A/N: Coming in at a whopping 17,000 + words, this is the longest chapter so far. I'm about ten chapters ahead and enjoying the direction of the story. I don't know what you guys think though, so send me any reviews, comments, questions, concerns, or constructive criticism! I don't have a beta reader so if you spot any errors, please let me know so that I can make note of it for editing once the story's done.

Belle

Chapter 13

The Great Hall was as silent as a tomb.

Every single head in the room had turned to look at Harry, pinning him to the spot. The jovial smile that had been upon his face after Cedric had been chosen died – he looked stunned, dumbstruck even. There was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall. A few students were even bold enough to stand up and get a better look at him. But Harry was stuck, frozen in his seat. Professor McGonagall had gotten to her feet and swept past Ludo Bagman and Professor Karkaroff to whisper urgently to Professor Dumbledore, who bent his ear toward her, frowning slightly. Viktor, Cedric, and Fleur were as stunned as everyone else, looking uneasily at their school Heads.

Finally, it seemed as though life had re-entered Harry's body – not just life, but an unholy anger that filled him up so quickly, I had to scoot as far away as possible as a wave of magic rose up around him. I didn't have to touch him to know that his skin was running a current.

"Harry –"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Mr. Potter, such language –" chided Professor McGonagall amidst the gasps around the Hall.

But Harry had suddenly risen from his seat and was striding purposefully along the table – in the opposite direction of the Head Table.

"Harry, where are you going?" called Dumbledore loudly.

Harry whirled around on the spot, hardly five feet from the double doors, his eyes pale, blazing green. "I didn't do this," he said clearly, glaring across the Hall directly at Dumbledore. I had a feeling that everything we'd learned at Gringotts must've been going through his head at that moment. "I didn't do this. I don't want this. And I'm not going to – to perform for your sick pleasure."

Just as he made to turn towards the doors again, Dumbledore said more firmly, "It is a magically binding contract, Harry, as soon as your name came out of the Goblet of Fire. We will look into how this happened, but in the meantime –"

"I'm not doing this!" said Harry louder.

"You will lose your magic if you refuse, Harry," said Dumbledore gravely.

"Then let them take it!"

Hermione's hand flew to her mouth in horror, and even Ron looked as though he'd been punched in the gut. Neville was pale and shaken, and Liz…though she'd expertly schooled her expression, I could sense the confusion and concern flowing from her. Further down the table, Ezra and Elias seemed to be staring intently at their sister to catch her attention, but she watched Harry just like everyone else. I could feel eyes burning into the side of my face and looked across the Hall to catch Draco's gaze. His face was red, his eyes wide and questioning, but I simply shrugged my shoulders helplessly.

As the room erupted into gasps and shocked exclaims, Harry finally crossed through the doorway out of the Great Hall. In the chaos, I slipped from the Gryffindor Table and bolted from the Hall behind him, catching him halfway through the entrance hall.

"Harry –" I called, carefully not to reach out and grab him.

"This is exactly what I was talking about!" he shouted, turning to face me. In the heavy, echoing silence of the entrance hall, I heard all activity in the Great Hall stop.

Harry's face was screwed up in anger, his hands clenched into fists at his side. His eyes were pale – very pale, and I held my hands out pacifyingly. "I understand that you're angry, Harry – I am too – and we're going to figure this out together…but you have to calm down."

"I'm tired of staying calm, Gia," he snapped coldly, and a quiet hum of power thrummed through him. "I should've known something this – asinine would happen the moment they told us about this Tournament! Every year, it's something else!"

"Harry, no matter what happens, you have me by your side at all times," I said quieter, stepping closer to him slowly. "You've been progressing massively in your training, and I'd never let anything happen to you anyway. You've got your friends," I lowered my voice, "And Sirius and Remus, and even Draco and me – all supporting you and looking out for you. It's going to be okay."

Harry stared at me coldly for a long minute, before he took a deep breath and seemed to shake off the dark haze that had overcome him. He lightened his stance and the tension disappeared as quickly as it had built up. Without a word, I jerked my head back towards the open double doors and together we walked back into the Great Hall. While I broke off and returned to my spot at the Gryffindor Table, Harry walked the straight path down the middle of the Hall until he joined Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor at the front.

"Thank you for rejoining us, Harry, my boy," said Dumbledore jovially, clasping his hands together before him. If looks could kill, Dumbledore would've been six feet under at that very moment. "Now that we have four of our champions, we can continue on with the selection process. It is my pleasure," he said louder as confused murmurs sprang up around the room, "to announce that we have mutually agreed to revive a special edition of the old Triwizard Tournament rules. This edition states that the chosen Champion of each school…may select one other student – of legal adulthood status – to participate alongside them as their partner. Not only will they work together as a team, but these partners will be considered chosen Champions in their own right as well, with an equal opportunity to win the prize."

Whatever I had been expecting next, it certainly hadn't been that.

"Yes!"

"Now I have chance –!"

"Pick me! Pick me!"

"I want to compete!"

The entire Hall had erupted with excited shouts and chatter; a few bolder people even stood from their seats and waved their arms enthusiastically to get a champion's attention. The previous tension and sour mood of the Hogwarts students quickly vanished as people called out to Harry – the Gryffindor table being especially vocal – to choose them as their partner. Hermione, Liz, and I shared a hard look – we'd be having a long meeting in East Tower after this, of that I was sure.

"Attention, please!" boomed Dumbledore, his voice magically amplified. The Hall fell silent at once. "Thank you. Now, as I call each Champion by name, they will step forward and clearly state the name of their chosen partner. I must stress, once again, that each partner must be of legal adulthood. If the student chosen agrees to participate, they are also agreeing to abide by the same magically binding contract as the champions that came out of the Goblet. Once you accept, there will be no going back."

As Dumbledore's eyes scanned cross the Hall, so did mine. The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables were certainly the most excited and vocal, with half of each table standing on their tiptoes to be seen. Only the foreign students at the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables were very active. The Ravenclaws themselves were usually pretty neutral, and though a fair bit of Slytherins had wanted to compete, they knew it was very, very unlikely that either Harry or Cedric would choose one of them as a partner.

"The first to select their partner – the fifth Champion of this tournament – will be Viktor Krum of Durmstrang!" announced Dumbledore as the Hall became silent again.

Viktor, rather straight-faced, took two steps forward from the line of Champions at the front of the Hall. He faced the student body and then his eyes scanned the Slytherin table, which held his schoolmates from Durmstrang. Finally, he said clearly, "My partner will be – Georgi Raikov."

The Great Hall burst into polite applause and cheers, Durmstrang being the loudest and most raucous. Either Georgi was Viktor's best mate or he was the second forerunner as the Durmstrang champion because none of their students seemed surprised at the selection. He rose from his seat and bowed slightly to his fellow students. His slightly curled hair was dark and cropped short, just above his ears. He had a fair bit of a full beard growing in, especially compared to Viktor's neat circle beard, but he was actually fairly handsome. His eyes, though as dark as Viktor's, had a sort of sparkling humor behind them, despite his calm and stern demeanor.

"Welcome, welcome to the circle of Champions, Mr. Raikov," called Dumbledore over the noise. "Please come and stand beside your partner. Yes, thank you – now, the next to select their partner and the sixth Champion, will be Fleur Delacour of Beauxbaton!"

To my quiet surprise, as Fleur stepped forward, her schoolmates appeared more nervous than excited. With the way the half-Veela was glaring haughtily over them, I had to wonder how much love there really was between Fleur and her school sisters.

"My partner will be…" said Fleur coolly, her hard tone still able to enrapture nearly every male in the room, "Abrial Bonnaire."

This was met with more surprise than anything by her peers. Abrial herself, a petite but serious looking girl, stared at Fleur with shock and a fair bit of suspicion. As the students gave their polite applause, however, Abrial rose from her seat and gracefully strode to stand beside Fleur. The half-Veela positively towered over her but looking at them standing beside each other, I still had to wonder who would win that fight. Whilst Fleur was tall and moved with natural grace and fluidity, Abrial was toned and clearly well-trained – she moved with the easy grace of a predator. She actually reminded me a fair bit of Liz. Harry would have his work cut out for him, if these first four champions were anything to go by.

"Cedric Diggory, of Hogwarts, will now select the seventh Champion, please."

The moment Cedric stepped forward the energy in the room seemed to thicken. The entire Hufflepuff House waited will bated breath as Cedric scanned the entire Hall, his smile easy and carefree. "My partner will be…" he paused dramatically, chuckling to himself as several people groaned, "Alex Sykes."

"What?"

"What!"

"But – but - he's a Ravenclaw!"

"Cedric!"

I was actually fairly surprised, though not as much as the Hufflepuffs. The entire Hufflepuff table had fallen apart, shouting hurt accusations and wild questions, betrayal clear upon their faces. They had clearly expected Cedric to select one of them and create a Hufflepuff tag-team, and though I had expected Cedric to choose Gabriel, I vaguely remembered that Alex had been one of his closest friends when we were younger. This had apparently continued, even after being sorted into different Houses. They should've known better. Cedric was the true definition of a Hufflepuff, and his loyalty knew no bounds, especially not the shallow lines between the Hogwarts Houses.

Alex Sykes, six foot three of the best England had to offer, stood from his spot at the end of the Ravenclaw table. He was as handsome and fair as Cedric, with his broad shoulders and wavy honey-brown hair. He smiled proudly as he met Cedric at the front of the Hall, and they clapped each other on the shoulder. As he faced the rest of the school, I took in his tanned, dimpled face – his wide, blue eyes – and his nicely muscled body.

Merlin, the man was gorgeous. After Alex had taken his place at the front and given the Hall a good look at him, none of the female students seemed to mind too much.

"And finally," called Dumbledore happily, "Harry Potter, of Hogwarts, will select the eighth and final Champion in this Tournament!"

If the energy and tension in the room had thickened before Cedric's choice, it positively crackled as Harry, still stone-faced, stepped forward and faced the Hall. All of our friends around the Gryffindor Table leaned forward in anticipation, and even I had to admit that I was curious about what could possibly be going through Harry's mind at that moment. He was clearly still fairly bewildered and angry, but seemed to have gained control of himself. In fact, he had a very small, almost unperceivable smirk along his lips.

