"I wonder which is preferable, to walk around all your life swollen up with your own secrets until you burst from the pressure of them, or to have them sucked out of you, every paragraph, every sentence, every word of them, so at the end you're depleted of all that was once as precious to you as hoarded gold, as close to you as your skin --- everything that was of the deepest importance to you, everything that made you cringe and wish to conceal, everything that belonged to you alone --- and must spend the rest of your days like an empty sack flapping in the wind, an empty sack branded with a bright fluorescent label so that everyone will know what sort of secrets used to be inside you?"

Margaret Atwood

November 14, 1994

RITA SKEETER INTERVIEWS HARRY POTTER

   You know his name. You know his story. But what you may not know yet is that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, is the youngest Triwizard Tournament Champion in the history of the prestigious event!
   An ugly scar, souvenir of a tragic past, disfigures the otherwise charming face of Harry Potter. Though the Trwiwizard Tournament was supposed to be limited to witches and wizards seventeen years of age and older, it seems there is nothing that can stand in the way of our determined twelve-year-old hero.
   He would not reveal to me exactly how he managed to enter his name, a mystery that continues to confound yet awe everyone who comes into contact with the young Potter, but it is obvious that only a very powerful wizard could have achieved such a feat. Surely, we can expect to see great things from him in the Tournament, the first task of which will be taking place on November 22.
   Tears filled those startling green eyes as our conversation turned to the parents he can barely remember.
   "I suppose I get my strength from my parents," Harry confided in me. "I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now. Sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it."
   Moved with sympathy, I then asked if he were afraid of the tournament, being so young.       The tears in his eyes disappeared, and he straightened up bravely as he said, "I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me."
   Perhaps it was this same fearlessness that motivated the young Harry Potter to enter so recklessly into a tournament meant for older witches and wizards of far more ability, strength, and intellect. Whatever the case may be, Harry will be far from alone.
   His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and Lucy Diggory. Unfortunately, all three of them were unavailable for comment at the time of my interview with Harry, but I hope to speak to them in the months to come.
   I was able, however, to speak to other members of the Gryffindor House, to which all four members of this quintessential quirky quartet belong. Hermione Granger, described as stunningly pretty, has been at the top of her class the past three years and counting, despite being Muggle-born. Ronald Weasley was described by his peers as first and foremost the best wizard's chess player at Hogwarts, a title extending back to his first year, as well as having quite the sense of humor. Lucy Diggory's role in this small group, however, remains largely a mystery to all. While most of those I interviewed were quick to call her sweet, as well as somewhat intelligent and very reserved, several expressed concern for what dangerous secrets may lie lurking beneath the horrific and horrifying scars that are rumored to cover her entire body.
   What does this all mean for Harry? Well, while he certainly has the challenge of a lifetime in from of him, and we can hope that with a combination of his own inner strength and the strength of those around him, his name will not be added to the list of competitors who have died in this tournament.
   Other competitors in the Triwizard Tournament include Victor Crumb of Durmstrang and Flor Dellacore of Beauxbatons.

I crumpled the newspaper in my hands as soon as I finished the article and jumped up from the Gryffindor table.

"What? What is it?" Harry asked, looking somewhat startled.

"I'll be right back," I said. I marched out of the Great Hall and didn't stop until I was in a deserted hallway. I threw the ball of paper on the ground and pointed my wand directly at it.

"Lucy, what is it?" Harry reached forward and caught my hand. He laughed quietly. "What did that newspaper ever do to you?"

I sighed and lowered my wand. "I suppose I'll let you read what Rita Skeeter had to say before I burn it. Accio newspaper."

I guided it into Harry's hands, and his eyes skimmed the article. His face grew increasingly crimson as he read further and further. As soon as he was done, he threw it down onto the ground. "Burn it."

"Incendio!"

We stood side-by-side, watching the paper burn to ashes.

"You do actually plan on preparing for the tournament instead of relying on some heavenly protection, right?" I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Because don't get me wrong, I'm sure your parents are watching from wherever they are and they're definitely very proud of you, but I'm also quite sure there's not much they'll be able to do."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I'm planning on preparing. Merlin, what a horrible woman. I know for a fact you don't have any 'dangerous secrets.'"

I managed a laugh and changed the topic quickly. "Ron should be happy, Rita Skeeter described him as being both funny and the best wizard's chess player in the school."

"Yeah, well, guess we'll have to see if that's good enough for him." He straightened up and adjusted his glasses on his face.

"I hate to be a pessimist, but I think this is going to be a long day," I remarked. "We can't burn all of the Daily Prophets in the school."

Harry sighed. "I hope Cedric's not offended that he wasn't mentioned."

"I'm sure he'll be alright with it, honestly. He hates being the center of attention."

I was right; Cedric didn't mind. In fact, he asked how I was doing, like the ever-caring older brother he was. I offered a smile and said I was fine.

I would have been a lot better if I weren't actually hiding a dangerous secret. A secret that was harder to hide than ever, given how much time I was spending with Harry and only Harry.

The night before the full moon, Harry was working on a star chart for Astronomy and I was reading over his Divination work when he glanced up.

"I feel like I've asked you this before, but which constellation is this again?"

I smiled a bit when I saw which one he was pointing to. "You asked me that in our first ever Astronomy lession. It's Gemini."

