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Адреса змісту:https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11825585/1/Gods-
Amongst-Men
Книги
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Гарри Поттер
Боги среди людей
Автор:
Слима
Что произойдет, если крестраж Гарри будет удален раньше, чем
планировал Дамблдор?
Кто сможет разработать новый план по контролю над волшебным
миром?
Мощно!Гарри немного Уизли!Удар Манипулятивный!Дамблс Гарри/
Флер
Рейтинг: Художественная
литература M
– Английский – Романтика/Приключения – [Гарри П., Флер Д.]
Дафна Г. – Главы: 49 – Слов: 307 120 – Обзоров:
2 442
– Избранное: 8 757 – Подписок: 9 112 – Обновлено:
04.09.2016, 18:27:36
- Опубликовано:
06.03.2016, 02:12:38
- id: 11825585.
1. World Cup
This is my first fanfiction so go a little easy on me, though I do
appreciate constructive criticism. This will be a Fleur/Harr fanfic if
you want to know the pairing. It will also be a long one, expect at
least 400k+ words. If you recognize some similarities between His
Angel by Durararnaaa that's because there will be some in the
beginning chapters. Don't worry, it will change drastically as the
story moves on and become a whole other story in its own right.
Harry will be powerful in this fic, more so than any other character
other than Dumbledore and Voldemort. His power however won't
come over night but instead through much training. Certain
Weasleys will be bashed, sorry if you like them. Dumbledore will be
manipulative but not necessarily evil. He just has a different
viewpoint of how the magical world should look like.
Thank you to everyone that reviews/favorites/ and follows my
story. As I said, this is my first fan fiction and I can use all the
feedback given. I am not perfect nor do I expect to please everyone
with my story, it's just not possible. I use some cliché's, but I like to
think I use them correctly and it doesn't deteriorate from my story.
I now have a beta who will be going through my earlier chapters to
edit the grammar mistakes I have made, thank you Goldzar for your
hard work on making my story better.
Quick Summary: Harry's horcrux is removed at an earlier time
disrupting carefully laid plans. Watch as Harry evolves into an ever
growing dangerous world, battling those much more knowledgeable
in ancient magics. Many powerful enemies see England as weak and
will come out of the woodwork to claim it as their own.
Disclaimer- The World of Harry Potter is owned by J.K Rowling and
various publishers. I do not own anything in this universe.
"Harry! It's time to wake up!" Hermione shook him awake. He groaned as
his eyes fluttered open, revealing a blurry, bushy haired girl standing
over him. She didn't wait around and went to wake up his other best
friend, Ron. Another groan alerted him that Hermione had successfully
drawn him from his sleep as well.
Harry slipped on his glasses after struggling to locate them on the bedside
table. "Come on you two! We leave in an hour and you're still not even
dressed!" She scolded them. He watched her leave the room allowing
them to get ready for the day.
Thirty minutes later, both Harry and Ron made their way down to the
Burrow kitchen where the rest of the family were waiting on them
patiently. This summer Harry had undergone a growth spurt, and it
wasn't just his height that had changed. Harry was finding that his
muscles had inexplicably grown. Where he was normally scrawny and
underweight, it was now like his magic was beginning to shape his body,
molding it into something more suitable.
He couldn't complain, the changes were good and though he was still on
the skinny side, he liked the changes he was undergoing. A six pack had
formed and his arms were well defined. Ron and him were the same
height now and Hermione was just a few inches shorter than him. His
hair had inexplicably shrunk to the point it almost looked like he was a
soldier he had seen in some movies the Dursleys allowed him to oversee
from his cupboard.
This was the one change he didn't like since it revealed his scar to all, but
magic herself seemed determined to not allow him to grow his hair. This
summer also brought along the growth of facial hair. He had grown some
stubble and Mr. Weasley was kind enough to teach him a hair removal
charm.
Despite the growing up his body was doing, he still had some tell-tale
signs of malnutrition and abuse from his time with the Durselys. A
multitude of scars from years of beatings showed along his upper body
and his skin was pale. His eyes sagged like he hadn't been getting nearly
enough sleep and in total he looked sickly despite feeling just fine.
He and the Weasleys ate an early breakfast until it was time to go.
Everyone besides Molly, Bill, and Charlie were going to the portkey that
had been set up. Bill and Charlie instead were going to be apparating to
the campsite since they were old enough while Molly was the only one
staying behind.
"Is everyone set?" Molly asked the group as they began heading out the
door.
"Yes!" They all called.
"Have fun. Be safe!" She called as they disappeared into the forest,
following Arthurs lead.
The walk was peaceful and Harry just listened to Ron and the twins talk
about Viktor Krum, the star Bulgarian seeker. Hermione and Ginny
trailed behind them talking but he noticed a few quick glances towards
him which alerted him as to what they were talking about. Ginny had a
crush on him and he figured that's the reason they were talking about
him. Hermione had spent the summer trying to talk Ginny away from her
crush on him, something he was thankful for.
They came to a clearing in the forest where two people were waiting for
them. Harry recognized one to be the seventh year Hufflepuff seeker.
"Harry! Good to see you mate!" Cedric shook his hand and clasped him
on the shoulder. Though they never had hung around each other at
Hogwarts, they were friends, sharing the camaraderie of being seekers on
a House team.
"How are you doing?" Harry responded in kind.
"I'm good. Excited to watch the match."
"Me too. From what I've heard, Krum will be very interesting to watch."
"I'm sure you're anxious to see how to really play seeker." Cedric teased.
Before Harry could respond, Arthur gathered everyone around an old
boot that sat in the center of the field. He instructed everyone on how
portkey travel worked and had them all grasp firmly onto the boot. Once
Arthurs countdown reached one, Harry felt a lurch behind his navel and
then began spinning through the air.
Suddenly the ground came rushing back at him and he hit the grass field,
briefly knocking the wind out of him. He groaned and pushed himself
back to his feet. Luckily he hadn't made a fool of himself as he noticed
that the twins, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny also had a rough landing.
The Diggorys bid them farewell so that they could find their own
campsite. Arthur led them through the bustling city of tents and Harry
found himself completely entranced by the sheer amount of magical
people he saw.
All kinds of magicals were walking around wearing various robes in all
the colors of the rainbow. He was blown away by just how many people
there were. There had to be thousands of witches, wizards, and magical
creatures moving here and there. Stands, filled with items and food also
littered the campsites with lines stretching behind them, waiting to buy
their goods.
As they walked further into the masses of people, curiously, Harry found
himself under the gazes of many witches who watched him carefully. At
first he thought it was because of his scar, but he soon realized that none
of the males were looking at him and some of the looks from the witches
were something he hadn't ever seen before. If he could describe it, they
looked hungry as if he was a piece of meat waiting to be devoured. It was
odd to have that effect on women, but he would be lying if it didn't boost
his ego and confidence a little.
Even odder was Hermione and Ginny's reaction to the leering women.
They had taken up position on either side of him and Hermione had even
looped her arm through his. This just made him feel even more awkward
and he tried to slip out of her grasp but she held on firm. So lost in the
sights, he didn't notice Ron's continuous scowl at him as they walked.
"Here we are!" Arthur bellowed and soon they had set up the tent. Harry's
doubts about said tent were wiped away once he stepped inside. Of
course he should have known that it would have some magical
enchantments on it. They all picked out their bunks and settled in for a
few hours. He spent his time reading over the fourth year defense
textbook, something Hermione was proud to see him do.
Soon enough, it was nearing time for the match to begin and so they
began heading towards the stadium amongst the mass of other spectators.
"Harry m'boy!" A booming voice shouted through the crowd. Harry
turned to where the voice came from and saw the familiar green bowler
hat worn by the Minister of Magic. Harry approached with a questioning
look, not sure why he was being called out of the crowd by the British
Minister.
"Am I in trouble Minister?" Harry asked cautiously. The Weasleys and
Hermione had also stopped behind him to listen in on his conversation.
"Of course not m'boy!" Fudge slapped him on the shoulder like he was a
favorite nephew. "I'm glad I found you! Will you be in the minister's
box?"
"Errr, I don't think I can Minister Fudge. We have seats near the top
level."
"That won't do m'boy. Sit with me!" Fudge looked passed Harry to Arthur.
"Do you mind if I take Harry with me?"
Harry began to feel very self-conscious. It was embarrassing to have the
Minister ask to sit with you in prime seats while your friends and people
you considered family were cast aside like nothing.
"Of course, Minister." Arthur responded uneasily. Harry knew that
everyone was forced into a tough spot. He couldn't ask the Weasleys to
join him and Arthur couldn't say no to his boss. Harry noticed the jealous
scowl marring Ron's face and did his best to ignore it. Ron had always
been jealous of the things he never asked for or wanted and he knew full
well that it was up to Ron to get over it.
"Good! Very good. C'mon m'boy." Without waiting for a reply, Minister
Fudge led Harry up a flight of stairs that had been charmed to ascend
someone a hundred feet into the air. It was a peculiar feeling to be on the
ground one moment and then after only a short flight of stairs, be staring
at a pitch a hundred feet below.
Minister Fudge dragged Harry by the arm further into the Ministers box.
Harry noticed the Malfoy family sitting down not too far away and his
eyes locked on Draco for a moment. Both sneered at each other but didn't
say anything.
"I would like you to meet the Bulgarian Minister, Aleric Strumyav." Fudge
introduced him to a tall, well-built older gentleman. He had greying
black hair with a full black goatee. Harry shook his hand and had to fight
back a wince from the strong grip.
"And Irish Minister Ryan O'Connell." This minister was more like Fudge.
Round and red haired, wearing a fedora with a raven feather running
along the side of the cap.
"Ministers, I present Harry Potter." Fudge proclaimed like he was some
Roman Emperor. Miraculously, Harry successfully kept himself from face
palming at how over the top his introduction was.
The two foreign ministers greeted him and made small talk about current
events. Harry found it refreshing to talk about politics and world events
with the three men and fit in nicely. His nervousness quickly left him
when the three ministers included him into their conversation like he was
an old friend.
He was then asked to elaborate on the rumors about him at Hogwarts. At
first he was hesitant to say anything about them. He hadn't told anyone
or discussed any of his adventures with anyone besides Professor
Dumbledore. Also Sirius was still fresh on his mind and how Fudge had
tried to have him kissed. But, how often do you have the opportunity to
talk to three ministers and he surely couldn't lie to them. So, he
proceeded to explain the events involving the Philosopher's Stone in first
year and the basilisk in the second. He left out Ginny's name, not sure
how she would like it if the minister knew it was her that had been
possessed.
"A basilisk?" The Irish Minister asked in disbelief, looking from Harry to
Minister Fudge. By this time, Fudge was completely pale and it was
apparent that he had never been told of the events of his second year.
Perhaps that's why Fudge didn't believe him about Sirius Black?
"Yes, sir. I killed it with a sword, didn't have my wand at the time." Harry
refrained from mentioning that a visage of Voldemort had taken his
wand.
The Bulgarian minister started barking out in laughter quickly followed
by the Irish minister. Slowly Fudge joined in as well, though he was still
completely pale. "You can't be serious?" Minister Strumyav asked, seeing
that Harry wasn't laughing.
"It should still be under the school. It's around seventy feet long." Harry
shrugged. All amusement died between the ministers when they noticed
just how serious Harry was about the story.
"How have we not heard of this?" Minister O'Connell asked Minister
Fudge.
"Dumbledore has kept most of my exploits under wraps. My fame was
already large enough and I saw no reason to add to it."
"Is it possible to see the memories of such events?" Minister Sturmyav
asked.
"Err, how would you see my memory?"
"A pensieve Harry. It's a device that allows others to see a person's
memory. I could have one sent up here during the match." Fudge said.
"That is if you have no desire to actually watch the match."
"Honestly, this boy's exploits sound much more interesting." Minister
O'Connell said and the Bulgarian minister nodded in agreement.
"Very well, I will have one sent up." Harry then began to describe his
third year adventures involving Sirius Black. This time Fudge was looking
at him more curiously than skeptically. Now that he had heard his
previous years' exploits, he was more open to believing that Sirius was
innocent, which was something that excited him greatly. Of course he
failed to mention that he was the one, with the help of Hermione, who
had broken his godfather out.
A man dressed in black robes and a top hat stepped in behind Minister
Fudge and whispered something into his ear. Fudge nodded to the man,
stood up, and approached a microphone that had been set up in the
center of the box.
"Welcome to the 1994 Quidditch World Cup!" The audience cheered as
Fudge's words echoed through the packed stadium. "The British Ministry
welcomes its guests and are pleased to be hosting this great event!"
Another loud cheer erupted throughout the stadium. "I am pleased to
introduce Ludo Bagman, Director of Magical Games and Sports!"
The man dressed in black with a top hat stepped forward, shaking Fudges
hand before stepping in front of the microphone to introduce the teams.
Fudge jovially came back and sat down.
"Now, m'boy. You truly have had quite the adventurous life back at
Hogwarts and I feel a reward would be proper. Had I been told two years
ago for your deeds involving the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, I
would have given you the Order of Merlin First Class then!" Fudge
proclaimed, more to the other two ministers who looked approvingly at
Fudges action, than to Harry.
Harry didn't have much experience with politics, but he knew Fudge
wanted to use Harry in some manner. Also, he had no clue what an Order
of Merlin was but it sounded something like a medal given to soldiers or
citizens who did something good for the country.
"Would you mind sitting down with a reporter and telling your story
about the basilisk? Once everyone knows of your harrowing year, I
would gladly give you our countries highest award!" Fudge continued
with glee. A grin spread across Harry's face, this was an actual chance to
possibly free Sirius and he would be a fool to not take it, even if he had
to play up his fame.
"Of course minister. I do have something to ask of you first though."
"Of course m'boy! Anything."
"I want you to give Sirius Black a proper trial." All of Fudges enthusiasm
dropped off his face and he went to speak but Harry cut him off. "One
thing many do not know is that Sirius Black is my godfather." All three
minister's eyes bulged. He had left that detail out of his story but now it
was needed to get Sirius a fair trial. "I know him to be innocent. I also
know he was never given a trial. The last minister did not have the sense
to give him one for some reason."
Harry could see Fudge's mind piecing together the puzzle. The minister
may be easily swayed by gold or voter polls, but he isn't stupid. "If you
were to give him a trial, and he proved to be innocent, it could only
boost your popularity. You would be seen as fixing the faults of the last
administration." Harry knew he had him when Fudges face broke out in
glee.
"I will see what I can do." Fudge took a sip of his firewhiskey and then
clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Now, I shall go and retrieve that
penseive." He stood up and walked over to a tall, dark skinned man with
a gold earring and began whispering in his ear.
"You have a promising career in politics Harry." Minister O'Connell said
with a wry grin.
"I have very little interest in it, in truth." Harry shrugged. "But I'll do any
amount of politicking and bargaining if it means freeing an innocent
man."
The two nodded and Minister Fudge came back with a pensieve. After
some instructions on how to remove a memory and place it into the
bowl, all three ministers dove into his memories. Harry used their
absence to watch the game that was already fully under way.
Each time the ministers came up from a memory, Harry had to keep
himself from laughing at their faces. They were always mixed with horror
and awe and after the basilisk, respect. The memory of Harry talking
with Sirius in the shrieking shack got the minister fully on board to give
Sirius a trial.
Soon the match was over with Ireland winning, and Harry was already
back inside the Weasley's tent. Minister Fudge had promised that he
would immediately begin working on getting Sirius a fair trial and
afterwards, Harry would begin a series of interviews with various
magazines and papers, finishing with an awards ceremony sometime this
holiday break.
Spending time with a few reporters was hardly a bad thing when he was
getting his godfather freed. This also meant that he should never have to
see the Dursleys again and be able to live with Sirius. The thought of
being free from his abusive relatives couldn't make him any happier.
So, he walked into the Weasley's tent with a huge smile on his face, ready
to break the happy news with his friends, only for his smile to quickly fall
off. Ron looked completely livid at him. Even Hermione looked a little
upset. Only Fred and George seemed unchanged by Harry's appearance as
they continued boasting about the Ireland chasers.
"How was the minister's box, Potter." Ron spat, stopping only a foot in
front of him. Harry was taken back by the venom in his voice.
"Ron, there wasn't anything he could do." Hermione pleaded though she
didn't sound like she herself was convinced.
"Always have to have everything don't you. How was it having your arse
pampered by the minister." He snarled.
"You know I didn't ask to go to the minister's box." Harry responded
coldly. Ron's jealous attitude the last couple of days had been grating on
his nerves and now it was coming to a boiling point. "I've never asked for
anything! Yet you always seem to find a way to make me feel bad for
having something."
"Make you feel bad?" Ron scoffed. "How could I ever make you feel bad!
I'm the one always stuck in your shadow!"
"That is not my problem! Why don't you go find someone else to whine to
about how your life is so terrible because I am sick of hearing about it!"
Harry turned and walked back out of the tent, ignoring the calls from
Hermione and Arthur. All he knew was that he had to get as far away
from them as possible.
He walked around the camp, watching as people celebrated, finding some
peace in seeing others having such a good time. It felt like he had been
walking for hours when suddenly he heard some people up ahead begin
to scream. Curious, Harry walked closer to the screams until he saw fire
and smoke.
The campsite was on fire, and worse, there were people in dark robes
with white bone masks covering their faces, setting fire to everything.
Floating above them were four people Harry recognized to be muggles
that owned a nearby farm. They were already dead, having been hanged
by rope suspended in air.
There were around twenty of these attackers, way too many for him to
attack with no help. Plus, he didn't know many spells he could use in a
situation like this thanks to the lack of good Defense teachers.
Harry crept behind a large wooden crate nearby, watching the attackers
shoot random spells off at the running crowd. They didn't appear to
actually be trying to hit anything, more instill panic.
That changed when Harry noticed a smaller group break off and run into
the woods. They were chasing after two girls, making his blood run cold.
He had heard enough stories about what men could do to a woman that
was considered worse than death. They were also a smaller group, no
more than five and so Harry gave chase thinking he could make a
difference.
The forest was dark and quiet, but he was able to hear the faint sounds of
footsteps ahead of him, letting him know he was on the right track. Then
the forest echoed from a scream up ahead that he knew came from one of
the girls. He picked up his pace, almost hitting his head on a low branch.
Soon he came to a small clearing where the moonlight was able to poke
through. It had the effect of showing all five of the attackers and
illuminated their bone white masks, making them even more
intimidating. Harry could see two girls with long silver hair, laying on
the ground. One was older and was doing her best to protect the
youngest who didn't look older than eight.
Harry didn't waste any time since he knew these girls were in grave
danger, "Reducto!" He shouted the first spell that came to mind. There
were very few spells he knew that could be useful in a fight, and though
this one was slow and easy to block by a suspecting enemy, it could cause
damage.
The red ball of energy shot from Harrys wand and struck one attacker
who had just begun to drop his pants. The spell took a chunk out of the
man's back, breaking his spine and spraying blood on his fellow
attackers. The man slumped to the ground with a blood curdling scream.
Harry stared wide-eyed at the lifeless body. He hadn't thought it would
kill the man, after all he had seen the spell be used on humans before and
it usually just resulted in breaking a few bones. Now though, he had just
appeared to kill someone with it and so he froze, his mind unable to
process.
That was a grave mistake as the four attackers turned to face Harry. One
of them stepped forward quickly, sending three iron spikes at Harry. One
embedded into his upper thigh, the other into his right side, and the last
into his right shoulder, shattering the bones. Harry dropped to his knees
and his wand fell from his grasp, as unimaginable pain shot through him.
A split second later another spell slammed into his face, sending him onto
his back and breaking his jaw and nose. The pain was unbearable and
Harry was quickly beginning to lose consciousness. He couldn't see or
even move from the amount of pain he was feeling as he lay on his back.
All he could do was hear as he fought to stay awake and for the girls he
had come to try and save.
The sound of one of the girls screaming again brought about another
breath of life. He still couldn't move his wand arm, or even get up. The
pain was too blinding to think clearly and in an act of desperation, he
raised his left hand, hoping to perform some kind of miracle. With the
single thought of saving the girls, he channeled as much magic as he
could muster. He felt his magic surge through his arm as consciousness
became too hard to fight.
"How the lord will reward me for killing the Great Harry Potter!" One of
the men sneered. Harry was already lost to darkness by the time a flash
of green connected with his chest.
–
Fleur Delacour cursed her Veela heritage. Some men in black cloaks and
white masks had attacked her campsite causing her and her sister to flee.
Their mother was back in France while her father, the Head of the
Department of Magical Law Enforcement of France had rushed off to
confront the attackers. Her panic had caused her to forget to control her
Veela allure and so she had unintentionally attracted several of the
attackers.
She fled with her younger sister into the forest, but Gabrielle was just a
young girl and could never outrun these men. She was hit in the back by
a tripping jinx, quickly followed up by a cutting curse that caused parts
of her clothes to fall off, revealing much more than she would have liked.
Gabrielle let out a scream and Fleur moved in front of her, hoping to
protect her from whatever vile actions these men would do. She was well
aware of how vile men could be around her and that's why she had shied
away from all male contact except her fathers over the last couple of
years.
She could see in their eyes the lust and hunger that she so often saw by
some of the boys at her school. The difference here was that she was
without a way to defend herself. She had lost her wand early on from a
random disarming charm, sending it flying off into the crowd of people.
In a hurry to get Gabrielle to safety she decided to not go looking for it.
"I'm sure the master won't mind us taking a-" The attacker who had
hungrily approached her while starting to unzip his pants, stopped
midsentence and his eyes widened in shock. He let out a bloodcurdling
screaming and dropped to the ground and Fleur saw the life leave his
eyes.
That's when her eyes laid on a boy, not much younger than her with the
most vibrant green eyes she had ever seen. A sense of hope swelled
within her that someone had come to possibly save her. He though,
looked shocked at the damage his spell had caused and forgot about the
other attackers.
She watched as three iron spikes drove into the boy, causing him to cry
out in pain and drop onto his knees. All sense of hope disappeared as she
watched another spell hit the boy in the face, sending him onto his back.
Fleur let out a scream this time, unable to tear her eyes away from her
last hope as he fell to the ground.
The man who had sent the deadly spikes stepped forward and said, "How
the lord will reward me for killing the Great Harry Potter!" The dull
green light from the killing curse illuminated the night briefly and
headed straight towards the boy. She didn't recognize the name the man
spoke until much later.
At the same time, the boy had some fight in him no matter how futile as
he raised his hand in defense. Surprisingly, just as the killing curse struck
the boy in the chest, he performed a miraculous feat of wandless magic,
sending the four attackers back in a powerful shockwave of magic. Fleur
and Gabrielle were thrown as well, but not nearly as violently as the four
robed me.
She heard the sickening crunches as they struck trees and their bones
shattered from the force. All four of them slumped to the ground
unconscious, two of them bleeding from the mouth and ear, not
breathing.
A bloodcurdling scream echoed through the forest. Her eyes widened in
fear once again when she saw a black mist pour from the boy's forehead,
shrieking and wailing as if it was being destroyed. With one last shriek
that forced her to cover her ears, the black mist floated into the night sky
where she lost it amongst the darkness.
"Fleur! Gabby!" Her heart soared when she heard her father's voice break
through the sudden silence that had followed whatever just happened.
"Papa! Papa we're here!" Fleur called out, allowing a sob to escape her lips.
Gabrielle was already bawling at this point as Fleur held her close. She
was still too shocked to move from her position on the ground. Her eyes
rested on the boy, no the man, who had saved her life.
She cursed whatever god existed that such a noble man would die at the
hands of animals. He had given his life for two strangers and she would
never get the chance to thank him.
Her father, a tall man, with short brown hair and grey eyes ran into the
clearing after hearing Fleur's call. Behind him were several aurors
wearing the white and blue robes signaling their place as Hit Wizards in
the French DMLE.
"Fleur! Are you alright! Gabby?" Sebastien Delacour asked, hurrying over
to his two crying daughters. He noticed the ripped clothes of his eldest
and surveyed the surroundings. His other aurors were looking over the
fallen bodies at the moment. He noticed that a young boy had several
iron spikes embedded in him with a puddle of blood surrounding him.
Another had half his back ripped open with his spine hanging out. The
rest that wore black robes were laying next to several trees.
"Sir! This boy is still alive!" One of his Hit Wizards proclaimed. He was
standing over the body of Harry Potter.
2. Clearing of the Mind
Thank you all for the support I've been given so far. I'm blown away
at the response I received for this story. I'll try and keep updating
this as quickly as I can. I have twenty chapters written so far and
am excited with the way I've taken this story. I hope you enjoy
continuing to read it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
Harry felt like he was in a constant state of falling. The world around him
was a blur as he fell through darkness. Flashes of red eyes that were
eerily familiar appeared all around him, followed by laughing. It wasn't
joyous laughter either, more deranged and maniacal.
He couldn't move or scream or do anything to get away from the evil
laughter that began to deafen everything. It felt like he was drowning. In
fact, he wasn't even sure if he was still breathing or why he was in this
endless state of falling, being watched by a pair of menacing red eyes and
laughed at by some unknown psychopath.
Then the blackness all around him flashed green. That dull green color
was so familiar to him. It was the same green light he remembered seeing
his mother get hit by in his nightmares. The dull green of the killing
curse.
Just as soon as the green had replaced the darkness, it was gone.
Replacing everything was a clear blue sky and Harry felt beneath him a
plain grass field. A warm breeze kissed his bare skin. The fact that he was
nude didn't bother him for some reason. Nothing seemed to surprise him,
not the falling into blackness or now suddenly standing in a field. It just
felt right. He knew he had died, but he didn't care, his pain was over.
Gone was the blackness, laughter, and those red eyes. Now, he only felt
calm and peace. His mind felt more clear than ever before. He looked
over his body, starting with his hands, which were slightly bigger than he
remembered. In fact, he felt a little taller and he definitely didn't
remember ever having as much muscle as he did now. He still wasn't big
by any means, but he was way more muscled and taller than he had been
previously.
His body felt strong, like a great sickness had been cured. He felt like he
could run for miles without ever growing tired. His mind felt just as
clear, free, and stable as his body. Whatever sickness that had plagued
him had been destroyed.
Only a short distance away was a door, standing tall above the grass. It
was made of a fine brown wood that resembled the same Holly his wand
was made out of. Seeing a door just standing in a field didn't strike him
as odd. He slowly approached it, enjoying the warm breeze that soothed
his skin. The grass was soft beneath his feet and a bright sun shone down
on his face.
As he moved closer to the door, he began to hear voices echo through it.
They were familiar voices; people he knew in another life. The closer he
got, the more he hesitated to actually open the door. He wasn't sure if he
wanted to know what was on the other side. In his life he had only
known pain, but here, he felt safe.
"Go my dear. You are still needed." A sweet young woman's voice
whispered through the wind. It sounded so familiar but he couldn't place
where he had heard that voice before.
"Who's there?" Harry called out, looking all around him, but only seeing
rolling green fields.
"I think you know." The soft voice was again carried to him by the wind.
That's when he recognized whose voice it was. Sadly, he remembered this
voice through one of his most painful memories, her death.
"Mum? Is that you?" Harry called out, unsure if she could actually hear
him. He desperately looked around for any sign of her.
"It is not yet your time Harry. You still have much to do. Go Harry. Live
your life for me. Be happy!"
"But what if I want to stay here? What if I don't want to go back?" He
asked, taking a step away from the door.
"You are your father's son and you know you could never abandon your
friends." Harry knew she was right. He couldn't just leave his friends,
even if they didn't like him right now. He would never forgive himself if
he didn't take the chance to return to them.
"Why can't I see you?"
"It is not yet your time to see me Harry." He knew in his gut that she was
right. Wherever he was, this wasn't his final resting place.
Harry steeled his emotions and took a deep breath. He took the last few
steps and placed his hand on the doorknob. "When will I see you?"
"Not until you are much older and have lived a happy life. Experience it
to the fullest, find love, and always believe in yourself and your abilities.
Now go, my son. Live!" Harry turned the knob and stepped into the
bright white light on the other side of the door.
–
Harry slowly opened his eyes and looked around. He was in a hospital
bed and the lights were off. A window showed that it was nighttime. He
scanned the room and the first thing he noticed was that he was seeing
everything much more clearly.
He blinked a few times trying to figure out if what he was seeing was real
or if his vision would become blurry again. Looking on the bed stand
next to him, he noticed his glasses lying there, yet he could see perfectly
without them.
Groaning from spending too much time in a bed, he swung his legs over
the side and stepped onto the floor. He hissed when his bare feet
connected with the cool, tiled floor. He walked towards a door labeled
bathroom and relieved himself. Looking in the mirror he was shocked at
what he saw. He looked slightly older, his features more mature and his
face looked healthier than ever before. His skin was more tan and he no
longer had bags under his eyes.
The odd dream he had been having came back to him. He remembered
walking nude through a field. The darkness and red eyes which he now
remembered to be Voldemort's. He saw those eyes just before the bright
green flash that had killed his mother.
His mother. Her words came flooding back into his mind. "Always believe
in yourself." He mouthed the words to himself. Her words brought a new
sense of calm and determination to his life. He had almost been killed,
and frankly he still wasn't even sure how he was still alive.
The memory of blinding pain, three iron stakes striking him. Harry lifted
the white night shirt up and felt his newest scars. He had two round
scars, one on his side and the other on his shoulder. They looked similar
to the scar left behind by the basilisk fang. If he checked his thigh he was
sure he would find a similar scar there as well.
Harry also took a moment to admire the six pack he was now suddenly
sporting. Quidditch practice had kept him in fine shape, but because of
his eating habits, or lack thereof, he never showed any real muscle. But
now, for some reason, he had filled out nicely.
After splashing some water on his face, Harry noticed something that
really shocked him. His famous lightning bolt scar had faded to where it
almost wasn't even visible. It looked like any other scar besides the odd
shape. Whatever had happened to him after he had passed out at the
World Cup had done a whole world of good for him.
Harry walked back into his hospital room and found the lights back on.
"Hey pup! It's good to see you walking!" He whipped his head around to
find the familiar voice.
"Sirius!" He exclaimed once he found him standing by the window. Sirius
looked better than Harry had remembered. He still had long, messy black
hair, but his clothes were much better fitting and made of good materials.
His grey eyes, though still having a haunted look, were happier. His face
still showed some signs of his stay in Azkaban but he definitely looked on
the mend.
"What are you doing here? What if someone sees you!" Harry asked in a
worried tone, glancing at the door.
"I've been pardoned!" He responded with glee.
"Pardoned?"
"Yeah, just had the trial that freed me yesterday! Heard you had
somethin' to do with that."
Harry thought for a moment back to the World Cup. His deal with the
Minister. Either the Minister works quickly or he had been asleep for a
very long time. "How long have I been out?"
"Only a week. Had us all in a fright. The Weasleys have been here every
day. I've been here since being freed yesterday. A lot has happened since
you've been out. You look different without your glasses you know."
Sirius remarked.
"I feel different. It's strange, I feel like some disease has been cured inside
me. I swear I've grown taller and I feel stronger than I ever have before.
I've never felt more rested or healthy in my life." Harry shrugged. "Now
tell me everything. What have I missed?"
"You do look a lot better. Last time I saw you, you were a bit too skinny
for my liking." Harry nodded in agreement. "Now, I know you aren't one
for press or fame, but after the events of the World Cup, your exploits,
mainly your fight with the basilisk in second year was leaked."
"What did happen at the World Cup? I just remember trying to protect a
couple of girls. I killed one of their attackers I think but then I was hit by
three iron stakes from someone and went down. Are they okay? How am
I still alive?"
"The girls are okay. You did save them just so you know." Harry blew out
a breath of relief. "The people that attacked the World Cup were Death
Eaters." Harry cocked his head to the side, not recognizing the name.
"Death Eaters are Voldemort's followers from the last war."
"Voldemort? He was there?" Harry asked with wide eyes.
"No, he wasn't." Harry nodded again. "The Death Eater attack was
supposed to just scare people. Minister Fudge proclaimed it a terrorist
attack and that it was just some old followers of Voldemort out to have
fun. But it all went wrong when those Death Eaters chased the two girls
into the forest and you followed them."
"Do you know who those girls were Harry?" He shook his head, no. "They
were the Delacour girls. Their father is the Director of Magical Law
Enforcement for France and a very powerful man in the country. Some
think he is next in line to become minister."
"Holy shit." Harry muttered, his eyes widened in understanding at what
he did. Saving a couple of witches from being raped and possibly killed
was one thing, but when they are the daughters of a powerful man that's
a whole other manner.
"Holy shit is right. Let's just say that you have made some very powerful
friends."
"So what did happen after I passed out. How exactly did I save them?"
"Do you remember what you did just before passing out?" Harry thought
back to that night. He remembered becoming desperate as he fought to
stay conscious.
"I raised my hand and channeled all the magic I could through it."
Sirius nodded. "Yes, you did some very impressive wandless magic. The
two Delacour girls gave their memories of that night and seeing it
firsthand was quite impressive. The story is all of the papers now. Fudge
then went and showed the memories of your fight with the basilisk and
used your memories of third year to help free me."
"So I used wandless magic? And what, killed them?" Sirius shook his
head.
"No, the only one you killed was with that powerful reductor curse."
Harry winced, not sure how to take killing someone. It was odd, he felt
sorry that he had to end a life, but he knew it was the correct thing to do.
A man that would rape and kill a girl was not someone that should live.
Still, he wished he didn't have to kill him.
Sirius noticed the frown Harry had at being reminded he killed someone.
He got up from his chair and sat at the edge of the bed and put his hand
on Harry's knee. "Listen, I know you didn't want to take a life. That's
what makes you good. But in your position, it was necessary and no one
faults you for it." Harry nodded, knowing his godfather was right.
"There's another thing that happened, Harry."
"What?" Harry asked in confusion.
"After you passed out, you were hit by the killing curse." Harry thought
back to his dream. The darkness all around him until that pale green light
cleared everything. "Afterwards, some kind of dark spirit left your body.
This information of course is closely guarded. Only the Delacours,
Dumbledore and myself have seen that part of the memory. Albus is
apparently good friends with Sebastien Delacour and was able to keep
this under wraps."
"Is that why I feel healthier? I had some kind of dark magic in me that
was making me sick?" Sirius could only shrug.
"Possibly. Personally I think Dumbledore knows exactly what happened,
but he, as always is keeping his cards close." Sirius said through gritted
teeth. It was clear to Harry that he and Dumbledore had had words over
the matter.
"What's happening with the papers and the leaks about me fighting a
basilisk?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"Minister Fudge leaked the information about your involvement in
ridding a very large basilisk with the sword of Gryffindor in second year.
Of course, most people thought it was ridiculous at first. That was until
Rita Skeeter printed an article, showing the Sword of Gryffindor hanging
in Dumbledore's office and your award for Special Services to the School
in second year. After that, everyone demanded to know more on what
happened in second year and your involvement. Let me just say the
Headmaster is not having a good time with the backlash he is receiving
right now."
"And me? How is this all affecting me?" Sirius grinned.
"Well you're being praised as a hero. Minister Fudge wanted to award you
the Order of Merlin First Class for your heroics second year. For your
actions at the World Cup, the French Ministry wants to award you the
Order des Templiers."
"Also, three of the men you knocked unconscious with your wandless
magic were wanted by the Bulgarian ministry. They had bounties on
their head which resulted in you getting a total of 100 thousand
galleons."
Harry's jaw dropped at the amount. Sirius chuckled, "Also, potioneers
have been clamoring to get their hands on the basilisk remains. Basilisk
materials are extremely rare and as such they are also very expensive.
Since you killed the snake, you can claim it as your prize and sell it."
"How much is something like that worth?"
Sirius shrugged. "Depending on the size it can run up to a million
galleons." Harry suddenly felt a little light headed and was thankful he
was already sitting down on the bed. "I can take care of the arrangements
to have people break down the basilisk into usable materials to sell."
Harry nodded, "That would be good. But how would they get into the
Chamber of Secrets. Only I can open it."
"Hmm, that's a good point. We can wait until school starts I guess." Sirius
crossed his arms and shifted back into his chair. "The most important
thing though is that I was allowed to claim guardianship over you!"
"Really?" Harry asked, his eyes widening in excitement.
Sirius nodded excitedly. He had an amusing childish look on his face that
made him appear younger. "Yeah, now you never have to go back to the
rotten Dursleys." Suddenly however, Sirius looked nervous. "That is if you
want to?"
Harry laughed, "Of course I do Sirius. We talked about this just a few
months ago. I can't wait to live with you!" Sirius' grin returned.
"Good. Remus is getting your room ready right now back at my house. It's
not much of a house but we're working on fixing it up."
"I'm sure it's better than where I have lived the past thirteen years."
"You have a couple things to do before you start school."
"Let me guess. Something involving an interview or two?"
Sirius nodded. "Sorry, I know you don't really like attention, but it would
be good to do it I think."
Harry waved him off, "I promised Minister Fudge I would. Plus, this kind
of attention, though I don't like it, it's at least for something I actually
did. Maybe it will make the moniker Boy-Who-Lived disappear."
"That's a very good way of looking at it." Sirius said impressed.
"It's weird, it's not just my body that has changed since that dark curse or
whatever left my body. I feel a lot calmer and less stressed out about
everything. My old self would be freaking out at this moment and trying
to hide under a rock."
"It's good that you have changed. Even with all of the new fame you have
acquired, you would still be famous. Trying to hide from the public is
futile. It's better to embrace it and use it to whatever advantage you can
get."
"Speaking of public, you are wanted in France on the 31st of August to
attend a ball in your honor where you will be awarded the Ordre des
Templiers."
Harry let out a groan. He could handle talking to a reporter. Balls though
presented a whole load of other problems. A ball meant dancing and
finding a date. That was something his fourteen-year-old self had trouble
computing.
"Come on it won't be so bad. You don't even have to speak! Just show up,
dance and mingle a little."
"I have to find a date though don't I?"
Sirius' grin turned feral making Harry very scared about what he would
say next. "You already have a date."
"I-wait. What?" Harry definitely didn't remember asking someone to the
ball he just heard about a few seconds ago.
"They have already paired you with a date. The eldest Delacour daughter.
Fleur I think was her name."
"Okay, the way you were grinning I thought it was going to be something
bad. This just makes my life easier."
"Oh you say that now. Just you wait."
"What does that mean?" Harry asked with a confused expression. Sirius'
grin just widened.
"Just wait. Trust me." Harry's eyes narrowed before slowly nodding his
head, foolishly trusting his godfather.
"I'll go talk to the Healer now that you're awake and see when you can
get out of here." Harry nodded and watched Sirius leave the room.
"Why can I never have a year of peace..." Harry groaned as he laid back
onto the bed.
–
"Here we are pup!" Sirius said, opening the door to Number 12
Grimmauld Place, the Ancestral Home of the Blacks.
"Harry!" Remus shouted from the hallway, rushing up to embrace him.
"It's good to see you walking around." They took a step back from each
other. "It has only been a couple months, how have you grown so much?"
He said, looking over Harry.
He shrugged in response, "Something to do with dark magic inside me
being destroyed. I think that's what caused this at least."
"Err, right." He glanced at Sirius who just nodded, "Well come in and you
can explain that further!" He ushered them both into the large house. It
was dark and musty. The floorboards creaked with every step and the
paint on the walls was decaying. Cobwebs lined the ceiling and there was
a line of house elf heads spiked on the wall.
"Sorry 'bout that. We will be doing a lot of renovating over the year."
Sirius said following his gaze to the heads. "Let me show you to your
room."
The three of them headed up stairs. There were three floors in total, with
several bedrooms on each floor. Sirius explained, his, Remus', and Harry's
rooms were on the third floor while the guest rooms were on the second.
The Black family library was also on the third floor and off limits to
anyone besides him and Harry. Not even Remus could get in.
The reason Harry could enter it was because by Sirius taking
guardianship over him, he also had named him Heir Black since Sirius
had no kids of his own. He was allowed to use the library as long as he
was careful. Many of the books were very dark in nature and some might
be dangerous to the touch.
Harry was anxious to read through a few books. The Blacks he knew
were a very old family and he could only imagine the wealth of
knowledge their library held. They continued walking to his room and
when he stepped inside, he was blown away.
It was as big, if not bigger, than the room he shared in Gryffindor tower.
Opposite the door was a large, four poster bed with a red spread. The
whole room was colored in a dark red and brown. A fireplace was
currently roaring on the side. There were also several book stands
completely filled. A study table with several chairs and a desk sat off to
the side. A perch where Hedwig was currently sleeping was near the
window, showing the bright blue sky.
"Wow! It's perfect!" Sirius let out a breath in relief in response to Harry's
words.
"I told you Padfoot." Remus chuckled.
"Did you think I wouldn't like it?" Harry asked, turning to look at Sirius.
"No, no. I just wanted to make sure you did. I know the house isn't much
right now, but I'll fix it." Sirius said quickly.
"Sirius. Thank you. It's perfect." Harry responded, pulling him into a hug.
"I would invite your friends over but I noticed that things were a little
cold between you three." Harry let out a sigh and sat down on the couch
in front of the fire.
After his talk with Sirius, the healers had made him stay for a remaining
day to monitor him. The Weasleys and Hermione had come to check on
him. It was true, at least regarding Ron that they were getting along.
Hermione seemed her normal self but she was caught in between Ron
and him which made it awkward between the three.
Harry wasn't sure how to deal with Ron. He was jealous, that much was
clear. That jealousy definitely wasn't something he was going to have any
time to deal with this year.
"He's my first friend I ever made. I want to stay friends but right now it's
just difficult." Harry said after a few minutes.
"Listen pup. You can take my advice or leave it, but Remus and I know a
good deal about being friends with someone that is jealous of you."
"Your comparing Pettigrew to Ron?" Harry asked in a dangerous tone.
Sirius held his hands up, "I'm not comparing the two or saying that Ron
would ever betray you. It's just that-"
"Harry you are growing up." Remus cut in, glancing at Sirius to shut him
up. "I don't think Ron is quite ready to grow up. Friends grow apart and
that's okay. You don't think that Sirius and James were my only friends
do you?"
Harry shook his head, "It's just that, I feel like I owe him or something."
"You don't owe him anything Harry. You have done enough for him and
if you stop being friends with him, that's fine. You will always make new
friends. I think if you start looking towards other people for friendship,
you will find much better friends."
Harry ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I know you're right.
Ron isn't a very good friend. I can see that. It's just...difficult to let go I
guess."
"Hermione though seems just as good a friend as ever." Sirius remarked,
trying to bring the mood back up.
"She is. But even she was a little cold towards me yesterday."
"It may have just been difficult for her to be stuck in between you two."
Harry nodded in agreement.
"Well!" Sirius said, clapping his hands together and forcing a grin on his
face. "I think a trip to Diagon Alley is in order. Can't have you walking
around in those rags your relatives give you!"
3. End of Summer
"This is going to be bad isn't it?" Harry asked as he stepped into the
fireplace.
"Pretty bad. But its good practice at least." Sirius smirked, enjoying
Harry's pain far too much.
"Great...The Leaky Cauldron!" Harry felt the familiar tug at his navel and
then was spent spinning, passing other fireplaces along the way. He came
flying out of the fireplace and into the old pub, falling onto the floor with
a thud.
"Ugh, damn." Harry muttered, brushing himself off and standing to his
feet. Luckily no one was in the back room at the time where the floo
network was located. A moment later Sirius and Remus appeared behind
him, stepping casually out of the fireplace.
"Just remember. Smile, wave, and be friendly." Harry rolled his eyes at
his godfather. Going to Diagon Alley was a rubbish idea, but it was
necessary. He was a celebrity and now that he was out of the hospital, he
was expected to be seen before heading off to Hogwarts. Shopping for
school was the perfect time to make a public appearance.
"Well, here we go." Harry muttered, pushing open the door into the Leaky
Cauldron. All at once, the tavern quieted as Harry walked in. The patrons
stared at him as he walked near the front of the bar. "Hello Tom." Harry
said, giving a nod to the barkeep.
"Harry. It's good to see ya! How've ya been?" Tom asked, wincing slightly
when he asked that.
Harry responded with a laugh. "I'm good Tom. Thanks for at least trying
small talk. Just stopping by to do some shopping."
"Of course." Tom said guiltily. "Lord Black. A pleasure to have you back."
Sirius dipped his head. "A pleasure to be back, Tom. Just taking Harry
out to do some shopping."
"Do you need anything?" Tom asked, setting down a glass he had been
cleaning.
"No, thank you. We may stop by later for some lunch." Sirius responded.
"Then I will have a private room available if you do."
"Thank you." The three of them made their way to the brick wall,
ignoring the stares. So far Harry counted his lucky stars that none of the
people inside asked for an autograph. In truth he wasn't sure what would
happen, but he figured it would be something like when a movie star
walks down a street.
Remus pulled his wand out and tapped the bricks in the same manner
that Hagrid did in his first visit to Diagon Alley. The brick walls slowly
moved aside to show the long stone brick road which was filled with
witches and wizards bustling around. School was soon approaching and
so many students ran from shop to shop getting their last minute supplies
and books. They stepped through the barrier and into the street. It didn't
take long for Harry's luck to run out.
Soon, they were being swarmed by all manner of witches and wizards.
Many were asking for autographs, some were reporters and asking
questions about his love life or comments on some law soon to be voted
on by the Wizengamot.
They pushed their way through the crowd to Gringotts where they could
get some freedom from the press. Sirius had instructed him to not say a
word to anyone in this exact situation so that no one could take any of
his words as a reply to their questions. Harry simply smiled and shook a
few hands, even signing a few autographs for some younger kids.
As they approached the bank, the two large goblins who stood guard in
their fine steel armor bowed to Harry. Not sure how to respond, he
bowed his head as he walked into the bed. He didn't notice the surprised
looks of the two goblin guards or Sirius and Remus.
Harry walked up to the first goblin retailer that was available, ignoring
the stares he was receiving from the wizards in the bank. Even some of
the goblins were staring at him which made him feel even more
uncomfortable. "Hello Griphook." Harry called, recognizing the goblin
that had taken him to his vaults in his first trip to Gringotts.
The goblin nearly fell off his chair in shock, "You remember me young
one?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I?" Harry asked, confused.
"Most wizards and witches don't take the time to remember our names.
They deem themselves superior to us goblins."
Harry frowned. He knew little of goblins but knew greatly of the
arrogance of many magicals and their hatred for those inhuman. "I am
not most wizards I suppose."
"No, you are not, Honorable Potter." Griphook bowed his head slightly in
respect, something Harry returned. He didn't see Sirius nearly faint from
surprise behind him. "What can I help you with today?"
"I would like to access my inheritance vault and, if possible, the Potter
family vault." Harry said as instructed by Sirius.
"That can be arranged Honorable Potter. Ragebreath will take you down
to your vaults." Another goblin appeared behind Harry, near where the
carts were attached to a track. He was confused why he was being called
'Honorable Potter' and figured that would be a good question for Sirius
once out of the bank.
"Thank you Griphook." Harry dipped his head.
"We will wait for you here, Harry." Sirius said. He nodded and stepped
into the cart with Ragebreath and took off. The cart ride was just how he
remembered it the last time he was here. They rode quickly down further
into the depths of the goblin bank. As they got lower, an occasional blast
of fire could be seen far away from the fabled Gringotts dragons.
