I don't own Harry Potter, or any related characters, and I'm not making any money off this.
Thanks again for your continued support. I am still without a Beta so all mistakes are my own. This is the first time I've attempted to add a chapter using the app; so I apologize for any formatting issues I miss.
9 Lives
By: Time Keeper
Chapter 4: This is How We Do It
#/#November 13, 1994 #/#
Harry and Hermione enter the Great Hall and sit at the Hufflepuff table. Cedric immediately moves close to them. "Good morning."
"Good morning." Harry says.
"How are you doing?* Hermione asks.
"Not bad, using most of my free time to learn new spells." Cedric answers. "Oh, that reminds me!" He pulls some parchment out of his bag and hands it to Harry. "Sorry it took me awhile, but this is every spell I could think of that I have learned since fourth year."
"Thank you," Harry says as he takes the parchment. "We really appreciate this."
Hermione takes the parchment from Harry and looks it over, thanks to them being from the future they already know all the spells, but it was still a terrific gesture. "This is a big help." She lies.
"Somehow I doubt that since you have Professor Lupin tutoring you." Cedric says. "He was one hell of a Defense teacher."
"I'm sure he'd be happy to help you, if you asked." Harry says.
"Isn't he busy tutoring you two?" Cedric asks.
"I'm sure he can find time to help you." Hermione answers.
Cedric nods. "I'll keep that in mind."
"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE?!" Dumbledore yells, silencing the student body. "It has been brought to my attention that in the chaos of the choosing of the champions that I neglected to mention the weighing of the wands ceremony. The ceremony will be this afternoon, I apologize for any inconveniences this causes the champions."
Once Dumbledore sits down everyone starts discussing the ceremony. "I forgot about the ceremony." Harry whispers.
Hermione nods then whispers back. "When Dumbledore didn't mention it before I assumed something changed."
"Hey, do you two know anything about this ceremony?" Cedric asks.
Hermione smiles. "According to the book I found on the tournament, it's a traditional part of the tournament. They bring an independent expert on wands in to examine all the champions' wands. They makes sure the wands aren't in need of repairs."
#/#
Soon enough the time for the ceremony is upon them. Harry and Hermione are being escorted by Remus and Padfoot as they near the Great Hall. A woman jumps out in front of them. Her blonde hair is in elaborate curls. She wears jeweled eyeglasses and holds a notepad and quill. "I'm Rita Skeeter with the Daily Prophet. Can I get a word?"
"You can leave my charges alone, Miss Skeeter." Remus says.
"You're Remus Lupin." Rita says, matter-of-factly.
"You are the reporter who outed me as a werewolf." Lupin says.
"I just reported a story." Rita defends as she steps towards them.
Padfoot growls as he gets between Rita and the group. "Snuffles, that's enough!" Remus says, and Padfoot backs down.
"You should keep that beast leashed." Rita says.
"Someone should put you on a leash." Hermione says. "Maybe it'll keep you from bugging people."
Rita's eyes widen as Hermione subtly threatens her. Then she turns and walks away without a word. "Good work," Harry says quietly once Rita is gone.
Hermione grins as they step forward, where they encounter a man dressed in a set of technicolor robes with his shoulder-length white hair. He looks at them, slightly cross-eyed. "You must be Harry and Hermione, my Luna speaks highly of you."
"She's quickly become a good friend of ours." Harry says.
"She's said as much in her letters; you've been sitting at each house's table in turn, and when you sit with Ravenclaw, you make sure she's close." Xeno says.
They nod. "We enjoy her company, and that's why we do it." Hermione says.
"Do you think I could ask you two one question for the Quibbler?" Xeno asks.
"Go ahead." Harry says; Hermione nods in agreement.
"How does it feel to be entered in this tournament against your will?" Xeno asks.
"We're very disappointed that there wasn't any sort of precaution in place to stop this from happening." Harry answers.
"From what we could tell, anyone could have been entered." Hermione says. "Could you imagine if they decided to enter the Minister of Magic instead of us?"
