Is Luna a little out of character? Maybe, but Sven needed a rude awakening, and who better to do it than her? Hope you enjoy. I'm writing up the third task right now which will definitely throw a wrench into things.

After the second task, things started to change. I was angry—more than angry—that someone had thought it okay to take something I found precious and use it to toy with me. Luna's safety may have been guaranteed with Dumbledore around, but by making it public for the tournament, it meant others knew and could try and use it against me. It put me on edge and it made me desperate to ensure Luna was safe.

I already knew about the other Ravenclaws bullying her and stepped in to deal with that first. It didn't take much to bribe a few portraits and get dirt on who exactly it was who caused most of it, and how to deal with them. Ravenclaws weren't like the Slytherins either. A message to one of them tended to lead to the whole lot of them backing off. The added threat of having Fred and George backing me up did wonders as well. Still, it meant Luna was safe from them which left me with the snakes themselves.

I wasn't sure what to do at first. The trio were off meeting Sirius at Hogsmeade while I dealt with the last of my detentions from Snape for stealing his gillyweed. Lupin too had scolded me through a letter for being reckless about it, but my mind was elsewhere. Dealing with Slytherin wasn't going to be easy. I'd tried before and, while getting back at the few main groups who hounded me seemed to turn them off for a while, they always tended to come back. Having Luna so close to me meant they would use her next and I refused to let that happen. But how to handle it…

The only thing I could think of was to stop running away. It seemed… backward, almost. I'd survived Hogwarts this long by keeping to myself and only fighting back the last few years. Even then, it was small things to get them to stop so I could run. Now though, I knew more, was more experienced. I could fight back and push back if I wanted. Turn the hunters into the hunted. Thing is, most of them had backed off. Those in the younger years had no issues with me at all and weren't experienced enough themselves to try if they knew everyone thought I was a muggle-born. Those above me had exams to focus on, aside from Malfoy and his gang who were the main troublesome ones. So, I decided to test something. Something no one in the trio would approve of.

I stepped down into the dungeons for the first time in a while for something other than potions class. Dinner was ending in a few moments and I soon had the Bloody Baron on my tail, eyeing me curiously.

"What are you up to, boy? Your housemates will be back soon."

"That's the point," I muttered, gesturing to the wall. "Password?"

He huffed. "Weedosoros."

I wrinkled my nose, knowing it was a very dangerous poison but shaking my head as the common room opened and I stepped in. No one was around yet, still finishing their desserts and I glanced around idly before lighting the fireplace and settling in an armchair. The Bloody Baron drifted around for a while longer, confused but curious. However, he slipped into the shadows as he heard the Slytherins approaching. The first few groups wandered in, chatting amicably until they spotted me. The once cheerful laughter turned to murmurs of confusion and concern. The younger students mostly gave me curious looks before heading up to their rooms or finding other places in the common room to settle down.

Then came the older students. They were far more cautious. Those who'd dealt with me before seemed to shrink a little, looking around for others to back them up if I tried anything, but I didn't move. I was waiting to see who—if anyone—would test their luck because the first group who did would be the example I needed. It didn't take long either, nor did it surprise me who it was.

"What's going on? Why's everyone—" Malfoy stopped at seeing me sitting in the chair in front of the green glowing fireplace. "What's the Mudblood doing here? Coming in to get your butt kicked again Rydell?"

Murmurs grew louder as he neared with his cronies and I refused to acknowledge him just yet.

"What? Got nothing to say? Think you're special now that you're in the tournament, do you?" He spat, edging closer and standing between me and the fireplace.

I glanced up at him with a bland look, making him bristle as I rested my head on my hand. Crabb and Goyle were just to my right, also eyeing me uneasily. Even they knew that I could best them if it came down to it, but Malfoy was pushing his luck.

"Ah, but you all saw it, didn't you?" Malfoy smirked, glancing at the nervous Slytherin around us. "Little Mudblood's got a girlfriend," he mocked. "Loony Luna and the little Mudblood snake. Say, we could have some fun with that right, Crabb? Goyle? Wonder if the little Mudblood would cry if we went and touched his precious little Luna—"

It happened in a second, so fast no one had time to draw their wands but me. Malfoy was slammed against the wall beside the fireplace, my hand at his throat, and Crabb and Goyle hadn't had a chance to move before there were two loud "bangs," and they flipped onto their backs as transfigured tortoises. Malfoy clawed at my hand around his neck, gasping for breath as his feet struggled to find purchase off the ground. No one moved though, my wand still aimed behind me should anyone try, but my ice-cold gaze focused on Malfoy.

"You know, I never cared what you called me," I told him, eerily calm. "Your pranks were childish and I didn't bother dealing with you because it was far easier to ignore a little rat biting at my ankle than to fight it." I tipped my head slightly. "You want to know about my parents?"