He stared at it for a second longer, then grinned at me. "That's your star sign, isn't it? For May 23?"

I blushed at that. "Yeah. It is."

"That was the night you taught me lumos, wasn't it?"

"I'm glad you remember that," I replied, "because the main thing I remember is that we sprinted across the castle because we were so afraid of being caught by Mrs. Norris."

"Simpler times," he commented.

"Yeah... I wish that was our biggest fear now." I glanced down and read the last sentence he'd written, holding out his parchment to him. "It looks good to me. How unfortunate that Peeves will drop a crystal ball on your head next week."

"Lucy," he said softly, "why are your hands shaking so much?"

"Oh, I..." My voice trailed off. What could I say? The full moon is tomorrow night. The first task is five days from now. We still have no idea what it will be. You've been mercilessly bullied all week because of Rita Skeeter's stupid article and I couldn't do anything to help. I would be amazed if my hands were still.

He took the parchment back, then looked up at me with those emerald eyes of his I loved so much. It was like he could see straight through me. I quickly retreated back into myself, putting up a front as soon as I realized how close I had been to telling the truth.

I smiled. "I guess I've just been writing a lot tonight. My hand gets tired after a while."

He started to nod, then stopped. He slowly reached forward and laid a hand on my forehead.

Damn.

I backed away from his touch. "Don't let Neville see," I muttered. "I don't want him thinking it's his fault, after last Friday."

"Lucy, it might be-"

"It's not." I looked away and rubbed the back of my neck, panic flaring in me as I tried to keep my story straight. "I-I don't know what it is, but it's not that."

He nodded fully this time, looking down at his homework. "Maybe you should go to the Hospital Wing."

"I'm alright, really."

"Lucy, don't lie to me. Please."

I froze. I didn't know how to respond.

"I understand that you don't know what it is, I understand that this is somehow normal for you, but don't try to tell me you're alright when I can feel how hot your forehead is before my hand even touches it."

I nodded, feeling something deep within me giving way. Like a little piece of the dam I'd built to keep my secret from him had broken off. "I won't. I'm sorry."

"Lucy-" He shifted a stack of homework to come sit next to me rather than across from me. "You don't have to be sorry. I just... want you to know you don't have to hide from me, either."

"Alright." The nearness of Harry was nearly overpowering... but not in a bad way. Chocolate and broomsticks and grass and smoke. I was tempted to lean further into it, tempted to lean into him, but the familiar reservations held me back.

I was a werewolf. I was a monster. I chided myself for even thinking such insane things. I could never let Harry get that close to me; he was much too important.

"So you're not going to the Hospital Wing?"

I shook my head. "Tomorrow, if I don't feel better."

"Promise? I need you, Lucy, I don't know what I'd do if my only friend right now got seriously sick right before the first task."

"Promise," I replied, daring to glance up. He gave me a small smile, then returned to where he was sitting and reached for his star chart again.

"Gemini," he whispered to himself, tracing the constellation with his finger.

It was just before midnight when George Weasley realized something.

He and Fred were sitting on the floor of the Gryffindor common room, heads bowed low over yet another draft of a letter for their unintentional pen pal, Ludo Bagman.

"Where's Lucy when you need her?" George muttered, half to himself and half to Fred. "She always knows what to say in these bloody things."

"Sick, apparently. I heard Harry telling Colin earlier."

George sighed and glanced at the window seat Lucy so often occupied. As he did so, he couldn't help but notice the way the bright moonlight shone on the red cushions.

Something clicked in that brilliant mind of his.

He jumped up and hurried to the window, glancing up at the night sky. Yeah, it was a full moon, alright.

"What is it?" Fred inquired, following his twin to the window.

"Freddie, when was she last gone at night?"

"Er... I don't know. But she wasn't there on Hermione's birthday. That was September... nineteenth?"

George nodded. "Yeah. The nineteenth. Was that a full moon, too?"

The twins exchanged a glance, and they didn't need to use words to communicate the epiphany they had just shared. They moved as one up the stairs to their dormitory, and Fred bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet and George rifled through the chest at the foot of his bed for astronomy notes, trying to be as quiet as possible so they didn't wake their sleeping roommates.

Once the piece of parchment was acquired, the twins rushed back downstairs and confirmed that, yes, September 19 was a full moon.

"Do you think she really is?" Fred asked in a hushed voice.

"She must be," George replied. "That, or it's a hell of a coincidence."

"So we ask in the morning."

George shook his head. "She has enough to worry about right now. We'll ask once things settle down."

"I really want to know for sure, though."

"So do I, but... I think we should wait. Think about it. Lupin resigned the same day everyone figured out he was a werewolf. That must be why she's kept it a secret so long."

"Yeah... you're right." Fred sighed. "I feel stupid for not realizing this sooner."

"You and me both. Do you want to keep working on the letter, or-"

"Call it a night," Fred answered, not even needing to hear the rest of the question to know his answer. "Suddenly, Ludo Bagman seems incredibly unworthy of our time and attention."

Because, just before midnight, the Weasley twins realized that their Cub might be a werewolf.

It was just after midnight when Henry Furls realized something.

