Chapter 39: Before Final Task
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. IT BELONGS TO JK ROWLING.
A/N: Read, enjoy, and remember not to take either life or my writing too seriously.
Toward the end of May, Harry was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, waiting for girlfriend to return from her Arithmancy class. He was lost in thought and only barely registered Ron sitting in a corner playing chess with himself.
It wasn't long before the portrait hole swung open and Hermione rushed through holding a letter.
"Harry!" She yelled as she jumped into his lap and proceeded to kiss him passionately before continuing. "Hedwig delivered this just now."
'Pbrrrrrp!'
Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes at each other before she continued. "Mum and Dad want you to come stay with us sometime in the summer."
'Pbrrrrrp Pbrrrrrp!'
"They also want you to come with us on a trip to Europe. We are going to take a train through the new Chunnel." At the confused look on Harry's face she explained.
"It was completed last year. They built a tunnel under the water all the way to France. It's going to be great! But anyway, we'll take a train trip through Europe until we get to Rome and then spend several days there. We are even going to stop in Paris."
She looked into Harry's emerald eyes. "They call it the 'City of Love'."
"PPPWWWWTTTTPPPPPPPWWWTTTT PPPWWWWTTTTPPPPPPPWWWTTTT!"
Outside, a few stones crumbled and fell to the ground from a blank wall of the castle had been under odorous assault for months. The fat spider that had once again taken up residence there died instantly when one of the stones flattened him and his web.
Sir Cadogan was visiting a portrait near the area and noticed a small hole appear in the wall. 'Some rogue is trying to breach the walls!' He immediately started chasing his pony. Finally giving up, he started running from portrait to portrait yelling, "TO ARMS! TO ARMS! We are under attack!" Of course, since he did that several times a day, everyone ignored him.
"City of Love? With you?" Harry asked as he moved a stray hair behind Hermione's ear before a light kiss and a nibble of the ear. He then whispered, "Mione, any city I will ever be in with you is my city of love."
"So you'll come?" Hermione asked, pleased with her well-mannered boyfriend.
"Do you even need to ask?" Harry replied. "Of course I will." Lost in each other for the next ten minutes of snogging, they didn't even hear the ever-increasing sound of Ron's jealousy. But the hole in the castle wall grew larger and larger.
"Mione," Harry started a little while later when the kissing had settled down. "Do you know why I love that name for you?"
Hermione shook her head, then said, "No, but I love to hear it, because only you will ever be able to use that name without being cursed."
"Good. I like it because if you look at it, it says my one. You're my one and only. That's what I feel like I'm saying every time I say that name, Mione. My one and only. " He saw the small tear that threatened to come from his girlfriend and kissed her before continuing.
"I told your father that the only thing I ever wanted to do is make you happy." The smile and wetness that reappeared in Hermione's eyes said a lot of what she thought of that.
"I'm hoping this will make you happy." Harry pulled out a small box he had purchased recently with the help of Mrs. Granger who had sent several catalogs with suggestions. He opened the box and displayed a small ring with two hearts set with their tops touching as if they were kissing. Between the 'lips' of the hearts was a small diamond.
"This is my promise that someday," he held the ring out and looked her in the eyes, "we will have our someday, if you still want me."
Hermione looked at the beautiful ring her boyfriend was holding out to her. She knew Harry and promises. It was something he took extremely seriously. She knew he was offering her a lifetime.
She smiled at him and nodded in a fashion that would make Dobby jealous as more tears came into her eyes. She held out her left hand and he slid it on.
"I will love you always and forever, Mione, my one and only."
"PPPWWWWTTTPPPPPWWWTTTT PPPWWWWTTTTPPPPPWWWTTTT PPPWWWWTTTPPPPPWWWTTTT PPPWWWWTTTTPPPPPPPWWWTTTT!"
The whole wall of the hallway and a side of a classroom right below the hall crumbled. Fortunately, Professor Flitwick's prompt actions saved his students from being overwhelmed by the odorous assault. It took thirty-seven brave house elves to eventually repair the damage.
