Harry and Hermione were seen by just a few between dinner and breakfast the next morning, but everyone was talking about it and the Great Hall instantly grew quieter as they walked in, arms linked and heads slightly together laughing quietly. They ignored everything around them mostly, although Harry did glance up and see Professor Snape back in his seat. He had no visible expression, an improvement from his usual sneer.
"Mister Potter," the professor suddenly spoke above the crowd, "you have detention right after breakfast where you will come to my office and clean up the disaster in my office you created the other day. I will give you and Miss Granger a note excusing you from your next class." Harry didn't even look up, but just nodded. Then a minute later, "Professor, Miss Granger?" the question was clear even it if wasn't exactly stated.
"Your mess is worse that your feeble intellect can fix given an entire year of detentions. You will need Miss Granger's resources to do your detention or you will never be completed. Is that clear or do you have other stupid questions?" His sneer wasn't visible but everyone in the hall could hear it.
"Yes Professor, very clear." Harry and Hermione listened in the hall to the muttered accusations of half of the students.
"What is that all about Harry?"
"Hermione, I would willingly tell you, but not everything I know about is my story to tell. It breaks into too much private information for someone else and I do not have permission to know myself, let alone tell someone else. Please don't be mad. I really want to say something, but just this once I am going to wait. I think you will get the basics in a few minutes." She nodded numbly, not sure how someone's privacy being in danger had caused her to have to help Harry in detention with Professor Snape.
They both entered Professor Snape's office and the door automatically closed behind them. Immediately a silence spell was cast on the door as well as several other privacy and detection charms.
"Mister Potter, you have two reading assignments." He pushed a parchment to Harry who took it quizzically.
"Miss Granger, you have some potions to file," he indicated two bottles on a desk, and some books to put away." She saw the books and looked curiously at the titles.
"You have an exam as well, Mister Potter. You will not need to do anything just do not move." Professor Snape cast several detection spells, diagnostic spells, then two high powered concealment spells that had the professor breathless for a minute. Harry could feel the masking of those changes in his magical power that came from the spells. He wouldn't be any less effective, but it would look like it to anyone trying to assess his abilities. Somehow Professor Snape not only knew about the sudden change in Harry's magical condition, but was actively trying to help him conceal it.
"Neither of you will be leaving this room until you are through the first chapter of the top book. Under no circumstances, I don't care if the Minister of Magic himself offers you his position for the information. Under absolutely no circumstances are you to discuss those books or this exercise with ANYONE. If you do I will be forced to turn your mind inside out, obliviate what is left, and then give you detention until you remember what you forgot. Understood?" His voice rose and he seemed his usual self.
"I will return in an hour and you will have read and comprehended that chapter. You will have filed those potions somewhere, Miss Granger. I haven't the time to put them with my own stores. And yes Mister Potter, you will make less mistakes in dealing with this critical mess of yours if you seek Miss Granger's advice, which requires her full knowledge of your reading material and the spectacle you put on earlier."
He stormed out of the room.
Harry spent a few minutes catching Hermione up on what had transpired between Professor Snape and him, then they both looked at his note. It was simply acceptance of Harry's apology to Professor Snape with some additional words that sounded suspiciously like an apology from the professor concerning his behavior, but not to expect it to change.
The books turned out to be two on occlumency and the other on legimency. They studied the first chapter diligently, noting that most of it covered how to tell if someone was attempting to break into your mind and some quick tricks to avoid it unless trapped. The hour went quickly and the Professor was back.
"You will both be doing detention with me tonight and every night until you clean up this mess," he pointed to the books. "After you have done so, we will need to address the final resolution to untidy behavior, Mister Potter."
He handed them both a note for their next class and detention slips for the rest of the week.
"Harry," she said as soon as they were in the hall. "These are two potions of exactly what we needed. How did he know? How did he manage to get them so fast? What do we do now?"