"Here we are Honorable Potter. Your trust vault. Key please." Harry
handed the goblin his key. Sirius told him that Mrs. Weasley had been
hesitant for some reason to hand the key over. It wasn't until he was
given guardianship did she give him the key, and even then she was
reluctant to do so.
The trust vault was the same as Harry remembered, filled with gold. The
goblin gave him a small bag that was charmed to be bottomless and
weightless. He grabbed a couple hundred galleons and got back into the
cart. The trip down to his family vault was much longer, being much
deeper underground.
The cart began to slow and then stopped outside a large door made of
pure gold. Above it was the Potter crest, a Gryphon with a sword
clenched in its jaws.
"Vault 17, the Potter family vault. Please place your hand on the door."
Harry did as he was asked. He felt a needle poke into his thumb drawing
blood. The golden door shimmered before disappearing, revealing the
room behind.
The vault was vast, close to the size of the Great Hall and just as tall.
Along the walls were thousands of books dating back hundreds of years.
A walkway was formed among the clutter of jewels and gold that lay
thrown about like a Pirate's booty cove. He walked through all of the
valuables that his family had acquired over time. Hundreds of years of
world history were stored in the vault. Swords and armor from ancient
Rome all the way up through the medieval ages.
Statues and paintings were all put into one corner. Harry recognized
some of the signatures on the paintings to be the work of Raphael and
Leonardo. He knew those alone would be worth millions of galleons. The
sheer amount of wealth in this vault had to make him one of the richest
people in England, maybe even the world. It took his breath away at just
how much his family had collected over the years and wonder why he
was never told about this before.
The way Remus and Sirius had talked about his families' wealth, it didn't
appear that his father ever told them just how wealthy they were. Harry
continued to walk, keeping his eyes mostly on the titles of the books he
walked passed. As he walked, he noticed a lone book on a pedestal.
Curious, he approached the book and read the title, Potter Family
Library. He opened the book and blew some dust from its pages.
Apparently this book was charmed to become any book in the Potter
family library the user so desired. It also can only be opened by a Potter.
To anyone else this book would look like a first year charms book.
Flipping to the second page, he found a list of a hundred books in
alphabetical order. The first page ended with B's and continued on
through the rest of the pages. He had only to say the name of one of the
books on the page and then the words of that book would be shown
instead.
"This'll come in handy." Harry murmured to himself. He pocketed the
book and continued to look around a moment longer. He would have to
one day come back and truly explore the vault further. Once he was done
looking, Ragebreath took him back to the surface.
"Get everything?" Sirius asked when Harry appeared back in the lobby.
"Yeah, I did. Let's go." The three of them made their way out of the bank.
The goblin guards again bowed to him when he left the bank which
Harry returned. They were swarmed by people again. Cameras were
going off left and right and people crowded around him as he fought his
way down the Alley. They pushed their way to Madame Malkins to get a
whole new wardrobe for Harry. They spent an hour in the shop as Harry
tried on various clothes, muggle, and magical.
Harry stepped out of the clothes shop with a whole new wardrobe and
was even wearing some of the new clothes. Sirius and Remus had burned
his clothes inside the shop much to Madame Malkins' dislike. Even
though they were just clothes and he had never been one to care what he
wore, he felt a new self-confidence.
Stepping back into the street, Kreacher, Sirius' house elf had already
taken all of their bags back to Grimmauld place, and they were once
again being swarmed by reporters that had followed them to the shop.
They began shouting questions at him but one question reached Harry's
ear above the others. It came from a woman with blonde hair wrapped
up in a bun and thick horned rimmed glasses. "Mr. Potter, what do you
think of the Dark Creatures legislation being put forth to the
Wizengamot?"
"It would depend on what creatures they classify as 'dark'." Harry
responded, pushing passed the lady.
"Veela, werewolves, centaurs, and others!" The lady called out. She had a
quill suspended in midair, quickly writing everything down.
"The man standing behind me is a werewolf and I regard him as my
uncle. That should be a sufficient answer for you." Harry responded,
turning on the spot and pushing his way through the crowd. He missed
the smirks from Sirius and Remus and the fearful glances towards Remus
from the crowd.
"Hello Tom! Do you have a private room we can use?" Harry asked,
walking into the pub.
"Of course Harry." Tom led them into a small room where he filled a few
glasses with butterbeer for Harry and fire whiskey for Sirius and Remus.
"You do realize that comment may have just derailed any hope of a bill
like that getting passed right?" Sirius asked after a moment of silence.
Harry shrugged, "If I did then good. Any such legislation like that has no
place in a country I wish to live. I hope this all settles down soon
though." He let out a frustrated sigh.
"It will, eventually. Just as long as you don't go off on another
adventure!" Remus remarked with a chuckle causing both Harry and
Sirius to snort. The likelihood of that happening was very slim.
"Why did the goblins call me 'Honorable'?" Harry asked, taking a sip from
his butterbeer.
"It's a sign of respect by them. And let me tell you, there are very few
wizards in this world they respect." Remus responded.
"So Harry, I think this is a good time to bring this up." Sirius said after
taking another sip of his firewhiskey.
"Bring what up?"
"Dumbledore wants you to start training."
"Training in what?"
"Dueling for the most part." Harry nodded, taking another sip. "I agree
with him. With how much trouble you find yourself in, it's time you take
school seriously and train. We both know that Voldemort is looking for a
way back to the land of the living, and if or when he does, you're going
to be hunted."
"I was thinking about school too. Runes seems interesting and Divination
is pretty much worthless. Maybe I can drop that and switch to Runes?"
"You can always ask. Now, training-wise in dueling, Dumbledore came up
with a plan." Harry leaned in interested. "There is a room on the seventh
floor that your father and I found. It conforms to anything you wish and
even has a few special passages out of the school. We can use it for a
dueling room where Remus and I can begin to teach you. Dumbledore
has also asked for two aurors, Shacklebolt and Tonks, to assist in training
you."
"Wow, that sounds amazing. How often?"
"Every evening hopefully. It'll be very difficult work. Remus will also
teach you Occlumency."
"What's that?" Harry asked, looking at the werewolf.
"It's the study of one's mind. Learning to control your mind helps to not
only control one's emotions and thoughts, but to guard it from attackers.
The opposite of Occlumency is Legilimency. One skilled in Legilimency
can pull memories and emotions off of someone. Voldemort is skilled in
this area and it will be good for you to know how to protect your mind."
Remus responded.
"Okay, these two aurors, who are they?"
"Tonks is my cousin. Shacklebolt is her superior and one of the best
aurors in the DMLE. They both, as well as us," He motioned between
himself and Remus, "Are a part of the Order of the Phoenix."
"The what?" Harry asked skeptically. Secret orders and occults were fairy
tales of the past he thought.
"During Voldemort's rise in the last war, Dumbledore formed a secret
group of trusted individuals to battle him. We called ourselves the Order
of the Phoenix." Remus stated.
"So, this Order. You're an army?"
Sirius and Remus both laughed. "No, no. More like a collection of spies.
Your parents were also in the Order. We had been disbanded for the last
decade but just had our first meeting a few days ago."
"Okay, when can I join?" Harry asked eagerly. If there was a secret group
involved with fighting Voldemort, he wanted a part of it. Especially if his
parents had once been members.
Both Sirius and Remus exchanged nervous looks. "Most of the Order
would feel you are too young to join."
Harry's eyes narrowed at Sirius. "You mean Dumbledore." He stated
dangerously.
"Among others, yes. Not that we agree."
"It is Dumbledore's way to never speak the whole truth. He has reasons
for everything he does and one of them was not allowing you into the
Order." Remus said through gritted teeth. Clearly he wasn't on good
terms with the headmaster at the moment either.
"Voldemort is fixated on killing me for whatever reason and yet
Dumbledore wants to keep me in the dark?" Harry murmured, stroking
his hairless chin. "Why?" He asked out loud to Sirius.
"It has always been his way. He plays his cards close." Sirius shrugged.
"That could get people killed." Harry spat.
"Yes, it could. I don't agree with him, but I also don't know everything he
does." Harry ran a hand through his short black hair, rubbing his scalp
soothingly.
"Anyways we have gotten sidetracked. Your training Harry, will
commence your first night at Hogwarts. It'll be difficult but necessary
training." Remus cut in.
"I will do my best."
"That's all we can ask of you." Sirius said, clapping him on the shoulder.
–
The last two weeks flew by for Harry. Sirius had set up three interviews
for him. One with the Daily Prophet, one with Teen Witch Weekly, and
the last with the Quibbler. Luna Lovegood, a quirky Ravenclaw who was
a year younger than him, was the reporter for the Quibbler. She was odd
but Harry found her to be kind and funny in her own way. She also had
the makings of developing into a beautiful girl.
The interviews themselves weren't bad. None of the reporters surprisingly
asked anything too personal. Teen Witch Weekly as expected asked about
his love life and if he had any girlfriends. Other than that, the interviews
turned out to be completely harmless and though he wasn't keen on the
idea of doing it again, he would now know what to expect.
The interviews were early into his last two weeks of summer and just a
few days after, he went to the Burrow for the day. To say it was awkward
would be an understatement. Ron in his normal jealous rage refused to
talk to him. In a way Harry could understand, the articles hadn't
mentioned either Hermione's or Ron's involvement in his adventures. He
had made sure during the interviews to play up their involvement but for
whatever reason, only the Quibbler mentioned them.
Hermione even seemed a little distant towards him, though she did try
and talk with him a few times. He could see she was struggling with
something, and when asked about it, she just shrugged him off. Fred and
George were the only ones besides Mr. Weasley, who were treating Harry
normally and so he found himself sitting in the twin's room looking at all
of their newest inventions. He discovered that they were planning on
opening a joke shop once they had enough money and weren't even
planning on finishing school.
Mrs. Weasley was the most difficult to figure out. On the outside she
acted just as she always had towards him. She was the same doting
mother figure but something was different. She looked almost displeased
with him for some reason. He chalked it up to her being mad at him for
making Ron jealous or something. He couldn't see any reason for her to
be mad at him other than upsetting her son.
The rest of the summer he spent either in his room or the library. Having
both the Potter and Black libraries at ones' disposal was about the most
useful thing he could ever ask for. If Hermione ever found out that he
now owned more books than Hogwarts she would have kittens. He would
have already told her about it, but her somewhat cold demeanor towards
him kept him from telling her.
In the two weeks of reading, he felt like he had learned more about
Defense Against the Dark Arts than he had in his last three years of
schooling. Both libraries were also full of charms, transfiguration, and
potions books and he found his general knowledge expanding. He had
also taken to reading some of the beginner Ancient Runes texts which
had caught his interest since he would be transferring to that subject this
year.
He had even begun to practice magic in the training room that Sirius had
set up on the third floor. The Ancestral House of Black had wards
protecting magic users from the ministry and so no one would know if
Harry was using underage magic. Tonks, Sirius' cousin who he met
shortly after their trip to Diagon Alley, started Harry on an auror physical
training program as well.
In the two weeks, Harry swore he hadn't been progressing on any front,
but to an outsiders' perspective, it was clear he was becoming better. His
ability to grasp more complex magic came easily, his body was
strengthening, and his normally quick to anger attitude had settled down.
His days were often sixteen or seventeen hours of constant work, but
never did he complain and often, he wanted to do more. Sometimes
Sirius had to drug Harry with a dreamless sleep potion to get him some
sleep.
His energy levels were high and Harry didn't feel like he needed as much
sleep as usual. After practicing magic and going through his physical
workout in the morning, by evening, he was ready for another go.
Despite the heavy increase in training, it was apparent that he had a long
way to go.
That was shown when Sirius had dueled Harry just the day before. It was
a quick route that resulted in Harry being knocked unconscious. He had a
lot to learn but Sirius vowed to teach him all he could.
"Ready to go pup?" Sirius called from the kitchen. Harry stepped through
the door. He was wearing a black Armani suit with a silver tie. He was
told to wear silver as apparently that was what his date would be
wearing.
"Truthfully? Not really." Harry muttered, wiping his sweaty palms on his
pants. Just yesterday he would have said he was fine and not nervous in
the slightest. Now though, he was petrified. Not only was he traveling to
another country for the first time, he was attending a ball with a girl he
never met before, who was the daughter of a powerful politician, and he
was being awarded for saving her and her sister's life. Just the thought
made his head swim and want to run back upstairs to his books.
"It'll be alright Harry. Just dance a little and mingle. Nothin' to it!" Sirius
said, slapping him on the back.
"Right. Where's your date?" Harry asked looking around. Neither Remus
or Tonks, who funnily Remus was bringing as a date, were in the kitchen.
Also Sirius had refused to tell him who his own date was.
"She should be here any moment." With perfect timing a woman, roughly
Sirius' age with long blonde hair and brown eyes stepped from the
fireplace gracefully. She was wearing a red tight fitting dress and red
heels to match. Sirius walked through the doorway into the den to greet
the woman and Harry followed suite. She was a good looking woman and
with how close Sirius stepped to her, this was not just an 'as friends' date.
"Harry, I would like you to meet Emmaline Vance." Sirius said, gesturing
to the woman.
"Harry Potter, it's a pleasure." She said, stepping forward. Harry grasped
her hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles like one of the books
on etiquette he read for the event said to do.
"You are too beautiful to go anywhere with that dog." Harry smirked
causing her to chuckle.
"Hey! I'm beautiful too!" Sirius remarked, waggling his eyebrows.
"I heard you already had a date, so I guess I'm stuck with the mangy
mutt." She mock sighed. Sirius let out a whimper like he was some puppy
being chastised. "He's not so bad though." She roughed up his already
shaggy long black hair. Already Harry liked the woman and could tell she
could handle the marauder.
"I don't wish to break up your happy moment of ragging on me, but we
should be going. Don't want them to wait on the guest of honor!" Harry
let out a groan and trudged over to the fireplace. Stepping in he shouted
to go to the ministry atrium. From there, they pushed their way through
the growing crowd of people and press that stopped to look at Harry and
made their way to the portkey point. Minister Fudge was kind enough to
grant them an international portkey for the event and was even sending
Auror Shacklebolt as an English Ministry representative.
The portkey, much like the one to the World Cup, ended up with Harry
on the ground and the wind knocked out of him. This time though, it was
a concrete side walk instead of a grass field. "We really need to teach you
how to travel by portkey." Sirius remarked as his feet touched down
gently with Emmaline attached to his arm.
"Couldn't you have taught me before we left?" Harry mumbled as he
pushed himself to his feet and brushed himself off. Looking around,
thankfully no one else had seen his embarrassing fall. They were outside
of what appeared to be a driveway of a large mansion. It was night time
and so most of the surrounding area was dark, but he could make out
that they were definitely in the countryside.
The mansion before them was very large, four stories high and the length
of three Great Halls. It was ornately built, with gargoyles and Gothic
architecture. The windows were stained glass, depicting various battles
between wizards and creatures that Harry didn't recognize. Leading up to
this palace was a large grand white marble staircase with two wizards
wearing white robes.
As the three of them approached the magnificent building, one of the
white robed men approached. "Mr. Potter, Lord Black, I have been
instructed to lead you to Mr. Delacour." The auror gestured to the side of
the building. They followed him to a side entrance where they entered
into a finely decorated sitting room. The fireplace was roaring, showing
off the mahogany furniture and leather couches and chairs.
"Mr. Potter! It truly is a pleasure to meet you!" A man in white robes,
much like the man who escorted them here, walked up to Harry and
shook his hand enthusiastically. He was a tall man, just as tall as Sirius.
His brown hair was beginning to bald and he had a few grey hairs
beginning to show in his goatee. His face was kind and his brown eyes
were glinting with enthusiasm. He reminded Harry of Mr. Weasley.
"Uh, yes sir?" Harry said, not sure of what to say since the man didn't
introduce himself.
The man quickly caught his mistake and chuckled, "My apologies.
Sebastien Delacour."
"Harry Potter, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you. This is Lord Black and his
date Emmaline Vance." Harry gestured behind him. Sebastien shook both
of their hands.
"I would like you to meet my wife." Three woman that Harry hadn't
noticed before stepped forward. "Appoline." Harry felt his mouth go a
little dry. She was easily one of the most beautiful women he had ever
seen. She had long silver hair and bright blue eyes. "My youngest,
Gabrielle." A young girl stepped forward, curtsying cutely. She couldn't
be older than seven and when Harry flashed her a smile, she blushed
heavily and hid behind her mother eliciting a chuckle from everyone.
"And my eldest, Fleur." Harry thought that Appoline was beautiful, but in
comparison to the young woman that stepped forward, she was nothing.
She, just like her mother, had long silver hair and bright blue eyes. But
Fleur's features seemed to have a glow about them. Her eyes were
mesmerizing, drawing him in. He felt like he could lose himself in the
endless pools of blue before him. She was wearing a tight fitting silver
dress that did everything to accentuate her well-developed curves. Her
skin was pure perfection with no blemishes in sight. To Harry, she was
the very definition of beautiful.
She stepped forward and Harry took her outstretched hand like he had
done with Emmaline and brushed his lips against her knuckles without
breaking eye contact. So lost in her, he didn't notice the shocked looks
around him, "A pleasure Miss Delacour." Harry even surprised himself
with being able to speak.
This time, he did catch her surprise and the slight blush that formed on
her cheeks. "Good. Sorry to break this up but we are on a tight schedule"
Sebastien recovered from his shock the quickest. Harry held out his arm
for Fleur which she took and fell in beside him. Harry was instructed to
enter last with Fleur and wait to be introduced to the room.
The same white robed man opened up a set of double doors and a crowd
of a hundred people all finely dressed stopped talking at once. A loud
voice called to the room, introducing the Delacours and then Lord Black.
"And now, our guest of honor this evening, Mr. Harry James Potter and
with him Miss Fleur Isabelle Delacour!" A loud applause thundered
through the large ballroom, louder than Sirius or the Delacours received.
As Fleur and him entered the room, Harry found that most of the men
stared at Fleur with glazed eyes, and some even had dropped chins. The
women on the other hand were eyeing him like a piece of candy. Harry
felt Fleur's arm tighten slightly and he responded by tightening his. She
flashed him a smile that almost caused him to trip. Harry spotted Remus
with Tonks standing by one of the tables with Shacklebolt at another
with a pretty dark skinned woman in a long green gown.
Everyone was standing around tables that littered the grand ball room. Its
ceiling was charmed much like the Great Hall so that the night sky
appeared above them. Harry and Fleur were ushered to a front table
where Sirius, Emmaline, and the Delacours sat down. There was also
another tall man with short blonde hair and blue eyes and a short woman
with long brown hair wearing a red dress.
Harry pulled out Fleur's seat for her before taking his own next to Sirius.
The glazed eyes that the other men had were not apparent on the man at
their table but Harry noticed that Sirius had a slight glazed look to him
and he kept sneaking glances at Fleur. "Harry Potter! It's wonderful to
meet you! I am Aleric Montagne, French Minister to Magic."
Harry shook his hand, "A pleasure to meet you minister."
"The pleasure is all mine. I would like to introduce you to my wife,
Sophia." Harry smiled and dipped his head at her since he couldn't reach
her hand from his seat. As they sat down, the rest of the guests sat and
began their own conversations. Various foods, most Harry didn't
recognize, appeared on the table. He looked at the dishes with
uncertainty not recognizing anything.
"Try zis. Eet eez good I promise." Fleur whispered to him, seeing his
unease. Harry felt a shiver shoot down his spine when he felt her breath
on his ear. She pushed a bowl of stew in front of him.
"Hmm, it's better than I thought." Harry said after finishing the bowl.
"Better zan your English food, no?"
Harry let out a chuckle. "I'm not sure about that."
"What do you zink of France so far?"
"I haven't seen much yet to be honest. The people, so far, seem kind."
"Well we will 'ave to change zat. My father will probably invite you to
our 'ome sometime. 'E 'as been singing nozzing but your praises ze last
two weeks." She chuckled, glancing over at her father who was in a deep
conversation with Sirius. "I also 'ave to say thank you-" Harry tried to
wave off her apology but she ignored him. "What you did for me and my
sister is unrepayable. I cannot thank you enough."
The rest of dinner passed by quickly. Harry found himself talking almost
entirely with Fleur. She was just as smart as she was beautiful he found.
He was so wrapped up in his own world with her, he forgot that the
Minister of Magic was at the table or her parents for that matter. He
never noticed the amused looks that Appoline and Sebastien were
shooting them. Fleur was also just as engaged as Harry was as he
recounted some of his adventures in England.
It took a tap from Sirius to bring him out of his own world. "Harry, it's
time for the opening dance."
"Opening dance?" Harry looked at him with confusion.
"You are ze guest of 'onor. We 'ave ze first dance." She explained.
"Err, right." Harry muttered, getting out of his chair. He was completely
aware of all of the eyes on him. Hopefully Tonks' dance lessons paid off
somewhat. He just hoped Fleur wasn't as clumsy as that woman, but
something told him she would be as graceful as she looked.
"May I have this dance, milady?" Harry bowed, offering his hand to Fleur.
She flashed him a brilliant white smile and took his hand. Harry couldn't
help but think how perfect her soft hand felt in his grasp as they walked
towards the open ballroom floor set aside for dancing.
"Don't be nervous 'Arry." They stopped in the middle of the floor waiting
for the music to begin.
"Well I'm sure this isn't the first time you have had to dance before."
Harry responded, placing his arm on her slender waist.
"Just look at me." Harry looked into her sparkling blue eyes and
immediately got lost in them. The room disappeared along with any
nerves he had. All he felt was her and all he saw was the two oval, blue
oceans in front of him. Luckily for him, he was just as tall as she. She was
smiling softly at him and started the dance once the music began to play.
Honestly, he didn't mind being led around the floor. He would surely
mess this dance up if he led and so he let the more experienced lead them
around.
"You are not so bad." Fleur said softly after a minute. He twirled her
around and grasped her waist again.
"I'm only as good as my partner." He grinned. He got a brilliantly red
blush from her in response.
"I do have to say zank you again, 'Arry."
"For what?" Neither were aware that other couples had joined them and
that the original song had changed. Both were perfectly content with
where they were at.
"For tonight."
Harry gave her a confused look and so she continued. "Do you know
what a veela is?" Harry shook his head. "A veela iz a creature. We are a
lot like werewolves where we look human. However instead of changing
during ze full moon, we change when we are angered." Harry could
detect a bit of uncertainty and fear, like she was afraid of how he would
react to this.
"A veela or not, I only see a very beautiful woman in front of me." Harry
shocked himself with his bluntness. She blushed heavily again and Harry
felt her grip tighten a little and she pressed herself closer to him, letting
him know that was a good thing to say. "My uncle is a werewolf and one
of the best men I know. I am not bigoted like others."
She smiled brightly at him, "'Zere are ozzer things about veela. 'Ave you
noticed when some men look at me, zere eyes are glazed?" Harry nodded.
"Veela let off an allure of sorts. We can suppress eet but not get rid of eet.
It causes men to do silly zings to try and win our affection."
"I see, so like at the World Cup, I saw some of the men want to jump out
of the box I was in when some women who, I'm guessing were Veela,
started dancing?" Fleur nodded. "Why don't I act the same way?"
She shrugged, "Some men are naturally immune to eet, like my father.
Like you. Eet eez very rare for a veela to meet someone who ees immune
to ze allure."
"Is that a good thing?"
She chuckled softly. "Yes, it's a very good thing. I was worried you would
be a mess all night because of my allure."
"Well I'm glad I'm immune to it."
"So am I." She responded honestly. They continued to dance until Fleur
announced that she needed a drink. They walked back to their table to
find all the adults watching them with amused looks.
"Having a good time you two?" Appoline asked. Harry fixated on
Sebastien who was looking at him with narrowed eyes as if he was being
judged closely and so missed the small blush Fleur had on her face.
"The minister will soon take the stage Harry. No words are needed. After
you are given your award he will want to take you around to meet a few
people."
"Of course sir."
"None of this sir stuff Harry. Sebastien please."
"Of course Sebastien."
"If you don't mind. I would love a dance with my daughter." Sebastien
said, taking Fleur's hand and pulling her back onto the dance floor.
Harry looked at Gabrielle who was nervously glancing around the
ballroom. "Gabrielle do you want to have this dance?" He asked,
stretching out his hand to the little silver haired girl. She blushed heavily
and her eyes widened cutely in surprise but she nodded nonetheless.
Appoline gave him an approving smile when Harry glanced nervously at
her.
He led Gabrielle out onto the dance floor, and though she was much
shorter than him, he made it work. After a couple songs, he found
himself back with Fleur in his arms. He was never one for close contact
with someone, only Hermione, Sirius, and Remus were allowed close to
him. But Fleur was different entirely. Through the night he found he
enjoyed having her close, and though he still didn't like dancing, he
definitely enjoyed the closeness of having Fleur pressed into him. What
hot blooded boy wouldn't?
The two continued to talk quietly to one another as they moved around
the dance floor. They were both blissfully oblivious to everyone else. The
sound of Minister Montagne's voice brought both of them back to reality.
"Thank you all for joining us this evening!" He shouted, thankfully for
Harry in perfect English. "It is rare that I am allowed to throw a ball for
such a happy occasion. This evening we have the delight to honor a
young man that selflessly put his life on the line for two of our nations
daughters." The crowd of people clapped for Harry and he began to feel
his cheeks burn red. Harry glanced at Fleur who was smiling and
clapping as well.
"Mr. Harry Potter, please join me." Harry walked up to the raised
platform that the minister was standing on. He was holding a small
wooden jewelry box. "Truly you are a remarkable young man. One as
young as you to slay a Basilisk with a sword, learn a patronus charm by
the age of thirteen, and perform wandless magic to save two girls you
had never met before, deserves nothing but the best award our country
has to offer!" Gasps mixed with applause rang through the hall. Harry
wasn't sure how the minister knew he could perform a patronus charm
but didn't think much of it. Many of his feats from Hogwarts were now
out in the open and it was possible someone spilled on that secret as well.
"I present our countries highest honor, the Ordre des Templiers!" Minister
Montagne opened the wooden box to reveal a gold signet ring. The ring
displayed a Templar Cross inlaid with diamonds. At the center of the
cross was a red ruby that glowed faintly. He took the ring out of the box
and handed it to Harry. He slipped the ring onto his right ring finger to
the applause and shouts of the crowd. The ring re-sized itself to fit firmly
on his finger.
He had read up on this particular award when he first heard about it. It
was similar to England's Order of Merlin. He had heard of the Knights
Templar before and technically being awarded this ring, made him apart
of the order. They weren't anything like they once were however and it
was now just a collective of good-doers that belong to the order.
"Forever on you will be welcome in our country. We thank you, Harry
Potter!" The crowd gave one last roar of applause as the minister led
Harry off the stage. He spent the next hour being toured around to meet
the guests. Most of the people were politicians and businessmen in France
but a few were famous Quidditch players which he was happy to meet.
The evening was drawing to a close and people began to leave. Harry
was beginning to feel exhausted from the day's events. Who knew
dancing and talking could be so tiring? The Delacours and Sirius
approached Harry once he was finally given leave by the minister.
"Harry, we are leaving. I just wanted to say thank you." Sebastien said,
shaking Harry's hand.
"Of course Sebastien." Harry responded, unsure of what else to say.
Appoline stepped forward and surprisingly took him into a hug. He got
over his shock quickly and hugged her back briefly before stepping back.
Gabrielle gave him a shy wave which Harry responded, chuckling when
she blushed and hid behind Appoline.
"We will give you two a moment." Appoline said, dragging Sebastien,
Sirius, and Gabrielle away. Harry looked into Fleur's eyes and
immediately felt a sadness. This was probably the last time he would ever
see her. In just one night he had become close with someone that he was
to never see again and the thought pained him. The sadness playing on
her face gave away that she too wasn't looking forward to parting either.
"Write to me, oui?" She asked, stepping forward.
"Err, I-yes. If you want me to." He said, trying to keep the happiness from
his voice and play it 'cool'. The fact that she wanted to stay in touch with
him had him whooping for joy on the inside.
"Of course I want you to. I don't make friends easily because of my being
a veela." Harry frowned slightly.
"Why is it hard for you to make friends? You're incredibly smart and, let's
be honest, the most beautiful girl in the world." Harry said frankly,
allowing a smirk to play across his face. Over the course of the night he
had come to enjoy making her blush.
"Even in France, many are bigoted. You are very different from what I
expected 'Arry Potter." She took a final step forward and placed a kiss on
his cheek.
"Uhh-er-how am I-er different?" Harry stuttered, trying to fight through
his suddenly clouded mind.
She chuckled softly. It was a laughter that he was quickly becoming to
love. "Promise to write to me." She whispered into his ear.
He didn't trust himself to speak further so he just nodded dumbly.
"Good." She stepped back and walked off to where her parents were
smiling at them. Sirius walked up to him and slapped him on the back.
"Come on lover boy!" Sirius said with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
Emmaline was just behind him and smiling happily at him.
"What!" Harry squeaked, fighting the sudden blush on his face.
"I know that look well. Your father had the same look every time he
looked at Lily."
"We're just friends and we barely even know each other!" Harry defended.
"Uhuh. That girl didn't look like she wanted to just be a friend."
Emmaline said.
"No, she's too-" Harry started.
"Too beautiful?" Tonks cut him off. "I don't know if you know this Harry,
but if you were just a few years older I would be all over you." Harry
looked at her incredulously.
"So would I." Emmaline added, waggling her eyebrows. "That girl was
smart in keeping you close the whole night. I saw a number of young
witches eyeing you all evening."
Harry's face by this time was a deep shade of red. "Well, I think we have
all embarrassed Harry enough. It's late and he has to be on the train to
Hogwarts tomorrow morning." Harry let out a groan eliciting laughter
from the adults.
"Can't I just, I don't know, floo there or something?" Harry complained,
not looking forward to the train ride. Normally he would have loved
going back to Hogwarts but this year was different. His situation with his
two best friends was still up in the air and all of his recent public press
was bound to be a popular topic with the students.
"No, you need to be on that train." Sirius said. "Give a farewell to the
Minister and thank him again for the award before we head out." Harry
did as he was told and bid Minister Montagne goodbye. He was
introduced quickly to a few more people before taken home. As soon as
Harry reached his room, he fell asleep thinking of a silver haired girl with
the most beautiful blue eyes imaginable.
4. Chamber of Secrets
"We'll see you this evening yeah?" Harry nodded, embracing his
godfather. "Try and stay out of trouble."
Harry grinned, stepping back and shaking Remus' hand. "I never go
looking for it."
"Don't worry about Ron. Things will work themselves out." Harry looked
around, hoping to not spot the famous red hair of the Weasley clan. The
platform was busy as parents said goodbye to there families for the term.
Many of them watched Harry with interest but none approached him
which he was thankful for.
He was nervous about going back to Hogwarts and the changes that
summer had brought to him. Dumbledore had banned all press from the
platform for him which was something he was grateful for. Still it didn't
stop the parents or other students from staring at him. There were also a
good number of witches looking at him more hungrily than before but it
didn't unnerve him anymore.
With this mornings prophet he had once again made front page. A picture
of him dancing with Fleur covered half the page with the headline: Our
Brave Hero Smitten! Little did they know how true that statement actually
was. He had thought about nothing but her since waking up. It was a
schoolboy crush similar to Cho last year, he couldn't see how it could be
anything else. He would probably never see her again, something that
saddened him but that's life.
"Make some new friends. Get a couple girls into some broom closets!"
Sirius waggled his eyebrows. Harry simply rolled his eyes. Last night had
done a lot to boost his confidence when it came to the fairer sex and the
image of him snogging a girl was appealing.
He took a deep breath and walked towards the train. Harry stepped onto
the train and placed his trunk on the rack above his seat. The
compartment he took was empty and near the back. He wasn't sure if Ron
and Hermione would sit with him this year and the thought of going to
school without the companionship of his best friends did a lot to make
him more nervous. He wasn't sure really where he stood with them. Ron
was still cold and Hermione seemed stuck on the edge between them
two, not sure of what to do.
The last whistle for the train blew and the compartment door opened
revealing a nervous looking Neville. "Hi Harry. Do you mind if I sit here?
Everywhere else is full."
"Of course Neville." Neville had done some growing over the summer as
well. He was beginning to lose some of the baby fat and was getting
taller. His always nervous demeanor still hadn't changed however when
he kept glancing at Harry.
"What is it?" Harry finally asked, getting irritated.
"Er, sorry Harry. Just-you-er...look different?" Neville stuttered.
"In a good or bad way?"
"Good?" Neville shrugged. Harry couldn't keep himself from laughing at
the suddenly scared look on Neville's face. He was about to reply when
the door opened again just as the train lurched forward, starting its
journey to Hogwarts. Harry looked up thinking it might be Ron and
Hermione but instead saw it was two girls around his age. One was a
pretty brown haired girl with brown eyes to match. She was shorter than
the other girl but was also had more curves. The other girl was tall with
long, straight blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes. She reminded Harry
slightly of Fleur but this girl had a coldness around her that Fleur didn't.
"Do you mind if we sit here?" The brunette asked. Harry looked at Neville
who was looking somewhat fearful at the two girls. Harry shrugged and
got up to help the two girls place their trunks onto the rafters above. The
blonde took a seat decidedly far away from him while the brunette sat
next to Neville.
"Do I know you two?" Harry asked. He thought he recognized them but
couldn't quite place how he knew them.
"Typical." The blonde girl muttered just loud enough for everyone to
here.
"Er, sorry?"
"Its fine Harry." The brunette said, glaring at her friend. "I'm Tracy Davis."
Harry brushed his lips against her knuckles. He wasn't all that surprised
when she looked away flustered and blushing. By now he was well aware
the affect he could have on a witch. "And this is Daphne Greengrass. We
are Slytherins in your year."
Daphne didn't even bother to look at Harry and so he shot Tracy a
questioning look. "The Ice Queen of Slytherin." Tracy added seeing the
confusion on Harry's face.
"She acts like this to everyone?"
Tracy shrugged. "Its a defense mechanism I think."
"Tracy!" Daphne hissed, shocked that her best friend would say
something like that.
"What? It is. We both know you could use some more friends!" Tracy
remarked, a smirk playing across her face.
"Please. Like the Gryffindor Golden Boy would ever want to be a friend
with snakes?" Daphne snapped.
"Why would you think I wouldn't want to be friends with you?" Harry
asked, even more confused. Daphne finally turned to look at him, her
blue eyes piercing him.
"Its common knowledge that you hate all snakes. You and Weasel!" She
accused.
"I'm sorry I have that reputation. I don't dislike Slytherins, just a few of
them. I can't speak for Ron." That name caused Tracy to look around the
compartment.
"Where is the weasel anyways?" Neville also glanced around realizing
that Ron and Hermione weren't here.
"Probably missed the train again." Daphne remarked.
Harry ignored her comment. "I don't know. I'm not his babysitter."
"Oooh thats some new gossip." Tracy said, clapping her hands together
with glee. "Do tell. Is this the end of the golden trio?"
Harry narrowed his eyes at her and successfully made her shrink back
into her seat. "Business between my friends and I is personal. No matter
what everyone seems to think, my life is not an open book for everyone
to gossip about."
Daphne scoffed. "That's likely. You seem to love the headlines with how
much you've been in them recently. Just this morning I remember seeing
a certain someone dancing with some woman."
"Some things came out after the World Cup about my time here. I was
unconscious when they did. As for that woman, she is a friend."
Again Daphne scoffed. "Like any of those stories are real anyways."
"Daph, you think none of what the papers were saying is true? Don't you
remember second year?" Tracy exclaimed.
"Please. He's an average wizard at best. I doubt he's even in the top half
our class!" Daphne said smugly. "Like he could do anything he's claimed
to do."
"And what do you think happened at the World Cup?" Tracy asked. Both
were talking like Harry and Neville weren't there. Harry was just content
to listen for the time being.
"I'm sure it's some kind of cover up story." Daphne said rolling her eyes.
"Like the ministry is smart enough to cover up anything."
"Please, they just want Potter as their poster boy. I doubt he has ever
seen any real hardship besides falling off his broom."
Tracy finally turned to Harry. "Aren't you going to defend yourself? She's
practically calling you a liar!"
Harry shrugged, "I thought you were doing a fine job."
"See, he can't defend himself because it never it happened!" Daphne said
proudly. Harry let out a sigh and stood up from his seat. He flicked his
wand and the blinds to the compartment closed. "See, now he-" She
stopped mid sentence when Harry pulled his black t-shirt over his head
exposing his chest.
The two girls turned deep shades of red and quickly looked away. "What
are you doing Potter! Put your shirt back on!" Daphne demanded.
"If you aren't going to look, give me your hand." Before she could pull
away, he snatched Daphne's hand and placed it on the round scar below
his shoulder. He winced slightly from the cold fingers when they brushed
over the puffy, rough skin of his scar. "Feel that. That's one of the scars I
got from the World Cup. I was hit by three iron stakes." He took her hand
and brought it down to his side where another of his round scars were.
She slowly glanced at him and where her hand was resting. It was
impossible to keep the blush off her face but once she looked at his
muscled chest and abs, she found it hard to stop looking. There were
other scars besides the one he had her hand touching.
"See, the scars are real. This one." He again, gently ran her hand along his
left forearm where another similar round scar was. "Is when the basilisk
bit me. It was Dumbledores phoenix, Fawkes, that saved my life by
crying into it." Daphne's mind was completely blank as she watched her
hand being held by the half-naked man in front of her. He didn't seem at
all fazed to be standing with his shirt off in front of them.
Suddenly he dropped her hand and she instantly wanted to feel the
warmth of his hand again. Then she cursed herself for thinking
something like that. His shirt was back on and he was back in his seat
before she could get over the haze that had clouded her brain. Images of
a half-naked Harry kept running through her mind and she knew that it
was going to be a long time until she got it out of her head.
The clouded look on Tracy's face was enough to tell her she had similar
thoughts. Harry was smirking, watching the two red-faced girls try and
recover. Neville was also looking at the girls with an amused look which
was something he had never seen on him before."So believe me?" Harry
asked Daphne.
The girl in question could only nod dumbly, not trusting her voice at the
moment. She couldn't bare to look at him, completely embarrassed. "I
think you broke them." Neville said, starting to chuckle.
This finally broke Tracy out of her state, "Can you show me again?" She
blurted out.
This got laughter from all of them and did much to lessen the tense mood
in the cabin. "I'm sorry Potter. Its just all so unbelievable you know?"
Daphne said quietly after the laughter died down.
Harry waved her off. "Its fine. I don't expect everyone to believe the
stories. And you can call me Harry you know."
"I'll stick to Potter for now." Daphne replied, adopting that same cold
mask she had on when she first walked in. A defense mechanism it
definitely was.
"Are you going to go around taking your shirt off anytime someone
doesn't believe you?" Tracy asked with a grin.
"Only with the pretty girls." Harry winked back at her, getting a slight
blush and a roll of the eyes from Daphne.
"You're nothing like Malfoy said you were."
Harry scoffed. "Malfoy doesn't know me. I can only imagine the dumb
shit he says."
"So you've been in the fabled Chamber of Secrets. Can we see it?" Tracy
asked nervously. Neville perked up, looking hopeful that he might say
yes and include him as well.
Harry shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'm going into it tonight anyways to
start harvesting the basilisk. Just meet me on the seventh floor after
dinner but please don't tell anyone. I'm not too keen on providing tours."
All three nodded looking excited. He figured this might be a good way to
gain some friends and friends in the snake pit can be damn useful he
figured. Also, Slytherins could hardly pass up the opportunity to see
Salazars hidden lair.
"So why are you two in here? Surely you have other friends you'd rather
sit with?" Harry asked after several minutes of silence.
"Well Daphne here is running away from a certain blonde ponce."
"Ah, he seems to be the bane of everyone, including his fellow snakes.
Why are you running away from him?"
"That's none of your business Potter." Daphne responded dangerously, but
more of a warning to Tracy than Harry.
Harry held his hands up, "I don't need to know. It was just an innocent
question. So, does anyone want anything from the trolley cart?" Quickly
changing the subject.
The rest of the train ride for the most part passed smoothly. The worries
of Harry going to Hogwarts alone were wiped away thanks to the unusual
new friendship with two Slytherins. When they all stepped off the train
and grabbed a carriage together, they received nothing less of shocked
looks from the others. It was rare for Slytherins and Gryffindors to be
seen together, let alone acting friendly towards one another. Well two
Gryffindors and one Slytherin acting friendly towards one another,
Daphne for her part just followed, not saying anything.
The four of them split up to sit at there respective house tables once they
reached the Great Hall. All of them ignored the curious looks the other
students were giving them, especially Harry. He sat down with Neville at
his side and Katie Bell on his other. Ron and Hermione had taken seats
down the table from him. Before anyone could ask why the three of them
weren't sitting together, the Great Hall doors burst open. Professor
McGonagall led in the new group of first years.
Harry studied the new batch of first years. They always looked smaller
each year they came in. He was seated where they would all pass him as
they walked down the middle of the hall. A few of them recognized him
and grew wide eyed and whispered to there friends. Harry fought the
urge to not roll his eyes. Sirius had talked to him about public perception
and how having a good report with people can be useful later on. He was
instructed this year to study hard, improve his grades, and make friends
with as many people as possible. He was off to a good start having
befriended the two Slytherins.
He tuned out the sorting ceremony, choosing to look for potential new
friends. Susan Bones was high on his list. Her aunt was the Department
Head for the DMLE. Susan was also a nice girl with a good work ethic
and was gifted in charms. Her friend Hannah was also just as nice and
loyal as Susan and they could prove to be very good friends.
Looking to Ravenclaw, Luna who had interviewed him seemed like she
could be a good friend. She was quirky yes, but honest and had a way of
looking at things that could be useful. Lisa Turpin was also another
potential friend. He had relatively few encounters with the 'Claw but she
was always kind to him. He was brought out of his thoughts when
Dumbledore stood up from his golden throne.
"The time for words is later. The time to fill our bellies is now!"
Dumbledore exclaimed. He waved his hand and food appeared on the
plates. Harry smiled, the feeling of being at home washing over him.
"So Harry. What's the deal with you, Ron, and Hermione?" Katie asked
from next to him. He was aware that the twins, Alicia, and Angelina had
stopped eating to listen as well.
"I'm not sure. Some people grow apart I guess? I don't really know whats
going on either." Harry responded truthfully, shrugging and grabbing a
piece of treacle tart.
"Ron still acting like a git?" Fred asked.
"We can set him straight for ya!" George said with a malicious glint in his
eyes.
"No its fine. I'll let him be. My life is changing rapidly and it might be
best if Ron doesn't get swept up in it."
"What about Hermione?" Katie asked. Harry thought she sounded a little
too curious about Hermione but he didn't think much of it.
"I don't know. It's tough for her with Ron and I not talking much. She's
just caught in the middle."
"So besides-you know- the world cup. How was your summer?" Alicia
asked, leaning over the table to look at him.
"It was good. Better than most. I'm living with my godfather which is a
massive improvement."
"That's good to hear. I still can't believe it. An innocent man locked away
for all those years." Angelina remarked.
"What's the deal with those two Slytherins you walked in with?" Katie
asked, frowning at the two girls who were sitting a little apart from the
rest of the snakes. Harry glanced over and noticed that no one else was
sitting near them causing him to frown as well. He hoped being seen with
him didn't cause them trouble.
"We shared a compartment on the train with them." Harry shrugged, not
delving into more detail like how he pulled off his shirt for the two girls.
The conversation turned to what new tricks Fred and George had up their
sleeves for the year. They also talked about Quidditch and the best
players in the professional scene. Others asked Harry about his evening in
France and who the girl in the picture was. The prophet had conveniently
left out who she was and that she was a veela. The law being proposed
on creating stricter restrictions against 'dark' creatures was soon to be
voted on.
Dumbledore stood again, silencing the rest of the hall. The food
disappeared, making Ron grumble about not having enough. Harry could
see Hermione roll her eyes from here. She looked at him but quickly
averted her eyes like she was now afraid of him. This caused Harry to
frown and his mood plummeted. Ron he could handle, but Hermione had
always been his rock and by his side. It would hurt to lose her.
"Welcome new and returning students to Hogwarts!" Dumbledore began,
his voice magically amplified to carry across the whole hall. "To start, I
must as always say that the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden."
Dumbledore's eyes lingered on Harry causing him to squirm a little.
"Also, Mr. Filtch has asked me to say that the banned items list is updated
to include 458 items. All of them can be found posted on his office door
and in your common rooms." This time Dumbledore eyed the twins who
gave the headmaster a cheeky wave in return.
"Next, I want to welcome Professor Moody, the new Defense Against the
Dark Arts teacher." Their was mild applause when an older man with
severe facial scars stood up. He had a fake leg that creaked under his
weight. The man was grizzled looking and one of his eyes was obviously
fake as it whirled around with a mind of its own. He looked like he had
been through hell and back again. Harry couldn't help but feel a little
excited that this professor may be able to teach them something useful.
"The last announcement is something I am quite happy to do. This year,
Hogwarts will be hosting the Tri-Wizard tournament!" Excited whispers
broke out amongst the students. "Because of this school years added
excitement, we will have to cancel Quidditch." This however brought on
a chorus of boo's and complaints, mostly from Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Dumbledore held up his hand for silence. "Also, due to the dangerous
nature of this tournament, the ministry has decided to only allow those of
age to enter." Another chorus of boo's from the younger students who had
hoped to enter rang through the hall.
Dumbledore patiently waited for the noise to die down. "This year we
will be hosting two other schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons!" Harry's
eyes widened with sudden excitement. He knew Fleur went to
Beauxbatons and the thought of possibly seeing her again caused his
stomach to flutter. "They will be arriving October 30th and the choosing
of the champions will be on the 31st."
"That is all I have for the evening. Head to bed to rest those full
stomachs!" The hall of students stood, everyone talking excitedly about
the tournament. Harry kept quiet and walked with Neville up to the
seventh floor. He was supposed to meet Sirius there, where he would
then guide him to the Chamber of Secrets to open it for whatever people
he hired to gather the basilisk materials.
"Would you have entered if you were age?" Neville asked, breaking the
silence as they climbed the staircase.
"No, I've had enough danger in my life I think." Harry and Neville
chuckled, reaching the seventh floor. Sirius, Remus, and another man
were just outside a door he had never seen before.
"Hey pup! Didn't get into trouble today?" Sirius said when they
approached.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Sirius, this is Neville Longbottom." Sirius' eyes
widened momentarily before splitting into a grin. "Neville, this is Sirius
Black and you already know Remus."
"You look just like your father." Sirius said, shaking Neville's hand.
"You-you know my father?" Neville asked wide-eyed. Harry frown
wondering how much he knew of his parents. He was much the same
way, wanting to know as much as possible about his parents.
"Of course. Frank was my partner when we were Aurors. Alice was like a
sister to me. I was sad to hear of their condition when I was released. I
truly am sorry Neville." Harry had heard just a week ago how Nevilles
parents were tortured relentlessly by Bellatrix and were now in St.
Mungos long term care. "I would be happy to talk about them with you if
you want sometime."