The Dark Lord baby thingy was having an absolutely horrible day. Wormtail had let his snake venom potion boil too long and it had burned the roof of Voldemort's mouth.
He hadn't even been able to curse Wormtail properly for the pain in his mouth. As the dark baby probed the roof of his mouth with his tongue, he thought of numerous ways he would torture the rat when he could utter the word "CRUCIO!" properly again.
Then, Wormtail had let Barty Crouch escape. He had, of course, some lame excuse of being out shopping for more Evil Villain Waste Capture devices when the escape happened, but Lord Voldemort knew he could accept no excuses or the next thing that would happen would be his most trusted servant at Hogwarts would be coming up with an excuse for not getting Potter into the graveyard.
"EVERYTHING COULD BE RUINED BY YOUR FAILURE, WORMTAIL!" Screeched Voldemort. That caused his mouth to hurt even worse.
"If my plans are ruined because of your carelessness, I'll feed you to Nagini!" He looked down at his favorite snake that was suddenly shaking its head back and forth.
Voldemort could feel the disgust rolling off of the snake in waves at the thought of eating Wormtail. He looked back at Wormtail.
"Get an owl off to Crouch immediately, telling him to be on the lookout for his father. When you are finished, get back here so I can use my wand to see just how hollow your head really is!"
"Yes, my Lord," Peter replied as he backed away from the playp… Evil Villain Restoration Module where his master was petting his favorite snake again.
"Nagini," Voldemort sighed to the snake after Pettigrew had departed. "I'm beginning to think Wormtail likes the torture too much."
Ron no longer had his egg with him everywhere he went. Ever since it had been stolen for the second task, he had been worried about it. The twins finally suggested that he send it back to the Burrow for safe keeping. They finally convinced him that it would be a great idea, and even offered to send it for him.
Ron failed to notice the grin exchanged between the twins as he handed the egg to them and scurried off to the Great Hall for dinner. They had suggested the idea directly before dinner when they knew their brother would be distracted with the thought of food.
The egg wasn't sent until several days after the twins got their hands on it. The next time Ronald Weasley, Triwizard champion, ever opened the egg, it would not wail, but it would probably cause him to wail.
"Mister Weasley," Professor McGonagall said one day in late May as her fourth-year students were leaving Transfiguration. "I need a word." After everyone else was gone, she continued.
"You are to go down to the Quidditch field tonight at nine o'clock, Mister Weasley," McGonagall told him. "Mister Bagman will be there to tell the champions about the third task."
As Ron was leaving the classroom, he had one thought. 'Cool! We finally get a Quidditch task which I'll, of course, have no problems with, though Krum might be a challenge… hey Krum! I wonder if he'll let me ride his broomstick!'
At half past eight, Ron walked past Harry and Hermione who were busy writing their charms essay. "WELL," he said loudly. "I have to go see what the NEXT task they have for us CHAMPIONS is. After that, we CHAMPIONS will probably have some kind of party, so nobody needs to wait up for me. I guess it's too bad some people have to do homework tonight."
Harry looked at his girlfriend and winked. Leaning over, he said in a loud whisper, "I love you Mione." His lips found hers and an all too familiar war of tongues commenced.
'Pbrrrrrp Pbrrrrrp!'
Once Ron had departed the common room, Harry shook his head. "He'll never understand that I got the better end of the bargain. He might have got his moment, but I got a lifetime," He said as he looked into Hermione's almond eyes.
As Ron descended the staircase into the entrance hall, he saw Cedric coming up from the Hufflepuff dorms. "Hey Cedric!" He yelled out. "Quidditch field. Going to be an easy one this time."
Cedric just kept his head down and walked more quickly.
"We never did get around to wand cleaning," Ron continued without noticing Cedric's lack of response. "What about after we get finished this evening? But only if Krum won't let me ride his broomstick."
Cedric broke out in a full run, disappearing into the darkness.
'He must be one of those people who always has to get to things first,' Ron thought to himself. 'Well, that's definitely not me.'
He walked down the dark lawn to the Quidditch stadium, turned through a gap in the stands, and walked out onto the field.
