Harry turned in his bed, the covers snuggled around his frame. The blanket was wrapped tightly around him and he enjoyed the warmth and comfort. It was dark and quiet in the room. The last remnants of his dream slowly left his mind, where he had ran across a wide field with Padfoot, just ran and ran and ran. He couldn't remember why they had run but still, it was good feeling the sun and the wind on his skin. Harry felt a light weight on his shoulder and opened his eyes, blinking owlishly. A black and orange form sat there, looking down at him. Harry felt a smile creep onto his face.
"Did you sleep well?" He asked his familiar. Dawn's answer was a loud chirp of happiness. The small creature was rarely sad at all. Yet the third occupant of the bed wasn't amused by the loud noisy bird and Gryph made his displeasure known with a flick of his tail and a grumbled hiss. Harry smiled and picked Dawn up, cuddling her close to his chest. Her loud chirps turned to gleeful coos and quiet purrs. Harry brushed his fingers through her feathers. These moments in the morning were his favourite, just him and Dawn, cuddling, being happy, they had each other. This was their little world, this was where he liked to escape when things were bad. And with that Harry felt his mood turn, when he remembered the previous day. Remembered the goblet and Dumbledore calling out his name. Remembered the looks of all the people in the Great Hall. Remembered the argument in the smaller room, the return to the common room. Remembered the fight with Ron. Harry turned in bed, cuddling Dawn closer, turning his back towards the stairs out of his trunk.
Harry didn't want to leave bed today. He wanted to stay here, with Dawn, just cuddling and being in his own little world of happiness. He never wanted to leave ever again. He knew what would come. People would stare and whisper. Again. He had no idea how the other houses would react. Well, Slytherin would hate him, that was for sure, having their own champion to cheer for. And he really hoped his own house would stand by his side. That was probable if you considered yesterday evening in the common room. It was the other two houses that he couldn't place right now. Would their dislike for Slytherin carry over to this or would it be like the second year? He would be stared at and they would whisper behind his back for sure, Harry thought bitterly, while his fingers were gliding through Dawn's dark feathers.
Then again he would have thought that at least Ron would believe him. But his best friend had shown him, that was something he didn't expect right now. Maybe he should talk to him again. It might help. With these thoughts, Harry pushed himself out of bed. He quickly dressed, while Dawn flew around the small room, chirping again loudly. Finally, Harry picked up Gryph and placed him around his neck, the favourite place for the little snake and called Dawn to his shoulder. The majestic little princess landed, nipping his ear for a moment in affection. Harry nodded once, looking into the mirror before he climbed the stairs out of his trunk. It was Sunday morning, so he expected Ron to still be in his bed, but when he opened the lid of his trunk and climbed outside, he saw only a ruffled but empty bed. Harry sighed shaking his head. His first friend was obviously already down at the breakfast.
Harry walked down the stairs to the common room, with Dawn on his shoulder, nuzzling her belly. The moment he stepped a foot into the room, all occupants called out cheering for him. Harry felt his mind clench and for a moment considered going back to the room not dealing with all this. Even worse the prospect of going down to the Great Hall and finding more people there was horrid. The prospect of being celebrated like a hero, while he himself just wanted to be left alone, wasn't a pretty one. But his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't much the day before. Maybe he could get some food from the kitchen, circumventing the Great Hall for the day. That would be a good idea. He hurried through the common room, ducking to the side when Fred and George tried to catch him with bright grins and stepped out of the portrait. He had already his mirror in his hand, ready to call Sirius since the man knew how to get into the kitchen when he saw someone standing near the portrait hole.
Hermione wore a simple light blue jumper with jeans and had some toast in her hand, wrapped in napkins. She stretched them out handing them to Harry.
"Hi. I thought you might want to eat something but the idea of going down to the Hall..." Her voice trailed off and she eyed Harry for a moment.
"Thank you, Mione." Harry said genuinely, taking the toast from her. Dawn batted her wings, changing from his shoulder to Hermione's in a short flight. Hermione smiled and scratched her tummy for a moment.
Harry felt it like pressure in his chest, when he had his other best friend near him. He needed to say it, so he blurted out the words, still holding the napkins.
"I didn't put my name in." He said, staring at the girl.
Hermione frowned slightly.
"Of course not. Anyone who had seen your face yesterday when Dumbledore called out your name would believe you."
