Chapter 17
The Real Fleur
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Harry was grateful to be able to join his friends for breakfast the following morning. Madam Pomfrey had wanted him to spend the night, which would have meant breakfast in bed, a hospital bed. Harry had managed to talk his way out of it, with a promise to stop by around noon for a final checkup. Ron hadn't been so lucky; Harry was sure it would only add to his foul mood, and so really wasn't looking forward to seeing him right away.
As Ginny sat down across from him and Hermione, he asked, "Seen Ron yet this morning?" Ginny just nodded yes, as she started filling her plate. "How's he doing?"
Ginny stopped buttering her toast and stared at Harry with one eyebrow raised, "Really Harry, you know him about as well as me... how do you think he's doing?"
Harry leaned back and nodded slightly, conceding the point. Then with half a smile, said, "Mad, I suppose."
Using her fork to point, first at Harry then Hermione, Ginny answered, "Right in one Harry, at the both of you."
"Me! What I do?" Hermione asked, a little indignantly.
Ginny shrugged her shoulders, "How should I know? Because you were there? Because you didn't drown... or maybe it's just because you didn't have to spend the night in the infirmary. It's Ron, so like I said, who knows."
"Well he better not start in on me... none of this was my doing," huffed Hermione.
"Did you get a chance to see any of the other hostages?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, they were all there except for Cho Chang, she got released last night." Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to remember something else. "Oh, Fleur was still there too… didn't look very good either, I doubt she'll get out today."
Hermione nodded, "How was her sister?"
"A lot better than Fleur. None of the others looked that bad really, not even my brother." Ginny answered lightly. Apparently, her sour mood from her visit with her brother was starting to fade. "Hey, when are you guys going to start running and ah… cal-lo-stin-tics again?"
Harry smiled while Hermione laughed a little.
"What?"
"Just surprised you're sticking with it, is all," Harry offered.
Hermione nodded in agreement, "And it's pronounced; calisthenics."
"Yeah, yeah, calisthen-tics, whatever. So do you think Viktor will be swimming again?"
"Only if he really is crazy," said Harry.
"A girl can hope."
Hermione laughed again, "Hope he's wearing his swimming outfit you mean."
The conversation never went any further, as Dumbledore chose that moment to make an announcement.
"Good morning everyone, if I may have your attention for just a few minutes," he started, "because of the commotion at the end of yesterday's task, final judging was delayed. Therefore, it is only now that I can give you the final results.
"Commotion, is that what he's calling it?" Hermione asked, disdain and anger clearly present in her voice. Dumbledore was obviously referring to Fleur's failed attempt to return to the lake.
After performing a perfect Bubble-Head Charm, and finishing the fourth challenge in the Triwizard Tournament with the fastest time, Mr. Cedric Diggory placed first with thirty-seven points for a total of one hundred and forty-two points, putting him in first place overall."
Cheering erupted at the Hufflepuff table.
"Yes yes, well done Mr. Diggory. Our next champion tied for the second fastest time, Mr. Harry Potter scored twenty-three points for a total of one hundred and thirty-eight, placing him in second place overall.
More cheering, this time from the Gryffindor table, but by now Harry was hardly paying attention; he was slowly becoming lost in thought. 'Why are they cheering? Don't they realize someone could have been hurt, that someone could have died? Do they have any idea how scared we all were?' When Dumbledore started talking about the last task, Harry began thinking about how he had felt... and about how he had imagined the others had felt, especially Fleur. However the more he thought about it, the more he focused on Hermione. She could have been hurt! Down there, in that dark abyss that was the bottom of the lake... she could have died. Harry realized now, why he'd been so scared. 'No... terrified,' he corrected himself. Harry turned and looked at Hermione, really looked. What would he do, if... he couldn't finish the thought, it was just too unimaginable.
Hermione glanced over and caught Harry staring at her. She started to smile, and an instant later stopped. She knew that look; scared, confused, but mostly it was a look of guilt. Now, safely back and with time to think, it was all catching up to him, 'He's blaming himself. He believes it's his fault that I was involved.' She knew he had been worried about her, and of course, she had been afraid for Harry's safety as well, probably as much as he had been for hers', even though he hadn't said anything yet.
"Harry, you did nothing wrong, and besides, they gave me a choice, and I chose to go."
"What? Why, you could have... you..."
"So could have you Harry, but you didn't... and neither did I." Hermione said softly as she pleaded with her eyes, begging him to understand. She needed him to see, that it was as much for her benefit as it was for his. She trusted him, believed in him; and she wanted him to know it, but with more than just words. She wanted to show him, like he had done for her so many times before.
"... and placing third was Viktor Krum. Although his time was identical to Mr. Potter's, in his attempt to rescue his hostage, he inadvertently injured him, resulting in a minor point deduction. Mr. Krum scored twenty points for the fourth challenge giving him a total of one hundred and thirty-five points, and placing him in third place overall. Unfortunately, Miss Fleur Delacour did not finish the task, however, after demonstrating a perfectly performed Bubble-Head Charm, and for sheer determination, she was awarded twenty points. As of this moment, she is in fourth place with a total of one hundred and twenty-six points." Dumbledore finished.
There was a light smattering of applause for both Viktor and Fleur, but Harry didn't notice, he was still looking at Hermione.
She had known the clues, and she had known the risks... yet she chose to be a hostage. She knew what I'd sorely miss the most. He had never told her, but she knew anyway, and trusted him to find her in time.
Harry slowly started to smile as understanding came to him. "Fine... but I'm still mad at Dumbledore for asking you in the first place."
Hermione smiled back, glad he'd come to terms with it. "Join the club Harry, I've been mad at him from the beginning, for involving you."
Before Dumbledore sat back down, he had one more thing to say, "And last, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank all the students who participated in the task by being a hostage for one of the champions. If the eight of you would please stand so we can all show our appreciation."
Harry looked around; Cedric had rescued Cho instead of a seventh-year girl named Maria something, an older friend of his. Fleur had left behind Roger Davis, her date to the Yule Ball and her sister Gabrielle. Although it was plain to see, she would have taken her sister if she'd been able. The odd one was Viktor. He had saved a younger boy named Petar and had left Alicia Spinnet behind. Harry would find out later, That Petar was the younger brother to Viktor's best friend back home. The last thing Harry noticed was that none of the hostages who were left behind, looked nearly as upset as Ron did.
oOoOo
As regular classes started back up the following Monday, things slowly returned to what passed as normal for Hogwarts. After a fun-filled two-hour lesson with Professor Snape down in the dungeon, Harry, Neville, and Hermione were in a hurry to get out of there. Rounding a corner a little too fast on their way to dinner, they ran into Fleur, and nearly knocked her down.
"Oi, I am sorry, I was not looking where I was going... excusez-moi." Fleur said quickly as she took half a step back.
Ron was angry with them again, and so had hung back with Dean and Lavender. Rounding the same corner were Harry and the rest were standing, he saw them talking to Fleur. He paused for a second as if he was going to say something, but then quickly hurried on, obviously angrier than before.
Harry and Hermione shared a quick look before turning their attention back to Fleur.
It had been a few days since the last task. Physically, Fleur was looking much better, but anyone who bothered to look more closely, could tell she was still troubled by recent events.
She still wasn't one of Harry's favorite people; she had yet to apologize for calling him a little boy and treating him like he didn't belong. However that didn't mean he was going to be rude to her, "No problem Fleur, we weren't being very carefully ourselves."
Fleur gave a curt nod and said thank you, and started to move on.
"Fleur wait!" Hermione called after her. In that brief encounter, she had seen something familiar in the older girl's eyes; loneliness, and a burden that threatened to crush her. Hermione walked back a few steps and gently took one of the Fleur hands. "Are you all right?" She asked with genuine concern.
At first, Fleur was taken aback, why was this girl even talking to her, yet alone being nice? She knew of Hermione, but mainly, she knew Hermione was Harry's best friend and now girlfriend; a boy she'd made fun of not that long ago. As much as she wanted to pull her hand free, and turn up her nose and say, 'of course I am you silly girl'... she couldn't. She glanced at the two boys who were watching them with curious interest, then turned back to the girl still holding her hand. "No, I am not, but what is one to do?" She finally answered softly.
Hermione bit her bottom lip, trying to think of something encouraging to say, without it sounding cliché.
