Disclaimer: First chapter, people. We've been through this.
A/N: I'm sorry for the late chapter (again). I attempted to keep myself on a schedule and I'm afraid schedules don't work with me. I've had some friends visiting from another state and spent most of my time with them. I made a commitment to this story and I'm not honoring it. From here on out I, make no promises regarding the timing between them.
Chapter 5: The Choosing of the Champions
o0O0o
Waking bright and early the next morning, Harry wandered to the Common Room as he so often did. He had more than an hour before breakfast and decided he'd like to review his animagus notes. So far his lessons with McGonagall were going well. However, he was a little disappointed as the actual transformation wouldn't be allowed for another two weeks.
Glimpses of his animagus form had not been as elusive. Meditation had helped him understand himself much better, part of the requirement for the transformation itself. It was frustrating to see only frames of its existence but so far it felt powerful. A mane and scales were what he'd seen for the most part though he could feel that something went with them. Part of him desperately hoped whatever it was could fly; flying was his strongest suit despite his newfound skill in runes.
As his thought process stirred up his ability in runes, he slumped. Hermione, though she was far too proud to admit it, was annoyed. She'd been in the class for a year that Harry hadn't, yet he was always a step ahead of her. Runes came naturally to him, though arithmancy was definitely his girlfriend's thing; she was truly gifted.
After Harry's experiment in potions, he had been unable to progress past making minor edits to inconsequential brews. Quality wasn't an issue in his potions anymore now that he understood the importance of order and the meaning behind ingredients, but the potions themselves weren't better than anyone else's. Well, perhaps they were better than Neville's; the poor boy's only talent in potions was flashy failures.
Pulling himself from his errant thoughts, Harry began to read over the notes he'd made of his visions.
-Immense size, feels long. Perhaps it's some sort of huge snake?
Harry shuddered, the very thought of being a huge, slimy snake was terrible. A little over a year and a half ago, people had believed he was the heir of Slytherin, not to mention that if he was a snake, the Gryffindors would feel honor-bound to shun him. The feeling of immense size was also worrying; if he was a large creature and snakelike, it was possible he could have been a basilisk.
-Scaly but there's some sort of mane near its head. Maybe it's a frill, I can't tell for sure. A huge frilled lizard would be kinda cool, I guess. Of course, they could also be horns, in which case I could be a dragon. That would be amazing.
- Some sort of protrusions on its back. Could be wings, could be something else, but I really hope they're wings. Just imagine flying without a broom! That'd be so cool!
A smile broke across Harry's face. Being able to fly would be awesome. When he was on a broom he felt he had only one restraint, the broom itself. After years of abuse and neglect by his 'family', the feeling of being free was the best thing in Harry's life save for Hermione.
Several minutes passed as he began to meditate. This corner of the room was typically pretty quiet. A large window sat where the two walls met and several bean bags sat. Upon taking notice of the corner, he had been surprised to find the bags here; they were very informal and Hogwarts, even if it wasn't the most formal of places, was not a place he had expected to find these.
Sitting in one, Harry pulled his legs close to him and leaned into the large, soft pillow. Carefully noting his sleepiness, he made sure not to fall asleep. Quickly he fell into a trance, the feeling of falling overwhelming him before he saw the palace in his head that he'd built. It helped him to focus his thoughts and made the visions come more easily to him. Occlumency had been suggested by McGonagall and it was relatively easy for him. Imagination had been his only escape when hiding in his cupboard.
Harry marched down the hallway into the room he'd created specifically for animagus purposes. Walls of alabaster and a pool of shimmering silver fluid greeted him when the door opened. Even though Harry was in his own mind, he wasn't entirely sure what the fluid was; the closest comparison would be his idea of liquid memories. He theorised that the liquid was something more primal than thoughts, a physical (well, not really) manifestation of the same thing he used for wandless magic.
Focussing on his form, the pool shifted, rippling and turning into a hazy video. The previous glimpses he'd seen flew past, scales filling his vision. Pulling his feet into the air, he began to meditate, an action that had confused him when he'd learned it first. Meditating while meditating seemed too bizarre to be real. Images flashed on the surface as he drew into his form.
Before he completed the process a sound startled him from meditation in both worlds. Twin redheads nodded at him from the other side of the common room, sitting and preparing coffee.
Harry shook himself from mental whiplash and cast the time charm they'd studied in the last charms class. Breakfast would start in half an hour. Shortly afterwards the couches began to fill with sleepy students, Hermione arriving and immediately beelining to him. She flopped down in his lap, pushing him deeper into the cushion. Snuggles ensued and Harry wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
A small sadness flitted through his mind. Today was the thirteenth anniversary of his parent's death. Over the past few years he'd never had time to mourn, something had always come up. This year there was the tournament and Harry was sure something would come up. Last night he had been uncaring but today there was a real chance his name would leave the liquid flame inside the cup.
Little sounds emerged from the girl on his chest. Harry watched her chest rise and fall slowly; she had fallen asleep. It was adorable and many of his year mates had taken notice. Lavender Brown was talking animatedly with her friend Parvati, an Indian girl. She clearly thought Harry and Hermione were the cutest thing since kittens.
It wasn't until breakfast started that Hermione woke. She looked up into his eyes and blushed, "Harry? Were you looking at my chest?"
Realisation and mortification filled Harry's emerald orbs. "Er," he stammered, "I- I was watching you sleep? You were breathing so peacefully and it was… what's the word? Hypnotic, I think."
Hermione giggled drowsily but the blush stayed. "I'm not sure whether I'm relieved or disappointed. A little of both, maybe." she yawned.
Mouth working like a fish on land, Harry decided perhaps it was better not to respond. His girlfriend kissed him on the cheek and stood up, smoothing her robes and combing her hair with her hands.
The couple left shortly after, walking hand in hand to the Great Hall. Harry's good mood was beginning to dissipate as the grieving for his parents set in and the dread of today began to cloak him. Something would happen, it always did. Deciding to focus on happier things, he leaned into Hermione.
As they sat at the table, a dreamy-eyed Luna glided into the seat across from them.
"Good morning, Harry." she said to a somewhat astonished pair.
"What is she doing here?" asked Ron from several seats down the table.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Luna, are you allowed to sit at tables apart from your house's?"
"Of course, sitting at other tables is encouraged. Even if it wasn't I'd still sit here." said Luna.
Ron looked peeved but after a hard pat on the back from his twin siblings, he quieted down.
Owls fluttered down, an exceedingly plain owl landing in front of Harry; immediately taking a piece of bacon and sticking it's leg out.
"Must be from Sirius." Harry muttered, careful to avoid being heard.
"Sirius, as in Sirius Black? My dad thinks he's actually Stubby Boardman." Luna claimed.
"What?"
"Daddy writes a newspaper called the Quibbler. Surely you've read it?" the odd girl stated.
"I don't believe I have. Actually, I've never heard of it. But what about Sirius? Er… Stubby." responded Harry.
"Not surprising, many people don't like it. For some reason, the populace believes it to be full of myths. I've written a few articles for it myself, I want to be a journalist like my dad. We think Sirius Black is actually the pseudonym Stubby Boardman is using to avoid his fans. He's the lead singer of the Hobgoblins. " said Luna.
Harry laughed incredulously. "That's bizarre. I'm afraid I must tell you that Sirius is not a singer at all."
"Daddy will be ever so disappointed." Luna frowned.
Hermione looked at the girl, breaking her frown ."I've just had a wonderful idea."
"Oh? Do tell," Luna said curiously.
"Well, Harry's been a little down today," she began as Harry attempted to protest it before being silenced by a jab to the side, "After all, it was on this day thirteen years ago that his parents gave their lives to save him. He never got to mourn them properly what with all the chaos and issues Hallow's Eve typically brings him."
"So, seeing as how you're a writer, I was thinking perhaps you could write an article about the day from his perspective. I'm sure Harry here would be willing to give you an interview."
"Well… I guess I could. Sometimes it makes me uncomfortable how much of the credit I'm given for the defeat of Voldemort. I know I never did a thing."
"We should postpone the interview until after breakfast. I don't fancy writing on an empty stomach. If we get it written before lunch I can owl it to daddy and get it published in the dinner edition." Luna proposed, her index finger pressed to her chin in thought.
"Sounds good to me. How have things been in Ravenclaw?" Harry questioned quietly.
"Things have changed a lot, the wrackspurts leave me alone now. Professor Flitwick was quite furious that first night. He was so mad his aura flared and some of the books flew off the shelves. I think it's amazing, little moonpups starting dancing on his skin." she responded,
"Um… Moonpups?" Hermione said.
"Yes, they're often mistaken for static buildup, but that's just their fur. They look like tiny lightning bolts."
Hermione simply shook her head and began to eat.
"Quite a few students have apologized to me. I forgave them but if it happens in the future I don't think I will. Actually, I think I'll just get Harry and let him deal with it, he's good at that." Luna stated.
Harry snorted, choking on his juice and staring at Luna. "What?"
"You certainly left an impression on them, I don't think they want to make you mad. Wrackspurts go out of their way to avoid you."
Putting down his fork, Harry closed his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. "Just when I thought perhaps everything would die down, I go and frighten a whole house."
A giggling Hermione nudged his shoulder. "Maybe we should look into any curses on you, perhaps something similar to the defense position was placed on you. Merlin knows you can't go a day without something spectacular happening,"
"That might not be a bad idea." Harry sighed.
o0O0o
Breakfast was over and the trio lounged in a cozy room on one of the upper hallways. After searching for a comfortable place to conduct the interview, they'd discovered this place. It was perfect for their purpose. Harry and Hermione sat on the loveseat, which had been coated in dust until they'd arrived.
Luna was perched on a throne-like chair across from them, behind a small desk. She'd laughed and said she felt more like a queen than a reporter but began the discussion quickly enough, adopting the look of a seasoned journalist.
"Now, Lord Potter, do you remember what happened that night?"
Memories surfaced and Harry recalled shouting and lights. It was quite blurry to his infant self, but he could make out his mother. "I recall my parents being in the same room as I was, and I think my dad saw something from a window. He… yelled something at my mom, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run!" I think. My dad tried to hold him off but he was killed shortly after." Harry's voice wavered, the memory was painful.
Hermione leaned against him, her grip tightening on his hand comfortingly.
"Voldemort blew open the door to the room which my mum had blocked with furniture. He asked her to step aside, I don't know why he didn't just kill her, but when she refused he used the killing curse," he choked, "I saw her fall to the ground in front of me. When he tried to curse me everything turned green and when my vision cleared he was nothing more than robes."
"Everything is blurry from then on. I heard Sirius shouting downstairs, or at least I think it was him, and he came to get me. After that Hagrid showed up and I recall a motorcycle taking me somewhere. That's all I remember." he said as he eyes watered. The memory was typically kept under tight lock, nightmares featuring his parents' death had always plagued him.
"Do you know why you can remember that night?" the girl said quietly.
"As far as I know there's no real reason. It may have something to do with my scar or the curse but I don't know what else could've caused it."
He felt exhausted and surprisingly drained. Hermione sat in his lap, holding him tightly. Luna was solemn as she wrote, and when she finished her notes she looked up.
"Harry, Hermione," she began, "I think it's only fair that I share some of my past as well." Her typical dreamy expression had faded entirely.
"When I was nine years old, my mother died." she murmured softly.
Hermione gasped.
"I was there, she was a brilliant witch. Every day from sunrise to sunset, she would work on creating new spells. One such spell backfired on that day. I saw her-" Luna cut off, eyes tearing up. A moment passed and she pulled herself together again. "I held her in my arms as she died. It broke my father, he began to see things he couldn't see before."
"He wanted me to see them too, to share the amazing things with me. I tried my hardest but I couldn't, but I wanted to make him happy. He was the only person left I was close with and I started acting more like him. That's never been who I am really but it was easier to be like that, it was believable. Nobody questioned it." she said, tears flooding past her eyes.
"But I didn't really have friends until now. It's different with friends, it feels like a lie."
"I… I need to be alone. I'm sorry." the broken girl whimpered.
Luna began walking from the room. Harry called after her but she didn't come back.
"Let's give her some time to work things out. We'll see her at lunch." Hermione said worriedly.
Harry nodded, tired and aching from the emotional meeting. He barely saw where Hermione was leading him until the wall in front of him turned to a door. The room contained behind it was simple, a large bed next to a window with a dresser and desk sitting nearby. An entire wall was coated in a bookshelf sagging under the weight of so many scripts.
Hermione sat on the bed and tugged Harry with her.
"What's this about?" he asked, confused.
"Well, this is my room. You looked exhausted and emotionally drained so I thought I should get your mind off of it." she said.
"Oh, well, um… What exactly were you planning?" Harry colored.
Hermione flushed. "Nothing like that!" she insisted, "Just a nap. I mean, if you really wanted to I guess we technically could but I-" she cut off and looked away, cheeks bright red.
If Harry didn't feel so bad he would have laughed. "I get it, 'Mione. I don't think I want to do that just yet either. A nap sounds wonderful. Why'd you pick your room, though?"
"Um… Well, it's what comes to mind when I think of bedrooms."
"Okay. Will we be sleeping together?" Harry questioned tiredly.
Hermione blushed again. "Yes. Feel free to get comfortable."
Harry took off his robes, cheeks fiery as he stripped to just his boxers. Hermione was just as colorful. As he slid under the sheets he looked over at Hermione, who grew even rosier and reached down, pulling off her robes before turning away and removing her shirt and pants. Harry wrapped his arms around her as she lay next to him.
At that moment, Harry knew he'd never willingly leave her. Words that couldn't quite reach his lips echoed through his mind.
'I love you.'
o0O0o
When Harry woke hours later, he didn't want to move. The moment was perfect, up until he realised a few things.
One, his hand had migrated to her breast, and two, he was far too aware of his lower half. Mortification crawled over his skin like thousands of ants. Shifting slightly backwards he hoped more than anything that Hermione didn't wake up at that moment.
Several minutes passed and his erection passed to his relief. That left one problem left to deal with. Very slowly he moved his hand, mentally cursing when she stirred. The groggy witch scooted backwards, cuddling into him and forcing his hand back. His arm was pinned now.
It took a moment but then she woke up. Harry saw her blush but she didn't move to remove his hand from its position. Again, Harry tried to move his hand.
"Harry?" her voice sounded.
Swearing in his mind, he apologised.
"My hand moved while I was sleeping, I swear!"
"No, it's okay." Hermione blushed.
"You're not mad?" he puzzled, entirely surprised by her lack of anger.
"We've been together for nearly two months and we've known each other for four years. I know you'd never take advantage of me." she said.
"Actually, I kind of like it." she spoke meekly, crimson flooding her face.
His hand didn't move at all. If Hermione was fine with it, he supposed it was okay. Her body flipped to face his and she kissed him, pressing against him.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" he asked suddenly.
She smiled and kissed him again, this time lasting longer.
"Have I ever told you how much of a handsome devil you are?"
"Maybe once or twice." Harry responded cheekily.
