Unofficial Portkey Archive

The castle was falling apart. Brick by brick, it crumbled into pieces. The base of the Astronomy tower imploded, hurtling chunks of debris sky high. In the center of it all, Hermione was screaming, her hands clapped over ears. Red eyes. A high hiss. A car crashing. Snow. Snow. Snow.

"Hermione! Hermione!"

Lavender Brown was shaking her. Hermione wished the girl would stop screaming. When her brain finally woke up, Hermione realized she was the one screaming. Lavender looked at her worriedly, brushing back her curly, blonde hair. She was a pretty girl, round faced and wide eyed. Her curvy physique was already attracting males of her age and older. Hermione brushed Lavender's hands away from her shoulders and sat up.

The back of her gown was soaked in sweat. The sparse bangs clung to her forehead. Her heart was beating loudly. She could see it thumping underneath the skin of her chest. Parvati was also awake, standing next to Lavender. Fay and Rionach were peeking out from behind their drapes. Hermione took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Like bloody hell you're fine," Lavender said. "You may think its a load of bollocks but my book, Divining Dreams, has nothing good to say about nightmares that make you scream in the middle of the night. What's wrong, Hermione? Is it...is it...Potter? Has he done something to you?"

Hermione groaned, flopping back into her sweat ladened sheets. Lavender scurried over, sitting on her bedside. Parvati inched forward. Fay and Rionach were now sitting upright. They could never pass up the opportunity to grill her about Harry ever since the Aristophanes article. Hermione checked the time. Four in the morning. None of them should have been awake.

"I've heard he can read minds. Maybe he's gotten into yours?" Parvati asked.

"He has not. It was a bad dream. That was all," Hermione said with a finality.

"A bad dream is being naked in front of the classroom. You were about to wake up the whole castle if I didn't wake you up. I had to make sure you didn't have your wand in your hand too," Lavender said.

Hermione didn't want to play this card, but she wanted to be rid of them.

"It was about my parents, okay?"

The tittering stopped.

Lavender nodded sympathetically and patted her hand while Parvati shuffled her feet, not meeting Hermione's eyes. Fay and Rionach did their best to slink back into bed. Hermione felt a pang of guilt for using her dead parents as an excuse, but it wasn't that far from the truth. Her parents were part of the nightmare. Leave the past in the past.

"If you ever need to talk…" Lavender gave Hermione her big, doe eyes. Hermione nodded tightly, not trusting her mouth to cooperate with her mind.

They left her alone, letting her draw the drapes around the bed again. Hermione tried to go back to sleep, but her eyes remained open. It was the same pattern as of late. A dream would wake her up and that was all the sleep she would have for the day. The still made no sense to her. Even if Lavender was a complete nitwit, she was right; recurring dreams were never a good sign.

She was not allowed solitary in breakfast either. Almost as soon as she sat down, Cedric took up the seat across from her. A spoon of soup was halfway to her mouth when she spotted him. He was wearing that easy grin that was always on his face. Hermione didn't know why. Hogwarts was not conducive to smiles.

"I talked to everyone else. They all agree. We'll be looking for people and we're going to be fighting on ice. As far as I know, we've figured it out faster than the other schools. If we can draw up some plans, we have a good shot at taking this task," Cedric said it all in a rush.

"It's five thirty in the morning. Why are you awake?" Hermione said slowly.

"Why are you awake?" He threw back at her. "I couldn't sleep! Too excited once I realized what we're going to be fighting. We'll be better prepared this time. No nonsense like the dragons. I thought we could go over some ideas before classes start."

He was highly driven. Hermione would give him that.

"Let me finish breakfast. We can start looking things up after that."

He frowned when he saw how sluggish she was moving. Cedric asked, "Is everything okay? You look a bit peaked."

You would too if you constantly had dreams about Hogwarts exploding. I need to talk to Harry about this. So many damn things to do.

"I'm fine," she responded.

She thought that Cedric would be a burden, but he clearly knew his tactics. Hermione was reminded of why he was so popular not just amongst Hufflepuffs but other non-Slytherin Houses as well. He spoke excitedly about setting traps and what spells should be used. Great points were made about the types of transfigurations would work best with snow and ice and water. He did his best to include the various skills and account for the weaknesses of the rest of the Champions.

Hermione was impressed.

They agreed to meet after classes to discuss the viability of reforming ice into shield mirrors. It was a good idea but it would have to be tested. Cedric was speaking of transfigurations above her grade level, but Hermione felt confident she could master them. Transfiguration was one of her stronger subjects. It required discipline and an adherence to technicalities. No wonder Harry's transfigurations were often only halfway completed.

Harry still had a week left to recover from his knee injury. She understood Pomfrey's hesitation to let Harry back into Battle class. True, there were still weeks where Snape would work in individual duels but more often than not, the leaders were sent to the Board Room to command. Blaise had taken over command for the Slytherins, but he was easy to figure out.

