Special thanks to TheAncientOne for not only being my beta, but for inspiring some conversation in this chapter.

Chapter 49 Summary: Lucius and Andromeda discuss how the late Fudge couple did not die by her hand. She agrees to help his relationship with Hermione and Draco. Dramione fluff. Hermione and Draco discuss the trial. Draco discovers that Hermione has started to put up wards to keep Viktor Krum out. Harry learns the summoning charm.

Hermione walked Harry to the Great Hall the day of the first task. Her hair was not just braided, but pulled back into a bun that was so severe she felt as if her eyebrows were lifting on their own. It wasn't her intention to be so meticulous in styling her hair, but when she realized that she had zoned out for the fourth time that morning, she been brushing the top of her hair back for thirty minutes.

Her chestnut eyes searched her face in the mirror, trying to pinpoint how different she was from two years ago. She was confident she had a clear image of what she had looked like in her head, considering Hermione had dreamt of her younger self for so long, but that had turned into a distant vision after she remembered what truly happened in Paris. Hermione lifted a delicate hand to her cheek, watching her reflection do the same. 'This is me. I am here.' With her other hand she touched her formerly scarred brow. The scar was also turning into nothing more than a mere memory, something she thought she would be happy about as she scrutinized the hairs that were starting to grow back. 'By the end of the school year it'll be as if it never happened.' Looking down at the hair gel she just used, she read the label-

"'Sleekeazy's Hair Potion,'" Hermione said. "Fleamont Potter, your grandfather, had come up with it. If he had the ability to tame my curls, I'm sure you've inherited his brilliance to do well today." She wasn't in the business of making self-deprecating jokes, but she was desperate to remove the haunted look from Harry's face.

He said nothing nor did he give any other indication that he had heard her at all. She could tell without glancing over to him that he wasn't listening. He was doing exactly what she was doing - staring at untouched food. Literally untouched. Both of them felt as if they had swallowed a brick. Hermione's mouth was as dry as chalk and her stomach roiled with unease.

Hermione took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 'Moving is good. Talking is good.' She exhaled and turned to say something else, only to catch Ron's eye. She watched as he twisted his lips and looked away, facing Ginny again to say something that Hermione was sure was going to be some sort of petty slight.

"Whoever put my name in the fire wants me dead." Hermione's eyes snapped to Harry, but his green eyes were fixated on the back of Ron's red hair. "I could die today."

"But you won't!" Hermione insisted. 'I won't allow it. I don't care if I have to interfere or face the Dragon myself!' Instead of saying this, though, she said: "Don't mind him, Harry, he's just jealous."

"Jealous?" Harry finally faced her now. It was evident he didn't sleep much - the skin beneath his evergreen eyes were darkened. "I don't have time for him to be jealous! My best friend should be on my side!"

An insecure part of her wanted to remind him that she was there, but she knew what he really meant. "He will be. He's just being awfully stubborn about it." The whisper was all she could manage and she toyed with her chain as she stared back down at the empty gold plate. "You should eat, you know."

Harry reached for a piece of toast and shoved it into his mouth. Toast wasn't exactly what she meant, but it was better than nothing.

"Mister Potter." Hermione and Harry both started at the sound of McGonagall's voice behind them. "The champions have to come down onto the grounds now… You have to get ready for your first task."

Hermione turned to Harry to give him a hug, but hesitated. There were already rumors flying about them and she didn't want to make it worse so she placed her hands in her lap, letting Harry leave with McGonagall at his side.

With Harry gone, the room felt too big. Hermione immediately looked over at the Slytherin table, where gray eyes were already waiting to catch hers. Draco's face was unreadable, though she saw the concern that softened the skin around his eyes. She looked away, not being able to handle how shaken she felt. She felt weak - something she found completely unacceptable. Slipping a hand in her jacket pocket, her fingers closed around a copy of the card her parents intended to give her last year on her birthday. 'For strength,' she thought, when she decided to arm herself with it this morning.

Hermione had turned to Seamus, who was sitting on the other side of Harry to say something, but Ron was staring at her again. This time, she didn't feel the need to defend or reason his behavior and decided to break the silent treatment they had been giving each other since he last spoke to her in the dorms. "He could die today, you know."

Silence.

Every conversation on the stretch of several feet that was the Gryffindor table between them had ceased. She didn't care; she didn't care that her housemates were made uncomfortable by the newest orphan talking about death over a full english - especially when said orphan was apparently dating the infamous orphan. "Where's your loyalty, Ronald?" Neither he nor Ginny said anything. In fact, Ron looked properly scolded and Ginny was staring at her loaded plate - also food that looked picked-at rather than eaten.

