AN: Hey guys! Sorry this took me a few days. I was working on two chapters at the same time. Got a lot of stuff going on here. On a side note, I've been feeling better. 10 good days (health-wise) in a row. Trust me, that's significant these days. So yeah!
After breakfast, Harry joined his friends out by the Black Lake. The air was cold, but there was no breeze to chill them further. Their group was much larger that day. Fred and George had joined them, with Fred sitting next to Hermione, admiring the blue bell flames that she put into jars to help warm them. Viktor was sitting next to Ron, draping his long heavy cloak over both of them for warmth.
Pansy, who had welcomed herself into their midst, was sitting next to Blaise and murmuring words of reassurance. It had taken very little time for her to realize that Blaise fancied Ron. She was certain that there was no reason to worry about Viktor. At the end of the tournament, Viktor would be leaving. And then Blaise could try to win Ron's affection. Blaise want so optimistic, but he appreciated her concern.
Seamus and Dean sat huddled together, exchanging smitten smiles. They'd been encouraged by Draco and Harry's decision to go to the ball as friends. But, it had quickly become clear that they felt more for each other.
"So, what is the egg for?" Dean asked, glancing between Harry and Viktor.
"It's meant to be a clue," Harry said. "But, when I opened it, all I could hear was... screeching."
"It was awful," Draco confirmed while Blaise, Vince and Greg nodded.
"I haf the same problem," Viktor agreed.
"What do you think it means?" Ron asked, tilting his head back to look at Viktor since they were sitting so close.
"I haf no idea," Viktor responded, reaching around to hug Ron closer. "You look cold," he murmured, his brow furrowing.
"Oh, I'm alright," Ron responded, his cheeks flushing. But he didn't make any attempt to escape Viktor's hold.
Harry glanced over in time to see Blaise glare and look away from Viktor and Ron. His suspicions from the summer now confirmed, Harry leaned to whisper to Draco. "Blaise is having a difficult time."
Draco shifted his gaze to Blaise, pursing his lips. Blaise did look miserable.
"Blaise are you okay?" Ron asked suddenly.
"I'm fine," Blaise responded, keeping his voice cool and his gaze fixed on the whomping willow in the distance.
"Are you sure?" Draco asked, concern seeping into his tone. He looked around at the others. "He wasn't feeling his best when we all woke up. Perhaps he got too cold while we played in the snow yesterday."
"We should get you inside then," Hermione said, eyeing Blaise worriedly.
"Really, I'm fine," Blaise brushed them off.
"Don't be an idiot," Ron said, getting up and shuffling around the others to get to Blaise. He held his hand out expectantly. "Come on. Up you get."
Blaise cringed but allowed Ron to pull him to his feet. "Alright, I'll go for a Pepper-up or something," he said grumpily.
"Good. Come on."
"You don't have to go," Blaise said, waving Ron away. "I'll be fine."
"We'll take him," Harry said quickly, getting to his feet. Draco followed instantly. "We'll see you before dinner," he assured Ron with a meaningful look.
Ron nodded in understanding. They had plans to work on figuring out the egg clue when they didn't have such a crowd. "Right," Ron said, eyeing Blaise with a little frown. "See you later."
Blaise sighed as he got back inside the castle. He had no intention of seeing Madame Pomfrey. So, now he needed to think of a way to get Harry and Draco to leave him alone.
"Were you ever planning to talk to us about this?" Harry asked calmly. When Blaise didn't speak, he continued. "You could have told us that you fancy Ron. Especially considering..." His voice trailed off as he looked over at Draco.
"It didn't matter," Blaise snapped with a little scowl. "He had only ever shown attraction to girls. Acknowledgement of my own feelings was pointless. And then, he stumbles into a date with Viktor sodding Krum. I mean, what the hell?"
Draco sighed. "You still should have let us know," he chided. "You need someone to be there for you. I know it hurts. You saw what I was like when I thought Harry would ask someone else to the ball."
