Chapter 2

The Good with the Bad

Mr. Potter

The Headmaster has written to me concerning the Nullificare Charm and your experience with it during your summer. I ask for your forgiveness, I should have warned you in advanced, perhaps taking some time to actually discuss the Charm. Normally an Unspeakable or a healer would be present when the Charm is first allocated to explain some of the effects that it could have on a person, but I realise now, much too late, that neither were there for you last year and that the Minister did little to help explain matters.

Feeling your emotions dulled is not a cause for concern, since it is the intended effect of the Nullificare Charm, however, from what I can tell, it seems to affect you more strongly than others. I have discussed it with a few of my colleagues, without disclosing your name of course, and I have come to the conclusion that it is your traumatic past that is causing this, perhaps the spells interacting with the curse scar your received on the ill fated day.

Given this I think you should know there is a side effects that have been noted with people who have worn the Charm for prolonged periods of time, effects you may already be experiencing. It is not permanent, but for a while you may experience a heightened sense of emotion. It is your mind catching up with the last two months of your life and while it may feel unsettling, it is essentially a healing process that you are going through and you will come out the better for it.

This whole situation has put me into a difficult position, but as I write this I have made a choice to work with the Headmaster and attempt to overturn the decision which has caused you to be given the Charm, even if it goes against my father's wishes.

We will try our best, but I can make no promises. So in the meantime, if you have any questions about the Charm, and perhaps anything about your experience with it during the summer you wish to discuss, send me an owl and I shall try and reply promptly.

You have endured the worse of it during your summer and hopefully you will not have to again, it might seem callous of me to say this, but try not to worry about it too much.

Best Wishes

Kendra Dumbledore

It took a while for Harry to calm down after he broke down in the classroom. The Headmaster waited patiently while Hermione gave him another hug and Ron squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. Once he stopped crying, he didn't argue with Professor Riddle when he said he wanted Madam Pomfrey to check over him. So the Headmaster went back to the Great Hall to call for the nurse, while Harry, with his face flushed with embarrassment and his eyes blotchy with shed tears, made his way to the hospital wing with Ron and Hermione.

Hermione thankfully didn't bring up what happened in the room, or anything else about the Charm and his summer, and they talked about inconsequential things along the way, things that were already mentioned on the train journey earlier that day, but Harry almost felt like he was hearing them for the first time.

He only had to wait a few minutes before the matron came bustling in with the Headmaster at her heels. She pursed her lips when she saw Harry but waited until she sent off Ron and Hermione, as well as the Headmaster, before she started questioning him. He sat there while she waved her wand around him and tried to answer her as truthfully as possible, but some of the details from his summer was quite hazy and she noted his hesitant replies on a sheet of parchment.

Harry also felt very hungry and very tired, whatever had kept him going without complaint for the last few weeks had vanished and he wanted nothing more than to climb into bed with a large plate of Hogwart's finest treacle tart. She absolutely did not offer him anything of the sort and instead had some soup brought to him which was quite simple compared to what his friends would be having in the Great Hall, but he still ate with great relish.

Before leaving him to catch up on some much needed sleep, Madam Pomfrey asked Harry if there was anything else he wanted to tell her about his summer with the Charm. For a moment he considered telling her about the dreams he's been having, but in the end decided not too, telling himself that it was just another minor side effect that he wouldn't have to worry about now that he wasn't wearing it. He was more confident of his decision to keep it to himself when he received a letter from Kendra Dumbledore a few days later. While she didn't mention anything about dreams specifically, he chose to interpret it as another effect of having a 'traumatic past'.

The next morning Madam Pomfrey allowed his to go to his lessons, although with great reluctance, and only after he'd eaten the food she provided instead of the sausage and eggs he'd been hoping for. He was glad to find that the first lesson of term was Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid. He was still feeling slightly worn out despite having slept for almost twelve hours straight, thankfully with no dreams of any sort, and being outside in the crisp autumn air kept him more alert than being stuck in a classroom.

