A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome back to The Guarder Snake - we're officially 50% done!
Thank you all so much for the continuous support!
For those of you interested in my other works, I've got a wealth of one-shots available as well as two other fics in progress!
A big thanks to my Beta's and Discord Staff - Alec, Alpple, Arty, Calamity, Destru, Fox, Hindu Hari, JT, Knight, Letus, Metzger, NerdDragonVoid, Spiral, Theo, Weather Report and Xevier
Feel free to join my Discord for updates, the chance to request a one-shot of your own and information, link on my profile. Without any more rambling from me, I hope you enjoy the story!
(Sorry if you don't like the chapter!)
Bold = Parseltongue
THERE IS IMPORTANT NEWS REGARDING THIS STORY, THE SAVIOUR'S PARIAH AND THE POWER OF LOVE IN DISCORD; PLEASE JOIN IT TO BE UP TO DATE.
December 25, 1994
Thursday
"I still can't believe you're going with Cora! I'd have figured Stuart's little sister or Ginny Weasley, maybe Loma even." — Nina danced over to Harry's side when Loma moved a few inches towards her — "What made you ask her instead of anyone else?"
Harry could say that Cora was the source of one of his two crushes, but, as most boys his age are known to do, he lied… partially.
"Cora's been my best friend for years, so I wouldn't be embarrassed asking her or scared that she'd say no."
Nina looked at him knowingly, the girl was too insightful as always when it came to matters that fell in the realm of romance.
"How'd you know she wouldn't be going with Reinhard or one of the other dozens of boys her age that'd jump at the chance to take her to the ball? Surely you wouldn't have waited nearly a week as you had if that were the case."
"I, well… Cora doesn't like anyone! She would've told Clara if she did and Clara would've teased her about it while it was just the three of us!" Harry paused briefly, though he continued a few seconds later when Nina continued staring at him as the group of four continued walking towards the Yule Ball's entrance. "Clara encouraged me too, she said that Cora wouldn't accept anyone else since she'd be too busy watching me so I figured I'd do this to make it more enjoyable for both of us."
"Good id-" Stuart tried to add in helpfully, though Nina squeezed his hand and patted his cheek as she cut him off.
"Make sure you dance with her then. Act the part of a gentleman too, Cora and her friends should be able to enjoy the evening without having to worry for a change — there's enough staff present that I'm sure nothing bad will happen."
Loma openly laughed as they turned one of the final few corners, the crowd getting noticeably thicker in the process.
"What?" Harry asked when neither Nina nor Stuart spoke up; the two of them being too distracted being all romantic so early in the evening.
"I find it funny that Nina's the one giving you a serious talk for once. Usually, it's 'cutie' this or 'handsome' that," Loma said, finishing with a snicker when Nina turned to glare at her only for Stuart to pull her attention back with a kiss on her cheek.
"Oh," Harry answered. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I don't think she's spoken seriously except for when I was in the hospital wing."
"Let's hope that doesn't happen anytime soon mate."
Aster's voice came from his left, the boy essentially appearing from a crowd with his girlfriend, Alisa, beside him.
"Hey Aster, good evening Alisa," Harry greeted the other boy very casually, though when he got to Alisa, he did an exaggerated bow while flourishing the altogether too formal robes his aunt had bought him just in time for the Yule Ball — she'd mentioned in her letter that come to their next break, she'd be expecting a dance from him too whilst wearing them.
Alisa raised her nose at him but curtsied nonetheless during her response.
"Good evening, Harry, your date as well as the others will be arriving here shortly."
"Please tell me you brought the camera Loma! We have to make sure we'll always have a picture of cut- Harry dressed so ha- well!" Nina had dragged herself as well as Stuart back over to the now forming circle of friends in the centre of the hallway.
Harry laughed alongside Loma at the two instances she stopped speaking midway to change words lest she does exactly what Loma had just called her out on. It was funny how quickly Nina's mind could shift from sharp as a perfectly polymorphed needle to thick as Ron's mouse-cup, though it wasn't particularly rare in happenings.
Once she finished her small bout of laughter, Loma produced the aforementioned item in silence, her gesture confirming for the other girl that she had exactly what the pair of them wanted. Nina's sinister smile at Harry and the way her grip tightened around Stuart's hand told him all he needed to know; this picture would never be forgotten, and as a result, he couldn't afford to look like a dolt in it.
Merlin, for all he knew, Nina could go on to be the next writer for Witch Weekly and if he ever made her cross enough at him, she'd leak the picture with an article attached!
"Harry!" Clara's voice joined the chorus of other conversations going on a second before he was enveloped in a tight hug from behind. "Look at you! You're looking so handsome I might just steal you away from Cora — I probably will for more than a few dances already! Such a cutie!"
Loma's laughter sounded off again, but this time his couldn't join hers, as the Slytherin version of Nina was entirely too busy in showering him with so much affection that he couldn't have so much as a second to laugh without being shook or turned around while being pulled flush against her; the cooing and hair play was a nice compensation for his missed laughter though, or so he'd say.
"Clara," Cora spoke up somewhere behind the older girl. "Would you mind releasing m- Harry? He and I will be expected to see Professor McGonagall in a few minutes when the festivities officially start for the opening dance."
Nina sighed, clearly annoyed while Clara begrudgingly did as asked.
"You've messed up twenty minutes of work, Carrow. His hair was perfect and now it looks like Cora dragged him off to a broom cupboard minutes before he was meant to have the perfect picture taken!" — Nina stepped away from Stuart, pulled Harry close and began working on removing the creases his robes now had — "You should've waited to hug him too, perfection like this takes way too much time you know!"
Clara cocked her head while Nina was working on him.
"That's because you do everything by hand, if you used your wand or house-elves specialised in beauty, it wouldn't take nearly as long…"
Harry let the ensuing argument over cosmetics drown out as soon as he felt himself extracted by a familiar grasp.
"Come on," Cora's voice quietly whispered. "We'll be going to Professor McGonagall while they're distracted, otherwise we'll end up being late."
He nodded his head idly and made to reply, but couldn't as he finally took the older girl in — she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen before; a light blue dress that matched her eyes and complimented her freckles, jewellery that he'd given her earlier as a Yule present, everything about her looked magnificent.
Cora flicked his nose lightly, the action making his eyes seek out hers after diverting from rolling over her.
"Start walking," She said sternly, though her face with a small smile told him she wasn't bothered… maybe he should've realised then that she knew somewhat of his crush, but the dots hadn't connected quite yet.
"Are you ready?"
Harry nodded.
Cora smiled, and the pair began dancing alongside three other duos.
"You don't seem nearly as nervous as you initially were when you practised with Clara and I… or with mother back in preparation for that summer gala," Cora's voice was soft and teasing.
He was thankful for that too, otherwise, he might've paid too much attention and stepped on her foot or missed a step of the song altogether; his frayed nerves would soon be put to rest though, as Dumbledore, as well as other pairs, began joining the initial four groups that started the celebrations.
