Chapter 5: Meet the Dursleys.
Back in Crawley, Hermione's parents were putting the final additions on their project before heading off to confront the Dursleys. The information that their private investigator and solicitor had dug up would go a long way in making sure that Vernon and Petunia complied. Harry had provided them with enough information to piece together his childhood, or the distinct lack thereof, and the fact that the Dursleys did not want anyone to know that they were less than perfect.
John Granger had begun a business relationship with Vernon Dursley using their dental practice's drill needs. Tonight's dinner was supposed to be to finalize the deal of the year for Vernon. Unbeknownst to Vernon, John Granger had very different plans for the evening.
Dinner was a very normal affair for both parties. Petunia really was a good host and the dinner conversation was polite but a little bland. When the time came for the after-dinner drinks and business talk, Vernon Dursleys' world turned upside down.
"I have a few conditions before I sign this contract Mr. Dursley." John Granger spoke as he pulled out his notepad from his dinner jacket.
"First, you will ask for a transfer to the Australian Branch of Grunnings. I have a large group of friends in Sydney and Melbourne and they all have long term drill needs. I would like you to be their account manager. This is a very large account and a definite pay raise for you if you accept. You will still be my account manager here too." Mr. Granger paused to let this information sink in. He was not disappointed to see that Vernon really wanted this position but could not take it because of Harry Potter.
Vernon Dursley had mixed feelings. He desperately wanted the new position and the pay raise. The problem was that blasted Potter boy and his freak minders. The letter that they had received with Harry all those years ago forbid them from moving because of the protections put in place. It was with a heavy heart, and a promise to make Harry's life a living hell when he returned for ruining another business deal for him, that he spoke to turn down the offer. "Mr. Granger, I'm afraid that I can't accept the offer as much as I want to."
"Why is that, Mr. Dursley?" John knew the reason but he wanted to hear Vernon explain his reasons. He wanted to close the deal without using the blackmail material but he would use it if he absolutely had too.
"We have custody of our nephew and he is currently away at a boarding school. If we were to move away it would cause all sorts of problems." Vernon said while squirming a bit in his seat. The sight of Mr. Granger grinning broadly at his remark did nothing to ease his tension level.
"You are referring to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry then?" John said in a completely normal tone.
Vernon Dursleys response was exactly what Mr. Granger had predicted. All color drained from Vernon's face and he spluttered "What?"
"My daughter is a student there and she is a very good friend of Harry's." John knew that this would really push Vernon over the edge and he was not disappointed. Vernon had turned a nasty shade of puce before standing up and putting the sofa between them as a defensive barrier.
"You're one of them aren't you?" Vernon whispered at Mr. Granger.
Remaining seated and in a completely calm tone of voice John replied, "No. I'm just like you but my daughter is a witch and I have a way to solve your guardianship problem."
Seeing that he wasn't' going to be attacked by some freakish means Vernon Dursley sat back down on the sofa and asked "How?"
With an internal smile, John Granger knew he had won. Vernon and Petunia Dursley desperately wanted to rid themselves of their nephew. "Let my wife and I take over guardianship of Harry. We already know about the magical world and have made arrangements to have our house protected."
For the first time in the entire conversation, Petunia spoke up as she and Mrs. Granger walked into the living room with the tea service. "We can't leave. Dumbledore said that there were protections from our being family that meant that he had to stay here for them to remain in place."
Leaning forward in his seat, John Granger motioned for Petunia to join them in the living room. "Were you ever really given a choice in the matter?" Upon seeing their negative response Mrs. Granger continued speaking; "Then why should you listen to someone who has not once checked up on Harry in the time that he has stayed here."
"How did you know that?" gasped Petunia.
"Harry told my daughter everything that he has ever experienced since he came to live here with you." Seeing the scared looks on their faces John resumed speaking; "I mean everything." He said while putting emphasis on the last word and staring into both of their faces with a look of disgust plainly visible.
The Dursleys grew noticeably paler at this revelation before Vernon spoke up. "What do we need to do?" He realized that Mr. Granger could make life very difficult for them if he wanted to.
With a smile, John Granger pulled the transfer of guardianship papers out of his briefcase for the Dursleys to sign. "This is the legal paperwork to transfer guardianship of Harry to my family. My solicitor has already walked everything through the courts and all that is needed are your signatures." John explained as he pushed the paperwork with a pen across the coffee table. "We are even going to petition for an adoption to further solidify our status as Harry's guardians."
Looking over the paperwork quickly, both Vernon and Petunia signed their names on the indicated lines and passed the document back to Mr. Granger. "Excellent. Now we need to discuss your move. I have been informed that your house is probably under surveillance."
The looks on the Dursleys' faces were priceless. They were a mixture of outrage and fear, with fear winning out in the end. "How are we going to get away without them finding out then?" Vernon asked with a hint of fear creeping into his voice.
"Don't take anything with you. We are not sure what other measures Dumbledore has taken to watch over your family. Once we have checked everything out we will have a moving company send your items to you." John explained to the shocked Dursleys. The plan was to have Dobby and Winky check over everything and then magically send it to them but Mr. Granger did not feel the need to explain that part of Remus Lupins' plan to them since magic made them so uncomfortable.
"I'll arrange everything at the office then and hopefully we can be gone in a couple of weeks." Vernon said in a business like tone. Now more than ever, he wanted his family shot of the magical world. He felt violated and a bit unsafe in his own home after all of the revelations this evening. Petunia was nodding in approval from her perch on the edge of the sofa.
Understanding that everything that needed to taken care of was finished, John Granger slid the signed drill contract over to Vernon Dursley with a list of the contacts in Australia. "Get Grunnings to handle the sale of your house for you. That way people will have a harder time tracking you once you are gone. If you would like, we can have someone visit you in your new home and provide some protections for you too. Thank you for you time and a wonderful meal. It was a pleasure doing business with you." After shaking both of their hands, the Grangers left the house, climbed into the rented Mercedes, and headed off to meet Remus in London to retrieve their own car. Remus Lupin had rented the car to prevent anyone tracing it to the Grangers new residence.
Chapter 6: Admitting the truth.
Finished with his lunch, Harry walked over to the Hufflepuff table and approached Cedric. Nervously, he said, "Excuse me, Cedric. Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Looking up at the fourth Champion, Cedric shrugged his shoulders and waved Harry into the seat next to him. Once Harry was seated, he asked, "What can I do for you, Potter?"
