Hello lovelies! I'm uploading this chapter a bit earlier since I am in the middle of exams and probably won't have time tomorrow. I would hate for you guys to get it later rather than sooner ;P

Since so many of you have been missing Voldemort, he'll make an appearance again, haha. Thanks for all the reviews again!

Enjoy!

Chapter 24 – Cracking eggs

~What has upset you?~

Harry sighed. Really, months of nothing and now Voldemort had to show up in his head? Or was it only his own wishful thinking and was this really merely a dream? He'd never seen the man look so... concerned. ~What hasn't,~ he replied bitterly. ~Dumbledore is suspicious of me for using dark magic; I half-blamed it on my godfather with whom I didn't have a chance to even talk about it until now; my friends are fighting yet again and Barty is furious at me.~

Voldemort was silent for a while, staring into the fire. It was the first time that either of their dreams had brought Harry back to Riddle House, the upstairs room where Voldemort and Barty had always slept to be exact. It felt calming, familiar, despite everything that had happened here, from taking care of Voldemort to trying to kill himself. He cringed as the man got up from where he was seated and approached Harry, a single finger lifting the teen's chin so that dark red eyes were fixed on his. Harry was glad that Voldemort's magic was not palpable in this state, it was horribly hard to think when a single touch from the man would fry his brain.

~And what upset Barty?~ Harry grit his teeth, having no idea what to say that wouldn't bring forth the same reaction from Voldemort. Or worse. ~I shall find out, you might as well tell me.~

~I didn't realise that your marked Death Eaters were not already aware of your return,~ Harry admitted, cringing, making himself smaller. ~I wanted something from Malfoy and thought he was more likely to help me if he knew that I knew of your return. Additionally, Karkaroff suspected I was on the path to become the next Dark Lord or something and I set him straight because I thought pretending that he was correct would be... disrespectful. Barty blew up at me.~

Something flickered in Voldemort's eyes. Disappointment? Harry jerked his head away. ~I had thought you to be slightly more intelligent than that. I did explicitly tell you that I tried to stay hidden, even from my own followers, only actively contacting a few. The Mark is an indicator of my health that I can manipulate it at will, I told you as much.~ Yep, disappointment then. ~Nonetheless,~ Voldemort continued, ~I cannot blame your motivations, nor is any permanent damage done, is there?~

~Karkaroff instantly ran to Snape,~ Harry whispered, ~Snape didn't believe him though,~ he was quick to add at the Dark Lord's stony expression. ~The instant my name fell, the git broke Karkaroff of, saying that he didn't want to know anything about me. He's so blinded by hatred that the mere thought of me achieving something is ridiculous to him.''

~Perhaps ,~ the man thoughtfully said. ~Severus always was rather hard to read. Who knows what he will do with this information... and unfortunately, he would be one of the few people whom I don't think Bartemius could take on. We shall have to see, I will inform Barty to take care of these unfortunate events. Be more careful next time.~ Harry blinked. That was it? 'Be more careful?' No rant, no anger, no pain? Was the Dark Lord going soft?

~Are you... alright?~ he carefully asked. Voldemort sighed deeply and sat down again, waving for Harry to join him. Slightly uncomfortably, he did so.

~Do not blame Barty too much for his anger. You must understand that his level of devotion does not leave much room for the errors of others. He went to Azkaban for me, fully believing that he would die there, for no other reason than that he was not willing to denounce my name nor give up any information that could harm me. It must have upset him greatly to see you handle this so carelessly.~ The tone was neutral, and yet Harry could hear the sharpness that lay beneath the words. Yes, Voldemort may not be as explosive as Barty, he definitely would not forget about this mistake, even if Harry thought it entirely unfair. He'd been told many things during his stay, they couldn't expect him to pick up on every little hint and perform exactly how they wanted.

Nonetheless, to not make things worse, Harry only hung his head, glad that Voldemort at least didn't turn away from him. The last thing he needed was another man to push expectations on him and then abandon him as soon as it became apparent that Harry was a disappointment. He therefore relished in the fact that he was still here, sharing this dream, and stared into the fire in silence for a while, in which oddly formed logs lay. Something moved in the pit of his stomach as he looked further into the flames. Were branches supposed to be like that? His breath caught as a flame flickered and revealed a crooked piece that ended in a stump. ''What... is that?'' he rasped, horrified and frozen on the spot, forgetting to speak Parseltongue.

