Chapter 41
The next morning, Sirius had sent Harry a reply.
'Harry - what do you think you are playing at, walking into the forest with Viktor Krum? I want you to swear, by return owl, that you are not going to go walking with anyone else at night. There is somebody highly dangerous at Hogwarts. It is clear to me that they wanted to stop Crouch from seeing Dumbledore and you were probably feet away from them in the dark. You could have been killed.
Your name didn't get into the Goblet of Fire by accident. If someone's trying to attack you, they're on their last chance. Stay close to Ron, Hermione, and Cassie, do not leave Gryffindor Tower after hours, and arm yourself for the third task. Practice Stunning and Disarming. A few hexes wouldn't go amiss either. There's nothing you can do about Crouch. Keep your head down and look after yourself. I'm waiting for your letter giving me your word you won't stray out-of-bounds again.
Sirius'
"Who's he to lecture me about being out-of-bounds?" Harry said in mild indignation as he folded up Sirius' letter in his robes. "After all the stuff he did at school?"
"And what he's currently doing right now?" I asked slyly.
"You have been on one these couple of days." Ron pointed his fork at me.
"I know." I sighed. "My mind is just so jumbled right now. I have so many thoughts in my head and I have to be careful with what I say." I said as I started to rub my temples.
Harry started to rub my back.
"You're still learning how your power works. We'll still be here for you." Harry consoled me.
"He's just worried about you," Hermione brought the conversation back to Sirius. "Just like Moody and Hagrid! So listen to them!"
"No one's tried to attack me all year," Harry said as he went back to eat his food. "No one's done anything to me at all -"
"Except put your name in the Goblet of Fire," Hermione interjected. "And they must've done that for a reason, Harry. Snuffles is right. Maybe they've been biding their time. Maybe this is the task they're going to get you."
'Moody will make sure of that. I need to figure out how!' I thought bitterly to myself.
"Look," Harry was getting impatient with Hermione, "let's say Sirius is right, and someone Stunned Krum to kidnap Crouch. Well, they would've been in the trees near us, wouldn't they? But they waited till I was out of the way until they acted, didn't they? So it doesn't look like I'm their target, does it?"
"They couldn't have made it look like an accident if they'd murdered you in the forest!" Hermione said. "But if you die during a task -"
"They didn't care about attacking Krum, did they?" Harry interrupted. "Why didn't they just polish me off at the same time? They could've made it look like Krum and I had a duel or something."
"Harry, I don't understand either -" Hermione started.
I had to force myself to keep eating normally.
'They need Harry. That's why they haven't killed him yet, they need him alive!'
All I wanted to do was walk the grounds with Cassius. He would try to entice me as well by saying that he had a picnic basket waiting for me and I just had to let him know when I wanted to go out.
But I knew Harry would need all the help he could get. We were in the library looking up different hexes, or in empty classrooms, getting him to practice dodging, protecting, and attacking spells.
I told him that if he comes across Krum, or even Cassius, throw a punch if he gets close enough. They would never expect it.
One of the only problems with Harry practicing Stunning, was that he needed people to practice it on.
Ron was complaining after he got Stunned for a fifth time.
"Can't we kidnap Mrs. Norris?" Ron suggested. "Let's Stun her for a bit. Or you could use Dobby, Harry. I bet he'd do anything to help you. I'm not complaining, or anything, but I'm aching all over…"
"Well, you keep missing the cushions, don't you!" Hermione said impatiently, rearranging the pillows we had laid down.
They were from when Flitwick had us practicing the Banishing Spell.
"Once you're Stunned, you don't get to choose where you fall, 'Mione." I rubbed my hip.
Harry Stunned me while I was moving and I fell on my side, hitting my hip on the ground.
"Why don't you take a turn?" Ron asked Hermione.
"I think Harry's got it down now." Hermione responded hastily.
Ron and I both rolled our eyes to each other.
"And we don't have to worry about Disarming, because he's been able to do that for ages… I think we ought to start on some of these hexes this evening." Hermione said.
"Start with the Impedimenta Curse. That one will save your butt if you need to get out of the situation fast." I said.
The bell rang at that moment. We put the pillows away and slipped out of the classroom.
"See you at dinner!" Hermione waved at us and headed towards Arthimacy.
Harry, Ron, and I were headed towards the Divination.
"It's going to be boiling in Trelawney's room, she never puts out that fire," Ron said as we started up the staircase.
"Ugh." I responded.
Ron was correct. The room was dimly lit as usual, and the fire was as hot as it was going to be. Whatever perfumes she used were in the fire, and when Trelawney wasn't looking, Harry opened the window a crack.
It created a refreshing breeze across our faces.
