Chapter 13- Taking A Stand
Albus Dumbledore turned away from Fawkes and faced the doorway mere seconds before Cedric Diggory walked through it.
"Mr. Diggory. I had a feeling I'd be seeing you at some point."
"Well when you commit to a heinous act like what went down at the Second Task, you can't help but expect a little bit of backlash."
Albus nodded. "Please, take a seat, and we can discuss what's on your mind."
Cedric folded his arms. "I'd prefer to stand, if it's all the same."
"Certainly."
Cedric sighed. "I read up on the Tournament, you know. Before I entered, I read as much as I could find about the Tournament's many rules, traditions, and policies."
Albus threaded his fingers through each other and tilted his head.
"One of the duties of the hosting school is to organise the Tasks. Which means that what happened today was entirely your fault."
"Fault?" Albus repeated.
Cedric shook his head in disgust. "Surely you can't think that Second Task was a good idea, especially in hindsight."
"Are you merely insulting my Task creation abilities or do you have another point?"
Cedric quirked a brow. "I consulted with Hermione and Ron. They remember feeling strange since breakfast yesterday morning. Just before dinner, they lost all memory of subsequent events. Next thing they knew, they were emerging from the Black Lake and the Task had finished."
Albus waited for the kicker, the one that he knew was coming.
"You kidnapped them and placed them in a situation of simulated peril. Without their consent. And I understand that they weren't in any real danger, you aren't that stupid, but using them as hostages without permission is not good any way you look at."
"And you suppose I should have asked for their permission."
Cedric nodded furiously.
"And if they said no? The task would have been ruined."
Cedric blinked slowly. "Shouldn't that have been the first sign that you shouldn't have done it? If its success depended on either the consent of the participants or their abduction. I can't understand a world in which this makes sense in your mind."
Albus sighed. "I think perhaps you are too close to the situation, Mr. Diggory."
Cedric snorted. "Nobody enjoyed that Task. Nobody could see it for a start. If you were going to situate a task in the Black Lake, at least provide means for spectatorship. That was just lazy planning."
Albus smiled, amused. "I have a feeling that isn't what most aggrieves you, Cedric."
"I want Rita Skeeter banned from the castle. Journalism is all well and good, but when the writer is abandoning print altogether to send letters to people's parents, that's a line crossed."
Albus dipped his head. "And what precisely has Ms. Skeeter done?"
Cedric's mouth tightened. "She meddled. She told Hermione's parents about us and Viktor."
Albus shook his head. "That's impossible, Mr. Diggory."
"I'm not sure anyone was really surprised," Cedric frowned.
"No, rather that it is literally impossible for her to have done that."
Cedric waited for the ball to drop.
"Ms. Skeeter is still bound by an injunction filed against her two years ago in which she must refrain from directly contacting Muggles. It was an enchantment placed by me directly upon her magical core, so she can't have broken it. There must be something more to the story."
Cedric nodded in understanding.
Alastor Moody appeared behind Cedric. "Got a moment, Headmaster?"
Albus looked to Cedric. "Tomorrow, perhaps? I've got an opening to receive a barrage of vicious invectives scheduled for three-thirty if you're interested."
Cedric said nothing, but simply turned and left the room, Moody's eye watching him fade into the darkness.
Cedric met up with the others in the Great Hall, where Madam Pince said they had relocated.
"How'd it go?" Viktor asked as soon as Cedric sat down between he and Hermione.
"He definitely planned it himself. Without compunction. But that's not what I'm mad about anymore."
Fleur frowned. "You're not?"
Cedric shook his head. He put his arm around Hermione. "Your parents didn't send that letter, Hermione. Skeeter did."
Hermione face contorted into a mixture of confusion and rage. "How do you know?"
"She can't contact Muggles, she has an enchantment on her."
Fleur shrugged. "Do you believe that?"
Cedric nodded. "I know that Dumbledore knows if he provoked me, I'd cause trouble."
Viktor liked Cedric's rebellious side. "How would you do that?"
Cedric smirked, rubbing Viktor's thigh. "I'd go to my Dad at the Ministry and let them know exactly how Dumbledore organised the Second Task. If it got out, people wouldn't be happy with him."
Hermione smiled. "You know, you're really cute when you're impassioned."
Cedric blushed as Hermione put her head on his shoulder.
"So what do we do about this? Ron piped up.
Hermione shrugged. "We can either deal with Rita or with Dumbledore, I wouldn't suggest trying to handle both at the same time. Intelligent and Tournament Champions, yes, but we're still kids. They're both fiercely manipulative. Obviously Rita would be easier given what we know about her and her little secret, but that's just my opinion."