Hermione shielded her eyes from their side of the table by putting a hand to her temple and was willing to remain like that until they needed to head outside, but a pale hand came into view holding a gold and red pin that read: POTTER FOR THE WIN! "The Slytherins came up with clever charmwork, if I do say so myself." Hermione's line of vision drifted up the friendly hand, up the arm, and landed on Luna's face. "But it wasn't terribly hard to undo."

Hermione let out a shaky laugh and took the pin. After she fastened it to her pink jacket, Luna continued. "I had wondered if you were still upset with me about our disagreement on Erumpents existing or not. I imagined you were quite stressed to begin with, and didn't want to distract you from Harry."

Guilt whittled at Hermione's anger, but she welcomed it. It was much better than the dread she was wallowing in. "I'm not mad." Hermione stood then. "Did you want to watch the task together?"

Luna's wistful smile grew. "I'd like that."

Hermione had come to the conclusion that Luna was more intuitive than she let on and their walk to the makeshift arena only led her to believe she was correct.

After her outburst, Hermione didn't feel like talking much, so Luna had taken over the conversation. She started talking in the calm way that she often does about a lion's head she was currently working on building. She had gone into detail about its looks - genuine Graphon skin and Hodag fur, both of which she reassured Hermione were ethically acquired - before she started her spiel about the animated charmwork she wanted to inlay.

Once they arrived at their destination, they ran into Fred who was standing over George to transfigure a gambler's box to hang from his brother's neck.

"You're here early." Hermione said as she and Luna came to a stop. There were a handful of Ministry officials and Hermione noticed - after catching a glimpse of Charlie Weasley's red head running about - dragonologists.

"Could say the same for you." Fred grinned from ear to ear. "Here to grab some good seats already? It'll cost you." Fred untucked what Hermione assumed to be the ledger from under his arm and shook it at her.

Hermione's eyebrows raised. "You're not serious."

"He's not," George answered, as he adjusted the straps to the gambler's box. "Honestly, woman, you think we would get away with charging for seats at a Ministry sanctioned event?" She gave them a look that said she wouldn't put it past them to try. George neither confirmed nor denied her thoughts and instead turned to Luna. "How're you, Lovegood?"

"Fine, thanks. The dabberblimps have decided to leave me alone today." She gave Hermione a sweet smile.

The twins shared a look that Hermione recognized to be nothing good. "Sounds like you're having a lucky day, then." George stood up from the bench he sat on so he could join Fred in flanking them. "How about a bet, Lovegood?" George shook the empty box, but it sounded as if there was gold already in it.

"Or you, Hermione?" Fred said, grinning. "We did enjoy the bit of profit we made off of you last time."

Hermione shook her head, smiling. "I learned my lesson." True, gambling was probably in her blood considering how her parents enjoyed a high stakes bet, but she was aware of how easily it could become a rabbit hole.

"Boo," Fred said, but he meant it lightheartedly. When he turned to Luna, she simply shook her head, her large radish earrings making the faintest jingling sounds. "Suit yourself. C'mon, George. Reckon folks will start making their way down here."

"Save us a seat, will you, Hermione?" George said, but neither he nor Fred waited for an answer.

It wasn't long before the stands were filled. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students arrived first, their Headmasters leading them to sections of the stands they had claimed as theirs. Right when Madam Maxime and Karkaroff took their seats under the judge's pavilion, Dumbledore and Barty Crouch Sr. had joined them. Their heads were together, deep in conversation, but even from where Hermione sat, she thought Crouch looked rather detached from the conversation. He appeared exhausted and she thought there was more gray in his hair than there was at the Quidditch World Cup.

Hermione's eyes fell on to the empty chair by Crouch before her gaze flitted over to what was obviously the Champion's tent. It had every school's crest hanging on it and Filch was guarding the only entrance, making sure no one unauthorized entered. Hermione ran her tongue on the back of her teeth nervously, wondering what was going on in Harry's head. She hoped he had a plan past summoning a broom, but if he didn't…

Hermione turned her eyes to the pit before them. There were artificial rock structures that had thick, bolted hooks that could hold a dragon. She could see several of Charlie's coworkers setting up a nest and in the middle of it was what looked like a golden egg of sorts. She then turned her eyes to the banister and frowned. The runes no longer changed its form into a legible language for her, something that had been more than convenient when she had her scar, but what she did know was that the Ministry was doing its best to keep interference to a minimum. Hermione closed her eyes and swallowed, mentally going through a new arithmancy calculation in her head. She was so engrossed in the mental math that she didn't notice someone had taken the spot to her left.

"Do you really think he's going to die?" The male voice that had been indignant and borderline arrogant for the past month was now timid.

Hermione's eyes snapped back open, her train of thought lost, but she refused to acknowledge him at first. She was still livid with how he had been acting and if anything happened to Harry she was going to take it out on him - both of them, if she was accompanying him to the first task.