"Harry, what are you planning?" I murmured under my breath.

Finally, he took a breath and said, "My partner is – of course – Giavana Grey."

Though no one seemed surprised at Harry's choice, given our very clear bond and friendship, there were still a few groans and gasped mixed in with the wild cheers that went up around me at the Gryffindor table. Hermione didn't know whether to be pleased or horrified at the thought of both of her friends competing, and though Neville seemed to contain enough horror for them both, Liz shot me an approving look and nodded her head. She knew that if anyone would keep Harry safe from within the Tournament, it would be me – and she was bloody right about that. Ron, on the other hand, looked as though he'd had a dagger driven into his back.

This wouldn't end well, indeed, I thought, remembering Gnarlkin's words previously.

"Excuse me – attention, please – ATTENTION!" Dumbledore finally yelled over the noise. "Though I'm sure Miss Grey would make an excellent champion, she is not of age and may not compete."

"Then why am I being forced to compete?" said Harry boldly, turning around to look up at the headmaster.

"Harry, the Goblet itself chose you," said Dumbledore patronizingly. "We cannot reverse its decision. Miss Grey, however –"

"Will compete beside Harry Potter," I said loudly, rising from the Gryffindor table, a smirk growing across my lips as I sauntered down the lane between us and the Hufflepuffs. "After all," I said, coming to stand beside Harry, "I am Lady and Head of my House, which means that in the eyes and law of our world, I am legally an adult."

To prove my point, I held out my left hand and willed the large and very visible signet ring to appear.

"And now that I have accepted, as you said yourself, it is a magically binding contract and I am obligated to compete alongside my partner," I said firmly, raising an eyebrow, as if daring him to contradict himself.

"Very well," said Dumbledore, though he certainly wasn't pleased, "I give you – Giavana Grey – our eighth and final competitor! Now that our champions have been chosen, would they please follow the judges and myself into the antechamber beyond the Head Table."

As the eight of us were led up to the platform that held the professors' table, in the chaos that the Hall had fallen in, I found Draco's eyes again. Holding up my arm, I tapped my wrist as if tapping a watch, and held up two fingers, knowing that he'd understand. I knew that the others would already be waiting in either the Gryffindor or East Tower, and finally followed the procession through a nearly hidden doorway and found ourselves in a moderately sized sitting room, lined with paintings of witches and wizards. A fire roared enthusiastically in the fireplace on the opposite wall, and I pulled Harry in that direction, taking comfort in its heat and power. The faces in the portrait seemed surprised at the additional two champions and whispered quietly to each other as everyone else took up their positions around the room.

"Gia, what's going on?" said Cedric quietly, moving closer to where we stood.

"We're as in the dark as anyone else, Ricky," I replied, glancing beside me at Harry's suddenly cold, closed off expression.

"But he – he didn't…" he let the question trail off, his eyes flitting to Harry before going back to mine.

"No, he didn't," I said firmly.

The last to enter were the adults: Ludo Bagman, Mr. Crouch, followed by Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Karkaroff, and Madam Maxime. The wave of shouts and buzzing was heard clearly in the Great Hall before Professor McGonagall closed the door, blocking it off.

"Harry…" started Dumbledore.

Harry suddenly stepped forward and raised his wand, causing more than one pair of eyes to narrow warily, but he only crossed his wand over his chest. "I, Harry James Potter, do swear that I did not submit my name in to the Goblet of Fire, nor did I ask anyone else to do it for me. So mote it be."

I could kiss him right then.

To emphasize his point, Harry cast a quick "Lumos!" to prove that he did still indeed have full use of his magic. "Now that none of you can accuse me of something that I didn't do," said Harry into the stunned silence of the room, "We can get down to figuring out how this happened."

"Unfortunately, the tournament rules clearly state that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament," said Mr. Crouch gravely. "We will be conducting a full investigation –"

"Barty, I am more than capable of investigating the events that take place within my school," said Dumbledore immediately.

"This event may take place within the walls of Hogwarts, Albus," replied Crouch coolly, "But it is still a Ministry-sponsored event and falls under our jurisdiction. We will investigate the matter and upon the discovery of any evidence, we will convene another meeting of the judges, as well the three Ministers of the countries involved."

"That is not enough!" snapped Karkaroff, any trace of a smile now gone. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has four champions! It is only fair, Dumbledore."

"But it doesn't work like that," said Bagman quickly. "The Goblet's just gone out – it won't reignite until the start of the next tournament –"

"...in which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing!" exploded Karkaroff. I grabbed the back of Harry's robe and pulled him closer to me, in case things went sideways, as it seemed to be. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!"

"Empty threat, Karkaroff," growled a voice from near the door. "You can't leave your champions now. They've both got to compete. They've all got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said – even for the partners. The moment they agreed to participate alongside the chosen Champions, their fate was sealed. Very convenient, eh?"

Moody had just entered the room. He limped closer to the fire, where Harry and I stood, and with every right step, there was a loud clunk.

"Convenient?" asked Karkaroff. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody."

Though Karkaroff had clearly been going for cold disdain, the clenched fists he held to hide his trembling gave him away.

"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in that Goblet knowing that he'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone who wished to give Hogwarts four bites at ze apple!" said Madame Maxime.

"I quite agree, dear Madame," agreed Karkaroff, bowing to her. "I shall be lodging complaints with –"

"If anyone's got reason to complain, it's Potter," growled Moody, and I felt Harry stiffen beside, "but... funny thing... I don't hear him saying a word –"

"Why should he complain?" burst out Fleur, from Madame Maxime's side. "He has ze chance to compete, hasn't he? We have all been hoping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools! A thousand galleons in price money – zis is the chance many would die for."

"He's already sworn his magical oath that he didn't enter himself or ask anyone to do it for him," I reminded them all coolly, "And if you've forgotten, he was willing to risk losing his magic to avoid this. Not everyone wants more attention or desires publicly gained honor, and not everyone is willing to die for a thousand galleons and some stupid trophy."

"Alright, that's enough," said Dumbledore firmly, his tone leaving little room for debate.

"So much for international cooperation," muttered Alex, from Cedric's right.

"How this situation arose, we do not know," said Dumbledore, now speaking to everyone gather in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen by the Goblet to compete in this Tournament, and their partners have already been selected and officially sworn in. This, therefore, they will do..."

"Ah, but Dumbledore –"

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."

We all waited, but Madame Maxime did not speak, she merely glared. She wasn't the only one either. Professor Snape looked furious, though who his anger was directed at was currently unclear. His relationship with Harry couldn't be describe as warm by any means but had certainly improved vastly compared to previous years. Karkaroff was positively livid, roughly twirling his beard around his finger, though both of his students remained quiet and seemingly detached.

Though the other champions looked more uncertain and confused than anything else, still reeling from the recent events, Bagman remained the only one in the room that still seemed excited about this whole debacle.

"Well, shall we crack on, then?" he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling around the room. "Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"

Mr. Crouch was silent for a few moments longer and seemed to force himself out of his deep thoughts. "Yes," he said slowly, "instructions. With this revived edition of the Triwizard Tournament, there shall be seven tasks as opposed to the standard three. They will be spread out about a month apart – one for each month continuing until April. You will have the month of May without a task in order to prepare for the final one."

Seeing that he had our undivided attention, he moved forward into the firelight and I was finally able to see him up close. He looked rather ill, in fact... there were dark shadows beneath his eyes and a thin, papery look about his wrinkled skin that must've quickly developed since the last time I saw him.

"The first task is designed to test your daring," he continued, "So we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a wizard – very important… This task will take place on the twenty-fourth of November, in front of the other students and the panel of judges, understood?"

We all gave grunts or murmurs of agreement.

"Very good. Now, the champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournaments, though you may turn to your partners to prepare. Although you are partners and co-champions, there can only be one Triwizard champion, so try not to lean too heavily on each other. You will all face the first challenge armed only with your wands. You'll receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from end-of-year exams."

With that, Mr. Crouch turned to look at Dumbledore. "I think that's all, is it, Albus?"

"I think so," said Dumbledore, who was looking at Mr. Crouch with mild concern. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"

Honestly, the man looked as though one gust of wind would knock him right over.

"No Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry," insisted Mr. Crouch. "It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment. I've left young Weatherby in charge –"

Harry and I shared an amused look.

"…a little too enthusiastic, if truth be told."

"You'll come and have a drink before you go, at least?" pushed Dumbledore.

"Come on Barry, I'm staying!" said Bagman brightly. "It's all happening at Hogwarts now, you know, much more exciting here than at the office!"

"I think not, Ludo," said Crouch with a tough of impatience.

"Professor Karkaroff – Madame Maxime – a night cap?" offered Dumbledore politely.

Without a word, Madame Maxime had already put her arm around Fleur's shoulders and was leading her swiftly out of them room, with Abrial trailing behind them, seemingly deep in thought. They were both speaking rapid French and though I caught a few phrases that had me questioning our blooming friendship, they were soon gone. Karkaroff beckoned to Viktor and Georgi, and they too, exited, though in silence.

"I suggest the four of you go up to bed," said Dumbledore, now turning to us with a smile. "I am sure Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw are all waiting to celebrate with you. It would be a shame to deprive them of this excellent excuse to make a great deal of mess and noise."

"Yes Headmaster," we chimed quietly, before filing out into the deserted Great Hall.

"Training, first thing in the morning," I said, the moment we'd fallen in step together, just ahead of Cedric and Alex.

"Same routine as before, then?" asked Harry, stepping closer to allow us to speak quietly. Cedric had always been a strong brother-figure in my life, but we were now competing against each other, and my first priority was to get Harry through this bloody tournament in one piece. If we could win it between the two of us, well, that suited me just fine.

"Absolutely not," I said firmly, the cogs in my brain already turning and whirling. "I'll have to spend some time coming up with a new program, but with these seven tasks, I have a feeling it would be best if we switched it up. I'll have to step up your physical combat training –"

"But isn't this a magical tournament?"

"Exactly why none of the other champions will expect us to resort to physical means," I stated pointedly. "How many witches or wizards throw down their wands in a duel and hit their opponent with a haymaker?"

"I know how to throw a punch, Gia," muttered Harry, rolling his eyes. "Trust me – years of fending off Dudley and his gang was plenty training."

