She was walking along her library, idly going by each bookshelf, not really caring where she ended up. It was much quieter than the school, which was the main reason why she had chosen to come here. It was an escape. A way to avoid the scrutiny of their fellow students. Harry hadn't been quiet about his decision not to enter. They might have hoped that that would have deterred people from being interested in their every whereabouts. Instead, it had only seemed to increase the fascination, as if people were now watching them like a ticking time bomb. They were curious to find out what would happen to someone who defied such a strong magical contract. It was like they didn't care that they were real people faced with all of this.

Hermione hadn't made up her mind yet, another factor that had driven her to this realm. Her brain had always been a comforting presence throughout her life, her one constant companion, but now it was betraying her. She was conflicted, when she was normally so sure of every decision she made. How was she supposed to give up her magic and return to the way things had been? Returning to a time she had hated in truth. But how was she supposed to compete in a tournament designed to push adults to their very limits, let alone children? As she walked through the library, books would appear in front of her, capturing all the happy memories she had created thanks to her powers. It was a sign that her meditation wasn't perfect, cracks appearing and letting the outside world in. She couldn't escape it.

She felt a soft hand in her own, looked down, and suddenly she was back in the common room. It was dark, thanks to the late hour. Hermione had hoped it would provide enough peace from everyone else to be able to concentrate on her training. Matthew was seated across from her, the one holding her hand. He let it go once he saw that she was awake, much to her disappointment. She tried to return his comforting smile but it proved too difficult a task. She wanted to know how he was able to smile under the circumstances, even though she understood that he was struggling with it just as much as her. He'd been patient with her, not rushing her into any decision in regards to the tournament, and, for some reason, that seemed to be annoying her.

"I don't know how you're managing to focus so much with everything else that's going on," he said. "I could tell you were completely within your mind then, and you didn't even need me to kickstart the process. You did it all by yourself."

"It wasn't perfect though," Hermione admitted, her head drooping slightly. "My brain kept trying to show me memories of using my magic, like it wanted to convince me not to lose it."

"If you're needing convincing…does that mean you've already made your mind up?"

"I don't know!" She held her head in her hands, choosing not to bang it frustratedly against the table. It probably would have woken people up. Days had passed and she still didn't know what to do. "I obviously know that nothing is worth risking my life, especially because of some stupid tournament. But I also don't want to lose this."

"You'd still have me and Harry. Harry's obviously going to need your help getting adjusted to a magicless life, if the goblet does take it from you both."

She gave him a pointed look. "You're not leaving Hogwarts."

"You know I'd do anything for you, Hermione. The whole point of me coming here wasn't just to learn stuff, most of which I have a basic understanding of anyway. It was to finally get to be with people I cared about again. If you and Harry left, then I'd lose that by staying here." He leaned back in his seat. "We could go on adventures! In the Tardis! We could explore the world! Doesn't that sound like the life, hey?"

"It sounds idyllic," Hermione replied softly. "You do know that we'd have to go to school, even if it isn't Hogwarts though, right?"

Matthew waved a hand dismissively. "I can work around that. Don't you worry."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For somehow managing to make me feel a tiny bit better about this. Right now, I feel trapped between two worlds, both of which are pulling me in different directions. I've always known that I couldn't keep both lives but I never thought one would have to end like this. I'm being forced to make a choice I thought I wouldn't have to make until I'd at least left Hogwarts. But now the choice is clear…magic or no magic."

"I have suggested that that might not necessarily be true. I don't think the goblet could strip away the entirety of your magic, when a lot of it has been kept from you as it is."

"Is that belief based on anything or just wishful thinking?"

"I think we could always do with a bit of wishful thinking, Hermione."

"I know you're trying to put a positive spin on this but…maybe I'm struggling to accept that I won't be surrounded by these old stone walls for much longer. The First Task is right there in front of me and, the closer it gets, the less likely I am to choose to compete in it."

Matthew was looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite read. "I'm going to do something that you've asked about before. Something I was rather reluctant to do."

Her eyes lit up with curiosity. "You have my attention."

"Do you want to see one of my memories?"

"You don't have to do that just because I'm sad."

"I also think it could help with you understanding your powers."

She was sitting much straighter now. "I'm not exactly going to say no to this. I thought you might have forgotten but I didn't want to press you too much."

Matthew gave her a smile. "I've been able to tell that the curiosity was still there. You're not the best at hiding it."