He was competent but predictable. Blaise did not think in wild attacking vectors and suicide runs like Harry. He moved the pieces stoggedly. Three people go to a certain area and shoot Stunners. Split up the rest and use their shields when necessary. He could not think up advanced moves like meat shields or transfiguring objects for distractions. Gryffindor won another round as Lavender Brown disarmed Terry Boot to finish the Ravenclaws.

Hermione met Cedric in the library afterwards. He was already there, reading through a book titled, Transfiguration As An Art. He looked up and smiled as she sat next to him. The other side of the table was littered with books. Hermione took out her journal as well as some selected reading of her own. She still had the book, The Blood of Creatures, as she researched more about Veelas. Hermione also retrieved two transfiguration books that were above her year.

"I talked to Harry. He said he would come up with some ideas and bring it to the table whenever we call another meeting. Bright lad, that one. He's bound to come up with some devilish," Cedric said.

"Don't give him too much credit. He's just as likely to shoot himself in the face," Hermione muttered as she flipped through pages.

"With his wand?" Cedric asked.

Hermione waved it off. "Muggle idiom."

Cedric looked like he wanted to inquire more but stopped himself. Instead, he said, "I know I agreed to do a favor, no questions asked, if you said yes about the Ball. Still, you can't blame me for wondering what that was all about the other night with Harry."

"Voce Molli." Hermione immediately cast. It was a spell to deter any nearby eavesdroppers. Anyone who came within their radius would hear a soft murmur as if they were whispering. They wouldn't be able to hear them unless they were standing within the recommended five foot radius.

"That secretive?" Cedric asked.

"You saw the Prophet," Hermione said darkly.

"Makes me think the Prophet is true in some regard then."

He was trustworthy enough. That handsome face was earnest and he had already escorted her to meet with Harry. Was there a probability of subterfuge? Yes. Give a little and they will want more. Give it all and that's all they expect. It was a saying her mother often repeated.

"Harry and I are friends. We have a mutual...desire to win. I don't see the point of limiting myself to learning from teachers and people in my own House. He's the best in our year and don't ever - and I mean ever - let him know I said that." Hermione jabbed her finger into his shoulder for emphasis.

Cedric pretended like her finger hurt and rubbed his shoulder. "I know Gryffindor and Slytherin don't like each other, but is all of that really needed? Do you guys have some sort of classroom you meet in?"

"We meet in all sorts of places," Hermione lied. "I wish it wasn't necessary, but the Slytherins hate me. They've gotten to the point where they were rebelling against Harry's orders in Battle class just at the mere hint of association with me. I'm Muggleborn. I'm a Gryffindor. I'm better than all of them. I consider myself fortunate that they don't antagonize me more when I'm in the hallways. Malfoy used to, but ever since his father was sent to Azkaban, he's been a little more mellow."

If she gave him what sounded like plenty of information, he would have less questions to ask. Cedric would assume she was being open and honest. Her mother's voice repeated the phrase in her head but she shook it out. Already, there was a tendril of longing and nostalgia creeping into her heart but she smashed it down. Leave the past in the past.

"Bloody Houses can be a pain sometimes." Cedric nodded in understanding.

"If I told the Gryffindors that Harry wasn't the next Dark Lord, they wouldn't believe me."

"You mean to say he's not?" Cedric exclaimed.

Hermione flicked her wand and created a paper airplane with a blank page from her journal. She banished it towards Cedric, pelting him in the forehead. "Prat."

Cedric laughed and a First Year looked at them curiously as he walked by. Hermione realized that the First Year must have seen Cedric throw his head back in laughter and heard but nothing but a soft whisper. She cancelled the Voce Molli charm.

"So is any other parts of the article true? Are you and Harry carrying on secret trysts?" Cedric winked at her and taunted her with a mocking tone, but she saw right through it. Boys were so simple sometimes. They tried to misdirect and disguise their questions, but Hermione knew what Cedric was really asking. Have you and Harry snogged each other senseless?

"No. The Prophet will be disappointed to find nothing exciting happens. That is my official comment."

Cedric accepted that answer.

By the time Pince started calling for students to check out their books, they actually drew up some sound ideas to practice. It would have to be in secret, away from prying eyes. Cedric was profound at assessing strengths and weaknesses, even going so far as to glean any pros and cons of the individual Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. She appreciated his gusto.

They gathered their books. Hermione had to double check which were hers. Normally, she owned the whole table. She was unaccustomed to sharing. Her mother had always wanted a second child, but there were pregnancy issues after Hermione and they attempted to conceive after that. I suppose that's not an issue anymore.

"Is this yours?" Cedric asked.

Hermione plucked The Blood of Creatures out of his hand. "Yes."

Cedric raised his eyebrows but said nothing more. At least he knew the valors of discretion.