It was quite an easy lesson as well, since Hagrid spent most of the lesson talking about Ichneumon, using the newly Ministry approved Fenlutus as an example. Ron seemed more adept at handling her and could now get her to show her spines on command. Everyone was fascinated and enjoyed the lesson apart from Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle, who had been on the receiving end of her death glare last year and refused to go near the 'beast'. At the end of the lesson Hagrid asked Ron if he could borrow her to use in his lessons with the other years. He red haired boy was more than eager to show off his pet.

He had Transfiguration before lunch and Professor McGonagall held him back to discuss his school supplies. There were a few new textbooks that he needed and although there were some old copies he could borrow, she brought up the possibility of a brief visit to Diagon Alley during the coming weekend if he wanted to get the books himself, as well as a few other things including robes which he would need to be measured for.

He quickly said yes, grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of visiting the wondrous place again and the Professor gave him a smile of her own before sending him off to lunch. He remembered Madam Pomfrey's advice from that morning and ate slowly and not too much while he listened to his housemates discuss the upcoming Triwizard Tournament which was announced by Professor McGonagall the night before. There seemed to be quite a few Gryffindors who were interested in trying for Champion, including Angelina Johnson, a member of the Quidditch team. Harry briefly wondered what was going to happen to the Quidditch team if she as well as the Weasley twins got picked to go to Durmstrang. With Oliver having graduated last year, they would need to find a lot of new players.

Ron was obviously excited, having spent the last year with Harry and his other friends preparing for the Tournament. They had until October to put their names forward and since they didn't know what McGonagall's test was going to consist of, they decided to spend a few weeks reviewing what they practised last year as well as trying to cram in as many new spells as possible.

By the end of the week, Harry was almost feeling back to normal and even though he had to wake up early on the Saturday morning after a tiring week of lessons, he was eager to get going while everybody else was still asleep. He was sure going to Diagon Alley during term time wasn't something that was usually allowed, so he had kept it quiet and only told a few people. He quickly got dressed and made his way to the entrance where Professor Riddle and Remus were waiting for him.

"Harry, I hope you're feeling better?" Riddle asked with a smile.

"Yes Professor. Hi Remus." Harry looked at the werewolf and realised he looked much better than last year in the months after his release from Azkaban. "Are you taking me to London?"

"Yes, I am." Remus nodded, his eyes trying to appraise Harry's state. "You're definitely look much better Harry."

Harry gave him an embarrassed smile before turning to the Headmaster with a questioning look. "Are you coming as well, Professor?"

Riddle looked at him for a moment and said slowly, as if trying to gauge Harry's reaction. "No… I am going to go speak to your aunt and uncle today..."

"Oh." was all that Harry could say as his jaws clenched.

"Would you like to be there when I speak to them?" the Headmaster's voice was soft, trying to sooth the boy.

"I… No, I think I'd rather not see them for a while." Harry let out a soft sigh.

The Headmaster stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright then, but I think you should considering going to see them before returning for the summer."

"I'll think about it..." Harry said truthfully when he saw the concern in the Headmaster's eyes. "What are you going to say to them?"

"Hmm… I'm just going to give them some advice on how to help someone who is wearing the Nullificare Charm." Riddle's words were gentle but his eyes seemed to get darker, a quietly contained red anger glowing from them.

Harry had to resist the urge to shiver. "Are you… are you going to hurt them?"

Riddle laughed out loud, the anger gone from his eyes. He gave a slight smile and asked jokingly. "Would you mind if I did?"

"I'd rather not give them another reason to hate magic." Harry gave a nervous laugh and tried to smile. Professor Riddle was looking at him again, as if the question was another test of some sort.

"I promise I'll leave them in one piece. Well then, you two should get going. Try not to be too late coming back." the Headmaster smiled, giving them a small wave.

Harry and Remus walked side by side towards the school gates. Remus informed him that they would be Apparating to Diagon Alley to which Harry just nodded silently.

"Harry." Remus let out a sigh as the boy turned to face him. "Why didn't you tell someone what you were going through?"

Harry let out a sigh of his own. "I don't know, I didn't want to worry you I guess."

"You didn't want to worry me?" Remus let out a mirthless laugh. "Now I'll be worrying whenever you tell me you're doing fine."

