Disclaimer: You know the deal. Of course, I unfortunately don't own anything having to deal with Harry Potter.
*Chapter Five: Arrival of the Wizard Dueling Tournament*
It was too early to go back to Hermione's house, according to Harry. He ended up treating Hermione to lunch at a small café near the Leaky Cauldron. Both enjoyed their meals very much. Shortly after leaving the café, Harry and Hermione were able to catch a taxicab to take them back home. Luckily, they were able to get all of their new school supplies in the taxicab's trunk. Harry tried to ask Hermione what Draco had said on the way back to her house, but she refused to answer his question. "It's not important, Harry. Please quit asking." The taxi finally dropped them back off at Hermione's house hours later, and within minutes they were back inside the main hallway. It was around 3:00 P.M. in the afternoon.
Harry looked at Hermione as he took off his shoes and set down his books. She did the same, before she quickly took off her cloak and hung it on a tall wooden coat rack. Harry followed her actions as he hung his cloak and walked after her into the living room. Bright sunlight was streaming through the windows the glass windows, but it was slowly diminishing. When look at closely, dark clouds appeared to be stirring up again. "Not another storm," Harry moaned lightly. He wanted to go swimming again with Hermione in her pool since he really wanted to try out the slide.
Seeing the dark clouds, Hermione quickly picked up the remote to the television. Her thumb pressed over the "on" button and the television screen came to life. She changed it to a weather station just in time. A radar was being displayed at that moment.
Lines of very severe storms were traveling straight for London and the vacinity where Hermione lived. She took in a deep breath as she put down the remote. "Let's leave this on, so we can watch for warnings. I'm going to go upstairs, Harry. Just stay right here and I will be back in a second," Hermione managed to say before disappearing down the hallway and up the stairs. Harry waited patiently as he sat down in one of the comfy chairs across from the television. A roar of thunder echoed from outside. His eyes kept traveling from the television to the window, watching the black clouds get closer. The storm was getting stronger, and flashes of lightning from far away lit up the gray and black skies.
Hermione came back down a few minutes later. She held many flashlights in her arms. "We might need these. For some strange reason, we always get nasty storms during the summer. And I mean nasty. You wouldn't think that central England would get bad storms like this, but we sometimes do," Hermione explained as she handed Harry a few flashlights before setting the rest down. The two of them stared out the windows.
The wind began to violently pick up, and bolts of lightning lanced across the dark sky. The lights throughout Hermione's house flickered before suddenly dying out. Hermione jumped lightly as a powerful bolt of lightning struck the field behind her home. The power was definitely off.
Both Harry and Hermione became extremely nervous. The house got dark very quickly after the power went out. They sat in the darkness, flashlights being turned on to make the room visible. Rain began to fall down heavily, pounding against the nearby windows. Harry almost had a heart attack when the phone rang. He quickly followed Hermione into the kitchen. Hermione grabbed the phone before it rang again. "Hello? Hi Dad. The storms are just coming in. Yes, Harry and I are fine. Yes, the power went out. Okay Dad. Drive safely," Hermione said in between her fathers' questions. She seemed slightly irritable, and Harry saw the worried look in her eyes as she turned to him.
"The storms are getting stronger. My Mum and Dad are going to delay leaving their office until the weather calms down. He said he would like us to go into the basement, just to be safe."
"You have a basement?" Harry asked, slightly amazed.
"Yes, we do. I just didn't get to show it to you yet. Let's grab our schoolbooks and get down there. Maybe we can wait out the storm by studying."
After making a quick trip upstairs to get all of their schoolbooks and supplies, Harry and Hermione proceeded down the stairs and into a very large basement. There were many boxes and shelves all over the room. A few chairs were placed by a small table, and in the corner of the room was a small crawl in area to go into incase of a tornado. Blankets and pillows rested on the shelves and a small food storage unit sat next to the wooden shelves.
"I can see that you and your parents stay prepared for any type of weather," Harry said jokingly, cringing lightly when a loud thunder emanated from above. Hermione smiled with a small laugh before she pulled Harry over into the small crawl in pit. Hermione entered it first, Harry following right behind her. It surprised Harry that the inside of it was cushioned very softly. Both lay down next to each other, pushing their books aside.
"How often do you come down here?" Harry asked.
"Not too much. Sometimes I like to come down here to be alone."
Hermione yawned softly before she glanced over at Harry. "Take a nap if you're tired," he said with a small smirk.
"I could never fall asleep during a storm like this," Hermione whispered.
"What about all of the storms we have had at Hogwarts? Did you sleep then?"
"Not often. Though I wasn't alone in the room, I was frightened sometimes."
"How long have you been afraid of storms?" Harry asked.
Hermione yawned slightly again. "Ever since I was little, when we lived in our old house. We had this huge oak tree in our front yard. One day while my aunt was visiting, a big storm came up. Our big tree fell over on to our house when we were on our way down to the basement. The tree smashed through the front of our house. After the storm had gone, when the sun came out, we found my aunt's body crushed under the tree," Hermione explained slowly. The violent image of blood all over the tree and the living room carpet flashed into her mind. The image of her aunt was still burned into her mind. Hermione quickly closed her eyes before opening them again, trying to force the bad memory away.
"Don't worry about the storm, Hermione. I will be here to protect you from an oak tress," Harry whispered softly with a smirk. Hermione smiled warmly as she rested her head on the cushioned bottom. Her eyes slowly closed as Hermione began to fall asleep. Harry enjoyed watching her. He was able to watch her sleep for nearly and hour while the storm raged on before he slowly drifted off to sleep himself.
From that moment on, Hermione was no longer afraid of storms, and she could sleep normally during them.
