October to November 1994, 4th year

Harry was staring at Dumbledore in numb shock and not moving. No one was moving.

Lynea could only curse silently in her head. And she had once thought Neville attracted trouble and misfortune everywhere he went. It seemed Harry had completely taken over that role. What would they do, now? Harry could not participate in the tournament – that would be a death sentence. There was no way they could allow that. But, then again … Hogwarts was not known to take proper care of its students, was it?

Headmaster Dumbledore had put them in so much danger over the past years under the guise of 'doing what was best'. Granted, he had at least kept the Dementors out of the castle, but he had still allowed the Ministry to place them around Hogwarts in the first place. And let them onto the train. And it had been Dumbledore's idea to place the Philosopher's Stone in a school full of children under flimsy protections. And it had been Dumbledore's responsibility to take care of the threat Slytherin's Monster posed instead of just letting the school continue on as if nothing had happened.

And Lynea always told herself she didn't actually dislike the man.

But he had a chance to prove himself, now. All he had to do was make sure Harry wouldn't have to participate in the bloody tournament and investigate who had put his name in the damn Goblet.

Professor McGonagall got to her feet and approached Dumbledore to talk to him in a low whisper, which seemed to break Harry out of his frozen state and made him turn to Lynea and Draco.

"I didn't put my name in," he said. "You know I didn't."

Lynea nodded, but said nothing. Draco opened his mouth and then thought better of it and closed it again. The others were all just staring at Harry.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

"No," Lynea said and shook her head at Harry. "Stay here."

Harry gulped and looked between Dumbledore and her, but he didn't move.

"Harry!" Dumbledore called again.

Lynea glared at the old man and then turned her head to look at Professor Snape. Their Head of House seemed to understand and rose from his seat, slowly making his way over to where his students were sitting, ignoring Dumbledore's wordless question. Harry gave Lynea a panicked look and jerked as if he wanted to flee, but Tracey and Gregory, who were sitting to either side of him, grabbed his shoulders and forced him to remain seated.

"This is not Harry's fault," Lynea said firmly to Professor Snape. "He was with at least one of us at all times and he would never try to enter. You have to keep him safe, Professor."

"Rest assured, Miss Fawley," Snape said in a low voice, looking at each of his snakes one by one, "that I will make sure Mister Potter receives a fair treatment. He is too young to enter, either way."

Lynea nodded and then gave Harry a sad smile. "It will be alright, Harry."

But Harry shook his head, still unable to speak. He got up anyway and followed Professor Snape out of the Great Hall, shoulders drawn up and eyes fixed on a spot ahead of him.

The tumult that broke out the moment Harry and Snape had disappeared was enormous. Dumbledore raised his voice to say some words no one cared to listen to and then left with the other two headmasters, the judges and Professor McGonagall.

"He can't get out of this," Theodore said, barely audible over all the noise. "The Goblet of Fire forms a binding magical contract with the champions it chooses. If Harry refuses to participate the consequences will be terrible."

"Do you think he put his name in?" Draco asked, looking directly at Lynea. "He could have sneaked out at night with his cloak. It wouldn't be the first time."

"No," Lynea said firmly. "Harry wouldn't be so foolish. And how would he have managed to bypass Dumbledore's age-line? No older student would have done it for him."

"The Goblet of Fire is also a very ancient and powerful artifact," Theodore said. "The Goblet knows there are only three competing schools and that it has to choose exactly one champion for each. How would Harry fool the Goblet of Fire into selecting a second Hogwarts champion?"

"By putting his name down as part of a fourth school," Draco said, but he did not sound very convinced. "No, you're right. Harry didn't do it."

"What about using Old Magics?" Blaise asked. "Would that make it feasible?"

Lynea snorted. "Piece of cake. But only for a true Lémure or anyone who grew up learning the Old Ways since birth. Harry is good, but not that good. Such a feat would take years of experience with the Old Magics. Have you seen that Goblet? Have you seen the runes drawn around its rim and socket? Have you felt all the intricate magic woven into the wood? Neither Harry nor I would be able to fool that thing."

Draco furrowed his brows. "How do you –"

"We took a closer look yesterday," Theodore said. "As close as the age-line allowed us. It was fascinating."

The discussion the adults were having over the issue took so long that the rest of the teachers eventually ended the feast without waiting any longer for the headmasters to return and told the students that wished to observe the Samhain traditions to gather in the Entrance Hall, while the rest went to their dormitories. It was only then that Lynea realised Professor Moody had disappeared at some point, probably to join Dumbledore and the champions.

By the time Harry joined them again, they had already exchanged information about their respective traditions with the other schools and just begun preparations for the rite that honoured their ancestors. The Russians, as Poliakoff had told them, didn't actually celebrate Samhain the same way they didn't celebrate Halloween, but they had rites and traditions they performed during the change of seasons and to protect against evil spirits on the night when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was thinnest. It was similar for the French, although their rites were obviously different than the Russian. And then there were the Norwegian traditions and the Swedish and all those from other European countries.

