June 24, 1995
Harry thumped to the ground with Cedric's body. He was in no state to appreciate the irony of jovial music as a background to this moment. All he could feel was the adrenaline draining from his system and he was acutely aware of someone screaming. Oh wait, that was him. He was the one screaming 'He's dead' over and over.
In a haze, he felt someone try to tear him away from Cedric, but he couldn't tell who it was. The adrenaline was back and it was blinding. He started swinging at people before he heard Amos Diggory crying next to him. Only then, only when Cedric was with his father, did Harry let go. He was pulled back by arms that he tried his hardest to fight.
"Quickly, Potter." Professor Moody muttered in his ear. "We've got to get you out of here."
Harry felt himself being half-dragged out of the stadium. He tried to stand on his own feet, but he couldn't for the speed that Moody was dragging him. Suddenly, they were brought to an abrupt stop outside of the arena.
"Out of the way, Black. Have to get Potter to safety." Moody demanded.
"Not a chance. Unhand my godson. Now." Sirius said, pointing his wand at Moody.
"Trying to get yourself thrown into Azkaban for threatening an Auror? Out of the way, boy?" Moody demanded again.
"You're not Moody." Harry was aware of another voice.
"Get out of the way, girlie." Moody kept issuing orders. "We're running out of time."
"That's how I know you're not Moody." Tonks. That was Tonks.
"Move." Moody whipped out his own wand and pointed it at Harry's head. "Or the boy gets it."
Sirius had Moody disarmed before the sentence was out.
"Let go of my godson. Now." Sirius demanded again.
Upheaval happened again, and Harry briefly wondered if he was ever going to get rest. He was pitched forward as Professor Moody's face melted to reveal someone else. Polyjuice. Damn, Neville was right, was the last coherent thought Harry had before Remus swept him into his arms.
"You're alright, Prongslet. We've got you."
"Let's move this to the castle, boys." Dumbledore suggested.
"Bring the minister," Sirius demanded, levitated the now bound Bartimus Crouch, Jr.
"I shall. Professor McGonagall, if you will." Dumbledore delegated.
There was a grim parade up to the castle. Veritaserum was called for, as was a house-elf. Harry's brain felt very fuzzy, so he couldn't grasp details.
"His trunk!" He suddenly heard Ginny shout. When had Ginny gotten there? "The one in his office he's never let Neville in this year, even though Neville's played in that thing his whole life."
"How did you two figure this out if even Dumbledore didn't?" Professor McGonagall asked, not unkindly.
"I'm highly logical, Luna thinks outside of the box, and Ginny's half-Prewett. If we wanted, we could be the criminal masterminds that take down the wizarding world. Fortunately for the minister, we're on the Light's side." Hermione explained, and Harry thought it was a bit poor done to gloat.
"Wait." Harry finally understood one thing. "Neville was right? That's not his Uncle Moody? Even Alice and Frank thought he was Moody? How was I wrong?"
"That's what you're focusing on?!" Barty Crouch Jr shouted. "Tell me about the graveyard!"
"Never said I was in a graveyard." Harry snapped back and suddenly his brain cleared. "Never said where I was. How do you know that?
Then, the story was pouring unfettered from Barty's lips after the Veritaserum was administered. He'd done it all, he'd done every last thing Harry had been accused of in the last ten months. The Dark Mark at the World Cup, signing Harry up for the tournament, everything. Aurors hauled Barty Crouch away for the Dementor's Kiss, and Harry thought he was getting off lightly. He'd attempted to kill one student and assisted in killing another. Dementor Kisses were bad, but not that bad.
"Professor, what's going to happen to Harry?" Ginny asked, hugging him gently.
"Well, that's a difficult thing. Harry, we need to you tell us what happened in that graveyard, while it's still fresh." Dumbledore said gently.
"Now is absolutely not the time, Dumbledore!" Sirius shouted. "My godson has been through enough tonight! He's got a damn broken leg! You can't expect him to keep going!"
"Sirius, Dumbledore is right," Remus interjected quietly.
"Whose side are you on?" Sirius turned on his oldest friend.
"I saw Mum and Dad." Harry suddenly shouted. "I saw them tonight. Dad said he loves you and you're doing a great job. He said to tell Moony to stop being angsty. How did I see them? You answer my questions, I'll answer yours."
"Well, that's an interesting tale. In what context did you see your parents?" Dumbledore asked, eyes doing that twinkling thing that made Sirius' eye twitch.
Harry recounted his night. The graveyard, Cedric's death, the ritual, Wormtail, and Voldemort. He told them about all the Death Eaters and that Voldemort had Crucioed him. Then, he recounted the wand duel and seeing his parents, amongst others. He told them Cedric asked him to take his body back to his father, and that's why he wouldn't let go.
