Hermione scowled.

Of all people, she'd have thought that Hagrid would understand what she was trying to do. According to Steven he'd faced more than his share of prejudice and injustice because of being a half giant. He should understand the need for non-humans to have equal rights.

Yet somehow he'd been brainwashed like all the other wizards into believing that House Elves actually wanted to be slaves.

Even Ron and Harry believed that, and Harry had been raised by Muggles and should have known better. Harry should know better than anyone the kind of life that house-elves lived; from what he'd told her, it sounded like he'd been treated like one by his aunt and uncle.

House Elves like Dobby and Winky were being abused every day, and it bothered her that she was the only one who could see it.

Only Steven seemed to agree with her even in principal, and he actually owned a house elf! He seemed to believe that change couldn't be forced on people and that they would resist if you even tried.

She could see his point, sort of, but the problem with gradually convincing people to not be slaves any longer was that they continued to be slaves!

Still, he'd done what he'd done in a spirit of compassion and so she couldn't entirely fault him for it.

Compassion was the one overriding quality that described Steven more than any other. More than being strong or friendly, he was kind. It was one of the things she most...liked about him.

It was going to get him killed.

He'd come to her the night before and asked about putting his name in the goblet. She'd counseled against it; for all of his power and despite his true age, he was only a fourth year. He didn't have the magical knowledge or the skill to take on tasks designed for sixth or seventh years.

The Tournament had killed people in past years. Hogwarts a History had noted that even the judges had been injured by contests in the past.

She'd talked about all the people who had died; she'd taken time off from her Elvish Protection Society research to look up the tournament and what she'd found hadn't been encouraging. There really had been a lot of deaths in the past.

The more she'd tried to argue about the risks, the more adamant he had become. He'd worried that if he didn't participate that someone else would be killed and then he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

"I'm not going to lose anybody else," he'd said.

As to arguments about being only a fourth year, he'd shrugged them off. If the goblet didn't think he was the best candidate, it wouldn't pick him.

His conscience would be clear.

Now, with the selection about to begin, Hermione couldn't help but have a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The other Gryffindors had kept trying to put their names in the Goblet even if they weren't old enough, as though they didn't understand how dangerous it really was going to be.

The Weasley twins still had their beards from their attempt to circumvent the age line.

She looked at Steven sitting at the Hufflepuff table nearby. He didn't looked concerned at all. If it had just been courage, there was no question that he would have been a Gryffindor.

"The champion for Durmstrang will be Victor Krum," Dumbledore announced, holding up the paper for all to see.

No one seemed surprised; even Hermione would have been able to have predicted that, and she didn't follow Quidditch closely. Her only knowledge was what she absorbed by osmosis from Harry and Ron's interminable conversations about the sport.

Her stomach clenched again as Dumbledore held up the next slip of paper.

Fleur Delacour.

Of course it would be her. She wasn't fully human, not that that should matter. Still, it explained why the boys all followed her as though she was a particularly fresh piece of meat and they were wolves.

At least Steven and Harry both seemed immune.

The final piece of paper came from the Goblet and Hermione closed her eyes. Let it be a seventh year...anybody other than Steven.

"The champion for Hogwarts will be Steven Universe," Dumbledore said.

Hermione kept her eyes closed for a moment as the applause began, then forced herself to open her eyes, smile and applaud. It wouldn't do for anyone to think that she didn't approve of Steven as a candidate.

The applause was thunderous; every single Hufflepuff had jumped to their feet screaming and stomping their feet. What surprised Hermione was that it wasn't only the Hufflepuffs. Her own house was just as excited, and most of the Ravenclaws were the same.

What shocked her was that almost a quarter of the Slytherins were applauding.

Steven had made a lot of friends, and even the Slytherins wanted Hogwarts to beat the other schools. What shocked Hermione was that everyone seemed to think that Steven would actually be able to do it.

While he'd beaten a troll by himself and a basilisk with help, there was no guarantee that the trials would be something he could simply fight his way out of.