Malfoy continued to choke, unable to reply.

"They were both killed by a vampire right in front of me when I was five," I said blandly, adding to the tension in the room. "Mudblood, pureblood. I wouldn't know and I didn't care but I care about people close to me. I tolerated what you did to me because it didn't matter but now you're a threat to my people. The only people I have and I can't let that stand."

He was starting to turn purple, eyes rolling up and his clawing hands faltering weakly. I watched him struggle a moment longer before dropping him to the ground to catch his breath, turning to face the other Slytherin in the room who had been silent the entire time.

"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, and the Weasleys are all off-limits," I told them. "If I hear word of anything happening to them, I'll deal with you myself. I have no fear of expulsion. No one touches them."

My wand snapped out behind me, slamming a spell into Malfoy who'd tried to draw his wand. I stared at him from over my shoulder with a glare as he shrank in on himself.

"And I'll know the second you try something."

I walked towards the door, the Slytherins parting out of my way as I headed through the dungeon and the Bloody Baron drifted over with a devilish smirk.

"Precious people, eh?"

"I don't care what they try to do to me but I won't let them touch my friends. You'll let me know if they consider it?"

He chuckled deeply. "Why not? It might be fun. I'll tell the other ghosts and portraits too. The vampire child is no longer getting pushed around."

He drifted off, chains dragging behind him as he cackled and just as I was heading up the stairs to exit the dungeon, I nearly ran into Snape as he scowled.

"It is after hours, Rydell."

I simply blinked. "And there's two students transfigured into tortoises in the common room, professor. I thought you'd like to know."

He bristled and started down the stairs before pausing at the base. "Detention."

"Yes, sir."

"Did you hear about the Slytherins?" Ron asked one evening while everyone was relaxing in the Room of Requirement.

"They've been pretty quiet," Harry noted. "Even Malfoy's not really bothered us."

"He had bandages on his neck, did you see?" Ron replied, looking smug. "Rumor is he got attacked by someone. None of the Slytherins will say anything about it but they're all scared. Fred and George said it's too easy now to get the jump on them. You turn a corner too sharp and they're flinching."

"The Ravenclaws too," Hermione added. "I nearly bumped into one in the Library and she went all pale and hurried out."

Luna had been sitting quietly during this exchange but slowly turned her gaze to Sven. He had his head down and was avidly focused on the book in front of him and the essay he was writing. When they'd initially asked what it was for he'd replied with a strange response: an essay on the dangers of human transfiguration.

This wouldn't have been strange if it were for McGonagall, but he'd replied it was for Snape and that his detention had been extended for another week. He hadn't said why and no one had bothered to really ask. However, Luna wasn't a Ravenclaw for no reason, and pieces had started to click into place.

"Sven," she said, drawing the gazes of the others. "What did you do?"

Everyone went quiet as Sven's quill paused for a half-second before continuing.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not looking up as she stood.

"The Ravenclaw students who used to pick on me keep their distance now. They looked scared. Now, the Slytherin students were attacked and are doing the same."

The others were starting to see what she was getting at and held their focus on Sven, wondering themselves what happened.

"You've been acting… odd since the second task," Luna continued, approaching his desk. "You were angry."

Hermione seemed to understand the quickest and spoke up now as well. "Sven, did you attack them? Did you attack the Slytherins? Malfoy? The Ravenclaws?"

Sven closed his eyes with a long breath before continuing on his paper. "Yes."

Harry and Ron exchanged stunned looks. This was someone who hadn't fought back to defend himself for ages, and now that he did, there were two full houses who were scared. Hermione, though, looked at it differently.

"Sven, you didn't! Dumbledore only gave you permission to use self-defense! If you attacked them first, you could get expelled!"

Sven finally put down his quill, expression pinched and looking frustrated. "They threatened Luna," he snapped back. "She was put in danger because of the second task. People know we are close and I couldn't let them go after her because of me. They needed to understand that. They needed to learn that I am keeping her and you all saf—"

There was a sharp "snap" of flesh against flesh and Sven went silent in surprise. He slowly reached up and touched his reddening cheek, turning to face Luna who stood in front of him with a glare. He'd never seen her angry before. Not ever, not about anything until now. He didn't understand what had happened. What he'd done wrong or why she was mad. She stared down at him coldly for a moment before speaking, knowing he was confused.

"I am not yours," she told him shortly. "I am a person. I never asked for you to protect me. I never told you to hurt others for me. Risking yourself to keep me safe was never something I wanted you to do."

"B-But they were going to come after you!" Sven argued, standing as well but quivering in his panic. "They were going to—"

"And how does hurting them first fix anything?" She countered. "It makes you no better than them, and I don't want to be near you if that's the kind of person you're going to be."

