October 31st, 1994
"You do realize you can't put your name in the Goblet of Fire, right?" Draco remarked, pushing the blonde hair out of his eyes as the couple continued their stroll towards the Potions classroom.
"Of course I know that! Why would you expect me to do such a thing in the first place?" Harry answered, faking ignorance.
"You have a tendency of chasing trouble, Potter, and more often than not, you involve me in said trouble as well". Harry laughed slightly at that. He couldn't deny it, that was for sure.
"Well I'm sorry Draco, its not like I want to be a living beacon for everything bad in this world either," he defended, memories of his past years at Hogwarts flying before his eyes.
"I suppose…" Draco muttered, shaking his head. "Just promise me you'll try your best to stay out of trouble's way this time, and perhaps there's still a chance we might have a calm year at Hogwarts after all".
Walking into the Potions classroom, the couple was met with the daily bustle of student life. Students discussing yesterday's homework, a particular spell they might have found difficult, or just getting their daily fill of gossip. The two boys found a free seat near the front of the room, and sat down with a thud, Harry's head immediately finding its way to a resting position on the desk.
I swear to God, these nightmares are going to be the death of me.
Letting out a long sigh of discomfort, he resigned himself to his fate (yet another class of having Snape as his teacher), and started sorting out his books.
"Who do you think will be selected as the Triwizard Champions, anyway?" Draco asked casually whilst adjusting his robes. The heir of the most prestigious house of Malfoy had always been abnormally attentive when it came to his appearance, and Harry would often catch him staring at himself in the mirror, adjusting something about himself that seemed insignificant to Harry.
"To be honest, I reckon Viktor Krum is going to be one of them. The way he came marching into the Great Hall the other day, as if he was some sort of king, implies that their Headmaster thinks very highly of him. It wouldn't surprise me if they didn't allow any other Durmstrang student to enter their name into the Goblet of Fire, if only to assure Krum is the only one selected".
"It wouldn't surprise me either," Draco nodded solemnly, having fine-tuned his robes into a position he was satisfied with. "They seem like quite the barbarians, those Durmstrang students. Probably haven't even heard of blood purity".
Harry couldn't help but scoff at that.
"Draco, when are you going to stop with that pure-blood mania of yours? You should be perfectly aware by now that blood purity has absolutely nothing to do with a wizard's magical ability. Take Hermione, for instance. She's better than the both of us when it comes to practically everything magic-related, and both of her parents are Muggles!"
"That girl is an exception! She is indeed a capable wizard, there is no denying that, but I am sure she has some manner of wizarding blood running through her veins, perhaps derived from a far-off relative of the family or something," Draco resisted, a hint of frustration coloring his voice.
"Draco, you're clutching for straws now, and you know it".
"Whatever. Class is about to start, so shut your trap and pay attention".
As if on queue, Snape came traipsing into the classroom, all of the student falling silent at the sight of him. Every student in Hogwarts knew Snape valued discipline above all, and if you stirred up trouble in his class, you would find yourself with so much detention you would barely be able to see the light of day again.
"Today, we will be attempting to brew the Sleeping Draught potion, a relatively easy task by normal accounts," he said with a firm, monotone voice, as if they were all nothing but specks of dirt beneath him. "But it wouldn't surprise me if you managed to fail even this simple assignment. The necessary equipment and ingredients can be found in the cupboard at the back of the classroom, and you have exactly 35 minutes to finish. Begin".
The Great Hall was filled with life by the time Harry got there. The scurry of hundreds of students all talking over each other was mildly put deafening, but as the years went by, Harry had begun to appreciate it. Privet Drive had never really meant anything to him, so Hogwarts was the closest thing he'd ever come to having a real home, and the sound of people talking made him feel calm. Made him feel like he was a part of one big family.
Finding his seat next to the other Gryffindors, he shot Hermione a quick wink before letting his eyes wander over towards the Slytherin table.
