Professor Moody looked very pleased too; his magical eye was dancing in its socket.
“Nice and easy does the trick, Potter,” he growled.
“Right then, Potter, the first aid tent, please…” said Professor McGonagall.
Harry walked out of the enclosure, still panting, and saw Madam Pomfrey standing at the mouth of a second tent, looking worried.
“Dragons!” she said, in a disgusted tone, pulling Harry inside. The tent was divided into cubicles; he could make out Cedric’s shadow through the canvas, but Cedric didn’t seem to be badly injured; he was sitting up, at least. Madam Pomfrey examined Harry’s shoulder, talking furiously all the while. “Last year Dementors, this year dragons, what are they going to bring into this school next? You’re very lucky… this is quite shallow… it’ll need cleaning before I heal it up, though…”
She cleaned the cut with a dab of some purple liquid that smoked and stung, but then poked his shoulder with her wand, and he felt it heal instantly.
“Now, just sit quietly for a minute—sit! And then you can go and get your score.”
She bustled out of the tent and he heard her go next door and say, “How does it feel now, Diggory?”
Harry didn’t want to sit still: He was too full of adrenaline. He got to his feet, wanting to see what was going on outside, but before he’d reached the mouth of the tent, two people had come darting inside—Hermione, followed closely by Ron.
“Harry, you were brilliant!” Hermione said squeakily. There were fingernail marks on her face where she had been clutching it in fear. “You were amazing! You really were!”
But Harry was looking at Ron, who was very white and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost.
“Harry,” he said, very seriously, “whoever put your name in that goblet—I—I reckon they’re trying to do you in!”
It was as though the last few weeks had never happened—as though Harry were meeting Ron for the first time, right after he’d been made champion.
“Caught on, have you?” said Harry coldly. “Took you long enough.”
Hermione stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Harry knew Ron was about to apologize and suddenly he found he didn’t need to hear it.
“It’s okay,” he said, before Ron could get the words out. “Forget it.”
“No,” said Ron, “I shouldn’t’ve—”
“Forget it,” Harry said.
Ron grinned nervously at him, and Harry grinned back. Hermione burst into tears.
“There’s nothing to cry about!” Harry told her, bewildered.
“You two are so stupid!” she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. Then, before either of them could stop her, she had given both of them a hug and dashed away, now positively howling.
“Barking mad,” said Ron, shaking his head. “Harry, c’mon, they’ll be putting up your scores…”