Monday 19th September 1994.
"Harry?" Hermione questioned as she looked at her friend's eyes. The look in them was similar to one he'd worn on this exact day six years prior.
They flicked to her own in response and he gave her a soft smile, but it did not dispel the indecision on his face. A face that had grown much in the passing years. Along with his ragged hair.
She smiled at herself as she gazed at his long unruly locks, most of it swept back into a dignified ponytail that was immediately undone by those strands too short or too forward to be caught in the band sticking out in all directions.
While her own hair had settled somewhat in the past few years as they mastered their magic, she loved that they both shared this oddity that would not be controlled.
"Is there something on my face? Icing from the cake, maybe?"
Hermione ran her tongue about her lips seeking any errant pieces of the delicious pale orange frosting. Harry's eyes were immediately drawn by the motion and she stopped, tongue still partially out and looked at him in confusion.
After almost nine whole years of solid friendship, she had thought herself a master of his face. Able to tell from the slightest microexpression just what was progressing through his head at any given moment.
The way that their magic shifted and entwined whenever they were within five hundred metres of the other helped aid her thoughts in the right direction as well. But today, everything about him was entirely new for some reason, and it puzzled the girl.
Hermione adored puzzles. She threw herself into them with the same vigour and single-mindedness that had helped the pair guzzle down course after course of advanced classwork. Both in their correspondence secondary studies where they were fast approaching their GCSE tests, and their magical studies.
While their rate had slowed upon adding all of the elective classes possible for self-study at home, she had devoured the new knowledge side-by-side with Harry, as both displayed a fervour their tutors had been astounded by.
"Are you ever going to tell m…" Hermione cut off suddenly as a pair of warm lips pressed to her own and her mind immediately stopped computing anything but the way they felt there.
Soft and yet firm. Warm and slightly moist. Tender, but hungry.
And with the same suddenness they had appeared, they were gone. Of all the things she had expected to receive on her fifteenth birthday, a kiss from Harry had not been one of them.
Hermione's eyes had closed somewhere during the short moment of bliss, but they shot open and her buzz was firmly killed as she felt the absence in the air around her.
The air was suddenly cold despite being perched on her bed in the home away from home. Her magic became frantic almost immediately and within a fraction of a second, her eyes no longer saw the wall of her Manor bedroom, but Harry's Clearing Stone and a frantically pacing Harry Potter.
A heat that Hermione told herself had nothing to do with the tingling feeling still surging through her lips had her stomping forward and grabbing Harry's shirt as he turned to face the approaching sound. Her fingers clamped onto the soft material and Harry's eyes widened. His lips moved to speak but before he could utter a word, Hermione crashed her own onto his and the pair were kissing once again.
As it was only the second time Hermione had kissed anyone on the lips, her technique was far from perfect. Both sets of lips remained closed and mostly just mushed against the other, but to her, this was utter heaven. Her senses were more prepared this time around and allowed her to better take in the experience as she felt Harry's lips twitching slightly as he pressed against her in return.
His arms went slack at his side for a moment before she felt them meet the sides of her torso and his fingers tightened almost as firmly as her own. She allowed her fingers to loosen as she tilted her head which allowed her to press closer to Harry's face, her hands slipped around him, one over and the other under his shoulders and, meeting again behind him, pulled the boy closer.
Their inexperience showed soon after as both pulled away at the same moment and took a deep breath full of air and the flavour of the other, panting lightly as Hermione realized she'd been so caught in the kiss that she had forgotten to breathe during.
"Wow," Harry murmured, his eyes now fixed on her own and Hermione wouldn't have stopped the smile that split her lips for all the knowledge in the world.
She nodded lightly, her uncontained hair brushing against Harry's cheek and she suddenly found herself embroiled in another firm kiss. She had gone from never having been kissed by anyone to her third in a matter of... she had no idea how long.
During the third kiss, Hermione found Harry's lips to be slightly firmer, and he gently used his own to free the lip that was slightly tucked under her upper teeth. She realized she must have bitten it during her panting recovery from their last kiss.
This kiss was shorter than the others but left her no less adrift in her own body. Sensations she'd never before experienced coursed through her mixing with feelings she'd long felt and others that were as brand new as the kissing. Her body sang and her magic danced, she never wanted it to stop. However, her mind was fast re-engaging and, as always, it had questions.
