Addie and Leona belong to me, the name McKinnon doesn't - they're the daughters of (Mrs) Marlene McKinnon.
The woman looked at her calmly, with eyes exactly the same shape and colour as Harry's. "Why not?"
"Because Lily Potter is dead." Hermione stated, well aware that her voice was shaking. "She has been dead for thirteen years. So unless I've somehow developed necromancy as well as empathy or this is some kind of sick joke, then you can't be Lily Potter."
"But I am." 'Lily' told her.
"But you're dead!" Hermione argued.
"Prove it." 'Lily' responded serenely. "Show me the proof that I'm dead and I'll believe you."
Hermione opened her mouth, paused, and closed it again, thinking back about everything she'd read about that Halloween night. She knew that Harry had never heard the Killing Curse around the Dementors – although he'd heard everything else – because he hadn't known about it in DADA when Moody taught them the Unforgivables.
But then …
"Well, your bodies were never found …" Hermione said slowly. "But everyone knows that you were killed."
"You mean, like everyone 'knows' Sirius killed thirteen people?" 'Lily' asked with a smirk. "Come on, Hermione, use your logic. You're a smart girl. You know you're not crazy. Think it through."
It was sound advice, Hermione had to admit, and she began to pace. "Okay, let me talk it out. I'm an empath. As an empath, I can only talk to spirits attached to living people, or living spirits."
"That's right." 'Lily' agreed.
"And since I can only talk to living spirits, then you must be a living spirit." Hermione continued.
"Uh-huh."
Hermione slowed to a standstill. "And if you're a living spirit, then you must be alive." She pinched her arm, wincing at the sharp pain. "And I'm not dreaming. And people who imagine things like this when they're crazy either see people they know very well or people they don't know at all, and I only know you through Harry. You really are Mrs Potter. And you're alive."
Lily's smile widened. "By Jove, I think she's got it!"
"You're having one of those Muggle-born moments again, aren't you?" A man's voice asked, sounding partly amused, partly disgruntled.
He appeared beside Lily and Hermione's eyes widened involuntarily, her gaze darting to Harry, still sitting on the bank of the lake, gazing in her direction concernedly. She gave him a reassuring smile and turned back to the man in front of her. "Mr Potter, I presume?"
"Call me James." He told her with an easy smile, a smile she'd seen on Harry's face a thousand times.
Hermione leaned against the nearest tree, her head spinning. "Okay … so you two are alive. Where are you then?"
"We don't know." Lily admitted. "We were both hit with some sort of transportation spell. It gave off the same green light as the Killing Curse, but it was non-verbal. Whatever it was, I've never read about it."
Hermione nodded absently. Now I KNOW I'm not making this up. If I'd gone crazy, I'd come up with a better answer than 'we don't know'. And that fits with what Harry remembers.
"We'll explain more when you've told Harry." Lily added.
"Excuse me?" Hermione asked incredulously. "You want me to go and tell Harry that I can speak to the spirits of his supposedly-dead parents?!"
"When you put it like that, it sounds ridiculous." James said dryly, surprising a laugh out of her.
"It is ridiculous!" Hermione protested. "Today, of all days? It's not like he knows enough to let me prove that it's you!"
"Hermione, relax." Lily soothed. "You think too much. We can't affect our bodies, you know that, so we – the real us, I mean – we don't know Harry's alright. We're just an imprint." She took a deep breath. "Do you trust me, Hermione?"
"Yes." Hermione answered without hesitation. "Why?"
"Because you're an empath, I can …" Lily paused, searching for the right word "… temporarily inhabit your body and tell Harry myself. But I can only do it with your permission."
"You want to possess me?" Hermione asked, her voice higher than normal.
"Temporarily inhabit." Lily repeated insistently. "Just to talk to him. Please?"
Hermione was about to refuse, but the pleading note in Lily's voice made her hesitate. Lily wasn't just offering so that Hermione had proof to back up her story.
