Chapter Twenty-Nine
Hermione couldn't believe that Harry had lied about figuring out the golden egg. She could shake him with frustration, he'd had months. Merlin only knew how they were going to figure out a method of remaining underwater by tomorrow. Hermione had just dropped her head exasperatedly on the desk when she heard a chuckle from behind her.
"Do you and that desk need to get a room, Granger?"
She muttered something unintelligible through her hair, keeping her face firmly pressed into the wood.
Draco sat down and shifted close enough to press his side against her, "didn't quite catch that."
"I said, we had one – until you arrived."
"And here I was, thinking Krum was my only competition."
Hermione lent her head gently on his shoulder, "there is no competition."
He stilled, "oh?"
She turned and looked into his eyes, her heart was fluttering apprehensively, "I – I'm all yours... if you, well, if you want that."
"You're mine?"
"I have been for a long time, I think."
Draco thread his fingers through her curls and gently tilted her head back. He whispered into her mouth, "mine." Coiling her arms around his neck, Hermione pulled him close, capturing his lips with hers.
After several moments, she reluctantly pulled away to catch her breath, "we don't have much time left before Harry and Ron come back." He sighed and rested his forehead against hers as she continued, "I wish it wasn't like this, I wish it didn't matter if they found us together."
"I know. It's just too dangerous, Granger. Especially with the Death Eaters and –" Draco cut off as they heard two male voices nearing their table.
"You'd better go," Hermione told him. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yes, please," he replied, kissing her temple, and slipped away down one of the long library corridors.
Harry and Ron had headed straight back to find Hermione in the library after they finished Divination. They brought snacks which she grabbed at hungrily. "Merlin, thank you, I've hardly eaten all day."
The trio were still sat together as the sun set outside, tearing feverishly through page after page of spells, hidden from each other by huge piles of dusty old books. Hermione's heart gave a leap every time she saw the word 'water' on a page, but more often than not it was merely, 'take two pints of water, half a pound of shredded mandrake leaves, and a newt…'
"There must be something," Hermione muttered, moving a candle closer to her. Her eyes were so tired, she could barely keep them open. "They'd never set a task that was undoable."
"They have," said Ron. "Harry, just go down to the lake tomorrow, right, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they've nicked and see if they chuck it out. Best you can do, mate."
"There's a way of doing it!" Hermione moaned. "There just has to be!"
She seemed to be taking the library's lack of useful information on the subject as a personal insult; it had never failed her before.
"Oh, this is no use," she glowered, snapping Weird Wizarding Dilemmas shut. "Who on earth wants to make their nose hair grow into ringlets?"
"I wouldn't mind," said Fred Weasley's voice. "Be a talking point, wouldn't it?"
Hermione, Harry, and Ron looked up. Fred and George had just emerged from behind some bookshelves.
"What are you two doing here?" Ron asked.
"Looking for you," said George. "McGonagall wants you, Ron. And you, Hermione."
"We're supposed to take you down to her office," added Fred.
Hermione stared at Harry, who was looking fairly nauseous. "We'll meet you back in the common room," she told him as she got up to go with Ron. "Bring as many of these books as you can, ok?"
"Right," said Harry uneasily.
Hermione felt her head break the surface of the lake, gulping air down as quickly as possible. She was shivering as Viktor lifted her from the water and Madam Pomfrey wrapped a thick blanket tightly around her.
The last thing she remembered was arriving in Professor McGonagall's office the previous night with Ron. They were joined by Cho Chang and a tiny blonde girl she didn't recognise. Dumbledore had put them all into a bewitched sleep, first assuring them that they would be quite safe.
Hermione glimpsed Draco in the stands, he looked terrible. Gripping the seat beneath him he was ashen and staring at her, wide-eyed. She gave him a small smile, but her attention was drawn quickly away as she heard Harry's name being called. He and Ron were dragging Fleur's sister onto the platform and the Matron moved to check on them.
Draco swore under his breath with relief and thought, "you've got to be fucking kidding me, Granger. Could I not just have one year? One year when your life isn't on the line?"
On the evening of the final task the Great Hall was filled to the brim with students, teachers, friends, and family. As the enchanted ceiling overhead began to fade from blue to a dusky purple, Dumbledore rose to his feet, and silence fell.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr Bagman down to the stadium now."
After Harry had made his way out of the castle, Hermione and the Weasleys followed the champion's steps towards the Quidditch pitch, which was now completely unrecognisable. A twenty-foot-high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. As they took their seats, Hermione could see the maze entrance which looked dark and creepy.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!" Ludo Bagman cried. "On my whistle, Harry and Cedric!"
As he gave a short blast on his whistle, the cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering ominously into the darkening sky.
Whilst Hermione had been spared from watching a still lake for one hour, she was now subject to staring an overgrown hedge. As the initial excitement waned, time was passing incredibly slowly. To occupy herself she had been gradually charming Draco's clothing scarlet and gold to see how long it took him to notice.
She wished she could have taken a picture of his face as he spotted the Gryffindor colours seeping into his black robes, but the memory would have to do. He just about managed to stifle his shriek, but the leaping and cursing caused some curious looks to be cast his way.
Draco turned immediately to find Hermione, a few rows along from him, who could barely contain her laughter. He smirked and mouthed the words, "game on".
It had now turned into a full-blown war as Hermione battled to remove the green tinge he had applied to her skin when, suddenly, she saw Harry slam flat into the ground at the entrance to the great maze. Everyone around her jumped up and started to cheer but Hermione was frozen, something was wrong. He was lying over Cedric, who wasn't moving. She stared at the two of them in panic.
"Harry? Harry!" Dumbledore had moved to crouch over him.
Harry let go of the Triwizard Cup, but clutched Cedric to him even more tightly. Hermione saw him seize the Headmaster's wrist and whisper something into his ear. She tried to extricate herself from the stands to run down to him but Mrs Weasley held on to her.
"Diggory's dead!" Harry cried.
As Cedric's father ran to his son's body, Moody half pulled, half carried Harry away from the scene. Hermione couldn't see where they had gone. She grabbed onto Ron's arm who looked just as concerned and confused as she did.
It felt like far too long before the crowd were allowed to leave and go back to the castle. Hermione and the Weasleys went immediately to the hospital wing, but he wasn't there. When Madam Pomfrey said Harry hadn't arrived, the anxiety in the room increased twofold.
Eventually, the doors were pushed open to reveal Dumbledore, Harry, and Sirius. Hermione felt detached as she distantly heard the Headmaster speak. She was gently pushed into a seat and remained there, watching Harry, until her eyes fell shut.