Author's Notes:
I appreciate the few reviews on the last two chapters, and I've taken the constructive criticism and positive reviews into account. The next three chapters were written before your reviews. I've made small edits to this one, I'll be making small edits on the next three, and everything after that I'll try and make not as slow paced— only necessary.
It is by no means my intention to drag the story on, but I feel it's necessary world and relationship building that will all make sense in later chapters. This story should feel a little mysterious, even with Bella (currently) following along to the main plot. All previous interactions and conversations will have meaning. And... relationships aren't formed in a day.
Thank you all for continuing to read my first story and I hope you continue to enjoy reading it. I've certainly learned alot from it, thanks to you guys!
Chapter 10 - Impetuous decisions
The Great Hall was buzzing with the chitter chatter of students who had finished their meals, most midway through their desserts. Tonight was Hallowe'en— tonight the TriWizard champions would be chosen. It was not something that could be easily forgotten, with Tracey bumbling about it all week.
Bella watched as Dumbledore leaned over to McGonagall, whispering something in her ear at the longer staff table that accommodated the newest arrivals from Beuxbatons and Durmstrang.
Something didn't add up. Something in her past— or future— knowledge was missing about the TriWizard tournament. Bella closed her eyes, for what felt like the millionth time regarding the subject, trying to remember who had competed in the tournament.
It was useless— Azkaban's derelict, dimly lit and filthy hall's were all she could remember of the year 1994. She had spent years outside the jail after being liberated, consorting with the Dark Lord and his subjects, and not once did she bother to pick up a paper or ask fellow members what was up or what happened in her lost years.
The Dark Lord had her exactly where he wanted her, loyal and brainwashed by his side. He had filled her mind and her dreams. She was a dog loyal to her master.
Bella stabbed a pudding with her fork with a little too much force, the silver flatware screeching along the plate. Tracey and Daphne's heads jerked up at the noise, noticing the commotion. Bella looked down, avoiding their eyes.
There was one theory— Harry somehow entered the tournament. It was the only way something could happen this year. Unfortunately that had been the only theory she could come up with thus far, so it's the only one she focused on. How it led to the rise of the Dark Lord…
Harry's revelation last night still made Bella's blood run cold. He knew something about the Dark Lord. According to Harry, he was alive. Was she too late?
"If you stab that pudding any harder it's going to scream and run," Tracey said. Bella looked up and dropped her fork next to her plate.
"What's eating you, Bella?" Daphne asked.
"Nothing," Bella mumbled.
"Probably thinking about her filthy pet Mudblood," Draco sneered, from two seats down the table.
His cohorts laughed, Pansy's shrill laugh overpowering the rest of the Slytherin's boy's lower tones. Bella looked over at him and glared. Draco grinned and shrugged.
Draco's proposition last night was unexpected. Amazingly, he supported her fraternisation with the Gryffindors, but for reasons she knew all too well about. Bella knew he would be a pain in the future, but at least she wasn't an outcast within Slytherin.
Draco turned to his right, his facial features turning from smug to nervous. It was an odd look on him, but one he always seemed to use when speaking to the Durmstrang boy Krum. "Do you think you'll be chosen?"
The burly boy turned slightly, annoyance written over his face. "Yes."
Malfoy looked giddy that the older boy had at least answered him. "Do you think you will win, then?"
Krum turned back to his plate. "I vill."
Tracey leaned forward. "I think Draco's in love," she whispered to Bella and Daphne.
"It wouldn't surprise me," Daphne said. "You might have competition, Bella, with the amount of times Draco has spoken about Harry over the years." Daphne's face was stoic, then broke into a massive grin and she started laughing. Bella couldn't help but join in.
Dumbledore finished his end of feast announcements then walked over to the goblet. The fire turned red three individual times, spitting out a charred piece of paper into his outstretched hand. Krum, Delacour and Diggory. Apart from Krum, Bella had absolutely no clue who they were.
Bella sighed, looking down dejectedly. This year was going nowhere.
