Even Royalty Falters || Draco Malfoy

Chapter 29 - The Portkey

"Me too," Hermione showed me her tiny egg.

Ron scratched his head and then sighed. "Must be because mother read about Rita Skeeter's article about you guys," he explained, furrowed his brows.

I tossed the egg in the air and gently caught it again. "Guess I'm lucky to even have received eggs, huh?" I murmured, bummed out.

I knew my family didn't like my friendship with Draco. I should've guessed that Aunt Molly despised it even more.

"She just doesn't think it'll last. You'll only get hurt from trusting the Malfoys," Ron suggested.

"I don't trust the Malfoys. Only Draco," I defended, shaking my head. Must he be associated with his family always? After spending time around him, I knew well enough now that he far from the person his father was. Far from the person his father wanted him to be.

"I wouldn't trust anyone whose father is a Death Eater," Ron retorted. "What's stopping Malfoy from being just as bad as him?"

Me. I wanted to tell them, but it wasn't worth getting into another argument. I avoided meeting Ron's stare and looked down at my basket of eggs. One of them was a little cracked already.

I picked it up and traced my finger along the Crack. Imperfect. Like me. They all wanted me to follow the path supposedly meant for me, but I had gone and befriended a Malfoy. No, not just befriended. We were so much more now.

~~~

With the end of the school year just out of reach, the final task presented itself in the form of a maze. The task itself sounded simple: navigate the maze, grab the trophy.

Harry and Cedric entered first, followed by Krum and finally Fleur. Just like the previous tasks, time seemed to drag on forever until we were alarmed by the first red sparks shot into the sky. Fleur was out. Then, another streak of red sparks shot up from the maze. Krum was out. Krum? I'd expected him to at least hold his ground a little longer based on past performances by him. That left Harry and Cedric, either way, Hogwarts had won. Some Beaubaton and Durmstrang students, upon realizing this, wore disappointed and crestfallen faces for the rest of the time we waited. And waited.

Unexpectedly, in a flash of light, Harry appeared back at the start, trophy in his hand and Cedric drooped over his shoulder. The band started playing an upbeat tune, congratulating Harry on his victory, but soon, students started screaming. Upon closer glance, I realized that Cedric lay stone still, his eyes open but empty. 

"My boy! That's my boy!" Amos Diggory let out a distraught wail as he rushed forward. Professors swarmed the two Hogwarts champions as students began to freak out. 

"Cedric's dead!" Hermione cried as we rushed over to Harry, but we couldn't get past the wall of Professors. 

Professor McGonagall shook her head at us, "Everyone must head back to the Great Hall," she demanded. The Head Boy, Head Girl and prefects immediately began to usher everyone back to the castle. 

"Wait, where's Moody taking Harry?" I pointed over at the departing Moody and Harry.

Ron and Hermione followed my gaze. "Maybe to get him for questioning," Ron suggested. "I reckon something terrible must've happened in there,"

We waited in the Great Hall for what seemed liked hours with no sign of Harry, Dumbledore, Moody, Snape or McGonagall. Students whispered among themselves, many of Cho's friends comforting her. I wonder what it felt like to loose someone you loved. When Dumbledore did come back, he addressed us solemnly and told us to refrain from talking about Cedric's death. Hermione, Ron and I were allowed to visit Harry in the Hospital wing where we learned of Barty Crouch Jr.'s impersonation of Moody and how the trophy was a port key.

"Voldemort's back," Harry said, "Even Snape said Voldemort has summoned his supporters with the Dark Mark,"

"What do we do now?" Ron asked nervously.

"We can only fight. Hagrid said his return was inevitable, and I heard Dumbledore already dispatching others on missions."

"And how do you plan on telling everyone to fight when they don't believe you?" I asked, picking up the latest Daily Prophet. "According to Rita Skeeter, you're dangerous and Dumbledore is not to be trusted," I summarized.

"Cress, do you believe me?" Harry met my eyes, "Lucius Malfoy was there," he said in a lower voice. 

I hadn't allowed myself to think about that yet, but it was inevitable as well. Of course Lucius Malfoy came back for his precious Dark Lord. He was Voldemort's right hand man, one of the most loyal. I had told Draco our second year: Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater.