u/DrOwl795

Harry gets to spend some quality time with his parents, and then returns to the land of the living to help clean up his mess. A pair of heavy, emotional chapters, with a good bit of action in the second.

The final few chapters may take a little longer than average to come out, as I wasn't overly thrilled with my first drafts of them, and they'll probably require more editing than average.

Triwizard Trap Ch 28

Harry and Cedric land in the graveyard. Hermione's worst fears come true as she snaps into action to organize a rescue. Will she be in time?

Triwizard Trap Ch 27

I promise, you won't have long to wait for the next chapter. I don't usually do cliff-hangers, but I couldn't resist on this one.

I don't know what the proper tag/flair for this is, but this is my response to the Harmony Out Of The Ordinary Fest prompt.

I Happen to be... Harry's Girlfriend!

The prompt stems originally from this meme: Harry's Girlfriend

I've given this a much more serious tone than the original meme perhaps implied, and cut out the extraneous characters to just focus narrowly on Harry, Hermione, and Lavender. However, the meme sparked a number of ideas, and I'll probably write up a few other, much more light and crack-y versions at some point, since I get endless enjoyment out of this idea.

Harry receives a few final surprises before heading into the maze, to face traps he couldn't have imagined... but when he finally reaches the center to claim the cup, it's all over, right? Right?

Triwizard Trap Ch 26

The Third Task looms just over the horizon. Harry and Hermione prepare. Dumbledore makes a critical decision. Ron finally manages to fully make amends for his behavior. Draco tries to be a problem - and fails.

Next time - the beginning of a four-chapter journey through the Third Task. If you think you're ready for it, you aren't.

Triwizard Trap Ch 25

In this one, Neville finally gets his own wand, and commits to learn a rather important spell. Rita's causing issues again, but this time, Harry and Hermione get a clue as to how she might be eavesdropping. The news about what happened to Mr. Crouch breaks in public, and Sirius is extremely concerned. We also learn a little bit from Winky - after all, in her experience, a Crouch isn't dead just because the public thinks they are.

There's only one chapter left before we launch into the Third Task and the end of this novel - hope people are ready for the many heartstrings I'll be tugging on when we get there!

Triwizard Trap Ch 24

Barty Crouch meets his end, and leaves a mess in his wake. The DMLE can no longer be kept out of Hogwarts. Dumbledore makes his apologies for withholding the news that Krum had been under the imperius curse, but will his apology be accepted?

Plus: Ron learns a few things that happened while he was off being a moron, and our quartet speculate as to who might've used Krum to go after Harry and Hermione.

Triwizard Trap Ch 23

Welcome to the Second Task and it's aftermath! Harry goes into the Black Lake to save Hermione, but the true threat comes in a form he never expected (and the spectators can actually see it this time, unlike canon). The experience of seeing Hermione strung up below the lake, floating like a corpse, leaves its mark on him as they move on. And, we finally get some explanations on why Krum has been acting so odd.

Triwizard Trap ch 21

Introducing the concept of battle transfiguration before we go to Hogsmeade to pick up some gillyweed and have a nice date at a made up restaurant!

This chapter takes us right up to the day before the Second Task, with what will hopefully be a surprising twist at the end!

Next time, we head under the Lake to see if Harry is up to it, and to find out what might be thrown in his way.

Triwizard Trap Ch 20

Another one for everyone's consideration. In this chapter, Skeeter returns to cause trouble, Hagrid and Sirius get involved in the planning for how to fight back, and Neville learns a few things about his family. Cuffe stops by and gets a hot tip from Harry and Hermione, which may lead him to ask a few important people some uncomfortable questions.

Triwizard Trap Ch 19

Two chapters again, A Revealing Bath and Breaking News. First, we get the basics of Neville's experience at the Yule Ball and a discussion of why Ginny seems so different around him vs around Harry. Harry does not care for this very much. Then Harry and Hermione have an enjoyable time learning the clue the egg contains, at long last. After that, Rita returns to cause chaos and disruption, with articles quoting conversations she couldn't possibly have overheard. How is she doing that? And what can be done about it? Finally, Hermione comes to a decision on Winky and Dobby.

Triwizard Trap - Ch 17

Chapters 15 and 16 - The Yule Ball and Elfish Welfare, respectively - are now posted! Apologies to anyone following the story that was enjoying the daily uploads, the end of this past week got a bit busy. I don't know that it'll always be daily uploads going forward, but I do like getting the story out there, so it should continue to be published at a good pace until it's done.