The chatter from the hall suddenly silenced, causing Bella to look up from her plate. Every single head in the Great Hall had turned to the other side of the room, towards the Gryffindor table. To Bella's astonishment, Harry rose, walked awkwardly over to Dumbledore, who whispered something in his ear, then he left through the side hallway towards a room Bella was unfamiliar with. The Great Hall suddenly burst into chatter when Harry disappeared from view.
"Didn't you tell us you were with Harry last night?" Daphne asked, as the girls walked back to the Slytherin dorms.
"Yes, but he didn't put his name in," Bella said distractedly.
"How do you know?" Daphne asked.
"I know."
"You didn't take your eyes off him?" Tracey teased.
"I told you. We left the library and went to see the goblet. Snape found us and walked me back to the common room. We lost track of time."
"It just seems fishy," Tracey started, after they had changed and prepared for bed. "You know him better than us. Why would he do it?"
"He wouldn't," Bella replied, not denying her first claim.
"Can we meet him?" Tracey asked.
"Why?" Bella asked, pulling off her covers and laying down in her bed.
"Why not?" Tracey asked. "Will we spook him too?"
"Next time I see him, I'll ask," Bella conceded.
But she didn't see him. It had been days since the announcement of Harry as the fourth champion, and the only time she had seen Harry was at their Care of Magical Creatures lesson. Before she had a chance to get his attention, the oaf Hagrid whisked him away.
Her only solace was knowing she would see him at their Potion's lesson this afternoon. When Daphne, Tracey and Bella made their way to the Potion's classroom later that day, Bella had to compose herself, wiping the ever so slight grin off her face before she descended the stairs that led to the entrance of the Potion's classroom. Harry looked sullen during their class with Hagrid, and her happiness would surely sour his mood.
She just… couldn't help it. She didn't know who entered his name, but after more than a month of looking for answers, she was finally getting somewhere.
"Everyone's wearing the pin, Bella," Daphne said, as they walked down the stairs. "Even the Gryffindors— I'm putting mine on."
"No," Bella hissed. "Please."
Daphne clicked her tongue, holding the green pin up in her hand. "Alright— we won't put ours on, but you have to do something for us." At least she had kept the pin displaying 'Cedric Diggory - The real Hogwarts champion,' instead of 'Potter stinks.'
Bella sighed. "What?"
"We want to meet Harry."
"He's right there," Bella said, pointing at him. He was standing between Hermione and Draco in a line outside the door, their heads lowered menacingly in a heated argument. Harry drew his wand, Draco followed suit. Bella quickened her pace down the stairs. "Okay, whatever you want," Bella called over her shoulder.
Bella rushed over and stood in between the boys, keenly aware that every single eye of the Gryffindor and Slytherin fourth years was now upon her. "What's going on?" Bella asked, staring daggers at Malfoy over her left shoulder.
"Nothing that concerns you, Bella," Draco said. He lowered his wand. Bella pushed Harry's still raised arm down. "Just showing off our latest merchandise." He raised his finger, pointing at his badge. "Where's the one I gave you?"
"You're a child, Draco."
Draco stepped back, a satisfied smirk on his face. He leaned around Bella and spoke to Harry. "You always get your girlfriend to fight your battles for you, Potter?"
"As if," Bella heard someone say from beside her. She looked over her right shoulder, discovering Weasley had stepped out from behind Hermione. "Harry'd never date a filthy snake."
"Shut up, Weasley!" Bella hissed.
"Shut up, Weasley!" Pansy cried, stepping out from near the end of the line and joining the spectacle.
"Yeah; shut up Weasley," Draco said amusedly. He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back on his heels. His eyes suddenly drifted down Bella's front, then his brow furrowed. He pulled away from the scene not long after, his face now blank. "Looks to me like they're quite intimate."
Only then did Bella realise she still had a hand wrapped around Harry's wrist. She pushed it away with more force than she intended and created some distance between them. Harry didn't look at her, instead pocketing his wand. Bella saw Weasley's eyes out of the corner of her eyes; he was staring at Harry's wrist as if it had been dipped in acid.
