26 Interlude of Justice

The weeks leading up to the second task were suspiciously quiet. Harry and Hermione had discussed the oddity at length, but had yet to find a reasonable cause. Everyone outside of their circle of friends had backed way off, in an apparent mixture of fear and awe. Their friends were still talking to them, but outside them it was like they were a walking silencing spell. The pair had trained hard with the other champions, the 'hostages' playing the roles of various underwater obstacles. One thing Harry and Hermione had found was that they were able to track each other's location through their bond. They informed the others of the ability, but not the cause. They would still cast tracking charms on all the hostages before they went to the lake, but it would be a handy backup.

February's full moon fell on a Wednesday, which made a rather large hole in their schedules, but Hermione had started to get a cold the week before, providing a ready excuse. This moon was again, a bit less painful for Harry, being his third, but still not as easy as Hermione's. Being a school night, they weren't allowed out to roam the forbidden forest as they had in December, but even cuddling in their quarters was enough for them. At least they were together.

The biggest change had come at the end of January, when someone had finally noticed that Harry too had cat ears. It had happened at dinner, and Malfoy had been to blame. The blond ponce had been seething over his repeated failed attempts to ambush the pair and had finally resorted to an outright attack in the great hall. To give him some credit, he had someone else actually conjure the buckets of ice water, but he'd admitted to planning it.

Malfoy had come swaggering up to the Gryffindor table, accompanied as always by his book ends: Crabbe and Goyle.

"Do you smell something Goyle? Smells like a dirty mudblood and something that should be dead but isn't," he called loudly, but not quite loud enough to be heard at the head table.

"Finally realized you need to start taking showers Malfoy?" Harry asked, not looking up.

"What? Why you…" the blonde git started, then recovered himself, "I was referring to you and the thing beside you. You know? I heard Gryffindor even kicked you two out of the dorms, said they couldn't stand the smell."

"Guess you heard wrong then," Hermione said evenly. "Not the first time you've believed something obviously false. You still believe that you have an IQ in the double digits after all. Though I suppose that's still better than the negative ones your thugs have."

"What's that mean?" Crabbe asked, confused about whether to be insulted or not.

"It means that every time you try to insult us, you fail, yet you keep coming back," Harry explained. "Now what do you really want Malfoy? I'm trying to eat."

"Just to say you need a bath Potter," Malfoy sneered, "Maybe someone should help you with that."

Both Harry and Hermione sensed the impending attack, but couldn't move fast enough as two large buckets appeared over their heads and dumped their loads of ice water over them. Hermione's shriek was loud enough to finally call attention to the confrontation and Professors McGonagall and Snape hurried over, demanding to know what had happened. All three Slytherins denied any involvement and even offered to have their wands checked. They were clear of course, but everyone knew who was to blame. Snape's loud abuse of Harry's newly revealed ears had caused many to turn and see for themselves. The look on the potions master's face when Harry congratulated him on finally noticing what had changed months ago was worth it though.

The pile of Slytherins found hogtied outside Dumbledore's office the next morning, complete with memories of their questioning, was quite surprising. The fact that both interrogators could not be identified in the memories was disturbing to the professors, though McGonagall pointed out that it had to be an older student, given the spells cast to compel the truth being told. The rumors spread over the school before breakfast ensured that the Slytherins' crimes couldn't be covered up. Given the evidence against them, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint were all put on probation and had a weeks' worth of detentions assigned. No one ever figured out who the interrogators had been.

A week later, another group of students, this time Ravenclaws, were found outside the headmaster's office. This group had apparently decided they could get away with bullying and terrorizing the lower years. Evidence was found implicating them in harassment, theft, and several other crimes. It was bad enough that Professor Flitwick called a house meeting that night. The sapphire points counter was significantly less full the next day.

A week before the second task, a pair of Hufflepuffs and a Gryffindor were found in a similar position, this time the memories showed them confessing to plans of sabotage and interference against the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons Champions during the task. Two weeks of detention and a hundred point deductions each was assigned. Word soon spread that there was a line you did not cross, and if you did, you would not escape justice.


"Unfortunately Mr. Lupin appears to be running into an issue with his Animagus training," McGonagall informed them during one of their sessions. "It appears the wolf interferes with finding his form."

"It does?" Hermione asked, watching as Harry's arm returned to normal. "Is it chasing it away or something?"

"He wouldn't say exactly," Minerva admitted, "But it sounded like he couldn't find his animal, just the wolf."

"Odd," Harry commented, "I wonder why he can't find it."

"It may be hiding," Hermione interjected. "Even he fears his wolf."

"Maybe that's his problem," Harry offered, then continued at the looks both his wife and their favorite professor were giving him. "He has never embraced the changes being a werewolf brought to his life. He's ashamed and hates the wolf inside him. He has spent his entire life fearing what he is. That is wrong. We embraced ourselves, even including each other as that is part of us. We found our forms by embracing our bond during the full moon, when our feline selves were closest to the surface. He is trying to find his form to hide from the wolf which is part of him."

"Are you calling him a coward?" Hermione asked softly.

"No, not really, but he fears himself. He refuses to admit he's… afraid? Feels guilty? He's denying a major part of who he is."

"But Mr. Potter, isn't that the point of this?" McGonagall asked. "You yourself suggested this as an alternative to his change."

"I suggested that the animagus transformation might allow a werewolf to retain himself," Harry corrected, "not that it was a cure."

Seeing Hermione's brow crease as she considered this, Harry settled back and gathered his thoughts before continuing. "I actually think I have a better grasp now than before, and some of my thoughts have changed, but it boils down to this: The werewolf is part of the man. It doesn't matter if the wolf was embraced or forced upon him, it is part of him regardless. It's the same as the cats are to us. They were born of us as soon as we were attacked, and have been part of us since. We found our forms by embracing that part of us, Professor Lupin refuses and is running from that side of himself."

