Chapter 25 – A Frightening Task
By the next morning, Hermione awoke in Cedric's arms in his dorm. It had been one of their nights together and Hermione had never been more contented as she slept next to the shirtless and handsome boy. She smiled and kissed his cheek as she slipped out of bed, under her cloak, and made her way out of the Hufflepuff common room.
She entered the Gryffindor Tower to see that most everyone was still asleep. She bounded up the stairs, taking advantage of her good luck and got her things for a bath. She entered the bathroom and turned on the hot water, steam issuing from the tap within seconds. She slipped in the water and relaxed, the heat of the water making her shiver as the cool air danced across her exposed skin.
After her bath, she went down to breakfast with Harry and Ron. They sat there looking at the good-luck card Sirius had sent Harry when the Daily Prophet arrived for Hermione. She took the paper, gave the owl the money, and unfolded it as the owl took flight. She was taking a drink of pumpkin juice as she scanned the front cover, her eyes landing on a rather large headline and a picture.
In capital, bold black letters were the words: 'HARRY POTTER "DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS"' and Harry's picture was just below it. Hermione spat out her pumpkin juice on the article, causing Harry and Ron to jump in surprise. They gaped at her as she folded the paper hastily.
"What?" Harry and Ron were staring at her with twin puzzled expression as she shook her head.
"Nothing," Hermione shrugged as Ron grabbed the paper from her and began to read.
"No way. Not today. That old cow," Ron said.
"What? Rita Skeeter again?"
"No," Ron replied to Harry in a voice that just screamed that he was guilty of hiding something. 'Ron, you idiot' Hermione thought heatedly.
"It's about me, isn't it?" Hermione really didn't want to answer Harry's question, so she decided to change the subject, but before she could, she was interrupted.
"Hey, Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go berserk on us?" Draco Malfoy was yelling across the Great Hall as he held up a copy of the paper, all the Slytherins chuckling along with him.
"Let me see it," Harry demanded to Ron who looked extremely reluctant. "Give it here." Ron handed over the paper finally and Harry began to read. Hermione watched him carefully, trying hard to read his expression. She expected him to blow up, but his reaction was just the opposite as he folded up the paper. "Gone off a bit, hasn't see?"
"How did she know your scar hurt in Divination? There's no way she was there," Ron said, "there's no way she could've heard-"
"The window was open," Harry reminded him. "I opened it to breathe."
"You were at the top of the North Tower! Your voice couldn't have carried down to the grounds," Hermione exclaimed.
"Well, you're the one who's supposed to be researching magical methods of bugging! You tell me how she did it!"
"I've been trying! But I... but...," Hermione couldn't bring herself to make up an excuse for why she hadn't been in the library at nights during dinner like she had said she was. She ran her fingers though her hair as she thought to herself. 'I should have known by now how Rita has been able to bug-' Hermione's thoughts stopped here. Bug? Bug.
She ran her fingers through her hair again as Ron and Harry exchanged worried looks. Her mouth twitched a bit with a smile as her brain began to piece things together. Rita Skeeter being a bug. That was the answer.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes," Hermione replied to Ron trying to sound a little less than hysterical. "I've had an idea. I think I know... because then no one would be able to see... even Moody... and she's have been able to get onto the window ledge... but she's not allowed... she's definitely not allowed... I think we've got her! Just give me two seconds in the library – just to make sure!"
Hermione had to go research Animagus people and what types of things that they could turn into. She ran start for the back of the library, she had had this book she wanted out before once she found about Sirius. His transformations intrigued her and she wanted to learn more.
Hermione pulled the book hastily off the shelf and began to search through it. Her hands stopped flipping the pages suddenly as she saw what she was looking for. Just as she thought, an Animagus could change into anything. Even a bug.
That was it, that was how Rita Skeeter was getting all her information. She had been the bug in Hermione's hair that Viktor was talking about. She had listened that way. She had been on the window sill in Harry's Divination class, that's how she knew about him. Draco Malfoy had been talking to her as she sat in hand. And she had obviously found out about Hagrid the same way.
Hermione bounded out of the library, the evil glares of Madam Pince following her, but she didn't make it too far as she ran into someone. She looked up to see none other than Viktor Krum. He was looking quite stern and grumpy, as usual, but upon seeing Hermione, his expression softened.
"Hello, Herm-own-ninny," Viktor greeted. His voice suggested that he expected her to snub him or give him a cold greeting if she gave one at all, but her recent good news in finding out what she had kept her spirits up.
