Chapter 52

Denial and Dragons

"What have I done, sweet Jesus what have I done? Become a whore for his eyes, become a thief for some fun? What was I thinking kissing him? I have a boyfriend—I have Tom! Why didn't I stop him? Why didn't I stop myself? Draco what is wrong with me? We were there at the shack looking over—and something fell over me that must be it. Something, I don't know what must have done something to us to make us kiss! Oh god, I should never have given him that chocolate, what the fuck was I thinking? I wasn't thinking, that was the problem! Oh no, what will happen if Tom finds out—when Tom finds out—oh no we're in so much trouble when Tom finds out! He's going to kill Viktor; I don't want him to kill Viktor but he's going to kill Viktor and lock me away and I'll never see anyone again and Tom is going to torture Viktor I've put that man to death it's all my fault and—"

Pain stung Harry's cheek. He fell back on his bed and looked up at Draco, shocked at what the Malfoy heir has done. "Are you done?" Draco asked coldly, his hand still held in the air.

"You slapped me!"

"You were getting hysteric."

"You slapped me!" Harry shouted again.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "You needed to calm down," he said. He moved to sit next to Harry and sighed. "Honestly, sounds like you and Krum got caught in the moment. Nothing to worry about."

"But I wanted it," Harry said. "And Viktor did too and I led him on," Harry mourned. He put his head in his hands as rested his elbows on his knees. "I'm a whore."

"Harry, whores do much more than kissing, you're not a whore," Draco sighed. "How do you even know about what a whore is?"

"Blaise."

"Of course," Draco sighed. "But look, it was just a few kisses. If I were you, I think I would just tell Viktor the truth. Tell him about Tom and how the kiss was a mistake."

"I know but, I'm scared," Harry said. "What if he hates me? Or think less of me?"

"Then Krum's an asshole and he isn't worth any of your praise or presence," Draco said. "Look, I know that your situation is awful but honestly I think honesty is the way to go. I know I'm going to try it." He looked at the door and licked his lips apprehensively.

Harry gazed at the door as well and nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'll do it."

"And whatever happens, I'll be here," Draco promised, "as will everyone else." Harry sniffled and pulled Draco into a hug, the two holding each other for a long moment. Feeling collected, Harry stood up and the two left the dormitory to join their friends once more.

That night, Harry laid in his bed lost in thought over his breakdown earlier that day. He was worried that he cheated, yes, however he was even more worried over how Tom would react. How Tom might or most likely will kill Viktor all because they kissed. Because Harry felt comfortable near him because he felt in Viktor's arms the same as he felt during those rare moments when Tom showed affection. What did this say about him? About Tom? I was so scared of Tom's actions, Harry thought, is this even normal? He knew the answer, no, but then again what part of his relationship with Tom was ever normal?

He wished Tom was there. Not so he could hug and hold Harry, but so they could talk. Have an honest conversation. He felt that they were progressing, something was happening near the end of the summer, but then they were separated. Life tore them apart because of his schooling. They were away from each other for ten months, only to hug and kiss and love each other for two. There were letters, yes, and Yule, but was that really enough for a relationship to survive, let alone thrive?

"I love Tom," Harry whispered. It was true, he did love Tom. They were dating… weren't they? They were good, right? But then Harry thought about those lonely days at his home. Those times where he wished Tom was with him, only to be met with a closed door. Was that really a healthy relationship? He knew that his and Tom's relationship wasn't normal, but it was still healthy… right?

But maybe it's not. Relationships should be what Daphnis and Theo had in Harry's opinion. Dates constantly, daily acts of love both big and small, hand-holding, small notes, kissing, and cuddling. Time spent together more than apart. That was love in Harry's mind. That was what he wanted, what he felt he needed, but did Tom give him that?

No.

No, he did not, Harry realized sadly. It comes in bursts with Tom, they have the cuddles, the kissing, the love, but they were interspaced with silence. With separation for months on end between kisses, and only letters to fill the void inside him. In a strange way, Harry missed when Tom was on the back of Quirrell's head. They couldn't talk all the time, true, however, at least they could be together in the same place. At least he knew what Tom was doing. He could ask Tom his thoughts and feelings, but now he had to wait days for Tom's replies, and even then, it depends on if he mentions them. There was a wall between Harry and Tom, the boy felt. A wall that Harry didn't know how to climb over, and that scared him. He did not want to lose Tom. He did not want to lose his savior, his love, but at the same time, he knew deep down that what they had wasn't good. It needed to change, or else it would break.