Someone cleared their throat from behind Draco. Bella's eyes turned towards the noise, noticing Snape, who stood in the doorway of the potions classroom, his face unreadable. "Get… in."
The students filed in at his instruction, Bella and Harry taking their usual seats at the back of the classroom on their double seated table. Harry still wouldn't look at her.
"Today you'll be brewing your antidote. One person from each pair shall test it. Begin."
Harry pulled out a cauldron from his bag. Bella pulled out their notes from inside her textbook. Harry slammed the cauldron down on the wooden table, it's sound echoing off the dull, grey bricks of the room.
"What's with you?" Bella asked.
Harry sighed. "What do you mean?"
"You'd better hope you haven't cracked the cauldron. I didn't bring an extra."
"And that would be the end of the world, would it?" Harry said, glaring at her.
"It would be! I'm not taking the poison; you are, idiot!"
Harry opened his mouth, his face cold, but Bella was saved from further onslaught by the door suddenly opening. The redheaded boy draped in a Gryffindor robe was no doubt the brother of the first year she had met during their entrance. He asked for Harry, and with vehement reluctance, Snape allowed him to leave.
"Wait," Bella said, grabbing his wrist as he stood to leave.
Harry tore his arm from her grasp. "What?"
"Look, Harry. Can we talk… maybe later?"
Harry sighed, his angry look disappearing. "Yeah— maybe later."
"White. Will you cope without your partner?" Snape asked, after Harry left through the doors.
Bella sighed. "Yes, Professor."
And she did, much to the surprise of Snape, who for some reason stared at her oddly from his position behind his desk most of the class. He approached her last with a vial of poison, students behind him running out the doors no doubt on their way to the infirmary, angry, red boils protruding from their exposed skin.
Snape bent down, examining the murky purple liquid in her cauldron and sniffed it. "Remarkably, it looks like you've brewed a half decent potion, White." He handed the two vials to her, one empty and one containing the poison. "Although, I wouldn't get your hopes up." He gestured behind him, sweeping the room with his arm; only a handful of students were unaffected. "Potter has an amazing habit of bringing those affiliated with him… down with him."
"Is that so, Professor?" Bella brought the vial to her lips, drinking the foul liquid in one gulp. She grabbed the ladle inside her cauldron, tipped the purple liquid into her vial, swallowing it and gagging violently.
Snape studied her after her hysterics. "Full marks, White."
Just as he turned around, Bella cleared her throat. "And Harry?"
Snape stopped in his tracks. Then, he turned around with a look of fury. "And why should he?" Snape said angrily.
"He helped with the research, Professor. I couldn't have done it without him."
Snape pursed his lips. "Is that so?" he asked. "I find that extremely hard to believe. He's never shown one competent thought in my class."
"Be that as it may, Professor, his research, at least this time, was done with incredible focus."
Snape narrowed his eyes. "And why is that, Miss White?"
"Harry knew he'd be taking the poison, Professor. He had to get it right."
Snape's face turned calculating. "Very well. I'd like your combined research notes in your next class. You'd be willing to risk your grade on that boy?"
Bella stared directly into his black eyes. "I would, Professor."
Snape studied her carefully. "Be careful where you set your loyalties, Miss White. You may be setting yourself up for disappointment." He turned around and started to walk away, but it was much slower than his normal walk that Bella knew he was awaiting her response.
"I've been down that road, Professor. I think it's time I try something new."
"I wish Snape had tested yours first," Hermione said, the pair walking towards the Great Hall after the potions lesson. "Maybe Ron would have… I told him not to add so much bezoar! We could have all taken some from yours."
"Maybe," Bella said distractedly.
"I'm sorry about the way I acted in the library."
"It's okay."
"No… It's just… they're slaves. I can't help it. I won't force it on you anymore."
"Do you realise how powerful elves are?"
"Yes, but—"
"If they weren't happy, they'd kill us all." Bella knew it was a stretch, something that would never happen, but it seemed to shut her up.
Their gait fell into rhythm, with only their footfalls filling the silence.
"What's wrong with Harry?" Bella asked.
"I was kind of hoping you'd tell me. He hasn't really spoken to us since… you know."