"Miss Granger is it not?" Fleur asked.
Hermione nodded yes.
"Zank you, for your concern, Miss Granger."
"Hermione, please call me Hermione."
This time, Fleur nodded, "Vairy well... Eermione." Fleur started to leave again, when a thought occurred to her. Turning, she looked at Harry for a long moment. Then seemingly, as if he had passed some unspoken appraisal, she walked forward and stood in front of him.
"Meester Potter, I owe you an apology for my rude and disgraceful treatment of you earlier. Please forgive me," she said before bowing her head.
Now it was Harry's turn to look shocked. He took a quick peek at Hermione to see if she was as surprised, as he was. "Miss Delacour I...ah." Harry paused to gather his wits, "look, considering the circumstances back then, I don't think an apology is necessary, but thank you anyway."
"Au contraire Mr. Potter, bad beavior ees bad beavior, regardless of ze situation," Fleur stated with force, "and don't forget, since zen, you ave proven me wrong more zan once."
Harry glanced again at a smiling Hermione. "Very well, I accept your apology on one condition."
Fleur stood up straighter as a brow ticked upward with a little suspicion, "And zat would be?"
Harry stuck out his hand to shake, and said, "That you call me Harry."
After a brief look of surprise, the tension in Fleur's shoulders just seemed to evaporate, and she visibly relaxed. Reaching out, she gave Harry's hand a delicate shake and said, "I'd like zat."
Every since she'd come back from the lake, Fleur had distanced herself from everyone. Hermione had often seen her sitting alone during meals. Once a confident; to the point of arrogant, witch, she had shrunk into a mere fraction of her former self. Hermione felt drawn to her, to help her. She didn't know why. Maybe she saw a little of her old self in her, or 'maybe,' she thought, 'because none of her so-called friends are willing to try.' "Fleur, why don't you join us for dinner?"
Fleur looked around skeptically, "zat is vairy nice of you to offer, but I am not sure zat is so good an idea."
Hermione looked at Harry, asking for help with her eyes.
Harry understood immediately, and not needing an explanation, jumped in, "Not a good idea? It's a great idea... oh come on Fleur, you're not going to make a fellow champion beg... are you?"
Hermione and Neville both nodded in agreement.
Less than a half-hour later, after Fleur had finally relented, the small group sat down for dinner at their usual spot at the Gryffindor table.
It seemed at least half of the Gryffindors said hi, or had welcomed her to the table; a point that made not only Hermione proud of her house, but Professor McGonagall as well. The only one not happy with the newcomer at the table was Ron. He was still miffed at Harry for choosing Hermione over him, and now seeing Harry getting friendly with Fleur, a veela no less, only seemed to upset him more. He sat at the far end of the table with Lavender and Dean, and ignored anyone who chanced to look his way.
The topic of conversation around the table ranged, from what it was like to be the only female champion, to what it was like attending Beauxbaton Academy. Fleur was slowly loosening up, and for the first time in several weeks, she was actually enjoying herself. That all came to a crashing halt when Hermione accidentally stumbled upon what was really bothering her, Hermione had asked about her family.
Fleur immediately pulled back and tensed. Hermione berated herself for asking something so personal so soon. "I'm sorry Fleur, I didn't mean to pry... it's none of my business," Hermione said, hoping her tone would convey her sincerity.
Like a cornered cat, Fleur quickly glanced around the table as if expecting someone to accuse her of a hideous crime. Tense beyond belief, she was ready to bolt. However, after a moment that seemed to stretch forever, she calmed marginally and managed to look more carefully at those around her. She saw nothing but genuine concern from all of them. They were all younger than her, and her regular friends by at least a couple of years or more, yet in some ways they were more mature. It was slowly becoming obvious to her; that when one of them needed help, or even just a little support, the others rushed in to give it.
For a moment, she didn't quite know what to think of what she would later call her new younger friends. Instinctively, she knew she needed to tell somebody if she was ever going to feel better. Taking a leap of faith, Fleur decided to tell them what was causing her so much grief. She would trust them, and hope that her trust was not misplaced.
"Eemagine my surprise, when I learned I'd ave to swim to ze bottom of ze lake. Mon Dieu! I am part veela, we are creatures of aeer and feere. We fear ze water!" Fleur went on to explain a little more about being veela. How she hated the way the veela part of her affected both men and boys. "Eet makes eet so difficult to find someone who can be zereself around you." Fleur leaned over and whispered to Hermione that she didn't have to worry about Harry; he was unaffected by her charms. Hermione made a mental note to ask why later, and for that matter, why she even mentioned it.
Fleur then told them briefly about her home life and her parents. About how strict they were, and how protective her father was when it came to his two daughters. She told them how Gabrielle, her much younger sister cried herself to sleep after begging to be allowed to accompany her to Hogwarts; her parents had all but refused. They had cited the lack of supervision, and the dangers associated with the tournament. She told them how much she loved her little sister and couldn't stand to see her so upset, and how she had pleaded with her parents on Gabrielle's behalf, but to no avail. Fleur recounted how she had finally convinced them to let her go. Only after promising to watch out for her and to protector her at all cost, did they finally relent.
"And ze first time she is needing me... I fail her." Fleur finished with tears running down her face.
Harry watched as Hermione pulled Fleur into a gentle embrace and whispered something in her ear. Fleur nodded in understanding as she cried into Hermione's shoulder. Soon the pair was wrapped up in two more pairs of arms, as Ginny and Luna joined her in comforting the older witch. Harry was proud of his friends, and after a glance at Neville, Harry knew he was too.
Harry had misjudged the French witch. From his first encounter with her, she had come across as pompous and arrogant, too good to associate with others lesser than herself. He knew now that most of that was just an act, a defense mechanism. She normally only acted that way when she felt threatened. The wizarding world was already overly chauvinistic, and she was a witch competing in what had always been a wizard-dominated tournament. Harry would have to give that some thought, as well as maybe talk about it with Hermione to get her point of view.
Harry definitely had to give her credit. She was the top student at her school, and was a veela; no wonder she acted that way sometimes. The attention, both good and bad tended to get to you after a while. Harry thought he could relate to that all too well. Once you got to know her and she relaxed a little, she was actually quite nice and polite. Also, as far as Harry was concerned; the fact that she cared so deeply for her family, was a huge plus.
Things settled down again, and the conversation turned light. It would seem they had a new friend in their group, and Harry smiled at the thought.
As dinner was coming to a close, and students were getting ready to leave, Harry noticed Dumbledore stand and approached the podium, it appeared the drama for the night wasn't over yet.
"Good evening students," Dumbledore said. Smiling, he nodded to the assembly as the majority of the students responded in kind. "I see that you are almost finished with dessert, so I thought I would leave you with something to think about before you turn it." Having piqued their interest, Dumbledore went on, "The fifth and second to last task, our champions will have to face, is set to start on the twenty-eighth of April, and will finish a few days later when the last champion has returned to Hogwarts.
Hermione turned to Harry and mouthed, 'A few days?'
Harry just shrugged shoulders.
"Each champion will be given a Muggle backpack, filled with the things we feel will help them in the upcoming task. They will also be given a portkey that, at a predetermined time will transport them to a designated spot deep inside the Forbidden Forest."
Hermione didn't like the sound of this; Harry and the others would be far away from the safety of Hogwarts... and far away from her.
Dumbledore raised his hands to regain everyone's attention. "There is more, if you care to hear it?" … silence. "There is a rub. When the champions Portkey away, they will leave their wands behind."
This time, the noise level rose rapidly, as students competed to be heard. How will they perform magic? How will they survive in the forest without a wand? Were two of the most commonly heard questions.
"Silence!" Dumbledore all but roared. "There have been a great many times, when a witch or wizard has found himself in a situation where they could not, or at the very least, should not use magic." Dumbledore looked off in the distance whimsically, "It's a wonderful thing... magic. But far too often, it is taken for granted." Turning serious again, Dumbledore stared out at the students before continuing, "Our champions can, and will survive their trek through the Forbidden Forest as they make their way back home… even without magic." Gesturing wide with his hands, he smiled and said, "That is why we have made this announcement so early, and why we will give them their backpacks tonight. So they may learn to use the tools given." Dumbledore paused for a moment then, before stepped back away from the podium he finished, "Champions if you'd be so kind as to join me in the annex to claim your packs as soon as Professor McGonagall is finished."
