Unofficial Portkey Archive

Despite Lovegood's clue, Harry was no closer to cracking the cipher on Hermione's paper. The stipulation that all the numbers added up to 100 was correct. Granger would list several numbers in a row, all adding up to a 100, and repeat this process in several other parts of the neatly divided paper. Still, there was nothing Harry could make of it. At first, he thought it might have been the instructions for a potion she created to copy herself, but it didn't make any sense. Ingredients weren't added to a concrete number.

It had to be a calculation of some sort, but what exactly was she trying to calculate and how was it supposed to lead to his defeat? In this front, Harry had no clue what to do. Maths had never been his strongest suit during his education with the Dursleys and now years removed from it, he had no idea on what the numbers could mean. Furthermore, there was no one he could ask in the Slytherin House since most of them were decidedly Pureblood and left maths and Arithmancy to other schools. It certainly wasn't studied at Hogwarts.

Harry decided to outsource his solution.

He had very few options. Most of the other students in his year hated him. There were a myriad of reasons, but Harry concluded that most of the tied in with the fact that he had bested most of them during duels and Battle class. Furthermore, his placement atop the Master List did him no favors. The Hufflepuffs would be hesitant to help him while the Gryffindors would have rather consorted with a centaur than he. Surely, word would have reached around the Ravenclaw tower of his over exaggerated confrontation with Marietta, Belby, and Roger Davies.

Yet, there was one Ravenclaw that was decidedly indebted to him.

As he set out to find her, he was struck by how much time he spent tracking down people who had answers to his questions. First, he had asked Trow if he knew of a way that Granger predicted his spells. Then he went straight to Granger and met a brick wall of nothing. Now, he was cruising through the corridors of Hogwarts to find an oddball Ravenclaw on a half-baked theory.

Such was the price of winning.

He found her in the Trophy Room, an array of paper strewn around her. She was in the center like the eye of a hurricane, her eyes closed and her hands folded neatly in her lap across her crossed legs. While Harry thought nothing wrong of it, he knew how easily odd behavior could be seen as a target. There was an aura about her that suggests she didn't care about the likes of Marietta, but Harry suspected that she, like him, felt every barb of their words.

"Luna?" he asked, not wanting to interrupt...whatever she was doing.

She opened only her left eye, smiling a bit as she saw spotted him.

"Harry. It's pleasant to see you again."

"Errr..." Harry gingerly navigated the maze of jumbled paper as he inched closer to her. "I was wondering if I could pick your brain for a moment."

"We Ravenclaws are known for having brains, aren't we? Why is it then that some feel the need to torment others?"

"Ravenclaws have their bad eggs just like all the other Houses."

"Even Slytherin?" Luna asked with an expectant eye.

"A few, here or there." Malfoy.

"Let's hope that those people will find some enlightenment and focus their tasks on finding the missing Hob Goblins of New York," Luna said, her manner of speaking indicating that she was dead serious.

"Sure." Harry shrugged, not knowing how else to respond. Hoping to switch the topic, he asked, "Do you remember that paper you picked up that night?"

"How could I forget? It was a marvelous piece of cryptography." Luna thankfully had both of her eyes open now.

"Well, the thing is, I haven't really gotten any headway on solving it. I was wondering if you could give it another look and if you could keep all of this...well..."

"Is it privacy you seek?" She asked without pretense.

"Yes."

Luna nodded to herself, smoothing over the necklace of bottle caps that joined the other assorted necklaces. "For you, Harry, I can do that."

A wave of gratitude fell over him. It would do no good if it was known that he was asking a Second Year Ravenclaw for help on how to defeat Granger. Not only would he lose the respect of the Slytherin House, he would also be seen as groveling for tips. Perceived weakness, no matter how silly it may seem, was a danger.

The neatly folded parchment was starting to wear and tear, so Harry had made a copy with a spell. The original was left in his trunk in the dormitory and he had brought a copy that Luna could hopefully scribble notes on. She took the paper gracefully, her slim hand holding it delicately as if it were some sort of ancient artifact.

