Hello, my lovelies!
So- for those who are interested in the author's personal life- yesterday I was just enjoying my morning coffee as usual and I checked my email and it from this person I talked to a few days before telling me to come in for a job interview. O.O So in the course of three or so hours I made a resume and went to my very first job interview and now I have to wait a few days and see. I'm still kind of in shock. O.O
In other news, we are almost at the end of Part One (remember that this was going to be a three part story?). Yep. YAY! Also, Americans, Happy 4th and Canadians, Happy 1st.
Chapter 7
In the end, Hermione did return the next night for the books, and they did cheer her up- they were fascinating and she ended up using some of her extra Time Turner hours to finish them. However, what really made Hermione walk around the castle with a secretive smile on her face was the discussion that had ensued when she returned the books.
For two glorious, glorious hours, she had a truly intellectual conversation, complete with complicated terminology, heated debate, and a civil cup of tea. True, the person she was conversing with was a snarky bastard who was clever enough to find obscure points and build irritatingly valid arguments out of them. True, he was also a man feared and reviled by more than half the school. But it was also true that Severus Snape was brilliant, beyond brilliant, and for two hours Hermione was in heaven.
When two hours had drawn to a close, Hermione had checked her watch and had to physically stop herself from giving a little mew of disappointment. "I-I need to go," she said regretfully, finishing her tea and rising. "I need to go back twelve hours and start the day again."
To her surprise, Severus might have looked disappointed, although she couldn't quite tell. "Very well, Miss Granger. I'll see you tomorrow for your report?" His demeanor changed with the question- he went from warmly sardonic and engaged to clipped efficiency in the space of two heartbeats.
"Yes, of course," Hermione said, packing her bag. "Thank you, Professor Snape." She knew he could see the desperate thanks in her eyes. She recognized it in him as well. How can I possibly tell you how much that meant to me? That was the first time in months that I could talk with someone who doesn't think of me as child.
"You will be off schedule," he said, nodding to her slightly. "And please prepare a better argument for next time." It was all Hermione could do to not jump up and hug him.
But aside from her now weekly discussions with Snape, Hermione was spending more and more time trying to help Harry find the clue in the egg. And once they discovered that he would need to breathe underwater for an hour, both Hermione and Harry were practically living in the Library looking for a miracle.
"Harry- I may have found something-" Hermione said excitedly, eyes moving rapidly across a page in her ancient tome. "It says that there is this potion- damn. It takes five months to brew and it is ridiculously expensive." Harry was silent. Hermione looked up from her book to find him fast asleep.
I'll leave him to sleep, she decided, studying the slumbering boy. He looked so young, and yet so tired. He'll need the rest for tomorrow. If I find a way… The Second Task was swift approaching and Hermione was growing desperate. How on earth can he stay underwater for an hour? Maybe I can turn back another few hours and look in the Restricted Section.
At four in the morning, the Library was still dark when Hermione stumbled upon what seemed like the perfect solution- Gillyweed. The only problem left was how to obtain some within the three hours left until the Task. And then how to treat it so that it didn't turn Harry in to a fish- but she had ideas for that.
The situation was dire- and that was the only reason Hermione was rushing through the halls of Hogwarts to the office of Severus Snape, resident Potions Master. The only problem left (other than the host of other problems- but those she and Professor Snape could deal with) was how, exactly, to get Snape's attention at four in the morning. Presumably, he didn't sleep with his watch on him. "I am so going to regret this," Hermione muttered, spelling open the door to his office, slipping inside without being seen and shutting the door.
Immediately, she found herself immobilized and upside down. This is so Professor Snape. Stop the threat and humiliate them at the same time. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire- the Hogwarts uniform for girls consisted of a button down shirt, pleated black skirt, and House tie, worn under a robe. Unfortunately, Hermione had left her robe in her dormitory. Lovely. Snape gets to peek at my knickers.