Ron did not understand what he was looking at. The Quidditch field was no longer smooth and flat.
It looked as though somebody had been building long, low walls all over it that twisted and crisscrossed in every direction. 'Someone isn't taking good care of the Quidditch field this year. They should be ashamed of themselves! Oh well. Hopefully they'll have it cleaned up before the third task.'
"Hello there!" Called a cheery voice.
Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the field with Krum, Cedric and Fleur. Ron made his way toward them, climbing over the plants.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL! Can't someone cut this crap down? Ouch… that branch just snagged me!" The hedge had opened a hole in Ron's robes. The other three champions saw at once that he still preferred going starker's under his robes.
A look of disgust passed over Fleur's face as she looked at the fourth champion. She slowly inched herself to the other side of the clearing from him. She was afraid that if he did slap her butt again, she might not be able to contain her inner Veela and end up breaking her promise to Hermione.
"Well, what d'you think?" Asked Bagman happily as Ron climbed over the last hedge. "Growing nicely, aren't they? Give them a month and Hagrid will have them twenty feet high!"
"But how are we supposed to play Quidditch with these things twenty feet high?" Ron asked.
"Don't worry, you'll have your Quidditch field back to normal once the task is over!" Bagman said.
"Over? But…" Ron started, but then his brain froze and he just got a confused look on his face.
"Now, I imagine you can guess what we're making here?" Bagman suggested.
"A bloody mess?" Ron asked as he looked around, expecting everyone to agree with him.
No one else spoke for a moment. Then -
"Maze," grunted Krum.
"That's right!" Said Bagman. "A maze. The third task's really very straightforward. The Triwizard Cup will be placed in the center of the maze. The first champion to touch it will receive full marks."
Ron's face fell as heard that. "No… no Quidditch? No quaffle or snitch to catch?"
Everyone ignored Ron as Fleur asked, "We simply 'ave to get through ze maze?"
"There will be obstacles," said Bagman happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hagrid is providing a number of creatures... then there will be spells that must be broken... all that sort of thing, you know. Now, the champions will enter the maze by the current point order.
So Fleur, you'll go in first, followed by Cedric after two minutes and then Krum a minute after that." Bagman then turned to the fourth Champion, "Uh... Mister Weasley, you'll enter the maze about," he quickly started counting on his fingers, "twenty minutes after Krum gets into the maze.
Presuming, of course, the others aren't finished by then. But everyone should have a chance, and it should be a lot of fun, eh?"
Ron was about to ask a question when Bagman said, "Well, since no one else has any questions, we'll go back to the castle. It's a bit chilly…" He turned and left quickly.
Ron looked at the other three champions as they all started walking away. He knew now was his chance. "KRUM!" He yelled at the Durmstrang champion.
Krum obviously heard him as his pace to get away quickened.
Ron hurried along after him yelling, "AS A FELLOW CHAMPION, CAN I RIDE YOUR BROOMSTICK? OR MAYBE I CAN GET A BROOM AND WE CAN PLAY WITH YOUR BALLS?" As he was trying to get over the last hedge, his robes snagged on one of the branches, leaving a larger gap.
Fleur lost her dinner almost immediately while Cedric had to force images of Cho into his head to quell his queasiness. Ron spent two minutes freeing himself from the branch and, by then, Krum was on a dead run and had already neared the Forbidden Forest as it was the most direct route back to his ship.
'He's going to get his broom! Excellent!' Ron thought and raced after him.
As Ron rushed along following the path Krum had taken, a man stepped out in front of him. Ron thought he might look familiar, but it didn't matter.
"Dumbledore!" Gasped the man. He reached out and seized a handful of Ron's robes, stopping him and dragging him closer, though his eyes were staring over Ron's head. "I need... see ... Dumbledore..."
"I don't care who in the bloody hell you want to see," Ron shouted as he kept his eyes on Krum. "Get away from me! Can't you see I'm busy?"
"I've done... stupid... thing..." the man breathed. He looked utterly mad. His eyes were rolling and bulging and a trickle of spittle was sliding down his chin. Every word he spoke seemed to cost him a terrible effort. "Must... tell... Dumbledore..."