"Why?" Bella asked.
"Well… Ron sort of got jealous that Harry is a champion— he thinks he entered himself without telling Ron. I told him it wasn't true, but… You know what boys are like."
It was a typical response from Weasley, one that didn't surprise Bella in the slightest judging by his foul attitude in all their past interactions.
"Well?" Hermione probed.
"Well what?" Bella asked.
"How's Harry?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Well, Harry sort of disappears every now and again… I heard it was with you."
Bella turned to Hermione at the entrance of the Great Hall. "Don't believe everything you hear, Hermione."
"I don't, usually… but… I don't know. He talks about you a lot." She pulled up her many textbooks, repositioning them as they started to slip from her grip. "And after what I saw today…" she said, trailing off.
"What?" Bella asked, suddenly defensive. "I stopped two idiot boys from attacking each other. I'm surprised no one else intervened."
"Bella; no one stands up to Malfoy."
Bella turned with a huff, heading towards the Slytherin table. "Well, maybe they should," she called out loud enough for Hermione to hear over her shoulder.
There was a girl sitting next to Daphne, her long dark brown hair framed in such a way that it blocked half her face. When Bella neared the table, the girl's eyes drifted up, widening upon meeting Bella's stare. She threw her legs over the side of the bench and bolted down the length of the table.
"Sorry," Daphne mumbled, when Bella sat down next to her. "My sister, Astoria."
"I didn't know you had a sister," Bella said, while putting a few potatoes on her plate.
Daphne grinned. "She wants an autograph from Potter. She wants me to ask you."
Bella scowled, gazing up at Harry, who was sitting alone at the end of the Gryffindor table, his head lowered so close to his plate he could nearly start eating off it like an animal.
"Do you find it a bit odd that Potter was paired with you?"
Bella returned to her meal. "Why?" Bella asked. "You heard what Snape said, it was totally random."
Daphne scoffed. "Yeah, right." she pulled her fingers up in air quotes, "'totally random.'"
Bella sighed and shook her head. "What are you trying to say now, Daphne?"
"Well, if you had paid any attention at all, you'd notice that apart from you and Harry, everyone got paired within their own house. And with their friends, no less."
"But Blaise is with that… girl," Bella said, furrowing her brows.
"Parvarti Patil," Daphne filled in. "Because there were odd numbers. If you had got paired with someone in Slytherin it would have worked out perfectly."
"It could have been Blaise and Patil Snape wanted together," Bella said weakly.
"I'm just saying it's odd, Bella. I doubt Snape purposely made it odd numbers just so Blaise could be paired with Parvarti," Daphne said. "He wanted you and Harry together. Snape paired Gryffindors and Slytherins together— on purpose."
Daphne fell silent, and Bella had no intentions of breaching it. Now that she thought about it… it was odd.
"What did Hermione want?" Daphne asked, breaking the silence.
"Nothing," Bella said, nibbling on a potato, glad for the change in subject. "Is Tracey going to be okay?"
Daphne's face turned sullen. "I hope so. We were so confident we got it right."
"There were hardly any boils on her," Bella said placatingly. "You did fine. What mark did Snape give you?"
"An E—but I think the old Slytherin charm bumped us up a grade," Daphne said, smiling.
Bella smiled back. Sometimes being a Slytherin had its perks. "And you?"
"I did okay," Bella said modestly.
"Oh, bollocks," Daphne said, hitting her on the arm. Daphne pulled up Bella's sleeve, examining her arm. "There's not a boil on you. O?"
Bella nodded. "Well I had to get it right. My test dummy left."
"Speaking of the test dummy." Daphne pointed at Harry, who looked like he would rather be anywhere else than the table. "He's been sitting by his lonesome. Trouble in paradise?"
"He had a fight with his friends," Bella said, staring at him. "He's been acting distant."
"You really think he didn't enter himself?"
"He didn't."
"Do you like him, Bella?"
Bella scoffed. "No."
"Then why do you constantly seek his company?"
