When Harry and Hermione came back from their walk, Ben was back in their dorm, and Ron was doing homework in the common room. Harry went upstairs, expecting Ben to be there, and let himself fall on top of his bed as soon as he got there.

"Hi, Harry," said Ben, standing up from his bed and sitting on Harry's, to be closer to him.

"Hi, Ben," he replied, his voice muffled from speaking against a cushion. He turned around, his face facing the ceiling. His glasses were slightly lopsided, and Ben reached out to adjust them, feeling a tickling in his chest as the tips of his fingers brushed against Harry's soft skin. Harry gazed up at him. The way his eyes were fixed on him, sparkling beautifully, made Ben think, not for the first time, about how gorgeous his friend was.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Hagrid said he wanted to meet me at midnight," he answered. "And Hermione just said I miss Ron."

"Well, that's because you do, am I right?"

Harry breathed in deeply. "Yes, you are."

"Why don't you try to talk to him, then?" he wondered.

"Because I really don't know what to tell him," he replied. "'Hey, Ron, I miss you so much. I wish you would realise I didn't put my stupid name in that stupid goblet, and I also wish you would realise I didn't ask for any of this to happen. I'm sorry I'm famous, I guess, but it's not my fault'"

"Maybe he will realise soon."

"Why would he, now? It's almost been a month."

"But your first task is coming soon," he reminded him. Harry gulped. "Everyone knows it won't be precisely something easy, so I think he might finally understand that you wouldn't put yourself in such a risk for no reason."

"I hope he does," admitted Harry. "I hope I don't need to die for him to understand it, though."

"You're not dying," repeated Ben. "If you do, I'll bring you back to life just to kick you."

"Okay, okay," he grinned.

———————————————

So, the next days before the first task were quite stressful. During Harry and Hagrid's meeting at midnight, the man had shown him dragons, and told him pretty much the exact same things Ron had told Ben, though he faked surprise and pretended not to know when Harry told him the next morning.

Then, he met Sirius Black in their common room. Apparently, the man had shown himself in the fireplace, someone quite cool which Ben would've loved to see. Harry summed their whole conversation up by saying Sirius had warned him about Karkaroff, who used to be a death eater, and that he thought he might have been the one to put his name inside the goblet.

The following days, Hermione, Harry and Ben spent every single spare minute trying to come up with a plan to help Harry with the first task. After suggesting different things, going over the rules of the tournament, and debating what was best for hours, they decided a good plan would be to find a way to allow Harry to use his firebolt.

He was brilliant at flying, and he was an awesome Seeker. If he could manage to catch a small golden and flying ball during every match, it was safe to say he wouldn't struggle too much at catching something that would very probably be bigger, and wouldn't have wings.

Ben also insisted on Harry telling Cedric all he knew about the task. He could've done it himself, as the boy had pointed out, but Ben was sure it would be useful if it was Harry who did it. Cedric and Ben were already friends, and it would make sense for them to help each other out. However, if Harry helped him, he was sure Cedric would somehow return him the favour.

So, Harry did it. And, almost immediately, all the Hufflepuffs and many Ravenclaws stopped scowling at him, and got back to treating him as a human being. The day before the task, Cedric and Ben talked for a while. The older boy asked him to thank Harry again, and to wish him the bestest of luck.

So, Ben did it. The night before, Hermione had ordered Harry to go to sleep early, so he would be well-rested in the morning. And she had also ordered Ben to go upstairs with him, too, to make sure he did actually sleep.

It's not like he needed her to tell him to, since he refused to stay in the common room with everyone and leave his friend on his own.

Both boys did as they were told by Hermione, but Ben couldn't fall asleep, and he knew Harry couldn't either, since he could hear moving from side to side in his bed.

"Ben?" he called in a whisper.

"Yeah?" he replied in the same tone.

"This might sound weird..."

"Don't worry, just say it."

"Er... Would you mind coming here?"

Ben's heartbeat raised, and he didn't hesitate before getting out of his bed, and walking over to Harry's. He stood there, awkwardly, for some seconds, not knowing exactly what to do. It was dark, and he could only see his silhouette.

