Chapter Text
Draco Malfoy doesn't know if Harry Potter will agree to this.
Draco doesn't know what it will take for Potter to agree to this, but he has to try.
The idea had come to him soon after the disappointing Second Task.
Draco thought the tournament organizers had been mental to use precious dragons and their more than precious eggs for the First Task, but all in all, it turned out to be an exhilarating show. Thus, Draco held up high expectations for the Second Task only to find himself staring idiotically at the still water of the Black Lake along with the rest of the school for an hour in the freezing end of the winter. Perceiving nothing at all.
Potter had the guts to wait until the very last minute to emerge from the depth with a drenched weasel and was still tied in the first place for his bloody ‘moral fibre’.
Zero on audience experience.
Draco might not have voiced his complaint out loud, but he surreptitiously nodded as a bunch of Hufflepuffs grumbled about what a waste of time it was. Even Hufflepuffs.
Then, one of them started talking about this Muggle superior way of doing things called ‘life stream’ which allowed people to watch sports or plays in real-time from the comfort of their own homes.
Naturally, Draco bullied the details out of her.
It took him the better part of three months to manufacture the reliable charm strings and runic matrix needed for this, even with Flitwick’s enthusiastic assistance. Not to tut his own horn, but this, he thinks, was a project worthy to be exempted from N.E.W.T.s for. He makes a note to write a paper for this later. If everything goes well.
Today also happens to be his birthday.
Draco Malfoy will be damned if he doesn't get what he wants on his birthday. (He had wanted Harry Potter for his sixth birthday but Father didn't agree. He threw a tantrum that cost the Manor half of its peacocks.)
Draco catches Potter on his way out of the Great Hall. Weasley and Granger are with him, but Draco has anticipated having to lower himself a little for the conversation. Granger's… muggle-ness might even help his cause. Hopefully.
“Potter!" Draco calls out as he walks over. Potter stopped and turned around, a scowl placed on his feature almost instantly upon meeting his gaze, but Draco chose to ignore it for now. “Weasley. Granger." He nodded at the two Gryffindors staring at him warily from the boy's either side.
“What do you want, ferret?" growls out Weasley that has Draco rolling his eyes. Merlin, always so obnoxious.
Potter’s shoulders are tense in preparation for a fight, but he has yet to open his mouth. His green eyes follow closely as Draco stops five paces away from them.
"I have a mutually beneficial preposition that I'd like to discuss,” he says, addressing Potter directly. Draco is alone. That should hopefully be enough to get him to listen at the minimum.
Potter raises his thick eyebrows a little in surprise, probably wasn't anticipating this line from him. He exchanges a glance with Granger. Weasley looks about to blow up, but Potter's hand on his forearm stops him.
"What is it?” Potter asks distrustfully.
Draco folds one of his arms over his chest and adjusts his own glasses with the other as he takes in their interaction. He decides to give a little more bait to interest her. "The details will need several minutes to explain, but it's a personal project of sorts. Flitwick has approved it." Granger's gaze predictably snapped over. He holds up a hand to halt her and let him finish talking before she blurts what he knows as a dozen questions on the tip of her tongue. “I need some user feedback. I figured your Third Task will be perfect.” That gets the rest of their attention.
Draco doesn't, and won't, tell them that he really built this project with precisely the Third Task and Potter in mind.
–_–_
“That's why you've been wearing glasses?" Potter asks after he finishes his promised minutes of explanation. Draco almost rolls his eyes. Only Granger so far is properly appreciative of his hard work. Her nose is buried so deep in his notebook she almost gives herself a cross-eye.
Draco takes off his gold-wired glasses along with the chains and offers them over. Potter accepts them in his hands with even more hesitance than he did for the blasted Skrewts. "It's easier to anchor the runes and spells to a medium. – Granger, if even one of my ideas is leaked. I'll know who to sue. – My goal is to have the audience experiencing everything from the point of view of the host. Glasses are perfect. Think of it like a deconstructed omnicular. The input from one end will come out as a picture from the other end, except instead of a tube with two lenses, these ‘ends’ are completely separated.”