Her hands were trapped at her sides- she couldn't reach her watch with her wand to contact Professor Snape. God damn it. He had to have felt the alarms trip, he should be here soon.
A few hours later, Severus Snape was taking his time dealing with the intruder in his office. He had known Barty Crouch (as seen on Potter's goddamned bloody map- he needed to confiscate and replicate that as soon as possible) would try to sneak into his private stores to steal more ingredients for the Polyjuice. And the wards he had placed in his office were perfect- he had James Potter to thank for providing him with sufficient experience with humiliation and trap-setting. The added bonus was that he could finally get Barty Crouch back for stealing the ingredients earlier in the year.
He had planned the wards with that in mind, hoping he would get a rare chance to humiliate a Death Eater who was also, at the moment, a retired Auror. Severus Snape disliked most Death Eaters (most were crude and sadistic, cruel and sadistic, or some variation thereof) and most Aurors (most were Gryffindors and trigger happy, or trigger happy and inflated on their own pride, or some variation thereof). It was an opportunity that would probably never happen again- and Severus Snape intended to make the most of it.
As such, he was striding through the dungeons, robes billowing dramatically as he turned the corner. He suspected Crouch could see him with Moody's eye, and wanted to appear as intimidating as he could. Severus wrenched open the door, teeth bared in a grin, only to be confronted with…
"Miss Granger," Severus choked. In front of him was a very red and very angry teenage girl. Upside down, hair touching the floor, tie hanging in her face, and legs on display to the world. Of course. It had to be the Gryffindor Know-it-all in my office at four in the morning. And she's been like this for two and a half hours. Gods help me. I never would have guessed pink, though. White. Blue maybe. Not pink. With a quick slash of his wand, he canceled the spell, catching her head before it hit the floor. As soon as he was sure she was no longer in danger from a concussion, he jumped back as if a first year had lit his robes on fire.
Hermione glared up at him from the floor, brushing a few long curls out of her face. Her extremely red, angry face. "We will never speak of this again." The unspoken, 'or you will suffer' hung in the air.
"Agreed," Severus said hastily, retreating to the space behind his desk. "We need to work out a better of contacting each other when you need to talk to me." Hermione raised one eyebrow in a 'no duh' move, but nodded.
She stood, brushing her skirt down and trying to pat her hair down. "I'm a woman grown now," she muttered. "I should be spared these indignities." She huffed once more, and faced him, face still uncontrollably warm. "Do you have any Gillyweed?" What on earth does she need Gillyweed for? Is there someone she wants to turn into a fish?
But Severus just inclined his head once, turning to open the cabinet that held some of his more valuable or dangerous Potions supplies- of course, the cabinet in his office was not the best supplies as the Moody Impersonator had proven that perhaps the only safe place was Severus' quarters themselves. Nevertheless, he withdrew a clump of Gillyweed. "And this will make Potter breathe under the lake for an hour?"
"No," Hermione said. "I need an infusion of seaweed and asphosfel, powder of Mediterranean urchin, and a rinse of fresh water." She had had hours to think about the perfect treatment, after all.
Severus stared at her for a moment. "Have I ever told you that you are bloody brilliant?" She couldn't have found this in a book- she must have found the properties of Gillyweed in some research text then used her knowledge of Potions for the rest. This made him inordinately proud- a student of his succeeding in combining various treatments like that. The infusion for the water resistance and only a partial transformation, the Mediterranean urchin for detoxification of waterborne poisons and warmth under the water, and the fresh water for the type of transformation needed. She's brilliant.
The next frantic, harried minutes were spent treating the Gillyweed- soaking it in the infusion, rolling the rat-like tails in the powder and rinsing it in the flask of Lake Water needed. When they finished, it was ten past nine.
"What now?" Severus asked, considering the tangled up ball of fleshy tentacles. "How do we get this to Potter?"
