A/N: Last chapter's first author's note was written before I wrote the chapter because I had a clear picture of what I wanted Harry to do, but then I rewrote that chapter so many times because it didn't flow. I think in the next couple of chapters you'll see signs of 'powerful Harry'.
There are two quotes in this chapter from my favorite tv show and one of my favorite movies (Orange Is the New Black and Batman Returns) credit is given where credit is due.
Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.
Chapter 10
- Four hours prior to second task -
Three witches and one wizard laid in the hospital wing, in a seemingly peaceful sleep.
Professor Dumbledore's hands were tied with this task, he fought hard to get it cancelled, but Cornelius Fudge, Barty Crouch, and Ludo Bagman were adamant. He was also outvoted against Maxime and Karkaroff, so he had to allow Miss Granger and Miss Chang to be used in the tournament. The Changs approved it months ago and Albus, as Miss Granger's magical guardian, approved her participation.
He took many precautions and made sure that they would be safe, though. A professor would be down there with them to monitor the creatures of the Black Lake, to keep their distance, while making sure the champions were also safe. The task would be, as the muggles say, a cake-walk.
It was a couple of hours before the task as Madam Pomfrey monitored the four closely. She had sent them to sleep the night before and was about to apply the stasis to them. She knew that they would be completely safe in the stasis until they broke the surface of the water with their champion and they would 'revive'. It had been tested thoroughly, in case of any accidents and there would be none. She had to be sure of it. She always tried to treat each students at Hogwarts with the care she would treat her own children.
The maternal instinct in Poppy Pomfrey wanted to refuse to do this to them, but she had orders by her boss to be followed. All she could do was make sure they were as safe as possible and she glanced over to her bottomless bag which held warming blankets, a collection of different potions, and anything else that would be needed for the task.
She walked over to the closes hostage which was Anton Krum - Viktor's nephew, and raised her wand to apply the stasis. She never had time to react before she heard from behind her, "Imperio!"
-oOo-
A very irritated Potions Master sat in his Fidelius protected small cottage. It was sparsely furnished with a transfigured bed and a table for potion brewing, most of the clutter in the house being ingredients for said potions.
He glared at the article written in the Prophet that caused his demise. At first, he thought that no one would pay attention to a bunch of kids, but he should have known. Sirius Black, the bane of his present existence, was behind it. One of his very own from his House, the blood traitor Greengrass, had turned against him.
Barty then told him to leave, he said that it had drawn too much attention to himself. The Dark Lord would be most displeased with this and that he needed to hide out until the return, which was what he was doing. He had bought this small cottage for that specific reason - hiding. Just in case things became too hot, he had an escape.
He knew that Albus didn't trust him anymore and he could have cursed himself for fucking up. He was supposed to remain inconspicuous while acting like he normally did, but Hogwarts was changing. Students from each House were integrating with each other
So he had to sit. And wait. He itched his rapidly growing mark, wincing at the burn. He glanced over to the Draught he was currently brewing, which was all he really could do. Brew potions and wait. It would be worth it in the end. The Dark Lord would return and things would be set right.
Soon.
-oOo-
Harry felt numb as he looked at Hermione. She was trying to wave her arms to swim upward, but her feet were tied to the post that the others were.
He didn't give himself any time for another thought as he quickly swam over to her and placed his hands on her face, trying to and her that he was with her. Her terror filled face filled with confusion before she seemed to recognize his touch. She obviously couldn't see well with the murky lake water and the bottom was completely silent. It was a naturally scary situation to be in and he wanted to make sure she knew he was with her.
Hermione brought her hands to Harry's arms and felt her lungs burning with lack of oxygen. She was was starting to panic, her face a picture of pure fear and Harry's heart was breaking at the sight.
Strange how you can realize things during panic, but this wasn't just his girlfriend, this was the girl who believed him when she barely knew him, who trusted him, who helped him in his time of need, who showed him real affection, who he was starting to fall in love with.
It didn't even matter that he had no idea what love was before, because he just knew that was the feeling he whenever he looked about her, or thought about her, or whenever he was kissing her. That was worth protecting, but they were teetering on the edge of life and death. Her life was basically in his hands and he needed to save her, there was no other option. If she died...he really didn't know what he would do.
