The four boys in the audience froze as they watched the Grim take a running leap and knock one Harry Potter to the floor of the duelling platform. To their even bigger shock, Hermione Granger, staunch defender of Harry Potter, collapsed in giggles (giggles!) next to the unusual pair before the giant Hell beast turned his attention to the clearly traumatized witch. As both magical humans struggled to get out from under the shaggy beast, the boys turned to see their Head of House and former DADA professor just shaking their heads.
"Ummm, Professor McGonagall? Aren't you going to help them? I mean…that's a Grim, isn't it?"
Dean asked.
McGonagall snorted inelegantly. "Hardly. Though I would consider his past behaviour on par with a Hell beast. Now, gentlemen, I would ask that you head to the Great Hall if you haven't had dinner yet. Mr Lupin and I need to speak with Mr Potter and Miss Granger about Tournament matters." Seeing the Weasley twins straighten up, she added, "They are not in any trouble, in fact, we hope to help them significantly. They will tell you what they can later, gentlemen."
Nodding to their Head of House and waving to two on the duelling stage, the boys headed out to see what was left on the Gryffindor table after Ronald Weasley began his systematic annihilation on all food that wasn't glued to the trays.
"Padfoot! Get off!" To emphasize Harry's point, Hermione sent a stream of frigid water at the marauder turned hound. "Damn menace!"
"Hey, now! I'm going to smell like a wet dog the rest of the night now!"
Struggling to sit up, Harry laughed. "What brings you both here? Professor, does this mean Dumbledore is letting Remus train me?"
Minerva smiled slightly before conjuring a table and five chairs.
"Let's get something to eat and we'll explain things to the both of you. In exchange, I have a few questions that I would like answered honestly from the pair of you."
Once they were seated with food appearing on their plates and tea and pumpkin juice (water for Harry and Hermione - they could drink pumpkin juice in small amounts but could never get used to the sweet wizarding drink) both teens turned expectant eyes on the adults.
Remus cleared his throat. "Min, do you want to start?"
"I was summoned this afternoon to fetch Mr Lupin, Mr Black, and several representatives of Gringotts for a meeting with the Headmaster. Ironfist, who is the account manager for both the Black and Potter accounts, came along with a guard who assisted Mr Lupin in arranging for you, Mr Potter, to have additional training for the Tournament."
"But Dumbledore said Remus couldn't help me. Something about it not being fair or some shit."
"And that's where it's a bunch of dragon shit, pup. It's why we brought the goblins with us." Sirius replied.
"Funny you should say that, Sirius. Harry was told about the first task today." Hermione replied, spooning up some mashed potatoes.
"What do you mean, Hermione? Say what? Dragon shit?" Sirius went pale. "No shit…"
Minerva looked at her favorite student, ignoring the swearing for the moment. "Miss Granger? Please tell me this is a joke."
Harry shook his head, biting a chicken wing. "Nope. Moody grabbed me after class and said 'dragons'. Hermione brought up the fact we don't know if he also told Cedric but he did tell me. I have to steal an egg from a dragon and not turn into flambé."
"Of all the asinine, barbaric, half witted…I bet Ludo Bagman came up with it. It sounds like the type of thing he would love to watch so long as he can stay safely away from it." McGonagall sighed. "Harry, Hermione, I would like to apologize if it seems myself and Professor Flitwick have not been openly supporting the two of you. Dumbledore has given strict instructions to the staff that none of us are to assist the two of you and that includes in the treatment you are receiving from the students in the hallways.
"We have been able to assist you in warding the room you have procured for yourselves in the Transfiguration hallway as well as keeping an eye on you here in the duelling rooms. It is too little but we fear if we do much more…"
"Then Dumbledore will really tie you down." Harry finished, nodding. "It's okay, Professor. It's nice to know you and Flitwick believe me. It's been…tough. I thought this year was different."
Hermione grabbed his hand. "We both did. Now, what are the goblins offering for Harry?"
"Ironfist was not happy when he found out Harry was involved in the TriWizard Tournament. In the past it could be used as a way to whittle down large families and change how inheritances were distributed simply because of the death rate involved. So with Harry being both the sole heir to the Potter fortune and the heir to the Black fortune, the Goblins want Harry to be safe." Sirius said.
