PART 4

HIDDEN AWAY in the silence of his room , Draco held the locket within the palm of his hand – intrigued by it. He wanted to open it , and look inside , but knew better than to do that. Placing it on the mantle , he changed into his bed clothes before falling asleep. He had been halfway through the process of lulling himself into the realm of Morpheus , when – all of a sudden – he heard a shrill scream. Voices followed , whispering , pointing , a sharp pain in his left forearm , and the most hauntingly beautiful words – whispered by an angelic voice.

"It was all a lie. But a beautiful lie nonetheless."

Draco woke up in cold sweat , his chest heaving as his gaze was directed towards his left arm. Clutched in his hands , tightly , was Evanna's locket.

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Sunlight poured into the rectangular room , which was flanked by tall shelves , filled to the brim with books that rose into the seemingly infinite ceiling. The slanting , amber rays of the sun coloured the arching pillars a beautiful molten gold. The light illuminated Evanna's face , her cheekbones prominent and her chestnut hair shining like a copper wreath as her chin rested on her hand , head bent in utter focus over a book. As her eyes poured over the words , devouring each of them religiously , she saw a bit of nacreous hair block her peripheral vision. The screech of a chair and the slight pant of a person who had obviously been rushing to get to her , confirmed to Evanna that it was her new student.

"Eager for the first lesson ?", She asked with a smile , as she closed her book and kept it away , clasping her hands together. Draco nodded , before extending his closed palm towards her. Opening it gently , he revealed the locket she had been looking for.

"There it is ! I have been looking for it. It's a family heirloom. I must have dropped it", She explained , as she took it from his grasp and wore it around her neck – the sapphire engraved pendant almost blinding Draco as the golden rays fell on it. Flashing him a pearly smile , Evanna thanked him.

"You're welcome", He said smiling back , not telling her the unnerving incident of the night prior. He admired the way the afternoon sun stained her navy blue eyes with flickers of gold – as though illuminating the waves of the deep Cornish sea. Her eyes were always so alive , full of determination – and the unusual variety of shades in which her blue eyes would be painted ,only added to their allure. He watched as she took hold of his Astronomy notes, scrunching her nose at the sight of the almost empty pages of parchment, filled here and there with Draco's elegant cursive writing.

"Merlin , I won't be surprised if you even forgot to spell 'Jupiter'", Evanna said , as she shook her head before handing the notes back to him.

"What's so wrong with my notes ?", Draco asked defensively. He did try his best , after all.

"Clearly , you weren't paying much attention. Professor Sinistra gives out valuable stuff during her lectures unlike Professor Binns. Here , start by copying whatever notes I have taken till now. Copy one page , and I will explain that", Evanna suggested , as Draco nodded. Dipping his brilliant green quill into a pot of black ink , Draco began copying the notes from the first page at a furiously fast rate. Whilst he did so , Evanna looked through the old concept books – reminiscing the basics to give a clearer explanation to Draco. After jotting down a few pages , Evanna began explaining the movements of the planets. Maybe it was his bias , but he understood a lot clearer when Evanna explained it to him.

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Over the week , Draco and Evanna met up three times at the library - discussing movements of planets , locations of particular constellations , their names , and the stars they consisted of.

It was a little after dusk , and the sky had darkened considerably. A myriad of shades chased each other across the apricot sky , as darkness fell and stars peeped through the inky darkness. Evanna stood , leaning against the railing of the Astronomy Tower as she waited for Draco to make an appearance. He wasn't late , she had just arrived early. She watched as the little ivory dots in the sky brightened with every passing minute , seeking comfort in the light of the moon - the mother of the stars - as a tear slipped from under her eye. Twisting the blue crystal that rested atop her platinum band , Evanna drew in a sharp breath - before wiping the tear from her cheek.

Crying was weak , and being weak was something Evanna despised.

"It's really a winsome sight isn't it ?", She heard a voice call out from behind her. Not turning to look , knowing it was Draco who had arrived behind her - she spoke ,"It really is. I wish I could paint it."