And that was absolutely terrifying.

He didn't want to break. He didn't want his love between Tom and him to fall to pieces, so then it must change. Something must change. Maybe it would be best, then, if he took a step back from Tom. A break, no matter how much it hurts him, to examine his love for Tom. But he didn't want to cheat. He didn't want an excuse to kiss Viktor or have the professional seeker hold him in his arms.

No, Harry loved Tom. That was a fact, but he needed to stop obsessing over him. He needed to stop worrying constantly about him. He needed to talk to Viktor, and preferably sooner than later.

With this in mind, Harry rolled out of his bed and silently slipped his shoes on before kneeling in front of his trunk. He pulled out the Invisibility Cloak and wrapped it around him as he stood up. He made sure that he had the Marauder's Map and left the dungeons.

Harry quickly made his way to the grounds, the fall air blowing through the cloak and his pajamas. It was chilly, but Harry carried on, his eyes falling on the map occasionally. As he expected, neither the Durmstrang's ship nor the Beauxbatons' carriage showed up on the Map, however, because they were still clearly on the grounds, their names still appeared. It was weird seeing a bunch of names at the edge of the lake, however, Harry's eyes focused on one name. Viktor Krum.

He was on the boat, somewhere, and that was all that mattered.

Harry walked across the grounds down towards the lake, the only hints of his movement being the soft crunch of grass under his shoes. Soon enough, the crunching stopped as he reached the shore, replaced by small bits of rocks. The wooden plank stood in front of him, and Harry stepped aboard.

The ship was huge, like a classic pirate's ship. The top cabin looked too small for everyone to sleep in. There was a window next to the door into the top cabin and Harry peaked inside to see an extravagant bedroom with a single bed that Professor Karkaroff occupied. Harry immediately moved away and found another door that immediately led to stairs.

The stairs led to cabins all pushed together and with two beds. Harry walked as silently as he could, peaking into room after room as he searched for Krum. All he saw were Durmstrang students all fast asleep. Near the end of the hull, Harry checked what he thought was the tenth cabin when he found Krum. The boy was somehow still awake, lying in the bed with his arms behind his head and a leg bent. His bunkmate was sleeping, snoring softly. Harry slipped into the room and closed his eyes. He could feel the prickling line that led towards the cabinmate and focused on it. Sleep, he thought, concentrating his magic through the line. He could feel the teen falling deeper into his slumber and smiled.

Still invisible, Harry snuck towards Krum and put a hand on Krum's mouth as he pulled his Cloak off. "Viktor," he whispered. Krum panicked for a second before he saw Harry.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" he whispered, his eyes drifting from Harry to his cabinmate.

"Don't worry about him, he won't wake up," Harry whispered, "I just needed to talk to you."

"What is it, my boy?" Krum asked softly. He sat up instantly and moved to wrap an arm around Harry's waist. Harry shook his head and took a step back.

"I'm confused," he said. "I'm sorry but, I have a boyfriend."

"Oh…"

"Let me explain, please," Harry begged. Viktor looked at Harry for a moment and nodded. Harry sighed and sat down next to Viktor. "His name is Tom. You might know him actually; he was a year ahead of you in Durmstrang. We live together but barely see each other. I love him, I really do but recently I just felt like we were separating. Drifting away from each other, which I really don't want. We've known each other for so long, I loved him for so long but now that I think about it, I don't even know what I even say when I say, 'I love him.' And it's frustrating because we are separated for so long only to be together briefly. And when we're together it's great! But this summer, even though we live together we barely saw each other. I felt so lonely and then I met you.

"You who is just so sweet and perfect and just gave me everything that I wanted. Our kiss was amazing Viktor! I never wanted it to end, but at the same time, I felt so guilty and worried because I love Tom and I don't know what he will do when he finds out. But I don't want to lead you on, I don't want to keep using you. I like you Viktor, I really do, but I also love Tom. And I don't know what that even means. I need a step back, I feel. I need to stop constantly worrying about Tom, but I don't want to lose either of you. I—I…" Harry's voice broke. He didn't know when he started crying but he felt his cheeks run wet and flushed as he sat there next to Viktor. He continued to cry, holding onto himself as he did so. "I don't know what's going on with my life."