"Wait, fortune? What fortune?"
"Harry, don't you know your parents were really well off? James' family was rich. Probably the third richest wizarding family in Britain."
Harry stared before turning to Hermione. She knew that look. The faintly glassy, wide eyed stare. Harry was overwhelmed again. Pulling him into a hug, she ran one hand through his hair before whispering in his ear.
"Deep breath, Harry. One thing at a time." Glancing at the adults, she decided lunch would have to wait. An overwhelmed Harry could quickly shut down completely or go nuclear in seconds - he didn't really have a middle ground once things started to get dumped on him. And it sounded like just the beginning of the conversation. "Professor, I think we need a few more comfortable chairs, please."
Nodding at the young witch, Minerva conjured a series of cushy armchairs for the group and watched as Hermione led Harry to one, maneuvering him into it before curling onto his lap completely at ease despite the adult presence.
"Okay - Sirius, it's safe to say what little Harry (he squeezed her once before giving her a look) okay - Harry and I know about James and Lily Potter we learned from the staff here. And it's not much apart from the photo album Hagrid gifted Harry with three years ago. We know nothing about how they lived or even where they lived." She saw Sirius wind up to speak and cut him off.
"But that has to wait. We need to know what the Goblins can do to help us out with this tournament. Can they get Harry out of it?"
"The short answer is no. The tournament itself isn't the binding contract - the contract is with the Goblet itself. It knows it chose the best out of what it was given. The most worthy. And so they must prove worthy in competition. That also means that Harry can't half ass his way through this either. By choosing the most worthy of those presented, they in turn must compete to the best of their abilities."
Hermione was quiet so long the adults were beginning to worry. Harry, though, recognized the look and understood her mind went off somewhere the others couldn't follow at the moment.
"Mi, the non-geniuses need you to talk out loud to us. What are you thinking about?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"To the best of their abilities? So they don't have to put on a show or be elaborate - they just have to get in and out the best they can?"
"Yes, that's the prevailing idea. Why?" Sirius asked.
"Because wizards lack common sense."
"I beg your pardon…"
"Excuse me?"
Sirius just laughed. "Harry, I'm glad she's on your side. I can remember Lily complaining about that. Magicals have a certain way of doing things and that's the only way of doing it. Doesn't matter if it can be done faster or easier. For the tournament, everyone is going to think big and flashy, put on a show. Not get in and out."
"Exactly. So we combine magical and muggle methods of training to get Harry through this. I can guess there should be an anti-summoning charm on the egg the Champions have to get. But then again, it's so simple, maybe no one ever tried it. And there are lots of other ways to summon something indirectly to you." Hermione finished draping her arms over her knees. She'd maneuvered herself so she was basically sitting over Harry's lap, bum on one side, legs drawn up over his and feet resting on the other armrest.
"Again, glad Hermione is on our side. The other offer from the Goblins is a place to stay. Since Harry isn't considered a Hogwarts Champion, he doesn't have to stay in the castle, though that is an option. That was made clear by where Beauxbatons and Durmstrang are staying. I'm not sure what they have in mind but it sounds like it might be safer than what's been going on here."
Harry frowned before looking at Hermione. She shrugged.
"It does sound great, especially if they wouldn't mind helping us train.But it might also seem like I'm running away. Chickening out. Might make things worse, especially if Hermione can't be taken out of the castle as well. The jinxes are bad enough but the dorms and the common room are worse. People we thought were friends…"
"Harry has some help in the dorm from Dean and Neville but I've had to ward my belongings to keep my doommates out of them. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia are a huge help but they're all older and in different dorms."
McGonagall frowned. She hadn't heard any of this from her lion cubs. "And you haven't brought any of this to my attention?"
"No offense, Professor, but until tonight we didn't really think any of the staff gave a damn. No one seemed to stop any of the harassment in the hallways or even in the classrooms, no detentions were given, no points lost, so we tried to ignore it or take care of it ourselves." Harry shrugged.