She'd have to help him if he was going to have any chance at all.

Dumbledore was giving a speech about supporting the school candidates to their best ability when something happened that shocked everyone.

The Goblet turned red once more, sparks emerging, and a final slip of paper appeared.

Dumbledore looked as shocked as anyone as he reflexively pulled the paper out of the air. He stared at it for a long moment before he spoke.

"Harry Potter."

Hermione froze for a moment as she turned to state at the boy sitting beside her.

Was he an idiot?

At least Steven was superhumanly strong and durable. He had an unbreakable shield and a bubble that was almost impervious. There were reasons that he'd thought he might be a good candidate, and even if Hermione didn't entirely agree, she had to admit that there were some valid points.

Harry had none of that. He didn't know any more magic than Steven really, and his body was entirely soft and squishy.

Steven might get hurt in the tournament, but Harry would die.

"Somebody's trying to kill him again," Steven had said. "It's obvious."

"He wanted to put his name in the goblet just like everybody else," Hermione argued.

It was true that Harry had claimed that he hadn't been the one to put his name in the cup, but no one believed him. Hermione hadn't and she knew Ron hadn't. Ron was still stewing that he hadn't had his own chance to trick the cup.

"Do you really think that Harry is cleverer than the Weasley twins?" Steven asked. "It'd take really sophisticated magic to fool the Goblet and the wards Dumbledore put up, and Harry doesn't have it."

"He might have talked one of the older students into doing it," Hermione argued.

"Who?" Steven asked. "If there was a Seventh year Hermione Granger, or even a Tom Riddle I might agree with you. But is there anybody in school who's that talented?"

Hermione frowned. There were very few students who'd even remotely have a chance of beating Dumbledore, unless he'd intentionally made the spells easy to circumvent.

The few who might even have a chance were mostly in Ravenclaw and none of them seemed likely to help Harry. Either they'd be uninterested, or they'd want the spot as champion for themselves.

"It had to have been an adult," Steven said.

"Do you think it was Dumbledore?" Hermione asked quietly.

She'd had years to think about the traps Dumbledore had set up in their first year to protect the stone. While Steven had steamrolled through them with his Watermelon soldiers, Hermione had worked out ways she could have beaten all of the traps with only the spells she'd known as a first year.

Lockhart had done a lot to damage her trust of authority. She'd been so impressed by him; not only was he really good looking, but he'd been in all the books.

It had been the first time books had failed her and that she'd realized that just because it was written in a book didn't necessarily mean it was true.

The more shocking thought had only occurred to her a year later. If what books said weren't necessarily true, then what adults said might not be either.

She'd talked to Peridot a couple of times, and she'd been told about the spying within the ranks of the gem empire. Supervisors would pretend to be on a subordinate's side and then would betray them when they were no longer useful.

Steven didn't look as shocked as she would have hoped. He shook his head, though.

"Dumbledore would have found a way to make Harry the only champion if he wanted him up there for some reason," Steven said. "Since he's the one in charge of the Goblet. Whoever did it had to work around Dumbledore's magic, not with it."

It wasn't a perfect piece of logic, but it had a ring of truth.

"So who?" she asked.

Steven shook his head. "Who tries to kill Harry every year?"

"So You-Know-Who," Hermione said. "But he didn't do it himself. I haven't seen anyone wearing turbans or even large hats, so it's not likely that he's hiding in the back of someone's head again."

"I've seen some ladies with hair that was big enough on Diagon Alley," Steven admitted, "but not nearby."

"So he has to have someone working for him, someone who put the paper in the hat and was a good enough wizard to have jinxed the Goblet without getting caught."

Steven sighed. "I'm starting to feel like it wouldn't be Hogwarts without Harry's annual death threat."

At the rate he was going, Harry would be lucky to make it seventh year. If things didn't go well with the Tournament, he might not make it to the end of the term.

She was going to have her hands full helping them both.