Chapter 89
"SILENCE!" Professor Dumbledore boomed, his voice echoing through the hall. Silence had permeated the Great Hall after the four champions had left the room. It had only lasted a short time though before chaos ensued and everyone started yelling. Many students were upset about what happened, namely the Hufflepuffs, who thought Harry was stealing Cedric's spotlight. Others were upset, too.
Hermione wished for nothing more than to scream at them to shut up, as Professor Dumbledore had done, and to tell them tothink, but the lump would not leave her throat. She knew it was her anxiety over Harry's safety that caused was relieved when everyone, staff and student alike fell silent at once after Professor Dumbledore shout.
"Now, I know that this is an extremely unusual set of events," he said calmly when he spoke after gaining their attention. "I assure you that we will do everything in our power to sort it out and make it right. I ask that you bear with us while we determine what has happened. In the meantime, Prefects, if you would, please escort your housemates back to the dormitories. I am sure thinks will not look so hectic after a good night's sleep."
Hermione rolled her eyes. If only, she thought. The others might be appeased, but she wasn't. She'd read in TriWizard Tragedies that the Goblet made a binding magical contract. It was done, and they couldn't undo it. While it didn't say how such a contract was enforced in the case of the Goblet of Fire, it referenced similarities between blood pacts and the unbreakable vow.
Hermione followed the Gryffindors out of the hall and headed toward the grand staircase, but once in the entrance hall, she shoved passed Ron, Seamus and Dean, sick of hearing them complain about what a cheater Harry was when they had all cheered on Fred and George earlier, and ran ahead of Percy who hadn't lost his position as Gryffindor Prefect yet, and shouted after her. She didn't stop though, continuing on up the stairs to the fat lady's portrait.
"Password?" the fat lady asked.
"Balderdash," Hermione replied, and the portrait swung open. Hermione heard Percy still shouting after her but ignored him and ran into the common room and up the stairs to the girls dorm where she took just enough time to draw the curtains around her bed and charm them before she flung herself on her bed succumbing to her fears and devolved into tears.
Earlier that morning, she had joined Harry and Ron in going to Hagrid's and she could believe what she'd heard coming from the Great Hall just now. The way he had been acting, it might be the last time they ever did anything together. Was their friendship at an end after just three years? Did Ron seriously believe that Harry entered his name? He had looked so angry when he was talking with Dean and Seamus.
That night Hermione slept fitfully, the images of everything she read playing out in her mind not only with Viktor, Fleur, and Cedric, but with Harry as well. It was like she was back home watching a movie on TV, but she couldn't stop it. She didn't didn't even know when she'd fallen asleep, she hadn't heard her dorm mates come in because she'd charmed both sides of the curtains as she'd pulled them shut.
She was exhausted when she woke the next morning, her eyes feeling dry and scratchy, her face puffy from crying the night before. She was sure they were bloodshot as well. She rubbed her face, trying to wake up some more and sighed when it didn't work before she pulled back the curtains, canceling the charms and saw that the sun hadn't yet risen, the sky a soft predawn gray.
She dug around in her trunk and filled the bowl of food for Crookshanks before getting up and casting a charm on her close to freshen them. She yawned as she gathered her toiletries and headed to the bathroom, glad when she didn't see anyone else on her way. She allowed her mind to wander as she went through her morning custom and recalled her trip down to Hagrid's with Harry and Ron the morning before.
The man had startled them, his appearance rather strange in a hairy brown suit with a checked orange and yellow tie. The same suit that they had seen him in at the lake last year, throwing rocks into it as he brooded over the fact that they had lost Buckbeak's case. Only this time, it was worse. He had apparently tried to tame his unruly hair with copious amounts of what seemed to be axle grease. It was now slicked back and hung in two bunches. Hermione wondered if he'd perhaps tried to put it in a ponytail like she had seen Bill Weasley wear his in when he showed up at the Quidditch World Cup, but found he'd had too much hair. Whatever had happened, the look didn't suit him.
She had talked to him about S.P.E.W., thinking that he'd be the most receptive to the idea, but she'd been wrong. His words resounded in her memory as she sniffed, pusing the water from her face that ran down from her hair as she slicked it back and turned, letting the water run down her back.
"It'd be doing them an unkindness, Hermione," Hagrid had said gravely as he threaded a large bone needle with yellow thread and began darning socks. "It's in their nature ter look after humans, that's what they like, see? Yeh'd be makin' 'em unhappy ter take away their work, an' insultin' 'em if yeh tried ter pay 'em."