She turned and grabbed her things, storming from the room as Sven stared, unable to move for a moment until she was nearly at the door. He snapped into action, forgetting he was behind a desk and tripping over the legs of the chair behind him. His leg slammed into the desk as he tried to hurry after her but she was gone by the time he reached the door.

"I'm sorry," Ron piped up once they'd left, shattering the tension leftover in the room. "Were they dating or something?"

Hermione slapped a palm to her face with a groan and he just looked between her and Harry; who rolled his eyes.

"What?"

Harry glanced awkwardly at Sven as they walked downstairs. Harry had been called out by McGonagall after Transfiguration about going down to the Quidditch pitch for the next task. He wasn't sure when Sven had been told, but they'd bumped into each other on the stairs and silently decided to go together. Thing was, Sven had been rather quiet since the fight he'd had with Luna.

"You okay?" Harry asked, knowing that he should check in with his friend first.

Sven nodded solemnly even though they both knew it was a lie.

"You and Luna are still fighting, aren't you?"

Sven hesitated but nodded again. "I… don't know why she was mad." He looked over at Harry almost desperately. "I apologized like she said I should do when I upset people. Ginny said try flowers too, but she didn't want them."

Harry knew this. Hermione had spotted Sven trailing after Luna like a lost puppy and mentioned at dinner how she felt a bit sorry for him. While Harry didn't exactly know what to do about fixing relationships, he knew he might as well try and help him.

"Did she say anything? Like… what she wants you to do to make up?"

Sven shook his head as they stepped outside onto the grounds. "She won't talk to me… Did I do something wrong? I thought… Aren't friends supposed to help each other?"

"Well, yeah, but I think you went a bit too far," Harry admitted. "I mean, I get it if Malfoy went after you or one of us but…"

Sven frowned, thinking. "So, I should not have threatened them? But if they went after Luna—"

"The thing is, Sven, you kind of… You were kind of acting like them. Sort of bullying people when they didn't do anything."

"But they would have."

"Maybe? Malfoy, sure," Harry agreed, knowing that Malfoy would not have held back in that aspect. "But all those people in Ravenclaw? I just think… maybe you shouldn't have done that and just waited. Then, if they tried anything, you could step in."

Sven was quiet, thinking that over. "So… she was angry because… I was being like them?"

"I think she was mad because you hurt people, Sven." Harry rubbed the back of his neck as they neared the pitch. "A-And maybe because you could've gotten expelled? I think it might be a bit… sad if you did."

Sven paused, head tipped as Harry glanced awkwardly away, clearing his throat.

"S-Sorry. I'm not really great at this."

"No," Sven countered, glancing up at the sky with a hum. "I think I understand now. It would be sad if I was expelled and…" Again, his head tilted to the side slightly. "I suppose… I forgot myself for a minute?"

Harry wasn't sure what that meant. If it meant Sven forgot he was a vampire who could easily harm people, if he forgot how kind he used to be, or if it was something else that Harry just didn't understand or didn't know about. As always, Sven was a mystery.

"Hello there!" A cheery voice called as they stepped out onto the Quidditch pitch to find it overrun with small hedges.

Sven merely glanced at them and began climbing over to get to where the other champions were. Harry took a moment to feel the ache in his heart at the sight of the ruined pitch before following after him. Fleur and Krum were with him—Fleur offering a small smile. She'd been a little more friendly to him since saving her sister, though Sven kept the other champions on good terms with him anyway.

"Well, what do you think?" Bagman asked, looking pleased with the hedges. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid'll have them twenty feet high."

"It's a very nice garden," Sven said, making Bagman twitch and chuckle awkwardly.

"N-Not quite, and don't worry, Harry. You'll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over! Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?"

Sven opened his mouth with a slightly raised hand but Bagman cut him off before he could reply.

"And no, it's not a garden."

Sven wrinkled his nose, looking down and brushing a hand over the hedge before Krum spoke up.

"Maze."

"That's right! A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."

"We simply 'ave to get through the maze?" Fleur questioned, suspicious.

"There will be obstacles. Hagrid is providing a number of creatures… then there will be spells that must be broken… all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions who are leading on points will get a head start into the maze."

Harry glanced at Sven as he pet the hedge, wondering if Sven even realized he was tied with Harry for first.

"Then Mr. Krum will enter, then Miss Delacour. But you'll all be in with a fighting chance, depending on how well you get past the obstacles. Should be fun, eh?"

Everyone kind of just stood there, not really seeing it as fun, per se.

"Very well. If you haven't got any questions, we'll go back up to the castle, shall we? It's a bit chilly," Bagman offered, leading them back towards the castle.