"Sorry." Harry muttered. "I didn't think I needed at first and later on I couldn't even think clearly."

"Professor Riddle told me about that... you're not still feeling like that are you?" Harry shook his head as they stepped out of the gates. Remus turned and put on hand on his shoulder. "Harry… I… When… From the moment you I saw you when you stepped out of the train and onto the platform three years ago, I immediately knew who you were. I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but you looked, and still do, exactly like your father at your age. And.. and.. I thought of you as family. James was like a brother to me, he and Sirius both gave me so much when we were here together… so much that I could never hope to repay, but… for you I'd do anything... and... I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

Harry blushed in embarrassment and turned his face away with his eyes shut, he had already shed tears far too many times this week. It wasn't just the crying but he had also snapped rather harshly at an eleven year old Dennis Creevey, Colin's brother who had just come to Hogwarts, and during Divination he had broken into an uncontrollable fit of giggles at something that Ron had said that wasn't even that funny, and in the end Professor Parnassos told Harry to go to the hospital wing, thinking there was something wrong with him. He supposed it was a good thing that he could feel like this again, but he still felt uncomfortable about it. He really didn't want to show himself like this in front of Remus.

Remus stayed silent for a moment and misunderstanding Harry's reaction, said. "I… I know you've only known me for a few years and you probably don't want a werewol-"

"No!" Harry's eyes shot open and he turned to Remus, who looked at him in surprise. "I don't care that you're a werewolf and I'm really grateful for all you've done for me these past few years. The camera, the pictures, all the stories about my parents, you've given me so much and I don't think I ever properly thanked you for it. I guess I never thought about it, but... you are like family, you always looked out for me and gave me a link to my parents that I never thought I would have. Thank you for that, and I'm sorry I didn't say anything during the summer. It's just… I don't want you to be disappointed in me, I got myself into this whole mess because I couldn't control myself in front of my aunt..."

"Harry, I'm sure you've heard it a million times already, but it is not your fault. People lose control sometimes and that's why there's a whole department in the Ministry to fix things, that's why Hogwarts exists. I would never be disappointed in you and I'd rather you talked these things with me, or someone else, than keep it to yourself. Being family means taking the good as well as the bad, it took a while for me to learn that, with my… condition… but your father and Sirius helped me realise that I can't just push aside these thoughts forever, and that it's not a weakness to want to talk to someone about it." Remus gripped Harry's shoulder gently and gave him a smile.

Harry sniffed and wiped his nose with the sleeve of his robes. He nodded at Remus' words. "Okay."

"Alright then, I'll say nothing more about it right now. Ready Harry?" Harry looked confused for a moment, but then he moved his hand to grip Remus' arm tightly. He nodded and closed his eyes. He opened them again to the bustle of Diagon Alley.

It took a moment for him to steady himself, he didn't think he would ever get used to the sensation of Apparition. Even though Diagon Alley was without the students that normally thronged the place in the days before school starting again, there were still plenty of wizards and witches doing their shopping on this Saturday morning.

They made their way to Gringotts first where Harry took out possibly more money than he needed. Remus offered to buy the few books that he needed while Harry went to get fitted for some new robes. Madam Malkin raised her eyebrows at the late arrival, but motioned him onto the footstool. Thankfully, she didn't ask why Harry hadn't been here before returning to Hogwarts, she just asked if he had a nice summer. Harry murmured a quiet reply saying it was fine, sighing in relief when Remus entered the shop. He caught Harry's expression and steered the conversation away from Harry by asking the witch how her business was doing.

It didn't take too long after that and they eventually left the shop with the robes tucked in a bag. Harry had a few other things to get, a new quill, some ink and he wanted to get some treats for Hedwig as well, he hadn't really treated her all that well during the summer, while his familiar had kept him company and helped him out of his nightmares on more than one occasion.

Remus told Harry that they didn't need to hurry back so they took their time, looking through the windows of the various shops. Like he had done last year with Sirius, Harry lingered in front of the Quidditch supply store, staring at the Firebolt longingly. Remus eventually dragged him away saying they should get something to eat.