"Are you excited for the Yule Ball?"

Excited was the wrong word for it. Hermione was looking forward to seeing the decorations and general fanfare of the Yule Ball. She was an adequate dancer, so she was not worried about. But she didn't obsess over pages and pages of dresses and dress robes in the magazines that Lavender and Fay fought over. Hermione had already picked her outfit weeks before and had it sent by owl post. Some of the more delicate dresses had to be picked up in person, but Hermione had picked a low maintenance dress for the occasion.

"No, I can't say I'm excited." Hermione decided to be honest with him. "But I will be looking forward to seeing how the Great Hall turns out."

"I hope you can dance otherwise I'll have to find another date," he joked.

"I perform admirably," she said sarcastically. What he said prompted a question from her. "Why did you ask me, Cedric? There's a lot of other girls that would have loved to go with you."

It might have not been the right place or time to ask him that, but the question had been gnawing Hermione ever since he surprised her with his proposal. She remembered boys in grade school that would come up to her pretending to start a conversation only for another to prank her while she was distracted. Determined not to fall folly to that sort of trap again, she waited patiently for his answer.

"You are different. I don't mean that in a bad way!" Cedric interrupted the head of steam she was already gathering. "I just meant that as soon as I talked to you, you were interesting. You tackled problems a different way. You're funnier than you think you are. Other girls, you know, they talk but they're never really saying anything. When you say something, I know you mean it."

Hermione tried to stamp out the rush of warmth to her chest. Feelings clouded judgement.

"So you don't mind this?" Hermione tugged at the frayed ends of her short crop. "Don't mind people making fun of you for going to the Yule Ball with me?"

Cedric shrugged, giving her a lazy smile. "Let them. I'll see them in Battle clas eventually."

He's smooth. Well played, Hermione conceded.

"Acceptable?" Cedric asked, the twinkle in his eye again.

"I'll go with Exceeds Expectations. You'll have to try harder for Outstanding."

Cedric laughed. "Can I give you a kiss? Perhaps you can grade that as well."

It would be her first kiss. What better place to have it than in the library? She nodded, trying to pretend her hands weren't shaking. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. She didn't know what she was supposed to do exactly. Her arms were wrapped around The Blood of Creatures, holding the book tightly against her chest. Both of his were on her shoulders. When he pushed gently with his lips and tilted the angle, she responded in kind by shifting with him. Where is my nose supposed to go?

Hermione settled into the kiss, letting it go for about a minute. She finally pulled back, annoyed that her heart was beating so fast. It was unlike her to lose control like that. Cedric looked at her expectantly.

"Well?" he asked.

Hermione waited for a moment and couldn't prevent the grin from forming on her face.

"Good night, Cedric."

She abruptly turned around, grabbed her bag, and left. Hermione could hear him laughing behind her. Pince would no doubt have his ear for making so much noise. Luckily, the librarian had not seen the kiss. Hermione had to give the Hufflepuff credit. He was consistent.

He can't keep getting Exceeds Expectations forever.

* * * * * * * * * *

Harry nervously tested his knee.

"Feels okay," he said.

Pomfrey's eyes narrowed at that.

"We shall see."

He ran through a gauntlet of tests. Jumping. Running. Stretching. Kicking. Harry went through all of the tests without feeling a smidgen of pain in his right knee. For once, it seemed fully healed. After the last test, Pomfrey took Harry's cane in her hand and examined it. She grasped the smooth handle and whacked him right in the knee.

"Boody f…" Harry trailed off, the curses running wild through his head.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, tapping the cane against the ground.

"Of course it hurts!"

"Does it hurt when you move?" Pomfrey repeated coldly.

Harry went through the movements again. He squatted. He knelt on one knee. He jumped. He turned quickly. He leaned to one side. He ran in place. He twirled in a circle. There was no pain.

"I think...I think it's okay," Harry said, the relief evident.

"See what a bit of rest can do for you?"

Harry neglected to mention the wandless magic he had been performing during this imposed time of rest. His skills were improving. It still took the utmost concentration. Any stray thought and the spell would fail immediately, but it took less and less every time. Many nights he would stay up late in his bed, juggling various levitated objects through the air.

"With that, I will inform the headmaster that you are able to participate in the full range of activities," Pomfrey said with a sigh at the end.

"Brilliant," Harry said.

Before he left, Pomfrey stopped him by placing her hand on his arm. He looked at her curiously. She never touched a student unless they were her patient. He was supposed to be dismissed.

"See to it that I don't see you here again soon. I know you will do little to heed my warning, but the more I heal you, the more your body becomes resistant to that type of magic. You are not indestructible, Mr Potter."

"Believe me, the last place I want to be is here. No offense, of course."

"None taken." She released him.

