Midnight & Destiny | Harry Potter FanFiction

Capitulum Decem

Not much happened over the next two weeks. Harry was able to participate in the bi-weekly Quidditch practices now, Ron was doing much better as Keeper with Madam Hooch's advice, Harry had managed to vanish his mouse completely and had moved on to vanishing kittens with Hermione, the hysteria the beginning of the term brought had finally died away, and nothing had been said about Harry teaching Defense. Ron and Hermione hadn't brought the subject up again after that night and had made an intense effort to give Harry his space.

The end of September also brought one significant change for Harry. Madam Pomfrey had finally proclaimed him healthy which meant no more early morning visits to the hospital wing. The relief Harry felt after hearing that had been indescribable. It was almost as if a large weight had been finally lifted off his shoulders. He was healthy again. There wasn't something looming over him anymore.

Another change for Harry was that he was now wearing the suppression necklace Dumbledore had created. It currently wasn't activated but Harry felt more secure knowing that the help was there if he needed it. The outburst the night Voldemort awakened had been the last one—big or small—Harry had which was unusual. This past summer he usually had a small one at least once a week.

Working on Potions in the Library, Harry was wandering through the stacks, searching for Asiatic Anti-Venoms. He had noticed the whispers from Ron and Hermione that began the moment he left the table but didn't say anything about it. Whatever they were up to now, they clearly didn't want him involved. Harry didn't know if he was hurt or relieved by the thought.

As much has Harry didn't want to admit it he was afraid of Umbridge and what she could do. He knew she didn't approve of Remus and Sirius. Professor Umbridge made no point to hide her dislike for those of the non-human variety. According to Sirius, Umbridge had drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago which made it nearly impossible for any werewolf to get a job. The only reason Remus could was because he was the secondary guardian of the-boy-who-lived so many believed he wasn't as bad as the others.

Remus had not been happy to learn that Sirius had told Harry about that. He had insisted that it wasn't a bit deal but anyone could tell that it was. Remus was an extremely private person when it came to matters of his lycanthropy. He didn't like others knowing what the curse put him through and took from him, including the right to be a father.

"Harry?"

Turning around quickly, Harry let out a sigh of relief when he saw Cho standing there, looking at him hopefully. He had been so caught up in his thoughts to hear her coming. I really need to stop doing that. He didn't want to think what would have happened if it had been a Slytherin that had caught him off guard. "Hi Cho," Harry said finally. "Am I in your way?"

"Um—no," Cho said nervously as she shifted her weight back and forth. "I was wondering if we could talk about...you know."

Harry suppressed a groan as he forced himself to remember that Cho had been Cedric's girlfriend. He owed it to Cedric. "Sure," he said softly then motioned for her to follow. He walked to the far back of the library and pulled out a chair at an empty table, Cho doing the same a moment later. They sat down and faced each other. You can do this, Harry. "What do you want to know?"

Cho started to fidget nervously as she avoided Harry's gaze. "What happened after you two disappeared from the maze?" she asked softly.

Letting out a calming breath, Harry looked at Cho for a moment before his gaze fell to the floor. "We arrived at a graveyard," he said quietly. "We didn't know what was going on but it was obvious that something wasn't right. Before we could do anything a Death Eater by the name of Peter Pettigrew tried to kill Cedric with the killing curse. We evaded the curse then ran for it. Two Death Eaters chased us. I knew they were after me so I told Cedric to run for help while I tried to distract them. The plan didn't work. We were both caught." Letting out a breath, Harry tried not to think of what happened next. "I was bound to a headstone and could only watch as Cedric was murdered right in front of me. I tried...but I—I just couldn't stop them."