Harry gave the equivalent of a mental shrug and figured that if Cedric trusted his friends to hear this conversation, why should he care who heard it. Trudging forward, he leaned over the table and whispered, "Do you know what the first task is yet?"
Cedric hesitated slightly before shaking his head in the negative.
Harry misinterpreted Cedric's hesitation for ignorance of the situation so he said, "The first task is dragons. We have to retrieve a golden egg from it. The other champions probably know so I thought that you should too." Finished putting his conscience at ease, Harry got up from the table before Cedric could say anything and headed back over to where Hermione was waiting for him to head back up to the Gryffindor Tower to grab their books for their afternoon classes.
Defense Against the Dark Arts class was over and just as Harry was about to leave Professor Moody barked, "Potter, I want to have a quick chat with you." Moody looked over at Hermione and said, "Head to your next class Ms. Granger, I'll send Potter along with a note."
Hermione hesitated a moment before nodding in acceptance and headed off to their next class after giving Harry a silent plea to stay alert. Neither of them was completely comfortable with Professor Moody and didn't like the thought of leaving the other alone with the man.
Harry followed the professor back to his office with a pretty good idea of what their chat was going to be about but at the same time a bit nervous. He kept his hand on his wand in his pocket while he followed his professor.
Once they were both sitting, Moody asked, "Have you figured out how you are going to get past the first task?"
Unsure of whether or not Professor Moody was offering to help him or not, Harry answered with his own question. "Are you going to talk to Cedric too?"
Harry's question seemed to surprise Moody before he recovered. "Mr. Diggory has known about the task for a while now and I'm sure that he has worked out his plan already. I want to make sure that you are prepared as well. Someone entered your name in this tournament to discredit or kill you, perhaps both." Moody said solemnly.
Harry was a bit angry at the implication that Cedric knew and had not planned to tell him but he would ask him about that in the near future. "Have you found out who put my name in the Goblet yet, sir?"
"No we haven't, but as soon as we do you can be sure that I will confront them about it. Now, what are you going to do about your dragon? What are you going to do to get past it?
Harry paused for a moment in thought. He really didn't want to tell Moody his plans for some reason. "Well, I've found a few mentions of books with spells to take on a dragon but all of them are in the restricted section so I can't get a good look at them. Would you be able to write me a pass so I can check them out?"
Moody gazed a Harry with a look of pride and something else that Harry couldn't identify. Without saying a word, Professor Moody pulled out a restricted section pass and signed it for Harry. "That pass is good for the whole year. That way you can look up spells to help you for all of the tasks."
As Harry picked up the pass he said, "Thank you professor." moving towards the exit so he could find Hermione.
Just as he reached the door, Professor Moody called out quietly, "Be sure to check out "Dancing with Dragons." I think that you will find it a very helpful read."
Harry finally caught up with Hermione in the Gryffindor Common room. She was sitting with Neville going over some notes from Transfiguration. He flopped down next to her on the sofa and leaned into her shoulder. "Hello Hermione, Neville. When you two are finished, would you like to go down to the Great Hall for dinner? I'm starving."
Sure. That would be nice." Hermione said.
"Do you mind if I change first?" Neville asked.
"Now worries, mate. I'm knackered anyway, but my pillow is kind of lumpy." Harry said with a grin on his face as he poked Hermione in the shoulder.
"Prat." Hermione said as she poked him back with a smile on her face. Inside she was quite pleased to have Harry leaning on her. He was getting more used to her hugs but it was still rare for him to initiate contact. It meant that he was finally getting more comfortable with giving and receiving physical contact and comfort. The fact that she was the recipient of his affections made it even better in her mind.
Hermione had always felt drawn to Harry since her first year. With each subsequent year, something happened that seemed to draw them closer. During their second year, two things really stood out in her mind.
The first thing was her accident with the Polyjuice Potion during the first term. By using cat hair by mistake, she had morphed into a half girl/half cat and it took Madam Poppy Pomfrey a couple of weeks to put her straight.
Harry visited every evening to bring her his notes and the homework for her classes. Ron did not visit very often and then it was only if Harry dragged him along. Hermione later found out that Harry had volunteered to get everything for her before Professor McGonagall could ask or assign anyone else.
What really surprised her was the depth of Harry's notes. They were well organized and written, very different from his homework assignments that he handed in. Looking back on that fact now, Hermione could easily spot the Dursleys' influence on Harry's school performance.
Harry had kept underperforming in class so he would not stand out. This trait was something that Hermione was desperately trying to change. It was holding him back and that was something she could not stand.
The last few weeks had actually seen Harry slowly coming out of his Dursley imposed shell. The isolation forced upon him by being the unwilling fourth Triwizard Champion actually focused Harry's studies. He had to work hard because he was at a three-year disadvantage in his magical education compared to the other champions.
Ironically, it was also the realization that someone was out to kill him that lit a fire in him to improve and learn everything that he could. That same realization further crystallized her feelings for him.
The other second year incident clarified her feelings for Harry, was being petrified by the Basilisk. When she had awoken, Madam Poppy Pomfrey informed her that Harry visited her every day and either talked to her or just sat there and held her hand. She could not feel him holding her hand, but she could hear Harry talking to her occasionally.
However, her concept of time passing was non-existent, so she had no real idea how long she had lain there, petrified. Madam Poppy Pomfrey had even told her how she had caught Harry sneaking in during the middle of the night in his invisibility cloak to sit with her. What surprised Hermione was that Madam Pomfrey had seen Harry but never said anything to him. She informed Hermione that he looked so lost and sad that she hadn't the heart to send him away.
It was probably the first time that she had ever hugged Harry. Thinking back, she noticed that he did not flinch away from her hug; he even returned it with a hug of his own. She figured it must have been Harry's relief at seeing her better that overcame his aversion to being touched.
Their third year was just as dangerous and thrilling as their first two at Hogwarts. The time turner was both a blessing and a curse for Hermione that year. She took too many classes but it was Dumbledore's' suggestion that they use the time turner to save Sirius and Buckbeak that made that whole, crazy, year worth it.
Ironically, their use of the Time Turner allowed them to save themselves and put them at risk at the same time. Harry's Patronus had really amazed her. Professor Lupin had taught the spell to Harry to combat the effects of the Dementors. The whole school had seen Harry's Patronus charge down Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle during a Quidditch match.