"Again, Mr Potter, Miss Granger, I can only offer my apologies for that. The Headmaster has effectively tied our hands here in the castle. But speaking of the dorms, Miss Granger it's come to my attention you haven't been spending the night in your dorm room this year. Care to elaborate?" Minerva raised a brow and waited.
The two teens turned red almost immediately. No one in Harry's dorm had caught them out - it would have been all over the castle - so who?
"Professor - my dorm is hardly welcoming right now, if the damage to some of my bath supplies is any indication of how my dorm mates feel. Harry has nightmares most nights, some worse than others - "
"What Mione isn't saying is that over the summer I wrecked Sirius' place every time we tried to sleep apart. The first night we spent at Remus' I totalled my room. It's happened here a few times in first and second year, not room destroying bad but I woke up the dorm a lot before I mastered a silencing charm."
Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose. "I believe you both as it's what Mr Lupin and Mr Black already told me. I needed to hear the same from the both of you. Mr Potter, while the rules of this tournament give you a great deal of leeway, this is not something I would normally condone. However, the Goblins have come up with a few solutions they would like to speak with you about if you agree to their housing offer."
Harry looked at Hermione. "What do you think, Mi? I'm not leaving the castle without you so if that's not an option, then we figure out something else."
Remus smiled. "Ironfist has listed one Miss Hermione Granger as your official Tournament advisor - seeing as she knows more about the Tournament than even the organizers do. This will also allow her to gain access to the Goblet - with the accompaniment of her own team of advisors (Sirius coughed and it sounded suspiciously like Goblins). She will also need accommodations near yours to be of any help. I will also be there as a trainer along with my faithful hound."
"How soon can it happen?"
Remus smiled. "I can send out the owl as soon as we're done here. Ironfist is anxious to meet the both of you so I imagine he'll have everything set up by the weekend at the latest. Dumbledore wants to look over all of Ironfist's proposals and has until tomorrow evening to give his response. Which will give us two weeks to train against a dragon - something the goblins understand well."
Harry nodded. "Let's do it. That way we aren't constantly watching our backs here while trying to train or having to see if the twins or the girls are available to play guard duty."
The group broke up after finishing dinner, Harry and Hermione glad to have the chance to visit with Remus and Sirius again. Professor McGonagall seemed to stare at them a bit more than usual, Hermione noticed, but she hoped that was just because they told her about what was happening in Gryffindor Tower and not because she thought she and Harry were doing anything more than sleeping in his dorm. The thought of doing anything else while Ron snored loud enough to drown out a Mandrake cry made her cringe.
The pair had expected a summons of some sort from the Headmaster the following day but all was quiet on that front. Ron Weasley had decided (most likely out of desperation) to speak to Hermione again but only to beg, plead, and then harass her about helping him with his homework. When she refused to outright do one one his essays for him, the twins had to get involved before she turned him inside out into a pile of goo on the floor. As it was, he had a shiner that he told everyone he got from Care of Magical Creatures and Hagrid's Blast-ended Skrewts..
Friday brought potions and with it the joy of spending the day with Snape and the Snakes. It would be the first time he had to deal with the Dungeon Bat and his merry band of minions all in one place since his name came out of the damn cup. For a place that knew Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses were rivals they sure made certain both houses had most of their classes together. He, Hermone, Neville and Dean made their way down to the dungeons and lined up with their backs to the wall opposite the door - watching as the Slytherins gathered on the other side of the hallway.
"So, Potter, what do you think of our new badges?" Malfoy sneered.
Harry now noticed what the brightly colored flashing badges actually said. 'Support Cedric Diggory the Real Hogwarts Champion'. Harry shrugged. Malfoy tapped the button with his wand. 'Potter Stinks' flashed on the badge. Original.
"Nice. Did you come up with that all on your own or did Crabbe and Goyle help you out with it? Looks a bit above your level there, Malfoy."
"Why you piece of filth. How dare you…"
"How dare I what? Make fun of your pitiful attempt to get under my skin? Be bothered by your repeated threats to run to daddy? I already met your father face to face when I was twelve and wasn't impressed." Harry waved the blonde off. "Next."
Malfoy pulled his wand and shouted.
