A/N: This is a bit of a Mother's Day special. Lily Potter will be mentioned by the end of this chapter, so look for her. Happy Mother's day to all my loyal readers. Please Review and let me know how you think this story is going. Also, The kids are coming to the Parallel worth in the next chapter. Hope you've awaited their arrival like I have! :) Enjoy
I Am Draco Malfoy-Potter
Chapter Twelve: How To Save A Life
Hermione's eyes were deep brown, just like they always were when she was deep in a riddle and Harry had to laugh at her. Which really wasn't nice, she's been sitting with him in the common room trying to figure out the egg's riddle for about an hour. He should really be thanking her.
"Harry, tell me again." She harped at him, and he dutifully recited the same song that had been sung to him underwater. His cheeks still warmed at the memory of him and Draco in that Perfect's bathroom, but he let it go.
"Come seek us where our voices sound."
"The black lake, that's obvious." she interrupted.
"An hour long you'll have to look."
Again she interrupted. "Again obvious, though I must admit potentially problematic."
Harry snorted and Draco hushed him by tightening his arms around his waist. Draco had taken to coming up to the common room when he wanted to get away from the Slytherins. Ever since the ball, he had not been well liked in the dungeons, and everyone could understand why. You weren't just the Prince of Slytherin one day and dating the Griffindor Golden Boy the next. But he could more than handle his house. He hadn't been sorted into Slytherin for nothing after all.
"Potentially problematic? When was the last time you held your breath under the water for an hour Hermione?" Harry asked her with more than a little sarcasm. Hermione just scowled at him.
Just when she was about to retort, Snape appeared in the doorway, an every present scowl on his face as he looked at the decor of the Griffindor common room.
"I really hate to break up this little scholar session, but I am in need of Draco's assistance in the dungeons."
Draco sighed and tightened his arms around his love before he allowed Harry to stand so that he could too. Before they left, Draco turned to his Godfather.
"Sev, you wouldn't happen to know of any way Harry could remain underwater for an hour, do you?" He sounded innocent, but the look in his eyes told Severus that the boy knew he did. Knew he'd have it too, the little insufferable brat.
"I suppose the use of Gilliweed would do the trick. Would this have something to do with the second task being held tomorrow Mr Malfoy." Snape seemed to almost slur his words as if he just didn't want to say them, but under the gaze of his godson, there was nothing he could do. Why was he so weak to kids holding the Malfoy name?
Draco smiled and turned to Harry who was staring wide eyed at Snape. Blowing a kiss he turned back to his godfather.
"Would you be ever so kind as to arrange that Harry gets a handful by tomorrow, early morning? It would mean so much to me Severus." Draco said sweetly batting his golden eyelashes at the man who scowled at him as if he wanted to eat his face.
No one spoke after that as Snape escorted the young Malfoy away. He had kept his word too, arriving early morning with a bottle of Gilliweed as he handed it to Harry with a burning glare.
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Harry almost wanted to hit someone as he heard the Weasley twins taking bets on who'd finish the task the fastest. Ron was by his side trying to calm him down as Harry looked at the repulsive plant in the palm of his hand. It looked like sea weed and smelled even worse.
"I have to put this in my mouth and swallow it?" He asked Hermione for the fifteenth time. She rolled her eyes in that way of hers earning a light kiss from Ron who grinned at her when he pulled away.
She cleared her throat with a blush and sighed. "Yes Harry. You have to swallow it."
"But it looks so gross." He whined before looking around again. He'd done that more than he's asked Hermione what he'd have to do with the plant. Hermione knew exactly what he was looking for. Draco. The blond hadn't been spotted anywhere, even in the Room of Requirements that they'd been sharing since the night of the Ball.
"Harry, he'll be here. Right now you have to focus on this task." Hermione reassured him as Dumbledore's voice boomed to life.