Battle class was in five minutes and it would mark his return. He half-ran to the Room of Requirements, excitement bubbling under his skin. He never thought that he would anticipate returning to Battle class, yet he couldn't deny the rush of the battle. Rounding the corner, he found the others waiting for him.

If he expected applause upon his return, he would have been sorely disappointed. In the past two weeks, Slytherin had lost all seven of the Board Room competitions, placing last in three of them. Of course they were one person down. Of course that one person was their best dueler. Still, the losses stung when they were accustomed to winning.

As he approached the Fourth Year Slytherins, they simply made a gap in their circle to accommodate him. No one clapped. No one cheered. It was a far cry from when the whole of Slytherin gathered to congratulate him for his part in the First Task. Harry banished any bitterness from his heart. He was here to win.

"Everyone ready to win again?"

The question was supposed to prompt confidence and rejuvenate them, but they just looked at Harry wearily. Nott and Parkinson, in particular, still had dark looks on their faces. Harry accepted that. They still had not forgiven him no matter how many times he denied any connection with Hermione. Winning, though, had a way of excusing past offenses, real or imagined.

"Yes, Commander," Tracey said.

I have to find a very nice Christmas gift for her, Harry thought.

"We're glad you're back, Com," Blaise said earnestly.

Harry nodded. They were playing their parts well. The three of them had talked it over in the Common Room. Who should say what. Who the troublesome people were. It felt like things the way they were before this year. Harry actually laughed at some of Blaise's jokes and Tracey was cheery instead of despondent for once. Maybe there could be different faces.

Snape came around the corner. He was in an angry mood. His face was pulled into a deep scowl. If ever there was a man that needed a Pepper Up Potion, it was Snape. Harry averted his eyes as Snape scanned over the students.He had not forgotten the headmaster.

"Four lines. No Board Room," he hissed.

Harry rubbed his hands excitedly at the prospect. It had been ages since he actually had to participate in the actual fight. The majority of his time had been dedicated to managing from the Board Room. He knew he was more effective when he got to fight alongside the rest of his Housemates.

They Houses formed into four lines and Snape escorted them into the Room of Requirements one group at a time. Gryffindor went first. They might have blamed him for the Aristophanes article, but none of them dared to meet his eyes. Slytherin followed them. Hufflepuff and then Ravenclaw would follow the rest.

As Harry walked through the door, the familiar disorientation blinded him temporarily. When he regained his senses, the sky was dark and littered with stars. Harry tried to get a gauge of his surroundings. They were in the middle of a wide road. Residential houses were on either side of them. The houses were of an older time. Even in the dark, Harry could see the painted windows and wood paneling. There were hard lines between each brick, a style that made it obvious this neighborhood wasn't modern.

"I know this place," Harry said to himself.

But he could not place from where.

"Black and Green to the right. Take up the houses and stay on different floors. Silver with me."

Perhaps his physical presence brought a sense of familiarity with the Slytherins. For once, they did not disobey him. Black and Green dashed into the house on the right. Harry followed Silver to the left. Ordering Daphne, Nott, and Sadie to barricade the doors and entrances with spells, Harry left them to climb to the ceiling. Height always held advantages. He cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself before he climbed up. It would be no use to get caught so early in the match.

Dark skies covered the horizon. Harry could scarcely see thirty feet in front of him. Lights dotted the landscape, however, giving him some point of reference. There was an eerie familiarity about this place, but Harry did not recognize any of the landmarks. It was a small town, with a river running through the east side and grassy plains covering the rest. He climbed higher until he was perched against the chimney. How did Snape think of these places?

A flash of light caught his attention. To the west, sparks were flying in the air. It was about six or seven blocks over. Yet, Harry had no way of knowing the source of these spells. The houses were of nearly the same elevation and it cut off his sight lines. Omnioculars would be helpful. Cedric had said something about being able to bring materials and instruments in later years, but for now, the only thing they brought into Battle class was their wands.

Harry focused.

The east was a river running north and south. It cut off the town at that edge. It would be a useful backdrop should they need to retreat. Crossing the river and taking them from behind would attract the eye and no one could Apparate. Harry guessed they were in the southeastern quadrant of this sleepy, little town. Snape must have had a vivid imagination. Every building was different, decorated with shrubbery and lawn furniture. Gates and fences bordered most houses, some wood and some stone. To the west, there was a two story house with all of the lights illuminated.

I know that place.

"Commander." A voice hissed up to him.

"Speak," Harry ordered.

Sadie Baldock's face poked out of a window. She was a slight girl with dark hair and narrow eyes. Her face was always impassive, betraying nothing. Sadie blended into the wall and Harry knew nothing of her personality. She was an able fighter though.

"Movement. People moving across the street to the north of us," she said.

Harry hadn't spotted them, distracted by the bright house to the west. He shifted, careful not to move too much. His right knee, fully healed, was bent underneath his body. Supporting his weight with his hands, Harry peered into the darkness, trying to spot movement. There was nothing. Nothing but the darkness ahead of him and the light to the west. Were they moving towards the river at the east or away from it?