One of her hands left his arms and was grasping at her throat, indicating that she needed to breathe. He didn't know the bubble head charm because Neville mentioned the gillyweed and Hermione probably couldn't silently cast it.
She looked so scared and he just wanted to kiss her, to make her feel better when an idea came to Harry. He took her face in his hands and brought his mouth to hers. Once it was covered, he glided his tongue against the seal of her lips and opened before blowing his breath in.
She knew what he was doing and inhaled, slightly relieving her burning lungs, but she needed fresh air and fast. She also took comfort in the feel of his lips on hers and in that moment, they weren't at the bottom of the Lake. They were somewhere safe and warm.
Harry knew that time was almost up and that Hermione needed to breathe fresh air, plus the gillyweed would also be wearing off soon since he only took enough for a little over an hour.
Problem was that he didn't now if he could swim fast enough to the surface, before he remembered a charm he came across while flipping through one of Hermione's books. He pointed his wand at Hermione's feet and cast a small scissor charm at the rope which released her. Grabbing on tightly to his girlfriend who was, in turn, clinging to him, he pointed up, "Ascendio!"
He felt them starting to move up before his leg was forcefully being pulled down and Hermione was yanked from his arms. Looking at the grip on his foot, he saw another snarling merman pulling on his foot while one pulled a struggling Hermione away from him, defenseless without her wand. The merman lined up his sharp spear at her throat and Harry's mind went blank.
This wasn't just a tournament anymore, there was no time to ask for a rhyme or reason, this was life or death - Hermione's life or death. Over the past couple of months, Hermione had become the most important person in his life. She was real, she was kind, she was intelligent, she was beautiful; she was sometimes a know-it-all with a 'pushiness' problem and he loved her for it. Anything trying to harm her would have to go through him.
He felt a power surge in his body that threw the merman away from him, before he pointed his wand at the one about to impale Hermione's throat. He silently cast his first spell and very powerful one at that when it was paired with the rage he was feeling. Later on, he would be surprised that he even was able to cast it. The most difficult spell he was able to cast silently was the summoning charm, and even then it was only from a close distance.
There were no thoughts for stunners or body binds, he wanted to hurt this being who was trying to kill Hermione. With precise aim that he had practiced on the training dummies in the RoR, the entrail expeller impacted the merman's gut, causing him to shriek as he tried to keep his insides inside of him.
Turning, Harry was about to deal with the shocked merman staring at his, now dead, comrade. He looked at Harry and lined up his spear, before he was knocked away from Harry by a large form.
Harry blinked in confusion before he saw a half transfigured Viktor Krum who had the top half of him transfigured into a shark. The only way he could tell that it was Viktor was from the Durmstrang crest on his shorts. He saw the merman was momentarily stunned, giving Harry an opportunity to stun him.
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Cedric swimming around a merman who was lingering around Cho, not letting Cedric get close to her as he jabbed his spear to keep him back. Cedric, demonstrating his sharp seeker reflexes, evaded the sharp object and sent the merman into a body bind.
'Why are they attacking?' Harry thought as he turned to get his Hermione.
To his surprise, he saw Fleur with her. He watched as the French witch pointed her wand at Hermione's face and swam over to question what the hell she was doing, when suddenly a bubble formed around Hermione's head.
He was filled with gratitude toward Fleur and vowed to repay her somehow as he took Hermione in his arms, "Thank you!"
Fleur gave him a nod before swimming over to the little blond girl. Viktor already cut loose his hostage with his shark teeth, while Cedric held onto Cho, his eyes darting all over the lake, wand at ready.
As if everyone had the same thought on their minds, all the champions waited until each safely received their hostage, while watching out for more mermen, before swimming to the surface. A show of unity against this farce of a task that endangered everyone's lives. The gillyweed had worn off on the way up to the surface, but Harry could see the light near and felt safer with the other champions around.
-oOo-
Daphne's nails were digging into her jaw as she watched the water, looking for any sign of Harry and Hermione. They had been down a long time and she was starting to panic, wondering if maybe the giant squid got them, or the grindylows. Anything could happen down there and they were letting kids participate!
