More Than Magic (Hermione x Male reader)

Year 7 - Nice Catch

The four of us watch the goblins go, and exchange a glance. Unnerved. Just then a moan is heard, deep and unsettling, coming from down the tunnel. Ron cocks his ear in disbelief. 

"No. It's not possible..." Ron said.

"And that bad feeling just got confirmed," I said.

Ron goes ahead, trailed by Harry, Hermione and myself to find Bogrod standing placidly by himself. As Harry and Hermione hang back, Ron moves forward slowly, squinting. Something massive shifts heavily. Chains clink. He looks at a huge dragon tethered to the ground, bars access to a deep vault. Its scales are pale and flaky, its eyes milky. 

"Bloody hell. That's..." Ron said as I finished. 

"A WelshGreen," I said stepping to his side.

"It looks like it's been down here forever," Hermoine said. 

Hinges squeal sharply and the others jump, watching Griphook in the shadows take something from a wooden box on the wall. An odd-looking metal instrument. As he steps into the light, he tosses it to Hermione. She glances from it to Griphook and sees him eyeing her with a strange intensity. 

"Go on," Griphook said. 

She looks unsure. Then gives it a shake. A shrill ringing echoes off the rocky passage, eerie and unpleasant. The dragon rears back instantly, howling in fear, then, as the ringing subsides, settles. Ron nods knowingly. 

"It's been trained to expect pain when it hears the noise," Ron said. 

Hermione's eyes flash to Ron, then to the scars on the dragon's face and neck. 

"That's barbaric," Hermione said.

She hands the instrument back, horrified. Griphook takes it, unmoved I just look at the dragon and then take Hermione's hand.

"We'll only have a few seconds. In other words... they'll be no do-overs. Understood?" Griphook said.  

The four of us eye the dragon, and nod. 

"Ready, Bogrod?" Griphook said.

 "Hm? Oh. Yes. Of course," Bogrod said.

Bogrod holds up his hand and waggles it. Griphook nods, and eyes the dragon. Its eyes glimmer angrily. Griphookraises the instrument and shakes it. The cacophony is murderous. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I grimace. The dragon roars hoarsely, then slowly retreats. Bogrod strides forth, blissfully ignoring the dragon's bobbing head and presses his hand to the vault's door. It melts.

We all rush inside. In the ensuing silence, the dragon spits fire just as the vault re-seals itself and all goes dark. 

"Lumos!" We all say. 

All of our wand tips bloom, illuminating a huge vault swimming in glittering treasure and eerie artefacts. 

"Blimey..." Ron said as I just let out a whistle of admiration.

"Look," Hermione said.

Hermione crosses to what appears to be the Sword of Gryffindor. 

"No wonder Bellatrix thought it was real," I said.

Harry pays no attention, having drifted away from the others, playing with his wand light over the glittering walls. The others notice and go silent, watching. Griphook eyes Harry with particular curiosity. Finally, Ron speaks.

"Is it here, Harry? Can you feel anything?" Ron said.

Harry doesn't respond, his wand light continuing to travel over the small treasures above. Gradually, he closes his eyes. As Hermione watches, transfixed, my eyes travel down her arm to her hand, which dangles nary a quarter inch from the lip of a silver bowl perched on the edge of the table beside her. Harry's wand hand begins to twitch. The beam of light trembles over the objects nestled nearest the ceiling, then settles on an ancient cup, bearing the Hufflepuff crest.  The skin of Hermione's wrist brushes the lip of the bowl Harry stares at the ancient cup above, glimmering dully in the light of his wand when Hermione yelps. As the others turn, they see her retract her hand, as if stung, sending the silver bowl tumbling to the floor. She holds up her wrist and displays a red welt.

"It's hot!" Hermione said. 

All eyes turn to the bowl, wobbling madly on the floor when it splits apart and begins to multiply. 

"They've added Gemino and Flagrante Curses! Everything you touch will burn and multiply!" Griphook said. 

The multiplying bowls skitter across the floor and flip into the air. As one caroms off Ron's shoe, it bursts into twenty more.

"Ron, your foot! It's smoking," Hermione said. 

As Ron stamps the ground, Harry pivots, tipping a towering stack of galleons to the floor where they multiply like cockroaches. Instantly, the room is a riot of multiplying white-hot metal. 

"We'll be crushed! Hurry!" Griphook said. 

Harry points his wand once again at the small cup near the ceiling. 

"That's it. Up there," Said Harry.

"How're we going to reach it?" I said.

"Give me the sword! The real one," Hermione said.

Hermione reaches into her beaded bag and tosses it to Harry, who catches it by the hilt. Griphook's eyes glitter greedily at the sight of it. Instantly, Harry begins to scale the multiplying mountain of objects, climbing toward the cup. As the sizzling surface shifts beneath his feet, he moves upward, halfway up, he slips and instinctively to keep from falling, he reaches out and plants the flesh of his palm against the shifting slope. Instantly, objects explode forth, multiplying crazily and cascading down onto us and Griphook in a small avalanche. 

"Keep going!" Ron said. 

Harry climbs faster the sound deafening, objects clanging off one another until, finally, he stops just shy of the ceiling. Reaching out, he extends his arm further, then further still and slips the sword's tip through the cup's handle. As it shimmies down the blade, Harry looks down and sees a terrified Bogrod pinned against the door, watching as Griphook sinks beneath the rising tide. Ron dashes forward, grabs Griphook's fingers as he's about to go under and yanks the blistered Goblin free. 

"Harry! Behind you!" Hermione said.

Harry turns and sees the swelling mountain has reached the ceiling and with nowhere else to go is about to spill itself down upon him. Turning back Harry leaps. He plummets, feet first, soaring through the air, then crashes down on the swelling treasure. The sword and cup fly free. 

"The cup!" Ron said as I grab it.

"Nice catch," Hermione said.