"I'm never going to apologise for wanting to learn about new things." She watched as he slowly brought his hand to hers, ready to place it on her temple, when she grabbed his arm and stopped it where it was.

Matthew was visibly surprised by the move. "Is something wrong?"

"Can I do it?" she asked quietly. "If I'm going to lose my magic soon, I want to make the most of it whilst I still can."

He was only too willing to oblige, moving his hand away and shifting to join her on her side of the table. He wanted this to be as easy as possible for her, especially since it was his mind that she would be messing with. He rather liked the way it was functioning at the moment and didn't want that to change.

"So it's just…one touch," she clarified, now feeling more nervous than when she'd suggested it. "That's all."

"That's all you've got to do. Once you've made the contact, I'll let you in, don't worry."

"And I won't…like…destroy your brain by accident, will I?" Hermione bit her lip, stalling to control her racing heart. She had an idea of how she was going to do this. Whether it would mess things up, she didn't know.

"Hopefully not. You're just providing the…spark, I suppose you could call it. Once we're linked, I should be able to control where we go."

"Have you got something to hide?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So many embarrassing things. I don't want your opinion of me to be lowered."

"Is it even possible for it to go lower?"

Matthew smirked, enjoying the sight of her becoming more relaxed. They hadn't spoken like this in a while, mainly because she'd been too preoccupied by her concerns surrounding the tournament. "Do you want me to let you do this? Because I'm starting to reconsider…"

"You can't take it back now!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll…pout. And I know you're basically powerless to fight against such a look."

"I do kind of want to see it now though."

He was leaning in closer. So was she and, giving into temptation, she placed a chaste kiss on his lips whilst also bringing her hand to the side of his head. Hermione wanted to say that she was able to enjoy the kiss (she'd basically been thinking about the possibility since the first time they'd done it) but she was too focused on the way her hands began to feel hot, as if something was coursing through her fingers. Before she could consider what that was, she could feel their surroundings shift. The gloom of the common room vanished. She could tell that even with her eyes closed, for she could feel a fresh source of sunlight bearing down on them.

Her hands were the first thing to move, rolling across the soft surface underneath her. Grass. Her fingers were cutting through blades of grass as she sat cross-legged. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Matthew was sitting across from her, sadly further apart than how they'd just been moments before. Hermione's gaze drifted around them, admiring the forest that they now found themselves in. Most of the trees were fully in bloom, green and rusty leaves hanging from branches. She noticed a few of them, tucked away in the distance, were barren and small. It sent a shiver down her spine just thinking about what that meant. Though her unease was settled by the warm glow of the sun up above them. It seemed much closer than usual, so much so that she could see its twisting flames swirling across its spherical surface.

Matthew coughed abruptly. "Well…that was certainly one way of doing it."

Hermione suddenly remembered how they'd got to this point, refusing to be embarrassed by her actions. "I might not have a lot of opportunities to do that again if things go wrong so I told myself it was worth the risk. And it was the quickest and easiest way of getting you to shut up."

"I'm not going to complain if that's the method you're going to use from now on."

"Maybe I will. If that's what you want."

"I've let you in here, haven't I? I wouldn't do that for many people. Only the really special ones."

She grinned shyly, looking down at the ground. "So this is what your mind looks like. I'm not really surprised by it." She turned head to take it in. She was finding more smaller details the more she looked. For instance, the trees themselves seemed to be inscribed with the same runes and patterns along their trunks as Matthew's cane was.

"And what's that supposed to mean? I'm trying not to be insulted."

"It's not a bad thing. I guess…it makes sense, now that I've seen it. The aesthetic of nature suits you. There's an order to it. Rules and systems in place to keep it alive. But then it's also unchecked and impossible to control." She looked at how some of their trees were twisted and had risen to great heights just because no one had been there to stop them.

"I suppose that sounds a bit like me." He stood up, holding out a hand, which she took straight away. She was glad to see that their kiss hadn't made things awkward. In fact, things seemed easier than ever, as if a barrier they hadn't been speaking about had been moved. "That memory then…the one I said I'd show you. Let me think of a good one." He was leading her over towards one of the trees.

"How will this work? I mean…in my mind, with the library, all I had to do was think of a memory and the correlating book would suddenly appear. I'm not going to have to dig anything up, am I?" She admired the trees watching over them, wondering if it would be the actual roots that stored the memories. She reckoned that made sense in a realm that didn't really follow normal logic.

