Author's note: This series follows the books but will include details from the movie series for drama. Please note that the major events of the story remain true to the series and will be summarized into small sections to help progress to the story's love interest. I do not want to be claimed for plagiarizing but the original story line is needed to explain the changes in character development.

M rating for sexual content anticipated to start in year 4.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Harry Potter series. Thank you to J.K. Rowling for bringing us the wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The Doting Rival

Chapter 25

Adelyn didn't have far to go, but opted to wear her Invisibility Cloak nonetheless. She had a few corridors to pass through and didn't want to be caught by any Prefects on patrol. She was fortunate to not come across anyone along the way. She hid behind the spiral staircase to the Astronomy Tower, waiting for Draco.

It took a few minutes before she spotted him. He quietly crept across the hall and attempted to nestle himself where Adelyn was. She had sudden urge to jump out at him. . . so she did. She removed the top portion of her cloak and grabbed at him.

"Ah!" He whipped around, wand out.

Adelyn quickly covered his mouth with her hand trying to shush him while refraining from laughing aloud. "Shhh," she giggled. "Do you want us to be found out?"

He removed her hand from his mouth, keeping it in his. "What are you wearing?"

Adelyn removed the cloak entirely, draping it over her shoulder. "My Invisibility Cloak. It was my father's."

"You were at Hogsmeade last school year, weren't you? In Honeydukes."

Adelyn's eyes grew wide. "You couldn't possibly have seen me. . ." She recalled how he stared at her when she got pinned against the shelf.

"No. . . but I KNEW I recognized your perfume." Adelyn began to blush and he smirked. "Come on. Before we truly get caught."

He pulled her by her hand, leading her up the spiral staircase to enter the dark classroom. It was circular in shape and made of marble. Ancient star charts covered the entirety of the walls. Telescopes of various sizes were set about the room, prepped for the next class on Monday. As it was the weekend, it was empty.

Draco guided her to the center of the room. "Wait here. . . Locomotor." He directed his wall at the cupboards in the corner. A large purple fluffy blanket and multiple velvet pillows floated out and set themselves beneath Adelyn's feet. He came back to her side and motioned her to join him on the set up.

Once settled, he cast another spell. "Observarum." Suddenly, the roof became entirely transparent. Adelyn could see nothing by the clear night sky above her.

"Wow!" She lay on her back, resting her head on one of the pillows. Draco did the same right beside her. She had a sudden thought. "Draco. If anyone were to fly about us, would they not see us?"

"No," he explained. "It only works one way."

"Oh, that's good." She settled once more, staring straight above.

"One more thing." Draco pointed his wand at the clear ceiling. "Propix Adducer." The sky rapidly zoomed in, stars rushing forward in a blur. It was as though a large projector was displaying detailed photos of the cosmos above them.

"Oh, my!" Adelyn was awestruck. They never studied Astronomy like this in class. She felt out of world, as though she were in space herself. She had never experienced anything like this before. "This is beautiful!"

"I thought you would like it." Draco gave a relaxing sigh, moving his wand to sift through the sky. "Anything in particular you want to see?"

"How about. . ." Adelyn thought a moment. "The Tadpole Galaxy. Up close." She gave a knowing smile to Draco.

He chuckled. "In the Draco constellation. Clever." He moved his wand and obliged her. The galaxy zoomed into view, detailing its long, disrupted spiral from whence it got its name. He took his time, detailing the various aspects of the galaxy, including the neighboring suspect that caused the tail.

After a while, Adelyn broke the silence. "How do you know how to do this?"

"My mother taught me."

Adelyn turned her head to face him. "Really? She seemed very. . . reserved. . . when I saw her at the World Cup."

He looked back at her. "She is. But she loves the stars. Even named me after the constellation."

"The dragon."

"Yes. Ladon, guardian of the golden apple garden in Hesperides. Quite symbolic as she taught me how to tend to her gardens as well."

"Draco Malfoy? Gardening? I would never had thought you into gardening."

"Hey, now. It can be a great distraction. It's quite delicate work, actually. It's also how I knew you were in Hogsmeade."

"What? How?" Adelyn didn't believe it.

