PART THREE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: WHAT THE STARS SAY

If anything came out of the attack of the dragon on Neville, it was the extra protection that Frank Longbottom was providing. Aurors could be spotted at anytime around the school. Harry had heard from his father that Neville's dad had posted several more Aurors in Hogsmead as well. The comings and goings of the Durmstrang and Beaubatons students were carefully monitored. There were a lot of speculations now among the Hogwarts students as to why Nev Longbottom was being watched so closely and why he had been attacked. The most widely spread was that someone from either Durmstrang or Beaubatons was trying to sabotage the Triwizard Tournament. A few days after the attack, Harry and Ginny sat by the fire in the Gryffindor Common Room listening to Fred and George retelling with added details the assault on Nev Longbottom with particular emphasis on the "dragon's vengeful nature". The assumptions were ludicrous of course, but Harry doubted that anyone, even the Longbottoms, would believe the real story if he told it, and Harry had to admit that he felt a little safer knowing that the Aurors were keeping an eye on practically everyone at Hogwarts. The Durmstrang Headmaster, Karkaroff, looked predominantly put off by the increase in security and he had compensated by personally escorting Viktor Krum as though he feared that the Durmstrang Champion might be the next victim.

Overall, this new activity in the school was not helping Harry feel less nervous about the upcoming Second Task. The Aurors were certainly not going to follow Neville down into the depth of the Black Lake, and Harry was not sure how he could protect Neville this time around. As a result, he had a very hard time to concentrate in any of his classes, which wasn't much of a problem because he taken these classes before.

"You're going to die this week, Harry," said Neville dully.

It was a pale morning and they were sitting in pairs in Professor Trelawney's heavily perfumed Divination class. Neville had just finished drawing Harry's star chart and he was examining it as best as he could, his textbook opened on his knees.

"You've got a lunar cycle going on or something," he continued, looking at the chart sideways.

But Harry was not paying attention to Neville's analysis. He was absorbed with a conversation that was taking place a few tables ahead of him.

"Ron, you're making this up! Stop being silly!" said a giggling and girlish voice.

It was Hermione. Harry could see her from where he was. She was sitting with Ron. Apparently, she had not given up Divination in her third year. Ron was bent over Hermione's star chart and kept making funny predictions involving her playing Quidditch and winning Gryffindor the House Cup. Hermione had both her hands clasped over her mouth in an attempt to stop laughing. Professor Trelawney was too occupied with Lavender and Pavarti to notice anything. Harry only wished that he had chosen a table next to Ron and Hermione so that he could have a laugh with them. Neville was taking Divination too seriously for Harry's taste. His only escape from the dull task of making up Nev's star chart had been to eavesdrop on Ron and Hermione. He didn't feel guilty at all for not paying attention in class. This was material that he had learned before and surprisingly, he could remember enough to justify not listening or practising at all.

"This planet means that you're starting a quest," Neville was saying again, "but what I'm not clear on is how you're starting a quest if you die first."

Neville was flipping the pages of "Unfogging the Future" with what Harry thought was unnecessary determination.

"The moon stands for rebirth," offered Harry with mild interest. "It's a cycle thing; birth, death, and then rebirth."

Neville looked up from his textbook to stare at him.

"Are you making this up?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nop," said Harry, half-amused at his own knowledge of Divination. "It's in the book."

Hermione was now bent over low and speaking quietly to Ron. Harry could no longer hear their conversation properly. He let out a sigh and returned his attention to Neville's star chart.

"You ought to stop doing that," said Neville quietly, his nose back in the textbook.

"Do what?"

"Staring."

"Staring at what?"

Neville threw him one exasperated look, put the textbook on the table so that he could lean in closer, and started to stare at Harry meaningfully.

"Stare at you?" said Harry irritably. If this was Neville's attempt at a joke, it wasn't very amusing.

"Not me," murmured Neville. "Granger. You're always staring at her."

Harry glanced over at Ron and Hermione. It was true that he was always keeping an eye out for them. He was just missing his friends. But he most certainly was not staring at Hermione in particular.

"You think I like Hermione?" Harry asked Neville a little more severely than he intended to. He tried to remind himself that Neville couldn't understand his situation, yet he couldn't help being frustrated at the accusation.