"Well, he really wants us good at this immediately. That means there is a threat we don't know about. If what you said about occlumency being able to prevent obliviates is true, or perhaps preventing someone from seeing into our minds, we have to get this right and it has to be done right now. Why else would he be acting like the world is ending? For us it might be ending if we don't find some more protection. This only tends to confirm one suspicion about who is messing with our minds and my life."
"But Harry," she whispered as they approached their Transfiguration classroom. "What are you going to do about your dragon?"
"I am going to have to stay after class and talk with Professor McGonagal. It is part of what I need to learn. You can stay too, if you want, but you don't have to."
After class, Harry went up to Professor McGonagal. "Professor, I need help in quickly transfiguring stone, specifically granite."
Their limited free time they spent working on the skills in the Mind Matters book, learning how to detect and prevent a Legimens attack.
That evening when they had detention with Professor Snape, he immediately cleared the room and transfigured a table into a couch.
"I assume you want Miss Granger to take this dangerous concoction and risk her mental state for a bit of emotional security." Hermione noted the emphasis on emotions and could not really argue that he was wrong. She just couldn't accept that she was memory modified if she could do anything about it.
"Yes, it is very important to her." Harry replied promptly.
"On your heads be it then. She should at least lie down," Snape added more quietly than expected.
Hermione lay down, drank the potion, and Harry cast the spell on her. Soon she was shaking, but it was not nearly as violent a reaction as Harry's. Several times, a flash of memory passed her eyes, occluding them for a moment before they were clear again. It was mercifully few times, but Harry counted at least five. Hermione's eyes lit up, then she looked surprised.
"I owe you my life," Hermione looked startled as she remembered their first meeting. She touched his hand in thanks and a sudden circle of red light flashed around them. There was no indication that Snape had seen the light.
Professor Snape walked over to Hermione and cast the same masking spells he had on Harry. Harry looked at him, realizing that for Snape to help him in this way the intrigue surrounding their memory modifications went further than expected.
"Get back to your studying. I will be testing you starting tomorrow, and if you haven't made enough progress, it will be painful and embarrassing."
Both Harry and Hermione worked valiantly on their Occlumency, taking turns walking through the exercises or both working at the same time. Ron was avoiding them so it didn't change their scheduled behavior.
Harry was called out of potions with a barb from Professor Snape about getting ready to sign autographs, which he now knew he just needed to ignore. Occlumency training was good for getting his mind to relax and just process logically. Both he and Hermione had made major strides.
"Eef eet eesn't the leetle boy," Fleur sneered when Harry entered. Viktor nodded and Cedric looked oddly at her.
The wand weighing was just as silly as it sounded to Harry the first time he heard about it. Something about making sure the champions' wands were all in good shape. He had never seen a wand that had problems that wasn't broken.
After a few minutes Rita Skeeter and her photographer entered and set up a photo. It took Harry about a minute to dislike and distrust her. He was much more focused than he had been just a month before when he had taken the potion that removed his memory blocks.
"How about we start with the youngest champion," Rita grabbed Harry's arm and headed for the nearest door, a broom cupboard.
Harry froze for a second, surprisingly it stopped Rita in her tracks.
"Fleur?" Harry's voice carried across the room quite well.
"Yes," her accent was much less thick when she was surprised, Harry noted.
"Beauxbatons students are noted for being quite well mannered and learned concerning proper etiquette and protocol in virtually every situation. Could I ask your advice on something?"
Stunned, she simply nodded.
"Is it proper for Ms. Skeeter to pull one of the champions into a broom cupboard, especially one of the opposite sex, with no one to monitor the situation? Couldn't that act alone reflect poorly on the 'leetle' champion's school, regardless of how reluctant a competitor he may be?" Harry's gentle smile was noted across the room and even Viktor scowled more at the treatment Harry was receiving. "In addition, does it bode well that the reporter doesn't want anyone else listening to the questions and also the answers provided?"