"It's more than just throwing a punch, you prat," I hissed, slapping his arm. "I'm going to teach you how to actually fight – and win – at all costs."

"Fine, what else?"

"I'll have to comb through some of my family's library books, and I think it's time I studied my family's grimoire, but we've got to get you caught up on a wider range of spells. All of the other champions have got a three year head start, and you can better your broomstick that they'll use it to their advantage," I said darkly, brightening a bit as Cedric and Alex closed the distance between us.

"Plotting already, little sister?" drawled Cedric, tossing an arm carelessly around my shoulder.

"As you should be, as well, big brother," I replied smoothly. "Don't think I'm going to take it easy on you because of our history."

"I've never known you to take anything easy – ever in life," said Cedric, shrugging with a smile, "I don't expect this to be any different."

"What do you think the foreign champions are planning?" asked Alex, joining the conversation from Harry's left. "Neither of their Heads seemed too pleased at the end of the meeting."

"Who knows," said Harry, raking his fingers through his hair, "But we should all be careful from now on."

"You don't think –"

"You never know," Harry cut in, intercepting Cedric's oncoming question. "We don't know much about them, except the fact that they're angry we have two additional champions – willing or not. I wouldn't put it past them to try and even the playing field."

"I don't see Viktor or Fleur playing dirty like that," I said slowly, "But I couldn't say the same for their Heads. I think healthy cautious will do just fine."

"If it came to blows, I'd put my money on you, Gia," said Alex, grinning widely. "Cedric was right – bloody scary."

"Is that what you say about me when I'm not around, Ced?" I asked sweetly, looking up at the boy with wide eyes. "I'm wounded."

"As will I, if Alex doesn't keep his fat mouth shut," hissed Cedric, shooting his partner a look over our heads.

By then, we'd reached the marble staircase.

"Join me in the Hufflepuff common room?" asked Cedric, looking to his partner.

"Your House didn't seem too thrilled about your treachery," drawled Alex amusedly.

"They'll get over it," he replied flippantly. "See you two tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Sure."

"Alright then, goodnight."

And with that, Cedric and Alex branched off down a short hallway to the right, and started down the stone steps into the dungeons. After their footsteps had faded, Harry and I started up the steps towards the Gryffindor Tower.

"Don't worry about the other champions, Harry," I said, noticing how quiet he'd gotten during our walk. "Like I said earlier, you've been making leaps and bounds in your training, and we're going to go full force from now on."

"It's not them that I'm worried about," he said morosely. "I don't want to keep being pelted with questions and accusations about putting my name in that damn Goblet!"

Taking a moment to ponder our predicament, a tentative idea began forming in my mind. "It would probably be best to get out in front of this before the press starts circling. There's not much we can do about the other Houses, but public opinion will go a long way in keeping them off your back while we focus on getting through these tasks."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Put it out of your mind for now," I said firmly, placing a calming hand on his arm as we reached the seventh floor. "I have a feeling you'll have a lot to deal with before that."

"Like who put my name in the Goblet in the first place," said Harry, his mood darkening even further. "Clearly, someone wants me dead, and there's only one person who would go about it in such a public and elaborate way."

"Voldemort," we sighed in unison.

"If he's hoping one of the tasks or other champions will take you out for him, he's going to be sorely disappointed," I spat viciously. "But we'll worry more about that tomorrow. Just try and get as much rest as possible tonight – we've got a long road ahead of us. I'll not have you whinging all through training in the morning."

"I don't whinge!"

When we reached the Fat Lady, I was surprised to find that she was not alone. There was another wizened witch that had squeezed herself into the very little free space in the Fat Lady's portrait. The moment they saw us, they grew excited and peered down with the keenest interest.

"Well, well, well," said the Fat Lady, "Violet's just told me everything. Who's just been chosen as school champion, then?"

"Balderdash," said Harry impatiently.

"It most certainly isn't!" said the pale witch indignantly.

"No Vi, it's the password," said the Fat Lady soothing, but she swung forward on her hinges, allowing us passage.

The moment the portrait swung open and we stepped through the entrance, what sounded like a bomb detonating nearly shattered my eardrums, and I realized that it was the rest of the Gryffindors screaming and cheering. Before I knew it, we were being wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and forced into the center of the entire House, still screaming, applauding and whistling.

"You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred, half annoyed and half deeply impressed.

"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.

"Oh if it couldn't be me, at least we have a Gryffindor team!" said Angelina, beaming proudly.

"We'll finally be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" shrieked Katie.

"We've got food, guys! Come and have some –"

Harry had tried – really tried – to take it all in stride, but I quickly sensed his temper flaring. Before I could say anything, however, Harry pulled his wand and set off a loud bang that silenced everyone around us. "Can I just have a minute to bloody think, please?" he roared, his face reddened with anger.

Almost immediately, a wide berth of space appeared around us – our fellow housemates watching on warily and confused. In the tense silence, Harry broke away and stormed up to the boys' dorm slamming it behind him. As the party slowly, very slowly, revved back to life, I looked all around the common room until I spotted Hermione and Liz in the corner, where they'd apparently commandeered a table there.

"I figured you'd be waiting in East Tower," I said, as soon as I plopped down into an empty seat.

"We were heading up there but as soon as we got to the seventh floor, Ron stormed off and we followed," said Liz, and although I wouldn't call it nervousness, she certainly seemed uneasy about something.

"Stormed off?" I repeated.

"He's not happy, Gia," said Hermione quietly, biting her lip.

"About?"

"All of it," replied Liz, shrugging. "Harry being chosen as an additional champion, and then picking you as his partner, rather than Ron. He's gone up to the boys' dorm."

"You don't really think Harry entered himself, do you?" I asked evenly, staring them both down, the glow of my eyes reflecting in theirs.

Hermione was staring off into space, but seemed to remember something. Her eyes hardened and she shook her head firmly. "Of course Harry didn't enter," she stated plainly.

I could've kissed her right then.

"I don't think Harry's spent even a minute alone all term," Hermione said slowly, her brain working quickly. "He's always with at least one of us. He was with you all morning, Gia, and then we've been together since you two got back. Merlin, his face when his name was called…"

"He was ready to give up his magic until you went out after him," said Liz calmly. "If that wasn't proof enough, I don't know what is."

The three of us remained at table in the corner, determined to wait until Harry returned. I was staring at the door to the boys' dorm when, of course, my erratic gift chose that moment to pipe up. My eyes clouded over and suddenly, I wasn't looking at the party going on in the common room, but at the heated argument taking place behind the closed doors of the fourth year boys' dorm.

"I don't believe this! Ron, you've been my best mate for over three years. You know better than anyone else that I hate fame and attention – what would I need more for? I thought you of all people would believe me! Merlin, even Gia believes me and we just met in September! I didn't put my name in the bloody Goblet!" Harry shouted, and the room echoed with the crackle of power flooding off of him.

"Sure Harry," drawled Ron, his voice thick with sarcasm, "Yet you admitted just earlier that if you wanted to, you could've entered your name last night and no one would've seen you. And then, the next day – surprise, surprise – your name gets shot from the Goblet. I'm not as stupid as you might think."

"Yeah? Well, I'm not exactly convinced right now. I went to bed – in THIS very room – the same time as you last night. Gia came and got me around midnight, I was with her all night and morning! Ask her if you don't believe me!"

"I don't believe you!" Ron roared, before snorting in disgust. "As if I'd take Gia's," he said my name as if it tasted like dirt coming out of his mouth, "word for it! She probably helped you get past the Age Line! And then – just to rub it in – you choose HER as your partner instead of me! What kind of best friend would do that?"

"Goddamn it, Ron!" snapped Harry, pausing as a loud BOOM cracked through the air like a whip, startling everyone in the Tower. He took a deep breath and looked ready to rip his hair out. "I just told all of you – yesterday – that I've had enough of near-death experiences to last a lifetime! And you know that Gia has a better chance of helping me through these tasks!"

"So, I'm weak, then? Is that it? That's nice, Harry," said Ron patronizingly. "You should go to bed, mate – wouldn't want dark circles in case you get called in for a photo shoot or something."

He firmly and pointedly shut the curtains that surrounded his bed, leaving Harry out in the middle of the dorm, fuming.

"Ron, you are so stupid," said Harry, sighing deeply and roughly raking his fingers through his hair. "You know you're making a mistake, and I know it too. But you're damn pride is going to ruin our friendship! We've been through everything together – including nearly being killed more times than I care to think about. And you're going to let some stupid, meaningless tournament ruin that?"

Harry stared at the curtains around Ron's bed, getting only silence in return. He sighed again. "You know what, Ron? Fine. I'm not going to waste my time trying to convince you that I didn't do this. Don't come crying to me when you realize I'm telling the truth."

The argument faded away and I was once again looking around the common room. I heard the quiet sound of cloth tearing and looked down; my claws were out and had torn four, clear claw marks through the arm of the chair. My grip was so tight that my knuckles were white and I was seeing red. My eyes were filled with so much venom that anyone who glanced my way immediately scuttled to the far end of the room.

"That – that bloody idiot!" I growled, shaking with fury. "When I get my hands on him –"

"Merlin Grey, that armchair never did anything to you," said Liz idly, simply raising an eyebrow as I leveled her with a golden-eyed glare.

"Are – are you alright?" asked Hermione tentatively.

"You'll – see," I managed to bite out.

Sure enough, Harry slammed open the dorm door so hard it hit the wall behind it and bounced back. The party slowed as everyone stared at Harry, but Hermione and Liz jumped up when I did. Harry spotted us and jerked his head curtly towards the portrait hole, and set off before watching to see if we followed him.

"Harry, slow down!" Hermione called as we power-walked after him. Before I could warn her, she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Ah!" she screamed, snatching her arm back. I grimaced, knowing just how much it hurt to be on the receiving end of one of Harry's shocks.

"Bloody – argh!" growled Harry, grasping his hair in both hands as he hurried back towards us, where Hermione was cradling her hand. He didn't touch her, but hovered worriedly. "I'm sorry Mione, I didn't mean to."

Luckily, though unfortunate for Hermione, knowing he'd unintentionally hurt his friend seemed to have snapped Harry out of his furious haze.