He was in the middle of a recurring nightmare. Professor Trelawney was predicting the death of his best friend over and over again in Divination class, but in each repetition of the nightmare, some new and horrible fate befell Cedric. An army of rogue trolls, a group of giant basilisks, a swarm of dementors, even a raging fire that suddenly swept through the classroom yet managed to kill only Cedric. This same nightmare had haunted Henry for three years, but that didn't make it any less terrifying.

That night, Cedric had just been killed by a brilliant flash of green --- just like they had seen in Professor Moody's class. Henry's horror jerked him back to consciousness. He heaved for breath as he ripped the eye mask off his face and immediately faced Cedric's bed.

His heart nearly stopped when it was empty, but then he sighed. Prefect duties. It was Cedric's patrol night.

Henry knew in that moment he could never lose Cedric.

Henry was an intensely private person. He was more than content to play the role of the supportive best friend in public, not wanting any part of the attention Cedric received. But he never had any reason to hide anything from Cedric, and Cedric never had any reason to hide anything from Henry. Cedric was a surprisingly private person, too, keeping a lot of his insecurities and doubts and worries buried deep inside. But Henry had learned how to bring the best out in his best friend, the same way Cedric had always brought out the best in everyone else around him.

They balanced each other so well they could communicate effortlessly without even speaking. Henry could detect the slightest tremor of Cedric's hands. Cedric could tell when Henry's self-doubt was about to get the best of him. Henry could notice from a mile away the dazzling smile that informed him Cedric had passed a test he thought he'd fail. And Cedric could always say just the right thing to make sure Henry knew how much their friendship meant to him.

Cedric and Henry were best friends. Everyone knew that.

But no one knew about the way Henry was thinking about Cedric in that moment. And at first, neither did Henry.

But then, in the darkness, he recalled with a rush the way Cedric had jumped into Henry's arms after dropping his name in the Goblet of Fire. He recalled the swooping feeling in his stomach that he pushed away.

And suddenly, that same swooping feeling was upon him again. Because in that moment, he had made a horrible realization.

Henry had never kept a secret from Cedric before. Cedric knew Henry better than Henry knew himself.

But this was one secret he would sooner die than share with Cedric.

Because, just after midnight, Henry realized he might be in love with his best friend.

The morning after the full moon, I just laid on the soft ground for a moment, trying to reorient myself. I was somehow even more exhausted than usual, and it was nice simply having a moment of solitude.

And then everything rushed back to me.

The first task is in three days, Cedric and Harry are both competing in it, Ron still hasn't talked to Harry, and... wait! I'm going to Hogsmeade for the first time today! Alright, that's reason enough to get up.

With that very happy thought in mind, I pushed myself off the ground and rubbed at my eyes as I staggered to the door.

Cedric was leaning up against the other side of the hallway, arms crossed over his chest and smiling. "Good morning! How are you?"

"More tired than usual," I admitted, stifling a yawn with my hand. "But I get to go to Hogsmeade today!"

"You and Harry?" he asked, somewhat suggestively.

"And Hermione," I said. "She... well, she's missed Harry. Apparently Ron wants to spend the day with the twins and Lee Jordan, meaning Hermione's free to hang out with Harry and me."

Cedric shook his head sadly. "Hopefully Harry and Ron sort it out soon. I mean, if I'm not upset with Harry, I don't understand why everyone else is."

"You would have the most reason to be," I said with a sigh. "And to think, a month ago was the day you first told everyone you were planning on entering."

"Yeah, you're right," he said, smiling. "Time flies, I guess."

And so it did. Before I knew it, I had downed my wideye potion, taken a shower, and returned to the common room, where the twins were already awake and speaking to each other in low tones.

"Isn't it a little early on a Saturday morning to be considering blackmailing an influential sports figure?" I asked, sitting on the couch next to George.

"Never too early," Fred replied, grabbing me by the arm and yanking me over George until I was sitting in between them. "Want to read the letter before we send it off?"

"Happy to be your editor! Hand it over, my favorite muppets."

"Watch who you call a muppet, Cub," George said, passing me the letter. He rested his head on top of mine as I read. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, I am, thanks. Now shut up, I'm reading," I added teasingly.

There were no typos, so I had no real corrections to offer. But something was off about the twins themselves. George kept his cheek pressed to the top of my head, and Fred's eyes kept flickering back and forth between the page and my face. They seemed... worried. Which was an expression I had never really seen on their faces before. It kind of unnerved me. I had to do something about it.

"It's good, except for one thing."

"The one thing being?" Fred asked.

"You spelled Bagman wrong," I said.

"You're bloody kidding." Fred snatched the letter from my hands before bursting into laughter. "I hate you."

I giggled, somewhat relieved to see that at least Fred stopped looking worried. "You know I can never miss an opportunity to mess with you two."

George laughed, too, sitting up and draping his arms over the back of the couch. "Thanks for reading that over. We're going to go steal Pigwidgeon from Ron, but see you in Hogsmeade, maybe?"

"Maybe," I replied with a grin. "I'm not quite sure what Harry and Hermione have in mind for the day. I know where you two will be, though, so I'll try to convince them to swing by Zonko's."

"You know us too well," Fred said.

"You're predictable!" I fired back as they left the common room.

"Well, you're not," said a voice behind me.

I whirled around, braids whipping my face with how quickly I moved. "Harry! Hi!"

