Chapter 120

Hermione's mind was spinning as she and Harry parted ways, her going off to find Ginny about the letter that she'd received, and Harry going off to find Ron. They had decided to meet in the library to get started in an hour's time.

"Everything okay?" Ginny asked a short time later when Hermione turned up in the courtyard.

"No," Hermione said, still troubled over what Harry had told her. "But I'm not sure if there's anything to be done about it right now."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shook her head.

"I mean, I think Dumbledore is already taking care of things, and there's nothing that we can really do to help, but its still not easy to not worry..."

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shook her head again.

"No," Hermione said. "I'm not going to think about it right now. I'm here to find out what you learned. Was that a letter back from your mum?"

"Yeah," Ginny replied. "She feels really bad about your Easter gift. It was Rita Skeeter's articles that got to her. She wanted me to pass along her apologies to you for the way she acted. She thought that you were leading Harry and Viktor on. She was glad to receive news that wasn't the case." Ginny paused and smiled. "I don't think she'll be taking Rita Skeeter too seriously in the future."

"That's good," Hermione said and relaxed, giving her friend a smile. "Sorry I can't stay long today. Harry got word about the third task last night, and he's off trying to find Ron. He's going to meet me in the library soon, and I want to get a letter off to Oliver before then. I told him I'd let him know when I found out when it was."

"Oh, okay," Ginny replied and cringed.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking at her curiously.

"More books," Ginny said and made a face before laughing.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head, giving Ginny a playful nudge and make her laugh again. "See you later."

"See ya," Ginny replied.

Hermione headed off to the Owlery and sat down, quickly pulling out a quill, ink and parchment and scribbling a note.

28 May 1995

Dear Oliver,

Sorry this is going to be so short, I need to help Harry. He said the third task is going to be in a month. Ron and I are going to help him prepare. Just wanted to let you know. Can you write and let your mum and dad know?

Hermione

PS. Harry told me some things that happened last night as well, I will fill you in a little later, but I told him that we need to focus on getting through the final task, not to worry about anything else just now.

She watched as the owl flew off, waiting until it disappeared from sight, and then headed down the steps and off to the library to meet with Harry and Ron.

Hermione was surprised over how fast the month flew by. She spent hours in the library with Harry and Ron going over various creatures and what spells worked against them, enchantments and how to remove them. All the while her mind went over what Harry had told her. Every time they were in the library, Ron had some kind of theory about what was really going on, each one seemed outlandishly implausible to her as the last, but she kept her mouth shut about it because she didn't want to start another fight.

She also became disappointed that she'd broken her first promise to Oliver... She didn't get a chance to write him about what Harry had told her happened between him and Viktor Krum the night they learned about the third task. She hoped Viktor had written to him, but she didn't know for sure since she'd not seen him much either. Finally, the night of the third task was upon them, and Hermione sat fidgeting with the crowd as Harry, Viktor, Fleur and Cedric Diggory entered the maze.

Was this how they'd felt waiting for signs of the champions during the second task? It was driving Hermione absolutely crazy with worry. Mrs Weasley had come up to her when she and Bill had arrived for the tournament earlier that evening, and had apologised to her in person, giving her a tight hug, but even that happy reunion didn't alleviate her anxiety now. Seconds seemed like minutes, minutes seemed like hours and Hermione eventually lost track of time.

Suddenly, cheers went up and the band started playing a song of victory as Harry appeared outside the maze. But something was wrong, and Hermione swallowed as the cheering died down and the people in front of her moved out of the way.

"That's my son!" Mr Diggory's voice shouted. "That's my boy!"

As people moved aside, Hermione gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she saw Harry bent over Cedric Diggory's prone form, Dumbledore and the staff gathering around them.

"Keep everyone in their seats!" Hermione heard Dumbledore's orders, but she got to her feet anyway, and in all the chaos, she noticed Professor Moody pull Harry away and head for the castle. She swallowed and looked to Professor Dumbledore, but he was busy with the Ministry officials from the tournament and trying to console Mr Diggory, so she slipped away and followed behind them at a distance when they began to move up toward the castle.

Her heart broke at the anguished sobs coming from her friend up ahead, but she remembered Professor Moody's magical eye and stayed behind, keeping her distance.

"You shouldn't be here, Ms Granger," Professor Dumbledore's voice came from behind her, causing her to jump and whirl around to face him guiltily. She noticed that other teachers were with him including Professor Snape.