"It's fine, Harry," said Hermione, grimacing as I cast a general healing charm over her hand for the pain.

We crossed the seventh floor and the moment we'd turned the corner, Draco leapt up from where he'd been sitting on the floor. "Gia, what the –" he paused upon seeing the looks on our faces and remained silent as I let everyone through Isavéla's portrait.

We bypassed the dimly lit common room and headed straight up the marble staircase to my bedroom, where Nova leapt from where she'd been curled up in the middle of the bed. She circled my legs, yowling happily, until I dropped onto the mattress, the full weight of the day pressing down on me until all I could was lie on my back and stare up at the canopy. Hermione and Liz both plopped down onto the chaise lounge, Draco sat on the long, padded windowsill, and Harry paced back and forth, surely wearing my rug thin. No one said a word for at least five minutes.

"What happened when you all left?" asked Hermione tentatively, eyeing Harry warily.

Seeing that he seemed in no shape to explain, I took the next fifteen minutes going over the meeting that had taken place in the antechamber off the Great Hall.

"…and they've agreed to conduct an investigation, but it's been decided – we're both going to compete," I finished tiredly. "But we've still got to figure out how this happened in the first place, on top of everything else."

"Of course," sighed Hermione, gathering her hair up into a bun.

"Bloody hell, Potter," said Draco shakily, "And to think I used to want to be you."

"Let me know when you're ready to switch bodies, Malfoy," snapped Harry, shooting Draco an apologetic look afterwards.

"I like the skin I'm in, thanks," was Draco's drawled reply.

"It's funny, really," Harry said, no amusement in his tone whatsoever, "I'm old enough to risk my life to save this bloody school every year, but I'm not old enough to have a say in what happens in my life in between all of that."

He paused, looking at the fire and then growled, which turned into an angry, long yell and he gripped his hair. "I am so tired of this," he said, once he'd finally gotten control of himself again. "It almost makes me wish Hagrid had never come to that bloody house to tell me who I am – what I am."

"Don't say that, Harry…" Hermione whispered sadly, clutching the heart-shaped locket I'd gotten her on our last shopping trip. Inside was a picture of the five of us: Hermione, Harry, Liz, me, and…Ron.

"I'll give you one guess – one – as to who's causing the trouble this year," spat Harry, hopping up from the bed again to continue his incessant pacing.

Hermione and Liz shared a look.

"Voldemort?" asked Hermione tentatively. Harry huffed.

Draco looked rather pale – well, paler than usual. "Are you sure you want me here for this conversation?" he asked uncertainly.

"Oh you're knee-deep in this now, Malfoy," said Harry, laughing without humor, "Welcome to the club, mate."

"You're mad…" said Draco, nodding convincingly to himself, though he remained seated at the window.

"Doesn't that – that thing ever quit?" spat Liz rhetorically.

"Of course not, I'm just lucky you believe me," said Harry, sighing and running his fingers through his hair again.

"So you really didn't do it, Potter?" asked Draco quietly. "What?" he said defensively as four pairs of eyes shot to him.

"No, I didn't. This is the last thing I wanted this year."

"Harry, I've been one of your best friends for over three years," exclaimed Hermione, leaning forward. "One look at your face after your name had been called, and I knew."

"I may not have known you as long as Hermione, but I know you Harry, and I knew you didn't enter your own name," I said firmly. "You told us yourself that you wouldn't enter, and I know you've been with me since last night –" I ignored the looks Draco and Liz shot me. "Like Hermione said, you haven't had a moment alone all term. When would you have had time to put your name in the Goblet?"

"What they said," was Liz's calm, nonchalant reply. "I can't believe Ron is being so stupid about this."

"Oh, I can," said Draco, rolling his eyes. "It's obvious he's jealous."

"What?" snapped Harry.

"I'm not baiting you, Potter, relax," Draco said, holding up his hands in surrender, "but I'm not stupid or blind. Don't attack me – but Weasley's been riding your coattails since first year. After the snake attack, I told you lot that he was the one that let the details slip – that's how the whole school knew about it before you'd even gotten out of the Hospital Wing, Gia. He's tired of being Potter's sidekick, and now this happens, just when the snake business has died down. Like the old coot said: fame, eternal glory, a thousand bloody galleons… and the chance to achieve it all goes to – ding, ding, ding – the already famous, already rich, Harry Potter. Weasley's jealous, simple as that. And then you picked Gia as your partner, rather than him – though anyone with half a brain knows that she's much smarter and stronger than he is."

We were all quiet as we digested his words.

"I think he's right Harry," started Hermione tentatively. "Look, it's always you who gets all the attention, you know that. We know it's not your fault," she added quickly at his furious expression, "And we know you don't want it or ask for it, but it's how it is. And well – you know, Ron's already got five brothers to compete with at home, and you're his best friend, and you're really famous. He's always shunted to the side whenever people see you, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it, but I suppose this was just one time too many…"

"Great," said Harry bitterly. "Bloody brilliant. Tell him I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him he's welcome to it. At least he's got a family. You know what I have? People gawping at my forehead everywhere I go –"

"I'm not telling him anything," said Hermione shortly. "You'll tell him yourself. It's the only way to sort this out. He's your best friend, Harry."

"I'm not running around after him trying to make him grow up!" said Harry, his voice rising in his anger "Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself once I've got my neck broken or –"

"That is not funny, Harry," I growled, shuddering at the image. "That's not funny at all – don't talk like that."

"Sorry…" he grumbled, before sighing again, as if his very soul weighed a ton.

"We'll deal with Ron later," I said finally.

"This is my life, either way," said Harry, sighing and throwing himself onto the bed beside me, "I wasn't too surprised after it had sunk in, you know? There's a dangerous contest that can possibly get you killed going on at Hogwarts, so of course, my name comes out of the Goblet. This time it isn't possessed teachers, three-headed dogs, giant spiders, a basilisk, or a hundred Dementors…it's a goddamn tournament."

"How are you still breathing?" asked Draco, his eyebrows high.

"Good friends and pure luck," was Harry's clipped reply.

"Cut it out, prat," I growled half-heartedly. "You're an amazing, intelligent, and powerful wizard in your own right. Yes, you've had help along the way – there's no shame in that. But you are going to get through this – and you'll have us by your side to help. You chose me as your partner for a reason, and I'll be damned if I spent these months helping you just for you to die on me in this tournament."

"I wish Ron felt the same," Harry muttered, flinging himself on his back.

Hermione huffed. "Ron is an idiot, we all knew that. But he'll come to his senses… eventually," she said uncertainly.

"What about the other Houses? What do they think?" asked Harry, tilting his head to see us all at once.

"The Hufflepuffs are adamant that you stole their one shot at finally getting some recognition and glory, they all hate you," Liz said bluntly, and Harry groaned. "They were pretty upset with Cedric for picking that Sykes guy as his partner, but I'm sure they'll be over it by morning. You, on the other hand…"

"I will talk to Cedric and see if he can get them off your back. Cedric's a good guy and he saw you give your oath in that room," I interjected quickly.

"Oath?" asked Hermione.

"Harry gave a magical oath that he didn't enter his own name into the Goblet," I explained, but only Draco and Liz seemed to understand the significance of this. "A magical oath is not to be taken lightly, Hermione. If one gives the oath, they're offering up their magic – and essentially their life – if they're lying. It's one of the only true ways to determine if someone is truthful or loyal. In the old days, many Lords required their allies to swear oaths of loyalty and fealty. Even a version of this oath is spoken at magical weddings – more traditional weddings, at least. That's why divorce is a nearly unheard of occurrence in our world. When you marry someone, you're typically in it for life, unless there are extenuating circumstances."

"Cho Chang," Liz sneered as she said her name, "She's a Ravenclaw – supposedly dating Cedric – she's turned Ravenclaw House against you, in support of her boyfriend. But she's an airhead and – well, let's just say she's a frequent flyer in the broom closets if you know what I mean."

"Slytherin would rather see Diggory champion than you, Potter," said Draco unapologetically, "Just on principle. I know you don't care what we think, and you know I can't openly support you, but I'll try to keep the more extreme Slytherins in line. Can't focus on the tournament if you're worried about getting hexed with your back turned."

Harry stared at Draco, long enough that he made the blonde boy uncomfortable. "Err – thanks, Malfoy. I appreciate that," he said slowly, almost uncertainly. He and Draco were still getting used to being cordial, but any progress was fine by me. If I had to break up another fight between them, they were both getting chucked off the Astronomy Tower.

"And well, you've seen the other Gryffindors for yourself," added Hermione, and Harry huffed and rolled his eyes at that.

"They're not helping," he said, groaning. "They're celebrating as if I wanted this. They're reinforcing the insult to the rest of the school."

"The only thing we can really do," I said, "is be prepared for anything, which we've already been doing for the past two months."

Hermione looked at us in confusion, and we finally explained what our 'self-study' periods consisted of. Needless to say, Hermione was very impressed and insisted on joining us.

"You'd need a free period," I pointed out. Hermione grimaced and pondered the issue. Very slowly, she seemed to come to a decision.

"I could give up Arithmacy and make it a self-study period," she suggested softly.

We all stared at her, amazed. We knew how much her classes meant to her. "Are you sure, Mione?" I asked seriously. "You can still pick it back up next year or just take the OWLs and NEWTs for credit but…are you sure?"

"Anything for a friend," said Hermione firmly, mirroring my words to Hagrid earlier that evening.

"I've already been skipping Ancient Runes all term to workout with Gia," said Liz, shrugging carelessly, "Count me in."

"Me too."

Now, it was our turn to stare at Draco.

"What?" he snapped indignantly. "Why should I be the only one that gets left out of the cool training sessions?"

"What if someone from your House sees you? What if your father finds out?" asked Harry. He seemed almost…concerned for Draco's well-being.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Gia can just do her creepy, shadow thing to get me back and forth," he said, ignoring my indignant glare. "And as for my father, well, Christmas is coming – I'll cross that bridge when I get there."

The mention of Lord Malfoy brought down the full weight of all the problems, mysteries, and questions that had already arisen since term began, not to mention the ever-present threat of my father hovering over my shoulder.

When was it going to end? News of the Triwizard Tournament and the chosen champions was bound to make it into the newspapers, and would pretty much be a giant arrow showing my father where I was and what I was up to. The last thing I needed was him showing up at the castle, pretending to be a supportive parent.