"Please don't do that. First of all, I've spent a long time cultivating this place. Secondly, it'd hurt like hell and that sort of pain would probably fire us back to where we're currently sitting in Gryffindor Tower. I'd end up screaming and waking everyone up, who would invariably have a lot of questions to ask if they found us together at this sort of hour."

"I don't know about that. There's been plenty of rumours circulating for years about us."

"Have there?"

She looked at him incredulously. "How have you never noticed?"

"Mainly because I don't usually care about what other people have to say. Then again…what have they been saying?"

"Well…it's normally about how we spend a lot of time with one another. That's always bound to cause suspicion and gossip."

"Huh. And people don't think that's just down to the fact that we both like each other?"

"It's exactly because of that that the rumours start. They think we like each other."

"But we do ."

Hermione sighed. "Matthew…I don't have time to explain the mindset of hormonal teens to you."

"Thank goodness, otherwise we'd be here all day. And that's not a good idea."

She cocked her head to the side. "Why not?"

"It's all well and good going within your mind. It's actually a very healthy habit, helping you keep everything ordered and allowing you to understand yourself better. But you've got a life to live. It can be very tempting to spend all your time in here. Look at it! It can be a very gorgeous place to spend your time. But then you miss out on what's really happening."

"You sound like you're talking from experience."

"Well, I was alone for a while. This was the only place of comfort I had, which is how I know how much better real life can be. It's great to relive memories but you can't stay in the past forever. You have to move on sometimes."

"Like I'm expected to move on from Hogwarts."

"I think that's going to be even more difficult, which is why I'm taking your mind off things. Here…" He directed her hand towards the trunk of the closest tree. It felt warm to the touch and Hermione watched as the runes began to glow like golden liquid was being poured through them. It quickly became too bright to look at directly so she closed her eyes tightly.

When she opened them again, they were in a small village. It probably more closely resembled a farmyard, with small stone houses forming an arch. Fields took up much of the presiding area, animals slowly moving about in the distance. In front of them, there was a small courtyard, cobbled and dirty. Two kids, a boy and girl, were running about, laughing. Hermione spotted an older man with an unkempt beard watching them play as he leaned against one of the walls. There was the barest hint of a smile hiding behind his whiskers, though his gaze was filled more with curiosity and fascination.

Hermione grinned fondly as she observed the children too, already knowing who the boy had to be. Matthew had his arms crossed as he stood by her side, not saying anything. She tried to be discreet as she snuck a glance at his face, his expression unguarded, showing a mixture of warmth at the memory and sadness at its placement in the past. They watched quietly as the boy flicked his wrist and a spurt of golden magic shot out, only for the girl to dodge and giggle as if it were perfectly normal. The girl then copied his actions, chipping away some of the stone off a nearby well as she missed her target (only just). And then, laughing infectiously, the two children held up their hands, their magical energy suddenly contorting and flashing above them, joining to make a brilliant orb a few feet above the ground. The kids looked shocked. Hermione saw the man running over, looking to intervene before things got out of hand.

She found herself back in the forest, still by the same tree. Hermione looked at Matthew. "Why did the memory end so abruptly?"

"Because I can't remember any more about it. I passed out from magical exhaustion soon after by the looks of things. At that age, such magic would completely drain you."

"Were you hurt?"

Matthew shook his head. "We probably just had a long nap for the rest of the day. The whole purpose of the game was to test our abilities. Learning and playing alongside someone else is the quickest way to get more of a control over it."

"Who was the girl?" Hermione asked quietly.

"A friend. Someone I had to leave behind when…everything happened. She was from another family, born at a similar time. We grew up with each other."

"It must have been hard to say goodbye."

"I don't know. Because I never did. There wasn't time for that in the end. I was put in the Tardis before I knew what was happening and then that was that."

Hermione rubbed his arm softly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Eh, it's a long time ago. It was just a reminder of simpler times."

"There was a man there…"

"Yeah. You just saw my dad."

She felt incredibly privileged to have been granted such access into his life. "Thank you for showing me."

"I told you, I only do this for the special ones and you're right at the top of the list."

She was still thinking about what she'd witnessed. "I just think it was extraordinary to see your magic in action at that tender age. It seemed more…unrefined and chaotic."

"Well, give the kid a break. He was only young…with a lot to learn ahead of him."

"I'm not insulting you. It's just…it was recognisable, you know? It looked a lot like…that." She pointed up at the sky, shielding her eyes from the burning sun.

