Part 1
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Cedric took a sip of his butterbeer as Draco bragged about his abilities. "Those spiders didn't stand a chance of stopping me. Potter had to get bailed out by a car. Meanwhile I defeated several and got out on my own. I even got a souvenir."
Draco pulled out a large spider fang. Cedric looked at the fang, it was definitely from an acromantula. "Uh…Draco. You do know acromantulas hold grudges right?"
A few beads of sweat formed on Draco's face. "W-well, that shouldn't be a problem."
Cedric shrugged. "You're probably safe, I doubt they'd come out of the forest." He took another sip of butterbeer. "I've been wondering. What's the deal with you and Harry?"
"Potter." Draco spat out. "Arrogant good for nothing thinks his stupidity makes him brave."
Cedric couldn't help agreeing with Draco to a point. Harry did seem to put himself in harm's way more than necessary. But at the same time, the results spoke for themselves. He stopped Voldemort from getting the sorcerer's stone, saved Ginny Weasley in the chamber of secrets, and saved Cedric from that fat guy. Necessary or not, Harry had done good with his actions. Sacrificing oneself for the greater good wasn't blind stupidity, sometimes the outcome was worth the price and risk.
Cedric couldn't help weighing those actions against Draco's. "Was your fight with acromantulas necessary?" He then realized he'd spoken out loud.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Why would that matter? What matters is having a plan to make sure you can get out."
Cedric had to concede the point. The way Draco described it, he'd gone into the forest with plenty of countermeasures. Several spells for dealing with spiders, antivenom and a few potions meant to incapacitate acromentulas, even a friend on a broom waiting to bail him out if necessary. From the stories he'd heard about Harry, that didn't seem to be the case. He'd gone to fight a basilisk without bringing a rooster. Then again, time had been of the essence.
That was the thing about needing to face danger. If you didn't have a choice in the matter, you likely weren't expecting the event. Hard to prepare for something you didn't know would happen. "You did have a solid plan. But, why do it in the first place?"
Draco showed genuine surprise at the question. "Because I could." Cedric raised an eyebrow and when he didn't give a response, Draco continued. "You've never been curious about testing your limits, seeing what you're capable of?"
Cedric had to think about that. He could understand that desire, but it seemed like Draco had other reasons for his actions. But, if he didn't want to say more, Cedric wouldn't push him.
At the next quidditch practice, Cedric raced against several teammates. With the season picking back up soon, he wanted to test the abilities of himself and his team. He was still the best at controlling his broom at high speed, but Max had managed a few new tricks. She'd been training over break, and her improved rolls showed just how far she'd gotten. During a game of sky tag, she managed a roll where she stole another player's broom. Hansel looked so confused when he found himself on Max's broom.
That gave Cedric a few ideas for strategies, but the move was too dangerous. There was a difference between a move that risked losing a game, and a move that risked someone's life. Quidditch was a dangerous game, and everyone who played knew the risks, but there was a limit. It wasn't just a risk to Max, an opponent she stole a broom from would fall if she didn't give them her broom in time.
Cedric wanted to test his team's limits. But there were other ways to do it. And unlike Draco Malfoy he didn't want to take unnecessary risks.
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Part 2
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The main hall of Malfoy manor had corpses piled throughout the floor. Lucius Malfoy stood next to Barty Crouch Jr., grimacing as Voldemort tortured a quivering man with black hair. The man was kneeling, tears in his eyes. "Please…"
"Avada Kedavra!" The dark lord kicked the body away, cursing under his breath. "I hit Dumbledore with the killing curse, I hit him. All these people here died to it. It was unstoppable. So how did that geiser survive?"
He stormed over the window, stepping out and flying away. As Voldemort left, Lucuis breathed a sigh of relief. Crouch waved his wand, sending the bodies away. Then he plaed a hand Lucuis's shoulder. "Relax. He's on our side."
Lucuis Malfoy did a double take. "What?"
Crouch looked at him very seriously. "You fear him because you lack loyalty. But haven't you noticed he protects those who show him loyalty?" Lucius raised an eyebrow as Crouch continued. "It's true he'll gladly destroy anyone who's not an ally, but even those with little power are treated well when they show their loyalty. Why do you think he favors Bellatrix and me?"
Lucius considered whether to answer honestly. "Because you've never failed him?"
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. I failed several tasks during the first wizarding war. And later on, Bellatrix and I were both captured. The dark lord went through a great deal of trouble to help me escape my captors. True I'm useful, but I'm also loyal. A loyalty that he returns." Crouch gave a smirk. "You showed loyalty at one time, prove that you have it again, and you'll have no reason to fear him." Crouch apparated away.
Lucius looked at the place Barty Crouch Jr. had been. Did that fool really believe Lord Voldemort wouldn't throw him away if he stopped being useful? No…Crouch was too cunning to be that naive, and he had a point. Loyalty increased someone's usefulness, and Voldemort was usually pragmatic. It was what had kept him alive so long.
Though…there were some actions by the dark lord that felt more like a liability than anything else. Dragging over a hundred people to the Malfoy manor alive just to kill them didn't serve any practical use. Well, it could be used to train death eaters, and each victim had technically been an enemy. Lucius could also see the use in striking fear in those who sided with him, knowing what awaited traitors.
But it was too visible to the world at large. Someone would catch them and uncover secret supporters of the dark lord. The risk wasn't worth it. Was Crouch gaslighting him, and trying to convince Lucius of something? It didn't feel like a threat, if anything Crouch was trying to reassure him, not scare him into submission.
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Part 3
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Harry and Hermione stared in shock as Ron transfigured a toad into a different cars, going between frog forms and mostly sports cars. The most recent sat in the middle of the transfiguration classroom. Ron opened the door, stepped inside, and turned the car on with a roar. Professor Mcgonnagall stepped up Ron as he got out.
"While impressive Mr. Weasley, the assignment was to turn an animal into a watch."
Ron pointed to the dashboard where a digital clock read 2:17 PM. Mcgonnagall hesitated for a moment to think. "Well…I can give partial credit for the clock. But a watch must be wearable around the wrist."
"Fine…" Ron huffed, turning the car back into the toad, then into a working wrist watch.
Mcgonnagall nodded inspecting the watch's moving arms. "Well done. 10 points to Gryffindor."
Harry whispered in Ron's ear. "Why'd you change it back into a toad?"
"I can turn animals into objects and objects into animals, but I don't know how to switch between different animals or objects." Ron shrugged.
"Seriously?" Hermione looked at Ron like he'd grown a second head. "That's the part you struggle with? That should be the easy part. Not whatever you've been doing. How are you this good at transfiguration?"
Professor Mcgonnagall continued looking at students' watches. Hermione got full marks, as did Luna and Cho. Draco Malfoy passed easily while Neville and Harry struggled. Crab and Goyle couldn't even get their owls to turn into clocks, somehow ending up with a plate and goblet.
After class Neville and Harry, along with the rest of Gryffindor, kept asking Ron to show his spell again on the way back to the common room. But everyone got distracted by a fireworks display coming from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Fred and George were riding brooms around a dragon made of fireworks currently chasing Professor Umbridge.
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A/N:
Wizards have the best fireworks. They basically have magic nanobots. Seems like that kind of stuff is becoming possible now with drones, but you're not seeing an individual pull that off.
