Hermione Granger was… confused.
It was the day after the Fourth Champion had been summoned, and the day of Wand Measuring- An event which effectively boiled down to getting the exact wand-measurements of the champions of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and checking that they worked.
Literally and not metaphorically, for once, thank Merlin.
Normally the event would have taken place immediately after the Champions had been selected by the Goblet of Fire, but due to the exceptional event of a fourth champion being chosen, the Wand Measuring had been postponed until the Ministry of Magic made a ruling on whether or not the tournament could continue ('it would') and if the new Champion could compete ('he would have to').
…After he had been found, informed, and dragged to Hogwarts, of course.
Hermione had binge-read everything regarding the Tri-Wizard Tournament the moment she had learned of it, which had been at the dining hall when Dumbledore had announced it in concert with a huge show and dance that the two other Schools of Magic had performed during their entry to Hogwarts.
Granted, the information in the library book didn't carry her far, considering that there hadn't been any information about more than three contestants in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, ever. Not to mention that she had read the whole book in just a few hours between the announcement and bedtime, so she might have missed something.
However, just as she sat down for breakfast, she had been quite surprised to receive a letter from Professor Flitwick, who was her Head of House.
Ravenclaw suited Hermione well, or at least she believed so. Even though her housemates had often hinted that she may have enjoyed the House Gryffindor more, considering the amount of strong opinions she had regarding the government of Magical World- Or rather, how backwards it was when it came to certain things.
Moreover, Flitwick's letter had come to Hermione in the form of a white mice offering her a neatly wrapped scroll, and after delivering the item, the white mice had let out a small puff of white smoke and had turned into a chocolate bar.
Hermione had dutifully left the dining hall with the chocolate bar in her hand, had buried the chocolate bar in the garden, and had placed a small cross which read 'A mouse who completed his duty with grace and determination, and died in peace.' on top of the grave.
She knew that the mice had likely been a chocolate bar that had been transfigured into a mice, and not the other way around, but Hermione was very much of the opinion that if someone made something living, even for a moment, then the newly living should be given the same courtesy that every other living being deserved.
After that, she had read the letter and had gotten thoroughly confused.
'...Headmaster Dumbledore wishes to see me?'
.
.
.
Ten minutes later Hermione was even more confused, somehow.
"Excuse me, Headmaster Dumbledore, but… um…" Hermione couldn't draw her eyes away from something.
She had heard of stories of Dumbledore's Phoenix, Fawkes, and read about it in books that detailed the Wizarding War and the notable persons that had participated in it, and Hermione had even seen the bird once during her second year in school- Namely, when the Headmaster had asked Fawkes to look over the resting students after they had been asked to sleep in the dining hall for safety after a series of Basilisk attacks.
However…
"I asked Fawkes to pinpoint Harry Potter. Surprisingly enough, Fawkes was able to locate and even deliver a letter to mr. Potter, but…" Dumbledore looked like he was having a moment as he looked at the bird as well. "It seems that when Fawkes asked if mr. Potter would accept an expedited travel option to Hogwarts, namely through Phoenix's Flame, he cordially stated that he'd like to receive the full 'Hogwarts' experience."
Hermione didn't know if the Headmaster was having a good moment or a bad moment, but she knew that the corners of Dumbledore's mouth were twitching occasionally as if he had trouble holding his mirth back.
Indeed, Fawkes had a thick golden chain around his neck and it had letters 'BLAZE IT' in big bold letters hanging from it, and the bird was wearing a set of Phoenix-sized sunglasses with a rainbow coloured frames.
Moreover, the bird had a thick smoking cigarette-like roll in its beak, as if it was smoking it.
Hermione scrunched her nose a bit at the sweet smell coming from the clumsily hand-rolled joint-like cigarette.
"Fawkes rolled that himself. I was surprised to see that he could do it, much less carry the ingredients- Actually, where did you get the ingredients? No, nevermind, please do not tell me. I love mysteries." The Headmaster of Hogwarts hummed jovially at Hermione's unasked question.
"Wait- Are- Are those drugs?!" Hermione suddenly made the connection. "That is illegal, Professor!"
"Well, yes. Certainly in the polite Muggle society. However, please rest assured that the Magical World does not currently have legislation against medical usage of herbs. Otherwise I'd have to abolish Potions entirely. Professor Snape would be out of a job!" The Headmaster gave Hermione a grave look over his half-crescent glasses, making Hermione hesitate. "Think of the children! What would the students of Hogwarts do without the 'Evil Potions Professor'? I'll have you know, patterns are very important."