Time to find out.

"Lostrego!"

A brilliant green lightning bolt covered the sky. Harry made sure to aim it to the north, draping the surrounding area in a sickly green light. They would react or hide. Harry hoped for the former. He was not disappointed. A ripple moved across the street. To the untrained eye, it might have looked like a glimmer in the darkness, but Harry could spot the tell tale signs of a Disillusionment Charm. Harry held his arm out in front of him, aiming his wand carefully.

"Stupefy." He said it quietly. The body fell in silence.

Spells had a range, Harry had discovered early on. If someone expected to cast a spell over the length of a Quidditch pitch, he had to have the most utmost concentration and skill with it. Fortunately for Harry and most of the Hogwarts students, he had cast Stupefy so many times that he could reach the unknown enemy with it.

The Disillusionment Charm would come off the student now. Harry squinted, but he could not see the color of the badge. The sprawling hair told Harry it was a girl, but it was too dark and she was too far away. Harry could see movement in the windows of the house that Black and Green were in. He was annoyed himself. They should have known to put Disillusionment Charms on if they weren't fighting.

"Homenum Revelio."

I know that voice.

Harry lifted the Disillusionment Charm and scrambled behind the chimney. Two Reductors smashed into the space he occupied. That would have been two broken ribs. He was on the point of the house, the tiles slanting in each direction. His footing was unsure. More spells blasted against the chimney. Brick and mortar flew into the air. Harry controlled himself. There would be a lull.

The spells stopped.

Harry ran.

Balancing on the tips of his toes, Harry sprinted for the edge of the house and leapt, intending to cast a Cushioning Charm on the way down.

He crashed against an invisible barrier. He stepped the wrong and lost his flitting. The roof was like smooth marble as he slid down the western side of it. A loose tile flew into the air and Harry transfigured it quickly, focusing on a hook. It wasn't perfect and it wasn't metal, but the hook did its job. Harry grabbed it out of the air and slammed it against the roof. Gripping tight, the hook held as it found purchase.

I hate her.

It was a ward.

Wards were above their year. How could Hermione have erected one around the house without him knowing? How could Hermione create a ward at all? It required planning and advanced knowledge. He had no time to ponder. The house erupted underneath him, the walls vibrating as spell fire shook the foundation.

"Lostrego! Lostrego! Lostrego!"

Harry fired the signals into the air until the sky was a vivid green. Black and Green had no time to waste. They poured of the second house. Draco was behind Millicent and Goyle, firing indiscriminately against the windows while they protected him with large shields. Hermione sprung her trap.

The wooden fenced roared to life, twisting into life like arms as it swept away Millicent. Malfoy adjusted and transfigured the wooden fence into water. It splashed around him and he grabbed Goyle's robes roughly, spinning him in a tight circle as a two Stunners crashed into Goyle's shields.

They're fast. Far too fast.

.Could they have improved so much in two weeks? It was hard to tell, but Harry never remembered Gryffindor moving with such ferocity. He was still pinned on the roof. Reductors and Bombardas were breaking it apart, but Harry was on the other side of the two enemies. Leaning over the edge, he saw Blaise charging into the house. The tall boy bounced against an opening, physically thrown back.

"The house is warded! Granger's inside!" Harry yelled at him from the roof.

But how to break the ward?

From what little Harry knew about wards, they had to be tied to an artefact. No one person could ward a whole building for an extended time. The amount of magic it took to erect such a ward would sap a person's strength in mere seconds. Yet, an artefact with the proper runes and incantations could hold it for an indefinite amount of time. That had to mean the artefact was on Hermione's person. She had to be inside the house.

"Hold them off," Harry ordered Blaise.

Blaise joined Tracey, who was busy dueling Parvati Patil. Harry pointed his wand down.

"Reducto!"

The ground gave way beneath him. Harry made sure to cast a Cushioning Charm on the way down though he could see little with the debris flying around him. Pomfrey would chop both of his knees off if he injured it again. Mercifully, he landed softly. A Protego shield went up right away and not too soon. Red splashed against the shield as he blocked a Stunner. Harry fired back with a Stunner of his own but found his vision lacking. It was pitch black inside the house without any light. Spells whizzed through the air, but Harry had no way of knowing whether or not he hit someone. He could see Ron Weasley's face through his blue Protego, but it flickered and they were plunged into darkness again.

Enough.

"Fulminare!"

The spell jumped through the air, illuminating everything and catching anything in its path. Daphne was struck by it first and it flowed through her to Weasley. Around and around it went, stunning everything in its path and casting a bright light. Last was Hermione. Harry could see something glowing around her neck. She ripped it off and threw it in the air. His spell snatched the artefact and his ears exploded.