"Hi yourself," he replied, coming to fill in the spot to my right previously occupied by George. "How are you? Better?"

"I'm excited for Hogsmeade," I said with a smile, praying I wasn't blushing. I reckoned I was too cold to blush, anyway; the November common room was freezing even with Cedric's magic shirt. "Are you?"

He nodded. "Just so you know, I'm planning to wear the Invisibility Cloak."

"Don't want to deal with Rita Skeeter?"

"I was thinking about Ron, actually," he admitted, looking somewhat sheepish. "But I wouldn't want to run into her, either, come to think of it."

I smiled. "Did you and Hermione talk at all about what you want to do?"

"It's your first trip, Lu. What do you want to do?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But I know Hermione will know, so I'm planning to follow her lead."

Harry laughed. "You know what, I think you might be onto something."

Surely enough, Hermione knew exactly where to go, but she wasn't thrilled with Harry's Invisibility Cloak idea.

"I hate talking to you in that cloak, I never know if I'm looking at you or not," she complained as we walked down the street. "Come on, please just take off your cloak for a bit, no one's going to bother you here."

"Oh yeah? Look behind you."

Hermione and I turned around just as a photographer and a blonde woman exited the Three Broomsticks.

"A photographer?" I asked hesitantly.

"That's Rita Sk-"

Before Harry could finish her name, Rita Skeeter herself spotted me. A flicker of recognition crossed her beady eyes, and I felt my heart begin to beat a little faster in my chest as she approached me.

"Hermione, do something!" Harry hissed.

"Like what?" Hermione hissed back.

"Like this."

Suddenly, my Magpies hat was yanked down over my eyes.

"Pretend that was Angelina and Alicia," Harry whispered in my ear. "Casting a spell from behind you. Then duck into the second shop on the right, they just walked in there."

I laughed and spun in half a circle. "Hey!" I ripped my hat off and hurried down the street. "There are other ways to get my attention, you know!"

The second shop on the right proved to be none other than Honeydukes Sweetshop. I grinned widely as I looked around the multi-colored shelves.

"Thanks, Harry, that was brilliant," I whispered, ducking deeper into the shop.

"You did follow us in, right?" Hermione muttered as she walked behind me.

Harry chuckled. "Wish you could have seen the look on her face. It was satisfying, to say the least."

We poked around Honeydukes for a while longer, giving Rita Skeeter ample time to lose interest and give up the chase. Once we were satisfied, the three of us --- or, as it appeared to the rest of the world, the two of us --- headed to the Three Broomsticks. Ron smiled and waved when he spotted Hermione and me, and the twins soon followed suit. We smiled and waved back, then I went with Harry to get a table in the corner while Hermione ordered the drinks.

"Wish I could have given Ron a nice poke in the back of the head," Harry said moodily.

"Be nice," I chided him, trying not to move my lips too much so it didn't look like I was talking to myself. "He'll come around soon enough, just give him time to be angry."

A heavy sigh was my only reply as Hermione returned with the drinks. I slipped Harry's to him under the table, and Hermione plopped the S.P.E.W. notebook onto the table with a flourish.

"Since you haven't been able to help lately, I was thinking now would be a good time to catch you both up on the recent occurrences within the organization. Last Wednesday, I was able to recruit Neville..."

I listened to Hermione as she talked, or at least I tried to, but butterbeer straight from the tankard was distractingly delicious. But a new arrival at the door caught my attention.

"Look, it's Hagrid!" Hermione said.

I smiled and waved, and he headed our direction. To my surprise, Professor Moody headed over to us as well, his magical eye focused very intently on the supposedly empty seat next to me.

"Hello Hermione, Lucy," Hagrid said in a voice that suggested he knew Harry was there, too.

Professor Moody stooped over to inspect the S.P.E.W. notebook. After a second, he said in a low voice, "Nice cloak, Potter."

"Can your eye- I mean, can you-?"

Professor Moody grinned. "Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks. And it's come in useful at times, I can tell you. I'm sure your mother has told you about those, eh, Diggory?"

"Er... she doesn't tell very many stories, sir," I admitted, the odd feeling settling in my stomach that I had experienced when he instructed me to tell Mum he'd be keeping an eye on me. I had done so, albeit reluctantly, and she replied very positively to that word from her former coworker, so I had tried to force away any senses of unease around him. But they kept crawling back, no matter how hard I tried to push them away.

Before Professor Moody could reply, Hagrid bent down to pretend to look at Hermione's notebook too. In a voice he clearly hoped only Harry would hear, he whispered, "Harry, meet me tonight at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak." But, being a werewolf so fresh off the full moon, I heard him loud and clear. Just as soon as he had spoken, he straightened up again, bid Hermione and me farewell, and followed Professor Moody out of the Three Broomsticks.

"Why does Hagrid want me to meet him at midnight?" Harry wondered aloud.

Hermione blinked hard. "Does he? I wonder what he's up to? I don't know whether you should go, Harry... it might make you late for Sirius."

"I can go," I offered in a low voice, "assuming you don't mind lending me the cloak, that is. You can't afford to miss Sirius, Harry, but I'm sure I can handle whatever Hagrid needs you to do."

A brief silence followed.

I cracked a grin. "If you're nodding, Harry, I can't see you."

