Chapter 17

Did you ever fall for someone you know you shouldn't? Try hard to fight your feelings but you just couldn't?

You fall deeper with each passing day, but try to hide it in every possible way; she's only a friend and nothing else.

Those are the lies you keep telling yourself, but deep inside you're falling in love.

You get so giddy when you meet her eyes, but keep reminding yourself that it isn't right,

A simple glance turns into a stare, but you pretend that you don't care.

It's not right for you two to be, is that why you hide it so that no one can see?

But how long will you pretend? Keep lying that she's just a friend?

Perhaps your feelings you can never show, perhaps it's wrong for her to know,

Your friendship can't be risked over this,

So being her man is an impossible wish.

Harry took it and muttered thanks. He took a sip and was pleasantly surprised. That cup of tea was really good. It was different compared to the tasteless ones he had the displeasure of drinking when they studied tea leaves. It was even better than what Fleur used to concoct for him. But of course, the girl liked coffee more than tea.

Professor Trelawney noticed the impression printed on Harry's face. "I can see that you like the tea."

"Well, it is tastier than the usual. Sorry, I mean-," admitted Harry as he took further sips.

But Professor Trelawney waived off Harry's apology. She put her cup down and said, "Even better than what the Beauxbaton champion used to make?"

Harry immediately froze. He looked up at her, wide-eyed.

Professor Trelawney looked calmly back at him. "You are not from here. Harry Potter," she said in a much firmer tone. Gone had her usual airy-fairy self. "Not in a sense of locations, but in the sense of time. You are from the future and your return shall have far-reaching consequences."

Legend:-

"normal" - normal conversation

Italic - thought

"bold italic" – French/Bulgarian

He stared at her.

"What did you say?"

Professor Trelawney stared back at him. She placed her cup on the table and leaned against her high-back chair. Tapping her finger on the armrest, she spoke, "I said you're not from here. Not in a sense of location but time."

Harry put his cup down.

"I wonder-"

"How did I come to that conclusion? On why I blabbed such nonsense?" said Professor Trelawney in an amusing manner. "I am a Seer, Harry."

"Seers only deal with predictions and prophecies," Harry argued.

"Which has a lot to do with time," stated Professor Trelawney firmly. "I thought you would be aware of the connection by now."

He went silent.

"You're not the first, certainly not the only one. And you won't be the last to time travel back to the past," continued Trelawney. "But of course, crossing paths with a time traveler presents one very rare opportunity due to the fact that no one will want to admit openly that he or she is a time traveler. The consequences can be unfavorable." She then paused. "I am surprised that you didn't try to deny it."

"Would it matter?"

"If you put honesty above all else," stated Trelawney. "But of course, you could reduce it to the fact that nobody is going to believe you anyway. You will think that people are going to assume that you are certifiably insane which of course isn't too far off. I take it that no one else knows?"

Harry shook his head.

Trelawney nodded satisfactorily. "Perhaps it would be better to keep it that way, my dear," she said softly. She then got on her feet and walked towards one of the book cabinets that lined up the wall closest to her desk. Her long thin finger slid along the spines of the many books arranged neatly within the cabinet. After a couple of minutes, she finally settled on a large and dusty black leather-bound book. She pulled it from its shelf and brought it back towards the desk. She then placed the book on the desk.

Harry could clearly see the gold writing on the cover of the book. It was in Ancient Latin. Luckily for him, he learned Latin in his Auror training. It was titled 'Through the Ages by Gaius Aurelius.'

"Through the Ages?" said Harry.

Trelawney eyebrows cocked. "You could read Ancient Latin? That is impressive, Harry. Very few give a thought about learning other languages. Many thought learning ancient languages was a complete waste of time. To them, English is enough for everything. They're not wrong, of course. But not necessarily right."

Harry at this point decided that he had enough pretending. He had decided that he could trust Professor Trelawney despite her quirkiness. "I'm already 92 years old, Professor."

"Of course you are," said Trelawney without looking at him. She opened the book and ran her finger along the content pages. "You came from the future, Harry. You simply inhabit the body of your fourteen-year-old self. What would it do to you in the long run is part of a line of questions." She paused and looked up at him."Tell me, Harry. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, did he die?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. I killed him."

Trelawney nodded. "And many people died?"

He slowly nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately."

"And in your long years you kept thinking about them," stated Trelawney. "You're regretting their death and you wished that things could be different. You wished that you could have done something about it."

Harry slowly nodded. "But I learned to live with it. I remembered all the people I loved but I tried not to dwell on them."

Except just one.

Trelawney stared at him momentarily before she continued, "That is good. You aren't the one who would shy away from his duties. Do you know anything about Gaius Aurelius, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "I figure that you're going to tell me. You won't take that book out of its resting place without any reason."