"It'll be alright, Daph," Neville said, sliding an arm around her. The gesture, while a bit awkward since Neville wasn't used to initiating contact, it was a comfort and from her state of mind, she couldn't help but burrow into the embrace.
"Hey, Greengrass, is Longbottom the best you could do?" she heard a sneering voice behind her and turned to see Pansy Parkinson standing there, in all her pug-like glory with her own hench-woman, Millie Bulstrode, next to her. The blonde Slytherin just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
Inwardly, she was ready to curse her into next tuesday, her patience already running thin from the concern for her friends. What really set off her temper was when she saw the way Neville's head dropped, his self-confidence depletion almost visible. 'Time to nip this in the bud,' she thought, determined to defend the boy she had a crush on.
"Coming from the bitch-oops, I mean witch who is betrothed to Draco Malfoy? You're one to talk," Daphne said, watching as Pansy's face reddened in anger. "Where is Draco, Pansy? Is the little coward still not showing his pretty little face? Is he still hiding in the dungeons?"
"No," the dark haired Slytherin growled, before her air of superiority reappeared and she adopted the same look that Narcissa Malfoy wore. "He's sitting with his father watching the task."
"Ooh, the great Lucius Malfoy. You know that he got his arse kicked by a house elf in our second year?"
"You lie!"
"Nope." Daphne said with a smirk.
Pansy sneered, "You're an embarrassment to Slytherin, Daphne and I know you're just jealous because Lucius denied the betrothal between you and my Draco."
"Oh, Merlin! Neville, did you know that ferrets and pugs mated? You learn something new every day," Neville chuckled while Daphne stepped up to Pansy, fingering her wand in case she tried anything. She smirked, "Oh, and it was my father who denied the betrothal proposal in July of 1982. Yours was proposed after, right?"
She didn't get to to enjoy the outraged look on Pansy's face before Neville yelled, "It's them!"
Daphne whipped her head around, absent mindedly waving the gruesome twosome along while she and Neville made their way to the platform to see their friends.
-oOo-
Eight heads broke the surface, hearing four horns blow and the crowd explode with boisterous cheering. Time seemed to slow down for Harry and all the noise had cut out, he only cared about getting Hermione, who was taking deep breaths of fresh air. They all started to swim over to the platform and away, far away, from the water. It seemed to be the common goal shared among the champions.
"All four champions complete their task at once! A tie!" Ludo Bagman's loud, joy filled voice rang out.
They let Fleur and Viktor's hostages climb on the platform first, followed by Cho and Hermione, each champion climbing on after and being swarmed with warming blankets. Harry wrapped one around a shivering Hermione, before getting on for himself and wrapped it around the both of them.
Fleur, Cedric, and Viktor starting yelling at once, though they weren't coherent over the crowd's cheers from Bagman amping them up. Dumbledore and Crouch were trying to make heads or tails of their words while he and Hermione clung to each other.
It was all too much. There was too much noise for Harry as he looked at Hermione's panicked face burrowing into his chest. "Who did it?!"
Professor Dumbledore took immediate notice of him. "What are you talking about, Mr. Potter?"
"Who put my girlfriend at the bottom of the bloody lake?!" Harry roared, his voice echoing and silencing everyone's cheers.
"And mine!" Cedric added, holding on to Cho.
"Why would you take my little sister?!" Fleur cut in, looking as if the Veela side wanted to make an appearance.
"And why was Hermione was already awake when I got down there," Harry seethed, glaring right at a now pale Bagman and a red-faced Crouch. Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened as she continued administering potions to the hostages.
"What?" anyone within hearing range yelled.
"Impossible!" Crouch said, his anger for the Boy-Who-Lived showing.
"She was! She almost drowned and she's not in this tournament! Then we get attacked by the mermen. Was that a part of the requirements? To get killed? For the ones we will 'sorely miss' to?"
"Professor Sinistra was down there, she should have been monitoring everyone along with the mermen. If you didn't retrieve your hostage when the hour was up, then she would have cut them loose." McGonagall said, glancing around the Lake for the Astronomy professor.
"I want answers! Now!" Viktor thundered, holding on tightly to the shaking boy clinging to his leg. He was speaking in rapid Bulgarian, his face a picture of confusion.