Harry thought Bagman might end up hounding him about something but Sven kept close and was a natural deterrent. Then, Krum tapped him on the shoulder.

"Could I have a word?"

Harry was surprised, but readily agreed and Krum started to lead him off somewhere. Bagman looked worried, but Sven went with them and Bagman begrudgingly went back into the castle without them. Harry expected to head for the Durmstrang ship, but instead, Krum led them around towards the forest edge near Madame Maxime's horses to not be overheard. It made Harry a little nervous but a quick glance at Sven reassured him. Sven and Krum were close friends and knowing that Sven was staying gave Harry the reassurance that should anything happen, he'd have someone to back him up.

"I want to know what there is between you and Hermy-own-ninny," Krum asked once they'd stopped in the shade of the trees.

Sven tilted his head in confusion as Harry realized what had happened. Rita Skeeter's article about him and Hermione was based on lies, but Krum didn't know that and obviously had feelings for her.

"Nothing," Harry pressed. "We're friends. She's not my girlfriend and she never has been. It's just that Skeeter woman making things up."

Sven frowned at the mention of the writer and Krum hesitated, not entirely convinced.

"She speaks of you often."

"Because we're friends," Harry replied and Sven surprisingly spoke up.

"Harry doesn't like her, but Ron might."

Harry slapped a hand to his forehead as Krum frowned. "Sven, you're not supposed to just tell people when your friends like someone."

Sven's brows furrowed. "You're not? But Luna told me he was jealous. Why is it a secret?"

"It… It just is, okay? People have to tell the person they like themselves. It's weird when someone else finds out because then it… it spoils the surprise."

"Oh. Like a gift."

"Y-Yeah… Sure." Harry gave Krum a glance, wondering if Sven saying Ron liked Hermione might have put a rift between Krum and them, but then the Bulgarian relaxed.

"You fly very well. I was watching the first task."

Harry grinned, feeling a hint of relief that he was not only being friendly but also was watching him and impressed. "I saw you at the Quidditch World Cup. The Wronski Feint, you really—"

Harry jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder the same instance something nearby rustled. Sven moved between him, Krum, and the forest, eyes sharp and even Harry took a step back—knowing the dangers that lurked in the forest.

"What is it?" Krum asked, getting shushed by Harry as Sven started towards the noise.

"Sven," Harry hissed. "Your wand!"

Sven often forgot he had one at times—more often lately after having fought with Luna. he drew it though when Harry called out, only for a man to stumble out of the forest into Sven. Sven's wand fell to the ground and the man was promptly thrown to the ground with a wail. The group wasn't sure how to react to this, until Sven tilted his head, recognizing the man.

"It is Mr. Crouch," he said, startling them as he lifted the quaking man from the dirt and picked back up his wand.

The man looked nothing like he had while he'd been judging. His clothes were ragged, the knees of his pants torn open, and he looked pale with exhaustion and frazzled. He was muttering under his breath in a half-crazed state, moving his hand about and his eyes jumping all over.

"Wasn't he a judge?" Krum questioned, looking uneasily himself. "Isn't he with your Ministry?"

Crouch started muttering a little louder, looking over at a tree as though he were talking to it, though Sven kept a firm hold of his robes so he wasn't wandering far.

"...and when you've done that, Weatherby, send an owl to Dumbledore confirming the number of Durmstrang students who will be attending the tournament, Karkaroff has just sent word there will be twelve."

Harry hesitantly approached. "Mr. Crouch?"

Harry wasn't noticed at first, but then Crouch faltered and Sven grabbed onto his arm to hold him up as Harry hurried forward.

"Are you all right?"

"What's wrong with him?" Krum asked.

"His heart's racing," Sven muttered, making Harry wince.

He still wasn't used to knowing what Sven could sense.

"M-Maybe we should go get someone?"

"Dumbledore!" Crouch suddenly blurted out, growing more frantic and trying to grab Harry if Sven hadn't pulled him back. "I need… see… Dumbledore."

Harry wasn't sure the man was capable of walking up to the castle with them. Sven might be able to help him, but seeing how frantic the man was being, Harry wasn't certain.

"I've done… stupid thing. Must tell… Dumbledore."

Harry glanced at Sven as Crouch went back to talking gibberish. "You and Krum stay here with him. I'll get Dumbledore. I know where his office is and you can handle him if he tries anything, right?"

Sven nodded, keeping a firm hold of Crouch so he wouldn't wander off towards the tree he was speaking to while Krum hesitated.

"He is mad."

"Just stay with him," Harry pressed just as Crouch lunged for him and Sven grimaced, struggling to not hurt the man as he reached out for Harry desperately.