"Clever."

"And that book contains ways to time travel, I presume?"

"I read this book from the beginning to the end, Harry," said Trelawney as she continuously flipped the pages. "I read it repeatedly but no, it does not contain ways to travel through time."

"Then what does it contain?" asked Harry. "You didn't bring out a book if it does not pertain to the topic we're currently discussing."

"Gaius Aurelius's life account. He claimed to be a time traveler who comes from hundreds of years in the future. Nearly lost his life when he confessed. The people thought he was possessed. Some even thought he practiced witchcraft which they claimed contributed to his madness. Ironic since they had no trouble believing in fortune telling," said Trelawney as she continuously peered through the book. "Gaius wisely kept his mouth shut as a result of that. Of course, words got out and he never stayed long in one place at a time. At one point, he wondered if there were others like him."

"So he set out to search for them," Harry proposed.

"Exactly. Years gone by and he found none. But you could guess what truly happened. People once again drove him away when he started asking questions. They once again thought he was mad. Some even threatened him with death. Gaius ended up giving up the search. He however refused to die with history so he decided to document his life. This book was written sometime between 470 and 450 BC. That was way back before the Roman Empire ever existed. Gaius was a Roman who lived during the period when the Empire was fading. You can imagine the toll it took on him when he woke up in a world far removed from the one he left behind."

"What happened to him?" asked Harry.

"No one knows," replied Trelawney. "Once finished, he kept this book hidden within a vault inside the house where he lived in Jerusalem. Then one day, he went out for a walk. He never returns. Everyone who knows him went out to search for him. They never found him. It was rumored that before he went missing, Gaius revealed to his assistant the method on how to access his vault. He told his assistant that the contents of the vault must be kept safe for it is too precious. His assistant obliged and the book was kept within the assistant's family for generations until by some mysterious means it ended up in a second-hand book shop in Diagon Alley."

"Wait! Are you saying that this book had never been reprinted, that this book is the same exact book that he wrote?!"

Trelawney nodded. "Yes, the one and only. It is amazing how it has survived all these many millennia. My grandmother bought it for me. She and I were close. She was already a Seer, you see. I wanted to be just like her. I was eleven and on my way to Hogwarts for the first time. My parents, as you could have guessed, were tight on money. They bought me everything second-hand. I'm not complaining, Harry. In fact, I am thankful that they were willing to sacrifice what little money they had just so that I could have a better education and later on, a better life. The book as you can tell by now wasn't part of Hogwarts syllabus so they argued against it. I have to beg them to buy it for me. My grandmother came to the rescue. This book was my first ever birthday present."

Harry said nothing. His mind drifted towards the Weasleys who happened to be under the same predicament as young Professor Trelawney. The Weasleys too were impoverished despite them being a pure-blood wizarding family.

"Now," said Professor Trelawney. "Enough of my life's story. Let's get down to why you're here. Tell me, how did you return from the future?"

"It happened a few weeks after the funeral of my wife. It was nighttime. I was getting ready to sleep. Nothing abnormal happened. All I know is that I woke up in a train compartment next to Hermione and Ronald Weasley on the way to Hogwarts," answered Harry.

"Just that?"

"Yes. Just that. Why?"

"Are you sure?"

"I think I was clear about it. Again, why?"

"Curiosity. I was hoping to see if there is a connection between the circumstances surrounding Gaius and you. I was hoping to be able to deduce what will happen next for you. You see Harry, Gaius as I stated before, was a Roman. And as I stated before, he lived during an era when the Roman Empire was crumbling. It was really bad, Harry. Famine, diseases, everything worst imaginable happened all at once. No one was safe. Gaius himself was a victim of a deadly plague. The traveling happened while he was on his last breath," explained Professor Trelawney.

"So he was dying," said Harry. "You wanted to know if my circumstances were the same as him."

Professor Trelawney nodded. "You said You-Know-Who is dead. I wonder if there is more to come."

"Things were peaceful back where I came from. Voldemort was the last dangerous threat we faced. I cannot say the same for the future after I die, however, but I have no doubt the future generations will face danger as courageously as we all did. I wasn't the only fighter, you know. But yes, it was nearly seventy years of peace we enjoyed," said Harry.

"I see."

"You looked disappointed," Harry stated, frowning a little bit at the same time when he observed the look on Professor Trelawney's face.

"Am I? Not at all, Harry."

Harry smiled. He knew Professor Trelawney was lying. She was in fact deeply disappointed. "You should learn to appreciate the good side of things for once, Professor. Your penchant for calamities and predicting my death during my third year was honestly very annoying. Luckily it was me. Some people may take it the wrong way. They are liable to hurt you or themselves. But if you were disappointed that there was no connection between me and Gaius, it is understandable. Just out of curiosity, how many samples have you been studying?"