"The task required what each champion would sorely mis-" Bagman started weakly.
"It said 'what', not who! You could have taken my Firebolt and met the fucking requirements!"
"Watch your tongue, Potter." Barty Crouch warned, pointing a finger at Harry.
Harry was about to snap back at the poncy man, but was immediately relieved to see Sirius push through the crowd and walk right over to Harry and Hermione, crouching in front of them with a seriousness Harry had never seen before. "Hermione, did you give your permission to take part in the tournament?"
"No! Why would I want to be stuck at the bottom of a Lake? I thought they would take Harry's cloak or something, not me."
"What happened last night?" Harry asked, wrapping the blankets tighter around them.
"I remember going to McGonagall's office after dinner and...then it's all black," Hermione said.
"Perhaps we should all go inside and discuss this," Professor Dumbledore said, throwing hard look at Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman.
Fleur suddenly let out a shrill shriek, before covering her sister's eyes and pulling her away. Naturally everyone's attention was drawn to what scared her and they all had a similar reaction.
As soon as they saw what had spooked Fleur, Hermione burrowed her face into Harry's neck while the Boy-Who-Lived could only stare, wrapping his arms tighter around his shaking girlfriend. He felt completely numb, all the screams, the shrieks, the cries, the orders were silent as he just stared. And stared.
Professor Sinistra had a spear sticking out of her stomach as she floated in the water. Her lifeless dark eyes stared at the grey sky, which had opened up as an omnious rainfall started.
-oOo-
"It's enough. She needs to be pulled from that school," Dan Granger proclaimed to his wife, his tone holding no room for argument. He was as mad as a raging bull as soon as Sirius started explaining what had happened at the second task. It was only his wife's steady head that kept him from storming up to Hogwarts. He would find a way to see the school to pull his daughter, he would march through the gates of hell for his girls.
Sirius tried to keep his usual 'playboy playfulness' and stepped up as Lord Sirius Black when he explained everything and where Hermione was. He knew that it probably wasn't the best time to do so, but with Hermione just whisked off without anyone's permission, he needed to have her protected. He had proposed himself becoming her magical guardian so that nothing like her unwanted involvement in the tournament would happen again.
The reason he offered the magical guardian proposal was so that he could give their parents some control over decisions being made. She was already under the protection of House Potter and Black, but this would seal it tightly and basically place her under his house as his 'daughter' in the magical world and making her untouchable.
He had left the two parents alone to think about it, knowing that they needed to have a long discussion. He knew that it was also a large possibility that they would pull Hermione from Hogwarts and though it would devastate Harry, it was their decision and he would only offer any advice they asked.
While Dan was the head of the family, Emma was the neck and she could steer him her way.
"Dan, before you dive headfirst into your decision, let's discuss this first," Emma said, trying to placate her husband while he was in his 'caveman' mood.
"Em, I cannot take any more of this. Our daughter is attacked by a troll, spends three weeks in their infirmary, where we couldn't even vist her. This year, she's sent mail that harmed her hands and she almost drowns in this tournament she's not even a part of!" he thundered, Emma raising an eyebrow at him to calm down before she saw the steel walls that were Dan Granger crumble.
She was expressing the same sentiments she was feeling. Ironically, she was more in touch with her logical side and was able to think about things before just acting while he acted on his emotions. She knew how sensitive he was, he was the one who cried with Hermione when they first watched Bambi, but she also knew that when either she or Hermione were threatened he would be in fight mode.
"I don't want to bury my daughter, Em."
For the first time since the day Hermione was born, Dan cried. Hermione was born two months premature and they feared if she would survive as small as she was. Dan took the role of protective father seriously since Hermione would be his only child, so when schoolyard bullies started on Hermione, they tried to resolve it. Unfortunately, it only seemed to aggravate the bullies.
All Dan and Emma wanted was for Hermione to be happy, something that seemed so hard to accomplish. They wanted her to have friends, be a typical kid, running around and getting dirty, but their daughter sunk herself into books and receiving high marks in school. Of course, she looked happy reading, they wanted something more for her.