"Please?" Lily whispered.
Hermione sighed, glancing back at Harry. "Alright. But let me lay the groundwork first." At Lily's nod, she returned to where Harry was sitting. "Sorry about that."
"Who was it?" Harry asked immediately.
Hermione hesitated, steeling herself, both for what she was about to say and Harry's possible reaction. "Would you believe your mother?"
Harry's expression of concern didn't change, but he did give her a hard glance. "That's not funny."
"I'm not kidding." Hermione responded flatly. "She … er … She wants to talk to you."
At Hermione's nod, Lily stepped forwards, as though she was planning to walk right through Hermione, but stopped and vanished.
For a moment, Hermione didn't think anything had happened, but Harry's jaw dropped. "Hermione, your eyes …" he whispered. "They're the same colour as mine …"
Before Hermione could ask, her mouth began to move of its own accord, but it was Lily's voice that escaped her lips, soft and soothing. "Harry, Hermione's telling the truth … It really is me, sweetheart …"
"Mum …?" Harry shook his head slowly. "You have no idea how weird this is."
Hermione felt herself smile. "It's going to be weird, pumpkin; I'm inhabiting your best friend's body at the moment." Her hand reached out without her volition and touched his face. "We're so proud of you, Harry. Your dad and I … we love you so much …"
A sharp pain stabbed through her head and Hermione grimaced, suddenly regaining control of her body as Lily reappeared beside her.
Harry blinked at the sudden change in her eyes. "What …?"
"Mrs Potter, what just happened?" Hermione asked, slightly shakily.
"Lily, dear." She corrected, eyeing Hermione speculatively. "You're a natural Occlumens – even though you let me in, your subconscious was pushing me out."
"Oh, sorry." Hermione sighed. "Sorry, Harry, apparently, I'm a natural Occlumens and accidentally knocked her out of my head."
"It's okay, Hermione." Harry said with a smile. "I guessed you didn't do it on purpose. Er … what's an Occlumens?"
"Occlumency is the art of magically defending the mind against external penetration, sealing it against magical intrusion and influence." Lily answered. "It's the defensive counter to Legilimency, which is the ability to extract emotions, memories and thoughts from another person's mind. Someone who practices Occlumency is known as an Occlumens and someone who practices Legilimency is known as a Legilimens. They're very advanced branches of magic, which usually take years to master."
Hermione's eyebrows rose into her hairline. "Wow …" she murmured.
"What's an Occlumens?" Harry repeated.
Hermione chuckled. "Sorry, Harry. Basically …" She repeated what Lily had told her, word for word, just to make sure she didn't miss anything.
Harry smirked. "No one told me I was best friends with my mother."
Hermione swatted his arm good-naturedly. "Oh, shut up. So what does it mean that I'm a 'natural' Occlumens?"
"It means that you don't need to learn it." Lily explained. "Legilimency and Occlumency won't work against you; it's a gift that very few people are born with, only those who won't abuse it, and even then, it's rare."
"So, does that mean what we just tried will never work?" Hermione questioned, glancing at Harry.
Lily looked thoughtful. "I don't know. Possibly eventually … you do still need to work to control it. That should give you better access to your long-term memory as well. One of my best friends was a natural Legilimens as well – try looking for Improving Mind Magics in the library … I don't think it's in the restricted section."
Hermione rummaged in her bag for some parchment and a quill. "And that will help?"
"The exercises will." Lily assured her. "At least they should."
Hermione jotted down the name of the book, and then paused, gazing at her quill. "You know, this conversation would be easier if Harry could hear you."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "But Harry's not an empath. And we've just established that I can't borrow your voice."
Hermione just stared at the quill. "Or see you."
"Again, Hermione, Harry's not an empath." Lily groaned. "Uh oh."
Now Hermione looked at her. "What?"