Viktor leaned in. "Your opinion is worth a lot more than you give it credit for."
Hermione smiled sweetly at him, but her main concern was finding a way to deal with the problem at hand. "I don't know exactly how we're going to do this." She looked to Harry.
"What?"
"I was hoping you'd have an idea."
Harry blanched. "Why would you think that?" He looked genuinely confused.
"We've had three years of being rule-breakers and you usually come up with the plans."
Harry gave her a pointed look. "Wait, you think I do that? I usually just wait until you say something and go with it. You don't see noticing trapdoors, figuring out Basilisk logic, or owning Time-Turners."
Fleur gaped. "You had a Time-Turner?"
Hermione blushed. "Last year, I selected a full class load and they gave me a Time-Turner to go to the ones that overlapped."
Cedric nodded. "I got one too. I returned it in the middle of my fourth year, it was too much effort just to keep going to class."
Hermione nodded. "Having to schedule naps in between classes so you can go to the class that you missed because you were having breakfast or studying for the class you went to in the morning. It's a lot of work."
Ron coughed. "It sure would be handy if we had one now. Think of all the time and energy we'd save."
Cedric's attention turned to Viktor, who was deep in thought. "Vik?"
Viktor snapped out of it, smiling. "Just plotting. We have a while before the Third Task, so I'm thinking we do something to create some news. If there's a story, Rita's going to sniff it out." Viktor gasped. "You don't think she's…" He looked around shiftily.
Cedric grinned. "Already taken care of. You notice how we can't hear anybody else in here?"
"The Muffliato charm," Fleur nodded. "I thought that only worked on humans."
Cedric shrugged. "Research tells us that it's dependent on species. Birds are immune to it, but from what I've read it seems as though insects aren't." Cedric waved his wand again, casting the spell non-verbally.
Hermione gasped. "You've got to teach me non-verbal spell casting! We don't learn it until sixth year and I simply can't wait that long."
Cedric smiled. "After all the help you've been in the Tournament? I'll do anything. So how are we going to create some news?"
Viktor smirked. "You're kidding, right? The six of us are probably the most talked about people at this school right now. We could put any combination of us in the realm of something juicy and Rita would be all over it."
"Viktor's right," Harry nodded at the boy. "Rita's been reporting on the tiniest things that I've done since I was chosen. It doesn't matter what, she seems to think that everything is news these days."
The other five could practically see the lightbulb appear above Hermione's head.
"If we're going to do this we might as well do it properly." She turned to Cedric, Viktor, and Harry. "Who fancies themselves a decent actor?"
Harry looked like he'd been Petrified. Cedric and Viktor shrugged.
"So here's what we do…"
They chose breakfast the next day to stage their plan. The Great Hall would be full of students, with a good chance that Rita would be there in her Animagus form.
Hermione stormed into the cavernous room, Cedric following hot on her heels.
"Hermione, just wait!"
Hermione shook her head before whirling around on the spot. "No, Cedric. I've had enough of this, of you not trusting me. I said I didn't have any feelings for Harry but you've continued to ignore me and make up your mind on your own."
Cedric sighed. It hurt him to see her like that, but it would be for the best when they caught Rita. He felt something brush his elbow. He tried to pass it off as nothing for those watching him. "Hermione, you have to listen to me! I think Harry is going to make a play for you. You've been practically inseparable for three years, it's not so out there to believe you might have fallen for him!"
Hermione scoffed. "You're literally doing it again, Ced! I'm here telling you that I don't have romantic feelings for Harry and you're brushing it off and hearing what you want to hear. I can't keep on doing this. Harry's my best friend, of course I'm close to him, but that's it. I'm going to speak with him every day because that's the friendship we have, that does not mean that we're in love."
Cedric folded his arms, impressed by her skills as always. "Are you still coming to the Astronomy Tower for lunch?"
"Viktor said he'd planned something special, of course I'm going. I don't think it's a good idea that you go, though. I need some space." Hermione pushed past him and headed for the exit, trying her best not to look back.
The entire student body was looking at Cedric now, wondering what was going. Well they had definitely captured some interest. He knew that Rita was around somewhere, she had to be. He quickly glanced at the floor to see if he could spot something, but his vision wasn't that good. He crossed the Great Hall and left too, really playing up the sadness until he was out of sight.
Fleur was there to greet him, throwing up the Muffliato Charm as was their protocol now. "Very convincing, both of you."
"It was hard to do," Cedric smiled lightly. "I hate making her unhappy, even if it is just pretend."
"I'm sure she feels the same," Fleur said reassuringly. "It's really great what you guys have."