We talked late into the night, planning and speculating on what Harry and I could expect in the tournament and what else could possibly happen from that point on. Eventually, we were all yawning over and over, and I finally called our impromptu meeting to a close. Liz bid us goodnight and headed into the room she'd already moved into to my left, with Draco following suit and taking the room to my right. Hermione took the room on Liz's left, and Harry reluctantly took the room on Draco's right. I called Prim to sneak into the Slytherin and Gryffindor common rooms to gather their clothes and things for the next day.

Dimming the fire in the common room and in my bedroom, I changed into satin shorts and a sports bra before climbing into bed. I suppose that after such a hectic day, Nova wanted to stay close to me because she curled up on my bed rather than seeking out Liz. I had been lying in bed for hours, thinking, when I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door.

Wondering which friend of mine couldn't sleep, I waved my hand and the door slowly swung open. It was Harry, standing there in basketball shorts and socks, but no shirt. He was rubbing his tired eyes, and I knew that he'd probably been awakened from his sleep by a nightmare. Silently, I held open the edge of the satin comforter.

Without a word, Harry closed the door behind him and crossed the room, climbing into bed beside me. We settled into the same position as the night before and, within minutes, we were both sound asleep.

The next morning, once again, I awoke to the feeling of the sun on my back, my face buried in the crook of Harry's neck, calmly inhaling his natural scent that drove me wild. I hadn't even fully awakened yet when I heard my bedroom door open slowly.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. She blushed as I blearily lifted my head up.

She tried to back out of the room, but I silently motioned for her to come in. She did, looking fairly embarrassed, but sat in the same seat she had the night before. I saw that she was already showered and dressed in clothes I had bought her. Today, she wore simple dark blue skinny jeans, a turquoise sweater, and white trainers. Her hair was still pulled up in a messy bun, and she looked pretty relaxed all things considered.

Very carefully, I unraveled myself from Harry's arms and slid out of bed. I saw Hermione blush even darker when she saw my chosen pajamas.

"Morning Mione," I whispered through a yawn.

"Morning," she mumbled. Her cheeks pinked as she opened her mouth to say something. "Are you two –?"

"No, you'd be the first to know if we were," I promised quietly.

Nodding, Hermione curled up with a book she'd had tucked under her arm and I wandered into the bathroom. About thirty minutes later, I emerged wrapped only in my towel, only this time, Liz and Draco were both present. Hermione glanced up, and I wasn't sure if she'd finally gotten used to my lack of physical modesty or if she was too absorbed in her charms spellbook to really care. Liz mumbled a greeting, still half-asleep, and she seemed to have brought a small blanket with her and curled up on the windowsill, gazing down at the grounds. Draco was the only one who seemed stunned and flustered at my current state of undress, so of course, I shot him a teasing wink before disappearing into my closet.

Taking a page from Hermione's book, I opted for something comfortable and casual. I decided on thick, loose black joggers, a black crop-sweater (which I spelled to have a lightning bolt on the front), and bright yellow trainers. I dressed, towel dried my long hair, and pulled it up into a messy bun similar to Hermione's, before rejoining my friends.

"You look cute," said Hermione absently, turning the page she was on.

"In sweats?" I said again, reminiscent of the same conversation I'd had with Harry multiple times.

"You make everything look attractive," she said, shrugging.

"Can't argue with her there," Draco piped up, though his eyes weren't on me, they were gazing at Hermione intently.

The four of us lounged around the room for about an hour as Harry slept. Nova had eventually hopped up onto the windowsill and curled up in Liz's lap in kitten form, purring as she was petted.

A little while later, Harry finally woke up. He opened his eyes slowly and sat up, rubbing the sleep away from his face before looking all around him. He happened to notice me first and mumbled," Good morning Gia," with a smile.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," I replied, smiling even wider as Draco snorted from where he sat beside Hermione on the chaise.

Harry finally really looked around at everyone present and sighed deeply, probably remembering the events of Halloween night. "Morning all," he added.

"Morning," said Hermione, Liz, and Draco. Thankfully, no one else commented on the fact that Harry had been sound asleep in my bed in the first place.

As Harry rummaged through the small rack of clothes he kept in my closet for occasions such as this, I absently went through a simple stretching routine. Cracking my neck, I watched as Liz sat cross-legged on the windowsill, utterly still as she seemed to be meditating. Hermione still had her head in her charms book, and Draco had popped open his Broom Servicing Kit and was currently polishing his broomstick, though his eyes kept wandering over to Hermione every few moments.

We all waited patiently as Harry showered and got himself ready for the day, and I'm sure we were all curious as to what he wanted to do next after what had gone down at the feast last night. We should've been training, but I decided that Harry could use one last day of hopeful relaxation before we dove in. I'd have to remember to catch Cedric and talk to him about his House. There wasn't much we could do for Ravenclaw, or even Slytherin but I knew Draco would try his best.

"What's that you're reading, Granger?" asked Draco, leaning in particularly close as he looked over Hermione's shoulder and peered down at the page she was currently on. As I folded forward and grasped the back of my ankles, looking at them upside down as I stretched, I watched as a small grin turned Hermione's lips. Her cheeks had pinked ever so slightly, but she tilted her head to the side and allowed Draco a better look at the page she was on, their cheeks practically touching.

"The Exomento Hex," read Draco curiously, "Causes" – he broke off and his face turned funny – "Causes the victim to suddenly and violently lose control of their bowels. The eloquently named Poo Hex. Really, Granger?"

"What?" asked Hermione defensively as Liz and I burst into laughter, I nearly toppled over on my head. "I wasn't studying this one specifically, it just happened to be the page I was on when you looked."

"No, no, it's fine," said Draco, sarcastic and teasing, forcing Hermione's face to flush again, "I'll have to remember that one."

"Prat," huffed Hermione under her breath, though her silly smile betrayed her, even as she ducked back behind her book.

"Know-it-all," Draco shot back softly, grinning rather stupidly himself.

Liz and I shared a look, twin smirks gracing our lips. It looked like I wouldn't have to do anything at all, and was content to sit back and watch the magic happen all on its own.

"What'd I miss?" asked Harry, emerging from the bathroom, fully dressed, and towel drying his wild curls. He was wearing an outfit identical to mine, I immediately noticed: loose, black joggers, black trainers, and – the cutest of all – a black sweater that he'd spelled to have a lightning bolt on the chest, just like mine.

"Always trying to be like me, eh Potter?" I teased, squealing as Harry immediately snatched me off the floor and tossed me over his shoulder so that I was upside down. "You put me down right now, wonder boy!" I shouted, playfully beating on his back.

"You're lucky that tub's empty cause I'd toss you in right now," threatened Harry, setting me on my feet with a giant grin. I was happy to see that he was in somewhat better spirits today.

"And you're lucky I don't drop you in the Black Lake right now!" I shot back, jabbing him in the chest with my finger. "Anyone hungry?"

"Ugh, I thought you'd never ask!" groaned Draco, quickly packing up his broom kit and banishing it all, to his room I assumed.

Hermione and Liz nodded in agreement, but Harry hesitated.

"Don't worry," I said, "we're not going down to the Great Hall. I figured you wouldn't want everyone staring and pointing. We'd probably both have detention by the end of it."

"Too right," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"Prim!" I called.

Immediately, an obviously well-taken care of house-elf appeared, and curtsied to me with a huge smile. "Mistress Gia has called Prim?" She squeaked happily.

"Yes, I did. Do you mind going down to the kitchens, and bringing us up some breakfast, please?"

Prim nodded. "Thank you, Prim. We'll be down in the common room." And with that, she popped away.

"Come on, look alive!" I snapped playfully, clapping my hands. "Get your asses downstairs!"

"Absolute menace," muttered Liz, as she strode past me towards the door. "No wonder Nova would rather sleep in my bed – ARGH!" she yelled as I shot a mild stinging hex at her bum.

"Keep the back-talk to a minimum, Moon," I said, shrugging as she shot me a glare and descended the stairs. "Come on, love," I grabbed Harry's hand and tugged him towards the door.

We had just taken the first couple steps down towards the common room, when I overheard Draco.

"Come on, Granger, you need food," he was saying, still seated beside her on the chaise.

"One more page," she muttered absently, her eyes probably never moving from the page. "Hey, I was reading that!" She whined, and I figured he'd plucked the book from her hands.

"Food, first – then reading," was Draco's firm reply.

Hermione groaned dramatically but I heard them both rise to their feet. "You're as bad as Gia, honestly dad," she said sarcastically.

"I'll accept 'my lord', as well," Draco shot back, and I knew from his tone that he'd given her one of his famous smirks.

They finally appeared at the top of the stairs as Harry and I stepped off the last one and, sure enough, Hermione's face held a pinkish tinge.

"Ha, you're no Lord yet, Draco," I teased, unable to help myself.

"But I am," said Harry, grinning down at me and throwing an arm around my shoulder. "Will you address me as 'my lord'?"

"In your dreams, wonder boy," I scoffed, shoving him away.

"What do you mean, Harry?" asked Hermione as we all took seats around the large coffee table.

Almost immediately, an entire breakfast spread appeared before us, complete with jugs for water, coffee, and pumpkin juice.

"I love that elf," I said, already reaching for a plate to fill, but Hermione, Liz, and Draco were all still staring at Harry, waiting for an answer.

He glanced over at me and I shrugged – it wasn't my call. If they were going to find out, he'd have to be the one to tell them. Rolling his eyes at my neutrality, Harry held out his left hand and willed the golden Potter signet ring to appear. Hermione gasped and quickly leaned forward to study it. Liz didn't care too much for the wizarding Britain hierarchy but she looked mildly interested. Draco was unnervingly quiet as he fixed his own breakfast from the spread on the table.

"Harry, when –"

"Two nights ago," he said, anticipating her question. "Gia came and got me from the dorm, and we went to Gringotts…"

And with that, the floodgates were open and we spent breakfast listening to Harry rehash the details of his two meetings at the bank. Though Hermione seemed shocked and horrified at Dumbledore's actions, Draco and Liz were completely unsurprised.

