Dark

Chapter 13

Eleanor
It was cold when I woke up. Sliding my feet out of bed and onto the stone floor of my dormitory didn’t help matters at all. Within minutes that cold had me wide awake. I didn’t own much outside of my school robes, and those were already secondhand. Thankfully I managed to put together clothing that was flexible enough to run in.
The first task of the Triwizard Tournament was only a week and half away. Harry didn’t want to train with me, but I was thankful that Viktor had offered to let me train with him. So I laced up my trainers and snuck out of the Slytherin common room before everyone else had woken up.
It wasn’t much warmer outside, but by the time I reached the fresh air the sun was starting to peak over the Forbidden Forest. As I approached the Durmstrang ship I could see Viktor making his way down the plank to the bank of the Black Lake.
“Are you ready?” He asked me simply.
“Yeah.” I answered. “And thanks, by the way…for letting me train with you.”
Viktor just nodded his head once and then we were off. The air whipped my hair back and around me and as we ran. At first we took it slow, just working our way out of the last remnants of drowsiness. It wasn’t until about half way around the Black Lake that we got into a good pace. My heart was racing and I could feel the ache building up in my legs by the time we finished our first round of the lake. We kept at it though, rounding the banks again.
As we ran my mind began to wander. I wanted to just ignore Harry entirely, but being partners in this tournament blew that plan up. I couldn’t just ignore him if we were about to be put into some sort of dangerous situation and had to rely on each other to get out of it. I wanted him to train with me so we stood a better chance. From what I could tell he wasn’t training at all. We have no idea what the first task will be, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to prepare ourselves for something. At the very least preparing our bodies to put up a good fight seems best, but so far I’ve only notice myself and Viktor trying to accomplish that.
As we completed our second lap of the entire lake, Viktor slowed up and came to stop.
“You can keep up.” He commented.
“Yeah, but hardly.” I laughed lightly, still trying to catch my breath. “So…I heard that you play Quidditch, right?”
“Yeah.” Viktor turned toward me with his brows furrowed. “Did you not know before?”
“Well, no. I haven’t been here very long.” I answered.
“Oh.”
“I was wondering, other than Quidditch, what do you guys do at Durmstrang outside of classes?” I wasn’t sure why I had asked, but it was strange that we never talked about anything even though we had spoken together multiple times now.
“We duel a lot. Sometimes we duel the muggle way.” He answered.
“You mean with your hands?” I asked.
“Mhm.”
“Oh…do you…do you think you could teach me?” I looked up at him, sure he would say no.
I was surprised when he laughed lightly instead. “Yeah, sure.”

Harry
“She’s gone,” Hermione said, looking right through me as I was concealed under the invisibility cloak.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Rita Skeeter had been in Hogsmeade with her cameraman, scoping out champions to report on. If there was one time I wished that Eleanor was around, it would have been now. I would have paid to see her hex Rita Skeeter.
“Why don’t we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks, it’s a bit cold, isn’t it? You don’t have to talk to Ron!”
Hermione was still aggravated with Ron and I. Ron still didn’t believe that someone else had put my name in the Goblet of Fire. We hadn’t really spoken since the night the champions were chosen. In addition to that, Hermione was often furious with me about Eleanor.
I had accidentally mentioned Eleanor asking me to train with her and Hermione was horrified by the fact that I had said no. I almost told Eleanor yes. In fact, I was happy for a moment to think that someone would really be on my side in this whole thing other than Hermione. But my head had started to race and Rita’s questions floated back into my mind again.
When she had pulled me into the cupboard for my interview Rita had brought Eleanor up again. Do you feel superior to your sister, knowing that your parents chose to keep you over her? Do you think Eleanor resents you for that? Are the rumors true that Eleanor Potter uses Dark Magic?
I may be confused about Eleanor, but I wouldn’t say that I feel superior to her. I don’t really feel superior to anyone. If I had been asked before Rita’s interview if I thought Eleanor resented me, I would have said no. Why would she anyway? Now that I know about the orphanage, I can’t help but wonder if maybe she does resent me. As far as Dark Magic is concerned, I have no idea. Could that explain why she was suddenly so friendly with Malfoy? I suppose it could. He would surely love the idea of anyone using Dark Magic.