However, that Patronus was nothing compared to the one that he cast to save Sirius and himself. The power and emotion behind that particular Patronus had been tremendous. It had driven off over one hundred of the Dementors. Most adults could not even cast the spell and those that could usually could not drive off more than a few at one time.
Hermione knew during her first year that Harry was going to be a very powerful wizard. The question was how powerful was he going to be if he could drive off over one hundred of the foulest creatures on Earth at the age of thirteen?
Hermione didn't know if it was power that drew her to Harry or not. What she did know was that when she was near him she felt comforted, safe, and loved. The other thing that amazed her was how her own magic felt when she was close to Harry. It felt like it was singing in her veins when he was nearby. However, when they touched it felt like her magic roared. She had yet to discuss it with Harry to see if he experienced the same thing.
Hermione Granger realized that she was in love with Harry Potter and it thrilled and scared her at the same time. She was almost positive that he was in love with her too. With those thoughts on her mind, the rest of the day passed in a blur of sight and sound.
The morning before the first task found a lone figure and a snowy owl out by the Great Lake. The first rays of sunshine were peaking over the castle casting orange reflections of light on the surface of the lake.
Hedwig had perched herself on Harry's shoulder and he was rubbing the nape of her neck while talking softly to her. "I'm scared, Hedwig. People have died in this tournament and I'm not sure that I'm ready." Hedwig had turned her head to get Harry to scratch a different spot, causing him to chuckle at her antics. "Thanks, Hedwig. I'm glad that I can count on you to help keep me in line. If it weren't for Hermione, you, Sirius, Remus, Winky, Dobby, & Hermione's parents I don't know what I would do, probably just go crazy."
Careful not to disturb Hedwig's perch on his shoulder, Harry walked over and sat down on the large rock where he and Hermione sat together in early October when he found out that he was one of the Champions. Sighing at his predicament, Harry continued pouring his feelings and concerns out to his familiar. "I really want to do well in this tournament, not for myself, but for Hermione and everyone that has helped me." Hedwig was nuzzling her head into the palm of Harry's hand and he gave her a brief smile before he continued talking to her. "Especially, Hermione." Harry said quietly. "I don't know what to do though. I think I'm in love with her but how do I tell her without ruining our friendship?"
Harry heard a twig snap behind him and when he turned around he saw Hermione standing there crying softly but with a large smile on her face. Concerned, Harry closed the gap between them and asked, "Are you okay Hermione?" while pulling her into a gentle hug.
"Never better." She mumbled into his neck. After a few seconds, she pulled back so she could look into his eyes. "I love you too, Harry." and without another word she leaned into Harry's embrace and kissed him.
Standing next to the lake, Harry and Hermione shared their first kiss as the sun finally rose fully above Hogwarts, bathing them both in its warmth as Hedwig watched from a branch in a nearby tree. When they finally pulled apart, they both had huge smiles on their faces. Their thoughts were both jumbled with emotions but one thing stood out above the all others, no other words were necessary. It was simply magical.
Harry didn't even realize that he had tears flowing down his cheeks until Hermione reached up and brushed a few away with her thumb while cupping his face. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, Hermione. It's just that you are the first person that I can remember telling me that you love me. I am sure that my parents said it, but I don't remember them. Thank you. Hearing that from you means more to me than I could ever begin to explain."
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione whispered as she pulled him into her arms and hugged him hard. "I've been in love with you for ages, I just didn't put it all together until recently, but from now on I'll make sure that you will always know that I love you." She declared.
Hearing Hermione's declaration of love caused him to hug her a bit tighter while thinking about how much he loved her too. While he was holding her, Harry began to feel his magic roaring through his veins like never before. The feeling was amazing and he instinctively knew that it tied into his love for Hermione.
What Harry was unaware of was that Hermione's magic was reacting with his. She could feel the power radiating from Harry as his emotions washed through him. It was almost intoxicating and she discovered that she had never felt better. Her magic seemed to be pulsing in time with the surges from Harry.
Neither of them noticed the flare of magic around them because of the sunlight that was shining down on them from above the castle turrets. Without a conscious thought, they both pulled back enough from their embrace to share another kiss. This time however, they both felt the pulse of magic while they kissed.
"Did you feel that, Harry?" Hermione asked with a blush on her cheeks.
"Wow! I don't know what that was but it was amazing! I have never felt my magic like that before. It felt alive, like it had finally found something that it was missing." Harry said with a wistful expression on his face. "What did you feel Hermione?"
"It was incredible." Hermione whispered in a reverent tone. "My magic has been reacting strongly around you for the past month or so but this felt different. I felt safe, content, and loved, almost as if I was coming home. I can still feel your magic surrounding us. I'm not sure what it is but it feels right, there is something else but I can't seem to put it into words." Hermione's eyes went unfocused as Harry watched her sort through her thoughts and feelings. As she closed her eyes, a smile spread across her face and Hermione proved why she was the smartest witch of her generation. "It's love, Harry! I can feel it if I concentrate on the magic." She cried out as she opened her eyes to gaze at him.
Harry concentrated on the feeling of magic around them as she had done. "I can feel it too! There is something else though. It's almost as if were connected somehow. If I focus enough, I can feel your magic mixing with mine. What does that mean though?"
They were both startled from their thoughts by two simultaneous pops as Dobby and Winky arrived. Both elves looked deliriously happy for some reason. Then without warning, they launched themselves into Harry's legs hugging him and then just as quickly they repeated the process with Hermione. The two tiny elves were practically bouncing up and down in their excitement.
Harry asked, "What's going on?"
"Master Harry doesn't know?" Winky asked tentatively. Both Harry and Hermione shook their heads no, so Winky continued with a smile on her face. "You have bonded! We could feel it so we came right away to see Master Harry and Mistress Mione. Dobby was nodding his head vigorously in agreement with Winky.
"What? How?" Harry asked as he unconsciously pulled Hermione closer to him.
To Harry's surprise it was Hermione who answered the question. "Of course!" she beamed as she figured out what had happened between them. Then as the ramifications of the bond set in, Hermione paled considerably, "Oh, Oh, Oh!"
Fearing that Hermione might start hyperventilating, Harry quickly led her back to the boulder and pulled her onto his lap while rubbing her back. After a few moments, and a glass of water for Hermione courtesy of Dobby, he asked, "Um, could you please explain the bond to me?"
She shifted in his lap so she could look into his eyes as she told him the details about the bonding. "Harry, bonded couples are really rare. Our magic is very compatible and we are now connected magically." Fresh tears began spilling from Hermione's eyes and she wrapped Harry into a hug as she sobbed. "Oh, Harry! I am so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen."