"Good afternoon, Viktor," Hermione greeted as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Good luck with the third task tonight!" With that, Hermione let go and practically skipped down the hall in delight. She was on her way to her first class for her History of Magic exam.
Hermione went down to dinner that night, nothing on her mind except supporting Harry and Cedric. She hoped that if Cedric or Harry wouldn't win, that Viktor would, but she was too busy trying to figure out whether she wanted Cedric or Harry to win more.
She looked over at Harry, he seemed to be nervous because he wasn't eating. She smiled and patted him on the arm. He forced a weak smile and nodded while sitting there with his head bowed. She noticed that he wasn't eating and she hoped that he was only doing that in hopes of keeping from getting sick.
Hermione was about to say something to him about eating when Dumbledore stood up. She felt anticipation building within her chest as she looked around the Great Hall. Cedric seemed to be not eating as well, but he looked a bit more colorful than Harry who was almost ghostly white.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now," Dumbledore announced to the crowd and champions.
Cedric stood up, his eyes on Hermione. She whispered good luck to Harry, winked at Cedric and blew him a small kiss as he smiled and left the Great Hall. Ron grimaced, Hermione noticed that he was glaring at Viktor. He shook his head at her and she tried not to laugh. Obviously, Ron thought that Hermione had blown Viktor a kiss.
Hermione sat there nervously as she imagined congratulating Harry or Cedric when the came out of the maze as the winner. She smiled as she imagined it being Cedric, him wrapping his arms around her and kissing her to tremendous applause. Ginny nudged her as Hermione realized that there was a stupid smiling and dreamy expression on her face.
"C'mon... it's time," Ginny said as Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Bill, and Ron rose from their seats to start down to the stadium. Hermione followed them down in excited silence, filed into the stands and took her seat as her eyes landed on Cedric and Harry who were standing at the entrance of the maze with Viktor, Bagman, and Fleur.
"Hey, where did you get those?" Hermione turned to see Ron talking to Ginny who grinned sheepishly and shrugged as she held a pair of golden binoculars.
"Out of your trunk," she replied as Ron looked angrily shocked.
"You were-"
"Ladies and gentlemen," roared Ludo Bagman with a magnified voice, "the third task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eight-five points each – Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts school!"
Hermione jumped up out of her seat and applauded as loudly as she possibly could as the rest of the crowd applauded to this. She was beaming from ear-to-ear as Ludo Bagman continued to speak. She took her seat, blushing as she realized that Ginny was trying not to laugh while Ron shook his head at her.
"In second place," continued Bagman, "with eight points – Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" Hermione applauded, but she didn't jump out of her seat this time. "And in third place – Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"
Hermione glared at Ron as he whistled and yelled with great clapping that turned his palms red. She elbowed him as Harry waved at them, Hermione and the Weasley's waving back at him as Bagman's voice roared out over the crowd yet again.
"So... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric! Three – two – one-," there was a blast from his whistle and the two Hogwarts champions went into the maze, side-by-side.
Hermione watched the both of them draw their wands and light them simultaneously. Hermione watched them running forward for a ways before coming to a fork in the maze. Cedric looked over at Harry and then they split up, Cedric going right and harry going left. As they split, Hermione heard Bagman's whistle and noticed that Viktor went running into the maze.
Viktor went the same way as Cedric, but Cedric had taken another right and by the time Viktor got to where Cedric had taken a turn, he went left instead of the right Cedric had taken. Bagman's whistle blew again and Fleur went running into the maze, her silken blond hair flying out behind her as she went. Hermione rolled her eyes as Ron yanked the Ominoculars out of Ginny's hand, choking her with the strap that was around her neck.
"Ron," Mrs. Weasley hissed as Ginny sat there turning purple and grabbing at the strap on her neck.
"Oh... sorry, Gin," Ron mumbled as he let go and blushed a bit. Ginny took the Ominoculars off and laid them on the railing, Hermione picking them up and looking for Cedric.
She spotted him at once. He was taking a left turn and Hermione gasped as he did. Cedric came face-to-face with a huge Blast-Ended Skrewt. It raised up and Cedric backed up as he pointed his wand on it. Cedric sent a spell at it, but it only bounded off it's extremely protective shell and went soaring up into the air. Cedric looked wide-eyed as the Skrewt sent a blast of fire at him, propelling itself toward him. Cedric jumped up on top of it, ran down over its back, and was heading toward another turn as the Skrewt blasted off again.
