- CHAPTER TWO -
Conspiracy Theories
Three hours later, Hermione was still sitting at her usual spot in the library. A thick tome on wizarding contractual law lay open in front of her while a dozen more books on the subject were piling on the desk on either side of her.
She trailed her finger along the tome's fine script as she read its lengthy descriptions on the nuances of explicit and implicit binding agreements, but she soon came to the conclusion that the book didn't contain any new information.
With a deep sigh, she shut the tome, laying it aside on the stack of other disregarded books next to her.
All the books said basically the same thing. A person couldn't be entered into a magical contract without their consent. But at the same time, that consent had only to be given in a disturbingly loose sense. It was even possible to enter into a magical contract unintentionally, as long as you were at least aware that you were assenting to some kind of agreement and had a rough idea of the subject matter.
Now, what did this mean for Harry? On the face of it, it seemed as if there could only be one conclusion. As Harry had never given any such assent before his name came out of the Goblet, Hermione couldn't see how the Goblet of Fire could possibly have formed a magical contract with him.
Unfortunately, things were rarely clear-cut when magic was involved. There was a remote possibility that the usual rules did not apply to the Goblet of Fire. It also might be possible – though she deemed it rather unlikely – that the obligation to compete had transferred to Harry when he had implicitly accepted to be a champion after his selection. However, it seemed much more likely to her that such a thing, if possible at all, would require a more definite action on his part, such as Harry participating in the First Task.
Still, she needed to better understand how Harry might be affected if he broke a hypothetical contract with the Goblet of Fire. What would happen if a champion refused to compete in the Triwizard Tournament?
Earlier, when she had gathered the books that now lay next to her, she had scoured the shelves for a rulebook of the Triwizard Tournament and for books on the Goblet of Fire. But her research had come up empty there. There were no books on either topic to be found in the library.
But luckily, she had discovered one other book that might be of help to her now. She reached over the desk and grabbed the ancient-looking tome, placing it in front of her. It was titled The Triwizard Tournament Through the Ages and would hopefully contain the answer to her question. After all, there surely had been some champion who had tried to back out during the tournament's long history.
Hermione opened the book and began to read, her eyes skimming over the text.
After almost an hour, she had flipped through over two-thirds of the book but still hadn't found any account of a champion voluntarily quitting the tournament.
She was beginning to lose hope when one paragraph in the text caught her attention. She halted and began to read it more closely. Finally, she had found what she was looking for.
The Triwizard Tournament of 1714 is not only known for the up until then highest death count in the history of the tournament, due to a rampaging Minotaur in the first task, but also for the only instance of a champion refusing to compete. Cadmius Campbell, later known as Cadmius the Coward, refused to fight against the wild Minotaur and fled before the first task. In response, the Goblet of Fire stripped him of his magic. Cadmius unsuccessfully tried to convince the public to call him by the more flattering name of Cadmius the Clever after his two co-champions were killed by the Minotaur, along with thirty-two spectators. However, as a Squib, Cadmius was naturally cast out of the wizarding world and was forced to settle among Muggles. The squibbed Cadmius died only a year later when his Muggle neighbours accused him of practising witchcraft and burnt him on the stake.
Hermione looked up from the book and closed it forcefully. The loud thump as the book slammed shut elicited an admonishing hiss from the librarian Madam Pince, but Hermione couldn't bring herself to care about her breach of library etiquette.
She was furious. So that ominous reason for why Harry – according to Dumbledore – had no choice but to compete was the loss of his magic. That just didn't make any sense! Yes, Harry losing his magic would be unfortunate, but she'd certainly prefer Harry to be without magic than dead!
And, of course, he would only be affected if the Goblet had actually created a binding contract with him. Judging by everything she had read so far, that in itself was unlikely enough.
So, if Harry refused to participate, there would be a slight chance that he might lose his magic. But he would stay alive. He wouldn't have to risk his life in tasks that would be dangerous even for seventh-years.
