting the case at midday tomorrow. If guilty, the severity of his crimes will require him to be put through the veil."
"Good," Narcissa declared. "In a vital piece of information, Tom Riddle is more of an idiot than we presumed. As you can all see my husband no longer wears the brand of a Death Eater. We found access to a removal technique. We established during the process that each Death Eater carries a piece of that man's soul, which is why he cannot be killed. We suspect Voldemort had horcruxes on top of this."
"Safe guard after safe guard," Amelia muttered in disgust.
"Minister, a ministry employee was also caught this evening. Delores Umbridge is also awaiting trial tomorrow afternoon. The only crime we can pin to her is being a member of a terrorist group, we suspect her of fraud and embezzlement."
"Show me," Moneypenny said standing up. "I will find you your proof."
"Thank you, Mister Moneypenny," Narcissa declared nodding to a young auror who led the young man away.
"Thanks, Marty," Harry called from his bed and the young man waved goodbye.
"I'll come see you tomorrow, Mister Potter," he declared before leaving.
"Delores Umbridge and any other ministry employee caught tonight is to be stripped of their credentials and charged," Narcissa declared. "Have the champions memories been checked yet?"
"Due to Miss Delacour's unstable condition we have not witnessed her memories, but those of the other three champions provide more than enough evidence to arrest at least fifteen more persons of interest," Scrimegeour declared.
"I want them in holding cells by the end of tomorrow," Narcissa declared.
"Minerva!" Severus Snape called racing into the ward, surprising them all. "Sorry," he muttered looking to the meeting. "Minerva! Check the wards. Check them now!"
Harry watched as the woman he thought of as his grandmother performed a spell and after a moment of shock performed it again.
"The ancient wards are in place," she said hoarsely. "I don't even know what they do but Hogwarts is protected to a level greater than the founders could have imagined."
Hermione stood and Draco, Blaise and Jemima followed her lead.
"Go," Harry told them and the four of them and his four friends rushed out.
In his sleep Viktor stirred fitfully. Cedric kept his eyes on the ministry meeting. Fleur lay pale and still.
Harry felt horribly ill for a moment.
"Harry?" Narcissa asked, obviously again, moving from her place at the centre of the meeting.
"Yes? Sorry. What did you ask?" Harry said softly, queasy as images of the fight returned to fore of his mind.
"Why did you send them off?" Narcissa asked again.
Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and Neville stood.
"We have contingencies in place because we don't know what the magic is going to do. From the moment we started making blood donations we have been constantly monitoring all entrances into the school. The most important ones now are the secret ones. Recently there has been evidence of repair in the tunnels especially. They are going to check. Jemima has been studying the wards under the guidance of a wardsmith and wardbreaker. She believes that Hogwarts has a ward that makes the doors impossible to open from the exterior. It was a very popular ward during the construction of Hogwarts. If it is in place it makes Hogwarts much safer if the tunnels are already under this spell and we don't need to find a way to close them all off."
"What other contingencies do you have?" some unidentified ministry employee asked.
"Many, starting with Lord Malfoy becoming the new History of Magic professor. Now that our ghostly professor has moved on we will learn more relevant information about the magical communities past under Professor Malfoy's tuteledge," Neville said firmly.
"As headmaster I have to appoint all teachers," Dumbledore declared from the doorway. "I do not allow Mister Malfoy to take on this position of authority in my school."
Harry almost smirked as Minerva huffed at his side.
"Where were you, Professor, when Fleur lay dying on the grass between Cedric, Viktor and I outside the maze?" Harry asked. "How could you allow for us to be removed from Hogwarts grounds by portkey?"
"Harry, you have had a trying evening. Get some sleep let me deal with this for you," the old man said calmly, his eyes twinkling.
"Dumbledore," Harry said lifting himself and climbing out of bed, infinitely glad for Neville's strength at his back. "My guardian is the Lord Black. My steward is a werewolf. My father was Lord James Potter and my mother Lady Lily Evans-Potter, the singularly most powerful witch of her generation and a muggleborn. Do you really think me ignorant? I am being used as a pawn in someone's sick game. I do not appreciate it. My allies don't appreciate it. If you do not appoint Lord Malfoy to the position of Professor, History of Magic, I will leave Hogwarts for the duration you are her headmaster. My friends will come with me. You will be pawnless."