McGonagall rose and replaced Dumbledore at the podium, "Thank you Headmaster. The third and final set of demonstrations is also coming up. It will deal with Transfiguration and Arithmancy, and will be held on Saturday the twenty-fifth. Unlike the previous two demonstrations where the participants were paired up, each demonstration will be done individually, or in other words, there will be no partners. Therefore, there will be twelve separate and unique demonstrations." After looking around to make sure she still had everyone's attention, she continued, "They should prove to be the most exciting ones yet. I hope all of you will attend." As McGonagall finished, she nodded to the Hall, "Thank you."
Harry was about to get up and follow the champions to the annex, when Hagrid approached.
"Ello Erry, Ermione."
"Hello Hagrid," Harry answered back with a smile. He had missed talking with Hagrid, with the tournament and all he hardly ever had any free time to visit.
"Erry, with the next task and all… well I just thought that maybe if you stopped by… I could tell ya some things about the forest that aint in a book, if you knows what I mean."
Hagrid had seemed a little nervous or maybe reluctant to offer any help. Harry didn't know if it was because he felt out of place trying to teach him something, or if he thought it might give him an unfair advantage. Either way, it was a bit disconcerting to see the half-giant fidget, so Harry wasted no time in answering him.
"Sure Hagrid, I'm sure you know lots of stuff about the forest that would be dead useful for the next task." Harry glanced at an eager Hermione, "Do you mind if Hermione comes with me?"
Hagrid relaxed a little and stopped shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Sure ya can, ya know you are both always welcome."
Hermione smiled, "Thanks Hagrid."
Harry looked up, the others were already gone, "Well I best hurry before Dumbledore gets mad."
Harry stood quickly and chased after the other champions, while Hermione watched him go with concern and worry already growing in her eyes.
Hagrid gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, "Don't you worry none Ermione, Harry a lot tougher than he looks. And a far better wizard than that other lot too I'd wager."
Sitting across from them, Neville and Ginny shared a glance, both thinking the same thing, 'Here we go again.'
oOoOo
Hermione sat in the common room, nervously tapping a quill against a blank piece of parchment. Admitting defeat, she closed her Transfiguration textbook; work on her demonstration would have to wait a little longer.
At the sound of the portrait hole opening, Hermione looked up. "At last," she sighed.
Harry spotted Hermione sitting at her favorite table and went straight to her. He knew, she'd want to talk, and he was happy to oblige. Sitting down across from her, Harry spotted the blank parchment. Raising one eyebrow, he asked, "Please tell me that's not my fault, you're not worried already are you?"
Hermione put the telltale parchment away. "Of course it's not your fault Harry... it's Dumbledore's," Hermione smirked, "and don't be a prat, you know I'll worry... at least till it's all over."
Harry reached across the table and took one of her hands in his. After a gentle squeeze, he looked her in the eye and said, "Sorry Hermione." Harry looked down at the table and shrugged his shoulders, "I guess I'd rather... well I rather see you happy, instead of worrying about me or this stupid tournament." A second later Harry sighed, "I hate what it's doing to you."
Hermione leaned across the table and gave Harry a gentle kiss, "That's sweet Harry, thank you." Hermione wrapped her other hand around their already joined ones, and with a soft smile went on, "Oh Harry, if it wasn't this tournament, I'd be worrying about you and that crazy broom you love so much, or whether you'd finished your homework or not. It's just me. It's how I am... I care about you, so I worry." A moment later, Hermione's smile grew and she continued, "That's not all I do you know? I can be happy too… like now."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," she confirmed softly.
Harry stared deep into her brown eyes, they were warm and caring, and he saw the truth. She was happy. After a second of silence, he said simply, "Yeah... I'm happy too."
Before the heat on her face could rise any further, Hermione pulled her hands free and gestured to the pack, "Well, let's have a look then."
Between the closeness, the handholding, and the subtle implied deeper meaning of happiness, the air had grown thick with emotion. Funny he thought, he could face a dragon, and she was as smart as they came, but despite their closeness, even in their new relationship, they both still had a little trouble talking about their feelings for each other. Now was not the time for such things anyway, it was obviously that Hermione felt the same way judging by how she quickly steered the conversation onto a new path.
Chuckling, Harry lifted the pack onto the table and began pulling items out one by one. "Right... well let's see," Harry said, as he glanced at Hermione. He smiled when he noticed her face had already started to return to its normal color. "A map and compass, I suppose I'll need them in order to find my way back. Some rope, a sheet of plastic, a candle, and a small blanket; could be handy." Harry paused, Hermione had opened the map and was already studying it. "Anything interesting?" He asked.
Hermione looked up, "Umm… oh, loads but will get back to it later. What else?"
Harry smiled, Hermione was in study mode, she was indeed happy. "Well...ah, a piece of flint and a steel striker," Harry looked up, "for starting fires I suppose." Then, after opening a small tin containing some fragile, blackish looking material, he said, "And this," Harry tilted the tin towards Hermione, "Dumbledore called it 'char cloth,' whatever that is."
Hermione leaned forward to examine the contents of the tin more carefully. "Hum, no idea, but don't worry, we'll figure it out." Hermione bit her lip as she thought for a moment, "Maybe Hagrid will know."
Harry nodded, "Yeah, maybe. We'll take it with us tomorrow when we go see him. Oh, we should take the map too. I'll bet he can point out some places that aren't even on it."
"That's a great idea," beamed Hermione, "after all, who knows the Dark Forest better than Hagrid."
Harry nodded before pulling out the last few items, "And one large knife, a small Muggle first-aid kit, and two canteens, oh, and just before we leave they're going to give us some food," Harry finished.
Hermione nodded while staring at the knife and hoping he wouldn't need to use it as a weapon. Shaking the thought off, she asked, "Can you take anything else, besides your wand I mean?"
"Just some clothes and toiletries," Harry answered. As he sat there watching Hermione, he knew there was more bothering her, "What is it Hermione?"
She looked up and saw the concern in his eyes. 'He's getting good at reading me,' she thought. After a moment of quiet, she sighed and said, "It's just that you're going to be so far away. You'll probably be far from the others as well. You'll be truly... alone. What if something happens?"
Harry smiled, "Well, I'll just Portkey back."
Hermione blinked, then smiled, "They are going to give you a two-way Portkey?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah, but we are only to use it in an emergency. Doing so disqualifies you, and you get a score of zero for the task."
"Still."
"Yeah, still better than nothing."
oOoOo
Harry had just come back from his morning run with Hermione, and was rummaging through his trunk looking for some clean clothes to take with him to the showers, when he heard someone quietly ask.
"Why her Harry?"
Harry hadn't expected anyone to be up yet. Turning, he looked around the room, Neville was already gone, and Dean and Seamus were still both asleep. It was Ron who had whispered the question. He was still in bed, propped up on one elbow staring back at him.
"Why did you leave me behind Harry?"
Harry mentally sighed, he really wasn't ready for this conversation yet, especially at this hour of the morning.
Since it was still early, and Harry didn't want to wake the other two sleeping boys, he quietly walked over and knelt down on one knee besides Ron's bed to talk. Harry started softly, "Ron, I'm sorry about that, I really am, but... I couldn't leave her." Ron stared back emotionless, and said nothing. "You know, I did try to take you too."
This seemed to get Ron's interest, and some of the hostility in his voice faded, "Yeah?"
"Yeah, but a mermaid stopped me. Said I could only take one." Harry paused a second, "It was a hard decision Ron, but like I said I couldn't leave her."
In fact, it was an easy decision, but Harry knew Ron would take it badly knowing that. Someday, in time when Ron was ready to hear it, he would level with him. He would tell him the real reasons, but for now, Harry was certain he wouldn't understand. Telling Ron the truth now would serve no purpose except to anger him more. If their friendship were ever going to recover, he would have to hold his tongue for now.
Ron looked down for a moment as if considering Harry's words. "You know, I really wasn't all that surprised. When you think about all that has happened since the start of term... I can see why." Ron stared at Harry, he seemed to be struggling with something inside, finally he said, "You made the right choice Harry. I don't know why I got mad... again, but that's my problem, and I'll figure it out." Ron looked down again, "Sorry mate."