"…so now I'm Lord Potter, I suppose," he finished about twenty minutes later, shrugging. "I've got loads to do to get my family back in proper standing and Gia's going to train me in all the boring pureblood stuff –"

"Actually Harry," I finally spoke up, my thoughts racing throughout his entire story, "Draco might be a better cotillion tutor than me."

"What?" Harry and Draco asked simultaneously.

"It's not that I don't want to, but now that I think about it, there are quite a few differences in the way that girls and boys are trained, so Draco would probably be a better tutor – if he doesn't mind, of course. Plus, it'll give me more time to focus on your other training and preparing for the tournament."

"Our training," said Liz pointedly.

"Right – that," I said dismissively, sticking a tongue out at her glare.

"Well, what do you say, Malfoy? Are you finally ready to convert me into the pureblood asshole you've always wanted me to be?" Harry asked, grinning across the table at his Slytherin counterpart.

To my surprise, Draco returned his grin with a calculating one of his own. "Well, when you put it like that…" he drawled, "how can I refuse?"

"Brilliant!" I clapped my hands excitedly.

"I was thinking…I want to tour the properties my family owns," said Harry slowly. It was clearly something he'd been thinking about heavily. "I have no clue what sort of shape they're in and I suppose I'll need one ready by the summer break."

"Harry's got three castles," I said conspiratorially, smiling broadly at their dumbstruck expressions.

"What the hell are you going to do with three castles?" Liz asked curiously, her eyes gleaming. "I'm sure there are all sorts of cool medieval crap in them."

"Well…" Harry started, and then hesitated.

"Go on, what is it?" Hermione said encouragingly.

"It might sound stupid but…I was thinking – and I know it'll probably take years to accomplish – but I was thinking I could use one as a sort of…wizarding orphanage. You know…for kids like me, who end up with muggle families that don't tolerate magic. I'm sure it would be preferable to a muggle orphanage as well."

I know I wasn't the only one that was floored.

"It's just an idea," said Harry quickly, backtracking and scratching the back of his neck.

"I think that's a beautiful and amazing idea, Harry," said Hermione, her eyes shining. "It's a wonder no one's ever done it before."

"I can't imagine how many magical kids are in the muggle world, without a clue as to who they are or why they can do the things they do," Liz pondered aloud, leaning back in her seat. "It's a very admirable and worthy goal, Harry."

"Yeah well…if I can spare another child the sort of childhood I had, then I'll do whatever I can," said Harry, more confident now. "Of course, I'd have to find a way to be able to track those kinds of kids down in the muggle world."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Draco piped up finally, "There's the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes within the Ministry. They should have records of areas where accidental magic is frequently performed; shouldn't be impossible to determine if it's from a wizarding family or a muggle family with a wizarding child."

"And how I am going to access these records?" asked Harry, raising an eyebrow.

"You're Harry Potter," I said, as if it should've been obvious. "I'm sure they'd deliver that list on a golden owl if you asked them to. I know you hate your celebrity status Harry, but on top of being Lord Potter, you could probably accomplish anything you wanted if you used it properly."

"We'd need caretakers," Hermione started excitedly, her mind already racing with the possibilities, "People who truly love children and genuinely want to look after them. And maybe teachers? I don't know how wizarding primary schooling is set up, but I know it'd be a big relief for those kids if they're better prepared before they start at Hogwarts. There was so much about this world that I didn't know when I got my letter, and I had to read up on so many things that wizarding children already knew. It might make them feel more…acclimated to this world and at home, as if they belong here."

"I know exactly what you mean," Harry agreed fervently. "Maybe I should put you in charge of this project – the…err…the Potter Primary School of Magic!"

"I like that it doesn't have 'orphanage' in its name," I commented.

"Now you've done it," grumbled Draco playfully as Hermione's eyes lit up.

"Oh, really Harry?" Hermione was positively beaming with excitement at the prospect.

"Think you can tear yourself away from SPEW?" I teased, ducking under a grape as she tossed it at me. "I like the idea, though, honestly. We could hire in-house medi-witches and wizards – who knows what kind of condition these kids will arrive in. They'll need all the support they can get."

Harry grimaced but nodded firmly.

"And maybe – maybe hire a team of goblins from the bank to run heritage tests on them," Draco suggested tentatively.

"You're bloody brilliant!" I exclaimed, already seeing where his thought process was headed.

"We already knew that," he scoffed, buffing his nails on his shirt.

"Before Malfoy's head gets any bigger," said Harry, "mind explaining to the rest of us?"

"Well, there are probably dozens – hundreds – of wizarding bloodlines that have gone dormant or died out entirely," I started slowly. "But like I told you before, magic doesn't just appear on its own – there's likely a magical ancestor farther down the line even if the ability has been filtered out or temporarily vanished over time."

"Right," said Draco, picking up, "So if any of those kids have even a drop of blood that can be tested and traced back to a wizarding family, it's likely that they can place a claim to take it over."

"What would that mean for them?" asked Hermione, and I could already see the questions in her eyes – the possibilities.

"Well, if the child takes a heritage blood test and they're found to be descended from a wizarding bloodline, if there are no closer or stronger claims to the family, that child would have an established name and line in this world. There's nothing wrong with being muggleborn," I said quickly, "But imagine how happy a previously nameless orphan would be finding out that they're descended from some ancient family? They'd have a name, a history and family tree they can trace and belong to. They'd likely have gold and properties, resources, possibly even living relatives they never knew about. I'm sure the goblins would be only too happy to get those dormant vaults in the bank up and running again. To them, it's like money going to waste just sitting there."

"And it could help boost the wizarding population here in Britain," added Liz thoughtfully. "There would be more active bloodlines than in the last few centuries, and an influx of fresh blood to mix with. A lot of those families died out due to inbreeding or refusing to mingle with lesser bloodlines."

"I hate to say it, but she's right," Draco grimaced, stroking his chin in thought. "A lot of the rubbish my father spews is about how interbreeding with anyone other than purebloods makes the magic weaker, but the opposite has actually been proven. Besides, the more variety a bloodline has, the more powers and abilities have a chance of cropping up."

"Like with me," I jumped back in, my body vibrating with excitement now. "Whether I have kids with a wizard or a muggle, my children are likely to carry my Lycan blood and mix with whatever's in my husband's line. So if his family has an affinity for mind magics, or elemental magic," – Harry started at that – "Or even another magical being, that's a whole new possibility of power for my children."

"You think my kids could be born with the Parseltongue trait?" asked Harry curiously.

"It's certainly possible," I raised my hands and shrugged.

"You don't think…" Hermione started, and she glanced at Draco, as if embarrassed to voice her question in front of him, "That I could trace my magic back to a witch or wizard?"

"It's certainly worth a shot," I said firmly. "I'd be curious as to which of your parents carry the wizarding trait."

"My bet would be my dad," said Hermione, smiling and shaking her head. "He's been obsessed with Quidditch ever since I explained it to him back in first year."

"Whenever you're ready Mione, we can go and get you tested."

With that, we fell into amicable silence as we worked through the rest of the food on the table, each lost in our own thoughts.

"Well it's Sunday," said Harry, eventually breaking the silence, "What do you lot want to do today?"

I pondered for a second. "Well, I suppose we could go flying. I haven't been since before term started, and it's always been able to clear my head."

Harry's face lit up. "Of course, me too! But –" he looked at Hermione, "Hermione doesn't fly."

"We could set her and Liz up in the stands with warming charms, she's so absorbed in that book I doubt she'll care," I suggested. We both looked at Hermione, who was indeed, wrapped up in her book again.

"Are you in, Malfoy?" asked Harry.

"Of course – they're mental for canceling the season this year," Draco replied, rolling his eyes.

"What kind of brooms have you got?" he asked.

"Firebolt," Draco and I said in unison.

"Really? When'd you upgrade, Malfoy?"

"Late birthday gift over the summer – mum insisted," he shrugged lightly.

Soon enough, Prim returned to clean up the mess and the five of us grabbed our wands – and books, in Hermione and Liz's case – and left East Tower. I summoned all three of our brooms on the way down and we spilled out onto the ground and to the pitch.

The sun was high in the sky and though there were hardly any clouds, it was certainly a chilly day – almost perfect conditions for flying. After setting Hermione and Liz up in the stands with cushioning and warming charms, the boys and I returned to the pitch and warmed ourselves up.

"You ready?" I called to them, redoing my bun a bit tighter to keep the hair out of my eyes.

They responded by swinging their legs over their brooms, and soon enough, we'd kicked off and soared into the sky. The wind rushed around me and the moment my feet had left the ground, so had my worries. I felt light – weightless – as if I could take on the world. I briefly considered hanging back for Harry and Draco so that we could fly together, but my spirit said otherwise.

Letting out a joyous whoop, I zoomed straight up as high as I dared, and paused only to take in the view – the castle and grounds, the Forbidden Forest, and the expanse of the Black Lake – before playfully leaning backwards into a dive. My broom followed every slight adjustment of my body and I was shooting towards the grassy ground at top speed.

"Gia!" someone shouted, but I couldn't be bothered to stop or slow down.

Fifty…

Thirty…

Twenty feet from the ground and I turned in a corkscrew spin.

Five feet and I gently jerked the handle of my broom up, going parallel to the pitch's grass and then shot back up into the sky with ease. That familiar rush of adrenaline and excitement all came flooding back, and it was all I could do not to howl at the sky.

"Show off!" Draco shouted as I steadied my broom, grasping it with my thighs as I stretched my arms high overhead.

"Where'd you learn to fly like that?" called Harry as they both flew towards me.

"From watching me, of course," scoffed Draco, flicking his windswept hair out of his face.

"Oh please, I see it's been so long since I wiped the pitch with you that your memories gone bad!" I taunted, reminiscing on the few happy memories I had from spending time at Malfoy Manor as a child.

With that, the three of us began zipping around the pitch, executing a series of dives, spins, loops, and even practicing Viktor's signature move, the Wronski Feint. Not only did I have two of my best guy friends out on the pitch with me, but they were actually talking and laughing with each other without me pushing the conversation along. Harry looked so much lighter on his broom, the stress and terror from the previous night had been temporarily pushed to the side. We glanced over at Hermione and Liz every so often to make sure they were okay, but they were either absorbed in their books or had their heads together in conversation. At some point, we simply hovered and watched the peaceful scenery that was Hogwarts. The magic in the air was so wonderful, I never wanted to leave.