"Get in, or you'll get cold without being covered."

Ben obeyed, slowly. "Are you alright? What do you need?"

"I don't know. I couldn't sleep and, all of a sudden, I felt... Alone.""

A protective urge rushed through his veins, and Ben wished he could hug him and never let go, to protect him with his whole being for the rest of their life.

"As long as I'm here, you won't ever be alone."

"As long as I'm here, you won't ever be alone, either," he whispered back.

He couldn't see it, but he knew they were very close. Even more than the night they found out Harry would be part of the tournament. He could feel his breathing, tickling his skin, and his heart. The sensation he had felt that night was back. It was overwhelming, and it got deeper into him, not allowing him to think clearly. He couldn't think of anything, actually. Anything other than Harry, their closeness, and how badly he wanted, needed, to increase it. He considered pulling away, and staring at the ceiling, and pretending he wasn't feeling what he was feeling, but the mere thought of it made a freezing sensation rise within and envelop him completely.

"Harry?" he said, his voice so low and soft he wasn't sure if the boy would be able to hear him.

"Mhm?" he replied.

Oh, Merlin, he thought. What's happening to me?

"I want to hug you so bad," he admitted, the words escaping his lips before he could fully contemplate them.

"Do it, then," his friend said. And, just by his tone, Ben could tell he was smirking, almost teasing him. The fluttering of butterflies in his stomach became palpable, each gentle wingbeat echoing the rapid pace of his heart.

"I... I don't think I can."

"Why not?"

"It might be weird."

"We've both hugged Hermione a lot of times."

"Hermione's a girl. We aren't."

Harry's response wasn't as quick. "We have hugged before."

"When we were younger. We're older, now."

"And?"

"Things have changed," he muttered. "We have. Feelings have."

"What do you mean, feelings?"

Ben panicked, but his body couldn't move. He didn't know the answer himself. What did he mean by 'feelings'? What kind of feelings was he referring to? He had no clue. Normally, he would've got way too scared at that sensation, and he would get up, and avoid speaking to Harry as long as he could, or as long as he understood what he was feeling. However, he couldn't do it now. He had completely frozen. His body couldn't react. And, deep down, he didn't want to move away. The joy and calmness he was feeling by being so close to Harry was something he had never imagined he would be able to experience.

"Ben?"

Instead of answering verbally, Ben lifted himself slightly on the bed. Despite the dim light, he distinguished Harry's worried expression, a look that softened instantly as Ben drew nearer, and enveloped him with his arms. Harry hugged him back instantly, and he felt such a flutter inside of him that he thought he had gone crazy. Ben could sense Harry's heart pounding in his chest. Or, perhaps, it was his own.

Their hearts were way too close to tell the difference as their rhythms merged.

Ben wanted to say something. He felt as though he needed to. But he couldn't think of anything. So he didn't speak, and neither did Harry. They didn't move, either. They simply stayed there, holding each other tightly, too tightly to leave space to thoughts of what they were doing, or what it meant. Because it didn't matter. At least, not then.

He didn't plan on falling asleep, but they both inevitably did.

Ben didn't know how long it had been, but he suddenly woke up after hearing a noise. It was still dark, and everybody seemed to be still downstairs, so he guessed it had probably been some minutes. Harry was asleep in his arms, so he made sure not to move, even though his heart skipped a beat when he heard a footstep.

"It's okay, it's me," came Ron's whispering voice. Ben relaxed, although he was very glad nobody could see how red his face was at the realisation that he and Harry were literally sleeping together, in the same bed. "I was about to draw the bed curtains shut, so the others wouldn't see that you were together."

"It's just because-"

"Don't worry," he interrupted. "There's no need to explain anything to me. Go back to sleep, or you'll wake him up."

"Thank you."

He couldn't see it, but Ben could tell Ron's answer had been a smile. The boy slowly drew the curtains, trying to be as silent as possible, and he then walked towards Ben's bed. The same sound of curtains being drawn reached his ears, followed by Ron's footsteps, finally towards his own bed.

