NOTE: I haven't completely edited this chapter yet, so it's still pretty rough at the end. You've been warned! :)
4 Hours Later
June 19th, 1995. Saturday.
8:09
Selena tapped her chin, trying to fit her Transfiguration book into her already full burlap bag. Morning light spilled out of the window, and all the golden threads on the beds in the dorm were shimmering.
Crescent batted at a ray of sunlight, trying to clap it in his dark, tiny paws.
The day seemed a lot calmer than Selena felt. She'd barely gotten any sleep, staying up thinking about what Elizabeth had heard. Maybe Professor Moody just wasn't a little right in the mind after all the years of being an Auror. But this... this seemed so drastic...
Suddenly, Elizabeth burst through the door. "Selena!"
"Yeah?"
"Harry's already left! He went on a walk with some teacher. It wasn't Moody, though. I think Hagrid."
Selena smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand. "No! Ugh..."
Elizabeth took a few steps into the dorm, beginning to pace, biting one of her nails. Selena watched her friend, Elizabeth already dressed for the day in her usual shorts, blue shirt, and pink jacket. "We'll just have to wait until he gets back. Maybe we should rehearse what we're going to say. That would be a good idea, I suppose..."
Tess poked her head through the door, hair up in a bun. "Hurry up! Breakfast is already going on."
"I'm not going," Selena responded without giving it much thought. She'd already decided she wasn't going to breakfast that morning.
Tess paused, her brows knitting together in concern. "Sel, don't you think you should eat? You skipped Dinner."
Selena waved her hand, thinking of a way to get around the questioning that she was sure to get. "I'll get something... I'll have a big lunch, don't worry about it."
Tess didn't look too convinced, but she nodded, and ducked out, her footsteps echoing down the stairs.
Elizabeth huffed, still gnawing on her fingernails. Her pale braid slipped over shoulder. "We can wait until lunch. We'll talk to him privately."
With a reluctant sigh, Selena agreed. "I was actually going to go to the Library," she said, standing up, straightening her red sweater. Her charm bracelet jingled at her wrist, Selena touching the miniature ornaments. "I want to see if they have anything about Polyjuice Potions."
"Trying to figure out why he would need it?" Elizabeth said.
Selena nodded, giving Crescent a pat before she headed out of the dorm. Elizabeth wasn't far behind, tugging the door shut behind them. "I would think Moody would know plenty about the potion, being an Auror, you know?" Selena said, Elizabeth nodding.
They made their way down the stairs, moving quickly through the busy Common Room. Only setting her more on edge, Selena heard a group of Fifth Years discussing the Third Task, making bets on what it could be. She grit her teeth, crawling out of the portrait hole and out of Gryffindor Tower.
"I wonder... could he maybe be thinking of giving the potion to Erebus and Iceyeyes?" Elizabeth asked curiously, half to Selena and half to herself.
Selena considered the idea, not having thought of it before herself. She hummed. "Maybe. I mean, why, though?" She shook her head, frowning as they both walked onto the Great Staircase, the flight moving with a jolt. "What in the world could Moody possibly have to gain from any of this? It's completely mental."
Elizabeth didn't respond and Selena didn't pose another question. Her mind was a storm, everything seeming like a question. They turned onto a corridor lined with flickering torches, heading towards the staircase that would take them down to the Library Corridor.
The both stepped aside quickly as rofessor Flitwick rushed up the staircase, a few spellbooks in the arms of the little teacher. He smiled at the two Gryffindors, the girls smiling back, before they both turned into the stairway. Elizabeth stumbled and gave a gasp.
Before Selena could catch her, Elizabeth flew down the steps, horrible crunching noises sounded as she hit the few last steps. Landing at the bottom on her side, she moaned, Elizabeth going still as a statue. Selena shouted, running to her friend, heart thundering in her chest. She heard Professor Flitwick drop his books, following.
Selena reached Elizabeth, dropping on her knees on the stone floor. She gently turned Elizabeth's face towards her, cradling her head. The Gryffindor's blue glasses were bent, one of the lenses shattered like a cobweb. Her lip was split, Elizabeth's eyes drooped closed. Selena looked up at Professor Flitwick in shock, afraid to move Elizabeth any more.
"Oh, my dear..." the teacher whispered. Then he furrowed his white eyebrows, looking closer at Elizabeth. It wasn't due to the tiny trickle of blood coming from the twelve-year-old's head, or that her foot was facing the wrong direction. It was because her shoes laces were tied together.