"I–I was..." Hermione stammered and looked back over her shoulder the way Professor Moody had taken Harry in, not seeing them now. She turned back to look at him, noticing that he didn't seem upset, and relaxed a little.

"I understand," Professor Dumbledore said. "Now, please, return to your house, your housemates will be joining you shortly."

"Yes, sir," Hermione said and headed off to Gryffindor tower.

"Where did you go?" Ron asked when he saw her sitting at the desk writing when he entered the common room followed by the other Gryffindor students.

"Not now, Ron," Hermione said still writing furiously. Ron turned away, but Hermione stopped him. "Wait," she said, and looked up at him pleadingly.

"What is it?" Ron asked.

"Harry's cloak," Hermione said quietly. "Can you get it for me? I–I need to get to the Owlery."

Ron blinked at her, but nodded after a moment and headed off to the dorm.

While Ron was gone upstairs and the rest of the students were heading for their dorms, still talking about what had happened down at the Quidditch Pitch turned hedge maze, Hermione finished her letter and when to the window. She swallowed as she noticed a strange bug near the windowsill, trying to hide in the shadows, moving slowly one moment and pausing the next.

Moving slowly herself, Hermione reached into the pocket of her robes, her eyes darting to the bug and then away as she did so before moving swiftly and slamming a glass phial over it, startling it. Tipping the lid very so slightly, she eased the cap into place with the bug inside, and returned the vial to her pocket after looking at it closely.

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully as she watched the angry bug inside the phial. "I wonder if you're the strange bug that Viktor and Harry claim to have seen..." Shaking her head as she heard footsteps on the stairs, she turned to see Ron coming down with the cloak over his arm and tucked the phial in her robe pocket.

"Here you go," Ron said. "Just..."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Just be careful," he said. "And give it back to me in the morning so I can return it. I–I think I'm going to bed."

"Alright," Hermione said and nodded, taking the cloak and swinging it over her shoulders. She picked up her letter and pulled the hood up, vanishing from sight in the midst of the otherwise empty common room. She could feel Ron watching her though, as she headed for the portrait hole. She was thankful that original outgoing post didn't have to go through the Hogsmeade Owl Post Office, and could be sent directly to their recipient.

Making her way silently and slowly though the castle, Hermione made her way out to the Owlery and around one of the teachers who was standing guard. Obviously the post was being watched tonight. Standing in the shadows before entering, she threw back the hood of the cloak, taking it off and folding it over her arm.

She called down an owl, and it fluttered down to her. Rolling up the parchment, she charmed it so that anyone other than Oliver would see something unimportant and frivolous. She also shrank it so that it was only as wide as the owl's leg was long, and conjured a cord to secure it as the owl held out its leg.

"You're being watched tonight," she murmured to the owl. "Go up and circle and close to the tower, come back in and then go out on a side that isn't watched. This is important. Head for Oliver Wood as fast as you can."

The owl hooted and bobbed its head in understanding, and she held out her arm and flew up into the tower. She looked up, watching and saw it go out and circle the tower before coming back in and then in going out another side. It didn't return. With a sigh, she waited, but heard nothing but the hooting of the owls in the tower and the fluttering of their wings as they shifted.

After a few moments, she stuck her head out of the tower, and crept to the shadows where she donned the cloak once more and made her way back to Gryffindor tower.

The next morning when they gathered in the Great Hall, the air was solemn.

"Today, we acknowlege a really terrible loss," Professor Dumbledore said. "Cedric Diggory was, as you all know, exceptionally hard-working, infinitely fair-minded, and, most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend. Now, I think, therefore, you have the right to know exactly how he died. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort!"

Hermione's heart ached, and she could no longer hold back her tears, crying silently beside Harry and Ron.

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued. "Does not wish me to tell you this. But not to do so, I think, would be an insult to his memory. Now, the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me and reminds us that while we may come from different paces and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one. In light of recent events, the bonds of friendship we've made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that, and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that, and we'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest, brave and true, right to the very end."

Hermione sniffed and wiped at her eyes, before glancing upward to the ceiling, swallowing hard. That was one thing she hated about Hogwarts... Being in Gryffindor, she didn't know Cedric well, still, he had helped Harry with the second task, regardless of being in a different house. Professor Dumbledore was right, Cedric was a kind boy, and he would be missed.