Disclaimer: This is based upon J.K. Rowling's series of novels, Harry Potter, mostly drawing from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
A/N: Okay, so I have been reading more than I have been writing lately, I'm sorry. I hope everyone enjoyed the last chapter. It was my beta's doing (I 3 you liv, by the way, I really do). She convinced me to take this story on a more creative side. I shall make sure to include some of the many major events, but things are changing, my faithful readers. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Please read and review! (I may actually be able to update sometime soon, that is, if you review!)
Chapter 6: Heart
Harry stared at Cedric who had succumb to terror. Cedric's silver eyes served as a gateway into his horror. By now, the normal silver that shone with silent glee was glazed over; his eyes were frozen with fright. As Harry stared into Cedric's eyes, he felt his spirits drop, his heart fall, his eyes tear. He felt helpless…
Then the Horntail moved, causing another part of the already crumbling ceiling to collapse, sending more of the suns rays into the room, filtering through the growing smoke.
Suddenly, an enormous spout of flames lit the dim room and instantaneously obscured Cedric from sight as the light blinded Harry and his friends. As he saw the flames creep towards Cedric, Harry wanted to scream, but was paralyzed with horror. Even so, somehow a tear managed to slip out of his eye and slide down his cheek. He had seen it, he had seen the flames go towards Cedric—then Harry lost sight of everything. He felt overcome by loss.
Trying to find some shard of hope within the bowels of this destruction, Harry gazed across the room through the smoke, searching for a piece of something that would tell him that Cedric was okay. He peered closer, struggling to see even just a few feet in front of himself. It took a moment for Harry to realize it. He saw something glint in the fading sunlight light. For a moment, he thought it was one of the dragon's scales shimmering in the sunlight. A moment later, however, Harry breathed a sigh of relief.
Harry saw a complete moving, breathing, living body. He jumped for joy: Cedric must still be alive. He must have jumped away from the flames just in time. If Cedric's reflexes had not been so quick, Harry well knew such a fiery blast from an angry dragon would have surely caused quite a crispy demise.
As Harry looked at Cedric, dodging the dragon's attacks, he somehow knew that the emotional flurry he was facing was simply not an option. He studied Cedric closely and instantly knew that he wanted to save him. Harry wanted to protect him right now. Cedric came first, not his immature feelings. So Harry wiped his emotions away, sealing his fear, his sorrow, his joy, just so he could think clearly.
He took a precious moment to contemplate the situation at hand, using his knowledge to his advantage. Bill had long ago told him that dragon hide was impenetrable to magic. Along with this helpful tidbit, Harry knew that nothing was perfect. Everything had to have some weak point, as such was a biological rule of magical creatures. Even if that imperfection in the hide of the Hungarian Horntail proved to be only slightly weaker than an impregnable wall, it would be something to help Cedric. And that hope fueled Harry's mind.
He had an idea.
"Aim for the eyes of the dragon! When I say so, cast diffindo," he ordered. Hermione nodded, and the rest simply looked, trusting his judgement.
"Now!" he shouted, drawing a furious dragon's attention, and almost a mildly curious, yet undeniably vehement glare.
"Diffindo!" they all shouted with their wands pointing towards the dragon. Only Hermione's, Harry's, and Ginny's spells had struck the eyes, blinding the Horntail and sending him into a fit of rage. The other two spells had not done nearly as well.
Ron's spell had unluckily hit the neck, one of the thickest portions of the dragon's skin. Because of its thickness, it proved to be an excellent magic repellent, so good, in fact, that Ron's spell reflected straight back at him. With only moment between life and death, Ron fell to the ground as his saw his spell zooming towards him. Luckily, the spell only grazed his hair, but the glass door behind him was not quite so lucky—the door shattered, showering the floor with shards.
Neville had fared considerably worse. In his fright, he had closed his eyes and aimed blindly. His spell had grazed the foot of the beast, as his nervous shaking caused his wand to drop a few crucial degrees. In the end, he had done more harm than good. His spell had simply vexed the already vehement monstrosity.
In a catastrophic turn for the worse, the monster started spewing fire everywhere, trying to kill. Not knowing where the miscreants were, the dragon appeared to be taking an en masse approach, literally sending fire everywhere in the room as it spun around. With the added threat, Harry was buckling. He did not know what to do.
"Hermione!" cried Harry.
"Harry, I don't know," she replied, trying to dodge the fire that had just come her way. Even without him asking for help, she had known he needed it. She tried her best to think, using her resources to her advantage.