"I'm not, at least not really. Dancing with Clara was scary because of how spontaneous she is — I never knew when she'd dip or go upbeat with her moving. Aunt Ashtyn is… she's Aunt Ashtyn," Harry couldn't put it into words and Cora's quiet laughter recognised that.
"She can be quite intimidating, I agree," Cora spun with a fluidity that he'd come to expect from her regardless of the actions being taken. "Still, you're far better and much less nervous than three weeks ago when we practised… perhaps Nina or Loma gave you tips?"
Harry blushed and looked away. Truthfully, Cora had nailed it head-on; he'd gone to Nina for help to make sure he was more confident than he'd been, and the girl had delivered. In the three weeks leading up to the Yule Ball, he must have spent nearly a one to one rate of hours practising his dancing to the hours spent working on furthering his magical knowledge.
That didn't scare him as much as it should've either, considering his friends being so much further than he was meant they'd condensed the information as well as plucked out the pointless bits so he could focus on solely what was needed.
"There's no need to feel embarrassed, I'm flattered that you'd go through the extra trouble."
Cora's words brought attention back to her and what he saw was what'd been on her face for the majority of the night thus far; a smile.
At least until the music of their third dance had ended and two hands pulled at him from behind, then Cora's face scowled for all of a second as she let him go.
"Hi Handsome, I hope you weren't thinking you'd dance the night away with Cora!" Clara turned him fully around and pulled him until a few inches separated their bodies. "We'll be taking the next couple dances, then Nina and Loma will want a couple, maybe your Quidditch witches will too — don't worry, you'll end the night with Cora, I don't plan on being cursed."
Harry looked to Cora, the girl already having taken a few steps away, but rather than looking cross or annoyed, she shrugged.
"Have your fun, Harry, there's a few things I need to do anyhow."
He'd danced... a lot.
Clara had started him off with a slow song, then for the one that followed, it'd been a complete change of pace to the point he feared his flinging her about would lead to a broken ankle if she tripped… but that didn't happen. She was squealing and laughing the entire time, the music nearly drowned the sounds out for him too, but even if it had, the open joy on her face would've still been present regardless of his inability to hear.
When the pair finally broke apart, it was with a puppy-like pout and the passing of sweets as Harry was taken into the waiting arms of the next girl, Alisa.
Dancing with Aster's girlfriend was as formal as her personality would have suggested, the lack of laughing and the tight grip to ensure his hands stayed where they were ensured the two dances they shared were the epitome of classic to any watching eyes — even their separation was done so with a bow and curtsey.
Nina and Loma's dances were far from that, but the pair of them still didn't quite compare to Clara's erratic movements or open laughter. His quidditch teammates didn't either, or at least the two he'd danced with hadn't, Angelina had been too busy with Fred for the evening.
Finally, when one of the final songs had come back on, he'd ended up back where he'd started the evening filled with dancing as well as a lack of any break time for him; Cora's embrace.
"Have you enjoyed your evening Harry?" Cora's question was as teasing as the look she'd given him earlier, behind her eyes he could see a carefree look that he'd seldom seen from the usually focused girl.
"Yeah, it's been pretty wicked."
His answer was entirely truthful too, the last time he'd been this carefree and happy while at Hogwarts was his first year in the school, well before he'd known the danger that came with attending the place or the lack of response most would give it.
"I'm glad," Cora responded, twirling around him as she did so. "I was thinking once I'd let you go earlier that Clara would end up hogging you for herself, the wicked witch that she is. You can probably imagine my surprise when I saw that she'd handed you off to Alisa, Nina, Loma and those chaser teammates of yours."
Harry blushed when he began recalling the hours of dancing he'd done with a number of older girls; all of them had been coddling and cooing the entire time to a point it almost made his dance lessons worth it. All it'd take for him to agree with the girls was one more smile from Cora's face while they danced together, then he'd finally agree that the time hadn't been mismanaged.
"Clara was fun to dance with, but her dancing is as… as…" — He had to pause his speaking to think of a word other than erratic or crazy, and when he failed to do so, Cora responded by squeezing his hands tighter before spinning around him so quickly the pair got dizzy; both of them giggled because of that.
"You know how our family decided on holding off the celebrations until we're together again?" Cora asked, much to Harry's confusion considering that particular owl had come weeks earlier.
"Yeah?"
Cora's expression in reply to his weirdly-toned question told him she hadn't in fact gone barmy and was getting to a point, one that came with a mischievous smile that was rare, to say the least.
"What if I told you I'd gotten something past the two of them for you to open while we're in school?"
Harry's eyes went wide, partly out of surprise and partly out of fear for Cora — Aunt Ashtyn would be furious if there were even a clue that the pair of them had opened something without their supervision, especially considering he'd done the same for Cora by sneaking a gift from Hogsmeade for the older girl since they'd be waiting for the summer break to do all their festivities.
"Can we leave to exchange gifts?" He asked with a hopeful expression.
Cora's expression shifted from mischievous to mirthful and knowing.
"I should've known you'd do the same," She said while messing up the hair so much time had gone into. "Yes, we can leave early so long as you're the one that tells Clara she won't be stealing you away for a dance out in the halls or corrupting you with any number of ridiculous plans she's been undoubtedly hatching while watching the two of us go about our dancing."
Harry glanced over his shoulder and in the direction of their table only to see Clara's mouth make an 'o' before she dove into conversation with the nearest of their friends; Reinhard, the boy she'd come with as a date despite the boys innate disliking of most events such as this.
"Can you tell her?" He asked while looking back at Cora's face, the best begging expression he could muster on his.
"Not a chance," Cora answered with a laugh and light shove in the direction of their friend — he was done for.
"I half thought I'd have to stop her from cursing you. That, or I'd have to take her to the medical wing to stop the number of tears she'd likely put on in hopes of guilt-tripping you; the last time she did the latter the fool nearly needed potions to rehydrate herself," Cora sat down right as she finished, the two having gone to their individual rooms to grab the gifts they'd gotten for one another before reconvening in the long-abandoned classroom they'd made their own; her recounting of Clara was something she'd been waiting for considering she'd left him to deal with her friend while watching from the main entrance.
"Unfortunately that first option didn't happen either," Harry answered dejectedly as the two swapped gifts. "It would've been better than having to promise half a dozen dances with her at the next event we're both at."
"Poor you," Cora cooed lightly before breaking out into a fit of laughter.
Harry stuck his tongue out at his older friend only to dodge left in pure shock when she reached out with her hand to grab it.
"Hey!"
"You stuck it out, be happy that I didn't freeze the thing. Now, go on then, open your gift," — Cora reached out with her opposite arm to tear the top fold off — "Or maybe I'll do it for you."
He narrowed his eyes at the older girl and clutched the gift she'd given him more protectively, but one more feint forwards made him dive to the right whilst opening the gift she'd given him; when he did so, he saw the small item for what it was, a journal.