''That was Frank Bryce. Nosy man, that. He finally decided to come snoop around once more to see the owner of this manor with his own eyes. I suspect that he wanted a good story for Christmas eve the day after tomorrow in the pub. He came at a rather good moment, I still had time to substitute my Yule offering with him.'' Harry felt sick, yet couldn't look away. He recognised more body parts now, a few curled fingers attached to a chopped off arm.

''Why?''

''After reading my books, you should know that some sacrifices are more powerful than others. Different factors are to be taken into account, such as whether the life came from a magical being, was of a rare species or had properties that tie to the specific spell one is trying to use. While Muggles do not possess a lick of magic, don't differ much from other regular animals, and certainly are not rare enough make a valuable offering, they do have one thing going for them in a specific branch of magic. Humans, along with only very few species on this world, are aware of the concept of death and, as far as we know, are the only race that tries to make their death meaningful. This gives them exceptional worth in direct offerings to magic and to use in necromancy and other soul magic. Whether they know which meaning their death will give at that moment is irrelevant, only the power of their mind with the will to have their life matter is. Bryce aided me a great deal tonight by showing up here.'' Voldemort looked at Harry, who still hadn't moved, staring into the hearth. ''Why are you so shocked?''

Harry finally dared to turn his head to the right, eyeing the other man, who wore pure curiosity at Harry's reaction. It was like their first conversations all over again, where Voldemort had literally made notes on their talks. The man may have said that he learned human emotions, yet Harry had the idea that Voldemort by far wasn't done with educating himself on the topic. Exhaling to calm down, Harry slipped into Parseltongue again, topics of death somehow feeling safer in it. ~I come here and see you are sitting in front of a dead body. How could I not be shocked? Yes, I read that sacrificing a living being is practised, even necessary for some dark magic... In theory it sounds a lot better than seeing it with my own eyes. To sit here, looking at that and having you calmly explain why you killed a human being as an offer is...~ he halted, swallowing, ~not exactly easy. I firmly believe in that every human deserves protection and that killing is... that it goes against my moral standpoints. I follow you now, I know that I won't always agree with what that means... With your talk about not aiming for another bloody war however, I -perhaps naively- thought that also meant less murdering.~

~It does. I will not murder if I do not have to.~

~And this?~

~This is a Muggle,~ Voldemort softly hissed back, raising his eyebrows. ~That they may be able to communicate with us doesn't mean that they are on the same level. Killing a Muggle is not murder.~

Harry stayed silent, mulling over the best way to point out how wrong that line of thought was. ~You said that you split off parts of your soul to create these vessels that ensure your immortality, yes? Can you kill just anyone? Would animals work? Do Muggles work?~

The man's jaw tightened, telling Harry that he'd hit the jackpot. ~Muggles work,~ the other admitted, not looking happy about it. ~I realise that not everyone agrees to my view on them, and also that we are related to them, in some cases even descend from Muggles. Still, lives without magic hold little meaning in the grand scheme of things, and Muggles especially are a danger. As such, I refuse to see removing one from this earth as murder. You will not change my mind on that, as much as you may try.~

~So if you did not bring me here to discuss the value of Muggles, why am I here?~ Harry asked. As always, he was aware of that their dreams did not last forever and there was little time with how fast dreams passed compared to the waking life. He tried his best to ignore the charred hands and feet in the fireplace.

~Yule is not one of my favourite celebrations,~ the Dark Lord admitted. ~I underwent the necessary rituals out of respect for magic, that is all. I thought this was a good opportunity to show you a bit of it. You have missed the most important festival of the year already, Samhain, since they just had to do the Tournament announcement on that day.~ Even his hissing sounded annoyed. ~Disgraceful if you ask me. Well, I had not expected much else from Dumbledore and the current Ministry, though I admit surprise at the other schools agreeing. Both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are not shy about their roots.~ Intrigued, Harry looked at the other.