"Wait. Fire!" she screamed, looking towards the growing flames by her side. "Everyone, on the count of three—aim for the eyes with fire!"
"One, two, THREE" Hermione shrieked.
"Incendio!" the group cried. Hermione's spell struck first, setting the left eye socket ablaze. The dragon cried out in pain, but promptly growled and spewed torrents of flames out of its mouth. Harry's and Neville's hit near the right eye, while Ron's and Ginny's simply missed altogether, instead contributing to the growing flames in the room. However, their desperate attempt as a whole did not work—with a bat of its tail to its head, the dragon extinguished the pesky flames.
"We need something stronger!" cried Ginny. Harry was once more consumed with emotion, staring at Cedric, who was clear on the other side of the room, still in grave danger. Harry snapped out of the trance, listening to Hermione.
"The strongest flame I know is Incendio Magnus!" said Hermione, clearly struggling to her mind's catalogue for a suitable spell.
"Works for me," said Harry. "Everyone—NOW!"
"Incendio Magnus!" screamed the group. Each of their five wands emitted a bright orange light. Although it appeared to be a tiny orb, it shone remarkably intensely. It flew speedily to its intended target.
Harry's spell made contact first. The instant the orb touched the burnt eye of the dragon, it exploded like a pack of dynamite. Hermione's spell detonated only a moment later. Once more, the dragon shrieked out in misery as the flames quickly spread, fueled by blood flooding out from its eyes. The impact had been so strong, in fact, that it had sent a magical wind through the air, causing the remaining orbs to shake slightly.
Next to strike were the Weasley's orbs, both hitting the dragon dead on in the forehead. Luckily, the hide did not send the spells careening off course. Instead, the flames appeared to ignite the magical bombs, which led to more fire and more misery for the dragon, much to Harry's delight. After all, they were all the closer to saving Cedric, who was facing not only the perils of the dragon, but also the growing blaze.
In agony, the Horntail opened its mouth to emit a roaring shriek, but no noise ever emerged Neville's spell had yet to strike. This time, Neville did not close his eyes, for fear that he would make the same mistake and put his dear friends in danger due to his own fear of harm As his spell neared the target, the beast opened its mouth. Instead of hitting near the eyes of the dragon, the orb glided right over the dark, long, slithery tongue and right into one of the long, spiky, and as Harry noted, gruesomely bloody fangs of the beast.
The burning head of the dragon instantly exploded, sending pieces of burning flesh flying throughout the room and into the growing fire that consumed practically everything.
But as Harry looked over towards him, he realized his assumption was completely inaccurate. Cedric was once more facing almost certain doom as the burning dragon corpse finally began to fall towards him. With the flames blocking his side escapes, and the dragon falling towards him from the front, he was completely trapped.
Without thinking, without even knowing what he was saying, Harry screamed.
"Accio Cedric Diggory!"
For a moment, as the dragon continued to fall to the floor, and Cedric remained unmoving, clearly corned by the dragon' corpse. He had no escape, and Harry's spell was not working. But Harry focused with all his might, he wanted Cedric to be safe, he wanted Cedric to be with him, he wanted Cedric. That desire, that love, was enough.
As the body of the headless Horntail slammed the ground, a deadening crunch of bones beneath its girth was absent. Harry saw Cedric Diggory flying towards him. Before he could react, Cedric hit him head-on. Under the extra weight, Harry quickly fell to the floor, a tired Cedric on top of him.
As they lay there, Cedric's silver eyes gazed into Harry's. Underneath Cedric, Harry felt warmth spread through his body. Cedric then moved a little closer, much to Harry's glee.
"Thank you," he whispered, smiling at Harry. For a moment, their eyes remained locked, and all Harry cared about was being with Cedric. But it was not to last. Cedric shook his head, snapping out of his gaze and blushing, his cheeks turning rosy pink. Even though Harry didn't like Cedric standing up and leaving him there, Harry did find solace in the positively cute way a flustered Cedric Diggory looked.
While Harry focused on rising to his feet, and perhaps found himself even more preoccupied with looking at Cedric, the rest of the group continued to use aguamenti to put out the diminishing flames. Harry could care less about the fire as long as Cedric was around, sinceCedric somehow dominated his thoughts, making him feel all a flutter.