"Just one," Professor Trelawney admitted. Tapping on the book, she continued, "Which makes you the perfect candidate for the second one."

"Right," Harry responded. At this point, he was beginning to get very annoyed with Professor Trelawney.

"Well, I don't appreciate being treated like a lab rat. You'll just have to find someone else. I'm sorry. Can I leave now? I have an appointment with someone this afternoon."

"Yes, you may go."

"Thank you, Professor."

Professor Trelawney watched him silently as he made his exit.

"What a complete waste of time," he grumbled as he hastened his pace towards the Gryffindor Tower.

In truth, he was hoping to learn something about his current predicament. He was hoping that Professor Trelawney could shed some light on the nature of his own time-traveling adventure. He got none of those.

Just one sample.

For all he knew, Gaius could simply be writing a fiction work that Professor Trelawney happened to take seriously. There was no way to tell if the book was legit.

But suddenly he ground to a halt. He just remembered something. Professor Trelawney never told him how she came to find out that he was a time traveler. He pondered on whether or not he should go back and ask her.

In the end, he decided that it would be the question for another day and continued his walk back to the Gryffindor Tower.

But just around the corner, he nearly bumped into someone.

"Hey!"

He immediately applied the brake and looked up. "Cho?"

Yeap. Standing right in front of him was the beautiful Ravenclaw's Seeker, ChoChang.

Cho just shook her head and smiled. "You really need to watch where you're going, Harry."

Harry just scratched his head. "Yeah, sorry about that. I am in a hurry. I didn't see you."

Cho's smile widened. "Yes, I noticed that. So where are you going?"

"Back to the common room."

"Owh, okay."

And there was the awkward silence. Harry remembered it all too well during his previous fourth year. At that time, he had a huge crush on the Ravenclaw's fifth year. Now, not so much.

"So, I think I better get going," he said.

There was a look of surprise on her face. "Owh... So I guess I'll see you later then."

Harry just smiled and nodded. He took off but just after a few steps of walking, Cho called him back.

"Harry?"

He stopped and turned to look at her quizzically.

"You were outstanding yesterday, Harry," she said.

He smiled. "I lost, Cho. Remember?" he said.

"Yes, I remember but you're still awesome."

Harry just shrugged. "Well, if you say so."

Cho then closed the distance between them. "I was wondering if I could train with you. If you don't mind."

Harry stared at her. He noticed her cheeks went red. "Training? With me? But we're competitors, Cho."

"Yes, I know that. I'm not expecting you to teach me everything, Harry. Maybe a few? Please?"

Harry sighed. He knew he would have a hard time saying no, especially when a girl begged him. But still, he was late for his appointment with Viktor and he needed to get Cho off his back at least for the moment.

"Okay. No problem. We'll discuss it later. I have to go now, Cho."

Cho smiled widely. "Of course. Thank you, Harry. I'll see you later. Bye." She immediately squeezed his hand and left.

Harry just shook his head and continued his way to the Gryffindor Tower.

First, it was Fleur. Then came Daphne, and now it's ChoChang.

"What have I got myself into?" he muttered.

"Trelawney really held you back didn't she?" said Ron the moment Harry stepped into the common room. "Come on mate, we're nearly late. Viktor will be waiting for us."

Harry put down his school bag at the usual place and glanced at the clock. They still have five minutes left. "We still got time," he said. "Wait here. I'll go up and change."

Without waiting for Ron's response, he dashed towards the dormitory and returned two minutes later wearing a gray t-shirt and a loose pant. He immediately grabbed his Firebolt from the broom cabinet and gestured for Ron to follow. They dashed out of the common room towards the Entrance Hall. Once they arrived, he mounted the broom. With Ron riding a shotgun, they sped towards the Quidditch pitch.

They thought they were already late. Apparently, they were not. Viktor was nowhere to be seen. Harry directed the Firebolt towards one of the stands and landed. They dismounted the broom and Ron took a seat as they waited for Viktor's arrival. Harry did not copy him. Instead, he remained standing, leaning against the guard rail facing Ron.

"So what are you planning to do with him today?" asked Ron. His eyes kept on darting between Harry and the Durmstrang ship that harbored not far from the pitch.

Harry shook his head. "No idea," he said. "Viktor was the one who asked for the meeting. I don't know what he has in mind. Guess we'll find out when he arrives."

"Oh, okay," said Ron. "So, Trelawney. What does she want with you?" he asked.

"She just wants to chat, that's all."