A moment of contented silence passed, soft kisses every few seconds breaking the silence. Light shone through the window, illuminating her hair and making her face almost glow. This, he decided, was as good a time as any to say what had been bugging him.
"I love you, Hermione Granger."
She froze for a second before melting into his grasp, pulling herself as close to him as possible.
Blush ran rampant on her face, tingling down to her toes as she processed it. The sincerity and love behind the simple statement filled her with warmth.
"I love you too."
For a long time they lay there, staring into one another's eyes. Contentedness filled them but they eventually had to leave, dressing and exiting the room.
All sense of time had been lost and they found the time was an hour after lunch. The elves fixed them a quick meal that they ate with light chatter before setting out to find Luna. That would be their top priority for the rest of the day.
As they left the kitchens where they had eaten, they bumped into two redheads.
"Harry!" Fred (or George?) cried.
"Just the guy we wanted to see!"
"Lady Hermione," one said, bowing ridiculously,
"May we borrow-"
"Your boyfriend-"
"For a moment?"
"We promise-"
"We'll return him-"
"In the same shape-"
"We first had him in." they finished.
Hermione sighed. "Okay, but we really must be leaving soon. Don't take too long."
Harry grinned, the twins were always a pleasure to be around. He wondered what they needed from him. Ducking around a corner, the terrible twosome pulled him with them.
"Harry, this was-"
"Entirely unplanned."
"But we-"
"Couldn't help but-"
"Notice you're quite-"
"A bit closer than-"
"Normal with-"
"Your girlfriend."
"As such, we-"
"Have decided to-"
"Bestow upon you-"
"Some knowledge that-"
"Served our predecessors-"
"Oh, good word there Forge. Besides that-"
"The information was passed-"
"From messers Padfoot,"
"Prongs,"
"And Moony-"
"To us."
"Meet us in-"
"The common room-"
"When you have-"
"The chance."
"Sure thing, guys." said Harry good-naturedly. He was in a superb mood after the nap with Hermione, though that might have more to do with seeing her half-naked than with the sleep itself.
Back in the hallway directly outside of the kitchen, Hermione stood waiting.
"I think we've been infected with wizarding logic. We have a powerful artifact that we could use to locate Luna and we haven't used it at all." he said to her.
Hermione groaned. "I think that might be truer than you'd like to believe. Let's go get the map."
A few minutes later they found themselves on the fourth floor in an abandoned classroom. Luna was passed out in a comfortable chair. Tear stains streaked down her cheeks.
"Luna," Harry whispered, nudging her shoulder, 'Wake up."
Luna yawned drowsily, reaching up and rubbing her eyes. "Hm? What is it?" she said before her eyes fully opened. "Oh, it's you guys. I suppose I should have expected you'd find me. What do you want?" she whispered with a guarded look.
"Well, of course we looked for you. That's what friends do, right?" grinned Hermione.
The younger girl looked confused before a smile broke out across her face. "Oh, thank you so much! I was worried that you wouldn't want to be my friends since I've been a little fake with you guys."
"We don't mind, I understand what it's like to build a different persona." Harry confessed.
Hermione pulled out her wand and cast a scourgify on the girl. The tear streaks disappeared as the girl thanked Hermione, standing and following them out of the room.
"How'd you find me anyway?" she asked.
"Well, we've got a map that shows us where everyone is." Harry responded cheerily.
"That's amazing, may I see it?" inquired Luna.
"Of course," he said as he passed the map from his pocket to her, "did you ever get that article written?"
Luna swore, an odd thing to hear from the innocent looking girl. "Oh, bloody buggering hell… Shit." she cursed, causing a scandalised expression to show on Hermione's face and laughter to roar from Harry.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to curse. Actually, I did…" Luna blushed.
"I'll take that as a no. It's fine, you can simply send it out tomorrow. Maybe you can get something about the champions for the Triwizard Tournament into the paper as well." consoled a laughing Harry.
"Thanks. I'll try my best, I get the odd feeling something's going to happen."
o0O0o
Shortly before dinner, Harry met with the twins in the common room.
"Hey guys, what do you need? Is it business related?"
"Oh, no. Certainly-"
"Not. We simply-"
"Wish to pass some-"
"Books to you."
They both grinned wickedly before handing Harry a gift-wrapped bundle of books.
"Don't open that here."
"Open it upstairs when nobody's looking."
"Okay. Whatever this is, I'm sure you'll want a memory of me opening it. I'll be off now."
The dorms were empty at the moment. He sat on his four-poster bed and cast a few privacy charms; whatever these books were, he'd rather not let anyone else know.
As the ribbon fell away the paper dissolved. Three small books sat there, bound in leather and titled, "Prongs: A Guide to Charm", "Padfoot: A Guide to Pleasure", and "Moony: A Guide to Success". The second one scared him a little, Sirius was known for being a dog and not in the literal sense.
Opening the first book, he saw his father's handwriting. The first page described the purpose of the journal as how to woo women. A few paragraphs in he could tell this would be appreciated by Hermione.