Draco isn't here, huh…
His blonde friend had a tendency of disappearing for short amounts of time without telling anyone. Harry knew why, though. He was most likely writing to his father. The two of them often sent each other letters, updating each other on everything from Draco's schoolwork to the current political climate. Lucius Malfoy was everything but a compassionate man, but Harry could tell he cared deeply about his son, even if he didn't let it show. And despite his attempts at convincing Harry otherwise, Draco cared about his father, too.
"SILENCE!"
The voice of Albus Dumbledore tore through the chatty atmosphere of the Great Hall, shushing the students quiet as always. That particular word had become something of a catchphrase for Dumbledore, and Harry secretly wondered if he purposefully looked for occasions to use it.
"Today is the day we reveal whom gets chosen as Triwizard Champions! You have all had 24 hours to enter your names into the Goblet of Fire, and as of this moment, the entrance ceremony is at an end! Now, the Goblet will decide who are worthy of participating in this distinguished tournament. Bartemius, if you would do us the honor".
The man clad in the black robe rose from his seat, and walked up to the podium. Dumbledore gave him a quick pat on the back, before gesturing towards the Goblet, which had been placed in the open space in front of the four enormous tables.
Pulling out his wand, the one known as Bartemius Crouch Senior pointed it towards the Goblet, before uttering a silent spell that only he could hear. The fire on top of the bronze object immediately grew in size, crackling with such ferocity it made the students sitting at the front jump in their seats.
As the lights in the Great Hall were dimmed, the fire changed color to a deep purple, casting long shadows across the stone floor. Harry stared at it as if entranced, along with the other students. He just couldn't seem to take his eyes off the contorting flame.
Suddenly, the flame seemed to bulge with extreme pressure, before shooting out a single spark of purple flame high into the air, turning into a single piece of burnt parchment as it floated down towards the ground again. As the students watched it sink, Dumbledore stretched out his hand and grabbed it out of the air.
"The first Triwizard Champion, hailing from the school of Durmstrang, is… Viktor Krum!"
The entire hall burst out in applause, none louder than the Durmstrang students, who were currently busy surrounding Krum, who held his hand high in the air as a gesture of victory.
Not surprising, Harry thought to himself as he watched the Bulgarian Seeker celebrate.
As the bustle slowly died down, the fire yet again grew in size, before shooting out another piece of burning parchment. And yet again, Dumbledore stretched out his hand to catch it as it fell to the ground.
"The second Triwizard Champion, hailing from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, is… Fleur Delacour!"
A cheer went out from the girls gathered around Fleur, and Harry couldn't help but be excited with them. The girl from Beauxbatons seemed like a genuinely nice person, and she sure was good-looking. Harry found himself looking forward to seeing how she would tackle the challenges of the Triwizard Tournament.
And just like that, the fire charged up yet again, before shooting out the last name of the evening, the name of the Hogwarts Triwizard Champion. The students gathered in the Great Hall all held their collective breaths as Dumbledore caught the last piece of parchment in his hand, a weak smile flashing across his face.
"And the final Triwizard Champion, hailing from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is… Cedric Diggory!"
This time, the applause was through the roof. Every student from Hogwarts got up from their seats to give Cedric a standing ovation, and judging from the huge smile plastered onto the boys' face, he didn't dislike the attention. Even Harry had to admit, he could hardly think of a better person to represent Hogwarts.
"That concludes the selection process of the Triwizard Champions. The First Task will take place on November 24th, and I hope to see all of you there, cheering on your favorite Champion. Well met, students, and off to bed!"
As the people gathered in the Great Hall got ready to leave, Harry noticed something… weird… going on with the Goblet out of the corner of his eye. The fire crackling on top of it hadn't died down, as he had suspected it would. If anything, it had increased even further in size. And as he watched, the fire bulged with pressure, before shooting out yet another piece of parchment.
Everyone went silent. Even the Headmaster seemed to be at a loss of words as they watched the parchment fall towards the ground in a steady decline. Nobody knew how to react. Had the Goblet misfired? Was there some sort of error with any of the previously chosen Champions? Was there, by some happenstance, a fourth Champion?