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
The storm left behind minimal damage, and it was reported that a tornado took only two lives on the North side of London. Hermione's parents had arrived home later that night, and life went back to normal.
Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the week reading their new books for school, swimming in Hermione's pool (which was awkward and nervous for them both since they had never seen each other with so little clothing on), and making trips around Hermione's neighborhood. They continued to do the same activities until the beginning of the second week when they received a letter from Ron on the following Tuesday. Harry and Hermione had been running around in the front yard when Pigwidgeon suddenly arrived. The little gray owl almost collided with the mailbox in his descent.
"It's a letter from Ron about the Wizard Dueling Tournament," Harry said excitedly as he unfolded the small bit of parchment.
Dear Harry and Hermione,
I have some great and yet sudden news. The wizard dueling tournament has been moved to this Thursday! Hermione, ask your parents because we want to pick you and Harry up tomorrow. By the way, my father found out who will be competing in the first round of the tournament. Snape is going to be facing off against Lucius Malfoy! I hope that they both kill each other during battle.
Ron
"I'm so sure that Snape and Malfoy will get that heated in battle. Draco is in Snape's house. They respect each other," Harry breathed out with disappointment and sarcasm as he folded the letter back up.
"We could still hope, Harry," Hermione said with a big grin. Harry's mouth dropped open and her laughed as Hermione pulled him towards the backyard. His fingers found their way to her neck and sides, poking and tickling her madly. Hermione struggled against him, giggles escaping from her. The two inched closer to the pool, completely unaware of the slippery surface next to it. Harry barely caught Hermione as she suddenly slipped. She let out a frantic cry before Harry pulled her back up to him. Their eyesight's crossed and then lined up, focusing on each other. Just as their faces became inches apart, Harry's feet gave out underneath him. He plunged into the cool water, pulling Hermione with him.
Hermione was the first to break the surface, breathing in oxygen. She looked for Harry frantically before he suddenly splashed up behind her, dragging her back under. Mrs. Granger came out only moments later to find the two swimming in circles, talking to each other about Quidditch, school, and the Wizard Dueling tournament. "Hey you two. Dinner is going to be ready soon so you both should get out and dry off to put on some dry clothes," she said. Both Harry and Hermione acknowledged Mrs. Granger's request and proceeded to go upstairs and change clothes.
After several minutes of taking turns drying off and changing in the bathroom, Harry and Hermione returned downstairs and were ushered into the kitchen by Mr. Granger. They both sat down next to each other, arms at their sides. Their hands briefly touched, causing them to draw away from each other as if they were both shocked. "Sorry," Harry whispered. Hermione opened her mouth to speak to him or object but stopped once Mrs. Granger brought over the plates of food and set them down upon the table before them all.
"So, Hermione, who was the owl from?" Mr. Granger asked. Harry immediately assumed that Mr. Granger had seen Pigwidgeon run into the mailbox. Hermione quickly exchanged looks with Harry.
"It was from our friend, Ron Weasley."
"Oh that's wonderful. What did Ron write about?" Mrs. Granger asked as she passed a plate of meat to Harry.
"The Wizard Dueling tournament has been moved up. They start the day after tomorrow. Ron wants to pick us up tomorrow afternoon," Hermione explained.
Both parents frowned lightly. "We're lightly disappointed that you two won't be able to stay longer, but you can go. Write back to him as soon as you are done eating," Mr. Granger said as he buttered a bread roll. Harry smiled at Hermione and the two quickly finished off their dinner.
Their response to Ron's letter was written shortly after Harry and Hermione finished washing the dishes from dinner. Pigwidgeon was still out in the front yard, hovering around the stone birdbath before flying over to the lamppost and hovering around it with the little moths. Harry attacked the small note to Pig's leg before the small hyperactive owl let out a hoot of delight before it disappeared into the dusk sky.
"We better go pack our trunks. Who knows when Ron will show up, or how he will get here for that matter," Harry said as he returned to Hermione. Harry heard her laugh. It was very true, though. The Weasley's traveled in odd ways. They traveled by flying car, floo powder, and apparition. Harry only wondered how they would come to pick them up the next day.
Hermione helped Harry pack his school supplies he bought once they went inside and upstairs. He was about ready to put his Firebolt into his trunk when he saw the two oil bottles that Hermione had given him for his birthday. Carefully lifting them up, Harry set them on the dresser top.
"Do you want me to help you?" Hermione asked slowly.
Harry nodded his head rigorously. "Since I don't know exactly how these oils work, so yes I need your help," Harry said with a small laugh.
After letting go of his broom, the Firebolt hovered a few feet above the ground next to the dresser as Hermione carefully opened the lids on the oil bottles. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Hermione?" Harry asked.
"I'm not completely sure. I can't remember the directions that the shop owner gave me. I think this is how you do it," Hermione gently said as she carefully turned the bottle over. Harry's eyes looked frantic and yet amazed at the same time. The blue oil slowly came out of the bottle. Instead of spilling onto the floor, the blue oil slowly enveloped Harry's Firebolt. Within seconds, the oil suddenly soaked into the broomstick. The Firebolt shined and looked brand new. All of the oil had soaked in, and Harry had assumed it had done its job.
"Well, I guess we won't know if it worked until a bludger comes after me once we get back to school," Harry commented as he put his broom away carefully in his trunk.
Hermione proceeded to tip the silver oil bottle over once Harry got out his wand. The affect stayed the same. The oils surrounded the wand and then soaked in.
Before closing his trunk, Harry set out some clothes to wear for the next day. Hermione then dragged him into her room, and the two proceeded to pack Hermione's many trunks with all of her books. "Hermione, they might as well just let you have a room in the library to sleep in since you practically live there. Plus, it looks like you have half of the library with you."