"Really? Gran doesn't talk about them much. Its been hard on her."
"I'm sure. Your grandmother loved your father dearly. And who are these
lovely ladies?" Harry spun around abruptly forgetting that he had invited
Daphne and Tracy. Honestly he thought there was a good chance they
wouldn't even show.
"Oh, er-this is Tracy Davis." He gestured to the brown haired girl. "And
Daphne Greengrass." He pointed at the blonde. Both were eyeing Sirius
cautiously and also probably wondering why their Defense Against the
Dark Arts teacher from last year was here.
"Daphne, Tracy, this is my godfather Sirius Black and my uncle Remus
Lupin, though you already know him." He turned back to face Sirius who
had a smile Harry found to be rather annoying on his face. "I invited
them to see the Chamber of Secrets with us."
"Hell of a first date location Harry." Sirius said trying to tease him and
making the two girls blush slightly.
"I thought it would set an exciting and adventurous tone for our budding
relationships." Harry said with a deadpan expression. Both girls jaws
dropped and were now completely red in the face.
Sirius opened and closed his mouth but no words escaped. "Er, Harry, do
we need to have a talk?" Remus said after a few seconds of complete
silence. That was all it took for Harry to burst into laughter.
"Honestly all of you. I invited them because they wanted to see it and I
really don't have anything to hide." A grin broke out on Sirius' face
realizing he was just one-upped by Harry. He put Harry into a headlock
much to Harry's embarrassment as he tried to break the firm hold.
"Now that you two are done." Remus said once Sirius finally let him go.
"Mr. Depan has kindly agreed to our terms and will harvest the basilisk."
Harry shook the mans hand who had stayed silent this whole time. They
had agreed to give a five percent cut of the basilisk. Mr. Depan was going
to be staying in the Chamber for two weeks while he harvested the snake.
He had a magical tent like they used for the World Cup along with
enough food and water for the duration.
"Should we get going?" Sirius asked once introductions were over. They
all nodded and Harry led the way back down the staircases. By now, all
of the students were in their common rooms and only teachers were
wondering around. The professors they came across didn't stop them,
knowing what they were doing. In fact Professor Flitwick and
McGonagall also tagged along excitedly.
They continued walking until they reached the 2nd floor girls bathroom.
"You've got to be kidding me." Daphne muttered as she stepped in behind
Harry.
Harry just grinned, "Who in their right mind would ever look for the
hidden lair of Salazar in a girls bathroom?"
"Good point." She said grinning back at him. That was the first time she
had smiled at him and he found he liked that look, much more so than
the cold front she normally had on.
"The chamber is underneath the sinks." Harry jerked his head to the side
of the room where the sinks were.
"Oh! Harry! Come to say hello to little ole me?" Myrtle came flying out of
one of the stalls.
"Hi Myrtle. I'm heading into the chamber with some friends."
"I thought you killed that nasty monster?" Myrtle asked fearfully, ducking
behind one of the stall doors with just her head poking over the top.
"I did. We're just going to investigate the chamber."
"Well if you die. My offer still stands you know." Harry blushed slightly,
hoping no one would ask about the offer.
"What offer?" Tracy asked causing Harry to groan.
"He can share my stall of course. He's so cute. I'm sure you know." This
caused everyone but Harry to burst into laughter.
"Bloody ghosts." Harry mumbled, walking to the sinks where Flitwick was
examining them with his wand.
"Open!" He hissed in irritation. The sinks suddenly moved causing the tiny
charms professor to jump back with a squeak. Everyone watched as the
sinks gave way to a large eight food wide hole that descended into
darkness.
"You went down that?" Professor McGonagall eyed the hole with
trepidation.
"Stairs!" After some thought, he figured their was no way in hell Tom
would ever have jumped down into the hole like a Gryffindor. There had
to be some other way of descending and stairs was just a logical choice.
Stairs formed in a spiral staircase down the hole. They all followed him
cautiously down, descending further into blackness. Soon they were all
lighting their wands just to see a few feet in front of them.
Harry's feet his the bottom and he recognized he was in the bone room.
Hundreds of animal bones lay scattered on the ground having at once
probably been fed to the giant snake.
"Eww, this is gross. You didn't say anything about this!" Tracy said,
pinching her nose to keep the musty smell away. She stepped gingerly
around any of the bones laying scattered on the ground.
"Come on, its this way." Harry led them through a small tunnel and into a
large cavern. A large clear snake skin that was about thirty feet long and
a few feet wide laid in the middle. On the far end was the cave in that
Lockhart had caused.
"I never imagined the basilisk to be this big!" Daphne breathed out,
taking in the sight of the skin.
Harry shrugged, "The real one is bigger." He smirked seeing Daphne's
eyes widen.
He walked them over to the cave in and frowned. The hole Ron had
made was smaller than he remembered and wasn't possible for them to
pass through. "We'll have to move some rocks." They wasted no time in
clearing an opening all of them could climb through. Soon they were at
the circular door.
Harry approached it and hissed, "Open!" The snake slithered around the
side of the door, releasing the bolts that kept the door closed. He figured
that it had locked itself once he left since he didn't remember ever
shutting it.
The door rolled to the side revealing the chamber. The torches magically
lit, showering the whole room in light. Salazars mouth on the far side of
the chamber was still open and not too far away was the basilisk. It
looked the same as Harry had left it two years ago, not having decayed in
the slightest.
"My god." Sirius said, walking up close to the fearsome snake. In truth, it
was larger than even Harry remembered it to be. Its mouth was agape, a
single fang missing from its mouth where it had lost it to Harrys arm.
Said fang was laying a few feet away in a puddle of ink. Dried blood
pooled around its head from its sword wound. In total the snake was
roughly seventy feet long and six feet wide.
"I can't believe you killed this thing with just a sword." Remus said in
shock.
Harry shrugged, "It was do or die. Much like most of my life has become."
"I'm sorry Harry." Professor McGonagall said surprising Harry. She also
had tears in her eyes. "I-I should have listened. You came to me and I did
nothing."
"Its okay Professor. You had no way of knowing." Harry responded
unsure of what to say to his Head of House.
"I should have know though and I failed you. I promise I'll do better." He
gave her a soft smile.
"Theirs only two people to blame for what happened here. Dumbledore
and Voldemort." He ignored the winces and gasps from everyone else.
Only Sirius, Remus, and Professor Flitwick didn't flinch.
"Why Dumbledore Harry?" Professor Flitwick asked curiously. The others
nodded, wanting to know why he would blame Dumbledore for this on
the same level as Voldemort.
"What happened here wasn't the first time I fought Voldemort." Again
several gasps echoed in the chamber. "Oh come off it. Its just a name, not
even his real one. Another thing I learned about him in this very chamber
when I had a nice chat with him."
"You-you talked with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Tracy said, her eyes
wide with fear.
"Harry do you think it best to divulge secrets?" Remus cut in.
"In my experience, secrets can kill. They only help Voldemort and in turn
make us weaker." Harry responded coldly. Sirius grinned, liking what
Harry was saying. He firmly believed that the way Dumbledore has
handled his godson and the war has been abysmal.
"Voldemorts real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. He is a half blood like me,
like Dumbledore."
"Wh-what?" Daphne asked. "You're telling me that the person who
spouted pureblood supremacy isn't actually a pureblood?"
Harry grinned, "Very Slytherin of him don't you think? He was in
Slytherin fifty years ago, in fact you can see an award he received for
special services to the school in regards to closing the Chamber of
Secrets. All those years ago, the first time the chamber was opened,
resulting in the death of Myrtle, Riddle blamed Hagrid for it when in fact
he was the one that set loose the basilisk. Of course it was actually Riddle
that had opened the chamber and controlled the basilisk."
"How do we not know any of this?" Flitwick breathed. All were silently
listening to Harry, even Mr. Depan had stopped looking at the basilisk to
listen to him.
"Dumbledore keeps his secrets close. You can imagine my surprise
coming down to the chamber thinking I have to battle a basilisk when I
also have to fight off Riddle as well. I destroyed him for the third time
with the basilisk fang that had previously been lodged in my arm." He
jerked his head at the basilisk fang laying in the pool of ink. "I stabbed a
possessed book with it, destroying the shade of Riddle."
"Wait, the third time?" Daphne asked. Harry smiled, it appeared she was
quick.
"You remember the sudden disappearance of Quirrell?" They all nodded
and by the confused looks of both teachers, Dumbledore must not have
told them as well. "Well, the story of how I saved the philosophers stone
was all over the papers this summer. Much like with the basilisk which
skimped on details. In short I had another battle with Voldemort."
"Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort and I fought him over the stone. I
killed him." Harry added, a hollowness coming over his voice as his mind
drifted back to that night. Then his mind skipped to the man he killed at
the World Cup. He was just fourteen and already responsible for the
death of two men.
He felt like a piece of him was gone, an innocence that he could never
get back. It left him feeling cold. He knew this was the price for killing
someone and it was a price he hoped no one else had to feel. Sadly, he
also knew it was likely he would have to kill again.
"Why would Dumbledore not tell us? All he said was that Quirrell left for
an early vacation! I knew something was wrong!" Professor McGonagall
shrieked. "There was too much coincidence. You ending up in the
hospital wing and Quirrell suddenly gone! And I-I" She collapsed into
sobs and Harry knew why. She had told him to ignore the stone and the
professors would handle it. Now she knew how much danger he had been
in and that he had possibly saved magical Britain by disobeying her.
Flitwick kindly led her away from the others, doing his best to console
the much taller witch. "How come I haven't been told any of this?" Sirius
growled, narrowing his eyes at Harry.
"Honestly I thought Dumbledore would have at least told you. The old
man loves his secrets too much I guess."
"I have to ask where your sudden distrust for Dumbledore is coming from
Harry." Remus said.
Harry shrugged. "When you get hit by a second killing curse, you start to
think about life." He heard the gasps from the two girls and Neville. He
forgot that was another thing omitted from the papers. Keeping secrets
wasn't as easy for him. "Ignoring the fact that he had me living in a hell
hole for ten years and never once bothered to check in on me, ever since
I arrived at Hogwarts, I've been in constant danger. A troll and a
possessed Quirrell first year. A basilisk and Riddle second."
He smirked at Sirius, "My own murderous godfather and dementors last
year!"
"Hey!"
"Their's no way that Dumbledore for one didn't know that a basilisk was
underneath his school. He must have known I went to kill it because he
sent me his phoenix and the hat. Why he never bothered to come himself
I don't know. Also with Quirrell there is no way he didn't know he was
possessed by Voldemort. And if he really didn't, the old man is daft and
doesn't deserve to run a school of children."
"And also, who the fuck hides the philosophers stone in a damn school?
He had to have known that Voldemort was going to try his best to get to
the stone." Harry said, starting to let his anger show. He hadn't yet laid
out all of the oddities surrounding his time at school, but now that he
had, Dumbledores faults were clearly seen.
"This is...disturbing news to hear." Remus said. Harry could see the war
of emotions play out on his face. Fierce loyalty to Dumbledore versus his
loyalty to Harry.
"I knew that old bastard was over over his head. Is it too late to pull you
from the school?" Harry wasn't sure if Sirius was actually serious or not.
"Er, I don't know but I'm not switching schools."
"What! Harry, this place has been nothing but a death trap for you! And
with Dumbledore who knows how involved with your struggles he is!"
Sirius pleaded.
"Its still my home. I'm making friends here and I'm not running from a
fight. Whether its Dumbledore or Voldemort I'm fighting doesn't make a
difference. Neither will just let me go either. Voldemort would chase me
down where ever I go for whatever bloody reason and Dumbledore
would stop at nothing to keep me close by. He has an unusual interest in
me."
Sirius sighed knowing Harry was right. "Can we trust them to know
everything you just told us Harry?" Sirius jerked his head at the girls,
Neville, and Mr Depan.
"Of course he can! I swear I won't tell a soul, not like anyone would
believe us anyways." Tracy said. Harry looked at Daphne who was
looking at him differently, like she was seeing him in a completely new
light. He could see clearly that neither girl was going to betray him and
Neville had always been fiercely loyal to him, despite them not being
best friends the last three years.
"I won't tell anyone, but didn't you just say secrets can kill? Why hasn't
anything about V-V-Voldemort still being alive or you getting hit by a
second killing curse been in the papers?" Harry was proud of her that she
actually said the name.
"Things like that would only create mass panic. Mass panic leads to witch
hunts and witch hunts of people in power only serve to divide the
country. The country being in division only helps Voldemort return. Its
best to have a small team of people that can be trusted completely that
have influence to push others in the right direction to get people ready
for a potential war with Voldemort." Harry responded.
"When did you get so bloody smart?" Sirius asked, looking dumbfounded
and proud at his godson.
"Is that why you agreed to show the minister's your memories? You were
hoping to prepare them for a possible return of Voldemort?" Remus asked
but Harry shook his head.
"I never showed them anything involving Voldemort. I can't trust them to
not do something dumb with that information plus I have a feeling
Minister Fudge wouldn't take it so well that Voldemort was still alive."
"Probably a good thing." Sirius agreed.
"How is Voldemort still alive? I thought you had destroyed him?"
Professor McGonagall asked.
"I don't think I ever did. They never found a body, just a smoking robe
and his wand. People just assumed he had died. I'm almost positive
Dumbledore always knew that Voldemort was still alive though. He
didn't act too surprised when I described the events of the philosophers
stone to him my first year."
"So what's your plan moving forward?"
"Train. Their isn't much to do right now but train. Maybe try and figure
out more of the secrets Dumbledore is keeping from us. Something tells
me he knows more about how I'm still alive after getting hit by a second
killing curse. Its probably best to not let on that I'm distrusting of the
headmaster right now."
"School. You still have school as well Harry." Professor McGonagall said.
She had come back to the conversation after calming herself.
Harry looked sheepishly at his professor, "Right school as well. Oh that
reminds me, can I switch into Runes and drop divination?" He gave her a
wide smile.
"I think that would be an excellent idea. I'll talk with Professor Babbling
this evening to see you into the third year runes class." She said with a
rare smile. Her eyes were still red and Harry felt his heart go out to her.
She was a grandmother figure to him while Dumbledore had been a
grandfather to him.
"How can we go back to class like everything's normal after this!" Tracy
shouted.
"For all we know, everything is normal. It may not be another decade
until Voldemort can fully return. Its best to just live your lives as
normally as you can." Professor Flitwick said.
"But Harry said training. I want in on that." Neville spoke for the first
time causing everyone to look at him. He had a nervous but determined
look on his face, one that Harry had only seen once when he tried to stop
him, Ron, and Hermione from leaving that first year.
"I don't know if you can train with me. I'll be training at a very quick and
rigorous pace with several teachers Nev." Harry saw the disappointed
looks on not only Nevilles but the two girls faces.
"Look this year it sounds like I'll have even more free time than I had
planned on because Quidditch was canceled."
"What!" Sirius shouted.
"Er, some stupid bloody tournament that Dumbledore thought was good
for Hogwarts to host will be the activity of the year." Harry shrugged. "In
that free time I'll teach what I've learned to you at your own pace.'
Neville nodded, an eager looking coming over him. "We want in too!"
Daphne and Tracy said at the same time.
"May I ask to join in on your training sessions Harry?" Professor Flitwick
asked.
"Of course Professor. Which ones?"
"Both. I used to be a dueling champion before teaching at Hogwarts."
Harry looked at Sirius who just shrugged.
"That would be great Professor. I'm sure I can use all the help I can get.
Professor, I heard that Beauxbatons is one of the schools we're hosting.
Do you know if they're bringing all of their students?" Harry asked, trying
his best to ignore Sirius' sudden grin.
"They're bringing all those of age Harry. Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering." Harry said quickly.
"Wondering about a certain girl Harry?" Sirius smirked causing Harry to
blush profusely. He found his shoes to be interesting and missed the
sudden frowns on the two Slytherins.
"Oh what girl would that be Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked, her
eyebrows raised.
"Don't listen to my godfather. I was just curious. I think we've been down
here long enough!" Harry made to walk away but Mr. Depans voice
stopped him in his tracks. He had completely forgotten about the silent
Mr. Depan.
"Mr. Potter, I want you to know as well that you can trust me. I think I
may be of use to you if You-Know-Who-Returns." Harry raised his
eyebrows, waiting for Mr. Depan to continue. "I have many connections
in the potions business. Many include people with back rounds as Death
Eaters."
"Why would you help us?" Harry asked cautiously.
"If what you have said is true and Voldemort does return. I will most
likely be contacted to supply certain families of a darker persuasion with
illegal ingredients and such. If I refuse, they would simply kill me like
they threatened to do during the last war. I have a family, a daughter and
am married to a muggleborn witch. They would have killed them and me
if I refused."
"And how can I trust you?"
"I can give you a wizards oath?" Harry nodded his head and Mr. Depan
slipped out his wand and held it out. "I-"
"Its not necessary Mr. Depan." Harry cut in, stopping him from giving an
oath. "The fact you were willing to give an oath is enough for me."
Mr. Depan smiled and slipped his wand back up his sleeve. "Thank you
Mr. Potter."
"Harry it is late and all of you should be heading to bed." Professor
McGonagall said looking at the four students. Neville yawned at that
moment earning a chuckle from everyone.
The group headed out of the chamber, leaving Mr. Depan to his work.
Harry pulled Sirius aside once they reached the surface. "I think it best
you obliviate Mr. Depan once he is all done down there."
Sirius nodded his head, "Its probably for the best. We can't trust him with
what you told us. Are you sure about those girls?"
Harry looked at Daphne and Tracy as they talked with the two
Professors. "I think so. My gut tells me yes. I know its a risk but its one
I'm willing to take. The worst case scenario is they start shouting to the
world about Voldemort and most will just call them crazy. They're
Slytherin and have nothing to gain by doing that."
"Right I'll trust your gut, have a good night." Harry gave his godfather a
hug and walked over to the professors.
Professor Flitwick escorted the girls back to the dungeons while Professor
McGonagall escorted her charges to Gryffindor tower. Sirius and Remus
bid him goodnight and told him is official training would start tomorrow
evening after dinner.
It wasn't long before both boys were back in their four poster beds. Ron
was snoring loudly as always and Harry allowed a ghost of a smile to
cross his face. No matter how much changed, some things always stayed
the same. He crawled into bed, dreaming of a silver haired goddess just
as he had the night before.
5. Training Day
Harry slipped out of his dorm room early in the morning. The other boys
were still asleep, not expecting to get up for another few hours. He was
wearing some work out clothes Sirius had bought him before leaving for
Hogwarts.
"Hey, what are you doing up so early!" The fat lady called as Harry
walked out of Gryffindor tower.
"Just going out to run." Harry responded heading down the stairs.
"Pshh, running, so overrated." The Fat Lady murmured as she went back
to sleep. He continued down to the lake, not meeting anyone except Sir
Nicholas on the way. The jog around the lake was pleasant and though
he was still getting used to running, he enjoyed the quiet it provided.
After his jog, he began sprints and finished with push-ups and sit-ups. By
the time his morning work-out was done, the sun had already crested the
mountains and began to shine down on the castle. It was nearing
breakfast and so he headed back up to the tower for a shower and
changed into his school uniform.
By the time he was done freshening up for the day, the other boys were
just getting up. Harry headed down to breakfast himself, taking his books
with him so that he could study while at the table. A smile played across
his face thinking what Hermione would say if she saw him studying
before classes even started.
The Great Hall was nearly empty of anyone, including the Professors
when he got there. He grabbed some sausage, eggs, bread and jam as
well as pulling out his potions book. He was already half way through it,
hoping to not garner the ire of Professor Snape this year. Somehow he
doubted anything he did would change how Snape felt about him, but it
was worth a shot anyways.
"Mr. Potter, I'm glad to catch you early. Here is your class schedule."
Professor McGonagall said from behind him. She handed him a slip of
paper with his classes. The professor had managed to get him in the third
year Runes class as she said. He let out a groan when he saw a double
potions first thing today. At least DADA was after lunch to supplement
Snapes torment.
Harry watched as the Slytherins all came into the Great Hall at once as
they did every first morning of the school year. They were supposed to
look intimidating and show a united front. He watched as Daphne and
Tracy took seats away from everyone else, but this time Malfoy and his
cronies moved to sit next to them. By the frown on Tracy's face, she
obviously wasn't happy with the company.
Dumbledore took his seat on his golden throne looking over his students.
His blue eyes rested on the black haired Gryffindor sitting by himself
with a book open in front of him. The sight troubled him greatly. He
remembered that Harry hadn't sat with his two friends last night either
and their were rumors that the trio weren't friends any longer.
What was more worrying for the him was that Harry was seen talking
with Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis, two daughters of suspected
Death Eaters. Remus hadn't reported anything unusual last night about
the boy when he took them down to the chamber. He said everything
was fine and that the basilisk was being harvested as planned.
He watched as a young woman, Katie Bell, who he knew to be one of
Harrys Quidditch teammates sit down next to him. He had seen him sit
down next to her last evening. He didn't know much about her other than
that she was a half-blood and her father operated an eatery in Diagon
Alley. She had no siblings or other close family besides her parents.
Maybe a relationship between her and Harry would be good. It would
definitely be better than the two Slytherins. Still, the real problem for
him right now were his friends. A word with Miss Granger and Mr.
Weasley may be in order to put Harry firmly on the right path. The
youngest male Weasley is a firm believer in the light while Miss Granger
has a reputation for believing anything a teacher says.
Dumbledore followed young Harry's gaze towards the blonde Slytherin
that sat apart from the rest with her friend. Yes, it was best to get him
away from those two.
–
Harry winked at Daphne when she glanced at him from across the hall.
He was rewarded with a soft smile in return but she quickly adopted her
Ice Queen persona when Nott started talking to her. Harry frowned,
seeing she wasn't interested in whatever the boy had to say. She was
clearly annoyed with them already.
"So what's your schedule like Harry?" Katie asked as she stole the last of
the sausage off his plate.
"Hey!" Harry pouted as she just smiled. "Did I say you could steal my
food?"
She shrugged, "You never said I couldn't."
"Well, from here on out, you can't steal my food." Katie pouted,
something Harry found to be cute.
"Tell me! What's your schedule like?" She demanded.
"Its the same as the other fourth years. I have potions first thing. You?"
"Well I have charms and then transfiguration today." She then began
talking in depth about her whole schedule. He listened quietly and did
his best to follow along. She was just too eccentric and bubbly for his
tastes but she was nice and carefree, something he appreciated. Harry put
away his potions book realizing that his last bit of peace and quiet for the
morning was over and instead focused on the conversations around him.
Alicia and Angelina had sat next to him and Katie and began talking
about the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Angelina favored herself to be chosen
and Harry agreed. It was either her or Cedric Diggory that would most
likely represent Hogwarts.
The thought of the tournament just brought his mind back to Fleur. He
had sent her a letter just before going out for his work-out this morning,
and though he knew he wouldn't receive a reply for a some time because
of the distance, he was still anxiously awaiting it.
Ron and Hermione walked into the Great Hall together, sitting down far
away from Harry. They didn't say a word as they passed him at the table.
Whispers broke out at the other tables as they watched the events. Harry
just shrugged it off, feeling it was no longer his problem if those two
couldn't be friends with him. He felt he had done nothing wrong and was
entirely capable of making new friends.
A year ago he would have thought himself lost and alone without
Hermione and Ron, but now he knew better. He still had Remus, Sirius,
and now Neville. Even Daphne and Tracy could potentially become close
friends and both girls seemed determined to be his friend after last night.
The bell rang, signaling the end of breakfast and so all of the students
began to get up to head off to class. Harry headed to the dungeons with
Neville who had joined him at the tail end of breakfast. The other fourth
year Gryffindors followed them into the dungeons where they came
across the waiting Slytherins who were grouped up with them for
potions.
"Daphne. Tracy. A pleasure." Harry said, walking up to the two girls. He
was well aware of the other fourth years watching him.
"Harry, how are you?" Tracy asked kindly, smirking at the other students.
Neville was just behind him looking as nervous as ever but with that
same determined look from last night.
"I'm good. Maybe we should partner up? I could use the help in potions."
Daphne scoffed, "Please, and like we would want to tank our grade. It's
well known that Professor Snape hates you."
"Good point. I'de hate to ruin your grade. You-"
"Potter!" The familiar drawl of Malfoy cut him off. "What do you think
you're doing?" He walked up, stepping in front of him and Daphne.
Crabbe and Goyle were just behind him trying to look imposing.
"I don't know Malfoy, trying to talk to a couple of beautiful girls?" Harry
answered lazily. This had the effect of only angering the Prince of
Slytherin more.
"You don't have permission to talk to them!"
"Why would he need permission to talk to us?" Daphne asked defiantly
stepping into Draco's face. This was the full Ice Queen persona on
display. Her mask was so cold and emotionless it made even Harry
shiver.
This caught Draco off-guard. "Because I didn't give him permission! He's
just a half-blood and shouldn't speak with his superiors!" Draco said
haughtily.
"Superiors being who? You? Your father?" Harry couldn't keep the smirk
off his face as Daphne laid into him.
Everyone watched quietly as the famous ice queen broke that persona for
once, a cruel smirk playing across her face, "You're pathetic Draco. Just a
spawn of your worthless father who holds no worth in our world. If he
didn't have money, your family would be nothing. The Potters and
Greengrass' were influential magical families long before yours. While the
Malfoys were fucking goats in the French countryside, our families were
shaping the world."
The other students burst into laughter as Draco's face reddened. He
pulled his wand and on instinct Harry stepped in front of Daphne. "Don't
think about it Malfoy."
"Mr. Potter, that will be five points from Gryffindor and detention with
me this evening!" Snapes voice rang out through the dungeon corridor.
Draco smirked at Harry but he ignored him and instead turned to Snape.
"For what Professor?" Harry asked innocently.
"For taunting and name calling." Snape said, unlocking his classroom
door.
"I didn't do either. Anyways, you know I can't attend detention this
evening."
"Oh yes." Snape drawled, "Special Potter has special detention with the
headmaster. How could I have forgotten." Harry narrowed his eyes,
clearly Snape wanted everyone to know about his 'detentions'. "I'm sure
we can find another time for you to have detention."
"But Professor! Harry didn't do anything." Daphne said. Snape's eyes
widened momentarily seeing one of his snakes defending Potter.
"I do not believe I asked for your side of the story Miss Greengrass." With
that, he turned and walked into the classroom.
"Not so perfect are you Potter." Ron spat, walking past him. Harry just
rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore his former best friend.
"Sorry Potter." Harry waved off Daphne's apology.
"He has always disliked me, nothing you can do about it."
"Well, the least I can do is try and protect you in class by being your
partner."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "But a moment ago you said-"
"Yes, yes I know what I said. Hurry along before I change my mind."
Daphne said, walking into the classroom. Harry looked at Tracy who just
shrugged and followed her in.
The class didn't turn out too badly. Since he was partnered with one of
Snapes Slytherins, he couldn't punish Harry's potion without punishing
one of his own snakes potions. That didn't stop him from asking
ridiculous questions that only Hermione and surprisingly Daphne knew.
Apparently she was quite the potioneer herself and was top of the class,
even above Hermione.
Tracy and Neville ended up partnering up and though they didn't get as
good a grade as them, they did fairly well. At least Neville never blew up
a cauldron which was a win in of its own right. Snape simply sat in his
chair, glowering at the whole class. He awarded the Slytherins O's and
begrudgingly gave Harry an O as well because he was with Daphne.
Ron ended up blowing up his and Hermione's cauldron despite her best
efforts to teach Ron the proper potion mixture. Together they lost fifty
points, mostly because of Ron. By the end of class, Hermione was almost
in tears because of Snapes undeserved harassment. Harry felt bad for her
because it was obviously not her fault. Ron was just horrible in potions,
much like Neville, but even Neville seemed to be able to grasp this
lesson. Tracy and Neville walked out of the class with an acceptable,
something that had the both of them smiling.
–
Hermione sat down for her first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson
with Ron. They were situated near the back because that was where Ron
liked to sit. Harry was sitting with Neville and Dean at the front of the
class. She let out a sigh, wondering how her life had gotten so screwed
up the last few weeks when it came to Harry.
Her eyes focused on the back of the raven haired teens head as she
recalled his sudden changes. He was definitely different now and not just
in looks. His personality had changed somewhat. He seemed more driven,
more in control of himself. He wasn't the same boy that needed her or
Ron. He was growing up and quickly.
Another sigh escaped her lips. She always feared the day when Harry
wold no longer need her and apparently it had come. Now, all she had
was Ron who still desperately needed her. She couldn't abandon him and
didn't want to either. He was still hopeless when it came to classes and
homework.
Her emotions had been wreaking havoc on her ever since summer. She
glanced over at the red haired mess she had been crushing on since
summer. A small smile played on her lips. He may be a mess, but he was
her mess even if he was clueless to that fact.
–
"Listen up! I am here to teach you the Dark Arts, nothing more, nothing
less!" Professor Moody said walking into the room. Several students
jumped up in their seats from the surprise of his gruff voice.
"Headmaster Dumbledore has asked me to teach here for one year and I
am determined to use this year to the fullest. That's why I have gotten
permission to teach you the unforgivable curses." The heavily scared
professor hobbled to the front of the class on his fake leg. He began
writing out the unforgivable curses on the chalk board.
"Who can tell me what the Imperious curse is?"
In uncharacteristic fashion, Ron raised his hand. "It allows the user to
control a person sir."
"Yes, yes. Very good Mr. Weasley. Im sure your father would know all
about that. It gave the ministry some grief a few years ago." Moody
licked his lips in a manner Harry found interesting. It was much like a
snake and set Harry on edge. "The Imperious curse allows the user to
control a persons actions and thoughts. The real problem with this curse
is that it is near impossible to tell if someone is under the influence of the
curse."
Moody walked over to a small container that held a spider. He picked it
up and set it on Harrys table. "Imperio!" Moody muttered in a hoarse
voice. The spider then began to dance and then hopped from desk to
desk, causing some students to push back their chairs in surprise.
Professor Moody laughed the whole time, enjoying scaring his students.
"The second curse? Who can tell me about that?" Again, another
surprising person raised his hand, Neville this time.
"The-the cruicatus curse?" He stuttered, whether he was embarrassed or
scared Harry couldn't tell.
"Yes, good Mr. Longbottom. The torture curse. Its a sure way to get you
to Azkaban for life. Crucio!" The spider that was currently resting on
Harry's and Nevilles table began to cry out in pain. Harry could tell that
the curse was greatly effecting Neville because of his parents.
"Stop! That's enough Professor!" Harry shouted. Moody looked up and
eyed Harry carefully before stopping the curse. Harry glanced at Neville
and noticed that he was pale and shaking.
"And, can you give us the last curse Mr. Potter?" The mood in the
classroom by this time was cold and sorrowful. Harry eyed the Professor
and looked into his one cold blue eye. He could see the same coldness
that Harry felt, and understood that this man was someone who had
killed before, maybe even used this very curse before.
"The killing curse." Harry said, not breaking eye contact.
"Avada Kedavra!" The classroom lit up in the familiar dull green light.
The spider in front of Harry collapsed, lifeless but he didn't watch,
determined to not break eye contact. It was clear this professor was
trying to determine his students weakness and Harry wasn't going to give
him one. "Instant death to those hit by it. Only one has ever lived
through the curse." Again the professor licked his lips and then took out a
flask, taking a large gulp. "Open your books to page eleven and begin
reading!" The rest of class passed dully, nothing matching to the
excitement of the beginning.
"Mr. Longbottom stay after class. Everyone, two feet on the unforgivable
curses by next week!" Moody grunted, walking back towards his office.
Harry collected his things and walked out of the classroom after saying
goodbye to Neville.
He spent the remainder of the afternoon doing his homework in potions
and DADA in the library. Daphne and Tracy sat with him at the table but
none of them spoke. All of them were content with just getting their
assignments done. Again, other students looked at them oddly,
wondering why Slytherins and Gryffindors were sitting at the same table
together but no one said anything.
Neville joined them after talking with the professor. Apparently he had
given Neville a book on Herbology and talked a little about his parents.
"You have your training tonight Harry?" Tracy whispered. They were in
the middle of the library with plenty of people that could hear them if
they talked loudly.
Harry nodded, "Yeah, its my first night. I was thinking this weekend
would be a good time to start up our little club."
"Sounds good to me." Daphne responded. Neville and Tracy nodded in
agreement. "What do you plan on teaching us?"
Harry shrugged, "I don't know. I'll have to see where each of you are at in
dueling. Plus, Master Flitwick will be joining us and most likely teaching
us."
"I can't wait for OWLS after this extra training."
"It'll be nice to have some extra defense. After the last three years we
could really use it." Harry nodded in agreement. Moony had been a good
teacher but focused entirely on dark creatures and nothing on defense. At
least Remus had taught him the patronus charm.
"Sometime this year or next I'll teach you the patronus or get Professor
Lupin to do so."
"You can cast the patronus charm?" Tracy said wondrously.
"Yeah, Professor Lupin taught me last year. You remember that I had
some trouble with the dementors?"
They nodded, "Yeah, you kept feinting if I remember correctly." Daphne
laughed.
"Yes I did." Harry responded shortly. "They're nasty creatures and during
the last war were under the control of Voldemort. If another war breaks
out, the ministry definitely wont have control over them and so its best
that you know how to defend yourself from them."
"You can teach us?" Tracy asked excitedly.
"Its a difficult spell to master and one that not many adults can do. It
requires a large amount of power and control to cast it. Chances are
against you ever being able to cast the spell, let alone at our age." Their
faces sunk in disappointment. "I'll try and teach you the spell, but don't
expect to be able to do it."
They nodded and continued on with their work. They worked in silence
until dinner. Again, Harry found himself sitting next to Neville and Katie
with the twins across from him. Frankly, he enjoyed the new company he
found himself in. The older students were more mature and so was
Neville. Harry attested it to him knowing first hand the horrors of the last
war. He, like Harry, was forced to grow up quickly. Dinner passed
unneventfully and Harry made his way up to the seventh floor for his
first night of training.
–
"Thank you for joining us this evening Harry." He had just stepped
through a door on the seventh floor he had never seen before. Inside was
a large rectangular room with grey walls. The floors, even though it
looked like stone, felt soft and bouncy. Along the far wall were several
medieval weapons and on the short walls were dummies. Some of them
moved back and forth and others even had wands in their hands.
Professor Dumbledore, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks, Professor Flitwick,
Sirius, and Remus were standing in the middle of the room, all looking at
him. "Are you ready to begin with your training?"
"Er yes. I didn't know you would be training me as well professor?" Harry
asked, surprised to see him here. Despite the fact that Harry was
untrusting of the headmaster, he was still regarded as one of the most
powerful and knowledgeable wizards in the world. Learning from him
would prove very beneficial.
"Only Sirius and Remus will be here every night. The rest of us will join
in for your teaching when we can. Do you know what you will be
learning?"
Harry nodded, "Dueling."
"Wrong. We will not teach you to duel." Harry frowned but Dumbledore
continued. "Combat, we will teach you how to survive in a combat
situation. Do you know what the difference between dueling and combat
is?"
Harry shook his head, "Dueling is formal and often takes place in a one
versus one scenario with magic not meant to cause serious harm. I'm sure
you can imagine that such an event is not likely in battle." Harry nodded
starting to understand. "Combat is very much different, you have
experienced it yourself at the World Cup. Did the five opponents you face
attack you one by one?"
"No, sir."
"No, because they fought with the intention to cause serious harm and
kill you. The spells we will teach you are never to be used on anyone you
don't wish to cause harm."
"Sir? During the World Cup, I used the reductor spell. I've seen it used on
others and it usual doesn't do much to them, but when I used it, I killed
the person."
Dumbledore nodded, running a hand through his long silver beard. "You
are far more powerful than an average wizard Harry and I think the
training tonight will prove it. These spells we are going to teach you
require serious power to use effectively, spells that in your early age you
shouldn't be able to do. But after all, one your age shouldn't be able to
conjure a corporeal patronus either or do wandless magic to the degree
you did at the World Cup."
Harry knew that the Headmaster was right. He never studied as hard as
Hermione and so never learned spells as quick as she could. But once he
knew a spell, he was far better at it than anyone else. Still, he had his
doubts that he could actually be more powerful than an average average
wizard.
"Tell me Harry, have you done any magic since the World Cup?" He
thought back to the last two weeks of summer where he constantly
practiced spells at Grimmauld Place. He nodded his head and so
Dumbledore continued, "Did you notice anything different?"
Harry scrunched his face up, "What do you mean professor?"
"Has your magic changed at all since the World Cup?"
When he was reading up on the spells and then practicing them in the
training room, he had been mastering them at a far quicker pace than
normal. The spells came easier to him and his magic felt much more
natural and easy to use. He figured that it was because he had dedicated
more time to reading the theory and practicing more than he normally
did at Hogwarts.
"My magic feels easier to use, like it's eager to get out." Dumbledore
smiled, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses.
"Very good Harry. I think the dark magic inside your scar was much like
a parasite that not only fed off your body, but your magic as well. Now
that it has been removed, I think you will find yourself far stronger
magically."
"But if I could perform a patronus with the dark magic in me-"
"Yes, even with the parasitic magic in you, you were quite strong. Now, I
don't know the levels of your strength which is why I am here to observe
this evening."
"But sir, I dueled Sirius just two days ago and I didn't feel particularly
powerful."
Sirius spoke up when Dumbledore gave him a questioning look, "Harry,
we didn't use anything dangerous and I am much more skilled and
experienced. What we did was duel, formally. Dueling plays to my
strength and allows those who aren't as strong magically to have a
fighting chance against a more powerful opponent. You may have not
noticed, but a few of your basic stunners almost broke my shields."
Professor Flitwick stepped forward. "You must also remember that power
is not everything. A less powerful wizard can still win through good
strategy and timing."
"The more dangerous spells as a rule of thumb tend to require much more
power. But someone with as much power as you Harry must be careful
with any spell you use. You learned that the hard way during the World
Cup by using reducto on an opponent you did not mean to kill. That's
why I will begin to teach you control and how to feed more of you magic
into spells or take away power. It is vital for someone like you to learn
how to do this." Dumbledore finished.
"Er, so where do we begin?" Harry asked eagerly. All of them had the
same feral grin that made Harry gulp in fear and take a step back. "I'm
not going to like this am I."
"No, not in the slightest." Shacklebolt said, stepping forward. "We are
going to be running a few basic auror drills to get you used to the idea of
dodging. The best way to avoid harm is to dodge a spell. Shields can
shatter, some spells like the unforgivables aren't affected by any magical
shield, and shielding requires one to waste magical power to block the
spell leading to quicker magical exhaustion. It is always best to dodge
when you can and use a shield only as a last resort."
"So, what do you want me to do?" Harry asked.
"Dodge!" Shacklebolt along with the rest of the adults raised their wands
and began firing off stinger hexes. He dove to the floor but wasn't quick
enough to dodge a few that hit him in the stomach, causing him to hiss in
pain. He rolled on the floor, taking another hex to the back of the knee.
The pain caused him to falter and slow down, taking another three hexes
to the back.
Harry gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain as another hex hit
him square in the chest and he came back to his feet. Two more hexes hit
him in the jaw and cheek, causing his eyes to water from the amount of
pain he was now feeling. Just like at the World Cup, the pain began to
blind him, his world slowed down and in desperation to get rid of the
people causing him pain, he waved his hand.
He felt his magic surge through him, sending a wave of air towards the
adults that slammed into them like a wall. They were all sent flying into
the wall behind them with force enough to knock them all out. Harry
collapsed to his knee's a sudden rush of exhaustion coming over him and
he succumbed to darkness.
–
"Harry! Wake up pup!" Harry slowly allowed his eyes to open. He was
still in the training room at Hogwarts. His head was aching badly and his
arms and stomach were covered in welts. His breathing was ragged and
each movement brought sharp pain.
"What happened?" Harry asked, clutching his head. Around him were the
other adults. A few of them were also clutching their heads and some
even had bruising on their arms and legs. Tonks had some blood running
down her cheek which Madame Pomfrey was trying to clean. How the
Healer got here was unknown to him.
"We roughly recreated your fight during the World Cup. It was just as I
imagined, your power has grown now." Harrys memory came rushing
back to him. Being hit by multiple stinging hexes and the pain starting to
be all he felt. His desperation to get away from it and channeling his
magic through his hand. Now, though all he felt was anger that they
would do something like this. Subject him to pain for an experiment.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking! I could have killed you all!"
Harry got up, ignoring the pain in his sore muscles. All of his anger was
focused on Dumbledore and so he didn't notice the others take a step
back from him. "How can you be so fucking stupid to risk every ones
lives on a stupid test!" A wind began to pick up that surrounded him and
Dumbledore. The air became static and small bolts of lighting were
dancing dangerously on Harry's fingertips. His emerald eyes began to
glow a dangerous green and a fire lit behind them.
"I'm sorry Harry. You were stronger than I imagined and my plan to see
your strength was foolhardy." Dumbledore responded calmly, holding his
hands up in surrender. Harry could see the sincerity in his eyes and it
calmed his anger somewhat. The wind turned into a warm breeze before
leaving entirely and the lighting bolts left Harrys hands. The air smelled
of ozone from the amount of magic being dispelled by Harry.
His earlier exhaustion came rushing back and he felt light headed. Sirius
rushed over just as Harry collapsed back to the ground. "Mr. Potter you
need to drink this. It's a pepper up potion. Though not as good as resting,
it will allow you to continue tonight." She then looked sternly at
Dumbledore, "Though he cannot do magic further tonight. I am
disappointed in all of you!" She pointed at everyone who was doing their
best to look anywhere but at Harry. They all had guilty looks on their
faces. "He could have seriously injured himself or you with this little
experiment."
Harry downed the red potion in one go and immediately began to feel his
strength returning. His legs were still a little shaky when Sirius helped
him to his feet. "Sorry, Harry. I shouldn't have gone along with
Dumbledores experiment. We just wanted to see your magic in full force
before we began training you." Sirius said somberly.
"Just tell me next time you do something like this." Harry said more to
Dumbledore than Sirius.
"I think for the remainder of the evening we should just practice on
dodging spells Harry." Dumbledore spoke up.
Harry narrowed his eyes dangerously back at Dumbledore. "We will not
all go at once. We will start with one person sending stinging hexes at
you. If you do well, we can increase the amount of people." Harry
nodded, liking this idea more than the last. One person should be easy
enough to dodge.
The rest of the night continued with him practicing dodging. By the end,
he was covered in welts again but this time, he didn't get hit by so many
spells at once. He had started with just Sirius trying to hit him with
stinging hexes and by the end of the night, they added Tonks in.
His natural seeker reflexes came in handy and he found himself able to
easily dodge a few spells at once. Dumbledore gave him a few books of
more powerful and obscure spells to begin studying and Shacklebolt gave
him an Auror field manual to read.
After six straight hours of dodging practice, he began to get the hang of
it. When he made it back to Gryffindor Tower, he was completely wiped
out. As soon as he made it back to his bed, he promptly passed out.
–
Dumbledore sat in his office again contemplating the boy, much like he
had done over the last two weeks. The horcrux being removed was a
problem. Like he had guessed, Voldemorts soul had been feeding off of
Harry's magic, keeping the boys power in check. Now with it gone, it was
clear he was going to be growing in power to heights unknown.
The test really hadn't been to see Harry do wandless magic on them, even
though that was impressive in its own right. No, Dumbledore was more
curious with what occurred shortly after waking the boy up. The raw
power that filled the room when Harry was angry was the real showcase
of his power. He still could see that haunting green glow of the boys eyes.
It was similar to one, Tom Riddle's red glowing eyes.
If Harry wasn't properly trained and brought up in the light, under his
tutelage of course, he feared for the fate of wizarding world. If things
came to it, and Harry proved he couldn't be subservient to him, drastic
actions would need to be taken. Such power is too dangerous to allow
walking freely and with its own agenda. Time will tell what must be
done, as it always does.
6. Time Flies
Thank you to everyone that has favorite, followed, and reviewed.
I'm blown away by the response I have gotten for this story. Also
don't worry, I won't be quitting this story. I already knew going in
that not everyone will like my writing and that I can't please
everyone. I write because I enjoy to and that even if it was just me
that liked my story, I would still continue to write it. But, it does
make things much more fun for me that so many of you seem to like
my story as well.
I do want to warn everyone that this story will have a lot of plans,
many of which will stay hidden to the reader for a great deal of
time. I won't be fleshing out certain characters plans and why they
do some things for a long time. Over time, the reasons why people
have made certain choices will be made more clear.
I also want to give a brief overview on where this story is headed.
Harry's fourth year will be mainly a set up for his fifth and sixth
year. I am planning to end it at the end of sixth year but that may
change overtime. Nothing is set in stone as of yet. Harry also will
get powerful in time, more so than he is right now, but he will
always remain relatively in-experienced and unknowledgeable
about ancient and obscure magics unlike Voldemort and
Dumbledore. After all, both of them have many years under their
belt and it would be silly to make Harry on par with them in that
front.
As for the other characters, I don't wish to say much right now
because if I do, it would give away some of the plot to the story.
Again, thank you everyone who has taken their time to read my
story.
Harry awoke the next morning with the sun already risen. His body felt
like it had been hit by a truck. His arms were covered in bruises and with
even the smallest amount of movement, pain shot through him.
Groaning, he rolled himself off his bed, hitting the floor with a thud. He
forced himself to get ready for his morning work out which he would
have to shorten because he woke up late. Even though it was still early
September, the weather in Scotland was beginning on its journey to
winter. The air was cold and refreshing, soothing his aching muscles.
As he started off on his jog, he felt his body start to get lighter, his
soreness left him, and all of his pains drifted away. After two laps around
the lake, he called it quits recognizing that it was soon time for breakfast.
He hurried back up to Gryffindor tower, a workout all of its own, to
change.
Luckily the school robes hid his bruises and red welts that covered his
body. His teachers or, tormentors however you looked at it, were careful
not to hit him in the face. Today was his first day of runes followed by
charms then care for magical creatures. It was going to be a long day he
figured.
He stepped into the Great Hall again to find it almost empty. As he
scanned the tables, he was surprised to see a certain Hufflepuff sitting by
herself. He figured this might be a good time to expand his list of friends
into the house of badgers.
"Hey Susan!" He winced slightly when he sat down next to the red haired
witch, his muscles had stiffened again. Also his arse was not subjected to
the same off-limits rule as his face.
"Err hi Harry?" She asked with a confused look on her face. He didn't
blame her, they had only shared a few conversations with each other in
the last three years.
"Hello, I noticed that you were up early like me and was wondering if
you wanted company?"
"Eh, sure. I guess." She shrugged.
"Great. So, I know you're probably wondering why I'm sitting here right?
I mean we haven't ever really talked to each other before." She nodded
slowly, not sure how to respond. "Well, this summer I had some time to
think and I realized that I hadn't made any friends outside of my house.
Or really, anyone other than Hermione and Ron. I'm trying to rectify that
problem this year."
"So you came here to try and be my friend?" She asked, skeptically.
Harry shrugged, "I can't make you be friends with me. But I think we can
at least get to know each other better and maybe become friends."