“I look like such an idiot, sitting here on my own,” Hermione muttered as we took a seat at a table in the far corner. “Lucky I brought something to do.”
Hermione took out a notebook and I recognized it as the one she had been using for S.P.E.W. It was a group she was trying to start to promote house elf rights, or something of that sort anyway. She had been furious at the beginning of term when she discovered that Hogwarts was home to many house elves who did all the cooking as well as the laundry and the cleaning in the different houses. Her first attempt at changing things was to refuse to eat. That lasted one night. Then she dove head first into this new organization of her’s.
“You know, maybe I should try and get some of the villagers involved in S.P.E.W.”
“Yeah, right.” I said lazily. “Hermione, when are you going to give up on this spew stuff?”
“When house-elves have decent wages and working conditions!” she hissed at me. “You know, I’m starting to think it’s time for more direction action. I wonder how you get into the school kitchens?”
“No idea, ask Fred and George.” I told her.
That was when I noticed Hagrid and Mad-Eye Moody headed our way. At first I was relieved that I was hidden under the invisibility cloak. Then I realized that even with the cloak on, Moody was looking directly at me with his magical eye. I had the uncomfortable feeling that it could see through invisibility cloaks.
“All right, Hermione?” Hagrid said loudly.
Hermione began a short conversation with Hagrid as Moody rounded the table to stand next to me, looking over the table at Hermione’s notebook to make it look more natural.
“Can your eye – I mean, can you –?” I muttered.
“Yeah, it can see through invisibility cloaks,” Moody said quietly. “And it’s come in useful at times, I can tell you.”
Moody looked up with his eyebrows raised at Hagrid, then Hagrid leaned in closer. He was also pretending to be reading Hermione’s notebook now.
“Harry, meet me tonight, at midnight at me cabin. Wear that cloak.” He whispered before straightening back up. “Nice ter see yeh, Hermione.” He winked before heading out the door of the Three Broomsticks, closely followed by Moody.
“Why does Hagrid want me to meet him at midnight?” I asked.
“I don’t know whether you should go, Harry…It might make you late for Sirius.” Hermione said worriedly.
I had forgotten about my meeting with Sirius. My mood quickly picked up though at the thought of seeing him again. He was probably the only person who could really understand how I was feeling right now. At least about the tournament.
I dwelled on my upcoming conversation with Sirius as Hermione and I made our quiet way back to the castle. The cold wind whipped the invisibility cloak around so I had to hold it tight against me to keep my feet hidden. I’d had enough of people bothering me about putting my name in the Goblet. Only Hermione seemed to really believe me. The twins seem to as well but they still enjoy joking about me having put my name in whenever they’re around, which certainly doesn’t help convince anyone else that I didn’t.
“Who is that?” Hermione asked, stopping near the front of the castle and looking towards the Durmstrang ship.
Viktor Krum seemed to be on the bank of the Black Lake with someone else. A girl no less. He was pointing toward the ground and the girl was shifting her feet with his instructions, then he reached over and moved her arms into some sort of formation as well. As we watched for a few moments I suddenly realized who the long mane of black hair belonged to.
“She’s training with Krum?!” I asked loudly.
“Shh! You’re still under the cloak Harry.” Hermione hissed at me.
“We’re competing against him, why would she be training with him?” I said bitterly.
“Well she asked you, Harry, but you said no.” Hermione said. I looked over at her, a retort ready on my tongue but then I realized the expression on her face. She seemed hurt for some reason so I decided to just give it up and walk quietly into the castle with her.

Eleanor
My muscles ached as I made my slow way toward the Slytherin common room. It had been a long day. Viktor and I had been training since the early morning. I hadn’t expected more than running, but we ended up working on some fighting techniques as well. Though he didn’t speak much, Viktor was a decent teacher.