"Look, I don't care if you like Hermione Granger or not," said Neville dismissively, "but if you don't like Ginny anymore you ought to tell her."

"Like her? What are you talking about?" retorted Harry, his temper rising.

Far from recoiling, Neville seemed uncharacteristically determined to say what was on his mind.

"You invite her to the Yule Ball and then…"

"Then what?" replied Harry loudly, causing some of the other students to stare at him with interest.

"Then nothing," answered Neville. "You just act like it wasn't a big deal, but it was a big deal to her. She told me."

"What else did she tell you?"

"You told her you wanted to go just as friends. That's just lame, mate."

"Oh yeah?" said Harry, fighting against the urge to shout. "She tells you everything, does she? Then why don't you go out with her?"

Then Harry got up, swung his schoolbag onto his shoulder, and stormed out of the classroom under the stares of the students and Professor Trelawney. As he was closing the door behind him, he heard the teacher say "Do not be alarmed, my dears. I knew that this would happen," which did nothing to improve his mood.

"What was Neville talking about, anyway?" thought Harry angrily as he was going down the staircase two steps at the time. Ginny was his friend, nothing more. They had shared a special moment in the Prefect's bathroom, but Harry had been under the influence of Dragon Fever then. Surely, what he had felt was not linked to any romantic sentiment. He had been sick, that's all. And what was up with Neville? It was very odd of him to stand up to Harry like that.

"Watch it, Harry!"

He had almost bumped into Charlie Weasley.

"Sorry. Hi, Charlie," said Harry awkwardly.

He was very much aware that he should not be out of class at this time. Charlie appeared not to notice it. He looked distraught about something.

"Hi, Harry. I was just going to see Dumbledore."

"What for?"

Charlie stared at him.

"Sorry," said Harry, feeling somewhat out of place. "Not my business."

"It's OK," said Charlie, passing a nervous hand through his hair. "I guess your dad will tell you anyway. We lost him."

"Lost what?" asked Harry.

"We lost the dragon," said Charlie. "We thought that he was unconscious, but he tricked us. He's gone now."

Suddenly, Harry felt like smiling. It was like a bubble of happiness had inflated in his stomach. Leo was free again. Yet the look on Charlie's face was enough to stop him from showing too much joy.

"Fascinating creatures, dragons," said Charlie. Harry could tell that he was trying hard not too sound too disappointed. "Anyway, I have a long report to write now."

"For Dumbledore, you mean," said Harry with interest.

"No," said Charlie. "The report about the dragon is for the Ministry, but Dumbledore wanted to know about all those sighting of snakes on the school grounds and Hogsmead. He asked us to conduct a little investigation. Nev said that he saw a snake when the dragon attacked him, and then there was the chaos in your dad's classroom. But we didn't really find anything. There isn't the trace of a snake anywhere. Not one. They're all gone."

"What's the relationship between dragons and snakes?" asked Harry openly and with renewed interest. "I mean, there must be one."

This was perhaps his only chance to talk to an expert on dragons freely. He decided to cease the opportunity.

Charlie looked taken aback by the question. A shadow seemed to pass over his face for a short moment as though he was being forced to think about something that he would rather not discuss.

"There's a relationship, that much is sure," said Charlie after a moment of reflection. He seemed to be searching his brain for the correct answer to give to Harry. "They're enemies," he concluded.

"Enemies?" repeated Harry. This explanation was making a lot of sense to him for reasons that Charlie could not guess, but he needed to find out as much as he could.

"They used to be as one, dragons and snakes," explained Charlie, "like cousins or even brothers. Then something changed. It's not clear what changed. One's thing sure, though."

"What's sure?"

"When You-Know-Who was in power, the snakes were his allies, and the dragons were not. Dragons aren't anyone's slaves. They do whatever they want and they follow their own rules. As for snakes… well You-Know-Who was a Parselmouth and they always follow a Parselmouth. Dragons aren't that easy to sway."

Ideas were now rushing in Harry's mind. Leo had saved him from a snake. He had saved Neville as well. In fact, Leo had chosen to help. If dragons could not be controlled by Voldemort as the snakes were, it meant that there was a possibility that the dragons might join forces with Dumbledore and the others against the Dark Lord. It was a very hopeful thought for Harry. He was suddenly imagining Dumbledore at the head of an army of wild and fierce dragons throwing fire at scared-looking Death Eaters.

