Silver Hourglass

There Be Horntails Chapter 34

Harry,

Thanks for writing to us, I wanted to come straight away and help you, but Remus wouldn't let me. I cannot say everything I want to in a letter, it could be intercepted, we need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in the Slytherin Common Room at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November? I know better than anyone that you can look after yourself and while you're around Dumbledore and Moody we don't think anyone will be able to harm you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been very risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose. Be on the watch Harry, we still want to hear about anything unsual. Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can.

Sirius

Harry folded the letter as he smiled. The chance to talk to his godfather was one of the few bright spots he had over the fortnight. He was spending more time with the Slytherins than Gryffindors than he did in the past, actually ignoring Neville one time as Ron was next to him. During that two weeks, Harry had several private sessions with Viktor in the Quidditch Field and he was learning a lot. The very first thing Viktor had Harry do was to learn the word "tren'or" "That is who I am now. Your tren'or, your trainer." Viktor explained. "Here, you will call me only that." Krum was a tough coach, he yelled at Harry a lot, forcing him to fly across the entire field fifty times before landing and making Harry run from field goal to field goal. Every time Harry was "too slow" Viktor would call him a murzeliv kuche, which was often. After two hours of this Harry wanted to quit, but Krum kept at it, telling Harry to do one more lap around the Quidditch Pitch, Krum timing him again.

Harry did again, and much to his amazement his last lap was ten seconds faster than his first.

"Very good momche! I knew you can do it!" Krum praised as he showed Harry the results. Harry smiled brilliantly at Krum's praise, his entire body drenched in sweat and his face red as he breathed heavily. "Next time we will use practice Snitch." Krum said.

"Alright." Harry breathed, breathless. "Thank you tren'or." Harry tried.

Harry and Krum went to the showers and returned to the castle where they parted ways until their next practice sessions.

Harry and Krum seemed to be growing closer, as well as he and Cedric, although Rita Skeeter's article did not help to that. She had published her piece about the Triwizard Tournament, and it had turned out to be not so much a report on the tournament as a highly colored life story of Harry. Much of the front page had been given over to a picture of Harry, the names of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champions (misspelled) had been squashed into the last line of the article, and Cedric hadn't been mentioned at all. The article had appeared about ten days ago, nine days after he and Krum started their private sessions, and every time Harry thought about it he felt a sick, burning feeling of shame. Rita had reported of him saying an awful lot of things that he couldn't remember ever saying in his life, let alone in that broom cupboard.

I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now. ...Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it. ...I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament because they're watching over me. ...

Harry couldn't believe that Rita wrote that, and more. He knew for a fact that he did not cry at night, especially because of his parents. He could hardly remember the last time he did cry, but that was beside the point.

Rita Skeeter had gone even further than transforming his "er's" into long, sickly sentences: She had interviewed other people about him too.

Harry has found love at Hogwarts. While it was not uncommon for him to be found with one Draco Malfoy, a handsome pure blood with platinum hair, it was a well kept secret that he and Mr. Malfoy are dating, a fact that Harry had shyly admitted. Colin Creevey, a close friend of Harry Potter despite being a Gryffindor, said that he have took several pictures of the young couple, but was reluctant to share.