The windows shattered and there was an almighty snap as a structural beam gave way. Daphne and Weasley's body disappeared in an instant. A Portkey, Harry blearily thought. That meant immediate danger. Another support beam groaned and Harry forced his feet to move to the closest exit. Jumping through, Harry was relieved to find that not even Hermione was suicidal enough to hold the ward inside a collapsing building. Most likely, the ward was the glowing object around her neck. She was up to her clever tricks again.

"For fuck's sake," Blaise said as he hauled Harry up. "What the hell did you do in there?"

"Blame Granger," Harry muttered, looking around for any signs of life.

Anybody that was underneath the house before it collapsed would have been Portkeyed away at this point. Sadie was still here, her usually emotionless face gawping at the collapsed house. Draco and Tracey came around the corner, wands in their hands.

"Got everyone else?" Harry asked, trying to assess the situation.

"Goyle went down, but we took care of four Gryffindors," Tracey said.

"She's making a habit of almost killing herself." Draco surveyed the structural carnage with cool, gray eyes.

Harry counted three Gryffindors inside the house before it collapsed. "Two of them at the most. All but finished."

"Don't count her out. She's come back from worse," Tracey warned him.

They moved west towards the illuminated house. Millicent, Goyle, Nott, and Greengrass were eliminated which left the six other slytherins. After much thought, he divided them into teams of two. Harry partnered with Tracey. Draco and Sadie were together. Blaise and Pansy forming up the rear. Quietly they moved, casting Disillusionment Charms and covering each other as they navigated the sleepy town. Twice they heard noises not that far off. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were near.

Harry and Tracey crept through the brush of a nearby house, using the side of the dwelling as cover. They were close. Harry could hear them. As they rounded the corner, Harry spotted the illuminated house.

The illuminated house was guarded by a low, brick wall. There was a gap in the front where a gate was supposed to be. Four large windows filled the face of the house. A long, rectangular door barred the entrance. There was a familiarity about this house. The lights seemed queer. The shadows were too long. Yet, Harry was drawn to this hollow.

A green lightning bolt flew into the air. Harry glanced at his sigil, but he was drawn to the house. Tracey tugged on his sleeve and he blinked. He was standing in front of the long, rectangular door.

"Harry! What's going on with you?!" Tracey had her wand out and another green lightning bolt was in the sky. They were in trouble.

"The house. I know this house…" Harry murmured.

Tracey squared herself and said a strange spell. "Finite Incantatem!"

It did nothing.

The shrill scream shattered his skull. Where was it coming from? Tracey was saying something to him, but he couldn't hear her. Harry fell to the ground, clutching his head. Something wet trickled down his nose.

Then, he was here but not there. He was in a house but not this house. He was in this room but not in the right place. There was a man and not a man. There was a flash of green and a wail. A scream and a hiss. Then, someone was crying and crying, weeping tears that went unheard.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Will you do it?"

Blaise Zabini looked at Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott. Cretins, the both of them. Oh, they might belong to ancient families, but they were sniveling parasites. Blaise knew plenty about the both of them. Pansy had lost her virginity at the age of twelve to Malfoy. Blaise wasn't against that sort of thing. He was against the way Pansy would proudly shame Daphne Greengrass for having sex during the summer before Fourth year with an older Slytherin. The kettle was blackest of them all. Theodore Nott's great secret was not one of his own making. His family was broke, living on laurels of the past. An absent husband and a greedy wife would do that.

"No." Blaise swiftly opened. If they wanted his help, they would have to come begging. "What you're proposing is ridiculous."

"Ridiculous?!" Pansy said breathlessly. "You saw Potter out there! He completely lost it. Tracey defends him because the stupid bint is in love with him, but he was bleeding from the forehead and crying out for his Mum. He's gone crazy since the beginning of the year."

"She's right," Nott said. "All of this commander nonsense has been stupid from the start. Yeah, he's good. No one can deny that, but all the power has gone to his head. He's drunk with it. I can barely scratch my arse without Potter telling me I've stuck my finger up too far."

They were in the Slytherin girl's dormitory. It was the only place where Harry was sure not to have eyes and ears. Tracey was out, so she couldn't rat on them. Blaise sat in an alcove, pondering their proposition.

"There's precedent," Pansy insisted. "Ravenclaw booted out Terry and replaced him with Padma Patil. Obviously, it can be done."

"Just because it can be doesn't mean it should be. Do you know what you're asking?"

They didn't. They had no way of knowing how strong Harry really was. They saw him in Battle class, restrained but efficient. Terry had seen him at his worst, almost drowning Justin on that forsaken night. Still. Still…

"We -" Nott emphasized, "- are asking for a change. We did much better when you were Commander!"

