AN: Okay, so there's a lot going on here. We've come to the third event of the Triwizard tournament, but there's going to be a lot of switching back and forth between Harry and his friends outside the maze. That is because what's happening outside is significant.
On a side note, just so nobody gets all bent out of shape, this is where we're going to be seeing more deviations from the original story line. It was never my intention to change every detail of the original story line. Some things I'm keeping the same and some parts of the plot required me to not stray too far from canon to lay the proper foundation. But, year five is getting a bit of an overhaul.
I would like to take a moment to say that I appreciate all of the kind reviews. I try to respond when I can, but it's not always feasible. This story is posted here and on AO3. The volume of reviews that I get between these two sites is crazy sometimes. I can't always answer. I work full time. I'm a wife and mother. I have a chronic illness that takes me out of commission at the most inconvenient times. I simply can't keep up with responding to all of the reviews. But, I read every single one of them and please know that I'm so very grateful. I honestly feel so very blessed to have readers like you and you motivate me to keep going with this.
Harry stood at the entrance of the maze, drawing in slow deep breaths to calm himself. As the champion in first place, he'd be entering the maze first. He had no idea what to expect, but he'd prepared as well as he could. He had learned an astounding number of new spells outside of normal lessons. Professor Snape had been invaluable. And Professor Moody had been keen to offer advice.
The firing of a canon was Harry's cue to step into the maze. He just needed to get through to the center, where the Triwizard Cup waited. Of course, getting lost wasn't the biggest problem Harry could run into. He gripped his wand tightly and moved forward cautiously.
Ahead, there was a rustling sound of something shifting against the hedges. Harry crept forward, his steps almost completely soundless in the grass. He edged around a corner and nearly groaned at the sight before him.
Two of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts were scuttling around, blocking a pathway. Harry really didn't want to deal with them, but he also didn't care to have them sneak up on him while his back was turned to face something else. With a sigh of resignation, he lifted his wand.
Draco and his friends all sat together on the front row of the stands. Remus, Sirius and Minerva sat with them exchanging anxious looks. All four champions had gone into the maze, and now all anyone could do was wait.
Draco and Blaise watched as Professor Moody paced, his eyes flicking to the maze restlessly. It was making Draco nervous.
"What's he so worked up about?" Draco asked quietly.
"It's the final task," Blaise said with a shrug, though he didn't sound particularly convinced. "It's a pretty big deal."
"He doesn't look worried," Draco pressed. "He looks..." He trailed off, unsure of how to label Moody's behavior and expression. "That's not concern. It's... anticipation."
"Just stay calm Draco," Hermione soothed quietly.
"No, I think something's wrong," Draco insisted firmly.
"Settle down," Sirius murmured, patting Draco's back. "Dumbledore has been concerned about this tournament from the beginning. He's watching." He nodded to where Dumbledore was standing to one side, eyeing the greenery of the maze and then scanning the perimeter.
Red sparks shot into the air from within the maze. In a flash, a team of wizards was dispatched into the maze. Everyone else waited anxiously.
A few moments later, Fleur was carried out of the maze. She had twigs and leaves stuck in her perfect blond hair and there were little scratches on her face and arms. She was quickly awakened and had potions administered. Madame Maxine hovered and fretted, but Fleur seemed to be mostly shaken.
"One down," Ron said quietly. He looked at his friends, seeing fear that reflected his own. "Harry will be okay," he said, trying to reassure himself as much as them.
Harry gasped as Viktor lurched past him, his wand pointed at Cedric. Cedric had stumbled backward as his wand had been knocked from his hand. "Stupefy!" Harry cried hastily. He cringed as Viktor collapsed into the ground.
Panting heavily, Cedric snatched up his wand and sent up red sparks. He looked as if he would have liked to hex Viktor first.
"He was bewitched," Harry muttered. "Did you see his eyes?"
"I was trying not to avoid getting hit with a Cruciatus curse," Cedric snapped. He had a cut on his left cheek and he was dripping with sweat, his chest heaving with every breath.
Harry sighed, wiping sweat from his brow. He nodded to Cedric once before moving on. Cedric took off in the opposite direction.
Harry's thoughts whirled as he continued through the maze. He felt certain the Viktor had been under the Imperius curse. But that shouldn't have been possible. Surely an illegal curse would have no part in the tournament. So who had cursed Viktor?
Abruptly, Harry's thoughts fell silent and his eyes widened.
