Lalia's worry over Harry became apparently clear to their friends. While Harry wasn't encouraging her behavior, he also wasn't putting any distance between the two of them. He often caught her empty eyes staring, her face unresponsive while her friends around her laughed, causing his heart to ache. These faces are what made Harry give in to her wishes to sit next to him at every meal, every class they shared, to cling to his arm or hand under the table, and even to continue sleeping in his bed.
The fight with Malfoy had only worsened her mood as she started to desperately search for Harry in rooms she was waiting to meet him in.
Lalia had seen the badges around school the first school day after the choosing of champions, most around her read:
SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY-
THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!
It wasn't until the dinner after the Gryffindors had double potions with the Slytherins that things changed for her quickly.
"Where's Hermione?" Lalia asked Harry as he sat next to her and Ginny.
"Why don't you ask your cousin?" growled Ron, down the way before Harry's legs had even hit the bench.
Lalia furrowed her brows at the red head who hadn't talked to her much since his and Harry's fight because she never left Harry's side.
"What does he mean, Harry?" Lalia asked softly.
"Your cousin's stupid badges. They change to read 'POTTER STINKS'. Well, Hermione made fun of them and Malfoy called her a Mudblood. Again. Malfoy and I attacked each other. I hit Goyle, he hit Hermione."
Harry explained Hermione's teeth growing and Snape's awful reply to seeing the change. Harry practically growled when talking about Snape.
When he had finished explaining, Lalia turned to look in her cousins direction where his badge read:
POTTER STINKS!
Harry had attempted to keep Lalia seated but it was no use. She stood and stomped over towards her cousin with Harry rushing after her.
"Draco," Lalia said sternly, catching his attention.
"Li?" he asked her softly with furrowed brows. His expression changed quickly to a smirk upon seeing Harry behind her.
"Get up." When Draco didn't move, Lalia repeated herself more harshly.
Draco jumped up from his seat, Lalia grabbed his hand and drug him out of the Great Hall. Once in the Entrance Hall, she threw his arm down and turned to face him. She saw Harry and Crabbe and Goyle quickly following after them.
"How could say something so awful!? What did you do to Hermione?" Lalia shouted at him.
Harry had hurriedly placed himself behind the girl, even carefully grabbing her hand to keep her away from the boy.
"Li...," Draco started softly, he quickly glanced behind him to see his friends and straightened himself up. "Lalia, her blood is dirty. You need to be careful who you're hanging out with they're tainting you." He held his nose in the air similarly to his father.
"Draco! You aren't your parents," Lalia pleaded desperately.
At this point Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and Theodore Nott had entered the hall.
Draco scoffed before replying, "Well I can see I'm too late, you're already a Mudblood lover." He pulled his lips up in a sneer.
Lalia froze in the hall before her vision focused in on only her cousin. She ripped her arm out of Harry's hand and rushed towards her cousin. They tumbled to the ground together as Lalia pummeled her fist into Draco, who simply held his arms to block her attacks.
Harry rushed forward to pull her off the boy before his friends could hurt her. He wrapped his arms around her body, pressing hers to her chest.
"I hate you! I hate you, Draco Malfoy! I hate you," she screamed blindly, staring at the boy on the floor.
Harry shushed the girl, quieting her as Malfoy's gang helped him to his feet and back into the Great Hall. Draco glanced back at his cousin who had fallen into Potter's arms and was crying heavily against his shoulder before turning and entering the hall.
"C'mon, let's go to bed," Harry said, ushering the girl towards the tower. She had already moved her potion and some of her clothes to his room. Harry carefully wiped Lalia's face free of tears and led her into the dormitory.
"You've had an owl," said Ron brusquely the moment he walked in. He was pointing at Harry's pillow. The school barn owl was waiting for him there. Ron glanced at Lalia's tear stained face, but turned away when Harry spoke up.
"Oh - right," said Harry.
"And we've got to do our detentions tomorrow night, Snape's dungeon," said Ron.
He then walked straight out of the room, not looking at the pair. For a moment, Harry considered going after him - he wasn't sure whether he wanted to talk to him or hit him, both seemed quite appealing - but his worry for Lalia and the lure of Sirius's answer was too strong.
Harry sat Lalia on the edge of his bed before taking the letter off the barn owl's leg, and unrolled it.
Harry-
I can't say everything I would like to in a letter, it's too risky in case the owl is intercepted- we need to talk face-to-face. Can you ensure that you are alone by the fire in Gryffindor Tower at one o'clock in the morning on the 22nd of November?
