Unofficial Portkey Archive

When Harry woke, a blanket covered his body and a pillow was underneath his head. He felt oddly comfortable and he could not remember any nightmares. It took him a few disorienting moments to recap the events of the previous night, but it came rushing back to him like a tidal wave.

"Harry."

Hermione was standing over him, a vexed expression on her face. She had her wand out and her normal robes on, so it must have been the next morning already. It was hard to tell in the dungeons. She crouched, bringing her face closer.

"Hermione," he croaked. He sat up, trying to work out the stiffness in his back.

"What time is it?" Harry asked.

"A little before six," she answered without consulting her watch. "Do you mind telling me why Luna roused me at four in the morning to find you?"

"Luna got to you?"

She pulled out the Sickle, rubbing it between her thumb and middle finger.

"Apparently, Malfoy reported that you never came back to the dormitory. He told Tracey, who somehow managed to convince Padma Patil to find Luna. Whatever Tracey said must have had a profound effect on Luna as she managed to relay seven messages on the Sickle to me. Luckily I was awake and read that message and met the both of them. I tried to explain to Tracey that you were most likely…" Hermione bit her lip as she thought of a word. "...indisposed, for the lack of a better word, with Fleur. Of course, she didn't quite agree with me. So right now, Tracey and Luna are looking for you in various corners of Hogwarts. I, in fact, hadn't actually gone searching for you like I promised I would. I went for the cave and when I cast my detection charm, look what I found."

Hermione looked at him expectantly when she finished. What was he supposed to feel? Guilty? He did feel the slightest bit of guilt, but his mind was still on Fleur and the sound of her weeping.

When he didn't say anything, Hermione continued, "While it is probably pointless for me to say this, I think that someone probably deserves an explanation. Care to give one?"

"No."

She betrayed no surprise.

"Care to give you friends one?"

Harry hesitated for a moment before giving an answer. "Tell them that I was with Fleur the whole night and you found me coming back into the castle."

Hermione's eyebrows shot into her bushy hair. She was still towering over him with that smug expression that he hated. Harry stood up, folding his robes over his arm. He checked for his wand and was relieved that he didn't crush it. Hermione continued to look at him expectantly and he winced when he realized his mistake. By telling Hermione to repeat his lie, he had inadvertently given her the cause of his overnight stay in the dungeons: Fleur.

"I'm not going to be your parrot, Harry. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But I'm not going to lie to your friends for you. Tell them that you were out with Fleur. I'll say nothing of it."

He gave her ample opportunity to continue her lecture, but she had the wherewithal to hold back. Hermione was never more annoying than when she knew she was right. Harry glared at her but she did not wither underneath his gaze. If anything, she gave a little smirk. He huffed and turned away to go back to his dormitory. Her hand snaked out and grabbed his wrist before he could leave.

"Hey," she said. "Are you okay? You can tell me. You know as well as I do that I won't repeat it to anyone."

Harry found it hard to imagine talking to Hermione about what happened the previous night. It was not something he could discuss with her.

"I'm fine," he said.

"So you keep saying."

---------------------------------------------------

Tracey was oddly calm when he lied about where he was the previous night. Harry thanked her for worrying but informed her it was unnecessary. He also had to hunt down Luna and apologize to the Ravenclaw. There was no need for anyone to be awake that early.

Classes resumed and thankfully kept his mind off Fleur. He threw himself into Strategy with Trow and Dueling with Moody. Harry fought with an anger, disarming his fellow students with alarming speed. He did everything he could to keep busy.

A saving grace was that Fleur made herself rare. Harry had not seen the Veela at all, even in the Great Hall. He would look for her. How could he not? Gathering what little he could from the other students, Harry found she had sequestered herself to her carriage. There were questions he had for her, but he didn't know how he could even look her in the eye. That despair was welling up within his gut again and he forced it down, squashing it before it started. There was no room for emotion.

Cedric gathered them for another meeting, discussing the finer points of transfiguring ice and water into weaponized objects. Harry was passable at transfiguring unlike objects, but there were several others that held far greater expertise on the subject. There were no other clues except for the egg that they had stolen. As far as they knew, the other schools were left in the dark as well.