"Butwhy?" Hermione asked in frustration. "When did it start? I can't find anything on itanywhere, and besides, Harry set Dobby free, and he was over the moon about it!AndI've heard he's asking for wages now!"
Hagrid had grunted, pausing his work looking ruffled at the topic and being questioned. "I don't know rightlywhenit started neither," he admitted gruffly. "Been that way 's long as I can remember." He shrugged his large shoulders and went back to this darning. "Yeah, well," he continued. "Yeh get weirdos in every breed," he said as if that explained everything. "I'm not sayin' there isn't the odd elf who'd take freedom, but yeh'll never persuade most of 'em ter do it - no, nothin' doin', Hermione."
Sighing, and feeling defeated, she shut off the water, dried and dressed.
The sun was starting to peek over the horizon when arrived back in the common room when she heard the door slam from up near the boy's dorm and stomping feet come down the stairs. It wasn't long before she saw Ron appear looking just as sour as last night.
"Where've you been?" he snapped when he saw her. "Never mind, doesn't matter," he said seeing her carrying her toiletries.
Hermione sighed as Ron came down the stairs. "So much for everything being better after a good nights sleep," she muttered.
"What was that?" Ron snapped turning to her angrily.
"Nothing," Hermione said, not wanting to cause further argument though she wanted to chew him out for his attitude.
"Thought so," he muttered. "Oh, and Hermione," he said. "If you expect to hang around with Ginny anymore, you'll stay away from Harry."
"What?" Hermione asked in shock, her mouth falling open.
"Ronald Weasley!" a stern voice sounding enough like Molly Weasley to make Ron jump came from the stairs and they looked up to see a fuming Ginny coming down the stairs. "You take that back!"
"Why should I?" Ron demanded. "You saw what he did last night! He's nothing but a -"
"Stop right there!" Ginny said loudly, cutting him off. "Unless you want to be one of my new test subjects."
"Liar and a cheat!" Ron spat.
Hermione trembled, her anger coursing through her, her fists clenched and unclenched at her side and she moved her arm.
"Hermione, don't," Ginny called, stopping her and Ron smirked at her.
Hermione swallowed as she saw a red blur moving in her peripheral vision and then a loud resounding smack filled her ears and she saw Ron reach for his face with a look of surprise as she looked over Ginny's shoulder as the girl had moved in front of her. When he moved his hand, she saw a bright pink hand print staining his cheek.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"Don't play dumb," Ginny retorted. "You know very well what that was for! You may be my older brother, but don't think for one second you can tell me who I can be friends with and who I can hang around with! You leave Hermione alone! She had nothing to do with what happened last night! We don't even knowwhathappened yet."
"We do to," Ron replied. "Harry li-"
"If you don't want to have bats coming out of your nose, you won't finish that sentence," Ginny said, brandishing her wand. "But please, don't let my threat stop you, try it and see. Believe me, I could use the practice."
Hermione blinked. She'd heard the Weasley siblings yelling across the house at each other, but never really considered them actually fighting. Fred and George rolling on the floor yesterday was the first time she'd seen anything remotely like a fight, and even then, it seemed more like they were just rough housing for fun. This was unexpected, especially coming from the youngest, and a girl to boot.
Ginny turned and smiled at her, taking in her shocked expression. "Being the only girl of seven, I have to hold my own," she said and turned back to Ron. "Now," she said, waving her wand idly. "Don't you ever try to do that again, or I'll hit you with so many curses, Madam Pomfrey won't know where to start. Hermione can hang out with whoever she wants,whenshe wants also. You've no say in what she does or doesn't do, you got it?"
"Yes," Hermione was surprised to hear Ron mumble.
"Good," Ginny said. "If you're problem is with Harry, then it's with Harry, not Hermione." She paused and looked at Hermione over her shoulder again. "What was that Harry told him in your first year?" she asked. "It was a muggle saying...He was ...what?"
"Switzerland," Hermione said, a slight smile coming to her lips at the memory.
Ginny nodded and turned to Ron. "Hermione's Switzerland, got it?"
"Yeah," Ron muttered and swallowed. "Got it."
"Good," Ginny said putting her wand away. "Now I'm hungry. Let's go get some breakfast. Are you coming, Hermione?"
"No," Hermione replied. "Thanks though. I -"
"Probably going to wait for Harry," Ron muttered.
Hermione looked at him, her eyes wide with warning, but she bit her tongue and almost laughed out loud when Ginny reached up and smacked him in the back of the head. "Shut it," Ginny warned. "She can spend time with Harry if she wants."
"Actually," Hermione said. "I wasgoingto say I've got a letter to write."