Why weren't the tournament officials opting for that solution? Why had they never explained to Harry what the magical contract might mean for him? Why did they not give Harry the knowledge he needed to make a decision himself?
Didn't they know? How could they not know what she had found out within only a few hours? How could they- Or... or did they know?
Did they know?
For the Ministry, it made sense to make Harry compete just to have the Boy-Who-Lived participate in the tournament. It would bring good publicity to the event.
But what were the professors thinking? Dumbledore, but McGonagall, too?
Suddenly, the realisation hit her. They wanted Harry to take part because they were using him as bait! It was the only logical explanation. They wanted Harry to compete because it would make it easier to find the person who had entered his name into the Goblet. If the perpetrator was maliciously targeting Harry, there was a chance that they would reveal themself during one of the tasks.
But how could Dumbledore and McGonagall do this? They were professors! The welfare of the children in their care had to take priority over catching criminals!
How could teachers knowingly put their charges' lives at risk for some ulterior motive?
How?
As she repeated the question in her mind, Hermione's eyes widened. All the things that had happened over the years... was it truly negligence? Or was it something else?
Suddenly, all her previous adventures at Hogwarts also became suspect.
She realised that she had been wrong before. It wasn't just that the teachers were ineffectual or negligent. It was worse! They were actively and knowingly endangering the life of the students.
Now that she thought about it, the traps that had 'protected' the Philosopher's Stone had been rather conveniently tailored to Harry, Ron, and her. They had been able to get past each trap easily. That couldn't possibly have been a coincidence! But the purpose of it all remained a mystery to her.
Then, in her second year, how could Dumbledore not have known that the monster threatening the school was a Basilisk, when she had figured it out as a second-year? Had he wanted Harry to be the one to fight the basilisk?
And in their third year, could Dumbledore really have been unaware of Sirius's innocence? Even if he had been, why didn't he push for Sirius to get a trial now? Why didn't the Headmaster use his vast political influence to help Harry's godfather?
Also, why had Dumbledore sent Harry and her to save Sirius from the dementors? Why hadn't he done it himself? Had it been another test for Harry? But why would Harry need to be tested like that in the first place?
What was going on?
No matter how many dangerous situations Dumbledore might have engineered for Harry, it couldn't be that the Headmaster simply wanted to kill Harry. If Dumbledore wanted Harry dead, she was quite certain that Harry would have died a long time ago.
It couldn't be something simple as that. She couldn't even begin to speculate on the reasons, but she knew that whatever plans Dumbledore had, they certainly didn't take Harry's safety or welfare into account.
While she would have liked to resolve this mystery of Dumbledore's motives, she didn't know of a way that wouldn't put Harry's life at risk at the same time. Unlike the adults, she wasn't willing to use Harry as bait to somehow figure out what was happening. She might not know any specifics, but she knew enough to see that Harry was in mortal danger at school.
So, what should they do? How could she ensure Harry's safety when his life was put in peril by both the staff and unknown perpetrators?
In the end, the conclusion was simple. Harry had to leave! He had to escape the madhouse that was Hogwarts and preferably get away from Magical Britain altogether. There really was no other way for him to stay safe.
She would have to leave, too, of course. She wouldn't let him run away on his own. He would need her help.
Could she do that? Run away? Her parents... well, her parents would be fine. She hated that she didn't feel much worse about contemplating leaving them, but things honestly weren't great between them and hadn't been for a long time. They wouldn't understand her decision to leave, but they hardly understood her decision to go to Hogwarts.
Her running away wouldn't change much between them. She didn't expect to spend much time at home over the next summers, now that she was getting older. And she could write from wherever she and Harry might go just as well as from Hogwarts. It would hardly change anything, really.
And her education? Well, she and Harry would keep up with their studies, of course. They would have to take the necessary books with them. And additional books for some more advanced reading, naturally. Maybe they could test out their OWLs and NEWTs once they were of age, either somewhere else in Europe or in Britain when it was safe for them to return.