Shaking his head, green robes fluttering, he flicked his wand and Elizabeth's limp form floated up in the air, braid dangling feet above the floor. "Go to class, Miss Malast. I'll deliver Miss Hearts to the Hospital Wing. You can visit her at Lunch after Madam Pomfrey has seen her"
Selena swallowed. "But..."
Professor Flitwick smiled reassuringly. "She'll be fine. Go."
Selena glanced up, but squinted as she saw what looked like a taller, bigger person dissapearing down the end of the corridor above the stairs out of the corner of her eyes.
"Go," Professor Flitwick repeated.
This time, Selena listened.
1 Hour Later
"Wait, her shoes suddenly became tied?" Alisson asked.
Selena nodded.
Alisson was on a broom, flying around in a circle above her. They were on the Training Grounds, where Flying classes were held. Selena was fairly happy that as Second Years they didn't have to take that class anymore. Alisson, however, said that flying was calming and got permission from Madam Hooch to borrow the training brooms - plus, she was trying to get practice in to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in a couple years.
"Yep... It was... odd..." Selena mumbled, scuffing at the short grass with the toe of her sneakers. She had her arms crossed over her chest, nearly shivering in her red sweater. It was always cold on this side of the castle, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Tower and Training Grounds Towers casting shadows across the lawn.
Alison smiled cattishly, flying past the castle wall. "And this shadowy figure?"
Selena bit her lip. "That confuses me too. I mean maybe it was a coincidence..." Even as she said, it certainly didn't seem like the right answer. Elizabeth's laces had been tied, it had to have been a jinx. And she had a pretty good guess as to who it was.
"We'll go visit her in a bit," Alisson said, whizzing past Selena so close that her dark flew around her face.
"Yeah," Selena said quietly, pushing her hair behind her ears. "It just has me worried..." That, and the fact that she still had to warn Harry. The Third Task was getting so close, the Quidditch Pitch already had hedges growing in a labrynth for the competition.
Alisson opened her mouth to reply, but the broom she was on jerked, nearly shoving Alisson into the Training Grounds Tower. Selena gasped as Alisson's eyes went wide, the broom changing direction, flying acutely towards the tower turret.
"What are you doing?" Selena yelled, cupping her eyes against the morning sunshine.
"It's not me!" Alisson cried back, vanishing into the white ball of the sun. Alisson screamed. Selena tensed, terrified for a moment that her friend had fallen off the broom.
And then Alisson appeared, slamming into Selena from the blind spot of the sun. Selena was thrown back with the impact, a spray of light beneath her eyelids. What's that ringing? she thought absently.
She squinted, it seeming too bright outside. Alisson lay beside her, groaning, the broom snapped in two near her.
Selena's eyes slipped closed, aware of each of her breaths getting shallower.
And then she couldn't feel a thing.
June 20th, 1995. Sunday.
Slowlyth, Selena opened her eyes. She found the Hospital Wing surrounding her, all tall windows, white linen-covered cots and blinding sunshine. She squinted, wincing with how bright everything seemed.
What happened? What was she doing in the infirmary?
Rubbing her eyes, she sighed. Then gasped. Her head felt like it was being split open. "Madam Pomfrey..."
The woman swept over to Selena's bedside. "Oh, good. You're up. I swear, some of the worst injuries these past few days. Mr. Longbottom falling into the cactus's charmed with giggle draught... Took him hours to fall asleep... Miss Hearts and that fall down the stairs..."
"What's today?" Selena asked quietly. "What happened?"
"You were hit when Miss Hatten lost control of a broom, and practically head-dived into the ground. Almost broke your necks. Don't worry - incredibly, you only have a concussion and a sprained wrist. I must say, Miss Malast, you're becoming a regular patient here. Maybe I should just prepare a cot for you." She chuckled to herself, turning down the sheets at the end of Selena's bed.
Selena glanced over again, noticing Alisson's shape in the bed next to her, her friend's long brown hair splayed over the pillow. She cringed, remembering what happened, That wasn't like Alisson, she was such a good athlete. A thought crept into Selena's brain, making chills crawl over her skin.
"Wait... how long has it been?"
Madame Pomfrey adjusted her blankets. "A day."
Selena shook her head, suddenly alert. Time was running out. Without thinking - she barely could think past the jumbled feeling in her brain, no doubt thanks to the concussion. "Wait, I need to warn Harry, the Third Task is soon. Professor Moody!"