Hermione glared lightly at Harry, but she knew he was joking. "Quit over exaggerating, Harry," she said with a small smile. Harry suddenly jumped backwards with a small yelp. He bumped into Hermione, causing her to drop all of the books she had in her arms.
"Why the bloody hell are you keeping fire in a jar, Hermione? I tried to open this black bottle, and it almost singed my hair off of my head."
Hermione laughed as she took the bottle away from him. "Those are the bluebell flames that I created with that potion so we can burn down that old tree. Since we can't use magic, I made it this morning while you were asleep. I planned on us going to burn it on Saturday night, but we have to leave tomorrow. I wanted to go out there tonight. It was supposed to be a surprise," Hermione explained.
Bending over, Harry gathered up the dropped books in his arms and placed them in the last trunk. He closed it before standing back up and looking at Hermione. "Let's go now then, since we are both done packing already. We'll be back in plenty of time to go to sleep and rest up for tomorrow."
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
The small lake reflected the eerie glow of the hollow old tree engulfed in large blue flames. Wood began to burn, and the tree slowly began to accumulate into a pile of ash.
Harry and Hermione sat far away on the bank of sand by the water's edge. They watched the tree burn, taking the time to occasionally look up at the stars in the night sky.
"I wonder what he is doing right now," Harry gently whispered.
"Who? Ron?"
"No. I wonder what Voldemort has been doing this summer. What I mean is you and Ron would have told me if anything happened. Wouldn't you, Hermione?"
Hermione sighed softly. "Yes, I would. And I'm one hundred percent sure Ron would too." She quickly turned her head away from him and looked back towards the burning tree.
The silence between them grew, but was soon forgotten as the sound of the burning tree grew, drowning out the chirping of the crickets.
The whole view of the lake, the twilight sky, and the vision of the burning tree amazed the hooded figure that was hiding behind a log across the waters. It slowly wrote the coordinates down on a piece of paper before turning and fleeing quietly into the underbrush and the trees.
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
Although they didn't know when Ron was to come get them, Harry and Hermione got up just before lunch to have plenty of time to get ready. Hermione's parents had gone off to work, but they said their good-byes to their daughter and her best friend before departing. The only thing left for Harry and Hermione to do was to wash the dishes from lunch and finish getting ready. Hermione used the small sink brush to lather and wash the dishes with soap before giving them to Harry so he could dry them off and put them away.
"Uh, Hermione? Where do this small saucer go?" he asked as he searched through random cabinets. Just as he began to open the bottom cabinet next to the stove, Harry came face to face with Hermione as she slid in front of him, blocking his path to the cabinet.
"I can put it away," she whispered quickly as she took the saucer out of his hand, looking up into his eyes since he was taller. Even after she had the saucer, Hermione stood like a statue rooted to the floor in front of the cabinet.
"Hermione, is everything alright? Right now, it feels like you're hiding something from me. You've just been so secretive and awkward."
The guilt swelling up inside of Hermione was slowly destroying her. After slowly moving aside, Hermione opened the cabinet and pulled out what looked to be three months worth of the Daily Prophet. The saucer slowly clinked into place, and Hermione handed the large stack of Daily Prophet's too Harry. His eyes immediately began to scan over each headline as he looked from one edition to the next.
30 Muggles Killed in Train Accident Believed to Be Caused By Disgruntled Giants; Ministry Investigates, Victim of Deatheater Attack Awakens After Long Coma, Five Muggles Killed In Civilian Park, Ministry of Magic Executive Kidnapped, Tortured, and Mind Wiped After Public Raid, and Diggory Family Mourns Loss of Son were just some of the headlines that crossed Harry's eyes. Hermione tried not to meet his gaze as Harry finally looked back to her after scanning over all of the Daily Prophet covers. "Why, Hermione? How could you do this? How could you hide this from me?"
She had to fight the tears back as she looked into his emerald eyes. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I only hid them from you because I was worried. I didn't want you to worry."
Harry sighed, anger and pain building up in him showing in his eyes. "You could have told me, Hermione," Harry said before pausing, "I trusted you."
The tears slowly began to slip down Hermione's cheek as she opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by someone calling out from the living room. "Oy! Is anyone here? Harry? Hermione?"
The argument between Harry and Hermione suddenly ended, and the tears disappeared from her face as Hermione wiped them away furiously with her sleeve before following Harry out of the kitchen. After rounding the hallway corner, Harry and Hermione came face to face with their other best friend, Ron Weasley, and his father, Arthur Weasley.
"Ron! How did you get in?" Harry asked as he smiled brightly.
"Ah, that would be my doing Harry. Seeing as you three can't do magic outside of school, I brought Ron and I here and magically unlocked the door. While I'm on the subject of not doing magic outside of school, you two don't have to worry about your little incident in Diagon Alley. There were many witches and wizards that witnessed it and said that you two using magic against the Malfoy boy was brought on by him. Th whole thing was smoothed over," Mr. Weasley explained slowly.
Hermione blushed furiously, and Harry nervously smirked.
"Well, I must say, Hermione. Your home is fabulous!" Mr. Weasley said excitedly. He quickly began to walk around, looking at everything with intense wonderment. Mr. Weasley was very fond of muggles and was fascinated by everything the created.
"Do you two have your trunks packed?" Ron asked.
"Yes, Ron, we do," Hermione said softly, finally talking and smiling lightly after the argument in the kitchen.
"Great! Why don't you three go out into the backyard by the pool and wait for me there while I gather your trunks," Mr. Weasley commented as he quickly ushered Harry, Hermione, and Ron out through the patio door.
"So, Ron, how has your summer been?" Hermione asked as she approached the pool edge.