"Why?" She asked aloud, at last, the bright look on her face kept any sting from the short query from hurting Harry.
"Um…" He glanced away from her face bashfully. "Well, you see… Er…"
Hermione smiled at the boy she had been feeling drawn to more and more over the past few months, leading to one of the most embarrassing conversations of her life the night before with her mother and Andromeda, with occasional advice from Lily in the portrait nearby. She felt her cheeks flush at the memory and Harry's eyes were immediately drawn to the colour. Hermione unconsciously bit her lip again and noticed his eyes track that movement as well.
He swallowed heavily and took several steadying breaths before he tried to speak again. "I… er. It's… Argh." He growled, lowly, in frustration. "I happened to see Nym and Cedric on... during her birthday party."
Harry's eyes were suddenly unable to look at Hermione at all, something she found extremely endearing as he was giving it his all, futile as it was, the two still entwined together and she for one was not loosening her grip any time soon.
"Yes?" She asked curiously.
The lightness of her tone seemed to clear some of Harry's anxiety as he glanced back to her eyes for a moment, clearly seeing the mirth within before looking away again.
"Cedric led her away from all the adults and wished her a happy birthday and he…" Hermione could almost picture the moment, despite Harry's poor description, but she wasn't about to let him off the hook after he surprised her so thoroughly. She tightened her arms behind his back and the shock seemed to spur the final words from his lips at a slightly higher pitch than normal. "He leant in and kissed her."
Hermione took that as an invitation and silenced any further thought for several minutes with their fourth kiss. Four. In less than an hour. She'd gone from unkissed to four so quickly.
Harry's hands loosened on her waist and slipped behind her back, mirroring her own grip, just further down her body. This kiss too was short and firm, but Hermione loved it every bit as much as the several that had come before.
When she pulled away, she looked into Harry's eyes. "And that made you kiss me, why?"
Harry took several deep breaths before he answered, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke. "Nym… she's practically my sister, so I never thought of anyone kissing her. But as soon as I saw it happen, it made me wonder." He paused and his eyes fixed on hers, something in them catching Hermione's breath in her throat. "What would it be like to kiss you?"
"And?" She teased, intentionally capturing her lower lip this time watching his eyes shift up and down rapidly.
"Brilliant." He whispered in return.
Hermione giggled softly, enjoying how it made her body feel so closely wrapped around Harry's.
"Can I tell you a secret?" She whispered back, waiting for Harry to gulp and nod before she leaned closer, her lips at his ear before she spoke again. "I've wanted to kiss you for a while now, too."
Harry's body stiffened for a moment before he relaxed into her arms, almost jelly-like. Hermione tightened her arms again and the kissing embrace became yet another of the many hugs the pair had shared through the years. Her mind bounced between analyzing and replaying the kisses that had just taken place and considering her feelings from before and now after they had occurred.
She found them to be nearly identical, simply with a happier tinge.
Hermione had realized that she'd developed a crush on Harry somewhere in the past year and had become more and more aware of how he had changed from the tiny boy with the cute smile she had first met all those years ago to the tall and confident teen in her arms now.
A single thought managed to worm its way atop all the others and Hermione found herself swallowing hard, trying to clear the dryness that had suddenly afflicted her throat.
"So," she paused, uncertain of her next words, "boyfriend, what do you want to do now?"
Hermione tensed as the words escaped her and she strained her ears for Harry's reply despite his mouth being mere centimetres from her ear. His breath gently moving over her shoulder paused and she felt his arms tighten around her back.
"I'm happy to stand here holding my girlfriend for the rest of the day if you are." He whispered, a huge happy smile breaking out on Hermione's face at the words. "Happy birthday, girlfriend."
"Best present ever." Hermione pulled back and mashed her lips to her newly redefined friend and let the feelings wash over her anew as she lost herself in number five.
ϟ
Friday 11th November 1994.
Hermione shivered slightly, the sun hidden behind the mild clouds did not provide enough heat to offset the light drizzling November rain that fell over the immaculate greenery of the hill upon which she now stood.
She tried to hide the surprise she felt as her neck tilted back and she gazed at the marvellous sight before her. Rough-hewn stone and mighty towers dominated her vision, despite their distance from the large structure.