"I hate doing this," Hermione muttered. "Dobby? Could you come here please?" Hermione cast a containing charm on the Gillyweed, lifting it out of the water carefully. It wouldn't do for it to touch her skin. She set it to cancel as soon as Harry's feet were in the water.
Dobby appeared promptly with a loud crack, and disappeared just as swiftly clutching the ball of Gillyweed ("For the Great Harry Potter Sir!")
"We're done," Hermione said, collapsing onto a stool with a sigh of relief. "Harry can survive under water for one hour and our job is done."
"Not quite, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore, walking into the small Potions workroom, smiling genially. He ignored Severus' frown, and raised wand. "Don't worry about your wards, Severus. They are only temporarily disabled."
Dear Lord, Hermione thought. Dumbledore. What does he have planned now?
"I'm afraid I need to borrow Miss Granger, Severus. If you would, Miss Granger." She rose from the stool, yawning wearily and almost falling.
Snape steadied her with a hand on her elbow. "Miss Granger is too tired for your schemes this morning," Severus snapped. "She was up all night ensuring that your precious Potter wouldn't make a fool out of himself and the school at the Second Task."
"Miss Granger is needed for the Second Task," Dumbledore replied, voice a shade sharper than it had been before. "Viktor Krum needs a hostage." The same Viktor Krum you made me avoid until he got the message that we were just friends? Consistency, Headmaster. Haven't you ever heard of consistency? And Miss Granger is capable of speaking for herself. "You will need to go back three hours. If you go up to my office, you will find me there enjoying a cup of tea."
"Are you alright, Miss Granger?" Severus asked the 'next' day in his office. "What exactly happened below the surface of the lake?"
Hermione sighed, leaning back in the chair. "Harry told me what happened, but Viktor gave me another version. I'm not sure who is right, exactly." She was so tired. Too tired. But when she had twisted back a day to go and sleep, she found a note on the bed of her private room.
Severus gestured at her to continue. "I'm waiting, Miss Granger."
"Harry said that they swam down to the city of the merpeople. In the center of their city square, The four-" she scowled. "Hostages, were tied to statues. Harry said he swam down, grabbed a stone, and started hacking at Ron's ties. Cho Chang was obviously for Cedric, as much as he would have liked to save her, and Gabrielle Delacour was for Fleur. Then there was me, and Ron, and since Viktor and I went to the dance together, he saved Ron. And Gabrielle, since Fleur was caught by the grindylows. Then, apparently, Viktor showed up and carted me off." Hermione sighed again, rubbing her eyes with one hand. "Is that all, sir?" she asked, yawning wide.
He nodded brusquely. "Go, Miss Granger. Meet me for your lessons at seven." She left quickly, almost falling out of her chair with exhaustion. He wasn't surprised- she had been up all day for classes, then all night searching for a way for Potter to succeed on the Second Task, then forcefully introduced to the draining effects of a magically induced coma, put under several hundred feet of icy February-in-Scotland lake water, and finally kept awake from sheer noise and pestering questions during the ensuing party.
He worried sometimes it was getting to be too much on her- watching Harry, fretting over the Tournament, acting in front of the fake Moody. It's only until June, he told himself. Over the summer, we can rest.
"How did Harry take the events under the lake, Severus?" asked the Headmaster, tucking away the refused lemon drops. "What did Miss Granger tell you?"
The night was cool for February, but the Headmaster's office was cozily warm. Severus shook his head, remembering the gleaning he had grasped from Hermione's mind. "Potter is fine. He was relieved that someone else did all the work for him and he got the Gillyweed in time, and he's proud of himself for disrupting the task by attempting to rescue all the hostages."
"I forgot to thank you for preparing the Gillyweed, Severus," the Headmaster said, taking a sip of his tea. "I was surprised at how well it worked, even with all your experience in the field of Potions. You might consider marketing it after the war is done with."
"It was mostly Miss Granger's work," Severus snapped. He couldn't believe what she had done, why should he expect Dumbledore too? Yet still, it angered him to see people overlook her brilliance. "She came up with the entire idea, then got that insane house elf to deliver it to Potter."