I was sure that fighting wasn’t going to help me in the tournament, but I knew that it would likely come in handy over the summer. As much as I try not think about it, ever since Rita’s article came out I haven’t been able to forget about the orphanage for more than a few moments. The thought of being back there again makes me feel sick.
I muttered the password for the common room and was glad to see that the common room was nearly empty as I stepped in. The only person in the room was sitting on the couch before the fire. He was unmistakable. Draco Malfoy. I was exhausted and sure that he hadn’t waited up just for me, so I made my way toward the dormitories.
“Why were you with Krum all day, Potter?” Malfoy asked.
I was surprised by the sound of his voice. We hadn’t spoken much lately, not since my name came out of the Goblet of Fire. The venomous tone in the word Potter was back now.
“I was training.” I answered, turning to face him again and seeing that he was now standing only feet from me.
“Why?” Malfoy narrowed his eyes at me.
“What do you mean why?” I asked him. “I would very much like to survive this tournament, and Harry wouldn’t train with me. Viktor asked so I accepted.”
“Oh please. You’re just using Krum to get more attention.” Malfoy spat.
“Get more attention?!” I was nearly shouting now. How dare he? “You think I want more articles written about me like that trash Skeeter published? You think I want everyone to know about –“
I pulled myself short just in time. I was angry and losing my control. No one needed to know, especially someone who could turn on me at any moment and tell the entire school. Malfoy may think I’m naïve, but I’m not. I know better than to trust him with anything.
“Know about what?” he asked, taking a step closer.
I took a step back and just shook my head, determined not to open my mouth and get even close to mentioning it again.
“Is this about the orphanage?” Malfoy asked. His tone changed. He didn’t ask this question with the same viciousness he had been using before. Now he was quiet.
It was as if his sudden lack of anger was fueling my own. It shouldn’t matter to him if I train with anyone. He surely wouldn’t care if I died in this tournament. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t want me training with someone, he just can’t wait to see me fail. And he has no business asking me about the orphanage. He shouldn’t even know about it. No one would know if it weren’t for that Skeeter woman.
“It is none of your business,” I said with as much venom as I could muster, “who I train with. We aren’t even friends, Malfoy. We just talk because it pisses off Harry.”
Malfoy’s eyes darted down toward the floor and he looked flustered. That was when I realized it.
“What? Did you think we were actually friends?” I asked him.
He tried to answer but only ended up stuttering for a moment.
“How could we ever be friends? You hate everything about me. Before that stupid truce you constantly made fun of me for everything: my hair, my face, my name, my secondhand robes and books. You can’t stand anything about me, Malfoy. So how could we ever be friends?”
He was looking up at me again, but I couldn’t read the strange look on his face. It seemed to keep flickering between anger, confusion, and something else. Surely he couldn’t have actually been hurt by what I had said? He’s made it clear that he hates me. So why is he acting so strange?
I couldn’t stand to be near him anymore, so I simply turned on my heel and stormed off for my dormitory.

Harry
I was nearly ready to turn around and walk back toward the school. I had met Hagrid as he asked and he had me following him and Madame Maxine around the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The trip was seeming completely pointless by the time anything of interest came into view. At first I thought I was seeing bonfires up ahead. But then I saw the men dashing around, illuminated by the spurt of fire and my eyes fell upon what was truly causing the light.
Dragons.
There were four enormous and vicious-looking dragons. As I looked between them I noticed that one was a silvery blue with long pointed horns. There was also a smooth-scaled green one and a red one with gold colored spikes fringing its face. The last was black and resembled a lizard more than the others did. My eyes travelled down it and took in the sight of long bronze colored spikes lining its tail.
By the time my mind focused again on Hagrid he was talking to none other than Charlie Weasley.
“Four…” Hagrid was saying. “So it’s one fer each o’ the champions, is it? What’ve they gotta do – fight ‘em?”
Fight dragons? This can’t be happening.
“Just get past them, I think,” said Charlie. “We’ll be on hand if it gets nasty, extinguishing spells at the ready. They wanted nesting mothers, I don’t know why…but I tell you this, I don’t envy the one who gets the Horntail. Vicious thing. Its back end’s as dangerous as its front.” Charlie pointed Hagrid’s attention towards the tail of the large black dragon.
