CONQUERED - DRARRY

11

HARRYS POV

The two weeks seemed to speed by. Eric had officially asked me to be his boyfriend in front of both Ron and Hermione, and swept me into a kiss after I had eagerly accepted. In the great hall. In front of everyone. 

It's like I was walking on clouds. I still had lessons, which seemed to drag on forever, but once they were finished, and everyone had eaten their fill of dinner in the great hall, I would go practice spells in the Room of Requirement with Eric, Ron and Hermione. After about an hour and a half of Ron's goofy grins ("Blimey, Harry, even Hermione couldn't do that") and Hermione's reproachful nagging ("The next task is in only days, Harry. You must get the wand movement correct!") they would leave, and I was left alone in the room of requirement with my boyfriend.

Eric was the most pleasant person I had ever met. 

He made me feel as if we were the only two people on earth. Our favorite pastime, when we could sneak away from Hermione's tireless training, was to lie before the great lake in a patch of sunlight, me lying in his lap as he mindlessly played with my hair and read me passages from his treasured poets. I didn't understand everything he said, but as his dark fingers absentmindedly danced through my hair, I didn't really mind that it didn't make sense to me.

"Then love knew it was called love,

And when I lifted my eyes to your name,

Suddenly your heart showed me my way."

I had smiled when I'd heard that. He'd been reciting Pablo Neruda that whole day, but these particular lines had stood out to me. I had rolled over slightly then, and my eyes had fluttered open. I remembered my eyes then falling on the Durmstrang ship, and I didn't look away until Eric pulled me to my feet a little while later, laughing that we would be late for dinner, and what had I been doing, so deep in thought?

I had, for all sense and purpose, forgotten about Draco Malfoy. I hadn't seen him since that night on the staircase, to which had left me feeling... strange, I guess. It's not like I was crying over his complicated past, but it was as if I briefly saw how he viewed the world. It was cold, heartless. He couldn't see any escape, and what's worse is that it didn't seem like he was even looking for one. More as if he'd given up completely. Like he'd seen his future, and it depressed him out of ever trying for anything again.

But I kept this thought tucked away, not willing for anything to ruin my mood. I had friends, a boyfriend, and an exciting upcoming task to represent Hogwarts! How could I spoil that?!

But in the end, it was reality which abruptly ended my few golden weeks. It was the morning of the first task, and I had been instructed to wait in Dumbledore's office with the other champions.

I walked through the doorway, blushing lightly and smiling to myself, having just been kissed by Eric before he whisked down to the quidditch stands, where presumably all three schools would watch the first task. Bonnie was already there, leaning against Dumbledore's desk beside a slim Asian boy she introduced as Akira. He looked at me briefly, and nodded. I was suddenly struck by how similar he looked to the golden head that had come from Bonnie's wand after we were first selected as champions, which, I realized stupidly, had been him, just in a golden spell.

Bonnie and him were acting odd. They stole glances at each other, occasionally catching each other's eyes before looking away quickly, blushing madly. I smiled. Maybe Bonnie didn't hate him as much as she used to. In fact, maybe the spell that cast them together for the first task has some ulterior motive. A weird thing for a spell to do, but I've seen weirder at Hogwarts. Like the mirror of Erised, which used reside in Dumbledores office. How did a mirror know what I wanted?

I had asked Dumbledore this once, when I was young and foolish, and not yet accustomed to the odd means of communication that Dumbledore was so fond of.

"The mind remembers the words, but the heart remembers how it feels. The mind can forget, but the heart never will."

"What?"

"A quote by an American writer, JM Storm. It means that our hearts know best about desire, about what we want, in a way that our conscious mind cannot. Does that answer your question, Harry?"

I don't remember what I said to that. I probably nodded confidently, then afterward ran to Hermione, begging her to decipher what the old wizard had meant.

I shook my head, bringing myself back to reality. My eyes flicked across the room. Bonnie was chatting to Arika, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. Akira looked enamoured by her, smiling gently. I watched as the Minister muttered to Dumbledore, both of them throwing glances toward the door. Dumbledore checked his watch.

Then Draco Malfoy walked in. I stared at him in shock. His clothes hung off him loosely, as if he hasn't been eating. Dark patches hung broodingly under his eyes, and his pale skin looked almost grey. He avoided my gaze, crossing his arms across his frail body. 

He nodded slightly backward, and for the first time I saw two large boys clad in Durmstrang furs behind him. One had an athletic figure, with dark billowing hair that went down to his shoulders and a calm expression, although his eyes were alive with malice. The other slinked away before I could register anything more than his hulking figure and buzzcut. The former stayed for a moment, casting his eyes toward me, expression shifting to amusement. Then, with a swish of his cloak, he vanished after the other boy.

"Alright!" Amelia Bones clapped her hands. We all stared blankly up at her as she smiled sharply. "Off to the pitch, shall we?"
I glanced at Dumbledore. His eyes were fixed to the doorway through which the boys had just left, a small frown on his face. Bonnie took a deep breath and Akira put his hand on her shoulder. They shared a reassuring smile and walked after the Minister, who had begun to stride out of the room.
Dumbledore walked behind them. Professors Kraus and Marseille, who had been standing in silence at the back of the room, hurriedly joined to match Dumbledore's long-legged pace.

Draco and I reached the door at the same time. He pushed passed me with a growl and flounced away. I stared after him for a moment, then bit my lip.

I then sidled up to Draco, who jutted his jaw out in resentment.

"All right, Draco?" I whispered.

He ignored me, staring straight ahead. I didn't ask anything more as we crossed the grounds.

I gnawed on my lip, watching as the quidditch pitch drew nearer. The roars of the crowd could barely be heard over the pounding of my heart. Raindrops began splattering on my shoes. I looked up, already dreading. The clouds were a dark, menacing grey. I gulped.

This was it. The first task.