"Oh, right, sorry. I was. Of course I trust you with the cloak, Lucy, as long as you're sure you don't mind."

"When have I ever minded a trip down to Hagrid's?"

"Touché." Harry paused, then chuckled. "You know... I was wondering why Hagrid didn't wave back. I realize now that I was waving from under the cloak as if he could see me."

The three of us enjoyed the rest of our Hogsmeade visit well enough. We were all somewhat preoccupied, each wondering what Hagrid had in store. Well, and not to mention the fact that Harry was under the Invisibility Cloak and Ron wasn't there. But all that being said, my first trip to Hogsmeade was a good one, though I did find myself looking forward to (I hoped) more normal visits in the future.

Harry and I formed a plan after dinner for how to get me down to Hagrid's under the Invisibility Cloak without arousing any suspicion. Half an hour to midnight, it was time for the show to begin.

Hermione was the only one in our dormitory while I prepared.

"You're sure this plan will work?" she asked worriedly.

"Sure it will." I shoved the Invisibility Cloak under my robes as I talked. "You really have the hardest job of all."

"Will you ever tell me how in Merlin's name you managed to nick two Dungbombs off of the Weasley twins in broad daylight?"

I grinned. "Oh, Hermione, where's the fun in me telling you?" I dropped them into her hand. "Now remember, if the common room isn't deserted by one o'clock, put one in front of the portrait hole and one in front of the fire and activate them from the stairway to avert suspicion."

"I really hope everyone's tired tonight so I don't have to do this," she groaned. "Honestly, me? Dungbombs?"

I clapped her on the shoulder, my grin widening. "That's exactly why you were nominated for this task. You're trustworthy, and not at all suspicious!"

She managed a small smile. "Well... you're not wrong. Good luck tonight. Wake me when you're back and tell me everything."

"Will do." I wrapped my arms around my midsection and stooped over slightly. "Is this convincing? Like I've got an actual stomachache?"

Hermione nodded. "Perfect. It helps that you're already pale since the full moon was last night. Now go, you've only got half an hour now."

I stumbled from the dormitory and made my way down the stairs. As soon as I reached the crowded common room, my eyes found Harry, who was sitting in the corner nearest the portrait hole by himself, pretending to read a book. I made my way over to him, arms firmly secured around my stomach.

"Harry?" I asked softly, for the benefit of anyone who may be listening in.

In accordance with the script, he glanced up and looked concerned. "What is it, Lu?"

"I-I don't feel good," I stammered. "Too many sweets from Honeydukes. Will you walk with me to the Hospital Wing?"

He jumped to his feet and laid a supporting hand on my shoulder. "Of course. Let's go, and quickly. You don't look too good."

We made our way through the portrait hole together, then as soon as it closed behind us, we hurried down to the dark and deserted History of Magic classroom.

"Smashing performance, Mr. Potter," I chuckled quietly as we closed the door behind us.

"Not so bad yourself," he replied. "I was worried for half a second that you weren't kidding."

I dropped my arms and let the cloak fall to the floor. He scooped it up off the ground and draped it over me. In that moment, I let myself stare. He couldn't see me, after all. The moonbeams filtering in through the window caught his brilliant green eyes just right, and I couldn't help but notice how gently and carefully he arranged the folds of the fabric around me.

"Well... how do I look?"

Harry grinned at the obvious irony of my question. "You look perfect. As in, you don't really look any way at all."

"Any advice before I leave? Tricks of the trade?"

"I know you'll be just fine. I'll tell anyone who asks where you went that you weren't feeling well so I walked you to the Hospital Wing, but that you'd be back by morning. You gave Hermione the Dungbombs?"

"She wasn't thrilled about it, but yes, I did. Let's hope we don't have to use them." I took a deep breath and extended a hand for him to shake. "Well, good luck, Harry."

"Good luck," he said, nodding and turning on his heel.

I felt affronted for half a second, then I started laughing.

He turned back around, confusion written all over his face. "What is it?"

"I was wondering why you didn't shake my hand." I was very glad he couldn't see how much I was blushing. "As if you could see me under this."

He chuckled, then extended his own hand. "How about you come to me?"

"Perfect." I reached forward and officially shook his hand. "Well, good luck starting now."

"Good luck."

We crept out of the classroom together. He headed back up the stairs in the direction of the common room, whereas I headed down the stairs in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Hagrid opened the door as soon as I knocked.

"You there, Harry?"

I slipped inside the hut and pulled the cloak off. "Actually, Hagrid, it's me. Harry wasn't feeling well, so I offered to come down instead. I reckoned you didn't want him being sick all over your floor. Too many Honeydukes sweets, we think."

Hagrid nodded understandingly. "That c'n happen if yer not careful! Well, ter be honest, Lucy, it's just as well that yer the one here. I was plannin' on showing yeh this sometime."

"Show me what, Hagrid?" I asked. I studied him more closely, and I could see that Hagrid had put more effort than usual into his appearance; his hair was brushed, and a flower was pinned to his chest. I grinned knowingly. "Is Madame Maxime coming as well?"

"As a matter of fact, she is," he replied. "But never mind that. Come with me, keep quiet, an' keep yerself covered with that cloak. We won' take Fang, he won' like it."