"Your perfume. Rose and ivy, right?" He gave a knowing grin when she didn't reply. "It's quite distinguishable to those educated in botany."

A blush crept across Adelyn's face. She was heavily flattered. No one had ever complimented her perfume before. Especially in such detail. Just by her scent, he knew she was there? She was speechless.

She settled back to looking at the sky and smiled to herself. "Thank you. This HAS helped me relax."

"You're welcome." He continued to stare at her. "Anytime you're feeling overwhelmed, we can come here."

"That probably will be often. . ."

"So be it."

Adelyn caught sight of the clock on the far wall. It read a quarter to two. "That late already? Where has the time gone?" She sat up readily. "We should probably head back."

With a wave of his wand, they were again submerged into darkness. The bedding floated back to their original storage space, folding themselves neatly along the way. Once at the base of the staircase, they peaked around the walls. Adelyn spotted Marcus Turner, a Ravenclaw prefect coming around the bend in their direction.

"Quick. Over here." She dragged Draco behind the staircase, urged him to squat down with her, wrapping the Invisibility Cloak around them both. "Shhh." She motioned by holding one finger over her lips. He nodded with acknowledgement.

They sat together quietly, waiting for Marcus to walk by. Draco could not take his eyes off her. The sudden closeness made him very aware of his attraction to her. Her perfume was intoxicating in the confines of the cloak. Her, long black hair fell on his lap and he had the urge to run his fingers through it. Her face was close to his, allowing him to appreciate the plumpness of her lips. . . so close to his.

"It's clear." Adelyn's voice brought his attention into focus. She stood and removed the cloak from around him. "Will you be fine making it all the way down to the dungeons?"

He smiled. "I like you worrying about me. But I'll be fine. Made it up here to begin with, didn't I? I'll see you in the morning for breakfast. We've got work to do." He gave her a wink before leaving her alone beneath the stairs.

Adelyn watched as he disappeared out of sight. She found herself smiling on her way back to the Common Room, recollecting the evening she just had. She finally had something to look forward to now. And with Draco Malfoy, of all people.

When she arrived back at the dormitory, a small owl was perched outside her window. She cracked open the window to let it in. It circled the room a moment before dropping an unmarked letter on her bed and leaving. Adelyn knew instantly it was from Sirius. She tore it open.

Adelyn – I got your last letter. I can't say everything I would like to in a letter for fear of interception. We need to talk face-to-face. Ensure you are alone by the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November. Be on the watch. Entering your name in the tournament was very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose. I don't think anyone will hurt you around him and Moody, fortunately. Keep me posted about anything unusual. And be ready on the 22nd.

Sirius

By the following Monday, the had started a routine. They would have a hearty breakfast and then spend the mornings in the library with Hermione. The duo helped Adelyn perfect some recent spells they had been taught in Charms that she was too distracted to learn during class. They also read through books on previous Triwizard Tournaments to get a basis of what to expect, hoping to guide their studies.

They would break off for lunch, Hermione catching up with Ron and Draco and Adelyn hiding in various courtyards. It meant fewer people to distract or taunt Adelyn. Draco never hesitated to tell someone off, though. She was becoming very appreciative of his ability to be curt when needed. Something she was sorely lacking.

Evenings were back to the library with a bit more focus on homework. Hermione struggled with this as Viktor Krum seemed to always be in the library around this time. He never bothered them, but there was a constant disruptive group of giggling girls nearby when he was around, preventing her from concentrating.

When nighttime fell, Adelyn and Draco would sneak off to the Astronomy tower and relax under the stars. Each night, they would take turns picking a new constellation and explore all the stars in it. Though it didn't dawn on Adelyn, these nightly get togethers would surely help her pass Astronomy this year.

Of course, things would not be as smooth during the week with classes. But they strived to stick to the regimen as much as possible. Even with the new hurtle of Rita Skeeter's article being published in the Daily Prophet. It seemed to focus more on Adelyn's life, than the Triwizard Tournament. She barely said a couple whole sentences to the woman and yet, the article read as though she had had a therapy session about her parents.