"Don't… leave me! I escaped… must warn… must tell… see Dumbledore… My fault… All my fault… Bertha… dead… All my fault… my son… My fault… Tell Dumbledore… Harry Potter… the Dark Lord… Stronger… Harry Potter…"

Harry hesitated again, concerned about what this meant before Sven hauled Crouch away from him and nodded towards the castle.

"Go. Be quick."

Harry nodded and took off running towards the castle, hoping that nothing more would happen while he went to get help.

I kept a firm hold on Crouch, feeling the man occasionally losing himself to whatever madness had hold and attempting to run. I was far stronger than the older man though I could tell he was also weak. His wrists were thin and his face gaunt. This wasn't a strong man to begin with, but that only meant I needed to be careful with how much strength I used. Viktor was just behind me a bit, eyeing Crouch in concern and occasionally glancing back towards the direction of the Durmstrang ship. I understood why he was uneasy. We were both sitting in the dark near the forest with a crazed man who'd come out of nowhere. Even I was on edge.

Then, I heard something, whipping towards the forest and staring for a moment. I tried to focus over the muttering of Crouch in my grip when there was a flash of light. I swung my wand in an arc, keeping Crouch behind me and blocking the stunner. I grit my teeth as I spotted another flash hit Viktor. He hadn't been close enough to protect with the shield but instead of falling to a stunner or being killed right off, he stumbled back and turned towards me. I stiffened, hearing how calm his heart was which didn't make sense in this situation, especially not when he was on edge only a moment ago.

His wand snapped out at me and I cursed, twisting Crouch again behind me and throwing up another shield. He continued his onslaught as I struggled to keep Crouch safe and try to locate what I'd heard before. Another heart. In the forest somewhere. I grimaced as a particularly harsh exploding spell shook my defenses. I need to keep Crouch safe, but my shield only covers what's ahead of me. I haven't had time to learn a full protection shield… but this is familiar somehow. These spells… I tested something out, swinging my wand towards the forest only for Viktor to cast spells fast, one after another. It is. It's the same pattern as the person who attacks me in the hall. Stunner, Flipendo, Expulso, Bombarda. It steadily grows more aggressive to deter me from my goal. I need to take down Viktor.

Another hard blast hit and my grip on Crouch loosened. The crazed man in his panic tried to bolt just as a spell was fired from the forest. I dove for him, taking him to the ground and making the spell miss, only to feel hot pain along my back. I twisted, throwing off what was left of my burnt robe and firing a stunner back at Viktor while I hauled Crouch back up onto his feet. I can't hold up like this. I need to buy time for Harry to get back but I can't do anything to stop this without risking Crouch. I need to knock him out. I knew I couldn't risk turning my wand away from Viktor though, so I muttered a silent apology to Luna and hooked my arm around Crouch's neck.

I winced as he struggled against me, clawing at my arm until he finally lost consciousness in my chokehold and fell limp. I allowed him to fall to the ground and moved to stand protectively over him. Viktor was moving in though, attempting to either draw me away from Crouch or simply get close enough that fighting back would be difficult. It's not Viktor though. It can't be. He wasn't in the castle when those attacks in the hall were happening. He's my friend and he's acting wrong. He's being controlled somehow. If I can hit the person in the forest—I took a chance, flinging my wand at the forest and hoping that the spell I used would work.

Flames shot out of my wand, catching the nearest bush and setting it aflame. The fire spread as I struggled with Viktor, hoping that it would provide me just enough cover. It was working too. I could see Viktor hesitating a moment too long, struggling to cast spells while the person controlling him had to now deal with the encroaching flames. Then, I took my chance. The flames were protecting Crouch and I, so I rushed towards Viktor with an apology and punched him solidly in the face. He stumbled and I grabbed him, jerking him towards Crouch. He fell on the ground near him and I hit him with a stunning spell, taking his wand and searching the flames as I moved to hover over them both.

I'm okay now. I've got Crouch safe and Viktor safe. Harry and Dumbledore should be here any minute. The flames and smoke will alert Hagrid if they're not. I just need to hold out until then. My back stung though, aching and burnt from whatever spell Viktor had thrown at me when I'd saved Crouch. I was tense and even more so now with Viktor's bloody nose—a hint of which was smeared across my bruised knuckles. I heard Fang barking in the distance and made the mistake of turning away from the forest in the hopes that salvation was just around the corner.

I was struck by something, vision spinning and taking a faltering step back but refusing to go down. I can't. They're nearly here. They have to be and if I fall now—Problem was, I couldn't see the following spells. Pain sliced into me from a cutting spell when I still refused to fall and I fired a stunner blindly before something hit me that made my entire body feel as though it were getting torn apart. I let out a cry of pain, falling to my knees before someone called out.

"Sven!"