"Furnunculus!"
Hermione had a shield up before Harry even got his spell off, causing Malfoy's spell to deflect and his Goyle in the face.
"Rictusempra!"
Malfoy dodged but barely, the spell hitting Pansy Parkinson behind him.
"Desangueo!"
Harry heard the yelp behind him as Neville tripped and Hermione got hit with the spell. He quickly ended the childish fight by stunning the three idiots and turning to Hermione. Her front teeth were already below her chin.
"What is going on here?" Snape made his entrance by billowing down the hall. "Potter, what is the meaning of this?"
It was Dean who spoke up. "Professor, Malfoy started it by making fun of Harry with those pins. All Harry said was he wasn't bothered by them. Malfoy shot first."
"Yeah, look at Hermione! She got hit!" Neville stuttered out.
Snape glanced over at the bushy haired witch and frowned. "I see no difference in how Miss Granger looks."
Harry wanted to kill him. He really did. He wasn't sure if that made him a bad person or not but for Hermione, he'd kill him. Grabbing her fallen bag and shouldering it along with his, he started her towards the hospital wing.
"Potter, Granger, I didn't give you permission to leave. If you miss my class that will be a zero for the both of you."
Turning towards the smirking potions master, Harry smiled. "Then it's a good thing that as a Triwizard Champion I'm exempt from graded lessons and exams." Snape went to open his mouth and Harry cut him off. "And since Miss Granger here is listed as my official Advisor for the Tournament, the rules of the competition apply to her as well. All the rules, Professor. And since Hermione read them, you'd better believe I know them."
Harry turned his back on the Bat and directed Hermione to the hospital wing. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks as she held onto the bottom of her oversized teeth with one hand and her aching jaw with the other. Not only were her teeth huge but they were heavy and felt like they were pushing all her other teeth out of the way.
Madam Pomfrey tutted and huffed when they arrived, dragging Hermione behind a screen despite her trying to hold onto Harry. When he said there might be two or three other 'guests' in a few minutes if Snape didn't take care of them himself she just shook her head.
"Mr Potter, do I need to start consulting some of my more…obscure medical journals now that you are studying with Miss Granger?"
Harry frowned. "Maybe. I hadn't thought of that. I tend to stick to the old favorites. But Hermione and I are going to be training with the Goblins."
He swore he heard Madam Pomfrey roll her eyes. "Wonderful. Hand to hand combat injuries. Just please don't remove limbs. I have no desire to reattach anything this term, Mr Potter."
"I can't promise anything, Madam. Malfoy isn't good at keeping his mouth shut. And much as I hate to say it, Ron hasn't exactly been the best of friends this term either."
"There. Perfect." Hermione popped out from behind the curtain and gave Harry a shy smile. He noticed right away that her front teeth were smaller and now in line with the rest of her teeth.
"Mi, you had them fixed." Harry lifted her chin so he could get a better look and she grinned.
"Yeah. Mum and Dad will be furious but I just couldn't come back here with braces and I didn't want to wait until I graduated and spend two or more years at university with them if I didn't have to." She shrugged. "This way I can say I was hexed and it was easier to fix them than keep them how they were."
"Well, I thought you were perfect as you were but I'm glad it makes you happy. Your parents shouldn't have been making you wait for something that could have been fixed so easily. Especially if it bothered you so much."
"To them, magic doesn't seem like a permanent fix. It's still all smoke and mirrors until I'm able to cast spells at home. It's difficult to believe magic and medicine can mix."
"Harry! Harry! Hermione! Wait up!"
The two turned to see Colin Creevey rushing down the hall towards them. The little blonde third year was red faced and huffing.
Harry groaned under his breath but smiled when Hermione nudged him in the ribs.
"What's up, Colin?"
"Harry…They…need…" he panted.
"Colin, take a moment to breathe. Why are you so out of breath?" Hermione frowned.
Bending at the knees and breathing deeply, Colin held up his hand. When he got himself under control he raised his head.
"Sorry, I ran all the way to the dungeons from the Great Hall first. Then Snape was yelling at me. He bellowed something about a curse and leaving without permission so I ran up here. Harry, the Tournament judges need you in the Great Hall for the Weighing of the Wands. And some pictures and stuff for the Daily Prophet."