The Great Hall remained silent as Dumbledore slowly approached the now cool piece of parchment, bending over and picking it up. Harry watched the Headmaster's reaction as he read the name written on it, his eyes growing wide and confused.
"...er", the Headmaster said.
The students sent each other questioning stares, as nobody had heard what Dumbledore had said.
"Hermione Granger," the Headmaster read, louder this time.
All the blood in Harry's veins froze to ice as he heard her name, his mind going numb from the shock. Every logical thought in his head simultaneously disappeared like smoke, leaving nothing behind.
Hermione? No… there is no way she could… what?!
Turning around to look at her, he noticed that her skin had taken on a rather unnatural shade of grey, her eyes locked wide open with surprise. It was obvious she hadn't been expecting to hear her own name, either.
Everyone's attention was fixed dead on her as she spoke.
"F… forgive me, Headmaster, but… there must have been some sort of mistake, I… I didn't… put…" She tried, her sentence trailing off as the revelation of what had just happened sunk in.
As Hermione, as well as the other students gathered in the Great Hall, attempted to process whatever had just happened, Professor McGonagall came rushing over to Dumbledore's side, grabbing his arm with a shaky hand.
"Albus, there is no way we can let her participate! She is only a young girl, for Merlin's sake!" she whispered ferociously, loud enough for everyone in the Great Hall to hear.
Dumbledore slowly turned around to face her, his face an expressionless mask.
"Bartemius, what say you? Is there any way we can pull Hermione Granger out of this tournament?" he said, his gaze remaining locked on Professor McGonagall. The black-robed man from the Ministry of Magic looked just as flabbergasted as anyone else in the Great Hall, but ever so slowly, he shook his head from side to side.
"N… no. The Goblet constitutes a binding magical contract. The girl must participate, it is the only option…"
Dumbledore closed his eyes in defeat, suddenly looking a whole lot older than he had just moments earlier.
"So be it then. The fourth Triwizard Champion… will be Hermione Granger".
Harry closed his eyes as he pushed Hermione's petite form against his own, comforting her as the sobs racked through her body. This was the first time he had seen her cry so openly, and it tore at his heart more than he thought possible. The stray moonlight coming in through the blinds in the girls' bedroom illuminated the tears rolling down her cheeks, making them look like tiny beads of silver.
"I can't… I can't do it Harry…" she cried, pushing her face against his chest as she sobbed and sobbed. "I can't… I'm so afraid…"
"I know, Hermione, I know," Harry whispered, gently stroking a hand across the top of her head. "None of us could have foreseen something like this happening". Her tears had long since stained his clothes wet, but he didn't care. He knew she needed him, and he was not going to leave her alone at a time like this.
"How… how could this… I didn't put my name in the Goblet, I swear it Harry!" she whimpered, burrowing her face even further into his already tear-stained robe.
"Hey, I believe you, Hermione…" Harry answered comfortingly, wrapping his arms closer around her small frame. Her hair smelled faintly of sweet ginger, and he found himself secretly enjoying this rare moment of closeness, in spite of the circumstances.
"Now everyone is going to think I cheated my way into the tournament and… oh god Harry, I don't want to…"
"Shhh… It's okay, Hermione, we'll figure this out together… I won't leave you on your own…"
Her body seemed to relax a little as he said this, and ever so slowly, her sobs weakened in strength, before stopping completely. They stayed like that for a while, Harry pushing her against him, calmly stroking her hair. It was peaceful, in a way, and to be honest, he didn't really want it to stop.
Suddenly, another sound emerged from Hermione. A soft, but firm wheezing, almost as if… It took Harry only a second to realize what had happened. Hermione had fallen asleep.
Letting out a sigh, he gently lifted her up, before carrying her over to her bed, wrapping her in as carefully as he could. He didn't want to wake her, after all, not when she was sleeping so peacefully. She would have to sleep with her clothes on tonight as well, as he didn't dare even entertain the thought of undressing her.