Viktor's arms were around him instantly. Harry became rigid before slowly melting in the hug. "I'm sorry," he continued to cry.

"Do not blame yourself, Harry," Viktor muttered.

"You hate me."

"No, I don't," Viktor said, holding Harry tighter. "I'm surprised and heartbroken to see that Riddle got you first, but I'm also sad at how awful he treated you."

"He's not treating me awful," Harry whispered.

"Perhaps," Viktor grumbled. "But I do think that you deserve better. We've known each other for so little, but I can see instantly how amazing you are Harry. You deserve the world, and in my personal opinion Riddle is barely offering you a country."

If only you knew, Harry thought sadly.

"I'm enamored with you Harry, but I can see that you might need a break from love and dating if that makes sense," Viktor continued. "I've been through too many heartbreaks to know the feeling well. I don't want to lose you either, so maybe for now until you have your feeling sorted out, we just become friends?"

"Friends," Harry whispered. The one thing he was determined to do and keep all along. The thing that Draco told Harry to tell Viktor, and now it was Viktor suggesting it. He couldn't help but smile, "Yeah, yeah I can do that," Harry nodded. "Does this mean that we can still hug?"

Viktor laughed loudly before stopping himself, glancing at his cabinmate. He stayed sleeping and Viktor smiled, "Of course," he said. "You can hug me whenever you need to."

"Then friends," Harry said, hugging Viktor. He felt lighter, happier, and stood up from the bed. "Thank you, Viktor," he said. "Er, goodnight."

"Good night Harry," Viktor chuckled. He went back to laying down as Harry wrapped his Invisibility Cloak around him and moved off of the ship.

November moved easier for Harry. He felt lighter, happier, and more sure of himself. He and Tom still exchanged letters, but Harry found that he started not including love in them anymore. He wasn't cold to Tom, in his mind, he kept answering Tom's questions and asking his own however in the end, he would just put Harry and that was enough.

As Harry expected, Skeeter's article came out about the Triwizard Tournament with a rather large part about her interview with Harry in the middle. The Slytherins all had a laugh about it, Draco and Blaise constantly quoting the article, "Harry, I had no idea that your 'green envious eyes stare at Diggory' whenever you talk about the Tournament!" Blaise laughed.

"Potter, you really plan to overtake Diggory as Champion and didn't tell me about it?" Draco asked with a fake gasp, "the shame!"

When the article came out, there were some obvious muttering if it was true or not, however, during dinner, Cedric stood up and went to Harry, who stood to meet him. They stared at each other, their neutral faces breaking in snickers before laughing completely. "So you're totally going to cheat so I win, right?" Cedric asked loudly.

"Of course, that's why we have the Polyjuice potion ready," Harry said loudly, "I have to prove that I am 'the better-accomplished wizard with years of thrill-seeking experience.'"

"Yeah but I'm taller," Cedric said, and they both broke down laughing. The Hall stared at the two as though they were insane, but after that night Harry was happy to never hear whispers about Skeeter's article again.

When it was November 23rd, two days before the First Task, Harry was once again with Krum walking around the grounds. The older teen looked trouble, and Harry could feel his brooding. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Viktor?"

Krum looked up and frowned, "I've spent the entire day at the library," he said.

"I know, I had to drag you out," Harry said. "What is the matter? Is it the tournament?"

"Yes," Krum said. "The first task is dragons; I have to get past a dragon."

Harry gasped, dragons!? Where were they hiding them? "Seriously? How do you know?"

"Professor Karkaroff told me," he said. "He also saw that other Headmaster with your groundskeeper."

"Hagrid?" Harry repeated. He frowned. "I thought that the First Task is supposed to be a secret."

"It is," Krum muttered, "but we want to win."

Harry could relate to that. He nodded and looked at Krum. "So you have to fight a dragon," he said.

"Da."

"Do you have any ideas how to get past it?"

"No, which is why I need to get back to the library," Krum said. "I'm wasting time."

"No, you're not," Harry hummed. "I want to walk with you more. Besides, maybe you'll get an idea while walking." He shrugged and offered Viktor a smile. "Perhaps it has a weak point. I mean, dragons can't be all-powerful, right? They must have some weakness." He took his glasses off and rubbed his eye before cleaning his glasses. When they were back on, he looked up to see Viktor staring at him. "What?"

"You beautiful boy that's it!" Viktor exclaimed. "Thank you so much, Harry!" He hugged Harry tightly before running away without another word.