Was that a sphinx up ahead?
Ron gasped as Viktor was brought out of the maze.
Blaise couldn't ignore Ron's distress, even if it was over Viktor. He pulled Ron closer and draped one arm across the red head's shoulders. "Viktor will be fine," Blaise assured him. "They'll have fixed him up in no time at all."
"I'm worried about Harry!" Ron cried, his eyes wide and anxious. "Viktor is out of danger but something in that maze is taking them out one at a time. Harry shouldn't even be in there. He could be killed."
Blaise felt rather guilty for getting distracted by his jealousy. Of course Ron was terribly worried about Harry. They all were. Ron and Viktor may have gone to the ball, but that didn't outshine the almost decade long friendship between Ron and Harry.
"It'll be alright," Blaise murmured, hugging Ron closer. Blaise pulled Draco into his other side. The blond now had tears pooling in his grey eyes.
Fred and George were sitting on either side of Hermione. Fred was tracing tiny circles on Hermione's palm while she chewed at her loser lip, staring at the maze entrance where she had last seen Harry.
Vince and Greg vigilantly watched over their friends, periodically glancing at the maze. The tension in the crowd made them nervous.
Remus nudged Sirius, nodding toward Draco. Sirius frowned noting the tears that Draco was stubbornly blinking back. He reached out and grasped Draco's hand. "It's alright Draco," Sirius murmured. "We're all worried. Harry will be fine."
Draco couldn't bring himself to speak. He gave Sirius' hand a light squeeze, hoping to convey his gratitude.
It seemed so strange that most of the spectators seemed jubilant when Draco felt cold with fear. Once they'd been assured that Fleur and Viktor were alright, nearly everyone had been swept back into the excitement of the tournament.
But, Draco's dread was only growing.
Harry stood in front of the gleaming Triwizard Cup with Cedric. They'd helped each other along the way, and both were reluctant to claim the victory over the other.
As one, they reached out and grabbed the cup at the same time.
There was a strange sensation just behind Harry's navel as the maze fell away. He barely had time to register that the cup was a portkey before they'd landed in a new location.
"We're in a graveyard," Cedric said, looking around uncertainly.
Harry let go of the cup and looked around. Fog blanketed the area, but rows of grave stones were still visible. Harry also spotted a large cauldron sitting on the ground. That was an odd thing to have in a grave yard.
They turned at the sound of footsteps. Harry gasped at the sight of someone that made his blood run cold.
"Wormtail."
The crowd was growing restless. There'd been no further calls from within the maze and it had gone rather still.
The chatter was loud and grated on Draco's frayed nerves. He just wanted Harry to come out of the maze.
Draco flinched at a sudden pain in his arm. He tugged his sleeve up, but the skin was still perfectly smooth and unblemished. He sighed and looked back at the maze.
"This can't go on for much longer," Blaise said hopefully. "It must be nearly over."
Harry's anxious friends waited silently until Draco suddenly let out a sharp gasp. Blaise jumped at the sound, feeling Draco go rigid. He turned and his mouth fell open in horror to see Draco's face contorted with pain.
"Draco?" Remus lunged forward and grasped Draco tightly as the blond's body began to jerk. "Get Madame Pomfrey. He's seizing," he snapped.
Sirius bolted toward the mediwitch while Remus wrapped himself around Draco to keep him from hurting himself. Draco's friends immediately got up and moved to block the view of the rest of the students. Hermione had burst into tears and Blaise and Ron looked as if they might as well. McGonagall reached out and smoothed down Draco's hair while whispering soothing words.
Mercifully, Draco's body sagged and stopped jerking. Madame Pomfrey looked him over anxiously, casting diagnostic spells snd muttering under her breath.
Draco opened his eyes with a pained gasp, his hands trembling as he tried to pull himself out of Remus' grip. "Harry," he choked out, tears blurring his vision.
"Just relax," Pomfrey chided gently. "You've had a seizure. We need to get you to the hospital wing."
"No," Draco sobbed, his chest heaving. "I need Harry." He cried out in pain, slumping forward.
Remus pulled him closer, cradling Draco against his chest. By this time, Dumbledore and Snape had come over and were looking at Draco with alarm.
There was a thumping sound and then the audience burst into cheers. Harry and Cedric had returned.
And then Fleur screamed.
Cedric was lying still and lifeless, his eyes open and unseeing. Harry was clutching the body tightly, curled around Cedric protectively while one hand grasped the Triwizard Cup.