~We can do rituals in dreams? I thought magic was impossible here... which is what I still wanted to ask you about. I cannot feel your magic at all, so how did you achieve sending through that water last time?~

~I combined Legilimency, mind-controlling magic and an advanced branch of Transfiguration called the Enforcement of Law. It is difficult to describe in full to someone who does not know the jargon... hmm... crudely spoken, it allows for a spell to weave a new law of nature. It changes the way magic can work and can only be crafted using source magic.~ Harry was silent for a while at that, wondering if he heard that correctly. Voldemort spoke so leisurely of what he had done and explained it in a few simple sentences that entirely blew Harry's mind.

~So you like... just invented something new on the same level as the law of gravity or light reflection?~

~Yes. As a Lord, I have both the power and authority to do so.~

It sounded like such an obvious statement, coming from Voldemort. Surely it was anything but.

~Can other people reproduce it?~

~The correct terminology would be 'use' it, not reproduce. Now that it exists, anyone can use it, yes. How long it will take until this is discovered is an entirely different story. Magicians nowadays are rather lax when it comes to exploring the limits of what magic can do to the point where many would never even try to achieve what was previously deemed impossible. For obvious reasons, I ask you not to speak of this. It could be disadvantageous to have someone like Dumbledore partake in this knowledge. As for your earlier implied question, we cannot perform actual rituals, unfortunately. I would like to show you some texts and explain more about what Yule is all about. Come.~ They rose, Harry glad to leave the room with the dead Muggle behind.

~We are still dreaming, right?~ he asked as he peered down the dark stairway when they left the room.

~Indeed. Creating a law to construct objects from mental images in another's mind is one thing, actually transferring a person mentally would be an entirely different level that perhaps only Magic herself is capable of. Not that it wouldn't be interesting to try...~

~Didn't you say that impossibility is merely a challenge?~

~When I can already calculate that the energy it would cost me to achieve such a spell would be higher than what I have and thus kill me, I'd rather only research it in theory.~ Voldemort sounded actually sour at that, Harry noted. Must be difficult for someone this powerful to admit that something was beyond his capabilities.

The room they entered looked nothing like Riddle house anymore. It was a wide space, tables on all sides, filled with books and scrolls. Harry sat down and listened, wondering why Voldemort was spending so much time on him. Sure, it was interesting to hear of the old stories about the winter solstice celebration, of how in the past, thousands of mages had gathered to light candles, symbolising that even on the longest night of the year, light was present. Still, Harry had the feeling that he wasn't here to learn. Voldemort could have sent him a book on the topic, even a letter if he wanted to give a quick summary. It would be far more effective than anything they shared in dreams since he forgot most of it the instant he awoke again. No, more than anything, it felt as if the man just didn't want to be alone, as unbelievable as that sounded even to Harry's own ears. Thus, he indulged, listening to every word spoken to him, keeping on his toes as he wasn't entirely sure about the Dark Lord's intentions yet.

~-you understand?~ the man asked suddenly, raising thin eyebrows at him. Harry nodded mutedly, suddenly very aware of how close they were sitting. Why were Voldemort's dreams always so damned realistic that he could literally feel his own throat drying out? He licked his lips, perhaps not the best gesture to make as ruby eyes followed the motion with unhealthy interest. A cold shiver went down Harry spine and he moved backwards, trying to put a bit more space between them, failing as it only made him bump into Voldemort's right arm, a hand splaying across his back to steady him. -He did not need to be steadied! This was a fucking dream! He should be able to tumble somersaults in mid-air if he so pleased!- The hand disappeared, which he was glad for, until he noticed that that wasn't the only thing. Voldemort's face grew blurry as well and his voice faded.

Harry opened his eyes slowly, cursing the loud noises that came from around the room. It looked like his dorm mates were already up and about, the noise having woken him. He lay there for a while still, pretending to still be asleep as he pondered on why he had goose bumps all over his arms, only able to recall that he'd shared another dream with the Dark Lord and that the man had thankfully not been angry about his slip-up. There had been something about Yule too... and fire, Harry frowned. Hadn't old Mr. Bryce played a role? No, that was ridiculous, it wasn't as if Voldemort would ever invite a Muggle. Sighing, Harry got up and dressed to get ready for the day, the only concrete sentences that he could clearly recall being an explanation about the Enforcement of Law - a concept that shook his mind- and stories of Yule.