Blaise remembered differently. They didn't win a single match when he had replaced Harry. It only took two matches for Blaise to realize that he was severely outmatched by Granger and even the two other Board Room leaders. He did his best, trying to remember every parcel of advice Harry had ever given him. It was not enough. Yet, Nott and Pansy seemed to remember it different. Perhaps it was because they didn't have Harry threatening them at every turn.

"This is stupid. Harry will lock us all up in a room for even entertaining a thought." Blaise stood up from his seated position in the alcove with the ledge. Nott stood in front of him and Blaise gave him an amused look of surprise.

"We won't fight for him again," Nott said.

"That's just two of you. Harry will find a way around that," Blaise countered.

"It's not just two of us. It's all of us except for Tracey," Pansy said.

That was a surprise.

"Even Malfoy?" Blaise asked. The blond and Tracey had grown close in recent months. The latter would not take the news well.

"He said he would do it if you would do it, but no one else," Nott revealed.

Always the git, Blaise thought.

Blaise looked at the door, wondering whether or not Harry could hear them from his dormitory. Surely not. Then again, all it took was one Legilimency spell to break up this ruse. If they acted, they would have to move quickly. Once they acted, there was no going back. Not this time.

"I want to see everyone and have them tell me that they're going to go through with it. That's the only way. I'll talk to Tracey about it," Blaise said.

Nott and Pansy looked more relieved than anything else. Blaise left the room and stopped by the dormitory. Harry was nowhere to be found. He quickly scratched out a letter on a thick parchment. His left hand scrawled the message hastily. Blaise found his owl pecking at the leftovers of a dead rodent.

"Come here, Zin," Blaise ordered.

The owl would have to take a convoluted route. Her feathers were all brown save for a noticeable dark trail that went down the spine. It would head away from the castle, looping through the Forbidden Forest, before returning to its intended destination. She was smart but lazy.

He was returning when he found Diggory and Granger laughing by the library. Their body language was unmistakable. She was leaning in, touching his shoulder. He was placing his hand on her back while he told his joke. Blaise considered trying to disappear into the background, but it was too late. She spotted him.

Blaise did not trust Hermione Granger.

She was too smart by a half and predisposed to suspicion. Harry, as paranoid as he could be, had his blind spots. Granger had none. She was constantly inspecting and evaluating. Even now, she moved away from Diggory, missing the hurt look on the Hufflepuff's face. She was tone deaf to emotions sometimes. These were all things Blaise could tell just from observation. If he had the opportunity to get inside her head…

That's a dangerous game. One she's much better at.

"I trust practice for the Second Task is going well?" Blaise asked.

"Swimmingly," Hermione said coolly. Without Harry to reign her in, she dropped the genial act.

Diggory walked up to Blaise with an easy smile and extended his hand. "Zabini, right? Blaise?"

"Diggory, right? Cedric?" Blaise asked quizzically.

That bright smile faltered just a little bit. The Hufflepuff probably wasn't used to being mocked. Blaise could see Granger narrowing her eyes. Protective, he thought. He was playing with fire, but Granger would report back to Potter on how much of an arse that Blaise Zabini had been. She would hopefully make no note that he was returning from the owlery.

"Well, I don't want to interrupt what's going on here. Diggory, Cedric. Nice to meet you." Blaise left without another word, giving himself a point over Granger.

Blaise met with all of them. Sadie Baldock and Daphne Greengrass both agreed that Harry was not at his best. Bulstrode and Goyle did not like the way he yelled at everyone. Nott and Parkinson were the obvious instigators. That left only two others to convince. Blaise would have bet all of the Galleons in the Zabini family vault that there would not be a one hundred percent success rate of this mutiny.

He found Draco and Tracey in the Common Room, leaning over textbooks. It was too open. Too public. Peter, now the Second Year, was keeping tabs on Harry for him. Allegedly, Harry was meeting with Cedric and the rest of the Champions about the Second Task. For how long, no one knew for sure. It would have to be quick.

"Nitr…what the hell are these words?" Blaise asked, reading Malfoy's textbook upside down.

"I wasn't aware you knew how to read," Malfoy responded.

Always the git.

"He is right," Tracey agreed. "What are you doing reading?"

"I'm not, of course. That's not why I'm really here."

Blaise plopped down on the long couch next to Tracey. He would have to choose his words carefully. Blaise took a deep breath. Another move to make.

"Is everything okay with Harry?" Blaise asked.

Tracey sat up, notes on Fluxweed and Mandrake Root forgotten. Her back tensed. Classic protective tendencies. Tracey was a rare Slytherin whose emotions fluttered to the surface. Years of the aristocracy practicing politeness and demurity were lost on her - at least where Harry was concerned. Blaise let the question simmer for just a moment.

"He has a lot of things he's trying to handle right now," she said.

"Bit of an understatement, don't you think?" Blaise looked at Draco for confirmation but the other boy made no move to agree or disagree.

