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Chapter 4

Saturday passed, as well as Sunday. Though to Harry, both days merged into one. It was usually a case during weekends, at least when the Professors didn't decide to overwhelm them with homework. Luckily for him, only Snape's assignment was looming over him and the rest of his class. But, as Daphne has stated on Friday, they were well ahead with their assignment. Still, he decided that the best way he could spend his afternoon was to read about the Sleeping Draught. At least, if he came prepared for the classes, they would be able to start the brewing process as quickly as possible. He couldn't help but notice a somewhat cruel sense of humor in their schedule – Potions on Mondays and Fridays wasn't what he would describe as the best deal he could have gotten. Still, it was better than starting a week with Defense Against the Dark Arts. While he enjoyed the subject, Professor Moody's unorthodox teaching methods were something he couldn't quite get used to. Although, nothing as serious as their first lesson has happened yet.

"It's amazing!" Neville exclaimed. The shy boy was standing in the Lake at knee height; his attention was entirely focused on some plant he was holding. Harry chuckled slightly while reading about the Sleeping Draught's properties for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. He was pretty sure that he memorized the entire description by this point, though it was better to be safe than sorry. "It's amazing!" he repeated. Harry rolled his eyes, looking up from the book he was holding.

"Neville!" he called out. "You're doing it again," Harry said when he got his friend's attention. The shy boy blushed slightly before chuckling nervously.

"Oh," he commented nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Right, sorry." Harry put away his book, deciding that enough was enough and wiped his face with his hands. He corrected his glasses and looked at the worn-out book that Neville brought with him.

"Magical Mediterranean Water-Plants and Their Properties?" Harry read out loud, wanting to be sure that this was the title. It looks more like a summary than a title, to be honest.

"Professor Moody gave it to me," Neville explained immediately, still holding some strange plant that he had found in the Lake. "That day after the first class," he clarified. Harry's eyebrows shot upwards.

"After he showed us the Unforgivable Curses?" he asked, wanting to be sure. Neville's lips formed a tight line as he nodded his head. "What agitated you so much back then?" Harry found himself asking, remembering Neville's odd behavior. The shy boy looked down at his feet, hidden below the water surface. "If you don't mind me asking, of course," he quickly added.

"It's alright," he replied a little too quickly. Harry leaned back against the tree he was using as support. He meant to ask him about that long ago, but he forgot about it due to the whole Tournament affair. Neville breathed in heavily before speaking. "You know, you weren't the only one to lose parents all those years ago," he began hesitantly. "I mean, I don't even want to compare what happened to my parents to what happened to yours," Neville added quickly, fearing that he was walking on thin ice. "My weren't…"

"Killed," Harry offered after noticing Neville's hesitation. The shy boy nodded his head slowly.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "And I only know what happened to mine from what my grandma told me. It's not like I can remember any of it. At least, I thought I couldn't remember it until Professor Moody cast the Cruciatus Curse, and…" he spoke faster than he could, causing him to quickly lose his breath. He sighed heavily, trying to put himself together. "When You-Know-Who was killed, the Death Eaters didn't just surrender, you know? Some of them worked still, even after their Master's defeat. Four of them have attacked my parents. They took them by surprise and tortured them with the Cruciatus for… well, I don't really know for how long, but I think that was the first time such an outcome has happened," he said, breathing in sharply. Harry was looking at him intensively, for the first time hearing about Neville's parents. "They didn't die," he continued after a momentary pause. "They still live, in St. Mungo's, but… I think it can be said that they simply are," Neville explained, finally raising his head to look at the other Gryffindor. "Their minds were destroyed, and there is no contact with them," he whispered, biting his lower lip. Harry nodded his head slowly, unsure of what he could say. "Those Death Eaters were caught, fortunately," Neville continued after shaking his head a few times. "They were sent to Azkaban, and they are still there as far as I know."

"What are their names?" Harry couldn't help asking.

"The Lestrange brothers - Rabastan and Rodolphus, and his wife Bellatrix," Neville replied after taking in a shaky breath. "And the last one was Barty Crouch's son," he added. Then there's Barty Crouch - heart of stone, he sent his own son to Azkaban, Sirius' words echoed in Harry's mind.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, though his words sounded lame even to him.

"It's okay, Harry," Neville replied. "It's not like it's your fault, after all. I visit them each summer with my grandma. The Healers are doing what they can, but there hasn't been any progress yet," he said. Harry nodded his head again. "Oh," Neville spoke suddenly after a few seconds of silence, raising his head. He lifted his hand and waved. It was then that Harry heard someone approaching them. He turned around to see who it was that Neville was waving at. His face became a stony mask after spotting Ron, Hermione, and Ginny heading their way. Perfect, he thought dryly as he stood up. They were whispering to each other, though it looked more like an argument between Ron and Hermione from Harry's perspective. Nothing new.