"You've got a glint in your eye …" Lily sighed. "And that glint reminds me too much of Padfoot for me to be altogether comfortable with it."
"Okay …" Hermione decided to just ignore that. "Do you know the Dicta-Charm?"
"The what?" Harry asked blankly, as Lily made a soft noise of understanding.
"And that's why I was asking your mum." Hermione teased.
Lily laughed. "Good idea, Hermione. The incantation is Dicteria and the wand movement is a sharp, anti-clockwise, quarter-twist."
Hermione aimed her wand at the quill and followed Lily's instructions. "Dicteria." The quill twitched slightly and she loaded it with ink, setting it point down on the parchment. "This is Hermione Granger, on October 31st 1995."
As she spoke, the quill skated across the parchment, transcribing her words.
"Excellent." Hermione tore away the top of the parchment and repositioned the quill. "Will it work on you, Lily?"
"You cast the spell so I don't see why not." Lily answered. "My name is Lily Potter – Harry, you'll have to give it your name as well."
Harry's eyes widened as he glanced at the parchment to see the words Lily Potter: You cast the spell so I don't see why not. My name is Lily Potter – Harry, you'll have to give it your name as well.
"My name is Harry Potter, and this may be the most amazing thing that ever happened to me."
Hermione smiled as the quill danced across the parchment, noting down Harry's name and words as well. "Very good. Now first question, Lily, where are you?"
"We're not sure of the exact location." Lily began heavily. "We know that it's an island, but it's small – very small. Big enough to house a tower and a house, as well as a crowd of Death Eaters, but not much else."
Harry stiffened as the words appeared. "Mum, are you …?"
"I'm fine, dear." Lily assured him. "We both are. We haven't seen the Death Eaters ourselves, but Addie and Leona say they were there just before we arrived. They haven't been back since that Halloween."
"Addie and Leona?" Hermione repeated. The second name was unfamiliar, but she could have sworn she'd heard the first name before, even though she didn't know anyone by that name.
"They were two of our year-mates." Lily explained. "Addison and Leona McKinnon – they're twins, as different in personality as they are alike in appearance. We thought that they'd both been killed in March 1979."
"The McKinnon Massacre." Hermione murmured. That would explain where she'd heard the name before.
"The what?" Harry asked.
Hermione smiled sadly. "I read about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. The McKinnons were a big pureblood family – it was the first attack on purebloods."
"He hadn't killed purebloods before?" Harry frowned.
"Oh, he had." James said darkly.
"James, the quill." Lily reminded him in a soft voice.
"Right. My name is James Potter." James directed at the quill. "Hi, Harry. Yes, Voldemort had killed purebloods before, but only when they were in the way or collateral damage. The McKinnons were the first real attack. They were wiped out in under a day."
Harry muttered a curse under his breath and Hermione nudged him. "Language, Harry." She frowned. "Wait a second … I thought that one of the girls was seen in an Inferi army later on."
"Addie was." Lily nodded, with a heavy sigh.
"What's an Inferi?" Harry asked quietly.
Hermione swallowed, feeling slightly sick. "An Inferius, Harry, is a dead body enchanted to do a Dark Wizard's bidding."
Harry shuddered. "Oh Merlin …"
"Exactly." Lily closed her eyes and James put an arm around her shoulders. "Voldemort created a pseudo-Killing Curse, so called because the incantation is the more or less same, but it separates the spirit from the body and soul and solidifies it. That doesn't cause any harm to the person as a whole and they're sent to the island that we're on, but there's what appears to be a body."
"It was usually used when Voldemort wanted information from someone." James added. "After all, the Ministry isn't going to search for someone who's dead."
"Apparently it wasn't needed." Hermione scowled. "I notice that no one's searching for you two."
"That's because no one bothered investigating." Lily sighed. "They all 'knew' we were dead."
Hermione huffed. "Honestly!"
Harry was reading the parchment over again. "Wait a second … Addie wouldn't be Shadow, would she?"