"Anything you were able to get from Fleur?" Fred nudged Harry with his elbow and winked.

They were crowded into the Astronomy tower again. There was a little more space since they were down to ten Champions. Nonetheless, the Hogwarts group was still elbow to elbow around the table and Fred had chosen the wrong words at the wrong time. Harry fought down the burning combination of embarrassment and anger. Displaying anything now would be a dead give away.

"She was rather...tight-lipped."

Fred and George guffawed. Roger Davies shook his head while the majority of the girls scowled at him. Cedric rolled his eyes but had the hint of a bemused smile on his lips. Hermione just arched her eyebrow curiously. It could not be understated how much he hated that smug expression she sometimes wore.

"Nothing from Durmstrang. They're not even allowed to speak to any of the other Champions. They talk with people from Hogwarts, but never to us. I don't even know how much they've figured out about the riddle," Hermione added.

"Well they're not idiots," Roger said. "They're playing it close to the chest and that makes them the more dangerous one."

Harry thought of Tireur and his endless taunts. He thought of Fleur and the display of Veela magic in her carriage. There was a threat there...and power. There was no way to tell what Durmstrang was planning. The dragons were a poor test of what each school was capable of as fighting dragons was far different than fighting other wizards and witches. If they were to pit them against each other in this Second Task, then they would go in knowing little of each school's tactics. It was a blind fight, not one that Harry was used to. Years of dueling against the other Houses had given them tendencies that Hermione had painstakingly recorded. There was no such advantage against Durmstrang or Beauxbatons.

They dismissed the meeting and Harry was unsurprised to find they had accomplished little. There were no set plans or guidelines. Cedric was doing his best to define his leadership role, but there was little cause to follow him. Without any knowledge of the battlefield or the objectives, there was little to plan. The Second Task was within the week and there had been no significant breakthroughs since they figured out some of the clues from the riddle in the egg.

Harry concentrated on his studies instead. His handle of transfiguration was getting better as he repeatedly practiced the motions and incantations needed to convert unlike objects. It was a different study than spellcasting. So much of spellcasting involved belief and concentration. Transfiguration was concentration of a different sort. Projection of the mind was what McGonagall constantly drummed into their heads. It was not a branch of magic that could be cheated. It was why Harry found it fascinating and frustrating at the same time. Spellcasting came easy to him. Transfiguration had no easy path. It was a torturous study of objects.

But it didn't matter how much Harry tried to cram into his head. Fleur was inescapable. The more he tried to push her out, the longer she lingered. The images of that night replayed constantly in his mind. No amount of Occlumency could rid him of the shame he felt. He was determined not to show it in front of everyone. He pushed the Slytherins ruthlessly in Battle class, securing narrow victories against Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Afterwards, he had berated them for not winning by a large enough margin. They lost far too many against them.

Perhaps he had been too harsh on them, but he was tired of their excuses. They needed to establish a high quality of excellence if they were able to progress beyond their current status. He wanted them to believe that they would win all the time. Tracey had tried to calm him down after one of his tirades, but he brushed her off.

"Harry, you're pushing too much," she warned him after everyone had left.

"I need to push them," Harry replied. "We need to win every single time. Nothing else is acceptable."

"Harry-"

He cut her off. "No, Trace. I won't hear any more of it."

Harry left before she could continue. Even Tracey, who rarely pushed his buttons, was annoying him. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't even the other Slytherins' fault. There was just a storm brewing in his chest and he could not help but fight at every opportunity that was presented to him. He was walking to the cave and glowered at any student he passed. Some flinched. Some avoided his gaze. Others challenged him. A little Legilimency would make them look away.

Hermione was waiting for him, talking in low tones with Cedric. Harry approached them cautiously and felt another storm brewing in his chest. His crossed expression must have been plainly evident as Hermione frowned when he was near.

"Hullo, Cedric," Harry said evenly.

Cedric smiled brightly as he greeted him back. When is he ever not smiling?