Harry felt like a huge load was taken from his shoulders. He sighed in relieve.
"Thank god." He mumbled, nodding thankfully at his friend.
Hermione waved down the corridor. "Let's get outside before someone finds us." Nodding in agreement, Harry walked up to her and together they left the castle, moving quickly through the entrance hall and down the slopes towards the Black Lake. It was a fresh autumn morning and most students preferred staying inside. Only a few were outside and looked over at the two friends, but they steered clear of those, therefore no one really spoke to them. For a while the just walked side by side, Harry slowly eating the toast, while Hermione was grooming Dawn's feathers, much to the delight of the small bird. While the Phoenix was growing, she was still a two-month-old infant, maybe the size of a small dove now. After a few minutes, Dawn decided that she wanted to test her newly learned skills and took off, a little careful but still, Harry felt the glee and happiness through their shared bond when his familiar spread her wings and flew around them. He smiled for a moment when he looked out at the castle.
"Have you seen Ron?" He asked, not looking over at Hermione. The smile disappeared from his face, replaced with a thoughtful look.
The girl bit her lip, eyeing her friend again before she nodded. "Yes...he was at breakfast."
Harry nodded to, folding the empty napkins. "Does he still think I put my name in?"
"Uhm, no I don't think so...not really." Hermione said bashfully, avoiding looking at Harry. He raised his eyebrow turning to her.
"Not really? What does that mean?"
Hermione looked at him in a surprisingly unsure way before she sighed and shook her head.
"Isn't it obvious Harry? He's jealous."
Harry frowned, crossing his arms. He felt his anger flare up a little.
"Jealous? Does he want to be put in this stupid tournament and make a fool of himself in front of the entire school?"
Hermione shook slowly her head, explaining with patience. "Look, Harry. It is always you who gets all the attention, you know that. Boy-who-lived, Lordship." She pointed to the sky. "Dawn." She then quickly waved her arms. "I know it's not your fault, you didn't ask for this." Harry who had opened his mouth ready to defend himself, closed it again.
"I know you don't seek these things out but still...Ron has so many brothers, always someone else in the limelight, always someone he was judged by and you, his best friend is famous. Every time something comes to you, he has been pushed aside and he never says a word about it. With all that happened recently, it was just too much...you know?" Her look was careful, measuring his reaction. Harry huffed in anger.
"Great, just great. Maybe he wants a taste of this. You can tell him, I would gladly trade for a quiet life. The title, the money, I would love to give it all away. Wherever I go people stare at my forehead." He said bitterly. Hermione shook her head, frowning herself.
"I will tell him nothing. You can do that yourself, that is the only way you two can make up."
Harry threw his hands in the air.
"Like hell! I will not crawl to him. Maybe he will accept it when I break my neck or-"
Now Hermione glared at him. "That is not funny! Absolutely not funny and you know it, Harry." She poked his chest with her finger. Quiet lingered for a moment around them when Dawn, feeling her bonded partner's distress has landed on Harry's shoulder and rubbed her head on his cheek, cooing quietly. Harry brushed over her tummy, feeling the warmth seep into himself.
"Sorry Mione. I didn't mean to..." His voice trailed off, not sure what he didn't mean. To yell at her? Maybe. He just felt bad. Hermione rubbed her forehead, shaking her head.
"Okay. It's okay, you have a lot on your plate. Do you know anything about the tournament?" She asked. Harry shrugged a little.
"Sirius said he would train with me and Remus is trying to find out if there is a way for me to get out of it, but his hopes aren't high really." He sighed. "But Narcissa found something out. Whatever the first task is, it has probably to do with dragons."
Hermione took a sharp breath, her eyes wide.
"Dragons? Are they crazy?" Then her face turned to concentration. "Okay. We can see what we find, I will look up Dragons in the-" She stopped herself when she noticed they weren't alone anymore.
A certain distance away stood Cho Chang, a warm coat around her frame in beautiful indigo. Harry felt again a small lump in his throat. The kiss they had shared felt so so far away, like in another life, not just yesterday. It felt like a lifetime had passed, washing all that away. Hermione turned for a moment, patting him on the shoulder.
"I will go to the library and see what I can find. You...just let go for a while okay?" She smiled weakly at him as he nodded. Hermione reached up and brushed through Dawn's feathers for a moment, before she turned and left, waving shortly at Cho Chang.
