Author's Note: None of this belongs to me. This story is based on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling and will feature "offstage scenes" as well as scenes from the book reinterpreted from Hermione's point of view.
Hermione's 4th Year
Part 19: The Middle of Middle
by Elanor Gamgee
"Ron! Ron! What's going on? Where's Harry?" Bill's voice rose above the noise of the crowd around them. Hermione turned, still feeling like she was in shock, and saw him moving toward them, his red hair standing out above the crowd.
Ron seemed to have to remind himself to breathe. He turned toward the sound of Bill's voice and raised one hand to frantically hail his brother. "Bill!" he shouted. "Come here, quick!"
Bill pushed his way over to them, holding Mrs. Weasley's arm as she hurried along beside him. Ginny was close behind them.
Mrs. Weasley caught sight of the Diggorys and looked as though she might faint. "Good Lord!" she gasped. "What's happening?"
"Where is Harry?" repeated Bill, looking at Ron intently.
"We don't know. He's not here," said Ron, his voice sounding desperate. He sounds like I feel, thought Hermione.
Ginny, who had been staring at the Diggorys as they leaned over Cedric's body, let out a small sob at these words.
"What's going on?" Fred and George appeared behind their mother, who was still looking unsteady on her feet.
"Is Diggory really—" Fred's question was cut short as he took in the scene before them. George, meanwhile, took one look at Ginny's pale face and immediately put a protective arm around her.
In some distant part of her mind, Hermione noted how incongruous it was to see looks of anxiety and shock on the twins' faces. Oddly, it was this, more than anything, that convinced her that what was happening was real, not just some horrible nightmare. It jolted her enough to make her brain start working again.
"Where's Professor Dumbledore?" she said, speaking very quickly. She knew that the Headmaster would know what to do.
"I saw him going toward the castle, with Snape and McGonagall," said Bill, running a hand distractedly through his long hair and dislodging his ponytail.
Hermione stared at him. "What?" she said incredulously. It wasn't like Professor Dumbledore to leave during a scene of panic.
Ron let out a frustrated breath. "Where's Harry?" he said loudly. Hermione looked at him quickly. He was now so pale that each individual freckle stood out on his face.
Hermione looked around wildly, the anxiety mounting in her chest. All around them, people were milling around, some sobbing, some screaming, others talking loudly. No one seemed to know where to go. Many people were trying to push their way toward the entrance to the maze, craning their necks to see Cedric's inert body. A wave of nausea passed over Hermione and she swayed slightly. Ron, still holding her right hand with a grip like a vise, steadied her.
Suddenly, Ludo Bagman's voice rang out across the crowd. Hearing his previously enthusiastic voice so serious and tense was utterly absurd, somehow. "Ladies and Gentlemen! We must ask you to remain calm! Please, remain calm! It appears that one of the champions has been injured—"
Injured? thought Hermione, staring once again at Cedric's lifeless body. What is he playing at?
The voice droned on, telling everyone to stay calm, to return to their seats, or to go back to the castle. The crowd didn't seem to hear a word, however, and the crying and screaming only seemed to grow louder. Hermione was surrounded by tumult, but she felt oddly dissociated from it. Her mind was reeling, trying to find the solution, as always. Where should they go? What should they do? She felt completely helpless, and she hated it.
"Hagrid!" Ron was suddenly calling out next to her. "Hagrid! Over here!" He waved his hand high in the air. Hermione turned and saw Hagrid emerging from the entrance to the maze. She waved her arm in the air as well, and added her shout to Ron's.
Hagrid saw them and pushed his way over to them. Hermione could see the fear in Hagrid's eyes, and this made her even more afraid.
"Hagrid, what's happened? Where's Harry?" said Bill urgently.
Hagrid mopped his face with an enormous red handkerchief. "Professor Moody took 'im up to the school," he said hoarsely. "Dunno what 'appened—"
"Come on," said Ron quickly. "We've got to find him." It was unusual for Ron to take charge like that, but the determined look on his face made the others, even his mother, follow him without question. The group was utterly silent as they pushed through the crowd, a sharp contrast to the clamor around them.