"We're waiting for Luna to arrive and then we can go in. You can go now, Cedric. I do believe that your amusing insistence on making sure I wasn't disturbed has been fulfilled." Hermione said the last part sarcastically but with little intent. Cedric chuckled and kissed the top of her head. He waved goodbye to Harry and took the stairs to the main corridor above.

After he departed, Hermione asked, "I've noticed you haven't really been your sunny self."

"What gave it away?"

Harry leaned against the entrance to the cave and levitated his wand. Hermione watched him wordlessly and he could see the envy in her eyes. At least he still had this to hold over her.

"Offer to talk still stands," she said.

"Politely refused" Harry responded.

"Stubbornly continued. Do you realize you look like a Hippogriff burned your house down? Don't think I haven't seen the way you're glaring at everyone. I even heard from Susan Bones that you had a go at your House after you beat Hufflepuff. Seeing as how Tracey and Luna still seem to think that you were with Fleur the whole night, I think I have good reason to think that something must have happened with her."

"What does it matter to you? I don't ask you about Cedric."

"I'm not trying to kill everyone by just staring at them. Harry, who are you going to talk to if you're not going to talk to Tracey? Don't tell me that you're just going to keep it all to yourself!"

"Ahem." Luna coughed, thankfully interrupting a fight that was about to occur. "Impressive wandless magic, Harry. Is that a Spinning Charm you applied to your wand?"

Harry blinked and realized he was twirling his wand in mid-air. As soon as he thought about the Spinning Charm, the wand stopped spinning. He lowered it back to his palm, not realizing how fast his heart was beating.

"Should I come back at another time?" Luna asked.

"No," Hermione answered. "You've interrupted nothing apparently."

She tapped the bricks and the entrance opened. Inside, they continued their work of building a replica to the Board room. They had made quite some advancements, but they still did not have any way of acquiring the image to project onto the board. There were some ideas involving crystals, but they were just theories. The trio operated efficiently and in a very business-like manner, but Harry did not miss the coldness that Hermione was no projecting towards him.

The storm brewed within, unabated and growing.

------------------------------------------------

The day before the Second Task, Snape summoned them for another Battle class. Harry arrived first, ahead of the rest of the members of his House. He hoped to fight in this actual class. The rest of the students arrived until it was apparent that all four Houses would be participating in this particular Battle class. When they were all present, Snape motioned with his hands to split into their respective Houses. Slytherin did not need to move. They were all gathered together.

"Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff. Gryffindor. Your objective in this class is to defeat Slytherin. You are not to attack each other. You will all be awarded the same if Slytherin is defeated."

Snape said it with such clarity that dissuaded any argument. There was no room for discussion.

No one moved and Harry could hear the hushed whispers of the other Houses as well as his own. He stared wilfully at Snape and the Headmaster met his gaze. Harry did not blink. He did not look away. He wouldn't stand down to him. Snape met his gaze evenly, every muscle on his sallow face perfectly composed.

Do I dare?

Harry did not. He was angry. Furious. The unfairness had never been more transparent. Snape was trying to tip him over the edge, but he would not win. Harry recognized a losing battle and would not be baited into performing Legilimency against Snape. He would win this duel.

A hand shot up in the air and Harry finally broke eye contact.

"Miss Granger?" Snape asked.

Hermione stepped forward, looking grave and petulant. "Isn't this a bit unequal?"

"You will find that battles are rarely equal. I have put you in positions that have allowed for largely even numbers so far. Might it be that Gryffindor will see themselves with unequal numbers the next time."

She wanted to argue. Harry knew that expression ever so well. There was a rebuttal at the tip of her tongue, but she bit it as well. It burned Harry to no end. Snape was imposing himself on the both of them in front of everyone. He would win this battle. He had to win this battle.

Snape paced in front of the door of the Room of Requirements until it revealed itself. He gestured for the three other Houses to proceed forward. They entered single file, the sheer number of them already scaring the other Slytherins. Snape closed the door behind them and turned to face his former House.

"Since you are at a numerical disadvantage, I will give you five minutes to discuss your strategy for this particular class. Do take advantage of this precious time. The enemy shows no pity for the outnumbered," Snape said.