Confused, Harry held her until her sobs stopped before he asked, "What's so bad about this? We both love each other right?" Feeling her nod yes in his shoulder, Harry continued, "I can't really picture anyone else in my life like this except you. You accept me for me and I love you that much more because of that. You also make me want to be a better person."
"Oh Harry! You don't understand, do you? We are married in the eyes of magic. This is very old magic in its purest form, and it's permanent."
Harry sat there completely stunned. He was married at fourteen! As he sat there, thinking things through, he concluded there really was not anyone else he could see himself with in his life. "Hermione, are you okay with this?"
She nodded yes, as she continued to cling to him tightly.
Very carefully, Harry stood Hermione up before dropping to one knee in front of her. Her eyes became as large as saucers as she realized what he was about to do. "Hermione Jean Granger, will you marry me?"
"Yes!" Hermione cried as she pulled Harry to his feet, melted into his embrace, and kissed him, pouring all of her love into the kiss.
The surge of magic from this kiss was much stronger than the last one. They discovered that they could now sense each other's emotions easily if they concentrated on their bond.
When they finally separated from their kiss, they were both smiling with tears in their eyes. Dobby and Winky were still standing there both weeping tears of joy.
"Dobby, Winky; do you mind if we have some time alone? We'll call you if we need something." Harry promised the elves.
With a quick nod, both elves disappeared with a pop.
Harry held out his hand to Hermione and with a smile she slipped her hand into his and they set off for a walk around the lake. After a few minutes of companionable silence Hermione asked, "What are we going to tell my parents, Sirius, & Remus?"
"The truth." Harry said simply. "But I think that we should tell them in person. It is going to be very hard on all of them, especially your parents. Is there a book that would help explain the bonding?"
"Of course, I can have Dobby or Winky pick up a copy of the book and we can give it to them during the holidays."
Stopping on the far side of the lake Harry turned to Hermione and said, "I love you, Mrs. Potter." as he leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss.
"I love you too, Mr. Potter." Hermione said beaming back at him.
After a few moments staring into each other's eyes Hermione said, "We had better head on up to the castle so you can grab a bite to eat before the first task."
The newlyweds walked back up to the castle hand in hand. For once in his life, Harry felt like fate had finally favored him and he turned his head to Hermione with the biggest smile on his face that she had ever seen him wear. The warmth and love that radiated off Harry caused her to blush and smile back at him just as intensely.
Chapter 7: The first task.
Harry and Hermione managed to slip into the Great Hall for breakfast before most of the students were even awake. After eating a light meal, they headed up to Gryffindor Tower so Harry could change into his tournament robes that Winky had made specifically for the contest.
The robes turned out beautifully and Harry was very impressed with Winky's sewing skills. The robes were black with the gold and red colors of Gryffindor on the trim. His Quidditch number and name stitched in red with a gold border on the back. What surprised Harry was what he assumed to be the Potter Crest on the left breast pocket of his robes. The Hogwarts and Gryffindor House Crests were on his shoulders. Overall, Harry was very pleased with the new robes.
Once he was dressed he strapped his wand into the built in wand holster in the left sleeve and his potions knife went into his right. Harry may not have felt comfortable around Professor Moody but the man did have a point, "Constance Vigilance!" and he was definitely going into a very dangerous situation. Harry figured that it was better safe than sorry. When he was finished strapping on all of his gear, he headed down to the common room to meet Hermione before they headed off to the Champions Tent.
"Your robes look really good Harry." Hermione said while motioning for him to spin around so that she could see the back too.
"Thanks. Winky did a nice job on them. I've never seen the Potter Crest before." Harry said as he ran his fingers across the emblem.
"What are they made out of?" Hermione queried as she fingered the material. "It feels pretty durable. Is it heavy?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders in thought, "They are heavier than my regular Quidditch robes, but much easier to move around in." He motioned to the higher cut sides and tighter fit on the chest and shoulders to illustrate his point. Pausing for a moment as he pulled Hermione into the corner of the common room Harry called out; "Winky. Dobby."
With a twin set of pops, both elves appeared before them. They were both wearing new uniforms with the Potter Crest emblazoned on the left pocket. Dobby was also wearing a pair of mismatched socks in addition to his uniform that made Harry smile. "What can we do for you Master Harry?" asked Winky.
"These robes are great. You did a wonderful job on them. Your new uniforms look good too." Harry said enthusiastically.
Winky blushed scarlet to the tips of her ears at the praise from her master. "Dobby helped to Master Harry."
"Thank you Dobby." Harry said while Dobby gave him a big smile.
Hermione sat down on the floor next to Harry and grasped his hand in hers while shooting him a shy smile. Turning back to the elves, she asked; "What kind of robes are these? Are they magical?"
"Oh yes, Miss Mione! We put many charms on them. They are dueling robes." Harry was smiling at the elves new name for Hermione while listening to Winkys' description. "They are spelled to be stronger than regular robes and they will keep Master Harry comfortable no matter the weather." Winky said excitedly.
"Wow! Thank you both very much. Could you do something like this for Hermione too?"
Seeing a sheepish grin on Dobby's face Harry knew that the elves were already a step ahead of him.
"We have already started on all of your clothes and we should be done today." With a snap of his fingers, Dobby was holding one of Hermione's cloaks for her. "Please Miss, this cloak is already finished."
"Thank you, Dobby and Winky. You are both very kind to us." Hermione said to the elves as she put on the offered cloak.
As they stood up to go they both waved goodbye to the elves while thanking them again, leaving behind two very happy Potter elves to go about their day.
Just as they were about to open the portrait hole Neville caught up to them. "Harry, Hermione! Do you mind if I walk down with you to the first task?"
"Of course, Neville. Could you also save me a seat in the stands? I want to escort Harry into the Champions Tent?"
"Sure." Neville said with a smile as the three of them chatted amiably during their trek to the enclosure for the first task.
The closer they got to the tent the more nervous and tense Harry became. By the time, they entered the tent, Harry was no longer talking, and his palms were sweating terribly. Not knowing what else to do, Hermione pulled him into his designated area of the tent. She gave him a hug while rubbing his back and whispering words of comfort in his ear. "It's okay to be nervous Harry but I know that you can do this." When she felt Harry's shoulders relax a bit she pulled back enough to give him a kiss.