Madam Pomfrey giggled. "Oh, sweetie. You hit your head pretty hard."
"Please!" Selena begged, tears flooding her eyes. "You have to believe me! Let me go warn him!"
The aged witch only smiled, and had Selena drink some purple draught. Selena's words slurred, babbling about tied laces and the Triwizard Tournament. And before she knew it, she was asleep.
June 24th, 1995. Thursday.
Selena glared at the wall opposite the cot, watching as the sun slipped lower and lower in the sky, capping the Forbidden Forest outside the windows. She bunched up the clean, snowy covers of her hospital cot, one of her hands bandaged, keeping her sprained wrist supported.
Four days.
Four days she'd been kept in the Hospital Wing, waking up here and there to eat or taking more potions to help heal her head. Each day she asked Madam Pomfrey if she could leave, and each day the witch would tut and say that the concussion wasn't over.
"I don't feel like my head hurts anymore," Selena had said Tuesday.
"That's not how concussions work, my dear," Madam Pomfrey had replied before giving Selena another cup of the purple draught. Not only did it help soothe her head, but it also helped put her asleep. And, of course, keeping Selena from warning Harry about Professor Moody's plot.
Selena was alerted to Madam Pomfrey's presence by a rustle of skirts, the woman appearing in her peripheral vision. She held another cup of the purple draught. Selena didn't look at her, keeping her eyes glued on the opposite wall. Also on that side, Elizabeth was sleeping, her head wrapped in a bandage. Alisson had left the Hospital Wing the day before, when Selena had been asleep. Exams had been going on, Selena knew, but Madam Pomfrey deemed her in no condition to take her exams to the best of her ability at the moment.
Madam Pomfrey sighed. "I know what you're thinking. But concussions can last a while, and it's better to be safe than sorry."
Selena didn't budge.
"You know," Madam Pomfrey continued. "Uric the Oddball had a concussion for ten days! All from walking into a wall."
Cute story. Selena's jaw worked, and she gave a dramatic sigh, pretending to be convinced to take the draught again. She took the cup, watching the indigo liquid glisten, her pale face reflected in the cup's glass surface. Madam Pomfrey waited, watching for Selena to drink it all and fall asleep. Again. Selena paused, hesitating. She needed a chance for Madam Pomfrey to look away, just for a moment.
"I understand you're upset," the matron said. "I know you wanted to go to the Third Task, Miss Malast, but your well-being is my first concern. I can't allow you to trip or something worse, harming yourself further. You understand, I hope."
Selena nodded slowly. "Yes, of course..."
And then Elizabeth coughed, groaning as she rolled over in her sleep.
Selena's heart leapt as Madam Pomfrey turned for a second, looking at her other young patient. It was all Selena needed. She poured out the draught next to her, the purple liquid seeping into her nightshirt, the liquid cold against her skin. But it was out of the matron's sight. Selena lifted the cup to her lips, moving it away just as Madam Pomfrey looked back at her.
The woman didn't question whether or not Selena had taken the potion, convinced, and too distracted as she walked over to Elizabeth's cot.
Selena let her eyelids droop, playing at the act, aware of Madam Pomfrey glancing over at her once. She let her eyes close, steadying her breathing to mimic sleep. Picturing the Hospital Wing, Selena kept track of where Madam Pomfrey moved - her footsteps drifting over to her office, the clink of a glass jar being opened. Two minutes passed agaonizingly slowly, Selena willing the matron to leave.
Eventually, she heard her go into her office, and Selena cracked an eye open. A part of her wanted to wait, hesitant.
But there was no more time for waiting.
Swinging her legs out of the warm covers and onto the floor, cold stone nipped at Selena's toes. She grit her teeth, getting out of the bed as deftly as she could, moving the sheets back over the purple stain from the draught. She could feel her blue-striped pajamas sticking damply to her side with the potion. Tip-toeing towards the large wooden doors, the sounds of clinking glass jars and the scraping of a wooden chair kept Selena alert. Madam Pomfrey was still in her office.
Reaching the doors of the Hospital Wing, Selena bit her lip, reaching for the iron ring that served as a handle. She couldn't help glancing over her shoulder, however, looking back at her sleeping friend. Her stomach twisted as she watched Elizabeth's chest rose and fell evenly, the bandage wrapped around her head a snowy white. Elizabeth's glasses were propped on the bedside table, glinting every now and then with orangey sunlight.