"Really?" Ron cocked an eyebrow. "I always figure she has a thing or two about you. Remember last year? Every damn class she never failed trying to make predictions about you."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I remember. It was always about my eventual 'death'," said Harry, rolling his eyes and making an air quote.

"Yeah. And it got to the point where it became very annoying, even for me. Sometimes I wonder if she was unhappy that you somehow managed to attend all her classes. She probably will throw a huge party if you die."

"I know, right?" said Harry. "So Viktor. How was he during lunch? I saw you had quite a conversation with him."

Ron's face immediately lighted up the moment he heard the question. He then began to regale the conversation he had earlier during the lunch with Viktor.

Harry listened idly to Ron. The truth was, he didn't care about what Ron and Viktor were conversing back in the Great Hall. He just needed some noise to distract him while he waited.

"Did you know that he is the only child in his family? Must be pretty lonely back there. Er, Harry?"

Harry felt someone nudged him. He turned and saw that Ron was looking at him.

"Are you listening to what I was saying, Harry?"

Harry stared at him. "Err… no. Sorry."

Ron just shook his head. "So it seems that I was talking to myself the whole time."

"Again, sorry," said Harry sheepishly. "There are a lot of things going on inside my mind right now."

"I can see that," said Ron. He suddenly paused. He then pointed towards the Durmstrang ship. "Here he comes."

Once again Harry was grateful for the distraction. He looked in the same direction Ron was pointing and saw Viktor on his broom, flying towards them.

Viktor landed with a heap the moment he arrived. "I am sorry," he hastily said as he put down his broom. He then took a seat beside Ron. "I had a meeting vith Professor Karkaroff."

"That's okay, Viktor," said Harry. "We were a little bit late ourselves as well. So the meeting had something to do with the tournament I suppose."

Viktor nodded. "Professor Karkaroff vant to vin this tournament really badly. He told me everything there is to know about it."

"So did he tell you what the first task will be?" asked Ron this time.

Viktor shook his head. "No. But he told me that I vill know vhat I vill face in due time. He vill make sure that I vill have enough time to prepare. I hope he is right. As much as I am happy being selected, I vill be happier if I can improve my preparation. A little bit more knowledge about the Tasks vill be very helpful. Owh, he told me that there vill be vand veighing ceremony tomorrow."

Harry just remained silent. He already knew about the ceremony and when it will be held. Right during Potions class in the morning tomorrow.

"Wand weighing ceremony?" said Ron. "What's that? Is it where they put your wand on a weighing scale and tell you your wand is fat or something?"

Harry hastily turned his snort into a clearly fake cough. Damn you Ron, he thought. You really know how to choose your word.

Viktor stared at Ron as if the ginger had grown two heads right. "No," he said. He then proceeded to explain, "Vand veighing ceremony is vhere a vand expert come to take a look at your vand. He vill check the vand to make sure that it performs up to the standard. You von't vant to be stuck in a situation vhere your vand suddenly fails."

Ron nodded in understanding.

"He's right, Ron," said Harry. "It's not about how big or small or how long the wand is. It's all about performance."

Damn. He could probably be talking about someone's private part right now. Lucky for him, the other two were oblivious to the nuance.

"Wand expert?" said Ron. "I wonder who would that be."

Harry of course knew who. But he kept silent.

"Someone by the name of Ollivander, I think. Only a vand maker could veigh a vand," said Viktor.

"Ah, Garrick Ollivander. A wand maker he is. The majority of the British wizards got their wands from him. There were several smaller wand-maker shops but they were not as popular. You got your wand from-," said Harry.

"Gregorovitch," said Viktor proudly. He took out his wand and showed it to them. "I am one of the last who managed to procure a vand from him. He vas really good."

"Yeah he was really good," agreed Harry. "But most of his wands were designed to channel more power than emphasizing subtlety, I think. Ollivander mostly designed his wand based on a wizard or witch's inner strength and abilities. He is the opposite of Gregorovitch."

Viktor seemed to be impressed. "You really know your vand, Harry. But yes, you are right. Gregorovitch made powerful vands."

"So I take it that Gregorovitch already retired. Who took over the business from him?" asked Harry.

"No one," said Viktor as he stowed his wand back into its sleeve. "The rest of us vill have to get our vand from other smaller manufacturers. Mind you, they are not as good as Gregorovitch."

"Yeah I guess so," said Harry. "So what are we going to do today?"

Viktor's eyebrows creased momentarily. He then shook his head. "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Vell I do plan on doing something but now I don't have any mood for it. The meeting with Karkaroff vore me off. Let's talk and maybe have a few drinks."

"We didn't bring any drink with us," Harry pointed out.

"I thought of that. Don't vorry, I brought some," said Viktor. He began to rummage through his pants pocket and took out a small leather pouch. He reached into the pouch and pulled out three bottles of drink. He passed the bottles to each of them. "I saw you come here vith your friend," he said to Harry. "So I brought three."