"It's not as bad as all that," Blaise assured them. "You two are..." He shook his head. He couldn't think of a good word for the connection between Harry and Draco. "It's a crush, and I'm jealous. It hurts. But I'm not going to do something drastic... Probably. I did sort of want to hex Viktor earlier," he admitted.
Draco and Harry laughed.
"So, what about this then?" Blaise asked, gesturing between the other two boys. "You seemed disgustingly happy last night."
"We had so much fun," Draco said cheerfully. He glanced around with a mischievous grin. "And Harry kissed me."
"Did he?" Blaise shot Harry an amused look.
"Over and over," Draco went on happily. Harry's expression was a mixture of smug and embarrassed.
"How generous," Blaise laughed. "So, what does this mean for the two of you?"
"Basically, it means I that I get snog him sometimes," Harry replied with a smirk. "We're not labeling it. We're still best friends and we don't want to spoil that by drawing too much attention to how we feel."
"My father wouldn't approve of... Let's just say that he sees Harry as an asset, and nothing more," Draco said softly. "It seems easier to try to keep our relationship simple. Everything else is complicated enough."
Blaise wasn't sure that he agreed with their reasoning.
Weeks passed and Harry still had no idea what to make of the golden egg. He was beginning to panic. How was he to prepare for the next task? A few times, Draco had requested to hear the shrieking of the egg. But he'd only been able to tolerate the sound for a few seconds.
Cedric approached them one day as they were leaving the Great Hall after lunch. "I never properly thanked you," Cedric told Harry. "You didn't have to tell me about the dragons."
"Forget about it," Harry replied lightly.
"I'd like to return the favor," Cedric said. He paused, lowering good voice. "You know the prefect's bathroom? It's not a bad place for a bath."
Draco gaped incredulously at him.
"Just take your egg and... mull things over in the hot water," Cedric advised, slipping a scrap of parchment into Harry's hand. He smiled and waved before continuing on down the hall.
"Did he just... proposition you?" Draco demanded indignantly.
"What? No!" Harry cried, looking embarrassed. "He was telling me how to figure out the egg."
"By offering to help you take a bath?"
Harry snorted. "Draco," he chided.
"Fine, but that was a rubish way to help you," Draco grumbled. "You told him that the first task was dragons. You didn't vaguely hint at grumpy lizards."
"Grumpy lizards?" Harry chortled.
Draco's lips twitched. "You're lucky you're cute Potter." His eyes brightened with mischief. "Need help with your bath later?"
"Draco!" Harry yelped, flushing.
Draco laughed and danced out of reach as Harry swatted at him.
That evening, Draco waited in the Slytherin common room while Harry went to the Prefect's bathroom. Draco had wanted to go to help with the clue, but thought that joining Harry in the bath wouldn't be a good idea. It certainly didn't stop him from imagining it though. The thought was quite distracting and far more stimulating than Draco would like to admit.
When Harry returned, Draco's cheeks were pink and he was trying to focus of his potions book. Harry eyed him with concern. "Everything alright?" Harry asked.
Draco blushed even more. "Yes, everything is fine," he replied hastily, obviously flustered. "I was just looking over this potions recipe. And not thinking about you taking a bath," he added sheepishly.
"You sure about that?" Harry laughed, sitting down next to Draco. His dark hair was still damp, most of it plastered limply to his head.
Draco set his book aside before reaching up and gently combing his fingers through Harry's hair. "You're completely hopeless," he declared, his fingertips gently massaging Harry's scalp. After a moment of hesitation, he tugged at the wet curls, pulling Harry closer for a sweet kiss. He didn't think he'd ever tire of kissing Harry. "Tell me what you found out," he urged quietly, shifting to rest against Harry's side.
Harry handed Draco a piece of parchment that he'd written on. "You can hear singing when you open the egg underwater," Harry explained. "I wrote it all down." He waited while Draco read over the words.
"Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground.
And while you're searching, ponder this:
We've taken what you'll sorely miss.
An hour long you'll have to look
And recover what we took.
But past an hour - the prospect's black
Too late, it's gone. It won't come back."
Draco considered the words for a moment, his brow furrowed as he pondered. "So, it's the Black Lake," he said slowly. "It's merpeople, and they're going to take something from you. Something important. Right?"
"That was my thought," Harry nodded.
Draco sighed. "How are we going to help you stay under water for an hour?"
"I guess that's what we need to work on then," Harry replied lightly. "We have a few days to figure it out."
"I suppose you could always stand on the shore and scream for them to give back whatever they stole," Draco shrugged.
"Ah, the tantrum strategy," Harry laughed. "A classic." He stood up, stretching languidly. "We should get some sleep."
As Draco got to his feet, Harry transformed. Orion now sat on the floor, blinking tired green eyes up at the blond. "Is this your way of saying that you'd like to spend the night in my bed?" he asked, cocking one eyebrow playfully.
Orion meowed, cocking his head coyly.
Draco chuckled. "Well," he said slowly, "I suppose it's all rather innocent, since you're a cat."
Orion's head cocked the other way and he blinked slowly, a happy purr already vobrating through him.
"You're adorable," Draco declared, scooping up the cat, nuzzling the soft fur and scratching behind Orion's ears. He carried the cat toward the dorm, intent on falling asleep with the sweet feline at his side.
The day of the tournament arrived and Harry was incredibly nervous. He didn't think he could be any more prepared than he already was, but the idea didn't calm him.
It has been very lucky that he had more supporters. As soon as Neville had heard about the underwarer task, he'd hurried to Harry with a possible solution. He's read about a plant called gillyweed that would allow a person to breathe under water. So, Harry had done the only thing he knew to do.
Professor Snape hadn't even asked for an explanation. He simply handed over a jar containing the slimy green plant. He'd even given Harry a slight nod of approval.
Harry sat up in bed, glancing at the jar sitting on the nearby table. He wasn't looking forward to swallowing it, but he'd manage.
He looked toward Draco's bed, only to find that the blond wasn't there. Deciding that the blond was likely taking his morning shower, Harry got up and began dressing. Blaise, Vince and Greg were just getting up as well.
After breakfast, everyone went down to the lake. Harry stood on the shore with the other three champions. At the sound of the whistle, Harry hurriedly stuffed the gillyweed into his mouth and forced himself to swallow. He waded into the water as the others took off.
There was sharp pain in his neck and his body seemed to burn all over. Harry hurried deeper into water, diving in quickly.
Blaise stood next to Hermione, Vince, Greg and Pansy. They stared at the surface of the water silently for a moment. Then Blaise let out a little huff. "This is stupid," he grumbled. "We can't see what's happening. We're expected to just stare at the water for an hour?"
"What do you think the merpeople took?" Vince asked.
"I think the question is 'who'," Hermione corrected. "And there's not much question anymore. There's no way that Draco or Ron would miss this."
"Ron's missing?" Blaise asked, alarmed.
"You didn't notice the lack of ginger?" Pansy asked with an eyeroll.
"He's spent a lot of time with Viktor," Blaise argued. "I assumed that he'd just gone to sit with some of Viktor's friends."
"No, I haven't seen him at all today," Hermione said. "Ron doesn't miss breakfast, ever. And of course he'd join us to support Harry."
Blaise looked back at the surface of the water, his stomach clenching at the implications. Viktor's task was to save Ron. Ron had been selected as what Viktor would "sorely miss". The thought made Blaise feel sick.
"This is rather boring for a tournament task," George said, approaching the group with Fred and Ginny. "We've all just got to stand here and hope that the giant squid gets frisky."
"That's so mean!" Ginny cried, swatting at him. "Harry's down there."
"Draco and Ron, as well," Hermione said.
"What?" Fred asked, looking stunned.