Ron sighed softly as he enjoyed the view. "Everything has been alright. We all went yesterday to Diagon Alley and got our new school supplies. Percy got promoted since Mr. Crouch is dead. He's extremely happy about it and very annoying since all he does is prance around the house exclaiming that he now has more authority in the Ministry. Luckily though, he's not letting the Ministry spy on the operation."
"Operation?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. Ever since the end of last year, Dumbledore contacted loads of people that were against You-Know-Who last time, so we get frequent visitors," Ron explained.
"How are Percy and Penelope doing?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.
"They're doing great. She got a job at the Ministry with Percy, and she practically lives with us because she is always at the Burrow. No problems with that, though. Ginny loves her, and Mum and Dad don't mind having her around all the time."
Their discussion ended once Mr. Weasley brought out the two trunks moments later. He had bewitched them so that they would float, Hedwig's cage with her in it sitting on top of Harry's trunk. Ron's father had also used magic to lock up all of the doors and windows, saving Hermione the trouble of doing it manually.
"I hope you don't mind me asking this, Mr. Weasley, but how did you two get here?" Harry asked, scratching at his forehead.
"Water portaling."
"What's that?" Hermione asked curiously.
Ron suddenly gasped loudly, surprising Hermione and almost causing her to fall into the pool. "Wow. There really is something that Hermione does not know!" Ron exclaimed with a laugh.
"Shut up, Ron," Hermione said as she glared at him, reaching out her arms to push him.
Harry burst into laughter as Ron toppled over backward and fell headfirst into the cold waters. Even Mr. Weasley managed to chuckle as his tall, red-haired son quickly climbed out of the pool. He was soaked from head to toe, and water dripped from his robes. "Why did you have to do that, Hermione? I was only joking," Ron choked out as he shook water off of his face.
"I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't think that you would fall in."
"Come now, you three. Why don't we get moving along?" Mr. Weasley asked as he pulled out his wand. With a small wave and a flick of his hand, the surface of the pool water slowly changed over to an aquamarine color. "Hermione, why don't you go first? Just step out onto the water. Don't worry, you will be able to walk on it."
Ever so cautiously, Hermione slowly put her feet on the water's surface of the pool. She expected to fall, but was very surprised when she didn't.
"Why couldn't you have done that before I fell?" Ron asked his father.
"Shut up, Ron. Good Hermione, now just call out your destination and you will be on your way."
"So it is like floo powder?" Harry asked.
"Yes, it is, Harry."
"The Burrow," Hermione cried wearily.
The moment after the words escaped her mouth, Hermione slowly sank beneath the surface of the water unexpectedly, and then suddenly vanished. Harry was quite shocked at how calm she was when she had gone below the surface.
"Go ahead, Harry," Ron muttered, shivering slightly.
Harry swallowed the lump in his throat before stepping on to the water just as Hermione had done. "The Burrow." The feeling of sinking underneath the water was quite different then anything he had ever felt before. Harry quickly inhaled, expecting to not be able to breathe underwater, but as soon as he had gone under, Harry was rising back out. Seconds later, Harry was standing before Hermione and Ron's younger sister, Ginny. He was standing on the small pond out in front of the Weasley's home, and he quickly stepped off as he began to see Ron rising out of it with the two trunks. Mr. Weasley soon followed, and the small pond that had also turned aquamarine slowly returned to its original color.
"Arthur! You're back!" Mrs. Weasley cried as she approached with Fred and George close behind.
"Bloody hell, Ron. You're soaking wet!" George exclaimed as they stopped next to Ginny.
Mrs. Weasley pulled out her wand and pointed it at her youngest son. "Impervius!" Every single drop of water suddenly evaporated with a flash from Ron as the spell worked. Ron was completely dry. Harry distinctly heard Hermione mutter something about be careful with that spell because it could accidentally de-hydrate someone completely and that they would wither up and die.
"Oh, Harry dear. It's so good to see you again. You'll be safe here with us. And Hermione, you're growing into such a beautiful young woman. Come, everyone. Let's go inside. I'm going to start preparing our meal for dinner," Mrs. Weasley said as she led them all up to the house.
Mrs. Weasley stopped in the kitchen on the way in and immediately began to pull out pots and pans. Her husband joined her side as they began to talk about problems in the Ministry. Ron quickly decided that it would be a good idea to head upstairs right away. With Ginny's help, the four of them managed to heft Harry and Hermione's trunks up the stairs. Hermione and Ginny left Harry and Ron to carry Harry's trunk up to Ron's room as the two girls entered Ginny's room and casually shut the door behind them. Within moments, Harry and Ron were relaxing amongst the many posters of Ron's favorite Quidditch team, the Chudley Cannons. The players raced across the portrait, throwing quaffles, hitting bludgers, and catching the snitch. In the corner of Ron's room, Pigwidgeon slept peacefully in his cage.
"Shocking, isn't it?" Ron asked.
Harry laughed and nodded his head. "The insanely hyper owl finally rests. You know, when he came to Hermione's house with your letter, he almost slammed into the mailbox."
Ron roared with laughter, and Harry began to take in the familiar surroundings of his best friend's room. "Ron, what is that big box over in the corner?" Harry asked.
The biggest smile that Harry had ever seen suddenly blossomed on Ron's face. The box was open within seconds and a sleek, black Nimbus 2001 rolled out of the wrapping and on to Ron's bed. "Percy won it in some sort raffle in the Ministry. He was going to give it to Fred or George, but they fought over it so he gave it to me. I know that Malfoy has one, but I don't care. I have a good broom for once."
"Why didn't Percy want to keep it for himself?" Harry asked.