Potter nods thoughtfully. Draco doesn't know if he really understands. Weasley doesn't even try. He clearly seems to wish to be anywhere but here.
Draco honestly also wishes all of this to be over and done with quickly. He has enough of everyone passing by their aisle doing a rude doubletake seeing the table's unusual occupants.
"Malfoy, why use this rune for the tether? Won't it be volatile with this combination?” Granger doesn't look up as she asks. Draco directs her to his written conclusion after the hundredth and tenth tries. She is gone again, which is a good tell. She will see his undeniable brilliance and has no choice but to approve. The daft brutes, though, need something more tangible.
He clapped his hands dramatically, "I guess a demonstration is in order.”
—____—____
“Bloody hell! What can we even see from here?” exclaims a Hufflepuff.
Draco notices they are the same group he had coerced for information a few months prior. He is on the edge of his seat for the big reveal. When Potter told him two days ago that the third task involves a maze and creatures, Draco just knew he had made the right decision. The hedges are so tall, and although high on the stands, their view is still limited. Draco's invention is going to be a game changer. Getting it pre-approved by the judges (on Granger's insistence) was tedious, and it was with a heavy heart that Draco relented to let the other champions also be equipped. Mother, fortunately, was able to get them trademarked a week ago under her maiden name.
The four champions make their way to the clearing by the entrance with the call of the organizer. The sight of Fleur and Diggory in their elegant, new glasses are enough to trigger furious whispers. Both of them had been excited to be a part of the trials. Krum has initially refused his, citing them to be troublesome. Karkaroff almost blew his top off for the apparent disadvantage, but they settled with clipping it on his shirt. Draco had to modify the runes a little so it would still work despite not being worn. Potter also wears new glasses, but only because his old ones disintegrated when Draco tried to etch runes on it. Bloody Potter with a lot of gold in his vault and no sense on how to use them has not updated his ugly glasses since before Hogwarts. Then, he still chose the exact same model when he did.
By far, only the four champions, their headmasters, Bagman, Professor Flitwick, Draco, Pansy, and the Gryffindor Duo who know of the experimental TTLGs (Through The Looking Glasses), with four said students handling the projection charm for each of the champions. Draco drew the short straw and had to seat himself near the Puffs to handle Diggory’s. Pansy is safely tucked in Slytherin with Krum’s, Granger in Ravenclaw for Fleur's, and Weasley lost in the sea of Gryffindor’s red for Potter's. Everyone agreed to activate the matrix ten minutes in to give a sense of tension and dramatics before the nice surprise. Draco had already fool proof them to the best of his ability, so not even Weasley should mess it up. Although if he does, Draco also won't be surprised.
The entire maze pitch is charmed so the noise of the audience can't interfere with the proceeding, but they can still hear what happens inside, even if they can only see as far as the clearing goes and not beyond. Dumbledore gathers the champions to no doubt whisper some ominous last warning before he lets them take their position and he strolls back to the judges’ seats.
Draco sees the mad professor by Potter's side eyeing their glasses warily, probably using his evil eye to detect enchantments on them that he's not previously informed of. Alas, Draco holds grudges better than even Fleur who is a part Veela. He bullied Dumby to keep this a secret from his staff, ex-auror and whatnot.
“Alright, everyone! On the count of three!" Dumbledore declared to the champions and the crowd with enthusiasm, “One!—"
“BANG!"
Half the audience jumps in surprise at the sudden canon fire. Draco only manages to click his tongue at the stupid squib before Dumbledore takes everything in stride and bellows, "Go!” to the champions.
He catches Potter's eyes before the hedges swallow them whole.
The crowd is filled with cheers for every champion they support. A huge banner for Cedric Diggory is erected directly behind Draco, who sat at the highest seat beside Professor Sprout with older Mr Diggory on her other side. They can just about see the champions each taking their first turns and separate from each other.