"Again, I must stress the ingenuity of this cipher," Luna dreamily mumbled as she cocked her head to an almost ninety degree angle as she looked at the paper.

"Why is it so genius? Is it some sort of new language?" Harry wondered.

"Not at all," Luna explained. "The genius of it is that it is Muggle."

"It's a Muggle code?"

"Yes. And that's why no one here would ever solve it. It's only because I study the excessive use of gamma rays and its usefulness regarding American secrecy that I would ever know. You see, this is known as Data Encryption Standard."

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"No. That's the beauty of it. No one here would ever know what it means, but anyone that works with technology in the Muggle world would know that its used by all sorts of things. Do you know what an ATM is?"

"Of course. My Uncle would use it sometimes to get a few quid out."

"This note, whatever it is, uses the same idea. While I'm sure it's not a bit by bit encryption, the same logic is applied. In order to decipher this, Harry, you'll need an electronic device."

"But I thought electronic devices don't work in Hogwarts?"

"They generally don't, but I'm sure you've seen a camera work in here before. The same logic is applied. Whoever wrote this code wrote it in plain English, ran it through this encryption machine and this is what is produced. This person must have magicked it in such a way to hide whatever it is...except for these numbers to the side of course." She pointed to the column of numbers.

"Most of them always add up to a 100," Luna finished.

"So I'd have to physically get my hands on this particular device in order to crack the code?"

"Either that or ask whoever gave it to you." Luna handed him back the paper, apparently finished with her analysis. "Seeing as you were obviously confused as to how to solve it, the person that gave it to you must surely want you to come back and speak to them again. How else could you solve it?"

As the pieces clicked into place, Harry smiled to himself.

"How else indeed?"

* * * * * * *

But he wasn't able to find Granger for the rest of the day. He checked her usual haunt in the library but it was curiously empty, an oddity for her. After attending another Creatures class where Professor Lupin terrorized almost everyone with a stunningly realistic diagram of a Basilisk, Harry had a free period and decided to attend Battle class. Anyone could attend Battle class during free periods though few attended regularly. There was enough on their plate without adding another House's battles, but Harry preferred some objective observation. It was easier to break down battles when he wasn't participating.

Coincidentally, this Battle class was between third year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.

"Where are you going?" Tracey stopped in the middle of the hallway when Harry turned right instead of the left it took to get to the Slytherin Common Room.

"Battle class. I want to take some notes."

Tracey frowned, but pulled her bag tight over her shoulder and started walking towards him. "I'm coming with you."

Blaise threw his hands in the air in frustration. "Both of you want to spend our free period back in Battle class? Haven't you had enough?"

"You're free to go back, Blaise," Harry said with an amused grin.

Blaise rolled his eyes, simulating disgust. Yet, he also started walking with them as well. To be honest, Harry found it surprising that Tracey wanted to accompany him in the first place. While she was obviously making a concentrated effort to improve this year, attending Battle class when it wasn't your own wasn't something he thought she would do. Blaise was probably tagging along from sheer boredom or, at least, the appearance of sheer boredom.

The class was already in session, Professor Snape standing on a hovering platform that overlooked this particular scenario. It was a jungle, not unlike the Hufflepuff match they watched earlier in Trow's class. Strangely enough, the instructor in question of that class was also in attendance. He was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and his chin settled upon the chalice of his cupped hands. The hawkish white hair came to a widow's peak above a brow that was furrowed in concentration. The close attention was disrupted by a hacking cough that suddenly overtook him and as he produced a handkerchief to cover his mouth, Harry could spot a pink mist on the white cloth before Trow stuffed it back into his robes.

"Hello professor," Harry greeted as he sat down next to him, Tracey and Blaise following suit.

"Why hello, Harry. While I'm not surprised to see you here, I can say that it is a pleasure to see Mr. Zabini and Ms. Davis here as well," Trow said with a congenial smile.

"How could I avoid another Hufflepuff match?" Blaise asked with a dark, arched eyebrow.