He opened his bed curtains, seeing that he wasn't the first to rise. Ron gave him a blank stare that did not predict much good. Sighing, Harry headed straight to the shower, not able to deal with his friend's foul mood first thing in the morning. As he scrubbed himself clean, the teen raised his right arm, the one he'd drawn blood from for Voldemort. The magical metal that had filled the wound was long gone, only leaving behind skin that shimmered slightly more than the rest, only noticeable in the right light. The thought of metal brought up the thought of the golden egg, which he still hadn't solved. A month had passed now, two remained... he bit his lip as he admitted to himself that it might be time to focus a bit more on it. Had Voldemort said anything about the Tasks? If so, he couldn't recall it.

So, time to think of options. Barty had hinted at that Harry would definitely need more time to prepare for whatever was waiting for him than he'd needed for the dragon, which meant that Harry wanted to plan in at least a month for preparation... leaving him with one month or less to solve the riddle from the egg. That might prove to be complicated when Barty wasn't willing to help him at the moment, and Harry knew that Hermione had already tried to research everything she could about creatures that made shrieking sounds. Unfortunately, there were many, from Banshees to Baykoks, Drekavac and certain Gorgons... and then he wasn't even through a third of the Alphabet. What baffled him even more was that this sound was supposed to be a 'clue' that he could solve, indicating that he should be able to... what, understand it? Decipher it? Perhaps it was a message that could be played backwards such as on some Muggle LP's... he could try that, even if hunting for a spell that reversed sound could turn out to be an incredible waste of time if that theory didn't prove to be correct.

He walked to breakfast alone, not wanting to upset either Ron or Hermione by obviously joining the other, even if in this particular argument he thought the girl's side was more understandable. Once he arrived in the Great Hall however, neither were there. Instead, he sat down next to Ginny. ''Hey, sorry for disappearing on you yesterday, Viktor and I had a rather hard time finding Hermione.'' To be entirely honest, he'd entirely forgotten about his 'date' in the midst of it all.

''That's fine,'' she shrugged. ''I enjoyed myself a lot. I was just talking to Luna about it before, she found it an unforgettable experience too.''

''Erhm, that's great,'' Harry said, glancing over to the Ravenclaw table. Instead of Lovegood however, his eyes found Dixie, who waved at him to come over. A bit reluctant since they hadn't talked in a while again, Harry got up and walked around the Hufflepuff table to reach her.

''Great party, wasn't it?'' she beamed. ''Shame zat you didn't stay till the end, I'd still wanted to have at least one proper dance wiz you.''

''One dance was enough,'' Harry groaned. ''I was glad that most of the music was suitable for just hopping around.

'''Arry, per'aps dance lessons are in order,'' he heard, and looked at a deviously smiling Fleur, who flicked her hair behind her ear. ''You were ab'orrent.''

''Oh thanks a lot, it's not as if I have to be wonderful at everything.''

Fleur and Dixie both giggled. Good. Now he also had gotten closer to the Beauxbatons Champion, it wouldn't be so complicated anymore that he was friends with the other French girl. Or well, friends... it was still based on a lie and a charm. He pondered for a bit on that. Could a friendship that had started as a lie turn true? Perhaps, the very definition of friendship was open for interpretation. He'd considered Ron a friend from the first day they'd met, before they'd gone through any hardships whatsoever, only because he found the boy fun to talk to. Dixie was also a pleasant person to be around, although he couldn't imagine ever trusting her to the extent that he did with Ron and Hermione, whom he'd had almost four years with to grow close to. Then again... He threw a hesitant look at the Gryffindor table, seeing that the both of them had arrived by now and were sitting as far away from each other as possible with the seats that had still been available. It looked like even a friendship like theirs was a fragile thing.

''Zey had a row, didn't zey?'' Dixie asked, following his glance.

''Yeah, nothing new. They have one practically every year.'' Somehow though, he had the feeling that this one was different. More serious. ''Anyway, I've got to head back to eat something. Eating at another House table isn't very polite.''

''I shall see you zen zis evening, 'Arry,'' Fleur smiled politely.

