Chapter 35
"Cedric is getting jittery lately," whispered Ernie to Harry. He looked a little bit worried.
Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were having Herbology as their first lesson that Monday morning. Ernie was sitting at the same table together with Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Hannah Abbott. They were taking notes on the additional properties of Bubotuber pus. Professor Sprout also indicated that there will be practical lesson on how to safely collect and store the pus near the end of the period.
"Any idea why?" whispered Harry back, his quill traveled across the parchment as he continued taking notes from the blackboard.
"Probably due to what we saw last Saturday. Remember when we were all gathering at the school compound watching the supposedly First Task arena being built? Cedric and a few of us decided to take a closer look. Man, the arena looks really intimidating. We can't see what's inside but several seventh years who ventured into the rocky valley before told us you could only find big boulders and really sharp rocks there. Seriously though, what do you think they expect the champions to face?" said Ernie.
"Well, it is a Triwizard Tournament," said Harry as a matter a factly. "You can't expect them to make it easy for the champions."
"Yeah I know that," said Ernie. He looked around before continuing, "Cedric is having a second thought about the whole Triwizard thing. I think he was beginning to regret it. I'm worried. You think they'll tell the champions what they will be up against with before Tuesday?"
"As far as I know they won't tell you until right before the task begin. Cedric can't back away now. Not when a binding magical contract is in place," said Harry.
"That's the problem isn't it? How do they expect the champions to be prepared when they have no idea what they will be facing? I wonder what'll happen to them if they break the magical contract," said Ernie.
"Well I think the idea is that the champion has to be prepared and be on alert not matter what the circumstances are," explained Harry. "Eternal glory and a thousand galleons prize money. That's your clue. About the repercussion of breaking the contract, I have no idea. So far everyone who put their name in the Triwizard Tournament history didn't back away."
"That's it, isn't it? If Cedric keeps on going like this, Hogwarts will lose, badly."
"Something will come up, I'm sure of it. Just tell Cedric to keep on practicing. He's our only hope now," said Harry. "The Goblet didn't choose him for nothing, you know. I'm confident he can get through."
Second period…
Harry was busy tending his Blast-Ended Skrewt when Daphne came up to him. The Gryffindorians were having Care for Magical Creatures together with the Slytherin.
"Hey, Harry," she greeted him.
"Hey, Daphne," greeted Harry without looking back at her. He was busy not trying to get himself injured by the skrewts. At the same time, that rotting fish smell was beginning to get to him. He swore he will lose his sense of smell and his nose will reduce into something not unlike Voldemort's nostril by the end of the year if this keeps on going.
"I heard someone gave you trouble a few days ago," she said.
Harry paused at this. He turned to look at Daphne who was looking at him expectantly.
"You heard wrong," said Harry as he returned to his skrewt. "There's really nothing going on."
"So no one's threatening you?" asked Daphne.
Once again Harry paused. He looked around and found Hermione, who was looking furtively at him and Daphne. The bushy haired girl immediately looked away when she saw Harry was staring at her.
"It's under control," said Harry, returning to his skrewt. "Besides, I'm used to be threatened. Didn't bother me much. There's nothing to worry about. Teenage hormones. That's what they said."
"I see."
"So you're going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" asked Harry in an attempt to change the topic of the conversation.
"Most likely not," said Daphne. Lucky for Harry, she decided to follow suit.
"Why not?"
"Believe it or not, I'm not fond of places like that, including Diagon Alley. I've grown tired of being hit on by men every time I go to those kinds of places. I've only gone to Hogsmeade once last year, you know the first time we were allowed to visit there. You can't believe the amount of crap men put me through. The Three Broomsticks was the worst. Luckily there was Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop where I could take refuge. Me and Tracy got back into the castle before noon. She complained about it though. She really wanted to visit all the shops there," explained Daphne.
Harry nodded in understanding. "Poor Tracy," he said, earning a playful jab on the shoulder from Daphne. "Yeah I guess it would be better if you stay away from Hogsmeade this weekend. That small town will be crowded, what with the Tournament next Tuesday."
"I know, right?" said Daphne. "Me and my sister will probably spend our time with our family and cousins on that day."
"Oh, they'll be here too?" asked Harry.
"Yes. Along with Tracy's and many others. They were here yesterday but my parents already went back to London last night along with Tracy's. They promised they'll return this Friday. They'll be staying at the carriage these weekends," said Daphne.
"I saw Cassandra's and Marianne's family but no Delacours," stated Harry.
"Oh so you notice the students-parents reunion party we had yesterday?" asked Daphne to which Harry nodded. "They're here. Her parents arrived early on Friday evening. Aunt Appoline and Gabby will be staying here until after Christmas. Her father had gone back to France this morning but he'll return this weekend. They didn't come out. They stayed inside the carriage all day yesterday."
"I see. Well at least you can look forward to something other than simply being stuck inside the castle for the whole day," said Harry.
Daphne smiled. "Yeah I know. Anyway, Fleur will be busy with her studies, practices and her family throughout this week so if you want to see her, I'm afraid that would be a no. She won't be coming to the castle until probably after the First Task."