"Ah, a pity we can't see what's going on,” laments Mr Diggory wistfully, although his eyes are not less bright with love and pride. Draco wonders if his own father ever looks at himself like this when he is not looking. Malfoys are not one to show their affection so outwardly.
"Yes, a pity, indeed. The Enchanted Bush used for the hedges is ever moving. Even if we set points for projections, it will be useless if none of the champions stumbles on it or if they are then swallowed by the foliages,” Sprout replied kindly, "The final area is the best spot for such a thing, but we can see it from here already." Mr Diggory nods in understanding.
What she means is the very center of the maze where the beautiful crystal Triwizard Cup is placed on a pedestal. Even though there are deliberate clearing ten feet radius around the pedestal, saying they can ‘see’ it is generous. Draco smirks to himself.
Ten minutes are just enough time for the cheers to wind down. The students shift from their loud, competitive ruckus to furious discussions about what they think they'll face inside and who will have the best chance to survive. Dumbledore stands again and faces the audience. The change in Madame Maxime’s expression is pretty miniscule, but Karkaroff openly scoffs.
"For all my lovely students of Hogwarts, Dumstrangs, and Beauxbatons," his voice carries without the use of Sonorous, “I've been made aware that most of you find the waiting time to be, well,…boring.”
"It's true, Headmaster!” one of the twins yells, to the agreements of others.
Even this far away, Draco can see how the old man’s eyes twinkle behind his glasses. "Thank you, Mr Weasley. Fear not, then, for we have something different planned for today's task.” He turns to stare straight at Draco amidst the crowd. “Mr Malfoy, if you please…”
Professor Sprout and a lot of Hufflepuffs make an inquiring noise and look at him curiously as he stands. He sees Pansy, Granger, and Weasley doing the same from their positions. He takes out the clear disk from his pocket and waves his wand in the air and feels the tension as it connects to the other side. He levitates the disk ahead the Hufflepuff stand as a huge light screen forms above it. It's all white at first before darkening to deep green. It's the view from inside the maze. Dark and ominous. Draco winks at the small Hufflepuff girl when she catches his eyes. She seems confused, but not for long. Her eyes soon blew wide.
“Ah, am I doing this right?" Diggory's soft voice rings on the stand amidst shocked gasps. "Malfoy said I can start talking after the buzz and activating the connection, but it feels stupid to talk to myself — Not that I usually don't.” His housemates answer in giggles. “Well, I think I should recap what you guys missed…”
The cheers start with new vigor. On other stands, both Fleur's and Potter's projections were successfully activated. The lions are insufferable. The Beauxbaton students and the ravens aren't as calm as they forcefully projected. Pansy, though, seems to be having trouble with Krum's. He can see the reception disk floating ahead with its white screen ready but there was no answer from the source. The Dumstrangs are getting restless, and her eyes pierce on him with the promise of murder for making her look stupid. In Draco's defense, just like a Floo call, the champions have to accept the connection. It's an ethic. Nonetheless, he runs down and back to Slytherin stand as Dumbledore gives the explanation on how the champions still can't hear them but they can see and hear through their glasses.
Draco curses Krum in his head for being so stubborn. It took him another ten minutes to traverse the rowdy masses. He has just reached Pansy's side when a high-pitched scream is heard from both the maze and the projections.
“What was that?" Potter's amplified voice breaks the sudden quiet. The stand on the blue’s side explodes. Fleur's. Her screen has whitened out the same as Krum's.
Draco dares a glance and witnesses how Potter has to roll swiftly to the side as one of the dumb oaf’s blasted-ended Skrewts attacks him in his distraction. Madness. Draco clapped a hand to his own back for having the foresight to add a retaining function. He will see the replays later.
"Vhat iz dis?! Has Krum lost in ze first zen minutes?” demands a Dumstrang boy as he notices Draco, seemingly connecting the dots. He personally thinks it's very unlikely but also not impossible. Who knows what other abominable creatures are inside those hedges. He only shakes his hand and has Pansy to call back the disk.