Harry turned to face them, glad that he was going to participate this time. He had done it before and he would do it again. The forest was fresh in his mind and his House had almost won except for Granger. This time, he would not be felled by the Gryffindor.

He began to speak. "Whatever awaits us, I know we will handle it. We've done it before. Remember the forest. Remember the predicament we were in. This is the same. We were close before and I am at full strength now. Do you believe me?"

There were hesitant nods. Harry expected a chorus of yesses, but they were nervous. Snape had highlighted their numerical disadvantage and there would be no Granger or Gryffindor to help them this time. Tracey spoke up.

"I believe in you, Harry."

He would always be thankful for her. There was no one else who believed in him unconditionally.

"Goyle. Millicent. We're going with the meat shields. Draco, take a free role and move opposite to me. Everyone else, await instructions. I'll make sure to be quick with them once we're inside."

He split them into pairs and had them practice simple spells so they could get their mouths moving. There was a palpable nervousness among them that could not be dispelled. Harry tried to keep his anger in check. If they were to win, he would have to perform better than he had ever had before. He paired himself with Tracey and they disarmed each other in turn.

"Why is he doing this?" Tracey whispered.

Harry glared at the back of Snape's greasy head.

"Because of me," he said.

Five minutes evaporated in an instant and Snape paced back and forth until another door materialized from the wall. With a flick of his wand, Snape opened the door and beckoned them inside. One by the one, they walked to their doom. Harry was last and paused before stepping into the battle. He looked at Snape, hoping to project some sort of fearlessness.

"Do not dawdle, Mr. Potter. Your House awaits your leadership," Snape drawled.

Harry chose his words carefully. "I will win this. I will beat everything you throw at me."

Snape gazed at him in the eye and Harry finally found some emotion.

Amusement.

"I don't believe you will."

----------------------------------------

Harry stepped through the door only to find another door. They were in a ten by ten room, lit by a single flame in the center. There were no other exits besides a solitary door, wide enough for just one person. It was similar to another Battle class they had but even more limiting this time. It did not take long for the others to realize their predicament.

"That sodding bastard," Nott muttered.

Harry nodded in agreement.

"Is there any chance they won't all be waiting on the other side?" Tracey wondered.

No, Harry thought. That would be far too nice of Snape to allow that.

"They'll be waiting for us. All thirty of them," Harry answered.

Harry started formulating a plan of attack. It was an easy funnel, meant to signal their defeat. The intimidation was almost enough to stay any attack and surrender, but there was no option for surrender. They would lose fighting and Harry would have it no other way. But he did not intend to lose.

One door. No other exits. Harry examined the walls and found them to be concrete. When he removed a brick, he found another. And another. Then another. They would not be able to make their own exit. A Fulminare might catch some of them, but they would be prepared and not present such an opportunity. The spell was hard to control and struck everything in its path. An object could be created just as a distraction for the spell.

He briefly thought of fanning out with shields, but they would not last long under the withering force of thirty wands pointed at them. Disillusionment Charms were another option but Granger knew the counter spell and would have no doubt tried to teach others about it. He relayed these thoughts to the rest of them, looking for input.

"What if we all came out slowly under the Disillusionment Charm? Go one at a time and try to sneak past them?" Blaise asked, speaking for the first time.

Harry shook his head. "They're going to have traps and counter-jinxes ready for that. As soon as that door opens, they're going to bombard us."

"Why don't we just open it?" Draco asked. "Don't go outside but survey the situation from within. At least we'll get a better idea of what we're facing."

With shields produced on each side of the wall surrounding the door, Harry banished it. The door groaned as the hinges gave way. Oddly enough, there were no spells as soon as the pathway opened. Harry was sure they would have attacked as soon as that door opened if they were out there.

"Mirrors," Harry called out.

Tracey floated a transfigured mirror and angled it in such a way that Harry could see what was out there without exposing himself. Adjust the mirror slightly with wandless magic, Harry realized why there weren't any spells.

The blue shields of the Protego completely fulfilled his vision. They were approximately thirty feet away, but readily present. There were no spells casted to destroy his mirror, so they did not care for hiding their intentions. Hufflepuffs, Harry thought. He thought he could see the yellow badge that signified the House behind their blue shields.