The fire from its end hit Cedric's sleeve, but he didn't bother to stop. He only patted his arm and ran faster down the path between the twenty-foot high hedges. She watched him take a left and saw that he was nearing Harry. She bit down on her lip as she saw Harry become alarmed and draw his wand, ready to cast a spell. When Cedric came around the corner though, Harry lowered his wand as the two began to talk, Hermione unable to make out what they were saying.
They didn't talk for long, though. Cedric went jogging off into another path in front of him as Harry continued on in another direction. She was getting ready to go back to where Cedric was when she saw something that scared her a bit. Harry was turning a corner and in the path he was turning into was a dementor.
Harry seemed to register shock only for a second before he contorted his face into concentration. He raised his wand, pointing it at the tall, hooded figure that was gliding toward him. Hermione herself shivered as Harry's hair ruffled in the chilling air that surrounded the evil creature. Then, suddenly, he shouted something and a bright silver stag burst from his wand tip.
The dementor tripped. This confused Hermione and apparently Harry as well as he stood there looking slightly perplexed. Then something seemed to have dawned on him as he raised his wand again and sent a spell at the fallen dementor. It disappeared into a wisp of smoke and Harry wasted no time in continuing to advance.
Hermione now turned her attention to Cedric who was making yet another turn into a path where there was a dead end. He doubled back, taking a different path and continuing on. It seemed, as Hermione looked ahead of Cedric that he wouldn't run into any obstacles if he continued on this path. She saw Viktor a little ways off.
He was making his way along, slowly, creeping as though trying to sneak up on someone. She shrugged this off figuring he was only being cautious about obstacles and turned her attention to Fleur. She had screamed, but Hermione couldn't see her anywhere. Figuring that Ron would find her for her, she turned her attention to Harry.
He was standing in a golden mist and seemed to be struggling within himself. His hair was on end and he was clutching his glasses to his face. She screwed up her face in confusion as Bill leaned over to his mother who was clutching the railing in front of her as she watched Harry with a pale expression.
"He's under the impression that he's upside-down," Bill informed her. "He's not in any pain."
Ginny giggled as Mrs. Weasley nodded fervently and leaned back in her seat. Bill patted his mother's back and Hermione sighed with a fondness for the woman as she turned her attention back to the task. Harry had managed to escape the mist and was continuing forward.
"No Harry!" Hermione jumped at Mrs. Weasley's words as she saw a little further up the path Harry was on that there was a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Harry spotted it and looked horrified as he raised a shaking wand at the creature which was standing there menacingly.
Harry sent a Stunning Charm (Hermione could tell by the color) at the Skrewt, but it only bounced off its tough shell and rebounded at Harry. Hermione gasped as the spell singed the top of Harry's hair while the Skrewt blasted itself toward him. Harry continued to send spells at the Skrewt. One, no help. Two, that did it. It hit the Skrewt's underside and it fell to the ground as it flew through the air.
Hermione sighed with relief and turned her attention to Cedric who was in the row of hedges right next to Harry's. She noticed too that Viktor was on the same path as Cedric. They were headed right for one another, but there was something funny about Viktor's expression. He looked slightly withdrawn and a bit crazed, not his usual grumpy expression.
Suddenly he ran into Cedric and drew his wand at him, pointing it squarely at Cedric's chest. Hermione gasped and watched Cedric yell at Viktor who showed no signs of backing down. She watched Harry trying desperately to get to Cedric as Viktor cast a spell at Cedric. She screamed as Cedric dropped to the ground and began to writhe and wriggle about upon the grass while Viktor stood over him.
Much to her relief, Harry burst through the hedge and caused Viktor to stop as he tried to run off. Harry was too quick for him though as he stunned Krum and watched him fall to the ground before checking on Cedric.
"What was Krum on about?"
"I told you he's no good," Ron hissed in answer to Bill as Ginny and Mrs. Weasley sat looking just as terrified as Hermione.
"I- I can't believe... he just attacked him," Hermione stuttered breathlessly as she watched Harry and Cedric send up red sparks for the retrieval of Krum's stunned body. They stood there for a moment over Krum's motionless body before Cedric said something and then the two of them went up the dark path together.
For a third time that task, they parted ways, Cedric going right and Harry left. Hermione's eyes watched Cedric with worry. She had figured that the biggest threat in the maze for him would be the obstacles, not another champion. What had made Viktor do such a thing, use something that looked at lot like one of the Unforgivable Curses?
