"There is a reason those curses are unforgivable," Hermione stated after exiting Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She did not think it was right for Moody to show those curses in class. And the way Neville was looking at the spider during the Cruciatus Curse. He was completely horrified. How could a professor do such a thing?
"But Moody's right, isn't he?" Ron answered. "We have to be aware of the curses. Fred and George were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff..."
Frustrated, Hermione huffed. There was something about Moody that just seemed off. "I'll see you later, I'm going to-"
"The library," finished Harry and Ron for her. She didn't answer. They were right. She was going to go to the library.
Currently, she was working to find whatever information she could on house elf slavery. She firmly believed that the house elves needed to be saved. Just because everyone around her told her it was nothing, not a problem, didn't mean it wasn't one. Even though a society claimed that something was alright didn't mean that it was.
Over the years, she must have read Hogwarts, A History about a dozen times. Never once had it mentioned that house elves worked at the castle. She was completely horrified when she had learned of their state of slavery at the Quidditch World Cup. She was certain that the elves wanted to be freed and she was going to do all she could to ensure this. Dobby had wanted to be freed, wouldn't the others, too?
Then an idea formed in Hermione's mind. She just needed to raise awareness to the issue. She could make badges and sell them. Surely, her friends and the rest of the student body would be more than willing to support the cause. (Everyone except Malfoy, that was. She couldn't see Malfoy ever caring about anything of real value.)
Once the idea was in her head, it wouldn't leave. She had to do something to help those poor house elves. She would form a club and call it Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Fellow Magical Creatures and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status. The S.O.A.O.F.M.C.C.C.T.L.E.S. No, that was too long, most people would probably forget what it was. Also, it probably wouldn't fit on the badges.
She thought for a moment. S.P.E.W., she decided. The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. It was perfect.
-----
Fred Weasley was furious. How could he and George have been so stupid! George was certain it was an honest mistake, but Fred didn't agree. Bagman had done this on purpose. George was sure that if they just sent a letter to Bagman, that this whole thing would be cleared up immediately.
"He probably didn't mean to pay us in Leprechaun gold," George said for the third time in an hour. "It must have been a mistake."
"I hate it when Hermione's right," Fred murmured in reply. Oh yes, he was mad at her, too. She always had to be right. Why hadn't he just listened to her? Why did they place that stupid bet? That was their entire life savings, everything they had. They'd have to start over now.
They sat down in the Common Room, in the corner, hunched over a piece of parchment. While Fred didn't agree that it was an accident, a slip of the mind, that Bagman paid them in vanishing gold, he did agree that they needed to send a letter. They had won that bet fair and square. Bagman owed them real money.
Dear Mr. Bagman,
At the Quidditch World Cup, as we are sure you remember, we entered a bet against you for 37 Galleons, 15 Sickles, 3 Knuts, and a fake wand (which you said held the price of 5 Sickles). We bet that Ireland would win the Match, but that Krum would catch the Snitch. As we are sure you remember, Ireland did win and Krum was the one to catch the Snitch. However, instead of paying in real Galleons, you paid us in Leprechaun gold, which we are sure you remember disappears-
"No," George said quietly. "That sounds like we're accusing him. Got to be careful..."
"He knew what he was doing, George," Fred returned, but he scratched out the line anyway. Instead, he wrote:
We are certain it was a slip of the mind when you paid us in Leprechaun gold. We humbly ask for our money.
Sincerely,
Fred and George Weasley.
"Why is your name first?" George said.
"Because it's always first," Fred told him, smirking.
"I think we should start going by George and Fred."
"Doesn't flow as well as Fred and George, does it?" Just then, the portrait hole opened, emitting Hermione Granger into the room. George glanced around the room and noticed that Harry was watching them carefully.
"I'll take this," George muttered, scooping up the letter. Fred glanced over to where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting. The three fourth years were staring at them curiously.
"What you got in that box there, Granger?" Fred asked, trying to turn their attention to something. He only half listened to her explanation of her stupid society. His thoughts were still on that letter. They needed that money desperately. Their parents couldn't afford a place for their shop, nor would they.
Suddenly, Hermione was standing in front of him. "Would you like to join?" she asked. "Only two Sickles."