"My dears," Trelawney was sitting in her winged armchair, "we have almost finished our work with planetary divination. Today, however, will be an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of Mars, for he is placed most interestingly at the present time. If you will all look this way, I will dim the lights…"
She waved her wand and the lights went out. The fire, and the little crack in the window was the only source of light now. Trelawney pulled out a beautiful model of the solar system. Each moon glimmered in place around the nine planets and the sun, all of which seem to be hanging in thin air beneath the glass.
My eyelids started to droop against my will.
I followed Cassius through a dark maze. He ran past several openings and there was a fog under his feet.
'Go left.' I thought.
He went right.
'Of course.' I sighed to myself.
He ran into Krum.
I heard the familiar buzzing of voices. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I knew the situation wasn't good.
Krum shot a curse at him and Cassius hit the ground and started yelling.
"Stop it!" My voice buzzed.
Harry came through a hole in a bush that was slightly burnt. He looked around and saw Cassius on the ground.
He looked in my direction but I don't think he really saw me.
Harry pointed his wand and shouted a spell. The spell hit Krum in the back. Krum fell forward, face down onto the grass. Harry dashed over to Cassius.
There was buzzing as they talked.
Cassius stood up and after words were exchanged he put his wand up and shot up red sparks.
They stood there for a moment before moving on. When they came to a fork in the road they turned opposite directions. I wanted to follow Harry, but my vision had me follow Cassius.
He came across a Blast Ended Skrewt and I watched with my hand over my mouth as he managed to get under it and get it off of him.
'Come on. If you reach the Cup first, Harry will be safe.' I thought to myself.
Cassius made several more turns in the maze as I floated behind him.
He ran into a Sphynx, and I couldn't hear the riddle he was given but he made it past her.
There was a light at the end of the maze and he started running for it.
He wasn't able to see the spider on his left.
"Watch out!" I shouted.
He looked to his left just in time to dodge the spider, but it wasn't me he heard. Harry was behind us and he had shouted a warning to Cassius.
They both shot spells at the spider, but nothing worked at first until Harry shot at its underbelly.
Then they both hit the spider with the same spell.
They stood around talking for a few moments. The buzzing was in my ears.
Cassius stepped over the spider's legs and folded his arms as he stared at Harry.
More words were exchanged and then Cassius put Harry's arm over his shoulder. They walked over to the cup and each grabbed a handle on the cup.
I woke up to screaming.
Harry was clutching his scar as he rolled on the ground.
"What the bloody hell?" Ron said.
He was looking between me and Harry, looking scared.
"Harry!" I dropped to my knees and put my hands on his shoulders.
Ron followed my lead and dropped on Harry's other side.
"Harry!" Ron and I called out.
He finally stopped screaming and opened his eyes.
I could see that he was still in pain.
"Do you need to go to the hospital wing?" I asked him as he sat up.
"You all right?" Ron asked him at the same time.
"Of course he isn't!" Trelawney sounded excited.
I looked at her and she was practically dancing in her shoes.
"What was it, Potter? A premonition? An apparition? What did you see?" Trelawney practically shoved Ron out of the way.
"Nothing," Harry lied, but he looked at me.
Harry was shaking under my hand.
"You were clutching your scar!" Trelawney sounded disappointed. "You were rolling on the floor, clutching your scar! Come now, Potter, I have experience in these matters!"
"I need to go to the hospital wing, I think. Bad headache." Harry pushed himself up.
"My dear, you were undoubtedly stimulated by the extraordinary clairvoyant vibrations of my room!" Trelawney fawned. "If you leave now, you may lose the opportunity to see further than you have ever -"
"I don't want to see anything except a headache cure." Harry said.
"Do you want me to come with you?" I kept my voice low.
Harry shook his head at me.
"See you later." Harry muttered to Ron and I.
We watched him leave the room and I turned to Ron.
"Well that was weird."
Harry met up with us at dinner.
"It's funny to me that she thought Harry's fit was a vision, but Cassie was actually having one." Ron spoke as we sat down next to Hermione and Harry.
Hermione choked on her food.
"It's okay, only Ron noticed." I patted Hermione's shoulder.
"Did you write it down?" Harry asked.
"Yup. Did it while Trelawney was complaining that Harry wouldn't share his vision. Ron and I were actually snickering about it." I told her.
Harry kept looking around us.
"Whatever it is, you should wait until we're in the common room." I murmured to him.
He nodded and went back to eating his dinner and I went to eat mine.
I saw Harry at the graveyard last year, but I just saw him and Cassius touch the cup.
'I don't understand…'
Happy New Year! Also! MY BOYFRIEND PROPOSED! I'm so friggin' happy y'all have no idea lol.
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Pamela Hutchins: It drove me insane that Mrs. Weasley would try to get the twins to conform to her expectations rather than conforming her expectations for the twins. But I digress.