Receiving letters about her helping a boy out with the school's tournament were a pleasant surprise, even more so when Hermione's personal letters to her mother detailed her growing feelings for the boy. Lately, she had added two others to her budding friends list - Neville Longbottom and Daphne Greengrass. Emma was surprised with the last one as Hermione described her - the prettiest girl in school but incredibly sweet and intelligent.
"I allowed her to stay in Hogwarts after the troll because I thought that it was a freak accident and it would never happen again. Also, the eyes got me," he muttered, remembering her puppy dog eyes she gave during her speech on why she wanted to stay in Hogwarts. He couldn't deny Hermione anything and he saw the determination in her twelve year old eyes.
"I'm scared too, Dan, but this is her world. She is a witch. She'd hate it if we took that away from that world," Emma murmured, brushing her hands through her husband's hair. "You know that she'd resent you for a while if you took her away from her friends and Harry."
He sighed, frustrated. "How can I protect her when I cannot even visit her?"
"I think that's what Sirius was thinking when he gave us the protection offer for her."
He frowned at the thought and she immediately knew he was thinking before he even said it. "I feel like that's just signing my daughter over to someone who we barely know."
"Dan, he's not trying to take her away from us. Exactly the opposite, he's trying to keep her protected in a place we can't. You heard him - any decisions would be discussed with us first," she said, but decided to butter him up a bit. "You are the one who changed her nappies, you are who she went to when she had a nightmare, your are who she cried with her during Bambi-"
"I told you - I had allergies that day," he grumbled.
"In January?" she quipped, smiling in victory when he laughed and she pecked his lips, holding him closely.
"You'll always be her daddy, darling."
"I'm scared, Em."
"Me too. I'm terrified."
-oOo-
Harry and Hermione were sleeping dreamlessly in the, now empty, hospital wing. A lot had happened while they slumbered - Professor Sinistra's body had been taken away, Poppy Pomfrey had been arrested for child endangerment, and Sirius had gone to Hermione's house to explain what happened to her parents.
After the discovery of Professor Sinistra's body, the students were ordered back to their common rooms while the champions, their hostages, and their families were sent to the hospital wing for check-ups and to relax.
Harry had gotten his shoulder fixed quickly by Madam Pomfrey and luckily, he was the only one with an injury, while the others were given calming draughts and time to relax with their families.
Harry and Hermione had refused to let go of each other after on their bed. When Sirius tried to move Hermione to a different bed, Harry had been transported back to the Lake where the merman was taking Hermione away from him.
It was only Harry's exhaustion and magical core exhaustion and Hermione's calming voice that cut through his anger and saved the hospital wing from Mount Harry blowing and obliterating everyone in his wake.
Poppy Pomfrey had been drowning in guilt that Hermione had woken up from the stasis, though she had no idea how. She remembered properly placing the charms over them and Albus, Barty Crouch, Ludo Bagman, and Minerva had levitated them out to the Lake.
She had a job to do, however, and ordered to keep the two of them together, administering dreamless sleeping potions and covering them with thick blankets and warming charms while the slept. Amelia Bones had stormed into the wing with the Headmaster to speak to the Healer who had administered the stasis that almost cost Hermione her life.
When asked to hand over her wand, she was immediately cuffed with magical suppressing cuffs when the priori incantato found hostile compulsions charms on them. She was taken away despite protests, while everyone was shocked that the gentle natured Healer would do something so vile.
Albus looked over at the children he had sworn to protect, feeling like a failure for the first time since placing Harry with the muggles. As he sat in his office alone, he wept. A professor was dead, eight were in mortal danger, two were dangerously closed to being killed, and many students were traumatized.
He wished he could turn back time and refuse Hogwarts participation in the tournament.
-oOo-
The day after the task, Harry sat in the Great Hall with Sirius, staring at his plate in shock at the news he was just given. "She's been fired for child endangerment and might have to go on trial."
"Madam Pomfrey...she took care of me all those times I was in the hospital...she was-"
"Last war, we couldn't trust anyone, Harry. James and I even lost trust in Remus. If it's happening again, we need to be the same way."
Sirius pulled out the card that Harry would react do, "You want to keep Hermione safe, right?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Of course. I'm doing a pretty good job, aren't I?" he spat, his tone biting with sarcasm. Sirius saw the guilt on his face and needed to lock that down. He also didn't want any of this pity-party shit with Harry if he needed to grow up. He had enough of that with James and Lily, the former blaming himself on getting Lily pregnant during a time of war.