Fred was annoyed. He didn't have two Sickles because he hadn't listened to her in the first place. "No," he said simply.
"No? Fred, we need to stop this injustice!"
"Open. Your. Ears. Granger," he said. "They like being enslaved. It's what's always been done."
"Just because it is what has been done, doesn't mean it's what should be done. It's only two Sickles. You won all that money from the Quidditch World Cup." She shouldn't have said that. Anger surged though him.
"Granger, that money is meant for good plans. No one is going to buy into your stupid plan. I'm not paying for your plea for attention."
"It's not a plea for attention-"
"Yes, it is. It's not enough for you to be the smartest witch around, you have to be the most annoying!" Hermione looked startled at his words. Guilt and regret swirled around him almost immediately, but anger still won out. Her needed to get out of there before he insulted her even more. "Just-just forget it."
Fred turned and fled the Common Room. Hermione was still stunned. She'd never heard Fred talk that way, especially to her. Tears stung her eyes. She thought Fred was her friend. Friends don't talk to each other that way.
-----
"Would you like to explain to me why Hermione Granger glared at me this morning?"
Fred looked down at his food. George had certainly heard what he'd said to Granger. He'd seen George talking to Ron before they went down to breakfast.
"Probably because you look like my handsome self." Fred sighed. "She asked me to buy one of those stupid badges right after we finished that letter. I was just mad."
"It's not her fault, you know," George told him.
"We should have listened to her. She told us not to place that bet."
"The letter is going to clear everything up," George said hopefully. Fred didn't agree. They sat in silence for few minutes. "So, what are you going to do about Granger?"
"What do you mean?"
"You have to apologize, Gred. This has nothing to do with her."
"Spew, George. Spew."
"I know. Her idea is going to fail. Elves don't want to be freed, but it's Granger. She's our friend, remember?" Fred thought for a moment. Granger wasn't the kind of person to hold a grudge. But George was right. Hermione deserved an apology.
Before Fred could reply, Alicia joined the table. She hesitated for a moment, glancing between Fred and George, trying to figure out who was who. George took pity in her.
"Morning, Alicia," he said. "Are you going to sit with us? There's a seat open by Fred."
"Right." She sat down by Fred. She kissed his cheek quickly before piling her plate with food. "Are you lot still trying to enter the Tournament?"
"Yeah," George told her. "We're making an aging potion."
"Won't Dumbledore be upset if your name is called?"
"Yeah, but there's nothing he can do about it. And anyway, I've always thought Dumbledore has been partial to us."
"I still don't think you should enter. It could be dangerous."
"Quit your nagging, woman," George told her. "It's going to work." Alicia rolled her eyes at him, but she didn't say anything more on the matter.
-----
The month past rather quickly. Fred and George had anxiously awaited the reply to their letter along with their money. But Bagman never replied. In fact, Fred was certain that the man was avoiding them now. They had sent him another letter a few weeks later, but still had no reply.
With the frustration that followed their loss of money, Fred broke up with Alicia. She complained nearly every day that he wouldn't tell her what he and George were up to. She, too, had noticed the Weasley twins huddled in corners, talking quietly to themselves. Fred refused to tell her the truth about it. Her complaints on that was bad enough, but then she started complaining that he was putting his secret before her and their relationship. He really couldn't argue with that. She was correct.
So, he took mercy on the poor girl and broke up with her. She was furious for days at him. Katie Bell refused to talk to him, taking Alicia's side. In fact, half the girls of Gryffindor house refused to talk to him for the first half of October.
The only girl who was always willing to talk to him was Hermione Granger. It took him a few weeks to push aside his pride in order to ask for Granger's forgiveness, but he eventually did.
After their argument (if you could call it that), Fred and Hermione's friendship seemed to have grown stronger. Sometimes, Fred and George would do their homework with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Or rather, the three would do their homework and Fred and George would work on their Weasley Wizard Wheezes project. And every morning, Hermione ate breakfast with Fred and George. It had started suddenly. The day after Fred had apologized, he insisted that she sit with him and George at breakfast. She was a little hesitant, as she didn't really know the twins' friends. But she went anyway. Fred and George amused her the entire morning. Now, every morning, she started the day off with a laugh.