"As dutifully blasé as always, Blaise." The smile took the sting out of Trow's words.

"A family motto."

Harry turned towards the match at hand as the Gryffindors advanced in a predictable arrowhead formation. They were in a solid grouping, marching through the jungle towards the perceived Hufflepuff location. Gryffindor were nothing but predictable and they played their hand obviously here. The plan with the arrowhead formation was to charge the Hufflepuffs head on. The prediction would be that Hufflepuff would split to try to surround the singular body and then the Gryffindors would respond by swarming each half.

Divide and conquer. The Gryffindor way.

The tactic assumed that each individual Gryffindor was superior to each individual Hufflepuff. Since the match started with even numbers, it was simply a brutal assault that required little finesse. It was straightforward and simple and not something Granger would have devised. He spotted her small frame tucked in the middle, marching dutifully, yet visibly annoyed.

"Are you just here observing the match, professor?" Tracey politely questioned.

"Why yes, Ms. Davis. I do take an interest in how well my classes do and it never hurts to observe a battle to see how they are employing my teachings. While we're here, why don't we do some improvisational instruction?"

"This is supposed to be a free period," Blaise grumbled.

"And yet, there is something to be learned! Tell me, what do the Gryffindors hope to accomplish?"

Harry repeated his previous thoughts on the arrowhead formation aloud, highlighting the assumptions behind Gryffindor's motivations as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their movement.

"And what do you think of their rate of success?"

Harry shrugged. "It just depends how it breaks when they meet Hufflepuff. If the Hufflepuffs break like they should, they probably have a good chance of overwhelming them."

"For theoretical sake, let's assume that the Hufflepuffs don't break. What do you think would happen, Ms. Davis?"

Tracey clearly thought that it was a conversation that was going to be between Harry and Trow so she stuttered for a moment as she tried to collect a response.

"Well - um - I think the Gryffindors would lose, wouldn't they? If the Hufflepuffs hold, it will be like water coming up against a rock."

Close Tracey. That's not what Trow was asking.

"Almost, Ms. Davis! They would always break. Unless the Hufflepuffs were convinced they were the better duelists, splitting apart would be the natural course of action. While I don't make any assumptions of the strengths of each individual Hufflepuff, no doubt the Gryffindors have some talented duelists. To not break would be a directive to duel them face to face and that's not a situation you want. The Hufflepuffs should take advantage of their terrain and Gryffindor's aggressiveness. How would they do that?"

Tracey looked helplessly at Harry but he just gave her an encouraging nod, hoping that she wouldn't balk away from an answer. Her dedication this year was transparent and Harry hoped it wasn't just limited to in-class answers. Trow was testing her ability to analyze a battle and Harry kept his mouth shut, wanting her to sink or swim on her own merit.

She looked at the jungle with her blue eyes, squinting and staring like it was going to give her an answer. Though she didn't know it, she was staring at the obvious response. The Gryffindors were marching parallel to a river, going north along the jungle. If the Hufflepuffs were smart, they would have relocated to the other side of the river and then sent an sacrifice to lure the Gryffindors to the banks.

"The river, right?" Tracey asked with more than a bit of question in her voice. "The Hufflepuffs should use the river?"

"How?" Trow pressed.

Blaise threw his hands in the air, breaking his silence. "Oh, for Merlin's sake! The Puffs should use the river as a blockade and invite the Griffs in there. The Griffs would be too tempted not to follow along."

Tracey flushed as Blaise spoke the obvious answer and even Trow had to smile at the dark boy's outburst. Harry chuckled himself as he directed his eyes towards the match, watching Granger in the middle of the Gryffindor pack.

"That's assuming Gryffindor would make the cardinal mistake of crossing the river. Now, assume that Gryffindor realizes that the river is a trap. How should they respond?"