"Because…" Bella said immediately, then paused. To an onlooker, it could definitely seem that way, she thought resignedly. Bella knew there was absolutely nothing that she could say that would sway Daphne's thoughts on the matter, or that gave away her secrets. "Don't you ever wonder what it would be like to not have people like… Draco dictating things?"
"I wonder constantly, Bella," Daphne said, turning her head and staring at Harry. "But it's the way things are, and the way things will always be."
Harry got up to leave. Bella politely excused herself.
"Don't forget to ask!" Daphne yelled from behind her.
"Harry… Harry!"
"What?" Harry said, his back still turned. He turned around slowly, though his movements looked reluctant. Bella noticed his eyes were red and bloodshot.
"We need to talk."
"Can it wait?"
"It can't."
"Look, I'm really not in the mood for talking right now."
"Am I ever in the mood?" Bella countered.
Harry stared at her, spreading his arms. "Well, I'm here. Talk."
"Not here, you idiot," Bella said, staring pointedly at students leaving the feast through the door of the Great Hall. She brushed past him, descending the stairs to the Entrance Hall. "Are you coming?"
The night was beautiful. Not a cloud covered the sky, letting the stars and constellations shimmer brightly enough to lead their walk towards the viaduct courtyard unimpeded by darkness. Bella leaned over a railing that overlooked the boathouse surrounded by the Black Lake. Harry followed suit.
"I know you didn't put your name in the goblet."
"You'd be the first," Harry said bitterly.
"Do you know who did it?" Bella asked curiously.
"Sure would solve a lot of problems if I did."
"Why are you acting like a prat?" Bella asked, raising her voice. "I'm trying to help you!"
Harry remained silent, turning away and looking at the lake.
"I know what the first task is."
Harry's head snapped back to her so fast he surely got whiplash. He eyed her suspiciously. "How?"
"Does it matter, Harry?" Bella asked. "I know what it is, so I'm going to tell you. Use the information however you like."
"How do you know what the first task is?" Harry asked. His voice was steady, but his words were a warning.
Bella looked over her shoulder, checking for eavesdroppers. "Dragons," she whispered, when she was sure they were alone, ignoring his question. "Dragons."
"Dragons?" Harry said incredulously. "What the hell am I supposed to do with a dragon?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe steal something from it?" Bella hissed.
"Dragons," Harry said under his breath, turning back to the Black Lake.
"Can I ask you something, Harry?" Harry didn't react to her question, so she continued. "You told me the other day that he's back. You said I wouldn't believe you if you told me. What did you mean?"
Harry didn't answer right away. He leaned his elbows back on the stone railing, then shook his head. "I just find it odd, that's all."
"What?" Bella asked, confused.
"I find it odd that all of a sudden a Slytherin befriends me, defends me, then suddenly has all the information."
"Excuse me?" Bella asked haughtily.
Harry turned to face her, his green eyes blazing. "Transfer student, self-taught, adopted by muggles. A Slytherin willingly befriending a Muggle-born. Then, to top it off, is extremely interested in Voldemort." His body tensed, his fists balling by his side, but he didn't reach for his wand. "Oh— and may or may not have casted all three unforgivables. Your story doesn't make sense, Bella!"
"It does, because I've lived it!" Bella cried angrily. "If you don't want my help, fine! Good luck on your own! Hermione told me you're an outcast!"
Bella could feel tears lining the underside of her eyes. She would not let them fall. Her throat suddenly let out a sob; Bella could have slapped herself. This traitorous body would be the death of her. She turned to leave, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Wait!" Harry said, grabbing her arm by the crook of her elbow roughly. Bella ripped it so hard from his grasp his nails slid painfully along her skin. She pulled out her wand, pointing it threateningly at Harry's face.
"Don't ever touch me, Potter."
He didn't flinch. Instead, he relaxed his arms by his sides.
Bella spun before he could get another word out, stalking back towards the castle. Harry didn't follow.
Bella checked the Great Hall, but Daphne had left. She decided to check on Tracey in the hospital wing; anything to distract herself.
Bella knew she should go back. Harry looked apologetic when she made a scene; it was almost certain the dolt would apologise. But she couldn't help herself— he was in the wrong here; he could seek her out.