"Hey," Hermione greeted him, looking anywhere but at him. She's ignoring me even while talking to me, Harry commented with a humorless chuckle. "Ron would like me to tell you," she began; her hands were twitching, and she was drying them off against her coat every few seconds. "That Seamus told him, that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid's looking for you," Hermione recited a little too quickly for Harry to understand. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at her without understanding.

"What?" he asked after shaking off the initial shock. It wasn't the first time he didn't understand what the bushy-haired witch was saying, but that was new. Hermione groaned heavily before turning around and going back to Ron, who was standing a few steps away from them. His former best mate was glaring at him as he used to for the past week. From where Harry was standing, he could only hear incomprehensible muttering. His frown deepened even more.

"Dean was told by Parvati that…" Hermione began again, but she quickly shook her head, giving up on what she was saying. "Please don't ask me to say it again," she muttered, looking at her feet. "Hagrid's looking for you," she informed him, turning around immediately.

"Well, you can tell Ron that…" Harry began, but he was quickly cut off.

"I'm not an owl!" Hermione yelled at him before storming away and rejoining the two other Gryffindors. The trio left as quickly as possible, leaving behind a confused Harry and even more stunned Neville. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione started walking up the hill, quickly disappearing behind the trees surrounding the Lake.

"That was weird," Neville commented when he was sure they were out of earshot.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, turning around. He sat back down against the tree, once again picking up the first-year Potions textbook.

Hours passed, and it was well after curfew when Harry sneaked out of the Castle and headed towards Hagrid's hut. He was wearing his Invisibility Cloak, making himself unnoticeable to anyone who would be watching over Hogwarts' grounds. The Moon was shining brightly, illuminating the path in front of him. It wasn't long before he reached the Gatekeeper's house. He removed the Cloak after seeing Hagrid waiting for him at the entrance of his hut.

"Blimey!" the half-giant exclaimed, putting a hand over his heart. "You scared me, Harry," he said, breathing heavily.

"Sorry," Harry mumbled, correcting his glasses.

"Okay," Hagrid said after calming down. He picked up a lamp that was lying on the ground next to him, igniting it. "Let's go," he ordered and started walking towards the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. Harry had to run in order to keep up with Hagrid.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked from behind him, keeping his Cloak under his arm.

"You'll see soon enough," he replied. If Harry didn't know better, he would have said that Hagrid was nervous. "And pay attention. This is important," he added quickly. Harry shook his head. That's when he noticed something odd in Hagrid's appearance. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's with the flower?" he asked, raising his head to look at his friend. Hagrid only glanced at him nervously. "Did you comb your hair?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"And what if I had?" Hagrid replied with a question of his own, once again surprising Harry with his tone.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was broken by a sound unlike any other Harry had ever heard. It sounded like a roar, though the young wizard couldn't identify what creature could sound like that. Is that really so important to drag me out in the middle of the night to show me another one of his 'cuties?' Harry asked himself.

"Hagrid?" a feminine voice called out from the depths of the forest, one that was familiar to Harry, though he wasn't sure why. It sounded foreign, but he couldn't match the face to the voice.

"Put the Cloak on," Hagrid ordered before walking forward. He seemed more ecstatic than before. Harry complied wordlessly, disappearing immediately. "And be silent," he added. Although he couldn't see it, Harry nodded his head, following the half-giant deeper down into the forest.

They walked in complete silence for a few more minutes before Harry noticed someone else in the forest. The figure was tall – even taller than Hagrid but still slim. Harry deduced that it had to be the owner of the voice from earlier, and he suddenly remembered why this voice sounded familiar. Only Madam Maxime towered above Hagrid. He couldn't help but smirk while his mind connected the dots. Hagrid's nervousness, the flower, and him combing his hair… It couldn't be just a coincidence.

"Bonsoir!" Hagrid greeted Madam Maxime in French. Harry smirked once again.

"Oh, Hagrid," Madam Maxime replied, turning around after hearing Hagrid's greeting. "I thought, perhaps, you wouldn't come. I thought that you have... forgotten me," she spoke, hesitating slightly.

"Forget you? Never," Hagrid replied, earning himself a soft smile from the Beauxbatons Headmistress.

"What is it you wanted to show me?" she asked, toying with the strange flower that was clasped to Hagrid's coat. "When you spoke earlier, you sounded so… exhilarated," Maxime said after searching for a correct word.

"You'll be glad you came," Hagrid promised, grabbing her hand. "Trust me," he said, proceeding to lead her even further down into the forest. Harry followed them as quietly as he could.