Harry stood there for a moment, confused at what happened, before snapping out of it. Their first task was dragons. Viktor and Cedric had to face dragons, and from the sound of it, only Viktor and the Beauxbatons champion knew what the task was. That didn't sound exactly fair in Harry's mind. The Slytherin thought that if the others were going to cheat, then Hogwarts should as well. It's only fair.

With that in mind, Harry went to the castle in search of Cedric. He found the Champion with a load of sixth-year friends. Harry didn't want to talk to Cedric in front of them; wanted them to have some plausible deniability if the need arose. He followed Cedric at a distance and saw that he was heading toward the Charms corridor. This gave Harry an idea. Pausing at a distance from them, he pulled out his wand and took careful aim.

"Diffindo!"

Cedric's bag split. Parchment, quills, and books spilled out of it onto the floor. Several bottles of ink smashed.

"Don't bother," Cedric said in an exasperated voice as his friends bent down to help him. "I'll catch up with you guys."

This was exactly what Harry had been hoping for. He pocketed his wand and waited until Cedric's friends had disappeared and hurried up the corridor.

"Hi," Cedric said, picking up a copy of A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration that was now splattered with ink. "My bag just split, brand-new and all."

"Shame," Harry hummed. He pointed his wand and helped clean the books. "Though the First Task sounds even worse. You're dealing with dragons."

"What?" Cedric said, looking up.

"Dragons," Harry said. "From the sounds of it, you need to get past them."

Cedric stared at him. "Are you sure?"

"Dead sure, Viktor told me himself," Harry nodded. "he and the Beauxbatons champion know—their headmasters told them. Figure you should have the equal footing."

Cedric straightened up, his arms full of quills, parchment, and books, his ripped bag dangling off one shoulder. "By the dark," he whispered. "Thank you, Harry," he said. "Do you know what Krum will be doing?"

Harry shrugged, "That I don't know," he said. "All I know is that he's spending all his time in the library."

"Dragons," Cedric whispered. "Okay… thanks again, Harry."

They heard a familiar clunking noise behind them. Harry turned around and saw Mad-Eye Moody emerging from a nearby classroom. "Come with me, Potter," he growled. "Diggory, off you go."

Harry stared apprehensively at Moody. What did he want? "Professor, I actually need to go ask Professor Snape about an essay—"

"Never mind that, Potter. In my office, please."

Harry followed him, wondering what was going to happen to him. Would he try to curse him thinking it was under his master's orders? Harm him in any way? Harry knew that Crouch's orders were to watch him, however, he did not know how loosely the Death Eater would follow that. He made sure that his fingers were on the tips of his wand.

He followed Moody into his office. Moody closed the door behind them and turned to look at Harry, his magical eye fixed upon him as well as the normal one.

"That was a decent thing you did, Potter," Moody said quietly.

Harry didn't know what to say; this wasn't the reaction he had expected at all.

"Sit down," Moody said, and Harry sat, looking around.

The office was full of a number of exceptionally off objects that Harry supposed Moody had used in his Auror days. On his desk stood what looked like a large, cracked, glass spinning top' Harry recognized it as a Sneakoscope. In the corner on a small table stood an object that looked something like an extra-squiggly, golden television aerial. It was humming slightly. What appeared to be a mirror hung opposite Harry on the wall, but it was not reflecting the room. Shadowy figures were moving around inside it, none of them clearly in focus.

"Like my Dark Detectors, do you?" Moody said, who was watching Harry closely.

"What's that?" Harry asked, pointing at the squiggly golden aerial.

"Secrecy Sensor. Vibrates when it detects concealment and lies … no use here, of course, too much interference—students in every direction lying about why they haven't done their homework. Been humming ever since I got here. I had to disable my Sneakoscope because it wouldn't stop whistling. It's extra-sensitive, picks up stuff about a mile away. Of course, it could be picking up more than kid stuff," he added in a growl.

"And the mirror?"

"That's my Foe-Glass. See them out there, skulking around? I'm not really in trouble until I see the whites of their eyes. That's when I open my trunk."

He let out a short, harsh laugh, and pointed to the large trunk under the window. It had seven keyholes in a row. Harry wondered what was in there until Moody's next question brought him back to earth.

"So, you found out about the dragons, eh?"

Harry hesitated. "I mean, the other schools did as well, so I figured to keep the task fair, I'll tell our champion," he answered.