At the Leaky Cauldron, Harry opted for a full English breakfast, while Remus tore into a very rare steak. They were half way through the meal, when Harry suddenly realised he hadn't asked Remus how he had spent the summer.

Remus swallowed what he was chewing before answering. "We've been trying to track down Peter Pettigrew."

"Did you find him?" Harry asked with a frown. He had completely forgotten about the man. It seemed he had forgotten about quite a lot of things during the summer.

"Unfortunately not. I've been trying to find out where he'd been since he left Hogwarts. We know he left the country a few days after he dropped out, and we think he went across the Channel to France first, but after that we're not sure." Remus took a drink before continuing. "Sirius has been tracking down leads to try and find where he might be hiding now, but he's had less luck than me."

"So the Aurors are helping as well?" Harry asked.

"They did… for a while." Remus frowned. "But then with the Quidditch World Cup they couldn't really spare any Aurors for what they consider a minor case."

"But… he broke into Hogwarts! And what about the other person, this… Gaunt? They're working for Grindelwald and they could have killed so many people if..." Harry asked incredulously.

Remus snorted. "That's the Ministry for you. They decided to lay the whole blame on Greyback, saying he was the leader and that the other two that escaped are not worth the trouble of finding."

Harry made a slight scowl, he didn't think he would ever have a good thing to say about the Ministry of Magic. "But… Sirius is still trying to find him right?"

"He is but..." Remus sighed.

"What's wrong?" Harry took the final bite of his toast and asked.

"…Nothing you need to worry about." Remus tried to smile reassuringly.

Harry's face slowly turned into a wry smile. "You told me… good with the bad remember?"

"I... suppose I did..." Remus chuckled lightly before his face grew serious. "Well… he's basically ignoring the orders from his superior by tracking down Pettigrew. He's a good Auror, exceptional really, so they've been letting him do his own thing now and again, but I don't know how long he can push before he gets... sacked or something. He won't say anything to me, but I know he got into trouble for… taking me to Azkaban that day..."

"Remus, how have you been after that?" Harry berated himself for not asking sooner.

"I'm fine Harry, I'm doing a lot better." Remus smiled.

"That's good." Harry nodded. "Erm… can I ask something else? About what Kendra Dumbledore said to Professor Riddle..."

Remus' eyes widened in shock for half a second before he managed to control his expression. "What are you talking about?"

"The photo. The one Colin took?" Harry asked uncertainly. "With the bottle?"

"Oh, right." Remus shook his head. "They're still looking into it, but nothing so far."

Harry remained silent for a moment before he cleared his throat and asked quietly. "Did she say anything else?"

"Nothing you need to worry about now." Remus said quickly, looking slightly guilty.

Harry opened his mouth to argue again, but then he closed it shut. After all there were things that he was keeping from Remus as well. If he started having strange dreams again he might talk to Remus about it but otherwise, he would rather avoid thinking about it.

It was mid October and a small group of Gryffindor students were waiting outside the Transfiguration classroom. Harry watched Ron hop from one foot to another, muttering spells under his breath while he held his wand pointed at the floor producing brightly coloured sparks. Hermione was doing what she always did when she was faced with the unknown, and had had her head stuck in a heavy book she had borrowed from the library the evening before.

The three of them were the only fourth years there, it was a crowd made mostly of older students. The others in Harry's year had all decided that they would wait until their seventh year, given that according to McGonagall there hadn't been anyone below the fifth year that had ever been a potential candidate. Surprisingly, there were also two students younger than Harry, Colin had managed to convince one of his friends to try out McGonagall's test with him. Harry doubted they thought they were going to get through whatever their head of house was about to throw at them, but that was possibly why, unlike everyone else waiting there, the two boys didn't appear to be showing any signs of nervousness.

They had spent the last month trying to find out exactly how the Professor was planning on testing them, but everybody who seemed to have an idea refused to tell them. Ron had written to his brother Bill, who had been Champion previously, but had only gotten a reply telling him that they would be risking life and limb by competing in the Triwizard Tournament, and if they couldn't pass the relatively simple test McGonagall was going to put them through, they would have no chance with the real thing.