If she was honest with herself, there wasn't much that she would miss about Hogwarts. She certainly wouldn't miss the many inept teachers, the rampant bullying and hysteric rumour-mongering among the student body, or the general wilful ignorance towards the Muggle world displayed by pretty much everyone.
Apart from Harry and Ron, she didn't have any close friends at school. She had never been good at making friends. And to be honest, Ron wasn't exactly a close friend of hers, either. They certainly wouldn't be friends if it wasn't for Harry. And whether Ronald was still a friend of Harry's was also up for debate after he had abandoned Harry when his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire.
She had tried to help Harry and Ron patch things up between them, knowing how important that friendship was for Harry, but she was done making excuses for the redhead. Ron had deserted Harry when he needed his friends the most. And if Harry and she had to leave, Ron couldn't join them, anyway. Even if he had been a better friend, he would never leave his family and friends behind and run, nor could they ask that of him.
Harry might be a bit more reluctant to go than her, though. She knew that he would miss Ron, or Quidditch. But with the threats to his life, it should be evident even to Harry that giving up a bad friend and a favoured past-time activity was preferable to putting his life in peril.
So, what did she have to do now?
Hermione fetched a quill and a sheet of parchment out of her bookbag and began to list her next steps. The First Task would take place on Tuesday the week after next. Ten days. That was how much time she had until everything needed to be ready.
First, she had to tell Harry of her findings and convince him to run away. She hoped that he would agree with her, but she felt confident that he would see reason once she had laid out her argument. Surely, he would see that it would be in his own best interest to leave this damnable school where he had nearly died several times each year.
Once Harry was on board, there were a lot of things she had to research. She needed to learn how she and Harry could remain hidden from all means of magical detection, and she needed to get more information on the magical communities abroad. She knew very little about Wizarding Europe outside of Britain.
Then, depending on her findings, she had to plan their escape in more detail. Some ideas were already taking form in her mind. They would also need to gather any necessary supplies, maybe during the Hogsmeade trip the following weekend.
Hermione looked over the list again and nodded with satisfaction. Everything that needed to be done was included, and she felt confident that she would be able to achieve these goals.
Now, she only had to talk to Harry.
She glanced at the clock that hung over the entrance of the library and was startled to see that she had totally lost track of time. Dinner had already started a few minutes ago.
Hurriedly, she gathered the books from her desk and put them back on the right shelves before she darted out of the library and made her way to the Great Hall.
#
Slightly out of breath, Hermione entered the Great Hall a few minutes later. She looked around and saw Harry eating by himself at the near-end of the Gryffindor table. Quickly, she walked over to him and sat down on the bench next to him.
"Hi, Harry," she greeted him, panting slightly.
"Hermione," Harry said and looked up at her, his expression changing into one of concern. "Are you all right? Your teeth..."
"Yes, don't worry, Madam Pomfrey fixed my teeth easily enough. They are fine," Hermione answered. "More than fine, actually," she added with a bright smile towards Harry.
"Ah, good," Harry said with relief and lowered his gaze towards his plate. Hermione was slightly disappointed that he hadn't noticed the changes to her teeth, though she wasn't very surprised by that.
"I'm sorry that I got you hexed," he then said remorsefully.
"Harry, it was Malfoy's hex that hit me," Hermione answered forcefully. Honestly, Harry just had to take the blame for everything. "And I don't blame you for wanting to hex him, he was awful."
Harry wasn't looking at her, but he nodded, scowling slightly.
"And Snape was awful, too, of course," Hermione continued. "What happened after I left?"
Harry's scowl deepened. "He deducted some points, and me and Ron got detention for shouting at him. I actually don't remember what I said..."
The boy shot her a nervous glance, and Hermione realised that he expected her to admonish him for losing his temper and shouting at a professor. She was annoyed with herself for how she had acted in the past. Well, no time like the present to try to make things right.
Harry's face showed his surprise as she offered him a small smile and reached for his hand, giving him a gentle squeeze.