When he opened the second book, he mentally prepared himself. By the title, he knew it was likely detailing intimate things that he'd tried to ignore. By the second paragraph, he was already embarrassed. It had chapters unlike the other one, the first being; "Over 69 ways to please a girl".
Finally he opened Lupin's guide. This one would likely be extremely useful, the chapter titles detailed defensive magic and offensive magic. So many spells were contained in this book.
Returning to the common room, he saw Fred and George flash a swift thumbs up at him along lopsided grins.
"Why'd you give me those books exactly?" he asked.
"Well," George began mischievously,
"You and Hermione seemed close." Fred continued.
"You've been together for two months." the other elaborated.
"Really though it's been longer, McGonagall won some bets regarding your relationship."
"Wait, what?!" Harry exclaimed, "McGonagall, our McGonagall? Betting on students?"
"More on that later."
"Anyways-"
"Those books are-"
"extremely good advice."
"Consult them-"
"When you need to."
Hermione came down from her dorm, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek and sitting in his lap.
"What's this about?"
"Just some words of advice-"
"From the current pranksters-"
"To the son of legends."
Hermione rolled her eyes before giving Harry a warning look. "You better not prank me."
"Definitely not," he gulped, "that reminds me though."
"How would you all like to join me in the new Marauders?"
Fred and George looked at each other before kneeling and putting their hands at his feet.
"We would be honored-"
"Oh mighty Marauder."
Harry rolled his eyes at the twin's antics.
"And you, 'Mione?"
"Well, I suppose someone has to keep you guys out of trouble." she responded.
The twins pouted. "But isn't that the point of being a Marauder?"
She thought for a moment before responding. "Well, from a certain standpoint, I guess it is. But it's more to prank people and never get in trouble for it because you don't get caught."
The twins looked at each other yet again and bowed. "Of course, Madame Marauder."
o0O0o
Dinner had arrived and the group was laughing and joking. The Beauxbatons students all entered their names and shortly afterwards Krum made a show of entering his name. Applause had been thrown from every corner of the hall when he'd done so, many people placing bets on his performance.
Fred and George attempted to enter only to be thrown back, wearing matching white beards. Laughter echoed uproariously throughout the room, especially loud from Harry's sector of the Gryffindor table. Wiping a tear of mirth from his eye, Harry saw the twins being scolded by their girlfriends.
As dinner rolled to a close, the lights dimmed. Blue fire filled the goblet to the brim, shading the hall an eerie cobalt. After a few words from the Headmaster, the hall quieted down. Many gasps were heard when blue sparks flew from the goblet, spitting out the first name, which Dumbledore immediately grabbed.
"Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons." he intoned, polite applause filling the air.
The next slip of paper shot from the flames. "Viktor Krum, Durmstrang." This time, the clapping and cheering reached a painful volume.
"Cedric Diggory for Hogwarts." Dumbledore smiled, obvious favoritism showing.
Harry turned to Fred and George while Hufflepuff table roared their approval.
"Hufflepuff is going to be smug until the end of the year." he laughed.
"Oh, of course."
"But it will probably last beyond next year."
"Every Hufflepuff currently at Hogwarts will know about it."
"They'll be insufferable for the next seven."
His grin grew wider. "Want to bet on it?"
In the brief silence while the twins were debating it, he realised the entire hall was silent.
Everyone's eyes were focussed on him. Hermione was staring in shock at Dumbledore, whose face was grim.
"Shite." whispered Luna, eyes wide and gazing sadly at Harry.
"Harry, please come forward." the ancient man looked older than ever.
He didn't understand what happened. For just a few seconds, he'd turned away and he'd missed something extremely important.
Of course, with a tournament like this, only one thing could be have happened when he'd looked away. A fourth competitor was named; him.
In the silence of the Great Hall, Harry's groan was heard by everyone.
o0O0o
Weary from the meeting and inquiries into how he was entered, Harry walked into the common room. Not a single person was absent and everyone was staring at him.
"What did I miss this time?" Harry groaned.
"We've called a meeting." said a prefect.
"You've entered yourself into the tournament. Gryffindors, while brave, are not stupid. Entering the tournament was incredibly dumb and you should be ashamed. As such, we prefects have decided to strip you of being a Gryffindor.
Shock rippled through the crowd. Harry felt his stomach drop and his magic started to swirl.
"What?! You honestly believe that?" he demanded.
"Of course. How else would you come out of the goblet? You, Harry Potter, are cast from Gryffindor until you prove yourself worthy again." the prefect spat. Harry didn't know their name but he would be reporting him to McGonagall.
Then murmurs of assent began to rise. Rage flooded into his veins. "Fine! If you don't want me to be a Gryffindor, I won't be!" Harry yelled, magic beginning to swirl. His robes changed from gold and red to black and white.
Hermione walked to Harry and changed her robes' color.
"We won't stand for this." the twins said simultaneously, pulling their wands from their robes. "If he goes, we go."
Most of the crowd simply glared at the pranksters and pulled their own wands. Even Ron pulled his own.
"So be it." Fred said.
"Alright, Forge, we'll be on our way then."
"All too right, Gred." George growled, turning his robes the same color as Harry's.
"Alicia?"