Cedric's dark hair fell messily over his face, and his silver eyes sparkled brightly despite the fact that he had almost died. Somehow, Harry wasn't surprised that Cedric still managed to look perfect despite a few minor burns and some tears in his robes that were stained with the accumulation of blood. As Harry admired Cedric, he couldn't help but ignore the conversation that had begun as the fire had finally gone out.
"So," Hermione said, addressing Cedric "how did that happen? And why were you here?"
"Why were you here?" asked Cedric, putting matters into focus for Hermione. The moment Cedric spoke, Harry began to listen. "I hoped to gauge the severity of the situation and even help fix it. I had no way of expecting that everything had become so out of hand. All I knew was that the train faced an unscheduled delay. And when I heard the shriek of a first year girl, I had to run here."
"Is she okay?" asked Ginny, concerned.
"Yes, I was able to get her out of the dragon's way quite quickly. I was able to get her out of the car safely without the dragon noticing her absence. Actually, she should be waiting outside right now. Anyway, in doing so, I put myself in harm's way. Without the girl as a target for the dragon's fury, I drew the dragon's attention to myself. By that time, the hulking beast had me cornered. I was prepared for death at that point, knowing full well that I had little chance of defeating such a magically resistant creature alone, especially without sufficient training. I have to thank all of you for ignoring common sense and coming and beating the dragon with some quick thinking." Harry could have swooned at the moment. Cedric had not only been heroic, but he had managed to be exceedingly polite even in these circumstances. He was a true gentleman.
"It was mostly Harry," piped up Hermione. "He led us, and we supplied some quick spell work with even quicker thinking," said Hermione, always perceptive. Cedric stared at Harry for a moment, promptly causing Harry to blush.
"I better be going—I have to get these wounds treated. I'll see you all later!" Cedric said a moment later, making quite regal exit despite being in moderate physical pain.
Harry couldn't help but obey temptation, and he sneaked a look at Cedric's ass. Needless to say, he was pleased with what he saw. However, this glance did not go unnoticed. Harry felt someone else's eyes on him, and looked up to see Hermione. Once she caught Harry's eyes, she raised her eyebrow.
Oh shit. Why do I have to have such perceptive friends? thought Harry, his thoughts briefly pausing. I guess I'm talking to Hermione sooner rather than later about this, aren't I?
Regardless, Hermione soon looked away as a conversation sort of erupted from a flabbergasted Ronald Weasley.
"That was bloody brilliant, you guys," remarked Ron abruptly, with quite a bit of enthusiasm.
"Yeah, especially you Hermione. Without you, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere," praised Harry, returning a favor. She smiled smugly.
"Yes, well, it was a team effort," she commented modestly. "I thought Neville did quite an excellent job with his incendio magnus. His spell was perfect. His skill killed the dragon we thought to be unbeatable," remarked Hermione, causing Neville to blush. The conversation continued for a few more minutes in much the same manner, as everyone commented on how well they had all done. But their amiable exchange was soon interrupted.
A female Ravenclaw prefect, who appeared to be in her sixth year, briskly strode into the room and looked at the rubble left behind by the battle. She gave the five a curious look. As Harry looked at her, he couldn't help but guess what her personality must be like. Her dark, brunette hair complemented her deep brown eyes and gave her an intelligent, yet subtly cynical look.
"Due to the train's inability to transport the students to school," said the prefect quite formally, "Professor Dumbledore has sent a series of Portkeys for the students to take to the edge of Hogwarts. Given your…state, Cedric has suggested that you five take the first port key to Hogwarts to receive immediate medical care from Madam Pomfrey. If you would please, follow me." The Ravenclaw curtly turned around and began to leave.
"But we're perfectly fine. Just a few scrapes," replied Ron in defiance. The prefect looked back and examined them.
"Nevertheless, it would be prudent if you would return to Hogwarts at once so that you do not get into any more trouble or acquire any more… scrapes, as you called them," replied the prefect with a bit of venom.
"But what about our luggage?" asked Neville.
"It will follow you later to Hogwarts and be placed in your rooms after the feast. Now, if you would please. Follow me to the Portkey," spat the angry prefect, shooting a glare at them all. "Unless, there any more objections to why we should ignore your safety?" Silence. "Good."
"Wait!" said Harry.
"What is it now?" snapped the prefect.
"There's a little girl waiting outside. The dragon attacked her. I think that she should come with us. After all, she might need medical attention" replied Harry, not the least slighted by the prefect's attitude. The prefect pondered this tidbit of information for a moment, as though she might actually allow for him to get her.