Dumbledore ran over and made to pull Harry away. Harry's head jerked up, tears pouring down his tired, dirty face.
"He's back," Harry sobbed. "Voldemort's back. He killed Cedric. Wanted me to bring his body back..." He trailed off, weeping openly.
Draco was now sitting quietly, his tears flowing freely as he stared at Harry. He cringed and whimpered at Mr. Diggory's mournful wails over his dead son. He buried his face against Blaise's chest, not bothering to fight the tears.
"Oh my..." Remus whispered, clutching Sirius hand tightly.
Professor Moody gently helped Harry to his feet. "Come on sonny," he urged. "You don't need to see this."
Dumbledore stood up and looked around, frowning when he spotted Moody and Harry about to enter the castle. He waved McGonagall and Snape over, taking off after Moody.
Draco lurched to his feet, his head throbbing and his limbs burning. He waved Blaise away when he attempted to pull Draco back onto the bench.
"Draco, you had a seizure," Hermione reminded him. "You need to rest."
"I need to get to Harry," Draco said urgently, his speech slightly slurred. "Something is wrong."
"We'll get him to the hospital wing," Siriud told the mediwitch hastily. He pulled Draco close to keep him steady. "Come in blondie."
Remus and the rest of Draco's closest friends followed Sirius and Draco back to the castle. Draco seemed alarmingly weak, so Sirius cast a quick spell and then scooped Draco up easily. Draco struggled for only a moment before groaning at the pain in his head and holding still.
Remus led the way, his sense of smell guiding them through the castle. They made it all the way to the Defense classroom, finding the door open. Voices drifted out as they drew closer.
They could see Professor Moody sitting in a chair while Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall pointed their wands at him. Moody's face began to change and distort as he thrashed in obvious discomfort. Suddenly, he looked nothing like Moody.
"Who the bloody hell is that?" Ron blurted out.
"That," Snape drawled, "is Barty Crouch Jr."
"He faked his death," Sirius murmured in realization, eyeing Moody with obvious disdain.
"Where is the real Alastor Moody?" Dumbledore demanded coldly.
A large trunk nearby was indicated and Dumbledore hurried to open it. Snape glanced at the students and then at Remus. "Lupin, you should get Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy to the hospital wing," he said coolly. "Minerva, perhaps we should fetch the Minister."
Harry shuffled into view, looking exhausted and miserable. Remus wrapped him in a hug before leading him out. Sirius and the other students followed somberly.
Harry woke up to white curtains and muffled voices. He groaned softly, his head aching and his arm burning where Wormtail had sliced it open with a dagger. He flinched slightly as the curtains were abruptly jerked open.
"Oh, thank Merlin," Remus gasped, kissing Harry's hands as he blinked back tears of relief.
"You gave us quite a scare Pup," Sirius murmured, his voice rough with emotion.
Harry stared at them for a moment before his own eyes filled. "I'm sorry," he whispered, holding out his wounded arm. "Wormtail... He took my blood. He brought Voldemort back."
"No," Remus said firmly. "You are not to blame. You did nothing wrong."
"We're just glad you're alive Harry," Blaise said, moving to stand at the other side of the bed.
Harry looked around and spotted his other friends standing nearby. Except for-
"Where's Draco?" Harry asked.
"He's here Harry," Remus said softly. "Draco- Well, he got sick."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked, sitting up slightly. He caught sight of Draco in the next bed, pale and frail looking.
"He was in pain," Blaise expained in a shaky voice. "He had a seizure and..." He cleared his throat, unable to continue.
"He's struggling to recover," Hermione concluded, patting Blaise's back consolingly.
"And he hasn't stopped crying, even in his sleep," Ron added quietly.
Harry struggled to get out of bed, desperate to reach his dearest friend. Remus and Sirius held him back, urging him to lie down.
"Perhaps it would help." Everyone turned to see that Dumbledore had come in with Snape and McGonagall, who rushed to Harry's bedside.
"What?" Remus asked, petting Harry's hair gently and eyeing Dumbledore.
"Bring Draco to Harry," Dumbledore said.
"They both need rest," Pomfrey objected.
"It couldn't hurt to try," Dumbledore said reasonably. "And it will likely calm Harry."
Without a word, Sirius carefully levitated Draco to Harry's bed. Draco did indeed still have silent tears running down his face. The sight nearly broke Harry's heart. Without caring who saw, he wrapped his arms around Draco and hugged the blond close.