As he suspected, there's nothing wrong with the matrix. It stably connects to the other side, so the glasses should be in fine condition. Only, Krum has not activated the streaming runes. Why? Can't he not feel the buzz? They had tested it, though.
Krum is a strong wizard. Draco doesn't think he will be so easily taken down. As a matter of fact, Fleur is a similarly capable witch, but she hasn't even reached the half an hour mark before she meets trouble. What is it inside the maze?!
“The devices on both sides are fine. Krum just didn't answer the call. I'll go check on Fleur's,” Draco announces to the groaning Dumstrang and Slytherins. Some people are quick to take the initiative to invade the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor stands to watch Potter's and Diggory’s visions.
Draco was supposed to enjoy the show, not running around solving technicalities.
He doesn't need to check the disk when he gets there. Granger soon presents him the snapped glasses, while Madam Pomfrey busies herself above Fleur's unconscious form. Halfway from the Slytherin to Ravenclaw, a red spark was sent above the hedges and Madam Hooch and another wizard were sent in to retrieve her. Potter had stumbled upon her in his wandering. He pities her, really. The later tasks seem to be targeting her weaknesses.
Five minutes later, Draco somehow finds himself getting dragged among the lions. Potter is facing a sphinx. The unhelpful audiences start to shout random guesses for the riddle. It's a blessing that Potter can't hear them.
“We just saw Krum," Weasley reports to Granger. He makes a space for her to sit, but Granger gets him to scoot some more before pulling Draco down between her and the quivering Longbottom. "He looked properly weird.”
“Weird how?" asks Granger.
"He was… just, too calm. You saw how the other ran around? He was walking very quietly. Wands drawn.”
“That's just normal Viktor."
Weasley scowled at that but continued on, "No, ‘Mione. He saw Harry and drew his wand, but then, nothing. He didn't speak a word to him. I swore his eyes were glazed. He didn't attack Harry, but he also didn't answer his call. He just left. Do you think he's been enchanted?”
Granger turned thoughtful. "There are more than a few spirits that's capable of such. They are mostly too dangerous for a challenge like this, though. I wonder which one he met.”
Draco snorts, “Oh, Granger. I think ‘too dangerous’ is exactly the deciding factor." They have used dragons and merpeople for the tasks after all.
Suddenly, Diggory's handsome face shows up in Potter's vision.
“Hey, Harry! Care to team up?" Diggory greets him like an old friend.
Potter walks over, “Should we be doing that?"
“Well, it's better together, isn't it? We can find the cup faster, then you and I can duel at the end of it. Either way, it's Hogwarts champion," the older boy says easily. The problem with Diggory is how he is always so painfully sincere. The Hogwarts students collectively cheer, while the other schools protest. Then, Diggory's smile turns rueful. “Also, I've been talking to the glasses for a while now, I feel a little bit mental."
“Oh," Potter lets out softly. A finger comes across his vision to adjust his glasses. "I completely forgot about the streaming after I turned it on."
“Of course you did, Harry!" The lions quip with understanding laughs.
Granger shakes her head indulgently.
Draco hides his own endeared smile.
Bloody Potter.
He takes a peek at his own spell ahead of Hufflepuff. Potter looks short from Diggory's vision, all mucked up and dishelved. He makes the decision to enlarge both visions to view side by side, so even those staying in their own stands can still see them. Granger was quick to assist with the strain.
Diggory’s enlarged projection chuckled, “Let's go. You can say hi as we walk."
Potter stumbles after him, “What? Cedric, how do I even talk? What should I say?"
"I just imagined talking to my dormmates as usual. It matters not if they’ll actually listen.” Diggory shrugs, before stopping at an intersection. “Harry, I think there's something on the left. And if I've learnt anything at all about this damned maze, it's how the one with danger is usually the path ahead."