"Potter," Draco whispered. The blond boy pointed along the outer edge of the door. Harry understood immediately.

If they were smart, which some undoubtedly were, then they would have surrounded the whole building. Every angle would be covered as soon as they exited, making it impossible to slowly fan out with shields. Harry ground his teeth as he realized the extent of the situation Snape put them in. He meant for them to lose.

"They have us surrounded," Pansy whispered in awe as she, too, recognized the hopelessness of the situation.

"Why haven't they attacked us?" Blaise asked.

"No need to," said Tracey. "They can just wait until we come out. Why risk trying to take the building when we have to come out eventually?"

She was right, of course. There was no way to entice them into the building where the funnel would work against them. All they had to do was wait it out and the situation would resolve itself. There had to be a way…

Dudley and his gang made a habit of trying to surround and entrap Harry when he was younger. It was much in the same manner as Battle class. They would find an alley and corner Harry so the only way to escape was through Dudley. Of course, Harry was too small to fight Dudley on his own, so he would have to manage and try to escape. Most of the time, he was caught and pummelled. But occasionally, if he was fast enough, Harry could escape. Quickness was the key.

There was no way to run fast enough to escape the spells. Even with the Disillusionment Charm, he would only last a few seconds before he tripped the counter measures. If there was a way to move quickly, however, that gave them a chance. Harry looked around and found nothing of else in the room.

Of course. Snape wouldn't give us anything easy to transfigure.

"Your robes. Everyone remove their robes."

They tossed their robes to him in a tight ball. They still had their combat shirts and pants on. The robes would not make for the greatest transfiguration material, but they were all he had. One by one, he transfigured each of them into a slab of metal. Each piece was wide enough for him to stand on.

"Smoke Charm," Harry commanded.

Tracey cast a smoke charm on the doorway to obscure the vision from the outside.

Transfiguring one of the robes into a slanted rock, Harry completed preparations by stacking the metal sheets against the rock so they faced the doorway. He tilted them at a slight angle so if he placed his feet against the metal sheets, his head would be pointing towards the door at a perpendicular angle. The metal sheets were useful since they could hold the Repelling Charms without breaking apart.

A human rocket.

"Detinent." Harry cast on the top metal sheet. It was a Dampening Charm, intended to weaken the effects of a spell.

"Everyone cast a Repelling Charm on each of the metal sheets," Harry ordered. "When this fires me out, I'm going to try to take out the Protego shields that are stationed facing us. As soon as you hear my spells go off, cast Obfuscation and Smoke Charms right out of the doorway. Slide out facing up and start blasting away."

It was a good plan in theory. Hopefully being a human cannonball didn't kill him.

Nine Repelling Charms were cast on the metal sheets. Harry could feel them vibrating beneath his feet, but the full effects were not yet felt because of the Dampening Charm. He gritted his teeth, feeling the strain that the Dampening Charm was putting on his body. Nine Repelling Charms should theoretically give him enough velocity to avoid any spells or traps. Tapping his wand on his head, Harry cast the Disillusionment Charm.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded.

Harry pointed at his feet and braced for impact.

"Finite."

The Dampening Charm was removed and the force of nine Repelling Charms occurred between the metal sheet and his feet. The force was so strong that he couldn't even open his eyes. He felt the wind in his ears and air against his face. Since his neck wasn't broken, Harry assumed that he had correctly judged the trajectory. He could feel his body slowing down and his organs settling. When he could open his eyes, Harry cast a Cushioning Charm to break his fall.

Standing up, he found himself in the middle of what looked to be a desert. After quickly orienting himself, Harry found the Hufflepuffs that were grouped together in a shield. Even from a distance, Harry could see that almost everyone else was grouped above and to the sides of the building.

Harry ran.

"Fulminare!"

The chained lightning spell struck the Hufflepuffs and broke their shields. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see various Obfuscation Charms fill the air and the familiar sounds of spellcasting ringing in his ears. Flicking his wrist, he fired sound spells, igniting the area with explosive sonic booms that would hopefully disorient the others.