The pain stopped as abruptly as it'd come, leaving me quivering and gasping for breath. I cracked an eye open, seeing Harry starting to rush over until Dumbledore stopped him. Relief flooded through me that they'd finally made it. A quick glance behind me revealed Crouch and Viktor, both of whom were still breathing and had their hearts pumping. The sight of blood on Viktor's lip and nose though, cut my breath short before there was a hiss and I turned to see Snape attempting to put out the flames I'd started at the forest's edge. Dumbledore approached me though, kneeling down cautiously and checking me and the other two over.

"Are you all right, Sven?"

I certainly didn't feel all right and was about to say something when the thundering footsteps of Hagrid approached.

"Professor Dumbledore! What—"

"Hagrid, I need you to fetch Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore said, waking Viktor and keeping him quiet for the moment as he explained to Hagrid what he needed to do. "His student has been attacked. When you've done that, kindly alert Professor Moody—"

"No need, Dumbledore. I'm here," Moody said, stepping over and sending a chill of uneasiness through me. "Damn leg. Would've been here quicker. What's happened? Snape said something about Crouch—"

"Crouch?" Hagrid questioned before Dumbledore snapped at him to get Karkaroff.

I was on edge though, having just dealt with who could only have been Moody attempting to attack Crouch, Viktor, and I from the forest. There's no other person. I suspected him from the start and he's here again. He's here again. My grip tightened on my wand still in my hand before someone touched me and I whipped to Dumbledore as he subtly shook his head.

"Alastor, we don't know where their attacker was, but it's essential we find them."

"I'm onto it," Moody grumbled, lighting his wand and moving off into the forest.

I watched him go, still not relaxing even when his light vanished into the trees because I'd noticed something. The edge of his cloak is burnt. It was him. It was him! I couldn't speak though, not here, not now. Viktor was frightened and spoke loudly with Dumbledore about being attacked while Dumbledore healed his nose. Karkaroff being brought over only made things worse, making my already aching head throb as he spat and shouted. I didn't turn my gaze from the forest though, even as Hagrid threatened Karkaroff himself. I was straining to listen, to hear if that extra heart was there.

I couldn't though. Even when Karakaroff and Viktor were gone, even when Hagrid had gone to take Harry to his common room and the only sounds were Snape trying to quell the flames. I still couldn't hear it. I heard Snape's, Dumbledore's, Moody's, Crouch's, and even my own heart pounding away in my ears, but that was it. There was no other person.

"—en. Sven."

A hand touched my shoulder and I snapped my gaze back to Dumbledore.

"We need to get you inside," he said calmly, somehow soothing some of the fire that was rolling through me. "I'll have Madam Pomfrey prepare you what you need, but do you have enough energy to tell me what happened?"

I nodded, eager to speak, but he brought a finger to his lips.

"Not here. Come." He stood and used his wand to lift the still unconscious Crouch, offering me a hand as well.

I accepted, uncertain if I'd be able to stand without assistance and it took a moment for my head to stop swimming before Dumbledore released me and we started for the castle. The walk felt agonizingly long until we finally moved into Dumbledore's office and he waved me towards a chair. I eyed Crouch, mentally noting that Dumbledore hadn't risked dropping him off in the infirmary, and we were quiet for a moment before he took a deep breath and let it out.

"Can you explain from the beginning what happened please, Sven? Madam Pomfrey should be here any minute, but I'd like to hear what you have to say before she scolds me about the shape you are in."

I shot him a tired glare, knowing that he wouldn't be the only one getting scolded for my appearance. Still, I went on to explain as best I could.

"Viktor wished to speak with Harry about Hermione. I stayed with them and we heard Crouch come out of the forest. He was… addled. Talking a lot and to the trees. Harry offered to get you and we stayed. Crouch would not be able to get into the castle without fighting me. I did not want to hurt him."

Dumbledore nodded, waving for me to continue.

"I couldn't hear over his muttering. I would've noticed the attacker in the forest if I could hear… He sent a stunner at me, then did something to Viktor. Viktor attacked me."

"The Imperius Curse," Dumbledore said. "One of the three unforgivable curses that allows the caster to control someone against their will."

I furrowed my brows, remembering him mentioning the curses but never having learned about them. "Unforgivable curses?"

"There are three. The Killing Curse, the Imperius Curse, and the Cruciatus Curse which causes unbearable pain."

A shiver rolled through me, knowing I'd undoubtedly experienced the latter just before they'd shown up.

"And then?"

"I knocked Crouch out. He'd tried to run and I didn't want him hit by the person in the forest. I had to protect him and stop Viktor without harming them so I… I set the forest on fire. It would block the attacker's view and force them to retreat. I then knocked out Viktor and tried to locate them. I got distracted when Fang barked. Thought you were already there."