"Especially since we've been told if we don't compete, we'll lose our magic." Harry says. They walk past Xeno, who is very obviously lost in thought about what they just planted in his mind.
Finally they make it to the Great Hall, all the tables have been removed. In the middle of the hall stands Olivander, along with the other heads and champions, who they quickly join. "Now that all the champions have arrived, it's time to do the weighing of the wands. To assess your wands we have one of the finest wand makers; Garrick Olivander." Dumbledore says loudly.
Ollivander steps forward. "I will have you approach me, one at a time, in the order the Goblet chose you and present me with your wand."
"I was first." Fleur says, stepping forward and handing Ollivander her wand.
Ollivander takes the wand. "Beautiful craftsmanship, rosewood," he pauses, "and is that veela hair?"
"Oui!" exclaims Fleur proudly. "It's from my grandmother."
Ollivander nods. "I can sense the connection." He grasps the wand and with a slight movement, a beautiful bouquet of flowers appears in his other hand. "Here, take these and your wand." He hands them both to Fleur, who takes them and steps back.
Viktor steps up and hands Ollivander his wand next. "Hornbeam and dragon heartstring, and very well taken care of." Ollivander says as a falcon appears.
Krum whistles and extends his arm, and the falcon lands on his arm. "How did you know I practice falconry?" He asks, confused.
"Your wand told me." Ollivander says, handing Krum his wand back. Krum takes his wand and steps back.
Cedric steps forward, handing Ollivander his wand. "Nice to see you again, sir."
"Cedric Diggory, ash and unicorn tail hair. I remember when you came in to get your wand." Ollivander says.
"It has served me well." Cedric says.
"Aye, I see that." Ollivander says as he summons a glass of wine into his free hand before handing it and the wand to Cedric. Once Cedric steps back, Harry and Hermione step forward.
"What is the meaning of this?" Ollivander asks.
"I told you the Goblet picked a fourth champion." Dumbledore reminds.
"Then why do two people stand before me?" Ollivander asks.
"Our names came out together." Harry says.
"Turns out we're soulbound." Hermione says.
Ollivander gasps. "A rarity indeed." He clears his throat. "I shall examine the lady's wand first, Madam Potter, if you please." Hermione nods and hands him her wand. He gently touches it, as if afraid the wand wouldn't let him. "Vine and dragon heartstring, though it feels different than I remember."
"Different how?" Hermione asks. Instead of answering, Ollivander attempts to cast a spell, but nothing happens. "Is everything okay?" She asks, concerned.
"I can't seem to cast a spell with your wand." Ollivander admits.
"It worked for me earlier." Hermione informs.
Ollivander switches Hermione's wand to his other hand. "Mr. Potter, may I have your wand?" Harry holds out his wand, Ollivander reaches out and takes it gently. Once in his hand, he examines it. "Holly and phoenix feather. Though I get the same feeling from yours as your wife's."
"It must be our bond." Harry says.
Ollivander nods. "It could very well be. I'll admit this is the first time I've ever had the opportunity to handle the wands of soulbonded individuals." He attempts to cast a spell, but nothing happens; he frowns as he looks down at the wands. "I wonder if you could try a spell with each other's wand."
Hermione nods. "What spell?"
"Surprise me." Ollivander replies, handing them each other's wand.
Holding each other's wands, Harry and Hermione feel each other's intentions and both grin wildly before they shout: "Expecto Patronum!"
The pair of spectral diretigers appear beside them. Ollivander looks at them, stunned. "You both summoned a corporeal patronus using each other's wand?"
"It honestly doesn't feel any different than using my own wand." Harry says.
"Same here." Hermione says.
"It must be your bond. You can use each other's wands, but nobody else can use them." Ollivander postulates.
"That seems to be the case." Hermione says, dismissing her patronus; Harry follows suit.
Ollivander nods and turns to Dumbledore with the other heads. "It appears that all of the wands are in prime working condition."
"With that, I declare the ceremony over." Dumbledore announces. "Thank you, Ollivander, for presiding over the ceremony for us."
"It was my honor." Ollivander says, and people leave.