The Chinese girl watched her leave before she walked over to Harry.
"Hey, Harry." She said with a small smile. Harry smiled back weakly.
"Hey, Cho. How are you?" He asked, falling into step next to her. She smiled over to him in a curt way, nodding.
"I'm fine. How are you? Feeling excited?" She asked, stepping a little closer to his side. Harry turned his head, eyes wide while he tried reeling in his emotions.
"No! No, absolutely not! I didn't want this! Not at all!" He exclaimed, trying his best not to yell.
"Oh!" Cho answered, her face turning red a little. "You mean you didn't throw in your name?"
Harry shook his head vehemently. "No of course not, why would I do that?"
She tilted her head, raising her eyebrow. "Well, there is a prize and fame."
Harry snorted unamused. "Sirius has more money than we could ever spend and fame isn't really my cup of tea. Bad enough everybody is always staring at my stupid scar." His hand raised unconscious, rubbing over his forehead. He hated that damn piece of tissue. Cho raised her hands.
"All right, sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, I just...well it does make sense if you put it like that, it really does sound like you."
Harry sighed a little, shaking his head. "I didn't ask for this." He said dejectedly and patted Dawn's feathers, while the creature once again rubbed her head against his. Cho took his hand, smiling.
"I believe you, Harry. If you say you didn't put your name in then you didn't." She said with finality. Harry stared at her for a moment.
"I didn't." He said one more time and Cho nodded.
"Okay."
For a while, they walked just side by side, not talking. Dawn took off, once more the pull of the open sky called her and Harry felt the urge to join her, riding his broom, forgetting all about the problems of the earth for a while. Later, he said to himself.
"What does the rest of Ravenclaw say about me?" He finally asked. Cho blushed a little, looking out into the woods.
"They...are split. Most think you threw your name in yourself, because...well they think you are out for the limelight. There were some nasty comments but most people are glad there is someone besides Warrington they could cheer for. Most of my housemates dislike the idea of cheering for a Slytherin." Her voice was careful like Harry was a ticking bomb.
Harry grumbled angrily. "So they're only okay with me because I'm not Warrington. A great vote of confidence." He said. Cho scowled a little.
"You can't hold it against them. Most of them don't know you, just what they see from the distance."
"And yet they judge me." Harry said bitterly. Cho nodded. Her dark eyes were watching him closely as she opened her mouth and formulated an answer for the bitter boy.
"Of course. That's human nature. We always categorize and sort people. That is how we see the world. And what they saw from you fit the bill. Youngest seeker in a hundred years, the boy who lived, the reason for the house cup win year after year, now Lord and having a phoenix. You said you don't search these things out and I believe you, but still, your life looks like someone who is out for the attention. Don't be angry at me for just saying what it looks like." Her last sentence was stern because Harry stared at her angry. He sighed.
"I'm sorry. It's just... no matter what I try I always end up in these things and it feels pretty bad that people think I like these sort of things."
Cho nodded, humming in agreement. "That I can understand. Do you want to talk more about it or do you want me to take your mind off it?" She asked.
Harry frowned but he noticed they had walked quite a lot and came to the large boulder. He flushed a little and felt his stomach rumble a little.
"A little distraction would be nice." He said with a crooked smile and Cho grinned back at him. She stepped on her tippy toes and her lips connected with his. He melted into her frame and engulfed her in a hug, enjoying the kiss, that slowly deepened. For a moment Harry forgot everything, all the things all the problems all the-
"Cho!" A call from the distance broke them apart. They turned their heads, seeing a girl with brown hair march down the slope towards them. Her clothes were simple and she had a scowl on her face. Harry had seen her before, that was one of Cho's friends and she didn't look happy. Her eyes glared at Harry and she briskly walked up to them. Harry felt himself blush, she must have seen all of it.
Cho looked embarrassed too, looking out onto the lake. Finally, the girl reached them.
"There you are. I was searching for you all over the castle." She said in an annoyed tone. Cho shrugged and nodded towards Harry.
"Harry and I were taking a walk." She just said. The girl, Harry remembered her name as Jana Sordi, threw Harry a glare that was full of venom. Harry raised his hand shyly. He saw the anger in the girl's face and wasn't sure if he should get her attention at all but still, he waved slightly.
"Hi." He said unsure what to do. The girl completely ignored him and grabbed Cho's hand.