Just as they were deepening the kiss there was a bright flash accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a camera taking a picture. They immediately broke apart and Harry stepped forward to place himself between Hermione and the person that had taken the photo.
Stepping towards the couple, Rita Skeeter had a sickly sweet smile on her face. "Ah, young love. And who is your little girlfriend Harry?" Her quick quotes quill was moving furiously across the notepad in her hand while she gazed hungrily at the pair of teenagers.
Before either Harry or Hermione could reply, another figure stepped in between them and Rita. To their surprise, it was Viktor Krum. "You are not welcome here. This tent is for Champions and friends." Viktor said to Rita and then he turned and gave Hermione and Harry a small smile before returning to his area of the tent, scowling at Rita Skeeter and her photographer, Bozo.
Rita's quill was moving even faster across the notepad now and Harry was dreading the article that he was sure would be in tomorrow's Daily Prophet. Before the situation could deteriorate further, Dumbledore walked into the tent followed by Barty Crouch, Ludo Bagman, Igor Karkaroff, and Madam Maxine.
Albus Dumbledore paused for a moment as he entered the tent, taking in the scene in front of him. He was not surprised to see Rita Skeeter there. What did catch him off guard was how close Harry and Hermione were standing to each other while glaring at Rita. None of this showed on his face as he strode to the middle of the room while motioning to all of the champions to join him. "Miss Granger, would you please go join your classmates. The first task will be starting shortly."
Hermione nodded in acceptance of Dumbledore's demands. She gave Harry a quick hug and a whispered message before departing. "Now then, Mr. Crouch will explain the task to everyone and then we can get started. Dumbledore said with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes.
By the time Mr. Crouch was finished with his instructions, Harry found his nervousness returning. He was going to be the final participant for the day and he had drawn the meanest dragon of the lot, the Hungarian Horntail. Trying to calm himself down, Harry focused on his bond with Hermione. He could feel her nervousness but also her strong belief that he would succeed in the task. Taking a deep breath, Harry drew strength from Hermione's belief and love in him. Albus Dumbledore had been watching Harry out of the corner of his eye when he noticed a change in his body language. The nervous stance from a few moments ago was gone and in its place was a tense, but determined posture. Turning his gaze upon Harry fully, Dumbledore noticed the robes that he was wearing. The Potter Crest was plainly visible along with the Gryffindor and Hogwarts Crests on his shoulders. He recognized the high quality dueling robes and he figured that Sirius Black had obtained them for Harry. The question was how did he get them to him? Harry had not received any packages via Owl Post that Dumbledore was aware. Nor had he met up with Remus during the last Hogsmeade weekend.
Pondering the mystery that was Harry Potter, Albus decided that he would need to keep a closer eye on the boy from now on, as he made his way out of the tent towards the judge's box.
Forty-five agonizing minutes later, it was finally Harry's turn to face a dragon. He cautiously stepped into the enclosure so as not to startle it. His first reaction upon seeing this particularly large beast was shock. This really drove home the point of how dangerous the tournament was and that someone really wanted him dead.
Shaking off his momentary shock, Harry slowly edged into the enclosure to better survey his options. He noticed that the noise from the crowd was agitating the already irritated dragon.
"Great." Harry muttered to himself. The last thing that he wanted was an irritated, nesting, dragon. He brought his wand up slowly and quietly intoned "Accio Golden Egg." Nothing happened. The egg must have been charmed against summoning. Not willing to change tactics just yet, Harry took careful aim and sent a quick "Finite Incantatem." at the golden egg.
The dragon bristled as it felt a second spell flash by her. Her protective instincts reared up and she spread her wings and roared at Harry before unleashing a huge ball of fire right at him. The speed of the fireball startled Harry so badly that he barely made it to safety by diving behind a large boulder. The flash of heat was intense, he felt like his face, and hands were sunburned. Doing his best to ignore the heat, Harry crept to another rock while staying low to the ground.
Peering around the edge of the boulder, Harry saw that the dragon was still watching the spot where he had been. Taking careful aim, he whispered "Accio Golden Egg!" To his complete surprise, the egg flew directly into his hands. Unfortunately, the Horntail's keen eyesight caught the flash of movement as the egg zoomed out of the nest.
With a roar of rage, she sent another burst of flames at the thief and began stalking towards her prey. When the fireball had dissipated, the dragon whipped her, spiked, tail towards his hiding spot.
Harry had barely managed to avoid the second blast of fire and he now realized that there was an enraged dragon between him and the exit from the enclosure. He never saw the spiked tail sweeping towards him from the side until it was too late. His shoulder exploded in pain when as he was tossed clear across the arena. Getting shakily to his feet, Harry thought that he was really in trouble now.
The dragon had murder in its eyes and it was making its way towards him. "Accio Firebolt!" Harry yelled as he began to shuffle backwards, never taking his eyes off the dragon. Fortunately for Harry the chain around the dragon's neck prevented it from coming any closer. However, its tail could still reach him and it was doing its best to smash him into a pulp.
He dove behind another rock to give him some cover from the dragon's tail. The dragon roared in fury and lunged towards his hiding place. The chain pulled taught for a second before there was a loud metallic snap. Realizing that the dragon had broken free of its bonds, Harry prepared to dart out from his now compromised position.
Just as he was about to make his mad dash, his Firebolt came zooming into the enclosure. Without missing a step, Harry jumped onto the broom and rocketed into the air as fast as his broom would go.
With another loud roar, the dragon launched itself into the air in pursuit of her prey. Harry heard the roar of the dragon and he chanced a glance behind him. Gaining on him quickly was an enraged Horntail. He knew that he could not reach the Forbidden Forrest before he the dragon caught up to him and there were no clouds in the sky for him to shake his pursuer. That meant that he had to head for the castle.
Pulling his broom into a sharp turn, Harry realized that he was more mobile but not faster than the Horntail. The dragon screeched in frustration as it shot past him. Harry put on a burst of speed and dove towards the bridge that connected the castle to the surrounding hillside.
The dragon had recovered from overshooting its mark and was diving to catch up with him. Harry briefly wondered where the dragon keepers were. He was beginning to feel the effects from the wound in his shoulder. It was getting difficult to hang onto the broom with his left hand. Blood was running down his arm and making his hand, and the broom handle, slick. Knowing that he was running out of strength fast, Harry had to end this insane chase or he would end up dead.