Lily chuckled. "Yes, Harry, we called her Shadow."
"Did Arabella and Mandy have Marauder names?" Hermione asked.
"Arabella was Bastet, Mandy was Talon." James answered.
"Where'd the names come from?" Harry questioned eagerly. "Mum's, I get. It was because of your eyes, right?"
Lily laughed. "Exactly. Our names came from the same place the boys' did. We were all Animagi."
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Well, they certainly kept that quiet last June. Were you there?"
"We were." James confirmed. "You need more ink, Hermione."
Hermione glanced at the page and reloaded the quill. "Thank you. I bet that was difficult. Last June, I mean."
James closed his eyes, but not before she saw the pain that shot across his face. "We already knew, Hermione. Well, we knew that Peter had betrayed us, but …"
"We thought that Sirius had killed him." Lily finished. "We'd stayed with Harry after … after it happened. So we thought … At least until Harry got to Hogwarts and met Ron and we saw Scabbers and … that was the hardest part. Knowing that our son was in the same room as that … that …"
"Scumbag?" Hermione supplied.
Lily smiled wryly. "I was thinking something worse, but that'll do."
"Did you hear the prophecy?" Harry whispered.
"We heard it." Lily answered. "And we heard your little guilt-trip in Moony's office as well."
"Whatever happens next, Harry, it is not your fault." James said forcefully, "Whatever happens next, I am so incredibly proud of you for how you acted in the Shack."
Somehow the quill managed to portray at least some of the emotion in James's voice and Hermione looked out across the lake to give Harry time to gather his composure.
"Hermione?" He asked after a few minutes. "How are we going to tell Sirius? We can't tell him something like this in a letter."
"No, you can't." Lily agreed. "Wait until you see him in person. And when you do, Hermione, show him this. He and Addie were dating when she was attacked – if she knew I was doing this, she'd never forgive me if I didn't find some way of telling him that she still loves him."
"Do you know what's happening with You-Know-Who?" Hermione asked, feeling a bit guilty for sweeping Sirius aside like that, but needing to ask.
"As much as we'd love to go spy," James sighed, "he's an empath too – that's how he created the pseudo-Killing Curse in the first place. Since we don't really want to draw attention to our continued existence …"
"I wouldn't ask you to." Hermione said hastily. "Did you … Did you happen to see where Wormtail went last June?"
Lily smiled wryly. "No. We were more worried about you lot, to be honest. Especially with all those Dementors …" She shuddered, and Hermione felt a pang of sympathy for couple, for everything they had watched Harry go through, helpless to intervene.
And they still don't even really know he's alive.
Hermione cast around for some way to change the subject, desperate for some way to distract Lily from the memory. "What was your Animagus form, Lily?"
James chuckled weakly. "That was about as subtle as a …"
"Train wreck." Lily finished, wiping her eyes. "But thank you. I was a doe …" she exchanged a smile with her husband "… reddish-brown in colour, but still with green eyes. That's why they called me Jade. Arabella was a cat …"
"That doesn't surprise me." Hermione smiled, as Harry nodded in agreement. "And you called her Bastet because of the Egyptian goddess, right?"
"Right in one." Lily nodded. "As for Mandy, her form was a falcon, so her nick-name speaks for itself."
"And Addie?" Harry asked. "What could she turn into?"
"Well, you've seen Sirius's Animagus form, right?" James smirked. "It's that, but blonde."
Hermione and Harry exchanged a slightly confused glance. "So … why Shadow?" Hermione queried.
"Because she had the ability to blend into them." Lily answered. "Alice came up with it. Neville's mum." She explained, seeing their questioning expressions. "Now not that we wouldn't love to stand here and chat all day, don't you two have work to do?"
Hermione glanced at her watch and jumped. "Harry! It's nearly lunch-time and we haven't done our potions homework yet!"
"Mum …?" Harry asked pleadingly.