Applying the Disillusionment Charm again, Harry crouched and waited for the smoke and charms to clear the area. It would be dangerous to wander into the crossfire without identifying who was the enemy. Fulminare wouldn't work since it was uncontrollable. Harry waited but did not like the lack of spells he could hear. There should have been more. Slytherin should have still been fighting.

"Finite." Someone cast the spell and the smoke started clearing from the area. Harry brought his wand into a ready position.

The Slytherins were bound or unconscious all along the ground. All nine were strewn along the ground with ropes bound around their ankles. Harry's stomach sank. They were doomed before they could even defend themselves. He struggled for a better plan but could not think of one. There were still about fifteen students left, so the Slytherins that got the opportunity to shoot a few spells must have hit their few targets.

I have the advantage. They do not know where I am, but that will only last for a few seconds. Hermione will cast the detection charm and find me. Fifteen targets is almost good enough for one Fulminare, but if they block it me, that will leave me drained.

Anger. It was what fueled the spell and he plenty of it.

He leapt at the chance.

"Fulminare!"

Harry didn't wait to see who it struck. He cast the Disillusionment Charm as soon as Hermione's counter-jinx went into effect. Ron Weasley was still standing so Harry transfigured the sand on his feet into stone. Weasley was surprised when he couldn't move and even more surprised when he was hit with a Body-Binding Hex. Ducking a Stunner, Harry fired one back and then used a Summoning Charm on Parvati's necklace. She always wore it and it was a mistake as it jerked her neck forward without snapping. Parvati tumbled face down and Harry hit her with another Body-Binding Hex.

A Tripping Jinx caught him and threw him off feet momentarily. Regaining his balance, Harry swung around and conjured a wire. He whipped it in a wide arc, sending it through the air as it struck down three more students. They were up and moving before he could Stun them and he counted that as a loss. A Protego had to be brought up as a Stunner was on target. The spell bounced off his shield. Harry rolled, trying to make himself a smaller target. There was hardly anything in the environment to use and the Disillusionment Charm broke as Hermione applied the counter-jinx once again.

Coming to his feet, Harry was dismayed to find ten targets still facing him.

Hermione was in the center, her wand pointed at his torso while the others were slowly fanning out. These were no incompetent Slytherins. There were a few things he could try, but his thoughts were consumed on the fact that none of the Slytherins had lasted more than a few seconds. A stray thought crossed his mind. Perhaps if two people levitated Goyle and Millicent, then they could have had their shields facing upwards. Two people underneath them would just shoot spells while having cover.

Why didn't I think of that sooner?

Harry dropped his wand.

It disoriented them for about two seconds, just enough time for one spell.

"FULMINARE!" Harry punched his hand into the air as he called lightning one more time.

Hermione was ready.

She pushed three students straight into the spell with a Banishing Charm. It struck the three of them and the rest of the spell dissipated on conjured items that the other students had created. Seven cries of Stupefy put him down.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Hermione sneaked out of the Gryffindor Tower, mindful of the patrols. She was experienced at dodging them at this point, but it never hurt to be cautious. Around the corridor and then down the swinging staircase she went. Two left turns avoided the Great Hall and she had to pause as a Prefect passed in front of her. Down and down she went until Hermione reached her cave.

She opened it by tapping seven bricks and muttering a charm. The dry mud squished against her feet, the brown walls reflecting the light from her wand. It was after midnight and the castle was quiet. Her heart beat furiously with anticipation. As she reached the atrium, Hermione paused and looked up.

There was something about the lake that allowed the moon's light to still reach the cave. It must have been hundreds of feet below the surface, but it was still clear enough for her to see the outline of the moon. It bathed the cave in an eerie darkness, an ever shifting shape that was played games with the eyes. Hermione lit the torches and dispelled of the shadows.

She laid her book on one of the tables and sat down as if she were preparing to study. Discretely moving her wand in a practised shape, Hermione uttered the incantation she had researched.

"Revelare Cretin."

Across from her, a small figure appeared.

