See previous disclaimers
Chapter 6: What Makes a Hero?
Back in Harry's study
"So I did a good thing with the help of a bunch of brilliant and caring people that doesn't make me any greater of better than the others who have helped me with my many 'projects' over the years, including Ron and Hermione, and it definitely doesn't make me a hero, Gin."
"That's okay you don't have to be convinced yet… This is only the first memory of many. I think we will try something a little different this time." She removed another memory to place in the pensieve. Everyone got in.
"Do you remember this? We are in the middle of your 4th year, the Tri-wizard Tournament."
"I won that tournament because the Moody imposter wanted me to and helped me along."
"He may have helped you along but the others had help also and he wasn't competing in those events for you. Besides, it wasn't winning the tournament that made you a hero to us that year. Just watch… This is actually a series of memories from that year and none of them have anything, directly, to do with winning that cup."
Harry turned and saw that he and Cedric were kneeling in the hallway picking up his books and things.
"Cedric" said Harry, "the first task is dragons."
"What?" said Cedric, looking up.
"Dragons" said Harry, speaking quickly, in case Professor Flitwick came out to see where Cedric had gotten to. "They've got four, one for each of us, and we've got to get past them."
Cedric stared at him. Harry saw some of the panic he'd been feeling since Saturday night flickering in Cedric's gray eyes.
"Are you sure?" Cedric said in a hushed voice.
"Dead sure" said Harry "I've seen them."
"But how did you find out? We're not supposed to know…"
"Never mind" said Harry quickly… "But I'm not the only one who knows. Fleur and Krum will know by now Maxime and Karkaroff both saw the dragons too."
Cedric straightened up his arms full of inky quills, parchment, and books, his ripped bag dangling off one shoulder. He stared at Harry, and there was a puzzled, almost suspicious look in his eyes.
"Why are you telling me?" he asked. Harry looked at him in disbelief…
"It's just… fair, isn't it?" he said to Cedric. "We all know now… we're on an even footing, aren't we?"
The memory faded into a new one. This time Harry was sitting in Hagrid's cabin.
Hagrid was wiping his eyes with the backs of his hands.
"…rather than stand up an' say- I am what I am an' I'm not ashamed…Yeh know wha' Harry?" he said looking up from the photograph of his father, his eyes very bright, "when I firs' met you, you reminded me o' me a bit. Mum an' Dad gone, an' you was feelin' like yeh wouldn't fit in at Hogwarts, remember? Not sure yeh were really up to it…an now look at yeh, Harry! School Champion!"
He looked at Harry for a moment and then said, very seriously, "Yeh know what I'd love, Harry? I'd love yeh ter win, I really would. It'd show 'em all… yeh don' have ter be pureblood ter do it. Yeh don' have ter be ashamed of what yeh are. It'd show 'em Dumbledore's the one who's got it righ' lettin' anyone in as long as they can do magic. How you doin' with that egg Harry?"
"Great," said Harry "Really great."
Hagrid's miserable face broke into a wide watery smile. "Tha's my boy…you show 'em, Harry, you show 'em. Beat 'em all."
The memory faded into another one. This time Harry was in the middle of the Black lake with Ron and Gabrielle.
Ron turned in the water and spotted Fleur's sister. "What did you bring her for?"
"Fleur didn't turn up. I couldn't leave her," Harry panted.
"Harry, you prat," said Ron, "you didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!"
"The song said-"
"It was only to make sure you got back inside the time limit!" said Ron. "I hope you didn't waste time down there acting the hero."
"C'mon," Harry said shortly, "Help me with her, I don't think she can swim very well."
They pulled Fleur's sister through the water, back toward the bank where the judges stood watching, twenty merpeople accompanying them like a guard of honor, singing their horrible screechy songs…
Madame Maxime was trying to restrain Fleur Delacour, who was quite hysterical, fighting tooth and nail to return to the water.
After they got to shore and Fleur assured her self that, her sister was okay. Fleur turned to Harry. "You saved her," she said breathlessly. "Even though she was not your 'ostage."