I know better than anyone you can look after yourself, and I thank you for helping Lalia. While you're around Dumbledore and Moody I don't think anyone will be able to hurt you. However, someone seems to be having a good try. Entering you in that tournament would have been risky, especially right under Dumbledore's nose.
Be on the watch, Harry. I still want to hear about anything unusual. Tell Lalia to be careful as well. Let me know about the 22nd of November as quickly as you can.
Sirius.
Harry briefly explained the letter's contents to Lalia, but when all she did was nod emotionlessly, he closed his curtain for her to change and went to the restrooms to do the same.
When he came back, he helped her take her potion and lie down, which she did mechanically. He sighed and laid next to her, running his hands over her hair.
Lalia's desparation to be near Harry only increased after these events. Hermione began warning Harry that he needed to enforce boundaries between the two, but he just ignored her warnings and continued to give in to Lalia's wants.
Their other friends became worried when Rita Skeeter's article labelled Hermione as Harry's love and the girl was nonreactive. She didn't even read the article after they read the passage to her. She simply sat at the table, holding Harry's hand and eating with the other.
Hermione and Harry were being taunted by many students, mostly Slytherins. Morag called an emergency meeting when she saw an encounter Harry and Lalia had with Cho Chang.
"Hey - Harry!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Harry found himself shouting as he wheeled around in the corridor leading Lalia through the halls, having had just about enough. "I've just been crying my eyes out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do a bit more. ..."
"No - it was just - you dropped your quill."
It was Cho. Harry's crush, who Lalia normally was quite jealous of. Harry felt the color rising in his face.
"Oh - right - sorry," he muttered, taking the quill back.
"Er ... good luck on Tuesday," she said. "I really hope you do well."
Morag, who was watching from around the corner, blanched when Lalia simply offered a raised hand in return to Cho's without a change in her facial expression. She then simply turned and followed Harry through the halls without flirting with the boy.
Morag had written Ginny, Luna, Sue, Hermione, and even Ron to figure out how to convince Harry to place healthy distance between him and Lalia.
They all had gathered in a corner of the library, Ron being the last to show and asking, "What's this all about then?"
"We're worried about Lalia. It's great that Harry is helping her, but she's... " started Morag.
After hearing Harry's name, Ron quickly stood, "Unbelieveable."
"Ron! Stop," Ginny demanded him. "We know she has nightmares, we know she told you three and not us. We just think you can help."
Ron froze with his back still towards the group.
"Every since Harry's name was called, she's become a living zombie," Sue said.
"Not to mention the fight with her cousin," hummed Luna.
Ron threw himself back into the chair.
"Okay, and? She's scared. She has nightmares and now her friend is in a dangerous tournament, what's so wrong with Harry helping her?"
"It's not help anymore, Ron. She's dependent on Harry for everything. If he's late to meeting her, she panics. If he skips a meal, she doesn't eat. It's not healthy and Harry is just perpetuating it," Hermione said.
"Well, Harry and I aren't talking and I don't see him stopping anytime soon so..."
"So we force him too. We divide and conquer. Keep them apart," Morag said with finality.
"They're not going to like that," said Ron.
"We know, but it's best for them, especially Lalia."
"So, what's the plan?"
---
On the Saturday morning before the first task, students were permitted into Hogsmeade. Hermione had Ginny distract Lalia during breakfast, while she convinced Harry to get away from the castle.
When they stood from the table to leave, Hermione quickly pulled Harry out of the Hall expressing that Ginny and Lalia were meant to catch up.
When Lalia turned to find the boy gone, she panicked. Her chest tightened, eyes watered, and breaths became desperate.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm here. Let's go get ready for Hogsmeade, we'll catch up with them there," Ginny said, softly rubbing the girl's hair. Ginny couldn't resist the cringe she did when Lalia looked at her with heavy dark bags under her watery eyes.
She helped the girl up from the table and to Ravenclaw tower to grab some winter coats for the weather.
In her dormitory, Lalia and Ginny ran into Morag and Sue.
"Hey, are you guys going to Hogsmeade?" Morag asked.
"Wanna join us?" Sue continued.
"Sure," Ginny said, before Lalia had the chance to deny.
"But H-," she had attempted to argue.
"Harry gets you everyday. It's just for a little. We'll meet with him later," Ginny calmed the girl.
The girls eventually ended up at the crowded Three Broomsticks. Upon seeing Hermione at one end, they hurried towards a table out of view.