Upon closer review, it wasn't any regular old journal either, it was one that had her initials, as well as those of her mother and father on it.
"What's in this?" Harry asked while looking up at Cora.
"A gift from my mother, father and I — a friend made an addition for it too, you'll see it tonight," Cora's expression had shifted to unreadable when she'd mentioned the friend, her last statement made it known that he wouldn't be opening it with her nearby either.
"Thank you, Cora," Harry hugged the older girl. "Now, it's your turn."
She opened hers in a flash, and just as quickly, her arms were wrapped around him in that familiar tight hug he'd come to love — it was the perfect way to end such a spectacular night, only accentuated with the kiss on the cheek she'd given him as a parting gift once he walked her back to the Slytherin dorms entrance.
When he returned to his own dorms and to the sound of his sleeping mates, he was so tired he nearly missed the letter that was tucked away safely under his sheets. Only his awareness that'd been worked on from dozens of lessons with Cora and her friends made him notice it before his body crushed the thin envelope with only a small piece of parchment inside of it based on the feeling.
He briefly debated waiting for the following morning to open the item too, but he ruled that out after all of a few seconds; he was too impatient considering most people would've left it with the Averys or, barring that, would've passed it out in person, so he did what any other boy his age would do.
Ripped it open without a second thought to read the contents of it.
'Harry
I hope my last letter found you well and before too much longer passes, my hope grows that the need for letters passes. Your secondary gift from me as well as my companion has already been left to your caretakers, as for the primary gift, that'll be something you receive near the summer break so long as everything goes according to plan.
Please, for your own sake, keep this correspondence close to your chest.
Your friends,
Padfoot and Moony'
Attached to the underside of the letter was a set of numbers, though the meaning was lost on Harry; he kept the item under his pillow all night.
January 7, 1995
Saturday Evening
Take a bath, bring your egg.
Just what exactly had Cedric been trying to tell him?
Honestly, if the other boy hadn't started off with thanks and mention of Stuart's name, Harry would've thought the older Hufflepuff was taking the piss with him!
But, based on the seriousness in which he'd said that and the polite smile he gave before running off, Harry figured he should at least check it out — it wasn't like getting access to the Prefects bathroom would be hard, and if it was, he could get help from Cora's group or Stuart's group easily enough considering the sway they had in the upper years.
Still, visiting Stuart to speak with the older boy before he did just what his competitor (regardless of how friendly he seemed to be) asked wasn't a bad idea. Thus, that was why Harry was camped out in the Gryffindor common room despite the awkward looks being sent his way by a majority of his housemates; not many were openly hostile towards him, no the people who'd been that way were silenced once he'd handled the dragon as he had, if anything, they were wary of him despite the kindness he'd never failed to show.
He was deeply thankful to Cora and the Averys as a whole for showing him that not everyone was worth trying to please, otherwise, he might've taken the wariness or distrust from the others far worse. Merlin, especially if he hadn't had his older friends to rely on, they were like a lifeline!
"Harry mate, what're you doing up so late?"
"Hi, Cutie!"
Stuart had walked in while he was idly thinking, and of course, Nina was with him; her greeting was the usual, though she still wasn't anywhere close to as handsy as Clara was.
"Hey Stuart, Hi Nina," Harry replied whilst getting to his feet. "I was hoping to catch you before I ran off to bed, mind if we talk outside? I could throw up a pr-"
"Outside," Stuart quickly agreed, turning himself and Nina right around to exit the portrait they'd just entered through with Harry right behind them.
Once they were outside, the portrait was closed and the trio was a good few feet away from the often busy trail that led to the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry bluntly asked the older boy about Cedric's words as well as the friendship between them considering he hadn't seen the two together all that often.
Stuart responded with a nostalgic smile on his face.
"Cedric and I were pretty good friends until a few years back when he started getting very popular — it made keeping in touch while being in different houses hard, that's why we've had more time together in a sense." — Stuart reached forward to pat Harry on the shoulders — "I'd asked him for a bit of a hint since I hadn't thought you'd progressed yet, you'd helped him after all and he wouldn't forget that."
"So I can trust him then?" Harry asked.
Stuart nodded emphatically.
"Absolutely. He's somebody I'd trust more than a good bit of our own housemates."
Nina clapped once Stuart finished speaking, drawing attention to herself.
"Wonderful! We need to be running off now Harry, I'll see my favourite lil cutie in the morning won't I?" Nina smiled brightly and batted her eyelashes at him when she finished.
Harry nodded mutely a few times and only once the pair were walking away did he speak up again for the Prefects bathroom password — Stuart rushed back over to give it to him without a second thought, and then, he was carted off by Nina to an unknown fate that likely ended with all sorts of kissing he'd seen the two do so often.
February 7, 1995
Tuesday Early Evening
Another evening day spent hidden away in the private room his Slytherin friends had helped secure — here he was beside a fireplace with an almost countless supply of tomes, textbooks from recent times and notes from his friends all assisting him with his most recent task from the tournament, one in which he'll be needing to survive underwater.
Thus far, he hadn't managed to find a clue as to how that'll be done, like the one spell he found, the 'bubblehead charm' as it's called, was easily popped and not very reliable under stress. It doesn't help that the strength of it is semi-dependent on the caster either, needless to say, that was the one he felt the least safe with using.
"Harry?"
Cora's voice shook him from his thinking, the depth of it having been so much so that he'd failed to hear the arrival of not only her but the group she'd entered in with; Aster, Alisa, Clara, Loma, Nina, Reinhard and Stuart.
He still couldn't believe his older Slytherin friends had willingly shared the location of their 'secret' meeting room with the three Gryffindors, especially with how often they'd use it and a few items they'd usually keep tucked away in it.
That was one of the multiple ways they showed their dedication towards helping him, and one of the reasons he'd truly begun considering all of them his best friends — the Slytherins had shared a space they'd kept secret for years while the Gryffindors trusted there was nothing nefarious happening within; he wondered if the two groups would've ever been as friendly as they currently were with one another if not for him.
"Yeah Cora?" He answered just in time, the older girl's finger had been dangerously close to his nose in a flicking motion.
"Did you find anything that'll help you?" He could place the worry easily enough, but he wasn't sure what the other element to her voice was.
Harry turned the book he'd left to his side towards the group of older students, all of them crowded around once he had, and instantly, various conversations ensued in regards to the spell he'd chosen. Some, like Cora, were neutral on it, while others like Stuart, were staunchly opposed due to the ease with which it could be destroyed.
One person, however, hadn't said a word; Loma.
"Why don't you just use Gillyweed?"
Everyone in the room turned to regard the girl, and again, she reiterated her words.
"What's Gillyweed then? We don't all spend so muc-"
Aster had asked the question they all had, but whatever he was going to add on to it was sharply stopped with a sharp jab to his side from Alisa. One yelp from him and a motion from Alisa to the Gryffindor girl to continue later, the entirety of the room found out that Gillyweed was a fairly expensive item that allowed the consumer of said item to not only breathe underwater but to get webbing that enhanced their movement.
