The Life that Never Lived ? (Goblet of Fire)

THE HUNGARIAN HORNTAIL

Harry sighed deeply as he turned to his chapter, knowing he was praying for a miracle just for one good thing to happen this chapter.

Sirius was still waiting for that moment where that could be said with a smile on his face, like Harry talking to him should cause, not a life line because the rest of the world was being so bad to him.

Harry couldn't help a shiver, feeling that description felt a little too close to real.

"Good times," James muttered absently, trying to push past the moment he realized how few of those Harry really had.

Lily groaned as her eyes flickered to her son, unbelieving that she couldn't even call him out on over-exaggerating that. If she didn't know better she'd be terrified for his life as well. She did know better and she still was!

"Talking it out will still help," Remus tried to say with some comfort, though it came out too wobbly to work.

"Nah, he'd probably just blame the twins," Sirius finally found something real to smile at again. "You're not as much of a problem as you seem to think. I'll bet you'd get away with it."

"How is that possible?" Lily balked.

"I still believe it," Harry sighed, not needing a memory to know that could get true for him.

James opened his mouth, a pitying look in place, but clearly trying to comfort Harry. Talk of the Tournament was better than he was fearing, but Harry blurted the whole thing out first.

Then his head flopped back against the couch, and he had to fight every impulse he had not to cover his ears and sing loudly so as not to hear what Harry said next.

"Would actually feel bad for him under normal circumstances," Remus sighed.

"Still wish it had been over him than Harry," James scoffed.

"Or even Krum," Sirius agreed.

Harry had the unnatural look of someone who'd eaten a live fish as everything in that paper came back to him, none of it pleasant.

James and Lily felt some terrible minglings going on inside them. How they half-wished that was true and Harry did think about them more, but were almost pleased none of this ever did cross his mind as it would only hurt more. For Rita to be saying any of this without it having anything to do with Harry, though, possibly pushed her up on level with Snape right off the bat.

Harry was planning on not pausing to see reactions to this for as long as he could, trying to get through this waste of paper as quickly as possible.

Remus was listening to all of this in an almost detached way, his mind flickering to where on earth he was in all of this. Sirius had never mentioned him in his mad attempt to get back into the country. Could he have possibly come across this article, and believed it? That would hurt him, to think Harry had opened up to this Skeeter woman like that. What would he and Sirius be thinking about all of this?

"Did I miss something?" Lily demanded of nothing. "Who on earth is claiming to be your love?"

A colorful look was brewing on Harry's face, made up mainly of disbelief at the nonsense for this part.

"Stalker," Sirius corrected, "as even if he isn't following you this year, he still knows where you are at all times."

"He's rarely seen without Ron." James rolled his eyes. "Do people think they're around snogging?"

"You guys were the ones making fun of me for this earlier," Harry reminded, happy to see them laughing this off, but unable to stop himself. "Why are you mocking this now?"