Selena breathed out through her nose, growing more and more resolved by the second.
It was her fault Elizabeth had gotten hurt. She told her about Professor Moody and now Elizabeth had paid the price.
I'll make this right, Selena promised. No one else will get hurt. Harry Potter won't die today.
Pulling the door open, and cringing as it creaked - it couldn't be helped - Selena darted through the opening. But not before she was spotted.
"Miss Malast!" Madam Pomfrey cried behind her, from the back of the Hospital Wing.
Selena didn't even turn around, starting to run. Her bare feet slapped the floor of the Hospital Tower. Madam Pomfrey had made Selena get up and do walks around the Hospital Wing to get her acquainted with moving again - and trying to assess any hinderances on her balance from the concussion - but running was another story. Very quickly, Selena's felt her lungs growing tight, as if they were constricting all the air she was trying to take in.
Breathing raggedly, Selena turned down a corridor, hurrying down the steps. She emerged onto the Grand Staircase, the chatter of the all the portraits making her wince. The Hospital Wing had been so quiet... but then again, the Third Task was going to be loud. Steeling herself, Selena hurried down onto a staircase, which promptly began to move, throwing her against the stone banister. She held on, her stomach swirling in a different way now than before.
As the staircase locked into place at a new platform, the young Gryffindor rushed on, switching from staircase to staircase to get to the ground floor. Glancing up, all the staircases moved above her like switch-backs, each painting a square of vivid motion. Her head began to spin, the chatter of the portraits filling her ears, the staircases blurring together.
As one of the staircases locked onto a platform, Selena stumbled down the steps, feeling as if her brain were a spinning top.
When she reached the platform, she tried to step forward to the next staircase. Her knee gave out before she could, Selena falling to the ground so hard her teeth hurt. Slumping against the wall, Selena let out a sob without tears.
She wasn't going to make it.
She couldn't reach the Third Task like this, Madam Pomfrey had been right.
Selena pressed her cheek against the cool stone wall, feeling as though as this were just a nightmare. Harry Potter was going to die. He was doing to die, unless someone stopped it.
She would need a miracle. Something... anything. She would need-
"Selena?"
Selena looked up, almost disbeleivingly, hope tangling in the desolation.
A miracle indeed.
Damon stood there, walking down a staircase, a concerned look creasing his brows. He had on a black coat, his emerald-and-silver Slytherin scarf tucked into the collar, ready for the long, chilly night awaiting Third Task spectators.
Selena nearly cried, she was so relieved. "Damon! Listen-" she struggled to get up again, but winced as her knees ached from the fall. Her head was still spinning, but less so. She tried to not look up the staircases, and instead focus on the boy in front of her. Pressing her hands to the rough stone wall, Selena pushed herself up some, her face screwed up with the effort.
Damon hurried forward, grasping her elbow. "What's going on? Why are you in your pajamas? Renee said you were in the Hospital Wing...?" He trailed off, scanning Selena and frowning confusedly at the purple stain on her side. "Are you-"
"Damon, please," Selena said, knowing what she was going to say would make no sense, but hoping he would believe her anyways. "I need to get to the Third Task. Please. This sounds insane, but - Moody is going to kill Harry Potter. Tonight."
Her friend paused, glancing down at her. "You have a concussion, right? How in the world did you lea-"
"Listen," Selena said, her voice sounding more sharp than she'd expected, Damon flinching. Selena bit her lip, trying not to cry. That was out of the question. "Please," she whispered, trying to keep her voice even. "I know I sound completely mad, but I'm asking you to trust me. Professor Moody is going to try and kill Harry, I don't know how, but he said... Damon, I need you to help me get there."
For a few agonizing seconds, Damon was quiet, staring at her.
Selena didn't look away, staring back, her reflection looking back in his light blue eyes.
If I look this out of my mind, she thought. Harry really isn't going to believe me.
But she would do anything. Just doing nothing wasn't option.
"Fine," Damon said quietly, glancing towards the other staircases. "But I'm late as it is. I was just going back because I'd forgotten my scarf." He glanced back at her. "You can't even walk."
"Just support me," Selena said, swallowing. "I can manage." Hope blossomed in her chest, seeming to carry her. Selena held onto Damon's arm, and together they headed down the stairs, portraits gawking and making comments Selena ignored. She kept repeating her promise in her head.
Harry will not die tonight.