If Luna noticed Hermione's stiff demeanor, she didn't acknowledge it. "Hullo, Ron," she said. Then, turning to look behind her in the seats she and Hermione had been reserving for the twins, "hullo, Ginny."

"Hey, Luna." Ginny's voice was as tense as Hermione felt. She was aware her former friend didn't want to be here and knowing that alone had Hermione turning to face Ron out of spite.

She didn't acknowledge Ginny. Ginny owed her an apology, not the other way around. Hermione had tried to reconcile with her but her tolerance had been worn thin with Ginny just as it had with Draco and her pursuit of him. "According to my calculations, there is a nine percent chance that he-" Hermione swallowed the word die. She couldn't say it; wouldn't. She didn't believe in the idea of 'speaking words into the world will make them come true' but in the event Professor Trewlawny got one thing right, she wouldn't risk it. Not with Harry. "He won't succeed."

Ron's face screwed up slightly with distaste. "I've been wanting to ask, isn't Arithmancy just another form of Divination? I heard Lavender talking about-"

Hermione bristled, visibly offended at what Ron had said. He wasn't wrong but Professor Vector didn't deserve to be lumped in with a quack like Trewlawney. "There is a Muggle version of Arithmancy called 'probability and statistics.' Unlike the techniques in Divination - which is done completely blind and is just a load of guesswork - Arithmancy uses calculations with variables you already have. There is at least a bit of a realistic foundation to work off of."

"Right, sorry." Hermione glanced over to Ron to see he was staring intently at the wooden floorboards. She recognized his pensive look as the one he always took when he was going to say something that wasn't easy for him. "I've been an arse, 'Mione."

She only offered him a terse, "well spotted."

Ron cleared his throat, never lifting his head. "I'm sorry about how I've been acting lately." He paused and Hermione was acutely aware of Ginny crossing her arms over her chest in her peripheral. She was silent, but disapproving of what was transpiring in front of her. "I-"

"Granger." Hermione blinked and turned to her right to see that there was a new blond standing in Luna's place.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, voicing a question Hermione has been wondering herself, Ron and his apology completely forgotten.

He scoffed as he gave Ginny a once over. "Figures that along with bath water, your brood has to share a limited amount of brain cells, too." Then, much more slowly, he said: "I'm here... to watch…" Draco used his right two fingers to motion from his eyes to the pit before them. "The first task." Done with talking down to her, he faced forward. "Your lot just happened to get the best seats." It was true. Hermione had insisted she and Luna sit all the way at the bottom of the tiered stands allowing her to be up close to the action.

Hermione looked behind Draco to see Blaise chatting up a smiling Luna. He waved at her, but didn't miss a beat of his conversation with Luna.

Ron leaned forward, his chest bumping into Hermione's shoulder. "Listen, Malfoy, if all you're going to do is-"

"Ron." Hermione said his name in a voice that stopped him from going from pink to red from his impending threat. "We're here to support Harry. Just ignore him, alright?"

Ron studied her for a breath, then, slowly, she watched the pupils of his ocean blue eyes dilate. "Fine, but the git better not say anything about Harry."

Knowing that was the best she would get from him, she turned to Draco. "If you're only here to provoke us, then leave." Her mouth was fixed into a frown, but her eyes were pleading. She could be frustrated with his indecisiveness, but it was only because she wanted him closer than he would allow. 'Stay with me. Don't go.'

"As I said, Granger: I'm here to watch the first task." He leaned in close, as if he was physically trying to intimidate her, but it was a distraction to keep anyone else from looking at his fingers brushing hers. "Mother is worried about how you're handling all of this."

She was more than aware that his go-to lie was for the benefit of the students around them than it was for her. "I'll write her-"

"Is that a bloody dragon?!" Ron exclaimed, putting a hand on her shoulder as he pointed into the pit.

Hermione's head snapped to where he was pointing and she was able to see six dragon keepers pulling the chains of a Swedish Short-Snout. There were three dragonologists - one of them being Charlie - who were guiding the mother dragon to the bolts, while keeping their wands trained on the silvery-blue Short-Snout. The creature only started to resist the dragon keepers once it heard the familiar sound of locks clicking into place. Hermione winced at the sound of its roar. While it sounded more like the bleating of a goat rather than a roar of a predator, it was still terribly loud.

"Technically speaking," Luna leaned forward, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder where it hung as if it didn't have a care in the world. "It's a wyvern dragon. Its only got the two hind legs."

Ron let out a meek whimper and Hermione caught Draco biting the inside of his cheek to hold back a laugh. "What does that mean?"