Tracey studied him. He was treading on thin ice now. One false step and…

"Pomfrey shouldn't have cleared him. He was still recovering from his injury," she said.

"He looked fine to me. Dodged a couple spells and nearly destroyed that first house. Everything was running fine until he got into that other house. You were there. What happened to him?"

She was struggling for an answer but tried not to show it. Draco was implacably cool as ever. Malfoy might end up being the harder one to draw into Blaise's plan.

"He just collapsed, okay?"

"Crying out for his Mum isn't exactly just collapsing."

"I don't know what you want me to say. We lost. It happens. It's been happening a little more frequently, but if you've forgotten, we won a majority of our matches when Harry was still in charge."

Lash out. Come on, Tracey.

"He's not in charge still?" Blaise asked, keeping his tone light.

"He is. I don't want to hear anymore of this." Tracey to finish the conversation.

Blaise crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Then you're going to want to hear what I have to say next."

Tracey snapped her quill in half, the frustration evident on her pretty face. Others were watching them now, some older students and younger ones as well. Tracey was either ignorant to them or did not care.

"What more could you have to say?" she asked evenly.

"The others don't think he's fit to continue leading."

Realization came to her quickly. Her lips were drawn tight. Her eyes widened as soon as the words left his mouth. The fire that was burning seemed cooler and Blaise had to remind himself that he needed Draco, not Tracey, for this to work. She was just the door that led to Malfoy.

"And who do they have in mind?" Tracey challenged.

You think it''s me, Blaise thought. But he wasn't stupid.

"Draco," Blaise announced.

If the blond was surprised, he didn't show it. He barely even moved from his spot on the solitary chair that was adjacent to the long couch. Those gray eyes were blank, devoid of emotion. He didn't even sit up when he heard what Blaise said. Blaise studied him closely, looking for any type of reaction but saw none. Tracey, on the other hand, swiveled on the spot. Blaise knew the thoughts running through her head. He could practically hear it. How could you…

"I don't want to be Commander," Draco said.

Tracey's shoulders sagged in relief. She was already building resentment towards Blaise, but that was the price to pay. Blaise picked at his robes. The thread was becoming undone near the collar. He would have to replace it.

"Well that's who they chose," Blaise said.

"They?" Tracey asked incredulously. "Where was I for this decision?"

"They felt you were a bit biased."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, I see. Pansy didn't think I could give a rational judgement. What did she say? We haven't been doing well with Harry? He's been consorting with Gryffindors too much? Is Nott a part of this too? I'm sure he thinks he's better at dueling and commanding than Harry. Who else? Daphne? Millicent? Sadie?"

Tracey stood up, her hand twitching for the wand on the table. She was looking around the Common Room, drawing the stares of several now. Blaise remained seated, maintaining a visage of calm. She was digging her hole now. When she sat back down, her venomous rant continued.

"Not here to include me in the vote, are they? I suppose it's easier to make decisions without anyone else looking. Harry said that Slytherin was weak, but I don't think he got to the very root of it. A bunch of bloody cowards you lot are. You're his friend, Blaise! How could you do this?"

"Because I am his friend," Blaise hissed back. "He is not fit to continue on as of this moment. You know this. He's got the tournament. He's lost the discipline on the House. He disappears almost every night - don't give me that look. I know it's not just meeting with her. How is he supposed to handle the rigors of Battle class week in and week out? We're already behind Gryffindor in the rankings. Bloody Hufflepuff is catching up to us!"

"That does not excuse any of this." Tracey leaned in, her eyes flashing.

Blaise almost lost his temper. Tracey was one of the few people that could do that to him. Stubborn. Sometimes he thought she should have been in Gryffindor for her stupidity.

"You don't know what I went through just to hold them off," Blaise lied. "One more week. We have the Ball next weekend so no Battle class but after that, he has one more week. No more episodes. No more losing. Either Draco takes command or someone else will."

"I suppose that's you." The sarcasm was lathered in every word of Tracey's statement.

"He doesn't listen to me," Blaise admitted. "Maybe you can convince him to snap out of it. Either way, he is not putting Slytherin first. One week, Tracey. Get him to do better. He said he wants Slytherin to be great. It's not going to happen the way he is continuing."

Blaise stood up. He could feel Draco's cool eyes assessing him. Tracey was outraged, her hands reaching for something...anything. She would calm down in time and for Harry's sake, Blaise hoped she could find a way to reach the Bringer of Lightning. Harry would hate him. Tracey would hate him. But something had to be done.

"He will never forgive you," Tracey said, echoing his thoughts. "Not this time."

I hope not. That means we've started winning again.

"One week."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

A/N: Deeply sorry about the delay. I ran into a cumbersome formatting problem as I wrote this chapter and the next. I had to rearrange some sections. The next update will take some time, but I hope to meet the goal this time. The next chapter is longer than average length and still needs to be completed.

Projected update time: 32 days

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