Each step began to feel surer than the last, and with all the chaos of the Grand Staircase left behind, her brain stopped spinning like wisps of candy floss webbing around a cone. Instead, she began to explain everything to Damon.
As they left the Entrance Hall - practically desesrted, as everyone was already at the task - she stared into the sky. It was already dark out, stars peppering the navy sky like chips of gemstones. She took in a breath of cold air, but instead of it hurting, it only enlivened her more, refreshing and cool.
"But... why would Moody want to hurt Potter?" Damon asked, looking ahead.
Selena was quiet for a moment. She focused on her footsteps. "I don't know, but he said something about... well, You-Know-Who."
Damon faltered in his steps, causing Selena to stumble. He apologized, and then was silent as well. Selena peeked up at his face, Damon blinking as if he'd heard wrong. "He... but... that doesn't make any sense..."
"You're telling me," Selena mumbled. The moon shone brightly above, casting silvery light around them.
They continued walking, Damon supporting Selena, providing some additional warmth. She could barely feel her feet by now, and as they began the trek down the grassy slope, Selena sucked in a breath. Off in the distance, the Black Lake sparkled dimly, the Durmstrang ship looking ghostly with milkily-white illuminated sails. Near it, the Quidditch Pitch had been transformed into a maze she could already see from here. All around it, the stands were full of the dark shapes of people.
"They must be in the maze already," Damon said, glancing up at the sky. "It's so late..."
Please don't let it be too late. Selena blinked, her eyes drying from staring at the Quidditch pitch too long. "I wish we could fly there. On the pegasus. Like Beauxbatons has."
Damon glanced at her, searching her face.
Selena began to walk faster, peering at the ground instead. "Sorry..."
They walked in silence, nearly slipping on the grass slick with moisture. Selena felt her muscles growing tired, too much movement and excitement after her time in the Hospital Wing. She kept going, imagining finding Moody herself. And then... Selena clenched the sleeve of Damon's coat, not quite sure what then. Hope mixed with dread, that this would all end horribly.
But she had to try.
As they neared the Quidditch pitch, the low roar of the crowd began to become clearer. Selena's heart began to beat in her chest, so loud that she could nearly hear it. She wondered faintly if Damon could hear it.
Suddenly, a stream of red sparks flew into the air, bursting in the sky, fizzling in a loop. Selena glanced up at Damon. "What does that mean?"
He squinted, drawing in a measured breath. "Periculum, by the look of it. It's used in dangerous situations... like a flare."
Selena's heart sped up even more - how that was possible, she wasn't sure. She stared at the red sparks, hovering over a place in the maze. What was going on inside? Her mind leapt to the worst scenario, Harry lying dead at Moody's feet. She shook her head, trying to remind herself that there had been someone to set off the spell. Surely that meant they were alright?
They appraoched the pitch, thirty feet from one of the entrances. Selena felt as if an invisible string were pulling her closer, closer, closer still towards the crowd inside the stadium. She could hear the laughter and chatter of voices, people cheering occasionally.
"Is she awake?"
"I don't know... Liz still isn't..."
"Well, maybe we should leave?"
"Oh, all right. Let my leave the basket for the both though."
Selena grimaced, and opened her eyes, sunlight flooding into her vision.
She held her hands in front of her face.
Renee burst into tears, and threw her arms around Selena's waist. "We thought you were going to..."
Looking up, Selena noticed her friends eyes. Alison, Hazel, Rolf, and Bronwen looked like they had been crying.
"Why are your eyes so red?" Selena asked quietly, then it felt like ice slid into her belly. "Is Harry dead?"
Rolf cleared his throat, and shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Um... He- He's alive..."
"He appeared at last minute. With the cup. It was a portkey. And..."
Hazel's voice cracked, and she ran out, sobs racketing her body.
Alison looked green, like she might be sick. Thrusting her basket for Elizabeth and Selena into the bedsheets, she followed Hazel.
"What happened?" Selena asked, so quietly she could barely hear her own voice.
Brownwen sat down, and her eyes glittered with tears. "Selena... Harry Potter didn't die..."
The smart Ravenclaw took a deep breath. "But... Cedric Diggory did."
This chapter was... very hard to write.
I really didn't want Cedric to die. He was almost done at Hogwarts...
Anyway, I may post the next chapter tonight. It'll be the last of their Second Year. Or, I guess Harry's Fourth Year, I should say.
I hope you will review. I hate it when people read, and are too lazy to type a few letters. ;)
Bye,
thanks for reading!
~Meghan