Harry took the bottle and muttered thanks. His eyebrows cocked when he saw the label. "Bulgarian Firewhisky."

"Yes, Bulgarian Firevhisky," said Viktor proudly. He uncorked his bottle and took a sip. "The best in the vorld. There are many brands but I like this one. It is quite strong. If you never drink it, you should-." His eyes widened when he saw Harry uncorked his bottle and downed half of the contents of the bottle in one go. "You're not an amateur in drinking, are you Harry Potter? You never failed to surprise me."

Harry smacked his lips. "This is good stuff," he said.

"Wow!"

Both Harry and Viktor turned towards Ron. The boy's eyes darted between Harry and Viktor. In his hand was a half-empty bottle of Bulgarian Firewhisky.

"This is good shite," croaked Ron. And without any further ado, he toppled over, lying on the seats, his mouth hung wide open and he began to snore loudly. The contents of the bottle he was holding spilled all over the floor.

Both Harry and Viktor snickered.

"Yes that could happen," said Viktor as he continued to laugh.

Harry chuckled. It did bring back the memory of when he was on an assignment in Bulgaria. The deed had been done. He and his Bulgarian counterpart entered a bar in the small town of Plodiv. They were celebrating. His Bulgarian partners insisted that he try the Bulgarian Firewhisky. He declined at first, stating that his wife didn't like him being drunk. He knew how potent the Bulgarian Firewhisky could be. They kept on insisting until finally, he obliged. He told them that he would take only a sip. Harry did not really know what happened after that. All he knew was that he ended up consuming four pints in succession and ended up collapsing on the stool he was sitting on. Luckily for him, he was in good company who help brought him back to his hotel room and luckily for him, he only needed to go back to the United Kingdom the next few days. Unlucky for him though, Fleur found out about it. She was very furious. She forced him to sleep on the couch for the whole week and she only allowed him to kiss her a month after that.

The laughter finally died down and for the next few minutes, both of them did not say anything.

Harry stared at the firewhisky bottle he was currently holding. "They say that a man drinks to drown his sorrow," he said slowly. "Have you ever heard of that?"

Viktor nodded. "Yes, I heard of it. Are you in sorrow, Harry?"

"Sometimes."

"You miss your parents." That was not a question.

Harry nodded. "Not just them."

"They are in a good place now, Harry. They are probably vatching you right in this instance. They did not forget you."

Harry smiled. He looked up to the sky. It was a bright afternoon. The sky was blue with hints of clouds here and there. He continued to stare at it, as if trying to see a glimpse of his parents somewhere up there. Fleur, his Fleur would probably be up there too.

After a few moments, he turned back to Viktor. "I take it that your parents are still alive? Ron told me that you're the only child in your family."

Viktor nodded. "Yes they are still alive and yes I am the only child. Your friend asked me if I feel lonely vhenever I got back home."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, he would ask that. He has a big family, you know. He has six siblings. It's a riot every time all of them get together. It must be nice back where you came from."

Viktor's face immediately lighted up. "Yes, it is. I came from Nesebar. It's a small enclave located right at the shore of the Black Sea. It is very nice there. I love it. It is one of a few places vhere non-magic and vizzards coexist peacefully. My father operates a small grocery shop and my mother is a housevife. I have a lot of neighborhood friends and every summer, ve vill go to the beach for a swim."

"So how do you get to Durmstrang?"

"Ve have various means of transportation to go to Durmstrang," said Viktor. "I usually use the Floo network. I understand that Hogwarts students come here only by train."

"Yes. The Hogwarts Train."

"Vhy only the train? Vhy not allow the students to use other types of transportation at the same time?" asked Viktor.

Harry just shrugged. "I have no idea. It has been like that since forever. Come to think of it, I don't think anyone ever questions why. I do like the train though. It's warm and comfy and we got food sold at the dining coach. There's also a lady pushing a trolley filled up with candies that we can buy if we don't feel like making the journey to the dining coach. It's really nice."

Viktor nodded. "Vell, Hogwarts certainly is much nicer than Durmstrang. The food is also better than vhat ve had back at the institute. I think that vill be vhat ve vill miss most after the tournament concluded."

"Don't you have anyone to cook for you on the ship?" asked Harry.

Viktor shook his head. "Ve have a dining room and a kitchen but no one to cook. That iz vhy ve only eat at your dining hall."

"I see," said Harry. "So the ship, how was it?"

Viktor turned to look at the ship and back to Harry. "It is simple," he said. "But it is varm and vhat you say? Comfy."

"How long did it take to get here from Bulgaria?"

"A day I think."