"They're much more docile compared to the hexapodal dragons we hear about in legends. They're much easier to tame so I wouldn't be particularly surprised if the champions didn't face anything more dangerous than the regular wyvern." Luna turned her head to the side as she watched the creature. Hermione imagined that while she might have looked like she was daydreaming to others, she looked contemplative to her. "This particular breed prefers fruit to meat."

Hermione heard the words, but with her eyes on the stout wyvern, she couldn't help but think how deadly it looked with the round horn on its snout. First year Ron had been bitten by a baby Norwegian Ridgeback and could have died from it. This fully grown Swedish Short-Snout was large enough to kill a wizard simply by stepping on it.

"Oh, great, so he won't be eaten." Ron waved a hand just as the dragon keepers were exiting the pit. "Instead, I get to watch my best friend be trampled, or burned-"

"Ron!" Hermione and Ginny shrieked at the same time. Several other students glanced in their direction but neither Hermione nor Ginny paid them any mind. The two teens looked at each other, but Ginny looked away first, appearing as cross as ever. Before Hermione could properly scold Ron, a whistle was blown.

"Ladies and gents, boys and girls…" Ludo Bagman was now standing at his designated seat with his wand pointed to his neck. "Welcome to the first task of the nineteen ninety-four Triwizard Tournament! The first one in just over two hundred years!" The crowd erupted in the stands and every sense Hermione had was overwhelmed. Her ears were deafened, her eyes swam with color of all three schools, and her mouth was as dry as a desert. Her nose grew sensitive with the charged magic in the air as her skin prickled - but thankfully, Draco's fingers brushed against hers as a distraction - reassurance he was there.

She only used her eyes to catch his sharp profile as she was aware of Ginny behind them, but she made sure she used one finger to run along his index finger to show her gratitude.

"First up, we have Cedric Diggory! His opponent? A Swedish Short-Snout!" Ludo relinquished the Sonorous and the Hufflepuffs went wild as the first Hogwarts champion stepped into the pit.

"LETS GO, DIG-OR-RY, LETS GO!" Three synchronized claps. "LETS GO, DIG-OR-RY, LETS GO!"

Hermione thought that if the Hufflepuffs had been in the Great Hall chanting their support of Diggory like they were now, they would have been louder than the dragon he faced. They were quite literally the epitome of school spirit with their faces painted and their banners flying proudly in the air. She hoped in vain they would be polite enough to show at least a fraction of what they were doing now when Harry appeared. As a performer, she knew all too well what a silent or booing crowd could do to someone in the spotlight.

Crouch made a motion for the crowd to quiet and they did, almost instantly. Hermione wasn't surprised when Diggory sprung into action by transfiguring a nearby rock into a dog. She knew Harry had warned him about the dragons and no one got to be prefect based on good looks alone - despite what she heard from the twins' joke about him.

If Diggory's aim was to have the Swedish-Short Snout be distracted by the transfigured dog, it was working. Diggory had hid himself from the dragon's view as the dog made one lap, then two. Every time the beast had its head turned, the Hufflepuff prefect would leap over to the next boulder. The crowd was silent with anticipation of the next big move and on the dog's seventh lap, they witnessed it.

The large boulders were no longer jutting out of the ground after Diggory had got close enough to the nest. He had no other choice but to run for the golden egg himself. He was successful in doing so without the dragon noticing, but the moment he laid his hands on the golden egg, the mother wyvern decided she had had enough of the dog. A gasp sounded through the stands as the Short-Snout blew blue flames over Diggory and the rest of its eggs-

Or rather, just the eggs. Diggory might have been taller than the average seeker but he still had the lightning-fast reflexes and was able to dodge roll out of the way with only his foot being hit by the flames. Behind the temporary safety of the boulder, he flicked his wand once more and sent the forgotten black dog to nip at the dragon's heels. The dragon immediately punted the dog into the wall under the stands where it exploded into bits of rock - causing a chorus of 'ooohs' accompanied with several surprised screams - but it was just enough time for Diggory to escape. From the tunnel he ran into, the crowd of dragon keepers emerged, stunning the dragon into submission.

The moment the wyvern was carted off they could hear the piercing roars of the next one over the students' cheers. "This is utterly barbaric!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's completely inhumane, they're abusing them for entertainment!"

"That's my brother you're talking about," Ginny said, and Hermione rounded on her.

She initially started to feel guilty, knowing how likeable Charlie was, but then Hermione remembered that she wasn't wrong. "And I thought he worked in a sanctuary."

Ginny's lips pushed together and her eyes went wide. She was a near spitting image of an infuriated Molly Weasley and Hermione was aware that she was very close to being hexed right where she stood.