"And you believe it is Moody."

I faced him seriously, bristled in preparation to defend myself. This wasn't like before where I had no proof and was concerned about my position in the school. This wasn't me being hesitant because he was a professor and I was a student. I knew it was him.

"It was him. They had the same spell styles as the person who's been attacking me in the halls. It wasn't Viktor because he wasn't there and you said he was controlled by this curse. When you came, Moody was already there. How could he have been there already? When you sent him away, I knew it was him. The corner of his robe was—"

The door was opened then, forcing me silent as Madam Pomfrey came in with a blood bag for me. She then saw Crouch lying unconscious on the ground and the state I was in and started scolding us all.

"Again! Again I have to fix you up, Mr. Rydell. How many times is this now?"

I took the blood bag quickly and tore into it a little more harshly than I would've liked. Still, it got the point across and Madam Pomfrey gave Dumbledore a glance as he settled back in his chair.

"There was an attack on the grounds and Sven was simply in the worst position possible. I assure you, he didn't do this of his own accord, nor could this have been prevented."

She didn't look pleased, but shook her head and muttered under her breath as she started to work on helping me while I was there. She wanted to take me to the infirmary for better treatment of the burns on my back and Dumbledore waved me off to go with her—reassuring me that he would visit as soon as the Minister came to retrieve Mr. Crouch. He wouldn't risk him getting harmed while knowing that the very person who attacked him was the same man hired to be a professor here.

I half expected something to be done when I'd informed Dumbledore that it was Moody who was trying to kill Crouch. Yet, nothing happened. Nothing changed. Dumbledore claimed it was to keep an eye on him and see what he was planning. Snape was assigned to watch him and I was limited once more on nightly journeys. Given I'd foiled the plan to have Crouch potentially killed, I was a threat, and wandering around on my own would make me even more of a target than I already was. This didn't change the fact that I still had to go to his class once I'd healed up a week later. If I hadn't been on edge before in his lessons, I was now.

He went back to his old ways of cursing me constantly and after a week of this, I simply stopped showing up to his lessons. It was easier that way. It put me behind in lessons, but Ginny was a frequent visitor to the Room of Requirement and between her and the others I was undoubtedly ahead of the rest in my year. Avoiding him in the halls was the hardest though, especially when he could easily find me but I was never able to track him. I found moving with others tended to keep the attacks down, so I did my best to do so. Which was harder than it sounds when half the student body was still afraid of me.

I had tried to make it up to them, but only for Luna's sake. Harry had advised me as to what I'd done wrong and when I informed her of that, it came down to how I could make it up to her and prove it. The only way was to apologize to those I'd hurt. I undoubtedly scared the entire Ravenclaw House when I walked up to their table at breakfast the morning Madam Pomfrey had released me and bowed low in apology.

"I apologize for what I have done to frighten you." I stood back up then, frowning. "Though if you hurt Luna, I will not forgive you."

It was about as much of an apology as I could give—even if the twins at the Gryffindor table burst into laughter and Luna lightly tugged me away with a smile herself. She accepted it as well. Understood that I was only trying to help and now that I knew what I'd done wrong, things were back to normal. Or, normal-ish.

The third task was nearing ever closer and the trio were in the Room of Requirement more and more often. They'd heard from me about Dumbledore's waiting to deal with Moody and agreed it was wrong and they'd keep their distance as well. Things weren't exactly going as planned for them either. Rita Skeeter had discovered that Harry had a rather painful vision in one of his classes of Voldemort and published it in an article. While the Slytherins weren't harassing them as much as they could be, thanks to my interference, there were still murmurs and chuckles behind their backs. As promised though, he'd gone to Dumbledore about it and was shown the man's memories to instill how he trusted Snape to Harry. He'd told Harry as well to be cautious of Moody for now, and with all the letters we got from Lupin and Sirius, we listened.

That being said, as the third task was nearly upon us, something surprising happened. Harry and I were told our families would be showing up to watch the third task in the evening. Given I had no family and Harry appeared worried himself, neither of us were exactly thrilled about this information. Still, as soon as breakfast was finished, I got up and walked with Krum toward the side room we'd been sent to, not sure what to expect. Upon stepping into the room though, all unease rolled off my shoulders.

"How's it going, Sven?" Sirius chirped with a toothy grin as Lupin sighed with a shake of his head.

"As good as it can be," I replied turning to the door as Harry stepped in and saw them as well as a few of the Weasleys waiting for him.

"Surprise!" Molly beamed, pulling him into a hug as one of Ron's older brothers just smiled at him. "Thought we'd come and watch you, Harry."

"You all right?" The older Weasley hummed. "Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn't get time off. He said you were incredible against the Short-Snout."