Just as she was passing through the grand staircase, Bella whipped her head around, her right hand stuffed in her pocket, palming her wand. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, but her level was empty; only the magical portraits and staircases shifted in front of her. She looked down, then up, but apart from a few straggler students nowhere near her position, she was otherwise alone.
Probably Harry under his cloak, thought Bella, flipping her hair over her shoulder with as much sass as she could, leaving through the tower towards the Hospital wing.
But the feeling lingered, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up uncomfortably. It had to be Harry. She stopped, allowing him to catch up, then suddenly turned, violently waving her hand out in an arc behind her to catch him in the act. It connected with something, hard, but it wasn't Harry. Bella jumped, pulled her hand back, massaging her wrist and stared up at the imposing form of Professor Moody.
"That's how you take out a threat, girl?" he growled disapprovingly.
"I don't see a threat," Bella said firmly, but it lacked the venom she had intended, her eyes still red and puffy.
Moody grunted, wobbling past her without a second glance. "Follow me."
And because Bella was curious, she followed him all the way to the Defence classroom. He turned once he reached his desk, pointing his wand at the door which closed with a resounding click.
He gestured for her to pull out a chair and sat on his own with a thud, the chair sliding back on the wooden floor in protest. Bella pulled a chair from one of the tables, sitting across from him.
The only sound that filled the room was his hoarse breathing. As she was about to speak, previously not wanting to be the first to talk, Moody cleared his throat, his eyes finally meeting hers.
"Heard you're good with Potter."
"We're acquaintances," Bella said matter of factly.
"Heard it was more than that."
"Don't believe everything you hear."
Moody smiled, his grin scrunching up his many, many scars. "I don't."
He leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the table. "Quite… curious that his name came out of the goblet, eh, girl?"
"Quite curious," Bella repeated.
"Any theories?"
"Is there a reason I'm here, Professor?" Bella asked, staring at him questioningly.
"What's your story, White?" he asked curiously.
"I'm sure you've heard by now, Professor. It's quite public knowledge," Bella said, bitterness lacing her tone.
Moody's eyes widened ever so slightly, a slight grin lacing his face, almost manic. "It felt good, didn't it?"
"May I go, Professor?"
Moody's face turned hard. "You're here because I want you to take a stroll."
"A stroll?" Bella asked, bewildered.
"Go north over the bridge and follow the path that leads to the forbidden forest. Don't stop until you see it."
Bella frowned. "See what?"
"You'll know." He pulled out an intricately carved metal flask from his left breast pocket, shaking it around his hand then flipping the cap open and taking a long sip.
"I'll see you around, White," he said gruffly, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.
Bella frowned as she stood up to leave. As she reached the door, Moody called out to her again.
"White." He reached down, unclipping his wooden leg from the brace clipped around his thigh, wincing in apparent pain. His head was down, but his magical eye had risen to stare at her at an unnatural angle. "Bring Potter and the cloak."
A snippet from chapter 11 of ARAT:
Weasley deflated. He looked pleadingly at Harry. "Don't you see what's happening here?" He sent a quick, pointed glance at Bella, then focused back on Harry. "They've lured you to the dark… I hardly see you anymore… What happened to my friend?"
Harry tensed. "You are the one who stopped talking to me! They're my friends, and they're not dark. If you can't see that, I'm not sure I fancy your company."
Weasley looked flabbergasted. Hermione stepped forward, grabbing Harry's arm, but he ripped it from her grasp and pushed Weasley aside roughly, clearing a path up the stairs. Tracey and Daphne walked past with Dennis, their heads disappearing from view once they reached the top.
"I just have one question," said Weasley. This time, he turned to Bella. "How are you doing it?"
Bella grinned evilly at him, unable to help herself. "Whatever do you mean, Weasley?"
"You did it, didn't you?" Hermione asked, startling Bella. But when she looked at Hermione, she wasn't looking at her, instead staring resignedly at Harry. "You cast a curse on Dennis, didn't you?"
"Yes," Harry responded.