When at last she managed to draw her eye from the imposing figure before her, they flicked to her left where Harry was gazing at the same sight, not with awe as she had but curiosity. "Harry?"
He stood silent for several moments, Hermione able to see the thoughts whirling through his mind. "I don't know."
"Should we go?" Hermione asked, uncertainly.
"I don't think we can." He turned to face her, his eyes not containing the fear she had expected to see. "I was aiming for the Oak, like always."
"You mean…?"
"Wasn't me. It was my magic that made the trip, and brought you along with. But the targeting info seems to be... out." His smile belied the nervousness she could feel in his swirling magic.
"What if I took over?"
"Maybe, but… whatever it is, it's coming from in there. Can you really not feel it?" The way his eyes gripped her own made her shiver, he had opened himself to her as much as he could, but still, there was nothing different to her. She shook her head softly.
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment before he reached out and grasped her hand and suddenly she felt something new.
Beyond her own magic which she felt all the time, lightly wrapped around Harry's presence that was there nearly constantly these days. A warmth that felt like a warning. It was far removed from the pinching feeling Harry had once shared with her, this felt more akin to a guiding light.
"Wow. You've been feeling that for days?"
Harry nodded. "Getting a little bit tighter each day. I think whatever it is wants to talk. That's why we're here."
"But what if it's…" Hermione trailed off, leaving the obvious unspoken.
"It's not. I'll never forget that feeling, and he's not here. Reach out, you can feel it, too."
Hermione was not as familiar with the feel of that particular magic as Harry, but as she searched, she realized it was absent as well. "And if he returns while we're here?"
Harry turned to face her, his intent obvious in his eyes. Without the fear to prevent it, his curiosity had won out. "I need to know what it is."
Hermione nodded softly, squeezing his hand to signal she was still with him regardless.
"Miss… Granger?" A curious female voice sounded from behind the two and Hermione whirled about, Harry remaining in place behind her, their hands still oddly linked. She could feel his body tense.
"Hello, Professor McGonagall."
"It's nice to see you again. You've grown since last we saw one another. How are your studies progressing?" The elder witch stepped closer, unfazed by the dreary Scottish weather, but paused when she noticed Hermione's defensive stance. "I mean you no harm, Miss Granger. Simply curious as to what you're doing at a school you declined to attend. Midterm, even. And within the bounds of its closed wards."
Hermione could feel Harry surge from one emotion to another behind her, so quickly she couldn't truly identify each one, but it distracted her greatly. "It was just…" She paused as a single emotion won out in Harry's fight and she turned to look to her left as Harry walked to her side once more, facing the professor as well.
"Me." He finished for her.
Professor McGonagall took a sudden breath and the surprise was plain to see on her face. "Professor McGonagall, meet my friend, Harry Potter."
"Of course. That hair… the eyes. Forgive me, it's been a very long time, Mister Potter. You look so very much like your father." The elderly witch said, a hint of melancholy in her tone, but her face seemed to lose a fraction of the severity it had borne since Hermione had turned.
Harry smiled at the woman, far more receptive than she'd expected, and Hermione relaxed slightly. "Except for the eyes."
The professor smiled in return. "Yes, those are all Lily." The woman paused as her smile faltered and Hermione's hand tightened on Harry's ready to get them both away if necessary. "I'm afraid I have news to impart to you, Mister Potter. I beg a moment of your time if you will."
Hermione flicked her eyes to Harry who was once more deep in thought. She tilted her head slightly as she saw the decision play out on his face and was surprised at the result. "Ok. But only with you. And Hermione comes too."
Professor McGonagall nodded. "Of course. If you will follow me to my office, we can have privacy and comfort as we talk. It's a bit on the chilly side out here today." The witch indicated the grey sky and continuing rain.
The two teens followed the elder witch inside, they tensed slightly as they passed into the large castle and felt the doors close behind them. Hermione noticed that Harry looked very distracted, his eyes wandered over almost everything as they walked, but she kept her attention tightly constrained to the two people she walked with.
She wondered at the absence of other people in the halls but assumed it must be during classes, being a Friday morning. When they, at last, reached the professor's office she held the door open and gestured for them to enter. "Take a seat, please. Shifty?"
Hermione felt the arrival of the elf before they appeared and was immediately captured by its wide blue eyes. The elf was taller than any she'd seen before, standing almost five feet tall. His scruffy hair was a lot like Harry's when it was short and he swayed back and forth from one foot to the other, looking unhappy to be stuck in one place.
"Tea for three, please." Professor McGonagall requested as she sat behind her desk. The elf vanished and Hermione glanced wide-eyed at Harry, whose expression matched her own. "I do wish that our first chat had been in regards to happier tidings, but we've been trying to get hold of you for days now."
The baffled expression left Harry's face as he focused his attention on the elder woman, not even flinching when the tall elf returned with a large tea set and poured out three helpings.
"Are you aware of a renewed event taking place at Hogwarts this year, Mister Potter?" He nodded and took a sniff of his tea before sipping it slightly. "Very good. Professor Dumbledore had refused to allow the event for several years. Stating that the measures the Ministry had imposed were insufficient to guarantee the safety of the students, but late last year the organising committee finally convinced him they were ready. And with the loss of the Quidditch World Cup finals to Italy...
"As such, Hogwarts is playing host to the first Triwizard Tournament since 1792. Something which I would normally be immensely proud to say. However, the first event of the Tournament, the Selection of the Champions took place on Halloween and, shall we say, all did not go entirely according to plan."
"How so? We heard it went swimmingly. The Champions are all good picks. I'd even considered coming to watch the Tasks." Harry enquired, enjoying his tea before and after speaking.
"Yes, as much as I wished one of my own had been chosen, Pomona is delighted her house has fielded our Champion. I am unsure who provided your information, but once the Goblet of Fire had chosen the three champions and they had moved to the antechamber, the Goblet expelled another name." The professor paused and Hermione could see a certain amount of dread in her eyes as she said the next word. "Yours."
The elderly witch locked eyes with Harry, who had frozen in place. Hermione's eyes flicked back and forth between the two several times before they settled on Harry as well. She could feel something hot build up inside of him as he sat perfectly still. Several silent moments passed before he gently laid down his teacup.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not a member of one of the three schools," Harry replied coolly.
"Were it so simple. Professor Dumbledore has spent nearly every day at the Ministry with their best people looking into matters. But as it stands, a name being returned from the Goblet constitutes a magically binding contract. Unless we can find a loophole before the First Task on the 24th, I fear you will be required to compete. Or face incredibly dire consequences."
Hermione's eyes burned into the older woman, who at least had the good sense to appear truly put out by the burden she had just laid on her best friend. "How could this happen? Were there no safeguards?" She questioned, her own voice betrayed her growing anger.
"Professor Dumbledore himself secured the Goblet between its unveiling and the choosing. However, no one is infallible. Only Professors Dumbledore and Moody, Ministry officials directly involved in the Tournament and myself have been informed as to the truth of what transpired. Most just assume the final piece of paper was the Goblet completing its duties."
"Piece of paper?" Harry questioned.
McGonagall tapped her wand on her desk and a small envelope appeared under its tip. She opened the cream parchment to reveal a charred torn piece of paper which she slid across the desk. Hermione tensed as she saw her friend's name written on the ruined paper, as that is what it was. Not parchment as she had expected.
Next to her Harry's magic rippled outward, no longer contained as he glared at the offending scrap of paper. They both recognized it, though neither had seen it for three years. Harry's breathing accelerated and he seethed in his seat. Hermione laid her hand on his shoulder but it did not quiet his churning emotions and the magic matching it.
"How?" She asked coldly, no longer prepared to give these people the benefit of the doubt. "How is it possible that Harry was entered into this farce with the signature from the bottom of his Hogwarts rejection letter? Something that was entrusted to you!"
The woman opposite them appeared quite unsteady, Harry's display had clearly caught her off guard and the venom in Hermione's voice seemed to worry her greatly. "I do not know Miss Granger. I received both of your letters. Albus requested any correspondence from Mister Potter be forwarded to him. Yours I filled in the rejection drawer personally. I did not see Mister Potter's again until the moment it came forth from the Goblet."
Hermione felt the strands of Harry's hair that had fallen free of his hair-band crackle as they brushed her skin. They could not stay there any longer. She swept the charred scrap of paper off the desk and pulled Harry from his chair, his eyes now wild and his magic fast slipping beyond his control.