She took it even further. Unbeknownst to Adelyn, Rita had interviewed other students about her. Colin Creevey was quoted saying Adelyn was rarely seen without Draco, now. Rita alluded to Adelyn having found love amongst the unpredictability of the tournament. This caused more taunting from the students. As if she didn't have enough already. Some would just throw hankies at her "in case you start crying in Transfiguration". Some even started making remarks about Draco being around.

"Ignore them," Draco would say. "Just ignore it."

"How can I? Especially after that letter from your father."

Mr. Malfoy had quickly sent a letter to Draco scolding him about being around her. He said it was bad publicity for the family and warned him of serious repercussions should it continue. Draco was quite angry upon reading it and assured Adelyn he would not stop supporting her.

"Ignore him as well. I'm my own person and can do as I please. As can you."

One evening, while in the library, Fred and George came across them studying.

"Adelyn!" Fred shouted across the room. He was immediately hushed by the librarian. And Hermione. He approached the table to talk in a more hushed manner. "Care to join us at Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"Oh, I don't know." Adelyn loved Hogsmeade, but a lot of students would be going. It would probably be easier to just hide in the castle. "The first task is in three days, I – I should probably just keep preparing."

"Oh, even champions need breaks. Don't they George?"

"Yes, I would agree, Fred."

"I was planning on going," Hermione chimed in.

"See? The four of us can go together!" Fred beamed down at her.

"Uh. . ."

Draco chimed in. "I'll go with you, if you want."

Adelyn sighed. "Alright, I guess. But I'm wearing my cloak."

The next day, the group set off for Hogsmeade. Adelyn felt wonderfully free under the cloak. No one was staring or barking horrible remarks at her. She suspected this would be how she felt had she been a bystander of the tournament instead of a champion. Except, Draco kept intermittently feeling for her cloak to check if she was still there, making her smile each time he did it.

"Honestly, Adelyn. Just take off the cloak. There are plenty of us here to prevent someone from bothering you." Hermione hated talking to her when she was invisible.

"Oh really?" Adelyn remarked. "Look behind you." Rita Skeeter and her photographer had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks. They passed right by them without a second glance. "She's probably staying in the village for the upcoming task."

"Why don't we head to the Three Broomstick for a butterbeer?" Hermione responded, changing the subject.

The pub was packed, making it hard to move through the crowds with the Invisibility Cloak. Fred and George spotted Ron and made their way to his table.

"No," Adelyn said flatly.

"Oh, Adelyn. This is ridiculous!" Hermione was furious with their feud.

"You can sit with him if you like. I'm heading over there." She made evident there was a free table and did not wait for a response.

"I'll get us butterbeers if you want to go with her," Draco offered.

Once settled, Hermione pulled out a notebook. "Thankfully, I won't look like an idiot talking to myself with this."

"Look, it's Hagrid," Adelyn pointed out.

She couldn't believe she didn't spot him when they first came in. But she saw he had been leaning low by the bar, talking to Professor Moody. Adelyn waved as the got up, forgetting she was in the cloak. Moody, however, paused to whisper to Hagrid. The pair then walked over to their table.

"Hello, Hermione," Hagrid bellowed.

"Hello," she smiled back.

Moody had bent forward and muttered, "Nice cloak, Ms. Potter." He was looking out across the pub with his normal eye. But the magical eye was staring right at her.

"Can your eye – I mean, can you?"

"Yes. It can see right through Invisibility Cloaks. Quite handy, I can tell you."

Hagrid also bent down. "Adelyn, meet me tonight at midnight at my cabin. Wear the cloak." He then straightened up and loudly addressed Hermione. "Nice to see yeh, Hermione. He winked in Adelyn's direction then proceeded to leave the pub with Moody.

Just then, Draco appeared with the butterbeers. "What'd I just miss?"

"Hagrid just asked Adelyn to meet her tonight," Hermione explained.

"Ah."

"Yea, but never so late," Adelyn added.

"Did he say what for?"

"No. Maybe you shouldn't go, Adelyn," Hermione said.

"It's only Hagrid." Adelyn answered.

"Only one way to find out what it's about," Draco pointed out.