"Yes, well. I guess you had better retrieve her. Please be quick. Mind you, the Portkey leaves soon," responded the Prefect, finally beaten by their excuses.
Harry ran over to a window that had been smashed open and jumped outside and onto the dewy grass. Hermione was right behind him, although she was having trouble getting out of the window. Harry promptly helped her out and into the crisp night air.
"Harry…" she said, trying to talk with him. However, her intended conversation was interrupted by a squeaky little voice.
"Hello? Who's there? I hope you know I'm armed and dangerous! I have a few nasty hexes up my sleeve if you come any closer! You were warned!" said a young girl hiding behind a rock. She was clearly frightened, and Harry thought she was showing much more bark then could bite.
"Don't worry, we're Hogwarts students just like you," said Harry, smiling at the girls protective stance. "Really. We helped take care of the dragon. We came to take you to Hogwarts so you can check in with Madam Pomfrey."
"Really?" said the girl, slightly wary of trusting the two. "Are we going back on the Hogwarts Express?"
"No," replied Hermione. "The Express's first car got devastated by the dragon. Professor Dumbledore thought it would prove more expedient to simply use port keys to send the children to Hogwarts. Now, the first one is leaving soon, so we had best be off. What's your name?"
"Anna. Anna Bones," replied the young girl, clearly trusting Hermione. As Harry looked closer, he couldn't help but consider her a miniature replica of her sister. Apparently, Hermione had noticed as well.
"Oh, I know your sister! Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff in our year! Well, come on, we better get off Hogwarts. The sooner that we get to Madame Pomfrey, the less of a chance there will be of you missing the sorting ceremony," replied Hermione.
"Oh, I suppose so," said Anna, a little flustered at the prospect of missing her own sorting.
"Follow me," said Hermione in a friendly manner, leading the young girl back to the train, comforting her along the way, assuring her that everything would work out, no matter what rumor she had heard about the sorting hat eating children it didn't like.
Hermione and Harry helped the little girl get back into the train, boosting her through the window. This left Harry and Hermione alone for a short moment.
"Harry…" she said once more, looking him in the eye.
"Yes?" replied Harry, deflecting her.
"Nothing," she remarked, pausing for a moment to take a breath. "I just want you to know that no matter what, I will always be your friend. No matter what, okay? I'm there for you. And I'll always love you. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that. I love you like you were my own blood," she said. She began to climb in, not paying attention to Harry. His eyes turned pink, welling with tears, and he sniffled. Hermione completely missed the tear that slid down Harry's cheek. But before she could climb back into the car, he pulled her back down and hugged her.
"Thanks. That means more then you probably know," said Harry, with tears flooding his eyes. Hermione hugged back.
"Just don't keep secrets from me, okay?" she requested, looking him in the eye. "Talk to me in the common room tonight after the feast. Alone."
"Fine," responded Harry, trying to wipe away his tears and make himself presentable. Hermione nodded and climbed back into the train, followed by Harry.
"What took so long?" inquired the Ravenclaw prefect angrily. "The Portkey is about to leave! I don't think I should even bother asking what happened. Let's just go. If you would please, follow me."
"Who peed in her pumpkin juice?" murmured Ron to Harry, receiving a stifled laugh from Harry. The Ravenclaw prefect looked over her shoulder as she walked ahead, glaring at them.
"Bloody hell," whispered Neville as they exited the train and headed out into the middle of a field. Anna Bones had by now run ahead through the billowing grass, eager to get to Hogwarts as soon as possible.
The poor child couldn't see even two feet in front of her.. After all, she was only slightly taller than the enormous grass, it was dark, and she was scurrying along rather quickly. It was not wonder that she ran right into a daydreaming Cedric Diggory.
Harry was quick to follow her, but he stopped a few feet before he would have crashed into Cedric. For a moment, Harry himself was left in thought, pondering if he could have successfully crashed into Cedric and acted as though it had been an accident.
Too late now, thought Harry, as Hermione and Ron arrived, followed by the Ravenclaw, Ginny, and Neville.
"So where's the Portkey?" asked Neville, clearly searching for any object that could possibly be it.
"This," said Cedric, holding out a discarded necklace that was worn and beaten—easily mistaken for trash. But to Harry, it was more than that. He noticed that at the end of the end of the battered chain rested a mildly tarnished heart, a heart that still managed to glisten in the moonlight.
Hope, thought Harry, but his thought process was interrupted by a shrill order from the Ravenclaw.