"Angelina?"
The two girls looked at each other, looked back at the twins, and shook their heads. "We'll talk later."
The four left the common room and began to pace.
"How could they! Why would they betray me like that? It's like none of them have common sense!" Harry ranted.
"That was definitely not very Gryffindor of them." said Hermione.
"We agree." the twins agreed.
"Now what do we do?" asked Harry, his voice breaking from exhaustion and stress.
"Well, I suppose we could use the room of requirement as our own house. We can talk with Professor McGonagall tomorrow afternoon." Hermione suggested.
"Wonderful idea, Madame Marauder."
"In fact, we should create a new house!"
Hermione groaned. "Are you seriously going to keep that name?" she asked.
"Yes. We need real Marauder names though, but that's for another time."
Arriving at the seventh-floor corridor, Harry began thinking of what he needed. A common room and dorms were obvious but he could do more. They'd add anything later, he supposed.
Sitting on the couches in front of the fire, Harry put his head in his hands. Ever since he'd woken up, it had been an emotional roller coaster, with the interview then a nap with Hermione then this.
"Hermione?" he asked softly.
"What is it, love?" she said, sitting next to him.
"Would you mind sharing a dorm with me?"
She blushed but nodded. "I'd love that. It might be hard to adjust to sleeping alone in the future though."
The twins winked at Harry simultaneously. Harry thought he'd definitely look into how they did things so in sync. Fred and George shared a sudden expression of realisation and began to speak.
"Harry, since we aren't Gryffs anymore, we really do need a new house. We even have our own house quarters!"
"What would we call ourselves? I swear if you say Potter…" he laughed with a hint of stress induced delirium, running his fingers through his tousled hair.
"Hmm, since we're focussed on winning, we could have a niffler as our symbol. We want that gold cup." proposed a tired Hermione.
"Scamander House!" shouted the twins immediately before breaking out in laughter. "Oh, that's brilliant! We'd kiss you if Harry weren't so intimidating."
A knock at the door called their attention away.
On the other side of the door was Luna and Neville to their confusion.
"One of the gossip-y types in Ravenclaw got a message of some sort from a Gryffindor, I imagine it'll be all over the castle by tomorrow. I was going to go and yell at the Gryffindors but Neville already did so before he left. Then I went looking for you, I remember from the first time I met Harry that this place could be a room and I thought this would be a good place to start looking." Luna informed them.
Neville smiled shyly and waved at them.
"Wow, thanks, Neville. I didn't know you had it in you. Hey, Luna." Harry responded, a genuine smile gracing his face for the first time in an hour.
Everyone stared at the three, mouths working like a fish out of water. When they'd regained some sanity, Neville asked for clarification. The twins repeated their earlier idea about the house and Neville proudly agreed, wanting to be part of the house.
"We value loyalty and strive to win." he said, confidence surfacing in him. A wide grin broke out across his face. " I should write a letter to Gran, yelling at them felt good. Really good."
Luna and the twins yawned all at the same time. "Bloody hell, I'm knackered. I think it's about time we got to sleep." murmured the blonde.
"That sounds amazing. We can continue this in the morning." Harry nodded his assent, Hermione taking him by the wrist and leading him up the stairs. Climbing into bed for the second time that day, the couple snuggled close together, enjoying the closeness and warmth.
"Goodnight, 'Mione. Love you." whispered Harry, Hermione pulling herself closer to him in response as she drifted to sleep; the dreamscape claiming Harry only moments later.
o0O0o
'I could really get used to this.' thought Harry when he woke next to his girlfriend. She had yet to stir but Harry was fine with that, it meant more time he got to spend in heaven. Unlike yesterday he hadn't woken in such an odd position which he was glad for.
In the dim light he studied Hermione's face. Her mousey nose and curled hair flattened on one side from sleep. Her lips inches from his own, perfect for kisses. She was always beautiful but when she was asleep, she was downright adorable. Somewhere in his mind, Harry knew he should try to fall back to sleep, as it was far too early to wake. Somewhere between four and five in the morning.
Hours later, he woke again, this time to Hermione's eyes. A kiss later and he was fully awake.
"Morning, love. What time is it?" he asked. A clock appeared on the wall next to the bed displaying 8 o'clock and he nearly swore, but he was more confused by the appearance of the thing.
"Harry, I don't think we've got classes today, no need to worry about that." Hermione smirked, clearly knowing something he didn't.
"Why's that?' Harry responded, remembering the night before and the room of requirement.
"Well, you see, you're not a Hogwarts student for the time being due to the Goblet choosing you. We were all cast out of Gryffindor and that makes us houseless and thus without scheduled classes." grinned Hermione. Harry was confused.
"You seem awfully happy about missing classes. Care to explain?"
"I can always catch up later. In the meantime, I get to spend the day with you." Hermione answered, kissing him again.
All of his memories flooded back and he paled. Hermione frowned, worry lining her face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling herself closer to him.
"I just remembered last night. The tournament… Merlin, how am I supposed to do this? Now that I've not got classes, what do I do to prepare?"