Harry was surprised, he hadn't expected him to be this understanding… Perhaps he had underestimated him. Regardless of the reason, he was glad that Ron wasn't mad at him anymore. Harry smiled, "No worries," and as he stood back up, he added, "so, you going to join us for breakfast then?"
"Yeah Ron, why don't you join Harry for breakfast, that way the two of you can carry on like an old married couple, and the rest of us can get some more sleep," teased Seamus.
Ron ticked his head towards their grouchy dorm mate, and after Harry nodded with a smirk, they both fired a pillow at him. That of course woke Dean, who wasted no time getting into the action.
Harry quickly left for his badly needed shower as a three-way pillow fight broke out.
oOoOo
As Ron sat down to eat, Ginny and Hermione shared look, both thinking the same thing, apparently there had been some sort of reconciliation between Ron and Harry. The pattern was starting to get old. Harry would do something that Ron didn't like, and he'd get mad. Then after a while, Ron would apologize, or Harry would reason with him, and they'd start talking again. It did seem that Harry was growing less forgiving, but it was also obvious that he hadn't given up on trying to restore his old friendship with Ron.
Hermione wondered what had happened recently to cause the current change, but knew that Harry would tell her about it later. 'No use in risking a confrontation now,' she thought. Deciding on a different topic, Hermione asked, "So what's up with your brother Percy?"
"You mean Weatherby?" George butted in, stealing the question from his little brother.
Fred laughed, while Harry, Ron, and Neville smiled at the now infamous nickname Mr. Crouch had inadvertently given Percy. Ginny and Hermione just rolled their eyes at the boy's antics.
"Since they put him at the head table, you can hardly talk to him," Fred said.
"Yeah, as if his head wasn't big enough. Why that barmy old codger Crouch put him in charge, I'll never know," said George.
Harry looked around and then said, "That's just it... where is Mr. Crouch? Why is Weatherby… I mean Percy in charge?"
George snickered at his slip, while Hermione looked around completely ignoring it, "Good question Harry," she said.
Fred turned serious, "Ever since he lost his wife, he's been a little off."
"You know, we did talk briefly after the last task." Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, "Said he knew all about family and loss. At the time, I thought he was just trying to be nice… you know?"
Hermione slipped her hand into Harry's and laced their fingers together and gave a little squeeze. Any time Harry talked about his parents even indirectly, he tended to get a bit down. She hoped to ward that off this time.
Harry turned and smiled at her knowing she was thinking about his feelings. She was quick, and always the first to be there for him. Once again, he was glad she was by his side.
Hermione smiled back, happy it had worked.
oOoOo
It only took a couple of days to go over everything in Harry's pack and figure out what they were and how to use them. After that, Harry started practicing with them. He practiced making fires without magic or matches. He got familiar with the map and practice navigation using the compass. With Hermione's help, he practiced building a shelter using some of the other things in the pack. However, all that, really didn't take too long to get the hang of, so they ended up spending most of their time with the map. They studied it very carefully, taking note of unique landmarks for orientation, and marking out areas that might be hazardous.
Feeling better prepared for the fifth task than he had for any of the previous ones, Harry relaxed a little. He found he had enough time to not only keep up with his regular schoolwork, but he also had plenty of time for his additional studies with Ancient Runes.
"You know, I'm quite proud of the way you're keeping up with all the work," Hermione said one evening as she and Harry quietly worked on finishing an assignment. There was no doubt about it, Harry had changed. It could have been the tournament, but Hermione preferred to think that he was just growing up. Whatever the reason, Harry was taking not only school, but also his life, much more seriously, and she couldn't have been more proud of him.
Harry looked up from his halfway-completed essay and found Hermione staring at him. It was a new look for her, and Harry thought he rather liked it. "Thanks Hermione, but you know I would never have been able to do it without your help."
Hermione balked, "Oh, I don't know about that."
"It's true," Harry insisted.
"Still," Hermione countered.
Harry went back to work. A few moments later, without looking up, he said, "Well I didn't want to let anyone down."
Hermione of course already knew that, but she also knew he was probably referring to her. "You haven't," she said after a pause with a shy smile.
When Harry glanced back up, Hermione was already busy working again.
Chapter 18
To Know Hermione
.
One of the things Harry loved about his morning runs with Hermione was the quiet solitude. They already spent a great deal of time together, working, talking, and occasionally just relaxing in each other's arms... so they ran mostly in silence. It was nice to be together sometimes and not talk, but just enjoy the other person's presence. For Harry, it gave him time to think about the girl running next to him. He liked to imagine that she was probably thinking about him at the same time.
Today, he was thinking that Hermione's next demonstration was getting close. All his regular schoolwork was done, in fact he was a little ahead. He almost laughed out loud when he imagined what the look on Ron's face would be if he told him. Since it was Friday, he'd be done with classes after two o'clock, and then he'd have until Sunday night to help her. 'If she needs help, that is,' Harry thought.
Later as they were sitting down to breakfast, Harry asked, "Hermione, how's your next demo coming?"
Hermione scrunched her forehead as she answered, "Well, I've got all the problems solved except for two; one dealing with Arithmancy, and the other with Transfiguration."
Harry nodded as he thought about that for a second. "Either of them involve research? You know, like just looking things up?"
Hermione looked at Harry, wondering where this was going. "Actually yes, the Arithmancy problem. I'm trying to find the original solution to a rather nasty little equation."
Harry nodded again as he thought of a plan to help Hermione. "What if you concentrate on the Transfiguration problem, and let me do the research on the equation?"
"Harry, how are you going to do that? No offense, but you don't know much about the subject."
"True, but do I really need to?" At her confused look he went on, "look, write down the equation and what you already know, I'll start going through the books looking for anything that looks like what you may need. I don't have to understand it, to find it."
Hermione chewed her bottom lip, the way she did when she was thinking especially hard about something. Finally, after a minute she said, "No, I guess you don't, but what about your work?"
"All done. Actually, I'm ahead... so no problem."
Hermione's eyebrows inched upwards, "Really?" she asked skeptically.
Harry wiggled his eyebrows, "Yep, picked up this nasty habit from a friend of mine. Does come in dead useful at times though."
Hermione shook her head and laughed, "Prat."
"Yeah, but you still love me," Harry joked.
Hermione quickly changed the subject before her face gave her away, "Yes, well all right, I'll get you a copy of my notes after lunch."
Harry noticed both the yes and a quick change of subject, but didn't say anything else except, "Great! I'll get started right away. If you need me, I'll be in the library."
oOoOo
Following Harry's technique, Hermione decided to talk with one of her professors about her problem. Fortunately, for her, and unlike Harry's dealings with Snape, she happened to like this particular teacher. After a light knock, Hermione heard the unmistakable Scottish drawl of Professor McGonagall.
"Come in," was all she said.
Hermione pushed the door open and entered, "Good evening Professor, I hope I'm not bothering you."
"Of course not Miss Granger, please come in and have a seat."
"Thank you Professor," Hermione said, as she took one of the two seats next to a small table that faced each other. She decided she most definitely preferred McGonagall's office to that of Dumbledore's, it was far more inviting.
"Now, what can I do for you," McGonagall asked, as two cups of tea appeared on the table.
Getting right to business Hermione started, "Well Professor, as you know from my proposal, I'm trying to improve the Disillusionment Charm with Transfiguration. McGonagall nodded as she took a sip of her tea. "With a moving object, like say a person, there are only two ways to become invisible, or nearly invisible… That's the problem. With an enchanted item like say a cloak, you can still be heard or felt, even your scent can give you away. While it's true that with a Disillusionment Charm those types of things are also masked, the masking is not perfect. For example, if you move and someone is paying close attention, they will notice a slight ripple or distortion in the air, again giving you away."
As McGonagall sat her cup of tea down, she said, "I understand the limitations of both Miss Granger, but I fail to see how Transfiguration or Arithmancy applies, as both techniques fall squarely into the Charms category."
"By using both at the same time," Hermione said smiling.
McGonagall raised a brow, "I assume you are aware of what happens when you try to mix those two Charms."
"Yes Professor, both involve powerful magic and when used together… They tend to react badly," Hermione said.
"And you think there's a way to prevent that?" Asked McGonagall.