If it weren't for the fact that All Souls Night did have roots in magic itself – with the veil actually thinning and all – then most would probably not even celebrate and honour the day at all. Their exchange also made Lynea realize how diverse the other two schools actually were. Hogwarts had students from different backgrounds as well – like Blaise's Italian roots and Chang's Chinese ancestry, but nearly all students had been born and raised on the British Isles. The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang came from families that lived all over the continent.

Lynea nodded at Harry, when he approached them cautiously, and handed him a candle, gesturing to her housemates, so they could rearrange their circles. Doing the ritual outside under the stars gave them enough space to perform it in circles of seven, as it was originally intended, rather than do it as one singular group containing all Slytherins.

There were some curious glances directed at Harry and some of the foreign students immediately swarmed their headmasters to ask questions about what had happened, but, ultimately, the Samhain celebrations were more important.

"Walk with me," Lynea's grandfather Veiovis said and then purposefully strode through the dark shapes surrounding them.

Lynea was dimly aware that they were all students, surrounding her on every side, but her eyes stayed fixed on the tall figure in front of her – with his white hair and fair skin and his long, black robes. His steps made no sounds and his robes did not rustle, but neither did Lynea's. Veiovis led her to the edge of the Great Lake and then slowed his pace to a casual walk along the dark water.

Lynea took her time examining him from the side, taking in his appearance and how similar he looked to Naenia and Orcus. Lynea did not have any attachments to this man, like she did with Naenia, but he did not seem as imposing and scary as Orcus did, either. The latter surprised her quite a bit. The last two times she had met Veiovis had been too short to really look at him, so she had not noticed. But all the stories the Lémures and grandmother Evangeline had ever told her about him had painted Veiovis as the scarier one of the two brothers. But Death changed people and Orcus and Veiovis had met very different fates in theirs.

"Neptis mea," Veiovis said eventually in a soft, velvety voice, "my dearest granddaughter. I am sure you have questions for me."

"I do," Lynea answered honestly, "but I thought it was you who wanted to talk to me. You never allowed any of the others to approach me on this Feast of the Dead."

The corner of his mouth quirked up, but the smile did not reach his dead eyes, staring ahead and not looking at Lynea. The smiles rarely ever reached Naenia's eyes, either.

"I do not regret my actions," Veiovis said. "I did what I thought was the right thing. I fought for the freedom of my family and my people. But I have angered Him and my son proved unworthy of receiving His gift. I thought all was lost, but I am glad that you, neptis mea, can hear His voice and that you listen to it in a way not even the old ones do."

"He does not hold grudges through the generations," Lynea said. "He only ever reserves his anger to those that have incited it, even after claiming their life."

Veiovis inclined his head. "Just so. I have angered Him by trying to cheat Death. Lysander has angered him, too, by trying to force His magic out of his own daughter. You, however, serve Him faithfully. I know you have struggled to make a decision regarding your Lémure inheritance. I think, however, that the outcome will hardly matter in the end. You are His and His alone and you will forever be. No matter what path you walk in life."

"It does not matter," Lynea said softly to herself. "All that matters is Death and what He has planned for me. What I do in life will not be important." She shook her head. "If I take the Lémure name, I will have to carry all the responsibilities that come with it and I won't be able to help Harry anymore once the Dark Lord inevitably returns. If I revoke it, I lose the one family that understands me, that is like me – the people whose blood runs through my veins and gave me the ability to communicate with Him and follow His ways. And people would still confuse me for a Lémure simply because of my appearance."

"But life is short," Veiovis said in a light voice. "And Death is forever."

"Your brother said something very similar to me," Lynea said.

This time, his mouth formed a full smile, although it still did not reach his eyes.

The waning moon shone brightly above their heads, its reflection shimmering among the stars reflected on the dark surface of the lake, and all was silent around them.

"Our time is up," Veiovis said softly and Lynea opened her eyes just as the candle in her hands went out.

She was disoriented for a moment, suddenly finding herself back among the other students, so it took her a moment to realize her candle had been the last to go out today. All the others in her circle had only been waiting for her, even Harry.

o

Lynea was still feeling disoriented, even after they had returned to the castle and gathered in the common room to simply share company in the aftermath of the rites.

People tended to be more melancholic after coming in contact with the dead or even after just celebrating this night where the veil was thinnest, this night were the worlds of the living and the dead came closest.

"What does it feel like to die?" Harry whispered all of a sudden.

Someone clasped Lynea's right wrist and she looked to the side and into Theodore's brown eyes. He shook his head slightly and Lynea gave him a small nod in return.

Draco stood up and came over to envelope Harry in a tight hug that Harry hesitated to return.

"I imagine it is different for everyone," Daphne said quietly. "But there is peace in death. It is the ones that are left behind that have to deal with the pain and sorrow of losing a beloved one."

"But the dead would be free of all burdens," Harry said in an oddly blank tone. "They would be able to join their loved ones and never feel pain again."

"And be missed terribly by the people they leave behind," Draco said, squeezing his eyes shut and tightening his embrace around Harry. "Death is a natural part of life, but losing someone is never easy. Losing someone suddenly and before their time is especially hard." He took a shaky breath. "It is different when you expect it. A sudden death is so much harder to cope with."