"It's been really great. I just keep worrying about after the Tournament's over. I have another year of school, Hermione has three. We've been putting off the discussion about what might happen because we know that this doesn't have longevity."
"I think you all might be right about not having the conversation," Fleur replied smoothly. "If you make a plan, you'll be obsessing over it for the rest of the year. And that'll take your attention away from the Tournament and from each other. Just make the most of the time you have."
"Thanks, Fleur," Cedric nodded as they walked to the Astronomy Tower.
Fleur and Harry had now permanently joined their study sessions. Ron used that time to catch up on his homework. Hermione would offer the occasional nugget of advice, but she surprised to find that Ron had been actively studying for the whole year so far, and he knew more than she would have thought.
They would continue to study up there until lunch, and then see if Rita would show up. Viktor had placed a ward around the entrance that would alert him to any intruders, human or otherwise. They would know if Rita was there.
At Cedric's urging, the group pondered what the Third Task might be. They were looking for any patterns in the sorts of things that they were asked to do, combined with the area of Hogwarts that they would be asked to do it. Fleur made the link between magical creatures being a key part of the Tasks, and Hermione had tasked Harry with trying to get something out of Hagrid. Harry initially refused, not wanting to manipulate the man, but Fleur offered to accompany him with tales of Madame Maxime to soften him up. Viktor had formulated a theory that the leaderboard would play a part in the Task. Hermione wasn't sure, but she wrote it down on the parchment anyway. Any idea was a good idea at this stage.
After some wise words from Harry about being over-prepared before they have to be, the group wrapped up their session early, instead just hanging out and chatting to each other before lunch arrived.
Hermione finished off her Transfiguration essay, asking Cedric to read it over, when the room flashed a dull grey colour.
Viktor stiffened. "That's the ward. Colloportus!" Viktor locked the door to the Tower and laughed. "The only way you're getting out of here is if you jump, Rita."
There was a dead silence for a fair amount of time, but eventually Rita changed into her human form. Adjusting her glasses, she snarled at them, her quill flying around menacingly behind her.
"I suppose you all think you're quite clever with your little display in the Great Hall," she scoffed.
Hermione shrugged. "We tricked you, didn't we?"
Harry grinned. "You're so eager for a good scoop that you'll believe anything."
Rita growled. "Well, you got me. So now what?"
Cedric stood up. "I want you to admit what you did."
"I'm afraid I simply don't understand," Rita shot back.
"Don't play stupid, Skeeter. The letter."
The journalist shrugged absently. "Oh, that. I'd almost forgotten about that. Her parents had to know."
Hermione frowned. "We know that you wrote the letter. Dumbledore told us about the preventative enchantment that stops you from contacting Muggles."
"And you believed him," Rita grinned.
This caught the group off guard, giving Rita her 'in'.
"The only person currently on these grounds more manipulative and deceptive than I am is Albus Dumbledore. He may be the most powerful wizard of the era, but he's anything but trustworthy. You all must know me by now, I'll do anything for a good story. If it doesn't interest me, it's not worth it."
Fleur shook her head. "What are you even talking about?"
"The letter was really from Hermione's parents." Rita turned to the girl in question. "Consider that a favour, so you don't have to tell them anything."
Hermione gritted her teeth. "Why would I believe you?"
The woman shrugged. "Either you believe me or you believe Professor Dumbledore. One of us is lying. It's up to you to say which."
Ron sighed. "You've given us no reason to trust you."
"I'm self-serving, Mr. Weasley. I know that the only way I protect myself is if you all back off, which I can only achieve by telling the truth."
Hermione blinked. "That does make some sense."
Rita smirked. "It has been known to happen. Send an owl to your parents, Hermione. See what kind of response you get. If it's positive, they don't know a thing. If not…well then, you have your answer."
Hermione wasn't going to give her credit twice, so she just nodded curtly and appraised the woman. "You really are a nasty piece of work."
"I told you that I was going to take you down, Ms. Granger."
"Why waste your time on some teenagers? Surely you have better things you could be doing with your time?"
Rita shrugged. "Not at present. You four are the most interesting subjects I've had in months. Now if you could open the door."
Viktor realised they weren't getting much else out of this. "We meant what we said, Skeeter. One wrong move and everybody knows your little secret."
Rita fixed him with a stern glare and whirled back into her beetle form as Viktor reversed the charm on the door. They made sure that she had left the premises before returning to their discussion.
"So much for that," Hermione sighed. "I suppose I'd better write a letter."
Nobody liked the idea of trusting Rita, but they knew it was the best chance they had.