On October thirtieth, Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall to see that it had been transformed. There were enormous banners which represented each of the Hogwarts Houses. Today was the day that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons would arrive. Hogwarts had to look perfect.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione took the seats beside Fred and George at the Gryffindor table, as they had for nearly a month now. Today, though, the twins were unusually quiet. They were sitting apart from everyone else, like they were trying to avoid attention. Immediately, Hermione knew they were up to something. Not a prank, they usually boasted about their ideas. No, this was something else, something they didn't want everyone knowing about. Naturally, she drew curious.
"It's a bummer, all right," George was saying to Fred. "But if he won't talk to us in person, we'll have to send him the letter after all. Or we'll stuff it into his hand. He can't avoid us forever." Fred frowned, thinking carefully.
"Who's avoiding you?" Ron asked the question on all of their minds.
"Wish you would," Fred returned, irritation creeping into his words.
"What's a bummer?" Ron inquired further.
"Having a nosy git like you for a brother," George interjected. Ron glared at them before loading his plate with all the bacon it could hold.
"You two got any ideas on the Triwizard Tournament, yet?" Harry wanted to know. "Thought any more about trying to enter?"
"I asked McGonagall how the champions are chosen, but she wasn't telling," George stated bitterly. "She just told me to shut up and get on with transfiguring my raccoon."
"Wonder what the tasks are going to be?" Ron wondered aloud. "You know, I bet we could do them, Harry. We've done dangerous stuff before..." Fred refrained from rolling his eyes. If he couldn't enter the Tournament, then his younger brother definitely couldn't.
"Not in front of a panel of judges, you haven't," Fred said. "McGonagall says the champions get awarded points according to how well they've done the tasks."
"Who are the judges?" Harry asked. That Fred didn't know.
"Well, the Heads of the participating schools are always on the panel," Hermione stated. Everyone looked over at her, each reflecting the same surprise in their faces."Because all three of them were injured during the Tournament of 1792, when a cockatrice the champions were supposed to be catching went on the rampage." At their faces, she sighed exasperatedly. "It's all in Hogwarts, A History. Though, of course, that book's not entirely reliable, is it? A Revised History of Hogwarts would be a more accurate title. Or A Highly Biased and Selective History of Hogwarts, Which Glosses Over the Nastier Aspects of the School."
"What are you on about?" Ron said.
"House-elves! Not once in over a thousand pages does Hogwarts, A History mention that we are colluding in the oppression of a hundred slaves!"
Fred was struck again about how unique Hermione Granger was. He talked to many people throughout the day and usually the conversations took a predictable turn. But he could never guess what was going to come out of her mouth. He enjoyed talking to her. He never knew what topic they would end up on.
George leaned over the table at her. "Listen, have you ever been down to the kitchens, Hermione?"
"No, of course not. I hardly think students are supposed to-"
"Well we have," George continued, gesturing between him and Fred. Fred wished that George would keep him out of this. "Loads of times, to nick food. And we've met them and they're happy. They think they've got the best job in the world-"
"That's because they're uneducated and brainwashed!" Before Hermione had the chance to continue, the owl post arrived, drawing her attention away from the conversation. Fred and George left soon after that.
-----
"An Age Line!" Fred exclaimed. "Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name's in the goblet- you're laughing-it can't tell whether you're seventeen or not!"
"But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance," Hermione stated, "we just haven't learned enough."
"Speak for yourself," George said.
"It's not going to work," Hermione told them in a sing-song voice. Fred rolled his eyes and looked at George.
"It'll work," they said together.
The next morning, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan bounded down the staircase to the Goblet of fire, each of them looking extremely excited.
"Done it," Fred whispered to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Just taken it."
"What?" Ron said, lost in the conversation.
"The Aging Potion, dung brains," Fred muttered.
"One drop each," said George. "We only need to be a few months older."
"We're going to split the thousand Galleons between the three of us if one of us wins," Lee interjected, grinning broadly.
"I'm not sure this is going to work, you know," Hermione said, the ever voice of reason. "I'm sure Dumbledore will have thought of this."
But Fred, George, and Lee ignored her.