She sighed heavily, trying to release her anxiety as she looked around for Harry, the only other champion left in the maze now. She spotted him. He was standing at a stop, faced with a great lion-bodied creature that had the head of a woman. It was a sphinx and she was pacing in Harry's path, preventing him from further progress into the maze.
The sphinx was talking to him and Harry seemed to be at ease, but not totally off his guard. The sphinx inclined its head a bit as Harry spoke, Hermione unsure of just what he said as the sphinx sat down upon its hind legs. She seemed to be reciting something to Harry, but Harry didn't seem to understand what she was saying.
The sphinx concluded speaking with Harry and sat there with a mysterious smile upon her face as Harry seemed to be deep in thought. Hermione sat on baited hooks as Harry stood there, working something out. She wanted desperately to be able to run down into the maze and help, but she had to remain in her seat.
Unable to look at Harry any longer, she scanned the maze for Cedric. She didn't see hi at first, this made her panic. Had he sent up sparks to be rescued while she was watching Harry? Her heart beat faster and faster in her chest, and then she saw something. Just out of the corner of the Ominoculars vision range, she saw something running along a path.
It was Cedric. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked to see what he was running from, but she wasn't watching long as Ginny gasped. Hermione lowered the Ominoculars and looked to Ginny who had one hand to her mouth and one pointing in Harry's direction. Hermione quickly looked back to Harry and saw that the sphinx was standing up.
It stretched its legs and smiled mischievously before stepping aside. Ginny and Hermione let out a sigh of relief as one and watched Harry dash onward. He stopped only for a second to use a spell Hermione had invented, the Point Me Spell. She smiled at her usefulness, but then frowned as she wished she had shown Cedric that spell. But her frown didn't stay in place long as she saw Harry nearing the center of the maze where she could see a glinting gold thing.
'That must be the Triwizard Cup' Hermione thought as she looked ahead to the shining piece in the center of the maze. Then she saw him, Cedric. He was sprinting after it. Her heart sank a bit as she looked back to Harry who was standing there looking defeated, but his expression changed quickly.
Hermione's brow knitted itself together just above her nose as she watched Harry yell something and point. Hermione's eyes and the Ominoculars shot in that direction just in time to see Cedric diving out of the way of something massive that was running toward him. She gasped and felt her heart skip a beat as Cedric's lighted wand went flying from his hand and a giant spider advanced on him.
Harry ran forward, coming into the range of vision of Hermione's Ominoculars as he cast Stunning Charms at the enormous spider. His spell had no effect whatsoever on the huge creature, none except turning it on him. The spider ran at him and Hermione heard Bill yelp in pain as Mrs. Weasley seemingly dug her nails into his forearm in fear.
Harry hurtled one spell after another at the charging spider, but it seemed to do no good to stop it or even slow it down. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny screamed in unison as Harry was picked up by the spider's front legs. Hermione dropped the Ominoculars into her lap and buried her face into Ron's shoulder. She couldn't bare to look anymore.
Suddenly Ron cheered and made Hermione sit up, handing her the Ominoculars as he shouted. Hermione looked into them quickly. The spider had dropped Harry and he and Cedric had just sent simultaneous Stunning Charms at the spider's belly. The spider dropped to its side, rolling over onto its back and squashing the hedges next to it.
Cedric helped Harry up, checking to see that he was all right. Hermione felt tears prick her eyes and a warm swell in her heart for Cedric as he and Harry seemed to be discussing something. They were both looking from the cup to each other and then back again. Strangely enough, Cedric moved a few steps away from the cup as he and Harry continued to talk.
"What are they doing?"
"I'm not sure, Gin," Bill replied absentmindedly.
"Run for it, Harry," Ron bellowed.
They seemed to be arguing now, or at least Harry was as he looked angry with Cedric as Cedric stepped closer to Harry. For a moment or two more, they stood there, Cedric looking stubborn and Harry looking angrily pained. Then, much to everyone's surprise, Cedric seized Harry under his shoulder and the two of them walked slowly toward the Triwizard Cup.
Hermione smiled broadly with tears streaming from her eyes as she stood up to get a better look with the Ominoculars as Cedric and Harry both reached up for a handle of the Cup. She drew in a deep breath, ready to cheer as loudly as she could when their hands touched the handle. She held her breath, though, and the smile was immediately striped from her face as the two of them disappeared.