"Okay everyone, make sure you get a firm hold on the chain. I don't want any one of you getting left behind, even if we all would rather you did," remarked the prefect. Everyone grabbed ahold of the chain. Hermione took special care to help little Anna Bones maintain a firm grip on the Portkey, helping to ease both of their anxieties. While the rest of the group grabbed for the Portkey, Harry moved towards Cedric. Not unnoticed, mind you. Hermione simply smirked at his sly maneuvering, while Cedric opted for a broad grin.
Harry stopped right to the left of Cedric, and he grabbed for the worn heart. Right when he did, Cedric had decided that he too should hang onto the charm on the necklace. As Harry grasped the left half of the worn golden heart, Cedric had grabbed for the right.
Before they could reposition their hold on the Portkey, they felt the familiar sensation take hold of them as the traveled through a warp in space-time, creating by the sheer power held in the mysterious force of magic. Without any other choice, they trusted their heart with their lives, hoping that it would not break from the chain under the pressure.
Moments later, the Ravenclaw alerted them it was time to let go. Without further ado, Harry and Cedric both let go of the necklace, and they found themselves falling out of time and onto the eerie grounds bordering the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts.
When Cedric saw that Harry was falling improperly, his face was on a crash course with the ground, he grabbed for Harry's hand, and helped to pull him up. Instead of a free fall to the ground, Cedric guided him, allowing for them both to glide softly down onto the grass. Harry, however, could care less about the potential danger of falling, and more about Cedric holding his hand. It was a wonderful sensation of warmth, of care, of emotion—he hoped it would last forever. He wished for even more than that, for more warmth, for more care, for more emotion. But no one heard his pleas, and before any of the others could see, Cedric let go of his hand. The warmth that had flooded Harry's body was gone, leaving him slightly saddened.
Hermione, followed by the Ravenclaw, Neville, Ginny, Ron, and then finally, the small little first year girl plopped down on the grass. Everyone had seemed to land safely, with Hermione helping Anna land softly on the ground. Finally, the small necklace plopped down on the ground, right to the side of Harry. He bent down to grab it, maybe to make something of it. But before he could think of what to do, the Ravenclaw continued to bark out more orders at them.
"Now then, shouldn't you all should be off to the Hospital Wing? Must I take you there my—"
Cedric interrupted the Ravenclaw. "I think I can take it from here, but thank you for the offer," replied Cedric courteously, but with an edge. And so he led the group up quite a large hill to one of the back entrances of Hogwarts, where they took a right and the Ravenclaw veered left.
Before they knew it, they all had Madame Pomfrey buzzing around them, scolding them for not coming sooner, and admonishing them for their brash, reckless behavior which had put their lives in danger. However, as there were six of them, plus a petrified first year, the harangue did not seem quite as long as normal. It appeared as though she had taken out her anger on all of them.
Poppy once more found herself doing what she did best. She merrily bustled around the room, helping them with their various afflictions, administering various creams for cuts and burns, ointments for bruises, mysteriously questionable-looking potions for exhaustion, and even some helpful spellwork for everything in between. She may have been a stern woman, but with her sternness, she made an incredible nurse who did Hogwarts proud.
While Harry waited to be treated (which he thought was completely unnecessary, for he had suffered little else then a few minor bruises), he talked amiably with Cedric. He found that conversation between them flowed effortlessly, and that he wanted more time, more time to spend with Cedric, to grow closer to him. But before he knew it, everyone had been treated, and they were all anxiously shooed away so that Madam Pomfrey's hospital wing might be open to "any other students who took it upon themselves to be heroes," as she put it.
All seven of the students found their way to the feast, with Anna Bones anxiously running ahead, still convinced that she might miss her Sorting. As for the rest, they simply walked ahead, although Cedric had to go see his head of house, leaving Harry talking with Ron and Neville about trivial matters.
As Harry sat down and began to listen to the Sorting Hat, he couldn't help but feel that this year would prove to be something special.
A/N: Just be happy that you got a nice, long chapter (for me) after getting next to no reviews on the last one grumbles. You know I'm just playing with your minds, don't you? I'm sorry, it's just too much fun. But let me tell you, you guys better review this time, or else! It really takes away some writing steam when no one except one person (AND THANK YOU!) reviews. Ah well. I know you all still care. Well, it's more of hoping that you do. I hope you did enjoy this chapter. Please tell me! Please review!
Please be aware that reviews help give me initiative to write.
Want more chapters sooner? Please review!