Dumbledore was as surprised as Severus had expected him to be. "Astounding," he breathed. "A child so young-"
"She is seventeen now," Severus corrected him. "She had the mind of a witch grown, and she uses it." Occasionally, he caught glimpses of a fifteen year old in her, put it was happening less and less.
"But even at seventeen it is impressive," Dumbledore said with a sigh. "I am sincerely starting to believe that we made the right choice, those years ago." It was only two years, for us at least, Headmaster, Severus said in his head. For her, it's been more than four. And only now you start to consider that you made the right choice?
Following the task, Rita Skeeter published yet another article about the supposed love triangle between Hermione, Harry, and Viktor. Hermione was furious- Harry was a brother, nothing more. Viktor- now he was a friend. But that didn't mean that it hadn't felt nice when his (very strong) arms had been around her, pulling her from the lake and warming her. And even after avoiding him after the ball, he still looked at her with puppy dog eyes and asked her to visit his family home in Bulgaria. She had closed her eyes, steeled herself to answer, and was saved by Harry's emergence from the lake.
The next few days after the article was published in Witch Weekly, Hermione was flooded with hate mail. The first few letters were disheartening enough with just words, angry letters berating her for going back to Krum and breaking Harry's heart. Then the really nasty ones arrived- the ones filled with toxic pus and curses.
"This is ridiculous," Severus seethed in his office, while bandaging her hands. She had gone to him after receiving a letter than exploded when she had tried to toss it in the fire. "You all are fifteen- and your love life is none of their business."
Hermione snorted, then made a soft nose from the pain. "Well, technically, Harry is fourteen, Krum is seventeen, and I am seventeen. It is really logically much more legal if I'm with Krum than with Harry."
"You don't look seventeen, Miss Granger," Snape pointed out. "Your Glamours take care of that at least- but you need to remember to continually reapply them. It was flickering at dinner last night- a few Hufflepuffs noticed."
Hermione rolled her eyes, searched for her wand, then removed her Glamour entirely. "I might as well leave it off here," she reasoned. "It's rather draining." Suddenly, Severus noticed that she was taller, that there were subtle curves and a waist present, as well as long legs. The Glamour didn't cover these aspects- they just drew attention to other things and reduced the affect if someone did notice.
"Very well, Miss Granger," he said, leaning back in his chair. "Have you finished Bonte's Analysis of the Effects of the Salem Witch Trials on the Wizarding Law in Northern America?"
Hermione beamed at him, the expression looking almost out of place on her suddenly mature face. "He is a genius! I never thought to make those connections between the fourth clause of the American version of the Statue of Secrecy…"
Harry revived Ron, giving his friend a hand up from the cushioned floor. "Alright, mate?"
"Yeah," said Ron, blinking slowly. "Ouch."
"What else for today?" asked Harry, turning to Hermione. "We've practiced Stunners, Disarmers, and Impediment spells, plus all those other helpful little tricks you pulled out of all those books you read."
"The Task is a maze," Hermione reasoned, tapping her wand against her chin and swinging her feet from her perch on the empty teacher's desk. "You should know a compass spell that will point you to the middle of the maze. Here- the incantation is simple. 'Point Me' and you just let the wand spin in your hand. Ron- don't drop your wand." She demonstrated, then watched as Harry and Ron tried the spell.
They had been training for weeks now, preparing Harry for the Third Task. Hermione was not as worried as she had been for the other two- she was confident that she could whip Harry into shape for this Task. It was a simple matter of knowing spells, and being able to use them effectively. The only hard part was deciding what had to take priority.
Sirius had helped her decide what would be a wise choice, and what was unnecessary. Hermione tended to estimate on the far side, rather than be caught with something she wouldn't be prepared for. That was where Sirius was useful- he erred on the side of extreme risk rather than that of extreme caution. "Hermione. Harry will probably not be facing rabid trees. They're too tall for the maze. And enchanted bears are too easy to defeat. Are you certain about manitcores?"