As they hurried to the edge of the stadium, they passed Fleur Delacour, standing with her mother and Madame Maxime and conversing in high-pitched French. Mr. and Mrs. Krum were still sitting on the bench nearby, their heads together as they spoke in rapid Bulgarian. Both threw occasional worried glances at Viktor, who was sitting next to them, staring into the crowd. Hermione nodded absently to him as she passed. Viktor's eyes widened when he saw her, and he gazed at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Hermione didn't have time to worry about him at the moment, however, and she continued on her way.
Emerging from the stadium, Hermione took a deep breath. The air out here seemed cleaner somehow, and being out of the overwhelming crowd was a relief. Hermione looked up at the bright stars above; it was hard to believe that this was the same sky that had been up there just hours ago, before this madness had descended upon them.
"Did you see Krum?" whispered Fred to George in an awed voice. "Did you see the look on his face? What happened in there?"
Ron immediately dropped Hermione's hand, which she hadn't even realized he had still been holding. No wonder Viktor was looking at me like that, thought Hermione distantly. But she couldn't worry about that now.
The group continued to the castle in silence. Once inside the Entrance Hall, however, they stopped, unsure where to go next.
"Hospital wing?" Hermione suggested. It was the only place she could think of where Harry might be.
Mrs. Weasley seemed to have recovered from her earlier shock. She drew herself up and said briskly, "Fred, George, you take Ginny back to the Gryffindor common room. The four of us will find Harry."
"Mum!" Ginny started to protest, but her mother gave her such a look that she desisted.
"You heard me," snapped Mrs. Weasley. "There's enough to worry about without having to look after you lot as well. Now go up to Gryffindor Tower and stay there. I have a bad feeling about all of this."
"But why do Ron and Hermione get to go?" Ginny said, very bravely, in Hermione's opinion, considering the look on her mother's face.
"Because she knows we won't let them go without us," said Ron fiercely. Hermione nodded in silent agreement.
"Come on, Ginny," said George, exchanging a worried look with Fred over Ginny's head. Ginny was still very pale, and was now shaking. The twins each put a hand on her shoulder and guided her toward the marble staircase.
Mrs. Weasley watched them depart, then clapped her hands abruptly. "Right, then, hospital wing." She led the way up the stairs.
As they were making their way down the first-floor corridor, however, they experienced a slight setback. Out of nowhere, a book went whizzing past Hermione's left ear. It was soon followed by a barrage of heavy spellbooks sailing through the air in their direction. Mrs. Weasley shrieked and jumped back. Bill, meanwhile, was rubbing the top of his head, where he had been hit hard with Those Mischievous Spirits. Hermione looked up and saw a familiar brightly-clad figure hovering in the air above them, juggling several heavy books with a malicious grin on his face.
"PEEVES!" Ron roared. "This is NOT the time! Let us pass, right NOW."
Peeves stuck his tongue out at Ron and lobbed an enormous leather-bound volume at his head. Ron ducked and uttered a string of words that Hermione fervently hoped his mother was too distracted to notice.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!" said Hermione, pulling out her wand. "Accio books!" she called out. She caught the books neatly as they sailed over to her and stacked them next to the wall. Then she pointed her wand at the poltergeist. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Peeves shot higher into the air, tumbling end over end as he sailed on toward the ceiling.
"Nice job, Hermione," said Bill, sounding impressed, as he continued to rub his head.
Hermione smiled a little.
"Come on," said Ron impatiently. "We've got to find Harry, remember?"
They continued down the corridor to the hospital wing. Bill pulled open the door, and they all filed through. Hermione stopped abruptly as she saw a shocking sight. Professor Moody was lying in a bed at the far end of the ward, but he didn't look at all like himself. His wooden leg and magic eye were sitting on a table next to the bed, and he looked extraordinarily thin.