Its obvious downside was the time it lasted; about one hour… the about wasn't very reassuring.
That wasn't the only additional option they had though, there was another that was brought up by a person who shouldn't have been in the room in the first place.
"Why don't you learn the spells those scuba divers use?"
Everyone, Harry included, turned towards the source of the voice that'd come from behind them — some were a bit more aggressive in doing so too, with wands raised and warnings given. There hadn't really been a need for it though, considering the one girl who'd snuck in was wearing Ravenclaw robes and smiling at them all, Stuart in particular.
Somehow, Stuart's little sister, a girl none of them had gone to for help, was happily swinging her legs on a desk while extending a copy of the Daily Prophet towards them.
Again she spoke.
"Take it, they advertise scuba-spells pretty often… sorry for spying too, I was hoping to catch Stuart for something."
Aster broke out laughing, Cora sighed while pinching her nose, and Harry grabbed the offered article without hesitation; there were finally options.
February 24, 1995
Friday Morning
He'd done it… again… somehow.
No, not somehow, that wouldn't be giving credit where credit was due; his friends.
Without them, he knew from the bottom of his heart that he'd not have made it back to the surface of the lake with not only Cora, but the little French girl too, Gabrielle he thought her name was, Fleur had definitely been incredibly thankful for his saving her hostage even if the judges docked her an insane amount of points. He'd even tried telling her that there wasn't any chance Gabrielle would've gotten hurt, but the older French witch wouldn't believe it and she'd only left his side along with her little sister when his friends had crowded around them.
She didn't let him go without promising she'd help him again, she promised a way to repay it, she swore on that.
He couldn't actually blame her or try to stop her from saying what she had either, the depths of the lake were far more unforgiving than he'd have thought them to be, especially when another champion made it harder through negligence; Krum.
Regardless, he'd pushed through those little pests by immobilising a fair few thanks to a few well placed net-like spells that were nigh unbreakable by the time he charmed them a split-second later. Other pesky creatures were handled with ease too, though one of the mermen had scratched him with a fairly long nail when Harry bolted past their warnings to get the two hostages that he did; Fleur's early elimination and seeing her little sister truly nagged on him, so he rescued her without a second thought, a remnant from the overly innocent to the world boy he'd initially been — compassion would always be a part of him, he knew that too.
At least the mix of scuba spells and gillyweed had done their jobs though, the combination had him propelling at great speeds through the water without fear of losing oxygen from a bubblehead charm or the gillyweed running out prematurely.
Stuart's little sister definitely earned a sizable Christmas gift from him, that much was certain.
"Harry! Stop doing that, you're making us nervous!"
He shook his head, drops of water being sent every direction while some still leaked from his ears in the process before he looked towards the source of the voice — it was Clara, and she was redder than he'd ever seen her before.
"What?" He asked with a cocked head, the towel around him being tightened by the body pressing against his back.
Clara moved towards him until she was standing a foot from his hospital bed — When had he been brought to the hospital ward? — and once she was close enough, she leaned right in until her face was inches from his, then she did something he hadn't expected in the slightest; she pinched his earlobe.
It bloody hurt too!
"No zoning out while we're all worrying about you."
"Give'em a break Clara, just saved two bir- witches and scored the highest, again," As usual, Aster came to his defence, and as usual, the boy self-corrected so as to avoid any punishment from his ever-present girlfriend; Harry swore Alisa was always looking for the chance to pinch, flick or otherwise prod the Lestrange boy.
"I'm with Clara on this one, he did well thanks to all the studying and effort he put forward, but he still needs to rest like any reasonable person, isn't that right Nina?" Loma joined Clara's side, bringing Nina along with her as the girl nodded fervently.
"Harry should sleep, we can stay in here as long as we'd like and make him eat candy since that warms you up."
"No. Candy."
Cora's voice sounded from directly behind him and all too suddenly he realised just who it was pressing directly against his back while holding the towel around him. He should've known, really, but now that he did, it wouldn't hurt to relax a bit more into the comforting warmth the older girl provided… he'd just won another challenge hadn't he?
It was his reward.
"So mate, you're gonna tell us how everything went down in the lake, aren't you?" Stuart pulled up a chair and sat himself down right after asking, Nina plopped down in his lap, and eventually, all the others joined the older Gryffindor boy in his seating idea.
"He can't!" Another voice rang out, quickly followed by multiple sounds of agreement with one loud shushing from the hospital matron.
A chorus of 'sorry' was heard before the curtains were ripped open revealing Hermione, Stuart's sister Anna, a majority of his Quidditch teammates and a few more students of Hogwarts who hadn't completely left him regardless of the happenings or rumours that'd circulate. Their disruption allowed him to see the other visitors of the hospital ward too, as well as Fleur, the tall French girl who looked to be making her way over towards him with a kind smile on her face as she brushed aside the concerns her schoolmates were showing her.
He knew right then, with all the smiling faces of his friends, new or old, there'd be no chance he could escape speaking with them while bathing in Cora's hug.
Ah well, the least he could do was make it last as long as possible, the warmth of his body was only matched by the warmth pooling at the pit of his stomach.
March 11, 1995
Saturday Afternoon
Hogsmeade time had come again, and very different from usual, he wasn't with Cora's group or Cora herself.
For a change of pace and at the behest of his Slytherin friends, he'd agreed to go with the three Gryffindors who'd taken a shine to him since he first stepped into the common room all those years ago, as well as one other person who'd tagged along.
"You learned the scuba spells so fast! How did you do it, Harry?"
Anna had tagged along with the three older Gryffindors and himself, he didn't mind though, the girl had saved his skin with her help.
"Well, your help was pretty tantamount to it, though Cora, Stuart and the rest of our friends were pretty important too." — Harry awkwardly scratched at the back of his head while glancing between Anna and the three Gryffindors as they made their way to the Three Broomsticks — "Thank you, again, I can't say it enough."
"What you cou-"
"Think nothing of it mate, especially if Nina's trying to have you get her chocolates or something else as her 'thanks' for helping."
Stuart cut his girlfriend off, predicting what the girl would say while making sure Harry knew that all the help he'd received from them thus far, wasn't anything that bothered them. As always, Harry was incredibly thankful for his small, core group of friends that'd stuck with him through the years — he'd been so naive to think he could've befriended all of Hogwarts, even if there were times he still wished to do just that.
"Can we please get out of the cold and exchange our affections inside, at a warm table, with hot food in us?" Loma asked, shivering and pulling her old-style jacket tighter around herself.
Harry laughed with Anna and Stuart while Nina pouted; Loma didn't wait for them to finish as she bolted inside and towards one of the only empty tables in the far back of the place. No sooner than Harry sat down after having pulled out Anna's seat for her was the owner of the establishment, Madam Rosmerta, at their table and asking them what they'd like.