"Thank you for standing up for me," she said. "And I'm sorry for how Snape always treats you. It's not right, and I should have seen it sooner. I'm sorry. I wish there was something we could do about it, but I doubt it..."
"Oh..." Harry mumbled, giving her a startled look. "It's all right... and, well... yeah, I doubt there's anything we can do about him..."
He sighed. "Well, at least I was excused from Potions today because as a champion, I had to be at the Weighing of the Wands."
"Pardon?" Hermione asked, surprised by the sudden change of topic.
"I had to be at the Weighing of the Wands," Harry repeated. "All participants of the tournament had to be there."
"Why would they need to know the weight- no, that can't be it, what did they do?" Hermione wondered.
"Well, Mr Ollivander was there, and he tested our wands," Harry replied with a shrug.
"Tested them for what?"
"Well... I dunno... If they work all right, I suppose?"
Hermione frowned. "I've never heard of wands needing testing. And why did they do that now, and not directly before the task? What if the wand of one of the champions gets damaged in between now and the task?"
"Huh," Harry responded, "that's a good point. I don't know."
A moment later, he snorted derisively. "It was probably more of a photo-op, then. I also had an interview with this ghastly reporter who completely distorted everything I said. I really don't want to know what the paper will say tomorrow..."
"Don't worry about it, it doesn't matter," Hermione replied. "Besides... well... there are much more important things to worry about. I've done some research and have come to some conclusions that I have to tell you about."
"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.
"Not here, where everyone can hear us," Hermione replied with a low voice. "I'll tell you after dinner."
Harry nodded and returned his attention to the plate in front of him while Hermione filled her own plate. While they were both eating quickly, Hermione nervously went over all the things she had to share with Harry and tried to plan out how to best tell him of her discoveries.
"All right, let's go, then," Harry said once they had finished their meals.
Hermione nodded and they left the Great Hall. Once outside, she quickly strode towards an empty classroom a few steps down the corridor from the entrance hall. Harry followed along, a curious expression on his face.
"So... what's this about?" he asked as soon as they were in the classroom and he had closed the door behind them.
Hermione sat down on one of the desks in the front row and took a deep breath. "It's about a lot of things... There's a lot I have discovered... "
"Well, I suppose our homework will have to wait, then," Harry said, giving her a lopsided grin as he sat down next to her. "What is it?"
"I... well, I discovered several things..." she said. "But, the most important thing, I think, right now, is that you won't compete in the Triwizard Tournament."
"Uh- What?" Harry asked, taken aback.
"I looked up how magical contracts work. Despite what the tournament officials and Dumbledore said, I don't think you really have to participate," Hermione explained at a rapid pace. "I think it's very unlikely that the Goblet could've formed a magical contract with you without your consent. There might be a small chance that the obligation to compete transferred to you later on, but I think that's rather improbable, too... I also researched the penalty for breaking any possible contract with the Goblet of Fire..."
She paused for a moment and then went on. "As I said, I don't think the risk for this is high, because it's very unlikely that the Goblet of Fire actually formed some kind of contract with you. You didn't enter your name into it and weren't even around it for any prolonged period of time. But... but if a contract was formed that includes you, and you don't take part, you would only lose your magic. So that-"
"What?" Harry exclaimed. "No! I- Then I have to compete! I can't lose my magic!"
"Don't be stupid!" she said dismissively. "Would you rather risk your magic or your life?"
"Hermione..." Harry began.
Hermione looked at Harry quizzically, confused why he was having difficulties making a decision that really should be clear-cut.
"Either you participate in a tournament that is meant for witches and wizards that are three years older than you. In a tournament that was suspended because of the high death toll among the participants! The risk of you getting injured or worse would be extremely high," she said, trying to simplify things for him. "Or, you refuse to take part in that death trap. Then, you won't be in that danger, but you might lose your magic. It would only be a slight risk. I don't think that you'll-"
"Hermione, you don't understand..." Harry interrupted her, a slight hitch in his voice.