"We can study together. You're already good at runes, I can help with anything arithmetic, I hear Fred and George are particularly good at potions and the like with their experimentation, and Neville's a whiz at herbology. Luna could probably help you with something too." said Hermione, confidence hiding the hint of worry in her voice. Harry would be fine, he had to be.
"Maybe. That's a good idea actually, we can do classes together, each of us teaching the others a different subject. That would give us five classes if Luna can help or if the twins take on a class each. Do you think anyone else is going to join us?" Harry asked, his fears soothed.
"I bet the twins' girlfriends will join us. They're the chasers for the Quidditch team and I can't imagine they're very happy with the rest of Gryffindor right now. I don't know if anyone else on the team will leave though. Beyond that I'm unsure, maybe?" she spoke.
The couple lay in bed for a few more minutes before dressing and heading to the common room, the twins and Luna sitting at a table with coffee while Neville sat writing on a desk nearby. The colors of the room had changed from simple grey to purple and white to his surprise.
"Morning everyone. What's with the new colors?"
"Well, all of the other colors were taken. We think they fit." Luna said.
"Yeah, purple is a color associated with royalty and white with optimism." Neville agreed.
Hermione waved her wand over her robes and Harry's, adjusting them to their new scheme. She eyed Harry appreciatively. "They go very well with your eyes and hair. Very powerful looking." she said.
"Hermione, why don't you tell them your idea for classes?" Harry asked.
"Okay, sure. I'm sure everyone's come to the conclusion that since we aren't part of a house we don't have a schedule," she began, the others nodding their assent, "We can't let an entire year be wasted, though. We've all got some sort of specialty, I think. Harry's amazing with defense and runes, I'm good at arithmancy, Neville's a whiz with herbology," the typically shy boy blushed and smiled, "and the twins are amazing at potions. Luna, do you have a specialty?"
The other girl thought for a moment. "Yes. I inherited my mom's talent in spellcrafting." she said, her voice wavering at 'mom'.
"We're fairly good at spellcraft too." the twins offered.
"Good. I propose that we all teach classes to each other. Neville could help with herbology, I'm sure the house elves and the room can provide greenhouses for that. One or both of the twins could teach potions and help with spellcrafting, I'll teach arithmancy, and Luna can teach us how to make spells. Harry can teach us runes and defense." she put forward.
"That sounds great." one of the twins spoke as the other sipped his coffee.
"I've got another idea." Harry said nervously.
"Do tell?"
"Well, I've been learning the animagus transformation from Professor McGonagall," he began, the twins choking on their drinks, "and I think I could reliably teach it. We don't have all the core classes so some of us could pick up an extra class."
"I'm good at charms!" Neville piped up from his writing.
"If one of us dropped the spell class they could teach transfiguration. That's another one of our specialties." a twin decided.
"Perfect. So that's settled, I think. It's past breakfast time in the Great Hall, shall we head to the kitchens and get something?" asked Hermione, Harry's stomach rumbling its agreement.
"I could definitely do with something to eat. I'm sure Dobby-" he cut off as the house elf appeared next to him.
"The Great Harry Potter Sir calls?"
"Oh, good morning Dobby! We were just going to get some breakfast. Could you help us with that?" Hermione quipped.
"Oh, yes, of course. Anything for the Great Harry Potter and his friends." the tiny elf enthused.
"It's just Harry, Dobby." said Harry, exasperated by the titles beings everywhere seemed to love piling on him.
Dobby's eyes brimmed with tears of joy. "The Great Harry Potter allows an elf to call him by his first name! Harry truly is the greatest wizard alive!" he shrieked before disappearing.
Luna fell on the floor and began crying with laughter alongside the twins. Neville giggled a little, smiling at the elf's enthusiasm. Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile.
Seconds later a door appeared to the right of the fireplace. Dobby popped in, bowing and opening it, the door leading to a dining room.
"Right this ways." the elf exclaimed before vanishing again.
"Well, I suppose that's one way to get breakfast."
When they had all eaten their fill, they sat on the central couches in the common room.
"So, since we've got to have classes, I suppose we should start making rooms to teach them in. Thank goodness for magic." Hermione said from her place on Harry's lap.
"Yup. This room is amazing. D'you think we could get a Quidditch pitch if we asked for one?" Fred asked. On cue, a door appeared.
"Wicked." the twins grinned.
"While that's certainly interesting, we should stick to more required options." Hermione said before concentrating. A hall opened where the dining room had been, doors absent from its walls. "We need a potions lab," she began, the first door appearing, "a spell room for charms, transfiguration, defense, and spellcraft. That leaves the greenhouses and maybe a dueling room. Oh, and some windows as well - there's not nearly enough natural light in here."
For the next hour, designs were changed and changed again before finally settling on a comfortable informal room. Three couches formed a half-circle in front of the fire, staircases leading from either side of the fire up to a loft with hammocks. A library sat on the left side of the room where light shone through large windows. On the right, the stairs to the dorms ascended. Between the stairs was a hall leading to the classrooms.
In turn, each room was explored. First the spell room; a large room with targets and tables. The next was the potions lab, which was full of desks with transport tubes and cauldrons sitting in pleasing patterns. A small cupboard was full of ingredients, something Hermione was quite confused about. Where the ingredients had come from was unknown.