At first, Harry thought that they couldn't respond and it was an obvious stalemate as they took pot shots at each other from across the river. Scanning the field, Harry could see that there was a shallow brook down river where it was noticeably easier to cross. The Hufflepuffs should have left a detachment there to protect their flank, but in their haste to cross the river, they didn't realize the back door. Would Gryffindor?

"Engage the Hufflepuffs directly. Try to contain their horizontal movement while they detach a small force to cross the shallow end over there." Harry pointed down the river to make sure everyone could see.

Blaise frowned at Harry's offer. "How could you even see that?"

Harry shrugged again, pushing his glasses up his nose. "You have to always try and flank. It's just a matter of time before either of the Houses see it."

As predicted, the Hufflepuffs sent Zacharias Smith to lure the Gryffindors from the jungle. He crossed the river with some effort, his pants becoming soaked as he did so. Most Houses wore a standard of a gray pants and a gray shirt with the House emblem stitched along the breast. Robes were usually discarded as too heavy and cumbersome. The way the scenario was oriented, the Hufflepuffs were on the short side of the field. While they had the defense of the river, their jungle was considerably smaller than the main area.

From their vantage point above the match, the four of them watched as Zach found the Gryffindors and sent a stray spell their way. Once he caught their attention, he made a mad dash for the river, dodging spells left and right. The flash of lights tore off limbs and leaves as the Gryffindors gave chase.

"They're like dogs. Tap them and they'll follow," Blaise scoffed.

"Warning, Mr. Zabini. I am still a teacher," Trow quickly replied.

"Apologies." Blaise had a way of apologizing without sounding a bit sorry.

Yet, there was a kernel of truth in Blaise's statement. The Gryffindors predictably chased after him, their formation staying tight but definitely heading towards the river. Zach had a good jump on them and was already on the other bank of the river by the time the Gryffindors reached the end of the tree line. Zach turned and fired a few more spells at them before disappearing into the smaller jungle.

The Gryffindors suddenly balked at the edge of the stream, an argument blooming at the tree line. At the heart of it was Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnigan, gesticulating across the river while Granger and another Gryffindor he didn't know was pointing somewhere else. Caught in their argument, neither of them noticed the barrage of spells emerging from the smaller jungle.

Two or three Gryffindors were struck down before they had a chance to take cover as the Hufflepuffs caught them in the midst of their argument and relentlessly pounded them with spells. The majority of the Gryffindors fell back towards the tree line, haphazardly trying to deflect the spells as they retreated. It was chaotic and unorganized and Harry was a bit disappointed that they had fallen so easily for the ruse.

Regrouped with a semblance of cover at the tree line, the heated discussion continued as the Gryffindors debated on their next course of action. The rest of the Gryffindors were forming a defensive line along the edge of the jungle while the "brain trust" of the Gryffindors discussed their options. Ironically, Weasley was among them as well as Granger and Finnigan.

"Oh Merlin, look at Longbottom." Blaise snickered as he pointed out the hapless boy.

The poor boy in question was huddling behind a tree, peeking out every so often but not firing a spell at all. He was about as useful as a Flobberworm and the Gryffindors chances were slowly dwindling. With two of their classmates already down, Gryffindor only had eight students left while the Hufflepuffs held strong.

"What do you think they should do, Harry?" Trow asked as he coughed into his handkerchief again.

"They have to realize that they need to find a way to cross the river. It might be a little too late though."

The Gryffindors were still battling their options as Granger grew more heated with Weasley. While he didn't know what they were saying, Harry was hoping that Granger would win out and realize their strategical faux pas. His eyes wandered and found Snape, stock still with his arms folded and his eyes keen on the Gryffindors.

"Professor Trow, can I ask you something about Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Certainly."

"How exactly did Snape become headmaster?"

Trow raised a white eyebrow. "You do not know? Have you never read Hogwarts: A History?"

"I've skimmed it. It's a bit of a thick book."

"Do you know anything about the processes involved in the selection of a new headmaster?"

"Don't the Board of Governors pick one?" Blaise interjected, possessing a passing knowledge since of his mother's husband was in the Ministry.