"Hagrid," Hermione reminded the convict, crossing the other two off her list. "If he can breed Blast-Ended Skrewts, he can get ahold of a manticore. And giant spiders. And perhaps Fire Crabs."
Despite all the training, Hermione was still quite anxious as Harry was led away during dinner to meet with the other champions. This was the direct result of a conversation with Severus- the stern man had reprimanded her for letting down her guard, reminding her that this was the last opportunity to severely hurt Harry during the Triwizard- nothing had happened yet so far.
Which was why when, on the day of the third task, the enchanted watch she wore burned hot, then cold, the hot again, Hermione dropped out of the group making their way to the stands. A few hasty excuses about needing to go the Library worked their charms, and soon she was walking as quickly as she could to the dungeons, breaking into a run as soon as she was in an empty part of the castle.
Severus was waiting for her outside an empty classroom, face and fists clenched. As soon as she was within a reachable distance, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside the office. "You have to stop Potter from going into the maze," Severus said, speaking clearly and quickly. "I don't care what excuse you have to use, but Harry Potter can be nowhere near the trophy. It is a Portkey-"
Her mind leapt through all the possible implications. "I understand," Hermione replied quietly. They made sure it was easy enough until now so Harry could win. He will be going about now- "I'll see you after. You're going to try and stop it?"
"Yes," Severus said nodding. "Good luck, Miss Granger. Godspeed." His ebony eyes met her mahogany ones, and they parted, rushing in different directions.
Her heart was pounding in her chest and in her ears as Hermione raced through the corridors, making her momentarily glad that she was clad in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. Robes would hinder her progress, and she needed to be fast.
Even running as quickly as she was, by the time she reached the Quidditch Pitch it was past dusk and all the Champions were in the maze. All of them- Harry and Cedric had gone in first and Fleur had been between the hedges for at least seven minutes.
There was no time to make a more prudent decision- she and Snape had discussed a similar, albeit hypothetical, situation before. There was no way to reach the Champions in the maze, or see what they were doing, thus the need for the red sparks. Hermione knew what was needed of her- what was expected.
A quick Disillusionment would suffice. She didn't want to be seen. Quiet as a shadow, Hermione took a steadying breath and ran into the mouth of the maze. Immediately the sounds from the stands vanished, and all Hermione could hear was the quiet sounds of her breathing and an unnatural wind blowing through the hedges. If Hermione had been claustrophobic, she would have been in trouble; the walls of the maze were formed from thick hedges, grown to over eighteen feet high with the help of magic.
"Point me," she whispered, concentrating fiercely on Harry. Her wand swiveled in her hand, indecisive for a moment before pointing at the middle of a thick hedge to her right. "Helpful," Hermione muttered. "Right turns, then."
It wasn't long before she encountered a swarm of enchanted bees- bees made from onyx and amber with stings made of slender crystals filled with venom. They were dealt with using a shield and a mass Stunner, then a crushing spell. Hermione debated for a moment, then left them there. It would have been the perfect time to collect the rare venom- if Harry's life wasn't in danger.
The next obstacle was a mist that flipped the world on its head. Hermione froze stock still- to move one foot would mean being flipped inside out. At least she had her hand on her wand- a rapid counter-curse and she moved out of the mist.
She ran from a Blast-Ended Skrewt, fought some Devil's Snare, and pulverized a man-eating lily. It seemed she was in a section that had benefited heavily from Professor Sprout- the next plant she encountered were Binding Vines, wrapped around the form of a beautiful girl.
Hermione sent up red sparks with her wand, then freed the French girl. As soon as the ties were away from her mouth, Fleur screamed, until Hermione gagged her. "I'm trying to help you," Hermione said as the rest of the vines unwound. "I sent up sparks. They should get here by the time the vines are done." The girl just looked back and forth frantically at the rippling air that was talking to her.