"Nothing wrong with that," Moody said, stretching out his wooden leg with a groan. "Cheating's a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and always has been."

"It wasn't cheating, it was using the information I've learned to even the playing field," Harry answered. "I did not set out to cheat, however, once I learned about the dragons I thought about the best way to use the information."

"I can see why you're wearing those robes now," Moody grunted, pointing at the Slytherin crest on his robe. "Just don't go down the path most of your lot does." Harry barely stopped himself from making a face. Was Crouch really telling him not to be a Dark Wizard? He could almost laugh.

"Sir? Why did you bring me in here?" Harry asked.

Moody's magical eye whirled around to stare at Harry. "Wanted to see what you're thinking of doing," Moody grunted.

"What I'm thinking of doing," Harry repeated. "I'm just helping a friend, Professor."

Moody's eyes stared at him and he grunted, his magical eye turning to stare at the objects in the room. "Very well Potter, you're free to go," Moody said after a long moment. Harry stood up and did his best to casually turn around, an eye on Moody. "And Potter?" Moody called when he was at the door. "Good on you keeping your hand on your wand the entire time."

The First Task brought an excitement that filled the Great Hall during breakfast. The Champions already left to prepare for the task, and Professor Dumbledore stood up when most were done eating to proclaim that they would follow the path around the edge of the forest. Harry was anxious for the task to be over, just for Viktor's and Cedric's safety, but he was also very excited to watch them tackle the task! He and his friends talked excitedly about the task, the others wondering loudly what they would have to do as they followed the path. Daphnis thought that they had to duel a dark creature while Blaise proposed an obstacle course filled with vampires and ogres and trolls! Harry wanted to tell them but decided against it. He wanted to see their shock at the dragons.

There was a tent next to an enclosure that they walked passed and Harry stared at the tent, wondering how his friends felt inside it. Around the enclosure were stands that completely surrounded the enclosure. On one end, was a small entrance that obviously connected to the tent they passed while at the other was a much larger opening than they heard growling from. "Sounds dangerous," Blaise said as they sat down. "I wonder what's in there?"

"We'll have to see," Daphnis said, moving to the edge of his seat. Harry just smiled knowingly at them and stared at the larger enclosure. At some point, the judges appeared, sitting at a raised platform for all to see. Bagman stood up and said loudly, his wand pressed against his throat, "Welcome to the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament! Today our Champions will prove their courage and quick-wittedness by facing the unknown! Before we welcome our first Champion, let me show you what they will face against!"

From the larger opening, many wizards walked through all holding chains and ropes as they escorted a dragon into the enclosure. The crowd screamed, Daphnis squeezed Theo's arm yelling, "Oh no!" while Blaise laughed, "A Swedish Short-Snout! Awesome!" He grinned at the others and rubbed his hands together. The dragon was brought to a nest with a golden egg. "Yes folks, dragons! Our Champions must face a different dragon with one objective: to get the golden egg! And now our first Champion: Cedric Diggory!"

The crowd roared as Cedric walked into the enclosure. Harry saw George Weasley stand up from his seat to clap and cheer, screaming something that Harry couldn't hear. The dragon immediately stared at Cedric and drew its head back, flames licking around its mouth. Cedric jumped towards large rocks to hide behind the flames as the dragon roared. The crowd gasped at his actions and Cedric immediately looked around. He aimed his wand at a large rock out of the Dragon's view and the crowd all reacted as Cedric transfigured the rock into a dog. The dog barked and ran around. The dragon continued to breathe fire at Cedric's rocks for a moment before stopping suddenly. It turned towards the dog and watched it for a moment. The dragon roared and stalked towards the dog who continued to run around. The dragon spread its wings and roared, it's tail flicking as it started to chase the dog.

The crowd cheered as Cedric took his chance and bolted towards the nest. He got to the nest and grabbed the egg. Cheers turned into screams and Harry saw that the dragon seemed to lose interest in the dog. It turned and roared at Cedric, breathing a large column of fire at the teen. Harry screamed with the others, and he felt the twinges of magic. His fingers reacted on their own, and almost immediately he felt himself connect with Cedric. Cedric slashed his wand, water forming like a wave that instantly collided with the fire. A bust of steam erupted, pushing Cedric back. He rolled on the ground, clutching the egg tightly until he could stand again with small scratches. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and sat back.