For a long moment, nobody spoke. Remus and Sirius watched with wide eyes as Harry murmured softly in Draco's ear. His shaking fingers combed through soft blond hair.
"I'm here. I'm here Draco," Harry whispered, rocking Draco back and forth slightly.
Draco heaved a shuddering breath and sniffled a little before snuggling closer. He stayed asleep, but his body finally relaxed.
Harry wiped away Draco's tears while Madame Pomfrey checked the blond over again. She stood next to the bed for several minutes, casting diagnostic spells over and over.
"He's just resting," Madame Pomfrey said, sounding mildly surprised. "His magic is settling and he's healing well."
Blaise turned to Pomfrey. "What was wrong with him?" she asked.
Pomfrey frowned and exchanged an unreadable look with Dumbledore.
"I'm not sure," Dumbledore replied. "This is baffling indeed and I intend to research this. But for now, we have visitors."
A moment later, Minister Fudge came in with a few Aurors. "Crouch has been adminstered the Dementor's kiss," Fudge announced blithely.
Everyone flinched at the idea but didn't comment on it. "Now we just need to sort out what exactly happened to the poor Diggory boy," Fudge went on. "Poor Amos..."
"Voldemort killed him," Harry spoke up. ""Voldemort has returned, and he killed Cedric."
Fudge paled considerably and then cleared his throat. "Come now Harry," he said nervously. "You've had a trying day."
"One of his followers was just captured after spending most of the year disguised as a retired Auror," Dumbledore said impatiently. "He admitted that he was plotting to return Voldemort to his own body."
"See here," Fudge said, waving off the argument with an apprehensive glance around the room.
To everyone's shock, Snape strode right up to Fudge, rolling up his left sleeve. There was the Dark Mark, on the professor's arm. "There," Snape growled coldly. "It's gotten darker all year. A little over two hours ago, it burned black. He was calling the Death Eaters."
Fudge backed away from Snape, looking horrified. He turned to leave, but paused. He took a bag out of his robes and moved to drop it onto the table next to Harry's bed. "Your prize money," he explained, giving Harry one last wary look before hurrying away.
"He's going to be a problem," Snape muttered, covering his Dark Mark up again.
"Indeed," Dumbledore sighed.
Draco woke up feeling warm and safe. He opened his eyes slowly, cringing as the brightness of the hospital wing sent sharp pain through his head.
He tipped his head back and cautiously peeked at Harry. Harry seemed to just waking up himself, blinking slowly as he met Draco's gaze.
"Hey," Harry greeted fondly. "How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts," Draco admitted. "But other than that, I feel alright. Maybe a little tired."
Madame Pomfrey bustled over to the bed, giving Draco a pain potion for the headache before checking him over again. Dumbledore stood nearby, watching and waiting with a thoughtful frown.
When the medi-witch was satisfied, she hurried away. Dumbledore moved closer, smiling down at the two boys.
"What happened?" Draco asked, carefully sitting up in the bed.
"That is quite a tale," Dumbledore replied, taking a seat. "Professor Moody was not Professor Moody. Barty Crouch Jr. was using polyjuice potion to disguise himself. He was the one that put Harry's name in the goblet."
"Why?" Draco asked, dread creeping through his veins.
"The Triwizard Cup had been turned into a portkey," Harry explained quietly. When Cedric and I touched it, we were taken to a graveyard. Wormtail was there waiting for us with Voldemort." He closed his eyes tightly. "Voldemort was greatly weakened and they intended to use my blood to return him to a proper body."
"Did they..." Draco couldn't bring himself to finish the question. He gasped when Harry pulled back his sleeve to reveal his bandaged arm.
"Wormtail killed Cedric and then preformed the ritual to bring Voldemort back," Harry went on, stroking the bandage idly. "I had to duel him. The death eaters stood around and watched. But, something odd happened with our wands... They sort of connected and... And I saw Cedric, my parents and two other people I don't know."
"Priori incantatum," Dumbledore murmured. "You and Voldemort have wands that share a core. As brothers they naturally tend not to work well against one another. If forced against each other, the result is the connection you saw. One of the wands is forced to purge the last few spells it cast. So you saw the shadows of the last people that had been murdered."
Draco bit his lip, glancing at Dumbledore before turning to Harry. "Was my father there?" he asked quietly.
Harry nodded sadly, gathering Draco into his arms when the blond buried his face in his hands. "I'm sorry Draco," Harry whispered.