Another question suddenly burst in Harry's mind.

"Has anyone ever spoken with a dragon?" he inquired, recalling his own experience.

"Dragons don't talk. Some say that have some mind powers, but it's not proven. Mostly, dragons roar and cough up fire. Try to remember that the next time one of them flies over your head, Potter," said Charlie with a playful tone that reminded Harry of Mr Weasley.

As he had been saying this, some first-year students had come out of a nearby classroom and were starting to eye Charlie with great interest. Very soon, the corridor would be filled with more students coming down to lunch. Harry was forced to remember that he was mad at Neville, and that he had left Divination more rapidly than he should have. He began to wonder how long it would be until his father learned about how he had lost his temper in class.

"Well, I'd better dash," said Charlie, which brought Harry out of his reverie. "Dumbledore is waiting. See you, Harry."

"Bye, Charlie," replied Harry loudly over the voices of the other students. "Thanks for the chat."

"Stay out of trouble, Potter," cried out Charlie as he started to climb up the staircase.

There were now so many students in the corridor that Harry had no other choice but to follow the flow towards the Great Hall.

"It's Charlie Weasley. He's one of the dragon slayers. He was a Gryffindor when he was at Hogwarts. Why he is telling you to stay out of trouble, Harry?" said a girl's voice. Harry instantly recognised Neville's sister. She was leading a group of small girls who all looked deeply impressed that she knew so many people. Harry's temper rose again to the level it had been when he had left Divination class.

"Give me a break, El," he retorted while trying to nudge his way in another direction.

He had to shoulder a few people just to get across the corridor and back to the staircases, but he wasn't really sure where he was going. He was still too upset at Neville to go into the Great Hall and sit with him for lunch. Ginny would also be sitting at the table. Harry wasn't sure what to tell her anymore. What if she did fancy him?

After making it to the bottom of the staircases, he changed his course again and headed off towards the courtyard and the bridge outside. It took several minutes just to get across the Entrance Hall which was filling with students, but once outside the castle, the way was clear and almost deserted. The air was cold but thankfully the sun was warm. He dropped his bag at his feet and started to stare dreamily at the view, leaning on the rim of the bridge.

He didn't know how long he stood there. He just had a lot on his mind: his parents, the dead Boggart, his father shouting at him, the Triwizard Tournament, the snakes and the dragon, the quarrel of James and Remus, Ron and Hermione dating, the Second Task, all of which came on top of the upcoming return of Voldemort that he could not discuss with anyone because no one would believe him. Overall, this new reality had turned out less than perfect.

"Harry?"

Harry did not need to turn around. He had recognised the voice of Ginny Weasley. She came closer to him and dropped her bag besides his.

"I heard from Hermione that you didn't like what the stars had to say about you."

Harry grinned but said nothing.

"I can tell that something is wrong," Ginny said quietly. "You can't keep it all bottled up inside forever."

Harry felt his temper rise again.

"Did Neville tell you that I shouted at him or something? Because I did."

"Why?"

"He was being stupid."

"He's worried, Harry, that's all," Ginny replied sharply. Harry could tell that she was edgy as well, but at least she wasn't shouting.

She leaned on the rim, imitating him. The wind was blowing her hair all around her face. Harry glanced at her rapidly from the corner of his eyes. She had the look of someone who had a lot on her mind as well.

"I'm worried too," she added after a short silence and Harry could swear that her tone had gone softer.

"You shouldn't worry about me," said Harry quietly. "I'm fine."

"I hate it when you say that," she said sharply again.

There was a silence again. They were still alone of the bridge. She was standing close to him, so close. For a split second, he imagined himself leaning in to kiss her, but at the same moment, he felt his invisible scar suddenly burn. Instinctively, he reached to his forehead with his finger tips.

"You're not fine," repeated Ginny. She was now staring at him, her eyes wide with concern. "Talk to me, Harry. Why don't you talk to me anymore?"

As she said this, Harry noticed that her voice sounded nervous. She was biting her lower lip with her teeth.