"He thinks that traveling by broomstick is dangerous. He would rather Apparate to work every morning. Plus, he is afraid of heights," Ron managed to get out as he sniggered loudly.
"So where is Percy?" Harry asked.
"He is off with Penelope visiting her parents. Harry, let's get Fred and George and see if they'd like to go up to that clearing in the forest. We can all practice Quidditch."
Harry nodded his head in agreement. "Quidditch, good. Hopefully we will have Quidditch matches this year. It will be something to look forward to."
"Now that I have a broom, I might even try out for the Gryffindor team. You guys need a Keeper, don't you?" Ron asked as they left his room, carrying their brooms at their sides. Ron's question was forgotten as Hermione and Ginny appeared in the landing.
"Going to play Quidditch?" Ginny asked.
Both Harry and Ron nodded their heads at the same time.
"Harry, are you sure that it is a good idea? I would think that you of all people would want to be a bit more careful," Hermione said.
"That didn't stop us going to your secret spot, Hermione," Harry retorted back, causing Hermione to blush. Ron looked questionably at him, but Harry shrugged it off. "Believe me, Hermione, I am being careful. I carry my wand with me everywhere I go. Even when I'm in the shower." Harry drew his wand out of his pants pocket to make sure she saw it.
Harry and Ron continued down the stairs with Hermione and Ginny following. They didn't even have to ask Fred and George if they wanted to practice as they all walked into the kitchen. The redheaded twins instantly grabbed their own brooms and joined the others outside.
"And where on earth do you think you are all going?" cried Mrs. Weasley as she suddenly burst out of the kitchen after the six of them had quickly passed by.
"Mum, we only want to go up to that wood clearing to practice," George tried to explain, but the angry and yet worried look upon her face quickly silenced him.
"You are not going up there without someone to watch over your practice. Luckily for you, George, our guest for the evening has just arrived. I am quite sure that he and your father won't mind going along with the lot of you."
After Mrs. Weasley went back inside, Harry began to talk with Fred and George about certain Quidditch moves that they wanted to try out as they all waited for Mr. Weasley and their 'guest' to appear in the backyard.
"So, Ginny, who is the guest?" Hermione asked softly, trying not to speak too loudly.
"Who knows? We've had a lot of witches and wizards over to talk privately with Mum and Dad."
"What do they talk about?"
Ginny sighed softly, brushing some of her short red hair away from her face. "Well, none of us has ever heard what they speak about. Not even Fred and George. They even tried to apparate into the basement once after they passed their apparition tests. Ron and I tried listening at the door once, but we couldn't hear a thing," Ginny explained.
"It sounds like they either put a silencing barrier around the room or they might have used a silencing charm on the door and all of the basement walls," Hermione said, beaming when Ginny gave her a look of amazement. The conversations only stopped once the back door to the Burrow opened with a loud creak.
"Professor Lupin!"
"Nice to see you all too," Lupin replied after witnessing how excited they all were to see their old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher from two years ago when the threat of Sirius Black hung over Harry's head. But that complication had been solved, and Harry was grateful for having Sirius as his godfather. He only wished that Sirius would send a letter to him. He was worried about his godfather.
"Molly told use that you six want to go practice Quidditch, so we agreed to accompany you, for protective reasons. We should get going, because we will have to be back soon for dinner," Mr. Weasley commented as he began to usher them all along. Lupin followed closely behind, while Mr. Weasley led the group from the front.
Harry enjoyed mounting his Firebolt and kicking off into the air once they arrived in the forest clearing. All of his worries were left behind on the ground as he soared through the air, the wind whipping through his hair. Realizing that he was beginning to fly too high, Harry turned swiftly on his broom and descended down to fly next to Ron.
The four young men practiced for nearly an hour in which they helped Harry practice the Wronski Feint that Krum had used during the Quidditch World Cup. Even though Harry was angry with Hermione for hiding the Daily Prophet magazines from him, he felt like acid had slipped into his stomach at the thought of Krum hitting her. Even the thought of him touching her made him angry. While they practiced, Lupin and Mr. Weasley stayed very alert, also taking time to practice a few powerful hexes and jinxes. Everyone only finally returned back to the Burrow when they could all hear Mrs. Weasley's voice ring out very loudly over the clearing. "Dinner!"
"Molly, dear, I don't think that it is very wise to be using the Sonorus charm to call out like that," Mr. Weasley said as they walked up to the house.
"I'm sorry, dear, but Errol was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him. He's getting rather old."
Harry, Hermione, Lupin, and the rest of the Weasley's arrived in the kitchen to gather around and take their seats at the table. With a quick wave of her wand, Mrs. Weasley guided all of the food that she had made over to the table, while her husband guided the plates and silverware. "Tuck in, everyone," Mr. Weasley muttered as he set the last fork down.
Throughout the meal, Harry wasn't the only one who enjoyed the food that Mrs. Weasley had prepared. Hermione and Lupin looked especially happy as they ate their way through the mashed and cooked potatoes that were on their own plates. Harry had wanted to sit next to Professor Lupin to speak with him, to catch up, but Lupin seemed to be avoiding him, and he had Hermione sit between them.
After filling themselves to the brink with food, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny strode up the stairs to go to bed. It was at this time that Harry was finally able to speak with Ron in private about Hermione hiding the articles from him. "Look, Harry. I know that what Hermione did was wrong, and that she shouldn't have hid them from you, but I can see why she would do it."
If Harry's mouth could have stretched far, he believed that it would have fallen to the floor. "You're agreeing with her?"
"No! All that I am saying is that I can understand why she did it, because she did it to keep you from worrying too much about You-Know-Who."
"I don't see why she would have to," Harry said as he tossed the articles to Ron, "they don't even mention Voldemort." Ron suddenly cringed lightly.