"Sven?"

I turned away from Harry as he spoke with them and Sirius wandered over to give his Godson a hug too. Lupin eyed me in concern, though I wasn't sure why. He can't know about the tight feeling in my chest. It's… weird. I glanced briefly at Harry again as Sirius grinned and chatted before returning my gaze back to Lupin.

"Yes?"

He was quiet for a moment before shaking his head and smiling. "How have things been? Other than your concerns with…" He looked to ensure everyone was occupied. "...with Alastor. Harry said you were hurt."

"I'm better now," I said with a shrug. "Just some burns and cuts. Madam Pomfrey healed them. I only got a scar from one."

I tapped my forearm where a good-sized line remained from a particularly deep cut, but it didn't bother me. Luna was worried though.

"And you're certain it was him?"

I frowned, annoyed that he too was questioning me. "His robe was burnt in the corner. I set the forest on fire and he claimed to have just shown up. He also used the same attacks as those in the halls. What point would there be in me lying now?"

"I wasn't… I just wanted to make sure. I've known Alastor for a while and I just… I can't see him changing sides."

"Then, perhaps he is not him," I huffed, glancing away at the laughing Fleur speaking to her family and Krum with his, and feeling that tightness once more. "I simply told Dumbeldore what I saw. I cannot force people to believe me."

"Sven, I didn't mean—"

"Ready to go, Sven?" Sirius hummed, looking pleased with Harry under his arm and the Weasley's following. "Take a bit of a tour, see what's changed, and… Sorry, did I interrupt?"

I shrugged silently and Lupin shook his head, allowing Harry to lead the way out to the grounds. I didn't say anything after that, letting Harry talk to everyone while I trailed near the back of our little group. I'd rather be in lessons with Ginny or walking with Luna. Anything felt better than being surrounded by people closer to Harry than me, and Lupin's occasional glances. It was sunny out too and I was quickly growing tired the closer to lunch we got. I'd rather be with Luna… Finally, we started back towards the castle for lunch only for Lupin to stop me.

"Sven, I… I'm sorry."

I glanced at him in confusion, though my brows were furrowed from being tired and out in the sun for so long. My teeth ached for an afternoon goblet of blood.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just… I'm worried, is all. You shouldn't have been in this tournament, to begin with, and that means someone is targeting you. I never thought it would be…" He cut himself off before digging through his cloak. "Sorry. I'll drop that for now until we catch who did this, but I don't want everything about today to be… sad for you."

Sad? "I don't understand."

"What I mean is… Well, here."

He handed me an envelope and I took it, opening it and pulling out a photo of two people, a couple who offered a smile and wave. I frowned, uncertain of who they were or what this was supposed to mean, but they felt… familiar somehow. I looked back to Lupin who rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I know Sirius and I aren't exactly… We're not your family, I mean. Sirius does kind of have a bias and is closer to Harry, but I felt that you might be a bit… sad, about not having anyone. We're the only people you have and I'm sorry that some vampire took yours from you. So… I went searching for a bit. Took a few favors and a talk with the Minister but…" He gestured to the photo I held. "It was the only picture I could find of them. Your parents."

I hesitated, looking back down at the smiling couple and starting to see why they were familiar. My father's eyes, my mother's nose, and ears. I'd see the same sort of features in the mirror when I focused long enough to see myself.

"Noah and Avery Rydell," Lupin introduced them. "Both were wizards, neither purebloods. Avery was a muggle-born and Noah's grandfather was as well. They met at Hogwarts and found each other in the library. Avery was a Hufflepuff in her fourth year and Noah a Ravenclaw in his fifth year. They were married right before the war broke out and… they were good people. Fought against You-Know-Who with the rest of us until they were forced into hiding. A close friend had become a death eater and…" He hesitated for a long moment. "...and people think he sent the vampire after them. They weren't on our side at the time given the tensions between wizards and vampires. Either the person who bit you couldn't kill a child or simply thought you were gone. That's all I could find and the Ministry would only let me take that."

I looked back up at Lupin. "I can keep this?"

He nodded. "I got it for you. You're welcome to do what you like with it."

I almost didn't want to. They were people I didn't remember, didn't feel close to and it didn't matter to me whether they were wizards or not. Yet, something made me want to hold the photo close. I have a family. I carefully put the photo back in the envelope and tucked it into my robe to put away later. Lupin shuffled awkwardly on his feet as I looked back at him before I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. He stiffened and even I felt the action was awkward and soon pulled away.

"Luna says that sometimes a hug is used to show thanks when words do not suffice."

He cracked a smile and nodded. "Well… you're welcome, Sven."

I nodded as well and he placed an arm across my shoulders as we reentered the castle for lunch.