Harry catching a glimpse of Lalia from under his cloak moving towards a table attempted to get Hermione's attention to call the girl over.
"Hermione, get La-"
"Look, it's Hagrid!" said Hermione.
Once Hagrid and Moody had approached Harry, he had forgotten about calling over Lalia upon learning Moody's eye saw through his cloak.
After returning to the castle, Lalia was confused when Ron informed her that Harry and Hermione had already eaten. Ginny filled her plate up with food and although most went untouched, Ginny felt it was a win that upon Ron talking to her, Lalia had eaten during his stories.
Ginny had kept Lalia in the Ravenclaw tower until late in the night when Lalia had become impatient to see Harry, knowing that they were meant to meet Sirius.
Ginny and Lalia entered the common room to find Hermione alone.
"Where's Harry?" Lalia immediately asked.
"He's already in bed."
Seeing Lalia turn towards the stairs, Hermione grabbed her arm.
"He wanted to be alone right now. You'll see him later," Hermione said. "Just come stay with me."
Lalia glanced towards the boys dormitory unaware that Harry was actually out seeing Hagrid before nodding to Hermione and following her to the girl's room.
Hermione fell asleep quickly, but Lalia laid there staring at the ceiling.
She glanced at the clock next to the bed and got up. She snuck down the stairs and sat where she could see the common room, but not be seen.
The portrait opened suddenly and Lalia saw Harry pull off his invisibility cloak before throwing himself into an armchair in front of the fire.
"Harry?" Lalia called softly, standing. Harry quickly turned before seeing her and relaxing. He waved her over and made room for her on the chair.
"How are you? I didn't see you at all today," asked Harry. He looked into the flames of the fire and jumped, stopping Lalia's response.
Sirius's head was sitting in the fire. Harry and Lalia's faces broken into their first true smiles in days. They scrambled out of the chair, crouching before the hearth.
Harry spoke first, saying, "Sirius - how're you doing?"
"Never mind me, how are you?" said Sirius seriously.
"I'm -" For a second, Harry froze. His mouth was open, but the words had stopped in his throat.
Lalia glanced at him before gently shaking his arm to get him to turn back to Sirius.
Before he could stop himself, he was talking more than he'd talked in days - about how no one believed he hadn't entered the tournament of his own free will, how Rita Skeeter had lied about him in the Daily Prophet, how he couldn't walk down a corridor without being sneered at - and about Ron, Ron not believing him, Ron's jealousy ... .
"... and now Hagrid's just shown me what's coming in the first task, and it's dragons, Sirius, and I'm a goner," he finished desperately.
He grabbed Lalia's hand that he felt clench over his.
Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern, eyes that had not yet lost the look that Azkaban had given them - that deadened, haunted look that his daughter now shared with him. He had let Harry talk himself into silence without interruption, but now he said, "Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we'll get to that in a minute - I haven't gotten long here ... I've broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you both about."
"What?" said Harry, feeling his spirits slip a further few notches ... . Surely there could be nothing worse than dragons coming?
"Karkaroff," said Sirius. "Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don't you?"
"Yes - he - what?"
"He was caught, he was caught in Azkaban with me, but he got released. I'd bet everything that's why Dumbledore wanted an Auror at Hogwarts this year - to keep an eye on him. Moody caught Karkaroff. Put him into Azkaban in the first place."
"Karkaroff got released?" Harry said slowly.
"Why did they release him?" Lalia's delicate voice asked.
"He did a deal with the Ministry of Magic," said Sirius bitterly. "He said he'd seen the error of his ways, and then he named names ... he put a load of other people into Azkaban in his place ... . He's not very popular in there, I can tell you. And since he got out, from what I can tell, he's been teaching the Dark Arts to every student who passes through that school of his. So watch out for the Durmstrang champion as well."
"Okay," said Harry slowly. "But ... are you saying Karkaroff put my name in the goblet? Because if he did, he's a really good actor. He seemed furious about it. He wanted to stop me from competing."
"We know he's a good actor," said Sirius, "because he convinced the Ministry of Magic to set him free, didn't he? Plus Lalia's dream informs us that your name was added to please Voldemort. Now, I've been keeping an eye on the Daily Prophet, Harry -"
"- you and the rest of the world," said Harry bitterly.