"Welcome to the second task. Last night something was stolen from each of our champions. A treasure of sorts. These four treasures, one for each champion, now lie on the bottom of the black lake. In order to win each champion needs only find their treasure and return to the surface. Simple enough. Except for this, they will have one hour to do so and one hour only. After that they'll be on their own."
Harry didn't understand what the man meant, but he remembered what Draco had told him. "The Merpeople hold meetings in the center of the lake, but their city is at the very back, that is where they will hind anything. Be careful when your down there I won't be able to help you." Harry knew exactly where to go once he was under the water.
He took a deep breath and put the nasty Gilliweed in his mouth, almost choking on the flavor.
"You may begin at the start of the cannon."
The cannon was fired not seconds after Dumbledore's words and three of the four champions dive in like experts, Harry on the other hand was struggling to breath, so a hand from behind throw him into the lake face first. When he was submerged in water, the gilliweed began to work. His hands grew webbing in between each finger, and his toes got longer and thinner, also webbing out. His neck felt like something was taring at his skin and his fingers could feel the gills as they opened and closed. Suddenly, breathing wasn't a problem.
Harry feels elation fill him as he whips through the water like a bullet fired from a sniper rifle. He could hear the voices of the merpeople, the same songs he had heard in the bathroom, but when he sees them, he also sees Fleur. She had gotten caught. When she screams, a force seems to be dragging her away from the merpeople and up into the surface."
He was in the right direction and he knew it. It didn't take much longer for him to find the treasures.
Draco, a little blond girl, Cho Chan, and another Beauxbatons girl were frozen under the water, their ankles keeping them from floating up.
When he gets closer, he reaches for Draco and then the blond girl who was beside him. Fleur wouldn't be able to come for this girl, Harry had to get her out of there.
As he went to reach for her merpeople swarm around him, pushing him back.
"Only one!" They hiss, and Harry fights his way forward.
"She's only a child!"
What looks like a shark comes at Harry from behind at a speed that even surprised the merpeople. Before any of them could get to the shark like being, it bit off the rope that tied the Beauxbatons girl and grabbed her swimming up into the surface.
As the merpeople were distracted, Harry blasted the ropes on Draco's and the blond girl's ankle, grabbing them and trying to swim away as fast as he could.
He manages to make it most of the way up before something grabs at his ankle, pulling him down. He screams and with all his strength he pushes the girl and Draco up so they can reach the surface. The merpeople don't go after them, but they keep a steady hold on Harry, just then Cedric races by them with Cho in his arms, getting up into the surface just as Draco and the blond girl emerged.
Harry fought the merpeople, using his wand to cast a wind spell that Draco had taught him over the summer. He was propelled away from the grabby hands and towards the surface. When he flies out of the water, he hears people shout his name before landing on the deck where crowds of people were gathering.
"Harry!" It was Dumbledore's voice but it was warm familiar arms that held him fast.
"Get him another towel." Barty barked.
"Harry!" Draco's voice was frantic and so were Ron's and Hermione's as they gathered around him. Across from him he could see the girl he had saved being fret over by Fleur.
"I want all the judges over here now." Dumbledore announced, and people came towards the old man.
Fleur turned to Harry her face showing nothing but pure relief.
"You saved her, even though she wasn't yours to save. My little sister!" She lunges at the boy and kisses his cheeks. Draco protests but she turns to him. "And you. You helped!" He shook his head at her, confused that she'd think that, but she didn't listen, coming to him and kissing both his cheeks too.
Harry laughs a bit when he catches the look on Draco's face.
Hermione came bringing another towel for Harry and Draco. "Are you alright? You two must be freezing!" She put her towel around Draco who had lost his in an attempt to get to Harry. "Personally I think you behaved very admirably." She kissed Harry's head and smiled at Draco who smiled back at her.
Harry just frowned. "I finished last Hermione."
Hermione tsked at him. "Next to last."