Lily laughed. "Sorry, sweetheart, you do need to do that homework. I promise I'll have a word with Snape when we get back though."
Hermione reached for the quill. "Can I stop this now?"
"Not yet." James told her seriously. "Sirius Black, if you don't stop blaming yourself for what happened, so help me Merlin, I will find a way to hex you into the next century, even if I have to do it from here."
"He means that in the nicest way, Padfoot." Lily said sweetly. "But I'll be joining him."
For a moment when she woke up on Sunday morning, Hermione couldn't remember why she felt so sick. Then the previous night's events came rushing back to her.
The Goblet … the selections of the champions … Harry's name …
How could Harry be a champion? He didn't put his name in that Goblet; he can't have done … the look on his face …
Hermione groaned into her pillow. Jess's prophecy was coming true – the Goblet of Fire had been tampered with. It was the only solution that made sense.
"Hermione!" Lavender called through the curtains. "Are you awake?!"
"Well, if I wasn't, I am now." Hermione grumbled, sitting up. "Yeah, I'm awake."
The curtains were ripped back and Lavender and Parvati, practically shaking with excitement, appeared, almost bouncing to sit on her bed.
"Well?" Parvati asked impatiently, after they had stared at her for a few minutes.
"Well what?" Hermione asked tiredly, running a hand through her hair and wincing at the tangles she encountered.
"Harry!" Lavender squealed. "How did he get his name in the Goblet?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "He didn't."
Parvati sighed. "Hermione, his name came out, didn't it? That must mean …"
"That an incredibly powerful wizard hoodwinked an incredibly powerful object into thinking there were four schools, not three." Hermione finished, slightly coldly. "Why would Harry want to be in the tournament?"
"Same reason as anyone, duh." Lavender said, rolling her eyes. "A thousand galleons and eternal glory."
Hermione rolled her eyes again. "Lavender," she began, in a tone one would usually employ with a five-year-old, "the Potter family is one of the wealthiest in the country. A thousand galleons is pocket money considering what's he's set to inherit when he turns seventeen, as you two have mentioned about a million times since first year. And he's already got eternal glory – you name me one former champion."
Lavender looked set to argue, but Parvati, proving that her sister didn't get all the brains, nudged her. "She's right. Besides, you saw the look on his face last night."
Lavender nodded, looking almost disappointed at the lack of gossip. "So who did put his name in? And why?"
"I dread to think." Hermione muttered. "The tournament's dangerous – there's a reason we weren't allowed to enter under seventeen. It's a very good opportunity to make something look like an accident …"
She trailed off, a cold rush of dread flooding her as she imagined all the awful things that could happen. Images of Harry's mangled and broken body flashed before her eyes – and, unfortunately, he'd ended up in the hospital wing enough times for her to have a very extensive, very realistic bank of them.
She jumped out of bed, letting her bedclothes flutter to the floor. "Excuse me." She changed quickly, almost sprinting from Gryffindor tower and down into the Great Hall, skidding to a halt beside the Gryffindor table, her eyes scanning the students present for any sign of messy black hair.
She couldn't find any, so made her way to the red hair bent over his breakfast. "Morning, Ron. Where's Harry?"
"How should I know?" Ron snapped.
Hermione took an unconscious step back, taken aback by the venom in his voice. "Who shoved a bug up your arse this morning?"
"Potter." Ron growled.
"Since when is he 'Potter'?" Hermione frowned. "Wait … you don't think he entered his name in this tournament, do you?"
Even as she spoke, her own voice echoed in her head. Betrayal …
"I knew you'd take his side!" Ron hissed.
"Of course I'm taking his side!" Hermione protested. "He hasn't done anything wrong! You, of all people, know how much Harry hates his fame! You, of all people, know how much that 'fame' cost him! You, of all people, know what he hears around the Dementors!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Lavender and Parvati had joined the other end of the table and were talking with a group of fifth year girls.
