Across To Elsewhere

Part One: Ten - Banished

The stares were the worst than they have ever been. It wasn't only the student body of Hogwarts either, but the student body of both visiting schools and the combined staff. Worst of all was the stare of the Headmaster as she had walked down the silent aisle of the great hall, watching her as though she were a prized thoroughbred, who he'd heard was just declared lame but, made to run her last race anyways. It felt like a death sentence.

Last year the Eternal Dragon Goku called declared that he could indeed bring Harri and anyone else they wished to Goku's world. But the Dragon could not resurrect the dead after they have been dead for more than a year, or do both at once. Deciding that she and Sirius could survive one more year in her world, Harri encourage Goku to make the wish for Upa first. The boy deserved to have his family back, something neither Goku nor Harri could have.

Now Harri wondered if she would survive till the end of the year.

It was a worried Hermione who waited for Harri long after the students had been dismissed from the great hall for the night. Face pale and weary Hermione had seemed to watch the shadows of the hall carefully, only to perk up at the sight of Harri and look at her imploringly.

"I'm competing." Harri's voice sounded odd to her own ears.

Perhaps, if it was the first day at Hogwarts after summer holidays with enforced silence set upon her, Harri would have been more inclined to believe that it was nothing to be worried about. As it was not her first night in Hogwarts after a dreadfully long summer, but- in fact- Halloween night, Harri was certain now that every Halloween spent in the magical world was doomed to be a bad omen.

Hermione's expression seemed to crumble into abject terror for her friend. "But Harri...!" She gasped, whispering despite being alone with Harri in front of the great hall. "You're- you're only fourteen! This-! This tournament has killed- killed!- adults, older and wiser by many years-!"

"I know." Harri responded, just as quietly.

Hermione had been on a tangent about it ever since she'd come back from the library after the Opening Feast, going into several rants against other Gryffindor's as they expressed their desires to enter the tournament.

Each time someone asked her though, Harri had responded that she wouldn't want to enter, even if she'd been old enough to do so, much to the confusion of most other students in the school. Now that Harri had been forced to enter despite her adamant refusal to wanting to do it beforehand, she feared what it would be like to enter Gryffindor Tower. Second year hadn't been kind to Harri when everyone found out that she could speak to snakes, and while Gryffindor house openly rallied behind Harri in public, when the day ended Harri's house mates were just as afraid and unsure about her as the rest of the school had been.

The walk back to the Tower was tense. There were no students about, as was normal for the late hour, not even a prefect on duty that they'd passed. Always there was a faint murmur or soft telling of voices in the corridors of Hogwarts as the thousands of pictures and portraits hung on it's vast walls spoke to one another- yet all was completely silent now and eyes followed the two with enough intent to warm the very air.

The portrait of the Fat Lady who guarded the Tower gave Harri a long piercing look before eventually deciding that she'd made them squirm enough and opened the portal. Inside of the Tower was no less welcoming. Nearly all the years were gathered in the common room, talking together in small or large groups, gossiping. It all came to a halt as Harri and Hermione entered through the portrait hole.

Harri did not bother to stop. She'd already lived through three years of the staring. She was used to it. 

Last year had been especially harsh. Not only did she have a convict out to 'murder' her but the reason why Neville Longbottom was in St Mungo's Hospital had somehow come to be common knowledge. It came to be known that it was because Neville was with Harri that Neville had lost all his memories and could not attend Hogwarts for the foreseeable future. It had won no favor for Harri amongst the Lions. Only by Hermione having not lost her memories too by the start of the next term, despite her continued association with Harri, did the rest of the house finally ease. Somewhat.