Nervous Beginnings
Harry and Hermione managed to slip into the Great Hall for breakfast before most of the students were even awake. After eating a light meal, they headed up to Gryffindor Tower so Harry could change into his tournament robes that Winky had made specifically for the contest.
The robes turned out beautifully and Harry was very impressed with Winky's sewing skills. The robes were black with the gold and red colors of Gryffindor on the trim. His Quidditch number and name stitched in red with a gold border on the back. What surprised Harry was what he assumed to be the Potter Crest on the left breast pocket of his robes. The Hogwarts and Gryffindor House Crests were on his shoulders. Overall, Harry was very pleased with the new robes.
Once he was dressed he strapped his wand into the built in wand holster in the left sleeve and his potions knife went into his right. Harry may not have felt comfortable around Professor Moody but the man did have a point, "Constance Vigilance!" and he was definitely going into a very dangerous situation. Harry figured that it was better safe than sorry. When he was finished strapping on all of his gear, he headed down to the common room to meet Hermione before they headed off to the Champions Tent.
"Your robes look really good Harry." Hermione said while motioning for him to spin around so that she could see the back too.
"Thanks. Winky did a nice job on them. I've never seen the Potter Crest before." Harry said as he ran his fingers across the emblem.
"What are they made out of?" Hermione queried as she fingered the material. "It feels pretty durable. Is it heavy?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders in thought, "They are heavier than my regular Quidditch robes, but much easier to move around in." He motioned to the higher cut sides and tighter fit on the chest and shoulders to illustrate his point. Pausing for a moment as he pulled Hermione into the corner of the common room Harry called out; "Winky. Dobby."
With a twin set of pops, both elves appeared before them. They were both wearing new uniforms with the Potter Crest emblazoned on the left pocket. Dobby was also wearing a pair of mismatched socks in addition to his uniform that made Harry smile. "What can we do for you Master Harry?" asked Winky.
"These robes are great. You did a wonderful job on them. Your new uniforms look good too." Harry said enthusiastically.
Winky blushed scarlet to the tips of her ears at the praise from her master. "Dobby helped to Master Harry."
"Thank you Dobby." Harry said while Dobby gave him a big smile.
Hermione sat down on the floor next to Harry and grasped his hand in hers while shooting him a shy smile. Turning back to the elves, she asked; "What kind of robes are these? Are they magical?"
"Oh yes, Miss Mione! We put many charms on them. They are dueling robes." Harry was smiling at the elves new name for Hermione while listening to Winkys' description. "They are spelled to be stronger than regular robes and they will keep Master Harry comfortable no matter the weather." Winky said excitedly.
"Wow! Thank you both very much. Could you do something like this for Hermione too?"
Seeing a sheepish grin on Dobby's face Harry knew that the elves were already a step ahead of him.
"We have already started on all of your clothes and we should be done today." With a snap of his fingers, Dobby was holding one of Hermione's cloaks for her. "Please Miss, this cloak is already finished."
"Thank you, Dobby and Winky. You are both very kind to us." Hermione said to the elves as she put on the offered cloak.
As they stood up to go they both waved goodbye to the elves while thanking them again, leaving behind two very happy Potter elves to go about their day.
Just as they were about to open the portrait hole Neville caught up to them. "Harry, Hermione! Do you mind if I walk down with you to the first task?"
"Of course, Neville. Could you also save me a seat in the stands? I want to escort Harry into the Champions Tent?"
"Sure." Neville said with a smile as the three of them chatted amiably during their trek to the enclosure for the first task.
The closer they got to the tent the more nervous and tense Harry became. By the time, they entered the tent, Harry was no longer talking, and his palms were sweating terribly. Not knowing what else to do, Hermione pulled him into his designated area of the tent. She gave him a hug while rubbing his back and whispering words of comfort in his ear. "It's okay to be nervous Harry but I know that you can do this." When she felt Harry's shoulders relax a bit she pulled back enough to give him a kiss.
Just as they were deepening the kiss there was a bright flash accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a camera taking a picture. They immediately broke apart and Harry stepped forward to place himself between Hermione and the person that had taken the photo.
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