"I do," Hermione started, "you see, I started looking into what was causing the interaction, but ran into a wall. There doesn't appear to be a way to stop it." Hermione noticed the impatient look on her mentor's face, so hurried on with her explanation. "However, I also noticed that the reaction appears to be inversely proportional to the strength of the differential power of the two charms."
McGonagall thought for a moment before asking, "So, are you suggesting that if someone used a very powerful invisibility cloak, and a very weak Disillusionment Charm… The reaction would also be very weak?"
"Yes, exactly."
"Well I'm fairly sure the effect would also be fairly weak, so I fail to see the advantage."
Hermione's face lit up, "Exactly right Professor, but what if we could keep both at full power, and trick one or the other into believing or behaving as if it were much weaker?"
McGonagall was intrigued, "Go on."
"As you know, a charm can be perceived as weak, for two reasons; one, it is weak, or two, it's felt from a distance." Forgetting she was talking to a professor, Hermione went into full lecture mode. "It's the second reason that I'm interested in. The Charm feels weaker from a distance because of the 'Sphere of Influence' law; the influence of the Charm decreases by the square of the distance." McGonagall nodded as Hermione went on, "If it's an enchanted item and you shrink it, you shrink the sphere of influence as well."
McGonagall loved having intellectual conversations about theoretical magic. Unfortunately, she rarely got the chance as most adults lacked the intellect; never mind one of her students. "True, but anything outside that sphere will not be affected," she added.
"Agreed, but I believe with the right modifications, the properties of one Charm can be added to the other, as long as they are both in contact with each other." Hermione said excitedly before going on, "Modifying a Reducing Transfiguration Charm, to shrink the sphere of influence to an almost nonexistent size will eliminate any interference, and if done right, it will still transfer all of its properties at full strength."
McGonagall sat back in her chair as she thought about all Hermione had just said. After what seemed like ages, she nodded and said with a savvy smile, "unorthodox, but yes, I think you might be right," her smile turned serious as she continued, "but just what kind of modifications are you talking about, and how do you intend to apply them?"
Hermione sat her tea down and leaned forward, handing McGonagall a piece of parchment was several complicated arithmancy problems all worked out, except for one. "I have the theory worked out except for the last equation, I have Harry working on that," she said as an afterthought.
That got McGonagall's attention, "Harry? Harry Potter?"
Hermione simply nodded yes as she leaned back.
"Miss Granger, are you telling me that Harry is… well is capable of doing Arithmancy now?"
Hermione's face showed her surprise, "Oh no. I mean no he's not. He's just doing the research, ah, trying to find the original equation for me." McGonagall relaxed a little. "Although maybe he'll take…"
"Miss Granger," McGonagall said quickly, interrupting her favorite student, "let's see how he does with Ancient Ruins before starting him on Arithmancy."
Hermione saw the mirth in her eyes, and realized she had gotten slightly carried away. Turning a little red, she smiled and said, "Yes… Of course."
Returning to the main subject, McGonagall asked "So, after Harry finds the equation, then what?"
"Well, I'm fairly confident I can break it down and use only the parts I need."
"Then all you'll have to do is apply the changes to the Transfiguration."
"Yes, exactly… But I'm having trouble finding any reference to that type of modification. Hence my visit tonight." Hermione said in a hopeful tone.
"Well it's nice to know there are still some things you don't know, and that I can teach you," McGonagall half joked.
Hermione smiled at the indirect praise.
McGonagall got up and walked over to one of the many bookshelves around her office. After a brief search, she pulled a rather large tome from the shelf and returned to her seat. Before handing it to Hermione she asked, "Do you have any ideas as to where the answer may lie?"
Hermione sobered, "Well obviously in a more advanced course, maybe even in a mastery's course. As for the topic, I was thinking Interdimensional Transfiguration."
McGonagall raised a brow, clearly impressed, "I should have known you'd be aware of that particular obscure branch of Transfiguration, and you may very well be spot on. However, I think you may also find the answer in Trans-dimensional Transfiguration. Additionally, it has the advantage of being far easier to learn." McGonagall said, as she handed Hermione the book she'd been holding.
oOoOo
"Never thought I'd find you here," Neville said as he sat down across from Harry.
True, he didn't spend much time alone in the library, but he was spending more time here nowadays. Harry looked up to an amused look on his friends face. "What? I know how to read!" Harry smirked.
Neville returned his smirk, "Yeah, and I know how to fly a broom, but you don't see me playing Quidditch."
Harry laughed, "All right, if you must know, I'm helping Hermione."
Neville cocked his head a little confused, "Shouldn't that be the other way around?"
"Humm, does seem backwards, doesn't it," Harry mused while pretending to look deep in thought. "So what's got you in here then?"
Neville smiled shyly, and quickly glanced around making sure no one was listening. "I was wondering if you knew Luna's birthdate?"
Harry nodded slowly and leaned forward, "I see…"
Neville gave Harry a look that clearly said, 'Don't go there.'
Harry chuckled, "Okay fine… But I'm sorry mate, I don't know," at Neville's disappointed look he added, "tell you what though, I bet Hermione does, I'll ask her as soon as I see her."
Neville brightened up, "Thanks mate."
To Neville, it still felt kind of strange to call Harry 'mate', but times like these only seemed to reaffirm that Harry was indeed a good friend. He could have easily taken the mickey out of him for fancying Luna, but he didn't. Harry seem to understand him better than anyone else at school, and just accept him for who he was. He never gave him a hard time about being slow with magic; although he was getting better all the time, thanks to both Harry and Hermione. Nor did he give him any grief about liking the girl that most others called, 'Loony'; that alone, was enough for Neville to call Harry a good friend.
"So you need a hand?" Neville asked, "I've got about an hour free."
Harry thought for a second, then said easily, "Okay, sure." Pointing to an equation Hermione had written down on a piece of parchment for him, he added, "Try and see if you can find any reference to this." Then he handed Neville the next book from a tall stack sitting next to him.
oOoOo
Monday morning at breakfast while Hermione was going over the notes that Harry had given her on his findings for the elusive arithmancy equation, Harry watched as Cedric got up and walked over to where Viktor was sitting. After what appeared to be a short conversation, both then got up and walked over to join Fleur at her table. A moment later, the three of them rose and made their way towards him.
Hermione smile grew as she read the third to the last note, she was positive it was the solution to her last problem. Not only had Harry found a reference, but he had managed to find the entire solution to the original equation. Looking up, she beamed at Harry, "Harry! You did it, you found…" Her voice faded and her smile fell as she too noticed the trio approach.
Hearing Hermione's excited voice, Harry turned to look at her. Seeing her concerned look, he gave her a slight shake of his head with a raised brow.
Hermione nodded once in understanding; he didn't know what was going on either.
Neville watched their whole silent exchange, then shook his head and muttered, "Amazing."
Hermione's look of concern, was also noticed by the three champions as they arrived at the table. Victor looked mildly confused, not understanding what she had to be worried about, they weren't there to hurt Harry after all.
It was Cedric who spoke, "Harry, we were wondering if you had a few minutes? We like to talk about the next task… alone."
Harry looked at Hermione for a moment, then down at the notes she was still holding. He smiled, "Do you really think I found something that'll help?"
Hermione instantly relaxed and smiled back. She reached over and touched his hand, "Yes, I'm sure of it."
Even with all that was happening, he had been paying attention to her, and even now was putting her first. Hermione glanced over his shoulder for second before returning her gaze to him, reminding Harry of Cedric's request. "We'll talk about it later Harry, okay?"
Harry knew, the 'it' was a reference to both his notes, and his upcoming conversation. He gave her hand a quick squeeze, "Sure, meet you in class." Then Harry turned and stood, "So… What's up?"
As a group walked away, Fleur looked over her shoulder and said to Hermione with a smirk, "Ah, don't worriee Ermionee, we will bring im back in… ow do you say… one piece?"
As Hermione felt her cheeks start to redden, she quickly got busy with Harry's notes again.
From across the Hall, Draco watched with a growing curiosity as the quartet left through the main doors. Potter had surprised him. Draco had expected him to fail terribly, but not only had he managed to stand his own with students far older than him, he also managed to make friends with them as well.
