“Harry, have you seen this?”

Harry looked up as Niamh settled herself into the seat across from him.  He had just been about to open the reply from Sirius but stuffed it into his pocket instead.

“What?” asked Harry just as his eyes caught the name of the paper.  His eyes narrowed instantly and he growled, “Do tell me it’s not what I think it is.”

Niamh smiled grimly and folded the paper, sliding it across the table to him.

A picture of Harry in his Quidditch robes on the pitch, Firebolt in one hand and fluttering Snitch in the other, was plastered on the front page.  Beside it was a long article that lasted for two pages if Harry guessed right and was by – of course – Skeeter.  By the title it was a piece about the Triwizard Tournament but by the looks of what he’d skimmed through so far, it was more about him than anything else.

There also seemed to be a lot of things in the article he couldn’t recall ever saying to anyone.

I think about my parents a lot.  Yes, I think they’d be proud to see me now…

Harry snorted and mumbled, “Horseshit,” before flipping to the second page of the article.

It seems Harry has the attention of many young ladies.  His friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen without the company of Hermione Granger and Niamh O’Feir, two very pretty Muggle-born Girls, and Virginia Weasley, daughter of Arthur Weasley.

Harry snorted again and chucked the paper into the middle of the table.  “Crap,” he said.  “Just plain, bloody crap.  I didn’t even talk to that woman.  If you can call her a woman.”

“Harry,” said Niamh, “aren’t you going a little far in your dislike of her?”

Harry glared at her and she held up her hands in defense.

“Just asking, mate…”

“I know what you mean, Ni.  But bloody hell…how do people read this crap?”

Niamh shrugged then asked, “Are you mad at me?”

Harry looked at her, one eyebrow arched.

“Pardon?”

“After what I said.  About Malfoy.”

“Oh, Ni, ye bloody idiot,” said Harry, chuckling slightly.  “That was my fault that I stormed off.  Don’t worry about it.”

“What…”

“Don’t worry about it,” repeated Harry.  “And where’s our red-headed companion?”

“Down there…  What’s Parkinson doing with her?”

Harry leaned back and peered over several heads to see Pansy and Ginny standing in the door leading into the Great Hall.  The blond was screaming something and waving a paper, pointing at Ginny.  The redhead did not look amused.

“Pretty?  You?  What was Skeeter judging the three of you against – a skrewt?”

“Do I get the impression that Pansy is…” began Niamh.

“Jealous?” suggested Harry.

“Yep.”

“It would appear so.  And there’s Hermione.”

The two of them watched as Hermione strode up, plowed through the Slytherin girls who had gathered around Pansy and Ginny (who had been reaching for her wand), and grabbed the younger girl’s arm.  She dragged her up to where Harry and Niamh were sitting and made the other girl sit down before assuming the same position with a humphf.

“Seen the paper, I presume?” said Niamh.

Hermione snorted and looked at Harry, saying, “I hope you didn’t say any of that.”

Harry shook his head.

“I hate the woman with a fiery passion.  I wouldn’t talk to her if she and Voldemort were the last two people on the planet.”

“Wouldn’t we all,” growled Ginny, taking her hand off her wand.  Hermione frowned at her then scowled at Niamh and Harry.

“You two shouldn’t be teaching her hexes.”

“We didn’t,” said Harry.

“We just practice them so much, she picked them up,” said Niamh before glaring at the second year that was sneering at Hermione.

“Yes, yes, well.  Harry, have you been looking for things that might help you in the task?  That Summoning Charm Professor Flitwick’s been teaching might be a help…”

Niamh chuckled softly and said, “Mione, Harry’s known the Summoning Charm since second year.  He’s so far ahead of the rest of us, that Flitwick’s got him doing sixth year work.”

Hermione stared at Harry, who scowled at Niamh.  He really didn’t like the looks he got whenever someone found out he was doing sixth year Charms work.

“Harry…your that far ahead?”

“Yeah.  Anyway, I don’t even know what the first task is going to be, so I don’t really know what to look at.”

“So what are you doing?”

“Looking over all his hex and curses books,” said Ginny.  “And his own.”

Hermione blinked.

“Your own?  You’ve made your own hexes?”

“Shhh,” said Harry, grinning slightly.  “Shouldn’t let anyone know.”

“Harry!”

The dark-haired boy only grinned and refused to reply to any of Hermione’s questions.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

It wasn’t until that night that Harry had a chance to read Sirius’ letter.

Harry,

Your one of the Triwizard Champions?  I’ve been hearing about it for weeks, about the fourth champion, but…I never thought I’d be you!  Good Merlin…  Just be careful, Harry.