"It would be quite ill advised, should that champion have any regard for his school," Cedric spoke up, beating Fleur to the comment.
"Ah must agree vith Cedric," Fleur added.
Turning back to the reporter, "Ms. Skeeter, I have no objections speaking with you, but it would be nice if we kept this a bit more professional. Perhaps you would be willing to talk to me with one of my friends present, as well as my Head of House? If having someone else listening bothers you, let me know and we can work something out."
Flummoxed, Rita just put down her quill. She started when the Heads of the schools came in and her chance was gone.
"Well, let's get together later." She winked at him and he looked at her steadily.
"When should I let my professor know to come?" he smiled inwardly as she looked quite uncomfortable.
"Perhaps another arrangement can be made?" she walked off, not sure what to make of this shrewd young man.
After the door closed he smiled to himself, "I will send you a written statement."
"Vell done leetle Potter," her smile made the men's pulse quicken but Harry's thoughts were already on what he and Hermione would write for the story they really wanted published.
"I may not want to be a champion, but have absolutely no desire to be a disgrace to my school," Harry added slyly. "I will be getting a poor report in the Daily Prophet no doubt in any event. It would definitely sell more copies that way."
Harry tried to keep from saying much more during the wand weighing ceremony. He struggled to manage his anger at the way he was still being treated by the Headmaster and other champions, although for some reason Professor Moody was actively trying to help him.
Harry was in a quandary, he realized he needed some advice from an adult, but he didn't know any adults except Snape he could talk to.
It was the next day that Harry received a message from Sirius asking him to trust in his old defense instructor, Remus Lupin, and that he would be contacting him soon. He had written to him the day before to tell him everything about the tournament so far. Taking the letter from the strange bird, Harry grabbed Hermione and they headed for a quiet walk around the lake and to talk. He looked at the letter.
Harry,
Do not think that the person who put your name in the goblet was doing you any favors. They are trying to get something from you if not get you killed. Your defense instructor from last year, Remus Lupin, was a good friend of your parents and is reliable. Keep your friends close Harry.
Padfoot
Harry thought about his friends. He had Hermione as a friend, he used to have Ron. Ron's brothers were at least partially on his side, but didn't have much social contact with him. Then again they did give him the Marauder's Map. Ginny was as much looking to snag him as a boyfriend / trophy as his actual friend. Neville was loyal, however and Luna had made some comments that she might be on his side, but with Luna nothing was certain.
"Hermione," Harry started as they were in the library looking for clues about defeating dragons, "who do you think our friends are?"
She looked at him sharply, worried about where this conversation might lead. She had already alienated almost all of the girls in Gryffindor, and most of the rest of the girls in the school if she only knew.
"Well, there is Neville. He is as reliable as rain. Ron tries sometimes," she looked at Harry warily as she said this.
"Ron isn't exactly consistent with thinking good things about me," Harry said.
"Hermione, please be honest with me, not just in this but in everything. Tell me what you really think not what you believe I want to hear."
"All right, I think we have each other. Some progress is being made with Neville and you could probably get a dozen girls with you if you tried."
"That is about what I thought. Wait, what?"
"Harry, you should know that there are a lot of girls who would love to date the boy who lived."
"Perhaps, but how many want to date just Harry?"
"More than you might think," Hermione added quietly. She didn't really want to admit it to Harry, but he was a hot commodity in the girl population. He just didn't know it.
"Well, I would have said Dumbledore, but he was the one that did the obliviate in the inspector's office, so he is out. I would have said not Snape in a million years, but he is helping us. If McGonagall isn't under Dumbledore's thumb too much then we can trust her. Other than that we could maybe talk to Flitwick or Lupin, but because both of them owe Dumbledore for supporting them in the race issue…" he left the rest unsaid.
"They probably owe more to the headmaster than anyone. But then again so does Snape, if I figure right. So who are we down to for sure? Sirius, who can't be here."
"What about the ministry? Who do we have there for allies?" Harry responded.