"Trying times lie ahead," Dumbledore muttered somberly. "Voldemort's return is only the beginning. But neither of you are alone in this."
Dumbledore got up and left the infirmary. He had a lot of thinking to do. He was going to need to have a very difficult conversation with Harry in the near future. For the time being, Draco and Harry should be allowed to comfort each other.
Draco stayed where he was, glad for Harry's warm embrace. Everything had just gotten so much more complicated. His father was going back to serving the Dark Lord. And Harry was the enemy. It was impossible to know how this would play out with Draco caught in the middle.
Harry's thoughts were similarly engaged. He took a deep breath and pulled back to meet Draco's anxious gaze. "I can't do this," he said quietly.
"It'll be alright," Draco told him gently. "You've got me, your family and your friends. There are plenty of people that will fight against you-know-who." He gave Harry's unbandaged arm a comforting squeeze.
"That's not quite what I meant," Harry muttered, his expression pained. "I meant this," he said, reaching up and lightly touching Draco's face.
Draco stilled, withdrawing his hand. "What do you mean?" he asked, his heart rate speeding up.
"Draco, I couldn't stand it if something happened to you," Harry murmured. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me. Voldemort is a lunatic... And I'd rather keep my distance from you and know that you're safe."
Draco felt sick. "Are you..." He choked on a sob. "You're breaking up with me before we even manage to start dating?" he asked incredulously. This couldn't be happening.
"He killed Cedric!" Harry cried, desperate to make Draco understand. "I could never let that happen to you. You are too important to me."
"Please don't do this," Draco pleaded.
"I'm sorry," Harry whispered. "This is too dangerous. Your father works for my enemy. If they find out how-"
"You complete arse," Draco snapped, cutting Harry off. He clambered out of the bed and glared at Harry through watery eyes. "How can you just take away my choice like that?"
"Draco-" Harry started, hating to see such pain on his friend's face.
"Piss off," Draco hissed before storming out of the infirmary.
Harry slowly drew his knees up to his chest, his breathing suddenly sounding far to loud. He bowed his head and gave in to the misery that wrenched its way through him.
That was how Remus, Sirius and Minerva found him a few minutes later. They rushed to the bed and Remus pulled Harry into his arms. Harry's sobs were heartbreaking.
"Tell me how to fix it," Remus begged, stroking Harry's messy hair. "Anything Pup." At that moment, Remus was ready to howl with misery himself.
Harry managed to tell them about his conversation with Draco, his tears never stopping. He couldn't think of a time that he felt worse than he did at that moment.
So this was that first heartbreak that Minerva and Remus had feared. But Harry had done this to himself.
"Maybe we should take him home," Sirius murmured, eyeing Harry with concern. "The term is almost over and he doesn't have to take the exams."
"I think that may be for the best," Minerva nodded. "I'll speak with his friends and we can have Dobby collect his things."
Harry didn't have the strength to object. His head throbbed from so much crying and he desperately missed Draco already.
"Harry just left?" Ron asked Blaise, shocked. He glanced around the library making sure that nobody was listening in on their conversation.
Blaise nodded. "McGonagall said that he was pretty bad off," he said.
"How's Draco?" Hermione asked, pushing her notes aside.
"Not good," Blaise admitted. "He won't talk to me. I'm pretty sure that he cried all night," he added quietly.
"It just doesn't seem right," Ron commented softly. "They've always been inseparable." He gave a tight lipped smile when he saw Viktor walk in and head toward their table. "Hey Viktor."
"How is Harry?" Viktor asked solemnly, sitting down next to Ron.
"He had to go home," Ron said.
Viktor nodded. "I vish I could haf said goodbye," he muttered. "But perhaps I vill be seeing him soon. He is a good friend to you, yes?" he questioned Ron.
"Of course," Ron answered.
"Vell, I vos planning on seeing you often this summer," Viktor informed him, giving Ron's hand a squeeze.
Ron blushed. "Really?"
"You are very young," Viktor said quietly. "But I would like to wait for you."
Ron couldn't help the delighted grin that spread across his face. "I'd like that," he said, allowing Viktor to twine their fingers together.
Blaise sighed. It looked as if Viktor planned to hang on to Ron. Not that Blaise could blame him. But it was alright. Blaise could be happy for Ron. They were friends. With the rift between Draco and Harry, the rest of them needed to keep it all together.