"No, Harry, you don't understand!" she replied forcefully, slowly becoming frustrated with him. "You might die! Isn't a low risk of losing your magic much better than a high risk of losing your life!?"
"I can't go back, Hermione! I can't!" Harry shouted with a trembling voice, shaking his head frantically. "I'd rather die than go live with them again! I don't... won't- I need to... without..."
Hermione blinked. She had never seen Harry in such a state. Rather die than go live with them again – what was that all about? Why was he worried about-
A cold feeling of dread ran down her spine.
Yes, she had known that Harry didn't get along very well with his relatives. But this kind of panic attack...
Things had to be much, much worse.
"Harry?" she asked timidly, almost pleadingly.
He apparently didn't hear her. "I won't! The summers are bad enough... but without magic... I'll take my chances with the tournament. I don't- I can't go back there..."
"Oh, Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, engulfing the trembling boy in a strong hug. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and she couldn't stop a small sob from escaping her lips.
How could she have missed this? How could she have missed that the boy she loved, her Harry, was mistreated by his guardians? How could she have missed something that was so blatantly obvious in hindsight, now that she knew it?
"I'm so sorry... I'm sorry... Why have you never told me how bad it was?" she sobbed out. "What have these vile people done to you?"
Harry only shook his head, and she decided not to press for any details and just hugged him more tightly.
He was still breathing heavily but began to calm down slowly. Tentatively, he wrapped his arms around her and returned her hug.
For a while, neither of them said anything until Hermione looked up at him from where she was pressed against him, giving him a look filled with sadness and compassion.
"Harry, please listen to me," she said, "Whatever happens, I promise you won't go back to... to your relatives."
He gave a resigned sigh. "There's nothing you can do. Dumbledore insists that I go back there every year."
"Dumbledore," she snarled, her sadness giving way to anger in the course of mere seconds. It was just another instance of the Headmaster sabotaging Harry's welfare.
Harry gave her a curious look, and Hermione knew that she would soon have to explain her uncharacteristic outburst.
She took a deep breath and let go of him, sitting back upright.
"Do you trust me?" she asked gently.
"You know that I do!" Harry replied with conviction.
"Then trust me when I say that whatever happens, you won't go back to the Dursleys."
"But Dumbledore-"
"Harry!" Hermione interrupted him. "If I hear you say 'But Dumbledore' one more time, I shall become very unhappy. You won't go back there! No matter what the old man says."
Harry blinked, and it took him a moment to answer, but then he nodded, giving her a small smile. "All right."
"Good," she said and gave him another squeeze. "You don't have to talk about it, but- but I think it might help. If you ever- whenever you're ready, I'll be ready to listen, Harry, okay?"
"I- not yet, Hermione," he replied haltingly. "But... thank you. Thank you for trying to keep me away from them. You're the first person to ever try to do something about them..."
"I'm so sorry, Harry," she said sadly. "You didn't deserve this. No one deserves this... I'm furious with the teachers. They should've intervened. It's their bloody job! But... but it doesn't do any good to be angry now. There are more pressing matters that demand our attention."
Harry sighed. "The tournament..."
"Yes," Hermione said. "As I said before, I think you should refuse to compete. You might lose your magic, most probably not, but even if you do, you won't go back to your relatives. I promise. We'll work something out..."
Harry nodded as she gave him a reassuring smile.
"But I don't think that your magic is at a big risk, anyway," she went on. "You didn't enter. If the Goblet could create a binding magical contract with anyone whose name got entered, it would be an incredibly powerful weapon, not just some obscure artefact that's used to determine the competitors of a school tournament. Someone could've entered Vol- Voldemort's name and be done with the fight, if that was how the Goblet worked. Obviously, that'd be ridiculous."
Harry snorted at the thought. "Right."
"I think the obligation to compete could only transfer to you, maybe, if you participate in the first task. That might be interpreted as you voluntarily taking the place of the person who should actually compete. I don't know if that'd be permissible, but it might be. I couldn't find the official rules anywhere..." She shrugged her shoulders apologetically.