''Evening?'' Harry asked, wondering if he'd missed something.

''Cedric moved ze Champion party to today. He said to meet up on ze first floor. You can bring your date again, or someone else, it doesn't 'ave to be a girl zis time either since zere will be no dancing, only 'anging around and talking. I also will not bring Davies.'' She threw an annoyed look down the table, where Harry could spot Davies jabbing elbows with someone else. ''Unfortunately, 'e was a bore.''

''Got it, thank you. After dinner then?''

''A bit later, 'alf past eight. Viktor still 'as anozer appointment before.'' Harry nodded and returned to the Gryffindor table, tapping Cedric on the shoulder as he walked past the boy on the way back, to let him know that he'd be there. As he sat down and finally started eating again, Harry wondered what he would do about it. The party was maybe a way to exchange information, Cedric had said that they should all help each other out... On the other hand, they were also rivals and surely none would want to diminish their chances of winning by outright telling what they found. That Harry and Cedric had a sort of alliance was more understandable as they were both from Hogwarts. Whether Fleur and Viktor would play along was an entirely different story. They might even be offended by the suggestion.

He also had to think about whom to bring. Yesterday he'd have brought Ginny along since she was his date, but now the ball was over it might give the wrong impression to ask her to accompany him again. Ron and Hermione were also out now that he didn't want to pick a side there. Hell, it was likely that Hermione would already be there because of Viktor, and if he'd bring Ron then it might turn into another shouting match. Better to keep that silent. Would Dixie maybe want to go, or would she then feel trapped between Harry and the duty to her school to be on Fleur's side? Very frustrating. He should have asked Fleur if it was also acceptable to come alone. A bit late now, the Hall was already starting to clear out and class started soon.

He remained clueless about whom to ask for the remainder of the day. Even during dinner he was still unsure. It made him realise just how few people he really liked well enough to ask such a thing of. Asking a girl would instantly hint at romantic interest again, which he didn't want, and asking any guy apart from Ron could cause trouble over 'best friend' status. He really couldn't see himself bringing Seamus or Dean either. They were both alright to talk to but that was all. He wasn't so close to them that bringing them to a private party wouldn't look weird.

Then it hit him in an epiphany: he could secure a second person to bring to the party and perhaps crack this egg all at once. He shovelled the remainders of food into his mouth and left the Great Hall as one of the first people, disappearing down the dungeons before anyone could notice. There, he hid in an alcove near the Slytherin common room until his target approached. ''Hey Malfoy,'' he called out, trying to look as calm as possible. The boy abruptly stood still and turned to face him, eyes narrowed, dismissing Crabbe and Goyle with a wave.

''Potter. Already giving up your pride?''

''If you're hinting at me begging you on my knees for help, no. I know that even though the Durmstrang students have been staying in the Slytherin quarters, you haven't really succeeded in attracting their attention, being only a fourth-year and the name Malfoy not having as much worth overseas as it has here. How would you like to be introduced to all the other Champions? There's an exclusive party going on and I just so happened to think of you.''

A sly smirk slid over Malfoy's features. ''My my Potter, you're learning. Not so hot-headed now, are you?'' he gave Harry a scrutinising look from top to bottom. ''Doesn't look like much of a party with you dressed like that though.''

''It's only starting at eight thirty.''

''And how exclusive are we talking?''

''Four Champions, four others.''

Malfoy scrunched his nose. ''If that is an attempt to ask me on a date Potter, it's not funny.''

''Me? Asking you to... don't flatter yourself, if I wanted a date I'd have asked Ginny again. Fleur told me that it's merely talking and that it doesn't matter whether I bring a girl or not. I know you're not exactly my best friend either, but Ron is currently not an option and you are the only person who could appreciate such an opportunity.''

''You mean the only one to whom you owe something and still need help from. Fine, I accept. I still expect you to wear dress robes, I'm not sitting next to someone in that.'' Harry rolled his eyes.

''Whatever you want. Meet me at the top of the grand Staircase ten minutes before the start, that should be enough time.''

''If this turns out to all be a giant hoax Potter, I do not care whose protection you are under, I'll personally cut your head neatly off and decorate my wall with it.''