"And as his legal advisor, if I discovered any evidence of this 'pawning'," Andromeda said standing. "I will sue the pants off you."
"The four heads of house have already agreed to his appointment, Albus," Minerva said speaking up. "Don't make me quote charter at you."
A small moan distracted them all.
"Harry!" Daphne squeaked as Fleur's parents and sister began all babbling at the figure in the bed together.
Harry rushed to her side and heard Cedric and Peter calling for Neville's help to move the Hufflepuff.
"Fleur?" he called holding her and Daphne's hands between his.
"We did eet?" she asked weakly.
"Yes!" Harry assured her as Cedric arrived at his side.
"My memories," she said smiling to her parents and sister. "Catch zee bad men."
"They got twenty five with fifteen more to catch," Cedric told her. "You did wonderfully, Fleur. Scary as when your arms are all Veela like."
"Memories," Fleur insisted.
Amelia Bones stepped forward and Harry allowed Daphne to usher back him to his bed. With relief he sunk against the pillows and Daphne climbed up beside him and lay her head down on his chest.
"It's going to be okay," she said softly as she turned her face into his shoulder.
"For now," Harry promised her, reaching for Professor McGonagall's hand as she maintained her place beside his bed.
With a smile to each person he cared for in the room, Harry closed his eyes.
III
Fleur woke randomly after that first time when she gave her memories to the British law enforcement woman. Her parents and sister were always at her side, but she couldn't keep her eyes open long, just long enough to take her potions.
She must be hurt, Fleur mused because she never took her potions quietly.
Eventually she woke late in the day, almost sundown to singing. She could hear Harry and Hermione, they often sung in the Champions dorm, old songs that were boppy even if the words were about sad things. Hermione was a wonderful singer and Harry was quite good too. Neville was not, but he was singing loudly too.
Fleur giggled.
"About time you opened your eyes," Cedric declared, forcing Fleur to actually open her eyes.
What she saw was a dozen teens singing their own music as they danced. Her parents swaying off to one side as Sirius swung his heavily pregnant wife around exuberantly.
"Harry and Daphne have still admitted to nothing," Cedric said, noticing her eyes lingered on the dancing couple.
Next to them she notice her sister was dancing with Daphne's dog.
"My sister iz going to want a dog like zat!" Fleur muttered.
"I'm pretty sure your mother is too," Cedric replied. "Are you feeling any pain?"
"Non," Fleur replied. "I feel much better."
"Good," Cedric said. "Draco has noticed you are awake."
"Fleur," Draco said appearing at her side. "Thank Merlin you're okay!"
"Better zan okay!" Fleur replied with a weak laugh. "What iz going on 'ere?"
"One last party, one moment of happiness before you all go home," Draco replied.
Fleur noticed Hermione watching them even though she danced with Viktor. Fleur gave her a wave.
"We are friends for life now!" she said as Harry and Daphne moved over. "None of you will ever get rid of me!"
"Good you're awake!" Harry declared. "Viktor, let us present Miss Delacour with her prize!"
Fleur watched as Cedric and Harry produced a jingling bag each and then Viktor produced two.
"Your quarter of the winnings, Fleur," Cedric said softly deposition the small sack into her cupped bag after it was passed to him. "Beauxbatons won also. You helped change the world."
Fleur looked up at the smiling faces around her and also noticed the German Chancellors son Wolfgang hoving at the back of the gathered group.
"Let us keep changing eet!" Fleur said with her biggest smile. "After I 'ave another nap."
The group laughed loudly before being dispersed by the Hogwarts nurse.
"I 'ave good friends," she said before accepting the next round of potions.
"That you do, dearie," the matron replied. "Now do your best to get better for them."
Fleur nodded and looked to the doorway when they all hovered. She waved. They waved back. And Fleur smiled.
III
III