#/#November 25, 1994 #/#
The day of the first task brings a knock upon Harry and Hermione's room. Harry opens the door and sees Colin waiting on the other side. "Nobody saw you coming up here, did they?" Harry asks.
"I used the disillusionment charm as you instructed." Colin says.
"Good," Harry says. He hands Colin a flask. "Go into the bathroom and change into the uniform I left there. Then drink the potion."
Colin takes the flask and goes into the bathroom. "Are you ready for this?" Harry asks.
Hermione nods. "This is the best time for you and Sirius to slip off, and take You-Know-Who out of the equation. Colin will be seen as you giving yourself an alibi."
Harry nods. "Switch me wands, just in case the rat has his master's."
"Good idea." Hermione says as they swap wands.
"I'm ready." Colin says, coming out of the bathroom polyjuiced as Harry.
"Be safe." Harry says.
"You too." Hermione says, taking Colin's hand, and they leave.
Shortly after they leave, the door opens, and Sirius steps in. "Are you ready?" Harry asks. Sirius just nods. "Dobby!"
The elf appears. "The great Harry Potter needs Dobby?"
"I need you to take us to someplace we can apparate from." Harry answers.
Dobby nods then takes them to an empty field. "You should be able to apparate from here."
Harry puts his hand on Dobby's shoulder. "I want you to come with me and stay by my side."
"You dos?" Dobby asks.
"There's a potential we could end up in a dangerous situation. I want you to be there so you can take me away if you think it's too dangerous. Just don't risk your safety in doing this." Harry instructs.
"And Harry Potter's Dogfather?" Dobby asks.
"Leave me if it comes to that." Sirius says.
Dobby looks at Harry, who nods in confirmation. Dobby returns the nod. "Good," Harry says. "Now, to our actual destination."
With a loud snap they arrive at the graveyard. Harry and Sirius both draw their wands and stand still waiting to see if they were heard. After a moment Sirius puts his wand away. "This is where they held the ritual in your timeline?" Sirius asks.
Harry nods. "I was tied to that gravestone." He points to one.
Sirius nods. "I'm going to shift into Padfoot and see if I smell anything. He must have started the potion by now, and it can't be transported magically, so it should be nearby."
"My thoughts exactly." Harry says as Sirius shifts into Padfoot. The grim sniffs around then growls softly. "Follow it, carefully." Harry says.
Padfoot leads them to a crypt before turning back into Sirius. "Get under your cloak, and follow me." Sirius instructs. Harry puts the invisibility cloak on as Sirius silently opens the crypt. The smell of death hits Harry so hard he stops and casts the bubblehead charm on himself before following Sirius.
They stop when they see a light ahead. Sirius holds his wand ready, steps into the light and fires a single spell. The crypt is silent after the spell. Sirius slowly looks around, scanning the room after a minute he motions for Harry to step forward.
Harry steps forward and into a small room. A large cauldron, slowly boiling on a magical fire, sits in the middle of the room. Peter Pettigrew lies stunned next to the cauldron. Harry's eyes go to an old-fashioned crib that sits in the corner.
As if he saw Harry looking, Sirius goes over to the crib and looks inside, grimacing before silently casting a spell at whatever he sees inside. "My baby?" a female voice says.
Sirius turns towards the voice and pales. Harry moves to see what Sirius sees and instantly regrets it. In the corner sits what's left of a woman. She is completely naked, both her legs have been removed just above the knees, and the wounds cauterized with magic. A large scar dominates her abdomen, and her face is deeply scarred from someone destroying her eyes. Harry runs to a corner and gets sick.
Sirius clears his throat. "Your baby is asleep." He says.
"Give him to me." The woman says, holding out her hands.
"I think it's best if we let him sleep." Sirius says, pointing his wand at her. "You should join him." He quietly casts a spell, and the woman gets quiet.
"Is she?" Harry asks, afraid to ask the obvious question.
"She's sleeping." Sirius answers. "Though killing her would probably be a mercy."
Harry nods as they leave the crypt. . "You need to leave." Sirius nods and vanishes. "Dobby?"