Curiosity thoroughly piqued, I threw the cloak over my head and followed Hagrid outside. He initially led me to the Beauxbatons carriage, but I soon realized it was just to pick up Madame Maxime.

She opened the door and smiled. "Ah, 'Agrid, it is time?"

"Bong-sewer," he replied happily, extending an arm to her, which she gladly took.

"Where is it you are taking me, 'Agrid?" she asked as we headed in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

"Yeh'll enjoy this, worth seein', trust me. On'y... don' go tellin' anyone I showed yeh, right? Yeh're not s'posed ter know."

"Of course not!"

I had to run to keep up with the very tall pair. If Hagrid was half-giant, I was convinced Madame Maxime was at least three-quarters giant... if that were somehow possible. I forced the thought from my mind and tried to focus on where we were going without tripping on anything on the ground and compromising the entire mission.

A sudden shout split the quiet night. I followed Hagrid and Madame Maxime as they took shelter behind a clump of trees. A blast of orange illuminated the world around me, and my jaw dropped.

Dragons. Four amazing dragons, right on Hogwarts grounds.

But wait, I found myself wondering, why would Hagrid want to show Harry the dragons before me? Hagrid knows better than anyone how much I love dragons...

Another one blasted off, and I could clearly see a Common Welsh Green, a Swedish Short-Snout, a Chinese Fireball, and... oh Merlin. A Hungarian Horntail. All four were in an enclosure of sorts, though I was worried for its structural integrity --- to be fair, very few structures in the world would have been able to contain four dragons, especially dragons like those.

Someone hanging off of the fence, whose voice I recognized as belonging to Charlie Weasley, called, "Keep back there, Hagrid! They can shoot fire at a range of twenty feet, you know! I've seen this Horntail do forty!"

"Is'n' it beautiful?" Hagrid gushed.

I found myself nodding emphatically in agreement, knowing and not caring that he couldn't see me. The dragons were incredible, but... why had Hagrid wanted to show Harry first, and not me?

"It's no good! Stunning spells, on the count of three!" another wizard yelled. "One... two..."

"STUPEFY!"

The four dragons collapsed to the ground, causing something of an earthquake, and the dragon keepers eagerly set to work securing them to the ground. Hagrid and Madame Maxime moved closer, and I followed eagerly. Dragons, real dragons, at Hogwarts! I couldn't believe my eyes.

Charlie came over to the two of them, grinning and panting. I noticed he had a new pink burn on his cheek. "Alright, Hagrid? They should be okay now, we put them out with a Sleeping Draft on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet. But, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all!"

"What breeds you got here, Charlie?" Hagrid asked with boyishness excitement.

He pointed to each as he spoke. "This is a Hungarian Horntail. There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one. And a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-gray. And a Chinese Fireball, that's the red."

Madame Maxime broke off suddenly, hurrying toward one side of the enclosure for a closer look.

Charlie turned back to Hagrid, frowning. "I didn't know you were bringing her, Hagrid. The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming. She's bound to tell her student, isn't she?"

Hagrid's reply was upbeat --- "Jus' thought she'd like ter see 'em!" --- but a realization like a stunning spell nearly knocked me to the ground. The champions aren't supposed to know what's coming... the dragons were for the first task.

"Really romantic date, Hagrid," Charlie quipped.

"Four... so it's one fer each o' the champions, is it? What've they gotta do, fight 'em?"

Oh Merlin, no, please no.

Charlie shook his head. "Just get past them, I think. We'll be on hand if it gets nasty, extinguishing spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don't know why, but I tell you this, I don't envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end's as dangerous as its front, look."

Charlie pointed at its tail --- which did in fact look just as dangerous, if not more so, than its fire-breathing front end --- just as a group of Charlie's fellow dragon keepers placed a crate of eggs next to the stunned dragon. Hagrid groaned, clearly yearning for an egg of his own.

"I've got them counted, Hagrid." Charlie grinned, then his grin faded. "How's Harry?"

"Fine," Hagrid answered, not blinking as he stared at the eggs.

"Just hope he's still fine after he's faced this lot... I didn't dare tell Mum what he's got to do for the first task; she's already having kittens about him. She was in floods after that Daily Prophet article about him, saying she never knew he still cried for his parents and the like."

If I hadn't felt such overwhelming dread coursing through me, I might have found that funny. Harry didn't cry for his parents anymore, of course he didn't. But... I sure felt like crying, looking at the dragons. Knowing that on Tuesday, my brother and my --- well, Harry --- would be going against them.

"Well, I'd better go and help," Charlie said. "Nice seeing you, Hagrid. And don't get any ideas about the eggs, you hear?"

"Yeah," Hagrid replied, clearly still wonderstruck by the creatures before him. The same way I had been, before I found out what their true purpose was.

I reached forward and tugged on Hagrid's sleeve, trying to jerk him back to reality.

"Dragons?" I squeaked.

"Yeah," he said in the same misty voice. "Beautiful, aren' they?"

I looked one more time at the sleeping beasts. "Yeah," I heard my voice saying, "they are. Listen, Hagrid, I need to head back up to the castle, but thanks for the heads-up, okay?"

"Sure."