Hermione heard Ron gasp behind her. "What's happened to him?" he asked, sounding appalled. Mrs. Weasley and Bill were also staring at Professor Moody in horror and confusion.
The sound of a door opening jarred Hermione back to reality. Turning, she saw Madam Pomfrey emerging from her office. Hermione and Ron both rushed over to her, but Mrs. Weasley got there first.
"Where is Harry?" she demanded. Hermione privately thought that she would not want to be on the receiving end of that tone of voice.
"He is with the Headmaster," said Madam Pomfrey brusquely. "Now, please, I need to see to my—"
"What's happened to him?" said Ron, at the same time that Hermione said, "Please, you've got to tell us if he's all right!"
Madam Pomfrey, looking overwhelmed, was just starting to say, "I don't know—", when the door opened behind them.
Hermione turned quickly and saw Professor Dumbledore enter the ward, with Harry and a large black dog that Hermione knew was Sirius behind him. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief to see Harry alive, though he looked dazed, and his robes were ripped and bloody.
Mrs. Weasley gave a soft scream and hurried towards them. "Harry!" she cried, "Oh, Harry!"
Dumbledore stepped in front of Harry, blocking her. "Molly, please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him, you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."
Hermione exchanged a wide-eyed look with Ron. What's happened to him? she thought.
"Did you hear?" Mrs. Weasley hissed reproachfully. "He needs quiet!"
Madam Pomfrey, meanwhile, was looking at the black dog with disdain. "Headmaster, may I ask what—"
"This dog will be staying with Harry for a while. I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Harry—I will wait while you get into bed."
Madam Pomfrey led Harry over to a bed. Professor Dumbledore spoke softly to Harry once more, then left.
As they waited for Harry to change into the pajamas Madam Pomfrey had given him, Hermione caught Ron's eye. He gave her what he seemed to think was a reassuring smile, but it was more like a grimace.
When Harry had finished changing, the four of them went around the screens and sat down in the chairs scattered around the bed. The black dog curled up on the floor at Hermione's feet. Hermione watched Harry carefully. She had no idea what to say; indeed, she was afraid to say anything, as she had no idea what he had been through tonight.
Harry looked at her, then at Ron. "I'm all right," he said, obviously trying to reassure them. "Just tired."
Hermione somehow doubted this, as the dazed look on Harry's face seemed to indicate that he was still in some shock. She glanced over at Ron. He was watching Harry with a furrowed brow, and didn't seem to believe him either.
Mrs. Weasley was smoothing the blankets around Harry when Madam Pomfrey appeared holding a goblet and a bottle of potion.
"You'll need to drink all of this, Harry. It's a potion for dreamless sleep," she said kindly, pouring the potion into the goblet.
Harry took the goblet and started drinking, but fell asleep before he had even finished it. Mrs. Weasley caught the goblet before it could spill and set it on the bedside table. She stared down at Harry intently, and seemed satisfied that he was asleep.
A dreadful silence settled over them. Hermione wanted to say something to break it; despite what Dumbledore had asked, they were all dying to know what had happened. The blanket of worry in the room was almost stifling. Hermione wished that Mrs. Weasley and Bill weren't there; she wanted to talk to Ron openly, to try to work out what had happened to Harry and what they could do. But she felt like she couldn't say a word with Mrs. Weasley there. There were some things she could only talk about with Ron and Harry.
Ron's familiar presence in the chair next to her was something though. It made her feel braver, somehow, just to know that he was there, and feeling just as worried and helpless as she was.
What happened next was so shocking and strange that Hermione would never have been prepared for it in a million years. Cornelius Fudge swept into the ward, followed closely by Professors McGonagall and Snape. Their shouting soon attracted the attention of Professor Dumbledore. Hermione didn't entirely understand what was going on, but she quickly gathered that a Dementor had disposed of the Death Eater responsible for the night's tragedy. The Professors kept mentioning Barty Crouch, so she supposed he had turned up again.
Their words passed in a blur as Hermione struggled to fit the pieces together in her mind, then one statement by Professor Dumbledore caught her attention. "When Harry touched the Triwizard Cup tonight, he was transported straight to Voldemort. He witnessed Lord Voldemort's rebirth."
