Caught Between

Chapter 8

Warning: Major character death

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Harry cringed and gave in, snapping the screeching golden egg shut. His ears rang in the aftermath of the screaming as he stared at the Black Lake. It had been a few weeks since the First Task and the Christmas holidays were only two weeks away. He had opened his golden egg a few times in hopes that it would change or he'd suddenly solve the riddle, but it only ever ended with him giving up and slamming the egg shut. He was no closer to figuring it out now than the first time he opened it. He blew out a frustrated breath, wrapping his arms around his knees.

"Potter."

He looked up to find Malfoy approaching him. "What're you doing out here?"

"Could ask you the same thing."

Harry nodded the egg. "Gave it another go. Decided out here was best so I didn't deafen the entire school."

Malfoy conceded the valid point. "Any luck?"

Harry shook his head. "Still the same insane screaming. It's impossible to figure out, completely mental."

Malfoy nodded. "Mental."

Silence fell for a few moments.

"Are you okay?"

Harry turned his eyes back to the Slytherin, confused. "How do you mean?"

"Moody's class a couple weeks back," Malfoy said. "The Unforgivables."

"Oh, that," Harry said, gazing at the dark water. "Good as I can be, I suppose. Can't exactly describe it as lovely, but not something I've never seen."

Malfoy's eyebrows furrowed. "You've see the Killing Curse before?"

Harry nodded. "I used to dream about it from that night. For the longest time it was the only thing I remembered."

Malfoy listened silently, horrified.

"Saw it recently, too, in another dream. A dream from this summer that I still keep having. Voldemort killing a Muggle caretaker."

"Wait, what?"

"That one's just a dream, though, I think."

"Pettigrew was there?"

"And another man I—" Harry stopped suddenly and looked at Malfoy sharply. "How do you know that?"

"My father told me," Malfoy said and Harry's eyes narrowed. "Pettigrew had come by and kept bragging about being the Dark Lord's choice. He told my father about the death of a Muggle."

Harry felt himself pale. "It wasn't a dream?"

Malfoy shook his head slowly. "I don't think so."

"Merlin," Harry breathed, turning to the lake. More silence fell as Harry processed the revelation. "What about you?"

Malfoy frowned at the random inquiry. "What about me what?"

"Moody's class on the Unforgiveables," Harry said. "Based on the way he acted, you have some kind of experience with the Imperius Curse."

Malfoy sighed as he, too, admired the still water. "Have some, by extension."

Harry was about to prod for more when he spotted a very familiar man heading their way. "Moody," he whispered and Malfoy spun around. Harry watched as the Slytherin tensed and he frowned slightly. There was clearly some history between Moody and the Malfoy family.