"If only the rest of the castle was this peaceful," said Draco, staring out over the seemingly never-ending expanse of the forest.

"I could stay up here all day," Harry agreed.

It was during one of our random checkups on Hermione and Liz that we saw Viktor walking up the stands, his broom slung over one shoulder, where he stopped and started talking to them.

"What do you think they're talking about?" I called over the wind.

"Beats me," said Harry shrugging

We watched as Hermione looked up from her book, and responded to something Viktor said. Even with my advanced hearing, they were too far away and the wind was blowing too much for me to be able to hear them. At one point, we saw Viktor ask Hermione something, causing her to look over at Harry and me, and she hesitated before answering. Whatever she said seemed to make Viktor deflate slightly before he looked over at me.

He smiled and waved, which I returned. "Hey Viktor, come and fly with us!" I called. I heard Harry just barely stifle a groan and looked over my shoulder at him. I smirked at him, and raised my eyebrows. "You're not scared of a little competition, are you, wonder boy?" I teased.

"Oh please," scoffed Harry, immediately defensive.

Even Draco laughed. "Well, here's your chance to prove it, Potter."

Sure enough, Viktor had mounted his broom and kicked off right from the stands. Harry was an amazingly talented flyer, he was truly gifted…but Viktor flew as if his broom was a literal extension of himself. It was like watching the World Cup all over again.

"Hello Gia," greeted Viktor, coasting beside me and pulling me into a one-armed hug. "Potter," he said, and hesitated, looking at Draco, "…Malfoy, yes?"

"Yes, nice to meet you," said Draco calmly, even shaking his hand.

"Are you playing a game or just flying?" asked Viktor, staring at me intently.

"Just flying, is that okay?"

He nodded and, with that, we were off again.

Immediately, it was very apparent why Viktor was the youngest professional Quidditch player in the league. The three of us were almost as good, but of course, while I was content to fly around and get my own heart pounding with some daring stunts, the boys had to try and outdo each other.

Boys…

"Oi," I called after we had been out there for an hour. "Let's make this interesting."

Both Harry and Viktor raised eyebrows. "How?" they asked in unison, shooting each other annoyed looks.

Draco and I looked at each other, and he shrugged behind their backs. At least he wasn't acting like a complete idiot.

"Let's release a snitch, and see who can catch it first," I said slowly.

The moment I made the suggestion, it was clear that they were excited for another excuse to show off.

Merlin, what did I get myself into?

"Hermione!" shouted Harry, cupping his hands around his mouth.

She looked up at us, obviously annoyed at being interrupted again. Liz continued thumbing through her book, having long since blocked us out.

"Can you get us a snitch from the locker rooms?" He asked.

Giving a very dramatic groan, Hermione waved her wand, and suddenly, the standard trunk of Quidditch balls came zooming out of the locker rooms in the lower level of the castle. It touched down at the center of the pitch and the lid popped open. Even from our altitude, we could see the Bludgers struggling to escape their restraints, but my attention was instantly caught by the flash of gold that shot off into the sky.

"Well, I could've done that," said Harry, shaking his head.

"So why didn't you?" Draco shot back, unable to resist.

"You're such a muggle sometimes," I added, laughing harder at Harry's glare.

The four of us allowed the snitch a thirty second head-start to get lost, and then we all shot off in different directions. Being the only girl on the pitch, I had no qualms about using my inhuman advantages, and within five minutes, I had already caught the snitch three times.

"Surely you boys can do better than that?" I teased, grinning at their thunderstruck expressions. "Come on ladies, make me break a sweat!"

Determined to win, the boys insisted and we played for over an hour, with each of us pulling increasingly difficult and dangerous stunts to catch the snitch. When it was all said and done, the scores leveled out as:

Viktor: 15

Me: 12

Harry and Draco: 10

"Bloody hell, Gia!" grumbled Harry playfully, "If you keep this up, the Gryffindor team will be demanding that you replace me as seeker."

"Oh please, I'm a much better Chaser than I am a Seeker," I said, unabashed.

Harry gained a dazed, hungry look in his eyes.

"Please tell me you're trying out next year!" he begged insistently.

"The Slytherin team will be practicing every single night if you join the Gryffindor team," said Draco apprehensively.

But I was stuck.

Until Harry had mentioned it, I hadn't really given much thought to anything beyond fourth year. Even with the drama and mystery that had immediately surrounded us, I loved Hogwarts and the friends that I'd made. I suppose I hadn't expected to make it this far – to get the opportunity to return for my fifth year.

"You should consider going pro," said Viktor calmly. "I could talk to some recruiters for you…"

As touched as I was that he'd even offered, an image of my father flashed through my mind. The thought of a professional Quidditch career was the dream of many, but I knew that I couldn't get my hopes up or enjoy anything too immensely until I dealt with my demons.

Instead, I gave Viktor a dazzling smile. "Well, thank you; it's way too early to be talking about going pro, but I'll be thinking about it closer to graduation."

Even as I said this, another image flashed – a happier one; an image of me clad in the robes of the Holyhead Harpies, my favorite team in the league.

"I suppose that means you'll have to keep in touch then," said Viktor suddenly, giving me a rare smile. "It vould be a shame to let such talent go to waste."

Was Viktor…flirting with me?

Judging from the tight-jawed expression on Harry's face, he most certainly was.

"I suppose so," was my simple reply. "You're very sweet, Viktor."

"For you, Gia, anything," he said, before glancing over his shoulder towards the Durmstrang ship, still tethered in the Black Lake. "I must go now – Karkaroff vill be looking for me."

After Viktor had begged off flying any longer, Harry, Draco, and I gathered Hermione and Liz and headed back up to East Tower. We all split up and went to separate rooms to shower, before meeting back up in the common room, where Prim had already laid out an enormous lunch.

We ate in amicable silence for a while, before Hermione spoke up. "Have any of you wondered about this whole Goblet business?" She started.

Harry scoffed. "Every minute since it happened," he said.

"What about it, Granger?" asked Draco, going in for another bite of roast beef.

"I meant have you wondered who actually put your name in the Goblet. We've deduced that Voldemort is behind it all, but there must be someone working for him inside the castle."

All four of us looked at Draco.

"What?" he snapped defensively. "If the dark lord is involved, then surely it must be a Slytherin helping him, huh?"

"Well…" said Liz, splaying her hands.

"I don't think a student could've fooled the Goblet, or Dumbledore, for that matter," I said slowly. "We all saw what happened to the twins."

"But couldn't a seventh year just have crossed the Age Line, but put my name on the parchment instead of theirs?" asked Harry.

We all looked at each other.

"I can't be sure," said Hermione with a sigh. "It's not like we have an official copy of the rules."

"Maybe there's an enchantment on the Goblet that prevents you from entering anyone but yourself," suggested Liz thoughtfully, "You know, so people can't enter anyone else as a prank or – in Harry's case – to get them killed."

"That would make much more sense," said Draco. "So if we go with the assumption that you can only enter yourself if you're a student who does that leave us with? The professors?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I suppose, but going with that theory, does the spell include the Headmasters from Durmstrang and Beauxbaton?"

I looked at her knowingly. "You think it was Karkaroff, don't you?"

"He makes a more likely suspect than Madame Maxime, I'll give you that," Liz huffed, smiling slightly. "It'd be a bit hard for her to go sneaking around the entrance hall without anyone noticing."

"It's that slightly creepy, uneasy feeling he gives off, isn't it?" Harry asked. Hermione nodded.

"But remember your first year," I said suddenly, "how you all suspected Snape, and it was really Quirrell. We can't afford to jump to conclusions without proof this time."

"Wait, what happened first year?" asked Draco, suddenly much more interested in the conversation.

Sighing deeply, Harry gave a brief, but detailed, rehashing of the same stories he'd told Liz and me before. "I'm trusting that you'll keep this to yourself, Malfoy," he finished.

"I'm knee-deep in it, remember?" he shot back, unoffended. "But Gia's right, there's much more at stake now than in first year. If we're going to accuse anybody, we've got to be sure and we've got to have proof."

"We'll just have to keep our eyes and ears open, then. At this point, everyone is a suspect," Liz concluded darkly.

"Harry," Hermione said, "You know what you've got to do now, right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Survive?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, that too, but you've got to send a letter to Sirius. He'll want to know." Harry looked reluctant.

"You know Hermione's right, Harry. Sirius told you himself that he wanted you to keep him posted on everything that's happening here. We've been through this before, remember?" I said, waggling my fingers threateningly. "Besides, Christmas is coming rather quickly and we need to know if he's going to be around before then for –" I glanced at Draco, "Well, you know."

Harry sighed. "Fine, I'll write it now."

I summoned some parchment, a quill, and some ink and levitated it over to Harry, too lazy to get up. He stared at the parchment for a moment before writing something. As he wrote, my owl Ario appeared at the long window on the other side of the common room. Waving my hand, the window opened and he flew to me first, hooting contently as I stroked his feathers.

"How's my beautiful little friend doing?" I asked, cooing to him. "Are you watching out for Hedwig?"

Ario hooted a clear affirmative, and then flew over to Harry in time to take his letter. He bumped his head gently to Harry's cheek before taking off out the window again.

"I miss watching movies before bed," I said idly, after we'd been lounging around the common room for a few hours.

"You have muggle technology in your home?" asked Hermione curiously. "I thought it went haywire if surrounded by too much magic?"

"You'd have to get specially-made ward stones placed around your home to balance out the interference," I started, "It's a very delicate and tricky bit of magic, which is why it's nearly unheard of – it is ridiculously expensive. It doesn't work with everything though. We can get electrical lights working at only a few of our properties, but mostly it's just the TVs and gaming systems – no phones or anything yet. They're working on developing more sophisticated stones for the future, but this is what we've got for now."

"I didn't understand about half of anything you two just said," said Draco, looking around at us. "I assume I'm the only one here who's never been to the muggle world?"

"You would be correct in that assumption," said Liz, from where she'd been curled up in her favorite armchair. "Even though both of my parents are magical, they raised the twins and me to live between both worlds. How have you lived your entire life without watching a movie, Draco?"

"What is a movie?" he asked again, a bit irritably.

"Aww, someone doesn't like feeling left out," I cooed teasingly, giggling madly as I neatly rolled out of the way of a stinging hex.

"It's a bit hard to explain if you don't have any context," Hermione started tentatively. "I'd have to use a bunch of muggle phrasing that you wouldn't understand to explain a concept that already foreign to you."

"I think we can better show him than tell him," I said, bolting upright as a wonderful idea popped into my head.

"Every time you get that look…" Harry said, shuddering slightly.

"Whatever it is, she's already excited about it, which means we're not likely to talk her out of it," Liz concluded, rolling her eyes. "Is this going to involve me getting out of this armchair?"

"I mean… if you'd rather stay here while we go see a movie…"

"You want to go into the muggle world to see a movie? Like, tonight?" asked Hermione curiously. And though she was usually horrified at the thought of breaking school rules, I figured she missed her birthplace enough that she didn't mind it so much right then.

"Like, right now! Come on, it'll be fun. It's Sunday night and it's not like we're doing anything sitting around here anyway," I said, rolling my eyes. "Besides, we'll consider it Draco's crash course on all things muggle."

"I don't know, Gia…" said boy spoke up, uncertain.

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport Draco," I huffed, "It'll be the most fun you've had in a long time, I promise."

"I'm in," Harry said, standing up and stretching. "Anything to get out of this castle, even if it's just for a few hours."

"That makes two of us, any other takers?" I asked, looking around at my friends.

"Count me in," Hermione said, shrugging and standing as well. "I don't think I've been to the theater since the beginning of summer."

"Fine, fine, fine," groaned Liz, uncurling herself from the armchair, "But you're buying me popcorn, Grey, and I want it so buttery I feel my heart crying out for help."

"Come on Draco," said Hermione, "It'll be fun. I promise we'll protect you from the scary muggles."

I knew I wasn't the only one that was shocked at her casual use of his first name. Judging from the looks on Harry and Draco's faces, it was probably the first time she'd ever used it. Pink-faced, Draco sighed rather dramatically and rose from his seat.

"I have a feeling that my options are: agree to this asinine idea or get kidnapped and dragged along anyway," he said. "So what now?"

"Now," I clapped my hands happily, "Harry's going to loan you a more muggle-ish outfit, we're going to change into something more comfortable, and then we're going to head out. Grab your jackets, it's going to be a cold night and muggle theaters are always freezing."

About twenty minutes later, everyone gathered in the common room again, ready to go. After a little fussing, Draco had finally accepted the dark blue jeans, black t-shirt and hoodie, and black trainers from Harry. Harry and I had somehow ended up matching again, with black sweatpants, red hoodies over our black t-shirts, and bright red trainers. Hermione had donned a pair of light blue skinny jeans so tight, I couldn't even admonish Draco for the way he stared…because I was staring too.

"Where have you been hiding that bum, Hermione, Merlin!" I gasped playfully, circling the blushing girl and giving her my best roguish grin.

"Cut it out, you creep!" she snapped, but her smile gave her away. With the jeans, Hermione had finally relaxed a bit and paired it with a royal blue cropped-hoodie and trainers.

Finally, Elizabeth had emerged from her bedroom in all black as usual – black skinny jeans, black boots, and a black cropped-hoodie similar to Hermione's. She'd pulled her hair up into a top knot, and I smiled, noticing that she'd secured it with two ivory chopsticks.

"Do we look muggle enough for your liking, you loon?" asked Draco, resigned to his fate.

"You're all gorgeous, now let's go! Nova, are you tagging along?" I called, looking around for my familiar.

"You can't bring animals into a theater, Gia," said Hermione.

"Nova loves movies," I said, waving my hand dismissively. Moments later, Nova came bounding down the stairs from my bedroom and leapt into my arms, transforming from a small kitten into a hamster of sorts, mid-leap. "Before you ask, yes she's a changeling, which means she can transform herself into any animal. Yes, I know how rare and powerful they are. No, I have no idea where she came from – she found me and decided she wanted to be stuck with me forever, so here we are. Any questions?" I said quickly, my body buzzing with anticipation for the night ahead.

"I guess that covers it, thanks for trusting us with that," Harry said, throwing an arm casually around my shoulders.

"Alright, gather around you lot. Just grab hold of my arm and don't let go," I instructed clearly, holding out my right arm. When I was sure they'd all gotten hold, I quickly began gathering wispy, black shadows around us all.

Just before we disappeared, Draco shuddered, "I'll never get used to this."

I wanted Draco to get the full experience, so I had shadow-stepped us into the dark alleyway between the Leaky Cauldron and some nondescript building beside it. "You're telling me you've never been on this side of the Cauldron?" I asked Draco, when he didn't respond, I turned my head to see why.

He was dumbstruck.

Slowly stepping out of the alley, Draco's head turned in every direction, and he took in the tall buildings, the neon lights and streetlamps, the screens flashing and promoting in every store window, and of course, the cars that zoomed down the road going in both directions.

"Muggles…" he started slowly, tearing his eyes away from the road to look at us, "Muggles did all of this? Without magic?"

"You haven't seen anything yet!" said Hermione, positively bubbly now.

Following my lead, we stepped up to the curb and I hailed us a taxi large enough to accommodate all of us. Draco was apprehensive about getting into the car, but after being threatened with the same hex he'd read aloud from Hermione's book earlier, he reluctantly got inside. His reluctance lasted all of two minutes, before he was smiling like an idiot, watching the muggle world go by outside through the window.

"Where to?" the raspy voice of the driver called, never taking his eyes off the road.

"Nearest theater, please," I responded, before leaning back and allowing myself to relax, reveling in the noise and bustle of a weekend night in the muggle world.

We arrived less than ten minutes later and I pulled out enough money from my wallet to pay for the ride, and left the driver a tip, probably one much larger than he expected judging from his expression. We had to physically haul Draco through the lobby because he kept stopping to look and exclaim at perfectly ordinary things, particularly the giant arcade games in the corner off to the right.

"How can I help you?" asked the young man behind the glass; he couldn't have been older than nineteen.

"Five tickets for…" I quickly scanned the titles on the board above his head, "The Lion King."

"Really, Gia? A kids' movie?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow.

"I really wanted to see it over the summer, but of course, the Dursleys wouldn't let me tag along with them," said Harry suddenly.

"The Lion King, it is," Liz said from my left.

Once we'd gotten our tickets and had them torn by the ticket attendant, I led the way over to the concessions counter. Without consulting my friends, I ordered two large popcorns – "Extra, extra butter, please" – as well as five large sodas, and a whole mess of candy boxes but Harry firmly insisted on paying for it all since I had bought the tickets. Leading the way through the lobby and into the hall, we quickly found the proper theater, Number 7, and I insisted that the best seats were in the back. Grinning to myself, I forced Harry into the aisle first and then grabbed Liz's hand, forcing her to come behind me so that I was sitting between them, leaving Hermione and Draco to sit beside each other. Being the gentlemen that he was, Draco allowed Hermione in first and he ended the aisle himself.

"We'll share this one," I said, holding on to one popcorn bucket, "And you two can share this one." I shoved the other bucket in Hermione's hand and ignored her suspicious, narrowed eyes. "We've got enough candy to last all night, grab whatever you want."

Draco kept looking all around the theater, but the moment the lights dimmed and the previews began, I could tell that he was utterly and completely floored. As we settled in, Harry casually put his arm around the back of my seat and I leaned into his body, immediately relaxed by the warmth he radiated. The music began the movie and before we were even ten minutes in, I heard Hermione keep shushing Draco's incessant questions and begging him to just watch for now, and she'd answer his inquiries afterward. To my surprise, we'd all decimated the enormous popcorn buckets before the movie was halfway over and I volunteered to run out into the lobby to get two more.

"And – and they just let him fall right off the bloody cliff!" Draco moaned, still rambling about the movie as we spilled out into the light of the lobby after it was over. "How is this a kids' movie? I feel like – like I just faced a Dementor or something. That was brutal."

"Relax Draco," said Liz, giggling furiously at Draco's indignation over the fate of Mufasa, "The movie had a happy ending."

"I can't believe I've missed out my entire life," Draco said, suddenly quieter and very thoughtful. "If my father ever found out I visited the muggle world, he'd pitch a fit to end all fits."

"Draco…" I started worriedly.

"When can we do this again?" he asked suddenly, his melancholy gone as quickly as it had come.

"I say we make this a weekly thing," Harry suggested, his arm still around my shoulder as we left the theater and spilled back out into the cool night. "What do you say? Let's make every Sunday night a movie night."

We all agreed.

The taxi ride from the theater back to the Leaky Cauldron was an unfortunately short one, and I knew I wasn't the only one that almost dreaded returning to Hogwarts after such a fun night. But soon enough, I was gathering shadows around us again and we reappeared in the common room, exactly where we'd left. I'd had Prim head to the kitchens to gather up a late dinner for us as we all retired to our rooms briefly to change into pajamas. As a surprise treat, I'd had Prim bring up an enormous vat of Neapolitan ice cream for dessert. The entire conversation throughout dinner consisted of Draco drilling us with questions about the muggle world and us taking turns to answer. By the time we'd all gotten up to retire to bed, I knew that we'd made a major leap in reversing the mental damage done by Lucius Malfoy.

It was after midnight, I was lying in bed, the fire burning low in the fireplace, and Nova had abandoned me to seek out Liz once again. The day's events kept replaying over and over in my mind, particularly our impromptu trip into the muggle world and the positive effect it'd had on Draco. I was still smiling, rather pleased with myself, when I heard a tentative knock on my bedroom door. I had an idea as to who it might be, and sure enough, as the door swung open, there was Harry. And just as I had the night before, without a word, I held open the comforter and waited for him to climb in beside me.

"I'm sorry I've been such a bother," Harry whispered after we'd been lying in bed for about ten minutes. "I haven't had any nightmares in weeks, not until my name came out of the Goblet."

Turning on my side to face him, I reached up and caressed his cheek. "You're never a bother, Harry," I said firmly, "And if being in here with me means you can get a good night's sleep, then I'm happy to have the company."

"You really are amazing, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know," I said smugly, closing my eyes as he gently kissed my forehead. "Goodnight Harry."

"Goodnight, Gia."