"Draco is what Harry is searching for down there," Hermione explained. "And Viktor is searching for Ron."
Fred draped one arm over Hermione's shoulders, shaking his head. "Baby brother has won the heart of an international Quidditch star," he chuckled. His smiled faded as he looked out over the water. "What's going on?"
The others turned to see Fleur being pulled out of the water. There was a cut on her face. Madame Maxime rushed to her side, along with Madame Pomfrey.
"I hope Harry's okay down there," Vince murmured.
After what felt like an eternity, something burst through the surface of the water. Cheers erupted from the crowd and Blaise leaned forward, squinting. "That's blond hair... It's Draco and Harry!" he cried, hurrying toward the platform where the judges waited. His friends followed anxiously. Vince and Greg reached out and hauled Draco and Harry onto the platform once they'd managed to swim to the platform.
"S- So cold," Draco shivered, looking relived when Pomfrey held out warm fluffy towels for them. "Who else has finished?" he asked, wrapping himself up in the towel and huddling closely to Harry.
"We're first," Harry said, rubbing at his neck. "Do I still have gills?"
Draco laughed despite the chattering of his teeth. "No gills," he assured. He frowned as he noticed that Fleur was trying to rush back into the water. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Fleur didn't make it past the grindylows," Hermione said. Harry nodded sympathetically. The grindylows had tried to drown him.
McGonagall hurried over, nudging the other students aside to get to Harry and Draco. She looked them over anxiously before transfiguring a quill into a woolly blanket. She wrapped them up in it together, shaking her head in exasperation.
Cedric and Cho came out of the water, followed shortly by Viktor with Ron. They were each handed a towel and shuffled to one side. A moment later, a young blonde girl emerged from the water and was brought to the platform by one of the merpeople. Fleur cried out and ran to the girl, hugging her tightly.
"That's Fleur's little sister, Gabrielle," Draco explained, shivering again. He was grateful for the security of the blanket when Harry slid one arm around his waist and pulled him a little closer. Harry was always so warm.
While Dumbledore announced the standings, Harry noticed that Percy Weasley was sitting with the judges in place of Barty Crouch. Percy was surely quite pleased to have been given the responsibility.
"Brilliantly done Pup!" Sirius praised, pushing his way through the crowd to get to Harry. He wrapped his arms around Harry and Draco, hugging them both. "Hello Draco," he added cheerfully as he released them.
"It's nice to see you again, Sir," Draco replied. He smiled when he spotted Remus approaching. "Hello Professor Lupin."
Remus waved away the title. "Just Remus, please," he requested. "I'm glad you're both alright. Ron too."
"Why is Percy on the panel of judges?" Sirius asked, looking over at the judge's table with a frown.
"We were told that Mr. Crouch was feeling a bit unwell, so he stayed home," Draco replied.
Sirius frowned. "That's... strange. Barty doesn't miss work. Ever," Sirius added. "He's the type to take a potion and go into work anyway. A bit manic about it, actually."
"Nothing wrong with being dedicated to your work," Remus said lightly.
"Well, he was so dedicated that it cost him his family," Sirius responded. "If he'd spent any time at all with his son-"
"Sirius," Remus hissed, glancing around to see if anyone was listening.
"What happened to his son?" Harry asked.
"Barty had his own son thrown into Azkaban," Sirius said quietly. "Barty Junior had become a death eater, right under his dear old dad's nose." He shook his head. "Barty didn't hesitate. Just sentenced his son without a second thought. His poor wife... And Barty just continued on as if it was nothing."
"His son?" Draco asked, sounding horrified.
"This isn't the time or place for this," Remud murmured. He looked at Harry and Draco. "Crouch had to make a very difficult, painful decision," he said. "I'm sure there's not a day that goes by that he doesn't think of his son. He ended up dying in prison." He hugged Harry close for a moment. "I'm just grateful that I won't have to make such a choice with you. You two head up to the castle and rest."