"Ready?" said Fred to the other two. "C'mon, then, I'll go first-"
Fred pulled a slip of parchment out of this pocket bearing the words Fred Weasley-Hogwarts. Fred walked up to the edge of the line and stood there. He rocked back and forth on his toes, then, drawing his courage, he stepped over the line with every eye in the entrance hall upon him. George went next, doing the same as his brother.
For a moment, they all thought it had worked. George let out a yell of triumph. However, his celebration was premature as there was a loud sizzling sound. Both twins were hurled out of the golden circle. They landed painfully about ten feet away on the cold stone floor. If that wasn't the worst of it, they both started sprouting identical long white beards.
Everyone in the entrance hall, including Fred and George, burst into laughter. "At least we know we're still going to be this handsome when we're old," Fred joked.
"I did warn you," said Dumbledore in an amused voice. Everyone turned to see the old man coming out of the Great Hall. "I suggest you both go up to Madam Pomfrey."
Fred and George nodded. With Lee cackling behind them, they started marching off towards the Hospital Wing. "I hate it when Hermione's right," Fred found himself saying, causing Lee to double over in laughter again.
-----
Tension was high that night. Fred and George had tried to talk to Ludo Bagman when they saw him enter the Great Hall, but the menace successfully avoided them. Huffing with annoyance, they took seats at the Gryffindor table.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall after them. Hermione took the seat beside Fred, anxiously awaiting the results from the Goblet of Fire. "I hope it's Angelina," Fred told her.
"So do I!" Hermione replied. "Well, we'll soon know!"
The Halloween feast seemed to have dragged on forever. Each and every student was too anxious to eat, excited and impatient for the event after the feast. Finally, Dumbledore stood before them all, calling everyone to silence.
The flames inside the goblet turned red all of a sudden. Sparks were flying from it. A piece of parchment fluttered out of the flames. "The champion for Durmstrang," he said, "will be Viktor Krum."
"No surprises there," commented Ron as the Hall leapt into applause.
Again, the goblet shot out a piece of parchment, propelled by flames. "The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"
Now it was time for Hogwarts. Fred started tabbing anxiously on the table. "The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!" Fred was a little disappointed that Angelina hadn't won and that Cedric had. Cedric was annoying in Fred's mind, but he clapped his congratulations along with the rest of the Great Hall.
"Excellent," Dumbledore called out happily. "Well, we now have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering you champion on, you will contribute in a very real-"
Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking. The fire in goblet had just turned red again. There were sparks flying out of it, as it had before. A piece of parchment shot into the air. Automatically, Dumbledore reached out to grab it. Dumbledore seemed as baffled as the rest. The old man cleared his throat and read, "Harry Potter."
Everyone stared at him. How had he done it? Fred wondered. He and George knew first hand the effects of putting your name into the goblet when you weren't of age. So, how had he done it? Harry looked completely baffled, surprised beyond belief. It didn't make sense. "I didn't put my name in," he told the table. "You know I didn't." Fred, along with George, Ron, and Hermione said nothing. They were all too startled to say something.
"Harry Potter!" called Dumbledore. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"
"Go on," Hermione whispered to him. Harry followed the rest of the champions out of the room.
After Harry had gone, Dumbledore sent everyone out of the Great Hall, claiming it was time for bed. Immediately, everyone started talking. How had he done it? Angry, Ron stomped out of the room before Hermione could say anything. "C'mon Granger," Fred said, nudging her. He knew she wanted to stay for Harry, but Dumbledore had sent them all to bed, even Hermione Granger.
"How'd you think he did it," George inquired as they walked.
"I don't think he did," Hermione replied.
"Granger-"
"No, listen," Hermione said, "didn't you see his face? He was more startled than anyone. And Harry doesn't like attention, why would he enter, knowing everyone would be staring at him all year? And even if he did enter, that doesn't explain why there are four champions instead of three."
"What do you mean?" Fred asked.
"Well, if he had entered, he would have said he was from Hogwarts, right?"
"Yeah," the twins said together.
"Well, then, why wasn't his name called instead of Cedric's? The goblet was supposed to choose the best from all three schools so that there would only be three champions." The twins didn't say anything to that. Hermione's superior logic always won out against them. "I don't think he did enter his name."
"Then what do you think happened?" Fred asked.
"I think someone wants him in that Tournament for a reason. And if someone went to the trouble of entering his name, then someone may want Harry dead."