"But I already took part in the wand weighing ceremony..." Harry pointed out, slightly worried.
Hermione frowned. "This silly wand weighing thing was not once mentioned in the history book on the tournament. I don't think it's officially part of it. You should be safe."
"So, I don't have to compete?" Harry summarised.
"No, I don't think so," she confirmed.
"Huh... All right... So... What should I do?" Harry asked. "I mean, we don't know what the task will be. Maybe it will be harmless. They said it would be safer than in the past, right? Maybe we're overreacting, and it actually won't be that dangerous. Maybe I should just wait until they tell me what they expect me to do, and if I think I can't do it, I'll just refuse to compete?"
"Maybe," Hermione allowed. "But I don't think that would work. If you don't find out in time, it might be too late for you to back out."
"What do you mean?" he wondered.
"If you only learn of the task right before it starts, will they let you walk away?" she asked.
Harry frowned. "What are you saying, Hermione?"
"I think they would force you to compete anyway, even against your will," she stated. "They would find a way."
"Do you really think so?" Harry asked sceptically.
"They've already lied to you!" Hermione exclaimed. "Obviously, they aren't above manipulating you!"
"Huh... they have lied to me, haven't they..." Harry said, slowly becoming more upset. "Why would Crouch and Bagman do that... Or Dumbledore, for that matter?"
"I really don't know," she replied. "And that's what worries me. I don't know. But clearly, something is rotten in the state of Denmark."
"Huh?"
"Something is wrong here! And... And it's not just with the tournament, but everything that has happened over the years..."
Hermione took a deep calming breath. Now, she had to hope that Harry would be willing to listen to her more outrageous suspicions.
"I've been thinking," she began again. "And, now, I know that probably sounds crazy, but I think Dumbledore might've been setting things up. Think about it! The traps in front of the Philosopher's Stone were precisely tailored to you, me, and Ron. A simple unlocking charm, the Cerberus that Hagrid had told us how to get past, and hadn't he given you a flute for Christmas that year? Then Devil's Snare, which is part of the first-year syllabus. Maybe Dumbledore also expected Neville to join us. Then the flying keys, and you're a prodigy seeker. Then the chess set, and Ron is brilliant at chess. Then a troll, which we had fought before. Then a logic puzzle for me. And then the mirror, which you knew of already... That couldn't have possibly been a coincidence!"
"That really seems a bit weird..." Harry agreed, a frown beginning to form on his face.
"And in our second year," Hermione continued, "how could Dumbledore not have known there was a Basilisk in the castle? Or that Quirrell had been possessed by Vol- Voldemort the year before? And why didn't he save Sirius himself in our third year?"
Harry nodded along, his frown deepening.
"And this year..." Hermione said, spurred on by Harry's silent agreement. "Dumbledore is not helping you, even though he acknowledged that someone else entered you in the tournament in an attempt to kill you. No one is helping you! Why not? I think they're using you as bait to catch the person who entered your name... So, now, you not only have to face whatever danger they have in store for the task, you also have someone else plotting against you! Someone from inside Hogwarts, who's powerful enough to trick a powerful artefact such as the Goblet of Fire! In addition to the Death Eaters and Voldemort, of course, who also want to see you dead!"
She put one hand on Harry's shoulder and looked at him pleadingly, trying to make him understand. "Hogwarts isn't safe, Harry. Despite what Dumbledore says. First Voldemort possessing Quirrell, then the Basilisk and the diary that possessed Ginny, then Sirius and Pettigrew. A Death Eater had been sleeping in your dorm undetected for three years! How could anyone call this madhouse of a school safe!?"
She saw that she was getting through to him, and she pressed on. "Tell me, Harry, what stops a Death Eater from entering here under an Invisibility Cloak, sneaking up on you in the Great Hall during dinner and casting a Killing Curse at you? Nothing! We aren't safe here, Harry! I- I'm afraid. Sooner or later, your- our luck will run out..."