I wrenched my eyes away from the dragons and ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

Terror surged through my veins. I needed to tell both Cedric and Harry. Madame Maxime would surely tell Fleur, and as I ran, I spied Karkaroff heading in the same direction from which I had just come, meaning Viktor would know too. I couldn't let my two favorite people in the entire world enter the first challenge completely blind, rules be damned. If Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were going to bend the rules, so could I.

I reached the Fat Lady in what seemed like no time at all.

"Balderdash," I panted.

"If you say so," she said. The hole swung open, and I launched myself inside.

Harry was so deep in conversation he didn't hear me come in.

"Ron doesn't believe me, Sirius." His voice was high and strained, and the magnitude of Ron's lack of trust in his friend seemed to hit me all at once. Harry was hurting. "I thought he was my best friend, but Lucy's the only one who's stuck with me through all of this. I-I don't know what I'd do without her."

I couldn't stand to eavesdrop helplessly anymore. I tore the cloak off and rushed to Harry, kneeling beside him and grabbing him by the shoulders. "Dragons. Harry, the first task is dragons."

"W-What?" he stammered.

"Hagrid wanted you to see them tonight," I said, gasping after such a long and hard run. I brushed my sweaty hair from my face with my sleeve. "Charlie said you didn't have to fight them, necessarily, but there are four dragons, one for each champion."

"You must be the famous Lucy," came a voice from the fire. I jumped a bit and turned, offering a shaky smile.

"That I am. You must be the famous Sirius."

"Infamous, more like," he replied with a dry bite of sarcasm. "Harry, listen, dragons we can deal with, but we'll get to that in a minute. I haven't got long here. I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you two about."

I nodded, inching closer to the fire. "We're listening."

"Karkaroff. He was a Death Eater. He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year, to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place."

"Karkaroff got released? Why did they release him?" I asked, feeling as if I would explode from the onslaught of anxiety the night continued to pile upon my shoulders.

"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic. He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names. He put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place. He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."

Harry's voice shook when he spoke again. "Okay, but... are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the Goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing."

"We know he's a good actor, because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he? Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet, and reading between the lines of that Skeeter woman's article last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm, but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had."

"My dad thinks he's off his rocker, but my mum thinks the world of him," I said. "They worked together a fair amount in their day."

"But what does it all mean?" Harry asked. "Karkaroff's trying to kill me? But... why?"

"I've been hearing some very strange things. The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup, didn't they? Someone set off the Dark Mark, and then... well, did you hear about that Ministry of Magic witch who's gone missing?"

I nodded. "Bertha Jorkins."

"Exactly. She disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last. And she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn't she?"

"Yeah, but it's not very likely she'd have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?" Harry asked.

"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins. She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination, trust me. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap."

"So you think Voldemort knows about the tournament?" I inquired, inching closer to the fire still. "You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?"

"I don't know, I just don't know... Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort was powerful enough to protect him. But whoever put your name in that goblet did it for a reason, Harry, and I can't help thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident."

I swallowed hard, trying to push down the terror crawling up my throat.

Harry forced a laugh that was devoid of any humor whatsoever. "Looks like a really good plan from where I'm standing. They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff."

Sirius's head jerked in the fire, and he began talking rapidly. "Right. These dragons. There's a way, Harry. Don't be tempted to try a stunning spell, because dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single stunner. You need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon, but you can do it alone. There is a way, and a simple spell's all you need. Just-"

"Someone's coming!" I hissed, hearing distant footsteps on the stairs.

Harry threw his arm around my shoulders and draped the Invisibility Cloak over the top of us in a single fluid motion. "Go, Sirius, go! Someone's coming!"

Sirius's head disappeared with a pop, and Harry and I huddled under the cloak in silence. I could feel how badly he was shaking as he pulled me close to him; I was shaking too.

Ron emerged after a few more seconds, looking half-asleep but curious. When he didn't see anybody, he turned on his heel and headed back up the stairs.

"Maybe you should stay under here," Harry whispered once Ron's footsteps had faded to nothingness. "Can't risk anyone seeing you here before morning."

"Stay with me," I whispered back. "N-No sense letting someone see you talking to the air. People already think... w-well, you know."

He released my shoulders and nodded, carefully keeping the cloak secured around us as he sat cross-legged across from me, so close our knees were touching.

"S-So dragons?"

I nodded slowly. "Dragons."

"Do you have any idea what Sirius might have been about to say? Lucy, if anyone knows anything about dragons, it's you."

"I..." I tried to take a deep breath and think, but I drew a complete blank. "I..." I tried again to take a deep breath, but I failed a second time. My entire body trembled. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, digging my nails into my palms. The pain cleared my head, and I was able to take a deep breath on the third attempt. "Harry, I don't know right this second, but I promise you we'll figure it out before Tuesday."

He glanced away, a number of emotions flickering across his face in rapid succession. He blinked a couple of times, then met my eyes again. "Okay."

I pressed my forearms to my stomach in an attempt to quell the anxiety churning there. "Our little ruse doesn't feel like much of a ruse anymore."

"I'll walk with you to the Hospital Wing for real, if you want."

I shook my head, sighing shakily. "I'm alright. I can't even b-begin to imagine how you're... how you're... oh, Harry, are you alright?"

He blinked once. Then twice. "Yeah. Just stunned. At least Sirius was able to tell me not to use stunning spells. I-I guess."