"Well, it is obvious why that us," Ron muttered sarcastically, but after seeing Harry's blank look, Ron decided to elaborate. "Cornelius Fudge still doesn't believe Dumbledore or you about You-Know-Who, and he must be starting to take control of the Daily Prophet. Judging by the description of the dead, they had to have been killed by magic, but of course, Cornelius Fudge managed to get the Prophet to say that it is a mystery how those people died. They're only printing out lies because Fudge has his fingers around the editor's throat."
"What about all of the guests that you get coming to your house all the time? Anything else that you know besides what Ginny told Hermione and I?" Harry asked.
"Dad told me about it, sort of. All of the witches and wizards that come here are working together with Dumbledore to fight back against You-Know-Who. That's another reason why Cornelius Fudge is edgy around Dumbledore. He believes that Dumbledore has it in for the Ministry, which is a load of crap," Ron explained slowly as he popped a few owl treats into Pigwidgeon's cage.
"So Lupin is one of Dumbledore's supporters?"
"Of course! But it is not the only reason why he is here. I'm sure Dad will try to tell you in the morning but Lupin is here to ensure your safety tomorrow when we go to the Wizard Dueling Tournament. There will probably others that along too."
"Dumbledore must be really concerned about me," Harry breathed out as he glanced at the article titled Victim of Deatheater Attack Awakens After Long Coma. Ron turned to look at it too.
"Oh, that is about Frank Longbottom, Neville's father."
"Wait a moment. Coma? I thought that they were awake," Harry said, a puzzled look upon his face.
"How do you know about all of this?" Ron asked.
Harry quickly lied to cover up that Dumbledore had told him by telling Ron that he had found an old copy of the Daily Prophet from the last time that Voldemort was in power. He said that the article he read talked about Neville's parents being put into St. Mungo's Hospital after they were tortured with the Cruciatus Curse.
"Okay, that makes sense. Anyway, about a month ago, Neville's father slipped into a coma after being insane for nearly 15 years. He has been asleep until about a week ago. Mr. Longbottom finally woke up."
"Is it even possible for an insane person to just go into a coma and then wake up, back to normal after a period of time?" Harry asked.
Ron shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure, but it happened to him."
Harry smiled softly. "I bet Neville was extremely happy."
Shortly after they finished their conversation, Harry fell asleep in the guest bed that Mr. Weasley had magically conjured up in Ron's room. He was able to sleep better knowing that wherever Neville was at, Harry knew that his forgetful friend was happy to have a parent. Harry couldn't have felt more joyful about it.
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
Harry was woken up early the next morning when Ron let out several loud cries of pain. It seemed that the twins had apparated into Ron's room to wake them up, Fred accidentally appearing to end up standing on Ron's stomach. After Harry and Ron dressed into jeans, tee shirt, and robes, they joined everyone else in the Weasley household to eat breakfast before they all went outside to gather around the small pond. Right after Mr. Weasley turned the pond water aquamarine, two wizards suddenly apparated next to the large group. Hermione almost fell over in fright after Mundungus Fletcher and the real Alastor Moody appeared next to her.
"It's about time you arrived, Mundungus. Ah, Alastor, it is good to see you," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile. Harry looked over at the two wizards standing next to Hermione. At first, Moody looked like he wanted to greet Harry, but he didn't get the chance. Mr. Weasley quickly began to usher them on to the pond's water surface, in which he called out their destination. After sinking below the surface, everyone was gathered in a large room in less than ten minutes.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley led them forward to a large stone desk where three stout wizards began to check them in. Harry, Hermione, and Ron took this opportunity to look around the building in which they were. Harry thought he heard Hermione mumble something about them being in a small castle, but he ignored it. Above him, the ceiling was lit by hundreds of flaming torches. The many fires illuminated the high stone ceiling. The whole building seemed to be made of stone, and it seemed very old.
Harry watched many more wizards arrive by water portaling, floo powder, and apparition. "Do you know why Mr. Weasley made you all bring brooms?" Hermione asked Harry. The answer she got was both Fred and George pointing up above their heads. In the middle of the ceiling, there was a large hole. Hermione watched several witches and wizards fly up through it, following a magical tunnel to what looked like a small stadium floating in the sky.
"Obviously, the Ministry of magic must have spent a long time trying to organize this event," Hermione whispered, tutting afterwards. "They shouldn't have wasted their time on this. The Ministry should be worried about Voldemort." Luckily, only Harry and Ron heard her. Harry felt great admiration for her at that moment. It was the first time that he had heard Hermione say Voldemort's name, seeing as mostly everyone else was too afraid too. Of course, Dumbledore wasn't.
"Alright, everyone. Let's divide up in pairs so we can fly up to the stadium," Moody growled lightly. Ginny ended up riding with Ron on his new Nimbus 2001. Fred and George were allowed to ride solo on their own brooms. Hermione stepped over to Harry, it being obvious that she had to ride with him on his Firebolt.
"Harry, I just wanted to apologize again…" Hermione began to say.
"Hermione, don't. I should be apologizing to you. I'm sorry. I overreacted yesterday. Forgive me?"
Hermione blushed furiously. "Of course I forgive you, Harry. I could never not forgive you."
With a quick smile and a hand up, Harry helped Hermione on to the back of his Firebolt. Hermione's arms found their way around Harry's waist quickly as he kicked off from the ground and turned his Firebolt toward the ceiling. He flew up, following after the others. Hermione squealed as Harry did a quick loop after clearing the building. She could hear him laugh.
After landing several minutes later, Lupin approached Harry and Hermione slowly with a small smirk upon his face. "Trying to show off your flying skills, Harry?" Lupin asked, laughing lightly. Harry smiled, for he knew that his old Professor was just joking with him.