When Draco had written home to his father about the tournament and the events surrounding Harry, he expressed his personal thoughts on the situation. No matter how hard he tried to see him as a cheat and a liar, he couldn't. It just didn't add up. He had even gone so far as to ask his father if maybe he thought that Potter might actually be telling the truth. His father's response had surprised him. He didn't seem to care whether or not he had cheated, or lied to get in. He didn't even care how he was doing, good or bad. His father told him not to interfere. He was to just watch and report back and nothing more. That was the funny part; his father told him to report on Potter, why, if he didn't care? Knowing his father, he'd say he had some kind of business deal going on, but what, he had no clue. His father had never been very open, in fact just the opposite. He had always been very quiet and secretive about both business and family matters. Draco figured, that if he was ever going to find out what was going on, he'd have to do it on his own. If Potter could act a little more mature, then so could he. 'I'm going to have to be less antagonistic,' he thought, 'orI'll never learn anything.'
As much as he hated to admit it, he had to give Potter credit. One thing for sure Draco thought, he was going to stop underestimating the boy-who-lived.
oOoOo
It was fairly late Sunday night in the common room and besides Harry and Hermione, There was only one other couple still up studying. Harry was putting the finishing touches on a Charms paper that was due Thursday, and Hermione was working on her Demonstration.
Now that she had the answers to both the Arithmancy and Transfiguration problems, all she had to do was work out the final steps, and she'd be ready to give her last demo next Saturday.
Harry closed his book and put his work away, and then sat back. Harry smiled as he watched Hermione work. It was a little game of his; trying to figure out her mannerisms as she worked. Actually, it was quite interesting. He was beginning to notice little patterns, Harry wondered briefly if she was even aware of them herself. If she bit her lower lip; it meant she was thinking about a problem, but if she chewed on it; that meant she was going over all the different possibilities. Tapping her quill, meant she was composing her thoughts before committing them to parchment. The one he was still a little vague on, was when she chewed on the end of her quill. Since she usually looked kind of distant when she did that; Harry figured maybe she was thinking of an alternate theory or solution… or something like that.
Harry had seen her work like this many times, but tonight she seemed a little more driven, more… intense. He knew she always worked hard on her studies; her grades proved that, and Harry would be the first to say how proud he was of her. Tonight however, she was more than just working hard, Hermione was on a mission. This demo was obviously more important to her that he thought.
Harry thought back to the conversation they had a few days ago about her coming in second after the last demo. She had admitted that it had bothered her, but that she would get over it. 'It's really not that big a deal Harry,' she had said before changing the subject. He had let it go, not wanting to upset her, but Harry felt pretty sure there was more to it than she let on.
Harry hated to bother her, but he felt this was important. Sitting up, he called to her, "Hermione, can I ask you something?"
Hermione looked up curiously, "Sure."
"I know we talked about this before, but…"
Hermione sat her quill down, "What?"
"Your third demo is coming up," Harry fidgeted, "are you worried… I mean not about the demo, but rather… you know."
"You want to know if I'm worried about finishing in first place." Hermione finished for him, with just a hint of irritation that he thought she was so vain.
"Yeah… ah kind of." Harry hesitated a second, "Look, I know you don't care about medals or even the recognition." Harry looked away, "But I still think it's important to you somehow," Looking back, he went on, "I just was wondering why?" Harry could see the thought of talking about it bothered her, "Never mind, it's none of my business."
Hermione relaxed, Harry didn't think she was vain, just curious, and concerned; she should have known. "It's okay Harry…"
Since their talk a while back, Hermione had been doing a fair bit of thinking about that very topic. It was something she normally kept buried in the far reaches of her memory, But Harry had noticed. Hermione thought sometimes Harry knew her better than she knew herself. He was only asking out of concern for her, and he was being so patient. Maybe it would help to talk about it.
Looking down she started playing with a loose thread on her skirt. "All my life for as long as I can remember, I've loved to read. I didn't necessarily like to study, but I did because I loved to learn new things." Hermione stood up and walked over to the fireplace. "All that reading and studying drove a wedge between me and the other kids my age. They resented me for knowing more and being smarter than they were. They pushed me away and called me names. And… in turn, I resented them for not understanding, and for the way they treated me. Each year it just got worse, pretty soon the gap between us was so wide there was no going back."
Hermione went on telling Harry things about her early childhood she'd never told anyone else, not even her parents. Things like; being locked in a school closet so she'd miss a test, or having all her books taken and thrown in the rubbish bin. She stood facing the fire, arms crossed defensibly over her chest. She had started crying, but hadn't noticed. Old unpleasant memories from long ago painfully brought back into the present. She didn't know why she was telling Harry everything now, but she knew she could trust him, and somehow it made her feel just a bit better for doing so.
Harry stood and went to her. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her middle and held her. He suddenly felt horrible for bringing it up. "Hermione, I'm sorry, I didn't…"
"I know…" Hermione stayed quiet for moment collecting her thoughts. When she finally spoke again, it was in a near whisper. "I sacrificed a lot; all the things that most little girls do… together. Sitting around talking, playing… having friends. I could have played dumb.
Harry gently turned her around and took hold of both her hands. He didn't say a thing, not yet, he knew she wasn't finished. He just gave her a sad smile, and waited patiently.
Hermione looked down at their joined hands. Using her thumbs, she started subconsciously rubbing little circle on the backs of his hands. "I guess, I just need to know… that it wasn't all for nothing."
Harry shook his head slightly, "They were too young to understand, but now you have friends who do." Harry pulled her close into a gentle embrace. Hermione relaxed into him and brought her arms up around him.
He held her with one arm, while with his free hand, he started running his fingers through her hair. "I don't know much about your life before Hogwarts, but I do know; you are the most amazing person I've ever met. So… as far as I'm concerned, it definitely wasn't for nothing."
Hermione sighed, she loved it when he played with her hair, and she wondered if Harry knew just how much his touch affected her.
"I told you before; you are going to win this, and then you… and the rest of the school will finally know what I know.
Hermione squeezed Harry tight, and after a little sniffle said, "You're good at this you know."
Harry tipped his head down to look at her, "What?"
"Making me feel better,"
Harry smiled and gently squeezed her back, "Ah… Well then good."
oOoOo
Hermione stepped down from the platform with a huge smile on her face; her transfiguration demonstration had gone exceptionally well. After casting the final spell, her modified Disillusionment Charm, Hermione had quite literally disappeared; not even Dumbledore could detect her. There were probably only a hand full of people who even remotely understood her theories, but the final effect was still amazing.
Now for Hermione, her direct involvement in the Triwizard Tournament was over. All she had left to do, was somehow get Harry safely through the rest of his.
The first to greet her, were Ginny and Luna. "Merlin Hermione, when did you learn all that," Ginny said excitedly, "I mean… Well I've never even heard of Trans-dimensional Transfiguration."
Luna answered for her, "That's what happens when you read as much as Hermione does."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I don't read that much." Then after the looks her friends were giving her, she laughed, "Fine, I read a lot."
By now, the boys had gathered around her as well. "Hermione, Dumbledore reads a lot… You, on the other hand…" Ron stopped and smirked, she knew what he meant.
"Well, all I know is it's a good thing she does," Neville said before going on, "or else some of us would be taking fourth-year over again."
Fred dropped an arm around Hermione's shoulder as George cozied up on her other side. "You are going to teach us some of this… Trans… whatever stuff, right?" The second twin asked.
"I don't know… Professor McGonagall made me promise," Hermione answered seriously, but with a huge smile on her face.
Fred gasped, "You didn't?"
"Well," Hermione started, "if I were given the right… Incentives."
Fred and George both roared with laughter. "Oh, I like this one." George said.
"Certainly has good potential," added Fred.
Hermione finally managed to slip away from the twins and all their commotion. She took a step towards the last person in the group who had yet to say anything. Hermione didn't consider herself vain. That's probably why it didn't matter to her, how much praise she got. Harry's opinion however, mattered. For some reason, she needed to know, good or bad, just what he thought. Hermione stopped and stood just a couple of feet in front of him and waited.
Harry had watched her come down the steps, Happy and ecstatic. He watched Hermione accept her well-deserved praise gracefully. She had worked so hard on this last demonstration, and it showed; hers was easily the best, and even though he was biased, he was sure most everyone else felt the same. Now she was standing expectantly in front to him. 'Is she waiting for my approval?' He wondered.