"Yeah," said Harry. Fleur bent down, kissed Harry twice on each cheek.
The memory faded into the next one. Harry found his self-standing in the maze of the 3rd task.
Harry had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes, when he heard something in the path running parallel to his own that made him stop dead.
"What are you doing?" yelled Cedric's voice. "What the hell d' you thing you're doing?"
Then Krum's voice, "Crucio."
The air was full of Cedric's yells. Horrified, Harry began sprinting up his path, trying to find a way into Cedric's. When none appeared, he tried the Reductor Curse again. It wasn't very effective, but it burned a small hole in the hedge through which Harry forced his leg, kicking at the thick brambles and branches until they broke and made an opening, he struggled through it, tearing his robes, and looking to his right, saw Cedric jerking and twitching on the ground, Krum standing over him. Harry pulled himself up and pointed his wand at Krum just as Krum looked up. Krum turned and began to run, "Stupify" Harry yelled. The spell hit Krum in the back, he stopped dead in his tracks, fell forward, and lay motionless, face down in the grass. Harry dashed over to Cedric, who had stopped twitching and was lying there panting, his hand over his face…
The memory faded into the next one.
Harry saw something immense over a hedge to his left, moving quickly along a path that intersected with his own; it was moving so fast Cedric was about to run into it, and Cedric, his eyes on the cup, had not seen it- "Cedric!" Harry bellowed. "On your left!" Cedric looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid colliding with it, but in his haste, he tripped. Harry saw Cedric's wand fly out of his hand as a gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon Cedric."Stupify" Harry yelled; the spell hit the spider's gigantic, hairy black body, but for all the good it did, he might as well have thrown a stone at it; the spider jerked, scuttled around, and ran at Harry instead. "Stupify! Impedimenta! Stupify!"But it was no use- the spider was either so large, or so magical, that the spells were doing no more than aggravating it. Harry had one horrifying glimpse of eight shining black eyes and razor sharp pincers before it was upon him. He was lifted into the air in its front legs; struggling madly, he tried to kick it; his leg connected with the pincers and next moment he was in excruciating pain. He could hear Cedric yelling "Stupify" too, but his spell had no more effect than Harry's- Harry raised his wand as the spider opened its pincers once more and shouted "Expelliarmus!" It worked- the Disarming spell made the spider drop him but that meant Harry fell twelve feet onto his already injured leg; which crumpled beneath him. Without pausing to think, he aimed high at the spider's underbelly, as he had done with the skrewt, and shouted, "stupefy" just as Cedric yelled the same thing. The two spells combined did what one alone had not. The spider keeled over sideways, flattening a nearby hedge, and strewing the path with a tangle of hairy legs…
The memory fades into another.
"You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here."
"Stop being noble," said Harry irritably. "Just take it, then we can get out of here."
"You told me about the dragons," Cedric said. "I would have gone down in the 1st task if you hadn't told me what was coming."
"I had help on that too. You helped me with the egg- we're square."
"I had help on the egg in the 1st place." Said Cedric.
"We're still square." Said Harry.
"You should've got more points on the second task," said Cedric mulishly. "You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should've done that."
"I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously," said Harry bitterly. "Just take the cup!"
"I may vomit," said Snape "What is with all this goody-goody nobility crap."
"Now, Now Severus. I for one am very proud of the 2 of you Mr. Diggory," said Dumbledore turning towards his student.
"Yes almost as great and kind as the noble Harry Potter," said Dobby enthusiastically. Everyone smiled and laughed with the exception of Snape who looked disgusted.
"Both of us," Harry said.
"What?"
"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it." Cedric stared as Harry. He unfolded his arms. "You-you sure?"
"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah… we've helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's take it together."
For a moment Cedric looked as though he couldn't believe his ears; then his face split in a grin. "You're on," he said, "come here"
He grabbed Harry's arm below the shoulder and helped Harry limp towards the plinth where the cup stood. When they had reached it, they both held a hand out over one of the cup's gleaming handles.
The memory faded. Suddenly Harry was standing in a compartment of the Hogwarts express with Fred and George as the others filed out.