The stone archways of the bridge were looming in front of him and he knew that it was now or never if he wanted to survive this encounter. Pushing his Firebolt for more speed, Harry dove at the bridge, willing the dragon to follow closer. He pulled up just feet from the bridge and darted towards the castle. In his weakened state, Harry could not get the tail end of his broom level in time and it clipped the walkway. The impact knocked him off his broom head over heels.
There was a mighty crash behind him and stone flew up in every direction. The dragon had been unable to pull out of the dive and had crashed into the bridge too. It was making a horrible wailing noise as Harry pulled himself to a sitting position. Cradling his injured arm, he cautiously stood up to face the dragon.
Even though the Horntail had been trying to kill him, Harry felt sympathy for the beast. It had only been trying to protect her eggs. The dragon had two obviously broken wings and that was very bad. Harry remembered learning about Norbert from Hagrid and some other facts from the book that Moody had recommended, "Dancing with Dragons." He knew that the injuries were fatal. A dragon would not let anyone close enough to attempt to fix its wings and they were not the type of creature that could adjust to such a severe injury.
Sighing in resignation, Harry prepared himself for an unpleasant task. He could see the agony in the Dragon's eyes. It had stopped wailing and now had laid its head down on the damaged walkway, accepting its fate. It barely moved as Harry walked into its field of vision.
Pulling out his sliver potions dagger, Harry set it on the ground in front of him. He gave his wand a sharp jab towards the knife and said "Engorgio." When the knife had grown to just over six feet in length and four inches in width, he canceled the spell.
Pausing a moment to gather himself; Harry looked into the dragon's eyes. Holding its gaze, Harry said, "I'm so sorry."
With a quick swish and flick of his wand, he levitated the knife turned sword above the dragons head. Harry hesitated for a moment before he made a quick slashing movement straight down, banishing the blade as hard as he could directly at the dragons head. The sound of the blade piercing the dragon's skull and driving deep into the stone was like a physical blow to Harry.
He sank to his knees in front of the dead beasts face. Sobbing, Harry cried out in a strangled voice, "I'm so sorry." before slinking into unconsciousness from his injuries and exhaustion. He awoke a short time later lying in a puddle of blood, his own and the dragons. Struggling into a sitting position, he began to take stock of his situation.
Harry knew that he needed medical attention soon. His shoulder was still bleeding and he was sure that he had some other injures as well. Summoning his broom to him, he climbed on and took off towards the Champions Tent.
As he crested, the hill and the stands came into view he realized that someone must have spotted him because he could hear the noise from the crowd getting louder. Harry landed roughly next to the Champions Tent where he met Madam Poppy Pomfrey, Professor McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, and the rest of the judges. Looking around the gathering crowd he croaked out; "Where's Hermione?" before he collapsed into a heap at their feet.
The teachers were shocked at Harry's appearance. He was covered in blood, and not all of it his own. Professor McGonagall's stern façade cracked as Harry collapsed. Madam Poppy Pomfrey immediately began checking over his injuries.
With a quick flick of her wrist, Minerva McGonagall conjured some privacy screens around them. Assuring herself that Madam Poppy Pomfrey had things under control, she swept out of the enclosure to locate Ms. Granger, only to see her running towards her with tears in her eyes and Remus Lupin not far behind.
Hermione had been a nervous wreck when Harry had flown off with the dragon in hot pursuit. She was furious when the dragon handlers were unprepared. They did not have any brooms standing by to pursue the dragon. Her worries grew the longer Harry was gone. When she saw him flying towards the Champions Tent she felt a wave of relief wash through her. That quickly turned to fear when Harry collapsed upon his return. Breaking into a run, she headed towards him as fast as she could, hoping that he would be all right.
Professor McGonagall moved to intercept the obviously upset witch. "Ms. Granger." She called out while stepping directly into Hermione's path. She was completely surprised when Hermione did not even slow down, she just ran around her and into the screened off area where Harry was being treated. Before she could turn around Remus Lupin was standing in front of her motioning into the enclosure. "Remus?" she asked in surprise.
"I'm going in Minerva." Remus said as he stepped by, leaving her to follow him inside.
Hermione paled at the scene in front of her. Harry was unconscious and covered in blood. Madam Poppy Pomfrey was pouring potions into the wound on his shoulder while muttering a healing charm. Hermione was hugging herself and rocking back and forth while Professor Dumbledore looked on in silence.
Remus stepped up to Hermione and pulled her into a hug. She flinched at the initial contact in surprise before breaking down in silent sobs in his arms, never taking her eyes off Harry's prone form.
Madam Poppy Pomfrey was working as fast as she could on Harry's wound. He had lost a lot of blood and his shoulder was dislocated. She would worry about the joint once she had Mr. Potter out of immediate danger. The potion was making the wound hiss and pop as it cleaned out the debris. While the potion was doing its job, she began pouring a blood restorative potion down his throat. Satisfied that the potion was working she turned her attention back to the still bleeding gash. When the cleansing potion was finished working Poppy began closing the wound. Mr. Potter was going to have a large scar to remember this task afterwards. Wounds from a dragon were magical and very hard to heal without scarring.
Not as happy as she could have been with the results, there was a long ropey purple scar on his left shoulder; at least the wound had closed. With a sigh, she turned her attention to the dislocated joint. With a wave of her wand, there was a loud snap as Mr. Potter's shoulder popped back into place.
Taking a moment to survey the unconscious boy in front of her, Poppy Pomfrey sighed in relief. Harry had lost a lot of blood but he would pull through just fine. Turning to face Professor Dumbledore, she was surprised to see Remus Lupin and Hermione Granger standing next to Minerva. "He is going to be fine. He will be a bit sore for a few days and should take it easy. I'm ready to move him to the hospital wing now."
Hermione stepped forward and grasped Harry's right hand while he was being levitated onto a stretcher. She was silent during the walk up to the castle, never letting go of his hand. When they had neared the stands, the reporters were shouting questions out to Madam Poppy Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore. Ignoring the reporters, Hermione noticed that the headmaster stayed behind to answer some of their questions while Remus followed them up to the castle looking relieved.
Once Harry was on a bed, Madam Poppy Pomfrey cleaned him up and dressed him in a fresh gown. Harry was still a bit pale but the color was slowly returning to his face. Hermione took a seat in the chair adjacent to Harry's bed and laid her head down next to his right hand and began to cry as her emotions finally caught up to her.