"- and reading between the lines of that Skeeter's woman's articles last month, Moody was attacked the night before he started at Hogwarts. Yes, I know she says it was another false alarm," Sirius said hastily, seeing Harry about to speak, "but I don't think so, somehow. I think someone tried to stop him from getting to Hogwarts. I think someone knew their job would be a lot more difficult with him around. And no one's going to look into it too closely; Mad-Eye's heard intruders a bit too often. But that doesn't mean he can't still spot the real thing. Moody was the best Auror the Ministry ever had."
"So... what are you saying?" said Harry slowly. "Karkaroff's trying to kill me? But - why?"
Sirius hesitated.
"I've been hearing some very strange things," he said slowly. "The Death Eaters seem to be a bit more active than usual lately. They showed themselves at the Quidditch World Cup, didn't they? Someone set off the Dark Mark ... and then - did you hear about that Ministry of Magic witch who's gone missing?"
"Bertha Jorkins?" the kids said together.
"Exactly ... she disappeared in Albania, and that's definitely where Voldemort was rumored to be last ... and she would have known the Triwizard Tournament was coming up, wouldn't she?"
"Yeah, but... it's not very likely she'd have walked straight into Voldemort, is it?" said Harry.
"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins," said Sirius grimly. "She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination, Harry. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap."
"So ... so Voldemort could have found out about the tournament?" said Harry. "Is that what you mean? You think Karkaroff might be here on his orders?"
"I don't know," said Sirius slowly, "I just don't know ... Karkaroff doesn't strike me as the type who'd go back to Voldemort unless he knew Voldemort as powerful enough to protect him. And we know he is at least strong enough to enter Lalia's dreams. But whoever put your name in that goblet did it for a reason, and I can't help but thinking the tournament would be a very good way to attack you and make it look like an accident."
"Looks like a really good plan from where I'm standing," said Harry, grinning bleakly. "They'll just have to stand back and let the dragons do their stuff."
"Right - these dragons," said Sirius, speaking very quickly now. "There's a way, Harry. Don't be tempted to try a Stunning Spell - dragons are strong and too powerfully magical to be knocked out by a single Stunner, you need about half a dozen wizards at a time to overcome a dragon -"
"Yeah, I know, I just saw," said Harry.
"But you can do it alone," said Sirius. "There is a way, and a simple spell's all you need. Just -"
But Harry held up a hand to silence him, his heart suddenly pounding as though it would burst. He could hear footsteps coming down the spiral staircase behind him.
"Go!" he hissed at Sirius. "Go! There's someone coming!
Harry and Lalia scrambled to their feet to block the fire from view. They heard a tiny pop! in the fire behind them and knew Sirius had gone. They watched the bottom of the spiral staircase. Who had decided to go for a stroll at one o'clock in the morning, and stopped Sirius from sharing how to get past a dragon?
It was Ron. Dressed in his maroon paisley pajamas, Ron stopped dead facing the two across the room, and looked around.
"Who were you talking to?" he said.
When Lalia and Harry turned to face each other, Ron shook his head.
"It was a man's voice, not Lalia."
"Well, what's that got to do with you?" Harry snarled. "What are you doing down here at this time of night?"
"I just wondered where you -" Ron broke off, shrugging. "Nothing. Shouldn't you be in Ravenclaw tower by now, Lalia?"
"Just thought you'd come nosing around, did you?" Harry shouted. He knew that Ron had no idea what he'd walked in on, knew he hadn't done it on purpose, but he didn't care - at this moment he hated everything about Ron, right down to the several inches of bare ankle showing beneath his pajama trousers.
"Sorry about that," said Ron, his face reddening with anger. "Should've realized you didn't want to be disturbed. I'll let you get on with practicing for your next interview in peace."
Harry seized one of the 'POTTER REALLY STINKS' badges off the table and chucked it, as hard as he could, across the room. It hit Ron on the forehead and bounced off.
"There you go," Harry said. "Something for you to wear on Tuesday. You might even have a scar now, if you're lucky ... . That's what you want, isn't it?"
Harry strode across the room toward the stairs. He glanced at Ron before storming up the stairs to lay awake in bed fuming.
Lalia reached towards Harry, she stared at Ron unsure if she should follow the boy. While she was sure Ron knew she was staying the night, she wasn't sure he'd be okay with it.
"C'mon, Li. I'll walk you to the tower. We can even use the cloak that fool forgot," Ron said, stepping toward the panicking Lalia slowly.
"But ... Harry ..." she managed to get out, staring at Ron with watery eyes.
"Harry will be fine. Let's get you in bed."
Ron had carefully placed a hand on her back to reassure before throwing the cloak over them and heading to Ravenclaw tower.