"Harry!" Hermione called loudly, drawing his eyes to her own as she sent him a slight smirk. "We're leaving."
She noted the tiny flicker of recognition behind the boy's eyes as she wrapped her arms around his roiling body and with one last glare at the woman she had thought trustworthy, she popped them both to the middle of the woods by the Manor.
Where Harry's control slipped completely and a new clearing was violently created.
ϟ
Nym loved the attention she received from most of the school, but the repeated backslapping had begun to leave a permanent sting in her skin.
She'd taken to finding excuses to get away alone somewhere, just to avoid the cadre that followed her about. The knowledge of the castle she'd garnered on pranks with the Twins aided her in losing them every time.
She hadn't expected, however, to find Tybalt standing watch behind the tapestry of Bynor the Blowhard. Nym paused in confusion and the elf wasted no time in taking her hand and whisking her out of the castle. She barely had time to register that she was now in the usual Family meeting place before a body glomped onto her with insane force. Had it not been for the stability her bonding had lent her ability, Nym was sure she'd be on her back on the floor.
"Hermione…" She chastised before she noticed the girl was standing by The Chair. Her eyes flicked down and she saw Harry wrapped around her looking terrible. "Harry?" The boy glanced up at her and she gave him a warm smile. "It's not even been as long as usual. You can't miss me that much already."
Harry gave a small laugh before he released the tight grip on her waist. He quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her to The Chair.
"Come on, Harry. We're a little big now to all fit in there." Nym told the boy before he gave her a firm shove into the chair.
"Two fits fine." He grumbled as Hermione took the place next to her before the fourteen-year-old boy climbed onto half their laps each, tucking firmly against their chests as he had done a few times since they had met several years before.
"What's going on?" Nym asked, concerned.
"We ended up at Hogwarts today." Hermione offered.
"And you didn't come and say hi to your favourite cousin?" She asked as Sirius coughed in the corner in protest.
"You were in class. And we hadn't meant to go." Hermione trailed off as she stroked Harry's long hair with her fingers.
"Nymphadora?" Her mother's voice pulled her attention away from the scene in her lap. "Can you tell us what happened before Halloween?"
Nym was confused, why would they want to know about all of that? "Um, anything in particular?"
"The security on the Goblet and the Selection ceremony." Her father clarified.
"Um, well. Dumbledore unveiled the Goblet in the Great Hall the day that the other schools arrived, I detailed that in my letter. The Goblet was moved into the Entrance Hall by a group of Ministry folk after dinner and the Headmaster cast a whole slew of enchantments around it. Flitwick narrated them for his NEWT students, but I was close enough to hear.
"Let's see, there was the Age Line, the Twins ran afoul of that and are still refusing to let Pomfrey remove their beards, but they are certainly impressive. A powerful shield charm that prevents anyone from just standing behind the line and throwing their entry in and a ward that keeps animals and familiars away.
"Three revealing charms that prevent anyone wearing a disguise while approaching and uncovers any name hidden on their entry so someone can't pretend to enter themselves but enter another name instead. Which apparently also worked on normal cosmetic concealment charms. As Phylis Whitehead found out when she didn't give it a wide enough berth." She leaned down and whispered the next bit to the teens on her lap, "her last name is pretty apt. And…" She racked her memory trying to recall the last few enchantments. "I can't remember the rest but there were about five or six more."
"Was a guard posted to watch the Goblet?" Remus asked.
"No, I didn't want the attention, so I snuck out to enter my name during the night. There was no one around the Goblet when I got there. But Dumbledore must have tied his charms to some of the elves. The Twins arrived as I was leaving, tried an aging potion, as they would have been old enough in April. Didn't work, they got blasted back and grew their beards and then Ranty showed up and gave out to them.
"She's scary when she gets going. They managed to lose her I assume as they haven't served any detentions for being out of bed, even with the evidence on their chins." Harry chuckled lightly against her chest and drew Nym's attention down. "Don't worry, I've commissioned some photos. They're never living those beards down. I'll send them with my next letter."
Harry simply tucked deeper into the girls' arms and remained silent, but Hermione silently thanked her.
"How about the selection? Congrats by the way." Sirius stated.