Malfoy?  Lucius Malfoy’s son?  Well, despite the bad blood between you, I suggest you try and make friends with him.  It could prove a good thing.

Don’t think about it.  Just go with what’s going on and don’t think about what might happen next, or why everything is happening.  I’ve done that several times and that path of thought only leads to madness.  And if you can’t talk to Snape or Niamh, talk to that raven of yours.

I think it’s time for me to come back.  Things seem to be going awry there and Dumbledore’s brought Moody out of retirement.  Don’t owl me again.  I’ll owl you when I get back into the country.

Sirius

Harry stared at the letter for a moment then cursed and slammed his fist down upon his knee.

Dammit!

He read the letter again and spat a curse under his breath.

Idiot, idiot, idiot, he thought.  Now Sirius is coming back into the country and you stand to lose the only real relation you’ve got besides Da!  Harry, you complete and total, sodding IDIOT!

Harry continued to berate himself like this for a few minutes before he left the common room and went to his dormitory, hiding the letter in the bottom of his trunk and locking it before he changed and climbed into bed.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

The next Saturday, Harry, Niamh, and Ginny trudged down into Hogsmeade and towards the Three Broomsticks.  Just before they reached the door, Rita Skeeter and the photographer from the wand weighing came out.  Her eyes alighted on Harry and she smiled.

“Why, Harry,” purred Rita.  “How pleasant to see you here.”

Harry sneered at her and spat, “Oh, how sweet it would be if the feeling were mutual.  Or…perhaps not.  If you’ll excuse us.”

The tall teen plowed past her, Niamh and Ginny following him.  As soon as they were inside, Harry said, “You two go find a table.  I’ll go get us some butterbeer.”

The two girls nodded and went off as Harry headed for the counter to buy drinks.  There he found himself standing behind Hermione and tapped the girl on the shoulder.  She turned and blinked up at him.

“Oh.  Harry!  Ron’s still…”

“Bristling?” suggested Harry, peering through the crowd towards the table where Ron sat with the twins and Lee.  “Yes, I can see that.  You came with him?”

“Well…I thought about coming with you…”

“Oh, don’t worry, Mione.  At least this year the dislike isn’t mutual.”

“Harry!” shrieked Hermione indignantly then blushed when she discovered it was her turn.  She paid for her drinks and glared at Harry as she walked off.  He grinned wryly at her then bought the drinks and went to search for Niamh and Ginny.

The two of them were sitting on the window seat of a rather large stained glass window.  As he handed them their butter beers and situated himself inbetween them, Niamh said, “No more tables.  And we had to fight four first years for the window seat.”

Ginny nodded and grinned, fingering her wand.

“We threatened them.”

Harry shook his head and said, “Ladies, ladies…don’t you know any manners?”

“Your one to talk!” said Niamh.  “Hey, there’s Hagrid.  Hagrid!”  She stood up on the window seat, waving frantically at the giant of a man.

“Who’s he talking to?” asked Ginny, seeing Hagrid was slightly bent over.

“Moody,” replied Niamh.  “Hey!  They’re coming over here!  Or, well, Hagrid is.  Moody’s leaving.”

Niamh sat down as Hagrid lumbered over to them, a wide grin behind his shaggy beard.

“All right, Niamh, Virginia, Harry?”

Ginny blanched and said, “Please, Hagrid.  Ginny.”

“Er…yeh.”  Hagrid bent down and looked thoughtfully at Harry before whispering, “Yeh still got that cloak, Harry?”

Harry arched an eyebrow at the question then took a sip of butter beer and replied, “Yes.  Why?”

Hagrid simply grinned and replied, “Meet me tonight at me cabin.  Wear that cloak.”

“Hagrid…” said Niamh.

“No, yeh can’t come.”

Niamh gave a little huff and glared at Hagrid for a moment but couldn’t keep it up.  She liked the man too much to be angry with him.

“Oh, all right…”

Hagrid smiled and ruffled Niamh’s hair with a large hand before saying, “Nice ter see yeh lot,” and leaving the pub.

Ginny stared after him and asked, “What was that about?”

Niamh shrugged and looked at Harry, who was downing the last of his butter beer.

“You going tonight, Harry?”

The dark-haired boy looked at her like she had asked him if he was playing Quidditch anymore.

“’Course I am.  Hagrid’s got my curiosity going.”

“I didn’t know you could be curious,” teased Ginny, earning a mild glare.

“Ha, ha, ha.  C’mon, let’s go.  I have a craving for some Honeydukes chocolate.”

The two girls grinned and followed close behind him as they departed.