I’d seen enough and began making my way back toward the castle. I wasn’t paying enough attention though and fell back after I walked straight into something.
“Who’s there?”
I looked up to see Karkaroff glancing around worriedly. I moved as quietly as I could out of the way and waited for him to move on before getting back up. My every nerve was on edge at this point as I rushed toward Gryffindor Tower.
How was I going to do this? I couldn’t take on a dragon. Even with me and Eleanor working as a team, it seemed impossible. She’s been doing magic for a few months, there’s no way I could expect her to be up for taking on a fully grown dragon. Did she even know that dragons are real? It took an entire team of wizards to keep the dragons in line back there. How would any of us being able to do it?
“Balderdash!” I gasped as I finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
“If you say so,” she muttered in response before swinging open.
The common room was thankfully empty, so I came to a halt before the fireplace and sat on the couch, waiting for Sirius. His letter had simply said to meet him at the Gryffindor fireplace. I had no idea how he was going to get to Hogwarts, let alone into the castle. By the time I caught my breath again there was a small pop and I looked back up to see Sirius’s head poking out of the fireplace.
“Sirius – how’re you doing?” I asked hurriedly.
“Never mind me, how are you?” he asked seriously.
“I’m –“ I paused. I didn’t know how to explain all the things I was feeling. Angry because Ron didn’t believe me about the tournament. Confused about Eleanor entirely. Terrified of having to face a dragon. Frustrated with the article that Rita had published. Before I could stop myself I was telling him nearly everything. The only thing I kept out was Eleanor.
“…and now Hagrid’s just shown me what’s coming in the first task, and it’s dragons, Sirius, and I’m a goner.” I finished desperately.
“Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we’ll get to that in a minute – I haven’t got long here…I’ve broken into a Wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. Now how about Eleanor? Does she have a plan for the dragons?”
“What?” I asked, my eyes involuntarily going wide. “How do you know about Eleanor?”
“You’re not my only correspondent within Hogwarts, Harry. Dumbledore has been keeping me informed about both you and Eleanor.” Sirius said.
“Sirius…I just…I don’t understand.” I stammered. “How could she be my sister? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Sirius looked at me for a moment, a sad expression on his face, before he spoke again. “Look, Harry…I knew that Lily was pregnant a second time. But Lily and James told me that the baby died at birth. They were so upset, completely torn up about the whole thing that I didn’t even think for a second that something else had happened. Dumbledore was apparently the only one who knew that the baby was alive. Lily and James…they…well they didn’t want Eleanor to be in trouble, I guess, because Voldemort was after you. They were already in hiding but they didn’t want to risk losing both of you. So they decided to put Eleanor in an orphanage. They’d known for months before she was born that it was the best choice. They wanted to keep her safe from him. If he didn’t know she existed and she was nowhere near you, then they figured she would be all right. They wouldn’t tell anyone where she was, not even Dumbledore. That’s why it was so difficult to find her. That’s why it took so long…”
“So they…they left her…because of me?” I aksed him.
I had felt my stomach plummet as Sirius spoke. Eleanor had been left behind somewhere because of me, because Voldemort had been after me.
“Harry…none of that is your fault…” Sirius said lightly.
I was about to open my mouth again when I heard something on the dormitory stairs.
“Sirius, someone’s coming. You have to go!” I told him urgently.
There was a small pop and Sirius was gone again. I still had no idea what I was going to do about the dragons and now I felt even worse about Eleanor. I heard the click of the staircase door and looked up again to see Ron, dressed in his maroon paisley pajamas.
“Who were you talking to?” he asked me.
“What’s that got to do with you?” I snarled. “What are you doing down here at this time of night?”
Seeing Ron just made me feel angry again. Angry with him and everyone else who didn’t believe me.
“I just wondered where you –“ Ron broke off suddenly. “Nothing. I’m going back to bed.”
With that I was alone again in the common room. What in the world was I going to do about getting past a dragon?