''Unlike you, Malfoy, I do not lure people into fake duels and then call Filch on them,'' Harry sweetly replied. ''Tempting though it may be. See you in a bit.'' Pleased with himself, Harry went up to Gryffindor tower. While it may be horrible to hang out with the arrogant prick, it would make Malfoy more willing to help him again, bettering his chances in this Tournament. Additionally, if he had Malfoy's help, he perhaps also would have access to more resources as he came from an old, dark family. Surely Lucius had taught his son a trick or two.

To his great relief, the next few hours brought no complications. Ron wasn't there, and Harry heard that Hermione was up in the girl's dorms. He dug in his trunk for the remaining sweets that he'd gotten yesterday from Hagrid and Mrs Weasley to bring with him. He hoped that they weren't expected to exchange presents or something, he didn't really have any items lying around that would make for good gifts.

''Took you long enough,'' Malfoy scowled when he finally showed up.

''I'm only a minute late Malfoy, don't be dramatic. Come on.'' They walked side-by-side in silence, receiving a few strange looks from several Hufflepuffs wandering the corridors. Harry had to admit that it must be an odd sight to see him and Malfoy not openly fighting or ignoring each other. Cedric had the same reaction when they met him and the older boy hesitantly guided them to a room that was hidden by another fake wall.

''Welcome to Broc Abode.'' Cedric stated proudly, making a wide gesture. Harry walked in and took in the view. Unlike most hidden rooms, this one was warm and cosy, entirely decorated to ooze a homely feel. Thick black rugs covered the ground, honey-coloured glass lamps shone a pleasant light on the wooden accents on the wall and on the plants that stood on every available surface. There were no windows and the ceiling was dome-shaped with more plants hanging from it, giving the place a feeling of being underground. To the left, he saw that another, smaller room was connected to the first, and if he wasn't mistaken, beyond that he could see one more. ''The pride of the Hufflepuffs,'' Cedric grinned. ''Our common room is comfortable, but this is our home. Take a seat, I'll go wait outside for the others to arrive.''

Harry settled down on a soft armchair covered in brown suede while Malfoy walked around the room to inspect it. ''Never knew something like this existed,'' the boy muttered. ''Slytherin should step up its game. If the bloody Hufflepuffs can have an extra living space, we certainly deserve one.''

Harry yawned, feeling comfortable. ''Go decorate the Chamber of Secrets then. I recommend removing the corpse first. Or no, wait, you lot have got something with skulls and bones lying around don't you? Maybe tie a fang to your head and pretend to be a unicorn.'' He didn't bother looking up to see Malfoy's face, the spluttering he received in return was satisfying enough. The door opened once more and the rest entered, apparently having already met up before. He realised several things in the moment. One, Hermione had indeed come with Viktor again. Two, the likeliness of that possibility was exactly why he'd decided to not ask Ron. Three, when brewing up his plan to bring Malfoy here instead of Ron, he had entirely forgotten about that again. So now he had Hermione and Malfoy staring at each other in hatred. ''Err, hi 'Mione,'' he said, hoping to light up the mood again.

''You brought him?'' Hermione spoke, looking disgusted, so Harry had to be damned quick in thinking up an excuse.

''I thought it would annoy Ron the most,'' he blurted out. She stared at him for a very long ten seconds, then started giggling before bursting out in peals of laughter, having to lean on Viktor for support.

''Harry! You- ow, my stomach. You are... brilliant. That will teach that jealous git!'' Harry exhaled slowly, glad to have avoided a catastrophe.

''Touching,'' Malfoy sneered, then looked at the other Champions, approaching them in his usual pompous manner, giving a short bow to Fleur and extending a hand to Viktor. He entirely ignored the rest of the people in the room. Cedric had brought Cho again, but Fleur wad followed by a girl from her school whom she introduced as her best friend, Lovette. Harry's gesture of bringing candy was thankfully appreciated, and Draco turned out to also be useful when he revealed that he'd smuggled in some stronger alcohol, to which only Hermione was opposed. It didn't stop her from sipping from Viktor's glass whenever he offered. They all grew more comfortable and loud as the evening progressed, laughing at the antics of Fleur, who surprisingly became a whole lot less frigid when feeling comfortable. She and Lovette described all the trouble they had gotten up to in Beauxbatons, overfeeding the Abraxan winged horses with different types of alcohol and sneaking off to town. Hermione chimed in, telling of the adventures that they'd had at Hogwarts, causing gasps all around as she described their encounter of last year when professor Lupin had forgotten his potion.