"I could have told you that. I-I saw them do it. A whole team was needed to take down the four dragons. Oh, and Fleur and Viktor will both know. Madame Maxime was there, and Karkaroff was on his way as I was leaving, I nearly ran into him." I bit my lip. "Harry, do you mind if I use the cloak one more time tonight? To sneak down to the Hufflepuff common room and warn Cedric?"

"Go ahead," he replied immediately, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm going to head to bed. You can keep it in your trunk for now; I'll take it back in the morning."

"Thanks, Harry," I said. I tossed the cloak off of us and pushed myself to my feet. I shyly tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear. "Are you sure you're alright? We can try to brainstorm tonight, if you think it would help."

He shook his head slowly. "Go warn Cedric. We won't come up with anything tonight. We're too..."

"Tired?" I suggested. "Shell-shocked?"

"Yeah... yeah, something like that."

I nodded. "I promise we'll figure it out, Harry."

He nodded once. Twice. "Okay. G'night, Lucy."

"G'night."

I tossed the cloak over myself and disappeared through the portrait hole again.

My feet remembered well the path to the Hufflepuff common room, which was good, considering how distracted I was by the dragons and the Death Eater and... everything else.

The Hufflepuff common room was deserted, which I was glad for, but then came the task of figuring out where Cedric's dorm was. I took the stairs on the right, praying for the best, and tried to make out the names on every door. I found the one bearing Cedric's name and pushed the door open with no shortage of timidity.

Fortunately, Cedric's bed was the one closest to the door, just like mine. If I weren't so terrified, I might have found that sweet and a little bit funny. We really were siblings, though we weren't related by blood.

I crept to his bedside and exposed just my head. I reached forward and gently shook his shoulder.

"Cedric," I whispered. "Cedric. Cedric, it's me, Lucy."

He opened his eyes slowly at first, then they snapped open.

"Lu? What are you- how are you-"

"Please just come with me to the common room, I'll explain everything," I whispered desperately, feeling panic beginning to flood me anew.

He blinked, then pushed himself up. "Okay."

I quickly pulled the cloak back over my head and tiptoed down the stairs to the common room. Once I confirmed that the coast was clear yet again, I pulled the cloak off completely and turned to face Cedric.

"An Invisibility Cloak?" he asked. "Where did you-"

"It's Harry's," I replied. "Please don't tell anybody. He said I could borrow it to come talk to you. And you... you want to hear what I have to say."

He looked more confused than ever, but he nodded. "Okay. What do you know?"

I sank down onto the couch, suddenly crippled completely by my anxiety. Telling Harry in the heat of the moment was one thing --- telling my brother, after the shock had started to wear off, was a different matter entirely.

Cedric settled on the couch next to me. "Lu?"

"The first task is dragons," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I saw them with my own eyes. I know what you're probably thinking, but Fleur and Viktor will know by morning. You and Harry ought to know too, so it's an even playing field. There are four dragons, one for each of you, and you have to get past them."

"Dragons?" Cedric repeated.

It was the panic in his voice that caused my attempt at a confident facade to crumble completely. I didn't cry, but I didn't need to. Cedric just knew, and immediately pulled me into a tight hug.

I hugged him back, pressing my ear to his chest. The reassuring sounds of life comforted me, even in the face of such danger only two days ahead. I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch the way the fire danced in the fireplace, seeing too much of a similarity to the dragon fire I had seen less than an hour prior.

"I'm sorry," I said hoarsely a couple minutes later. "I feel like I should be comforting you. You're the one facing the dragon on Tuesday, not me."

"It's okay," Cedric replied, though I could tell from the way his heart was beating faster every passing minute how scared he really was. "We'll be okay, Lu. I promise."

I nodded, because of how desperately I wanted to believe he was right.

A/N: Hey everyone! Just a PSA to let you all know that I don't think J.K. Rowling looked at a calendar once while writing this book. Sirius and Harry supposedly talk on Sunday, November 22, but November 22 was a Tuesday in 1994. Which is funny, because the first task is supposed to take place on Tuesday, November 24. I had this same problem in Prisoner of Azkaban, where the person reading Buckbeak's execution letter says something like "on the date of June 6," even though the full moon in June 1994 occurred on June 23. I'll admit it's frustrating trying to write with the level of detail that I do when so many dates in the books are literally wrong, but I do my best. :)

TL;DR --- I'm convinced that JKR never once looked at a calendar, but I have to because of the full moon, so some of the dates might be a little screwy. I'm sorry in advance if it gets a tiny bit confusing in the future. I'll do my best to construct my own independent timeline that makes a little more sense for my story.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I actually had planned for Harry to be the one to tell Cedric about the dragons, first thing on Sunday morning before Lucy was even awake (just to show that he really cares a lot about Cedric and also so it somewhat remains true to the book), but I actually had a dream last Tuesday where I WAS Lucy and I was in the Hufflepuff common room doing exactly what Lucy does in this chapter, so I ended up writing it with Lucy being the person to tell Cedric about the dragons because I just thought my dream was so darn sweet. 😂 I hope you thought it was sweet, too, as well as the whole, er, Henry situation. Have fun unpacking all of that!

Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you all next chapter! Please feel free to leave comments, because I absolutely love hearing from you all. :)