Chapter 96

Over the next few days, the same had happened. Hermione kept her schedule to the library, being there on every break, but Viktor never appeared. She couldn't help thinking that it was due to Rita Skeeter's article about Harry in the Daily Prophet that had mentioned her by name.

"Can I talk to you?" Harry asked, approaching her in after Herbology as they headed toward Hagrid's hut where they met before going into the outer edge of the forest for Care of Magical Creatures.

"Sure," Hermione replied, slowing her pace to match his when she noticed that Ron was passing to walk ahead of them with Dean and Seamus, giving them a dirty look.

She waited, but Harry didn't speak again for a while, watching Ron, Dean and Seamus get farther ahead.

"I - I heard from Sirius," Harry said at last.

"Really? What did he say?" Hermione asked.

"I got an owl from him the night the Prophet had the article about me. I was visiting the Owlery to see if Hedwig had come back," Harry said.

"And to avoid the fallout, I'm sure," Hermione said and Harry nodded.

"A screech owl arrived with a note from him, saying that he couldn't risk sending her back yet because the Ministry has been intercepting more owls since the attack at the World Cup," Harry said. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but thought it best since the article..."

"To keep our distance," Hermione finished with a nod. "I understand."

"Good," Harry replied with a smile. "I hoped you weren't mad at me about that."

"You, no, Colin on the other hand..." Hermione replied.

Harry chuckled.

"Well, don't be too hard on him," he said. "After all, we don't know what he really told her, if anything. After seeing the way she 'reports'," he paused and rolled his eyes. "She could have been making it up."

"I can't even find out what he did say," Hermione responded. "He runs whenever I see him."
"Yeah, from me, too," Harry replied. "Anyway, in Sirius' note, he said that he wanted me to meet him in the common room at one o'clock Saturday night."

"He didn't break into the common room again, did he?" Hermione asked in alarm.

"No," Harry replied. "He just used the Floo to Fire Call."

"Oh, good," Hermione said, sighing in relief.

"He asked if I put my name in the Goblet and I told him no," Harry told her. "He said to be careful, that Hogwarts wasn't safe anymore. He said there were devils inside the walls."

"What?" Hermione asked in alarm, stopping in her tracks to look at him.

"He mentioned Karkaroff," Harry continued, his eyes darting to the ship anchored on the lake. "He said Karkaroff was a Death Eater, and that no one stops being a Death Eater. He also told me about Barty, Mr Crouch, that he'd sent his own son to Azkaban."

"Oh, no," Hermione murmured in surprise. "Do you think Dumbledore knows?"

"I - I don't know," Harry said. "But Sirius told me to keep my friends close. I didn't get to tell him about the fight with Ron, because Ron came down stairs and interrupted us so he cut the connection, not knowing who it was. I - I didn't want to tell Ron because Sirius wanted to talk to me alone. When Ron asked who I was talking to and I didn't tell him, he accused me of practising for my next interview."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said. "This is just awful! I - I know that you're angry with Ron, but maybe... Sirius could be right. Please don't look at me like that," she said when Harry gave her a hard look. "What I mean is.." She broke off and sighed heavily. "Look, I get it, he's accusing you - us - of things that we haven't done, and it isn't fair and we both have a right to be angry with him, but wouldn't it be better to make up with him and do like Sirius said and keep your friends close? Just... think about it, okay?" she asked when she noticed Harry's look hadn't changed. "I really don't want to be in the middle of a fight, and it stinks. I'm sorry Ron and I put you through this last year. It stinks being Switzerland."

"Yeah it does," Harry said with a nod. "Okay," he said after a moment. "I'll think about it. Thanks for letting me talk to you."

"Of course, anytime," Hermione said, putting a hand on his arm. "You're my friend, Harry."

They shared a smile and continued on to class before Hermione spoke again.

"I hope you don't mind, but I might hang around with him a little - to talk to Ginny," Hermione said.

"Yeah, sure," Harry replied. "No problem."

Saturday came swiftly and Hermione found herself in the company of Ron and Ginny on the return trip from Hogsmeade. She had been with them at the Three Broomsticks where they had seen Hagrid, who had been sharing a butterbeer with Professor Moody.

She and Ginny had excused themselves to visit the lavatory after they had placed their orders, and upon their return to the table, Ron told them bitingly that Hagrid wanted to see Harry.

When Hermione had asked what he'd said, Ron told her that he hadn't said anything, that the message had come from Seamus when he'd returned from his own trip to the loo. She began to speculate if that was true or not when his attitude remained dark as he hurried them through their Butterbeers and appeared that he was quick to leave. It didn't sound like Hagrid to pass on a message to them through someone else either, especially if he was in the same place they were.

Besides that, Harry was probably hiding out somewhere under his Invisibility cloak after the article that had come out. Hermione was relieved that he hadn't seemed to chew Hagrid out as well though, so that was good. Hermione shook her head and diverted his attention to the arrival of the drinks before Ron could comment.

Hermione watched him and told him that with all the publicity from the news article, that both she and Harry were receiving ridicule from some of their classmates, so that Harry was probably lying low somewhere, and promised to pass along the message along when she saw him.

"I don't even know where he is," Hermione exclaimed as they approached the lake, annoyed with Ron asking her non-stop to be the one to pass the message on. She realised now, that he'd lied to her, he hadn't gone to the lavatory as he claimed, and that despite Ginny's previous scolding, he was still going to hold her friendship with his sister over her head to manipulate the situation to get what he wanted. Whether Ginny realised it or not, she didn't know, because the girl didn't want to cause a long dispute in the family, she spent time with all her siblings at school.