"That's because it's the same thing. That, in essence, is the core of my magical power."

Now she looked at it properly, the ball seemingly coming more into focus, she could see that the flames she'd thought she'd seen earlier were, in fact, tendrils of golden energy. It closely resembled the magic she'd witnessed Matthew produce before, though it was a richer colour, almost amber. She might have gone as far to say that it looked like runny maple syrup, but didn't want to wound his ego.

"It's gorgeous."

"I'm flattered."

"And you actually believe that I have something like that within me?"

Matthew took a step back from her and she was confused as to why. "I don't have to believe what's right in front of me." He was looking down, towards her hands, and she followed his gaze, discovering with a shock that her hands were glowing with a similar golden light.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Have you been able to access your powers since?"

Harry was now looking at Hermione with wide eyes as they walked down the corridor. Her entire demeanour had changed since the incident, especially because, after they'd returned to their spot in the common room, her hand had still been glowing, proving she could do it in real life too. The first thing they'd done, besides a congratulatory hug, was wake Harry up to tell him. He'd been half asleep but had still appreciated the fact that they'd made an extra effort to include him in the process. It was a far cry from where they'd been last year. It had just taken him until the morning, when his brain was actually working, to process this latest development.

"Honestly, I haven't tried," she answered, trying to speak in hushed tones to deter people from listening in. The First Task was upon them, increasing the scrutiny they were facing from their fellow students. "Just doing that made me feel shattered."

"I didn't want to push her too hard," Matthew added. "The progress she's made is already more than I expected at this point."

"But do you think I'll be able to do the same thing?" Harry asked eagerly, always wanting to explore his magic.

"Harry, you're more magically gifted than me," Hermione said. "At least in the power you hold. You'll probably master it within a week, knowing you."

"I don't know about. This seems really complicated. I don't know whether I'll get past the first hurdle, with how much concentrating and silent contemplation that's required. Did you say that you had to organise your mind ? Yeah, there's no chance of me doing that."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Matthew replied. "Your lessons with Lupin last year will help massively, considering you had to control your emotions considerably to be able to perform a fully fledged patronus."

"Maybe." Harry had never had the most confidence when it came to his abilities, mainly because he felt Matthew and Hermione excelled so much. "But does this change anything with the goblet and the tournament?"

Hermione's look was resolute. "It means I'm willing to take a risk. This has shown me that my magic has more potential than even I realised, the sort of potential that the goblet might have missed. I'm not going to take part. They can't force me to do something this dangerous. They might take my magic away. That might be that. But I'm hoping this new source will remain undamaged. I think that's the best scenario we've got, frankly."

"Do we have to go to Dumbledore and tell him about our decision?"

"I reckon he'll just do his best to talk you out of it," Matthew responded. "He'll feel like it's his duty to protect you and the loss of your magic would go against that. I think the easiest way to do it is just to…miss the First Task. Just don't show up. As soon as you don't compete, that should seal the deal."

"And we do that together, yeah?"

Hermione gave Harry a slight smile, doing her best to look more confident than she was feeling. "Like we've done with everything else."

"Harry Potter," a sickly sweet voice sounded. They thought they'd been alone in the corridor but a woman was suddenly there, having apparently rounded the corner without them knowing. She was dressed in a gaudy fashion, a lime green dress clashing horridly with her bright blonde hair, set in odd curls. Her glasses, a red that matched her lips and long, fake nails, were decorated in small jewels. "I've been trying to stumble across you for a while now."

"Who are you?" he asked defensively, glancing anxiously at his friends.

"You don't know who I am?" she gasped, clutching her chest as if she were truly insulted. "I'm Rita Skeeter! Star writer for the Daily Prophet."

"Oh, yeah, that's why I didn't recognise you. I usually skip the rubbish that you write."

"You, kids. Always so funny ."

"I didn't find it particularly funny when you were constantly badmouthing my godfather last year but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that you were swayed by the stories everyone had been told about him."

"At least you've come to your senses. Does that mean you're willing to do a little piece with me? I was so disappointed when you didn't turn up for the weighing of the wands ceremony. I would have loved to have interviewed you but now seems as good an opportunity as ever."

Harry couldn't think of anything worse. "I'm a little busy actually. Maybe another time." He was surprised with how pleasant he was able to be.

"Then I'll speak to your friend, dear Hermione Granger. I think everyone is dying to know just how someone like her managed to become a Champion."