With each step they were taking, the strange roar from before was becoming louder and louder, and it resonated across the forest more frequently. After a while, they reached a small clearing somewhere deep in the woods which was illuminated so brightly that Harry wondered for a split second if they've spent the entire night in the forest. It was also the source of the strange roars. Madam Maxime gasped at the sight.

In the middle of the clearing, four cages were standing or rather shaking. The strange sounds were coming from them and, every few seconds, a jet of fire exploded from them. Harry's eyes widened when the realization hit him. Dragons.

"Can we get closer?" Madam Maxime pleaded without waiting for a reply. She started walking around the bushes that separated them from the clearing and approached the cages, staring at the jets of fire produced by dragons. Even though he couldn't see her face, Harry was sure that she was enamored.

"Dragons?" he asked Hagrid when he was sure that Madam Maxime was out of earshot. He removed the Cloak from his head. "That's the First Task?" he queried, walking closer. "You're joking!"

"Come on, Harry," Hagrid replied in the same tone he used during classes. "They are completely misunderstood creatures," he said as another jet of fire erupted from one of the cages, heading directly at them. They both squatted down to avoid being burned. "Although, I have to admit that Horntail is one nasty piece of a dragon," he added, staring at the cage. Harry followed his gaze with his eyes. "Ron nearly fainted when he saw them," Hagrid said after a few seconds, getting Harry's attention.

"Ron was here?" he asked, wanting to make sure he understood his friend correctly.

"Sure," Hagrid replied, shrugging his shoulders. "His brother Charlie helped to bring those dragons all the way here from Romania. Didn't Ron tell you that?"

"No," Harry replied slowly, shaking his head. "He didn't. He didn't tell me a thing," he said, once again correcting his glasses, staring at the cages.

Skipping breakfast before starting the day with Potions was risky, but Harry didn't care. His stomach wouldn't be able to contain anything, to be honest. After returning from the Forbidden Forest the previous night, Harry wasn't able to go to sleep. Each time he closed his eyes, he kept seeing the jet of fire flying towards him, ready to burn him to a crisp. He remembered how Ron told him once that his brother's work was one of the most dangerous out there. There were many casualties each year due to a dragon attacking one of the workers. And they want us to go against them? He asked himself in disbelief, shaking his head.

Still, knowing what the Task was going to be over two weeks before it was scheduled was an advantage. It gave him time to prepare and think of a solution. Or where I would like to be buried. And that knowledge was something he didn't intend to keep to himself. He honestly couldn't care less about the fact that other students believed he was a cheater, but if he had the advantage of knowing what the First Task was going to be, it was only fair that the rightful Hogwarts Champion should know it as well. At least they aren't ignoring me as Ron and Hermione, he thought dryly, passing by other students.

The new week brought a change with itself, though. As far as he could see, everyone he passed in the corridors, even many people from Gryffindor, were wearing a badge on their robes. It would change from 'Cedric Diggory' to 'Potter stinks' each time he got close enough. Still, Harry elected to ignore them and the comments sent in his way. Nothing will stop them from doing this.

With an empty stomach, he entered the Potions classroom, sitting at the same table he occupied on Friday. Daphne was already there, sitting completely straight. She acknowledged him with a simple nod of her head. Harry wasn't sure if he was surprised that she wasn't wearing the badge that was so popular in the Castle. He guessed he should be grateful, though.

"You look pale," she commented quietly without even looking at him. Professor Snape ordered them to continue working on their assignments before sitting down and starting to check other students' work. Harry looked around at his peers – he could count on the fingers of his one hand the people who weren't wearing the badges. Even though he couldn't see it, he was completely sure that Professor Snape had one as well, though perhaps hidden in his office. "Rough night?"

"You could say so," he replied, pulling out his notes about the Sleeping Draught. Daphne glanced at the few pieces of parchment with something that resembled satisfaction.

"I also didn't like the article about Professor Lupin," she whispered, grabbing her own notes. "This summer, I've overheard my parents talking about the events of the last school year. My father said that our family owes Professor Lupin, and…"

"It's not about that," he interrupted her, correcting his glasses nervously. Daphne raised her head to look at him; the contentment in her eyes was gone, most probably due to being interrupted like that.

"Then what is it about?" she asked, directing her attention back to her notes. She scratched away one line.

"I know what the First Task is going to be," he informed her, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping. He caught Hermione staring at them from across the distance but, as soon as she met his gaze, she turned her head away. Harry pursed his lips.

"I'm all ears," she encouraged him.

"Dragons," Harry whispered. Daphne's quill broke when she pressed it too hard against the piece of parchment, leaving a spot of ink on her notes.

I'm sorry that this chapter was short but I simply didn't want to include too many scenes. What Sirius meant by saying 'they lived' and what Daphne meant by saying 'our family owes Professor Lupin, and…?' Well, you'll have to wait to find out. See you next time.