"Then go tell him," Ron said and shoved the man aside as he pursued Krum. Crouch hit his head on a rock as he fell to the ground, rendering him unconscious. Mr. Crouch was still there when his son stumbled upon him some time later. The younger Crouch killed his father, transfigured his body into a bone and buried it inside the forest.
Ron waited outside the Durmstrang ship for two hours before he realized that Karkaroff probably wouldn't let Krum out past curfew. "If only that idiot hadn't tried to stop me," he muttered as he slowly walked back to the castle.
Hermione Granger was lying on her bed late at night, reflecting on her past year since she had started dating Harry Potter.
She thought of the looks, the kisses and the caresses he had given her. She thought of the Yule Ball and of the flowers. She thought of the necklace and the ring.
She thought of the promise that was behind the ring. His eyes danced in her mind as she could hear him saying 'I love you' and she thought of what Harry Potter meant to her. With all that he had given her, she wanted to give him something special in return.
When she finally realized what she wanted to give him, the internal debate that pursued lasted a lot less time than she ever thought it would.
The next day, she made a stop in the hospital wing and had a discussion with Madam Pomfrey. The nurse was not surprised to see the young witch and with a smile, she proceeded to teach a blushing Hermione not only the correct spells, but another simple spell to make sure the first spells had been performed correctly. Two nights later on a couch in the Room of Requirement, Harry and Hermione were engaged in a heated snogging session. Hermione guided Harry's hands to places where, by agreement, had been off limits before. Harry stopped and looked at Hermione questioningly.
"I want you to, Harry," She responded, seeing the question dancing in his eyes. "I want us to."
"How… how far?"
Hermione had come to the Room earlier and practiced her next wish to make sure it would be perfect. She turned and made the request of the Room and a bed appeared. Looking back at Harry, she simply said, "I won't be stopping you tonight, love."
Harry's eyes widened as he saw the bed and realized what she was implying. He turned back to her and nervously asked. "Ah... ar… are you sure?"
Hermione nodded. "This isn't something I just thought of Harry. I had a talk with Madam Pomfrey earlier in the week and I've already performed the spells." She looked into his eyes and he into hers. Words and emotions passed between them without a sound. A smile, a kiss and, hand-in-hand, they made their way to the bed.
They spent the next hour exploring each other's' bodies and finally, the two people in love became lovers. Though painful for a short time for Hermione, Harry's tenderness made the pain subside quickly and, soon, she found herself in a blissful paradise. Hermione quickly discovered that, similar to Harry's saving people syndrome, he had a much more serious issue of pleasing Hermione syndrome. His focus and determination, not to mention youthful recovery time, was all set to make this night, and many more future nights, the best of Hermione's life.
Later, two sweaty teens were in the bed. One draped over the other and both taking recovery breaths of air. Harry looked at Hermione and after the brush of a wild hair away from her face, he could only say, "I love you."
"I love you too, Harry," Hermione replied, and felt something stir against her. Looking at Harry, her eyebrow raised incredulously. "Again?"
He raised his eyebrows and grinned his lop-sided grin at her.
She rolled her eyes, but a smile broke out over her face. If one thing had been proven in the last four years, Hermione Granger was always up for a challenge.
In Riddle House, an Evil Baby thingy started screaming in pain. "MAKE IT STOP!"
"What is it, Milord?" Wormtail asked.
"I don't know! It's like pure happiness is invading my mind and it's horrible!" Voldemort screeched. He raised his wand, but through the blissful pain that was enveloping him, he couldn't find the hate to curse his devoted follower for not stopping the pain.
Lord Voldemort used the time between the periods of pain to deduce that he had some kind of connection with Harry Potter and his nemesis was engaged in something extremely pleasurable.
"NO! NOT AGAIN!" He screamed as the pain started again, and again, and again. He was reduced to a sobbing wreck by the end of the night. His body and mind tortured similar to the cruciatus curse he subjected to his followers.
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See you in the next chapter ✨
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