Nym nodded at her cousin and struggled to remember all she could about the ceremony. "That was on Halloween, which was annoying. I wanted to come home for the vigil. Sorry, Harry." The boy shrugged but gave no other sign. "The feast was first up, second one in a week, so I wasn't too into it. Mostly chatted with Ced and Dora.
"Professor Dumbledore definitely has a dramatic streak though, didn't bother getting everyone's attention once the meal finished, just waved his wand and all the candles dimmed. The Great Hall looks weird with them out."
Remus snorted and drew her eye, wondering just what the Marauders had done in a darkened Great Hall when at the school.
"Anyway, the Goblet started to flare during his little speech about glory and all that. Spat out Fleur's name first, she's the Beauxbatons Champion. Then me for Hogwarts." Nym paused as the family all gave her a cheer, making her blush and the two teens snuggled her tighter. "Then as I was heading to the antechamber, I heard Dumbledore call out Krum's name. He got picked for Durmstrang."
"Did the teachers seem agitated after that?" Dorea queried.
"Um, I dunno, I guess. Professor McGonagall was a little off but I guess she was just worried. The Tournament has had deaths before. And she's a good teacher. Dumbledore handed us all our entries, I've got it in the drawer by my bed.
"He did have something else in his hand afterwards though. And Crouch and Bagman seemed awfully agitated, but the Headmaster kept interrupting them. Why, what is going on? Why does this need a full Family meeting?"
"That other thing in Dumbledore's hand," Lily explained, "was an entry that came from the Goblet before it went out. Someone snuck through the enchantments and somehow convinced the Goblet to spurt out a fourth entrant."
Hermione lifted her right hand and Nym immediately recognized what was in it. A charred piece of paper, almost identical to the one she'd tucked in her drawer. With very familiar handwriting.
"Harry?" She tightened her grip on the boy who she now noticed was shaking slightly. "How?"
"We don't know. The enchantments Flitwick described should have made it impossible."
"So that's where Dumbledore has been lately? Ever since Halloween, he's been at the Ministry every day. I figured they were just finalizing the Tasks. Does he have to compete?"
"The Goblet of Fire is an ancient and powerful magical artefact," Ignatia called stepping forward in the crowded painting. "It was not originally made for the Tournament. Simply repurposed, given its ability to make the decision. The runes were altered to set the conditions and that was that. But the Goblet creates a binding contract with those whose names it ejects. However his name came to be entered, Harry is now contracted to the Goblet."
"There is nothing we can do?" James asked his ancestor.
"No." She shook her head sadly, glancing down at her last living relative curled in the lap of the two girls. "The Ministry cannot overrule the Goblet. If Harry doesn't compete, he will die."
Nym was horrified. No one had explained that the Goblet was so dangerous. She'd entered willingly but had she had all this information beforehand, she would have had serious second thoughts.
And now her cousin, as good as her little brother, was bound to compete as she was.
ϟ
Albus groaned internally as he watched the argument continue to go nowhere. The rest of the organisers bickering loudly back and forth across the table.
Igor was demanding blood exactly the same as he had since the moment the Champions had been released from the antechamber. Olympe often fixed him with the same disappointed look he occasionally received from Minerva that left him feeling like a misbehaving schoolboy. Impressive given the number of years he had on the both of them.
Bartemius simply recited that the Goblet was absolute and there was no rule change that could be made that would circumvent its ruling. Ludo looked like a cat that had caught the canary, and Albus was sure he was already reevaluating his betting prospects for the event, despite the inappropriateness of betting on an event he had a direct hand in curating.
Fudge and his pink lackey sat at the opposite end of the table to Albus and surprisingly were remaining mostly quiet today, but they'd both made clear their disappointment in the committee's failure.
Albus couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.
He'd held the Ministry at bay for years before they'd finally brought him a satisfactory outline. He'd even convinced them that he would provide the protections for the Goblet and he'd given it his all.
There was no way he was going to let someone be shanghaied into the Tournament and yet, somehow, he'd failed a Potter again with his actions.
Worse still, none of them had found a way to contact the boy. They only had thirteen days left to inform him lest he suffer from the dire consequences of breaking the contract.
"Enough!" He finally said aloud, the tone of his voice silencing the entire table and focusing every eye on him.
