Harry, with the help of Draco and Hermione, prepared for the third task. Especially after the events of the last few weeks.
After Crouch Sr appeared in the Forbidden Forest, Harry had another Voldemort dream, like he did last summer. He was sitting in Divination thinking of kissing Draco, and his hand running through his dark unruly hair, his soft lips against his own, when he found himself dreaming of Voldemort in the same cursed mansion he killed the old man named Frank in. Except this time it was Wormtail, and he was being tortured for a mistake he apparently made. The other man from the other dream was not in this dream. His scar hurt this time too.
He went to tell Dumbledore, when he found himself eavesdropping on a conversation between him, Mad-Eye Moody, and the Minister of Magic. When left alone in the office, his curiosity got the best of him, and he found himself viewing Dumbledore's old memories from the Death Eater trials from thirteen years ago.
It was all so suspicious and fishy.
Both Sirius and Remus urged Dumbledore to cancel the tournament, or at least pull Harry out of it, but the Ministry officials refused.
"They said something about foreign relations and international cooperation blah blah…" Sirius told Harry over the mirrors he got him.
So Harry had to be ready.
"You got this." Draco holds his shoulders, and stares deep in his eyes. "You hear me?"
They were both standing in the champions' tent right before the task. Harry nodded. Draco grabbed him, and hugged him. He then, sneakily, gave him a kiss on his cheek, and Harry just smiled and lightly blushed.
"Thank you…"
"Good luck, Harry!" Hermione was there, she hugged him too.
Draco and Hermione headed to the stands, where they watched Harry and the three other champions enter the maze, and then nothing.
"What are we supposed to watch exactly?" Draco turned to Hermione.
"Yeah, the second task was the same." She agreed.
"Not for me…"
Hermione laughed.
They watched the maze, just being there, quietly for several minutes before Hermione broke the silence.
"So," she said, eying Draco carefully, "Harry?"
Draco blushed a little, "uhm, yeah."
With everything happening, they never got to talk about it.
"Don't hurt him."
"I would never." Draco was offended.
"I just mean," Hermione said, "he's been through a lot."
"I know."
"We've come a long way," Hermione said, now staring up into the sky, "you and me; haven't we?"
Draco chuckled, "we didn't get along much, huh?"
"Not at all!" Hermione chuckled too.
"But yeah," Draco agreed, "I'm happy you're my friend now."
"It's all thanks to him." Hermione said.
She was right. When Draco befriended Harry he did it for the status, for the fame, but over time Harry changed him. He's a better version of himself thanks to him, and isn't that what love is all about?
His train of thought was cut by Harry appearing out of thin air in the pitch, covered in blood, dragging what seemed to be a… that's Cedric's body.
There are gasps and screams in the crowd
"Shit." Hermione whispered.
"What the…" Draco simply looked at the scene stunned.
Amos Diggory, Dumbledore, and a few professors and Ministry officials ran to him.
"Excuse me!" Draco shouted, as he jumped over the people in the crowd to get down to Harry.
"Draco! Where are you going?" Hermione called for him, but he ignored him. He was transfixed on getting to Harry.
When he finally got out of the stands, he looked around for Harry.
"Voldemort is back!" Harry cried, still bent over Cedric's body. "He's back!"
Draco ran towards him, kneeled behind, and laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. Harry turned around and threw himself at him and cried in his arms.
"He's back, Draco!"
Draco just sat there. The Dark Lord is back.
That's year 4! :))
I hope you enjoyed reading so far! Let me know what you think in the reviews...
Soon, my posting frequency will probably go down given I'm going back to school, but I'll do my best to still post timely.
Year 5 up next! :))