For His Sake

Prologue

"Harry, there's something moving near the black lake." Hermione frowned as she drew away the curtain of the windowsill.

Sighing, Harry looked up. "Nothing you say is going to make me back out of this contest, 'mione."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione shook her head. "No! I wasn't trying to- besides, you can't get out of the triwizardchampionship Harry, even Dumbledore knows that."

Harry sighed and looked up from his study books. "Wow. Thanks. I didn't realize that. Gee- 'Mione. Perhaps you should've told me earlier I would've stayed home." he said sarcastically. 

"Harry!"

"What?" Harry frowned, standing up from the couch to see what she was on about. "I can't see nothing. You sure you didn't just imagine you saw the squid. I expected more of you, Hermione."

Hermione glared at her best friend. "No- I didn't see any squid. Everyone knows that's just a tale the older students tell first years to scare them off." she told him pointedly. 

"Perhaps it was your mighty Krum who decided to work out again." 

"Ronald Weasley!" Hermione snapped as she turned around. "He's not my anything! And will you both  just please shut up and listen to me!?" 

Ron and Harry looked at each other. "Yes....Eh, it's probably not Krum anyway." said Ron with a mumbling embarrassment.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. 

Ron gulped. "You know...curfew." 

"Hold on," Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed up an old piece of parchment before tapping onto it with his wand. "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good."

"Harry, you're brilliant!" Hermione squeaked and joined him on the couch as Harry folded the marauder's map so he could see the black lake. 

"Well, I AM the chosen one." said Harry.

"And also incredibly obnoxious." Hermione raised an eyebrow and smacked his arm. 

"Owh!' Harry yelped and quickly opened the page with the black lake. "Here it is."

"See! I told you I saw something." Just then, Hermione noticed the two footsteps near the edge of the black lake. "Why is the name all blurred? Is it defect?" Hermione frowned as she took the parchment from Harry.

"I don't know." said Harry honestly, closing in on the page as well. "It's never done that."

"It can't be defect. It's the best map in the world!" Ron argued.

Harry sighed. "Well, it only shows Hogwarts. What if the map doesn't recognize the person?"

"No," Hermione responded immediately. "That can't be. It showed us Peter Pettigrew in his animagus form last year. If it can dismantle magic like that- it should be able to tell who is who."

Harry and Ron were deep in thought.

"I could ask Sirius?" Harry suggested.

"Don't be silly, Harry." said Hermione. "You can't owl Sirius- that's too dangerous. And not for something like this...we should- ask professor Lupin."

Ron snorted. "It's not like he tried to kill us or anything."

Hermione glared at Ron. "Do you have any other suggestions then?"

"Maybe you could ask Krum. Since he's so great at everything." Ron said angrily.

Harry ignored his friends bickering and  frowned at the map. "Dumbledore?"