"Come on, we said we would work on charms today." She said with finality, almost pressing out the words. She started pulling. Cho flushed a little.
"Yeah right, sorry. " She waved over her shoulder. "Sorry Harry, bye." She followed leaving the totally confused black-haired boy behind her. Harry just stared after them, raising his own hand a little late.
"Bye Cho." He mumbled. That was kind of shit, really. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, grumbling. Great. This was just great. With a fluttering of wings, Dawn landed on his shoulder again, nipping on his ear a little. Harry growled at her.
"Not now." He grumbled angrily at her. In return, he got a swat with her wing over his had and an annoying chirp. He felt through the bond that she wasn't fond of the way he greeted her right now. Harry felt his anger boil up, ready to lash out. He wanted to yell at someone, someone was at fault here and he just wanted to scream and yell. But the mix of annoyance and worry in the bond stopped him before he could vent his anger to the small creature on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and sighed.
"Sorry girl. I'm just so...I don't know, pissed off is the right word I would think." He looked into the golden eyes of his familiar and for a moment, Dawn just stared back, feeling through the bond. Then she chirped once and rubbed her head against his cheek. Harry smiled and rubbed her belly.
"Thanks. I love you too." He said, looking out to the lake. For quite a while he just sat there, looking out at the water and thinking. Who could have thrown his name in? Snape was the prime suspect but would the potions teacher be this obvious? He disliked the greasy-haired man greatly, but if there was one thing for sure it was that Snape was intelligent. Throwing in his name with such an obvious link to himself was rather uncharacteristic for him. The man was obviously in his hatred of Harry since last year more than ever yet still. The man would have come up with a plan that wouldn't be so obvious and simple.
Harry sighed, while Dawn cooed softly. The boy felt the want in Dawn's mind, the longing for the open sky. He smiled.
"Come on let's get up there together for the first time okay?" Harry asked and got a happy chirp from his familiar. With a little smile on his face, the boy made his way over to the Quidditch Pitch, where his broom was kept in the Gryffindor changing room. His mind was still lingering with the thoughts of worry and people, swirling like a whirlpool, when he changed into his quidditch gear and put on his gloves. They were with him when he shouldered his broom and walked down the dark corridor to the field. They were with him when he reached the green grass and open sky. They were with him when he walked to the centre and when Dawn took off from his shoulder.
But when he pushed himself off the ground and followed his dark feathered friend into the open sky, they were all washed away. The wind was blowing around his head, wiping away all the worries and fears, all thoughts of tomorrow and yesterday and he was just there. He called out in happiness when he followed Dawn up and up. The phoenix let out a trilled call and turned and twisted in the air. Her wings were more than capable of keeping up with Harry's broom and the boy laughed when he felt the same thrill he did every time he was in the air resonate with his little friend. Dawn chirped dancing around him in the air, while Harry rolled and turned, not his seeker drills but just for the fun of it. He made manoeuvre after manoeuvre while Dawn circled around him. The loud chirps and laughs of the two were blown away by the wind.
After a while, Harry pulled the broom horizontal and looked down at the ground. The castle looked so small from up here. It was small at the moment. Harry was high up, higher than usual. He knew Hermione or Sirius would have kittens if they knew he was so high up. The wind ruffled his hair and cooled his skin. Dawn landed on the handle of his broom, looking up into his eyes. Harry reached out and scratched the back of her neck. The small bird chirped shortly and Harry couldn't keep the grin in.
Then the black bird tipped from his broom and let herself fall down, letting gravity pull her towards the earth. Grinning madly Harry turned his broom and started a hard dive. Dawn was right in front of him, her wings folded against her body, while she just fell. Harry leaned closer to his broom, pushing it for more and more speed. The cold wind was cutting into his cheeks but still, he didn't slow down. Dawn's tail feathers were right in front of him and he let out a scream of glee and freedom. A sharp cry from Dawn joined him, while the ground came closer with rapid speed. First, the stadium grew and grew, then the individual towers and then the grass in the centre. Still, Harry was racing at high speed. He was now right next to his familiar closing in on the last few moments. Only metres over the ground he pulled the broom into a horizontal position and brought the free fall to a nice curve, the tips of his feet brushing through the blades of grass. Dawn also opened her wings too and swept elegantly next to him, slowing down in the process. He grinned and called out to her. The familiar turned and together they slowly made their way back to the entrance where they first entered the stadium, only to see that someone was waiting for them.
