Chapter 4 - The Goblet of Fire
Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter
The Beuxbatons and Durmstrang students arrived. The drawing of names was conducted and Harry's name unexpectedly came out of the Goblet. By this point, their bond was developed to the point that Hermione knew he hadn't submitted his name. She would have known anyway, but it took no faith, no belief in Harry, she just knew as well as she knew she hadn't put her own name in. They wordlessly communicated and quickly framed options. They thought they could keep him from competing if they wanted to. The soul bond was one option, since she would likely die if he did. They were also certain he wouldn't lose his magic if he failed to compete, because if he did, she would still have hers and his would just respark from their connection. However, they quickly disregarded those options. They had shared each other's talents and personality quirks. In the realm of courage, they were both Gryffindors and they both knew the best way to find out who had submitted his name was to compete.
They both walked up together. They received odd looks, but the staff knew about the bond and the law couldn't force a separation if they didn't wish it and right now neither wished it. Hermione kept Harry calm and that was enough.
Ron reacted badly, but it barely bothered them. They had each other and nothing else mattered.
Neither was surprised when Dumbledore wanted to see them after the drawing. They got the summons after the party had died down in the Gryffindor common room.
The gargoyle stood aside automatically. Harry briefly wondered when the last time he'd had to give a password was. They walked into the Headmaster's office and Dumbledore greeted them warmly.
"I want to say again, that I believe you completely." Professor Dumbledore said. "I don't necessarily have any lessons, but I wanted to see you again and see how the prior lessons were working out."
They briefly said how well they were doing with classes, which Dumbledore was well aware of. Since they had bonded, Hermione had remained the top student of her year, where she had been 3 year previously with no real competition. This year the only difference was that Harry was her only competition. He was just as studious as she'd always been. She found that she had his natural talent and could have probably aced most of the tests without studying, so her nervousness about tests and academics went away, but not her motivation. The teachers actually noticed her work improved because of her new confidence. Before, she'd been scary. Now, she might as well have been a professor and he was right there with her. Some might have thought Hermione would be jealous of her undisputed place at the top of the class, but the bond prevented that. There was no jealousy, they were too close.
"I have some instruments that I want to discuss with you." Dumbledore pointed, "Given that a part of the reason for Hogwarts is encouraging magical growth, as I discussed last meeting, we actually track how our students are progressing from the viewpoint of potential. It's similar to the concept of IQ. Magical children constantly radiate magic. As said previously, that stimulates each other, but all that magic also goes somewhere. It makes Hogwarts one of the most magical places in the wizarding world. All of that excess magic powers our wards, makes the castle live with moving staircases and living portraits, attracts ghosts, and repairs damage. Since you've been discharging your extra energy into the wards every night, they've grown stronger, so I know you're making progress. This instrument tells me how powerful each student is at each moment, but is most useful if I look at a 1 month average.
When you both arrived, we let the instrument measure for one month and then looked. Harry, you were the strongest student in your class, without peer. Hermione, you were easily in the top 10%. Each year we measured and watched. There's an expected progression, as each student is expected to grow magically stronger each year as they grow, which you did, however recently you've left the curve behind. Your efforts are working! Let me show you in the mirror."
He cast the auramens spell on all of them and they looked in the mirror. Both were noticeably brighter. Both had narrower, more tightly controlled and focused auras. The most progress had been in the bond, though. Instead of a mere cord of light, it was now a huge ribbon of emerald and golden light, about the same size as their aura itself. Harry's aura was emerald green with a bright golden border, gold sparks shooting throughout. Hermione's was the inverse.
"Harry, since you're a champion, I can't help you with the tasks specifically. However, I want to continue your lessons here. I have mostly made them theoretical, but I think it's time to steer them to application, as well. Professor Moody is willing to meet with you both daily, if you want extra defense instruction. He tells me you asked for and received permission to do extra work in one of the classrooms. He tells me he observed and feels like you're ready for more instruction.
Additionally, I want you both to learn occulomency with Professor Snape."
It was a testament to the progress they'd made together that Harry remained calm. He'd gained some measure of Hermione's rationality and calm.
"Your first lesson with Professor Moody will be Monday afternoon. Your first with Professor Snape will be tomorrow night. He requests you each come separately the first lesson."
That night they'd gone to the common room, relieved to find it alone. Some nights they had to use the invisibility cloak to sneak to an empty classroom. A door locking charm, a silencing charm, and they had privacy. They most often used the common room. Their bond practice looked like nothing more than snogging, even if it felt like quite a bit more.
They settled into position, automatically finding the bond and beginning to pour energy through it. They kissed intermittently, enjoying the extra sparks it caused. Harry secretly liked to watch Hermione while they built their bond stronger and deeper. Her face was like home to him, his best friend. Her brown eyes that sparked with intelligence and loyalty. The brown hair that she despised, but he secretly liked. He liked to watch as she gasped with pleasure, the magic ripping through her core. He realized how much he'd learned about her since the first time. They had talked about the first time in the tent. She'd admitted fear he would notice how erect her nipples were. He had to admit to not knowing to look for that. He knew now and got a smug sense of joy out of seeing it. He could tell through the bond when she came, which she did regularly during these practices. He'd learned to enjoy his own climaxes. It was messy, but she never cared. Even if they were already in pajamas and she could feel the dampness, she had pointed out she'd soaked his pajamas almost every time anyway. They'd grown together during the first months of school, even though their physical relationship hadn't progressed passed kissing and shy touching, their sexual relationship was much further along because of their bond.
The next day was Sunday and Harry sent another letter to Sirius, telling him about the Goblet picking his name. The letter he'd sent about his dreams brought Sirius back from the South, where he'd been in hiding. Harry wasn't sure where he was now, but letters reached him much more quickly than they had.
That night, he met with Professor Snape for his first occulomency lesson. They had gotten along better this year. Snape had thrown in occasional digs about Harry now becoming as much of a know-it-all as Hermione, but the venom seemed less. His grades in potions seemed to improve as he focused more. Harry himself was much calmer, with more control over his emotions, and that seemed to help as well.
Severus taught Harry what occulomency meant, a review of the little Albus had told him.
"The Dark Lord is a master legilimens. That means he can penetrate minds with ease. The vision you had earlier this summer and the pain in your scar suggests his penetration of your mind. Your mind is completely unprotected, leaving you open to his influence. Learning occulomency will protect you to the degree you master the skill.
To do so, you must first empty your mind. Attempt to do so and we will begin."
"Legilimens"
H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr H/Hr
A/N: Short chapter, but I wanted to end it there, so the next section could have its own start.