Susan was slightly taken back by his straightforwardness. Her aunt was
the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and so she
prided herself on being able to read others just like her aunt. She couldn't
detect any untruthfulness in him and he seemed genuinely interest in
getting to know her.
She didn't know much about him, only what the papers said and if they
were anything to go by recently, he was a national hero. Brave, powerful,
noble, and very intimidating. Their were rumors that the memories of
Harry's fight with the basilisk and the events of the World Cup were seen
by high ranking ministry officials. She could only guess that her aunt had
seen them since she made no attempt to refute his claims. From how
close he was sitting, he was definitely extremely handsome as well. A
small blush crested her cheeks at that thought.
"I would like that Harry." She said, offering him a smile. He returned it
and began to fill his plate with food.
"So what do you want to do when you get out of Hogwarts?" He asked
after a few minutes of awkward silence.
She giggled slightly, "Straight to the hard hitting questions?" He
shrugged, sending her a roguish grin. "I want to become a solicitor."
"Prosecutor?" She nodded. "Your aunt catches them and you make sure
they stay in for a long time."
She smiled, "Something like that."
"Don't want to become an auror like her?"
"No, I don't have any skill for defense. What about you?"
Harry shrugged, "I don't know. I've always thought about becoming an
auror. My father was once one and so was my godfather."
"Well from the sounds of it, you would be an excellent one. My aunt I'm
sure would be happy to have you."
"Thank you. Who knows, with my track record for finding danger, by the
end of schooling I may have had enough with danger." Susan chuckled,
eating the last bite of eggs.
"Mr. Potter, return to your table immediately." The slow drawl of
Professor Snape sounded from behind him.
"I'm okay Professor." Harry shrugged, not even bothering to turn around.
"Fifty points from Gryffindor for disobeying a professor, Mr Potter, and
look at me when I speak." He sneered.
Harry turned around in his seat to face the professor. "It's not against the
rules to sit at another table. You demanded I do something I did not have
to do, therefore it wasn't against the rules to disobey your order. We can
ask the Headmaster if you wish for a clarification on school rules."
"That won't be necessary Mr. Potter. I am fine with you sitting at my
table. Fifty points to Gryffindor for promoting friendships between
Houses." Professor Sprout said, walking briskly up the aisle. Even though
there were only a few professors and students in the Great Hall at the
time, all of them were staring wide eyed at the exchange. Professor
Snapes face turned beet red and he looked ready to lash out in rage but
he thought better of it and walked out of the hall.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for back talking a professor Mr. Potter." She
added, the edge of her lips curling upwards as to suggest she agreed with
how Harry spoke to the greasy git.
As she walked away Susan whispered, "That was amazing! You put the
bat in his place."
Harry shrugged, "You just have to-"
"Susan! Harry?" Hannah Abbot said, standing across from them. She was
a blonde haired girl that normally wore her golden locks in pigtails but
this morning she let it down by her shoulders. In his opinion, she looked
better with her hair loose than in braids. Her blue eyes showed her
confusion towards Harry with a hint of nervousness.
"Hi, Hannah." Harry said, giving her a friendly smile. "How are you?"
This caught the girl completely off guard. In truth, she had a massive
crush on Harry ever since second year and it had only gotten deeper
since. "Err, I-I-I'm good Harry."
Susan smirked at her best friend, knowing that she had a huge crush on
the Boy-Who-Lived. "Harry and I were just talking about what we wanted
to do when we got older."
"Oh, er, sorry, I-I just remembered, I-er, forgot something back in my
room. I'll be back." She stuttered, rushing back out of the hall. Harry
raised his eyebrows at Susan who began to laugh.
"Oh-c-come isn't it o-obvious. She has a-a huge c-crush on y-you!" She
said through her laughter.
Harry sighed, "One of many I suppose. I can handle girls with crushes on
me but the ones like a certain Weasley that can't even be in the same
room as me make things difficult."
"I'll talk to her." Susan said after recovering slightly. "You aren't what I
expected you know?"
"A lot of people seem to be saying that about me recently."
"Well its true. The papers make you out to be this hero, which you are of
course. But you're more than that, you know?" Harry looked at her
questioningly. "It's easy to see it. There is more to you than just the
legend."
–
Fleur sat down in the dining hall at Beauxbatons. As normal, she sat with
her best friend Aimee while the rest of the students ignored her. This
year had started out worst than the others though. The other students
resented her for her veela heritage, that much was always the same. The
boys couldn't be around her without losing control of themselves, and the
girls didn't like the way the boys would act around her. She would often
be accused of trying to steal weak willed boyfriends and so she kept away
from everyone else.
This year was worse though because of the recent events involving an
emerald eyed savior and the pictures in the papers. Many felt that he was
too good for her and that he should have been at that ball with someone
of proper standing. Many of the witches naturally believed themselves to
be a better match for the famous Harry Potter than herself.
The only one who continued to stick by her was Aimee. They had been
friends ever since young children and when Fleur still hadn't matured
and all the other girls laughed at her, Aimee had stuck up for her. Now
that she had matured into a full veela and the other girls made snide
remarks about her in school, Aimee still stuck by her side.
And because Fleur was ostracized by the rest, so was Aimee, but neither
girl cared in the slightest anymore. They were all each other needed.
That was until a certain emerald eyed boy had heroically saved her. Now
she couldn't help but feel she needed him as well.
On one hand, she hated the events of the World Cup. Fleur prided herself
on being the brightest witch at Beauxbatons, having the best grades. She
also figured herself to be a good dueler and could defend herself.
However the events of just a few weeks ago had knocked her down a peg
and if the last two days of school were anything to go by, the other
students knew she wasn't as good as everyone thought either.
The students had made rude remarks about her, more so than usual.
None had hurt more though than when one girl said that Harry Potter is
probably ashamed to have saved someone so undeserving of her. That
thought scared her more than anything, that Harry would also see her as
undeserving of saving.
These last two days had almost completely revolved around the younger
English wizard. Saving her life was one thing. She would always be in
debt to him for that. But the evening they spent together before heading
to school had without a doubt been one of the best of her life.
She never expected to meet someone that could be practically immune to
her allure as he was. He was also noble to a fault, something she found
endearing. He was a perfect gentleman all evening and not a bad dancer
to boot. It also helped that he was completely and utterly handsome.
Those green eyes were the things of legend and could captivate her for an
eternity. He may be younger, but that didn't really matter. He never once
acted like a young immature boy and so she never saw him as that.
Her last words to him to write her took even her by surprise. She had
been running on adrenaline and it slipped out along with that impulse to
kiss him. It had just been on the cheek which was all she could work up
to do, having never kissed another boy before, but she would be lying if
she didn't think about kissing his lips. She feared that she may have
scared him off with the impulsiveness. That maybe he didn't have as good
a time as her and wouldn't write her back.
Aimee kept telling her it had only been two days and that he was
probably settling into his school again before he would think about
writing. Still, apart of her dared to hope that he would send a letter
earlier, that he was thinking about her as much as she of him.
"I wonder who got mail?" Fleur looked up, hearing Aimee's voice. A
beautiful snowy white owl came soaring in through the rafters of the
large dining hall. It was unusual for a student to get mail during the
evening. The school owls knew to deliver mail in the morning but this
owl didn't seem to care. In fact the way she swooped in, the owl seemed
to be enjoying the attention it was receiving.
To Fleur's immense surprise, the owl headed straight for her after doing a
small loop around the hall. It slowed its flight until it came to rest right
in front of her with a letter attached to its claw. The owl stuck her leg
out, letting out a small bark.
"Who's it from?" Aimee asked impatiently. Many of the students around
her were also listening and not even bothering to be discreet about it.
Fleur untied the letter.
"She's go to be the most beautiful owl I've ever seen." Aimee remarked.
Amusingly, the owl puffed out her chest and hopped over to Aimee and
nuzzled her hands gently. "Smart too." The owl barked in response and
gave her a look as to say, "Yes I am!"
Fleur pulled her attention away from the amusing snowy owl and back to
the letter. Her name was written in an unfamiliar messy handwriting. Her
stomach fluttered when she thought that maybe Harry had written her,
that he remembered and wanted to write her.
She tore open the envelope and quickly began reading. The more she
read, the further her smile grew on her face and the more her heart beat
sped up.
Dear Fleur,
How has your first days of school been? I'm curious what Beauxbatons is like
compared to Hogwarts. You'll get to tell me if you come here I guess. It'll be
interesting to have your school here along with Durmstrang. Are you going to
submit your name to the Cup? If so, I think you'll have a good chance at being
chosen. You are the brightest witch in your school of course.
So far for me, Hogwarts has been a new experience. I'm making some new
friends this year. Do you remember Ron and Hermione? This year they've been
distant towards me and I'm not sure why. I haven't let it bother me, especially
since its allowed me to branch out and make new friends. Still, they were my
first friends and it hurts that they aren't around anymore.
Anyways, sorry for ranting about that. I guess I had to get that off my chest.
Its weird and I probably sound mad, but I feel like I can trust you with
anything. We've only known each other for a few days really, but I don't
know, I can't put it into words. I probably sound absolutely crazy, I know.
I hope I didn't scare you off with this letter. If you want to respond, Hedwig
will wait for your response.
From,
Harry
P.S. Don't let Hedwig bully you for food.
Hedwig took Fleurs distracted state to steal a few of bites of her meal.
She went completely unnoticed as Fleur read, and reread Harrys letter. In
an instant her mood and entire outlook on school had completely
changed. Nothing could dampen it. Harry had said exactly what she was
feeling too. They had shared an instant connection at the ball. Her heart
was beating rapidly and her stomach kept fluttering.
"Its from Harry isn't it!" Aimee asked, seeing her friends grin. Fleur
nodded, not paying attention. All of her nerves about visiting Hogwarts
were wiped away in a second as well, and now she grew anxious to travel
to the school. Anxious to see him again.
"Well let me see it!" Aimee demanded, snatching the letter from the veela's
hands. Fleur allowed it, knowing it was best to allow her best friend this
demand. "Wow! This is-this is...Fleur?"
"What?" Fleur asked, not really paying attention.
"The bird is feasting on your dinner."
–
Hermione watched Harry sitting at the Hufflepuff table with Hannah,
Susan, and Neville. The four of them along with the two Slytherins had
become swift friends in the last two weeks. Harry was now a complete
stranger to her. Neither of them had said a word to each other this year
and he seemed perfectly content to allow things to continue this way.
It hurt her that he no longer needed her as he once did. Now he had
other friends to study with and help him on his homework. If his recent
improved performance in class was anything to go by, she secretly
figured they were doing his homework for him. To her, it was no longer a
far fetch that Harry would cheat on school.
Just a few weeks ago, she never imagined Harry to willingly give
interviews and flaunt his deeds at school. Also, he had completely turned
away from her and Ron and was now friendly with others, leaving her
with Ron.
She glanced over at Ron who was as usual, shoveling food into his
mouth. A small smile played on her face, she may not have Harry
anymore, but at least she still had Ron. He would forever need her. He
was a complete mess without her and she liked being needed, even if Ron
was a bit dimwitted and gross at times.
A frown marred her face when she saw Harry being approached by
Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall. That was another thing that
had bothered her greatly in the last two weeks of classes. Not only had
Harry somehow become one of the top students, rivaling even her, but
the professors were favoring him even more. Never had she seen the
complaints Malfoy made about favoritism towards Harry, but now she
did.
He was constantly being called to stay after class, most likely to get
private tutoring which was helping him do better. It wasn't like he
deserved the special treatment. He wasn't anything special and was more
lucky than anything else. She was the one who was the first to perform a
spell. She was the one regarded as the brightest witch of her age and she
worked hard for that title.
While Harry was being worshiped by the teachers and other students, she
slaved away in the library, working hard to earn the same recognition as
him. Without her, he would already be dead and she was angry that he
had seemingly forgotten that. He owed her.
Headmaster Dumbledore had approached her and Ron a few days ago
asking about their friendship with Harry. He feared that Harry would be
at risk from some of the friends he had made recently. It didn't take a
genius to figure out he meant the Slytherins and she agreed
wholeheartedly. She had looked up the Greengrass and Davis families in
the library as well as talked to some of the older students in Gryffindor.
They had told her that both families had dark ties and some of their
family members were known Death Eaters. Despite Harry's failures as
late, she didn't want to see him in danger from people acting as his
friends. It was her and Rons duty to help him and once that happened,
she would have him back under her thumb. She now just needed a way
to get Harry away from them.
Surprisingly it was Professor Moody that had given them a couple of
pointers on how to deal with the situation. The Defense teacher was a
good friend of the headmaster and had advised her on a possible way to
get Harry away from the two Slytherins.
"Hey look, mum sent you some sweets." Ron said, his mouth still full of
food. She just shook her head and smiled at the red head. He handed her
a box of chocolate from Mrs. Weasley and popped in a caramel chocolate.
–
Ron was becoming very frustrated. It has been three weeks since the start
of term and Harry had yet to apologize for anything. Harry didn't have
any other true friends and so he expected within a day or two, he would
be crawling back, trying to mend their friendship.
Now though as he watched Harry sitting with that slimy snake in potions,
he was ever so angry. Not only did he not seem to care about their past
friendship, he had went and replaced him with two Slytherins. They
probably were just interested in him because of his fame and money and
would soon betray him.
Now it was up to him to save Harry from the slimy snakes and bring him
back to the light. Harry will surely apologize and repay him later. After
all, without the invitation that he had given Harry to the World Cup, the
events of that night never would have happened.
Harry never would have received even more fame and money than he
rightly deserved. If it wasn't for him, Harry would still be nothing. It was
him that convinced Harry to go down to the chamber of secrets, him that
beat the chessboard so he could go on to get the philosophers stone. He
was the one that invited him to the World Cup. The least Harry owed him
was some share in the fame and wealth.
Even Professor Dumbledore had agreed with him. It was his mission to
get Harry away from those slimy snakes and though the Headmaster
didn't say anything about a reward, surely he would get something.
Also Neville? He couldn't get over that Harry had replaced him with a
near squib. It was rather insulting, but Harry was never one to be smart
and probably desperately reached out for any friend he could get. Soon
they will be back in the Gryffindor common room playing wizard chess,
maybe Harry will even switch back to divination as well. Runes is
obviously just a waste of time and too much work.
The only good thing going on right now for him was Hermione. After
Harry had left in the summer to live with his criminal godfather, they
had grown closer. They weren't arguing as much and now had a common
goal of getting Harry to come back to them.
It was much easier said than done however. Mrs. Weasley and
Dumbledore had warned them that Sirius' rebellious influence was a
reason for Harry's new found confidence. He was also just more
downright scary than before. There was an air of power about him that
had developed and you could even see it in his eyes. He noticed that they
sometimes glowed green when he was performing magic, and though
Hermione as always was the first to cast a spell. Harry's spell was always
much more powerful and natural once he learned it.
Hermione was coming up with a plan to get Harry away from those
snakes and he trusted her to do so. He figured it can't be too hard though,
Harry was obviously just putting on a front being friends with them. He
couldn't actually be enjoying his time and was probably desperate to be
friends with them again.
The Headmaster had hinted that Harry may be under some kind of
outside influence which Hermione took to believing that meant potions.
Obviously, the snakes were spiking his drinks and that's what has been
changing him so drastically these last three weeks. Soon, he would save
him though, and Harry would be indebted to him.
–
A whole month had passed and it was now early October. Time had
flown by for Harry. He was busy every day and at first, was completely
overwhelmed with his new schedule. Not only did he have classes, but he
also taught Neville, Daphne, Tracy, Hannah, and Susan twice a week in
simple defense along with Professor Flitwick.
Then his whole nights, from just after dinner all the way to curfew, he
spent in the Room of Requirement learning combat from his various
tutors. In this time, he was progressing rapidly in all aspects of magic,
focused on combat. Professor Flitwick and McGonagall would give him
individual lessons on advanced charms and transfiguration that would be
useful in combat. Such as transfiguring a stick of wood into an animal
and then charming it to attack your opponent.
Dumbledore, Kingsley, and Sirius all focused on direct combat magic.
Dumbledore taught him to control his growing power while Kingsley
focused on accuracy and knowledge of spells. Sirius had also begun
teaching Harry muggle ways to fight. He was just beginning to learn Jiu
Jitsu and Muay Thai.
Remus was teaching him occlumency, something that Harry found
natural to him. Tonks spent her time teaching Harry auror battle tactics
and would run drills with him, such as breaking down doors and
storming a room.
Because of this constant training mixed with his normal morning
workouts, he was becoming very fit. He was by no means overly muscled,
but it was clear even underneath his robes he had packed on at least ten
pounds of muscle. He felt better and more confidant than he ever had
before. Partly because he had just beaten Sirius for the first time in a
duel.
Everyone was impressed with his rate of progress, especially Dumbledore
who had recently given him a few books filled with powerful and old
spells to learn. By the looks of them, they were at least two hundred
years old. These books ever since they were given to him, he kept them
on him at all times, not wanting to ever miss place them.
Some of the darker books Sirius had given him had some curses that were
completely appalling to Harry and he vowed to never use them. A flesh
ripping spell and organ liquefier came to mind. He learned them and
even cast them at a dummy a few times but told himself that it was only
so he could recognize it if it was sent at him.
His training was also completely non-verbal. Anytime he used a spell and
said the incantation, Sirius made him drop down and do fifty push ups.
This led him to quickly learn to cast non-verbally, and it now came
naturally to him. In fact, now he didn't even have to do a wand motion
with most spells. Only the complex spells like animating objects or
transfiguring items into animals required him to use a wand motion.
Most of the powerful combat magic were all based on raw power and as
such didn't have a wand incantation to make it easier. It was assumed
that one that could perform them, already had enough power to cast
without wand motion.
Lastly the Potter Anybook from his family vault was the most valuable
piece of knowledge he had. It turns out that the Potters weren't as light as
the world believed. Their library was just as full of dark books as the
Blacks but they focused more on the defense of them, rather than
attacking with them. It was quickly being ingrained into him however
that spells were neither necessarily light or dark in nature. Rather the
intent behind the spell was what made a spell dark. The unforgivables
were classified as such because the intent behind them was never good.
Besides his greatly increased focus on training and studies, his new
friendships had also grown greatly. The girls and Neville were quickly
becoming extremely good friends to him. All of them had their own
unique place in this niche group. He had yet to approach the quirky
Ravenclaws of Luna Lovegood or Lisa Turpin about joining their little
group, but that would come in time. For now, he was content with just
getting to know his new friends for now.
The thing he was most proud of was his progressing friendship with
Fleur. Even though they could only exchange infrequent letters because
of the distance between them, he was beginning to like her even more.
Saturday mornings had become his favorite time of the week since that
was when Hedwig would deliver her letter.
When others asked who he was getting letters from he said that he was
keeping in touch with a friend he met at the World Cup. Neville who was
the one that asked, didn't press any further. That was one of the things he
most liked about his new friends. None of them pressured him like
Hermione or Ron would when he didn't say everything.
Ron and Hermione, that was a subject that had began to bother him
again. The last month had been quiet of them, way too quiet. The way
they had begun to sneak glances at him the last couple weeks told him
they were up to something. He hadn't cared enough though to figure out
what they were thinking or possibly planning for whatever reason.
He was walking with Daphne in the third floor corridor. They had just
left the room where Fluffy used to protect the trap door. He had grown
the closest to the Ice Queen of Slytherin in the last month. In the
beginning, his friendship with her was controversial, her being in
Slytherin and him a Gryffindor. Malfoy had been a problem at first but
Daphne had quickly put him in place with a well aimed stinging hex to
the nether region.
She was cold to everyone else, even their other friends, but Harry had
gotten her to open up to him. He found her to be compassionate and
fiercely protective of her little sister Astoria. He feared for any boy that
dared to date the younger Greengrass.
She was a proud pureblood and though she didn't believe in the bigotry
others spouted, she liked the traditions she grew up with. There was a
glow about her anytime she talked about her home and family. It
darkened a little however when she talked about her father.
He was apparently a believer in the pureblood bigotry but wasn't as
fanatical as Malfoy or other Death Eaters. Lord Cygnus Greengrass was a
member of the Wizenmagot and his wife Abigail used to be a potioneer
before stopping to focus on family.
Daphne had the smarts to rival Hermione, but she didn't flaunt it like
Hermione would. She was also very helpful when it came to homework,
especially runes since she was in the fourth year class. Runes was her
favorite subject and so they spent a lot of time in the library with her
tutoring him on the subject. She vowed to catch him up by the end of the
fall term.
They spent a great deal of time together and had gotten to know each
other quite well. Over this time, he had accidentally let some unpleasant
things about his childhood slip. One thing he learned about Daphne was
that she was not one to beat around the bush with.
She threatened to cut his bits off if he didn't tell her the full story of how
he was abused and made to live in a cupboard for ten years. He also
wasn't aware that she could get so angry until that moment either. It took
a great deal of strength to keep her from running to Dumbledore and
cursing him when he told her it was the headmaster that put him there.
For one so thin, she was very strong.
After that, the full truth about his life had become easier to talk about
with her. And as such, he became closer to her than anyone else. She
knew the real him and she didn't run away, didn't resent him, and best of
all, she didn't pity him.
The hallway they were in was empty and quiet. It was Saturday
afternoon and most people would be outside, enjoying the last of
Scotlands warm weather. Daphne had begged him to see the rooms
hidden under the trap door. He was hesitant at first, unsure if the traps
were still there or not.
But, after some convincing, he accompanied her down through the dark
hole. None of the rooms were used anymore except the large chess board.
By now, the pieces had been repaired and after a game of chess which
ended in Harry being humiliated in six moves, they left.
They walked down the hall in silence and as they walked closer to the
end of the hall. Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He
knew something wasn't right and instinctively wrapped his right arm
around Daphne's waist and moved her behind him as he turned, flicking
his wand into his hand. He silently thanked Kingsley for the late birthday
gift, giving him a hit wizard wand holster.
His training proved successful and just as he turned, a bolt of red flew
passed where Daphne had just been. He took a step forward to face his
attackers, making sure he covered Daphne completely. His attackers
caused him to freeze however when he saw just who they were.
"Ron? Hermione?" Harry asked, shock evident on his face. They were
both staring wide eyed with their wands pointed at him. They clearly
were surprised that he had pulled Daphne out of the way in time.
His shock quickly gave way to anger though. "What the fuck are you
doing!" He demanded, gripping his wand tighter. They both gaped at him
like a fish out of water. "Answer me!" He wasn't aware of the dangerous
blue sparks that began to shoot from his wand, putting scorch marks into
the stone floor.
"We-we-just need you to listen Harry!" Hermione stammered, breaking
from her shock. Ron had also gotten over himself and raised his wand
back up to Harry.
"I wouldn't do that Ronald." Harry said dangerously.
"And what Potter. You're going to curse me? We're trying to help you!"
"Help me? Why would I need your help?" Harry asked, narrowing his
eyes. Ron still hadn't lowered his wand.
"We think we know why you've been acting the way you have." Hermione
responded, shooting a glare at Daphne who had slipped her wand out of
her sleeve and was glaring back at the two Gryffindors.
"Let me guess, you I think I've drugged him or some stupid thing."
Daphne said, rolling her eyes.
"You know what you've done snake. Were going to take him to Professor
Moody and expose you for what you really are!" Ron said accusingly.
"You actually think she's giving me, what? Potions to somehow control
me?" Harry said, not really believing what was coming out of his two ex-
friends mouths.
"Yes Harry. Don't worry, we can get you help." Hermione said in a
soothing tone she had obviously picked up from Molly Weasley.
"You think she is the one changing me, making us not friends anymore?"
Harry asked, locking his occlumency shields in place to keep his anger
from bursting forth. Dumbledore had taught him that emotions could
help overpower spells, and if he went into a fight with Ron or Hermione
without calming his emotions, he might end up killing them.
Both of them nodded, "And what about before school? When you
distanced yourselves from me then. Ron was jealous of me, of my fame as
usual. Hermione, you were caught in the middle and I understood that,
but it seems you've completely taken his side. I never thought you to be
as petty and jealous as him, but clearly you are."
"Harry, you have changed though. We just had to get used to your
changes after the World Cup." Hermione soothed. The voice she was
using was beginning to grate on his nerves and now he had to
concentrate even harder on keeping his emotions in check.
"And if I say I don't want to go to Professor Moody?" Harry asked, already
knowing the answer just by seeing Hermione tighten her grip on her
wand.
"Sorry Harry." She brought her wand up. For all of Hermiones brilliance,
it didn't seem to translate into dueling. Sure, she may know a lot of
spells, but she was dreadfully slow and in combat, seconds were
everything. Harry found it laughable that she thought herself so much
better than him that she could raise her wand and perform a spell before
he could do anything, even though his wand was already trained on her.
Harry cast a silent banishing spell, followed by a disarming charm, and
then an incarcerous. The first knocked her back ten feet, causing her to
hit the ground with a thud. The disarming charm had hit her in mid air,
sending her wand into the wall next to her. The ropes hit just as she
landed on the ground, locking her in thick black ropes. She had the wind
knocked out of her and she unsuccessfully struggled against the ropes.
Harry sighed when he saw Rons face turn purple with rage. Apparently
he forgot he was a wizard and could use magic. He took three steps
forward and threw a right hook, dropping his wand to beat Harry the
muggle way. He simply ducked the right hook and grabbed his wrist as it
passed over him. Using Ron's forward momentum, he brought Rons arm
behind his back and pushed upwards causing the red head to cry out in
pain and drop to his knees.
"Now listen carefully Ronald." Harry hissed into his ear. "I will only give
you one warning. If you ever try to hurt me, Daphne, or any of my
friends, the pain you feel will be much worse than this." With that, Harry
pushed his arm further upwards until a loud crack echoed in the hall and
Ron yelled out in pain.
Harry released his arm and Ron fell to the floor, his arm twisted oddly
behind his back. He swiftly walked over to where Hermione was still
struggling in the ropes. "What did you do to him!" She demanded. He
could see anger and fear in her eyes.
Harry crouched down as he looked over her. "I taught him a lesson I hope
he remembers." He responded coldly, all emotion gone from his face. His
occlumency shields were the only thing that kept her from being a pile of
broken bones and squashed meat. "I hope you remember this moment
Hermione. Never raise your wand to me again."
Harry turned to walk away when her voice called out, "Wait, aren't you
going to free me?"
Harry didn't bother to turn around and stepped over Ron. "You're the
brightest witch of your age, figure it out." Daphne smirked at him when
he offered her his arm. She took it gratefully and walked out of the hall
with him. Harry knew that he had actually saved Ron from even worse
pain. The Ice Queen persona wasn't just a front. She had a vicious streak
about her and Ron attacking her definitely would have resulted in far
worse pain than a broken shoulder.
They didn't say anything for the rest of the walk down to the hall for
dinner. No words were needed between them. "Thank you." She
whispered, quickly kissing him on the cheek and before he could
respond, let alone think about what she just did, she walked into the
Great Hall.
He shook himself from the daze that momentarily clouded him and
followed her in. She had been careful that no one else saw that exchange.
God forbid the world learn the Ice Queen was actually soft at heart,
Harry laughed to himself.
–
Dumbledore was seething in his office. "Those two idiots." He muttered to
himself. Fawkes watched him amusedly as he paced back and forth. The
headmaster had just come back from the hospital wing where Miss
Granger and Mr. Weasley were staying for the night.
Mr. Weasley was having to have his whole shoulder repaired from the
damage Harry had caused. Miss Granger sat faithfully by his side like a
love sick puppy. He immediately recognized the love and loyalty potions
that she had been taking the last several months but figured it wasn't
wise to say anything. They were surely being brewed by Molly and he
couldn't disagree that Miss Granger would make a fine wife for the
youngest male Weasley. The Weasleys were a very loyal family to him
and it wouldn't do good to expose that illegal activity.
He had used passive legilimency to figure out that it was Alastors idea to
confront Harry in such a manner. That was a major problem since Alastor
shouldn't care about friendships at the school. Something else was going
on entirely here and he had to figure it out soon. All of his other plans
had to cease until he figured out the agenda of his longtime friend.
The passive legilimency also showed glimpses of the coldness and
confidence of Harry in that fight. It was clear that the boy was quickly
becoming exceptionally strong. The mixture of coldness, power, and
confidence reminded him of another student from long ago. A student
that would one day become the greatest dark lord of recent years.
The thought chilled the old headmaster to the bone. Soon, he will have to
reel Harry back in. He just needed a way to make sure Harry stayed in
the light, stayed under his control. But first, he had a certain professor to
worry about.
7. A Brief Hogsmeade Excursion
"Harry, when I agreed to have you better trained in defense, I didn't think
you would be practicing it on your friends." He snorted, a smirk playing
off his face. Harry was sitting in the Headmasters office the evening of his
incident with Ron and Hermione. Dumbledore currently had his
patented, disappointed grandfather face on as he peered at him over his
half-moon glasses.
"I did what I was trained to do, defend. They tried to curse Daphne in the
back first. Then Hermione raised her wand at me so I put her down. Ron
forgot he was a wizard and charged with his fists. I then put him down."
Harry responded, his amusement leaving his face and replaced with an
emotionless demeanor. He had adopted Daphne's Ice Queen persona for
himself, figuring it an excellent way to deal with Dumbledore.
Daphne had told him that Dumbledore was a skilled politician and could
probably gleam even the smallest of information off facial cues.
Dumbledore took off his spectacles and rubbed the bridge of his nose
tiredly. He replaced his spectacles and looked at Harry for a minute
before continuing. "These skills we are teaching you are not to be used
lightly. I agreed to it because I feel you have the maturity to undertake
the increased responsibility. Am I mistaken?"
"No, sir. I will use...less aggressive means of defending myself." Harry
answered honestly. He had only done what he had, in the hopes they
wouldn't do anything to Daphne or his other friends.
"Like using words, Harry?" The Headmasters usual small smile returned
to his lips.
Harry fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, Headmaster, like words."
"Good, now I believe you have your lesson with Kingsley this evening?"
Harry nodded, "Alright. I wont keep you here any longer." Harry stood up
and walked to the door. "If I hear of another incident of you harming a
student I will have to think differently about your defense training."
Dumbledore warned as Harry walked out of his office.
Dumbledore sighed wondering if this frustration was going to be worth it
in the future. He needed Harry to be well trained to face the Death Eaters
in the coming war. Harry will be a valuable weapon in the coming war.
Sure, he wasn't going to teach the boy anything that could potentially
take himself or Voldemort down, but he wanted the boy as a soldier to
dispatch the Death Eaters, leaving himself to Voldemort. Once Harry died
to Voldemort of course, and Harry had rid the world of Death Eaters.
It wasn't a long walk to the room of requirement from the headmasters
office. "So what's this I hear about putting a Weasley into the hospital
wing?" Sirius asked with a stern look.
Harry shrugged, taking off his cloak and put it on a nearby bench. Only
Sirius and Kingsley were present this evening. "He deserved it. Tried to
curse Daphne in the back." Harry said shortly. He was still bitter about
that fact and knew it was going to take some time until his anger had
subsided.
"Why?"
Harry shrugged. "Weasley and Granger thought I was being controlled
somehow by Daphne. They wanted to take me to Professor Moody to get
me fixed. However they got that idea, I have no idea."
"Why would they want to take you to Professor Moody and not Madame
Pomfrey?"
"I didn't ask. It is odd though isn't it? Maybe they trusted him more than
Madame Pomfrey? But I don't see why."
"Do you think it requires further investigating?" Sirius asked.
"Maybe. I'll keep my eyes and ears open for now." Harry ran his hand
through his short hair.
"Its such a shame. I really liked that Granger girl last year."
"Yeah, but she has clearly chosen Ron over me. Nothing I can really do
about it."
Sirius nodded. "Anyways, is Daphne alright?" Daphne was the only one of
his new friends that had met Sirius and Remus. He always had an
annoying smirk when he brought her up.
"Yeah, I pulled her out of the way just in time. It was odd though. I
sensed the magic being cast and my instinct told me to pull her away. A
split second later and a stunner flew passed the both of us."
"Always saving the damsel in distress." Sirius said with a smirk.
That was the exact moment Harry felt the same hairs on the back of his
neck stand up. He felt the air turn slightly static and the faint smell of o-
zone. Knowing what that meant and not seeing a spell flying at him from
the front, he sidestepped. It was just in time as a blue flame cutter flew
just pass his right shoulder and slammed into the stone wall, leaving a
large dark mark.
Harry spun on the spot, flicking his wand into his hand and had a bone
breaking hex on his lips. He stopped however when he saw Kingsley
grinning from ear to ear, his wand at his side. "You're getting faster
Harry. Quite remarkable that you have picked up that talent."
Harry relaxed his posture, dropping his wand arm, but not sheathing it
just in case. He had learned the hard way to never be caught off guard.
Moody's antics about constant vigilance was good advice. "What talent?"
"You're connecting with your magic on a level few do. You're trusting it,
instinctualy. Magic can do many things, things we don't quite yet
understand, and when a wizard trusts his magic completely, a bond
begins to form."
Harry still had a confused look on his face and so Kingsley continued. "I
think it happened the night of the World Cup. You were dying yet you
hadn't completed your mission to save those girls. You reached into
yourself, connecting with your magic, completely giving yourself to your
magic, and it responded."
"But, I've always trusted my magic. Doesn't everyone?" Kingsley shook his
head and Harry frowned further.
"Not in the way I think you do. Its natural for humans to never fully trust
in something. People always have doubts, whether it be about their
spouse, god, magic, whatever. No one ever trusts something completely.
That's why we have jealousy and pettiness and bigotry. Its natural. But
you, I think after that night at the World Cup, you put your complete
faith into your magic."
"But what does that mean?"
"You're trusting your magic over your own five natural senses to keep you
safe." Kinglsey said, his grin widening.
"Your saying my magic is a sixth sense of sorts?"
Kingsley nodded, "Yes. Your magic has built, in a sense, a passive wall
around you, alerting you to possible threats. Its protecting you naturally.
Though its not common, its also not unheard of and develops in people
that went through similar things you have."
"So, does this magical sixth sense have any other uses than just alerting
me to a potential attack?"
Kingsley shrugged, "I don't know. That will be something you'll have to
figure out."
"How did you know I had this sixth magical sense?" Harry asked
suddenly, his eyes narrowing.
"I had a hunch."
Harry's eyebrows rose, "You sent a flame cutter curse at my back based
off a hunch?"
Kingsley at least looked slightly guilty, "It was a good hunch?" Harry
wasted no time, bringing his wand back up and sending a silent bone
breaking hex at Kingsleys right hip.
The duel ended five minutes later with an amused Sirius waking Harry
up. "You're getting better."
"What're you talking about? I lost." Harry groaned, sitting up, holding his
aching head. He had taken a blasting hex straight to the jaw which knock
him out cold. He could already feel the bruise forming.
"Not exactly." That's when Harry saw the unconscious form of Kingsley
laying not far away. "Your last wind wall smashed him into the wall and
knocked him out cold. Brilliant spell that was. One of Dumbledores?"
Harry nodded, working through the fight in his head.
It was a technique he had developed with Remus so that he could review
each duel. Occlumency served to act like a penseive within his own mind
and he could walk through all of his duels and see where he went wrong.
Sirius didn't say anything else as he walked over to revive the Master
Auror. "Bloody hell, what was that. I didn't even see it coming." Kingsley
muttered, sitting up to face Harry.
"One of Dumbledores spells." Sirius answered for Harry, seeing that he
was still working through the fight in his head.
"Jesus, the kid's gettin' scary Sirius. I was struggling to keep up with
him."
"He has to be scary. Think of who he has to go up against."
Kinglsey nodded, "Do you think we're doing the right thing? He is just a
kid."
Sirius looked sadly at Harry, "He stopped being a kid the first time he
took a life."
"Yeah, but that was just a month-"
Sirius held his hand up to stop Kingsley, "That wasn't the first person
Harry has killed." Seeing Kinglseys confused look Sirius continued. "His
first year here, Professor Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort. They
battled fighting over the philosophers stone. Harry killed him with his
bare hands."
"Surely Dumble-"
"Because of the blood magic that runs in Harry, Voldemort couldn't touch
him. Consequently, Quirrell couldn't either and so when Harry defended
himself by placing his hands on Quirrells face, he literally disintegrated."
"Bloody hell, you're tell me that just by Harry touching the man, he killed
him?" Kinglsey asked, shock and horror playing across his face.
"Yes, he had his hands wrapped around my neck, choking me. In
desperation I placed my hands on his face, trying to push him away. I can
remember his screams of pain when his skin melted to my touch. The
smell of burnt flesh in my nostrils. The feeling of his bone disintegrating
in my palms. I've tried to forget about it, but it's impossible to do so."
Harry said, causing both adults to jump in surprise.
"Harry I-" Sirius began but Harry waved him off.
"Its okay. Its not a secret that should be kept from Kingsley. It was the
first time I have killed, but not the last. I know I will probably have to
kill again, its how war works."
"What did Dumbledore do?" Harry noticed that Sirius scowled. His
godfather and Dumbledore's relationship was deteriorating rapidly.
Neither agreed on anything and even though Harry didn't trust the
Headmaster, he also didn't think him evil. He was a threat in the long
run, but short term he was tolerable.
"Sent me back to my abusive muggle relatives to live in captivity for the
summer." Harry responded coldly.
"Surely he-" Kingsley began.
"He's not the saint everyone thinks he is." Sirius cut him off.
"No man is, but he had to have his reasons." Kingsley finished.
"He did. But in my opinion they weren't very good reasons. It doesn't
matter anymore since I never have to go back there."
"We've gotten side tracked and only have a few hours left. Should we
continue with today's lesson?" Kingsley asked, changing the subject. The
rest of the evening progressed normally. He didn't see Hermione in the
Gryffindor common room that evening like he usually did. It took an
hour to finish his charms homework before falling asleep. He was
thankful that everyone gave him space. By some of the whispers and
stares around him, it was clear that word had already spread about his
fight with his ex-best friends.
–
Harry was walking down the 2nd floor charms corridor alone for once. It
was rare that he found himself alone, walking in-between classes. Usually
he had Neville or Daphne with him but both had gone off to do other
things.
As he walked, enjoying the rare peace and quiet, he heard sniffling
coming from an abandoned classroom. It sounded like someone was
crying. He wasn't one to stick his nose in another persons business, but he
was curious.
He slowly opened the door and poked his head in. A first year Hufflepuff
was sitting in the corner of the classroom with her head in her hands,
crying softly. Thinking quickly, Harry stepped inside and shut the door
softly so as not to startle the girl.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked softly, stepping further into the room. She
looked up, startled by his presence. He held his hands up to look as non
threatening as possible. "What's your name?"
He walked to a nearby desk and sat down, setting his book bag on the
table. "Emily."
"That's a pretty name." He was rewarded with a blush and she stopped
crying. "Want to tell me why you're here?"
"J-just some other students teasing me." She responded, wiping her eyes
of tears.
"May I ask what they were teasing you about?"
"T-they c-called me n-names." She began to tear up again, the memory of
her bullying coming back to her.
Harry took a guess as to what names they were calling her, "Was one of
them mudblood?" She nodded her head, as sobs began to wrack her body.
Harry swiftly moved from his seat and pulled the girl into a hug. He was
surprised at how quickly she latched onto him, burying her head into his
chest. He began to feel his shirt dampen but didn't care as he began to
run his hand through her wavy blonde hair.
"Do you know who called you names?" He felt her head move up and
down in a positive. "Were they in Slytherin house?" Again she answered
by nodding her head. "Was the person blonde haired?" This time she
answered in the negative which made Harry frown. "Were they the same
age as you?" She nodded her head, still crying, though not as bad as
earlier. This made Harry frown further. It seems Malfoys influence was
getting to the younger years.
"W-why do they hate m-me?" She said, her words muffled into his chest.
He continued to run his hand through her hair, "They don't hate you.
They fear you."
This got her attention and she looked up from his chest. Harry felt his
heart breaking when he saw the lost and sad look on her face. Her blue
eyes were puffy and red from crying. "Why do they fear me?"
"In this world, many believe that those born to magical parents are
superior, and they fear you because you weren't born to magical parents.
They fear you becoming stronger than them and proving their beliefs
wrong."
"But that's not right!" She cried.
"It isn't, but they believe it none-the-less. People like you and me will
always be seen as lesser beings because we aren't pureblood."
"Even you? You're Harry Potter though!" Harry looked at her
questioningly. He hadn't suspected her of knowing who he was, though
he probably should have. She gave him a pointed stare as to say 'of course
I know who you are', which made Harry chuckle.
"Sometimes I forget my fame. I'm not too fond of it. Yes even me, I'm a
half-blood and because of that, some will still look down on me."
"But you're a hero!" She said almost angrily which made Harry chuckle
even more.
"I'm not sure about the hero bit. Do you want to know something?
Something few know?"
She nodded her head, eyes wide. "Dumbledore is a half-blood as well." A
small gasp escaped her lips. "And do you know who Voldemort is?" She
nodded her head cutely. He was pleasantly surprised when she didn't
wince when he said his name. "He was a half-blood too."
This confused her greatly, "But why would the purebloods follow him if
they don't like half-bloods?"
Harry was even more surprised with her knowledge of the last war. "They
don't know he is a half-blood. Voldemort styled himself a Lord and so
they believed him to be pureblood. In fact, you can still go and see young
Voldemort here in the castle. A medal and a picture of him is in the
trophy room from the forties. He was once Tom Riddle."
"Really?"
"Yes really. A great many lies surround Riddle and his past. Once you get
to know it, he isn't as scary as he sounds."
"Why wouldn't his followers look into his past though? They would have
found that no actual Voldemort existed if he just made the name up."
This caused Harry to laugh outright. "You are very quick for your age."
She blushed cutely at him. "In my experience, followers of Voldemort
aren't very bright. They also aren't knowledgeable of muggles since they
hate them. They trusted him on the basis that Voldemort was powerful
and therefore had to be a pureblood while conveniently ignoring that
Dumbledore who was regarded as the most powerful wizard in the world,
was a half-blood."
"You must be powerful like Dumbledore and Voldemort. Everyone says
you are."
"I am." Harry said truthfully. There was no point hiding that fact. He was.
He knew it, his teachers knew it, and the world now knew it. "But I am
young and in-experienced. Voldemort and Dumbledore have many years
under their belt. I am just a fourth year still in school. Compared to them,
I am still nothing."
"I wish I could be like you." She muttered, snuggling into his chest like a
younger sister would.
"My power is more a curse than a gift." Harry said sadly. She looked at
him through adorably confused blue eyes. "Did you read the papers about
my fight with a basilisk?" She nodded her head. "What the papers don't
say is that for the entire year I was ostracized. Other students, even some
teachers feared me. They thought I was the one setting loose the basilisk
on them. They called me names and blamed me for every student that
was petrified. When things go right, I am praised, but if anything goes
wrong, even when I have nothing to do with it, I am hated. It is the
nature of my fame."
"I won't ever hate you." Harry could see the determination in her eyes
and it made him smile.
"I know. What's your next class?" He asked, suddenly changing the
subject. The fact that he was still here, and now several minutes late for
history came over him. Professor Binns wouldn't miss him but her teacher
wouldn't take kindly to missing her.
"Herbology." She responded.
"Okay, I'll walk you to the greenhouses so you don't get into trouble." She
nodded and got up. Harry walked her down to the grounds of Hogwarts.
"Found my stray Badger, Mr. Potter?" Professor Sprout asked when he
escorted her into Greenhouse 2.
"I did." Then he stepped closer so only she could hear what he was about
to say. "She was being bullied by some younger Slytherins about her
blood. I took some time to explain the reasoning behind those attacks."
"What did you say to her? She looks happier than I've ever seen her!" She
whispered back. Harry glanced back at Emily and saw she was talking
excitedly with another Hufflepuff girl. The very red face she was sporting
and short glances at him hinted they were talking about him.
"I have a way with girls professors." He saw a small upturn of the
professors lips.
"Yes I know you do. Miss Torridge isn't the only one to have a crush on
you Mr. Potter." Harry chuckled lightly.
"Well, I am late for history and should get going. Have a good day
professor." Harry said.
"Thank you Mr. Potter. Do you need a note?"
He shook his head, "I doubt Professor Binns will have noticed my
absence."
This time she laughed, "You're probably right. Ten points to Gryffindor
for helping another house."
Harry bowed his head and walked over to Emily. "If you need anything,
just ask." She blushed heavily as he walked out of the greenhouse. He
ended up not even bothering to go to history that afternoon. Instead he
took the time to get his broom and go flying. He hadn't done it all year
and missed the freedom of flying around the castle.
He ended up skipping lunch, enjoying his time in the air too much and
only landed for his Runes class. His evening training session was with
Tonks this time. They went over different methods for attacking a
guarded house. Since the aurors weren't authorized to use deadly force,
Sirius had stepped in to improve upon the aurors way of conducting
raids.
Sirius was once an auror himself, being the partner of Frank Longbottom.
So, Sirius also knew how the aurors conducted missions, but with Sirius'
know how of the dark arts and willingness to use deadly force, he
changed the way to properly conduct a raid on an armed position.
Sirius' method was similar to the aurors. Strike hard, strike fast and
overwhelm with numbers. The only difference was that Sirius firmly
believed in putting down someone for good instead of simply stunning or
disarming.
Training that evening was relatively light as always when it was with
Tonks. Her lessons were more lecture than anything. It was fine for him
since it gave him some time to rest. The other nights were brutal to his
body.
Another day passed and still neither Hermione or Ron had so much as
looked at him. He preferred it this way. It seemed that his message had
been taken by the two of them and they were going to leave him alone
from now on. Gryffindor house had been rather awkward ever since their
fight. Everyone had taken Harry's side, even agreeing that it was right to
defend a Slytherin from such a cowardly attack. It just wasn't the lion's
way to attack from behind.
"So, Harry. Are you going to Hogsmeade?" Susan's question brought him
out of his thoughts. They were in the library studying. It was just her,
Neville, and Tracy. Daphne was in alchemy class and Hannah was in the
Hufflepuff common room.
"Er, I don't know. Haven't thought about it I guess." That was true. He
had completely forgotten that this weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend.
"You have to have some fun Harry. You spend too much time studying."
Tracy said, placing her transfiguration book down in order to look at
him.
"Yeah, you need to get out and have a good time!" Susan piggybacked off
Tracy.
"And I suppose you have an idea of how I should have a good time?"
Harry asked, waggling his eyebrows. He got a blush from both of them
which made him smirk triumphantly.
"Shut up Potter." Tracy responded. "You know what we meant. We're all
going together. Join us."
"I suppose I could make time..." Harry trailed off, a smile playing on his
lips.
Susan rolled her eyes, "Yeah, like you have anything better to do."
Harry rolled his eyes sarcastically back at Susan. "I have many things to
do."
Tracy snorted, "Like owl this mysterious friend of yours?"
"No, that's not it." Harry cursed himself at how defensive he sounded.
"I think that would be it Trace. Think its a girl?" Susan asked. All of a
sudden, he hated her quick deduction skills passed on by her aunt.
"It must be. Look, his cheeks are going red! Ooh! Who's the girl Harry!"
Tracy squealed. Harry looked desperately to Neville for some assistance
but was met with an amused look that reminded him of his godfather.