But it didn't stop them from imagining what they were about to face, and as the door opened at noon sharp, Harry felt a knot in his stomach as he remembered Ron's latest theory, which was duelling a fully grown mountain troll. Hermione had scoffed at the idea, but from what she had read to them about the Tournament, the school Champions had to face a lot more that made a single troll seem pretty tame in comparison.

As they stepped into the classroom, Ron let out a groan, Hermione gave an audible sigh of relief and Harry shook his head in amusement for even thinking McGonagall would unleash a troll at them. The desks were set evenly apart, slightly further than they were normally throughout the year and on top of each desk was a thick layer of parchment. They were about to take a written test. Harry sat down between a grumbling Ron and a grinning Hermione and waited patiently for the rest of the students to settle down.

Professor McGonagall stood up from behind her desk and the few talking students were instantly silenced. "You are all here because you want to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, which is being held this year at Durmstrang Institute. I do not need to tell you how dangerous it is and I will not be putting your name forwards if I do not have absolute confidence that you will manage to make it through without lasting harm. Now, as most of you have realised the first part will be a written test and if your answers are adequate, there will be a more practical test afterwards. You have an hour to-"

"An hour?" Hermione squawked out loud, before blushing as several students laughed at her outburst. Harry wasn't one of them, the pile of parchment in front of him was at least an inch thick and if it was anything like the homework she handed out, there could be at least a hundred questions in there.

"Yes Miss Granger, an hour. Now, if you would please let me finish, you have an hour to answer as many questions as you can. So if you cannot answer a question, simply move on to the next. I will also point out that it is not the quantity of answers you give, but the quality. A single questions answered in detail will allow me to appraise your skill better than a dozen answered carelessly. They will consist of a variety of questions on various subject, some that are not even taught at Hogwarts, but knowledge that I believe will be useful if you get chosen as a Champion. Any questions?" she glanced around the room, but everyone stayed quiet. "Very well. You may begin."

There was a flurry of noise as every single student turned over the think layer of parchment over at the same time and then there was silence. Harry stared at the first question and felt his mouth drop open. It was a simple question, only seven words long, and he could understand what they were asking him, but he had no idea what to write. He sneaked a glance towards Ron who was frowning but had slowly started scribbling an answer. On his other side Hermione had a look of great concentration and was quickly writing without hesitation. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and Harry turned his head to find her staring directly at him. He gave her an apologetic smile and turned back to the question in front of him.

How would you get past a dragon?

Harry had… absolutely no idea. They had certainly never covered dragons in Hagrid's class and the only thing he knew about them was that even if they're young, they have a vicious streak and can leave lasting scars on someone as strong as the huge professor. He tried to rack his brains for anything else he had heard about them and suddenly remembered something.

He inked his quill and carefully wrote, 'Borrow Fen off Ron.' He smirked to himself, but then thought that maybe this might not really show his abilities, as he was meant to, and he added, 'Use a Disillusionment Charm and sneak pass.'

Harry quickly moved on to the next question, which started simple enough.

There are two doors with writing above each. Which path would you take and why?

Simple enough, but the 'writing' was unfortunately not in English. He had, however, encountered it before and knew enough to recognise it as runes. Hermione would probably be able to read this but he and Ron wouldn't have a chance. He quickly put, 'The door on the right. Because it feels right.'

He knew it wasn't going to be enough but that was all he could do. He quickly glanced at each question before skipping most of them, a few sheets he quickly left aside without writing a single word. There really was a question on every subject, he was asked about identifying potions, magical beasts as well as a deceptively simple question on a Transfiguration spell that Harry was sure they covered last year. By the time the hour was up Harry had been struggling with a diagram of a chessboard mid-game, trying to work out how he would achieve a checkmate in three moves.

"Quills on the table please!" McGonagall said sternly as everyone tried to get a final sentence finished. She then waved her wand and summoned the tests, which landed in a neat pile on her desk. "It will take a while for me to look over these, so come back after you have had your lunch and I will be able to tell you if and when you will have your practical test."

Everyone left the classroom talking excitedly amongst themselves. For once, it wasn't Hermione but Ron who was more eager to go through the test they just had. "First question, Dragons? What did you put?"