The crowds around him cheer and the four friends finally notice that Dumbledore had been speaking again
"-For showing unique command of the bubblehead shark. The way I see it, Mr Potter would have finished first had it not been for his determination to rescue not only Mr Malfoy but the others as well. We've agreed to award him second place! For outstanding moral fiber."
As they walked away from the Lake, all the people surrounding Harry cheered as he walking leaning against Draco's chest.
"All that moral fiber eh?" Fred winked laughing. Ron laughed too.
"Blimey even when you go wrong it turns out right!"
George joined in too. "Well done 'moral fiber'."
Just them Barty Crouch approached Harry from where he had been waiting.
"Congratulations Potter, fine achievement. Well done boy. I'm sorry we haven't spoke, after all your story is one I've heard many times. Quite Remarkable. Tragic of course, to lose one's family. Never whole again are we? Still, life goes on. And here we stand. I'm sure your parents would be very proud today Potter."
Just them Mad-eye Moody comes up from behind Barty and Harry tenses up. Ever since Draco had told him that the man was a Death Eater in disguise, Harry had tried everything to not be near the man.
"Bartimus! Not Trying to lure Potter into one of the ministry's summer internships are we? Last boy who went into the department of ministries never came out!"
Barty scowls at him and walks away without a word.
Moody turns to the children. "And they say I'm mad." He cackles.
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"Barty Crouch Junior!"
Draco's hand flew to Harry's mouth as they sat together in the library.
"Shush Harry! No one is supposed to know!" Draco hissed back, glaring daggers at Harry, who had at least looked guilty.
"That's who's pretending to be Moody? Why? He already killed his father, what does he want to accomplish now?"
They had found Barty's body not long ago in the edge of the Forbidden Fortress. That had risen all kinds of hell between Fudge and Dumbledore, but Fudge was determined that nothing would stop the tri-wizard tournament. He had been afraid that everyone would call him a coward. Harry had walked in on that conversation and he wasn't really sure what he thought about Fudge, but one thing would always be true. The man's an egotistical moron.
After that, Dumbledore had showed him a pensive memory of Igor, the headmaster of Durmstrang, being questions for names concerning Death Eater activity. That had been the day Barty figured out about Barty Jr. being a Death Eater.
Now, the day before the Last Trial, Draco decided to tell everything to Harry.
"He's here for the Dark Lord." Suddenly Draco turned serious. "Harry, I know what I'm going to tell you isn't going to make things easier for you, but it is going to prevent someone from dying. I know you can handle it, I'll give you the tools to."
Harry looked confused but nodded anyways, going closer to Draco so he'd be able to talk softer.
Draco sighed before he started to speak again.
"Voldemort will be brought back to his body this year. At the last challenge of tri-wizard tournament."
Everything inside Harry's body was telling him to panic and deny, but the look in Draco's eyes kept him still.
"You are going to be the key to all this. He's going to portkey you to the Riddle Graveyard, his most favorite place to gather his followers. The tri-wizard cup is going to be the way you return here, to me. I'll be waiting for you okay? Don't let Cedric grab the portkey with you, you need to go on your own or someone is going to die."
"But Draco- I can't!"
Draco smiled sadly at Harry when the brunet protested. He was probably scared, Draco knew it, but he also knew that Harry needed to do this. Voldemort coming back is necessary.
"You will survive."
He didn't know how much affect his words would have on Harry, but he didn't expect it to calm the brunet like it had.
"I trust you." Harry sighed. "I'm not comfortable walking straight into danger, but you told me that I survived this once, so I will again."
That was unusual. For Harry to give up the fight just like that. Draco was actually a little more worried now than he was before. What he didn't know though, was that Harry already guessed that something of this nature was going to happen. His nightmares have gotten worse, he's seen Voldemort covered in shadows talking and throwing curses in that same old house as the first time.
He knew that if anything happened it would be during the last task. It actually soothed him to hear 'You will survive.' and know that it was true. He would live to see at least 34, he'd have kids, have love, be married, he was not going to die here.