Ben looked at Harry. He was lying a little lower than him, and had his face buried in his chest. Ben had his arm around his shoulder, his hand rested in his hair, and his fingers intertwined in his locks. He noticed it was the first time he had touched Harry's hair, and it was softer and fluffier than he could've ever imagined it. Unconsciously, he was gently playing with it.

He could only hope that Harry was feeling as relaxed as he did, and that his presence somehow helped him rest for the important day that awaited him as soon as he woke up. He couldn't deny the fact that he was terrified of the moment Harry would have to fight a dragon. He knew he had been working and practicing really hard, and he was incredibly proud of him for everything he had done, but his heart ached at the possibility of something bad happening to him.

He wished he could find a way to protect him. Not only tomorrow, but forever. He wished there was something he could do to prevent him from any kind of danger, any sort of harm. He knew that he would actually do anything, absolutely anything, to keep him safe.

He tightened the hug slightly, as if it would keep him by his side, safe. He couldn't protect him the next day, during the first task, but he could take care of him now.

Maybe it was because of how tired he was. Maybe it was because of how badly he wished he could stay there, like that, forever. Maybe it was because he was still under the effects of the spell he had fallen under the first time he had directly looked into Harry's eyes.

Maybe it was because he was afraid it could be his only chance of doing something like that, but he leaned downwards, and brushed his lips against his friend's forehead.

———————————————

When Ben woke up the next morning, it was now him who was being hugged by Harry. Sunlight was leaking through the curtains, and the realisation of what had happened the night before sunk into him.

He and Harry had slept not only in the same bed, but hugging. And he had never slept more peacefully. Being close to Harry brought him a sense of safeness he had never felt in his entire life, no matter what that was supposed to mean.

But that sensation faded momentarily as he remembered the last conversation they had had. Feelings have changed. Merlin, what did he mean by that? Why would he say something like that? He hoped Harry didn't mention it.

If he didn't, he wouldn't, either. He wouldn't even think about it, because it made him feel a heavy sensation on his chest.

"What time is it?" asked Harry, all of a sudden. Ben nearly had a heart attack.

"I don't know, hold on," he replied. He rolled up his sleeve, in order to take a look at his clock, but was careful not to do it too much, so Harry wouldn't see the scars. "Seven o'clock."

"Oh, alright."

"Er... How are you?"

"Nervous, I guess," he answered. "Wait, let me get my glasses, I can barely see you."

"You better not miss out on such beauty," Ben joked, winking playfully. Harry laughed under his breath, and separated from him to grab his glasses from the bedside table.

"Everyone's still asleep," commented Harry as he put them on, and turned back, to face him, though now they weren't nearly as close. "Who drew the curtains?"

"Ron, shortly after we fell asleep."

"How do you know?" he asked, as though he didn't believe Ron would do anything to help.

"I heard him, and I woke up. He told me it was so the others wouldn't... You know."

Harry nodded in reply, and they were silent for some seconds. Ben caught himself wishing he could hug him again.

"Did I hit you or something while I was sleeping?" wondered Harry, looking worried. "Sometimes I move a lot."

"No, don't worry, you were still."

"It must be because you were here," he said, and then looked as though he didn't mean to. "I'm sorry I asked you to come yesterday."

"Why?"

"Maybe it was weird. Maybe you were right about what you said."

"About what, exactly?"

"Things have changed."

Ben didn't know what to say for some instant. He kept hoping he didn't mention that word.

"That doesn't have to be bad, though," he whispered.

"Maybe you're right."

Harry looked at him. Ben looked at him.

"I've always wanted to tell you I love your eyes," he confessed. "They're beautiful."

Harry went brick red.

"And I've always wanted to tell you I love your freckles," he said. Even though Ben tried to cover it with the bed sheets, his cheeks suddenly flushed bright red. "Especially when you blush."

"Oh, shut up, I never blush."

"Mhm, sure."

"Hey, do you think Ron'll ask about this?" he changed the subject.

"I don't know."

"What do we tell him, if he does?"

"Well I'm not telling him anything until he apologizes."