"No problem," Ginny said and waved, giving her a smile before rolling her eyes and ushering Ron out of the common room.
Hermione bit back a laugh and waved after them before releasing a sigh.
"Great, isn't she?" a voice called from the stairs and Hermione turned to see Harry standing at the top of the stairs.
"She really can hold her own," Hermione said with a smile and shake of her head.
"Yeah," Harry said with a laugh. "I got to see it when I stayed with them for a while before our second year. She was always a bit shy around me in the beginning, but she's become a good friend. It's nice to know not all the Weasleys hate me."
"Oh, I don't thing they hate you, Harry," Hermione said.
"Really?" Harry asked. "Last night, Ron told me to piss off."
"He didn't," Hermione said, a tone of incredulity in her voice.
"Yeah. Yeah, he did," Harry said with a nod. "He was pretty clear about it. I mean, how often is he the first one out of the dorms?"
"Oh," Hermione whimpered as Harry came down the stairs to the common room and gave him a hug, her arms loosely draped around his neck. "I'm sorry, Harry," she murmured. "This is just awful."
She felt Harry's stiffness melt beneath her hug, and his arms come up to return it, patting her on the back.
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry murmured. "I needed that."
"You're welcome, Harry," Hermione said. "You're my friend, you know that."
"Can I tell you something?" Harry asked pulling back.
"Of course," Hermione said, looking at him in concern.
"You won't get mad?" Harry asked.
"Of course not," Hermione assured him.
"Ron didn't believe me when I said I didn't put my name in," Harry said. "We were talking about it last night when I got back from - well, you know..."
Hermione nodded to show that she understood what he was referring to.
"Well, he told me that I'd said I would put my name in at night, and he though I'd used the cloak... I didn't. I didn't put my name in," Harry said. "I didn't do it."
"I know, Harry," Hermione assured him with a gentle hand on his arm when she saw his panic rising as he repeated himself. "You don't have to convince me, Harry," she assured him. "I never thought you did."
She watched him as he swallowed and nodded, wishing there was something she could do to make everything all right again.
"He told me that Violet, the fat lady's friend, had already told everyone that Professor Dumbledore is letting me compete," Harry said. "But that's not exactly true..."
"Oh?" Hermione asked, not having heard that information the night before.
"It's more like hecan'tdo anything about it," Harry said. "He tried, but -"
"It's a binding magical contract," Hermione said and Harry nodded. "The truth is, I've been reading about it since Professor Dumbledore first made the announcement."
Harry chuckled. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" he asked and Hermione smiled in return knowing that her friend needed the laugh. "So what have you learned?"
"Only that what Professor Dumbledore said about standing alone was more than likely to curb any younger students from entering," she said. "And well, we saw how that worked out yesterday."
Harry nodded grimly.
"What I mean is, that cheating, while frowned upon, is kind of a tradition in the tournament," Hermione said. "So I don't feel so bad telling you that I'll help you as much as I can."
Harry nodded.
"Thanks, Hermione," he said. "Would you like to go to breakfast?"
"Sorry, Harry, but I -"
"Have a letter to write," Harry finished with a nod. "I know, I heard. Well, it was worth a try. I may make my way down to the kitchens instead of going to the Great Hall. Not sure I'm ready for all the accusations again."
"Sorry," Hermione murmured, and gave him a sympathetic smile.
"It's okay," Harry replied. "I better get out of here," he said when they began to hear footsteps on the stairs. "Tell Oliver I said hello."
"I will," Hermione said and waved to him as he made a hasty exit from the common room.
9 September 1994
Dear Oliver,
Hermione wrote when she pulled out her ink and parchment in the dorm room, sitting on her bed with the curtains drawn.
It's simply awful! Harry's name got drawn from the Goblet of Fire. I was hoping that this year would be different for everyone, that the strange things that happened before wouldn't happen this time, but I guess I should have known better after the attack at the Quidditch World Cup. What makes it worse though is that its like first and third year all over again. I mean, Harry and Ron are on the outs with each other and nowI'mhaving to be Switzerland between the two. Ron even tried giving me an ultimatum this morning in regards to my friendship with Ginny! I couldn't believe it! I really wish you were here.
Hermione
PS. Harry says hello.
When she was finished, she packed away her supplies in her bag and got her copy ofA History of Magicby Bathilda Bagshot andStandard Book of Spellsgrade 4 by Miranda Goshawk. She thought of putting in her copy ofMagical Drafts and Potionsby Arsenius Jigger as well, but decided that she'd pick it up after lunch before heading to class. Folding her note, she headed for the Owlery sending it off to Oliver before heading to breakfast.