In these chapters, we swing through the Yule Ball, getting to see what it might've been like if Harry had used his brain and asked Hermione instead of letting JKR lobotomize him into attempting to ask someone he knew absolutely nothing about. Snape makes a brief cameo to take a drive-by insult from Harry, revealing in the meantime that Karkaroff is a Death Eater and the Dark Mark grows... well, dark. Krum acts strange, Ron acts like a prat, and a good time is had by most.

Following on from that, Harry reignites Hermione's interest in SPEW, but when they ask Dobby and Winky to stop by so they can learn more about how to encourage liberation, things don't go to plan. Ron and Hermione continue to fight about SPEW, as well as Ron's unfortunate reaction to Ginny's date.

Next time, we'll finally make some progress on the clue

Triwizard Trap Ch 15

Hermione has some issues to work out with Ron. Ron has some outdated expectations of her dueling skill.

Next chapter after this will be the Yule Ball

Triwizard Trap Ch 14

Cuffe returns, and Harry & Hermione learn that even honest press comes with pitfalls. Ron finally admits that he was wrong and offers his apologies, allowing them to work on mending the bridges between them.

I know that some readers may not care for the redemption arc I have planned for Ron, and that's alright - not every story is for everyone. I wanted this to feel realistic, and I simply don't think Harry would be Harry if he didn't offer Ron a chance to come back after one screw up, no matter how bad. This will be a redemption ARC - it won't happen overnight. Ron has plenty of growing to do as a character. If you don't care for how he acts now, give him some time. He's got a lot to get used to.

Triwizard Trap Ch 13

Tomorrow's chapter is one of my favorites, and may satisfy those who don't quite feel done beating up on Ron just yet. Plus one of my personal favorite fluff moments from the story.

In what I suspect may be a divisive chapter, Snape's story finds its conclusion amidst the fallout of the potioning investigation. Dumbledore begins revealing things that our heroes ought to have been told sooner. Tempers rise, and consequences are meted out - but are they enough?

Triwizard Trap Ch 12

2-chapters Saturday. This is the longest chapter in the story by far. Tried to break it up in one or two different ways, but I wasn't thrilled with it, so you get nearly 20k words at once.

Harry and Hermione navigate trying to rebuild bridges with Ron in different ways. Both lay down the line about what they will and will not tolerate. Ron struggles with the concept of apology. The golden egg ruins everyone's Sunday morning, and Snape tries to get revenge.

Triwizard Trap Ch 11

In which the memories are replayed, and we get to see the other champion's strategies. I didn't want to rehash the entire task, but this time, you'll get to see how Harry feels about it when he has to watch it instead of live it - and it isn't a pleasant experience.

Charlie Weasley also makes an appearance as the practical, slightly apologetic older brother, and makes an offer they can't refuse.

Triwizard Trap Ch 10

(Some day, I may remember to consistently flare correctly every time I post, but don't hold your breath)

Back with Chapter 9, featuring the long-awaited establishment of Harmony in the universe. Barely surviving a dragon has a way of clarifying one's priorities.

Also in this chapter, Harry, Hermione, and Dumbledore attempt to rest and find a new way to operate together after Hermione's previous outburst. Our heroes struggle to fully trust him, and he struggles to balance between letting them in on his plans and asserting his authority.

Triwizard Trap Ch 9

Back again with Chapter 7, edited and published. After training and studying intensely for weeks, we now find ourselves on the weekend before the First Task is due to test everything they've been working on. Hermione is at the end of her rope, and they need a break. Who would've expected that the break would include an awkward confrontation with Ron and invitation to spy on Hagrid's date?

Triwizard Trap ch 7

Back again with Chapter 6, edited and published. In which Slughorn proves his plot utility by setting up our heroic not-yet-a-couple to have an interview with Barnabas Cuffe and clear Hermione's name of Rita's vile slander. If only honest reporters didn't come with a minefield all their own.

Fair warning, this one may not be everyone's cup of tea - it's not got much in the way of harmony fluff or action. But I felt like it was important to give my version of Cuffe a proper introduction, because I'm framing Cuffe and the Prophet quite differently than canon. Tabloid news away, in with the honest reporters just trying to get the facts and keep the public informed. Rita, however, is not going to go quietly into that good night.

I promise, the next chapter will have plenty of harmony in it, and Ron will begin his path towards redemption.

Triwizard Trap Ch 6