"I just thought that I would give Hermione a little scare," Harry muttered, causing Hermione's face to turn a very bright shade of crimson yet again.
Mr. Weasley, who had begun to lead the large group forward toward their row of seats, pulled out a small map of the stadium. After passing through several rows of seats, Mr. Weasley led them down to their seats. The seats that they had were exactly in front of the dueling floor. They all had the best seats in the stadium, right down in the front row next to the dueling floor.
Hundreds of other wizards were already seated in the large stadium. Harry looked at the dueling floor. On each side, there was a small stairway that led down to two separate wooden doors. Above the wooden doorway, a small sign was placed that said 'Lockers' in light blue letters. After watching it with interest, he noticed that the blue letters also flashed the name of the witch or wizard that was to come forth when the first round of dueling was to begin. Professor Snape's name was on their right and Lucius Malfoy's name was on the left. They were to be the first two wizards to compete in the Dueling tournament.
A half an hour passed before the stands of the stadium were finally filled. Next to Harry, Hermione pulled out a muggle notebook and a muggle pen from her robe's pocket. "What are you doing?" Ron asked as he looked around Harry.
"If you must know, I'm going to copy down the spells that are used. They might come in handy someday." Ron looked shocked.
"Harry, please tell me that you think Hermione is completely nuts. I mean, she could just look up the spells in a book!" Ron exclaimed.
"Actually, can you make me a copy of those when you're done, Hermione?" Harry asked, Ron's reaction was surprise and utter disgust.
"This is bad. She's turning you into her clone, Harry. Except the male version," Ron muttered. This earned him many scathing looks from Hermione and a small chuckle from his best friend. Hermione opened her mouth to make a remark, but a loud bell ringing out stopped her. All eyes turned to the dueling floor as Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy appeared out of their separate locker rooms and strode to the center circle. They bowed as the judge instructed, and then turned and walked their opposite ways. The two wizards had reached the ends when the judge spoke out loud, using the Sonorus charm.
"Round One: Professor Severus Snape, Potion's Master at Hogwarts versus Lucius Malfoy, Ministry of Magic worker." Mr. Malfoy sneered lightly, since the judge did not name the department he worked in. Obviously, the judge favored Dumbledore and not the Ministry. The judge on the high chair rang the bell again, and the duel began.
Mr. Malfoy leapt forward, jabbing his wand toward Snape. "Parlysio!" he cried. It was the same spell that Lucius's son, Draco, had cast on Hermione in Diagon Alley. Luckily for Snape, he easily blocked Malfoy's spell with a powerful protection charm. Hermione was writing down everything furiously.
It was then Snape's turn to cast his spell. Harry and Hermione were greatly surprised at his spell choice. "Aerioblastera!" Snape cried. The familiar rings of sound and force erupted from the tip of Snape's wand. Lucius Malfoy was too slow to try to block it, and he was blasted backward. His body struck the nearest wall before he fell to the floor. He slowly got up, looking slightly disgruntled. For the first time in his life, Harry supported Professor Snape. He smiled with amused delight as Snape caught Lucius Malfoy off guard with another spell, knocking him to the floor. However, Mr. Malfoy struck back, a large cut etching its way across Snape's cheek. It bled freely and dripped onto the floor. Snape fought back and managed to disarm Mr. Malfoy for a few seconds (Expelliarmus!), giving himself the time to heal his wounded cheek and magically make the blood on the floor disappear. He was just about to try to finish the duel by using the Full Body Bind spell, but this time Lucius Malfoy surprised him.
"Sloraya!" Mr. Malfoy cried. A bright blue ray of light burst forth from his wand. It struck Snape, hurling him backward, but at the same time; it slowed him down severely, so that he moved as if he was an old man. Before he could counter, Lucius Malfoy struck him with the Leg Locker jinx, causing Snape to stumble over. A positive side effect was that Snape was knocked out of the time-altered area.
Though Snape's legs were impaired, the ability to use his wand wasn't. "Stupefy!" he roared over and over again. Several jets of red light soared through the air towards Lucius Malfoy. He was able to block the first two, but the third jet of light struck him in the right leg. Like Snape, Malfoy fell over on to the floor as his legs suddenly went numb. During this short period time in which Mr. Malfoy fell, Professor Snape was able to unlock his legs with the counter curse and quickly leap to his feet. Lucius Malfoy tried to jinx Snape so he could have the time to recover, but Snape easily blocked his enemy's spell aside.
"Expelliarmus!" Snape cried. Lucius Malfoy's wand shot into the air out of his hand, and Snape pointed his wand at it. 'Accio Wand!" Snape caught his opponent's wand in his left hand and the match ended as the judge rang the bell again. The crowd roared with applause, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron felt extremely surprised that they were cheering along. Plus, it was very pleasurable to see Lucius Malfoy get what he deserved, though Mr. Weasley might have thought he deserved more than that. Unfortunately, contestants could not use any of the three Unforgivable Curses. Besides, it was forbidden by law for anyone to use them, anywhere, anytime.
"Ennervate," the judge said as he pointed his wand at Mr. Malfoy's legs. Lucius Malfoy was able to stand up, his legs no longer numb, and he and Snape returned to their separate locker rooms.
While waiting for the next match to begin, Harry and Ron conversed their joy in Draco's father getting beaten by Snape, although they weren't completely happy for their Potion's teacher. Hermione, meanwhile, was still furiously writing in her notebook. Ginny was helping her, pointing out the different moves that Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape used when casting their spells.
"Uh, Harry, why is your pocket glowing silver?" Ron asked. Harry's wand radiated with a silver glow as he removed it from his robes. This also caught Hermione's attention.