''He is an amazing person though,'' she said, slurring a bit. ''Just has a terrible illness. I'll never understand why people judge that.''

''He could have killed you!'' Draco countered. ''This is exactly why werewolves are regulated!''

''Many people could kill me,'' she replied. ''And they are a lot less careful about pretending to not try. Don't forget that as a Muggleborn, many are actively out for my life. Your parents-''

''Are not murderers!'' Draco yelled, his face getting red. ''They don't agree with Mudbloods just walking in an out of here, spilling secrets left and right to Muggles, that doesn't mean they'd kill any!'' Harry wasn't so sure about that. Mr Malfoy was the one who had handed Ginny Voldemort's diary, nearly getting her and other blood-traitors and Muggleborns killed. It didn't look like he had many scruples. He tried to get this point across, but his mouth wouldn't function properly and his head was all fuzzy. He saw that Viktor had sprung up, eyes flickering dangerously, most likely because Malfoy was stupid enough to have said 'Mudblood' in front of everyone here. Before things could escalate, he found his tongue again.

''At least the Dark Lord doesn't want to kill Muggleborns,'' Harry finally stated, not seeing the sudden sharp look that Draco threw him. Hermione just giggled.

''Don't say ridiculous things Harry. Of course he does.''

''No he doesn't,'' Harry stubbornly replied. ''Everyone with magic has value to him.''

''Potter, this is a better topic to discuss when you're not hammered.'' The fuzz in Harry's head cleared slightly as the warning tone got through to him. ''Anyways, it won't do to spoil a gathering like this with political differences-''

''The lives of my family are not just a part of your fucking political agenda Malfoy!'' Hermione snarled, held back only by Viktor. ''There's a difference between 'which party wants to cut taxes' and 'which party wants to commit genocide!' No Viktor, I am not going to be silent about this!'' Harry rose to his feet, swaying a bit and approaching Hermione, rather awkwardly trying to hug her despite Viktor having an arm slung around her waist.

''No-one is asking you to, 'Mione,'' he whispered, hugging her tightly as she shook with rage and tears. ''But Malfoy is right in that we're not getting anywhere by drunk shouting. We can talk about it later. Okay?'' Her anger dissipated and he could feel how she nodded against his shoulder. ''I'll always be on your side,'' he promised. It was a vow that he would do everything for to keep, even if that was begging Voldemort to spare her family. He shuddered when a part of the dream he'd forgotten about returned in full, a blackened hand rising from the flames. ''Always,'' he whispered again before releasing her, watching as she wiped away her tears and curled up against Viktor's side, not saying another word.

''Eh ben, 'ow'r you all doeen wizze.. ze.. tasks?'' Lovette suddenly interrupted. She had spoken very little until now, usually whispering to Fleur. Harry could finally understand why: with her accent he could barely understand a word. It was as if she glued them all together. Still, he was glad that she finally spoke about the topic that they'd all been dancing around.

Cedric, always the honest guys sighed loudly and said: ''I'm stumped on it, honestly. No idea how you are all faring, but I have tried everything and not gotten anything sensible out of that egg.'' Viktor and Fleur exchanged short, meaningful glances that told Harry everything he needed to know. They'd both figured out the clue already, perhaps aided by the heads of their schools once again. Damned Dumbledore.

''I haven't gotten very far either,'' Harry admitted, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the walls not moving as much, the more water he drank instead of alcohol. ''Though I found someone who apparently does know more. I'm still working on convincing him that the pride of our school is bigger than pettiness.'' He saw Malfoy stiffen slightly. '''Well, still have another two months, you know? I'm not too worried.''

''I do know what ze Task is,'' Fleur softly spoke, then hesitated. ''But figuring out ze clue is not the most difficult part of it.'' she carded her hand through her hair. ''If either of you still do not know two weeks ahead of ze Task, I will tell you,'' she decided. ''It would be a boring challenge if 'alf of ze Champions cannot even take part.''