"You're saying that in order to not have to face the wolf every month he'll have to embrace it?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes and no," Harry temporized, "When I first suggested it, I thought it might be a way to avoid the change. Since then I've learned more about it and I think that it's more of an alternative. In order to become an animagus you have to be one with yourself, to know yourself. The wolf is part of any werewolf, just as our cats are part of us. Remus is afraid of the wolf, and thus, afraid of himself. It probably won't work that way."

"You may have a point." Minerva conceded. "But how do you suggest he continues?"

"He has to face himself, and accept the wolf as part of him," Harry sighed. "I don't think he'll be able to continue until he does."


The day of the second task grew inexorably closer, and the champions all began to feel anxious. Their training in the Black Lake had reached the point of repetition, as had their study of aquatic creatures they felt the organizers might add to bring some excitement to the task. The converted classroom they'd been using had started to look more like their own personal common room than a study area, but they used it more like one too.

"So, one more review?" Hermione asked the night before the task.

"Do you promise this is the last one?" Cedric chuckled from a couch where he and Cho had been relaxing together. The grin and light tone took any sting from his words.

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "I know we've been over it before, but I just want everyone to come back in one piece."

"We know Hermione," Harry assured her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "We know you mean well, that's why we love you. At least I do." He grinned and kissed her cheek as she huffed.

"Ten minutes before the task begins," Fleur started, her accent much improved due to the help of her friends, "Zee volunteers are taken to the Merfolk village. Zey will have bubblehead charms on them, with emergency Gillyweed as a backup."

"Once the task begins," Cedric continued, "Fleur and I will cast our own bubble head charms, while Harry and Viktor use a thirty minute dose of Gillyweed."

"I will lead, scouting ahead, while Viktor watches our rear." Harry continued. "Fleur and Cedric will be responsible for watching our sides and everyone will remember to watch above and below."

"Vonce at the village, Harry vill enter to bring the Chieftainess to the edge, vhere ve vill be vaiting with Fleur," Viktor provided. "The Chieftainess will guide us, Fleur specifically, to the square where the hostages will be waiting. Each of us takes our hostage and we return in much the same manner."

"The hostages will be holding weights to help us stay down in the village," Neville added from beside Luna, "We can't release them unless our champion is there, or there is an emergency and we need to escape."

"And in any encounter we have," Cedric finished up, "Harry is the distraction, Fleur and I are containment, and Viktor is the heavy hitter."

The plan, while it sounded simple, was the product of hours of training and testing. While each could, in fact, cast silently with effort, Viktor was by far the best of the older champions. The surprise was how good Harry and Hermione were. No one had quite figured out why, but the pair both cast at nearly the same level silently as they did vocally. This had left Harry and Viktor using the magical plant; Gillyweed.

The wonderful weed from the mediterranean, while giving both gills and flipper-like hands and feet, prevented vocal casting as a result of the physical changes it induced. It was a tradeoff, for while they were faster and could breathe in the water, they couldn't cast quite as well. This led the group to finally split the methods. Harry and Viktor, the best silent casters of the champions, would use the Gillyweed while Cedric and Fleur would use bubble head charms where they could vocally cast.

The four 'hostages' had been spending almost as much time in the lake as the Champions. Not only helping them train, and training themselves, but acclimating to the water as well. They had helped experiment with spells, finding the effective ranges now inherent as the water attenuated the power significantly. They also had different effects. Several had had to get Madam Pomfrey to repair damaged eardrums after Cedric had tried a Bombarda curse at too close a range. Hermione claimed it was like a depth charge, something only Harry understood until they explained to the others. This did cause some experimentation with trying to figure out some kind of sonar but nothing they had found was usable.

"I hate to sound cocky," Harry grinned, "but it sounds like we're as prepared as we can be at this point."

"I agree," Fleur seconded. "As much as we 'ave prepared, zere iz no plan that survives ze enemy, no?"

"Close enough," snorted Hermione at the only minor error in the quote. "Let's just make sure we all get enough rest tonight, we have a big day tomorrow."


The morning of the second task dawned cold and miserable. The late February weather was wet from a slight drizzle, with a slight breeze from across the lake, causing a distinct chill in the air. Low clouds blocked any chance of sun and the wind caused a light chop across the surface of the Black Lake.

In the castle, nestled into their quarters, Harry and Hermione were fighting getting up as long as possible. It was not the cold outside the covers of their bed that daunted them, but the task they faced that aided their reticence. They had put paid to their own advice the night before, turning in early to get as much rest as they could, but sleep had not come swiftly. They had stayed up, talking and basking in each other's presence, before finally falling asleep in each other's arms.

"I wish we could just stay like this forever." Hermione sighed, snuggling further into Harry's arms.

"I do too," Harry agreed, savoring their closeness. "But how about a promise? After the task, we take a holiday. We disappear for the rest of the weekend, until Sunday night. We can ask Tippy or one of the elves to bring us what we don't make ourselves. Think of it as a break from the insanity. Kinda like what we did after the first task."

"That could be fun, but I have an addition. I know we've been dancing around the next step for a while now, but I'm ready. I want to take the next step for us this weekend."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, concerned. "I mean, I trust that you want to, but that kind of intimacy is a big step. Are you sure it's time?"

"Harry," she scooted up and kissed his cheek, "even if I wasn't before, the fact that you can ask me that, and I know it wouldn't happen if I say no, means that it's time. There's no pressure, no expectations, just desire. And I desire to be intimate with my husband."

"Tonight then?" he sighed, returning her kiss.

"Tonight."

"Now we just have to get up and get to tonight."

"Spoilsport."