Hermione continued on her path, checking on Harry's location every so often. Once in a while she heard a human grunt or yell, or a lion's roar from inside the maze. Hermione dodged a fleet of poison darts, leapt over a cleverly disguised pit, and backed away slowly from a manticore.
Well, backed away slowly from a manticore and right into the hard chest of Viktor Krum. The Bulgarian was surprised feel a warm body bump into his chest, but he recovered like lightening, gripping her forearms with his meaty hands. As soon as they were safely away from the manticore, Hermione had a wand pointing in the general region of her throat.
"Who are you?" Viktor growled, jabbing her with his wand. "Reveal yourself." Hermione drew her wand, pulling it out slowly, and leveling it with his belly. Make them surrender their weapon first Viktor. Or Stun them and cast a revealing spell. And I thought you went to Durmstrang?
"Imperio," she hissed, watching as Viktor's face smoothed over. "Right. Try and find Cedric Diggory, and take him out of the competition. Do not permanently injure him. As soon as you find him, send up red sparks." He gave her a dazed nod, weaving slightly where he stood before walking down a path to their left.
She went to the right- glancing up at the sky as she did. Dusk was fading, they sky a bruised purple flickering with the light of a few stars. There were fewer and fewer obstacles as she got closer to the end of the maze, but Hermione could hear hissing and clicking, and well as the occasional growl.
And finally, she saw the one she was looking for, standing in front of a Sphinx. A great, big, bloody Sphinx. Hermione forced herself to stay in the shadows, straining to hear the riddle and Harry's response.
"… the middle of middle and the end of end?" Harry was saying. "The middle of middle and the end of end." He even sounded confused to Hermione- she wanted to scream out that it was d just the letter d for Heaven's sake, when he lit up like a light bulb. "D!" he shouted. "Alright. And the last part- er- I don't know- wait! –Er! The last part is –der." The Sphinx just swished her tail.
"And the answer is something I wouldn't want to kiss," Harry muttered, running one hand through his messy hair. "There are plenty of things I wouldn't want to kiss. But-" he looked up at the Sphinx. "I got it. The thing I wouldn't want to kiss is a spider. Spy-d-er."
"You may pass," the Sphinx said, giving the youngest Champion a sultry smile. "I was the second to last obstacle to the Cup. Beware." Her lion's body moved aside, and Harry scooted passed her and ran into the clearing.
Hermione followed him- only to find the Sphinx baring her way. "You have not answered a riddle," said the woman-beast, glaring at her. "You must answer before you can pass."
"Then give me a riddle," Hermione answered, stepping back, watching the woman-lion with wary eyes.
"My first is twice in apple but not once in tart. My second is in liver but not in heart. My third is in giant and also in ghost. Whole I am best when I am roast. What am I?" recited the Sphinx. "Answer right and you may pass. Answer wrong and I attack."
This is easy enough, Hermione thought. Twice in apple, that would be the letter 'p.' Second letter could be 'l,' 'i,' or 'v.' Last is either 'g' or 't.' Plg, Plt, Pig, Pit, Pvg, Pvt. Pig and Pit are plausible- but pigs are good roasted whole. "You are a pig," Hermione said aloud, taking perverse pleasure in insulting the Sphinx. "May I pass?"
Reluctantly, the Sphinx moved aside, allowing the girl to pass into the battle scene before her. Harry and Cedric were fighting an enormous spider- Harry looked as if he was limping, Cedric was scrambling for his wand, and the spider was still advancing.
Hermione made a split second decision, casting a Stunner at the vulnerable underbelly of the spider, following it up with a few binding jinxes and another Stunner. Harry and Cedric didn't notice her- they stared at each other. Hermione collapsed from momentary exhaustion- to get through the defenses of an Acromantula was magically tiring.