Hermione shook her head, "I said possibly Transfigure it into something less deadly, but I honestly don't think that would work. Then I said Transfigure something else to try and distract it… What did you write?"

Ron caught Harry's eyes and they both grinned and said at the same time, "Fen."

"Fen?" Hermione looked momentarily confused. "Oh, Fen… Well the question wasn't how would you kill the dragon was it? Still… I wonder what Professor McGonagall will think..."

"Yeah, I though it doesn't really show skill and stuff, so I added a Disillusionment Charm afterwards." Harry said, looking slightly pleased with himself.

All the way down to the Great Hall and throughout lunch they discussed the test, Ron and Hermione filling him in on what was on the last two sheets of parchment he never got to. They joined a group of their fourth year friends who asked them if they got through and they told them that they just had a written test and wouldn't know until later.

They were soon back in the Transfiguration classroom standing in front of McGonagall's desk. She looked up at them and gave them a hard look, "Come back in three hours, I'll be testing you then."

Ron cheered out loud and Hermione quickly dragged the red head out while muttering an apology to the Professor. Harry was stunned as well, he never expected them to get this far. They found Ernie and Sue to tell them the news, and spent the next few hours practising spell after spell. Ernie had taken the test with Professor Sprout a week earlier but didn't get chosen as a candidate, and Sue, like so many others, had decided to wait until the next one before trying out after hearing rumours that they had to duel Professor Flitwick, who had apparently been a duelling champion when he was younger.

Their friends wished them luck before they were back again, where they saw the Weasley twins coming out with huge grins on their faces. Ron looked impressed, "You did well then?"

"Of course we did!" Fred laughed. "We've been training for this for over a year!"

"Durmstrang, here we come!" George jumped in the air, fist raised in triumph.

"Mr. Weasleys!" the door slammed open and Professor McGonagall stood there, looking annoyed. "I realise you are pleased, but please do not make a racket outside of my classroom. Hurry along now."

"Sorry, Professor!" they said as one, before running down the corridor, bellowing in joy.

The Professor sighed in exasperation, not even bothering to shout at them for the running, before turning to the three that were standing there. "I think… we shall start with Mr. Weasley, you two please wait here."

Ron gave them a nod, looking nervous and excited at the same time, before he walked through the door and closed it behind him. Hermione took out her book again and began quietly reading through, while Harry paced up and down the corridor. Ron came out after about five minutes, shaking his head at their questioning looks, but not looking too disappointed. "It was going to be a long shot, wasn't it? Harry you're next, good luck mate."

Harry gulped and walked inside. The desks that they used in the morning had been cleared to one side and in the middle of the room was a dummy, very similar to the one he had seen during his first year, inside the train that was used to ferry the students to the Tournament. Professor McGonagall stood next to it and motioned Harry forwards.

"Mr. Potter, before we begin I'll say the same thing I've just told Mr. Weasley. Your answers from this morning, while interesting, does not give me the confidence that you will be able to accomplish the tasks given to you during the Tournament. However, I realise all of you have been working hard this past year for this, so I am inclined to give you a chance. If there is anything your past three years at the school has taught me, is that you and your friends have an unfortunate habit of attracting trouble, but also that you can be very resourceful when you are faced with such. Try your best, but think of this as a trial run, after all, you will have another chance in three years time." McGonagall said patiently.

"I understand, Professor." Harry relaxed visibly, there didn't seem to be as much pressure now. "Erm… so what do I do?"

"What can you do Mr. Potter?" the Professor asked with a smile. "Well now, you mentioned the Disillusionment Charm in the test, could you please preform it for me? On yourself or on the practice dummy, whatever you feel more comfortable with."

"W...what? The Di..disillusionment Charm?" Harry stuttered.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Well, yes. As I have said, the written test was for me to assess your skills. I didn't think you would have mentioned it if you were unable to use it."

