The Hogwarts expressed was beautiful and enigmatic, everything you could expect from a magical train. Time seemed suspended from the blurry scenery and buzzing background conversation of hundreds of students. In one of the last compartments sat two boys, a pile of candy between them.

"I don't really know him." Charlus Potter shrugged uncomfortably, his long fringe covered his famous scar. He knew this would come up the moment Ron started talking about his brother, he was hesitant to tell him, even though it wasn't really a secret. There was no way people wouldn't start realizing there was something odd about the Potter brothers when their interactions showed they didn't know each other.

Ron Weasly's face scrunched up the way only 11-year-old's can, so confused he almost went almost crossed eye. He was a bit awed. While Ron had certainly been a little star struck about him being the Boy-Who-Lived, he immediately latched on to another conversation topic he deigned much more interesting: Harry. No one had ever dismissed Charlie's fame so easily, it was a relief that left him feeling oddly hollow.

"How can you not know your own brother?" He exclaimed, he had enough sense to hear his mother's chiding tone.

"I mean; I know of him." The boy was quick to reply. "But because I have been hidden for years, he has been living with relatives. My parents wanted him to have a normal childhood." He didn't say unlike me but he thought about it.

Charlus' brown eyes hardened, and the compartment air was ridiculously awkward.

"Blimey, I can't imagine growing away from my brothers. I have a ton of them, too!" Ron said, almost wistfully. "Most be cool having your parent's to yourself. Have you really never met? Nothing?"

"We've exchanged letters." Charlie explained. "They've dwindled down throughout the years as we've gotten older, though." The raven was clearly bothered, and took a moment to arrange his round glasses. "Mom says it's because of our age difference, that we don't have many things in common."

"That's actually how I know about him." Ron said. "My elder brothers are a year below him and Percy's in his year. The way they talked about him you'd think he's like… the bee's knees, mate."

"I thought you said your entire family was in Gryffindor." Charlus said softly, brows furrowed.

"Yeah, why?"

"My brother Harry is a Slytherin."

Ron looked as if he had swallowed a lemon.

Cedric's not surprised to see Hadrian Potter coming towards the Hufflepuff's table, not when the guy has a tendency of ignoring any kind of rule -written or unwritten. He is surprised to see him heading directly for him. He's smiling, green eyes eyeing up and down the table until they settle on Cedric. Harry's in Cedric's year and therefore the Hufflepuff is acquinted with the mercurial moods of the eldest Potter. They've partnered up a couple times throughout the years with successful results, but Cedric also knows a lot of other people who have met ruin by dealing with him -he'd rather keep his distance.

His thoughts make him feel slightly guilty. Harry's a decent bloke, perfectly polite, charming and a great Quidditch Player. Cedric knows they could be fast friends. There's just something that never quiet seems to click with him, as if Cedric's just seeing a sliver of who Harry is. It unnerves him. He's not going to snub him, he's seen what that can get you and Cedric prefers to live his life un-pranked but... He also has never been able to relax around him. (Somehow he knows Harry knows and that the other finds it funny.)

Speaking to Charlie Potter that first time was jarring, he'd hardly believe Harry and Charlie could be so closely related. The kid is sunny and shy and naive, so well-meaning Cedric thought it odd he's a Gryffindor and not a Hufflepuff. Though, now that he's paying attention, he notices that Charlie is almost never with his brother, and the more Cedric tries to think about them interacting the less frequent they seem -in fact, he's not sure he's ever seen them exchange words at all.

"Hey Cedric, how are you doing?" The people around him exchange wary glances, but Harry's smile is disarming and most of them smile back at his greeting, Cedric included. "I haven't seen much of you without Quidditch season." Not necessarily untrue, seeing as they only shared Charms.

"I miss it a lot." And Cedric does, being in the Triwizard Tournament isn't what he'd thought it'd be (he doesn't regret it, no matter what's happened but death has never been so real before).

"Didn't think you would, champion." Harry looks relaxed, conversing with Cedric across the table, it almosts look like he belongs there and isn't that a strange thought to have? If there's one person who's cunning, it is someone smart enough to never appear so.

"It's... certainly a different experience." Cedric remembers the egg in his bag and he feels heavy. He's still unsure about how to figure it out, he looks at his almost empty plate and doesn't really feel like eating anymore. The egg has had him sleepless for days.

"Any luck figuring out the clue, yet?" The question is nonchalant but Cedric doesn't miss that Harry is is no way here just to chitchat and perks up immediately. Is he here in behalf of Charlie? His pride smarts a little, but the young Gryffindor had warned him before, maybe...

"No," he says, maybe a little too fast, "not really." Harry humms noncommittally, eyeing the rest of the Hufflepuffs who are doing their best to not look as if they're following the conversation with rapt attention.

"Are you heading for Charms?" The Hufflepuff is smart enough to catch the hint and nods as he picks up his bag, he absent-mindedly waves off his friends and rises to match Harry's strides out of the Great Hall. He doesn't remember the last time he was alone with Harry and in his excitement for a possible clue, Cedric almost forgets why he's always kept his guard up around the Slytherin. Almost, because as soon as they're out of the hall Cedric can tell they are not heading to Charms and keeps a firm grip on his wand in his pocket.