Butterbeer and the daily special all around were ordered, the group quickly falling into a conversation as Madam Rosemerta strutted away after a small wink intended for Stuart… one that Nina saw and instantly began poking fun at her boyfriend until the conversation took a turn towards something that intrigued even her; Harry's love life.
It was funny too, because, as much as Harry expected the group would eventually bring up crushes, he hadn't expected Loma to be the one that did it — quiet, studious, always polite and somewhat shy Loma.
"I don't have a crush on anybody."
"That'd be highly unlikely for a boy of your age, Harry," Loma said, a small smile on her face as she glanced knowingly at him. "Perhaps it's that friend of yours, Clara Carrow. I suppose it could be that French champion too, saving her sister wouldn't be a small step towards building a relationship with her. I'd throw Stuart's little sister in too since she's only a year behind you, but having dated a Ravenclaw myself, they're far too studious to enjoy the finer things like holding hands or ki-"
"No no no, you be quiet, I'll not be hearing talk of my sister kissing Harry here." — Stuart had shaken himself free from Nina's grasp and was now emphatically shaking his head from side to side while glaring at Loma — "Pick on him and the bird he's got a crush on, that's fine with me… don't you be getting any ideas either Anna, I know that look on your face means you're scheming — there's a reason you weren't put in Slytherin!"
Harry looked over to Anna right as the girl's expression shifted, he didn't get to see what it'd initially been, but he saw the puppy dog pleading she was shooting at Stuart now.
"That's mean Stu, y-you said I was smart at home," Anna went so far as to rub her eyes, and even if she were faking it (which Harry figured she probably was) Nina bought into the performance without a second thought.
From that point on, Stuart would be getting harassed by his always-loving girlfriend whenever he took a drink or a spoon full of food, even as the conversations died down and they began walking through the small town to glance at various shops the boy wasn't being left alone. Harry briefly wondered if that's what it'd be like if he was with Cora or a girl he'd never met before — predominantly Cora considering she was his sole crush now — and then he realised that wouldn't be them; Cora was far too nice to prod him so often.
"Stop daydreaming and come on Harry! We can't have you missing out on the hot chocolate, not with all those nonces from the Hogshead and the Three Broomsticks coming over here anytime now!" Anna's voice pulled him from his thoughts on a hopeful future a split second before she physically pulled him towards the entrance of some shoddy looking shop.
He hadn't even asked what she meant or what the cost was before a piping hot mug of the delicious drink was thrust in his hands, marshmallows already melting into it alongside a dollop of honey.
"So good!"
"Tasty!"
"I mean, it's alri-great, so great… ouch."
Anna, Nina and Stuart all spoke its praises, some honest means and some enforced, but that was enough to make Harry try a sip in tandem with Loma, the pair having been slightly apprehensive until their peers went first.
By the time he brought the drink back down from his now burnt lips, Harry could honestly say he'd not tasted a better drink than that; spending time alongside this group had been a change of pace for him, one that he hadn't initially thought he'd like all that much considering the new addition that seemed as spontaneous as Clara and just as smart.
He enjoyed Anna though, and Harry knew without a doubt why Cora had insisted he go with her — they'd both be needing friends come graduation time.
"Watch out!" Stuart yelled a second after they stepped outside, the boy's wand already in hand and blasting Harry a few steps backwards as a large-sized dog barrelled past them, dropping something from its slobbering mouth in the process.
Nina commented idly on how scary the encounter was, Loma made mention that she'd never seen that particular pet in Hogsmeade before, Anna was struck looking where the dog had been going off and Stuart, the oldest boy was looking around for anything else that could cause his friends to tumble.
Harry didn't take any of those courses of action though, what he did was grab something he'd seen before down to the same colouring and size; an envelope.
When he opened it with his back towards his friends, it only had one sentence written in the all too familiar handwriting.
'Danger is coming, we'll help you soon, we swear it.'
June 24, 1995
Saturday Afternoon
Harry was in the lead thus far, which meant, he got to enter the final task first — he wasn't incredibly happy with that, especially since there weren't any hints or what have you to prepare for as there'd been for the other tasks. All he or anyone else knew was what they'd heard; the champions would be entering the final task, a maze, in order of points and the first to reach the cup would receive all the eternal glory they could want.
Galleons were a better driving factor for winning to all of the kids competing, surviving even more so.
He'd gotten to have some last-minute words to speak with his friends before he was ushered to the front entrance of the maze, which was where he currently stood while waiting for the task to begin with the firing of a cannon by Mister Filch.
Everyone had wished him well, offered advice, promised he'd be fine, but he knew there wasn't any surefire way he'd be safe based on the two past tasks. If Dragons was the warm-up, an underwater task filled with dangerous creatures and the risk of drowning was the 'easing into it' task, then the finale would be absolutely and unequivocally dangerous to a point that he felt in his gut any mistake could lead to his death.
Professor Moody had tried approaching him right beforehand wanting to offer advice or something of the like, but the man hadn't really had the chance much to Harry's disappointment; Cora had been glued to his side ever since the second task!
Not that he minded in the slightest… he did suspect she'd started to pick up on his feelings for her though, especially when Clara commented on his goofy look whenever the older girl pulled him into a tight hug or sneered at approaching people they weren't all that familiar with. Fleur hadn't been safe from that ire either, the French witch having attempted to approach only for Cora to change course immediately upon seeing her. He'd only seen Fleur one more time after that and it was across the Great Hall while she was eating, she had a sort of resigned look on her face, but she still offered him a polite smile with a raised glass when her eyes caught his.
Boom.
Harry heard the cannon fire behind him and darted in, the count not having finished didn't matter to him, he just wanted to survive as the other three did — winning fast would be nice too, especially if it prevented harm from coming to Cedric or Fleur. He'd say the same for Krum too, but the boy had been acting weirder than usual, more aggressive even… Harry would still try all the same to make sure he'd not get hurt.
A few turns in now, he paused his thinking in order to pay closer attention to his surroundings; he couldn't afford any form of distraction from where he currently found himself.
As soon as he focused his mind on the area, he heard the loudest silence, it was unnerving down to his bone.
There was no sound from the loudly cheering crowd only fifty or so meters behind him, there weren't any of the breezes idly making leaves or branches swing, the latter with creaking, Merlin, there wasn't even any sound of crunching foliage underneath his feet in a place where he'd most expect it!
It made him wonder for all of a second if another champion had entere- he dove to his left a second before something uncoiled and snapped at him when he'd turned the corner towards the next strip of the maze.
Turning towards the source of what'd attempted to hurt him, he saw something that made him grin stupidly despite the danger the giant, likely poisonous, creature posed to him; it was a snake.
Had nobody bothered remembering he could speak to the things? Maybe they'd played the odds that the other three couldn't, and based on the size of the thing with its light shimmering, it could have some sort of enchantment on it. Unfortunately for the judges and whoever else put it together, unless the magic on it stopped it from hearing him, there was a chance he could ensure safe passage for himself.
"Stop," Harry said whilst backpedalling, his eyes darting over his shoulder to make sure there weren't any more before returning to the snake slowly working its way towards him.