After seeing the spell in action in the forest last year, it was something that they were determined to learn how to use. They immediately hit a wall when they came across the concept of nonverbal spells. According to research by Hermione and Sue, it was something that they wouldn't be learning until their N.E.W.T.s. It didn't stop them from trying though, but not only did they fail to make themselves in any way invisible, they had all failed to used any spells nonverbally. Only Hermione managed to get the briefest of flutter from a feather they had been trying to levitate, but no one was really sure if that had been from a stray breeze through the windows.

Harry let out a breath and gripped his wand tightly, he scrunched up his face in concentration, facing the wooden dummy in front of him. He closed his eyes and moved his wand like he had practised before, tapping the head lightly, while he tried to picture the humanoid shape vanishing before him. He tentatively peeked open one eye and saw that, unfortunately, the dummy in front of him was still visible and not even a shade lighter.

He turned back to Professor McGonagall with a light blush on his cheeks and saw her smiling at him. Not a condescending smile, but one that actually looked quite pleased. "Well Mr. Potter, it seems you've actually researched the spell before attempting it. I would have been very surprised if you had actually managed it at your age, it is a very advanced spell after all and not even all the students in the seventh year could manage it. But if you keep working on it, I think you might actually start to see results in a few years time."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry grinned. For the next few minutes, Harry unleashed all the spells he had been practising on the defenceless dummy, while the Professor nodded with mild approval. He even attempted a few Transfiguration spells that they had not yet covered in class and while they were unlikely to help him get past a dragon or such, Hermione insisted that since it was their head of house's personal subject, she might appreciate it and true enough the Professor's smile widened at Harry's attempts.

"I think I've seen enough Mr. Potter." McGonagall nodded in approval. "Both you and Mr. Weasley have exceeded my expectations of what a fourth year student could achieve, keep at it and I look forward to seeing you back here in three year's time."

"Yes Professor." it wasn't what he was hoping for when he started doing all this extra work last year, but it was what he had expected. He was still glad he tried out though, it was heartening to hear the approval from Professor McGonagall.

"Call Miss Granger in, will you?" Harry turned and left the room, his two friends stared at him expectantly, but he confused them my shaking his head and smiling at the same time.

"We'll be ready for it next time." Harry said and Ron patted his shoulder in sympathy. "You're next Hermione."

"Oh, okay." she was looking quite pale and more than a little nervous.

"Relax Hermione. McGonagall told me to think of this as a practice run, so that we'll do better when we try again in our seventh year." Harry reassured her. Hermione gave him a small nod before taking a deep breath and entered the classroom.

"How was it?" Ron asked.

"I think it went quite well, she seemed quite pleased with what I could do so far." Harry shrugged. "Told me she was looking forwards to when I try out again next time."

Ron grinned. "She said the same to me."

They talked while they waited for Hermione. They had pretty much shown the same spells to the Professor, although Ron didn't attempt to try to make anything invisible. Their friend seemed to be taking a while and it was over ten minutes later, over double what Harry and Ron had took, before she stepped outside with a strange expression on her face.

Professor McGonagall walked out with her. "Well, Miss Granger, think about what I said, and please have an answer for me soon."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall." Hermione replied breathlessly.

As the Professor went back inside, the three friends stared at each other, Ron was the first to speak, "Does that mean..."

Hermione was still looking slightly dazed, but gave them a tiny nod. Harry and Ron looked shocked for a moment before they started congratulating her, Ron even gave her a hug, leaving the young witch blushing scarlet.

"S… she said that if I wanted to, I could go to Durmstrang..." Hermione finally explained. "She thinks… I know enough to have a chance… a small, tiny chance, I'm sure… but…"

"Why are we even surprised?" Harry laughed. "You're the smartest in our year!"

Hermione just shook her head. "I don't think I'll be going though."

"What? Why?" Ron said, looking even more surprised than he did a moment ago. "You have to!"

"I just don't want to be there on my own..." Hermione sighed. "It did sound interesting though… She told me anyone who doesn't get picked as Champion can either come back to Hogwarts or stay at Durmstrang for the year. Professor Riddle would give private lessons to anyone deciding to stay and apparently a few of the Durmstrang classes are going to be open to students from the other schools as well..."

Ron shook his head in exasperation, "You have a chance to be school Champion and you're interested in what lessons you're going to be having? You're bloody mad Hermione..."