"Thank you Draco." Harry smiled a bit and kissed Draco's lips, loving how it felt to be this close to someone. He smiled a bit wider into the kiss when Draco's lips responded.
He was not going to die here.
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"Earlier today Professor Moody placed the tri-wizard cup deep within the maze. Only he knows its exact position. Now as Mr Krum" The Bulgarian crowd went nuts at hearing their star's name "-and Mr Potter tied for first position they will be the first to enter the maze. Followed by Mr Diggory" this time it was the Hogwarts crowd that screamed.
Dumbledore continues "The first person to touch the cup will be the winner. I've instructed the stall to patrol the perimeter, if at any point should a contestant wish to withdraw from the task he or she need only send up red sparks with their wands." He nodded to the crowd. "Contestants, gather round."
Harry's feet seemed to drag, his eyes going up into the stands. He saw Draco in a second his eyes conveying everything he couldn't say out loud. 'You're going to be okay. You will survive, you will come back to me and I'll be right here waiting for you.'
Dumbledore began to speak again and Harry swallowed the nervousness he was feeling. "In the maze you'll find not dragons or creatures of the deep. Instead you'll face something more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Oh find the cup if you can, but be very weary you could just lose yourselves along the way."
Moody prepared the contestants and Cedric hugs his father tight, promising to be alright. Harry looks at the scene with his own promise. He would not let Cedric die.
"On the count of three. One..." The cannon goes off and everyone looks to Mr Filch who was in charge of it, but he just shrugs comically, like it was nothing but a fluke. Dumbledore groans and Harry and Viktor enter the maze through different entrances. When the shrubs closed up behind Harry, he truly felt the dread seep into his skin like the mist that had settled around him. He walks on none the less. He needed to find that cup first or someone would die.
Creatures of all types made noises all around him and Harry began to run, going whichever way his gut told him to.
It wasn't long until he ran into an unconscious Fleur who was being sucked in by the undergrowth. Harry panicked.
"Fleur? Fleur!" He yelled.
But Harry gets to her too late, she's completely swallowed up. In a rush he sends red sparks into the air just as a heavy wind blows right by him. The walls around him start to close in and Harry starts to run. Just as he sees the cup shining with blue flames a curse flies by his head.
"Shit!" He breathes and Cedric's voice comes out of no where.
"Get down!"
Just as Harry ducks Viktor sends another curse that just misses Cedric, but the boy sends one that hits Viktor straight in the chest. He runs up and kicks the wand out of the Bulgarian's hand before pointing his want at him to finish him off, Harry runs up and tackles Cedric.
"No stop! He's bewitched Cedric."
The older boy struggles on the floor with Harry, trying to push him off. "Get off me!" he yelled but Harry holds fast. No one was going to die.
"He's bewitched you moron!"
Just as he's thrown off of Cedric, he sees the blue flames again and bolts towards it. He had to get it before Cedric touched it. Just then undergrowth grabs Cedric and the boy falls to the ground. Harry looks back and Cedric is completely pinned down without a way to use his wand to escape.
"Harry!" Cedric yells in a panic. He was scared, Harry could see it in his eyes. "Harry!" He screamed again and something inside of Harry broke. What should he do? He needed to get to the cup first, he couldn't let Cedric touch it, but he couldn't leave Cedric behind.
Without thinking anymore, Harry zapped the roots and Cedric is able to wring himself free and Harry helps him up.
"You know for a moment there I thought you were gonna let it get me."
Harry swallows and shakes his head in what seemed to be disbelief. "For a moment, so did I."
"Some game huh?" Cedric smiles.
"Some game." Harry breathes. Just as the wind starts to blow again they get to the cup and stare at it together.
"Go. Take it, you saved me!" Cedric says with a smile. Harry turns to him and hugs him, holding on tightly.
"I promised I wouldn't let you die. I know that if you touch that portkey, you will. Send up reds sparks when I'm gone, tell Dumbledore that Voldemort took me. Bye Cedric."