"I get it, Hermione, I really do," Harry said earnestly, "But do you really think Dumbledore is doing this on purpose? What would be the point?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "I have no idea. But whether it's on purpose or just negligence, ultimately, the Headmaster is responsible for all of this because it's his school. I think, I think he's planning something, with you, with the tournament, and he doesn't seem to care about your safety. But even if that's not true, the point still stands that this school isn't safe for us. And it's still true that they were lying to you about the tournament."
"Right..." Harry said.
"So..." she continued. "So, with all that, I don't think they'd let you step down. I don't see how the Headmaster would just let you refuse to compete. He wants you to participate. He's allegedly the most powerful wizard alive, he'll find a way to make you if you refuse. He might use his influence, or he might just cast a compulsion hex at you or use other mind-altering magics..."
"It doesn't really seem like him to do that," Harry said slowly. "But... but after all that you've told me... I'm not so sure anymore..."
"Exactly!" Hermione agreed emphatically. "I don't know for sure what he would do. But can we be sure that he won't do something underhanded? Can we take that risk?"
Harry shook his head, much to her relief.
"And besides, does it even matter?" she added. "The school isn't safe either way."
"Right..." he said again. "But what can we do about it? How could we possibly change this?"
"No, we won't be able to change the school," Hermione admitted. "And as such, this leaves us only one option."
She took a deep breath before she revealed her conclusion.
"I think- I think we should leave..."
"Leave?" Harry repeated, aghast.
"I think it would be best for us to leave," Hermione stated. "Get out of the country and away from this madness and whatever crazy scheme the Headmaster has in store for you this year."
"But- but what- I can't just leave, Hermione!" Harry protested. "Where would I go? What about my friends?"
"Friends?" she fumed. "Ron, who thinks you're a cheat and refuses to talk to you? Neville, Dean, Seamus? How many words have you or I actually spoken with them in the last month? Or in the last three years?"
Harry gave her a stricken look, cowering slightly, and Hermione regretted her tone immediately. She was still angry with her year-mates for not offering more support to Harry, and she was especially angry with Ron for deserting his supposedly best mate in a time of need, but she had no right to let her frustration out on Harry.
But before she could apologise, Harry sighed, apparently conceding the point.
"What about you?" he asked instead.
"I'll go with you, of course," she answered as if stating the obvious. Hadn't she said that already?
Apparently not, as Harry's jaw dropped.
"What?" he asked.
"I'll go with you," she repeated nonchalantly.
"But... Why?"
Because I'm in love with you, idiot! she wanted to scream. But this wasn't the time for such declarations. And why not? a traitorous part of her mind asked. Shut up!
She opted for the logical answer instead.
"The past years have shown clearly that I'm not safe here, either," she stated. "So, it would be best for me to leave, too. Don't you want me to go with you?"
"I can't ask that of you!" Harry exclaimed.
"You don't need to ask," Hermione replied reassuringly. "I won't let you leave on your own."
"But... What about your friends? Your family? Your education?" he asked with some agitation.
Hermione sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really have any friends here besides you. And I can keep in touch with my parents from wherever we go. I don't think they'll miss me much. They... they don't like that I'm a witch..."
Harry's posture suddenly got rigid and he shot her a horrified look, and Hermione realised how he must have interpreted her words.
"No!" she said quickly. "Not like those- Nothing like... like that. But ever since I got my Hogwarts letter, they have been distant. They'd never hurt me, but they treat me more like a stranger. They'll probably be glad that I'm out of their hair..."
"I'm sorry, Hermione," Harry said with a hollow voice.
She sighed. "So am I. But I've got used to it. Anyway, I won't have to feel bad about leaving them... "
"And what about your education?" Harry asked. "You've always been very... passionate about school."
"Well," Hermione replied with a small smile. "That's true. But I think us leaving this madhouse might actually be beneficial for our education. We could keep up with our studies on our own. We might even learn more that way. Just imagine learning Potions without Snape hovering nearby, or learning about history without falling asleep."
