In third-year halls, their paths first crossed,
A Raven boy, a Blonde girl lost.
"Stay out of my way," she warned with a glare,
But something lingered in the frosty air.
Crimson with his scar and fame,
Emerald with her secrets untamed.
Two worlds ap...
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The next morning, Sirius's owl arrived, fluttering down beside Harry just as a tawny owl landed in front of Hermione, clutching a copy of the Daily Prophet. Aria, sitting nearby with Ron, looked up curiously. Hermione scanned the first few pages quickly and said, "Ha! She hasn't got wind of Crouch!" before joining Ron, Harry, and Aria in reading the letter from Sirius.
"Harry—what do you think you are playing at, walking off into the forest with Viktor Krum? I want you to swear, by return owl, that you are not going to go walking with anyone else at night. There is somebody highly dangerous at Hogwarts. It is clear to me that they wanted to stop Crouch from seeing Dumbledore, and you were probably feet away from them in the dark. You could have been killed.
Your name didn't get into the Goblet of Fire by accident. If someone's trying to attack you, they're on their last chance. Stay close to Ron, Hermione, and Aurora. Do not leave Gryffindor Tower after hours, and arm yourself for the third task. Practice Stunning and Disarming. A few hexes wouldn't go amiss either. There's nothing you can do about Crouch. Keep your head down and look after yourself. I'm waiting for your letter giving me your word you won't stray out of bounds again.
Sirius."
"Who's he to lecture me about being out-of-bounds?" Harry said, folding up the letter in mild indignation and stuffing it into his robes. "After all the stuff he did at school!"
Aria, who had been reading over Harry's shoulder, shook her head. "He's worried about you, Harry. You're in danger, and you know it."
Hermione nodded in agreement, her tone sharp. "Exactly. Just like Moody and Hagrid! So listen to them!"
"No one's tried to attack me all year," Harry countered, waving off their concerns. "Nothing's happened to me at all—"
"Except put your name in the Goblet of Fire," Hermione interrupted, her voice tense. "And they must've done that for a reason, Harry. Snuffles is right. Maybe they've been biding their time. Maybe this is the task they're going to get you."
Aria frowned, exchanging a concerned glance with Ron. "She's right. Whoever's behind this might be waiting for the perfect moment."
"Look," said Harry impatiently, "let's say Sirius is right, and someone Stunned Krum to kidnap Crouch. Well, they would've been in the trees near us, wouldn't they? But they waited until I was out of the way before they acted. Doesn't that mean I'm not their target?"
"They couldn't have made it look like an accident if they'd murdered you in the forest!" Hermione exclaimed. "But if you die during a task—"