"Yes?" The elf asks, appearing next to Harry.
"I need you to find out if Hermione is done with the task yet."
Dobby vanishes, then reappears a moment later. "Hermione task done, now in your room with fake you."
"Go tell Amelia Bones that I have something she needs to see, and offer to bring her to me."
Harry is standing outside the crypt when Dobby returns with Amelia Bones, who is accompanied by four Aurors. "Thank you for coming so quickly." Harry says.
"Your elf was rather insistent." Amelia says.
Harry chuckles. "Dobby can be that way, but" he motions to the crypt, "If you'll go inside, I believe it'll all be worth your while."
"You're not coming with us?" Amelia asks.
"I already threw up once." Harry says. "I made it to a corner, I left it just in case."
Amelia nods and points to one of the aurors. "Stay here with Mister Potter." Amelia heads inside with the other aurors.
"Here," Harry says, handing the auror his wand.
"What?" The auror asks.
"I assumed you would want to secure my wand." Harry says.
"Why?" The auror asks.
Amelia comes out. "Secure his wand, prior incantato it." She sees Harry.holding his wand out. "Ready for this, I see."
"It seemed logical that you'd want to know if I did any of that." Harry says as the auror takes his wand.
"How far should I go back?" The auror asks.
"I'll tell you when to stop." Amelia answers.
The auror holds Harry's wand. "Patronus, patronus, summoning spell, ice spell."
"Stop!" Amelia commands. "Give him his wand back." The auror does so. "Alright, so you found the crypt that way?"
"I did." Harry answers.
"How?"
Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of parchment. "This was waiting for me in our room after Hermione had finished with the dragon. This is Sirius Black's handwriting."
Amelia takes the parchment, opens it and reads it. "Come to the graveyard in Little Hangleton ~S.B." She sighs. "You know Sirius Black is a wanted criminal."
"I know he didn't do what he's accused of." Harry says. "Peter Pettigrew was my parents' secret keeper, he betrayed my parents. Sirius also obviously didn't kill Peter."
"Evidence does certainly point that way." Amelia admits. "I'll have the kiss on order removed, then I'd like to talk to Black. Since you obviously have a way to talk to him, tell him: Tomorrow, The Three Broomsticks, noon."
Harry is in their sitting room with Padfoot laying at his feet when Hermione and the polyjuiced Colin enter. "How did it go?"
#/#Flashback#/#
"Now entering the field, Hermione Potter!" Ludo Bagman's voice calls out.
"I don't remember any commentary from last time." Hermione mutters to herself as she looks at the dragon sitting on its nest.
"She's turning her back to the dragon, what is she thinking? She is casting a spell, she's creating wind, she's putting herself upwind of the dragon."
The dragon lifts her head, sniffs the air then looks in Hermione's direction.
"The dragon has caught her scent. Now she's approaching the dragon, and the dragon is clearly watching her. She's close now, the dragon is bending down it's head, I think the dragon is sniffing her. Now she's appears reaching out to the dragon, and the dragon seems to be…. nuzzling her." Ludo says in shock.
"I knew you would remember me, Norberta." Hermione says quietly. "Momma is here for you." Norberta nuzzles her. "Now, I need to check your nest."
"It appears that the dragon is moving off her nest. Hermione is going into her nest, and has the golden egg."
Norberta nudges Hermione. Hermione holds the egg up so she can smell it. Norberta snorts and climbs back onto her nest. Hermione turns and walks back to the tent that she started in.
#/#End Flashback#/#
"I got Colin, then we left while the judges were trying to figure out how to score me." Hermione explains.
"I'm glad it went exactly as planned." Hermione answers.
"I still don't understand why the dragon was so docile for you." Colin says.
"While researching dragons I came upon the information that when they bond to their parents by pheromones." Hermione explains. "I was there when she hatched."
"As were Ron, I and Hagrid." Harry says.
"So how did you know the dragon would bond to Hermione?" Colin asks.
"I was the only female in the room, she would smell that and bond me as her mother." Hermione says.
"That's how you were able to walk right up to her." Colin says in awe.