The girls in question looked quite sheepish, and Hermione could only hope that her room-mates were repeating her earlier logic. If they are, and they manage to convince people, I will never complain about their gossiping ever again.
"Fine!" Ron yelled. "Gang up on me, just like always!"
"Just like always?!" Hermione repeated incredulously, somehow managing to keep her voice quiet. "It's normally you two ganging up on me – even when Harry knows I'm right. But go ahead! Turn your back on him and act like a jealous prat instead of being the friend he needs!"
Fred and George were at her side in an instant, before she even registered their arrival, the latter gripping Ron's right wrist tightly. His hand was still tight around his wand, which was aimed in her direction.
"You were about to curse me." Hermione whispered, her voice slightly shaky. She stepped back hastily, feeling Fred wrap an arm around her and guide her back out to the Entrance Hall, sending his brother a scathing look over his shoulder.
"Ignore him, Mya." He murmured, sitting her down on one of the benches beside the marble staircase.
"He tried to curse me." She repeated in disbelief.
"I know." Fred said soothingly, rubbing her shoulder. "He's a prat, Mya. He's jealous and you know it." He hesitated for a second, before asking, "What does Harry hear around the Dementors?"
Hermione hesitated. She knew she could trust the twins with that information, but was it really right for her to divulge it?
"We won't tell." George assured her, joining them with a stack of buttered toast. "Marauders' honour."
Hermione didn't need the oath; she trusted the twins to treat the information confidentially. It was her empathy that convinced her to answer the question – they had already guessed what she would say and were simply seeking confirmation.
"His parents." She whispered. "The night they … That night."
The twins paled, so that every freckle stood out in stark relief against their skin, but the look they exchanged was one of dark significance, as they silently acknowledged the accuracy of their suspicions.
George handed her the toast. "Go and find Harry; take him for a walk or something. He doesn't need all that in there." He jerked his head back to the Great Hall, where people were lingering longer than was usual on a Sunday morning. "Tell him we believe in him – if he says he didn't do it …"
"… that's good enough for us." Fred finished. "And tell him we're sorry for not really listening last night. The adrenaline got to us."
"I get it. I'll tell him." Hermione said with a smile, and she headed back up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. She had barely opened her mouth to give the Fat Lady the password, when the portrait swung open to reveal her best friend, hair messier than ever and dark circles beneath his eyes.
Pasting a smile over her concerned expression, Hermione held up the toast. "Fancy a walk?"
Harry's face lit up with a relieved smile. "Thanks."
Together, they hurried back downstairs and passed the Great Hall without even glancing through the doors. They slowed down once they were outside and, like the day before, rounded the lake almost completely before they settled under a beech tree.
Hermione handed half of the toast to Harry and let him eat in silence, pulling her own apart in her lap. She wasn't really hungry, but, knowing Harry's propensity to worry, forced herself to eat a few slices.
They had barely been there five minutes, when James and Lily appeared out of thin air, bickering.
"How was hexing Snape into the ground a good idea?" Lily was asking incredulously.
"Into the air, actually." James corrected. "And Snivellus had it coming, you know he did." He winced at the look she was giving him. "Still mad at me for that, huh?"
"Yes." Lily said, slightly icily. "Believe it or not, I am. Maybe, if you'd been a bit nicer to him, he'd be a bit nicer to our son! It's hardly Harry's fault your head was …"
"… so big you were surprised my broom could take off?" James finished, with a charming smile.
Lily sighed, shaking her head. "James David Potter, you are unbelievable."
Seeing the smile she was trying to hide, Hermione chuckled, making her best friend jump a little. "You're both unbelievable."
"My parents?" Harry guessed through a mouthful of toast.
"Who else?" Hermione responded. She caught sight of Lily's expression and smirked, beating her to it. "And don't talk with your mouth full."
Harry swallowed his toast and gave her an incredulous look. "Tell me that was my mother speaking."