“Yeah, second that," Harr — No, Potter! He's getting carried away. — Potter snorted with no mirth. They make their way to the left while Potter studiously names and says hi to every Gryffindor, ending with "— uh, I don't remember more. Sorry. Be mad at me later if I survive this, okay?"
Draco sits back and watches with the rest of the school as the duo blaze their way through obstacles. He won't admit this to anyone, but Potter being all powerful is very attractive. Diggory being there doesn't hurt the aesthetic experience. Sadly, their alliance is cut short by a thick hedge that grows out of nowhere between them. He has good reasons to believe it's deliberate.
“Damn, here I thought they're going to reach the cup easily!" grumbles Weasley.
"It's not fair for Viktor. They're too strong together,” replies Granger.
"I wonder where Krum is,” Longbottom whispers.
Potter sighs dejectedly but doesn't stop moving. "Guess I'm alone again." He takes in the towering hedges on both sides of the long corridor he's suddenly in. The maze is very successful in creating the sense of suffocating horror. Even from the screen, it feels as if the foliages are pressing on them from all sides. Their host’s low mood is no help. “I wonder if I should just wait it out. Cedric is amazing. I bet he'll finish this in no time." Draco raises his eyebrows.
On Cedric’s side, he blinks blankly at the hedge before shrugging. "Come on, guys. Harry will be fine. Perhaps. He's a great kid, you know. I sometimes have this urge to bundle him in a blanket and tuck him in by the big fireplace in our Commons. Then we can all pile him in a group hug.”
That's such a Hufflepuff sentence to say that Draco rightfully blanches. The coo-ing from the Puffs doesn't help. He focuses his attention on Potter's vision and decides to forget even hearing that.
At an hour-mark, Cedric's voice is heard from the Gryffindor side again. But rather than an easy greeting, it's now a scream. The vision on Hufflepuff side flickers as the students shout over each other.
"Cedric!” Potter hurries on a turn, only to stop as he stumbles on two figures.
Krum.
Krum has Cedric on wand point while the Hufflepuff boy writhes on the ground. The sight somehow so familiar Draco freezes.
"Stupefy!”
It's not until Potter's spell lands on Krum that Draco comes back to himself.
“Cruciatus curse," Longbottom whimpers, his voice clear in the quiet. “Krum has just used the cruciatus curse on Diggory."
The stand explodes.
“Cedric, no, stop! He's been bewitched!" Potter yells. Cedric looks very crazed and about to pummel down the dazed Krum. The screens showing their respective visions tremble violently as they scuffle. “Cedric, let him be!” Potter pleads again before firing his second red spark for the night. Then, a rope. "Incacerous!’
The discussion on every stand reaches a new height. The judges are arguing over each other. Karkaroff seemingly on the behalf of his student. Madam Hooch flies in again to retrieve Krum from the maze.
On the screen, Cedric shoves Potter off and takes a mad dash ahead. He doesn't bother with pleasantries this time. Potter quickly races after him. It isn't clear if they both know where they are going exactly or are just in desperate need to end all of this. From where the last red spark is fired, the audiences know both champions are already very close to the center. Sure enough, they soon see a hint of blue on the far end of a corridor. Their visions collide with each other for a split second before they start shoving each other off to get ahead.
So much for being a team.
If they think the last corridor would be safe, they're both proven wrong very fast. Tendril of vines grab at their shoulders and ankles while the corridor entrance they went in starts to close up as the hedges actually press from both sides. The audiences watch with batted breath. Krum is temporarily forgotten in the back of their mind. Draco distantly wonders what they would even see of this spectacle had his invention not been used as they are.
Diggory trips, and it looks like that was it for him as vines and branches fight to drag him into their embrace. The glasses are jostled around. Its connection goes on and off. “Harry! Harry! Help!"
What is the sense of asking for help from your competition? Everything, when your competition is Harry Potter.