"She must be important if Harry is willing to give up a whole Hogsmeade
trip just to get her letter." Susan said.
"She, is a friend. That is all, and no I am not giving up a Hogsmeade trip
for her letter." Harry said shortly. He didn't even believe himself.
Saturday was his favorite day for a reason. "I said I would go with you."
"Uhuh. Well, I hope to someday meet this mysterious girl that has
captured our Harry's heart so." Tracy said in an annoying tone. Harry
refrained from telling them that she would be here in less than a month.
"So Neville. Any special ladies you wish to take to Hosgmeade?" He
asked, desperate to get the girls attention off him. Neville blushed red
giving away his intentions towards a girl. It wasn't necessarily fair for
Harry to divert attention onto Neville in that manner since he already
knew that he wanted to ask Hannah out to Hogsmeade.
Harry secretly thanked the gods that Hannah had quickly gotten over her
crush and hero worship of him. It definitely would have made things
awkward if the girl Neville had a crush on was crushing on him.
"Oh my god. Who do you want to take to Hogsmeade on a date?" Tracy
asked. Neville gave him a betrayed look.
"Hannah." Harry responded for Neville. Both girls squealed.
"Harry!" Neville shouted, earning a hush from Madame Pince.
"Sorry mate. Sometimes you need a push." Harry shrugged.
"Ask her. I know she will say yes!" Susan said.
"She will?"
"Of course she will. All she ever does is talk about you." Susan said like it
was a well known fact.
"She does?"
"Of course she does silly. Ask her!" A small smile played across Neville's
lips. Harry had learned that Neville sometimes needed a prod in the right
direction. He knew the correct way to go, but was hesitant to take it
because he feared himself. Harry vowed to instill self-confidence in his
new friend.
"But what if she says no?" Neville asked.
"She won't, trust me. I'm her best friend and I know she likes you."
"Who likes him?" Hannah asked, making everyone jump in their seats.
She walked up with Daphne. Hannah walked over and sat next to Neville
while Daphne took an empty seat next to Tracy.
"No one. I think I've had enough talking with you crazy women. Neville?"
Neville took the hint and grabbed his books and quickly hurried out of
the library. Sometimes retreating was the correct option.
"You think I should ask her out?" Neville asked once they were clear of
the library.
"Yeah I do. You two obviously like each other."
"But what if I screw things up? It could ruin my friendship with you or
the others." Neville said, fear coming over his voice.
Harry stopped and turned to Neville, placing his hand on his shoulder. "If
things don't work out between you and Hannah, don't think I would
abandon you. I wont. You are my friend. The others feel the same way.
However, I think you and Hannah will find yourself very happy
together."
"You think so?" Neville asked, a new hope coming over him.
"Yeah I do. You two just seem... right for one another."
"Thanks Harry." Neville said, looking relieved, like a great weight had
been lifted off of him. "What about you? That girl that writes you letters
is more than a friend isn't she?"
Harry was momentarily taken aback by Neville's awareness. He should
have known that Neville would fish more out than the girls. He had a
way of reading people that was unparalleled to others. Neville may not
be the most gifted wizard, but he had other talents.
"I don't know Nev. I don't know."
–
"I underestimated how nice it was to have a day off." Harry said. He
grabbed his mug of buttebeer and gulped it down. He was at the Three
Broomsticks with Daphne, Susan, Tracy, and Blaise Zabini. He didn't
know the quiet Slytherin well, but Daphne and Tracy vouched for him.
So far, he found he enjoyed his company. He was quiet, but had an
intelligence about him. His words were calculated but honest and well
thought. He also didn't prescribe to the normal pureblood bigotry. His
family was from Italy before moving just a few years ago to England.
Outsiders were looked down upon by the older English pureblood family
almost as much as half-bloods.
"I knew you would have a good time." Tracy smirked. They sat in the
corner of the pub. It was packed with students, all enjoying their freedom
from the cramped castle. Madame Rosmerta bustled around, handing
drinks and taking orders from her customers.
"What do you think Hannah and Neville are up to?" Harry asked, looking
around for any sign of them. Neville had gotten the courage to ask her
out on a date just a few days ago and of course she had said yes.
"Hopefully off snogging somewhere." Susan said causing everyone to
laugh.
"Can you imagine them? Hannah and her shyness and Neville and his
clumsiness." Harry said through his laughter causing everyone to laugh
harder.
"Like you can do so much better!" Tracy said after catching her breath.
"Care to test me Trace?" Harry smiled triumphantly when she went beat
red and her jaw dropped, not having suspected Harry to offer a snogging
session.
"I didn't know it was possible to shut Tracy up." Blaise smirked. Tracy
punched him in the arm in response earning more laughter.
"Wouldn't you rather be snogging this mysterious girl of yours?" It was
Harry's turn to go red.
"What mysterious girl?" Daphne asked quickly, her eyes narrowing at her
best friend.
"I already told you she's just a friend." Harry said just as quickly. He
winced when his words didn't come out as strong as he intended. A part
of him had hoped when she came to Hogwarts he might have a chance at
taking things further with her. Still, a large part of him figured that she
wouldn't ever see him in a romantic light. She was three years older and
one of the smartest and most beautiful women in the world. He was
nothing compared to her.
"What mysterious girl?" Daphne repeated irritably.
"You know those letters he gets every Saturday?" Daphne nodded.
"They're from some girl, though he wont say who it is." Tracy finished.
"Who is she?" Daphne demanded. Their was another emotion behind her
eyes other than curiosity, it almost looked like jealousy. He put that idea
out of his head quickly though. She wouldn't be jealous of him talking
with another girl. They were just friends after all and she hadn't shown
any interest in him romantically.
Harry shrugged, "A girl I met at the World Cup. She lives in France and
we keep in touch." She looked relieved which made him question that she
didn't like him more than a friend.
"Look who showed up." Tracy said, changing the subject. Harry looked
over his shoulder and saw Hermione and Ron walk into the Three
Broomsticks. He caught Hermione's eye but she quickly looked away.
"They still bitter about what you did to them?" She asked.
Daphne snorted in an unladylike fashion, "Bitter? They're probably livid.
He broke Weasels shoulder and wrist. Not to mention he made the book
worm look like a fool."
Harry rolled his eyes. Word had travelled fast about what happened
between him and his ex-friends. Daphne had been a big reason the
accurate events of that day was accepted as truth. It led to the two
Gryffindors being further ostracized and Harry put on an even higher
pedestal in the castle.
"I'm glad you put those two in their place." Susan said, staring down the
two Gryffindors as they took their seat in the opposite corner of the pub.
The others nodded in agreement.
"I just hope they don't do anything else." Harry responded, finishing the
last drop of butterbeer.
"They would be stupid to do anything." Daphne said, placing a hand on
his arm. She didn't often touch him, especially in public and the action
took him slightly off-guard.
"Anyways, I think it's getting late. I have to be back for my training."
Harry said, getting up quickly. They followed him back to Hogwarts
where they then split up for the evening. The walk to the seventh floor
was quiet as usual. He was beginning to greatly enjoy his lessons and
looked forward to them. As he walked, he pulled out the letter from Fleur
and re-read it on the way. His stomach fluttered with every word read
and he felt his strength greaten with every written letter.
Thank you to everyone that has reviewed/favorited/followed. Next
chapter, Fleur arrives and things begin to heat up.
8. So it Begins
Thank you everyone that is continuing to stick with this story. I'm
having a blast writing it. I would like to address the great amount of
people that want this to be a Harry/Fleur/Daphne story. When I
originally started out on this story I intended it to just be a Harry/
Fleur story but it was never completely set in stone. I have multiple
ideas swirling around in my head about the two girls and even I
don't know yet which direction yet I will take with them. For now I
will just say that everything is up in the air. Enjoy the next chapter
and I hope you like Fleur and Daphne's first interactions with one
another.
The rest of October flew by and with each passing day, Fleur grew more
and more nervous. She was soon to be at Hogwarts, soon to see Harry
again. Letters were nice, but being in the presence of him is what she
longed for.
What nerved her though was if he would be accepting of her. His letters
were friendly enough, but they were just that, letters. Would things be
awkward? Would they get along like they had those two months ago?
What scared her the most though was that he may already be taken with
another witch. She wasn't sure how she would handle that. He was after
all, famous and very handsome. The odds of another witch taking up
with him were high, and that scared her.
They soared above the clouds in a large white carriage being pulled by
Abraxas. Each student taken along had their own room and she currently
sat on the bed of hers. Aimee sat next to her, reading through a charms
book. Her constant reassuring that Harry would be just as excited to see
her as she was to see him fell on deaf ears. Her fears were constantly
brought to the front of her mind.
She laughed to herself. When she was little she had vowed to never act
this way about a boy, yet here she was. Ever since that night, she had
thought of nothing but those emerald eyes that captivated her so. The
grace and raw power that flowed through him entranced her. He was
everything she had imagined in a potential mate.
When she spoke to her mother about him, she said that to claim him
would be difficult, even more difficult than when her mother had set out
to take her father. Veela were territorial creatures as well as very magical
beings. Fleur knew her magic well enough to know her magic was calling
for Harry. That's why every waking moment without him ached. That's
why she was desperate to see him again, and scared to death that he was
taken by another. These last two months away from him had forced her
to understand more about her veela nature than ever before.
"Ladies, we are almost here. Join us in the entrance room." Madame Maxime
poked her head into Fleurs room. The Headmistress was one of the few
people at Beauxbatons that actively took an interest in her well being.
"Calm down Fleur. You're about ready to have a heart attack. That will make
a hell of an impression on him, I'm sure." Aimee said sarcastically.
"I'm fine. But what if he's dating another girl?" Fleur asked her best friend
for the millionth time.
Aimee rolled her eyes, "I don't think he is. Your letters have never mentioned
a girlfriend."
"But they do mention a girl named Daphne. They must be close for him to
mention her." She couldn't help but already dislike this Daphne. Even if
she was nothing more than a friend, her magic was already attempting to
claim him and warp her mind against any possible threats.
"I'm sure this Daphne is just a friend. He would have mentioned her being his
girlfriend." Aimee did her best to calm her best friend. "We need to get
going." Fleur nodded, following her friend out of her room.
When Fleur and Aimee entered the small entrance hall that was full of
other students, they all grew quiet. Her presence often warranted that
treatment. The boys were too scared to do anything around her, fearful to
do something embarrassing. The girls tried their best to act like she
wasn't even there.
After a minute of quiet, a heavy thud shook the whole carriage causing a
few of the students to rock into each other. They had landed at Hogwarts.
Fleur felt her stomach churn uncomfortably as nerves began to wrack her
body.
"We have arrived. Come, come, they are waiting for us!" Madame Maxime
ushered them forward. The doors sprung open, sending light into the
carriage. Despite the air being chilly and Englands reputation for being
cloudy, today appeared to be a sunny and cloudless one.
Fleur followed the other students out with Madame Maxime right behind
her. As soon as she touched ground, her eyes roamed skyward, looking at
her surroundings. Hogwarts was just like Harry had described, a
medieval castle, towers and all. Then her eyes shifted downwards to a sea
of students wearing black robes. She noticed that they all wore different
colors, some red, others yellow, green, and blue.
She knew that they were all apart of different houses. Harry was a
Gryffindor, wearing red trimmed robes and so her eyes sought out that
color. She ignored the conversation between her headmistress and the
Hogwarts headmaster. Her focus was entirely on the Hogwarts students,
her eyes desperately roaming for any sign of raven hair and emerald
eyes.
Aimee nudged her in the back and she jerked her head to alert her that
the Beauxbatons students were being led into the castle. She followed her
fellow students, but her eyes continued to roam the gathered Hogwarts
students, desperate for a glimpse of him.
Just as she was about to pass into the grand hall they were being led in
to, her eyes caught a glimpse of shining emerald in the crowd. She
focused in and soon found herself lost in those familiar entrancing eyes.
There he was. Two months had passed and if possible, he looked even
more handsome than last she saw him. All forward momentum had
stopped when her eyes locked onto his, causing Aimee to run into the
back of her, but she didn't care.
–
His breath hitched in his throat and all the nerves left him. There she
was. The girl that had been plaguing his dreams, the girl with impossibly
blue eyes and pure silver hair. He wasn't even aware that he had begun
to move towards her.
As he shoved his way through the crowd, he studied her beauty. His
mind was taken back to that evening when she wore that tight fitting
silver dress. She had been beautiful, radiant, but here, she was glowing.
She looked like a thousand suns had taken hold inside of her. Her pale
skin shown with an indescribable brightness and her smile beckoned him
forward.
Before he knew it, he was in front of her, only a step away. They had
only been two months apart, but now he felt like they had been away
from each other for an eternity. She took the final step, throwing her
arms around him and pulling him close.
He was vaguely aware of her fairly large chest pressed against his, but
that wasn't the focus of his mind. No, his mind centered on the warmth
and feeling of having her in his arms again. It was like no other feeling,
and before today, before this moment, he had forgotten just how great it
was.
As they held onto each other, the students around them had stopped to
stare. Even Dumbledore and Maxime had stopped to look at their two
charges hugging in the middle of the crowd. Both had amused and
surprised looks on their faces. They were both aware of their history
together.
"How are you?" Harry whispered into her ear, not willing to break his
close contact with Fleur.
"I am good. And you?" She responded, her soft voice tingling his ears.
"I'm good. I'm glad you're here."
"Me too." She responded. Harry lent back but kept his hands on her waist.
"Ahem." The sound of Headmaster Dumbledore clearing his throat broke
them apart finally. "I am glad to see you reacquainted, but we should get
inside to continue the festivities." He said, a smile adorning his old
features.
Both Harry and Fleur flushed red, realizing that nearly six hundred
students and staff were watching their greeting. "It iz a pleazure to meet
you Monsieur Potter." Madame Maxime said, holding out her hand.
Harry took it and kissed the back of her hand, "And you as well Madame
Maxime."
She looked pleased, as well as Fleur. "She iz one of my best students and I
cannot thank you enough for your courageous actions."
Harry blushed heavily, "It was my pleasure." He said, unsure of what else
to say. He still wasn't used to others thanking him for the things he had
done. Fleur squeezed his arm that she had taken. Nothing else was said as
they walked into the Great Hall. The Durmstrang students were already
seated at the Slytherin table. The Beauxbatons students were asked to sit
at the Ravenclaw table which cause him and Fleur to break contact.
Luckily Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were situated next to each other and
so they only had to sit a few feet from each other.
He got a lot of stares as he sat down, including from his table. Neville
and Tracys stares were the most annoying and he fought the urge to look
at them. He knew that they were guessing that this was the mysterious
French girl he had been sending letters to. Daphne's frown and glare
towards Fleur caught him off guard though. He would have to find out
what that was about.
"Welcome, guests to Hogwarts!" Dumbledores voice boomed above all
others in the Great Hall. "All of you already have been explained the
reason for all of us gathered here this year. All of you know the rules to
this tournament. Only those of age may enter, and not enter lightly! In
just 24 hours we will choose the champion from each school. Grave
dangers await those chosen." Dumbledore warned in a grave voice. He
was a man of dramatics if nothing else.
"The tournament begins now!" He flicked his white wand at the large
goblet that sat on a podium in front of the hall. It roared to life with a
blue flickering flame. At the same time, food appeared on the tables and
all attention that had been on the headmaster evaporated.
"Care to explain Harry?" Neville asked, setting a piece of chicken onto his
plate. A few others stopped eating to listen to his response.
"She is Fleur Delacour, the girl from the World Cup." Harry explained
shortly. "I attended a ball with her at the end of the summer."
"Is she the girl who you exchange letters with?" He asked.
"Yes." He wasn't too comfortable with the questions but knew it was best
to get this out of the way.
"You never mentioned she was veela." Harry stared coldly at his friend.
"Does it matter if she is veela?"
"No, no!" Neville said defensively. "I was just surprised is all."
"Are you two close?" Katie asked suddenly.
"We are friends." He shrugged in response.
"Just friends? Because you seemed closer than just friends." Alicia said.
"Just friends." Harry confirmed, though it pained him to do so. Despite
the warm greeting he received from her, he couldn't fathom that she
would return his feelings.
"So how are you and Hannah?" He asked, desperate to change the
subject. Harry groaned when his attempt at distraction didn't work.
"Your friend is already making an impression." Angelina said causing
Harry to turn around. Around her were several boys, all glassy eyed,
trying to impress her. He knew that was not the attention she liked. He
stood up and took the two steps to stand behind her.
"Leave Potter!" Rodger Davies spat at Harry before turning back to Fleur.
"Miss Delacour, you shouldn't be friendly with that spoiled brat. You are
far too beautiful and he is just a boy." He directed at her. Harry tensed
up, his anger suddenly becoming much more difficult to control. He
slammed his occlumency shields down, trying to muffle his emotions.
"'Arry eez more a man than you will ever be. Unlike you, 'e can control
'imself around me." Fleur snapped back. Rodger turned a deep shade of
red as a few others, all girls, giggled.
"Care for a tour of the castle Fleur?" Harry asked, desperately wanting to
get her away from the looks the others were giving her and him. The girls
looked mad, some even disgusted, at her, while the boys looked at her
lustfully. Some, like a certain red headed Gryffindor was actually
drooling causing a book worm to glare sourly at Fleur.
"Thank you, 'Arry." She took his hand and walked out of the Great Hall
with the eyes of everyone on their backs. A pair of blue eyes sitting in a
sea of green followed them closely, a scowl forming on her lips.
"I'm sorry about them." Harry apologized for his schoolmates. They
walked down the quiet halls, enjoying having each others company once
again. Harry didn't have much time, his training started in just under an
hour.
"Eet eez not your fault. I am used to eet. Ze same 'appens at
Beauxbatons." She replied and squeezed his hand that she was still
holding since taking it in the Great Hall. She couldn't help but feel
butterflies in her stomach from just how right it felt to hold his hand.
"Its not right. I'm amazed at how well you handle it." He said sincerely.
She glanced at him, a small blush forming on her cheeks.
"I'm amazed at 'ow you 'andle everything."
"At first I was horrible at handling anything really. Its taken some serious
growing up on my part."
Fleur chuckled, "So you weren't always the knight in shining armor?"
Harry blushed slightly, "I probably always was that. But afterwards I was
the type to shy away from people that wanted to show their appreciation.
I also didn't surround myself with good friends." Harry said sadly. Apart
of him would probably always long for his two lost first friends.
"Things are still bad between you and your old friends?"
Harry nodded, "Worse now. And things will probably only continue to
deteriorate. Ron, I can understand, he has always been jealous of my
fame. But Hermione, I don't know. I never pictured her to be the petty
type."
"From what you 'ave told me about this 'Ermione, she eez very prideful. I
know I would not be too gracious eef someone usurped my throne of
being ze best at Beauxbatons."
Harry's shoulders slumped, "Yeah, but would you abandon me because I
took over your spot?"
Fleur shook her head vehemently, "Non, of course not. Maybe I can speak
wiz 'er?"
Harry looked at her incredulously, "Maybe. I have no idea what good that
would do."
Fleur just shrugged, "Sometimes women can see a problem men cannot."
"Hey Harry! Ahh, I see Miss Delacour is here!" Sirius' voice boomed. They
had unknowingly wondered up into the seventh floor where both Sirius
and Remus were standing outside the door to the Room of Requirement.
"Er-uh-yes. She arrived this morning." Harry stuttered, taken slightly by
surprised.
"Eet eez a pleasure to see you again Mister Black." Fleur said.
"Just Sirius please. Mister Black was my father. You're a little early pup."
"We decided to go for a walk. Things in the Great Hall were a bit..."
Harry trailed off, not sure how to finish his sentence.
"I'm sure they were. Nothing you couldn't handle though?"
It was Fleur that responded, "I can 'andle pesky leetle boys."
Sirius grinned, "And Harry isn't?"
Harry went red and face palmed. He wished the ground would swallow
him whole as the others laughed. "I should probably leave you to your
training." Fleur said, regaining control of herself.
"I can walk-"
"It would be silly for you to walk me out when you are already 'ere. I
don't mind taking a stroll through ze castle. I will see you tomorrow?"
Harry nodded. She grinned, and took a tentative step forward, placing a
lingering kiss on his cheek.
She gave him one last smile before heading down the staircase. He could
only watch her leave, rooted to his spot, the place where she had kissed
him burned like fire.
"You have it really bad." Sirius grinned.
"I do not!" Harry exclaimed, but his words sounded hollow. He knew he
was doomed this year. If she told him to jump off a cliff at this very
moment, he just actually might.
"Oh, you really do." Remus remarked.
This time Harry groaned, "Not you too. You're supposed to be the
supportive uncle!"
"I am. But I'm also a Marauder."
Harry walked passed his two father figures that were giggling like little
school girls, "Bloody marauders." He muttered, pushing open the door
into the Room of Requirement.
–
Fleur headed back to the Beauxbatons carriage. It seemed her and Harry's
walk through the castle ended in perfect timing with the end of the feast.
She felt her stomach grumble a little. She hadn't had much time to eat
before she left with Harry. She figured could get something from the
house elves in the carriage.
She ignored the various looks she received from the Hogwarts students
that pushed passed her to go where they slept. Her mind was entirely
focused on the walk she just had with Harry. The feeling of his hand in
hers and how natural everything felt to her was perfect. She couldn't help
but be reminded of a few of those sappy muggle romance novels she had
read, about a couple that finally got together again after being broken
apart for months.
He had given her his undivided attention this evening and was kind
enough to rescue her from the Great Hall which was filled with
awkwardness. Also, it appeared that no girl was particularly too friendly
with Harry. Some brown haired witch that had sat near him was leaning
into him slightly at the Gryffindor table, but he didn't appear to return
her affections. Maybe that was the Daphne girl and she really was just a
friend?
Her thoughts were broken up when she almost ran into a boy with bright
blonde hair and pale skin. His looks and attitude screamed rich
pureblood and the way he looked her over sent a shiver down her spine.
"Hello m'lady. I wanted to introduce myself to such a beautiful woman.
Draco Malfoy." He took her hand which had been at her side and kissed
her knuckles. She snatched her hand back quickly.
"Fleur Delacour. What eez eet you want?" She asked, putting on the cold
mask she had developed from her time at Beauxbatons.
"I would like to show you around the castle. A woman like you deserves
the best host." The boy said haughtily. Fleur did her best to not roll her
eyes.
"And you are ze best?" She asked, deciding to make an example of him in
front of the growing crowd.
Draco gave his best smile, "Of course. I am from a rich, pureblood family
of proper standing. Much better than Potter or anyone else at this
school."
"I thought ze Potters were one of ze oldest families in Europe? 'E eez also
a powerful wizard ees 'e not?" Fleur asked innocently, allowing her allure
to go a little. The two oafs that stood behind Draco went glassy eyed
immediately and one of them even began to move his arms to try and
show off his muscles.
Draco scoffed, "Potter is just a spoiled brat who has everything handed to
him. He is nothing but a liar and a cheat. I promise I can show you a man
of proper standing."
Fleur chuckled deciding her game was over. No one insults her Harry.
Wait, when did she think of him as hers? "'E eez everything you are not
leetle boy. Run along and pretend your family name 'olds any real value."
Draco turned red and his hand instinctively went to his wand, "That eez
not a wise idea." Fleur said dangerously her hand already grabbing her
wand and pointing it between Draco's widened eyes. "Not just a pretty
face, non?" She laughed.
Draco backed away slowly and made a beeline for the dungeons, "You'll
regret this when my father hears of this!"
"I'm sure I will not when my father 'ere's of this!" She called out to the
retreating blonde ponce as he disappeared into the dungeons. The two
bodyguards behind him had to be slapped by Malfoy for them to recover
from the allure Fleur let loose before they followed him.
"That was well played." Fleur turned to see two girls wearing the same
robe colors of Draco approach her. One was a tall, elegant blonde haired
girl that was extremely attractive. Fleur passively wondered if she had
any veela heritage in her. The other was a shorter, brown haired girl that
had a homely look to her.
"Pardon?" Fleur said, not lowering her wand. So far those in green hadn't
been the most kind to her.
"You can lower the wand. We are friends of Harry's." Tracy said. "I am
Tracy Davis and this is Daphne Greengrass." Fleur lowered her wand. She
knew Daphne from Harry's letters.
"I wouldn't worry about Draco. He hates Harry for no real reason other
than that Harry is better than that ponce in every way." Daphne said.
Fleur studied the girl. She was the only one Harry had mentioned by
name which meant he was close to her. Her fears that Daphne was a
beautiful girl were definitely founded. She looked for any signs that
Daphne didn't like her but couldn't find anything in that face. In fact, she
had the same icy persona that Fleur had adopted. That only served to
worry her even more about this Daphne.
"Eet eez nothing I 'ave not 'andled before." Fleur replied casually. "I am
Fleur Delacour by the way." She shook the other two girls hands.
"So you are the girl that Harry has been exchanging letters back and forth
with?" Fleur felt a small blush form on her cheeks. Still studying Daphne's
face, she saw her clench her jaw. It was a small change and if she hadn't
been looking, Fleur wouldn't have noticed a difference. That one facial
change raised her suspicions even further that she might have
competition for Harry.
"We attended ze ball together where 'e won my nations 'ighest order for
saving my sister and my life. We kept in touch since." Neither of them
looked shocked in any way. It was clear both knew who she was exactly.
"So, what is your relationship with him?" Daphne asked abruptly.
Fleur gulped, "Friends." She knew that answer immediately was going to
have ramifications. For just a brief moment, Fleur could see a happiness
come over the English witch. Yes, it was now confirmed, she had
competition for Harry Potter.
Tracy looked back and forth between the two other witches and could see
the growing tension between the two. "Right, so how do you like our
school Fleur?"
Fleur didn't take her eyes off of Daphne when she responded, "Eet eez
pleasant like 'Arry described to me."
"I'm sure it's nothing compared to the palace that is Beauxbatons. You
must wish you were back there instead of here." Daphne said, her eyes
narrowing. Both girls had now completely realized the game they were
going to be playing.
Fleur gave an innocent smile to the younger witch, "Beauxbatons eez
beautiful yes, but I prefer ze company 'ere I think."
"Well, Daphne and I have to head to our dorm room. Right Daph?" Tracy
said, trying to break up the two girls staring contest.
"Right. I'll see you later Fleur." Daphne said coldly, walking away with
her best friend.
"And I look forward to eet!" Fleur called back, exiting the entrance hall
and following the straggling Beauxbatons students back to their carriage.
–
Daphne walked with Tracy down to their common room in the dungeon.
Her mind was in a constant spin ever since the other school delegates had
come. The worst part was she couldn't figure out why. Why did she have
this unnatural hate for Fleur? She had never had such a feeling of
jealousy for someone ever.
Harry this year had thrown her completely for a loop. He was brave and
kind and noble to a fault. Those were things any witch would admire in a
man. But that wasn't what made her like Harry. No, she liked him
because no matter what kind of stone cold persona she put on, Harry saw
right through it. And, so, the last two months, with each passing day she
had begun to learn more and more about the famous Boy-Who-Lived, and
he about her. Now, she prided herself on knowing more about him than
any other living being. This happiness at being connected to someone
was all torn to pieces in just a few short hours however.
For the first time in her life, she felt completely out of control of her
emotions. She was easily able to read the emotions of others. Such as, it
was obvious to her that Fleur was desperately in love with Harry. Her
face lit up anytime his name was mentioned. When Harry had asked to
give her a private tour of the castle, Fleur looked like a toddler on
Christmas day.
That pained her though. It felt like she was ready to pass out or throw up
at the same time. What caused her head to spin though was the constant
back and forth her mind was going on about. Part of her knew, deep
down that she was beginning to like Harry as more than a friend. The
other half vehemently denied any love for him other than a friend. It was
safe to like him as a friend, but it could be deadly to like him as anything
more.
But now everything had changed. Before Fleur, Harry had been hers this
year. He had trusted her with secrets that he never told anyone else and
she had done the same. In just two months, an unlikely friendship had
formed and only deepened over time. She feared what Fleur could do to
ruin that friendship. She feared what Fleur could do to ruin a possible
deeper friendship.
On the other hand, she wanted to be happy for Harry. It was obvious he
cared for her. They may not have spent much time around each other in
the flesh, but they had a natural chemistry. It was on the same natural
ease she shared with him.
She felt the jealousy towards Fleur for what it was. She was beautiful,
more beautiful than any other girl within a hundred-thousand miles.
Daphne prided herself on her looks, but Fleur was spades above her.
Daphne also prided herself on her smarts but the way Fleur had easily
shut down Draco spoke of a girl who was highly intelligent. How could
she ever compare to her in the eyes of Harry?
–
Dumbledore was not having a good night. The revelation that Harry and
Fleur were close was not good for him. Things lately had not been going
according to his new plans. The World Cup incident had thrown
everything for a loop. Harry having his horcrux destroyed had thrown his
well thought out plans into chaos.
His newly laid plans were now also in jeopardy all because of a silly
schoolboy crush. Harry's personality had changed to a greater effect than
he anticipated. It seems that the horcrux had a far reach on the boys
emotions and thoughts. The boy now showed signs of James Potter and
the heritage of an an old family.
It had taken a great deal of time to tame the Potter. Lily was a big help in
doing so of course. Lily was always too quick to believe anything he said
to her. She had even dumbly agreed to abandoned the well protected
fortress that was Potter manor because of his word. James was too in
love with her to ever say no.
James, before Lily Potter had entered his life would have been a real
threat to his way of doing things. The young auror was once steadfast,
independent, and with the help of his marauding friends, a real nuisance.
He did what he wanted and he had the family name, wealth, and political
power to do so. It wasn't until Lily had entered his life and tamed the
Potter heir, that he was able to control that family.
After Charles had died in the war, Lily was there to put James back
together and take over the reigns of the Potter family. She was smart, but
gullible to authoritative figures. That was something he had used greatly
to shape the events of that fateful Halloween night which resulted in a
baby Harry being sent to his aunt and uncle. But, everything had gone
awry at the World Cup, and his sway over the Potter heir was
temporarily taken away by a friend of James, one that never had the
undying love of Lily.
Once the horcrux was removed in Harry and he no longer had to die, a
bit of training, a bit of insight into the coming war, should have been
enough to put Harry forever in his debt.
The icing on the cake would have been a nice witch that he could control
to have Harry fall in love. Hermione Granger would have been the
perfect one. She mirrored Lily in every way. Ambitious, strong, smart,
but also loyal to a fault. She, though, was currently being sought out as
the wife of Ron by Molly Weasley and he didn't want to ruin her plans as
of this moment. The Weasleys were, for the most part a very loyal family,
especially Molly.
He was also aware of the Weasley matriarchs plans to eventually start
Harry on potions to get him to notice the youngest Weasley and only girl.
Ginny was the next possible girl for him. She was the daughter of a loyal
family and had a longtime crush on the Boy-Who-Lived. Both girls would
make perfect wives for Harry, but now they had this veela to contend
with.
The arrival of Fleur had thrown everything out of the window for a
second time in just two months. He didn't have any way to control her.
She was also the daughter of a powerful French politician and one that
looked favorably upon Harry. He may be good friends with Sebastien, but
his daughters always came first, no matter what, and so it would be
impossible to get Fleur away from Harry in that route.
Harry was also close to the French veela if today was anything to go by.
He worried for Harry Potter. These last two months had been trying for
him. Many of the events of the last three years had been leaked to the
press and though Harry was propped up on a pedestal of greatness,
Dumbledores praise had taken a hit.
The boy was becoming the one the public looked too to save them. That
couldn't be the case of course. He was Albus Dumbledore and knew what
was best. The public would soon see though that Harry wasn't a wizard
capable of such outlandish deeds. He was just a fourteen year old boy,
too unprepared for the adult wizarding life and its problems.
Once this tournament was concluded, Harrys fame would take a large hit,
and he would be there to pick up the pieces. Once he had Harry back
under his thumb, he would be able to control Harry down the right path
again. This French witch would just be a speed bump. After all she was
just a veela and would just have her fun with him before leaving. That'll
make Harry even more vulnerable and allow him to sweep in for the
rescue.
Quick Edit. Thanks to the people that spotted I put patriarch instead
of matriarch.
9. The Choosing of Champions
I wanted to get this chapter out soon because, one I will be
travelling for the next couple days, and second as a thank you to the
now 1000+ followers.
As per normal routine, Harry got up before dawn and prepared himself
for his morning run. He added a thirty minute block of meditation to
focus on his occlumency training for his normal morning ritual. Once
outside, he ran four laps around the lake. It had increased from two to
four in just two months. He was beginning to feel his body take drastic
changes in terms of strength and conditioning. It was also showing in his
nightly training. He could now outlast most of his opponents if things
went the distance.
If his duels with either Sirius or Kingsley continued without either able to
down the other, Harry would eventually win. He had more endurance
and a larger magical core which allowed him to last much longer in a
fight. After ten minutes, the two older men would begin to get tired and
make mistakes, while Harry would still be operating at maximum
efficiency.
After his run, he set into a routine of a hundred push ups, two hundred
sit ups and ten, 100 meter sprints. He mixed up the order in which he did
these work-outs, splitting them up so that he could get through them
without hitting muscle failure.
As he was finishing up his last sprint and getting prepared to head back
to the castle. A females voice called to him. He turned to see a beautiful,
long blue haired girl in light blue robes walking towards him. Her robes
alerted him to being a Beauxbatons student. "You are Harry Potter non?"
Her French accent was almost non existent.
"Yes, how may I help you?" He asked, beginning to stretch out.
"I'm a friend of Fleurs. Aimee Beaucort." Harry kissed the back of her
hand. "You are as charming as Fleur said. What are you doing out here so
early?"
"I am getting in shape."
"Isn't that a muggle thing to do?" She asked, her eyebrows raised
skeptically.
He shrugged, "Maybe, but it helps me. Helps with dueling and magic in
general."
She laughed, "I'll believe it when I see it."
Harry crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Care to find out for
yourself?"
She smirked, "Are you challenging me to a duel?"
"Unless if you're to scared to face me." He smirked.
"Scared to face you? You're three years younger than me. You don't have
a chance."
"I'm old enough to fight a basilisk."
She scoffed, "That's all hearsay. The papers can lie."
Harry rolled his eyes, "We can prove it right now."
"What? Here? This is no proper area to duel!"
"Sounds like an excuse."
"Fine. But don't go crying to Fleur when I beat you." Harry's smirk was in
full force. It would be a good way to determine how his training had
been going. In all of his training, he had no knowledge of just how good
he was getting compared to those of roughly his own age. He knew he
was well ahead of his year-mates in subjects like charms, transfiguration,
and defense, but this would be a good test against someone only a little
older than him.
Aimee took out her wand and got into a dueling stance. It appeared she
had some dueling experience based on the fact she put one foot forward
to thin her target profile. "Feel free to make your move beautiful!" Harry
mocked, causing the girl to narrow her eyes.
She moved first sending a simple stunner at him. Harry rolled his eyes at
how slow it came at him and the fact she said it verbally. Maybe
practicing with adult wizards trained in advanced dueling and combat
was warping his view on how well witches near his age can perform
magic.
Harry simply batted the spell away, non-verbally, causing Aime to raise
her eyebrows. He still didn't make any move to attack, waiting to see if
she had anything better to throw at him. She followed up with two
blasting hexes which Harry simply dodged. This time they were both sent
non-verbally but she telegraphed them by doing the proper wand
movement giving him time to move.
She began to get frustrated with how easily he was making a fool of her.
She began mixing her attacks up with cutting curses, tripping jinxes, and
blasting hexes, but nothing touched him. Having enough fun, Harry
pressed his attack. He sent an overpowered blasting hex, something
Dumbledore had taught him to do. It required him to charge up his
magical core before allowing it to flow through his wand. It resulted in a
bright red flash of energy shooting out of his wand and slammed into the
hastily created shield by Aimee.
It shattered her shield immediately, sending her onto her back. She didn't
get even get a chance to move as another red ball of energy hit her in the
stomach causing her world to go black.
"What happened?" Aime groaned when Harry revived her.
He smirked back at the blue haired girl, "You dueled me."
"Uhhh." She moaned, grabbing her aching head. Harry didn't blame her
for the pain. Having been hit by Dumbledores stunning spell, he figured
his felt close to the same way. It was like waking up with a hangover
from too much firewhiskey. "You tricked me."
"Tricked you? I don't know what you're talking about." He helped her to
her feet and held onto her to make sure she didn't fall over from being
dizzy.
"How did you break my shield? And you used non-verbal magic."
"I am not your normal fourth year. It was a simple blasting hex that
broke your shield."
"What! How is that possible!" She demanded, her dizziness beginning to
leave her.
Harry shrugged, "I find that I am more powerful than your average witch
or wizard." Her eyes narrowed. "Or above average witch." Her eyes
narrowed even further. "Or powerful witch?" He winced.
She poked him in the ribs, "Watch it Potter or I won't give you permission
for Fleur."
"Permission?"
"To date Fleur silly!" She said as if that was the most obvious thing in the
world.
"Date her?" He squeaked going red in the face.
She giggled, "Oh, you two are perfect for one another. She acts the same
way when you're brought up."
"She does?" He squeaked again, his mind beginning to race. Did she like
him like that?
"You two. Classic!" She laughed, walking away from him.
"Wait! What do you mean?" He called after her.
"Have a good day Harry!" She replied, not breaking a step as she walked
back to the Beauxbatons carriage. This left him back to his thoughts. The
sun was already well risen and breakfast was soon to start. There weren't
any classes today and so he wasn't in a rush to get to the Great Hall. He
decided that a walk through the castle would be a good way to think
through his conversation with Aimee Beaucourt.
–
"What are your plans for the day Daph?" Harry asked, sitting down next
to her in the Great Hall. They all had grown accustomed to sitting at the
Hufflepuff table for non-dinner meals. Susan, Neville, Hannah, and Tracy
also sat around them. The Hufflepuffs had also grown accustomed to
their presence. For the most part, all of the houses respected the groups
friendships, no one daring to speak out against it. Mostly because Harry
currently had the reputation of being someone not to cross because of the
stories surrounding him and his ex-best friends.
"Did you forget again? Today is when you're supposed to work with us on
defense." She frowned at him.
"Errr right. I'm prepared." He replied weakly.
"Spending too much time thinking about a certain French witch Harry?"
Tracy asked with a smirk causing him to blush.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry cursed his luck because
in that moment Fleur walked in with Aimee by her side. She flashed him
a brilliant smile which only caused his face to redden even more.
"Sure..." Neville replied, eliciting laughter from the group.
"The golden boy has fallen for the damsel in distress. How romantic!"
Susan exclaimed, clasping her hands together and sighing in a dramatic
manner.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Shut up you lot." He said through gritted teeth.
None of them noticed the increasing frown of Daphne or how
uncomfortable she was with the conversation.
"So, what are we going to be going over today?" Neville asked.
"Basic dueling shields."
"Like the protego charm?" Hannah asked.
Harry nodded, "Yes. There are other useful shield charms to learn though.
The protego charm isn't a one size fits all shield, so to speak."
"How long will it take, because I do want to watch people put their
names in the cup. I hear that the Weasley twins are going to try and get
passed the age line." Susan said, getting a few nods from the others.
"Not long. Master Flitwick just wanted me to start you on the protego
charm today. We will start to delve into other shields later."
"'Arry?" Fleurs soft voice sent a shiver down his spine as it always seemed
to do. He spun in his seat to face her. Aimee was smirking right behind
her. "I was wondering what you were doing zis afternoon?" She glanced
at his friends who had a mix of emotions at the moment.
She had met two of his friends. Daphne was again showing signs of
jealousy and hatred towards her. It was clear that the pureblood girl liked
Harry as more than friends. The others watched on with amusement as
Harry tried to get over his shock that she was talking to him.
"Er, sorry Fleur-"
"He's busy teaching us." Daphne finished, taking Harry's arm. Fleur
narrowed her eyes. So that's how its going to be?
"Oh you 'ave those defense lessons 'Arry? Do you mind if we join in?"
Fleur asked.
"I err, I do-"
"Why would you need them? You're a seventh year are you not?" Daphne
responded coldly. Harry looked at her oddly trying to figure out why the
two girls were acting hostile towards one another. As far as he knew,
neither of them knew each other.
"I could always do with some brushing up on my skills."
Harry snorted, "Yeah, I'm sure Aimee could definitely use some brushing
up."
Fleur looked at her friend who had suddenly taken an interest in her
shoes and had gone beet red. "I didn't know you two knew each ozzer?"
She asked pointedly at her friend.
"Well, I er-may have dueled him this morning." Aime said embarrassed.
Fleur simply raised her eyebrows waiting for Aime to continue.
"Lets just say, it didn't turn out well for Miss Beaucourt." Harry smirked
causing Fleurs eyes to widen.
"'E beat you?" Fleur asked in disbelief.
"You tricked me Potter! Had I known you were a prodigy, I never would
have agreed to duel you."
Harry laughed, "Haven't the papers been spouting the last two months
that I was a prodigy?"
"Pssh, like anyone believes the papers." Aimee responded bitterly.
"I still can't get over the fact you lost! 'Ow badly?" Fleur asked.
"Two spells..." She muttered, looking down in embarrassment.
"Two spells? Two spells! Aimee Beaucourt, the pride of Beauxbatons
dueling team, beaten by a fourth year in two spells!" Fleur laughed much
to her friends discomfort.
"Shut up! You wouldn't do much better!" Aimee said, crossing her arms.
"How about you two come to my little class this afternoon and I'll help
you shore up your defense's?"
Both girls nodded enthusiastically, suddenly forgetting their bitterness
towards the other girl. They both walked away after Harry agreed to
meet them in the Great Hall just after lunch.
"Are you sure you can trust them Harry?" Daphne asked, still looking
coldly at the two French witches as they took their seats at the
Ravenclaw table.
"Fleur? Definitely. Aime? We will see in time, but my gut tells me that I
can." He could see that Daphne wasn't pacified by his words and neither
was Tracy. Both Slytherins were slow to trust, it came with the Slytherin
traits he figured. It was also a good trait to have, and one he should
improve on in himself.
Harry spent the rest of the morning in the Hogwarts library preparing for
tonight's lesson with Kingsley. He increasingly found that he was having
to study for his nightly training. Each lesson grew more and more
complicated and as such he had to know more going in.
As of right now, he had charmed a fifth year DADA book to look like a
dark arts book given to him by Sirius, written by Antonin Dolohov, a
known Death Eater and currently locked up in Azkaban. Across the table,
Neville sat quietly reading through the Herbology book given to him by
Professor Moody.
It was rare for the two of them to not be in the company of any girls. In
fact, it was now so rare that he couldn't recall a time where he hadn't
been without at least one of them. Hannah and Tracy were the two
talkative ones of the bunch who always kept conversation flowing with
the latest gossip. Susan and Daphne often sat in the backround, and only
joined in when they wished, Susan more so than Daphne.
Neville was still the odd ball out. Hannah and Harry had done everything
they could to bring him out of his shell, and he was definitely making
improvements. Still, he tended to be the most quiet and shy out of all of
them. Harry had resigned that that would always be the case. Hannah
still hadn't given up hope on that, saying there was an outgoing wizard
somewhere buried in him. After all, she knew him better than anyone
and he had to just trust her on it.
"So, Nev, how's Hannah doing?" Harry winced at his pathetic attempt to
make small talk. It was just lately he had so little gotten a chance to talk
with his best male friend, he didn't know where to begin.
"She's good. I'm just worried."
"Worried? Why?" Harry asked, closing his book completely.
"I-I don't know. I-I just have doubts. She can't possibly like me? Can she?"
Harry groaned inwardly, "Nev, we've had this talk a million times by
now. Hannah is crazy about you. She likes you, get used to it."
"But-"
"No buts Nev. The girl likes you. Only god knows why but she does." This
earned a chuckle out of Neville and he seemed to visibly relax.
"How about you and Fleur? She seems keen to get to know you better."
Neville smirked.
Harry felt his cheeks begin to turn pink, "I don't know what's going on
there yet."
"Just be careful."
"How do you mean?"
Neville turned nervous suddenly which put Harry on edge. "Just-er-you
know. She is a veela and some people won't take too kindly to you being
with one."
"I don't care what others think."
"You don't. But does she?"
–
Does she? That question wracked his mind for the rest of his study
through lunch, all the way up until he met Fleur and Aimee in the
Entrance Hall. It was put out of his mind the moment she offered him a
warm smile and even hugged him. The feeling of her body pressed
against his, no matter how momentarily, left him giddy.
"Well, where are you taking us?" Aimee asked, breaking up his and Fleurs
hug.
"Just to the second floor. Follow me." He led the two of them passed
various students who eyed them cautiously. They ignored them as they
made their way to an abandoned classroom where the others were
already waiting.
"Now that we're all here, I'm going to focus on shielding charms this
weekend. Fleur since I already know Aimee's capability, "Aimee stuck her
tongue out at him in response which he ignored, "Please show us a basic
protego shield." Fleur did as told and whipped her wand out. She slashed
her wand in an upward line and a translucent white shield formed in
front of her before disappearing a second later as she lowered her wand.
"Very good. Have you ever tested your shield under attack?" Fleur
nodded, a smug grin on her face.
"Not even my dueling professor could break it." Harry nodded.
"Who is your dueling teacher?"
"Professor Attiere." Harry recalled the information about well known
duelers that Professor Flitwick had talked about. He was extremely
knowledgeable of the professional dueling scene having once been
involved in it. The name Attiere rang a bell but he couldn't remember
anything about the man which meant he hadn't done anything of true
significance.
"Well, I am not your dueling professor. Wish to test your shield against
me?"
Fleur nodded ruefully, "Don't feel too bad when you can't break it 'Arry."
"Aimee said the same thing." He wasted no time in attacking her shield. A
simple blasting hex at low power slammed against her shield. The shield
successfully held, absorbing the spell.
"Is that all you 'ave 'Arry?" She mocked, smiling triumphantly.
Harry held off on attacking for another second to allow his core to build
up, and released it all at once. He felt his magic move through his arm
and out of his wand, the blasting hex came out like a canon, bucking his
arm upwards from the recoil. Fleur's eyes widened in surprise and her
shield had no chance. The blasting hex tore straight through her shield
and still had some stamina to send her a few feet back into the wall
behind her.
She hit the wall but retained her balance. "Shouldn't have gotten ahead of
yourself Fleur." Aimee said. She was relieved that Harry had broken her
shield, otherwise she never would have heard the end of it from Fleur.
"What ze 'ell kind of spell waz zat?" Fleur demanded, her temper flaring
to life. Harry had to put it out of his mind that her accent was cute when
she was angered. He could see her fingertips beginning to glow slightly
red. Veela were indeed quick to anger.
"A blasting hex. I used the same thing on Aimee's shield. You should
know that I'm more powerful than most others. What do we do when
another is more powerful than you?" Harry asked to the others.
"Dodge." They all responded in unison. Harry prided himself on
indoctrinating that trait into all of them. A simple side step of a spell
instead of shielding it could save their lives and he was happy to see it
ingrained in their system to dodge first.
"Dodge, always dodge. Only use a shield when no other option is
available. Today I want to make sure you're all able to do the protego
charm correctly. It's not a very powerful shield charm, but it's all around
useful and can stop a number of low powered spells. The more powerful
the opponent you face however, the more complex shield charm you will
need to know." Harry started, getting into his lecture mode. His students
had even begun to take notes when he got into this state.