"Just about. In the case of Dumbledore's death, he left a will specifically outlying his wish for Professor Snape, a Potions master at the time, to become headmaster. While it is extremely uncommon for the current headmaster to specify the next headmaster for various reasons, Dumbledore held a strong clout even after his death. What made matters more complex for the Board of Governors was that the contents of the will were publicly known. How were they supposed to elect someone else?"

"And this is all in Hogwarts: A History?"

"Most of it, but the Board could have still charted their own course if it wasn't for you, Harry."

"Me?" Harry shook his head as Blaise snickered annoyingly. Another Gryffindor had fallen while they spoke.

"The death of Dumbledore and the subsequent fall of Voldemort were too close not to be seen as a sign. Teachers were threatening to leave Hogwarts if the Board didn't listen to Dumbledore's last wishes."

Another coughing fit overtook Trow as the Gryffindors came upon a decision. The small huddle of Granger, Weasley, and Finnigan finally broke.

"Why do you say the fall of Voldemort?"

Tucking the handkerchief into his robes again, Trow dismissed it with a paltry wave. "It's just a phrase, Harry."

Harry was about to follow up when a fire suddenly broke out over the Hufflepuff canopy. Blaise whistled low and Tracey gasped as Granger directed an engulfing flame towards the jungle. Surprisingly, Trow laughed and clapped his hands at the show.

"It seems Ms. Granger is using her cleverness again."

But not clever enough.

It was a good idea and Harry was unsurprised to see Trow complimenting it, but he had already thought of it long ago when he first saw it was a jungle. The problem with fire was that two could easily play that game and soon enough, a conflagration over took the Gryffindor side as well. Unable to turn deeper into the jungle, Gryffindor rushed out to meet Hufflepuff at the edge of the river.

"Finally," Blaise commented, "Something interesting."

Between the two burning jungles, the two Houses faced off, firing shots from across the river with only a few boulders to use as cover. Harry kept his eyes on Granger, watching as she determinedly ran out to join the fray. She leaned on her feet as she ran in a zig zag pattern to avoid some of the curses. Still relying on her surroundings, she summoned a wall of water from the river and sent it crashing down on the Hufflepuffs, disorienting and scattering them. Then, she inexplicably abated her assault as she leaped to the defense of Longbottom.

Let him go, Granger. He's a liability.

Pivoting to face the Hufflepuffs, Granger had to stop again as Longbottom came under attack. Weasley and Finnigan were running along the blanks, pebbles and water splashing around their ankles as they traded fire with the Hufflepuffs. An opening emerged for Granger as some of the Hufflepuffs turned their back to her to engage Weasley and Finnigan. Yet, she didn't attack as she flung her arm out to cast another shield charm around Longbottom.

"What is she doing?" Harry whispered mostly to himself.

"Who? Granger?" Tracey evenly asked.

Weasley was suddenly fallen and without a partner, Finnigan was quickly closed down as well. The rest of the Gryffindors had fallen at some point so it was Granger and Longbottom against five Hufflepuffs, including Finch-Fletchley. She was a magnificent whirl of magic, spinning and turning as she deftly avoided curses after curses, cycling and redirecting spells back towards the Hufflepuffs. But she couldn't attack, holding herself back to make sure Longbottom stayed in the fray.

"She's spending too much time defending Longbottom." Even Tracey could identify the problem.

And it was Finch-Fletchley who spotted her weakness, increasing his attacks on Longbottom until Granger slipped and let one of her shields fall. Harry shook his head as Snape finished the match, Longbottom not surviving another few seconds without his guardian angel.

Professor Trow sighed as he stood up and indicated a good-bye with a soft nod of his head. "It seeems some students still have things to learn."

Harry nodded in agreement.

So that's Granger's weakness. A bleeding heart.

* * * * * * * *

It was a moonless night at Hogwarts, a singular light filling Professor Trow's classroom.

A lone figure was hunched over a Stationary Omniocular. Her hand furiously scribbled over a codified parchment, a frown set upon her face. Harry watched for a moment as Granger diligently wrote down whatever notes she took, engrossed in the replay of her match.