Harry rushed for the cup before Cedric could respond and he was gone. Cedric stood there stunned. It was a portkey, someone had used it as a portkey to send a champion somewhere...no, not a champion, to send Harry somewhere. He sent up red sparks in a hurry, breathing hard even as Snape came to find him and flew him up and to the maze's beginning. When he landed, Draco was on him in a second.
"He took it didn't he. You saw him disappear?"
Cedric could only nod as Dumbledore came to them followed by his father.
"Cedric my boy, we are currently unaware of the whereabouts of one of the champions. Can you tell us where Mr Potter has gone to?"
Cedric struggled to breath as his father hugged him.
"Voldemort..." He spoke and it was like he was being amplified by a loud speaker. "Voldemort took Harry."
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No amount of self preparation could have made him completely okay with the situation. He was stuck being held a a statue face to face with Wormtail and Voldemort. His scar had never hurt like this.
"Do it, NOW!" The bundle of black clothes wrapped around in Wormtail's arms held Voldemort's voice and Harry had to grimace at the sound of it. But Wormtail just continues.
Harry watches the traitor drop something into the cauldron right in front of him.
"Bones of the father, unwillingly given." the traitor chants and a bone hovers into the air at Wormtail's control and he drops it in. "Flesh of the servant willingly sacrificed." He took a knife and cut his hand off over the cauldron, screaming at the pain before he continued. "Blood of the enemy forcibly taken." He came towards Harry with a different knife and Harry tried everything to squirm away, but the statue that held him didn't allow it.
He cuts the knife deep into Harry's arm and Harry shouts before the little rat faced man holds it over the cauldron letting the blood drop into the slimy liquid inside.
"The dark lord shall rise again." He whispers and the cauldron bursts into flames, the form of Voldemort seeming to be formed by the liquid stood there while Wormtail wrapped a cloak around him.
"My wand Wormtail." He snarles and the rat hands him his wand, bowing deeply.
"Hold out your arm." He orders and Wormtail suddenly looks grateful, holding out the arm with the severed hand.
"Master. Thank you master."
"The other arm Wormtail." Voldemort sounds impatient and the rat looked concerned but holds it out anyways. Voldemort touches the dark mark harshly with his wand and the sky begins to darken. He had summoned others.
"Welcome my friends." Voldemort began in a loud booming voice. Harry struggled to be released. "Thirty years it's been, and yet you stand before me as though it were only yesterday. I confess myself disappointed, not one of you tried to find me."
Voldemort begins to rip off the masks of his followers, sending them to the ground before he reached one figure in particular. "Not even you, Lucius." The man looked stoic and cold.
"My lord. Had I detected any sign or even a whisper of your whereabouts."
Voldemort scowled angrily. "There were signs my friend, and more than whispers!"
Lucius remained emotionless as his eyes turned to Harry. Was that reassurance in those eyes. "I assure you I never renounced the old ways. The face I have been obliged to present every day since your absence, that was my true mask."
Wormtail suddenly wiggled forward. "I returned." He whispered with his head down.
"Out of fear, not loyalty." Voldemort shouted before calming. "Still you have proved yourself useful these past few months Wormtail." He waves his wand and a new hand made of what looked like mercury formed from the severed stem.
"Thank you master, thank you."
Harry's voice is let free as the statue tightens it's hold. Voldemort's eyes turned to him in something almost too sinister to be called 'joy'.
"Harry!" He calls. "I'd almost forgotten you were here. Standing on the bones of my father. I'd introduce you but word has it you're almost as famous as me these days. The boy who lived." Voldemort scowled before smiling thinly again. "How lies have fed your legend Harry. Shall I reveal what really happened that night thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers?" He didn't wait for an answer. "It was love. You see when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son she provided the ultimate protection." Harry's eyes watered as he heard the name Lily. Both his mother and his daughter's faces appeared in his mind. Both women he didn't know but he hoped so strongly that at least one he would get to hug and hold.