It was tiny, barely coming up to her knee. It wore what looked to be a clean pillowcase. The skin was a sickly shade of gray, almost leathery. It was all skin and bones, so thin that Hermione was afraid to touch it. Only it's eyes were large. They were prominent and were set up on the upper half of its head. The ears were twitching, swaying side to side to some unknown tune.

It was also knitting.

"Hello," Hermione said.

The creature looked up and stared right at Hermione. Then, it looked side to side as if looking for someone else. Hermione kept staring at it right in the eye, trying to remember everything from the Creatures book she had borrowed from the library. When the House-Elf realized that Hermione wasn't talking to anyone else, it jumped.

"Oh no."

The House-Elf snapped his fingers and then disappeared.

"No, no, no!" Hermione stood up and dropped her wand. "I'm not here to hurt you or anything. I just figured you were here all this time. I promise not to say or tell anyone anything."

House-Elves are bound to their Masters. Their greatest fear is disappointing their Master…

Hermione struggled to remember all the quotes as she continued rabbling on, trying to convince the House-Elf to show itself again.

"Please. I just want to talk to you for a second…"

The House-Elf reappeared, cowering and shaking in the corner. Hermione approached it slowly and kneeled down until they were eye level.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she introduced herself.

The House-Elf bobbed his head up and down. `I know who you are, Miss Granger. You shouldn't...you shouldn't be seeing me."

"I know, but I realized that I felt your presence," Hermione lied. It was a theory she had, but there was no way to know that it would be a House-Elf.

"You shouldn't be seeing me," he repeated.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. "But can we just talk for a moment? Can I have your name?"

After a moment, he replied, "I'm Dobby, House-Elf of Hogwarts."

"Hello, Dobby." Hermione did not extend her hand. She knew from the book that House-Elves would shriek in dismay if she were to do so. It was a barbaric way to treat them.

"We shouldn't be talking, Miss Granger," Dobby muttered quietly.

"It's okay. I don't care that you're here. I don't mind it at all actually. So, you don't have to be ashamed or scared or anything like that."

Dobby looked like he disagreed. He was shifting ever so slightly on his feet, his eyes darting from one corner of the cave to another as if he were trying to escape.

"Master gave strict instructions not to be seen," Dobby said to himself.

"But if I don't care that I can see you, doesn't that override that?" Hermione asked.

Dobby frowned. "I don't...I don't know. Ahhhhhh!"

He screamed and started bashing his head with his own fists. Horrified, Hermione grabbed his wrists to stop the self mutilation. How could Hogwarts possibly employ these creatures?

"Dobby! Stop it! I order you to stop!"

And miraculously, the House-Elf stopped. Hermione frowned for a moment, wondering why Dobby would listen to her. Everything she read indicated that the House-Elf was slavishly obedient to their master. It clicked in her head as she thought it through. It was all in how Dobby introduced himself.

"Dobby. I command you not to hit yourself," Hermione sternly ordered.

"I...I...I can do that?" Dobby appeared to be waging an internal war as if he didn't know whether he could obey that order.

"You're a House-Elf of Hogwarts, right? That means that you have to listen to me as well as I'm part of Hogwarts." Hermione hated that she would have to order him, but small steps had to be taken first.

Dobby frowned, his large ears flopping about. "I suppose I do…"

Hermione nodded, trying to reinforce the idea. She had not a clue of what the bindings that House-Elves had to follow, but it was clear she had some hold over Dobby. It sickened her.

"So it's entirely okay that I see you. You don't have to hurt yourself."

Slowly, Dobby lowered his hands. He still looked perturbed, but he seemed to accept the loophole. Hermione backed away when she was sure that Dobby would no longer harm himself. She sat down and sighed.

I was right. Snape was spying on us with House-Elves all along.

For the longest time, she knew there had to be some way the Headmaster was keeping track of them. It was highly suspicious that Snape would not keep an eye on them. Her theory was further validated when Harry approached Snape after Justin's attack and the Headmaster's punishment was no more than a slap on the wrist when all things were considered.

"Dobby, I know you have your orders and you don't have to betray them, but I need a moment of privacy here," Hermione gently said.