Things were then explained to him. Hermione sat on one side and grasped his left hand, while Ginny sat on the right, holding that hand tightly. Sirius was put out at the arrangement, but since the girls were more on top of things than even Minnie, he let it slide.
"We're going to talk about how those three girls, and Neville, figured out more this year than even you, Minnie." Sirius whispered to his co-parent.
"Hermione's not lying when she says the three of them are dangerous together. I expect we'll see great things from all three of them." Minerva replied, tight-lipped.
Harry was ushered off to the Hospital wing for healing. There, he found Draco, Neville, and a whole slew of Weasley's waiting for him. He was surprised to see the remaining champions lying in beds as well.
"Zank you so much for saving me." Fleur said, rushing to hug him. "Eet was so brave of you."
"I am sorry for vhat I did in the maze." Viktor said as well.
"It's not your fault, mate. Karkaroff had you Imperious." Harry shrugged.
"What happened, Harry?" Ron asked.
"Not tonight, Ron. Please, just, not tonight." Harry begged.
"He's right." Sirius commanded, walking into the room with Hestia and the twins. "He's already told us what happened once tonight. That'll be enough. Now, Poppy love, let's talk potions for Prongslet."
While Sirius sorted out Harry's medical needs with the medi-witch, Fleur motioned for Ginny and Hermione to come and talk with her.
"Who eez zat?" Fleur asked, staring at Bill over Ginny's shoulder.
Ginny looked, then replied, "Oh, that's Bill. My oldest brother."
"Oldest? 'Ow much older zan Charlie eez 'e?" Fleur smiled a bit.
"He's 25." Ginny shrugged. "I should warn you, though. Weasley men don't typically date the same girl."
"Oh? And why eez zat?" Fleur asked.
"Conflict of interest. Two brothers like the same girl? It could get messy, fast." Ginny explained. Hermione snorted and Ginny turned on her. "What's wrong with you?"
"Trust me, Fleur. She speaks from experience. Two almost brothers fighting over you and things getting messy." Hermione ignored Ginny's glare.
"You're going to pay for that." Ginny smirked just a little.
"I'll find a way to distract you. Is that Draco? Shall I tell him you've been cuddling Harry all night?" Hermione smirked back.
"I will meess you when I am back in France." Fleur smiled at the girls. "You've been so good to me when otherz would not have been."
"We witches have to stick together." Hermione shrugged. "Besides, you're a brilliant witch and we'd be stupid not to respect you just because you're pretty."
"Alright, it's time for everyone who didn't compete to get to their beds. Champions will have to stay the night. Go on, get out." Madame Pomphrey demanded, shooing even Mrs. Weasley out of the hospital.
Finally, after downing a dreamless sleep draught, Harry was able to get some semblance of rest after his horrible night. If only the days to come were as easy as falling into that exhausted, drug induced sleep.
Dumbledore was grim at the closing feast, and that was to be expected. A student was dead on his watch and now he had to deal with the fall out. Several seventh year Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, and even a Slytherin had been allowed an early release to attend the funeral and manage their grief.
Dumbledore spoke of death, of how Voldemort was coming back, but no one was really paying attention. Their minds were on the boy who had lost his life because he was a friend.
The students said their goodbyes to Cedric, their wands held up for him in the Great Hall, letting his light shine forever.
Harry sat on his bed, all of his things still unpacked, that is how Ginny found him the morning before the train was to leave. The noises of students saying their goodbye's rang through the windows.
"Harry," Ginny said, opening the door to the boy's room. "We looked for you at breakfast."
"I'm not hungry," Harry shrugged.
Ginny took a seat next to him, sitting on what she hoped were clean socks. "I won't go. I think I need to stay here with you this summer."
"What?" Harry said, looking at her in disbelief. "You've been talking about this for months."
"You're more important," Ginny said, taking his hand. "I think I understand how you feel."
Harry gave her a deadpan glare. "You know what it's like to have someone murdered right before your eyes?"
"No, but I know how the guilt feels when you almost killed people yourself." Ginny said, squeezing his hand. "I know that you want to be angry and blame yourself because you think you could have prevented it. Because you think that if only you would have made one different choice, someone might still have their life." Ginny took her hand from his and pulled his chin towards her so he would look her in the eyes. Both of them were fighting back tears. "Harry, this is not your fault. You did not kill Cedric, that is not your guilt to hold onto."
"He would still be alive if I had-" He choked, tears falling.
"You had what?" Ginny interrupted. "You would have let him take the cup? Voldemort would have had him killed because he wasn't you. There are no what if's or I could have dones that will change the situation, Harry, only what actions you will do about it. Grieve because you lost a friend, Harry, but don't be angry at yourself because of a situation you couldn't control. It's ok to hurt, Harry. It's ok to feel."