Draco nodded , coming to stand beside her as he admired the way the moon lit her face - as though she were a marble sculpture. Her strawberry lips turned a pale peach , the night light illuminating her close eyelids a pretty silver , and her skin - an enviable shade of ivory.

A minute of saccharine silence passed , before Evanna softly spoke ,"Let's begin."

She walked towards the telescopes arranged neatly at the corner of the circular room , climbing down the threshold as she levitated one of them back towards where she had stood. Gathering her messenger bag , which had rested on top of a small table , she conjured a small blanket - laying it thin over the floor of the room before settling down on it. She asked to Draco to sit as well , who gratefully obliged and began fixing the telescope to the right angle while Evanna took out her notes.

Draco produced fresh parchment from his bag smoothing it out onto the floor in front of him. Placing the telescope at a proper angle , he began jotting down the observations of planets and constellations - while Evanna would check from time to time. The crisp night air blew over the tower , and silence blanketed them.

Evanna watched how the starlight would illuminate Draco's alabaster hair , his deep steel-coloured eyes. He was a beautiful thing. As incredible as a painting , as divine of appearance as an Olympian deity. It was admirable how perfect this one person could be , as though the crafter of the universe had poured all his time and energy into creating this sole human being.

She felt pity for him. Almost sorry for what she was about to do. Almost.

After Draco finished with his assignment , both walked silently towards the Great Hall as the sky was clouded with black misty clouds - concealing the pale moon behind them.

"Thank you for helping me out. When will we meet again ?", Draco said , coming to a halt in front of the doors of the Great Hall.

Evanna put a slender finger to her chin.

"Tomorrow afternoon ?", She suggested , as Draco nodded.

Both walked their separate ways towards their tables - blue and bronze , and green and silver. Both thinking of each other as they took their respective places.

"Hey mate. Where have you been ?", Blaise asked , nudging him as he settled down beside Theo.

"Evanna was tutoring me", Draco explained , as Blaise raised an eyebrow - but demanded no further explanation as Dumbledore approached the podium , silencing every student.

"Now , we will choose the champions who shall compete against each other to get the 'Triwizard Cup'", He said , gesturing his hands towards an object draped with silk - as Filch pulled it away to reveal a glowing crystal cup. Sounds of awe were heard all across the room , which were silenced when the Headmaster raised a hand.

"And now , for the champions", He said. As he walked towards the goblet , which had turned a fiery red - pin drop silence engulfed the hall. A worn piece of parchment hurtled out of the glowing goblet of fire , and Dumbledore caught it in his hands , before calling out ,"Fleur Delacour !"

A beautiful girl , wearing the powder blue uniform of Beauxbatons , emerged from the crowded Ravenclaw table , hands elegantly folded behind her waist as she strode up proudly towards the Head Table. The old Headmaster shook hands with her , before she was led to a chamber a little off the Great Hall - Madame Maxime patting her shoulder.

The goblet glowed with crimson flames , as another name shot out. This time , it was 'Viktor Krum' , the champion of Durmstrang. Dumbledore clapped him on the back , and so did Igor Karkaroff , before both proceeded towards the 'champion's chamber.'

What everyone expected to be the last name , burst out of the wine red flames , and Dumbledore spoke as he clutched it in his hands.

"The champion of Hogwarts is , Cedric Diggory !"

Following his announcement , a handsome sixth year Hufflepuff made his way proudly to Dumbledore , as applause rang around the room.

"For tonight , these are the three champions. We wish them the best of luck , and a goodnight to all of you", Dumbledore concluded. Murmurs followed around , as slowly everyone stood up. But just then , the fire which had returned momentarily to it's cool cerulean flames - turned a blinding scarlet , and produced two more pieces of parchment.

Dumbledore caught both between his fingers , and read out in a shaky voice. So quiet , that only those surrounding him could hear , while others strained their ears.

"Harry Potter and Evanna Frey !", Dumbledore yelled , appearing furious as commotion followed.

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