"Both at the same time?" Harry offered. "It would still be a Hogwarts victory." Hermione debated the best way of taking care of the problem- take out Cedric, and explain to Harry? Or take out Harry and explain to Cedric? Or take out both? Reveal to both? What would happen if Harry found out that she was supposed to be protecting him-
And she looked up and realized that they were both stumbling to the Triwizard Cup.
A strangled scream ripped its way out of her throat. "No!" Hermione yelled, pulling off the Disillusionment. "Harry, stop!" She bolted toward them- Harry turning his head to stare at her, eyes widening, Cedric spinning all the way around.
"Hermione-" Harry started to say, reeling back as Hermione pushed off the ground and used Cedric's shoulder for leverage, pushing the Hufflepuff away from the Cup and her closer to Harry. "What are you-"
Harry stumbled when he tried to put his weight on his bad foot, hands shooting out to grab something to break his fall. "NO!" Hermione screamed again, lunging forward as his hand connected with the Cup. Her own hand connected with it- her fingertip barely brushing the metal- metal that began to burn bright blue.
Hermione didn't register exactly what had happened until she felt a sensation like a hook going through her navel, and she was lifted off the ground, Harry by her side.
Severus bore down on Cedric Diggory as the boy was taken from the maze. "Where are Miss Granger and Mr. Potter?" he hissed, looming over the tall seventh year. "What happened to them?"
"Portkey," gasped Cedric. "What the bloody hell happened in there? Granger shows up out of nowhere, and pushes me away from the Cup, then she and Harry go flying away-" He had cuts on his face from some of the more dangerous hedges in the maze, and was breathing strangely.
Frankly, Severus no longer cared. "Miss Granger is with him?" His words were deliberate, the tone one of a man trying desperately to reign in his temper.
Dumbledore appeared by the two of them, still partially hidden within the mouth of the maze. "Severus," Dumbledore intoned, icy sparks of pure anger in his eyes. "Leave the boy alone. Miss Granger and Mr. Potter have left the school grounds. The Triwizard Cup was a Portkey."
They landed in an abandoned graveyard- fog was curling out of the darkness, around simple headstones and ornate stone angels alike. The full moon was high in the sky, glowing softly with enough light for Hermione to make out the form of a church behind the leaves of a yew tree and a hill on their left topped with a grand old house.
"Wands out," she croaked, tightening her grip in the smooth wood. Harry opened his mouth, and she cut him off. "Professor Moody was an imposter. I ran into the maze to find you and warn you not to touch it." He closed his mouth again. Apparently, this made sense to him- and she wasn't about to question a stroke of good luck.
"Where to you reckon we are?" asked Harry warily, turning around in a full circle. "All I see are gravestones, headstones, and a few statues."
Hermione shivered unconsciously, mentally willing her hand to stop shaking. "We need to get out of here now, Harry. I can feel it, someone's watching us- there." She pointed at them with her chin. A short, ungainly figure in a dark cloak was emerging from the mists, clutching a heavy bundle to its chest.
Harry collapsed, eyes open but not seeing, mouth gaping wide in a silent scream. She knew what was in the bundle now- the form of Lord Voldemort.
"Kill the spare," a high, cold voice ordered.
And so ends Chapter Seven. Like the plot twist?
And boy are you guys in for it with the next chapter. Chapter Eight will be the end of Part One. Chapter Eight, in which the Dark Lord returns to power and shit hits the fan. Someone asked if I'm staying true to the books, and the answer is I don't really know yet. So far, I'm on book five and things are still pretty canon. But different, because of what just happened.
ALSO: In this world, gillyweed doesn't give you wonderful gills. It turns you into a giant fish. So it needs to be treated. Or else all the other contestants would have used a wonderfully simple plant that does exactly what you need.
Comments are, as always, appreciated. If you enjoy Sherlock fanfiction, I have several (including a new one!). See you on Friday!
And also, I solved my Ashwinder problem. I still like fanficion better.