Remus and Sirius stood together, watching as Draco and Harry returned to their friends. "That's an amazing kid," Sirius commented, his hand tracing circles over Remus' back.
"He is," Remus agreed. "I'm so proud of him. I just hope they can find out who put his name in the goblet." They turned and moved toward Minerva, hoping that she could update them.
In the next few days, the excitement of the second task faded. Barty Crouch Sr. had been spottee on the Hogwarts grounds, talking incoherently to a tree. Viktor had come across him and had run to get help. Crouch had been frantically asking for Dumbledore before turning back to the tree and muttering things like "my fault" and "couldn't stop him". But when the Professors arrived where Crouch had been, he was gone. The grounds were searched, but they couldn't find Crouch anywhere.
Because Crouch had sounded quite mad when Viktor found him, Percy was being questioned. How had he not noticed that Crouch wasn't completely stable? Harry felt terrible for Percy. The red-head had just wanted to do his job well and earn the appreciation of his superior.
Harry's anxiety grew with each passing day. The disappearance of Barty Crouch seemed ominous and strange. He wondered if it had anything to do with his name being put in the Goblet of Fire. There were just too many unanswered questions, and one wrong move could get Harry killed.
Harry's uneasiness seemed to be affecting Draco. The blond was spending more and more time in quiet contemplation. He remained at Harry's side as much as he could manage and still seemed happy enough to do so. But he'd begun having headaches. The pain wasn't unbearable, but it was persistent enough that he allowed Harry to take him to the hospital.
Madame Pomfrey couldn't find a reason for the headaches, but she had her suspicions that they were stress induced. Harry had felt horribly guilty about the suggestion, but Draco waved off his concerns.
"We just need to find even more spells for you to learn," Draco insisted, sighing as Harry's gently fingers combed through soft blond hair. They were sitting at a table in the library with their other friends. The rest of the library was empty, so Harry had eagerly taken to playing with Draco's hair.
"Having you be as prepared as possible will reduce my stress levels," Draco went on. "I'll feel better when this stupid tournament is over."
Harry hummed his agreement, reaching out to haul Draco's chair a bit closer before tugging the blond to rest against him more fully. Draco didn't object, yawning quietly and feeling enormously grateful that he didn't have to pretend to have a lesser affection for Harry at that moment.
"Why don't you ask Professor Moody for some help?" Hermione suggested. "He obviously has a knack for defensive magic."
Harry, Draco and Blaise all stiffened slightly at the suggestion. "I don't think so," Harry responded hesitantly. "He makes me really uncomfortable." Draco nodded fervently in agreement.
"I feel the same way," Blaise added.
"Is it the funny eye?" Ron asked curiously. "I admit it's creepy, but it's not so bad. Just don't look directly at it when it's spinning around."
"It's not that," Blaise replied with a shake off his head. "Something about him just seems off. He's far too interested in Harry."
"Dumbledore asked him to come teach," Hermione argued. "I'm sure he's trustworthy."
"Because his employment decisions have been stellar in the past," Draco said sarcastically, not bothering to lift his head from Harry's shoulder. "The man thought that hiring Guilderoy Lockhart was a good idea."
Ron stifled his laughter with his hand while Hermione flushed slightly. Blaise smirked.
"Anyway, I had another teacher in mind," Harry said. "Of course, he may not agree to help me."
"Snape?" Draco asked, tilting his head back to look at Harry. When Harry nodded, he sat up straighter. "I'm sure he'll help. Why don't we go ask him?" He looked around at their friends. "We'll see you all later?"
"Of course," Ron nodded. "We'll put these book away."
"Try to get some rest Draco," Hermione said worriedly.
Draco and Harry hurried to Snape's office, careful to keep a bit of space between them. They passed several other students in the hallways. Nobody seemed to give the two boys a second thought aside from offering a greeting.