His supporters protest, but from Potter's vision, Draco can see how the vines are starting to suffocate Diggory. He knows Potter can't just see that and leaves, even when the boy himself is torn in indecision.
"Reducto!”
Potter frees Diggory from the vines. They stand there panting for breath. “Thanks.”
“No problem," Potter replies. His hand awkwardly hovers over Diggory like he's not sure how to help more.
"For a moment there, I thought you're gonna let it get me,” Diggory forces the words out between heaves of breaths. Still, he's marginally calmer than after Krum attacked him. His glasses are dirty and askew but otherwise intact.
“For a moment, so did I."
“Some games, huh?"
“Some games," Potter agrees.
It's painfully awkward to watch, but they are thankfully interrupted by the sudden violent breeze blowing on the corridor. The hedges are on the move again without anyone noticing they have ever stopped.
“Go! Go, go, go!" Diggory shouts.
They take on a run again and barely make it to the clearing before the narrow corridor vanishes between foliages. They have no time to catch a breath before the perimeters are closing in on each other.
The Cup glimmers an enchanting sky blue. It's breathtaking and eerie at the same time.
“Come on. Take it," Diggory urges Potter. The boy looks between the cup and the closing walls. "Harry, come on, take it and end this."
“What about you?"
Fucking Gryffindors.
“You saved me! Take it!"
Fucking Hufflepuffs!
If it had been Draco or any other Slytherin, they would not care much about manners.
“JUST TAKE IT ALREADY!" One of the watchers from a faraway seat apparently can't stand the suspense any more.
“Together!" Potter decides.
Diggory seems hesitant before he nods.
“One."
Everyone holds their breaths.
“Two."
The hedges are closing on their back.
“Three!"
As soon as their hands touch the cup, blue light shines from the center of the maze and they vanish. The visions swirl and the connections abruptly drop. The two light screens immediately white out.
“That was not supposed to happen!" cries Madame Maxime. It jolts everyone back. Some start to cheer before it's cut short by a belated realization.
“Draco!" Granger yells in panic.
Draco summons the disk from across the Hufflepuff stand and takes the one from Weasley. “They're not on school grounds! It exceeds the range!” He hasn't designed them to be long distance, but it should theoretically work from the castle to Hogsmeade. They are not on the school grounds anymore. They are not on the school grounds anymore and one of the judges says it's not supposed to happen!
“Bloody Hell! We know something is going to go wrong! Someone is targeting Harry!" Weasley curses out.
Granger took Potter's reception disk over. “Okay, okay, Draco, can we modify the matrix from here? I know the structure is intertwined and can't be easily tweaked, but what if we used a substitute? Look, this part for ambience sound! Sacrifice that to extend the distance with new runes.”
"But–but then we can only hear what they directly say, Granger," Draco replies as he peers at the matrix. Yes, that part can be substituted. What about this one for color correction? No, it can collapse. Can he add a two way connection?
"We don't need it! We need to know where they are more than sound!” Granger snaps.
Draco agrees and they get to work. It might have been his months-long trial and errors, the assistance from Granger, or just pure luck, but the modified matrix settles.
Cedric's vision blinks to life. He's crouched low by the crystal cup somewhere dark. "Hey, guys, did the link drop? Look, the cup is a portkey!” He sounds chuffed.
Draco has added voice input from his side. "Diggory, where on earth are you?!”
"Oh, Malfoy! Wow, this is weird. I didn't know you could talk to me from there. As I just said, the cup is a portkey. I have no clue where on earth we are.” Diggory pats his trousers and stands to his full height to look around. It is very dark and gloomy, and not just because it is deep in the night. There are a few erected stones on the ground around him. He peers at them with interest. "Huh?” he says to the side.
Potter's vision flickers to life in the air. Same darkness. "Cedric, get back to the cup. We have to get back to the cup.” His vision is a lot shakier. His hand is placed on a stone etched with a muggle name. TOM RIDDLE, below the capital letters are two four-digit numbers connected with a dash. Potters look up slowly to the statue of Death with a cloak and a scythe.