Viktor nodded. ''True, I would not hav problems vith that.'' Harry's heart lifted and Cedric also looked incredibly relieved. ''But be varned,'' the Bulgarian continued. ''Two veeks may be too little time to prepare, you should really both try to figure it out yourselves.'' Both Hogwarts Champions nodded, Cedric looking incredibly pleased now. His organising efforts had clearly paid off.

''Thank you, really,'' Harry spoke earnestly. ''I know that neither of you would have to and it would be easier to stay silent especially with two of us being for Hogwarts...''

Fleur waved his thanks away. ''It would be entirely unfair for me to not 'elp at all. We all know now zat at least you did not choose for zis. I admit, at ze start I was angry for 'Ogwarts playing unfair... now I see zat you two 'ave it much more difficult than we do.''

''How do you mean that?'' Cedric frowned, still clueless as to the other schools' foul play.

''Never mind that, I'm still grateful,'' Harry quickly spoke, not wanting to disillusion the good-natured boy. Malfoy steered the conversation away again, asking about how everyone lived, possibly wanting see who was rich enough to be on par with House Malfoy. Harry wasn't very interested in it, instead watching Hermione with concern, who did not partake further in the conversation even when Viktor did. It must be difficult to be the only Muggleborn in a room full of people. Harry may have been raised by Muggles and be regarded as a Half-blood despite both of his parents being magicians, he still felt no strong connection with the Muggle world. To him, it had been a place to escape from and he'd found everything he wanted at Hogwarts, overlooking the uglier aspects beneath the glamour of magic. Not Hermione: she did not use her books as an escape from reality as many did, instead researching about topics she could then apply to the real word and support her arguments with. She saw the foul practises, the elitism, the racism, the evil that had dug its claws deep into the Wizarding World and thrived on exploitation. House-elf slavery was only the tip of the iceberg.

What would Voldemort say of all this? Harry was afraid to ask him, knowing that the answer would not be decided by what was 'good' or not, but rather by cold reasoning of what would be better to protect the magical community as a whole. If Voldemort reached the conclusion that there were no negative aspects for magicians in oppressing other races, he wouldn't lift a finger, Harry was absolutely convinced of that. While the Dark Lord's goals were admirable, he was not the right person to look to to end oppression. On the contrary, especially the gap between Purebloods and Muggleborns would widen, not because Voldemort inherently valued them more or thought them more intelligent or powerful, but for the pure logical fact that those who had grown up around magic were better suited to govern their kind than those who'd only come into contact with their society from a later age. Harry himself had had absolutely no clue how wizards actually lived until he'd been at the Burrow and still had a hard time adapting to it. And the Weasleys were people who still tried to adapt to a 'Muggle lifestyle' as much as possible.

He still thought about it after they said their goodbyes to the other Champions, his train of thought only halting for a moment when Draco offered his hand. ''One more chance for the both of us, Potter,'' the boy said in all seriousness. Knowing that it would be stupid not to, Harry confirmed the handshake. ''Give me a week,'' Draco spoke, lowering his voice. ''Then I'll tell you about the egg. If you're going to hear from them anyway, I'd rather it be me who aids you.''

''Thanks.''

''I fully expect you to put in a good word for me in time,'' Malfoy smirked. ''Now be off, else I might tell Professor Snape that there are a few Gryffindors out of bed after curfew,'' Smug, he walked away and Harry rolled his eyes, turning to Hermione, who gave him a tight smile.

''I'm not going to ask you what business you have with Malfoy Harry... just please be careful.''

''I told you whose side I'm on. I meant it.''

She gave him a piercing look and finally lowered her chin in acknowledgement. ''Let's return before Filch gets us. It became much later than anticipated.''

''Agreed.'' With many unspoken words between them and the memory of careless, alcohol-induced talk, they climbed the steps up to Gryffindor Tower.

Sooo, Harry is getting himself deeper and deeper into messy situations. At least he has a chance on the Second task now, and that without Barty's help ;P
I know that many of you expected Voldemort to be a lot angrier, but I think he would be the type to consider long-term goals now regarding Harry as long as our favourite hero doesn't directly go against his wishes.
Please Read and Review!
xx GeMerope