She must have fallen asleep because she awoke to a hand stroking her hair. Look up she felt a wave of relief flow through her as she realized that it was Harry running his fingers through her hair. "Harry?" Hermione called with a hitch in her voice.
With a nod and a small smile, Harry motioned with his good arm for her to give him a hug. Feeling Hermione shaking while she hugged him, he gently rubbed her back until she was able to compose herself. "Hey. Its okay; Hermione. It's over now." Harry said softly.
She leaned back grasping his hand again and gave him a watery smile. "I was so scared when the dragon broke free and chased after you. What happened?"
Before Harry could answer her question, Albus Dumbledore strode up to them and said, "Indeed, Miss Granger. We are all wondering the same thing."
Harry gazed up at Dumbledore, annoyed that he had interrupted his time with Hermione. However, he also understood that he would have to give the headmaster an explanation eventually. With an audible sigh, Harry began retelling the details of his ordeal.
Dumbledore remained quiet while Harry recounted his adventure. He noticed that Harry held onto Miss Granger's hand and that she would occasionally rub his forearm during a difficult part of his story. "What happened to the dragon Harry?" Dumbledore asked. He knew that the dragon was dead but he wanted the details of how.
Harry looked to Hermione and she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze while pushing feelings of love and support through their bond. He gave her a brief smile and turned his attention back to the headmaster. "It's dead sir." Harry stated in a flat tone of voice.
Hermione, Remus, and Madam Poppy Pomfrey all gasped but Dumbledore nodded his head as if confirming a fact. "And how did the dragon die Harry?" his tone of voice held a hint of regret at the loss of life.
Harry was annoyed and sympathetic with Dumbledore at the same time. He understood that a magnificent beast had died, by his own hand even, but he was slightly angry because it felt like the headmaster was accusing him of killing the dragon for no good reason.
"I didn't have a choice sir." Harry said with a hint of regret tinged with annoyance in his voice.
"There is always a choice Harry. Why didn't you just run away?" Dumbledore pressed.
Hermione felt the flash of outrage, fury, and disbelief come from Harry. His face only showed a look of regret but she knew that Harry really did not want to slay the dragon at all. Before she could say anything to the headmaster in his defense, Remus Lupin spoke up.
"Albus! Harry's health is our main concern here, not why he did not run away. Did it ever occur to you that maybe Harry didn't really have any other choice?" Remus said in a slightly enraged tone.
Harry and Hermione each gave Remus a small nod of thanks before turning their attention back to the exasperating headmaster.
"Remus, you know that there are always choices and this situation is no different. Mr. Potter could have spared the dragons life instead of taking the easy path." Dumbledore spoke with a slightly holier than thou attitude.
"EASY!" Harry roared, sitting up straight in the hospital bed glaring in disbelief at the old man in front of him. "That was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do in my life! The dragon was dying in front of me. Both of its wings were badly broken from crashing into the bridge. She was keening in pain and in the end she just put her head down on the ground and whimpered."
Harry paused to wipe away the tears that had com unbidden to his eyes. Continuing in a voice just above a whisper Harry said, "I did it to end her suffering. She was only protecting her eggs for your stupid tournament! Do you even care that I almost died or are you more worried about the fact that I had to kill the dragon?"
Exhausted, Harry sunk back into the bed and turned away from Dumbledore. Silent sobs wracking his body. Hermione shot the headmaster a furious glare before pulling Harry into a loving hug.
"Perhaps you should leave, Albus." Minerva McGonagall said from behind everyone. She had entered the hospital wing in time to hear Remus rebuke her superior. She was a little bit appalled at Albus' behavior towards Mr. Potter since this entire fiasco of a tournament began.
With a sigh, Albus Dumbledore nodded to the professor and swept out of the hospital wing, closing the doors behind him as he left.
Chapter 8: The parting.
"Mr. Potter, are you feeling better?" asked Minerva once she had seated herself in the newly vacated chair. She saw him nod his head yes, so she felt that it was safe to continue. "Do you want to know your scores from the task or would you like to rest for a while?"
Harry whispered something to Hermione before sitting up to face his Head of House. "Not really, but you may as well tell me how everyone did. However, can you tell me what will happen to the dragon's body first?"
"I believe that Charlie Weasley is taking care of the arrangements and he mentioned needing to ask you something about that before he leaves. You are currently in second place in the tournament just behind Mr. Diggory. Even though you completed the task first, some of the judges felt that you didn't deserve full marks because you were injured." Professor McGonagall spoke softly with a hint of displeasure towards the judges in her voice.
"Thank you, professor. Is that all?" Harry said to her while nodding towards the door where Dumbledore had just exited through.
Professor McGonagall understood both of his meanings. Feeling that her business was finished here, she rose from her chair to head back to the Gryffindor Tower to let everyone know that Harry would be all right. "You're welcome Harry. Remus, Hermione; take all the time you need in here. I'll inform Madam Poppy Pomfrey that you are allowed to be here Hermione."
"Thank you, professor." Hermione replied from her spot on Harry's bed.
Remus got up and patted Harry's foot before following his former co-worker the nurse's office for a chat.
Hermione turned to face Harry on the bed and looked into his eyes. She could see how tired he was but she also noticed the sadness in his eyes. The first task had required much more than just bravery and quick thinking for him. It had cost Harry more of his innocence as well.
She reached a hand up and cupped his cheek while looking into his eyes. "I'm so proud of you Harry. You did the right thing. No animal deserves to suffer like that." She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his mouth.
Misty eyed, Harry smiled at her and said; "Thank you."
They looked up at the sound of the doors to the hospital wing opening and they noticed a young, stocky but muscular, man with a shock of red hair striding towards them with a somber look on his face.
Charlie Weasley had heard about Harry Potter from his family. He knew that the young witch holding his hand must be Hermione Granger. Reaching out his hand to them, he said, "I'm Charlie Weasley. It's a pleasure to finally meet you both."
The first thing that came to Harry's mind when he shook Charlie's hand was that he took after Mr. Weasley in his temperament. Charlie's voice was a bit softer than he would have thought but it was flush with the assurances of a man at peace with his life. Harry shortly wondered if he would ever sound like that.
"Hello Charlie. This is my girlfriend, Hermione Granger. Thank you for coming to visit."
Hermione smiled at Charlie, and at Harry's introduction. "Pleased to meet you too Charlie. What can we do for you?"