"We talk, Ginny," said Harry uneasily.

"Not like we used to," she replied.

"I guess… I guess I haven't been myself lately," said Harry.

He felt guilty now. Perhaps the Harry Potter that Ginny remembered had been a lot more opened with her. Perhaps they had been closer friends than what he had assumed while still being just friends. Was this what was bothering her?

"It's true you haven't been yourself," she said. "The stunt you pulled for the First Task, that was not you, Harry. You are a Gryffindor."

"Gryffindor and Parselmouth, what are the odds?" said Harry bitterly despite of himself.

Suddenly, Ginny pulled him by the shoulders and forced him to face her. He could see straight into her eyes now. They were wide and bright.

"You're not bad, Harry. You're not evil or cursed. Even if you were, I… I wouldn't care."

And she kissed him. It was a small and rapid kiss. Harry didn't know how to react. Was he supposed to kiss her again? Was he supposed to hold her? Why did he feel so warm? Was it because of the kiss or was he experiencing Dragon Fever again? He could just stare at her. The wind was blowing her hair all around them. There seemed to be no other sound in the world but the leaves on the trees and the blowing wind. Harry was stuck in this moment feeling cold and hot at once, his forehead prickling, his lips wet.

"About bloody time!"

Ginny wheeled around, breaking the stare between Harry and her. Neville was walking up to them, a large grin on his face. Harry felt his face grow very red; Ginny's was a lighter shade of pink.

"Hi, Nev," said Ginny at once.

"Sorry I had to be so tough on you, mate," said Neville to Harry when he came to level with them. "I just had to."

"You had to? I… What do you mean tough?" Harry blundered.

"I'm glad you made up your mind," said Neville happily and offering no more explanation. "We've got other things to worry about now," he added darkly.

"What?" asked Ginny, echoing what Harry was about to say.

"I've figured out the egg clue. Now I need you guys to help me find out how I'm going to breath under water for an hour," said Neville rapidly and glancing over his shoulder to make sure they were not being overheard.

Ginny clasped her hands over her mouth in astonishment, and then she jumped in excitement and nudged Neville on the shoulder.

"Nev, this is wonderful! How did you figure it out? Breathing under water! Don't worry. We'll think of something. Oh! I'm so proud of you right now!"

Harry couldn't help but grin. He felt his face return to its normal color as Ginny started to name a few spells that they should look into. He was glad that Neville had turned up and broken the silence. He was still not sure what he was supposed to do now that Ginny had kissed him.

As Neville was telling him and Ginny about the clue, Harry started to fully appreciate the fact that Neville had figured out the clue on his own. It was going to be easy now to prepare Neville for the Second Task. Harry already knew a few ways in which to breathe under water for an hour.

As they walked back to the castle, Neville related the story of how he had been to an underwater concert a few years ago. The sound that was coming out of the egg had been familiar to him because of that. He had thought to open the egg under water just a few days after Christmas. There was plenty of time now, according to Ginny, to figure out which charm or potion to use. As they were talking in hushed voices (there were several Beaubatons girls in the Entrance Hall), Ginny slipped her hand in Harry's and he held it tightly until they took separate ways on the staircases, going to their afternoon classes. After that, he convinced himself that he should concentrate on the Second Task exclusively, but his thoughts dwelled on Ginny for the remaining of the day.

When he went to bed that night, Harry was feeling very confident that nothing could happen in this task that he couldn't prepare Neville for. He knew about Grindylows, he knew where to get Gillyweed, and there was also plenty of time to learn the Bubblehead Charm. Harry only hoped that Neville wouldn't be so dumb as to wait until all three hostages were safe to come out of the water. If he hurried, he could actually finish first. Now that he was thinking about it, Harry was rather glad to be only a spectator this time. He would be watching the Second Task hand in hand with Ginny and, if he could manage it, they would be sitting besides Ron and Hermione.

"It's going to be great," said Harry hazily as he was pulling the covers up to his chin. "I mean, you'll be great, Neville."

"Neville?" Suddenly burst out the sleepy voice of Ron, snorting with suppressed laughter.

"Yes, Ronald?" retorted Neville sarcastically.

Then there began a fit of euphoria that took all five boys and continued well into the night.