A small off-tone grumble came from one of the total of four people who were in the room.
Hermione was shocked to silence, and Neville Longbottom was too terrified to move as it looked like the Hufflepuff boy's courage didn't exactly hold scrutiny from the Headmaster, even if the old man's gaze was directed at Hermione.
However, the last person in the Headmaster's office did seem capable of speaking, as Ron Weasley muttered something under his breath.
"Yes, young Gryffindor?" Dumbledore turned his attention to Ron who jumped a bit and sweated visibly. "Ah. I see. Indeed, from an individual standpoint it would be better if Snape no longer taught at Hogwarts, but for each dot light, one needs a shadow. After all, the breakfast would not taste nearly as good if one didn't spend the previous dinner in a detention in the dungeons! Likewise one couldn't appreciate the excellent Transfiguration studies if there wasn't a horrible Potions class to offset it!"
"U-um- I didn't-!" Ron blurted out nervously.
"Do not worry, the dinner is safe and sound, and you are not in trouble." Dumbledore reassured Ron, this time with direct words as it looked like the previous hints had gone right over his head. "In fact, I called the three of you for an important and secret mission- Something that only you three can do."
It looked like that the mention of a secret, important mission from Dumbledore himself caused Neville to faint, Ron to straighten his back while he paled so much that his freckles made him look like someone had shot him in the face with a shotgun loaded with black pepper, and Hermione coughed to his fist.
"With all due respect, I hope that this is something appropriate for students, Headmaster." Hermione wavered internally but she had to point out that heroic missions weren't exactly the forte of teenagers.
"Do not worry, I did consult Professor McGongall regarding this mission, and she has approved it even if she only partially agrees with the necessity of it!" Dumbledore stood up while stating so and pointed his finger up at the sky like a hero of some sort, making Hermione's brow twitch a bit.
On one hand it was reassuring that McGongall had agreed to whatever idea Dumbledore had, because it meant that it most likely wasn't something outrageous like that one time Dumbledore had suggested that Hagrid would oversee a detention.
The detention had involved Ron, Hermione and Draco Malfoy- Draco had somehow roped Ron into a duel at midnight. Filch had caught Ron, naturally, and Draco hadn't shown up, naturally, and the Slytherin boy must have just informed Filch that he had information regarding a student who was out of the dormitories at night.
Draco Malfoy, meanwhile, had gotten into trouble with McGongall after he had subtly undone a Transfiguration that Hermione had managed to perform, that of turning a huge rock into a bronze ferret sculpture that could be used as a nutcracker, and Hermione had called Draco out on the sabotage. McGongall hadn't been happy about it either, and gave Draco a detention that he accepted gracefully.
Hermione should have known to watch her back when the normally arrogant boy acted all prim and proper, as she had been kicked and beaten by Draco's two goons as soon as she had gotten out of the class and had ended up alone in a hallway- After which Snape had walked by, seen Crabbe and Goyle punching Hermione in the face, and given Hermione detention for fighting in the hallways as well as taking ten points from Ravenclaw.
The detention with Hagrid… had been worse than the beating, however, and almost as bad as the injustice of Hogwart's punishment system.
Hagrid had immediately broken several rules by taking the trio of students to the Forbidden Forest and when he had heard something, had just told them to stay put while he went to investigate.
Naturally, Malfoy had pointed his wand at Hermione and Ron and stated that they should walk in front, so that if some sort of wild creature would ambush them, they'd take the blood-traitor and the mudblood first.
Ron had punched Malfoy.
Hermione had tried to hold Ron back after the punch had landed.
Malfoy had jinxed them both.
The squabble ended as a cold chill enveloped the fighting students… And they realized that there had been one more person, if it could be called that, in the woods.
And the stranger had been looking at the trio, almost like a Dementor coming to take their souls.
Malfoy had taken one look at a shadowy figure who looked like it was drenched in oddly sparkly blood, and the Scion of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy… Had instantly ran for it.
Ron had looked around, saw the stranger, screamed in terror about dark wizards, and fainted.
Hermione had stared at the mysterious figure who had seemed to merge with the darkness to form a monstrous creature that lifted all eight of its arms and showed a pair of spider-like mandibles that could snap a man in two.
Hermione had retroactively decided to play dead, and to reinforce the image, she had masterfully and very deliberately fainted in terror.