Charlie hid his surprise at finding out about Harry and Hermione's relationship. He had thought that Ron and Hermione liked each other. Oh, well, he thought, he would figure that out later. "I came to talk with you about the dragon's remains and to apologize for not being better prepared when the Horntail got loose and attacked you."
Harry was not expecting this turn of events. 'What were you supposed to do with a dead dragon?' he thought. Turning to Hermione he said, "Could you ask Remus to join us please?"
With a nod yes, she got up from her perch on Harry's bed and went to fetch Remus. Her mind was trying to figure out why Charlie would be asking Harry about the Dragon's remains. Knocking on Madam Poppy Pomfreys door she asked "Mr. Lupin, Harry has a question that he needs you help with."
A flicker of comprehension appeared on Lupin's face before he excused himself and followed Hermione back to where Harry and Charlie were talking. "What can I help you with Harry?"
"Well, Charlie says that the Dragon Preserve is offering me the Horntail's remains as an apology for not being better prepared to help me."
Charlie nodded in the affirmative to Harry's statement while Remus' face had a look of deep thought. "Charlie, can your crew process the remains for anything useful?" Remus asked.
"We have already started doing that." Charlie replied.
Remus thought for a moment before formulating his next question. "Is there any part of the dragon that you need at the reservation?" He knew how valuable a dead dragon could be and how large of a gift that Harry was really being given, even if Harry did not fully grasp the situation.
"We could use some of the meat and blood. We already have plenty of hide in storage so that is all Harry's." Charlie said earnestly.
Remus turned to Harry and smiled as he spoke "Harry, dragon remains are very valuable. Almost every part of the dragon has some use in the magical world. Everything from potions ingredients, clothing, wand cores, and food, are worth harvesting from a dragon. Letting Charlie have most of the meat and about a third of the blood would more than cover the costs of processing everything for you."
"Okay. I can accept that. Is that alright with you Charlie?" Harry asked.
"Of course. That is more than enough. Thank you very much." Charlie said as his insides were dancing a jig as he thought 'The extra money from selling the blood and meat would really help. I may even have enough afterwards to finally be able to buy a home off of the preserve.'
"Do you mind handling everything else Remus? I don't think that I can really store any of those items here at school." Harry asked his pseudo uncle.
"Absolutely. I will make sure that everything is stored appropriately for you Harry. Charlie, I'll meet you down there in a bit." Remus said as he got up to hug Harry before heading out to prepare to move the dragon's remains. Whispering into Harry's ear he said, "Sirius and I are very proud of you. You did the right thing so don't let others tell you different. We'll store all of your proceeds at Padfoots for you."
Harry was a little misty eyed so he just nodded to Remus in thanks. Turning to face Charlie, he was surprised to see the redhead pulling out his potions knife.
"I thought that you might want this back." Charlie said simply while extending the blade to Harry hilt first.
"Thanks." Harry said after taking the knife and placing it on the nightstand next to his wand.
"That was a really good bit of transfiguration Harry. I'm glad that Ron told you about the dragons and that you were able to prepare yourself." Charlie said earnestly.
Unfortunately, Ron chose that exact moment to enter the hospital wing to apologize to Harry. "Hi Mate!" Ron said jovially as he walked up to Harry's hospital bed.
Before Ron could get another word out of his mouth Hermione exploded; "You knew about the dragons and you didn't say anything to Harry? How could you?"
Charlie was shocked and his confusion was evident on his face. When Ron made no move to deny the accusation, his expression turned grim. 'This is not going to end well.' Charlie thought.
"Well, it's not like Harry needed any help. He did just fine on his own. Right, Mate?" Ron said simply, proving just how thick he really was.
Faster than anyone realized she could move, Hermione stood up and slapped Ron as hard as she could while crying, "He could have died!" Tears were flowing silently down her cheeks in her rage.
Ron staggered backwards into Charlie from the force of the blow. His cheek already had a handprint that was turning an angry shade of red.
Charlie grabbed Ron, steadied him with a grip on his upper arms, and gently pulled him away from Hermione. He could see the tell tale signs of a Weasley meltdown by the red on the tips of Ron's ears.
Harry was furious. He realized that Ron had wanted him to fail so he could feel better about himself. In his anger, he did not notice the glass vials on the nightstand exploding. Harry looked at Ron and in a voice absolutely devoid of warmth he said, "Get out."
Madam Poppy Pomfrey had just stepped out of her office as Hermione slapped Ron. She was moving quickly to intervene when the glass vials near Harry exploded, stopping her in her tracks. The cold tone of his voice shocked her as she heard Mr. Potter order Ron Weasley out of the hospital wing.
Ron angrily pulled his arms out of his older brother's grasp and took a menacing step towards Hermione. He was so angry that he didn't even register what Harry had said to him.
Hermione recognized the look in Ron's eyes and she hastily stepped back while trying to pull her wand from her robes. Before she could bring her wand to bear, Ron's arm was already swinging towards her face. She steeled herself for the blow that she knew she could not avoid.
When Ron raised his arm towards Hermione, something in Harry snapped. His wand was suddenly in his hand and with a quick jab towards Ron; he banished him the length of the hospital wing. He only stopped flying through the air because he collided with the closed doors. With another flick of his wrist, Harry had Ron immobilized and summoned his wand into his open hand. Without pausing in his stride, he snapped Ron's wand and threw it contemptuously over his shoulder. Power was radiating from Harry and everyone in the hospital wing could feel it washing over them.
The power rolling off Harry surprised Madam Pomfrey too much for her to intervene on Ron's behalf. Her own wand hung limply from her fingers, as she stood transfixed to the spectacle unfolding in front of her.
Charlie was scrambling out of the chair that Ron had knocked him into when he felt the power of Harry's silent banishing charm fly past. He had never felt a spell with that much power before. In his daze, Charlie missed his chance to grab Harry as he swept by. He knew that Harry was a powerful wizard, killing a dragon was no easy feat, but when he felt the wave of Harry's magic wash over him he wondered 'Just how powerful was the Boy-Who-Lived.' His musings were cut short when he saw Harry lazily summon Ron's wand, and then snap it without a second thought. His earlier prediction that this would not end well was quickly coming true.
Hermione was in shock when she realized that Ron was going to hit her. Caught unprepared, she could not get her wand out of its holder in defense. As she prepared herself for the blow, she was surprised when it didn't come.
Then she felt it, Harry's emotions exploded through their bond. His anger was so great that it was almost suffocating. She never heard an incantation but she knew that Harry had stopped Ron from hitting her.