"Look," Ginny said and pointed. "There's Neville, maybe he knows where Harry is."

They headed down toward the lake and Neville waved when he saw them. Ron stopped some distance away with Hermione and Ginny when they saw Harry when he peered out from behind the tree.

"Look, it's already been through a number of people already," Hermione said in annoyance, playing Ron's little game. "Why don't you just go and talk to him yourself?"

She huffed when Ron didn't say anything.

"Ron, this is so stupid, why?" she pleaded when he didn't relent. "What do you want me to say again?"

She rolled her eyes and shared a look with Ginny when he whispered something to her.

"You do it," Ron said when she didn't move. "Go."

Huffing in annoyance, Hermione went over to Harry who looked like he was feeling like she was, waiting to see what was going to happen. She really hoped that he wasn't going to be mad at her for dealing with Ron because she wanted to talk to Ginny.

"Ron would like me to tell you, that Seamus told him, that..." Hermione paused briefly as she recounted the people in her head. "Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid's looking for you."

"Is that right?" Harry asked. "Well - what?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

"Uh..." Hermione murmured as she recounted the message in her head again. "Um..." She turned then and headed back to Ron for clarification. "Please don't make me do this," she pleaded with Ron under her breath.

"Go," Ron replied and Hermione looked at Harry apologetically when she returned to him.

"Dean was told by Parvati that... please don't ask me to say it again; Hagrid's looking for you," Hermione said and turned away with a pained expression.

"Well, you can tell Ron that -" Harry began.

"I'm not an owl!" Hermione cried in pained exasperation, turning and giving him a meaningful look. She turned again, walking away and moving past Ron without a word, taking Ginny's arm and guiding her away, feeling Harry's eyes on her and hoping that he got her silent message. She wasn't turning her back on him for Ron, but for Ginny.

21 November 1994

Dear Oliver,

I can't believe this... Ron and Harry are still fighting, and Ron is still being a prat. I don't know if Ginny is aware of it, but he seems to have ignored her warning about trying to control our friendship. Today, she was hanging around with Ron, and we went to the Three Broomsticks together where we saw Hagrid there with Professor Moody. Before Hagrid saw us, Ginny and I went to the loo after we ordered drinks, and when we came back, Ron was in a foul mood.

Because of this, I don't know if he was telling the truth or not, but he told me that Seamus told him that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid was looking for Harry. Personally, that sounds like the Muggle game, Telephone, and it seems more likely that Hagrid spoke to him directly, and it made him angry.

I don't know if she's just ignoring it for the sake of trying to keep her family together or what, but... -sigh- Anyway, on the way back to Hogwarts, Ron bugged me to pass on the message to Harry rather than doing it himself! We found Harry hanging out with Neville at the lake, and Ron made me pass the message on, holding my friendship with Ginny over my head again.

I'm hoping that Harry knows that I'm only with them because of my friendship with Ginny, but when Harry chewed me out after I told him, he made me the go between, and I told him I wasn't an owl. Being Switzerland totally stinks! They are driving me absolutely crazy!

Speaking of being driven crazy, people are still giving me and Harry grief over the article from Rita Skeeter. Did you see the whole article? She is such a fraud! The article was supposed to be about not just Harry, but the tournament as well, but it was mostly about Harry, and he told me much of it was lies. The article took up four pages and not only did she insult the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons by misspelling their names, but Cedric wasn't even mentioned!Now the whole school is turned against Harry. We have taken to spending much less time together because of the article, but in passing, I've heard — mainly from the Slytherins, so it's no surprise — students quoting the article back at him, asking if he needs a hanky in case he starts crying in class.

We were heading to Transfiguration and I think he hurt Cho's feelings by accident. She called to him, and he turned on the defensive, thinking it was someone who was going to pester him again, and snapped at her. They've also been asking since when he was one of the top students in school and if it was in a school that he and Neville created. Then there are the Hufflepuff students who have all been buying the pins that Malfoy made that say Support Cedric Diggory — The REAL Hogwarts Champion that I told you about. They think it was his idea to not mention Cedric, and that he's stealing the spotlight. It's so ridiculous!

I've had my fair share — also mainly from the Slytherins, but I can more easily ignore it now, but Pansy Parkinson asked if Rita Skeeter was comparing me to a chipmunk when she called me stunningly pretty — really, I'd hate to see what she would call me if I were on her bad side, but I don't really care either. And another thing, I don't know if it's because of the article or something else, but I haven't talked to Viktor since it came out, and in fact, I haven't even seen him. I wrote your parents like you suggested, but I haven't heard back yet either.

Sorry for venting at you so much, I hope you're doing well. Have you learned your teammates names and faces yet or are you still going off the roster? I'd better go, it's getting late, and I have homework, but I think I'll try writing a letter to Viktor first.

Hermione

21 November 1994

Hello Viktor,

I hope this letter finds you well, I — I have to be honest, I really don't know what to say in this letter... I guess... Well, I don't know for sure if it's the reason, but it's all I can think of right now. The article in the Daily Prophet... I don't know if that's why I have not seen you or not. I hope it's not. I won't tell you what to think, but just urge you not to trust everything you read... which feels strange coming from me. Not sure what else to say, so I'll let you go now.

Hermione

Hermione folded both the letter to Oliver and the one to Viktor and left the common room. She headed to the Owlery, sending the letter to Oliver before heading to dinner. In the Entrance Hall, she stepped into an alcove and tapped the letter to Viktor with her wand, and it transformed into a dragonfly, and she sent it off, not sure if she'd be able to get it to him better if she gave it to him in passing or if she sent it by owl.