Harry chuckled. "That does sound good..."
There was a small pause between them before Harry exhaled deeply and nodded. "Wow... All right, Hermione... I'm not disagreeing with what you said. I think you're right. But... it's a lot, and all of a sudden... can you give me some time?"
"Of course, Harry," she agreed. "It's up to you. But please, promise me you'll think about it?"
"I will," he confirmed. "I already am. What you said makes a lot of sense. Just... I need some time to think about it, all right?"
Hermione nodded, pleased by his reaction overall. Truly, this had gone better than she could have hoped for.
"So..." Harry spoke up again a moment later. "If we do this... How would we do it?"
"Well," Hermione began, "First of all, we'd have to make a plan and prepare a lot, of course. We'd need to leave the country, but we can't live in the Muggle world on our own because we're underage. And we can't live openly in the magical world, either..."
"What would that leave us?" Harry wondered.
"Uhm, well," she replied hesitantly. "I was hoping that- uhm... that maybe you could use some of your money to buy a wizard tent? Like those at the Quidditch World Cup? We could travel. You've never been outside Britain, have you? So, let's do that and travel around. Before we go, we could buy all the required school books and maybe some more, so we can study on our own. And once we're of age, we can come back and test out our OWLs and NEWTs. But on our own terms, when no one can control us."
"And- and if I lose my magic?" Harry asked carefully.
"You won't-" she began.
"But-"
"But if you do," she replied, interrupting him, "I guess the only thing that changes would be that you'll use a different set of books for your studies. You could learn what you need to know to get into whatever field of study in whatever university you'd like. I could easily magic up any certifications that you might need for that."
"Huh... all right..." Harry said and nodded. "I see you've already put a lot of thought into this..."
"Well, a bit, yes," Hermione confirmed. "And I'll continue to plan everything out. If you decide we should leave, I want everything to be ready..."
"But it's your decision to make," she added quickly. She knew that she could be bossy, but she didn't want him to make such a life-altering choice if he wasn't convinced of it himself. "You decide."
"All right, thank you, Hermione," Harry said, "Though I think I know my decision already..."
"You can think about it, it's all right," she replied with a smile. "If we decide to leave, we have ten days to prepare. We don't have to decide tonight."
"Right..." Harry agreed. "Should we get back to the common room, then?"
Hermione nodded, and they rose from the desk and left the classroom, stepping out into the corridor.
Hermione and Harry passed many groups of students as they walked towards Gryffindor Tower, and Hermione scowled when she spotted blinking Support Cedric Diggory! badges on the robes of many of the students.
Several students pressed their badges when she and Harry walked by, changing the message to POTTER STINKS, eliciting much laughter from the bystanders.
"Just ignore them, Harry," Hermione muttered and reached for his hand as they walked along. "They don't matter."
Internally, she was seething with anger. How could the faculty allow this rampant bullying? Why did none of the professors step in? What the bloody hell were they thinking?
Though, as she thought about it, she realised that she really shouldn't be surprised about this. The bullying and the abuse in the hallways certainly weren't a new phenomenon.
She remembered her second year, when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. 'You'll be next, Mudbloods!' Draco Malfoy had screamed within earshot of Dumbledore and most of the faculty when they had found the petrified Mrs Norris.
No one had batted an eye.
She huffed in anger at the memory. Bloody wankers, the whole lot of them! The school, the staff, they could go to hell for all she cared. And the rest of Magical Britain, too. Harry and she evidently weren't wanted in this world, so why should they stay? She only wished she could see the faces of the staff and all witches and wizards in Britain when they realised that they had finally driven off the boy they all saw as some kind of hero and saviour figure. And if Voldemort ever came back, they'd all better be prepared to fight him themselves this time. There would be no more Boy-Who-Lived to save their sorry arses once again.
A/N: Thank you to Proton6 and WH Rutledge for proofreading and improving this chapter.