In the shadow of the entrance, Daphne Greengrass was standing, her hands folded in front of herself, looking at him with the empty mask that she wore so often. Dawn sped up a little and landed on the now outstretched arm of the noble girl. Daphne rubbed her belly with a small smile.
"You finally flew? You did well Dawn." she whispered before Lord Peverell reached her and dismounted his broom. His hand pushed back his sweaty hair and he looked at her with surprise.
"Heiress Greengrass, what are you doing here?" He asked, shouldering his broom. She looked over, still petting Dawn.
"It's time for our potions tutoring." She simply stated, her eyes returning to the black bird. Harry flushed a little, oh damn he had forgotten that. They had said they would meet today, but with all the commotion he had just forgotten. He quickly nodded.
"Let me take a quick shower." He asked and she just nodded. Dawn quickly hopped from her arm and the three walked to the changing room. Daphne sat down on a bench in front of it and pulled out a small book, starting to read it. Harry nodded and quickly made his way under the shower.
It was something else with a flying Dawn in the room who dashed through the stream of hot water and landed on him only to take off again. Harry had to catch her in the end so she would stop splashing him in the eyes. The bird cooed happily when she had scrubbed herself and soaked in the warm water. After a quick drying charm for Dawn and a towel for himself, Harry left the changing room in his normal clothes again. Daphne looked up and closed her book with a snap.
"Shall we?" She asked, taking his arm like it was proper. He nodded and the three of them made their way to the castle, with Dawn flying small circles around the two teenagers. None of them said a word for about half the way until Harry finally spoke up.
"Why don't you ask?" He grumbled, looking at the castle still. Daphne didn't look over, just continued walking. She said nothing in return until Harry stopped, taking hold of her arm.
"I know you want to know." He said firmly.
Daphne turned and instead of answering she just looked down at his hand, which was curled around her upper arm. Harry let go stepping back. Then the blond finally said something.
"I don't ask because there is no point to it Lord Peverell." She said. Harry was surprised.
"What do you mean?" He answered.
Daphne folded her hands, looking out onto the grounds.
"There is no point in asking. Either you have thrown your name in and then you can't tell anyone. Or you didn't throw in your name and then you would also say that you didn't throw your name in. Either way, you will say the same thing. So I have to come up with my own opinion all the same. The only thing that makes a difference, is if your name was thrown in by someone else, it has a purpose. Either it is an elaborate prank and then it would go too far or someone wants to harm you. I tend to believe the latter."
Harry felt his mouth dry a little.
"So you believe me. That I didn't throw my name in?" He asked. Daphne sighed.
"Lord Peverell, I am an excellent judge of character and I think you couldn't lie your way out of a broom closet. You lack a certain Slytherinity to come up with a plan to throw your name in. Also, your life tends to turn in ways that would fit the description."
Harry stared at her for a moment.
"Well, thank you I think. But why would you support me? I mean you are Slytherin, what about Warrington?" Dawn twitched a little on his shoulder, watching the two teenagers discussing this, while clouds started slowly forming in the sky.
Daphne raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't support Warrington even if you weren't champion. He is a self-centred idiot with far too large of an ego. I think our house represents your ideals, your way of looking at the world, not a strict way in which you have to think or act and it definitely does not force me into some kind of loyalty bond. I think for myself and make my own decisions. And my decision is supporting the noble house my own house is allied with and not some guy who thinks he is such a great person everybody should kiss his feet."
She stepped a little closer and leaned in. She whispered to him like it was a secret.
"Also, I don't know if you know this Lord Peverell but you are a lot more likeable than Cassius."
Harry smiled and chuckled a little.
"Thanks, Daphne." And he meant it. Not just for the compliment, but for the entire thing. She, like Hermione, wasn't someone he had to prove that he didn't do it. She acted calculated and some would say cold, but she didn't get blinded and knowing someone was in his corner meant more than he could have imagined. He didn't feel so alone anymore, now that he knew that. Again he felt like the worries of this morning were so so far away. His life was changing rather quickly at the moment, but this was a good change and he was grateful for it. Daphne nodded once more before turning around, ready to continue their way to the empty classroom they worked on his potions and her defence skills in.
"You're welcome, Harry."