"Then be wary. Of everyone and everything. Your father was the same way with Lily and that only heightened when they had you. Stop this feeling sorry for yourself shit because you couldn't stop them from putting Hermione in the Lake. That's their fault, not yours."
"I killed two mermen, Sirius," Harry said, waiting for the disappointment or the hate to flash across his godfather's face.
To Sirius, who didn't really believe that mermen and grindylows were on the same levels as a witch or wizard, it was water off a duck's back. "We've all killed, Harry. I've killed before, the last war we couldn't spare any thoughts of any casualties. If it happens like it did before...we're going to have to kill again. To keep everyone safe."
Harry just stared at Sirius, not really knowing how to take his words. He just brushed off his killing of something.
Sirius really wished he was better at this talking thing. That was always James' forte. He was the Marauder if you needed to vent about something, if you needed a shoulder to cry on and a mind that wouldn't judge. He was the one Sirius talked to, about his family life, about the betrayal he felt when Reg took the mark, about the men and women he had killed last war. James always gave out the greatest advice.
He couldn't help but feel helpless as he looked at his struggling nephew and desperately wished he held the tools to give him the comfort he needed. He could joke and make Harry laugh, but it wouldn't help the situation.
-oOo-
Hermione noticed that Harry was acting different the three days after the second task. Classes had been cancelled for Professor Sinistra's death, they didn't have Potion's professor, or a astronomy professor. The school was solemn, still in shock over what had happened and no one was more solemn than Harry Potter.
Hermione was concerned for her boyfriend. Of course she didn't expect him to bounce back after what happened, she wasn't back to normal either and wanted to talk to him about it. He barely looked at Hermione and when he did, his looks were so full of guilt and self-hatred, Hermione had to look away. They didn't share any displays of affection and the distance between the two seemed to grow each day.
On the third day, he went out of his way to ignore Hermione, acting like she didn't even exist. Fortunately, she was able to corner him outside of the kitchens.
"Hey," she said softly, offering a small smile. She received a curt nod while he just looked behind her. She needed to talk to someone and the only ones she felt compelled to talk to where Harry and her parents, though this couldn't be said over a letter. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind, trying to find a place to start. "Are you okay, Harry?"
He finally looked at her, though his face was emotionless. "No."
"Right. Stupid question."
Awkward silence filled the air, Hermione studying Harry's face while he continued to look anywhere but her face. "I have to go," he said, trying to walk around her, but Hermione stepped in front of him.
"Where?"
"Just...I need to think, Hermione."
"Do you want me to come wi-"
"No," he said, sharper than he intended. He shook his head, "No, I want to be alone."
Hermione was becoming impatient and tried to approach it head on. "Harry, I don't think that you should just bottle this up."
"I'm not," he shrugged nonchalantly. Inwardly, he was panicking and in full flight mode.
"I think you should talk about...what happened. I think it would help you. Maybe to Sirius or Professor Dumbledore or...you know you can talk to me."
He immediately shook his head no. "I don't want to talk about it, Hermione."
He had looked away from her again, looking everywhere but her face. "Harry...please," Hermione moved to be in his line of sight, but he moved his eyes away. She laughed, a bitter, mirthless sound. "You're not even going to look at me?"
He stubbornly kept his eyes ahead and Hermione was angry at his immaturity. "Harry!"
"What?! I said I want to be alone, Hermione!" he yelled angrily, causing Hermione to jump back in surprise. "Can you understand that? Merlin, get off my get off my fucking back and stop nagging me!"
She recoiled as if she had been struck and stared at him in shock. They had small disagreements before, but he had never outright yelled at her like he just did. He never thought he would use words that he knew hurt her deeply.
She was very self-conscious about her being 'pushy', which was his word to describe her. She used 'nagging', but he wasn't having any of that and said that she was pushy for good reasons and sometimes he needed it. She motivated him, kept him determined, kept him on track.
Now, though, everything was too chaotic. He was trying to come around to the fact that he killed two living beings, his failure to protect her from the Lake, Professor Sinistra's death, Madam Pomfrey's arrest...