"It was." Hermione assured him. "More or less. Harry, about last night …" She held up a hand as Harry began to speak. "Let me finish. I know you didn't enter your name. Ginny knows you didn't enter your name. The twins know you didn't enter your name – you've got them to thank for the toast – and they apologise for not really listening to you last night." She sighed heavily. "The question is: Who tampered with the Goblet?"
"Tampered with?" Harry asked, but there was a glint in his eye that told her he already knew what she meant.
"Like I told the girls, the Goblet of Fire is bewitched to select one champion from each of the schools." Hermione said matter-of-factly. "So whoever entered your name must have made it think there were four schools competing instead of just three. But who?"
"Moody thinks someone's trying to off me." Harry commented casually, but he was methodically tearing the crusts off his toast as he spoke.
"Hermione," Lily said quietly, "could you tell Harry that he needs to eat his crusts; they're good for him."
Hermione smiled, hearing the feigned casualness in her voice, and reached out to still Harry's hands. "Eat your crusts, Harry, they're good for you. And Moody's right – no student …"
"Have you talked to Ron this morning?" Harry interrupted, apparently not listening to her.
Hermione hesitated, unwilling to open this can of worms just yet. "Er … yes. Yes, he was in the Great Hall at breakfast." She wasn't going to elaborate any further unless he made her.
"Does he still think I entered myself?" Harry asked in a small voice.
Damn, he's going to make me. Hermione sighed. "Well … I don't think so … maybe … I don't … not really." The obvious answer was 'yes' but she was reluctant to give it.
Harry looked up, finally meeting her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? 'Not really'?"
Hermione sighed. "Look, if he just thought it through, he'd know you didn't enter your name – Jess saw this coming, for Merlin's sake, and the look on your face …" She shook her head. "He's blinded."
"Blinded?" Harry repeated. "Blinded by what?"
"Oh, Harry, isn't it obvious?" Hermione asked, feeling slightly exasperated. "It doesn't take an empath to see that he's jealous!"
"Jealous?" James repeated incredulously, even as Lily nodded.
"I thought it'd be something like that." She said sadly.
"Jealous?!" Harry repeated incredulously, and Hermione bit back a smile at the similarity between father and son. "Jealous?! Of what?! He wants to make a prat of himself in front of the entire school, does he?"
"Look," Hermione said, trying to be patient, which wasn't easy, because James was loudly agreeing with Harry, and she wasn't all that inclined to disagree with him herself. "It's always been you who gets the attention, you know it has. I know it's not your fault!" She added hastily, seeing Harry open his mouth to argue. "And I know you don't like it. We know you don't ask for it, but Ron's got all those brothers and they all have something that makes them stand out and Ginny's the only girl and he's got them to compete against at home, and you're his best friend and you're really famous – he's always shunted to one side when people see you and he puts up with it and never mentions it. This is just one time too many."
"Great." Harry said bitterly. "Really great. Tell him from me I'll swap any time he wants. Tell him he's welcome to it … people gawping at my forehead everywhere I go …"
"I'm not telling him anything." Hermione told him flatly. "I'm not a bloody owl. Tell him yourself; it's the only way to fix this."
"I'm not running around trying to make him grow up!" Harry snapped, causing an owl in a nearby tree to take off in alarm.
"Well, neither am I!" Hermione said sharply. "I've seen this coming for a while; it had to happen sooner or later. Besides, he nearly cursed me this morning."
Belatedly, as Lily let out a shocked gasp, she realised that she shouldn't have told him that.
"He did what?" Harry asked in a low whisper. His eyes seemed to glow with fury and she almost flinched at the wave of anger that rolled towards her – it was only the knowledge that it wasn't aimed at her that stopped her. "I swear …"
"Harry, no!" Hermione grabbed his arm as he threatened to get to his feet. "Come on, you know he never thinks before he acts – I can handle this myself!"