"A day?!"

Viktor nodded. "Yes. A day. Ve departed from Durmstrang in the evening, the day before we arrived here. For the whole one day ve stayed under vater."

"Wow."

"It vould be bad news if you are claustrophobic. One of us vent crazy vithin an hour into the journey. Our headmaster had to place a sleeping spell on him. I could take you on a tour of our boat if you like."

Harry's eyebrows rose. "Is that allowed? Your headmaster won't mind?"

"I don't think he vould mind. Of course, it probably be just you. In fact, he did encourage me to become friends vith you. I have no problem vith that of course. So how about it? This veekend if you are interested."

For the first time in a few days, he had something to look forward to. "Yeah, sure. That would be awesome."

Viktor smiled. "You could of course bring your friend here as vell but no more than him."

"I understand. Yeah, I think he would like that. Thanks, Viktor."

They continued to talk until the sun finally touched the western horizon. Harry conjured a rope and with Viktor's help, tied Ron to his back while he mounted his broom.

"Thanks, Viktor," said Harry after Ron was finally secured. "I'll ask our head of house if she would allow you to visit our tower. You and the rest of your friends."

Viktor nodded. "Yes that vould be most velcome. I see you later at dinner, Harry."

And with that, they went their separate ways.

He arrived at the Entrance Hall a moment later. Students were streaming into the Great Hall for dinner. Some of them stared wordlessly as Harry landed right in the middle of the Entrance Hall while carrying Ron on his back.

"Harry!"

He looked up and saw Ernie McMillan came running towards him.

"What happened?" asked Ernie the moment he arrived in front of Harry.

"He passed out," said Harry as he untied Ron from him. He then grabbed Ron's underarm and swung it over his neck as he tried to keep him upright. Ron's head lolled to the side. He was still unconscious.

Ernie immediately went to Ron's other side, grabbed Ron's underarms, and copied Harry. "Come on, Harry. Let's take him to the hospital wing."

"Alright. Thanks, Ernie."

"No problem, mate," said Ernie.

Both of them went to carry Ron toward the hospital wing. They met quite a few Gryffindors along the way. They began asking questions about Ron but the two did not stop to answer. A few minutes later, they finally arrived at the entrance to the hospital wing. They entered and immediately put Ron into one of the vacant beds that lined up the ward.

"What happened?!"

Harry and Ernie turned around and saw Madam Pomfrey came marching towards them. She ground to a halt the moment she arrived. Her eyebrows creased the moment she saw Ron.

"What happened to him? Mr. Potter? Do you care to explain?"

"It's a long story," said Harry. "Suffice it to say he drank something. He then collapsed."

"Drank something you say?"

Harry nodded.

Pomfrey began to inspect Ron. She checked his pulse and touched various parts of his body. It was when she was touching Ron's face that she suddenly paused. She then turned towards Harry.

"Something as in firewhisky, Mr. Potter?"

"Err… probably?"

Pomfrey just shook her head. "I can smell it. Who gave him the drink?"

"Er.. that's classified. But he's a friend of us."

Pomfrey once again shook her head. "You're lucky that he passed out due to drunkenness. If he suffers more than that I will have to haul you and your friend to the headmaster. Well, there's nothing I could do for now other than to let him sleep. He will wake up tomorrow with one hell of a hangover, I promise you that. Lucky for him I have the antidote. How much did he drink?"

"Just half a bottle," said Harry.

Pomfrey nodded. "Well, that explains it. Your friend here has a really low tolerance for alcohol. Now out you go, both of you. Go and have your dinner. You can come and visit your friend tomorrow. Now go!"

"So you both drank firewhisky?" said Ernie as they made their way towards the Great Hall.

"Yeap."

"No, shit. Who gave you the drink?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Well yeah."

"Viktor Krum."

"Holy Merlin," said Ernie. "He must have given you the Bulgarian Firewhisky. That drink is potent I can tell you that. But how come you're not drunk?"

"Dunno," said Harry. "Have you ever tried it?"

"Yeah," said Ernie. "It was embarrassing. I only took five sips. I ended up running around my house clad only in my underwear."

"Seriously?!"

They finally arrived at the Great Hall a few minutes later and parted ways. Harry headed straight towards the Gryffindor's table. From afar, he could see Viktor Krum and Hermione were having a chat.

Viktor waved at him the moment he saw him coming.

"How's your friend?" asked Viktor as Harry took the seat in front of him.

"He will be fine. He'll just need to have a good rest, that's all," said Harry. "He's now in the hospital wing."

"I guess I owe him an apology," said Viktor.

"I don't think he will be mad at you, Viktor. Don't worry about it. But of course, you can visit him tomorrow."

Viktor Krum just nodded.