Harry lifted his eyes from the ground and winced as he saw the tears starting to fall down her cheeks. He needed to get out, he couldn't watch her cry, it would break him. Even more than he already was. He walked around her, storming out of the castle and just walked.
Harry felt like he was shutting down and his guilt felt like he had killed three people instead of two, that Professor Sinistra's death was somehow his fault. He never had an outlet to vent to before and now that he had Hermione, he didn't know how. He talked about his home life at the Dursleys and everything he went through his years at Hogwarts, but this could break them completely.
He was scared of what she thought about him killing those mermen. Would she be disgusted with him? Would she think he was a monster? Would she hate him?
He tried to distance himself from her, maybe to make the ache in his chest hurt less, definitely to keep her safe. Everything bad that happened to Hermione had some correlation to Harry Potter. If he had only warned her about the troll, if he had only stepped up and defended her when she was being bullied, if he had only not accepted her help, she would have been safe. He was bad for her. Hell, he was bad for everyone. All he left in his wake was destruction and death.
Maybe he should just break up with her-"Don't you dare do it, Harry Potter."
He jumped in surprise at the voice and turned his head to see Daphne all but storming over to him, a determined and slightly angry expression on her face. "Do what?"
"I know what you're thinking. You want to keep her safe at all costs, I get it. It's not the right way to do it, though."
He frowned and looked at her, his eyes narrowed. "Can you read my mind?"
She smirked and took a seat next to him. "No, but I'm smart. Granted, not as smart as your girlfriend, but I can hold my own. What the hell are you doing, Harry?"
"Trying to keep her safe. I'm dangerous to be around."
"She's already in too deep, Harry. You both are," Daphne saw from the look on his face that he didn't believe her and his stubborn streak was shining through. She ran a hand through her hair, ready to drop the ball. "I probably shouldn't say this, but she's in love with you."
Harry was shocked into silence, letting that roll around his brain. 'She's in love with me...Hermione's in love with me...she loves me...' this train of thought filled him with warmth, the hollow ache in his chest disappearing. His face then dropped, remembering the hurt expression on the girl who loved him. The girl he was starting to fall in love with.
"If you leave her, you won't be paying anyone any favors. You'll most likely just hurt yourselves for no reason at all," Daphne laid it out for him. "I reckon you're in love with her, too."
"I...I think I am. I talked to Sirius and my feelings for Hermione...yeah, I am," Harry admitted out loud, seeing a small smile curve at Daphne's lips. He shook his head, "I just yelled at her. I said that she was 'nagging', something I know she's insecure about. I couldn't protect her in the Lake...I should have-"
"Harry," Daphne cut him off sternly, her ice blue eyes locking him into her gaze. "Stop with the pity party. You cannot protect her 24/7 without smothering her and that would probably rip apart your relationship too. She's a formidable witch, she can take care of herself. You know she'd have your arse if you tried to go all caveman on her. If she doesn't hex you for acting like an arsehole just now."
Harry laughed in spite of his mood, knowing that would be exactly what she would do.
"I've really acted like an arse, haven't I?"
"Well, when I saw her, she was crying but couldn't form any intelligible words for me to understand, so I'd say that's a yes. I think she was on her way to Flitwick's." Daphne was blunt as a bludger, not giving the boy an inch. She knew that Hermione had a quality to 'push' people and she needed to understand that sometimes people needed to talk on their own time, but she also knew that Harry hurt her feelings and messed up. She saw it on his face as he looked pained and on the verge of tears himself.
"Listen, I know that things happened down there that I wouldn't understand. Neville, Sirius, Professor Dumbledore - they wouldn't understand because they weren't there. Only Hermione would...maybe she was 'nagging' you because she needed to talk about it as well and was 'nagging' you about it because she didn't know how to approach it."
He moaned and covered his face as realization dawned on him, "I'm such a shit boyfriend!"
She rolled her eyes. "No, you're just a boy. And couples always bicker and sometimes fight, so it's not the end of the world...you don't want to break up with her, right?"
Harry looked like she just said that "Are you kidding? She's the best thing to happen to me."