"We can just tell him the truth," Ben completely ignored Harry's last comment, since he didn't want to add fuel to the fire, especially now that he knew Ron would soon talk to him.

"And what exactly would be the truth?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"That you were nervous last night, and asked me to sit with you so we could talk for a while," he said. "And then we accidentally fell asleep."

Harry was silent for a while. "Alright, I guess."

———————————————

When it was finally time for the task to start, Ben was so scared he could barely keep his cool. All three schools were gathered in a kind of semicircle-shaped stadium located somewhere between the Forbidden Forest and the Qudditch pitch.

Ron, Neville, Thomas, his cousin Delilah, Leah, Dean, the Weasleys, Marina and Ben were all together, in the front rows. Hermione was supposed to be there, too, but she had suddenly disappeared.

"Has anybody seen Hermione?" wondered Ron.

"She told me she wanted to talk to Harry for a second," answered Leah. "She said it won't take her long."

"What does she want to talk to him about?" frowned Ben.

Leah shrugged. "Perhaps some last-minute tips?"

"Merlin, I'm so nervous!" exclaimed Thomas. "I can't wait to find out what the first task will consist of!"

Ron and Ben exchanged amused looks, and did their best to put on a straight face instead of bursting out into laughter. From the crowd, Hermione appeared, smiling but visibly nervous, and they both left a little space between them for her.

"Hi," she said. "I'm back."

Just in time, because a whistle was blown somewhere, and Ludo Bagman appeared running towards the commentating microphone. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament!"

The multitude erupted in cheers and excited claps.

"For this task, our champions will have to get past a dragon!"

Everyone gasped.

"Damn! That's so surprising!" exclaimed Ben.

"Who would've imagined it?" asked Ron, his eyes wide open, his hands on either side of his head, in a surprised gesture.

"Not us, certainly," huffed Hermione, faking a frown.

"Are you all okay?" asked Leah, actually frowning.

The three of them burst into laughter as a response.

"And they will have to take the golden egg each dragon will be guarding!" continued Ludo Bagman. "Each champion has randomly selected their dragon... Now, let the task begin, and let's give a warm welcome to our first champion- Cedric Diggory!"

Another whistle was heard from somewhere, although it was hard to notice, due to how loud the crowd's cheers were. All the Hogwarts students were shouting and chanting Cedric's name as the boy walked into the arena.

His face was full of a mixture between both determination, and terror as he looked at the dragon he'd have to battle. It was a quite beautiful one, whose scales were of a silvery blue.

"That's a Swedish Short-Snout," whispered Leah.

"How do you know?" wondered Delilah, her deep blue eyes fixed on the girl.

"I love dragons, they're very interesting."

The dragon roared thunderously as soon as Cedric approached, and breathed a bright blue flame as it charged towards him. The Hufflepuff miraculously escaped, moving away a second before the flame would've burnt him.

"Oh! Not a very smooth start, Mr. Diggory!" hissed Bagman.

The dragon shot out another flame towards Cedric, who quickly reacted, taking out his wand to cast a protection charm. It worked as a shield as he ran to hide behind a quite big rock.

"I wonder what he's going to do now," said Hermione.

Then, Cedric pointed his wand towards another nearby rock, and casted a spell Ben didn't recognise. Said rock began to roll down a small slope, and suddenly seemed to jump, instantly turning into a beautiful Golden Retriever.

"Wow!"

The Golden Retriever began running around the arena, jumping up and down rocks, attracting the dragon's attention. Cedric didn't hesitate before rushing to approach the golden egg, and grabbing it.

"He's taking risks, this one!"

The crowd roared with applause and cheers, which took the dragon by surprise. It immediately turned to Cedric, and shot out a flame which the boy didn't have time to avoid.

It hit him right on his side. The Hogwarts students screamed so loudly they muffled any other sound coming from the arena.

"Clever move- pity it didn't work till the end!" commented Bagman, not very encouragingly.

"He already got the egg!" roared Ben, tightly gripping the railing. "Take him in!"