"Why did you decide on an arrowhead formation?" Harry suddenly interrupted.

Granger jolted back, almost falling out of her chair as she looked at the Boy-Who-Lived, leaning against the wall with his hands tucked in his pockets. He was looking at her evenly, the face of an honest question.

"I didn't choose it." That was her short answer as she buried her head back into the station, her bushy hair settling around it.

"What did you want to do then?"

"I wanted to choke the life out of Ron, curse Seamus, and then send 3 people along the river to the other jungle while the main force pushed the Hufflepuffs back. If you would excuse me, Potter, I don't have time for your stupid games. I have a match to review."

Irritated was an understatement.

"Even that wouldn't have worked. You should have matched the Hufflepuffs and fought for control of the smaller jungle. That's what Snape was trying to do. Manage the field, Granger."

"And you always know everything, don't you, Potter?" Granger didn't even look up as she spoke to him.

Harry had to laugh at her arrogance. He always heard that she was a know-it-all, but it wasn't as evident as it was now. She wasn't perfect, by any means, but he was far more impressed with her talent than anyone else in their year.

"I have something for you, Granger."

That got her attention.

She lifted her head and scrutinized him up and down. Reaching into his back pocket, Harry pulled out the coded parchment and handed it to her with a smile on his face.

"I can't crack it because you're using a Muggle device to code it. The only way to crack it would be to come back to you."

Only the smallest raise of her eyebrows indicated any sort of surprise. Her silence was an answer enough as she took the parchment back, trying not to betray any feelings.

"So here we are, Granger. You thought I wouldn't be able to figure it out that it was undecipherable yet here I am."

Instead of continuing down that line of conversation, she pivoted and asked, "Why were you watching us?"

There was no point in lying. "I wanted to see how you would perform in a House match."

A heavy silence filled the air as he let Granger retake control of the conversation. It didn't take a Granger-like genius to figure out that she was a bit of a control freak.

"And?" She finally asked.

"There are some things you could improve on."

Thought it was dark in Trow's classroom, she still burned bright, clearly uneasy about being criticized. Yet, the way she bit her lip to hold back a remark convinced Harry that she knew that he was right. There was a glaring weakness in her, not including Longbottom, in her large scale tactics.

"I offer you this, Granger. Break that code and tell me how you beat me and I'll help you with your House matches."

Of course, suspicion was her first emotion, but he finally had her head out of the Stationary Omniocular. But she must have been smart enough to know her own weaknesses, however hard it was to admit.

"What makes you think I have some sort of secret on how I beat you?"

"Why did you give me something you knew would have to lead back to you?" Harry challenged her.

A dark shadow passed over her face, her brown eyes tinting over ever so slightly. The slight change was almost imperceptible in the darkness of Trow's classroom, but Harry saw it. As quickly as it came, it evaporated into thin air and her deep, brown eyes were normal again.

"No one can know. I don't want anyone to know we're exchanging information. If they do..."

"You don't need to tell me, Granger."

Another pause filled their awkward conversation as Granger mulled over the agreement. It was a quiet treaty, designed to improve their weaknesses. Neither of them could deny the potential advantage that could be drawn from each other, yet should anyone discover their pact...

"Agreed."

She stuck out her hand, strangely professional and humorously straightforward. It only took a second until Harry clasped hands with her. It was there, in the black of Trow's classroom, that they started a relationship that would be a harbinger of uninterrupted darkness. Yet neither of them knew that.

"And don't call me Granger." She sniffed.

"Fine," Harry shrugged. "I'm Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Hermione Granger, the Mudblood Champion."

At this, Harry had to crack a smile at her sauciness.

This girl might have something after all.

* * * * * *

A/N: Another update should be incoming within the end of the week. Also, the next couple of chapters should be longer than this (by just another couple thousand words). Thoughts on the chapter? Reactions to their agreement? There were quite a few hints dropped in this chapter. Enjoy!

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