The rest of the lesson had continued with Harry reciting the various
defensive charms that can be used in a fight and their various uses. The
spell he most wanted to ingrain into their psyche though was Aber Pulve,
a spell designed to help stop an unforgivable. It was only usable when
other objects capable of withstanding a large amount of energy such as
rocks, were laying around. The spell acted as a defense system in that it
pulled an object into the path of a spell.
It worked to block any spell, but it was most commonly used to stop
unforgivables. He took great pride in the spell, mostly because it had
been invented by his mother. He already knew, this particular spell
would one day save his life, probably even save his life multiple times. It
was just another reminder that his mother, even in death, was still
looking out for him.
–
Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall anxiously waiting the results of
the TriWizard Cup. The champions were to be chosen tonight. Cedric
Diggory and Angelina were the front runners for the Hogwarts
nomination. Fleur and Aime had both put in their names and so Harry
suspected it would be either one of those two. He secretly hoped Fleur
wouldn't be chosen, not because he thought she wasn't capable, but
because the tournament was dangerous and he wasn't sure if he could sit
around and do nothing while she was in danger. The Durmstrang
nomination was most likely to be Viktor Krum as the rumor was that
their headmaster had forbid anyone else besides Krum to enter his or her
name.
Harry sat at the Gryffindor table with Fleur sitting just behind him at the
Ravenclaw table. Katie, Angelina, Alicia, and the Weasley twins sat by
him with Neville not too far away. The hall was completely packed and
Harry noticed two new faces sitting at the staff table. He recognized both
from the World Cup as Bagman and Crouch Sr. Both must be here for the
tournament he figured.
"Again, thank you all for joining us this evening!" Dumbledore began,
standing up from his golden throne to address the students. With each
passing day, Harry had begun to dislike the professor more and more. He
increasingly was beginning to sound like a man that prided over his own
reputation than anything else. The lessons he had lately been having with
Dumbledore had been history lessons, all showing off just how great the
mighty Dumbledore was. Harry wasn't sure if this was Dumbledore's
attempt to make him fearful of the Headmaster or in awe of. Either way
it only served to make Harry more rebellious and the Headmaster will be
in for a rude awakening when he actually began to press Harry in certain
directions. Little did the headmaster know that he was training his
replacement.
"Before we begin with the festivities, I must introduce two new members
to our staff, Mr. Ludo Bagman, and Mr. Barty Crouch Sr. Both are here to
oversee the tournament and will also act as judges along with the
Headmasters of each school." Polite applause resounded throughout the
hall, mostly from the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students who had a
stricter code of discipline and formality than Hogwarts students.
"Now that that is taken care of, we shall feast. Afterwards, the Choosing
Ceremony begins!" Dumbledore announced. Food appeared at the tables
and the students quickly went into a frenzy over the food.
Harry made sure to pile his plate with proteins and carbs. Sirius,
Kinglsey, and Tonks had given him an overview on basic nutrition and
what he should be eating to grow his muscles and increase weight. So far
it had worked and so he stuck with the diet.
The talk around the table focused on the evening and who would be the
Hogwarts Champion. Harry heard Ron bragging about how he would
have been the Champion if he could enter. No one was seriously listening
to him, but they did humor him by showing some interest. Angelina for
the most part played with her food, looking nervous about the decision in
just a few minutes.
The meal passed quickly, everyone anxiously waiting for the choosing
ceremony to begin. Fleur had several times sought Harry's comfort for
her nerves by talking to him. Neither noticed a blonde haired witch in
the far corner of the hall frown at their exchange.
Dumbledore stood up just as the desert had vanished from the table.
Harry could hear Rons groan as a piece of chocolate cake disappeared
mid bite. "Now that your bellies are full, we may begin! Mr. Ludo
Bagman will begin this evenings festivities!"
Ludo Bagman stood up from his seat and moved to stand next to
Dumbledore at the center of the hall. "As all of you know, the British
Ministry of Magic has taken steps to make this tournament less deadly.
As such, only those of age have been allowed to place their name in the
cup. We are proud that all of you are here to witness the resurgence of a
new international cooperation between schools!"
The students gave Ludo a lackadaisical cheer, waiting patiently for the
Champions to be chosen. Dumbledore again took over, "Eternal
glory...that is what awaits those chosen. But do not take your choosing
lightly, grave dangers await you. This is not for the faint of heart."
Dumbledore said in a grim voice, making the atmosphere thick with
tension.
Harry had to give it to the old man, he definitely had a flare for the
dramatic. The blue flamed goblet roared to life, briefly turning red just
before it shot out a piece of paper. "The champion for Durmstrang
is...Viktor Krum!" The Great Hall erupted into applause as the burly
Durmstrang student stood up from the Slytherin table and walked into
the side chamber he was directed towards. No emotional change
appeared on the world renown seeker, his surly attitude staying intact.
As soon as the door to the side chamber had shut, the goblet roared to
life again, emitting another slip of paper. "The Beauxbatons champion
is...Fleur Delacour!" Harry cheered, louder than most people in the hall.
He was surprised when Fleur got up and lent down to hug him, placing a
kiss on his cheek. It caused him to go red in the face, but he continued
cheering none-the-less.
Once Fleur was out of the Hall, the goblet again flared to life. "The
champion for Hogwarts is...Cedric Diggory!" The Great Hall burst into
applause, far more than any of the other champions. Harry was one of
them that cheered, knowing that Cedric was a good guy. He felt bad for
Angelina but Cedric was at least a good choice in her stead.
"Congratulations all champions yes. This year we-" Dumbledore stopped
when the goblet began to come alive again. Another piece of paper shot
out of the goblet and Dumbledore snatched it out of the air.
"Harry Potter." He whispered and only those close to the Headmaster had
heard him. Whispers began to break out amongst those students close
enough to hear.
"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore shouted more loudly. This sent Harry's mind
into a tailspin. So much sped through his mind all at once he thought he
might get sick. He hadn't been anywhere near the goblet all today or last
night for that matter. That meant someone had set him up and tricked
the goblet. But who?
He didn't get up until Katie had nudged her elbow into his side. He
slowly raised himself and walked over to Dumbledore who handed him
the slip of paper that had come out of the Goblet of Fire. Indeed the
paper had his name written in his own hand writing. The whole Hall was
completely silent as he walked to the front and through the side door into
the trophy room.
"'arry? Are we needed back in ze 'all?" Fleur asked as soon as he appeared
in the room.
"Err, not exactly." He said, stepping down the stairs into room.
"What do you mean?" Fleur asked, concern beginning to show. The door
behind Harry was shoved open with many of the staff, including the
other Headmasters coming in. Dumbledore rushed down the steps quickly
and took Harry by complete surprise, shoving him up against a glass
trophy case.
Harry acted out of pure instinct and shoved Dumbledore back but
unconsciously put some of his wandless magic into the shove. It resulted
in the old headmaster flying into an opposite trophy case, shattering the
glass and slumping to the ground unconscious.
"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall shouted. Professor Snape rushed to
the unconscious headmaster's side. "What have you done! You just
attacked the headmaster!"
Harry was still completely shocked at his use of wandless magic and
didn't respond. "Madame, surely you saw 'e was defending 'imself! Ze
'eadmaster put 'eez 'ands on 'Arry! That eez not acceptable!" Fleur came
to his defense.
"I 'ave to agree with Miss Delacour." Madame Maxime said. "I do not
know the school you run 'ere, but eet eez never acceptable to lay 'ands on
a student in our country."
"It vas forceful." Headmaster Karkroff butted in. "This young man was
simply defending himself." Harry wasn't sure he liked being defended by
a known Death Eater, but he would take it here. The small smirk on Igor's
face made it clear he had enjoyed the exchange. Attacking a teacher, no
less, the Headmaster of the school could get him into serious trouble.
"This is preposterous!" Snape shouted. "He should be expelled! The
Headmaster lays unconscious because the spoiled brat believes himself
above attacking a teacher!"
"I only saw it as defense." Madame Maxime responded coolly. She knew
who Snape was and his backround. How such a man could teach children
was beyond her and it had only lessened her opinion of the man now
laying unconscious just a few feet away. She smiled to herself that no one
was focusing on the raw power that Harry had just displayed by knocking
out a wizard who was considered the most powerful of their age with just
his bare hands.
"We need to get him to Madame Pomfrey." Professor McGonagall said.
Professor Snape nodded begrudgingly and performed the duties of
transferring the headmaster to Pomfreys care.
"Harry, you still will have to be punished. I know what the Headmaster
did was wrong, but you reacting in that way can't go unpunished."
Minerva asked once Snape was out of the room. The other adults and
champions stared at him.
Harry sighed, getting over his shock. "I understand. I'll serve whatever
punishment given. Sorry, I was just caught by surprise."
"I think detention with me should be sufficent." Harry did his best to not
smile at that news. He knew that just meant extra lessons from Madame
McGonagall. "What I'm sure we all want to know is if you put your name
in the goblet."
"No, of course not."
"He is lying of course." Karkaroff sneered.
"I have no reason to enter myself. This tournament is obviously designed
for those older than me, so I would like to withdraw my name."
Suddenly everyone looked nervous, "You can't withdraw Harry."
Professor McGonagall bit the bullet.
"What!" Harry and Fleur shouted at the same time, causing them both to
look at each other and flush red. "What?" Harry said after taking a deep
breath.
"When your name came out of the Goblet it binds you to a magical
contract. If you were to refuse to compete, you would lose your magic."
Ludo Bagman who had otherwise remained quiet spoke up. Harry could
hear Fleur gasp next to him.
"What the fuck." Harry muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"5 points from Gryffindor for language Mr. Potter."
Harry just rolled his eyes, "Is there any way out of this shit tournament?"
"No Harry, You must compete." Crouch Sr. said causing Harry to groan.
"You can't seriously expect 'im to compete!" Fleur cried out, causing
everyone to look at her. Her face was red from anger and fear and her
finger tips were beginning to play with fire. "'e didn't enter 'is name, yet
you require 'im to participate?"
"I'm sorry Miss Delacour. He must, otherwise he will lose his magic."
Ludo responded.
"Zis eez not fair for 'im." Viktor began. "You cannot surely expect 'im to
compete with us, let alone survive."
"I'm not worried about the tournament." Harry sent a glare at Viktor as to
say he was confident he could win it. "I'm worried about people
tampering with the tournament."
"Surely Harry you cant-" Ludo Bagman started.
"Surely I shouldn't have thought I would be chosen as a fourth
champion." This shut him up quickly.
"I think Mr. Potter is right. Obviously someone is hoping Harry will be
hurt or killed in this tournament." Professor Moody spoke up for the first
time. This caused the room to go silent. It had been the thought no one
had been willing to say, but now that someone had said it, everyone
knew that to be the most likely truth.
Everyone except Karkaroff, "Who would want to kill this insignificant
boy?"
"Your former master. You know very well that you have a price on your
head just as I do Headmaster. I don't think Voldemort takes too kindly to
those who defy him." Harry responded coldly, eliciting a few chills from
those near him.
Karkaroff blanched at his words and grew pale, going quiet instantly.
"Tonight has been an interesting turn of events and I suggest we all sleep
on it." Crouch Sr. said, breaking the silence that fell over the group. The
other adults agreed. Soon, Fleur was being dragged out of the trophy
room along with Krum by their headmasters. She offered him a sad smile.
The Hogwarts staff left Cedric and him to walk to their prospective dorms
alone.
"Did you enter yourself?" Cedric asked as they made it to the third floor.
Harry shook his head, "No. Frankly I was hoping for a quiet year."
Cedric smiled, "I figured. You're a good man Harry. Ask me for help
anytime you need it."
"Thank you Cedric. I'm glad you were chosen as Hogwarts champion, you
truly deserved it."
"We are Hogwarts champions together."
Harry shook his head again, "You are the Hogwarts champion. I am
fighting more for myself. Something tells me that my name coming out of
the goblet isn't the end of things."
Cedric nodded, "Do whatever you have to to stay alive and call on me for
anything."
"I will. Have a good night." Harry smiled at the Hufflepuff who left to
walk towards the Hufflepuff common room which was located on the
third floor. He only knew where it was because of the Marauders Map
which told him the location of everyone in the castle.
Harry walked up to the seventh floor, knowing that tonight's lesson was
about to get hectic. Sirius wasn't going to take too kindly to him being
placed in the TriWizard Tournament. He had a feeling his training was
about to be put on a whole new level.
10. Extra Training
Thank you to everyone that has followed/favorited/and reviewed.
"What!" Sirius shouted as soon as Harry told him that he was forced into
competing in the TriWizard Tournament. "Where's Dumbledore? I would
like a word with that old coot!" Sirius demanded, stepping towards the
door.
"I-er...may have-er. Put him in the hospital wing." Harry cringed at how
bad that sounded.
Sirius spun around, "You what?"
This part he knew would piss Sirius off even more. "He shoved me up
against a trophy case trying to figure out if I entered myself." Sirius' eyes
darkened. "I pushed him off me and accidentally used wandless magic to
banish him away from me. He hit another trophy case and fell
unconscious."
"He laid a hand on you?" Sirius asked, his tone dangerous. Remus also
looked more mad than Harry had ever seen the old wolf. For a second, he
thought he saw the same wild look that Remus had when he transformed
into a werewolf that night in third year.
"Yes, but I dealt with it. He won't do it again I'm sure. That's not the
problem though, me being in the tournament is."
Sirius still looked ready to bolt out the door but he sighed and conjured a
stool to sit on. "Are we sure there isn't any way out of it?" Remus asked,
speaking up for the first time. They were the only three in the room at
the time. Kingsley was expected to be here later in the evening once he
got off work.
"The two ministry officials were very clear that there wasn't any way of
backing out unless I wanted to lose my magic."
Sirius swore under his breath, "Did they tell you what the first task was?"
Harry shook his head, "They didn't talk about that. There is one good
thing about all of this though."
Remus and Sirius looked at him doubtfully. "I looked up the rules for the
tournament when I heard about it at the start of the year. The champions
are excused from classes and tests so that they can prepare. So I now
have a lot of time on my hands to train."
"That's something I guess." Sirius muttered, still not looking all too
thrilled at the moment.
"For now I should probably continue with my classes. Even though I'm far
ahead, I still learn a lot of the theory in them. Here, its all practical.
When it gets close to time for a task we can focus on them and I'll miss
classes." Both adults nodded in agreement.
"What did the other teachers and headmasters say about this? I'm sure
they couldn't be too happy."
"None of them looked too happy, especially after Moody brought to light
that someone probably entered me into this tournament so that I would
get harmed or killed."
"That's what concerns me most." Remus said. "This tournament is very
dangerous. Also the goblet cannot easily be confused so it could only be
someone who is quite powerful or knowledgeable to get your name to
come out of the cup."
"You think Voldemort has a hand in this?" Sirius asked his eyes widening.
Remus shrugged, "I don't know, but who else would be after Harry. We
know that Voldemort is still alive, maybe he has been able to round up a
follower or two?"
"So Voldemort had someone enter me so that I would get killed?" Harry
asked Remus.
"Its the only thing I can think of." He shrugged.
"That begs the question, who would he use to enter me into the
tournament? It has to be someone in the castle doesn't it?"
"That would make the most sense. But it can be anyone, and even that
person could have been imperioused. With all the new people in the
castle because of this tournament, it will be difficult to find the culprit."
"But didn't you say it had to be someone powerful? Surely that rules out
the students, or most of them anyways." Harry said.
Remus nodded, "I would say anyone below seventh year are probably
without the proper knowledge to fool the goblet and then few above sixth
year have the necessary power to perform such spells. If I could get my
hands on the goblet, maybe I can answer more of our questions and
narrow the search down further."
"Would the ministry just let you perform tests on an ancient magical
artifact?" Harry asked.
"Probably not. But who's to say I'd be asking permission from the
ministry?" Remus said with a grin Harry had never seen before.
"Maybe I can ask Minister Fudge for a favor so you don't have to break
the law?"
"That could work I guess."
"Sirius if you could get word to the minister for me that'd be great." Sirius
nodded.
"So until we find out more, we what? Continue to train?" Harry asked.
"That's all we can do for now. I can't believe Dumbledore let something
like this happen under his nose." Sirius said bitterly.
"Its not the first time. Don't worry, he will get his just desserts. He's as big
a threat as Voldemort at this point."
"Do you think he's actually that dangerous?" Sirius asked his eyes
widening. He knew his godson wasn't friendly with the Headmaster but
he didn't know his dislike for the old man ran that deeply. To compare
him to Voldemort was definitely not something he expected.
"He's planning something with information he isn't willing to give up.
Dumbledore, I think likes his influence on the ministry, the students, and
the international community. Voldemort is a direct threat to that and I'm
smart enough to know I could be a future threat to that power, especially
if I defeated Voldemort for a second time."
"You can't really think he would try and kill you?" Remus asked,
completely bewildered by what Harry was saying.
"I can't be sure of anything. No, I don't think he would kill me, but my
past experiences with deadly situations has told me he wasn't ever too
concerned with my safety. The only time he has tried to help me was
after the dark magic in my scar was removed and he started these
lessons."
"Do we not know what dark magic was hidden in your scar?" Sirius
asked.
"No, the healers didn't know and if they didn't know after a full physical,
I doubt others would."
"Do you think Dumbledore knows what it was?"
Harry shrugged, "It's possible. And if he does, I doubt he would tell me
now."
"Dumbledore's what? Like 150?" Remus asked.
"Yeah I think. What's your point?" Harry asked, confused where Remus
was taking this.
"Well, he has to be close to dying of old age, doesn't he?"
"Maybe? Why does that matter?" Sirius asked, just as confused as Harry.
"Well the Headmaster surely can't be around forever. All of his influence
and power can't save him from death."
Harry's eyes widened at realization, Dumbledore, like Voldemort was
cheating death. "Shit!"
"What? Do you know something?" Sirius asked.
"He told me he destroyed the Philosophers Stone, but that could easily
have been a lie."
"You think he still has it?"
Harry nodded, "He has to. A man of 150, even one as powerful as
Dumbledore, would be slowing down by that age. Yet, he still moves
around like he's twenty."
"I think you might be right Harry. Is there any way to find out for sure
that the Philosophers Stone is still around?" Sirius asked.
Harry grinned, looking at Remus, "Still up for stealing something?"
–
"Hey Daph." She had just sat next to him at the Gryffindor table. This of
course got the eye of everyone else in the hall. Not that they were
looking at anyone but him anyways. This morning's paper was
surprisingly quiet about the TriWizard Tournament. In fact, it only made
one small mention of it on the eighth page saying that a more in depth
story would be coming soon.
Apparently Sirius' words with the Minister last night after his training
session had gotten through. The Goblet which had been proudly
displayed in the Great Hall was missing this morning. Word around the
castle was that Aurors had taken it away just an hour ago to investigate
for tampering.
The reactions from the other students this morning was almost comical. A
lot of Slytherin still didn't have much good to say for the Gryffindor
Golden Boy. Draco especially was doing his best to declare Harry a cheat
to anyone that would even remotely listen. Ravenclaw remained passive
like they do with most things. Hufflepuff was still friendly with him
thanks to the help of Cedric, Hannah, and Susan. It really did pay to have
friends.
Lastly, Gryffindor stuck behind Harry like they usually do. All
Gryffindors, except Ronald of course. Hermione had remained quiet, not
agreeing or disagreeing with Ron's pathetic attempts to get the
Gryffindors on his side and against Harry.
No one was buying it of course, and this morning with the rumor of the
goblet being taken away by aurors, just further confirmed Harry's story to
the school. Still, some Harry was sure, harbored their doubts, but there
wasn't much he could do about that.
"Did you do it?" Daphne asked quietly.
"You know I didn't." Harry responded.
"I know, just making sure. There has to be a way out of this."
Harry shook his head, "Apparently its a magical binding contract. I would
lose my magic and maybe even die if I didn't compete." She gasped
causing him to look at her. For just a fleeting moment he caught fear in
her eyes before her normal expressionless face took over.
"Harry, this tournament can kill you!" She hissed, her voice raising
slightly.
"Oh, are you concerned about Miss Greengrass?" Harry grinned when she
went slightly pink. She punched his arm in return. "Ouch." He mocked.
"This is not something to joke about!" Harry was aware that many nearby
were straining to hear their conversation so he grabbed her arm and led
her out of the Great Hall and into a small classroom.
He placed his hands on her shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze. "I
know its not a joke. There are other things going on besides the
tournament."
Her ice queen persona dropped the minute they were alone. "Like what?"
"Whoever put my name into the Goblet obviously wants me hurt or
dead." Daphne surprised him by throwing her arms around his neck and
pulled him into a hug. His arms naturally fell to rest on her hips.
"What are you going to do about this?"
"Nothing for now. Remus and Sirius are trying to find out more answers.
All I can do is train."
"You better train mister. Do you know what the first task is?" She pulled
away from him but kept her arms around his neck. Harry shook his head.
"Well, whatever it is, I'll do everything I can to help you."
Harry gave her a soft smile. "I know you will."
"And if someone is hoping you will die in this tournament, you do
everything to stay alive! Here me? Everything!" Harry felt warm in side
seeing the fierceness she said those words.
"Yes, ma'am." Her stomach took that moment to growl and she blushed
heavily causing Harry to laugh.
"Shut up. You took me from my breakfast."
"Well lets get you some food." Daphne took his arm as they walked back
out the door and ran right into Fleur and Amiee. Daphne stopped and
turned to Harry. She being a few inches shorter than Harry, stood up on
her toes and planted a kiss on the corner of his lips.
"I'll see you." She gave him a sultry smile as she walked back into the
Great Hall. Harry could only watch, completely in shock. She had never
shown affection towards him in public like that before and it took him by
surprise. He didn't see the dark looks the two French girls gave Daphne as
she left them.
"So 'arry!" Fleurs voice brought him out of his stunned state. She had an
odd look in her eyes, one he hadn't seen before. She walked over and
looped her arm through his like Daphne had earlier. "I 'ear that we are
being allowed out of ze castle next weekend to a place called
'Ogsmeade?"
"Err yeah. We have a couple trips there every year." They began walking
back into the Great Hall and Harry guided them to Gryffindor table. Katie
and Neville made room for the three of them to sit down. His relationship
with all three of the Gryffindor chasers turned into a brother-sister one,
treating him as a younger brother, mostly to just embarrass Harry.
"Care to show me around ze town?"
"Of course." Harry said. Aimee knew better than to ask who was going to
show her around.
"Is it true Harry?" Alicia asked once they were all finished eating.
"Is what true?"
"That you put Dumbledore in the hospital!"
Harry groaned. He was hoping that wasn't going to get out. "I can neither
confirm or deny such rumors."
"Aww come on Harry. You can tell us!" Katie whined. Angelina was
staying quiet and wasn't really eating. He knew that she was still
disappointed at not being chosen, and maybe even a little mad at him for
being the fourth champion.
"Eet was your 'eadmasters fault." Fleur responded for him.
"Wow! You really did Harry?" Neville asked, pushing aside his plate.
"Look, some things last night should never have happened. I'm now
forced to compete in a tournament I never signed up for."
"I'm zorry that you 'ave to compete. Eet eez not fair." Fleur said
sorrowfully.
"Maybe not, but now that I am in it, I expect to win it." Harry grinned at
Fleur.
She chuckled, "You 'ave to get passed me to do so!"
"You think you're a match for me?" He said, grinning.
Fleurs smile and she grew serious for a moment. "A perfect match."
Harry's heart stopped beating for a moment. He knew that she meant
something else by those words, it was written on her face and impossible
to miss, even for a clueless fourteen year old.
"I think I'm going to throw up." Aimee muttered, breaking up the moment
they were having. Fleur and Harry shook themselves from the staring
contest they had been having and turned back to their food, both going
red in the face.
Harry used the silence that had developed to focus on the others in the
Hall. Ron wasn't too far away, gorging himself on food while Hermione
glanced up at Ron with a mixed look of longing and disgust. The last two
months, Harry had observed them draw closer to one another. As far as
he was aware, they weren't a couple yet, but they were progressing that
way. It was also painfully obvious they would never work out as a
couple. They had nothing in common and frankly it was amazing they
had stuck around as friends once he had left. He never pictured
Hermione the type to fall in love with the likes of Ron.
Daphne and Tracy were sitting with a few of their friends in Slytherin.
Most of the other Slytherins with the exception of Malfoy and his death
eater cronies had accepted them back into the House of Snakes.
Susan and Hannah sat at the Hufflepuff table eating with their year
mates. His eyes roamed to the table of blue and focused in on the blonde
haired 'Claw. Sometime soon it would be good to get some friends from
Ravenclaw and Luna would be a fine start.
"Do you two know what the first task is?" Aimee asked, breaking the
silence.
Fleur shook her head, "Non, not yet. We 'ave a wand ceremony in two
weeks."
"We do?" Harry asked, not having heard that.
"Oui, Madame Maxime told me. Were you not told?"
"No, my headmaster was in the hospital wing, remember?" Harry couldn't
keep the grin off his face. He took some pride that he had knocked the
greatest wizard of the century unconscious. Surely few could claim that.
"Oh right." She responded sheepishly.
–
Goblet of Fire Tampered With!
Our sources within the Ministry have been able to confirm that the ancient
artifact, the Goblet of Fire, was tampered with, which is what led to the
choosing of four champions. Due to the nature of the magic used, it is not
possible to ascertain the identity of the person who tampered with the artifact.
All that can be confirmed is that the spells used were complex and powerful.
When call for a quote, the lead investigator, Mr. Kingsley Shacklebolt, had
this to say, "The person responsible for the tampering of this object is very
gifted in charms which will help us narrow down our suspects." When asked
about the potential suspects, Master Auror Shacklebolt had nothing to say.
Now that the Ministry has confirmed that the artifact was tampered, resulting
in Mr. Potter being entered into a dangerous tournament that he is underage
for, we must ask what will be done? The Ministry so far has remained quiet on
how they will use this information. What is known, is that Mr. Potter will still
need to compete having been entered into a magically binding contract. That
contract however never says that he must win, or even finish every task. He
simply must participate.
So what does that mean? We will soon be asking Mr. Potter himself at the
wand ceremony if he intends to compete to the best of his abilities, despite
being underage, or will he simply withdraw from each task once it has started.
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement will begin conducting an open
investigation into who is behind the tampering of the Goblet of Fire. The DMLE
have sent ten aurors to Hogwarts to conduct the investigation and provide
further security to ensure the safety of the tournament.
Dumbledore put down his copy of the Daily Prophet and took off the ice
pack that rested on the top of his head. It was still bruised from his
encounter with a glass trophy case. He was now sure that the Ministry
had no clue of Professor Moody, or really Barty Crouch Jr.'s involvement
in tampering with the Goblet of Fire.
After he had started his investigation a month ago into his old friend, he
quickly found that it actually wasn't his long-time friend in the castle.
Instead, a Death Eater, once thought dead was using polyjuice potion to
impersonate the venerable Auror.
At first, he thought of getting rid of the impersonator and freeing his
friend who was locked in a chest in the DADA office. But, after seeing
into Barty's mind through legilimency, he found that he could use the
Death Eater for his own gain. After all, they had the same goal, making
sure Harry was entered into the tournament.
Of course, Barty didn't yet know what Voldemort's reasons were for
Harry being in the tournament, but that can be figured out at a later
date. For now, he had Harry in the tournament and knew that Voldemort
had a play in this as well. He just had to wait and figure out what it was,
and then react appropriately for the Greater Good.
After a quick obliviation of his and Barty's brief fight and then implanting
the idea of confunding the Goblet to create a fourth school so that Harry
would be entered under, he left him to do his business. Now that he
knew the Ministry was clueless to his DADA teachers involvement, he
could be hopeful that Voldemort will relay his plans to Crouch Jr.
Harry stood outside the Entrance Hall, near the carriages that were
taking them to Hogsmeade. He wore some of his better clothes and the
black dragonhide jacket Sirius had given him a few weeks ago. "Wow,
look at you! All dressed up for your date?" Tracy teased, walking out with
Daphne, Susan, and Aimee. The girls had quickly taken to the two French
students. There was some obvious dislike going on between Daphne and
Fleur for a reason Harry couldn't figure out. Annoyingly, no one would
tell him either and instead just roll their eyes and walk away anytime he
asked about it.
"It's not a date. Just going out with a friend." Harry cringed inside at how
unconvincing he sounded.
"Uhuh, sure..." Aimee said with a sly grin. "Fleur will be here in a
moment."
"Have a good time lover boy." Susan smirked, walking passed him with
the other girls in tow. Harry could only roll his eyes in response. Daphne
didn't say anything and instead just gave him a forced smile. He was
going to have to figure out what was wrong between her and Fleur soon.
"Don't forget to meet us at the Three Broomsticks for lunch!" Susan called
as she stepped into a carriage.
Hanna and Neville walked out soon after, saying hello as they stepped
into a carriage. Neville had undergone the most change this year and
most of that could be attributed to Hannah. Though he was still shy
around others, he was improving. His studies had improved in most
subjects besides potions, though that was hardly his fault. He still
struggled when casting spells which struck Harry as odd. He knew his
parents had both been very good aurors. There had to be something else
going on there that would take further investigation.
Just a minute later, Harry had his breath taken away when Fleur came
into view. It was clear she had taken more of an effort to make herself
look better, not that she really needed it. She was wearing tight fitting
blue jeans with a simple t-shirt, cardigan, and black jacket. Also her blue
eyes seemed to pop more than normal and her silver hair was pulled into
a pony tail.
"Like what you see?" Fleur teased, seeing Harrys stunned look. He could
only nod, still mesmerized by the radiance in front of him. "You don't
look too bad yourself." She chuckled.
"So what do you want to do today?" He asked, getting over himself. She
looped her arm through his and they walked to the nearest carriage. It
was empty and soon took off once they got inside.
"You're the expert. I don't know what this town 'as."
"Well in all honesty, there isn't a whole lot to do. Shopping is about it."
"Well I'll follow your lead. I'm sure you can entertain me." Harry blushed.
The carriage slowed to a halt and Harry played the gentleman, helping
her down from the carriage. She didn't relinquish his hand once they had
exited the carriage and they began walking down the main street of
Hogsmeade. He wasn't about to pull his hand away either, enjoying the
warm tingles that were shooting up his arm.
The small magical town was already crowded with students bustling
around, getting some shopping done. It was a colder, windy day and so
most people went from shop to shop, not taking time to talk in the
streets.
Their presence was noticed however as people stopped to whisper, eyeing
their joined hands. He glanced nervously at Fleur, but she either didn't
notice the other students staring at them, or didn't care.
They didn't say much as they walked through the street, just enjoying the
closeness of one another. "Where are we going?" Fleur asked, breaking
the silence. They had already walked through most of the town and were
now nearing the edge of town.
"The most haunted place in Britain." He said, grinning at Fleur.
She raised her eyebrows, but her eyes showed amusement. "You're taking
me to a place that eez 'aunted?"
By now they had entered the woods that were at the southwest end of
town, near where the shrieking shack was. "Its not actually haunted but
others don't know better. My uncle Remus, you've met him, when he
went to Hogwarts, the Headmaster had this house built so that Remus
could have a place to be during his werewolf transformations."
"So ze others think eet eez 'aunted because a werewolf lives there?"
Harry shook his head. "No, they think its haunted because they've heard
inhuman noises from the house. Remus however hasn't used the house in
years."
Soon they were inside the shack. It was just how Harry remembered it to
be, full of spiderwebs and broken furniture. The walls were breaking
down from termites eating away at the wood. "What a romantic place
'Arry." Fleur said sarcastically, running her hand along one of the dusty
drapes. He could tell she said it with amusement however.
"It's the only fun thing I could think of in this town"
She caught on quickly and gave him a sultry smile, "Are you sure you
didn't just want me alone?" Harry blushed heavily. The thought definitely
had crossed his mind.
Fleur took a tentative step forward and wrapped her hands around
Harry's neck. He was sure his heart had stopped beating and his mouth
went impossibly dry. He felt his whole body go numb and the world
around him ceased to exist. Only Fleur's bright blue eyes and the small
upturn of her pink lips was all he could see.
–
"Daphne. What are you doing!" Tracy hissed at her best friend. They had
been walking through the town when they spotted Harry and Fleur walk
off into the forest together. Now, Daphne was hell bent on following
them. Tracy wasn't dumb. She knew her friend harbored some feelings
for Harry. Honestly, what girl wouldn't? Even she had to sometimes snap
herself out of a daydream that involved Harry and a broom closet. But
she knew that they just wouldn't work as a couple, and so she never tried
to pursue him.
Daphne, on the other hand, was definitely feeling something more than
just a liking. Whether the Ice Queen would admit something like that was
yet to be seen. Still, she knew her best friend well enough that the arrival
of Fleur had upset Daphne.
They crept along, from tree to tree, staying just out of hearing distance
from them. Daphne ignored every attempt by Tracy to stop. They were
led to the Shrieking Shack, where the two disappeared through a door.
When Daphne made to follow, Tracy grabbed her arm, "Look! We
shouldn't spy on them. Its wrong Daph."
Daphne wasn't having any of it though and jerked her arm away from
Tracy, following the two into the Shrieking Shack. She knew this place
wasn't actually haunted. Harry had told her the real history behind it
during a study session in the library. Not a lot of studying went on that
day.
Once inside, they slowly crept along the old wooden hallways, stepping
as softly as possible so that the floorboards didn't creak.
"Are you sure you didn't just want me alone?" Tracy heard from the room
next to her. Daphne had stopped just next to the doorway and peaked
into the room. Before Tracy could stop her, Daphne had her wand out
and sent a silent blasting hex into the room. Tracy winced when she
heard something explode followed by shrieks from Harry and Fleur.
–
CRASH! The old chair behind Harry exploded, sending debris flying.
"What the hell was that!" Harry yelped, jumping back and taking out his
wand. Fleur had done the same and looked around the room.
"I thought you said this 'ouse izn't 'aunted!"
"It isn't! Or at least I don't think it is." Harry went and examined the spot
where the chair had exploded. In a nearby room, another crash sounded,
followed by a chair flying into the room causing Harry to duck, and
breaking on the wall.
"Maybe we should go?" Harry asked, looking at Fleur who nodded. They
rushed out of the house just as another chair slammed into the door
Harry shut behind him. In the rush, neither of them saw the two
Slytherins, one of them holding a wand.
"Was that necessary Daphne?" Tracy asked as soon as Harry and Fleur
had left the house. "You shouldn't have done that."
"I was just having some fun Tracy." Daphne smirked, slipping her wand
back into her pocket.
"Just fun? Or did you do this for another reason?" Tracy crossed her arms
and eyed her friend closely.
"Just fun. Come on, we're supposed to meet them at the Three
Broomsticks!" Daphne called to Tracy, walking out of the Shrieking
Shack.
"This is only going to lead to trouble." Tracy muttered, following Daphne
out.
The rest of the day had passed quietly. Everyone had met up at the Three
Broomsticks. Tracy was thankful that neither Harry or Fleur had noticed
them at the Shrieking Shack. She also had to keep from laughing when
Harry described the events. After the fact, it was a little funny to see
Harry actually freaked out about something. Looking over at Daphne, she
just wore a triumphant smirk the whole time.
Once they were finished at the Three Broomsticks, they all walked back
up to the castle together. Harry had his training and so left quickly,
saying goodbye to everyone.
"So why are we meeting outside?" Harry asked walking up to Sirius and
Remus. It was dark out with a crescent moon. The full moon wasn't for
another two weeks.
"We are going to start you and your extra training!" Sirius grinned,
clapping his hands together.
"Extra training?" His eyebrows rose questioningly.
"Well, Remus and I think it's time for you to start learning to be a proper
Marauder!"
"You want to teach me how to prank people?" He asked skeptically.
Sirius shook his head, "No. Yes, the Marauders were known for pranking.
But that wasn't why we called ourselves that. As you know, your father
and I became animagus' to take care of this old guy." Sirius slapped
Remus on the back.
"You're going to teach me to be an animagus?" Harry asked, suddenly
excited at the notion.
"Yes. Now, it's difficult work and wont happen over night. There is also
the possibility that you don't have an inner animal form."
"Or I could be something useless like a flobber worm...or a goat."
"Yes, that's a possibility too."
"So, where do we begin?"
"Well, things will go easier since you have a good grasp on occlumency. I
want you to calm yourself, and go into your mind." Remus said. Harry
nodded and took a seat on the grass.
"So, what am I supposed to do once I'm there?"
"First, we are going to give you a potion that will help. Once your mind is
calm, the potion will begin to take effect. From there, either something
will happen, or it won't. It's different for everyone."
Remus took out a small vile that contained a pink liquid. "Take it all at
once." He handed the vial over to Harry.
"So, what is this supposed to do exactly?" Harry eyed the vial cautiously.
"It'll hopefully allow you to see your animal form."
"Wait, if all it takes to see your animal form is a potion, why do so few
people become animagus?"
"Well, the potion itself is regulated carefully by the ministry and you're
not supposed to do this without their approval."
"Let me guess, were doing this illegally."
"Of course!" Sirius grinned and Harry just rolled his eyes at his godfathers
antics. "Its best to keep your animagus ability a secret. It can come in
handy sometime down the road."
"Also, the ministry doesn't grant many people the ability to become an
animagus. They think the ability dangerous and for the most part they're
right. It can be used for ill reasons."
"Right, so all I have to do is drink it?" Remus nodded and so Harry down
the vial of pink liquid. Immediately he began to feel something tug on his
occlumency shields.
Harry closed his eyes and focused inwards. The feeling of the grass, the
cold breeze that brushed his face, the moonlight, all disappeared. His
world faded black as everything around him came to a halt. This was
something he had done a million times now. Once he knew he was
within his own mind, he opened his eyes. This time though, instead of
seeing the outside world, he could see the inner workings of his mind.
His memories were filed away to his left, his hopes and dreams to the
right. Everything was neatly placed into cabinets in a muggle filing
system he had briefly seen while in his uncles workplace. He figured this
might be an added defense to someone that had managed to break his
occlumency shields. Someone like Dumbledore was clueless to the ways
of muggles.
Looking above him, he could see a pink bolt of energy repeatedly crash
into an invisible wall. Harry waved his hand, bringing down his shield
and the pink bolt, flew directly at Harry. It hit him in the stomach,
causing his world to again go black.
When he woke back up, he was no longer in his mind, or at least he
didn't think so. He also wasn't in the real world either. This place was
bright and sunny. A warm wind brushed against him, but it felt different.
His vision was perfect, better than when he was out of whatever place he
was. His smell was also better, being able to even smell the bark off the
nearby tree's.
When he stepped forward, something at the bottom of his vision caught
his eye. Looking down, he saw two large black paws where his feet were
supposed to be. For some reason he didn't freak out. It felt natural to him.
He took another step forward, observing his legs they worked easily in
unison. By now, he could tell he was some kind of cat or dog. Something
with four legs and black fur. His ears picked up the sound of flowing
water not too far away and so he decided it would be a good time to
check out how quick he was.
He started out with a slow trot, getting used to his legs, but he picked up
the pace until the point he was sprinting through the tree's at speeds that
would make anyone nervous. Harry found he loved the feel of the wind
on his fur and felt free. Just as free as he did when he was flying.
Keeping his ears trained on the sound of running water, he guided
himself through the forest until he came across a stream. He stopped his
sprint and approached the stream, curious to see his reflection.
The first thing he noticed was the bright emerald eyes looking back at
him. His fur was pitch black and only a small white lightning bolt on his
forehead stood out. Next he focused on the razor sharp teeth that showed
themselves dangerously anytime he opened his mouth. He now knew
exactly what animal he was. He was also very large and muscled.
He was thankful it was something useful. A tiger. A unique one at that
since he had never heard of one with black fur.
There we go, ten chapters in. I'm amazed at the response I have
gotten for this story and I thank everyone that is supporting me.
Also know, this is just the beginning. Fourth year is very much a
building year for Harry and where he will come into his own. Fifth
and sixth years are where things will really take off in my opinion.
11. Discovering the Task
"Ah good, good. The fourth champion has arrived. Step over here Mr.
Potter." Ludo Bagman announced his presence to the room. Fleur, Cedric,
and Viktor were sitting down next to one another across from Mr.
Ollivander. All of the Headmasters and a reporter, along with her
cameraman were at this event. As far as Harry knew, this ceremony was
just a formality and nothing really happened during it.
Rita Skeeter, the newly hired reporter for the Daily Prophet had
somehow gotten exclusive access to this little event it seemed. She was
eyeing him closely, a quill floating above her right shoulder furiously
writing down anything and everything.
Harry took his seat next to Fleur which Ludo led him to. She gave him a
radiant smile when he sat down. They hadn't gotten any time to revisit
their moment back at the Shrieking Shack. Both of them had been busy
with classes and Harry had mostly been busy with his extra training from
Sirius and Remus. They had to train at odd times of the day to keep
Dumbledores suspicions away from what they were doing since this
training was off the books.
"Now that everyone is here we can begin. Mr. Ollivander you have the
floor." Ludo bowed deeply to the old wandmaker.
"Yes, yes, well ladies first." He beckoned Fleur over to him, eager to get
things started. She squeezed Harry's arm briefly before walking over to
Ollivander. She handed over her wand with a hint of uneasiness. Harry
didn't blame her. From day one every witch and wizard is taught to never
part with their wand.
"Ah. How interesting...yes. Veela hair! An unusual core for a wand and
quite temperamental. I don't use them myself of course." Harry could see
Fleur's features tighten at the implied insult. "Veela hair only works when
given freely of course. You must know whose hair this is, yes?"
Fleur smiled brightly, "Oui, my grandmere's. She gave eet to me when I
was eleven." Ollivander nodded, continuing to inspect the wand in his
long bony fingers. He gave the wand a wave and produced a bouquet of
pink roses.
"It's in very good condition. Very well, next." He motioned for Cedric to
replace Fleur in the spotlight. He took the wand from Cedrics grasp. Even
from this distance it was clear that Cedric had taken great care of his
wand and it was well polished. Harry looked down at his own wand that
he had been casually twirling in his hand. It was definitely 'well used'.
"Excellent. I remember this wand well. 12 ¼ inches made of ash with a
unicorn hair core. It is pleasantly springy, very good for charms. I see you
have been polishing this wand every day."
"Just like you told me to do, sir." Cedric replied proudly. Ollivander
waved the wand and summoned a cup into his hand before handing back
Cedrics wand. Krum took his place in front of the wandmaker and
handed over his wand. It was much thicker than the others and made of a
light brown wood.
"Ah, a Gregorovitch wand. A very good wandmaker he is. His wands tend
to be very sturdy. Dragonheart string core, perfect for dueling."
Ollivander again waved the wand, sending a red spell that Harry
recognized as a stinging hex, right at Ludo Bagman who had been
attempting to chat up Rita Skeeter. The spell hit mid thigh causing him to
cry out in surprise. "Sorry." Ollivander shrugged when Ludo gave him a
death stare.
"And last but not least I'm sure, Mr. Potter." Harry hesitantly handed over
his wand. "Yes...11 inches, holly with a phoenix feather core. A highly
unusual combination that makes for a nice and supple wand. Has it still
been serving you well?" Ollivander peered over his glasses to look at
Harry.
"Yes, sir."
"Good, good. Well its in fine working condition I believe." Before he
handed it back to Harry, he waved it around producing a few red sparks.
Harry blew a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Mr. Ollivander might
reveal the history behind his and Voldemorts wand. The last thing he
needed right now was that information getting out.
Dumbledore stepped forward and clapped his hands, "Well I think we
have taken enough time out of these students hands."
"But pictures Dumbledore!" Ludo barked out. That began one of the worst
thirty minutes of Harry's life as he was ordered around by Rita Skeeter
and her cameraman to pose for various pictures. A few times he had to
warn the cameraman for taking one too many pictures of Fleur and once
he even stopped taking pictures altogether and instead, simply stared at
her through his camera lens.
The whole deal was making everyone irritable, including the headmasters
since they too, had to pose for some pictures. Krum was the only one who
seemed unfazed by this, but Harry figured he was probably unfazed by
most things, being a star seeker and all.
Just as things were being wrapped up and Harry was about to step out of
the door with Fleur, he felt himself being jerked back inside. He came
face to face with Rita Skeeter who had an unsettling, hungry look about
her. "Harry, darling. Mind if we do a...private interview?" She said in
what he figured was supposed to be a sultry voice. The smell of her
perfume hit him at that moment and he felt a tingle in the back of his
mind telling him to talk with her.
If it wasn't for his occlumency training with Remus, he may not have
recognized that her perfume was somehow spelled to make him talk with
her. "Sure, Miss Skeeter." He decided to play along and give an interview.
"Wait for me?" He asked Fleur who nodded and stepped out of the
classroom.
"Harry, you do have classes, do you think it wise to miss them for an
interview?" Dumbledore asked, seeing Harry step away with Rita Skeeter.
"You know as well as I that I can miss classes since I am a Champion
Professor. It will be quick, don't worry." he gave the Headmaster an
innocent smile. The Headmaster simply nodded, though Harry could spot
a bit of unease with Dumbledore.
Rita Skeeter dragged Harry into a nearby cramped closet. "Mr. Potter, my
readers are desperate to hear your take on everything happening
involving the Goblet of Fire."
"Was there a question in there Miss Skeeter?" Harry asked. Sirius' lessons
in dealing with reporters would come in handy greatly this year.
"More specifically, are you scared for your life? As you know, this
tournament is known to be very dangerous, even deadly. As an underage
boy, you must be frightened."
"Well, as I'm sure you and your readers know, this tournament is not the
first time I have encountered anything dangerous. I will, like every time I
have been in danger, fight through it."
"So you intend to participate?"
"I do. Though I did not enter myself, I will do my best to win this
competition." Harry eyed the quill that was frantically scribbling upon a
floating piece of parchment.
"Who do you think entered you into the tournament?"
Harry shrugged, "It's impossible to say."
Rita could tell by now that Harry was well versed in giving interviews
and she wasn't going to get any information out of him from a simple
interview. She decided it was best to wrap up now and maybe she could
use her abilities to gather another story elsewhere. "And lastly Mr. Potter,
you and Miss Delacour seem rather close. Anything to say about that?"
Harry smiled, "We have known each other for several months now. After
the events of the World Cup we have grown to be friends."
"Just friends?" Rita asked, a smile cresting her lips.
"Just friends. By the way Miss Skeeter, I should warn you to not wear
that particular perfume around me. I'm sure your publisher wouldn't like
to hear you using illegal potions to get interviews." He winked at the
floundering reporter as he walked out of the closet.
–
Fleur raised her eyebrows at him when he walked out of the old
classroom. "She waz...forward. 'Aving an affair wiz an older woman
'Arry?"
Harry winked at her, "I don't kiss and tell." Fleur responded by punching
him in the arm. "She just wanted a of couple quotes for her article on the
TriWizard Tournament."
"And?"
"And I told her that I would be winning it."
Fleur scoffed, "You 'ave to do better zan me and I won't go down easily."