Daphne laid a hand each on Harry's and Draco's shoulders. "It's alright. You are not alone, Harry. We are all here for you."

Lynea watched them and realized, not for the first time, how much humans needed the touch of another human, how much they craved it. It still surprised her sometimes, even to this day. Living beings could not survive without physical contact, without company. Lynea was a living being, too.

She took the hand Theodore had never withdrawn from her wrist and clasped it in her own. Theodore didn't move any closer for which Lynea was immensely grateful, but he lightly squeezed her hand back.

It took a long while before Draco released Harry and even then he still stayed close.

"They want me to participate," Harry said. "Dumbledore said there was no way around it."

"Because of the binding magical contract," Theodore said, sharing a look with Lynea. "So not even Dumbledore is able to find a way around that?"

Harry shook his head. "No."

"Then we will have to make sure you are fully prepared," Draco said, squeezing Harry's arm and giving him a small smile. "We will double our efforts to teach you everything we know. Maybe Uncle Severus can help us out."

"The teachers are not allowed to help," Harry said quietly.

"It won't be easy," Draco continued, "but we will make sure you make it out unscathed. You are a brilliant wizard, Harry, and you are exceptionally skilled in defensive magic. You can do it. We believe in you. Right?"

All the Slytherins from their year murmured in assent, nodding and putting on encouraging smiles.

Harry swept the sleeve of his robe over his eyes and gave them a watery smile. "Thank you, everyone. I – I'm really glad you all believe me. I thought you would all accuse me of cheating or something."

Draco briefly glanced at Lynea, before focussing on Harry again. "Of course we do. Just look at yourself. There is no way you put your name in. I know I joked about wanting to participate, but you said it was too dangerous, yourself. And it's not like you need the glory or the money. You've got plenty of both."

"But someone put my name in," Harry said, squaring his shoulders. "I need to know who and why."

Lynea sighed heavily. She was tired and worn out and there was too much going on, too many problems they had to solve.

"In the morning," she said. "It is too late for this. We will talk in the morning. Off to bed, everyone." Lynea turned to Draco. "Look after Harry for me, will you?"

Draco gave her a half-hearted smile. "That goes without saying."

"I don't need to be looked after," Harry grumbled.

Lynea patted his shoulder. "Of course you don't. Good night, Harry."

And then they all retired to their dormitories. They all needed a good night's sleep. The Slytherins in their year might all believe Harry, but the other students might not. This wasn't as much of a problem in Slytherin House, but the other three houses, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor in particular, would begrudge them their champion. They would never listen to whatever Harry had to say to defend himself. In their eyes, he had cheated his way in, because he was the Boy Who Lived and he wanted the attention. It seemed as if they had to put Harry under tighter security, once again. He was stronger now and more than able to defend himself. But one could never be safe enough.

The Slytherins took the news calmly, the next morning. They listened to Harry's words and then Lynea's and Theodore's explanations about how impossible it was for Harry to have entered his name and then asked their questions. Some of the older students and Professor Snape, once he had arrived, even backed them up and although some of their housemates still did not believe Harry, it didn't matter in the end. Slytherin always presented a united front. They would stand behind Harry, look after him, protect him and support his word regardless of their own, personal opinion. That Harry represented their house in the tournament ignited the house pride on top of that. Yes, Hufflepuff deserved glory, but so did the House of Snakes.

Harry took it all in calmly and thanked everyone and then retreated to his dorm to retrieve his bag. Draco, who had followed him, later told the others that Harry had needed a moment to collect himself, so overwhelming had the whole thing been. But he was fine, once he emerged, holding his head high and not letting the death glares from the Hufflepuffs get to him on their way to breakfast.

The Hufflepuffs acted mostly coldly towards Harry and, in extension, his friends, but they were still Hufflepuffs and Hufflepuffs rarely ever resorted to violence or bullying or anything else remotely rude and unfriendly. So the Hufflepuffs were just cold.

Ravenclaw was an odd mix between highly impressed, rather sceptical and very unimpressed – it was the latter they had to watch out for in the hallways.

Gryffindor … turned nasty. With the exception of Neville, of course, and a few admirers. Ginevra Weasley and Colin Creevey did not quite believe Harry at first, but they were willing to listen and even promised to try and calm their housemates. But the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was just too great to be overcome by a few people trying to do the right thing. It wasn't like the Gryffindors would listen to any snakes, anyway, so the Slytherins didn't even try. Potions was consequently difficult. Professor Snape looming over his students helped somewhat, but Gryffindors were, unfortunately, known for their bravery and not that easily cowed.

So lessons were difficult, breaks rarely ever safe and the person behind all this mess remained unknown.

They did have a lengthy discussion about this, but all they could come up with was that it must have been a Death Eater. The adults said they had an investigation underway, but when had that ever turned up anything useful?

Lynea supposed it could have been worse. Harry was doing mostly fine – it wasn't easy for him, but he managed with the help of his friends, Draco most of all, and the support of his house. And Snape. That particular conversation had been very awkward to witness.

Now all they had to do was make sure Harry was prepared sufficiently to survive.