Hermione felt as though she had been punched in the stomach. Ron looked quickly over at her, a terrified expression on his face. Cornelius Fudge, however, seemed determined not to believe a word of it, even after Harry started shouting the names of the Death Eaters he had seen. He flatly refused to listen to Dumbledore's counsel, and left the ward, only pausing to hand Harry his Triwizard winnings.
Hermione stared at Professor Dumbledore. The Headmaster was looking around at the group with a fresh light in his eyes.
"There is work to be done. Molly…am I right in thinking that I can count on you and Arthur?"
Mrs. Weasley looked pale but determined. "Of course you can. He knows what Fudge is. It's Arthur's fondness for Muggles that's held him back at the Ministry all these years. Fudge thinks he lacks proper wizarding pride."
Dumbledore nodded. "Then I need to send a message to him. All those that can be persuaded of the truth must be notified immediately, and Arthur is well placed to contact those at the Ministry who are not as short-sighted as Cornelius."
Bill got to his feet. "I'll go to Dad. I'll go now."
"Excellent. Tell him what happened. Tell him I will be in direct contact with him shortly. He will need to be discreet, however. If Fudge thinks I am interfering at the Ministry—"
Bill nodded. "Leave it to me." He patted Harry's shoulder briefly, then kissed his mother on the cheek. Then he pulled on his cloak and left quickly. Hermione noticed that he had not said goodbye to Ron. Ron had apparently noticed this too, from the hurt look that flitted across his face. Hermione felt a pang for him. She knew it wasn't always easy for him to share his family with Harry, and she wondered if the Weasleys realized how often Ron seemed to be forgotten.
"…where I think you will find a house-elf called Winky in considerable distress?" Dumbledore was saying; Hermione started sharply. If Mr. Crouch had received the Dementor's Kiss, of course Winky would be in a state. Hermione didn't even hear the rest of his instructions to Madam Pomfrey; she was too busy wondering why she hadn't remembered about Winky earlier. She was impressed and grateful that the Headmaster had, though.
And then, Professor Dumbledore asked Sirius to reveal himself. The animosity between Sirius and Professor Snape was almost tangible, but they shook hands as Dumbledore requested. Harry seemed reluctant to let Sirius leave, even though Dumbledore requested it. Professor Snape looked pale as strode from the ward to perform a mysterious mission for Dumbledore. As Hermione saw Dumbledore's apprehensive expression, she found herself silently wishing Professor Snape luck. Dumbledore left them as well.
Now only Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Mrs. Weasley were left in the room. Hermione stared at Harry as he slumped back against his pillows. Even with what she could glean from the various conversations that had just taken place, she could only begin to imagine what he had been through.
Mrs. Weasley broke a long silence. "You've got to take the rest of your potion, Harry. You have a good long sleep. Try and think about something else for a while…think about what you're going to buy with your winnings!"
She was clearly trying to cheer him up, but this was apparently the wrong thing to say. "I don't want that gold," said Harry tonelessly. "You have it. Anyone can have it. I shouldn't have won it. It should've been Cedric's."
Hermione looked at Harry quickly. He was blinking rapidly and staring up at the ceiling. Hermione could see that he was fighting tears, and she felt desperately sorry for him. Mrs. Weasley was watching him carefully.
"It wasn't your fault, Harry." Mrs. Weasley's whisper was barely audible.
"I told him to take the Cup with me," said Harry, his voice thick with unshed tears.
Mrs. Weasley looked at him for a moment, then put down the goblet of potion and put her arms around him.
Hermione had to look away from the misery that racked Harry's body. He needs to cry, she thought. He just needs to get it out.
Hermione stared at the window, which was in her direct line of sight. She studied the blue flowers in the curtain, tears coming to her own eyes and blurring her vision. The window was open, and the curtains were swaying slightly in the breeze.