…After that she and Ron had woken up in Hagrid's hut, where the groundskeeper had taken the pair after finding them, and stuffed them full of chocolate that smelled of brandy and fed them waffles that broke Ron's teeth when he tried to actually eat one, and Hagrid had left again to look for Malfoy…
…The next morning Malfoy had been found in the forest, huddling against a tree while cold and miserable, and babbling something about spiders, wraiths, and his father.
Three days later the news had a field day with the event as Malfoy hadn't been quiet about it, and rumors had circulated around the castle that Dumbledore had to pull a whole cord of strings in order to block Lucius Malfoy's accusement of 'Hagrid of attempting to slay the son of a Noble and Ancient House by means of deliberate negligence', which would have resulted in several years in Azkaban for Hagrid had it gone through.
Suffice to say, Hermione had been very careful to look at the subtext and fine print of any sort of abnormal event after that harrowing experience.
So, when the Headmaster had stated that even McGongall had okay'ed the 'mission'... She accepted it, even if she handed a small stack of papers to the Headmaster that stated all of the asterisks that she included in the acceptance.
Dumbledore nodded seriously after he glanced through the pages. "I have found your terms… Agreeable, Hermione Granger."
"Sorry, but… Please do not use that tone, headmaster. I have read a- a muggle book called Empire Strikes Back, and the context is giving me the creeps." Hermione sighed a bit as she mentioned the muggle part of the book, as she was fairly sure that the Headmaster hadn't known-
Dumbledore gave Hermione a genuinely happy smile and pointed at his bookshelf, and Hermione blushed to her eyebrows as she saw the aforementioned hardcover book and a VHS movie alongside the full first-draft script of Star Wars in the bookshelf.
"But- I thought- How did- I thought muggle technology-?!" Hermione pointed at the tape in shock as she had seen for herself that muggle technology would spontaneously malfunction near anything too magical, like if they were brought to Hogwarts.
"Please, ms. Granger, allow a poor old ancient wizard to at least have some mysteries!" Dumbledore made a small motion as if to state 'woe is me'. "But I feel we have become severely side-tracked, so I'll get to the point- I would like it if you three took a Portkey to Platform of Three and Nine Quarters, and took a train back to Hogwarts. Again."
"Uh- w-w-why?" Neville stammered. "W-we are in Hogwarts already, but… Ah."
"It seems that mr. Longbottom realized it already! Very good deduction, my boy!" Dumbledore looked quite proud, which caused Neville to retreat into his metaphorical shell.
"You mentioned Harry Potter wanting to receive a 'full Hogwarts experience'- Do you mean to say that we are to take the train again so that we can accompany Harry Potter?" Hermione furrowed her brow a bit because it seemed more than a bit unfair for them to do that sort of thing when Harry had been offered an alternate way of getting to Hogwarts instantly, and forcing other students to go along with it smelled a bit too much of favoritism or special treatment.
Although a part of Hermione understood that Harry Potter was the Hero who had saved them from You-Know-Who, but she still felt as if a genuine Hero would have just used the offered means of transportation that didn't involve bothering other people, specifically during the eve of the Tri-Wizard Tournament…
"Oh no, do not worry, your mission isn't that!" Dumbledore smiled. "The rest of the students of Hogwarts will be going back to the Platform of Three And Nine Quarters as well! After all, it wouldn't be a genuine experience if you were the only students on the train!"
Hermione choked a bit on the sparkly water that the three had been offered when they had sat down. "B-buh- wubhuh?!"
"Professor McGongall stated a similar concern, yes." Dumbledore nodded seriously as Hermione babbled in shock.
"But- the- what- why- he?!" Hermione realized that she was speaking to the headmaster and promptly controlled herself. 'Calm down, you aren't talking to Luna Lovegood, even if the ideas are pretty much identical… I swear, the next time that girl asks me if she can search for fun-idea-eaters in my hair or something I'll state very directly that I do not have 'fun-idea-eater-fairies' in my hair and no such thing exists-'
"Well, regardless of that, if you agree then my mission to you is thus: Please try to make friends with Harry Potter." Dumbledore looked very serious this time and there was no sparkle in his eyes, telling Hermione and the two other students that he was double-serious this time.
"But… why? That sounds really creepy- Are you trying to force us to be Harry Potter's friends?" Neville, much to Hermione's surprise, piped up after a lengthy silence. A silence which Fawkes had used to roll another joint with his wings. "That… Doesn't sound fair for Harry."
"No, not at all, my boy!" Dumbledore looked like he wasn't offended by the question and nodded his head. "A very good question! I would offer you house points for acting in character for a Hufflepuff, but unfortunately this mission should stay secret so I'll just have to ask you to offer me a Sherbert Lemon from that bowl over there."