He feels silly, being ready to defend an attack from a fellow student but he just can't stay calm. Harry seems very much aware of his discomfort and Cedric can see him smiling at him as he guides the way. Harry's certainly amused with the effect he has on Cedric. Finally they arrive at a desolate hallway, Cedric almost thinks he hasn't been in this particular hallway before, but a lot of them are just too similar to differentiate correctly. It's remote and empty -which is probably the point, and the realization stirs something in Cedric that he doesn't like.

"I know the secret of the egg." The shorter boy tells him, sitting on a nearby windowsill. His gaze doesn't stray from Cedric, examining every twitch as he takes in the proclamation.

"Did Charlie send you?" Something flickers in the Slytherin's eyes but he remains silent, Cedric gives it a couple of moments before trying again. "Are you going to tell me?" He ventures, because why else would he be dragged to a corner of the castle?

"I will." Harry nods, and something in Cedric's chest loosens. "On one condition." A promise with the devil echoes somewhere in his brain but that's silly. Cedric's never bought on that ridiculous idea of House Stereotypes, in no small part due to Hufflepuff's own unflattering reputation. Being a Slytherin or secretive doesn't make Harry a bad person. Something must be reflected on his face though, because the other chuckles and promptly adds, "Not anything harmful I assure you."

"Go on." Cedric allows.

"I want you to share the clue with Charlie." That's... confusing. "I want an Unbreakable Vow that you will tell him and that you will never share with anyone I gave you the hint." And that just run right pass confused into concerning territory.

"You want me to tell your brother the hint? And an Unbreakabale Vow for me to not tell people you told me?" He repeats, and suspicion blooms in him wild and untamed. The obvious reason could be that the information is false and Harry doesn't want anyone knowing he's sabotaging Cedric, or he's sabotaging Charlie and doesn't want it to be linked to him.

"That is what I said."

"I'm going to need a little bit more context, I'm sure you understand, because right now you sound bonkers, mate."

"Naturally, my side of the Unbreakable Vow involves assuring you that the information is 100% true or otherwise the arrangement is moot." Those are big claims, if Harry has made a mistake the Unbreakable Vow might still count the failure as a breach of the agreement... which could be interpreted as a purposeful breaking of the magical contract. The eerie feeling that Cedric always get around Harry is back, as the other man watches Cedric furiously processing mind impassively.

"You're not trying to help me." He states, puzzle pieces fitting together to form an odd outlook of reality. "You're trying to help Charlie, you just don't want him to know it's you the help is coming from." It's a bold claim and Cedric feels it might've been too out there when Harry chuckles in his face. His eyes glint as they watch him, and there's something a little too gleeful, or a little too much in them. Their isolation strikes Cedric again, forcefully. His instincts demand more attention.

"You've always being more perceptive than most, Cedric, such a skill will serve you well if you learn how to use it."

"Why?"

"Is it wrong to not want to steal my brother's accomplishments?" That is... surprisingly kind of him, Cedric thinks. Charlie Potter might be the Boy-Who-Lived but even Cedric's continuously measuring him against his brother's accomplishment, hadn't he been pondering it just at breakfast before? "He's a capable wizard and I don't want to overshadow his independence but I'm... worried." He says it openly, almost sheepishly as if he were admitting to a particularly embarrassing secret and it is the open and easy to read display that makes Cedric even more careful. "Him not knowing I'm... meddling, in his business is very important to me."

"So, you assure me the clue you give me is real and I promise to tell Charlie this same clue and never reveal where the information comes from?" It sounds a little too good to be true. The smile in Harry's face is soft and genuine, and it catches Cedric off-guard.

"Indeed." He nods.

"Okay." And just like that, Cedric participates in his first ever Unbreakable Vow. It makes him feel out of his depth, older and more mature the way only the unknown can do. I'm not a child anymore, he thinks, I can make these decisions now. He cannot squash the desire to have talked it over with his father before, but he doesn't think Harry was going to offer twice. The magic is settling around them when something pops up in Cedric's mind, born in the protectiveness Harry has shown through their conversation -something's not letting him calm down now that's all done.

"Harry, what would you have done if I refused?" The other man is still sitting by the window, eyes looking out to the forest in the distance. He looks a little surprised at the questions and he turns around slowly to look at him when he answers.

"Oh, I would've obliviated you." He deadpans, green eyes startling in their vehemence before crinkling, suddenly he's smiling at Cedric. "Just kidding." And then he's laughing and all the tension vanishes, and suddenly Cedric realizes that he couldn't breath before and how odd is that? (It makes him think Harry's not joking at all.) Kind words be damned, Cedric is worried that he just agreed to something that has no good intentions behind it, but it's too late. Harry tells him about the egg and Cedric cannot even feel bad about being told because, how exactly was he supposed to figure that out? Accidentally drop the thing in the bath?

It hits Cedric later when he's thinking about, Cedric has an egg and he'd had no clue how to figure out the hint... how could Harry possibly know?