Harry Potter and the Ritual of Love's Memory

Chapter 22

On the morning of the third task, Harry awoke much earlier than usual and was unable to fall back to sleep. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position before giving up and staring blankly at the ceiling. Within a few short hours, he would be in the maze and facing a variety of dangers. He shook his head before grabbing his glasses. There wasn't any use in stewing in bed, so he got dressed and trudged down the stairs to the common room. The lone figure up this early was Hermione, who was nervously pacing back and forth.

"Good morning, Harry!" she called as he walked in her direction. "Too nervous to sleep, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, something like that. What's got you awake this early?"

Hermione blushed as she looked toward the portrait hole. "Viktor told me that the champions' families have been invited to attend the task tonight. Apparently, he wants me to meet his mother and sisters. He's told me a lot about them, but I had no idea I'd be seeing them this soon! I thought I'd have until this summer when I go visit Bulgaria."

She resumed pacing as she muttered some phrases in Bulgarian to herself.

A vision of the Dursleys wandering the halls of Hogwarts filled Harry's mind, and he couldn't help laughing. Dudley might not mind it if they started in the Great Hall during a meal, but the paintings, ghosts, and people in general would probably cause Vernon and Petunia to pass out immediately.

"It's not funny, Harry! This is a big deal and I don't want to mess it up for Viktor!"

"No, Hermione, I'm not laughing at you. Just picturing what my aunt and uncle would do if they showed up, but I can guarantee they won't be here."

Hermione's frantic energy subsided and she looked sad for a moment. "Oh Harry, I'm sorry! I got so wound up about meeting Viktor's family that I didn't even think about it from your perspective."

"Don't worry about it," said Harry easily. "It's not a big deal. Any idea when they're supposed to get here?"

"I believe they'll be here at lunch, but I'm not entirely sure," she answered.

"Fair enough." Harry glanced at the stairs to the girls' dormitories before continuing. "I'm going to head to the Great Hall to see if I can force down some breakfast. Wanna come with me, or are you going to pace here for a while longer?"

Hermione let out an exasperated huff, but grabbed her bag and followed him out of the portrait hole.

The two picked at their Saturday breakfast together, joined by a groggy Ginny a few minutes later. Hermione was trying to distract herself by going over her theories regarding Rita Skeeter's methods of gathering information, which had been robust enough to report on Harry's Divination exit a few weeks prior. Ron missed the meal completely, stumbling into the empty classroom where they trained holding several pastries from the kitchens. The four went over plans for the task together for most of the morning, though eventually the discussion became more of an attempt to get Harry's mind off of the evening's activities.

By the time the group walked to the Great Hall for lunch, both Harry and Hermione were visibly nervous. Ginny kept up with Hermione's frenetic pace while trying to convince her that meeting Viktor's family wouldn't be too bad while Ron slowed to mirror Harry's trudge. When they reached the hall, Harry noticed Cedric standing next to two women he presumed to be his mother and a sister. A bright smile lit up Cedric's face as the four entered, and he beckoned Harry over.

"Hey, Harry! Good to see you! Wanted to introduce you to my Mum and my sister. Mum, Liz, this is Harry Potter! My dad'll be here closer to the start of the task." Harry shook both of their hands, hoping neither of them was as impolite as Cedric's father had been at the Quidditch World Cup.