"Good. Now, you're going to go to the kitches and make up her favorite meal as apology incentive, you're going to give her a heartfelt apology for yelling at her, grovel a bit, give her a cuddle and some kisses, and move on from this," she said, before raising a manicured eyebrow. "Well? What are you waiting for? Go get your girl, lover boy."
"Thanks, Daphne. I'm really glad we're friends," Harry said with a grateful smile. He wouldn't have known what to do to make it up to her. He probably would have brooded and berated himself for snapping at her, not exactly knowing how to approach her to apologize.
The blonde Slytherin sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, Potter. I was just starting to like you. Are you going soft on me?"
Harry laughed and stood up, dusting off his jeans before running off to start his apology. Daphne watched him with a small smile and shook her head. She was glad to have him and Hermione in her life, having their friendship.
-oOo-
"Honey, I'm home! Oh, wait, I'm not married."
Elena Hall wearily sighed as she entered her apartment in Salem, Massachusetts. She took out her wand, flickering her lights and the television on to add some background noise to her lonely and quiet home. Another flick of her wrist and the pot on the stove started to heat up for her dinner. It was a habit she had acquired in the last five years of living in this place and it didn't look like there was any way out.
She lived alone with her familiar, a black cat named Wednesday, which was the way her life was shaping up to be. She grimaced at the thought of remaining single her entire life and turning into a cat lady.
Elena had been told more than once in her life that she was an attractive woman; blonde hair in a pixie cut style, heart-shaped face, hazel eyes, and lithe body. This took away from the fact that she was also thirty-three years old and single.
She had one real relationship back in her Hogwarts days. She was convinced that he was the absolute love of her life, until he graduated and decided to break up with her. She knew that he was a playboy, but she naively thought what they had was the real thing. Pathetically, she never recovered from that hurt and was considered damaged goods by any men who she dated.
Elena had gotten a job at Salem Village Hospital two years after she had graduated where she had gotten her Mastery while brewing potions for the hospital. Unfortunately, it was a dead end job with meagre pay. It was also not what she desire to do after she graduated from Hogwarts fifteen years ago. She desperately wanted to teach at a school, preferably her alma mater, but all resumes went unanswered and she knew exactly why.
Elena Hall was a first generation witch born to muggles Dr. Richard Hall, a pediatrician, and Caroline Hall, a homemaker. She had to move to America where the blood status quo wasn't as serious as it was in Britain, but she was still lucky to get the job at the hospital. That was only through countless recommendations from her former Head of House, Pomona Sprout.
She was the best in potions in her year and she suspected it was because she was also proficient in Herbology so she could understand why different plants reacted in the potions. She scored high on her OWLs and NEWTs and applied at just about every single magical school there was, but because of her blood status she was ignored, cast aside in favor of the blood elite.
She picked her mail up, frowning at the top letter. The waxed crest caused her to drop her other letters and rip it open in half-excitement, half-curiosity. She felt like she was eleven years old again receiving her letter to Hogwarts.
She read the letter inside once, twice, and a third time to make sure her eyes were not messing with her. The piece of parchment in her shaky hands was basically proclaiming her dream, all that she prayed and wished for. They wanted her to teach Potions at Hogwarts?
"YES!" she cried out, hopping around her apartment deliriously happy and excited as Wednesday looked at her witch, feeling the excitement through their bond. Elena was deliriously happy as she practically ran over to her desk to compose her two weeks notice.
She was going back to Hogwarts, she was going back home!
A/N: I just have to say that I'm ecstatic you guys are enjoying this story. I'm incredibly nervous before I post every chapter, but I love that you guys like this so much. This chapter was kind of hard to write because it felt like it was going in all different directions and I had ideas for this story swarming my brain all week. I battled through and I hope that you like it. I hope I also settled a couple of questions in this chapter...and maybe raised a few more...
I just finished figuring out what their animagus forms and names will be! The idea hit me while I was writing it and I became so excited! Their forms are a pretty good reflection on their personalities and the names, I think, are fitting. Except for Harry's because nothing is coming to me. I'd appreciate your help if you can PM me and I'll tell you what his form is and maybe you can throw some ideas my way? The one I have right now is so cliche and lame.
Be aware of possible rating change in the future.