Harry just shook his head and smiled. "I assure you I can manage. By the way, send her my regards will you? And tell her I said good luck."
"Sure."
At this point, Hagrid suddenly called out to all the students, telling them the class had reach its end and told them to simply leave the Blast-Ended Skrewt they were tending.
"I hope you can continue keeping that boy's hormone under control," said Daphne to Harry as they both picked up their bags. "Because we won't tolerate those who try to bring harm to someone we cared about. Bad things could happen to him. And please be gentle with Hermione. She simply wants to look out for you."
Daphne then took leave, rejoining the Slytherin as they headed back to the castle.
For some reason, Hermione walked a little bit farther away from Harry and Ron on their way to the castle. But just before they entered the Great Hall, Harry immediately caught up with Hermione and held her back.
"We need to talk," said Harry. Turning to Ron who was looking curiously at them, he said, "You go ahead. We'll catch up in a bit."
Ron just nodded and proceeded to walk into the Great Hall.
Scores of students walked past by as they made their way for lunch. It was not until the entrance courtyard was nearly devoid of students that Harry began to talk.
"I'm not angry," he said.
Harry noticed that Hermione was a lot paler than usual and looked frightened.
"I'm not angry," he repeated. "I promise. I just want to make it clear about something. Look, you're my best friend and I loved you both very much. I know you're just trying to look out for me. Believe me, I am grateful. But I also need a little bit of space and I really don't appreciate being put under the microscope constantly. I don't know what kind of arrangement you had with Fleur, Daphne and her friends but this whole spying on me thing got to stop. Do I make myself clear?"
Hermione who was looking at her feet slowly looked up to him. Then slowly but surely, she nodded. "I'm sorry, Harry. I was just worried," she said. "And you're not helping," she continued, a little bit defiantly.
"There's not helping in it. You were being suspicious of me at the same time. Yeah, Ron told me," said Harry upon seeing Hermione's eyes widened. "There're a lot of things you girls should worry about. Those things should not include me. Tell Fleur and her friends that I will be fine. Tell them that I appreciate their concerns. But be it as it may, this whole spying thing need to stop. I'm having none of it."
Hermione stared at him for a very long time. She then slowly nodded.
And without warning, Harry pulled her into a tight hug. This took Hermione by surprise but nevertheless, she reciprocated.
"Everything is going to be alright, Hermione," Harry whispered to her. "Everything is going to be fine. I just need you to be strong. I need them to be strong. Will you do that for me?"
Without Harry knowing, a single tear fell down her cheek.
"I will."
Two days went by without a hitch. Harry had Quidditch practice on Wednesday afternoon. It went really well. The players integrated better than before, much to his satisfaction. Miles was beginning to gel well with the rest of the Gryffindor players that even the twins found nothing they could complaint about.
But come Thursday morning though, he found himself facing a very stern looking Professor McGonagall after Transfiguration class ended. And it was all because of an event that happened the night before:-
Seamus had been following Harry around like a love sick puppy ever since he got possession of the Bulgarian Firewhisky. For some reason, that Irish wizard thought Harry could solve his dilemma. Harry finally caved in on early Wednesday night. He unlocked the bottle, but not after making Seamus promised that he will drink the whisky sparingly and takes only a small amount at a time.
Harry was busy doing revision of the day's lesson with Ron and Hermione when suddenly he heard someone shouting, a little bit slurring, at the top of their lung:-
"WHO'S BIRTHDAY IS IT?!"
All of the common room inhabitants looked up and saw Seamus, face reddened and clad only in his underwear, standing on ledge of the short corridor that led to his dormitory.
"WHO LOVES ME?!"
To everyone astonishment, he jumped down the ledge and made a perfect landing at the middle of the common room.
A group of third year girls screamed and ran away when Seamus jumped to on top of their table and began to dance, grinding his hip in a weird, erotic way.
"Oh no you don't!" yelled George. He and the rest of the sixth year boys rushed to Seamus as the later reached for his underwear and began pulling it down.
"THANK YOU FOR THE FIREWHISKY, HARRY! THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU HARRY!" yelled Seamus as they brought him down the table and carried him up to his dormitory.
All eyes within the common room went towards Harry who was face palming at that time. Ron's mouth opened and closed several times but no words come out. As for Hermione, once again she was bursting with a lot of things to say to him.
"I wouldn't be surprised if this comes from the twins, Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "But you?"
"I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall. I really am. I already told him on how he should take it. Apparently he didn't listen," Harry tried to explain.
"Apparently you gave an underage student something unlawful to drink," stated McGonagall. "That is the real cause here, Mr. Potter. The Durmstrang may have more relaxed rules when it comes to drinking but Hogwarts don't. I thought all those rules and regulations we meticulously put in place would at least mean something to you. A formal complaint shall be filed to Professor Karkaroff. Twenty points shall be taken from Gryffindor and you will not be allowed to visit Hogsmeade this Saturday. I would have added detention above all the punishments but the rest of the teachers and myself included are very busy at the moment. Be warn, I will not hesitated to instate it if you toe out of line. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Potter?"
Harry decided not to contest Professor McGonagall's decision. He just nodded and said, "Crystal clear, Professor."