"Ron is in the hospital wing?" said Hermione, cupping her mouth. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just got here," said Harry as he began piling food onto his plate. "I just met you."

"What happened to him?"

Harry gave a meaningful look at Viktor. "He will be fine, Hermione. He just needs some rest. I tell you everything later, I promise."

Hermione went quiet. She did not touch her food after that. She was clearly worried.

The dinner that night went well. Harry, this time sitting facing the Ravenclaws table, stole a few glances towards Fleur. Like before, she was busy chatting and eating with her friends. She also was busy receiving letters from those hoping to be her suitors. It was like that every single day. She got a lot of them that particular night. She put them in a single pile next to her.

She caught him looking at her eventually. She replied to him with a smile and nod. And with her eyes still on him, she pushed all the letters she got away from her. It was something she never done before.

Dinnertime finally ended.

"Harry, you haven't answered my question," said Hermione as they walked past a stream of Hufflepuff students heading toward their common room.

"I'm about to," said Harry. He then leaned towards her. "Can you keep a secret?" whispered Harry into her ear. "Quite a few people will get into trouble if this leaks out."

"Well yes. Of course, I can," Hermione whispered back.

Along the way, he told Hermione about the meeting with Viktor and about the Durmstrang champion handing each of them Bulgarian booze to drink.

"Harry, we're underage!" said Hermione. "We weren't supposed to drink alcohol. How can he give you that?"

"We drank butter beer," stated Harry.

"Butter beer isn't as strong as a Firewhisky, Harry. You shouldn't have let him drink it. You shouldn't drink it!"

"In my defense, I didn't see him drink it. All I know is that the bottle was already half empty before he collapsed. But you're right. We'll keep that in mind. Madam Pomfrey said he would be okay. Don't you worry about it," said Harry.

"What if he didn't?"

"Then I will hold responsibility for what happened to him," said Harry. "Krum did not mean him any harm, Hermione. He just wanted to share something, that's all. He was planning to visit Ron to apologize to him tomorrow. I think we should go too."

"Okay. We'll visit him right after Potions," decided Hermione.

Harry agreed.

The Dormitory, a few minutes later…

Once arrived Harry took the towel hung nearby and proceeded towards the bathroom. He felt filthy after a long and sweaty afternoon so he took a hot shower. His dorm mates were just arriving when he emerged from the bathroom.

They clamored around him, demanding him to tell them about Ron. He obliged but only after he was fully clad in his pajamas.

"Blimey," said Seamus in wonder. "He gave you Bulgarian Firewhiskey. It is supposed to be one of the most potent drinks in the world, second only to the Russian Firevodhka. The American Firebeer comes fourth after the Irish. And he drank half of it in one go?"

"Looks like it," said Harry, sitting on his bed. "I didn't see him drinking it. I was busy talking to Viktor. All that we saw was that the bottle he was holding was already half empty."

'Firewhiskey would burn down your throat if you're not careful," said Dean. "Are you sure he didn't feel any of it?"

"Well, I have to ask him that when I see him tomorrow," said Harry.

"I wish I could have a go at it," said Seamus wistfully. "I heard some great things about it."

"Ernie McMillan told me he drank it once," said Harry. "He took just five sips. He ended up running around his house wearing only his underwear."

There was an explosion of laughter. Seamus himself rolled around his bed as he continued to laugh. It only died down a few minutes later.

"Seriously?" said Seamus, wiping his tears.

Harry chuckled. "I don't know if he was lying but I don't think he will make fun out of his own embarrassment."

"Now that made me want to try it even more," said Seamus. "Hey, Harry. You think you could ask Krum if he could spare a bottle for me?"

"Are you serious?"

Seamus nodded fervently.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Seamus. I already had a hard time explaining to Madam Pomfrey regarding Ron. She threatened to bring me and Krum to Dumbledore, you know."

"I won't tell anyone. I promise."

"I don't know."

"Oh come one, Harry. Just a bottle."

Harry looked at Seamus exasperatedly. He then sighed. "I'll see what I can do. No guarantee though."

"Awesome! Don't worry. I'll keep your secret, Harry."

Harry just shook his head.

They continued to chat for the next hour. His dorm mates asked him for an update about the eventual friendly between Durmstrang and Gryffindor and whether he got any response from Oliver. Harry said there was no response yet but he told them that he would expect Oliver to give his answer anytime that week. If Oliver could not make it, they probably have to start auditioning a new Keeper.

The light went out exactly at 11.30 pm.

In the darkness, Harry lay on his bed, staring at the darkened ceiling. There was no snoring that night. That night, the snoring would only happen within the hospital wing. Poor Madam Pomfrey.

Fleur. Daphne. Trelawney. ChoChang. A lot of things happened to him that day.