"He does!" Ron butt in, grabbing Hermione's shoulder so she could look at him. "And he was against them being used for the games. Dad said the Ministry had more say in it, of course, so he's only here to make sure the dragons are treated alright." Hermione took her eyes off of Ginny to meet his gaze. "Makes sense now about what Dad was walking about when he said Charlie was bloody livid. Reckon he thinks they need more space than what was given."

That knowledge helped Hermione calm down enough to where she stopped the rant she was liable to fly into. She spared a glance in Draco's direction to see that he too was scowling as the Common Welsh Green was being locked in the same bolts the Short-Snout was in. 'At least I know he feels the same way I do.'

"Loony - um, Luna, I thought you said that they were only using wyvern dragons?" Hesitation was present in Ron's voice and Hermione took a deep, steadying breath.

She knew what the dragon breeds were - and she knew which dragon Harry was supposed to end up with - but despite Harry telling her which dragons would be present, she was still greatly intimidated by the creatures. The Welsh Green, while plain, looked much more elegant than the wyvern they saw Diggory face, but even more deadly.

"That's not what I said at all." Luna didn't sound pleased and both Hermione and Draco looked over to see the Ravenclaw frowning. "I said I wouldn't be surprised if they only used wyvern dragons. Plus, the Welsh Green is hardly that more dangerous. They prefer sheep and to stay away from humans."

"And now, our champion from Beuxbatons' Academy - Fleur Delacour! Who will be facing the Common Welsh Green!" Bagman declared.

The resentment Delacour's peers held in the Great Hall when she was selected as champion was nowhere to be seen as they chanted a fierce, "Fleur, Fleur, Delacour!" thrice before falling into an unprompted silence. It was a stark contrast to how wild the Hogwarts students were for Cedric Diggory.

The crowd watched with rapt attention as the young woman eyed her scaly opponent. It was almost as if they were in an intense staring contest. Then, Fleur bowed to the dragon, just like many of them had with hippogriffs in the year prior. The Green Welsh snorted what could have been permission for the Beauxbatons student to straighten, but Fleur took her time in doing so. Instead of taking a step forward, she carefully raised her wand. The dragon's long neck lifted up and its throat started to glow a fierce apricot color - a sign that it was about to shoot out a narrow jet of fire.

While it was charging up its attack, Fleur proceeded to wave her wand as if she was an orchestra conductor. Nothing seemed to be happening at first, other than galaxy-like sparkles appearing from her wand, until the audience noticed that the dragon's throat was no longer burning. In fact, its neck had completely dulled into its pale green underbelly again. Hermione's jaw dropped open once she realized what she was doing. Fleur was trying - and succeeding - to single-handedly put a dragon to sleep, something that often took the job of six trained wizards!

"I suppose being part Veela does come in handy." Hermione half-heartedly thought out loud.

"Yeah... wait - what?" Ron looked at Hermione, unsure if he heard her right as she had fought him tooth and nail on his claims that Fleur was part Veela.

Not liking the fact she had to admit she had been wrong to Ron, she fixed her gaze on the dragon whose eyes were now drifting closed, its neck slackening. "Harry told me that Delacour is a quarter-Veela. He found out at the weighing of the wands."

Ron broke out into a grin. "So I was right!"

"Shh, pay attention!" Hermione deflected with a hiss. Ron shook his head but he was smiling and for a moment, everything felt okay again. She decided that if Ron could stop being a prat to Harry she would certainly forgive him for deserting them.

With the dragon asleep, Fleur finally made her move towards the egg while everyone watched with bated breath. The audience was certainly torn in two: while they wanted more action from the rare opportunity to see a dragon up close, they were also rooting for Fleur to succeed in almost doing what many considered to be impossible.

Fleur paused when she was about to enter the realm where there would be no more large rocks for cover. She seemed to be making sure her charm on the dragon was holding before she went for the egg. Hermione thought it was a smart enough precaution considering the sleeping dragon had laid its head by the nest of eggs.

As Fleur crept closer to the golden egg she would glance between the eggs and the dragon's ginormous head. There was no doubt she was imaging herself between its jaws if she woke it up. Suddenly, the Beauxbatons student paused and attempted an accio, but it didn't work. She nodded her head to the side as if she expected as much before she stepped forward, officially reaching the point of no return.

Hermione wondered if the portions of the pit's ground had been magicked as when Fleur reached the same distance away from the golden egg, the dragon stirred. Immediately, the quarter-Veela woman began the series of charm work again, although this time she kept moving towards her goal. The dragon was trying to fight it and Fleur only seemed determined to work faster, even when tiptoeing around the brown and green Welsh eggs. In her free hand, she scooped up the golden egg and started to run - abandoning the spellwork.