"Just Madam Bones. I mean she did give us everything we could reasonably expect, and Susan is her niece and she seems nice. Not that it means all that much, but families do tend to do things in general the same way."
"Susan is one of the few who didn't look at me with loathing when my name was read from the Goblet."
"So, who else. Did you get a look at everyone who seemed to be your supporter?"
"Well, some. It was surprising that a few from the Slytherin table seemed to at least reserve judgment. I just don't know how to contact them quietly."
"Oh, one more thing Hermione, I need to catch up academically. I have to learn 3rd and this year's materials in Arithmancy and Runes."
"What!" her eyebrows rose. "Why are you suddenly..." she suddenly realized that this wasn't a change in his behavior as much as him going back to who he really was before all the memory charms. "Well, since I noted how well you took notes in second year. I think we can do this," Hermione added.
"I didn't think they were that good,
"Have you ever wondered whether the houses system is deliberately designed to prevent cooperation?" Harry asked.
The look on Hermione's face made him laugh.
"Hadn't thought of that one, right? It just makes sense. When you are trying to control a group of people, the best thing to do is to make sure you have the leaders in control. That means you have to have something on each one. Snape is obviously being blackmailed for something in his past. Flitwick is part goblin, so it is his race. McGonnagal has been with him so long she can't even see herself anymore. That leaves Sprout the only head of house we don't know anything about. Since loyalty is their thing, that may be an indicator that she just would never think of treachery." Harry finished his rundown of all the people in control.
"So? Inconclusive?"
"Certainly not enough to prove anything," was Hermione's response. "But it is a strong indicator. Now what about the students?"
"Well, we just did a rundown and I don't see anything to change our minds so far. But we need to keep our eyes open." Harry sounded somewhat subdued and Hermione gave him a quick one armed hug.
"So, how to take on a dragon." Harry said confidently. "What do you think of this plan?"
Harry spent the most part of an hour on his plan, having it modified and reworked several times by both of them. At the end of that time they were both exhausted, having put as much energy into the plan as they had.
Some of the girls were starting to hear rumors of the champions having to deal with or battle dragons, this caused an unusual reaction where several were starting to say 'hi' to Harry in the halls and such whenever they saw him. They never acknowledged Hermione.
The next morning the Daily Prophet printed an article about Harry and Hermione.
"Harry Potter has always tried to get us to notice him, as if his fame wasn't already too much. He flaunts his 'special' place with the Headmaster, who obviously favors him. He is called for special 'talks' with Professor Dumbledore regularly, although I am not sure what they could be talking about." This quote is from one handsome boy in the same year as the famous Potter.
Another quote comes from a girl concerning Miss Granger. "She always thinks she knows more than anybody. I mean she was trying to correct the teachers in her first year. She has been getting very good marks, but I noticed that she gets them mostly from male teachers, and quite often she stays after class for 'questions about the curriculum.'
Naturally Rita Skeeter quoted the most horrible things possible about them.
In the great hall, after reading the article, several crude comments about both of them were heard from the Slytherin table, but they made no reaction whatsoever.
One of the consequences of the Occlumency training they were doing was that they started to need less sleep, which left more time for studying. Harry also began reading up on the material for Runes and Arithmancy. Soon they were given a detention/permission slip from Professor Snape that allowed them to be coming and going much later than normal. They only had to use it a few times.
Eating in the Great Hall was better some days, but today it wasn't. No less than three girls came up to Harry to try to talk to him but really to flirt with him.
That evening they read next to each other on the couch, leaning together the entire time. He looked at her, noticing how her face looked in profile and the way her lips moved as she tried to understand a particularly difficult section.
"Hey," he said, trying to get her to look up.
She turned to him, an impish smile on her face, thinking she knew what he wanted. He leaned in and quickly gave her a peck on the lips.
"I'm not in trouble if I like a kiss from my girlfriend, am I?" He looked at her intently as she opened her eyes with a dreamy smile.