Harry leaned into her, catching her lips with his before he leaned more into her. They sat there, kissing for what seemed like forever, but was only a moment before Ginny pulled away and wiped the tears from his eyes.
Harry wrapped his arms around her middle, putting his head in her long, red hair and cried. Ginny kissed the top of his head and wrapped her arms around him.
Beauxbaton and Durmstrang were leaving and Hogwarts was wrapping up for the year. The students had been released from classes early to see their new found international friends off. Hermione found herself laughing with Fleur and several other Beauxbaton witches, finally using her fluent French to its fullest, when Viktor approached her.
"This is for you." He said, handing her a note. "Write to me this summer."
"Yeah." Hermione smiled at him. "Maybe I'll come visit while we're on the continent."
"That vould be excellent." Viktor smiled. "I vill alvays love you. But perhaps more as a sister than a lover."
"I feel the same, really." Hermione blushed. "I'm sorry I couldn't be what you wanted."
"It's not your fault. I am international superstar. Surely I can move on from this." Viktor smirked and Hermione knew that their friendship, at least, would last. "You should move in on the ginger before the Chasers take him from you. The Chasers will alvays try to steal the Beaters. I know. I play Quidditch a lot."
"I'll remember that this summer when George is whining that Alicia is ignoring him again." Hermione smiled.
"That reminds me. Here are tickets to Bulgarian game this summer. Try to there on this date. You vill not regret it." Viktor said, handing her a pile of tickets. "And bring Ginny. She has great potential."
"I will. Bye, Viktor. I promise I'll write." Hermione smiled and Viktor melted into the crowd.
"What was that all about?" Ginny asked.
"Viktor thinks of me more as a sister. And he handed me these tickets." Hermione showed her.
"Are you kidding me!? We're going, right? Oh who am I kidding! We're going and you have no choice! Are these in the top box? You are the best friend in the world! I love you! I love you more than Harry and Draco and Michael! You're perfect!" Ginny squealed.
"Which game is it? I haven't gotten a chance to look yet?" Hermione asked.
"It's a rivalry game. It's Gryffindor versus Slytherin on an international scale. It's going to be one of the best games of the season!" Ginny lectured.
"I guess you, Luna, Fleur, and I will have a grand time and the boys won't need to know it happened until we come home and gloat," Hermione smirked.
"That is the most bloody brilliant plan your evil brain has ever hatched. I love it." Ginny said in her most serious voice.
"Let's do this." Hermione agreed.
"So, wait, you three are going to France?" Fred asked, crossing his arms. "For the whole summer?"
"Not the whole summer." Hermione answered, feeling a little guilty. "We're going to spend a week in Bulgaria with Viktor. Oh, and all of August in England."
"Oh, just a week in Bulgaria with your new boyfriend?" Fred asked, angry.
"Viktor's not my boyfriend. Hasn't been since someone pulled me away from him after the second task." Hermione glared at Fred. "He said that we'd be better off as friends, since I already like someone else."
"Oh, he said all that?" Fred asked sheepishly.
"Yeah, and do you know what else he said?" Hermione asked. When Fred shook his head, she told him. "He told me to get my Beater before the Chasers take him from me."
"He told you that?" Fred asked, face engulfed in flames.
"Yeah." Hermione said. "Here's the other thing I've learned this year. Strong witches don't wait for wizards to pull their heads out of their bums."
"Oh?" Fred asked, suddenly wondering where this was going.
"So, are you going to kiss me or do I have to do everything?" Hermione asked. Fred remembered that his brother said not argue with witches at certain times, and this was one of them. Taking his hesitation as an answer, Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled him down by his collar and planted a kiss right on his lips. "Does that answer any lingering questions you have?"
"All but one." Fred said, moving his arms to encircle her. "Do you really have to go to France the first part of the summer?"
"Yes, Fred." Hermione giggled. "My parents are the ones taking us. They have a conference in Nice, which is close to where Fleur lives."
"So you really have to go?" Fred asked.
"Yeah, but that's good, because you can use that time to focus on the product reviews I've given you for those trick sweets. Also, we still have a few days before we leave." Hermione smiled softly.
"Better make use of those, hadn't we?" Fred asked, leaning in for another kiss.
"Yeah. Nothing's ever going to be the same again, is it?" Hermione asked.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Fred smiled.
"It's definitely not." Hermione agreed.
Gabs: Yay Fremione!
Kat: YES! YAY FREMIONE! It's about damn time. What, can I say that in a "T" rated fic?
Gabs: Well, we already have, so….
Kat: When we come back we will start book 5. Ah, book 5. *evil smirk*
Gabs: Can't wait for book 5. This is why we're doing this. Thanks so much for reviewing. And for sticking with us while we adult.
Kat: We own nothing!
XOXO
Gabs & Kat