It was too hasty of a move. Fleur realized it when the dragon opened its eyes, and with something that could only be described as a sleepy snort, set her powder blue skirt on fire. She yelped but did not stop running for the only exit, even as she summoned water to put out the burning fire. The crowd erupted with applause as the Welsh Green let out a roaring howl before being stunned back into submission.

Hermione let out a breath she had not known she was holding. Feeling exhausted from the excitement, she sat down. "I can't watch anymore."

She felt Ron take a seat next to her, but was surprised to feel his hand rub circles on to her back. She turned her feet towards him, grateful for the comfort, but didn't lift her head. Hermione wished it was Draco but knew better than anyone that he would remain standing to keep up appearances, so instead, she blocked out as much as she could. She had even closed her eyes to fight off wave after wave of nausea that were surfacing in her throat.

Hermione was unaware of how long she stayed like that, but too soon, she was hearing Bagman's amplified voice ripping through the crowd's. "As for the Durmstrang champion, we have Viktor Krum!"

Ron had paused the circles on her back. "Hermione, Viktor is about to come out."

"I don't care." Which was more than true. Of course, she hoped he emerged unscathed just as she had for Diggory and Delacour, but Hermione was more preoccupied with reinforcing her thoughts and emotions so she could resist any urges to jump into the pit with Harry when it was his turn.

She felt Ron lift his hand then set it down again, unsure if he should try to convince her to watch Viktor's trial or if he should watch it on his own. Hermione simply made the choice for him. "Go, Ronald."

A pause. "I'm not… I'm not going to leave you down here," but he sounded unsure and completely distracted.

"And the only thing standing between him and the egg - a Chinese Fireball Dragon!" Hermione shuddered at Bagman's announcement.

Hermione's hands balled into fists. The reason why every corner of the parchment Draco had read off of was filled with Arithmancy equations was due to the fact that she had to keep rechecking the work she had done for the dragons. Never had she ever run into an absolute, and yet the probability of Harry having to face the fiercest mother dragon out of the lot had terrified her for the past five days:

100%.

"I'm fine. Just go watch K- Viktor," she corrected, only to make it seem like she was unbothered that he rather chose to watch his idol over providing her comfort.

Another pause, but this one much shorter. "Thanks, 'Mione."

He stood, and Hermione focused again on cancelling out the world around her. 'Harry will be fine. He has an ungodly amount of luck and all the other champions are doing just fine-'

'Except now I know without a doubt he is going to face the Hungarian Horntail.'

She read up on each of the dragons - because of course she had - and discovered that the Hungarian Horntail was considered to be one of the most aggressive breeds out of all dragons. Why this dragon was picked when it was one of the most ferocious of its kind, the only one with a taste for humans-

Hermione felt her blood run cold. 'It has to be someone at the Ministry who put his name in! This is a set up for Harry to be killed by the dragon!' Hermione practically jumped to her feet at the realization. She was panting now, glancing from the judges' tent, to the press tent where the eyesore of lime green marked Rita Skeeter's presence, and then finally the champions tent. 'Even if I'm wrong, no one knows Harry's plan. He can still grab the egg and live.'

Krum sent a curse through the air at his dragon's eyes, causing it to throw its head back with a mighty wail. The stands vibrated with the sound and Hermione was reminded that the pit was surrounded in wards. This time, when she looked back at the banister, she imagined that she was back in the maze with the Sphinx. She couldn't approach the banister without drawing attention to herself - something she couldn't risk if the person trying to kill Harry was here, so she focused on tapping into her core to access the magic around her. She was grateful that whatever Krum was doing was only antagonizing his dragon as she wasn't the only one covering her ears to block out the noise.

'Think! Focus!' Hermione's eyebrows creased as she tried to find her power within herself, the power she had felt and fully tapped into when she was put under Professor Moody's imperius curse. She could feel the outer layers of her core, but delving within it was proving impossible. 'What do I always do? How do I-' Another ground-shaking roar and the cacophony it created gave her the answer she was looking for: 'Music.'

Hermione thought back to the memory of playing for Narcissa and Lucius with Draco. Music was the hardline to her magic - a constant comfort that had enveloped her in ballads and songs. It was everything she was and everything she felt. Music was her life.

Hermione finally felt herself meld into the magic she had been attempting to tap into. Without lifting a finger, she felt it reach forward, sifting through everyone else's magic surrounding her before it stopped at something hard and unmoving - a wall. Hermione knew without a doubt that she had reached the wards. She felt around it and like a whisper to her soul, she found the answer she had been seeking:

Nothing would be able to exit or enter. Harry would need a new plan.

The shock from the realization broke her concentration, making her magic snap back into its regular state of being, almost causing her to stumble backwards. She turned to Draco, who had already been staring at her, and opened her mouth to tell him she needed to get into the champions tent.