It didn't stop, though it slowed down.
"You speak?" Just as the snake in the zoo, the one before him spoke with prolonged 's' sounds, but its voice was far, far more menacing in tone.
Harry nearly sighed in relief that the snake understood him — it meant he no longer had to bolt through the maze-like an idiot. Still, he wasn't in the clear yet, not if it outright refused to let him go.
"I do," Harry nodded. "I'm trying to get to a cu-"
The snake's pace picked back up to what it'd been before, reigniting Harry's backwards movement in the process.
"I know what you seek, wizard. Protecting it is my task, the promises made from your elders ensured my effort."
"Did they promise you freedom?" Harry asked sharply while one hand was held out, palm upwards; the other was slowly slithering its way towards his wand.
No response was given from the snake, but as it'd done when he'd initially spoken, it slowed in its movement towards him, if only just.
He continued, hoping the slowness was a sign he was on the right track.
"If you let me pass, once this is all over, I'll see to it that you're set free — I swear it to you."
"Wizards lie, you wish for me to believe you'll not do the same?"
"Are you familiar with magic?"
Harry was ready to gamble, he only hoped he'd not pay for it with his life if he failed.
"I know the powers your kind can wield all too well."
"I'll swear on it with magic than" — Harry slowly withdrew his wand, the snake having stopped altogether now, though it coiled in on itself as soon as the stick was fully visible; still, it let him continue — "I swear that the words I've spoken are true, I will set you free should my passage be allowed."
Under his breath and as soon as he'd finished, he cast a spell that shined brightly through his wand; Lumos.
Seconds went by with nothing happening, and then, the snake finally uncoiled from itself. It didn't move towards him, it didn't go back whence it came, it just stared at him as seconds went by until it broke the silence by speaking.
"An oath has been made, see to it you keep to it, wizard."
Harry sighed in relief when the snake finally made its leave, thanking any being listening that his gamble had worked, and then again, he was racing off towards his victory; this time, he didn't get far before the next obstacle made itself known with sounds he'd only heard described in textbooks and kids stories — the kind made to warn bad children.
Three of the giant creatures were waiting for him as soon as he'd turned the corner, just as the snake had been doing prior.
One was up high in a series of webbing, the other two were already on the ground and making their way towards him.
He hadn't the chance to think, to try diplomacy as he'd done before or anything other than what he knew would work. Even if he had, he knew the creatures before him wouldn't listen, not with the clicking they were making as they bolted towards him faster than he'd thought possible for them.
"Bombarda Maxima!"
In an instant, both Acromantula had been sent flying through the hedges with a splash of ichor and fuzz that landed on him, the effectiveness of the spell surprising even him, though the confinement of the explosion as well as the closeness of the two things likely made his casting of it all the more devastating. He wasn't even sure if they were dead either, only gone, sent flying through the maze.
There was still one left though, and Harry remembered that fact right as he felt a small splashing of something on the back of his neck.
It's too late, He thought.
He couldn't dodge forward or backwards, it'd get him by then, so he did the next best thing he thought of — he fell on his back while firing off as many cutting charms as he could, hoping the power behind them would be enough to kill the thing by volume of fire alone.
It did too, the acromantula above him was severed piece by piece with horrible sounds being made in the process… but, it'd sunk one of its pincers a few inches into his right shoulder.
Pain.
That was the primary feeling threatening to overrun his mind, followed by panic at the steady stream of blood flowing from the wound; it wouldn't kill him outright from blood loss for some time, he knew that, but it would get him so long as he stayed in the maze for an untold amount of time.
"Diffindo," He whispered now, his wand held awkwardly over his shoulder to slice the pincer down a great degree so it wouldn't be too awkward to move while it was stuck in him — he knew removing it altogether could lead to his death in minutes rather than the much longer time he'd last if he kept it in him.
He stood the rest of the way up from the sideway position he'd previously been on, rolling his uninjured shoulder and taking a few deep breaths before he did what needed to be done, that being moving forward to end the stupid tournament he'd ended up in.
Harry was close now, he could feel it.
It'd been ten minutes since his run-in with the three acromantula, no more beasts or creatures had tried killing him since the three of them either, weirder still was the lack of the other three champions that he knew would have entered by now.
Where were they? Why hadn't he heard any sounds from them? Why had the maze just… moved?
He rubbed at his eyes and blinked a few times after doing so. For a moment, he could've sworn one limb from the maze directed him the opposite direction he was goi- it did it again right in front of his clearly sane eyes.
One sole branch was pointing towards the left, and then further down the way he was looking, he saw the first sign of the other champions.
Krum was running after something or someone, only he turned when he saw Harry, his looks even as far as they were from one another were distinctly vicious. Harry could almost swear the larger, older boy sneered at him too, but he couldn't tell, nor did he particularly want to. Still, his mind urged him to follow Krum, maybe in hopes of security from their being two of them, so he tried that.
Two steps turned to four, four turned to eight and before he knew it, he was gaining on the boy, but then the hedges moved again, only this time, they completely walled off the path he'd been taking while that same, singular branch was urging him towards another area.
There wasn't an ounce of trust or faith in the direction he was being led, but he hadn't a choice in following it.
Both the way he'd tried going and the way he'd come from, were gone.
He pushed onwards.
Cackling filled the air as he peeked around the corner, a prone figure with darts sticking in it was the first thing visible when he did so, but the humanoid thing standing on a clearing in the hedges above the figure was noticed immediately afterwards.
He'd heard of the creature he was laying eyes on from Hogwarts, Erklings, they were called, and they ate children.
Being the youngest champion made his stomach feel queasy at the thought of its inclusion, but he knew the thing was just as likely to eat the others as it were him… possibly.
Either way, he'd not be finding out by watching.
"Stupefy!"
He shouted after taking careful aim, the unsuspecting thing dropping with a thud alongside its dart gun right next to whoever it'd gotten before him.
Harry fired a second one into the Erkling when he got closer, he bound the thing for good measure too. There was no such thing as too much security, especially not when dealing with dangerous beings like the one before him.
Once he was triply certain there'd be no chance of getting dart gunned himself, Harry checked the figure for signs of life after pulling out the darts, and once he looked closely in the dark depths of the maze, he saw a familiar face in a troubled slumber.
Fleur had gotten ahead of him at some point, and she'd paid the price for doing so.
Her clothes were ripped in various places, blood and cuts seeping through a majority of those, there was even a portion of her left arm that looked badly burnt. He felt bad for her, doubly so after the time he'd unwillingly ignored her on account of Cora's attitude.
So he did what he could.
Harry used the few healing spells he'd learned to tide the worst of the cuts over, at least until someone came for her once he fired the spell for aid up from her wand; he wasn't a healer though, he knew not if she were internally fine or if the dart's poison had lasting harm.