"Good. Then out you go."
He met Ron, Hermione, Dean and Neville outside the classroom. The four of them were waiting for him. They were planning to visit Seamus at the hospital wing after Transfiguration.
"So, how it go?" asked Ron.
"Fantastic," said Harry sarcastically as they began walking towards the hospital wing. "Never better. I had just lost Gryffindor twenty points and I'm not allowed to visit Hogsmeade this coming Saturday. If only Professor McGonagall added a few extra detentions to top it off. That would be great."
"This isn't funny, Harry!" said Hermione.
"I'm not trying to," said Harry. "You really need to learn how to differentiate between being sarcastic and being funny, Hermione."
At the hospital wing...
"I'm sorry, Harry."
They arrived at the hospital wing. Seamus, while still lying on one of the beds, was wide awake after being unconscious for nearly the whole night.
"That's okay, Seamus," said Harry, smiling as he squeezed Seamus's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone and unsupervised after I uncorked that bottle. I didn't know that the temptation would be too great for you."
Seamus sighed. "So what did Professor McGonagall have to say? Did she know?" asked Seamus.
"Yeah. She knows," said Harry. "Gryffindor now short of twenty points and I'm not allowed to visit Hogsmeade the day after tomorrow. The upside is that since every teacher is busy with the upcoming First Task and everything, I didn't get any detention."
"I could hardly call it an upside, Harry," said Hermione.
"In my case, I take whatever it is I can get, Hermione," said Harry. Turning to Seamus, he asked, "So, any idea when you'll be release from this prison, Seamus?"
"Well she told me that she can let me go today. Apparently there's nothing wrong with me except for being under intoxication. Anyway, mind telling me what really going on last night? I can't remember anything," said Seamus.
Harry and the rest of his friends exchanged glances. Hermione meanwhile was blushing madly.
"What? Tell me, Harry," Seamus repeated the question.
"Well," said Harry, scratching his neck. He was not sure on how to deliver the news to Seamus. "Let just say that starting from last night, your private part is no longer private."
"What?! That's what happened?!"
"Yeah. Pretty much," said Harry. "You were standing on the ledge just outside our dormitory, wearing only your underwear and were yelling at the top of your lungs. You then jumped down, climbed on top of one of the tables and began dancing. You then tried to pull down your underwear. Few of us rushed towards you but it was already too late. Your underwear was already down to your knees. Every single person within the common room saw your Mr. Winny. It wasn't a pretty sight to be honest."
Seamus's mouth opened and closed a few times. "Then what happened?" he croaked.
"You were still babbling like mad when we got you to our dormitory. It was then I found you downed the whole bottle in one go. You keep on trying to pull your underwear down. We decided to bring you to the hospital wing. We dressed you up and carried you out of the tower. Unfortunately, we came across Professor McGonagall who happened to be on the night patrol while on the way there. We tried to shush you but you ended up telling her everything. You even tried to pull down your pants in front of her. You asked her if she wants to see 'it'."
Seamus put his face into his hands and groaned. "I'm so sorry, Harry. God, this is so embarrassing," he said.
Harry once again squeezed Seamus's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, mate. Things happened. Everyone lost their sanity once in a while. She didn't get to see your Mr. Winny so all is good I guess."
They left for the Great Hall five minutes before lunch time.
"So how is he?" asked George who had just arrived together with the rest of his years. Harry was already eating at that time.
"He's good and well," answered Harry. "Told that bloke everything."
"Did you tell him that I nearly ate a bar of soap this morning? I can't unsee it, you know? It gave me nightmares. I really wish I could just wash my brain clean," said Lee, shuddering.
Harry chuckled. "No but I'll make a note of that. I'll tell him the next time I see him."
"So what McGonagall had to say about this?" asked Fred.
"Harry won't be allowed to go to Hogsmeade," interjected Hermione. "And we lost twenty points. He didn't get detentions though."
Fred lifted his eyebrows. "Just twenty? You broke the record by losing us 150 points in your first year, Harry. Where's the fire? Has it gone?"
Harry stared at Fred in disbelief. "I hope you were just being sarcastic, Fred."
"And you didn't even get detentions," stated Lee. "You let us down, Harry."
"On the bright side, at least he wasn't allowed to go to Hogsmeade," stated George. "But you're not going to let that stop you, eh Harry?"
George then winked at Harry.
Harry's mouth crooked into a smile. "Definitely not," he said.
"See? He's still has a sliver of hope in him. He's still salvageable," said George to Fred and Lee.
"And we praise the Maker for it," said Fred and Lee in unison.
Harry turned to look at Hermione who was staring at him in exasperation.
"You are going to do it, aren't you?" asked Hermione. Lunch time had ended. They were on their way to the DADA classroom.
"Yes."
Hermione just sighed. "Just-, try to be careful. Professor McGonagall will throw a fit if she ever finds out."
"Don't worry, Hermione. She won't. Anyway, I already made a promise. I can't back away now, can I?"
"A promise?" asked Hermione curiously. "To whom?"
Harry did not answer at first. They were walking with the rest of the fourth year on their way to Professor Moody's class.
"I'll tell you later."
To be continued…