"You've no place to silence us, Dumbledore. Security of the Goblet was yours to ensure." Karkaroff snapped.
"I'm well aware, Igor. Bartemius knows just how seriously I have taken the safety of our students in relation to this Tournament. But arguing about it for nine days now has gotten us nowhere. The boy's name came from the Goblet. We all know what that means. The contract is binding."
"So Hogwarts gets two Champions."
"Harry Potter is not a student at Hogwarts School." Barty countered. "If he were, this matter would be resolved by now. Surely there are records of his address somewhere in the Ministry."
"I've had the entire archive searched twice. Despite having numerous forms completed by the boy on hand, there is no current forwarding address listed on any of them." Fudge commented quietly.
"'Ave you contacteed ze Goblins? Perhaps zey can communicate with ze boy." Olympe offered the first useful suggestion put forward that day.
Albus noticed the way that the woman by Fudge's side bristled at the idea, but a glance from the Minister kept her silent. "I have begun the process."
"Process?" Albus enquired.
"The treaty is clear, Dumbledore." A sly smirk adorned the man's face. "We must honour its wording in communication with the Nation, after all."
"We can hardly wait out the ten-day waiting period, Cornelius. If Harry is not at the First Task on the 24th, we all know the result." Dumbledore warned, meeting the eyes of everyone at the table. Despite his own long and antagonistic relationship with the Nation, a boy's life was at stake through no fault of his own.
"Such is the way of politics," Fudge said.
Albus moved to argue further when a silvery cat leapt upon the table and stared straight into his eyes. No words came from the animal before it faded away, but Albus got the message. Minerva would not summon him back to Hogwarts from these proceedings unless it was truly urgent. "It appears I am needed at the school."
"Fine." Barty scowled, standing. "We're getting nowhere as usual."
Albus sighed heavily as he too stood. "Perhaps we should take the weekend again, to cool our heads. With luck, the light of a new week will bring new solutions?"
No one replied, but all left the table rapidly. Albus only had time to gather his things from the table before he found himself standing in his study looking at a frantically pacing Minerva.
A glance to his side showed one of the Hogwarts elves holding his robes, before popping off a moment later.
"Albus, thank goodness. I have good news." The relief on her face was palpable as he stepped past her and laid the physical portion of his current burden on his desk. "Harry Potter was here today."
Albus nearly wrenched something in his neck as he turned to face his Deputy. "What?!"
"I arrived back from Hogsmeade to find him staring up at the castle. I informed him of the issue with the Goblet. He did not take it well."
Albus sagged heavily into his chair. At least the boy had been notified. "What did he say?"
"Very little. He was most displeased when I showed him his entry." Minerva paused and Albus glanced up, noting a question on her face. "Did you do it?"
He managed to prevent the shock of the question from showing on his face. Yet another reminder of how poorly he had performed in the past decade, that Minerva of all people should ask him such.
"No, Minerva. I may have made a slew of bad choices in recent years, but no. I wish I knew who did though. They managed to not only gain entry to this office undetected but access to the most securely sealed drawer inside of it. I fear that we shall not like the answer to that question should we finally puzzle out the culprit.
"I am only thankful that they seemed to know what they were after. Young Draco's diary was not taken. That could have been truly disastrous. Just as if we'd not taken it from him on his arrival three years ago."
He placed his face into his hands and considered the black book. He had confirmed it had not been replaced, as that book truly worried him. If it was as he thought, they may have a lot more trouble on the horizon than expected.
"He looked well. The spitting image of James." Minerva stated, settling heavily into the chair opposite him, apparently satisfied with his reply. "But those eyes."
"Yes. Lily's eyes for certain. He sees far more than he shares, I'm sure. Will he attend the Task?"
"I do not know. He left in rather a poor mood." She cut off as with a loud crack a small envelope appeared on the desk in front of them both. Oddly, despite being on his desk, it was addressed to Minerva.
Albus raised his bushy eyebrow as the woman opened the letter and her face betrayed her feelings. "It would seem I am to attend a meeting at the Granger home once more. On Tuesday morning."
He tilted his head in curiosity at the odd comment, drawing a sigh from his old friend. Before she began to explain that Harry Potter had not attended their meeting alone.