After taking one last good look to make sure everything was okay, he ever so slowly backed out of the room, closing the oaken door behind him as he left. Hopefully Hermione would be feeling better in the morning, after getting a good nights' sleep.
Heading back towards the boys' sleeping quarters, he couldn't help but let his mind wander off to the challenges laying ahead. Things were going to be difficult going forward, with Hermione participating in the Triwizard Tournament and all. The Ministry of Magic itself had, after all, deemed its tasks too difficult for anyone under the age of 17 to complete. And whilst it was true that Hermione was exceptionally bright for her age, Harry didn't fancy her chances going up against the likes of Victor Krum. He would have to keep a close eye on her for now, and help her out in any way he could.
That night, Harry's nightmares returned. The black ocean spread out in front of him, the darkness closing in. It was identical to the one he had had the previous night. Except it was worse this time. Because he knew how it would end.
Back in the boys' sleeping quarters, his body was rocking violently from side to side, his subconscious desperately trying to rip him out of his nightmare. But it didn't work. He was stuck there, in the darkness. Nobody would save him now. It was hopeless.
In the dream, the darkness swallowed him. Shut out every trace of light, every trace of happiness. And then came the part he hated the most. The scarlet eyes. They bore into him, staring right through him into his very soul. There was no escaping them. They were all-knowing, and could see his every thought. Every attempt at evasion was futile. You couldn't escape that which knew you better than yourself.
"I. AM". The words rolled through the darkness, making the very air feel thick with boundless power. This wasn't Voldemort. Harry had had nightmares about him, too. But this was something else. Something stronger. And it terrified him beyond words.
Just when he thought his mind was about to break, he finally woke up. It was morning. The sunlight streamed in through a tiny space in-between the curtains, dancing across his eyelids. As he ever so slowly got up into a sitting position, he noticed that his bed was soaked with nightmare-induced sweat.
This isn't… normal. There is something wrong with these nightmares. They have never been this intense before, he thought to himself as he sluggishly changed out of his now sweat-soaked pajamas into his formal school robes.
I had better go talk with Professor Dumbledore. He'll know what to do. He always does.
The thought of it calmed him, and before long, he found himself well on his way towards the Great Hall. As he left the Gryffindor common room, he joined up with a small stream of students heading the same way. No one said anything to him, as usual. Not that it bothered him. He was used to that by now.
November 1st, 1994
As they finally entered through the massive wooden doors leading in to the Great Hall, Harry spotted Draco sitting over on the far right, next to some of his friends from Slytherin.
Huh, that's… odd. I didn't see him at all after Potions class yesterday. Does he know what happened with Hermione and the Triwizard Tournament?
After sitting down next to Seamus Finnigan, Harry spent the rest of his breakfast in silence, pondering what Draco might have been up to yesterday. So preoccupied was he, in fact, that he completely failed to notice that Hermione had taken a seat opposite of him. Only when she finally coughed to get his attention did he break out of his trance-like state.
"Oh, Hermione! I… didn't see you there," he exclaimed, silently cursing himself for not noticing her earlier. He wouldn't want her to think he was ignoring her, after all.
"No, that's perfectly fine… I just… wait, what's up with you? You look so pale, and you have this intense expression on your face…" she replied, her eyes sending him a questioning look.
"Hmm? My face…? Oh, it's nothing to worry about, just had some… bad nightmares…" He let the sentence hang in the air, as he knew perfectly well how Hermione felt about him and his nightmares.
"Oh… okay... well, I only really came to… thank you for yesterday. I wasn't… well, really myself, as you might have noticed. I was so scared, I…" Taking a deep breath, she tried her best to sound more confident than she really felt, but to no avail. Her voice still came out as a shaky mess.
"I didn't know what to do with myself, and if it hadn't been for your support, I don't know what I would have done..."
She recoiled slightly as Harry suddenly placed a hand on top of hers, enveloping it in a soft embrace.