"Um- one of these?" Neville offered the entire bowl to Dumbledore who took one of the sweet things and ate it.
"Very good! Five points to Hufflepuff for aiding the elderly!"
That was it for Hermione.
She stood up. "I am very sorry for my tone, but this is outrageous, headmaster!"
"Fret not, I have instructed Filius to award Ravenclaw points for acting in-character as a Ravenclaw as well! No favoritism here!"
"That is not- Ghaaaa!" Hermione grabbed the sides of her head. "What I mean to say is that much like Neville, I believe that this is supremely unfair! What if Harry doesn't want to be friends with us? What if we don't want to be friends with him? Do you think he can't make his own friends-"
"I did tell you already, but I shall repeat- 'Not at all'." Dumbledore looked a bit serious again, making Hermione's next groan of exasperation considerably milder. "I do not mean to order, bribe, or otherwise coerce you into being friends with Harry Potter, or the other way around. Nor do I want you to try to conceal this from him, if he ever should ask or if you feel that you need to tell Harry that this meeting took place. However, I cannot say so of Lucius Malfoy, as well as multiple other families who carry titles of 'Ancient and Noble'."
Hermione felt as if her head had been dipped in ice-cold water as she realized what Dumbledore was going for. And crucially, realized that there was a student in the group for each of the houses- Ron from Gryffindor, Neville from Hufflepuff, and Hermione from Ravenclaw- except for Slytherin.
"You mean to say-"
"It is very likely that Lucius has already been informed that Harry Potter has resurfaced in one form or another- The Goblet of Fire calls a name forth with ancient magic that ensures that the Wizard whose name is pulled from it, will compete." Dumbledore suddenly looked every bit like the ancient wizard of legend, causing Hermione's mouth to snap shut and stay shut for once. "I shall reveal this to you: On paper the goblet states that if the Wizard refuses to compete then he'll lose his magic, but that is not so- Rather, it is a cover up as the Goblet will manipulate Fate itself to ensure that a future takes place where named Wizards shall take place in competition. In other words, the Goblet is not so much a glorified ballot-box, but rather, an item that States a very specific repeatable Prophecy."
"Oh that's hogwash. Prophecies are a sham." Hermione slipped and spoke as her body had tensed up during the start of Dumbledore's speech, and the latter made her think of the one Divination lesson she had taken as an experiment- And where she had learned that Divination was just a sham exercise for con artists.
"Let us agree to disagree, ms. Granger." Dumbledore sent Hermione a calm, non-threatening look that nonetheless made her feel as if she had said something that she really shouldn't have said. "Regardless, I am confident that Harry shall arrive to Hogwarts, and that he shall compete in the Tournament. And I am certain that Draco Malfoy, as well as the scions of other houses as well as the press, Ministry, Daily Prophet and various other sources of information have already informed the Noble Families that Harry is here."
Ron nodded and Dumbledore continued as it looked like the ginger boy had started to really pay attention when the Malfoys were mentioned.
"And even though 'Harry' is unknown to them, they know that 'Harry Potter' is 'The Boy who Lived', and that 'Potter' is a Noble and Ancient House of Britain." Dumbledore looked quite sad. "To them, Harry is nothing more than a new piece in an intricately carved game board- One that comes with a hefty fortune in Gringotts, a vote in Wizengamot once he comes of age, and a potential threat in the political sphere unless he is bent to their will. And the Noble Houses will react appropriately, by sending their own sycophants to flock to Harry, in order to influence his way of thinking."
"It is not my intention to say who Harry should or should not be friends with, but rather, I seek to ensure that he is not placed into a position where he is solely flanked by only those who wish to use him to their own ends- This is also why I did not ask for anyone from Slytherin to come here, as I am certain they'll send a plenty on their own to flock to his side." Dumbledore finished his explanation and glanced severely at each of the students.
Ron was nodding fervently while Hermione was having doubts, as he detected hints of hypocrisy from the speech. Neville, meanwhile, just gulped audibly.
"I shall do this." Ron was determined. "I shall save Harry Potter from the Dark Mages!"
"That is- The Wizengamot aren't dark, it's just a government organization-" Hermione felt exasperated as the Gryffindor once again displayed that they were as subtle as a church bell when it came to things like 'light and dark' in context of juridical system- Even though Hermione secretly agreed that it would make sense that the system was governed by dark wizards when it was so full of useless bureaucracy, incompetence and racism against muggles and magical races. "They are not terrorists, Ronald Weasley!"
Neville fainted.