Dobby was on the verge of harming himself again. He said, "I'm not supposed to leave you. Master said to keep an eye on you. I can't keep an eye on you if I leave you."

"So you watch me...all the time?" Hermione asked.

The House-Elf flushed, the color strange on his gray skin. "No! No! It's not what I meant. I just meant...I can't leave you here."

Hermione was afraid of pulling this card, but she had no choice in the matter. The Second Task was tomorrow.

"I have to do some private things. Things that I can't really do when I'm in the dormitory or anywhere else."

The House-Elf thought for a moment and then spoke, "I can disappear then. You don't have to see me."

Here it goes. "You can't see me either. I have to...you see, Dobby, I have to take care of myself."

"Take care of yourself?" Dobby slowly repeated.

"Yes. You've probably been in Hogwarts long enough to know that girls sometimes have to take care of themselves. Late at night. On their own. Preferably in private."

"Like using the lavatory?" Dobby offered.

Hermione sighed and almost smiled at his naivete. "Dobby, I have to touch myself. I just wanted a moment alone for that."

The realization dawned on the House-Elf and while Hermione felt guilty for lying to the poor creature, she could not help the smile that broke across her face as Dobby sputtered his way to an apology. Dobby promised to give her ten minutes by herself or more or however much time she wanted. Hermione bit the inside of his cheek as Dobby walked out of the cave, visible to assuage her fears of deception. For good measure, she cast the creature revealing spell one more time just to make sure and found nothing.

Ten minutes.

Hermione began undressing.

In her bag, she pulled out the the cork and examined the crude engraving she made. It was a picture of a lion fittingly. She brought out a small vial and pricked her skin. Dropping a few drops of her own blood into the vial, she corked it and then produced a syringe. Hermione injected the whole vial into the cork, saturating it there was a slight blush of red. Laying the cork down, Hermione brought forth her wand and enchanted the spell.

"Tenebris Atro. Tenebris Atro. Tenebris Atro."

The cork started to smoke, a thin wisp of gray rising and curling into the air. Hermione swallowed down her fear. Luna said that marks were inherently dark. While she didn't agree with the Ravenclaw, Hermione was fighting it hard to classify this type of magic as light. She pressed forward willingly.

"Tenebris Atro. Tenebris Atro. Tenebris Atro."

She was tired of being less powerful. She was tired of Harry's ease with wandless magic. Even Cedric, indirectly, had demonstrated a magical power that she envied. If she were ever to compete, then these were the risks she had to take.

"Tenebris Atro! Tenebris Atro! TENEBRIS ATRO!"

Black smoke poured from the cork as it fizzled and boiled. It hissed, alive with magic and power. Hermione dropped her wand and picked up the cork. She gasped at the heat as the cork was scalding to the touch. Quickly she jammed it against the side of her left breast where no one would see it. Hermione screamed as she held it for the necessary seven seconds. Damned wizards and their obsession with the number seven.

When it became unbearable, Hermione dropped the cork.

It plopped against the ground, but it was no longer covered in smoke. The cork was blackened all over, near unrecognizable. Hermione examined her fingers and found them unburnt. They were just covered with soot. She lifted her left arm and looked at the mark she placed on herself.

The dark outline of a lion stood out against her pale skin. If she looked closely enough, Hermione could see the lion's mane bristle. She shivered, feeling something cold run through her body. Poking at the tattoo with her finger, Hermione found it cold to the touch. She bent down to pick up her wand and felt a different thrum as she wrapped her hand around it. Her body felt different. Her body felt...alive.

She dressed herself and gathered her belongings. Lastly, she made sure to shrink the burnt cork and stuff it into the pocket of her robes. Disposal was necessary. When she stepped back into the dungeons, Hermione waited and called out, "Dobby?"

The House-Elf appeared this time, shuffling his feet and not meeting her eyes. He was still embarrassed apparently.

"I'm sorry about that, Dobby," Hermione said.

The House-Elf sheepishly nodded. "Are you all done, Miss?"

Hermione smiled, feeling the lion push against her chest.

We will find out tomorrow.

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A/N: Apologies for the slight delay.

Update time: Sunday, mid afternoon - late evening

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