Snape looked a little wary when he found them outside his office. "What is it now?" he asked impatiently. He ushered them inside, noting the way Harry's hand reached toward Draco's lower back before he stopped himself.
"First, I wanted to thank you for letting me have the gillyweed," Harry said solemnly. "It made my task so much easier and I really appreciate it. I'll replace it for you as soon as I can."
"That is not necessary," Snape replied dismissively, sitting down at his desk again. The two boys sat down in the chairs across from him. "What is it that you're looking for now?"
Harry bit his lip, hesitating for just a moment. "I hoped that you would be willing to teach me some defensive spells," he said quietly. "Or maybe just make some suggestions and I can try to learn them on my own. I've managed that with a few spells already. And I understand that you're busy."
Snape peered at Harry thoughtfully. "You have a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor for that sort of magic," he commented.
"I don't feel comfortable asking him to help me," Harry admitted, ducking his head.
Snape's frown deepened. "And why is that?" he asked.
"He makes me... nervous," Harry said, fidgeting in discomfort.
"He demonstrated the unforgivable curses in class," Draco explained. "One day he actually placed many of us under the Imperius curse. He did it over and over until Harry could complete throw it off."
Snape's body went rigid. He hadn't been aware of that. It was certainly beneficial that Harry could resist the Imperius curse, but using such a spell on students felt like a violation. "Did he focus on anyone else?" Snape asked stiffly.
"Not with the Imperius," Draco denied. "With everyone else he only used the spell once."
"He keeps offering advice," Harry put in, looking unsettled. "I don't know what it is, but..." He trailed off, scrubbing at his face with one hand.
"It's creepy," Draco snapped. "There's something just not right about him."
Snape looked between his two students, considering. He wasn't particularly fond of Alastor Moody either, but clearly the ex-Auror needed to be monitored a bit more closely. Generally he wouldn't be bothered about such vague concerns from students, these two had shown themselves to be prudent, level-headed students. Except for when it came to their strange relationship. They were a bit stupid about that.
"Very well Potter," Snape drawled. "I will teach you, but I expect for your grades to remain exemplary."
Harry opened his mouth and then paused. "Exemplary?" he echoed, blinking at Snape.
"And I suppose you will be learning as well," Snape added, looking at Draco expectantly.
Draco nodded eagerly. He couldn't help Harry with the next task, but knowing some more advanced spells would certainly help him keep Harry safe in the future. Hopefully it wouldn't be necessary, but one couldn't be too careful.
Snape watched in surprise as Harry managed to conjure an impressive shield charm to deflect a stunner. It was a little surprising that Harry had managed a shield charm in fourth year. But the part that was truly astonishing was the resonance of magic that pulsed around the boy.
Harry was generally well-behaved and polite. Snape hadn't needed to put him in detention, and so hadn't been in close quarters with Harry without the presence of several other students. But now, with only Draco standing with them, the strength of Harry's magic was obvious. The boy wouldn't be a match against himself or Dumbledore, but he wielded more power than Shape expected.
Curious, Snape turned to fire a spell at Draco. "Protego," Draco snapped, his magic shielding him from the stunning spell. Of course, Snape wasn't using the full strength of the spell. It wasn't his intention to actually harm the boys, after all.
But Draco's magic was as impressive as Harry's. He held, perhaps, less of a fighting instinct than his messy haired companion, but his spell work was good.
Snape lowered his wand and approached his two students. He concentrated on the flow of magic as he halted in front of the two boys. It was a marvel, truly, to feel the magic that seemed to be slowly draining back into the two boys now that they weren't actively using it.
It wasn't an alarming or excessive amount of power. But the two teenagers did seem to have an edge over the other fourth years. Maybe even some of the older students. Snape supposed that it made a bit more sense now that Harry had been able to manage the animagus transformation so early in life. But why? And what about Draco?
"Alright, now try this one," Snape said tersely, refocusing his attention on teaching. Helping Harry survive the final task was priority.