Harry narrowed his eyes at her. "On one condition."
"Anything." Hermione was quick to agree – Harry was the only person whose emotions she couldn't read without searching for them. Even when his name came from the Goblet, surprise only flared in the air for a second before it was gone and buried.
"If he ever, and I mean ever, does or says anything to hurt you in any way, shape or form ever again, you'll tell me immediately and let me handle it." Harry stated.
Hermione was taken aback by the coldness in his voice. Concerned, she tested the air, but found nothing – now the shock had worn off, his previous anger was buried once again, with his other emotions, deep below the surface.
Thank Merlin he's easy to read.
"Okay, Harry, I promise."
Harry sighed and his whole body seemed to relax at once. "Thanks, Hermione. You're my best friend; I can't just stand back and let him …" He sighed again. "And yes, I know you can take care of yourself …"
Hermione bit back her protest. Since when can he read minds? Maybe we've just known each other too long.
"… but humour me, okay?" Harry stared out at the lake for a few minutes. "Maybe he'll believe I'm not enjoying myself when I've got my neck broken or …"
Lily moaned quietly and hid her face in James's chest. Hermione didn't blame her – she had the sudden urge to reach out and do the same thing.
"That's not funny." She said quietly, her voice shaking. "That's not funny at all." She looked back at James and Lily, wishing that she could sort out whatever was happening in her head so that they could comfort Harry themselves, but there was always … "You know what you need to do, don't you? The moment we get up to the castle?"
"Yes." Harry answered grimly. "Give Ron a good kick up the …"
"Write to Sirius!" Hermione cut him off hastily. "You've got to tell him what happened. He asked you to keep him posted on everything that happened at Hogwarts, remember? It's almost like he expected something like this to happen. I've got my bag with me; there's parchment and a quill in there …"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Hermione, he came back into the country because I told him my scar hurt; if I tell him I've somehow been entered into the Triwizard Tournament, he's going to come bursting into the bloody castle!"
"Harry James Sirius Potter, write to your godfather!" Lily chided sharply.
James winced. "I'd pass that message on as soon as possible, Hermione. When she uses both middle names, she means business."
"I didn't know you had two middle names." Hermione commented, half to Harry, half to Lily.
"I do?" Harry asked, sounding surprised.
Lily let out a growl that sounded like it should have come from Padfoot. "My damn sister …"
"She'll get hers, Lily." Hermione said darkly.
"So my middle name isn't James?" Harry asked.
"One of them is." Hermione assured him. "The other one's Sirius, apparently."
Harry's face lit up in a smile. "Really?"
"Well, it wasn't." Lily admitted. "It was just Harry James, but someone managed to slip it on to the birth certificate without asking me."
James shrugged, looking thoroughly unrepentant. "I did promise."
Hermione chuckled and turned back to Harry. "I'll explain later, Harry. Now write to your godfather – your mother used both middle names. Besides, he's going to find out anyway."
Distracted from the name issue, Harry frowned. "How?"
Hermione groaned and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Think, Harry!" She held up her left hand. "First Triwizard Tournament in over a century." She held up her right hand. "Boy-Who-Lived somehow participating." She brought her hands together. "Front page of the Daily Prophet. It'll be all over the Wizarding World in days, if it isn't already." Dropping her hands to her sides, she met his eyes openly. "He'd rather hear it from you, Harry."
Harry sighed. "Why is it that you always know just what to say to convince me to do something?"
Hermione smirked. "I'm your best friend, Harry. I can read you like a book – and that's without my empathy."
Harry stood up and threw the last slice of toast to the Giant Squid. "Okay, I'll write." Grinning, he extended an arm to her. "May I escort you to the library, my lady?"
Hermione fought back a laugh and took on a haughty air. "You may, good sir." As they both fell into giggles, she looped her arm through his and they set off back into the castle. And, for the first time in a long time, Hermione felt that they could survive whatever was coming.
