Aurelian closed the heavy door to his private bedroom in the Slytherin dungeons and ran a hand through his hair, exhaling a long sigh laden with frustration.
Hestia and Flora, oblivious to the tension in their betrothed's shoulders, walked elegantly to the emerald green bed and sat on the edge. Their faces wore radiant, satisfied smiles, like two cats who had just devoured the prettiest canary in the neighborhood.
Aurelian leaned against his wooden desk, crossed his arms, and looked at them with a frown.
"Do you have the slightest idea," Aurelian began, his voice low and dangerous, "of the trouble you could get into for that stupid, senseless duel?"
The twins blinked, looking at each other before shrugging their shoulders with complete indifference.
"She challenged us, my Lord," replied Hestia, smoothing a crease in her clothes. "We only defended ourselves. It was a formal, consensual duel, nothing illegal."
"Exactly," agreed Flora, with an innocent gleam in her eyes. "Besides, we were... kind. We could have permanently disfigured her, but we only broke her pride. She should thank us."
Aurelian pinched the bridge of his nose below his eyes, feeling a headache begin to throb in his temples.
"That 'little bird,' as you call her, is not just any student," Aurelian explained, trying to maintain what little patience he had left. "Her father is the French Minister of Magic. Monsieur Delacour will not see this as a simple 'formal duel' between teenagers. He will see it as a direct attack on his daughter and the French delegation. Foreign policy is a delicate game, girls, and you've just entered his radar."
Hestia and Flora stopped smiling when they noticed the reproachful tone in Aurelian's voice. They got up from the bed in unison and walked toward him.
"The French Minister may cause us problems," whispered Hestia, wrapping her arms around Aurelian's waist and resting her cheek on his chest.
"We'll deal with that later," added Flora, hugging him from behind and intertwining her fingers with his, marking her territory with possessiveness and affection at the same time. "If the Minister is stupid enough to take this personally, we'll take care of him. Besides... we know you would solve any problem."
Aurelian's anger began to dissolve under the warmth of their embrace. It was impossible to maintain his anger in the face of such intense displays of affection. He relaxed his posture, dropped his arms, and sighed, giving in.
"You two are going to be my downfall one of these days," he murmured, kissing Hestia's crown. "It's okay," he sighed. "I'll take care of the diplomatic consequences later. Right now, let's just stay like this."
Far from the cold dungeons, sunlight streamed through the large windows of the Hogwarts Hospital Wing.
Harry Potter finished buttoning his shirt, feeling a strange softness in his chest. He had just come out of his last checkup with Madam Pomfrey, and for the first time in many weeks, breathing didn't feel like he was trying to suck glass through his nose. His ribs were perfectly welded, and the dragon's blows had disappeared thanks to the nurse's constant treatment.
As he pushed open the large double doors to step out into the hallway, he found two familiar figures waiting for him.
Ron and Hermione were leaning against the stone wall. Upon seeing him, they both straightened up instantly.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "How did it go? What did Pomfrey say?"
Harry offered them a smile, filled with relief at seeing his two friends. His mind traveled for a brief moment to the night he had awakened after the First Task.
Harry had opened his eyes, disoriented and in great pain, only to find Ron's freckled face staring at him from the foot of the bed, pale as a sheet.
"Harry... you're alive," Ron had whispered, his eyes glistening with tears. "I was an idiot. A complete moron. Anyone who put their name in that cup would have to be crazy to want to face a dragon. I'm sorry, Harry. I really am."
Harry, still under the effects of pain potions and humiliated by his brutal encounter with reality, didn't have the strength to hold a grudge against him anymore. In fact, he couldn't even remember why they had fought. "I'm sorry too, Ron. I was being conceited."
To one side, Hermione cried silently with a big smile, happy to see her two best friends back to normal.
Returning to the present, Harry looked at them gratefully.
"I'm completely healed now," Harry replied. "Madam Pomfrey said I don't need to come back, unless I decide to jump in front of another angry animal."
Ron let out a nervous laugh and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder so as not to hurt him.
"Let's avoid that for a while, okay? Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving."
They began walking down the hallway toward the Gryffindor Tower. Hermione walked beside him, her usual frown of concentration on her face.
"Harry, it's been a few days now... have you managed to find any clues for the Second Task?" she asked. "Time is running out."
Harry slumped his shoulders, letting out a grunt of frustration.
"No. That stupid golden egg is useless."
Ron let out a resounding laugh that echoed off the stone walls.
"It's true!" Ron laughed. "Remember when you opened it in the common room last week? It sounded like someone was torturing a banshee and a bunch of cats at the same time! Fred and George almost jumped out the window."
"Ron, don't bother him!" Hermione scolded him, hitting him on the arm with a thick book she was carrying. "This is serious."