A graveyard.
Draco feels the chill on his spine.
“I've been here before. In a dream," Potter says urgently. He wouldn't know of the collective breath taken by the audiences.
Diggory, still slightly euphoric, tears his curious sight from a faraway building back to Potter. Their double screens are now showing each other. "What are you talking about?”
Despite his words, it seems as if Potter is rooted to the ground. He can't move but to repeat those two sentences, before he suddenly crumbles with a pained groan.
"Harry! What is it?!" Diggory hurries over.
Potter hunches over. His hand on his scar as if it hurts. His voice grates when he speaks again, “Get back to the cup!"
Diggory doesn't get back to the cup. There is no sound, but he suddenly stands up with his wand drawn and back to Harry. On his screen, a stout man ambles into view with a clothed bundle. “Who are you?! What do you want?!" He yelled hoarsely.
“Pettigrew!" Weasley shouted.
Draco had forgotten where he was for a moment, the noise of the pitch batters him from all sides. But it doesn't take a genius to realize that this, whatever it was, was not a part of the tournament.
"Peter!” Draco seems to hear McGonagall yelp. The students are in great confusion.
Then he saw the green light.
“Diggory! Duck!" Draco shouts at the same time as Potter screams “NO!"
The pitch stills.
One of the screen whites.
"No, Cedric! No!” Potter cries out, and there, in Potter's vision, is the sight of Cedric Diggory's still, lifeless body. "Ced–!”
No one could survive the killing curse.
"My son!” Mr Diggory cries in despair.
The audiences haven't had time to let out their choked sob before Potter is wrenched upward. As the runes for sound were removed, they could only hear Potter's batted breath and his struggle as the man lifted and trapped him on the statue above the graveyard. His vision shakes as if he wants to see to his left, where Cedric lies, but he either can't or won't let the culprit out of his sight. They watch the soundless picture as the man dumps more and more things into the big cauldron they've just realized are there.
Draco snatches the other disk from a frozen Granger and does a modification. His hands shake all the way. All eyes are on him as well as the remaining screen.
"Potter! Potter, can you hear me? Nod and don't react too much.”
The vision dips for a split second. Draco breathes out.
"Okay, what is the situation?”
"Cedric died. Malf–Draco, he's dead. It's my fault." Potter whispered with a sob. “I– It should've been me, Draco. Cedric, he—”
Draco doesn't know how to feel. Cedric is dead. Someone so full of smiles, who jokes around and looks at everything with great interest is dead. He only knows he's glad that Potter is alive. “No, it's not your fault." Draco says firmly. Even if it is, Potter is not to blame. "That man before you is the one who killed him. Who is he, Scarhead? What does he want?”
The man in question approaches Potter with a glinting knife. "Peter Pettigrew!” Potter spat with so much hatred both to answer him and to address the man. “What do you want?!"
Pettigrew ignores him. He uses the knife to slice Potter's forearm, or that's what it looks like from the limited angle and the sudden scream the boy lets out. It also tells more that the knife comes back into view glistening with red blood. His gruff sound transmits into the pitch only due to the close proximity he's speaking. “Blood of enemy, forcefully taken."
“Fuck," Potter exhaled between his pained noise, “Fuck, no."
There's a towering build of horror in those short sentences that Draco can barely process what happens next. Potter barely shifts his gaze as the liquid in the cauldron bubbles higher and higher after Pettigrew drops the blood into the potion. Then, right before it can overflow, the cauldron melts and something vaguely human emerges. It contorts, elongates, and takes the shape of a hairless man without a nose.
Draco can hear the sudden disturbance on the stand below him, but just like Potter, he can't tear his gaze away.
He knows.
He doesn't know how he knows, but Draco doesn't have to wait for the sight of his father being unmasked to identify who the non-human fresh from the cauldron is.
Lord Voldemort.
It's his last thought before Draco's sight is swallowed by blinding red light.