Harry frowned but Hermione looked thoughtful. "Colin, do you have your camera nearby?"
"Yeah, It's in my bag in the Great Hall, why?"
"How would you like to take Harry's pictures for the Daily Prophet?"
"WHAT?"
"REALLY?"
"Okay, here's what I'm thinking," Hermione began as they headed down the hall. "Harry isn't a Hogwarts Champion. He's not really a TriWizard Champion being as he's the fourth Champion. That should give him some leeway the other Champions don't have. The Prophet can handle the publicity for the official champions and Gringotts and Harry will handle his own publicity."
Harry looked skeptical. "Will anyone really let that happen?"
"Technically your only obligation is to compete in the tasks. Anything extra is just that - extra. If they want you to show up - you can do it on your terms."
For the first time since Remus and Sirius visited, Harry smiled. "Okay, I like this idea. So basically what you're saying is, I have an obligation to compete in the tasks to the best of my ability because the damn Goblet is making me. But anything else is just bells and whistles. If they want me to play nice, they have to be nice to me?"
Hermione nodded. "Essentially."
"Excellent."
"Mr Potter, you are late." Dumbledore's voice echoed through the Great Hall. Ludo Bagman, Barty Crouch, Percy Weasley, Ollivander, and a middle aged blonde with lurid pea green robes that were way too tight were standing around the head table. A bored looking photographer stood off to the side. Milling around were the other Champions and their Heads of House. Professor McGonagall was nowhere to be seen.
"I apologize, Professor, but I was tied up with Madam Pomfrey. We came as soon as we could."
"You're not injured are you, my boy?" Bagman bellowed looking concerned.
"I'm not, no."
"Miss Granger, Mr Creevey you are free to return to your classes. This shouldn't take too much time."
"If you don't mind Professor, Hermione and Colin are staying. I see that each Champion has an advisor present but my Head of House isn't here. It wouldn't be fair to have you stand in as my advisor since I don't represent Hogwarts. Hermione is taking Professor McGonagall's place. And Colin will take any pictures that the Daily Prophet needs. It is the TriWizard Tournament. The Prophet should focus on the official Champions and not little old me. Will that be a problem?"
Dumbledore looked like he swallowed something foul. He couldn't very well deny Harry the right to an advisor since it was clear the others had one here. Anything he said would be recorded by Rita Skeeter and be taken out of context. Harry had boxed him in quite neatly.
"That's quite alright, Harry. Mr Ollivander, would you like to begin?"
Hermione watched with some interest as Ollivander began inspecting each of the Champion's wands. He named the wood and core before performing a series of simple spells with each. She couldn't figure out why it would be an official ceremony before the competition though. If they were concerned about the wands working properly for the tasks, wouldn't they check each wand prior to each task? The photographer from the Prophet was snapping away as each Champion stepped forward.
"Ah, Mr Potter, last but certainly not least. 11 inches, phoenix feather and holly, kept in excellent condition."
Ollivander ficked the wand and a stream of water shot out. He glanced at Harry a moment before looking out at Hermione. The old man nodded once to her before turning back to Harry.
"Remember the only thing you can carry into the tasks is a wand."
Colin moved in to take a few pictures of Harry and the other Champions as they lined up for the 'official' Champions photos and the three turned to leave the Great Hall but were blocked by the blonde reporter.
"Harry Potter, I'm Rita Skeeter of the Daily Prophet. You wouldn't mind giving me an interview, would you? How it feels to be a surprise fourth Champion? Not to mention the youngest Champion this year?" Her grin was feral as an acid green pen poised itself over a piece of parchment floating behind her.
It was Hermione who spoke up. "On behalf of Mr Potter, we have to decline. Harry needs to get back to class and any interviews or requests for interviews need to be discussed ahead of time. I'm sure the other Champions would be delighted to give you your interview, Miss Skeeter, but we need to decline."
Harry swore the woman growled before she turned on her heel and stomped off.
"I think you pissed her off, Hermione."
"Wonderful. How much trouble can she really cause, Harry?"