Hermione turned to Harry, softening her expression.
"You'll get it, Harry. I've been researching acoustic spells and magical creatures in the library, but I haven't found anything definitive yet. There has to be a way to decipher that sound."
Harry nodded slowly, his mind returning to that dreadful sound.
"Thanks for your help, Hermione. I'll keep trying," Harry muttered, wondering what on earth those shrill screams meant and how they were supposed to help him survive whatever awaited him in the second task.
December brought heavy snowfall that transformed the grounds of Hogwarts, but for Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, the festive atmosphere felt more like a prison.
As Christmas Eve approached, the hysteria over the Yule Ball reached its peak. It seemed like everyone in the castle was paired up, laughing in the hallways or practicing dance steps in the common rooms. Everyone... except the two of them.
One particularly cold afternoon, Harry and Ron were leaning on the railing of the covered bridge that connected the castle to the grounds. The strong wind ruffled their hair and reddened their noses, but they were too deep in their misery to seek shelter.
"It's humiliating, Harry, completely humiliating," Ron muttered, staring blankly at the dark, partially frozen waters of the lake. "We've tried the Gryffindor girls, the Ravenclaws, the Hufflepuffs, even a couple of Slytherins, and nothing. They look at us like we have dragon pox."
Harry clenched his jaw, kicking a mound of snow that had accumulated on the bridge floor.
"Even Neville has a date," Harry whispered, his voice a mixture of disbelief and venom.
Ron let out a dry, humorless laugh.
"That's the worst part. Neville Longbottom! I never thought Neville even knew Susan Bones, let alone had the courage to ask her out. And she said yes, I mean... Neville has improved and looks really strong... but still, I can't believe it."
The frustration Harry had been building up for weeks finally exploded. He raised his head abruptly, his green eyes flashing with rage, and slammed his fist against the railing.
"What does he have that I don't?!" Harry shouted into the wind, his voice echoing off the wooden beams of the bridge. "I'm the fucking champion of Hogwarts! I was chosen by the Goblet of Fire! I defeated Voldemort when he was a baby, I survived a fucking dragon! I'm the Hero!"
Harry paced back and forth, gesturing wildly. His already wounded superiority complex was desperately searching for something to cling to.
"Girls should be lining up!" he continued ranting. "They should be fighting over me! Why do they act like I'm nobody special?"
Ron watched him silently for a few seconds. He understood his friend's anger. He approached Harry and took him by the shoulders to stop his frantic pacing, then offered him a weak but sincere smile.
"Calm down, buddy," Ron said softly. "I know it's frustrating, and you're kind of right—you are the champion. But our time will come. Some girl will realize what she's missing. You'll see."
Harry let his shoulders drop, the anger slowly leaving his body. He looked at Ron and smiled back, feeling a great wave of gratitude for his friend. At least Ron understood. At least he wasn't alone in his misery.
"Thanks, Ron," Harry murmured. "Let's go back inside. I'm freezing."
They both turned and began walking back toward the warm walls of the castle. However, as soon as they crossed the threshold into the courtyard of the Clock Tower, Harry stopped dead in his tracks, as if he had collided with an invisible wall.
About twenty meters away, sheltered under a stone archway, were two people.
Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw Seeker. The girl with straight black hair whom Harry had been secretly pining for for months. The girl he planned to ask out that very night after plucking up his courage.
She was hugging Cedric Diggory.
And it wasn't just any hug. Cho had her arms around Cedric's neck and was smiling tenderly at him, with a sparkle in her eyes that Harry had never seen before. Cedric smiled back at her, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with an affection that made Harry's stomach churn violently.
Ron, noticing that his friend had stopped, followed his gaze. He tried to swallow as he realized the situation. He knew how much Harry liked Cho.
"Harry," Ron began, taking a step toward him and raising a hand to try to comfort him. "You'd better not look. There are... there are other girls at school, even from other schools. We'll find someone for the dance, I promise."
But Harry wasn't listening. His whole world had gone dark. The blow to his ego and his heart was too much. The "Chosen One," the champion who believed he deserved everything, had just been displaced by the handsome boy from Hufflepuff.
"Let go of me," Harry growled, jerking Ron's hand away.
Without looking back, Harry turned and ran down the opposite hallway. Hot, wet tears began to stream from his eyes, and he couldn't stop them.
"Why?" Harry thought as he ran blindly toward the stairs, his chest burning with pain and his heart breaking. "Why is the world always like this with me? I survive, I fight, I try to be the hero... and in the end, the universe always spits in my face."
---------------------------
I have a Patreon account. If you would like to support me, I would greatly appreciate it. You will be able to read up to 15 more chapters, listen to all chapters as audiobooks, and view images of the characters in the story for free. Thank you very much for reading my story :D
patreon.com/Daoistrg