"That's fine," she replied softly.
He kissed her again softly at first and she returned it with interest and a bit more pressure. After a short time he leaned back, smiling.
"You're beautiful and I am very lucky to have you with me," he smiled at her deeply affected.
"I don't think I am going to be able to concentrate on reading anymore tonight." She smiled at him again, then kissed him quickly and stood up.
He pushed himself to his feet and held on to her for a minute before reluctantly letting go and watching her face and her messy hair until she was out of sight in her dorm.
"Hermione, let me make sure I understand this transfiguration issue. You say that the larger the object, the lower the ability to add things like strength and such, right?"
"Yes, it is actually a function of the magic per mass ratio and therefore the smaller the mass times the absolute value of the difference between the two substances equals the power squared."
"So let us say that we made something small that would do what we needed." Harry looked at her with a smirk and in a flash they both headed to the library and wrote out a list of small items that were strong that he could use.
Harry looked at the dragon in front of him for just an instant before he dove behind the largest rock within easy reach. The flame breath of the Hungarian Horntail nearly baked him even in his shelter. He leaped up for a second and yelled 'Accio Harry's Firebolt." From somewhere at the edge of the Hogwarts castle a broom jerked away from its position sitting on a ledge and flew almost a mile toward the sound of roaring while the compact form of Harry Potter waited, sweating.
After a third jet of flame rushed past, Harry stood for just a second and cast a transfiguration spell with a complicated motion that not even the teachers recognized. From somewhere in the stands he heard the shriek of Hermione who was busy digging her nails into her face without even realizing it.
Harry conjured a second time and you could barely see the thin ropes that came out of his wand hurling just to the golden egg. Before the dragon could breathe again, Harry cast another transfiguration charm and the rope apparently disappeared and he ducked again.
Soon the firebolt made its way to him and he jumped on it scarcely missing another jet of flame, his wand still extended. After he rose just a few feet the golden egg suddenly flew in his wake, following him like a duckling. He jerked his hand again and the egg arced toward the waiting champion's tent and rolled to a stop leaning against the side.
Hands in the air he thought he could hear Hermione's cry of 'yes' even over the roar of the crowd. Unfortunately that meant that no one heard the snap of the weakened chain. Harry found Hermione in the crowd only to see her suddenly pointing behind him. By pure instinct he jerked hard left and the dragon sped past. He was over the crowd now and he turned back and sped down toward the ground, the beast in close pursuit. It was only a few seconds later before he realized that this flier would not fall for the famous Wronski Feint and he adopted another plan to simply lead the animal on a merry chase. It was at this time that he heard another change in the crowd's voice and saw that the beast was heading back to the arena. From where he was it looked like she would ram right into the audience near the Gryffindor section.
Changing course again he dove straight at the beast toward the left wing. He turned his broom and freefell the last few meters to land knees first, crashing into the center joint hard and getting its attention. His body smashed forward and he hit his face on his knees. Ignoring his bloody nose he remounted his broom and flew above it as it landed to check its damaged pinion. Harry buzzed it and it ignored him except for sending an occasional flame. Finally Harry paused above it as she eyed the noisy crowd. The compulsion to protect the false egg was gone now, but she still felt like something was violated. The dragon suddenly took off charging the crowd again. There was a collective gasp and a few screams as he released his broom and dropped onto the creature's neck, casting another quick conjuration almost as he hit his new seat. Harry was pulling hard on an unseen object with both hands and the closest dragon scales were bunching up as he was seemingly trying to pull the neck scales off. After three beats of her wings she suddenly gave a horrible screech; blood was now pouring out of a cut that appeared on the long neck. Losing altitude she screamed and frantically snapped her wings to her back trying to dislodge the terrible thing on her back since turning her neck increased the dangerous pain on her throat. The change in her wings brought them both crashing into the ground just a few steps from the base of the stands before she rolled over on top of the lad.