Finally, the dragon keepers took the Swedish Short-Snout away, and Cedric disappeared from the arena.

"I'm so glad he did it!" yelled Ben, over the cheers.

"Me too!" Marina yelled back from next to him.

The next champion to appear in the arena was Fleur Delacour, who was looking terrified and as pale as the moon. However, she soon relaxed, and showed how skilled she actually was. She was very agile and fast, she was moving around the arena with such elegance it looked as though she was performing a spectacle. The spells she shot were performed faster, and sharper than Cedric's.

At first, she only shot several stunning spells around the dragon (which, according to Leah, was a Common Welsh Green), only to make it move away from the eggs it was guarding. Once the dragon was quite far away from them, she shot a much more powerful spell that put it in a trance, giving her time to run and get the egg.

Then, it was Krum's turn.

The boy's face showed no fear as he stepped decisively into the arena. He didn't hesitate before attacking his dragon, a Chinese Fireball by shooting a spell that lit its eyes on fire, making the poor creature growl in despair. It stumbled, destroying a few of its real eggs.

"NO!" cried out Leah, looking as though she was about to burst into sobs.

"OH, MERLIN!" screamed Bagman. "Vicious, but smart!"

"AND ANIMAL ABUSE, TOO!" shouted Ben furiously, watching as Krum stole the golden egg from the blinded mother dragon, earning cheers from the Durmstrang students.

"Wonderful! Three down!" yelled Ludo Bagman. "Now, for our last and youngest champion, Harry Potter!"

Ron, Hermione, Ben and the rest of their friends cheered with all their might, as loudly as possible, wanting to make sure he knew at least his friends were supporting him as he stepped into the arena.

"Holy shit, he's got to fight a Hungarian Horntail!" gasped Leah. "That's one of the most dangerous dragons in the world!"

Ben's heart had never pounded like it was doing now. He wasn't scared, nor terrified, because any word would be a severe understatement. His eyes were fixed on his friend as he raised his wand and shouted the spell.

He waited, trying to breathe normally. Hermione was shaking next to him, biting her nails. "You can do it, mate," they heard Ron whisper, a bit loudly, to himself.

All of a sudden, the Hornail growled, and breathed out a huge ball of fire. Harry reacted instantly, diving away and hiding behind the same rock Cedric had hid behind.

Ben winced, and saw Hermione gripping Ron's arm. "Why isn't it coming?"

"It will," stated Ben, although he wasn't sure if the girl had asked Ron.

And, after a seemingly neverending wait, they heard it. Harry's Firebolt was speeding through the air, and stopping  in midair beside him. The crowd began clapping and cheering madly, and Ludo's voice was heard over it, but Ben didn't pay attention.

Harry mounted the broom, and kicked off from the ground. The Horntail's eyes were fixed on him, but Harry was faster than it, and swerved away as soon as he saw the jet of fire coming his way.

He soared higher in a circle; the Horntail was still following his progress; its head revolving on its long neck. Harry plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but this time he was less lucky; he missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet him instead, and as he swerved to the left, one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder, ripping his robes.

"NO!"

Hermione seemed to be crying, and her knees wobbled. Both Ron and Ben held her at once, without hesitation.

Harry ignored what had happened, and continued flying around, to confuse the dragon, before flying higher. The Horntail's head followed him, and then it reared, spreading its great, black, leathery wings at last, as wide as those of a small airplane... And Harry dived. Before the dragon knew what he had done, or where he had disappeared to, he was speeding toward the ground as fast as he could go, toward the eggs now unprotected by its clawed front legs.

He took his hands off his Firebolt, and he seized the golden egg, before flying away with a huge spurt of speed, the egg safely under his uninjured arm.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

There were screams of joy, cheers, claps and shouts of Harry's name everywhere. Hermione, Ben and Ron grouped in a tight hug as tears of happiness flowed down Hermione and Ron's faces, and threatened to fall down Ben's.

Harry had made it. He had gotten through the first task. He had survived.

A/N: GET READY FOR NEXT CHAPTER! IT'S QUITE LONG, AND A LOT OF THINGS HAPPEN!!