They had been told that the first task was going to be held in just two
weeks time. What the task was, was being kept quiet, something Harry
wasn't too thrilled about since it allowed whoever wanted Harry in this
tournament to have an even bigger advantage.
Over the last week, they had teased each other about who would win
since both were confident. It also helped to not talk about the elephant in
the room, that someone was gunning for his death in this tournament.
"There you are Harry!" Neville came jogging up to them. "I've been
looking everywhere." He was out of breath, hunched over with his hands
on his knee's, gasping for breath.
"I've already told you that you should join me in the mornings for my
work out." Harry tsked, seeing the sorry state of his friends physical
shape.
"I don't need it, honest." Neville wheezed. "Here." He stuck out a piece of
parchment which Harry took.
Harry,
Meet me outside my hut at eleven this evening. Bring your cloak.
Hagrid
"Huh. I wonder what this is about." Harry murmured, re-reading the short
note.
"Maybe its something to do with the task?" Fleur questioned.
"Did Hagrid say anything else?" Neville just shook his head.
"Are you going to go? Eet eez after 'ours and you could get into trouble."
"I'll only get into trouble if I'm caught, which won't happen." Harry said
confidently.
"I take eet you 'ave been out of bed after 'ours before?"
Neville snorted, "Rules are more like guidelines to Harry at this school."
Harry's eyes narrowed, "That is not true! I follow the rules, unless I figure
out a devious plot designed to destroy the school!"
"Right and that dragon you smuggled out of the school first year was
going to destroy the school?" Neville said with a grin.
"Well Hagr-"
"Or the time you and Ron got trapped in an acromantula nest second
year?"
"Well we-"
"How about the time you used polyjuice potion to sneak into Slytherins
common room?"
"I shouldn't have told-"
"And of course the time you snuck out to Hogsmeade third year." By this
time Fleur was laughing hysterically making Harry even more irritable.
"Whatever." Harry muttered, crossing his arms waiting for both Neville
and Fleur to compose themselves.
"I 'avent 'eard those stories yet. You 'ave a lot to tell me about." Fleur
poked him in the side.
"Another time, I promise. I have Defense class! Come on Nev!" He shoved
Neville forward, leaving Fleur in the hall. She watched the two boys
leave who were now in a heated argument and slowly shook her head at
their antics.
–
Harry threw off his invisibility cloak and knocked on Hagrids door. It was
just before eleven and the professors had just begun their nightly patrols.
He had to dodge two pesky cats, one being Mrs. Norris, as he made his
escape out of the castle. "Oh good yer 'ear 'Arry!" Hagrid hissed, keeping
his normally booming voice somewhat quiet. Hagrid was dressed in some
unusually nice clothes and even his normally frizzy black hair had been
combed.
"What am I doing here Hagrid?"
"No time to explain. Quickly put yer cloak back on an' follow me." Harry
didn't need to be told twice and followed Hagrid down a path until they
were in between the Forbidden Forest and the Beauxbatons carriage.
Another very large figure was shrouded in the shadows, waiting for them
as they approached.
"'Agrid. Eet eez good to see you." Madame Maxime's heavy French accent
announced who the shrouded figure was. She stepped out from the
shadows and into the moonlight. She too was dressed in a fine gown with
a long fur coat. Harry could only wonder what the hell was going on.
Was he about to witness them going on a date?
"I 'ave something to show you. Something I think yehh'd be interested in."
"Oh? Lead ze way." She held out her arm and it was Hagrid that looped
his through hers. It was becoming increasingly difficult to not start
laughing at what had to be the most awkward date of the century. They
walked their way through the forest and thank fully Madame Maxime
was kind enough to use her wand to light the way for them, not that she
knew he was there.
"What are we doing 'ere 'Agrid?" Madame Maxime asked finally as they
had been walking for a good five minutes through the calm forest. Harry
was also seriously wondering what was going on.
All that confusion though was blasted away when a fireball shot into the
sky followed by a deafening roar that shook the ground.
"Oh my!" Harry heard Madame Maxime gasp, her hand moving to cover
her mouth.
"Beauties arn't they! Just got in from Romania they did." Hagrid said
looking at the sight before him. "They're nesting mothers."
Harry moved closer to get a better look. What he saw truly shocked and
scared him. A large, menacing black dragon was chained around the neck
inside a deep encampment. Wizards he knew to be dragon handlers, like
what Charlie did in Romania, were circling the beast on the higher
ground and hurling spells at it to get the dragon under control.
He scanned and saw similar holes with a dragon in each. There were four
total cages, one for each of the champions. Harry knew instantly why
Hagrid had asked him to come here. The first task was going to be
dragons. Bloody dragons! At least Madame Maxime was here and would
surely tell Fleur this. He worried for her as much as himself. Now he was
seriously regretting agreeing to not helping each other with the
tournament. He understood that she wanted to win it without any help,
but things just became dangerous.
He cursed whoever entered his name into this tournament the whole
walk back. He decided it was best to leave Hagrid to his awkward date
and so went back by himself. His mind was running frantic. Even when
he was lost to his thoughts he noticed Igor Karkaroff head off into the
Forbidden Forest just as he was leaving.
Dragons weren't what he was expecting the tasks to contain. He was
thinking something along the lines of an obstacle course or maybe even a
dueling tournament.
But no, the bloody ministry thought it was a good idea to involve
dragons in a tournament with seventeen year olds and a fourteen year
old. What a great idea that is. And its just another tick off Dumbledore
for Harry. The headmaster may not have had any input into the tasks, but
he sure as hell could have veto'd them since it was his school. What was
he thinking allowing four dragons onto the campus of a school filled with
children? Sirius is going to go berserk once he hears this news.
He rushed back up to the room of requirement where Sirius would be
waiting for him. He was just as curious about what Hagrid had to say or
show him since it might involve the tournament.
"Dragons! Its fucking dragons!" Harry exclaimed as he threw off his cloak.
"Oh. Errr-sorry." He quickly shielded his eyes when he walked in on
Sirius and Emmaline laying on a couch with their faces mashed together.
Both of them broke apart and if Harry wasn't so infuriated at the
moment, he might be laughing. Emmaline jumped off Sirius and at the
same time pushed him back down. He grumbled as he rolled himself off
the couch and adjusted his shirt. Emmy was desperately brushing her
hair with her hand, trying to get the frizzy mess under control.
"Err, sorry about that Harry." Sirius said sheepishly. He had never seen
his godfather blush before. Harry waved off the apology.
"Dragons, Sirius. That's what the first task is."
"What the hell is that old coot thinking allowing you anywhere near a
dragon?" Sirius wondered aloud, his anger beginning to show.
"I'm not sure. It's just as surprising that the minstry would ever approve
of dragons in the first place."
"Do you know how the task involves a dragon?" Emmy asked.
Harry shook his head, "Hagrid mentioned they were nesting dragons.
Maybe that's a clue somehow?"
"Maybe they want you to steal something from their nest?"
Harry thought about it for a moment. "That would make sense. I doubt
the dragon handlers would take kindly to us trying to fight them, not that
that'd be a good idea anyways."
"We'll have to prepare you for a couple scenarios I guess. Does Fleur
know?" Sirius asked.
"She'll probably find out from her headmistress. She was there. I'll ask
tomorrow and warn Krum and Cedric just in case. This is dangerous, and
its suicide if we went in completely unprepared." Harry's irritation was
clear in his voice.
"What kind of dragons did you see?" Harry looked questioningly at
Emmy. "Dragon species can be identified by there color and they all tend
to act differently, especially if they're nesting mothers."
"I only saw the color of one. It was extremely large and had black scales."
"A Hungarian Horntail." Both Sirius and Emmy said at the same time. By
the fearful looks they gave each other, Harry knew this type of dragon
was not something to be messed with.
"Just pray you don't get that one. I can't believe the ministry would allow
such a dangerous creature anywhere near kids." Sirius added.
"I don't think the ministry has thought any of this through." Harry
muttered. "Any news from Remus about that task?" He asked, changing
the subject.
Sirius shook his head, "He hasn't had an opportunity yet. Its likely we
won't get one for at least another month."
"What about the ministry's investigation? Any news there?"
Sirius shook his head. "They're running around like chickens with their
heads cut off at the moment. They have zero leads and zero evidence that
can place suspicions on anyone."
"So, I'm going to be going into this first task blind to anyone who could
be tampering with it?"
"You don't have to compete Harry. You can start and then immediately
withdraw."
Harry looked at Sirius skeptically, "Can I really? We both know that the
reputation I have gotten would be on the line. People would call me a
coward and quickly forget about my past achievements. Plus, its not like
me to back out of anything. Of course I won't withdraw."
"Yeah I figured you wouldn't. Just throwing the idea out there."
"Speaking of tampering, has Dumbledore said or done anything?"
Harry shrugged, "Nothing that I know of. He has stayed out of my way
ever since the incident after me being chosen as a champion. If you
noticed, he hasn't exactly been around to train me lately either."
"And things with your friends?"
"Things are good." Harry replied shortly, not willing to give Sirius any
information about Fleur.
Sirius though wasn't having any of it. "Fleur? How is she?"
Harry narrowed his eyes, "I know what you're poking around for and I'm
not giving you anything."
Sirius pouted, "Aww come on Harry. Just give me something. Have you
two kissed yet?"
Harry just groaned and sent a silent stinging hex at Sirius. "Now, now
Siri. No need to pry into your godsons love life." Emmy said.
Harry smirked, "Yeah Siri. Maybe we should be talking about your love
life? When are you going to propose to Miss Vance here?"
"Oh shut up. If I ever need advice about love from a fourteen year old, I'll
know not to go to you." Emmy was quietly laughing off to the side.
"I give great advice when it comes to people!" Harry defended himself.
"Uhuh, sure. Like you understand the brain of a woman."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I doubt you do either. People in general I find easy
to understand. You should too seeing as you're technically a career
politician sitting on the Wizenmagot."
Sirius groaned, "Don't remind me. They're a bunch of decrepit old fools
only concerned with gaining power and keeping their heads stuck up
their arses."
Emmy slapped Sirius on the arm, "Language!"
"That's one thing I respect about Voldemort. He's trying to make a
difference." Both Emmy and Sirius' jaws dropped.
"You-you respect him?" Sirius asked, disbelief written on his face.
"Sure, he's powerful and wants to change the world. I may not agree how
he goes about it or even the end goal of his plans, but I do respect his
foresight for change. Britain is running itself into the ground. The more I
learn about the politics in this country, the more I've come to realize that
someone at sometime will have to drastically change it. Dumbledore sits
on one side, with those who want the same corrupt government that we
have today. Voldemort wants the polar opposite. I intend to strike a road
between the two."
"But he killed your parents and dozens others! How could you respect
such a man?" Sirius cried in blasphemy.
"I don't like the man. But that doesn't mean I can't respect him. He stands
for change. Something I am beginning to desire as well. Fleur's treatment
at the hands of others is causing me to realize just how fucked up this
world has become. She is still considered a creature by our government,
as is Remus. My mother was seen as little above a creature as well. Such
a world is despicable and requires change."
"That's a mighty task you're setting yourself up for Harry." Emmy said.
"I am famous, with friends of substantial backing, along with training. I'm
in the perfect position to exact change upon the world."
"Not to mention money." Sirius supplied.
"And I'm rich." He echoed Sirius' sentiment.
"It'll take time, friends, and alliances. Maybe even war."
"War? You're a little too young to be thinking about waging war Harry.
We still have Voldemort to deal with."
"And Dumbledore. He won't go down easily I'm sure."
"Well, whatever plans for the future you have, just know, I am with you."
Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder affectionately.
He smiled at his godfather, "I know."
–
The following day was constantly filled with the whispers and stares from
others. Normally he wasn't bothered by them, but what had him on edge
was that he hadn't seen Fleur the entire day. Usually they had breakfast
together but neither she nor Aimee had showed. So, he sat with Susan,
Hannah, and Neville at the Hufflepuff table.
The Great Hall was in an awkward state at the moment. Many of the
Slytherins were wearing 'Potter Stinks' badges, most likely invented by
Malfoy. What made things even more awkward was that not all of
Slytherin were wearing them. It appeared some kind of power struggle
was taking place in the House of the Snakes. On one side sat Daphne,
Tracy, Blaise, and some other students he didn't recognize. The other side
sat students Harry knew to be Death Eater spawn or sympathizers.
It was odd to see since Slytherin always tried to look like a unified house.
This caused all the other students to look on oddly at the Slytherin table.
It was clear something was going on and so the whole hall was tense. He
would have to ask Daphne and Tracy later to figure out what was going
on there.
The bell for the start of classes rang and students began to bustle out of
the halls. Harry locked onto Cedric's form as he made his way up the
staircases. "Hey Cedric, wait up!" Harry called to get the attention of the
seventh year 'Puff.
He turned around along with Cho Chang, a very beautiful girl Harry had
crushed on last year. He whispered into her ear and she nodded, kissing
his cheek before walking away. She gave him a soft smile before leaving
them to their conversation.
"Hey Harry. I'm sorry about the badges. I've asked them not to wear
them." Cedric said, looking embarrassed. A small group of 'Puffs were
wearing the badges designed by Malfoy, but he didn't really care.
Harry waved his apology off, "It's not your fault. I just wanted to warn
you about the first task."
Cedrics posture perked up, "Do you know what the task is?"
"Dragons. It involves dragons. They have one for each of us. I think they
want us to steal something from their nests."
"Dragons?" Harry nodded. "Do the others know?"
"I think so. I was planning on telling them sometime today but neither
showed up for breakfast."
"Thank you Harry. I owe you for this. Dragons, that's crazy."
"Tell me about it."
"Do you need any help?"
Harry shook his head, "No, I think I've got it covered. Thanks though."
"No problem. Just ask me for help if you need it."
"I will."
"Again, thank you Harry. I have to get to class. I'll see you around." He
watched Cedric leave. Harry however wasn't in the mood for history class
and so opted to skip it, as was his right as champion. Instead he went to
the library to begin searching everything he could on dragons.
Hours had passed until a body sat down in the seat opposite from him.
He looked up to see Daphne taking out a piece of parchment, quill, and
ink from her bag. "Dragons?" She asked as she rumbled through her bag.
"The first task."
She instantly looked up, her eyes wide. "Dragons!" She hissed. "What is
the ministry thinking involving dragons!"
"They clearly aren't thinking. I'm pretty sure I have to steal something
from their nests."
"They're nesting mothers! What are they trying to do? Get you killed!"
Madame Pince who was nearby shushed Daphne.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence Daph." Harry whispered.
She rolled his eyes, "You know I believe you can accomplish whatever
task they set in front of you. Its just a large amount of danger that you
shouldn't be in." Harry could see the concern behind her eyes. It was
emotion she allowed no one else to see besides him and maybe Tracy.
This was the Daphne he liked and not the one that had become
noticeably distant in the last couple of weeks.
"Does Sirius know?"
Harry nodded his head, "Yeah, I told him last night. We are going to
begin preparing this evening. I should be good to go by the start of the
task in two weeks."
"You better be Harry. I'll never forgive you if you die."
It was Harry's turn to roll his eyes, "I'll be dead. I don't think your
forgiveness will be of much use to me."
"Oh shut up Potter. Just promise me you have things under control."
"I promise." The two of them opted to study in silence for the next hour
until lunch. The only reason Harry went down to lunch was to see if
Fleur would show up. She never did, which caused him to begin to worry
and so he made his way out to the Beauxbatons carriage.
He hesitantly knocked on the carriage door and waited. An older boy in
the normal Beauxbaton blue robes opened the door and sneered at Harry,
"Oh la triche."
"Err, is Fleur there?" Harry asked, not knowing what the boy had said to
him. The boy shouted something in French and seconds later Aimee
appeared in the door.
"Come to see Fleur?" When Harry nodded, she beckoned him to follow
her. The inside of the carriage was much larger than its outward
appearance. It was similar to the magical tent the Weasleys had at the
World Cup. Aimee led him passed a dining area where most of the
Beauxbatons students sat, then down a long hallway. Many of the French
students eyed Harry cautiously as he walked through their carriage. He
had yet to make any other friends from either school other than Fleur
and Aimee.
Each door he passed had a name above it indicating a student. They
eventually came to a door with the name Fleur Delacour above it, written
in gold while the others were written in silver.
Aimee knocked on the door. "'arry!" Fleur said once she opened the door.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Aimee crossed her arms and mocked a hurt
expression.
"I just saw you minutes ago Aimee."
"Uhuh. I see how it is. Get yourself a boyfriend and I'm completely
forgotten about."
"I we-are, I'm not her boyfriend." Harry stuttered.
"Yeah, right. Whatever you two like to call yourselves, I don't care. Have
a fun time!" She shut the door, leaving Harry and Fleur alone in her
room.
Fleur dragged him further inside. "I'm sorry I didn't meet you at breakfast
this morning." The room was large with a four poster bed, a desk, and
even a small bookshelf filled with books. A picture of Fleur and her
younger sister Gabrielle sat on her bedside table. If there was one thing
he knew about Fleur, it was that she loved her sister like no other.
"I just wanted to make sure you knew about the first task."
"Dragons?"
"Dragons. So Madame Maxime told you?"
"'ow did you know?" She asked but seeing his face she realized how he
knew. "Right, your meeting with 'agrid."
"Why weren't you at breakfast this morning?"
"Sorry. Madame Maxime 'as kept me under lock and key so I can figure a
way past the first task. She wouldn't like you distracting me."
"Oh, er-sorry. I am probably interrupting you. I should leave."
Fleur smiled at him mischievously as she wrapped her arms around
Harry's neck, drawing him close. "I could use a distraction."
"Oh?" He squeaked out. His stomach was churning nervously as she drew
him in. His whole world was spinning, realizing what was about to
happen. The last two months he had dreamed of this very moment,
hoping against hope, that it would happen.
Now that he was here, he was afraid. He feared that he would screw this
up, make her laugh, and then he would have to run away to Africa. But
all of his thoughts disappeared the moment he felt her soft pink lips press
tentatively onto his.
His eyes closed automatically, shutting out the world entirely. All he felt,
all he knew, was the touch of her lips on his, the feeling of her hips under
his hands, her hands around his bare neck.
He didn't really know what to do and so he did his best to mimic her
movements. The kiss was soft and searching at first. Then she pressed
herself onto Harry even more, making her body flush with his. He could
feel her chest against his which only served to drive his growing lust
further.
The kiss grew passionate quickly, and Harry, not even realizing it, pushed
her back onto her bed, following down on top of her. She moaned into
his mouth. Her tongue licked his lips and he gave her entry. Their
tongues began to dance with each other, both of them beginning to
explore each others mouths.
Knock! Knock! Harry quickly jumped off of her, immediately turning
bright red. The door swung open to reveal Madame Maxime. "I-uhh-er."
Harry stuttered. Fleur was also bright red, her hair messed up and her
blue robes tussled.
"Distracting my student from her studies Mister Potter?" Madame Maxime
asked, her large bushy eyebrows raised.
"Well-err. I should go?" Harry winced.
"I think zat would be wise. After all, you 'ave a task to prepare for, do
you not?"
"Uhh, yes Madame. Er, sorry." Harry looked wide eyed at Fleur, "I'll
uhh...yeah." He briskly walked passed the very large Headmistress.
"I am happy for you." Madame Maxime said once the boy had turned tail
and run.
Fleur chuckled, "Did you have to scare him like that?"
"No, but I thought it would be fun. Your father is on the floo by the way."
Fleur could hear her headmistress chuckling as she walked down the hall.
A smile crossed her lips as her mind returned to the moment just before
Madame Maxime had walked in. They had kissed, finally. The moment
was long coming. If it wasn't for a ghost chair exploding, the moment
may have happened sooner.
But this, this was perfect. She had kissed him and he returned it. Her face
stayed red at just how quickly things had turned passionate between
them. The kiss at first had been soft, and maybe even a little awkward at
first. It was clear neither of them knew really what they were doing, but
once they got used to it, everything just clicked.
"Fleur! Your father does not want to be kept waiting any longer!" She
groaned when Madame Maximes voice boomed down the hall.
–
"Potter! What has you grinning like an idiot!" Harry let out a groan. He
was having a wonderful daydream, reliving the moment of just a few
minutes ago.
"What do you want Malfoy." Harry spun around to face the blonde ponce.
They were in the entrance courtyard. It was a popular spot for students to
hang out with friends and enjoy the weather. Today was a rare, pleasant
mid November day and so many of the students were standing around
nearby.
"Like the new jewelry we're sporting Potter?" He sneered causing Harry to
roll his eyes.
"Sure Draco. Its lovely looking. Too bad not many seem to appreciate
your tastes."
"Well I'm sure these badges will be the new hot item once you're killed in
the first task!" Malfoy exclaimed. By now, many of the students had
heard their verbal exchange and began to draw close. If anything at
Hogwarts was true, when Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy began talking,
something exciting happened.
"Well, whatever the task is, I'd do better than you." He figured it wouldn't
be wise to brag about knowing what the task was before hand. After all,
the first task was supposed to be unknown. Just because cheating was a
part of the game didn't mean it wasn't cheating.
Malfoy grinned, "Oh you don't know the task Potty? My father told me of
course. He is a friend of the minister after all. Trust me Potty, you won't
last long."
"Some day your father will be nothing but a blood stain on someones
floor. Do you have anything else to say? Or is the only thing you wished
to discuss your pathetic attempt to anger me." Harry didn't bother to
listen for a reply and instead turned and started to walk away.
"Don't you dare insult my father Potter!" Malfoy called out to him. That's
when the now familiar sense of having the hair on the back of his neck
stand up happened. He side-stepped, knowing full well that a spell was
headed for him. Sure enough, a red jet of light shot just to the right of his
shoulder.
As soon as Harry had spun back around, his wand in hand, he noticed
that instead of Malfoy, a small white ferret was standing in front of him.
"This should teach you to send spells at someones back boy!" Professor
Moody's gruff voice sounded above the talking of the other students.
Harry watched amused as Moody danced the ferret around and even
shoved it down Goyles pants.
The two bodyguards shrieked and ran away from the laughing students, a
small furry tail showing from the back of Goyles pants. "Professor Moody!
Was that a student?" Professor McGonagalls shouted, coming from a sea
of students.
"I was just teaching a lesson." Moody responded casually, a grin forming
on his face.
"When we administer punishment, it does not involve turning students
into animals Professor." Minerva tsked.
"I'll be sure to remember that." Moody winked at Harry causing him to
smile back.
"Very well. See that you do." Professor McGonagall rushed off to find the
three Slytherin students.
"Potter, follow me." Harry followed Moody up to the DADA office where
Moody took a seat, taking off his fake leg and placing it on the table in
front of Harry.
"I know you are gifted in the Defense. I have to ask, are you prepared for
the coming task?" Harry was taken off guard for a moment. He wasn't
expecting Professor Moody of all people to be wondering about his
abilities in the tournament. It struck him as odd immediately because the
professor had never once shown any interest in him before this time.
"Err, I will be prepared sir."
"What are your strengths?"
Harry eyed the professor cautiously, "I'm a good flier sir." He figured this
was the best response and easily back by most of the students.
Dumbledore hadn't included Professor Moody in his nightly training and
he also hadn't shown off publicly his growing combat skills, so he figured
it was best to keep that in the dark for as long as possible.
"Flying eh? Ever heard of the summoning charm?"
"I have sir. I already know how to do it."
"Good, that's good." Moody said, stroking his chin. This whole meeting
was sending off warning bells in Harry's mind for some reason. He wasn't
even sure why it was. So far, it had been a perfectly honest and
unsuspecting meeting, but something about the Professor was urking
him. Maybe it was the way the Professor continually licked his lips like a
serpent would or the drinking from a flask. Just something was off about
the man. Maybe this was another use of his sixth sense he was
discovering?
"Play to your strengths Potter. Many want to see you fail in this
tournament but I think you have a good chance at winning."
"Err, thank you Professor. Is that all?"
"Yes. If you need any help with the upcoming task, feel free to ask."
"Thank you sir." Harry couldn't get out of there any quicker than he had.
He headed up to the common room, eager to get away from the oddball
professor.
12. The First Task
"So, what has you in such a good mood?" Tracy asked once Harry sat
down at the library table being shared by his friends. Even his experience
with Malfoy and Professor Moody couldn't wipe off the silly grin on his
face.
"Oh, nothin'." Harry replied absently. He pulled out his anybook, wanting
to get through a couple chapters on an advanced charms book. Granted,
he probably wouldn't be able to actually read anything, still he figured he
could at least try.
"No, somethings up! What happened?" Susan caught on, eyeing Harry
curiously.
"Where did you go after lunch?" Tracy asked. Harry could see the girls
beginning to piece together the puzzle. But maybe there was still some
hope that they might screw up the puzzle.
"To practice for the coming task." He lied.
"I saw him walk out to the Beauxbatons carriage."
"Neville! You traitor!"
Neville at least had the decency to look guilty, "Sorry mate."
"Ooh, you were with Fleur!" Tracy exclaimed, suddenly her bubbly
personality becoming annoying.
"Oh I think he was!" Hannah chimed in. "Look he's going all red!"
Harry cursed his pale skin. "Oh come off it. So what if I was with Fleur.
We're friends aren't we?"
"Yeah, are you sure you're just friends?" Susan asked, her eyebrows
raised.
"We are, I swear. Nothing happened!" Harry tried his best to lie but knew
it was a lost cause. These girls were like bloodhounds when it came to
gossip. He secretly wondered if it was a genetic trait in all women.
"Then why are you getting even more red Harry? Did you two kiss?"
Tracy asked quickly.
Harry glanced at Daphne who by now was looking everywhere but at
him. Her face was as emotionless as ever and he couldn't even tell if she
was listening. "I told you, nothing happened."
"Yeah, like we can believe that. We know you well enough by now Potter
to tell when your lying. You aren't like Miss Ice Queen here who can keep
a straight face at all times."
"Oh shut up you lot. I'm not tellin' you anything."
"Aww Harry. We just want some details." Hannah pouted.
"You aren't getting them from me." The three girls groaned.
"Just some details! Like was the kiss passionate?" Daphne apparently had
enough of the conversation and slammed her book shut. She threw her
things into her bag and stormed out of the library before anyone could
stop her.
Harry moved to get up and follow her out, wanting to finally talk with
her about what was going on, but Tracy stopped him. "I'll talk with her
Harry."
"But-" Tracy held her hand up to cut him off. Harry could only watch as
Tracy ran off after her best friend. He was soon going to have to talk with
Daphne about what was really bothering her.
Harry stepped into the champions tent that was attached to the arena
they were going to be competing in. At least Dumbledore had taken some
precaution with the location of the stadium, choosing to build it nestled
on the mountain side a few miles from Hogwarts. The crowd was roaring
as an announcer hyped the crowd. The ground beneath his feet shook as
the students cheered and stamped their feet.
Inside the tent, the mood was very much less festive. Fleur was pacing
back and forth nervously, wringing her hands. Cedric was leaning against
a post, his foot nervously tapping as he chewed on his finger nails. Krum
sat on a corner cot, staring blankly, in his normal surly mood.
Fleur's eyes lit up when she saw Harry walk in and she quickly walked
over and gave him a quick chaste kiss on the lips. "You ready?" He asked.
He still wasn't sure where they stood, whether they were officially
boyfriend and girlfriend or not.
"I 'ave prepared tirelessly ever since I learned about ze dragons." The last
two weeks they had see little of each other. They hadn't had anytime to
discuss their growing relationship, only sharing a few odd kisses here and
there. Harry had spent so much time in the Room of Requirement that he
had also begun to sleep there. The last two days, Sirius also began to
sleep there as well. They spent all the time they could on preparing for
the task.
The Potter Anybook provided to be the biggest asset to him. Apparently
he had some ancestors that were dragon enthusiasts and wrote about
hundreds of different kinds of dragons. Going into this, if the task was to
retrieve something, he would be well prepared, or at least as well
prepared as one could for facing down a dragon. A lot more than just
TriWizard placement rode on his winning and he knew it. The pressure
for him to succeed was great.
He may not call himself the Hogwarts Champion, giving that title to
Cedric, he still knew many of the students wanted him to do well. Also
on the flip side, many wanted him to do poorly. A lot rode on this first
task and would set the pace for future events.
The Weasley twins had also bet heavily on him to win, and if he did, they
would be getting a nice payout. So, he had that to play for as well.
There was also the fact that some students had bet on him to die in the
first task. Malfoy boldly proclaimed to anyone who would listen that
Harry wouldn't last five minutes. Ron was eager to deface Harry even
more, and talked openly that all of Harry's past achievements were pulled
off because of himself and that Harry stood no chance without him
helping. Hermione again stayed quiet on the matter, not willing to have a
say on the matter.
He was beginning to think her behavior odd. The more he watched her in
the Great Hall, something just felt odd about her behavior as of late.
Sure, her normal top of the class studies had stayed the same, but her
longing looks at Ron had set him on edge. Maybe Fleurs talk with
Hermione would provide further light on Hermione. She had promised to
talk with his ex-best friend some time after the first task.
Barty Crouch Sr, closely followed by the Headmaster's and Rita Skeeter
entered the tent. "Good, you're all here." Barty said, getting the attention
of everyone in the tent. "Gather 'round." They all walked over to where
Barty was holding a small black bag.
"Your challenge this afternoon is to steal a golden egg from a nesting
mother dragon! The egg contains a clue for your second task." Crouch
announced eagerly, only for his smile to die off when he noticed none of
the champions were surprised by the news. Harry actually blew out a
sigh of relief which got raised eyebrows from Dumbledore.
"In this bag I have your dragons. There are four types of dragons, one for
each of you. Attached to the dragon is a number which indicates the
order you will be entering the arena. Now, ladies first." Fleur took a deep
breath and plunged her hand into the bag, retrieving a small moving
green dragon with the number two wrapped around its neck.
"The Common Welsh Green. A fierce flier. Good luck Miss Delacour." She
gave him a soft smile and Madame Maxime walked around to place her
large hands on Fleurs shoulders in a comforting manner.
Cedric went next, pulling a Swedish Short-Snout with the number 1.
Krum was next, grabbing a Chinese Fireball with the number 3. Harry
immediately cursed his luck. That only left one dragon, and the one
dragon he didn't want to face.
"Mr. Potter if you please." Harry reached down into the bag and winced
when he felt something bite his finger, drawing blood. He grabbed hold
and could feel the miniature dragon struggle in his grasp. "Oooooh, the
Hungarian Horntail." Barty warned dramatically.
"Now that you know your task, Mr. Diggory, when you hear the cannon,
please step into the arena." Dumbledore gave Harry a reassuring look
before following the others out of the tent, leaving the champions alone.
"Anyone feel like switching dragons?" Harry joked, hoping to lighten the
mood a little. He got a chuckle out of Fleur and Cedric, Krum just
smirked before his face went blank again. Harry recognized the look. He
was mentally preparing himself through occlumency. He should probably
be doing the same thing, but somehow he doubted his ability to calm his
emotions at this moment.
"Welsh Green, that doesn't sound so bad."
Fleur snorted in an unladylike manner, "Eet eez still a dragon 'Arry."
"Yes, but at least its not the Hungarian Horntail. It'll make my victory
even sweeter taking down the toughest dragon." Fleur rolled her eyes at
her boyfriends antics.
"You var confident you vill vin Potter?" Krum asked, speaking for the first
time.
"We all knew what the task was before coming here today." Seeing
Krum's surprised look Harry added, "I saw your headmaster head into the
Forbidden Forest the same night I saw the dragons."
"Isn't that against your school rules?"
"I have been told I have a penchant for breaking the rules." Fleur
chuckled beside him which caused Harry to roll his eyes. "Anyways, I am
confident in my plan."
"Plans don't-"
"Last first contact. Yes I know the saying as well. I am confident in my
ability to think on the fly."
Krum snorted, looking him up and down as if sizing him up, "Foolish I
think."
Harry shrugged, "Maybe. We'll know soon enough though."
"Soon." Krum smirked, walking back over to his cot and sitting down, his
face going blank several seconds later. The sound of a cannon rocked the
tent, followed by cheers from the crowd.
Cedric looked uncertain at the tunnel leading to the tent. "Good luck
Cedric."
Cedric gave him a small smile, took one last deep breath, and walked
down the dark tunnel. The champions were alerted that Cedric had
entered the arena when the cheers cried even louder. The crowd
continued to roar but soon, some began to shriek and cry out in shock.
Both Harry and Fleur looked at each other fearfully. Whatever happened
wasn't good. Soon though, the crowd broke out into cheers again. Harry
sat down with Fleur by his side, taking comfort in each others close
presence. The sound of the cannon broke their silent comfort.
"Be careful okay?" Harry said, getting up with Fleur and pulling her to
him.
"I will. Promise me you won't do anything foolish."
Harry grinned, "Its Sirius' plan, of course it will be a little foolish."
She rolled her eyes, her lips upturning slightly, "That just worries me
more."
He let out a chuckle, "I'll be safe. Promise." He sealed the promise with a
kiss, and ushered her down the tunnel. After another quick kiss, she
passed through the doors into the arena. Harry slumped down into a
nearby cot, listening intensely for any clue towards how she was doing
from the crowd.
He reflected on their changing relationship. Right now, he knew they
were definitely more than friends. The brief kisses they had shared ever
since that moment inside her room was enough to make him aware to
their change of status. Still, they hadn't talked about anything and he
worried that maybe she might feel this was a quick fling.
Cheers erupted several minutes later, bringing him out of his thoughts,
quickly followed by shrieks. Complete silence made Harry's world freeze.
The worst possible scenarios ran through his mind in that moment with
no reprieve. The crowd came thundering back again however, and Harry
breathed out a sigh of relief.
It wasn't too much longer until a third cannon blast echoed through the
tent. Krum got up from his cot, "No good luck kiss for me Potter?" He
smirked.
"I didn't take you for the type Krum." The star seeker snorted, continuing
his walk down the tunnel. He, like the other two before him, disappeared
behind a door. Harry took this time to try and calm his nerves which
were starting to make him feel sick.
He put all of his occlumency training to the test, finding his center and
calming his emotions. The world around him began to dull, the crowd
was no longer as loud, and his mind became focused. He repeated the
plan he and Sirius had come up with in his head, going through
everything that could happen when encountering a dragon. The plan was
simple, but a lot could go wrong.
He didn't even hear the eruption of applause as Krum successfully
grabbed his egg and left the arena. It was the sound of the cannon that
brought him out of his meditative state. As he took the long walk down
the tunnel, he calmed his breathing, still running over his plan in his
mind.
He stepped up to the door and pushed it open to reveal the arena before
him. It was circular, filled with large boulders. The crowd around him
was raised above the stadium and he could tell they were yelling and
cheering but he couldn't hear any of it. His breath hitched in his throat
when he laid eyes on the large, menacing, black dragon. Its mouth was
agape, showing hundreds of razor sharp teeth. The dragon eyed Harry as
he walked in, trying to perceive if he would be a threat. It growled, the
ground shaking from the power behind it.
Harry took another hesitant forward and this brought the dragons wrath
down upon him. A bright blue flame shot from the dragons mouth and
Harry dove behind a nearby boulder. He could feel the heat around him,
his skin beginning to sweat.
This put Harry into action. He pulled out his wand and non-verbally
summoned his firebolt. Then he peaked around the rock and shot three
reductor curses at the anchors that tethered the chains to the ground that
kept the dragon from flying away. The dragon didn't seem to care that
she had just been freed and sent another blast of fire towards him.
He looked up to the sky and saw his firebolt speeding towards him.
Timing his jump correctly he used the boulder he had been hiding behind
to propel himself higher into the air. His hands grasped his broomstick
and he swung his legs over, shooting off into the air. It was just in time as
well, as another blast of fire flew past his shoulder.
The dragon unfortunately didn't give chase like he had initially hoped. So
he turned back around and made a pass at the dragon, shooting several
reductor curses at its hide. He knew that his spells weren't going to cause
any real harm to the dragon, he just hoped to be a big enough nuisance
to lead it away from its nest.
After a few more passes and the dragon still stubbornly refusing to leave
her nest, Harry went into plan B. When he made his next pass, he
disillusioned himself and slid off his broom, tumbling onto the rocky
surface just below the dragon. His plan had worked. The dragon blasted
his firebolt and roared triumphantly. He sadly watched one of his most
prized possessions was reduced to nothing but ash.
Harry used the distraction to race below the legs of the dragon and
retrieve the golden egg that sat nestled amidst several others. That's
when things went wrong. As soon as his hands touched the egg, his
disillusionment faded and at the same time, the dragon must have
smelled him, and so turned abruptly to face him.
Now he found himself face-to-face with an eighty foot long dragon,
holding one of her presumed eggs. "Oh." Harry grunted. The dragon
snapped its jaws forward intending to swallow its prey whole but Harry
nimbly dove away, dropping the egg momentarily. When he came to his
feet, his wand had turned into a long flaming whip.
He flicked his wrist and the whip wrapped tightly around the dragons
jaws. This didn't stop the dragon from trying to swat Harry away with its
tail however. Just as the long spiked tail was about to drive into him,
Harry focused all of his power, all of his magic through his hands.
Nothing else went through his head other than 'push' and a sudden
shockwave burst from his hands, sending the large dragon into the wall
behind it.
Harry used the distraction to grab the egg and sprinted for the exit.
Already, Charlie Weasley and the other dragon handlers were beginning
to swarm the arena to get the ferocious dragon under control. The dragon
could only watch its prey escape with one of its eggs. She let out another
howl in frustration and anger as the chains that had been blow off were
securely fastened around her once more.
As soon as he entered the tent, a body slammed into him, almost
knocking him backwards. All he saw was bright blonde hair. "I'm okay
Daph." His voice was muffled by her hair.
"You stupid arrogant fool. Taking a dragon head on like that, what the
hell were you thinking!" Daphne shouted, punching him on the shoulder
when she broke the hug. Whatever talk Tracy had with Daphne seemed
to have worked. She had been much more her old self the last week. He
could still see moments where she looked uneasy when Fleur was
brought up or nearby, but Tracy warned him not to press her.
"Miss Greengrass, I need to make sure Mr. Potter isn't injured." Madame
Pomfrey stepped in, taking out her wand ad began to wave it in front of
him. "Though I have to agree. That was the most reckless plan of them
all."
"I'm fine. Perfectly fine." Harry said, more to Daphne than the school
healer. "Where's Fleur?" He could see Daphne's face momentarily darken
before she responded.
"She's in the stands. I suggest you head there to see your scores." Harry
nodded and wrapped his arm around Daphne's shoulders, leaving the
tent.
Just before he left Madame Pomfrey called out to him, "Job well done
Mr. Potter." Harry smiled at her. Over the years and his many visits to the
infirmary, they had grown somewhat fond of each other.
Harry sat down next to Fleur who immediately kissed him, eliciting some
wolf whistles from the crowd. Even though they weren't an official
couple yet, they had no problems with showing show some affection for
one another. He figured they would talk about it once the first task was
over and they weren't so busy. Daphne sat down on his other side, not
looking anywhere near them. "I should be angry with you for what you
did!" She exclaimed once she broke the kiss.
"Yet, you can't?" He smirked. Her eyes narrowed briefly before kissing
him tenderly again.
"What a fantastic performance we have seen from Mr. Potter, the
youngest of our champions. His display of highly advanced magic the
likes of which Merlin himself was fabled to use is sure to boost his
scores!" The announcer shouted into his microphone. "Now, here are the
scores!" Harry rolled his eyes at the commentators dramatics. It was
hardly Merlin level, well maybe the use of wandless magic was, but the
flame whip was a rather simple spell, albeit an old and obscure spell.
Dumbledore was the first to hold up his score, which was a ten. The
Hogwarts students shouted in glee! Harry could see Sirius, Remus, and
Emmaline off in the distance cheering loudly. Sirius locked eyes with him
and gave him a thumbs up. Madame Maxime, Ludo Bagman, and Barty
Crouch Sr. gave him nines. Karkaroff gave him a five which garnered a
large amount of boo's. Even some of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang
students boo'd the score.
Despite the ten from Dumbledore, Harry could notice something off
about the Headmaster. He didn't appear as happy as he was trying to put
on. This just made Harry even more proud of his achievement. Whatever
he had done to irk the headmaster, he was happy to do so.
In total he had 42 points which put him in the lead. Krum was just
behind him at 41, Fleur had 40, and Cedric apparently had a not so good
performance and only got 38 points. This put Harry in the lead just like
he had hoped.
Harry winked at Fleur, "Told you I'd win."
She rolled her eyes, "I admit, you put on an admirable performance but
you will not win ze next."
"There you have it folks! The first task of the TriWizard tournament has
concluded." With that, the students began to start their long trek back to
Hogwarts. Harry and Fleur left arm in arm but Harry couldn't resist a
parting shot at the scowling Krum, "Enjoy second place!"
–
Dumbledore sat seething in his office. He had hoped Harry would be a
disgrace today during the first task. Instead, the boy had risen to the
challenge. He had to admit that Harry had been impressive. He even used
one of the spells he had taught him.
He could already see the headlines now, Harry Potter the Next Merlin?.
Now he knew that he was creating a potential enemy. By training Harry,
he was possibly creating another monster that needed to be squashed
under his boot.
Still, his plans didn't need to change. Harry still had no clue of the
Horcruxes. If he ever went into battle, it would be easy to create a
scenario for the boy to die. Even if Voldemort 'died' in the process, Riddle
would come back from the dead and Dumbledore could step in to kill the
dark lord once and for all.
The prophecy was the only thing keeping him from killing the boy now.
"Neither can live while the other survives." He repeated those words over
in his head. Prophecies were always open to interpretation. He had
pondered the meaning behind those words over and over again and each
time, came to the same conclusion.
Harry must die. The boy was a potentially greater threat than even
Voldemort because he had the gratitude of the common people. The 'mob'
as the Romans called them. They were the true power of any society. For
all the purebloods posturing and claim that they owned the country, it
just wasn't so.
If the 'mob' were to ever really rise up, they could spark a revolution like
no other in magical history. Harry Potter would have the ability to spark
such a revolution, but that must not come to pass. Such a revolution
would only endanger all of wizarding kind.
–
"To our champion, Harry Potter!" Katie toasted inside the Gryffindor
common room. The room was decked out in decorations made mostly by
the Weasley twins. Banners floated across the ceiling, firewhiskey and
butterbeer was passed freely among the students. The prefects also didn't
seem to care about the rules this night.
Angelina stood up on the table that Katie was on and raised her glass of
firewhiskey, "Many of you know that I was initially sore about not being
chosen!" A few people laughed since that was an understatement.
Angelina had been a right bitch the last several weeks. "But, after seeing
the first task, I can honestly say that I am glad I wasn't chosen!"
This caused more laughter amongst the mostly drunken Gryffindors, "To
Harry! The only one dumb enough to fight a dragon head on!" The crowd
cheered and Harry felt his face warming up.
"Please. Like Harry can actually take on a dragon." Ron's words cut
through the cheers and caused everyone to go silent. "This tournament is
rigged I tell ya! Potter couldn't take down a beetle without the help of
someone else!"
It was clear that Ron had had a little too much to drink. Hermione stood
up from her spot next to Ginny and Parvati and placed a hand on Rons
arm to try and stop him. He simply shrugged her hand off, "Just have to
have it all dont'ya Potter! Just tell 'em. Tell them about your pathetic life
outside of Hogwarts. You were nothing before you came here!"
"Ron! Come on, you're drunk." Hermione tried to interrupt Ron but he
wasn't having any of it.
"Look at you. It's pathetic. Playing like you're some hero. You're just a
worthless freak!" Harry gulped, desperately trying to keep his anger from
getting the better of him. He locked his occlumency shields down but
they were doing little to keep him from boiling over at this point.
"Go back to that veela slut. We don't want you here!" Ron shouted,
causing everyone to gasp. Harry only saw red at that point. His
occlumency shields had failed as his anger gave way. He dove at Ron,
and as he was in mid air, his body changed into a midnight black, 650
pound tiger.
The students around him cried out, seeing a tiger appear and leap onto
Weasley. He was lucky since Harry hadn't produced his claws, otherwise
Ron would have been ripped to shreds in a heartbeat. Harry growled at
the red head that lay underneath his powerful form. He felt one of Rons
arms snap from the weight of his heavy body where his large black paw
was pinning the boy to the ground.
He could smell urine and briefly glanced down, seeing a dark spot form
on Ron's pants. Harry bared his teeth in a threatening manner before
realizing that he was in his animagus form. Harry rushed out of the
common room, leaving everyone in silent shock. Once the menacing tiger
had crashed through the portrait, sending the Flat Lady screaming into a
nearby portrait, the common room went into panic.
He cursed himself, for one, he had no clue yet how to change back.
Secondly, this ability was supposed to stay hidden from everyone,
especially Dumbledore, but now it was blown out of the water. Still in his
tiger form, he trotted along the hallways, being careful to avoid the
professors.
Now that he was in his animagus form for real for the first time, he
realized just how useful it could be. Sight, smell, and feeling was all
enhanced greatly. He could tell which way was the exit to the castle just
by the smallest of breezes that ruffled his fur. His smell alerted him to
any professor that moved nearby, he could even smell them on different
floors.
As he prowled the halls, he saw Professor Moody move about. Curious,
he stuck to the shadows, dashing around to stay out of sight while
following the grizzled auror. Something about the Professor had struck
him as odd and so he figured this might be a good time to learn more
about his professor.
Moody hobbled along the fourth floor corridor towards his office. Harry
could pick up the echoing steps of the professors fake leg from a long
way off and so he was never in any real danger of being caught.
He followed the professor all the way to the DADA classroom where
Harry laid down just outside, keeping an eye out for any other professors.
He listened closely as Moody walked through his classroom and into his
office.
Even from outside the classroom, Harry could hear the professors
movements inside his office. "Time for another hair Alastor." Harry's ears
perked up, hearing the professors voice.
"Let me go you filth! I will get out of here!" He heard another voice shout
that sounded just like Moody. Harry's head cocked to the side, curious to
what he was hearing.
"Shut up. You won't ever see the light of day again. Once my task is
complete, I will kill you." Harry felt his blood run cold. He heard the
slamming of a trunk and the muffled screams of a person.
Thinking quickly, Harry sniffed out Professor McGonagall. He knew her
scent to be the one of a feline nature. He sprinted through the halls of
Hogwarts towards her private quarters.
He accidentally ran into a startled Professor Snape, barreling him over.
He heard a crunch and a cry of agony as his powerful paw broke one of
the professors ribs. Harry didn't stop however, and continued to race
through the castle.
Once outside her door, he bashed his head into the door a few times. A
moment later, a tired looking McGonagall opened the door and promptly
shrieked, reaching for her wand and pointing it directly at Harry.
He sat back on his hind quarters to try and give as less a threatening look
as possible. Minerva hesitated for a moment. She recognized those bright
green eyes that stared back at her. The white patch of fur on this black
furred tiger's forehead in the shape of a lighting bolt however was a dead
give away. Harry Potter stood in front of her in his animagus form.
She almost leaped for joy recognizing that he was feline in nature like
her. Her joy however, quickly gave way to panic when she figured he
probably didn't have a clue as to how to change back into human form.