A small river of dragon blood flowed from the neck of the thrashing beast smoking as it came in contact with the ground; then it was finally still. From beneath the wreckage crawled the comparatively tiny form of a fourth year boy. He stood on unsteady feet with his left arm hanging loosely at his side. His wand was in his hand and people gasped as his entire back was smoking and covered in dragon's blood. A few people with exceptional eye sight saw the look on his face and became extremely uncomfortable as he looked up at the crowd until he spotted something; then suddenly he jerked his robe off. His back still had some spots smoking, but he didn't seem to notice as he sat on a rock just a bit from the now twitching body.
Three dragon handlers ran from the side of the enclosure and soon the boy was helped to the medical tent. It was almost silent for a full minute as everyone not doing medical duty realized what they had just seen. The boy who was too young to enter the tournament had killed his dragon.
Harry Potter woke up with a start and there was someone in the room. He instantly cringed before he recognized the smell of the hospital wing and not Dursley's. This allowed him to relax. He could only see out of one eye and he was covered in bandages.
"Hey," Hermione sat there looking at him, trying not to show too much worry, "I won't ask how you are feeling, but I will say get better." She left off what she wanted to say about never scaring her like that again.
Harry looked directly into her eyes and said quietly, "I'm fine. I am sorry. I had to go with one of the backup plans, you were in danger."
"What do you mean Harry, this wasn't one of the plans we discussed," her voice was surprisingly quiet.
"I had just thought of it after something I heard about in a science fiction book," Harry tried to hang on as the adrenaline was leaving his body again.
"What did you use?" Hermione asked in a whisper.
"I just transfigured…" his voice took on a dead quality and his body tensed slightly. She noticed that his eyes had a slightly glazed quality as she looked very carefully and he stopped responding.
Madam Pomfrey rushed in a moment later having been notified by some alarms. She quickly fed Harry a potion that smelled faintly of oranges. Hermione recognized the smell and wondered about it. Slowly Harry relaxed somewhat, then fell asleep while she watched.
It was the second day that several others started to gather around the hospital door, but were rebuffed. The following morning a note was left on the nurse's desk listing those who would be allowed a short visit. It was written in a neat feminine hand. Every day Hermione came and brought her books and studied next to Harry's bed instead of the library, often reading the lessons out loud. Madam Pomfrey didn't bother chasing her out.
Seemingly without communication, Hermione took over allowing access to those who wanted to wish Harry well. There were several surprises there as Neville Longbottom, Daphne Greengrass, Susan Bones and Luna Lovegood were admitted when none of the Weasleys were. Interestingly enough, Professor Flitwick was also included.
Naturally the first visitor was Dumbledore, swirling through the hospital with his mish-mash robes.
"Harry my boy," he walked up standing extra close to the bed. "You should be more careful."
"Yes, headmaster." Harry scowled, noticeably bristling at the confrontation like attitude of Dumbledore. "I supposed being forced to enter into a tournament that is dangerous to students three years my senior isn't being careful. I will try to avoid that next time." Harry's voice raised a few notes.
"True," The professor's eyes twinkled and Harry could feel the pressure on him to look back with admiration and loyalty. "perhaps you shouldn't have killed the dragon. It will look very bad and wasn't necessary." The headmaster nearly shouted with glee at the slumped shoulders and rueful expression Harry exhibited.
"I don't know what I could have done," Harry moaned.
"How is Mister Ron Weasley?" He knew this would get another negative reaction which helped keep Harry off guard. Harry refused to answer any other questions, however and the headmaster left quite unsatisfied.
Harry relaxed after he had gone; realizing his trust for Albus Dumbledore was completely gone. He thought long on exactly why he had originally trusted him so much. He listened to Hermione reading his lessons to him since he was still having trouble focusing with his good eye. She was quite nice to look at, he decided, and lay back contently. If it was going to be a long hospital stay, at least he was going to have good company.