Chapter Text
Theodore Nott’s POV
The Great Hall was in disarray. A few seats down the table, I could hear Malfoy scoff.
“Of course Saint Potter was chosen as a Triwizard Champion.”
Other comments followed—“Attention seeker,” “How dare she?! She’s definitely after Cedric.”
Said a girlish voice, who I was fairly sure was a Ravenclaw.
I glanced toward the Gryffindor table and noticed how Weasley’s eyes had hardened with fury. Whether it was for or against his so-called best friend, he didn’t seem to know himself. Not that it was any of my business.
As the week passed, something shifted within Gryffindor. They were no longer celebrating the fact that they had a Triwizard Champion. The seventh years were buried in their NEWTs, the fifth years drowning in OWLs—which, to be fair, made sense. It was already November.
The biggest change, though, was the Golden Trio. Or rather, the lack of one. Weasley constantly wore a scowl, Granger never far behind him. Potter stood alone more often than not. I wondered what had happened, but not enough to bother finding out.
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
Father had warned me—about the old crowd stirring again, not just for show as they had at the World Cup. For reasons I couldn’t explain, my magic felt restless, buzzing beneath my skin. Eventually, I gave up on sleep and decided to take a walk. A quiet one.
By the time I reached the Astronomy Tower, patrols should have been finished and professors tucked away in their beds. As I neared the entrance, the buzzing in my magic intensified. When I stepped inside, I froze.
Right in front of me stood the girl who lived.
She was bathed in moonlight, silent tears streaming down her face. She hadn’t noticed me. Her tears weren’t the only thing that caught my attention—her eyes were hollow, dark circles carved deeply beneath them. She looked pale, her cheeks tinged bluish-purple from the cold. She must have been sitting there for a long time, unmoving, exposed to the night air.
I don’t know how long I stood there in the shadows, but it was long enough for her to fall asleep.
I still don’t know what came over me. Quietly, I moved closer and cast a warming charm over her. I slipped off my cloak—plain black, inconspicuous—and draped it around her shoulders, making sure one corner rested between her face and the cold stone.
Then I left, just as quietly as I had come.
Harriet Potter’s POV
Once my name came out of the Goblet of Fire, my life became a hassle. In hindsight, it shouldn’t have surprised me. The school had turned against me before—second year, the whole Heir of Slytherin mess. The difference then was that I had Ron and Hermione.
Now, I had no one.
After the chaotic week I’d endured, all I wanted was peace. I was always alone now, but never in silence—there were always whispers and comments following me in the background. Tonight, I wanted quiet. My magic felt more restless than usual, a constant buzzing beneath my skin that refused to settle.
So after dinner, I went to the Astronomy Tower.
I cried. I don’t know how long for. At some point, I fell asleep.
I expected to wake up cold, sore, maybe with scratches from the stone beneath me. I didn’t care. I was exhausted—so tired that I wasn’t even sure I wanted to wake up at all. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t planning to jump… but an accidental tumble wouldn’t have been unwelcomed.
When the sun rose, its light pressed against my eyelids and pulled me back to consciousness. I opened my eyes and stared at the sky, confused by the warmth surrounding me. Something soft brushed my cheek. My magic hummed quietly, almost… content.
I sat up, and that’s when I felt it—a fabric sliding off my shoulders.
A cloak.
Someone had been here.
Someone had decided to cloak the poor Girl-Who-Lived. Who would bother with something so pointless as making sure I didn’t freeze? Snow was barely falling, and I was on the Astronomy Tower—it wasn’t like I was going to die from the cold.
Still lost in thought, I stood, the cloak clutched in my hands. The moment I moved, cold air bit into my skin—and that’s when I realized it.
Whoever had been here hadn’t just left a cloak.
They had cast a warming charm on me, too.