"Hermione, you don't have to explain yourself, you really don't. Just… remember that I'll always be there for you, okay? It's honestly the least I can do. After all the times you've had my back, it's finally my turn to have yours," he answered, putting on a warm smile to reassure her. A hint of red touched her cheeks as she listened to him, but that was almost expected when presented with such a heartfelt confession.
Nodding, she returned his smile in full, making him feel loads better. Seeing her smile again was like a healing salve for his soul, mending his confused heart. With all of his nightmares and disorganized thoughts, he reckoned he needed that.
All of a sudden, Draco was there, wrapping Hermione in a tight hug. The gesture came so unexpectedly that the poor girl had a hard time deciding on how to react, ultimately settling on returning the hug. The entirety of the Great Hall went silent, everyone's attention firmly locked on what was taking place between the two students.
Draco Malfoy, the heir to a family that was directly associated with blood purity, was currently hugging the mudblood girl Hermione Granger. Most students found it weird that the two of them were friends in the first place, so seeing them do something so… intimate, shocked a good majority of them. And that Draco was doing this whilst being fully aware of the fact that his father would be hearing about this was perhaps the most surprising thing of all. He had never done anything so directly opposed to his family's belief before.
"Are you alright?" he asked, completely ignoring the others attention. His gaze was fixed on Hermione, and Hermione alone.
"Uhm… y… yes, I am… Well, I'm not, but I am… you get the point," she stammered, clearly taken aback with what had just happened. Draco simply nodded in response, before sliding down into the seat next to her.
"That's good to hear. As much as I hate to admit it, I was rather worried when I heard about what had happened at the Triwizard Champion selection. To think they would actually allow you to participate… it's truly preposterous!" he ranted, his hands waving around in angry gestures.
"Wow… yeah, I suppose it is," Hermione acknowledged, shaking her head ever so slightly from side to side. "It's not like I really stand a chance against the other Champions, either!" She too, seemed to be completely ignoring the fact that the entire Great Hall was watching her. Harry, on the other hand, was painfully aware of it.
"Hermione, I don't think you should be undermining yourself in front of all of these students," he whispered, leaning forward so only she and Draco could hear it.
"Why?" she snapped back, a hint of annoyance entering her voice. "They all think I cheated my way into the Tournament as it is, so they probably couldn't care less if I lose horribly to the other contestants!" Whispers and murmurs immediately broke out amongst the students, words of either encouragement or animosity being thrown about.
"You know what, as a matter of fact; they can believe whatever they want! I don't care! I'll surprise all of them by winning this stupid Tournament and defeating the other Champions! That'll make them shut up!" The whispers died down as fast as they had appeared, everyone's attention yet again fixed on Hermione.
"Come on Harry, we are leaving! You are going to help me prepare, whether you want to or not! And that's an order!" Her newfound determination took Harry by such surprise that he couldn't do anything else but nod. He was planning on helping her in the first place, but now, it seemed he had no other choice. Pushing herself up from her seat, she made a scene by purposefully walking OVER the table, grabbing ahold of the back of Harry's coat, before dragging him up and out towards the exit.
The last thing Harry saw before being dragged away from the Great Hall was the shocked expression ingrained into the faces of every student present. This was going to be an interesting year, he could already tell.
A/N: And that marks the ending of the second chapter! I know we are only two chapters in at this point, but I do hope you are all enjoying the story. I bet you weren't expecting Hermione to be the one selected for the Triwizard Tournament! I wanted to do something a little out of the ordinary, as most of the stories I have read taking place around Harry's forth year often involves him either personally participating in the Tournament or falling in love with Fleur. Now, that's not to say Fleur won't have a part to play in this story as well, but I am not going to spoil anything!
As always, if you enjoyed the read, I would greatly appreciate it if you left me a review. They are such good fun to read, and most of the time they help me improve my writing as well. Other than that, I suppose I will see all of you again in the next chapter! Stay safe people!
-Twisted