"I could not touch you" Voldemort continued. "It was old magic, something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter. This have changed." Voldemort laughed almost cynically, scaring Harry so much his bones felt cold. As Voldemort came closer, Harry struggled more. "I can touch you now!" He jabbed his finger into Harry's scar, filling the boy with so much pain that he screamed loud and strong.
He lets go and releases Harry from his pain, also allowing the statue to let him drop. He grabs Harry's collar and dragged him into the middle of his circle of followers. "Astonishing what a few drops of your blood will do eh Harry?" He laughs. "Pick up your wand Potter." Harry didn't move. "I said pick it up! Get up, Get up!" He made Harry rise by his collar, snarling at the boy like a rabid animal. "You've been taught how to duel I presume yes? First we bow to each other." He bowed shallowly and glared when Harry didn't move. "Come on now Harry the niceties must be observed, Dumbledore would not want you to forget your manners now would he? I said bow!"
He throws out a spell that has Harry doubled over in pain.
"That's better, and now..." He cast another spell that had Harry on the floor wriggling in pain.
"Atta boy Harry! You parents would be proud!" He laughed like the mad-man he was. "Especially your filthy mongrel mother." the dark loud smiled. "I'm going to kill you Harry Potter, I'm going to destroy you. After tonight no one will ever again question my powers. After tonight if they speak of you they'll speak only of how you begged for death, and I being a merciful lord obliged. Get up."
He pulled Harry up by his collar again, but Harry's face was twisted in anger and hatred. He tried to move away but didn't make it far. "Don't you turn your back on me Harry Potter! I want you to look at me when I kill you, I want to see the lights leave you eyes!"
Harry glared and stepped forward. "I will survive this. You aren't going to kill me. Not tonight, not ever!" They both cast spells and the streams of magic meet in the middle. The both struggle in the the magic and when his followers surge forward Voldemort screams.
"Do nothing! He is mind to finish! He's mine!"
Voldemort's magic begin to overpower his own and Harry feels despair until magical energy takes form beside him.
His mother, his father, they stood beside him now holding onto the magic with him.
"Harry!" His father's voice came from the magical energy and he is washed with a sense of relief, despite the possession he is in. "When the connection is broken you must get to the portkey. We can delay it for a moment to give you time, but only a moment. Do you understand?" Harry nodded his head, not able to speak. He wished Draco had told him about this part. Maybe then he wouldn't have tears in his eyes.
Draco. He was going to go back to Draco.
Harry's mother's voice sounded this time. "Leg go. Sweetheart you're ready. Let go!" Harry struggled to open his mouth.
"I have a daughter! I have a daughter and she's got your name, she's just like you." He yelled it, needing his mother to know, needing his mother's acceptance, but it must not have been heard because his mother's voice came again, urgently. "Let go!"
The connection broke and Harry made a run for the cup. The second he touched it, he's gone, he's safe, he survived but Voldemort's voice followed him. "No!"
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Draco bit his lip has he waited. The crowd hadn't heard Cedric, so they were wondering where Harry was, but Draco knew. Cedric did too and now Dumbledore and the teachers all did as well.
Just when he was about to crack and start screaming for Harry, the boy appeared in the arena so suddenly that everyone was quite for a long moment.
The crowd goes wild in a second, trumpets playing and everyone cheering wildly.
"Harry!" Draco reaches the brunet first, hugging his body so tightly that Harry couldn't breath.
"Draco." He whispered in comfort. He was okay not breathing, he was in the arms of the person he loved.
"Harry!" Cedric came towards them and knelt down beside them. "You were with him weren't you? You-know-who."
Harry didn't answer as Dumbledore came to them. "Harry! Harry! Tell me what happened!"
Harry shook his head, speaking low and even as he hugged Draco so tightly. "He's back. Voldemort's back."