Harry wasn't going to make her wait long, no, she deserved better than that. In fact, she deserved more than just his approval he thought. Harry closed the distance and wrapped his arms tightly around her in a hug. A moment later, he released her to arm's length, but held both her hands in his. "Hermione… That was brilliant… No, more… It was bloody brilliant," Harry said excitedly.
Hermione smiled and said softly, "Thank you Harry, but I did have help you know. You, McGonagall, and even Neville. You all contributed."
"Hermione, McGonagall gave you a book, and Neville and me, well… Heck, we didn't even know what we were reading half the time." Harry shook his head, "No Hermione, this was all you. This is the Hermione I know, and I couldn't be more proud of her."
It was Hermione's turn to pull Harry close and after an all too brief kiss, pulled him into a hug, as she whispered into his shoulder, "Thank you Harry."
oOoOo
Settling down to dinner later that evening, Hermione couldn't help but notice Harry was fairly quiet. "Harry, is everything all right?"
Harry turned and looked at Hermione a little confused, "Huh?"
"Honestly Harry. I asked if you were all right, you looked a little lost."
"Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm all right… I was just thinking about the demo."
Hermione sat her fork down and raised a brow, "Really? What about exactly?"
"The Arithmancy," Hermione waited for him to go on, and was about to ask him what he meant exactly when he suddenly got excited. "Hermione, there's so much I don't know."
"Harry, that's true for everyone."
"I know… What I mean is…" Harry stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts. "It's not, that I don't know Arithmancy, but rather, it's that I don't even know what all it can be used for, what it's all about. How would I know if it's something I should learn or not? Maybe I…"
"Hold on Harry," Hermione interrupted, "there is no way you have enough time to start learning Arithmancy."
"But what about just a brief introduction," Harry asked seriously.
Hermione couldn't help but feel exasperated by the irony of the situation. Last year she could barely get Harry to do his homework, and now she was trying to keep him from overloading himself. "Harry if you try to take on too much, your grades will suffer. Better to do well in the subjects you already have, then to do poorly in all of them just so you can add one more."
Harry sat still as he considered her words. He had to admit, she was probably right, and she had never led him astray before. Harry slowly nodded his head, "Yeah, you're right of course," then with a smirk, Harry couldn't resist adding, "but if I had a time Turner…"
Hermione had to laugh as she shook her head, "Oh yes, because that worked out so well for me." 'Well at least he understands,' she thought. "Let's see how you do with Ancient Ruins first."
Harry smiled, "Deal."
A short while later as everyone was finishing dessert; McGonagall rose and walked to the podium. Without needing to say a word, the Hall quickly quieted down.
McGonagall gave the Hall a curt nod and began, "Well, it would seem that the whole of you have either become clairvoyant… or you're just very anxious for the final scores."
Dumbledore chuckled, while Professor Trelawney smiled, happy about the reference to her art.
As if reading her mind, McGonagall turned to her cohort, "Sorry Sibyll, but in this case I do believe it's the scores they are interested in." Turning back, McGonagall just looked around the Hall, seemingly drawing out the suspense as long as possible.
'Well, it seems Dumbledore is not the only one,' Harry thought, referring to being a showman.
"The final scores were close, as all the competitors did an excellent job," she finally began, "as I call your names, please stand up." McGonagall pulled a scroll from her robes and began to read, "From Beauxbaton, Miss Collette Antwanet, Miss Nicole Lescuier…" McGonagall continued on, reading all the names of the original twenty-four competitors.
"Hogwarts, honored guest, and fellow colleagues, please join me in applauding their efforts," McGonagall finished, and then joined the rest as everyone clapped and cheered. When the Hall quieted down, she continued, "Even though our four champions still have two more tasks ahead of them, your part in the Triwizard Tournament is complete. All of you, regardless of your individual outcome should be as proud of yourselves, as I am of all of you." McGonagall made the effort to look each in the eye, if only for a moment.
As Professor McGonagall was calling out the names, Professor Sprout and Madam Hooch were handing out certificates of participation to each student.
As soon as all the participating students had their certificates, McGonagall spoke again, "Again, thank you all for making the Skills and Knowledge Demonstration's part of the Triwizard Tournament, such a success. Now I would like to ask the twelve students who participated in the last two demonstrations to remain standing for a moment, the rest of you may be seated." McGonagall paused for a few second to allow everyone a chance to settle. "Of the twelve students standing, it was decided to honor the top six, our finalist, with a special award. In addition, we also would like to give a special award to the youngest competitor, something, which we hope will become a tradition. This year, that award goes to Miss. Luna Lovegood." McGonagall tipped her head, "Congratulations Miss. Lovegood," she said warmly as the rest of the hall clapped, and a few Gryffindors cheered.
"And now for our finalist," Professor McGonagall started again, "if I call your name please remain standing, the rest, if you would please take your seats.
"Miss Marcelle de Louvres."
"Miss Nicole Lescuier."
"Mr. Miroslav Demetrius."
"Mr. Petar Svetuslav."
"Miss Hermione Granger."
"Miss Cho Chang."
"As you can see, we have ended up with two students from each school, I think that speaks well of the professors from all the schools.
Before she could go on, the Hall broke out in cheers showing their support. Sparks could be seen flying off the staffs of several Durmstrang students as they tapped them on the stone floor showing their agreement. McGonagall raised her hands for quiet, "I think I can safely speak for my fellow professors when I say, thank you." She then gave the Hall a small bow.
"Now after I call your name again, and you have received your award, you may sit back down." The award was a small bronze medallion hung on a blue ribbon. McGonagall cleared her throat and began, "In sixth place with a final score of one hundred and fourteen, Mr. Petar Svetuslav." Petar's fellow Durmstrang students cheered for their classmate.
"In fifth place with one hundred eighteen points, Miss Cho Chang." This time it was the Hogwarts students cheering.
"In fourth place with one hundred nineteen points, Mr. Miroslav Demetrius." After the noise died down, McGonagall continued, "In third place with one hundred and twenty points, Miss Nicole Lescuier." Finally the Beauxbaton were up on their feet and cheering.
McGonagall paused and clapped as well until the Hall again fell silent. "Well it would seem as though we are down to our last two finalists… Well done, both of you," McGonagall said as she gave the last two girls standing a nod of appreciation.
Harry looked up at Hermione, and although he thought she deserved to win; and had no doubts that she wouldn't, he would still be proud of her either way.
McGonagall smiled, "Our runner-up… In second place with a final score of one hundred twenty-two points…"
Harry smiled to himself while thinking; that if McGonagall didn't get on with it, Hermione was likely to pass out from hyperventilating.
"From the Beauxbaton Academy, Miss Marcelle de Louvres," she finished quickly.
Hermione bounced on the balls of her feet, and let out a little squeal of excitement as her barely contained emotions ran wild.
Marcelle was standing only a few feet away from Hermione, and after receiving her award walked over and gave her a hug, "Congratulations Hermione," she whispered in her ear. Hermione, still shaking with raw energy, could barely manage a thank you, she was so nervous.
"Miss Granger, if you would please join me up on the stage please," McGonagall asked sternly, as if Hermione might just decide it was all too much and try to make a run for it.
Hermione wanted to move, but her feet seemed unwilling and stayed rooted to the floor. A second later and Harry was standing by her side.
Touching the small of her back, Harry said softly, "It's your turn Hermione, your time. Show them the Hermione I know."
Hermione gave him a quick sideways glance, and in that instant, gained the courage to move. Up on stage as she approached McGonagall, her mentor took a half step to the side to share the podium with her.
McGonagall turned back to the Hall and with her left hand, gestured to Hermione, "Ladies and gentlemen in first place with a final score of one hundred twenty-five points, from Hogwarts, our very own Miss Hermione Granger." The pride in her voice was evident for all to hear.
Harry, who had never sat back down yelled out, "Way to go Hermione!" While clapping like a madman. A split second later, and the rest of the Hall was standing and had joined Harry in cheering for the brown-haired girl some had called a bookworm.
While students and professors alike cheered and clapped, McGonagall turned to Hermione and placed a golden medallion hung on a silver ribbon, around her neck. Holding her at arm's length by the shoulders, McGonagall smiled through misty eyes and said, "Well done Hermione… well done."
