Harry Potter.4 Apr 2026

Harry walked outside.

He sat up, pulled on his trainers, and crept out into the Champions’ enclosure.

The night was cold and clear. The maze for the Third Task was just a low hedge of stakes and spells in the distance. But the dragon enclosure — invisible by day behind trees and enchantments — was marked by a faint orange glow on the horizon.

They sat in silence for a long while. The lake lapped softly. Somewhere in the distance, a dragon roared — low, rumbling, like an earthquake with lungs. Harry Potter.4

The water was black glass. The Durmstrang ship sat moored like a drowned bone. Harry sat on a flat rock and pulled his knees to his chest.

He didn’t go there. He went to the lake instead.

But for the first time all week, he didn’t feel alone. Harry walked outside

Harry hesitated, then took the mug. The tea was sweet and strong. It tasted like someone’s kitchen — not a castle’s, not a feast’s. Just a kitchen. A normal one.

“Oh, I am,” Cedric said easily. “I just hide it well. It’s the Hufflepuff way. We’re not brave like Gryffindors or clever like Ravenclaws. We just keep putting one foot in front of the other and hope the badgers are with us.”

And when he finally crawled into bed, he dreamed not of fire — but of wind, open sky, and a broom handle warm under his palms. The maze for the Third Task was just

It wasn’t a question.

Harry almost smiled. Almost.

The tent was huge — silk panels embroidered with magical beasts, braziers burning low blue flames. But the other three Champions weren’t there. Fleur’s sleeping area was sealed with a shimmering charm; Krum’s side smelled of salt and iron; Cedric’s hammock swayed empty, probably off walking the edge of the Forbidden Forest again.

Not because of the usual nightmares — though those had been worse lately, all flashing green light and high, cold laughter — but because of the dragon.