"How long has it been glowing?" Harry asked Ron quickly.
Ron slowly swallowed the lump in his throat. "Perhaps for the past twenty minutes," he muttered softly. Hermione's eyes widened slightly.
"Hermione, doesn't this mean that danger is near, or that it is coming soon?" Harry asked. Before she could answer, the locker room that Lucius Malfoy disappeared into suddenly exploded. The large wooden doorframe soared through the air, smashing into the large judge's chair. The judge himself was barely able to get himself out of the way before the door demolished his chair. To everyone's horror, several hooded and black-robed figures burst forth from the left locker room. They instantly began to cast magic, several stunning spells flying into the stands. Many people were instantly stunned and knocked unconscious once they were touched by the spells. The screams in the stadium got louder as the judge fell to the floor in a bright flash of green light. Harry knew he was dead.
"Damnit! Deatheater!" Mr. Weasley cried, pulling out his wand. He instantly grabbed Harry, Hermione, and Ron out of the aisle seats. "Molly, watch over Fred, George, and Ginny. Get them safely down to the grounds of the check-in desk!"
Harry could see that Fred, George, and Ginny had also gotten out their own wands. Lupin separated from the second group to join Mr. Weasley's group, staying close to Harry. They quickly raced up the stairs, racing to get up to the landing. Harry clutched his Firebolt tighter in his left hand as several seats to his right suddenly exploded into flames. 'The Deatheaters are not just here to have fun,' Harry thought as several more explosions erupted out from the stadium, 'they are here for me.'
Mr. Weasley turned them right once they reached the landing above the stadium, which led them straight into a pair of Deatheaters that were fighting off two Ministry guards. Lupin managed to hex one of the Deatheaters, but Mr. Weasley quickly led them a different way as the second Deatheater knocked the Ministry guards unconscious. Though they were running away, Harry managed to cast the Impediment curse on the two Deatheaters, keeping them from following.
The five of them continued to run along, until a Deatheater suddenly burst from a side aisle. With a quick curse, the Deatheater knocked Mr. Weasley and Professor Lupin away from Harry, Hermione, and Ron. This gave the Deatheater an open field to Harry.
"Stupefy!" the Deatheater roared. Hermione was the first to act. Thrusting her wand forward, she quickly deflected the jet of red light with a protecting charm that Snape had used. Instead of knocking them unconscious, the stunning spell flew into the nearest wall. It collided with several large lanterns, which exploded suddenly, knocking everyone backward. Harry and Ron fell backward, running into the railing that kept you from falling over the side of the floating stadium. The Deatheater's robes caught fire, and he frantically rolled around on the ground to put out the flames.
Harry quickly sprang to his feet, just in time to see Hermione go over the side of the railing. She was closest to the explosion, so she was propelled enough to go over the edge. "Hermione!" Harry cried. As he watched her fall over the edge, everything moved in slow motion. Despite three more Deatheaters charging toward them, Harry leapt on to his Firebolt and soared down after Hermione after jumping from the railing.
Hermione continued to scream as she fell, but the moment she saw Harry fly down towards her, she stopped and frantically reached out to him. Within seconds, Harry was able to fly below her and catch her on the way up. Sitting behind him on the Firebolt, Hermione's arms wrapped tightly around his waist again. Hermione's lips found their way to his face and she kissed his cheek, just like they did at the end of the last school year. Harry blushed deeply as he turned his broom upward and soared back to the stadium.
Harry and Hermione found Ron to be okay when they landed. Mr. Weasley and Lupin had gotten up just in time to stun the three Deatheaters that were getting closer. Distracted by Harry ad Hermione landing, the five of them didn't notice the first Deatheater cure the other three (Ennervate!), and then Disapparate with them.
"Harry! Hermione! Are you two okay?" Ron asked quickly.
"We're fine. You?" Hermione replied.
"I'm good. Dad's worried about the others, though."
Interrupting their conversation, Mr. Weasley and Lupin quickly moved them along. The stadium had begun to quit down. It seemed that all of the Deatheaters had gone.
Mr. Weasley found the others nearly ten minutes later. They had all faired badly. Fred and George had many cuts, and their robes were covered with their own blood. Alastor Moody was sitting in a chair, looking awfully upset and stressed. Mrs. Weasley stood next to her daughter, who was sobbing into her own robes. Besides the many cuts, bruises, and blood, everyone was all right.
"Is everyone okay? Where's Mundungus?" Lupin asked as he looked from Moody to Mrs. Weasley.
Ginny cried harder and turned away from the others.
"It was horrible, and yet very heroic, Remus," Mrs. Weasley whispered as she held Ginny in her arms.
"What happened, Molly dear?" Mr. Weasley asked.
Mrs. Weasley sighed softly. "A couple of Deatheaters had caught up to us. Fred and George fought gallantly. Alastor held off many more that came our way. But one Deatheater got through, and he tried to use the Cruciatus curse on poor Ginny. However, Mundungus jumped in front of her, and he took the full blast. He was tortured by it for so long. He is still alive, but only just. A few medical workers from St. Mungo's just took him away," Mrs. Weasley explained.
'Well then, I think it would be best to get back to your home, Arthur," Moody growled as he stood up from the chair.
They all flew back down together. Hundreds of other wizards were doing the same. After reaching the ground, Harry, Hermione, Lupin, Moody, and the Weasley's water portaled back to the Burrow.
*---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*
Author's Note: To all that were faithful and waited for this chapter, I am deeply sorry it has taken so long to get it written. I promise to have Chapter six written and typed up faster than this one. Please do enjoy, and I promise not to make the next Chapter as long as this one. Thank you.