" Someone like me ?" Hermione bit out. "Why do you say it like that? Is it because my parents are both Muggles? Is that it?"

"Honey, you just don't understand yet how our society works. People are just surprised, that's all. This tournament is usually reserved for those with the best magical ability and well…you can understand the confusion now."

"I don't," Matthew said sternly. "Seeing as Hermione's ability trumps everyone in our year. Did you know that she's top of all our classes? Or does that not fit in with your agenda?"

"And you must be the mysterious Mister Mormont. No one knows anything about you. The best friend of Harry Potter. People are anxious, you know. They believe poor Harry, after what he's been through, should have a friend who understands this world. People are worried about what you're telling him. So maybe I should bring you in for the interview too. We could make it a group activity, a fully double page spread. What do you say?"

"It's going to be a rather easy no," Harry replied, attempting to barge past him.

Skeeter grabbed his arm with surprising strength, her nails digging in like claws. "The readers deserve to know the truth behind these rumours that Harry Potter is choosing not to compete. A great magical name being thrown into the mud. What do you have to say about that, hmm?"

"I'm beginning to wonder whether Dumbledore knows that you're still skulking around his school."

"The Triwizard Tournament deserves the best and most complete coverage."

"Okay. If that's the case, your readers should hear this then: you can leave us out of this godforsaken tournament."

xxxxxxxxxx

"Not so sure I did the right thing."

They were sitting in the common room, which was completely empty. They were all sitting on the same sofa, wanting to be close to one another. Harry looked down at the newspaper in his lap. Rita Skeeter had decided to run with his comments, saving them for the perfect opportunity to catch the most attention: the day of the First Task. The room was empty because everyone else had gone to watch the tournament begin, leaving them on their own. Besides Sirius, who Dumbledore had allowed to come for a modicum of comfort in this particular situation.

He looked at his godson, taking the paper from him. "You dealt with her a great deal better than I would have done. The words I would have chosen wouldn't have been able to be put into print. But the last thing you should be doing right now is reading that garbage."

"At least everyone will know why we're not down there," Hermione offered meekly. Her stomach was feeling odd and uneasy. She hadn't felt right all day. The confidence she'd gained from her training with Matthew had definitely waned as the moment of truth arrived.

Harry nodded his head. "I wonder if they're talking about us or just choosing to ignore it."

"Knowing the Ministry, I'd go with the latter option," Sirius remarked. He still wasn't a fan of that particular organisation. "It's probably for the best. This should be a private moment anyway. You don't want people watching you to see what happens."

"I thought it might be a bit more…grandiose. We're potentially losing our magic and we're just…sitting here, waiting."

"There's not a lot more you could be doing right now," Matthew pointed out. He had his hand on Hermione's knee, rubbing it absentmindedly.

"Dumbledore invited me into his office earlier," Harry said. "He wanted to know what we were doing and I told him straight away. It's the first time I've properly seen him…sad. I felt like I was letting him down but he told me completely the opposite. He said he was proud, because only the bravest sort of person would choose this path. I thought that was rather counterintuitive. The brave thing to do would be to compete."

Sirius perched on the arm of the sofa. "I don't think so. You're making this choice because you understand that who you are doesn't rely on your magic. Most people define themselves by their abilities, whilst you look to the people who care for you as a measure of your worth. I'm proud, Harry. And so would your parents. And I'm obviously proud of you as well, Hermione." He got a small smile from the girl in question.

"Thank you, Sirius." Harry's voice was quiet and soft. "I was worried that I was betraying them. They gave up their lives so that I could live and now I'm throwing this part of me away."

"So that you can continue living . They wouldn't want you to compete. All they ever cared about was that you had a happy and healthy life. You're making sure, with this decision, that you have the best possible chance of that."

"I guess there's no turning back now." He tried to smile. He really tried. "I wonder when it'll start."

"We're not in any rush," Hermione said. "But we're doing this. Together."

She reached over and grabbed his hand. Harry appreciated the sentiment, making sure that he was holding onto Sirius as well. Hermione's spare hand sought out Matthew, their fingers lacing together. They looked to one another, fear and worry mixed together with a resolute determination. And they waited. They waited for something to happen. Harry wondered what it would feel like, an odd curiosity consuming him. Minutes passed with nothing happening. Maybe they were starting to believe that the goblet's contract wasn't as strong as they'd thought. One moment, Matthew and Sirius were giving them reassuring looks. The next, Harry and Hermione were gone, vanishing from their seats without any form of fanfare.