For the duelling room, they had a raised platform; runes inscribed around it forming a protective circle. Rulebooks sat to the side and chairs were positioned around the sides. Finally, they came to the greenhouse, a marvel to behold.
No plants grew yet but it was beautiful inside. The clear walls showed them on a hill, overlooking the lake and the castle, but there was clearly not a greenhouse when they looked through the common room windows.
"How does that even work?!" Hermione cried in confusion after her third look.
"Probably charms." the twins said.
By the time they'd finished exploring their new house, it was almost time for lunch. Dobby had offered to bring lunch to them again but they decided to show up in the Great Hall. Fred and George mentioned a prank on the whole of three schools and Harry couldn't help but crack a grin, his inner Marauder wanted in on this.
o0O0o
As the first people arrived in the Great Hall they knew something was off. Nobody bothered counting the tables. When everyone was seated and eating, a group marched into the hall, sitting at a fifth table donning purple and white.
Silence filled the hall before confused chatter started up, everyone wanting to know just who they were. The professors seemed especially confused, McGonagall taking note of the Gryffindors at the table before her brow furrowed and she looked at the Gryffindor's own table. The Headmaster stood and after several seconds, the students quieted down.
"Would you care to explain what a fifth table is doing in the hall?" the elderly man said, eyes twinkling at the prank.
"Why yes, sir." the twins began.
"Gryffindor house cast out Harry Potter under the pretense of breaking the rules to enter the deadly Triwizard Tournament. Several of his friends followed, a Ravenclaw even breaking from her house to join him. They formed a temporary new house by the name of Scamander, with a niffler as our mascot.'
Professor McGonagall gasped before glaring at the prefects of the house.
"Our common room lies on the seventh floor by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. We were unable to attend breakfast as we were sorting out the arrangements in the house, but upon request, Hogwarts granted us our own table." the table took turns explaining in a manner similar to the twins' shared speech.
"Fascinating. May I ask why a niffler?" Dumbledore beamed.
"Of course. Nifflers are known for their desire to seek out shiny objects, and Harry is going to win that golden cup"
"An apt creature, in that case. I congratulate you on your new houseship and wish you a fortune-filled year. There is only the matter of a head of house to resolve, please see me after lunch and we shall assign one."
McGonagall stood. "Thank you, Headmaster." her Scottish accent coming out in full form as it did when she was angry, "Gryffindors. Immediately after classes, join me in the common room. There will be a reckoning, I am unsure as to why Mr. Potter was cast out and I do not particularly care. That is not how Gryffindors should behave, I should have been notified if anything was to happen."
Lunch that day was louder than usual and several interested students came to the table. Beauxbatons' champion came by to ask if it was normal at Hogwarts for bizarre events to happen every day.
"Only when Harry's around! Lady luck seems to have an odd thing for him." the twins laughed.
"Lady luck better keep her hands off my Harry." grumbled Hermione, provoking fresh laughter.
"'Ow curious. Would you mind if I sat wiz you all?" the champion asked.
"No, not at all. Feel free to." Harry responded.
"Zank you. I am Fleur Delacour, though you probably remembered my name from ze Goblet. I must apologize for my actions last night, after thinking about it I realised it would 'ave been impossible for you to enter your name. Though you may be a leetle boy, I 'ave 'eard of your adventures. Eet will be an 'onor to be your opponent."
"Likewise. I forgive you for last night, I understand the shock you must have felt."
They chatted amicably amongst the table until the end of the meal, when the group had to meet Dumbledore.
"Au revoir, 'arry." Fleur called over her shoulder as she left for whatever the Beauxbatons students did during the afternoon.
o0O0o
"Good afternoon, Scamander House." Dumbledore addressed cheerily. "Wonderful prank, twins."
"Thanks, Headmaster!" the twins smiled.
"While I would love a chat, there are more pressing matters to attend to. Do you have a candidate for your head of house?"
"Yes, we would like the Sorting Hat."
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and laughed, a deep booming sound that echoed through his office, Fawkes barking a laugh as well. Wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, he assented.
"While that would be fine, I suggest you come up with another head of house. Perhaps Newton Scamander himself? If I recall correctly he lives in Dorset. Oh, and you'll need a schedule." Dumbledore suggested.
"That's a wonderful idea! I'll start writing a letter immediately!" Hermione exclaimed, grabbing Harry by the hand and starting to dash out of the room.
"Wait! Tell him about your idea!" Harry said, smiling at her enthusiasm.
"Oh, okay. But we really should get that letter going." she allowed, telling the headmaster.
"That's quite a good idea. I approve, though your head of house will have to make it official. Until then, the Sorting Hat can be your interim head of house."
"Yes!" the twins cried, jumping in the air and hugging each other. Luna jumped in as well, the three teens falling to the floor with squeals permeating the air. Neville looked as though he wanted to join in but was too shy to.
A/N: It took me far too long to get this up. About a day to write and 4 days of editing followed, but I was still unsure of uploading it. But eh, what's the worst that could happen?