"What did you just do?" Ginny's accusatory voice caught Hermione off-guard.

"N-nothing." Hermione stammered. 'Ginny is bound to follow me if I try to go now. She can never leave anything alone-'

A scoff sounded from Draco. "Obviously she was dozing off, Weaslette. Only a half-wit Gryffindor would be able to manage such a feat in a place like this."

Hermione had no time to stage a row with Malfoy and took the way out he had half-opened for her. "I'm not feeling well. I think I'm going to head back to the tower." Ron was too busy cheering to pay her any mind. One of the perks of being on the first row was the ability to walk off with zero interference of anyone being in her way. In fact, other than Luna's parting, "feel better, Hermione," no one seemed to notice her walking away at all.

On her way out, she glanced into the pit and was just in time to see that Krum had grabbed the egg after dodging a fireball. Some of the coral Chinese Fireball eggs were visibly smashed and he still had aways to get back to the entrance. With an annoyed mother dragon on his heels, it left Hermione with half an hour, max.

The exit to the arena was right next to the champions tent, a small miracle if she ever saw one. She was just about to lift up a part of the tent when she was spun around and pulled into a hold that was a little more intimate than a friendly hug.

"There's someone watching," the velvet Italian voice murmured into her neck.

Hermione heard several giggles sound as whomever Blaise had been referring to passed by. Hermione tried to look as relaxed as possible in his arms, but she felt too… awkward.

When the girls could no longer be heard, Blaise put his forehead on hers as he glanced around. It was one last act of intimacy to discreetly ensure they were alone.

After confirming the coast was clear, he pulled away. "Sorry about that, it was the first thing-"

"It's fine. Thank you."

The dark Slytherin grinned at her. "You know if you were that stiff when we were dancing, I would have kept Pansy as my partner."

She would have laughed at the reference, but Hermione had Harry on her mind. She tried to pull the back of the tent up, but magic was pinning it to the ground. "Of course," she muttered angrily.

"You need to talk to Potter?"

Hermione removed her wand and cast the counter curse to the sticking charm. She attempted to pull the bottom of the tent up again, but it refused to give. With a sigh, she stepped back to try and think what would be the next course of action. "Yes."

"Want me to be your lookout?" Blaise had already brandished his wand and was glancing over his shoulder to see if there were any other stragglers nearby who would see them.

Hermione paused as she watched him. Carefully, to avoid offending him like she had last time they spoke, she asked: "what do you want for it?"

Blaise gave her another grin and she thought that the nickname 'Chesire' was much more suitable for him. "Nothing from you, this is something I get to hold over Draco's head."

That… was unsurprising. She gave a rueful smile and upon straightening up, cast a slicing charm on the seam of the tent. If she couldn't go under it, she would simply go through it. "I'll be quick," she promised.

He hummed his acknowledgment and after she stepped in, she cast a light sticking charm to keep the seam closed, one that she could easily pop open for a quick escape.

"Hermione?" Harry stood up from the table he had been seated at.

She whirled around to see her best friend. He looked so scared. Harry was fidgeting with his shirt sleeve for goodness' sake!

She threw herself on him for a tight squeeze before letting go. "There's a bit of a problem, Harry." He blinked, processing what she just said. 'Gods, he's already sweating.'

"What are you talking about?" He swallowed and Hermione wished she could take his place.

"You can't summon-" There were several heavy footsteps outside the tent's only flap before it was thrown open.

"Alright, you're next!" Hermione was able to catch a glimpse of Argus Filch right before Harry pushed her down by her shoulders, hiding under the table he had just been sitting at. "They're gettin' the dragon out now."

Hermione's eyes went wide at the realization that she had underestimated how fast Krum worked.

"I, er, I'll be out in a minute."

"You'll be out, now. I haven't got time to waste." Filch took several heavy steps into the open tent as if he were about to grab Harry. If he walked any closer Hermione would be seen-

"Fine." Harry walked towards the Hogwarts caretaker, causing Filch to pause. Hermione wanted to scream, 'no! Don't go!' but it was too late.

Harry was gone and she couldn't warn him that the entire task was his death trap.

"And now, our final champion will need to face our last mother dragon - the Hungarian Horntail! Put your hands together for the one and only, HARRY POTTER!"

'I need to get up.'

Hermione was still under the table. Her body refused to move and she had to focus on unlocking one limb at a time to get back up.

'What am I going to do? What can I do?' Hermione's mind ran wild as she stumbled to the slash in the tent. The heavy fabric separated with a pop and Blaise was there to lend a helping hand as she climbed through the hole. When she let go of him, she walked forward, only for her weak knees gave out. 'What do I know? What can I use?'

"Hermione, what happened?" Blaise crouched next to her, but kept an attentive eye searching the area surrounding them.