"Incredible!" Bagman yelled, "Absolutely outstanding performance! But will the judges love it?" The attention turned to the five judges, who raised their wands and gave their scores one by one. Madame Maxime gave Cedric a seven. Mr. Crouch shot a number nine into the air. The crowd cheered. Dumbledore too gave Cedric a nine. The crowd was cheering harder than ever. Bagman gave him a ten. And lastly, Karkaroff raised his wand lazily and shot out a three.

"Three!?" Harry raged. "Were you even watching?"

"Harry, relax," Blaise tried to say, "He still got a good score. Thirty-eight."

Cedric, however, seemed pleased with the score as he grinned proudly. Wizards ran out to tame the dragon and Cedric walked away to the side where Harry saw Madam Pomfrey rushing out to meet him. Down the stands, Harry saw George stand up to leave.

Next was Fleur Delacour, who tried to put her dragon, a Green Welsh according to Blaise, in a sort of trance. It seemed to work but in its sleepiness, it snorted out a jet of fire that burned her skirt that she had to put out. The judges gave her a Thirty-five. And Lastly was Viktor. Harry was on the edge of his seat as Viktor had to face a scarlet Chinese Fireball. Viktor stood tall as he walked towards the dragon.

"Very daring!" Bagman commentated. Viktor slashed his wand and aimed a spell directly at the dragon's eye. The Chinese Fireball emitted a horrible, roaring shriek and the crowd drew its collective breath. "That's some nerve he's showing—" Bagman said as Viktor immediately ran for the egg. The dragon fell, trampling half of the real ones— "and—yes, he's got the egg!"

Applause shattered the wintery air like breaking glass; Viktor had finished the quickest, and for his reward, he got a Forty, Karkaroff giving him a ten. In fact, Harry couldn't help but notice that Viktor was the only Champion who got more than a 4 from Karkaroff. But it didn't matter, the Task was done! They were safe! "I'm going to go congratulate Viktor," Harry told his friends and ran off of the stands. He reached the champions' tent just as Cedric was exiting with George. "You did amazing!" Harry said, hugging Cedric quickly.

"Thanks, I had no idea how I did the water trick," Cedric grinned. "Thank the Dark I did though, huh? It must be watching me."

"It always is," George said, "like me." He kissed Cedric's cheek and Cedric grinned with pride.

"I'll see you later," Harry said, "I want to congratulate Viktor too."

"Just don't hug him harder than you hugged me," Cedric joked, "a boy can get jealous, Harry."

Harry waved him off and went inside the tent. He saw Viktor rubbing his neck and said, "That was brilliant! You were the fastest one!" He hugged Viktor for only a second, but at that moment there was a flash and they separated at Skeeter's voice.

"Ah young love, is there anything as sweet and as modern as this?" she said, wearing an acid-green dress. "Just the two I wanted to see—I wondered if I could have a quick word with you?"

"Yeah, you can," Harry said savagely, "'Goodbye,'" and he walked off with Viktor following, the two laughing loudly.

A/N: So... do you still hate me? Next chapter: Tom's reaction as Yule is just around the corner. If you didn't know, I'm also on AO3! Where all my stories are on there as well as a few exclusive ones! Like The King's Prince, a Cedric/Harry Muggle AU full of kinky goodness. I hope you guys check it out!

LoveInVainTryStill: No, he will definitely not be happy. Especially after this!

Persona 7: Thank you, it was actually nice to write Tom's perspective. There'll be a lot more of that, especially in fifth year (which will be the final year of this fic). And yeahh Rita's Bombshell is going to explode any second now, she has so much material!

Love Spinster Black: To make things complicated.

Mulandhan: I slightly agree with you, there is chemistry between them however at this point it is unhealthy, and it will take a long time and consistent time together in order for it to become healthy. They might believe that they're healthy or that they are okay, we will see this in a couple chapters, however as you and others have said both Tom and Harry need to realize that they do not NEED each other, despite if they say that. Harry here had a first full step, but he's just a teenager. At the end of the day, this story is a Tomarry, however the question isn't "When will they be back together" but "How will they work to make their relationship healthy, if that is even possible." Personally, I hate it when stories just end when the couple gets together because that's when the real shit starts. The real drama, the real tension, and the real soul-searching. Sorry if this gotten a bit long lol

JjlovesPJO: ALL OF THE CAPS! I mean I hope this chapter gave you some relief lol