Hermione then did something totally uncharacteristic of herself, she pulled McGonagall into a hug, "Thank you Professor." A second later, she pulled back, and turned to the Hall and took a bow. Then with a smile that split her face from ear to ear, Hermione held the medallion up high for all to see. Still beaming, Hermione bounced down the steps, but before her feet reached the floor, she was grabbed around the waist and spun in a circle.
Setting her down gently, Harry said in a gentle 'I told you so,' tone, "And now they know… Congratulations Hermione." Harry gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, then stepped aside so everyone else could reach her. Ginny, Luna, Ron, and Neville all moved in, and one by one they each gave her a hug and a compliment. The real shocker was when Draco stepped up.
Looking completely out of place, he looked around nervously, then hesitantly reached out his hand, "Congratulations, Miss… Granger."
Amazed and slightly shocked, Hermione also hesitated a moment before shaking his hand, "Thank you Mister… Thank you Draco."
Draco seemed momentarily taken back by the use of his first name, however, he recovered quickly and gave Hermione a short nod and then quickly left.
Hermione glanced back at Harry who was still smiling, only to see him shrug his shoulders at the unexpected gesture from Mr. Malfoy.
oOoOo
They were nearly the last to leave the Great Hall. Harry had insisted on a second helping of desert, and then took his time eating it. Now, finally on their way, and Harry was walking so slowly, you'd think he was being led to the gallows.
"Harry!" Hermione wined, "it's been a long day and I'm tired, do you think you could pick up the pace a little please?"
"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly, "must be the afters." Harry started walking faster, he didn't want Hermione to get suspicious, or worse… mad.
A short time later, Hermione walked through the portrait hole to the last thing she expected.
"SURPRISE!" All of Gryffindor and at half of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were there, all crammed in the common room. Most of the professors, including Snape were there too. Stepping further into the room, she saw a banner stretched over the fire place that read;
Hermione Granger
The Brightest Witch of the Age
Congratulations
We are all Proud of YOU!
Harry led Hermione on shaky legs over to the couch so she could recover from the shock, and a few minutes later, the second party of the month was in full swing.
Dumbledore and a few of the professors left fairly quickly after congratulating Hermione. Snape stayed a while longer talking to McGonagall, but still left early. The only Slytherin student to show up was Daphne Greengrass, and she left with Snape, apparently not quite ready to mingle with Gryffindors alone.
Hermione was happy to have won of course, trilled that all the hard work and long hours had paid off. However, what really excited her, was the show of support from her fellow class mates. Hermione was so overwhelmed, she had a hard time believing it all. Ecstatic, only just began to describe how she felt.
Harry had been right, and thinking of him brought a smile to her face. 'He's done it again,' Hermione thought. He had managed to surprise her. Looking around, she sought him out. He was standing with Professor McGonagall talking about something, 'I hope he's not trying to convince her into letting him take Arithmancy.'
Walking over, she stood next to him and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Hello Professor, Harry not in trouble is he?" she asked with a smile full of mirth.
McGonagall eyed Harry suspiciously, then gave him a rare smile, "No… not yet anyway, but the night is still young."
Harry turned his head back and forth between Hermione and McGonagall. "Boy, you do one or two tiny little things wrong… and you're labeled a trouble maker," he said with an overly exaggerated tone of exasperation.
Hermione and McGonagall looked at each other for a second, and then both busted out laughing. Harry had never seen his stern Head of House laugh before, but he thought he rather liked seeing her so happy… even if it was at his expense.
Regaining her normal composer, McGonagall said kindly, "You've done a fine thing here Harry."
Harry smiled, "Thank you Professor."
"And now, I'm afraid I must take my leave… papers to grade. Professor Flitwick will keep an eye on things for a while." Then McGonagall took hold of Hermione's hands, and after slowly looking around the room, said, "As you can see, Harry is not the only one who is happy for you." Smiling said added softly, "And as for me… well I'm very proud of you." McGonagall released Hermione's hands, and quickly returned to her old self, "Now, I have work to do. Good night you two."
"Good night Professor," Harry and Hermione said together.
As soon as McGonagall was gone, Hermione pulled Harry to her and gave him a long lingering kiss. There were a few cat-calls and a whistle or two, but it didn't discourage her. "Don't slip away, I'd like to finish thanking you proper like, a little later, when it quiets down," Hermione said with a saucy smile that reached from ear to ear.
Slightly stunned, Harry nodded once and with a goofy look on his face managed, "I'm not going anywhere."
Later that night as Hermione was climbing into bed, she thought, Harry had been right about everything; it was worth it. All the hard work, the isolation when she was young. It was who she was, and for the first time, she was not only proud of her accomplishments, but of herself as well.
And the best part was, Harry was not only proud of her too, but he liked her just the way she was.
'I'm going to let him know, what a great boyfriend he really is,' with that last thought in mind, she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
oOoOo
It was near the end of the month, a few days since Hermione's victory party. It was while they were sitting down to eat breakfast that Hermione noticed that look again on Harry's face… he was up to something. However, for now it was her turn to surprise him. Her look of curiosity turned into a tiny smirk as Hermione watched Hedwig land in front of Harry with a letter.
Harry took the letter and then turned to Hermione with an eyebrow raised after he noticed her familiar handwriting on the outside of the envelope. Hedwig also gave her the eye for a moment, wondering why she was even involved, before taking off back to the Owlery.
While looking at the Hermione, Harry asked, "Now, or later?"
Hermione just shrugged with a smile, "It's your letter Harry."
Harry's other brow rose, "Okaaay."
Harry then turned his attention to the letter. After sliding his thumb under the flap to open it, he pulled out the letter and began to read.
.
Dear Harry:
I know you were worried about whether or not you would be a good boyfriend, maybe you still are.
You know, most girls describe the perfect boyfriend something like this; He should be tall and maybe dark, and he should have lots of muscles. And of course, he absolutely has to be good-looking. Idiots… the lot of them. All they are thinking about is how theywould look on his arm.
No matter whose name they bring up, or even anyone I think of; I always find myself comparing them to you. Now this is the important part Harry… Next to you, they all fall short.
Don't get me wrong, I too place a certain value on good looks and a nice physique. It's just not the most important part of someone that makes them attractive to me. I do most certainly think you're handsome, and I appreciate the way you are filling out, but that's just the icing on the cake. I like the way you look on the outside, but I love who you are on the inside. That's what makes a great boyfriend, and that's just what you are.
You know, I never thought I'd have a boyfriend, certainly not one as wonderful as you.
Harry, I really think that what you and I have is very special and unique, and most importantly, I think it will stand the test of time. I know for me personally, it's what I want more than anything. Yes, I know I'm young and have never had a boyfriend before, but I know what I feel, and being with you just feels so right… so perfect. You and I… we are different, yet at the same time… the same. That's why we work so well together. Our differences complement each other, while our likeness allows us to know each other so well.
Remember your dream about the future? Well that's my dream now too, and I'd like to see it come true. But regardless of what the future brings, there are a couple of things I want you to not only know, but to believe as well. I want you to know, that I'll never forget you no matter where life takes us. I want you to believe that you are a good person Harry Potter. You are kind, compassionate, and always willing to give of yourself… Never forget that.
I think you know me better than I know myself. Well I just wanted to tell you a few things I know about you.
Don't ever change Harry. I think you are perfect just the way you are.
Always and Forever
Hermione.
.
After Harry had finished the letter, he discreetly wiped at the corner of his eyes. It was without a doubt, the most caring thing anyone had ever written to him, or even said out load. When he turned to look at Hermione, He found her already staring at him through moist eyes. She had a gentle smile on her face that told him even more.
Harry swallowed hard trying to find his voice, "Did… do you really mean all this," he asked while lifting the letter a little.
Hermione drew herself up and said softly, "Every word Harry,"
Harry stared at her a moment longer, and then glanced down at the letter clutched in his hand. Like he had done for her a while back; she had given him her written word about her feelings. Something he could hold onto and reread if needed. Proof of how she felt.
Without saying a word, Harry nodded to himself. Then he turned in his seat to face Hermione, and in a soft voice barely above a whisper said, "I'd like that too," referring to his dream of the future.
Hermione's smile grew as a single tear leaked out and rolled down her cheek. She was happy he felt the same way.
Harry brushed the tear away, then with a smile of his own, leaned forward and kissed her.