He decided that he wanted to have a really good sleep that night. No dreams. No nightmares whatsoever. And the only way to do that was to block Voldemort out of his mind. But before that, he took a dip into the Dark Lord's mind. He saw that he was still there, sitting on the same armchair facing the same fireplace. Satisfied, Harry pulled out of Voldemort's mind and immediately applied Occlumency.

He slept soundly that night. There was no dream of Voldemort. Instead, he dreamt of someone else:-

The dream…

He was standing in a small grassy field overlooking a green valley nestled between the low, grain-covered mountains. The sun hung low in the sky; casting streamers of pink and orange along the horizon.

And then he saw her.

Fleur.

She wasn't wearing her Beauxbaton uniform. In fact, she wasn't even the seventeen-year-old girl he now sees every day. Her face, her body, her hair; it all looked the same as the Fleur he met that night at Elysee Palace. She wore a laced sky-blue evening dress that as before, matched her eyes. But this time around, the dress had a low cut around her neck, revealing tantalizing hints of her cleavage. As before, she had her hair worked free. The soft wind blew her hair around. Her hands were long and slender, strong and artistic. Her nails were painted a faint shade of blue that complemented but could never compete with the bright blue of her eyes.

This was an adult Fleur and she was lovely. She was the Fleur of his wildest dream.

And she was smiling at him. It was an unfeigned smile of genuine pleasure, causing crinkles around her eyes and faint dimples on her cheeks.

She was happy.

Now he saw himself in the dream. The Harry Potter as he might have been in happier times. His hair was longer and was just as messy as it had always been. It was short enough to keep out of his eyes but long enough in the back to touch the collar of his shirt. Beard stubbles adorned his face. He was wearing a white, long-sleeved buttoned shirt and long light brown pleated pants. He found that he did not wear any glasses.

But he did not care.

Approaching Fleur, he held out one hand, palm up. She smiled and blushed a little bit, and placed her hand atop his. He then led her a few steps away and she turned to face him. He bowed and she curtsied and they both came together. With their hands clasped and extended to the side and their other hands wrapped around each other's waist, they began to dance.

They danced, they twirled and they dipped to the music that suddenly came out of nowhere. He did not recognize the music but strangely enough, it brought in happy memories. Memories of when they both were properly together. And dancing to it with Fleur only added to them, leaving him warm and content.

The music then shifted, slowing. Fleur stepped in close, her arms rising to wrap loosely around his neck. His own hands shifted to settle around her waist, clasped at the small of her back. They were doing a little more than swaying to the rhythm, occasionally shuffling a step forward or back, right or left. Their eyes were locked together and hers were twinkling with happiness, arousal, and… something else.

Mischief.

Her hips brushed against him as they took a step. Her chest rubbed against his as he stepped forward and she did not bother to step back as quickly. Somehow, it was as if she was longing for their bodies to connect repeatedly, though always in innocent and seemingly accidental ways. And all the time her face bore the look of calm enjoyment. Her eyes though, told a completely different story.

She was toying with him.

He could not stand it any longer. He tightened his arms around her, preventing her from moving away, and leaned in close. Her eyes widened slightly but he knew she was not surprised at all. Her lips parted and her chin tilted slightly so that her mouth met his. Their lips brushed, gently at first, then pressed together more firmly as they both gave in to the passion they felt. It was gentle and it was sweet and it was demanding; leaving a powerful hint of what might follow. And for a second after they pulled apart, Harry could not think, could not blink and he could barely breathe for wanting her.

Fleur suddenly pulled back and broke free of his arms. She was smirking and with a quick, sly look, she took off running, forcing him to go after her. He did so happily, laughing at the sheer joy of it all. The feel of wind through his hair and the sight of her before him, her silvery blonde hair streaming about her; he loved it all.

She was quick but he was taller. His longer strides ate up the distance, closing the gap until finally, he reached close enough to catch her wrist. The sudden shift in her balance caused her to stumble. He bumped into her, sending them both toppling to the ground together. They landed on soft grass, amused and unhurt. Fleur struggled to free herself, twisting her hand this way and that but to no avail. She was laughing the whole time, and so was he.

At last, she finally gave up trying to escape. She changed her tack suddenly and shouldered him aside causing him to topple onto his back. Then she rolled over onto him, forcing air out of his lungs. While he lay there trying to catch his breath, Fleur managed to pull her wrist loose and broke free.

"Hah!" she shouted triumphantly, raising her hands away from him, keeping them from his grasp.

She sat on top of him. She then gently pushed him back against the ground. With both of her hands still on his chest, she lowered her lips to his.

Harry woke up that morning. The taste of her kiss lingered on his lips.

To be continued…