Then she saw movement on the windowsill, movement that was something besides the curtains blowing. Blinking rapidly to clear her eyes, she made out the shape of a bug on the windowsill. A beetle.
Glancing at the bed, Hermione saw that Mrs. Weasley still had her arms around Harry and was now rocking him slightly back and forth. Ron was watching them with a mysterious expression on his face.
Hermione slipped out of her chair and crept over to the window as quietly as she could. With one swift motion, she slammed the window closed with her right hand, and swept up the beetle with her left. She held the insect tightly in her hand as she turned to face the others.
"Sorry," she whispered.
Harry seemed almost relieved at the interruption, however, and quickly took his potion and fell back to sleep.
Hermione sat back down in her chair, still clutching the beetle in her hand. She wondered what to do with it.
Ron was giving her an extremely odd look, which she tried to ignore. Mrs. Weasley looked up at the two of them, her face still slightly tear-stained, and said, "You two should go back to your dormitories. Get some rest. I'll stay with him."
Ron looked hesitant.
"Go on," said Mrs. Weasley, some of her usual authoritative tone returning. "He'll be fine."
Hermione nodded and stood up. Ron stood as well, and, after a moment's hesitation, he leaned over and kissed his mother on the cheek. She patted his shoulder absently and murmured, "Good night dear."
Hermione and Ron walked back to the Gryffindor common room in silence. Much as she had wanted to talk to him earlier, Hermione couldn't think of a single thing to say to him now. She wanted to tell him about Rita Skeeter, who was still wriggling in her clenched fist, but it just didn't seem like the right moment. Ron, for his part, seemed to be focused inward, and for once, did not seem particularly inclined to talk.
When they entered the common room, most of Gryffindor House was still awake, despite the late hour. People were clumped around the common room, talking softly and looking sad and quiet. Ginny rushed over to them the moment she saw them, followed quickly by the twins.
"What happened? Is he all right?" Ginny asked anxiously.
Hermione and Ron exchanged a look. "You tell them," said Hermione quickly. "I'm going to go up to my dormitory."
Ron looked like he would've liked to object, but Hermione darted up the stairs before he could. She dashed to her dormitory and began looking for a container for the bug. She finally dumped out the last of her armadillo bile and used the glass jar that it had come in. Slipping the insect into the open mouth of the jar, she quickly sealed it and performed an Unbreakable Charm on the glass; she wasn't taking any chances. Holding the jar up to the candle next to her bed, Hermione took a closer look at the beetle inside. It had markings around its eyes that reminded her of Rita's glasses. There was no doubt in her mind now that this was Rita Skeeter. She had been hanging around in the hospital wing looking for more horrid headlines. Hermione thought back over all the astonishing things that had happened in that room over the course of the night, and was truly thankful that she had caught Rita before she could spin another web of lies.
Hermione smiled merrily at the insect, which was now wriggling restlessly. "Don't even think about trying to transform," she told it sweetly. "There's an Unbreakable Charm on this jar. But don't worry, I'll let you out when we get to London. Now, your job is to keep your quill to yourself for one whole year. Let's see if that helps you break your awful habits. If you don't, well…I could tell the Ministry some interesting things, couldn't I?" She smiled again, and the beetle starting buzzing loudly. "Tsk, tsk, better be nice, or I won't get you any tasty leaves and grass to eat…" The beetle, seemingly realizing it was outmatched, fell silent.
Hermione tucked the jar away under her bed, quickly changed into her nightgown, and crawled into her bed. As she pulled her hangings shut, she smiled at the thought that at least one good thing had happened today.
Then she remembered: Lord Voldemort was back. He had risen again. She remembered the seriousness in Dumbledore's voice as he had put his plans into motion, and the glitter in Professor Snape's eyes as he had left the hospital wing. She remembered, with a pang of discomfort, how Dumbledore had said that Minister Fudge placed too much emphasis on the purity of blood. What was to come?
But she could barely even take in what had happened, let alone what was to come. The events of the day jumbled together in her mind, Hermione fell at last into a shallow, troubled sleep.