'Breathe, breathe, just breathe. He's in the pit and I'm here doing nothing.' Hermione could only manage to shake her head. On shaky legs, she climbed to her feet. She was glad that Blaise was there to steady her ascension. "Harry was going to summon a broom, but he can't. Needs another plan." 'Good. That was good. I got the words out.'

"Ah," Blaise didn't know what to say to that and Hermione realized she probably looked like she was overreacting. It wasn't a secret the champions were to figure out their tasks out on their own.

A mighty roar sounded from the pit and Hermione started forward, wanting to sprint back to the stands, but Blaise wrapped his arms around her and lifted her from the ground. "Woah, wait. Maybe you should go back to the tower. We'll get tea and-"

"It's a trap! I don't need a keeper - let go of me, Blaise!" She swung an elbow back, but it didn't have enough force.

"You can't interfere - what are you even going to do?" He shifted his hold on her and spun her around to face him. Even though he was restraining her, his face was open, concerned. It looked as if he wanted to understand more than anything.

"I-" The fight started to leave her as the past few weeks of studying surfaced. She read so many books, so many theories - yet not a single solution came to the forefront of her mind, offering any help. "I don't know! I don't-" Hermione pulled the tight bun from her head and yanked through the braid as if the style of her hair was what was holding her back. "Fuck!"

Blaise stared, wide-eyed as he watched Hermione lose her wit. It was a sight to see, especially when he compared it to how Draco lost control. Draco had the tendency to express his anger on everything around him. He would kick, punch, and even yell at his surroundings. Hermione, however, turned her frustrations in on herself. He weighed his actions until she pulled out the last band that was holding her hair back. Her tresses fell forward and she gripped the roots of her scalp. Afraid she was going to try to rip it out, he grabbed her forearms and asked the first question that came to mind:

"Why can't he summon the broom?"

Hermione appeared to only remember he was there when he spoke, but she gave him an answer despite her surprise. "The banister is holding up wards. There's runes on it and-"

"Cazzo," Blaise sucked his teeth. "Are you not able to remove it like you did with the age line?"

Hermione let out something between a huff and a laugh. It was easier said than done but it's not like she hadn't done it before - in fact, she had altered and taken down wards twice! Her only issue was being discreet about it - something she did not have a positive track record on.

She would try, but she was not going to prioritize discretion over Harry's life.

Hermione threw herself on to Zabini and gave him a whole-hearted hug. "Thank you!" She quickly let go of him and ran to the entrance of the stands, slowing down before she reached her friends.

"I thought you said you were going back to the tower," Ginny snarled.

Ron tore his eyes away from the pit at that. He looked pale seeing the reality of Harry facing the dragon. Sickly, even.

"I thought it would be better if I didn't watch, but it only made me feel worse."

Draco's eyebrows shot up but she wasted no time settling herself between him and Ron once more.

"Accio Firebolt!"

Hermione looked down at Harry who was sprinting to one of the artificial boulders for cover. The scene before her was honestly what she had feared: the Hungarian Horntail was much more active than the first three dragons. Its growls were a constant low mumble and Hermione wondered if its dietary needs were being met because it sounded hungry. The Horntail pulled at its chains as it sniffed Harry out, it's snout following the trail that Harry had just sprinted. Its gaze fixed onto the boulder he was hiding behind.

Hermione closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She didn't have much time to give Harry a fighting chance. She had to focus, she had to-

Draco took that moment to grab on to her hand, mistaking her stress as concern for Harry. Her heart fluttered as warmth bloomed within her. Hermione wanted to look at Draco, to thank him, but she didn't have the time.

She squeezed his fingers back and let go before dipping her head forward in her focus. Hermione imagined she was the new D string that she had to replace over the summer. Strung too tightly and out of tune, desperately wanting to blend in with the vibrating magic that the pit was enveloped in. 'Like a cello. The pit is a cello.'

"It looks like Potter has conjured a broom!" She heard Bagman's voice bellowing in the distance and she wanted to smile in her meditative state, but already she was within the wards. Her physical body felt just out of reach, which should have scared her, but it didn't.

She was in control.

"Unfortunately, he won't be able to use the broom that is soaring through the sky toward us, just in the distance there." Hermione sifted through the layers of magic, feeling the pressure of Bagman's words. 'Where is it? I had just felt it-' "The Ministry's best created these wards around the pit. I hope Mr. Potter will have enough galleons to by another because at the Firebolt's max speed of one hundred and fifty miles per hour, it would be like slamming into-"

Except it didn't slam anything. Hermione felt it pass like a hot knife to butter and the sensation threw her out and back into the stands where she stood, blanched.

She didn't remove it; the ward was already gone.

A/N:

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