The Boy In My Dreams -HEDRIC (1)

9.(CH) promises in jeopardy

The prefects moved to divide into small groups. Except for Cedric, whose footsteps followed Percy at a prudent distance. He overheard McGonagall ask him, "Are you sure Potter is alright?"

Someone grabbed him by the arm.

Unable to listen to the answer, Tam led him towards the exit, where the other four Hufflepuff prefects stood so still and pale as ghosts. In a deathly silence, they returned to their common room and, since no one could go to sleep, all of them sat in the armchairs.

"How do you think he got in?" Jane asked in a whisper that filled the room.

"How do you think he got out of Azkaban?" Kevin rested his elbows on his knees, looking at them over his glasses. "Hogwarts isn't difficult in comparison, even with the dementors on guard."

He was the only one who spoke firmly, being in seventh year he would have witnessed first hand what had happened in previous years. For Cedric and Tam, this was the first time they had been present at an event of such magnitude from that role. The responsibility that came with it felt like a complete bluff because what could a couple of teenagers do against something like that?

Would they even manage to defend themselves in a dangerous situation?

And what about protecting others?

Tam was pressing against his side, fidgeting with her leg. Cedric placed a hand on her arm, trying to calm her.

"Do you think he's here for Harry Potter?" she blurted out, her deep breath rattling against her chest. "We all know that..."

Harry had survived.

Black could be there to finish the job that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had failed to do.

HARRY

XXIII

Ron and Hermione being worried about him was one thing.

The fact that Cedric had asked him if he was alright in the middle of a hallway when he was on his way to class two days after what had happened, was certainly nice .

Percy walking into his room every morning to wake them up, asking them to be at the front of all the lines he escorted to the Great Hall and back to the Gryffindor common room, was something else entirely. Harry wasn't even sure Percy liked him. Sometimes he thought he didn't agree with his friendship with his brother, as if Harry was a bad influence.

Perhaps it was, indeed, dangerous to be around him.

Black had been in their room.

He was trying not to be too alarmed. If Black wanted to hurt him, he probably would have done it already, right? It's not like a convict was going to control himself if that's what he intended to do. And Harry was still alive, distracted by classes and the thought of going to Hogsmeade with Cedric, which was silly because there were other more pressing matters. The curfew was strict and they were not allowed to leave the castle without a prefect or teacher accompanying them. Quidditch practice had been cut in half and Wood was fuming about it. He would beg Percy to escort them, but he often refused.

"We have a theory that McGonagall's mission for Percy is to protect you, Harry," Fred murmured as they walked towards the Great Hall, pointing at Percy from his place in the middle of the line. "Protect you from feeling even a little bit of joy. He cancels our practices, sits with us during meals and he doesn't find any of our jokes funny."

"It's almost like living with him," George added, his arm around his brother's shoulders despite the tumult. "Oh, the memories. I usually dust them off for the summer and here we are, so soon already."

Perhaps being in Percy's care was over, because they were still out of his reach among the students. But then Harry heard him call for them to join him in front and considered pretending he hadn't heard it. He had tried that before, and the prefect insisted until the end, so he gave an apologetic look to Ron and Hermione in advance.

Ron snorted as he went along.

Hermione, busy shuffling through the pages of one of his notebooks, followed with Ron's guidance.

Being in the front line had an advantage. Sometimes they would arrive at the Great Hall at the same time as the Hufflepuffs in the morning, and Harry would see Cedric leading the way with his perfect hair and a silver badge on his robes.

Harry didn't know how to greet him.

He seemed so much better at it.

A nod or a smile and Harry almost felt as if they were talking. Then Gryffindors would go into the Great Hall, because most of the time Percy would accept Cedric's offer to go first, and Harry would lose sight of him.

XXIV

The trip to Hogsmeade had been postponed. News that certainly made sense considering all the security measures, but that didn't stop most of the students from expressing their disagreement. Among them, Harry, who was sure he would also be disappointed if it didn't imply that his meeting with Cedric would take longer to happen. The plans he'd made with his friends to shop, have fun and forget about everything for a while sounded exactly like what he needed.

In those days he felt trapped within the walls of the castle.

He hadn't been able to visit Hagrid as much as he used to, which he hated because the Malfoy family had put so much pressure on the school that they had decided to put the hippogriff who had hurt Draco to death. No matter the fact that Draco had ignored the rules Hagrid explained in order to prevent injuries. From time to time Hagrid would come over to find Harry, Ron and Hermione and escort them to his cabin and then back to the main entrance. Hermione had advised him to demand a trial to reverse the sentence, and the three of them promised to help him find a defence.

It took a few long weeks for things to calm down with no new sightings. The curfew continued but Percy stopped being on the lookout for him every moment. McGonagall accompanied them to training, and the trip to Hogsmeade was rescheduled for the next weekend. Hermione insisted it wasn't safe for Harry to go. Not for lack of authorization, but for Black. Ron mentioned how hypocritical she was because she wouldn't miss it, and supported Harry, who convinced her that no one would be able to see him with an invisibility cloak on.

Only they would know he was there.

And Cedric, but he didn't dare to mention him.

He didn't know why. He wasn't used to keeping secrets nor getting so nervous about spending time with someone in a place other than the hospital wing when he wasn't even going to be visible. It's not like it is a date or anything , Harry thought in a vain attempt to relax. An idea that left him with a feeling he couldn't define with another word than strange .