Once he'd done what he could, he was conflicted on whether or not he should stay with her. There was the chance that something would get to her while she lay unconscious in the maze, but there was a greater chance that the other two champions were equally as injured as she was… the dilemma had him rubbing furiously at his eyes, the stress becoming too much to deal with until he heard someone apparating in nearby. One glance later and he saw one of the judges near enough, Madame Maxime if he were right with her name — that made his decision far easier, and lightly covering the girl with his cloak, he took off again, following the one path onwards that was left.
He could see it, the championship cup was in his view as he rounded the final bend, but there was an obstacle to it, potentially two.
Blocking his path was the same large dog that he'd seen in Hogsmeade, but its growling and vicious looks were far from the friendly beast he'd seen sprinting through the old village. Standing above it was somebody who he'd last heard was missing after their retirement, Professor Lupin.
That wasn't all though, there was something else on its back near them too, Harry couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it was sticking straight up and looked to be a cat-like creature.
Harry edged closer to his former instructor and the dog standing next to him, his wand partially raised as he greeted the man with wariness.
"Professor Lupin, it's good to see you…"
Professor Lupin half-laughed, half-coughed at Harry's words — the dog beside him whined and sat down, the growling gone.
"Harry," Professor Lupin's voice rasped, "You made it first, you'll be the only one too."
"What do you mean Professor? You've seen Cedric and Krum?"
Professor Lupin chuckled this time, "I'm no longer your Professor, Lupin will do, and to answer your question, yes. Cedric's been rendered unconscious the same as the French witch."
"What happened?" Harry edged closer, his eyes firmly on the dog as he did so.
"Krum, something's wrong with him — Imperius I'd suspect from past experiences, best stay away from him Harry, though I'd wager whoever's set you up here isn't risking him going after you," Prof- Lupin leaned back against the podium the cup was on once he finished speaking.
Harry finally noticed as the man did that just how emaciated and exhausted he looked, the dog too for that matter, but there wasn't any time to ask too many questions other than the ones that mattered right this second.
"Do you know who set me up? Is that why you're here?"
The dog whined again, pawing at the ground, Lupin quieted it down easily enough with one word; 'wait'.
"We imagine we know who set you up, and yes, that's why we're here for you Harry," — Lupin stood up to his full height again, taking a deep breath of the air as he did so — "Followers of he-who-must-not-be-named are most definitely behind this, we've learned as much from our source before we sent him in a few nights ago to an old friend. They'll not be expecting more than just you, of that, I can assure you."
"Lupin… you keep saying 'we', but I only see you," Harry said slowly, looking around as he did so. "Who else is 'we', Professor?"
Again, the dog whined, and this time, Lupin didn't quiet it down.
Seconds later, the dog was a man, one whom Harry knew the face of all too well — he raised his wand with a special curse he'd learned from the Averys library on the tip of his wand.
"Wait!" Lupin said, putting himself between Harry and the rough-looking man.
"Stand aside," Harry warned his former Professor, a man he'd once respected, a man who wouldn't have defended a murderer the last time he'd seen him. "You know what he's done, Professor, he needs to answer for it."
"It wasn't him, Harry," Lupin said, his palms facing the boy while the man behind him paced making the same noises the dog had before. "It was never him, believe me, please. I learned the truth, and while it's entirely too long to say now, I swear it to you, it was never him."
"Yeah!" Harry yelled, "Who was it then!?"
His rage was threatening to boil over, all the anger he'd ever felt towards someone was rising to the surface and with the arsenal of spells he knew, there was a chance, however small it may be, that he could dislodge his former Professor to get to the man who needed to be punished.
"Peter Pettigrew, Harry — a man who we both thought to be long dead, but he isn't. That rat survived, though come tomorrow when the article breaks, he'll wish he hadn't," Lupin was still speaking calmly, but Harry could see the same hatred he felt in the man's eyes as he spoke of someone Harry was told tried to avenge his parents.
"Professor, what spell did you teach me?"
"Harry?" Lupin's ire waned as quickly as it'd come, the man now looking at Harry questionably.
"Say it!" Harry yelled, his wand raised fully, the tip aiming right at the Professor's chest.
"I semi-successfully taught you the Patronus Charm, much to my failure as a Professor, you didn't master it — please, Harry, we've taken long enough as it is. I swear to you that I'll answer whatever questions you have, but we need to get moving, we can end this tonight," Lupin sounded desperate, his nod towards the cup looked like it too.
Harry made a split-second decision, looked at the man, Sirius, with loathing and ran towards the cup; all three grabbed it at once.
When he next opened his eyes, he found himself in a place he'd never been before — a graveyard of some sort, one that was almost entirely empty but for the two men Harry had come in with, and one other standing ten yards away.
"Don't move towards him, Harry, we don't know who he is — Sirius, find where the cup went," Professor Lupin had immediately taken charge of the situation they now found themselves in, and only when the man told his compatriot to find the cup did Harry register it'd gone off somewhere in the thick brush towards numerous uncared for graves.
"You won't be needing it."
The figure that'd previously been ten yards away was half that now, his body in a relaxed posture with a wand held lazily at his side; his words sounded just as casual as he looked.
"Who are you?" Harry couldn't help but ask, ignoring the sharp look Lupin sent him.
The figure barked out a mocking chuckle in response to Harry's words before it grandiosely brought up its arms.
"You above all others should know who I am, Harry Potter. Many times have we clashed, each with you emerging luckier than the last, but tonight, that stops," Voldemort said, his wand raising faster than Harry had ever seen one before as three spells silently shot from it in the direction of the three men who'd just portkeyed in.
Harry was done for, his wand was still at his side and the spell would take too long for him to cast as Voldemort's streaked towards them, but then something happened; Harry was pushed by a gust of wind to his left, the spell that'd been aimed for his chest missing by half a foot from his arm.
"Ah, your company isn't entirely useless I see — another will need punishing once the three of you are handled."
Those were the final words Voldemort spoke as the man's body started sending spell after spell towards the three of them. Some were a sickly green sort that Harry knew he needed to dodge thanks to Moody's classes earlier in the year, others he'd hear shouts from Lupin to dodge rather than block in the heat of battle, then there was the sort he knew from both Hogwarts and time with the Averys.
Still, with all the knowledge he'd gained and the training he'd received, he could scarcely follow the heat of the battle; spells crackled through the air, most narrowly missing him thanks to Sirius or Lupin while he occasionally dodged or blocked them himself… his stamina was the only thing keeping him up while the two other men tried their best in drawing Voldemort's ire.
At this moment, cowering behind a great stone grave, Harry knew if he had arrived alone, no small amount of luck would have been needed to survive. Even now, throwing darker spells as he was towards Voldemort's leftmost flank, the man would bat them away with seldom a glance in his direction as he slowly tired out his two opponents. It was plain to see too, neither Lupin nor Sirius had landed a spell, and while the same was true for Voldemort, his body showed nowhere near the signs of exhaustion the other two did.
Harry needed to get the portkey that'd send them back to Hogwarts, a place he knew would be safe thanks to the presence of Dumbledore and the dozens of Ministry staff that could undoubtedly make Voldemort flee if not outright lose to the sheer volume of spells cast. So Harry held out his wand shakily and spoke.
"Accio Cu-"
He didn't finish his yell before the tombstone hiding him exploded, riddling his body with no small amount of stone debris lodged in it — worse yet, he vaguely registered a large chunk tearing through one of his shoulders, though which he couldn't tell from the sheer amount of pain caused.
Yells were heard from Lupin and Sirius both, Harry could make out an increase in flashing lights as spells whistled through the air in the direction of Voldemort, the man even looked to be on his back feet for a few minutes; his body moved jerkily, his arms looked stiff, and then Harry saw something on the back of his head when he twirled around to cast some sort of intricate shield the same presence that'd been on Professor Quirrell's head.
This wasn't Voldemort, it was a man possessed by the former Dark Lord, he had to be fight- Harry saw it, the cup was shining by a black cauldron barely fifteen yards away.
"Lup-in!" Harry got out, his voice struggling as he pointed towards the cup.
Only a nod was given in response, but Lupin yelled something out to Sirius too, the man sprinting weirdly in Harry's direction whilst summoning the cup to him — Lupin somehow appeared beside him too, a crack giving way, and then, Harry, as well as his companions, were no longer in the graveyard, the last sound that registered being a scream of pure rage.
Harry could make out through the blood in his eyes that he'd made it back alongside Lupin and Sirius — he wouldn't have without the latter man, there's no chance he could've moved in time to dodge that killing curse. No amount of duelling practice with Cora, her friends or in Hogwarts itself could've prepared him for combat with… with Voldemort.
Just as before, when the man had possessed poor Professor Quirrell, he'd come back to kill Harry. He'd failed again, he'd gotten a lot closer, but he'd failed again.
They'd have to… to tell… Dumbledore!
He would have to be told, the Professor needed to k-know.
Harry vaguely registered a scream, a set of them, too many of them; they were so loud too, he'd never heard anything like them.
"-rry! Stay… be okay! Mother… help him!"
Cora's voice.
Harry smiled; he couldn't see the girl, not through the blood and grime covering his face, but she was next to him or holding him, he couldn't tell due to the cold that'd overcome him. For some reason, he felt wet too, right above his left shoulder and down the entirety of that side.
Had he been hurt?
His head certainly felt like it, but maybe Cora was crying so much that she'd gotten half of him wet — that'd be a lot of tears.
He tried to laugh, but it turned into a harsh coughing fit that expelled more liquid from his throat. It tasted like metal, like when he'd bitten an old fork at the Dursleys.
Tired. Sore. Cold.
Harry tried to shake his head to rid the feelings, but he couldn't. That wasn't the only thing he couldn't do anymore either, he couldn't see, he couldn't feel anything, he could barely hear… but it was fine, he just needed to sleep, he'd be fine… Cora was with him after all, she'd never let anything happen to him.
Cora.
June 26, 1995
Monday Morning
"Harry, are you absolutely sure that everything's fine?" Cora's voice sounded from the other side of his bedroom door.
"Yeah."
What else could he tell her that he hasn't already?
Sirius Black had aided him alongside Professor Lupin after having left three letters to him since that Snape attack (one in which they were behind) and not only that, but the man Harry had heard so little about, Peter Pettigrew, had been the one behind his parents' murder… not Sirius Black… the man Harry had spent so long hating.
As if that hadn't been enough, the two had been watching Harry throughout his time at Hogwarts, especially during his Hogsmeade trips where Harry later found out the dog that'd ran into them had been Sirius in some sort of disguise.
It wasn't coincidental that those letters were placed directly on his bed any more than it was that they'd shown up when they had in the maze to stop him from reaching the end, and when that failed, when they fought alongside him against a man who should've been gone — he was still fuming that they'd claimed at the time he wasn't strong enough to be first in an all-out race to the trophy, but in hindsight, they weren't exactly wrong, the other participants had years of experience and even then, one of them ended up paying for it in the end.
"I'm coming in," Cora said without waiting for his response, jarring him from his thoughts. "I've got a feeling we need to talk now that Hogwarts isn't so… peculiar, as it so often is."
"Talk about what? Haven't we already talked about the tournament and th-"
"Not that, I know I've been overbearing since then and my checking on you so much that I've fallen asleep in your chair is a bit much but… not that, not right now at least," Cora's eyes captured his and refused to let his attention get diverted to anything else. "You know what I mean, Harry, even if you continue to play the fool in regards to it."
He sputtered and tried looking away as his cheeks coloured, but he couldn't, not from her.
Cora noticed his embarrassment and the worry on his face, and in response, she dropped the sternness from her voice as easily as she dropped said emotion on her face.
"I'm flattered, really, though I do wonder how long I've been your crush considering the cuddling we've done since you've stayed with us." — Cora moved closer to him, taking a seat on his bed alongside him before pulling him against her side — "There's no need to feel embarrassed about it, you know you can talk to me."
"How could I talk to you about my crush on you?" Harry sounded miserable, and again, he tried looking away — Merlin this past month had been absolutely horrible.
Cora gently grasped his chin and turned his face towards her until the pair were making eye contact, and when she did that, he didn't feel nearly so miserable seeing the caring look she'd so often given him.
"You can always talk to me, Harry, especially when you think you love me — those words are serious, you know that too… I may have heard your conversation with Sirius before the man made his leave."
"I, you, wh-"
Cora pressed her lips gently against his forehead.
"Talk to me."
COMMENTREPLIES:
Clayvus: Thank you, and potentially - who knows?
Mwinter1: Thank you!
JustBored07: Glad you like it that much and thank you very much!
DeadDredd: Thank you, glad you liked it! Definitely difficult to write the inner turmoil well! He's further ahead than he would be in canon, by a lot, as for those chapters, they'll be fun to write.
K1lluaa: Thank you, and I do haha! That could happen, maybe not this chapter, but we'll see - it could be dependent on recent events.
Hank1967: It's hard to address so many reviews in one reply, so I'll sum it up with thank you! They were all very nice and fun to read, just like the compliments within them - thank you very much!
Hippie Painter: Appreciate that, glad you liked it!
Matt9917: Oh for sure, they've always got one anothers backs! She could know about his feelings, we'll have to see though! As for the friends to lovers, it's a favourite of mine too! Thanks for another in-depth review and all the compliments within it!
Magitech: Thank you very much, it will be, it's just hard to write with the age difference of him at 14 and her at 17/18 - that'll change soon.
AshBladeHentai: Appreciate that, thank you very much and glad you like it!
Mrhunterjdavis: Yeah it is, especially this cliffhanger haha - thank you too, the skips are hard to hit, but I'm happy they're good so far with you! Thanks!
Svenion: The earlier chapters are pretty canon compliant, as I said, but the later ones have more and more changes, especially this year.
ApexofRuin: Thank you very much, glad you love the OC's and Harry, hope you like this chapter!