Quickly, she performed the spell to force his animagus form back, and
Harry appeared sprawled on the stone floor in front of her.
"Mister Potter! Though I am impressed with your transformation, I must
ask why you are here at this hour and why you would so recklessly
change without knowing how to properly transform between your animal
form and yourself!"
"Professor. This is urgent. I just heard something important!"
First task complete and things begin to get exciting involving
Moody. Sorry to make it a bit of a cliffhanger, I normally don't like
to do that, but I had to break the chapters up somehow.
13. Ruined Plans
"Harry slow down. What are you talking about!" Professor McGonagall
asked for the second time.
"Moody, or someone posing as him, has someone locked up in his trunk
inside his office!" Harry replied irritably. He didn't necessarily like having
to explain things twice.
"How do you know this?"
"I heard it while I was in my animagus form! We have to go!" Harry
didn't wait any longer and rushed out of the professors private quarters
and back down the hall.
"This boy." She muttered under her breath. She quickly grabbed a cloak
that hung nearby and threw it around her. By the time she had stepped
out of her office, Harry was already almost at the end of the corridor.
She quickly sent off a message to Dumbledore to meet them at the DADA
classroom. She the transformed into her cat form to catch back up to
Harry. As she ran, she passed Professor Snape who was lying on the
ground, his wand beside him. She quickly checked and saw that the
professor was stunned. Harry must have ran into him and instead of
getting into an argument, he simply knocked Snape out. This night was
quickly getting out of control.
She finally caught up to Harry who had already made it to the fourth
floor and was just outside the DADA classroom. "I think he is still in
there." Harry hissed. He had his ear pressed up to the door of the
classroom.
"Harry, did you attack Professor Snape?" She whispered as soon as she
transformed back.
"He tried to stop me. Did you warn Dumbledore?"
"Yes, he should be on his way. What exactly was your plan. You've
attacked a teacher and your what? Planning on attacking another?"
Harry at least had the decency to look guilty. "Look, we can do this later.
Right now, we have a man, locked in a trunk under pain of death."
"Harry we should wait. Dumbledore will be here in a few minutes." Harry
either didn't hear her, or ignored her and quietly opened the door,
slipping into the room before she could question further.
The room was empty, the chairs and desks pushed to the side. The office
door was shut and no light was coming from underneath the crack in the
door. Minerva slipped inside behind him, her wand drawn. "Harry if
you're wrong, and we attack a professor, I could lose my job."
He winked at her, "When have I ever been wrong." Harry knew full well
that this was Professor McGonagall putting her complete faith in him.
She may not have believed him the past, but here she was making up for
past sins.
Harry silenced his feet and crept closer to the office. He reached out and
touched the door handle. As soon as his skin touched the cold metal, a
loud siren sounded through the whole class and torches on the walls
flared to life. "Shit!" Harry cursed. He stepped to the side just in time as
the office door was blasted off its hinges.
A man wearing a black trench coat appeared in the smoke and debris. He
was tall with shaggy brown hair and a goatee. His black, twisted wand
was pointed directly at Professor McGonagall who had thrown herself out
of the way of the door as well.
Harry noticed the tick he had seen so many times, the man licked his lips
much like a snake. "How did you find out!" The mans voice was gruff and
harsh.
"What have you done with Moody!" Harry demanded, bringing up his
wand.
The man turned to face Harry. "Ah, Potter. The Dark Lord would reward
me greatly for bringing you to him." The man flicked his wand and sent a
simple stunner at Harry. He batted it away with practiced ease, sending
his own blasting hex back.
Professor McGonagall quickly joined in and transfigured a nearby desk
into a full grown brown bear. It roared to life and charged, but the man
was quick and was able to slice the legs off the bear with well placed
cutting curses.
Harry began rapid firing increasingly dangerous and dark curses. This
man was well practiced and rather powerful. Who ever this was, he was
well trained. The man sent a flame cutter curse that Harry dodged just
missing him by an inch. He could feel the heat from the spell as it passed
by him.
Harry replied with one of Dumbledore's more dangerous curses, the wind
hammer. It created an invisible wall of wind that smash its target down
into the ground like a hammer would a nail. The man surprised Harry by
not only knowing the spell, but being able to shield himself from it. This
man was not your average wizard.
Professor McGonagall used the mans distraction to conjure several birds
that flew at their opponent and began to peck at him. "Avada Kedavra!"
The man shouted at Professor McGonagall. This caught the Professor off-
guard and her eyes widened as the spell flew towards her. In such close
quarters she had no time to dodge.
Harry though, was quick from hours of training. "Accio desk!" Just in
time, the professors desk flew into the path of the killing curse. The force
of the spell caused the desk to explode and the resulting shockwave blew
Professor McGonagall back into a wall, knocking her out.
Harry gritted his teeth. Things had just gotten serious. He was trying to
capture this man after hearing him speak of the Dark Lord, but now this
man was resorting to killing curses.
"Aww Potter. Stopping my fun." The man mocked.
"Who are you?"
A sickly laugh escaped the mans lips. "It doesn't matter since you soon
will be dead."
"I thought you said you wanted to take me back alive?" Harry asked,
circling around the classroom, keeping a close eye on the mans wand.
"I'm sure the Dark Lord would appreciate me bringing your head just as
much."
"I don't think so." Harry conjured three steel rods and sent them flying at
his opponent. The man side stepped them, snapping off two piercing
hexes, conjuring a silver sword in his off hand and charged Harry. Harry
dodged the two piercing hexes and snapped off his own in reply hoping
to catch his opponent. The man nimbly dodged the two piercing hexes
Harry sent at him and closed the distance.
Harry could see the bloodlust in the mans eyes as he raised his gleaming
sword and brought it down towards Harry's head. He ducked the swing,
punching the man in the gut as hard as he could, rolled off him and
raised his hand into the air. "Gryffindor!" A flash of fire appeared in
Harry's hand and when the flames died, the sword of Gryffindor shined
proudly in the flickering torches of the room.
As Harry spun, he brought the sword up and the two swords clashed,
sparks flying off the both of them. The mans eyes widened, "That
sword..."
Harry smirked, "I know." He pushed off the man and was about to raise
his wand, but the other man didn't need to. He fired off a bombarda,
causing the floor beneath Harry to explode. Harry fell, but as he fell, he
aimed his wand at the floor beneath the man and sent his own
bombarded.
He was rewarded with a yelp as the man fell into the abandoned
classroom below the DADA class. Harry hit the ground like a sack of
bricks, the wind getting knocked out of him. He concentrated on the
falling figure and sent three incarcerous' at the spot the man was falling
on, hoping to catch him.
"Riddle!" The man shouted a second before Harry's thick black chains
reached their target. The man disappeared, a loud crack sounding
through the entire castle as the portkey wards failed and the man was
successfully transported away.
"Fuck!" Harry cursed, groaning as he got up.
"Harry, are you alright?" He heard Dumbledores voice coming from
above him.
"Yeah! 'Bout time you showed up old man. How is Professor
McGonagall?"
"Unconscious, but alive."
Harry nodded. He stepped over to a wall and rested against it. "Check the
professors office. I think there is a chest in there with the real Alastor
Moody."
Harry slid down to the ground, the adrenaline beginning to leave him. He
let the sword drop from his grasp and began checking his body for any
wounds. He found two large wooden splinters embedded in his right leg,
blood beginning to seep from the wounds.
"Also professor! Can you send for Madame Pomfrey! I may have gotten
myself stuck by some stray pieces of wood!" Harry called from
underneath. He looked up to see the Headmaster poke his head through
the hole. He could see Dumbledore moves his lips, but no sound came
out.
A second later, Fawkes appeared above Harry, grabbed onto his collar,
and flashed away. They reappeared a moment later inside the hospital
wing, the phoenix dropping him into his cot.
"Harry Potter! You survive a dragon yet you somehow wound yourself in
the after party?" Poppy exclaimed, striding out of her office.
"Not exactly Madame." He winced, gingerly placing his wounded leg into
a more comfortable position.
"What kind of trouble did you get yourself into now?" She took out her
wand and began waving it about in front of his leg.
"Oh you know. The usual kind. Fighting other professors." Madame
Pomfrey grasped one of the splinters and yanked it out of Harry's leg.
"Ouch! Couldn't you warn me first?" Without replying, she yanked the
other splinter.
"Couldn't you not cause trouble for once Mr. Potter?"
"Well, the trouble I get into has a purpose. This time I helped free a
professor that was locked in a chest."
"I thought you said you fought a professor." She asked skeptically.
Pomfrey grabbed a few ointments and began dabbing at the wounds.
"I had to fight someone impersonating a professor to get to that chest. But
don't just blame me, Professor McGonagall was with me this time." The
doors to the infirmary opened and an unconscious Professor Snape was
led in by Professor Flitwick. Harry groaned, "Shit..."
"Have anything to do with that Mister Potter?" Poppy asked, hearing his
groan as she went to check on Snape.
"Of course not!" Harry called out.
"That's not what I heard." Flitwick said, though his expression was much
more amused. "As always Mister Potter, you liven up this castle."
"I do try professor." Professor Flitwick chuckled and left the infirmary,
presumably headed back up to the warzone on the fourth floor.
"Are there any more injured professors you should tell me about?"
"Nope. Just me, possibly the real Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall,
and that git." Madame Pomfrey just rolled her eyes but didn't reprimand
him. He knew she had a dislike for the potions master as well. Potions
class was known to have the most accidents that resulted in students
being sent to the hospital wing, something she attributed to Snapes
teaching, or lack there of.
"Harry! Are you alright?" Professor McGonagall walked in. He could see a
small cut on her cheek, and she was holding her head gingerly. Besides
that night in the Chamber of Secrets, he had never seen her face with so
much emotion. Worry and sadness were etched into her wrinkles, making
her look years older.
"I'm okay Professor. Thank you. How about you?"
Minerva sat down on a stool next to Harry. "I'm okay. Just a little woozy.
We apparently got to Moody just in time. He was being given a slow drip
poison, one that if taken any longer than a few more hours would
eventually have killed Moody."
"Is he okay though?"
"Alastor is tough and will be fine. He'll need to go to St. Mungos for some
time to make a full recovery though. I'm sure the old bastard won't like
that too much." Harry raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. He
never would have imagined his venerable Professor swearing, but I guess
tonight would crack anyone.
"Harry, I have to say thank you. If it wasn't for you, I would've been
dead."
Harry shook his head, "If it wasn't for me, you never would have been in
that position. I acted brashly. You're right, we should have waited for
Dumbledore or gotten others. Maybe we would have been able to capture
the man with help."
"Hindsight is 20/20 Harry. You heard someone being threatened with
death and you acted quickly and decisively. That's what we're training
you to do."
"Maybe, but I was also impulsive and didn't stop to think. I wasn't careful
and it almost got you killed."
Professor McGonagall gave him a soft smile. "You're still young and
learning. In time, you will learn patience, but for now, be happy with
what you accomplished tonight. You were able to save Moody from
imprisonment and protected the students from a dangerous impostor."
"Sirius? The ministry? What's happening there? And where is
Dumbledore?" He asked, changing the subject.
"The aurors stationed at the school have already been alerted. They will
probably be here to take your statement soon. Dumbledore is already on
his way to notify Sirius."
"Thank you for following me Professor." Harry said honestly.
She patted him on the cheek, "I think I've learned my lesson well to
always follow you. Not that you gave me much of a choice mind you."
"Did you recognize the man we fought?"
Minerva shook her head, "I thought I did, but that man is dead and it
couldn't be him. Maybe the ministry will know once the aurors take our
memories of the event."
"Hopefully. He said he wanted to take me back to the Dark Lord. He must
have been a death eater."
"Maybe. How could I not know? I was around the impostor for much of
the year and never knew that he wasn't the real Moody."
"I think the real question is how didn't Dumbledore know. Weren't they
supposed to be close friends? Surely he could tell the difference between
the two men."
Minerva sighed, "I don't know. I fear a lot will be happening after
tonight."
Harry nodded, "A lot will change."
–
"I think we have everything we need. Thank you Mister Potter." The
auror who was dispatched to interview Harry walked out of the
infirmary. He groaned, laying his head back onto his pillow. Madame
Pomfrey had forced him to stay the night. She was giving him a supply of
blood replenishing potions and pain killers.
Sirius came to Hogwarts immediately once he heard what happened. He
didn't stay long though, the minister apparently wanted a meeting. A visit
from the minister might be on his plate soon as well.
Dumbledore was acting slightly odd about everything. Harry didn't blame
him either. A possible Death Eater posing as a professor would always
dent the reputation of a headmaster, even the famous Albus Dumbledore.
Still, something was off about the old man, more-so than usual.
If the auror report did confirm that the man was a Death Eater, the news
that this Death Eater had contact with Voldemort himself would also
send shockwaves through the whole wizarding world. A lot will change
based on that report and the events of this night.
Harry sighed, going through his fight this evening. He knew he held
back, wanting to capture this person. He had valuable information, but
now he wondered if maybe he used more force, he would have gotten the
job done. It wasn't possible to say, and difficult to figure out the right use
of force in the moment.
Like Professor McGonagall said, hind-sight was 20/20. Neither Professor
McGonagall or himself were seriously injured and at least they still
walked away with some information. Also, he had the man dead to rights
with those incarcerous chains. Somehow the man had a portkey that
allowed him to rip right through the wards of Hogwarts. That wasn't
something he could have possible accounted for.
Now that the possible Death Eater within the castle was gone, that meant
he was probably safe from further tampering in the tournament. That
made him feel a little better about the whole thing. Hopefully this was
Voldemort's only spy within castle.
He peaked over his bed side and saw Professor Snape, still asleep. Hell
was definitely going to be paid once that man woke up. It wasn't going to
be a fun year of potions, but thank fully he could skip them anytime he
wished.
Tomorrow is going to be a hell of a day.
–
"What the hell happened this evening Dumbledore! The press are on my
arse about this and I have nothing to give them at the moment." Minister
Fudge growled. They sat in a large conference room. Also in attendance
was Sirius, Madame Bones, Director of the DMLE, and Madame
Umbridge.
"I think I can answer for the Headmaster." Sirius began, shooting the old
wizard a deadly look. "He has no clue what happened this evening, or
does, and chooses not to say anything."
"Now, now Sirius. Lets not throw around blame. I had no idea of Moody
being an impostor."
"But you should have. This has happened too many times Dumbledore.
How can we possibly continue to expect you to protect the students when
you have failed to do so, so many times before?" Fudge asked.
"Surely you can't really think me incapable of protecting the students
Cornelius?"
"Your recent track record has proven you can't Headmaster." Amelia
Bones chimed in. "On the other side, again we find it to be Mr. Potter
once again doing your job and protecting the students."
"Not only did that boy put on an impressive fight against a dragon, later
this very night he freed one of the ministries most honored aurors."
Fudge continued.
"Of course, the boy should be commended. I agree."
"He already is for the events of saving the school in second year. He may
very well have just done it again tonight as well." Sirius said. He took a
great amount of pride in his godsons achievements. "First though,
shouldn't we discuss the possibility of Voldemort being involved in this?"
"Sirius, you as well as I, know that that man isn't alive any longer. He
can't be! That's another thing your godson is credited with doing."
Sirius held his hands up, "I'm not saying that he definitely is. All I'm
saying is that Death Eater activity, or at least dark wizard activity, is on
the rise."
"I can confirm Lord Blacks statement Cornelius. Within the last year alone
we have seen an increase in crime by 150%, most of the attacks targeted
at muggles and muggleborns."
"Even if that is true, you know I can't do anything about it. The
Wizengamot is the group responsible for the ministry's budget."
"That may be, but if you were to support an increased budget for the
DMLE I am sure we can get it passed." Amelia responded.
"I'm not too sure Amelia. Malfoy holds much influence, and his gold can
persuade many tongues." Everyone in the room knew that was a jab at
the minister from Dumbledore. It was a well known secret that Minister
Fudge was open to gold persuasion by the wealthy Malfoy family.
"What are you insinuating Headmaster?" Umbridge spoke up for the first
time. She plastered a sickly smile on her face.
"I am not insinuating anything my dear Dolores." Dumbledore responded.
"I am merely stating it won't be so easy to pass a new budget."
"What about Harry?" Minister Fudge asked.
"What about him?" Sirius responded cautiously.
"He is already expected to be awarded the Order of Merlin First Class this
winter. If he were to, maybe give a few interviews, demanding the
country be further protected, it might help to sway a few votes."
"I don't know. The kid already has a lot on his plate with the TriWizard
Tournament and all. I'm not sure it would be good to thrust this upon
him as well. He is only a fourteen year old boy." Sirius reasoned.
"It would just be a few interviews. Nothing too painful I promise. After
the news breaks out tomorrow that Harry was involved in removing an
impostor professor from Hogwarts, he will once again be lauded a hero.
It would be the perfect time to press for a new security budget." Fudge
wasn't a dumb man. He was a skilled politician and knew full well which
way public opinion was blowing. Right now, the public loved Harry
Potter, a boy of just fourteen who has proven time and time again to be a
hero. He may already be a legend, but after today, he might just be
cemented as a god in their country.
"Cornelius, I don't think it would be a good idea to reveal that there was
an impostor inside Hogwarts." Dumbledore stated.
Amelia scoffed, "What? So your precious reputation can be protected?
You may not truly be responsible for what happened to Alastor, but you
know full well the politics when taking the position of Headmaster of a
school. If something bad happens within those halls, it comes down on
your head."
"I'm not thinking of my reputation Madame Bones but the schools of
course."
Amelia narrowed her eyes, "If you were so worried about the reputation
of the school, maybe you should have done better to protect it! I saw that
Defense classroom, it was a goddamn warzone! Not to mention every
student and even some Hogsmeade residents heard the portkey wards
around the school shatter when that man broke through them."
Dumbledore in that moment looked a hundred years older than he
normal. He knew full well that tomorrow was going to be a very tough
day for him. He would be lucky to keep his job as Headmaster after these
events, and even luckier to keep his positions as Supreme Mugwump and
Chief Warlock. Too many people didn't fear him anymore or look to him
as the Leader of the Light. That torch had just transferred to young Harry
Potter.
"Well if we have nothing else to discuss, I will return to my school."
Dumbledore muttered. For the first time in his life, he wasn't sure what to
do. His plans had all crashed and burned. Harry was quickly becoming
beyond his control. The only good thing that came out of this night was
that Harry failed to capture Barty Crouch Jr. If he had, the ministry
might have been able to find the obliviated memories of his chat with the
Death Eater. Instead of expulsion as Headmaster, he would be facing
criminal charges.
Now faced with the possible expulsion as Headmaster to the school, he
would have even less influence over the boy. But perhaps not all was lost.
Being without his other duties would leave him more time to scheme and
shape the world into what its supposed to be. Yes, maybe it would do
him good to disappear for some time.
After all, once their precious hero has died at the hands of Voldemort,
they will naturally look to him once again to lead them. All will be right
in the world in the end.
Dumbledore left the conference room and headed back to the Ministry
floos where he left for his office. "Do you think Harry would agree to a
few interviews Sirius?" Minister Fudge spoke up once the tired
Headmaster left.
"If I explained what they were for, most likely yes."
"Good. Well for tonight I think we have talked about all we can. I have a
meeting with the Hogwarts Board of Governors tomorrow morning to
discuss the events of this night. Amelia, come to me as soon as Professor
McGonagalls and Harrys memories are thoroughly examined."
"Will do minister. Sirius can I speak with you alone for a moment?" Sirius
nodded, looking quizzically at the Department Head. Minister Fudge and
Dolores Umbridge excused themselves, giving them the conference room.
Amelia produced a piece of paper from her jacket and slid it over to
Sirius. His eyes widened when he saw it. "It'll cover Harry legally for his
animagus transformation. As you can see, it states he's a cat, which is
technically true."
"Its dated for two weeks ago?" Sirius stated, looking over the document.
"I think it best Harry doesn't get tied up in a legal battle over his
surprising ability to be an animagus. Many of his enemies I'm sure would
try and take advantage of it."
Sirius nodded, folding up the paper, and slipped it into his jacket. "Thank
you Amelia."
"Susan tells me your godson and her have become quite good friends this
year."
"Harry has told me the same thing."
Amelia smiled, "Maybe there will be wedding bells in the future?"
Sirius chuckled, "I'm afraid my godson is already smitten with another."
"Ah, Miss Delacour I presume? I've heard much about her. That
relationship alone will create change in our world."
Sirius grinned, "My godson knows very well how to create change."
"So how are you and Emmy?" Amelia asked, her face reddening slightly.
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Amy, you know we talked about this. We
both want different things. I have Harry to worry about and you, your
job and Susan. Emmy is good for me, and Harry. They get along well."
Amelia sighed, "I know. I just sometimes wonder how different things
would have been if you weren't wrongfully sent to Azkaban. I should
have known you were innocent. I'm so sorry."
Sirius got up from his chair and placed a comforting hand on her
shoulder. "You had no reason to believe I was innocent. I don't blame you
for anything. But...the past is the past. We can't change it."
Amelia gave him a soft smile and stood up from her chair. "I should get
going. Shacklebolt is looking over Harrys memories now."
"Keep me in the loop?"
"Will do." With that, Amelia walked out of the door, leaving Sirius alone.
–
Harry slowly stirred from his sleep. Yesterdays activities had caught up
with him and so he slept like a log once allowed to go to sleep. Opening
his eyes, he noticed it was daytime now. He felt something in his hand
and looking down, he saw a hand intertwined with his. Fleur was sitting
in the chair next to him, fast asleep.
He smiled at the beautiful silver haired goddess. She looked so peaceful,
but he figured that position couldn't be in any way comfortable. He gave
her hand a gentle squeeze to wake her.
"You're up!" Fleur exclaimed, waking up. She wasted no time and climbed
onto his bed. Harry wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her close.
She pressed her lips onto his. At first the kiss was tender, but just like
their first kiss, it grew passionate. Fleur broke the kiss once they both ran
out air. She began pecking his nose affectionately, before relaxing into
his side.
"I cannot believe you. Some'ow you walk away un'armed by a dragon, yet
you end up in ze 'ospital wing afterwards?"
"It wouldn't be a school year without a Potter spending time in my ward."
Poppy's voice rang out. Harry was glad that Fleur didn't make to move.
Instead she let out a contented sigh and burrowed further into his side,
resting her head on his chest.
"Lord Black and Madame Bones are in the classroom opposite the ward
waiting for you Mister Potter."
Harry nodded, "My friends? Where are they?" The hospital ward was
empty besides him, Fleur, and Poppy. Professor Snape must have woken
up sometime earlier and walked out. He thanked his lucky stars that the
professor hadn't sabotaged any of his potions in the night.
"Zey are in class. Eets already midday." Fleur explained.
"I was out for that long?"
"Oui. You 'ave a lot to explain to me mister." She poked him in the side.
"I'm sure I do. Do you have any idea what Sirius wants?" Fleur shook her
head. Harry groaned as he swung his legs over the side of the cot. Fleur
whined when he moved away from her. "Come on."
"Really?" She asked.
"I would tell you whatever happened in the meeting anyways, so you
might as well come along and save me some breath."
Fleur smirked, "So that you can use that breath for better things?" She
asked in a sultry voice before kissing him soundly.
"Mister Potter, before leaving my ward, I suggest you put some clothes on
first." Harry looked down and noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. He
turned beet red and hurried over to the nightstand where one of his shirts
was neatly folded. Fleur chuckled behind him and he maturely stuck his
tongue out at her.
The two of them walked out of the hospital wing and just before Harry
opened the door to the opposite classroom he stopped to face Fleur.
"Look, I know this probably isn't the best time, or in anyway romantic or
anything." Harry started, looking around embarrassed and suddenly
nervous.
"Of course I'll be your girlfriend." She cut him off, kissing him softly. She
giggled, seeing the goofy grin on his face.
"You didn't let me finish."
"You didn't need to. I knew what you trying to ask." Harry smiled at her.
He had a connection with her like no other. He placed another chaste kiss
on her lips before turning the handle.
Both Amelia and Sirius were sitting at a table talking quietly. They
looked up when Harry and Fleur walked in hand in hand. "Harry I think
you hit the gold mine last night!" Sirius exclaimed.
Harry looked at his godfather quizzically. "What are you talking about?"
"Mister Potter."
"Harry, please Madame Bones. Your niece and I are good friends."
She gave him a warm smile. "Harry, last night, do you know the man you
and Professor McGonagall faced?"
Harry shook his head, "I didn't. Professor McGonagall thought she
recognized him but he was supposed to be dead or something."
"Well your professor is correct. The man you faced was Barty Crouch Jr."
Harry's eyes went wide. "Wait. You mean Barty Crouch Sr.'s son? He was
the one impersonating Professor Moody?"
Amelia nodded, "We have already been able to confirm the story from
Barty Crouch Sr. Apparently his sickly wife had taken their sons place in
Azkaban. For the last decade he had been living in the Crouch home."
"What was 'e in Azkaban for?" Fleur asked.
"He was a convicted Death Eater." Fleur gasped, her hand squeezing his
tighter. "The comment he made to you has me most interested."
"That he wanted to capture me for the Dark Lord?" Amelia nodded. "Yeah
I picked up on that too. Its proof I think, that he was in touch with
Voldemort. I wanted to capture him, but you saw how that went."
"I see those sword lessons paid off." Sirius smirked.
"How was I supposed to know a wizard would resort to a sword."
"I must ask, how did you know the Gryffindor Sword would go to you
like that?" Madame Bones asked.
Harry shrugged, "I didn't. Just had a hunch."
"You've got to be kidding me Harry. That hunch could have gotten you
killed!" Sirius exclaimed.
"My hunches tend to be damned good ones."
"Language." Fleur hissed causing Harry to just roll his eyes and give her a
pointed look.
Sirius watched their small exchange with a wide grin. "Something I
should know about you?"
Harry went beet red and did his best to look anywhere but at his
godfather. This moment he knew all to well was going to be one told by
his godfather for years to come. "We are togezzer." Fleur smiled brightly.
"Lucky dog you." Sirius grinned. "Wait I can't you dog or pup anymore.
Bloody cat." Fleur looked oddly at Harry. He mouth 'later' to her.
"Congratulations you two. We are still looking into how a portkey was
able to rip through Hogwarts wards." Madame Bones said, getting back
on track.
"What about Dumbledore? I'm sure this recent news doesn't put him in a
favorable light."
"Last nights events will definitely impact Dumbledore harshly. The board
of governors are convening today. The Wizengamot has a meeting
tomorrow, and the ICW has a meeting in two weeks." Sirius answered.
"So, if how all of those meetings go how I think they would, what does
that mean for this school?"
Amelia shrugged, "Probably Deputy Headmistress McGonagall would take
over as Headmistress. She, after all, is being lauded as a hero right along
you for her actions last night." Harry nodded, liking that news. She would
make a fine Headmistress, much better than Dumbledore no doubt. "The
Supreme Mugwump will be a toss up between several wizards, one
including Monsieur Delacour. Lastly, the Chief Warlock position is
already being debated between Mister Diggory and Lucious Malfoy."
Harry frowned at that last name. English wizarding culture would suffer
greatly if Malfoy was able to take over as Chief Warlock. "Is there any
way to help secure Diggory's position?"
Sirius grinned, "I hoped you would ask. The Minister wants you to
conduct a few interviews. We are planning on putting forth a new budget
to the Wizenmagot that would increase the DMLE's budget. Also you
could put in a good word and endorse Diggory's position as Chief
Warlock."
Fleur looked at Sirius skeptically, "And whats ze catch? There's always a
catch."
Sirius shrugged, "Right now, I don't think there is one. The minister is
firmly on your side and wants your help in this. Have you read this
mornings headlines?" Harry shook his head and so Sirius produced a
paper from his jacket. He tossed it over to Fleur and Harry who began to
read the front page.
Battling a Dragon and Protecting the School!
Harry James Potter, famed slayer of basilisks, conqueror of dementors, and
savior of witches has once again defied all odds and battled a dragon. During
the TriWizard Tournament, young Harry Potter, the youngest in the
competition by three years, took on the ferocious Hungarian Horntail. For our
readers who aren't knowledgeable in dragon lore, we have included a picture
below of the beast young Harry was forced to fight yesterday.
And fight is exactly what he did. Harry Potter used highly advanced magic to
subdue the dragon and even used impressive wandless magic to ensure his
victory in the first task!
But of course this wasn't enough for our young hero! No, Harry uncovered a
nefarious plot by an impostor professor with the help of one of his teachers,
Professor Minerva McGonagall. Together they were able to free the highly
decorated Master Auror, Alastor Moody from imprisonment inside a chest.
Though the impostor was able to escape during the ensuing battle, valuable
information as to who the man was, was uncovered.
The once thought dead Death Eater, Barty Crouch Jr., was the man behind the
mask. He has successfully fooled the magical community for the last decade,
and lately was posing as famed auror Moody.
We at the Daily Prophet call upon Albus Dumbledore to resign from his
position as Headmaster of Hogwarts effective immediately. It is now too
obvious to run away from that Dumbledore no longer can create a safe
learning environment for his students. Several times, thanks to the heroics of
Mister Potter, the school was saved from grave danger. A rogue teacher three
years ago, and a basilisk in second year. Now this year an impostor and
former Death Eater threatened the safety of our students by posing as a
professor teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. This shows a pattern of lack
of ability by Headmaster Dumbledore to protect our precious children from
dangers.
Lastly at the Prophet, we would like to say a thank you to Mister Harry
Potter. Once again you have proven to be the hero our country so desperately
is in need of. Without your good deeds, we would be in a much worse state.
Our country supports you in your endeavors during the TriWizard
Tournament and anything else you tackle.
The article continued on to cite information and quotes from those inside
the ministry. Harry just rolled his eyes at the colorful language meant to
prop him up as a hero.
"So is he finished?" Harry asked, reading through the whole article.
"Its likely. But tell me the truth Harry. Is Voldemort still alive?" Harry
glanced at Sirius who nodded his head in approval.
"He is. I never killed him that October night. I think Dumbledore knows
how Voldemort stayed alive but he isn't talking."
"Of course he isn't." Amelia said bitterly. "Are you sure?"
Harry nodded, "I've faced Voldemort several times at this point." He
looked to Sirius for approval again and was given it. "During my second
year, Riddle was close to returning to full form. When I mean close, I
mean seconds away."
"Riddle?"
Harry laughed out loud. "You mean the ministry actually doesn't even
know Voldemort's name? Shouldn't you try and figure out who your
enemies are before you fight them? Maybe that's why you lost the war so
badly."
Amelia narrowed her eyes at the teenager. "I would greatly appreciate
you filling me in Mister Potter."
"Well, Voldemort is just an anagram for his real name, Tom Marvolo
Riddle. He's a half-blood that was in Slytherin house during the forties.
You can't fight an enemy you don't understand."
"And you understand that raving lunatic?" She asked skeptically.
"Better than most."
Thank you to everyone that has favorited/reviewed/and followed. I
have reach 1000+ favorites and am blown am amazed at the
response I have been given for this story. I hope you enjoyed the
fight scene and a little look into the politics.
14. Love
Harry and Fleur walked out to the Black Lake, enjoying the new weather.
Snow had begun to fall on Hogwarts and yet he couldn't pull his gaze
away from the girl next to him. Snowflakes got caught her in her silver
locks, adding another glimmer and beauty to them. They enjoyed being
close with one another, neither willing to break the calming silence
between them.
It was peaceful, calm, perfect. Harry made sure to remember this
moment, the serenity he felt at this time. He knew full well that he would
be fighting for another chance at a moment like this over the next several
years. He also knew that there was a possibility he would never have a
moment such as this, and so he committed it to memory.
Every detail, every breath, every snowflake, he locked away in his mind.
The small smile that Fleur had on her pink lips, the way her bright blue
eyes shown brilliantly, reflecting the pure white snow.
Last night was a wake up call. He had potential enemies everywhere, and
before today, he didn't have something to protect. Sure, he had Sirius,
and he was also too noble to ever not fight despite not having anything
to really fight for. But now as he looked at this goddess next to him, he
couldn't help but feel that she will be the reason for his future decisions.
Everything he does will be for her. It scared him, but also empowered
him. He finally, truly had something to fight for.
"Are you going to stare at me or kiss me?" Harry chuckled. He didn't need
to be told further and pulled her into a kiss.
–
"Harry! How are you?" Neville asked once the new couple sat down at
Gryffindor table. The Great Hall was packed with students. It being a
Sunday and snowing, not many had much to do besides socializing in the
Great Hall. As soon as he sat down, dozens gathered around him from
various houses. Harry took a deep breath, his new public life was really
beginning today.
Several whispers broke out seeing Fleur and Harry's hands connected.
Many had already seen the small, quick kisses and the closeness between
them. But now it was obvious that they were officially an item.
"I'm good Nev." He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Now, I know
everyone here is eager to hear about what happened last night." There
was a murmur amongst the gathered students, all indicating their
hopefulness he would tell his story. "Luna?" The radish wearing
Ravenclaw stepped away from the other students that were gathered.
"Yes Harry?" She said in her normal dreamlike voice.
"Get your quill and parchment. I'll give the Quibbler an exclusive
interview on last nights events. Everyone else can listen in if they wish."
"Of course Harry." Luna rushed back to her bag that was at the
Ravenclaw table and came back with a small notebook and an ink pen.
Many of the purebloods gave Luna a quizzical look, not knowing what a
simple ink pen was. He had heard rumors that she was often bullied over
her quirks, hopefully he could stop that.
"There are rumors about you being an animagus. Is that true?" Luna
asked her first question once she had set up her little workspace.
"Of course that's true! We all saw him in Gryffindor tower!" Seamus
exclaimed. Many of the other Gryffindors shouted in agreement. He was
still kicking himself for allowing that ability to get out in the open.
Harry ignored Seamus' comment and answered her question. "Yes that is
true. I was registered just a few weeks ago by the ministry."
"It was bloody scary. A huge, midnight black tiger he was" Katie added.
"You broke Ronniekins arm just by standing on it." Fred chimed in,
eliciting a few giggles. Rons reputation within the whole school had
taken a major tumble since last night. Not only was he being shunned for
what he had said to Harry, but also the little 'accident' he had had not
shown any bravery at all. Within the house of the brave, to be so scared
would make you look bad in front of your housemates. It was the reason
he hadn't shown his face today, and consequently, neither had Hermione.
The sooner Fleur found out the reasons why she was so steadfast with
sticking by Ron, the better.
"Last night, you had an encounter with an ex-Death Eater posing as a
professor at Hogwarts?" Luna asked, cutting above everyone else's
comments.
"Yes. I heard from the impostor Moody that he was keeping a man locked
in his trunk. I immediately sought out Professor McGonagall and together
we were able to help free the real Professor Moody." Now, that Luna had
begun to ask questions about the events after his animagus
transformation, everyone went quiet, eager to hear his story.
"But the impostor, a Barty Crouch Jr., he was able to get away correct?"
Harry nodded, "Yes. The man had a portkey with the power to rip
through Hogwarts' own anti-portkey wards."
"That must have been a powerful portkey. Any idea who created it?"
Harry knew of Cornelius' unwillingness to believe Voldemort was still
alive. He didn't blame the Minister either. Once that news gets out, the
world would get a whole lot more complicated.
"I do not know who created it. But I'm sure the wards around Hogwarts
are not as strong as they should be."
Luna gave him a knowing smile. She was in Ravenclaw for a reason and
much smarter than others took her for. "Are you blaming Dumbledore for
the weakness of the wards?"
Harry smirked, "I am." Several of the students gasped. It was still
blasphemy among the younger students to speak ill will of their
headmaster, especially in Gryffindor. Many of them had grown up on
stories about the 'Most powerful wizard in the world'. Also, it was widely
thought that Harry was on good terms with the Headmaster, many even
believing he was the apprentice to Dumbledore. "Look, I think it is clear
that this school has suffered in recent years at the hands of Dumbledore."
"How so?" Luna asked.
"It is now well known that I have...gotten into some dangerous situations
at this school." A couple of his friends who knew the real scope of his
adventures at Hogwarts snorted. "Students in recent years have been in
dangers that they shouldn't have ever been. The Headmaster is charged
with protecting the students under his care, but where was he when the
basilisk attacked us? Why did he not take more precautions when it came
to the dementors last year? And of course, this year so far has been a
complete fuck up." Many of the students around him laughed.
He had begun to gather quite the crowd. "Its obvious I think that change
needs to happen within this school. That starts with the Headmaster and
ends with Professor Snape."
"Professor Snape, Harry?"
"We all know how useless that professor is and his complete hatred for
anyone other than Slytherins. He may be a potions master, but he isn't a
good teacher. Professor Dumbledore has managed to protect the man, but
that is just another hit against Dumbledore himself." Many of the students
voiced their agreement.
"If Headmaster Dumbledore were to be replaced, who would you wish to
take his place?"
"Professor McGonagall. I do not think there is any other professor in
these halls who loves this place more than her and the students she
teaches. She is strict yes, but she is strict towards everyone and doesn't
play favorites."
"Rumors tell that the duel you had on the fourth floor was quite the
battle, and Barty Crouch Jr. is considered to be one of He-Who-Must-Not-
Be-Named's top lieutenants. How were you able to duel him and even
force if him to retreat?"
Harry shrugged, "I'm lucky I guess. Professor McGonagall did most of the
work during that duel of course. After all, I am just a fourth year." Luna's
dreamy smile grew slightly wider. She knew he was withholding some
information, as did most of the others listening in. Rumors of what Harry
would do after every dinner were all over the school. Personally he liked
the idea that he had his own succubus harem to attend to every night.
Luna jotted down his words into her small notebook. "And lastly Harry, I
do have to ask. Are you and Miss Delacour an item?" Harry chuckled,
pulling Fleur onto his lap. "Oui." He kissed her slowly, eliciting wolf
howls and cheering from the entire hall.
–
"Headmaster Dumbledore, the evidence laid out against you is here for all
to see. We see fit to strip your title as Headmaster of Hogwarts." Madame
Longbottom stated clearly. She sat on the Board of Governors along with
six others.
Dumbledore was sitting in a simple wooden chair opposite the seven
school governors. "All of your things have already been moved out of
your office and placed at your familial home of Sherwood Cottage. Do
you have anything you wish to say?"
"Who will take my place?" Dumbledore was already resigned to the
possibility of losing all of his titles. He had played the game, and though
he lost this battle, he knew he would win the war. This was just a minor
set back. The end was too important to worry over simple titles. The
Greater Good was worth any number of sacrifices.
"Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall will take your place. I'm sure
you agree she will be a good fit for the position?" Dumbledore nodded.
"Good, you are dismissed Albus." Dumbledore narrowed his eyes before
giving a jovial smile. He didn't like being 'dismissed'. It was demeaning
for one of his stature, but for now, he would have to get used to it.
The time he would gain from not having to worry about his duties would
be great. Sure, he wouldn't be in the loop per say, but he had his spies.
This time away from other responsibilities would allow him to solely
focus on what was truly important, the Greater Good.
"Fawkes, would you kindly take me home?" Dumbledore asked out loud.
Several seconds passed and his Phoenix didn't show. He frowned, this
wasn't like him to just not show up. After all, he was a phoenix and could
travel through any magical ward.
"Fawkes?" He asked again. By now the School Governors were looking at
him with a mixture of amusement and confusion. The bird still didn't
show up, ignoring his call. When he reached into his mind to figure out
where he was, he found his connection with his familiar severed.
Dumbledore sighed, he knew exactly what that meant. It would just be
another hardship he would have to endure. He repeated in his head that
this was all for the Greater Good.
–
Professor McGonagall sat in the Great Hall at dinner. She scanned the sea
of students, a smile cresting her lips. The golden throne that had once
been Headmaster Dumbledores seat was replaced by a simple wooden
chair, no different than what the other professors sat in.
Minerva stood up and the hall fell silent. All were eager to hear her
announcement. Most could already infer what was happening simply by
the new seating arrangements and the lack of a long bearded headmaster.
"Thank you for joining me this evening!" Minerva started in a somewhat
shaky voice.
"I am sure you have already heard of the events of last night." Several
whispers broke out through the hall and many glanced over at Harry. The
Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students watched silently, even Fleur from
her seat next to Harry, watched with a rigid concentration. He figured it
was how the students from both schools were taught to act when being
addressed by a teacher.
"The School Board of Governors has seen fit for a change here at
Hogwarts. Professor Dumbledore agreed to resign and as such, I have
been chosen as the new Headmistress." Thunderous applause sounded
throughout the hall. Even a few of the Slytherins were clapping. She had
a good reputation with all of the students as being fair, despite her being
the Head of House Gryffindor.
"Because of the many changes we are seeing in the school, class will be
suspended for this week." Even louder applause broke out about this
news. Minerva held up her hand for silence. "In this week, we will be
getting two new teachers, one for Defense Against the Dark Arts, and one
for Transfiguration. I cannot announce names right now, but you will be
introduced soon. Until then, I expect all of you to continue studying. This
is not an excuse to take the week off."
"Despite these changes to our school, the TriWizard Tournament will
continue on. The next task will be taking place February 23rd." Harry
glanced at Fleur who winked back at him. "Before that task, during the
winter holidays we will be holding the Yule Ball. It is a TriWizard
tradition to hold such a ball during the winter time." Whispers again
broke out, mostly from the females as they talked excitedly to one
another. Harry thanked his lucky stars that he already had experience
with balls, even more so, he had experience with the girl he was planning
on taking to said ball.
"Thank you everyone and have a good evening." Professor McGonagall
sat down and the food appeared at the tables. Soon, everyone was
engaged in their own conversations and the meal spread out before them.
"It seems you got your wish Harry." Neville said from across the table.
He glanced up at the Headmistress who raised her goblet to him. He
returned the gesture, "It seems I have."
–
Daphne sat at the Slytherin table. She didn't have the appetite to eat
anything. Her eyes were focused on the newly proclaimed 'Golden
Couple' of Hogwarts. They sat talking quietly with one another, stealing
kisses and laughing. A jealous rage built up within her. What was worse,
was that she knew exactly that this was jealousy. She had never been
jealous of anyone before, but now she was up to her eyeballs in the
emotion.
There wasn't anything she could do to control it either. Not even Tracy's
soothing words about a possibility that Harry could take two wives
calmed her. There were rumors that Harry was made Heir Black, but they
were just that, rumors. He hadn't told her that he was the Heir Black and
so she figured that he wasn't.
Just a short three months ago she had come to Hogwarts simply wanting
to progress her education. But an emerald eyed knight had shattered her
plans. Now, a silver haired princess was winning a war for that knight.
She couldn't let that happen. She was Daphne Greengrass, proud heiress
of the noble house of Greengrass. She always got what she wanted.
Harry and her were too close, too perfect for one another. She had never
connected with another person, let alone a male, like she had with Harry.
She knew this was a once in a lifetime connection. Her heart told her so.
It was rare that she ever listened to that muscle, but in this instant, she
could listen to nothing else. Her heart drowned out any other thoughts.
She needed a plan to win over Harry and beat this veela once and for all.
It was also possible this veela was simply playing on Harry's heart and
would leave him at the end of the year. After all, those creatures were
known to do that. Waiting was the only good thing Tracy had suggested
to her during their talk. Another glance at the happy couple told her that
patience and not simply waiting was the best route.
–
Hermione took a walk outside of the castle. Most of the other students
were inside the Great Hall enjoying the nights feast. She didn't feel much
like feasting this night. Ron was currently held up in his room, still
nursing his broken arm despite Madame Pomfrey having already healed
it. She figured that he was more nursing his pride rather than arm.
Her thoughts drifted to the last three months of her life. Ever since that
World Cup night, her life had changed rapidly. In just those three
months, she had found herself back at square one. She didn't have any
friends, besides Ron if you could call him a friend. She had a crush on
that boy, but so far he hadn't shown any signs he felt the same way
which was frustrating her greatly.
The red head was daft, but she didn't think he was this daft. She thought
she had been rather forward with her signals towards him showing she
was interested in being more than a friend. Maybe she would have to kiss
him? For some reason, the thought of kissing him excited her and
repulsed her at the same time.
Those thoughts were what had led her out to the cold snowy landscape in
the first place. She couldn't figure out her mind as of late. She had been a
jumble of mixed emotions. On one hand, she knew she deeply loved Ron,
but on the other, she hated him. He was snobbish, bigoted, and
downright gross. But he also had a sense of nobility, handsomeness, and
with her guidance, could potentially become a great man.
She couldn't help but compare him to her ex-best friend however. How
could one compare to Harry Potter? With each year he seemed to do the
unspeakable. Over the last few months, she had learned that Harry was
simply holding back in his studies. She hated to admit it, but he was
better than her at magic, and was probably still holding back in classes.
Sure she could write a better essay than him, but he was a natural when
it came to the practicality of magic. There was an aura of power, of
confidence about him that couldn't be matched by any other. He was
breathtaking to watch when performing even the simplest spells.
In the last three months, she had watched Harry come into the man he
was born to be, while she was left in the dust. All because she made the
safe decision to stick by Ron. She tried to justify her position by claiming
Harry was cheating on homework and other such nonsense, but it was
obvious he was just smart and powerful. She couldn't deny that any
longer, not after his fight with that dragon and the ease he had out-
dueled her in the beginning of the year.
How Harry could have faced such a beast head on like he had was
beyond her. What stung slightly was that he had done so without her
help. She used to be the one he went to for guidance. Now he had others,
several others, and a girlfriend. A very beautiful and smart girlfriend at
that. A part of her couldn't help but be a little jealous of Fleur.
For all the fun Ginny and her made fun of the French Veela, she truly was
a brilliant witch, one that even rivaled herself. How could you not be
jealous of a girl that had brains and beauty? Life just wasn't fair she
guessed.
While Fleur got the famous, dashing, noble Harry Potter, she got Ronald
Weasley, the lazy and insensitive prick. Why did she love him so?
–
Fleur headed back to the Beauxbatons carriage with Aimee by her side.
She had a wide smile plastered on her face. Today had been perfect. She
and Harry were officially a couple and nothing could make her happier.
She couldn't wait to write a letter to Gabrielle back in her room.
Her younger sister had a bit of a crush on Harry ever since her dance
with him at the ball, but she would quickly get over it once learning of
Fleurs relationship. She knew her parents would also be ecstatic at the
news, not that they had already figured this would happen eventually.
Veela were creatures of love and so they knew when someone was
beginning to love them. It was blatant that Harry was falling in love with
her, and the thought warmed her heart greatly. She had already fallen
head over heels for the emerald eyed wizard.
This ability to spot love also didn't just show itself in Harry. She could
tell when a married couple was truly in love, or when love was failing,
even when it was completely non-existent. Such abilities were a gift and
a curse.
She often times had wished to be a normal girl when younger, not
because of her beauty and lack of friends. But because she thought she
would would grow up without truly knowing what it would be like to
have another love her, besides her parents. She would be able to tell if
her boyfriend didn't truly love her. But luckily she had found Harry.
Finding such love for a veela was almost impossible, yet impossible had
struck twice in her family. She hoped it would strike a third time for her
younger sister.
Many of the bigoted wizards and witches may not appreciate hers and
Harrys relationship, especially Harry being such a limelight figure, but
she knew they would get through it together. They had a connection that
came so easily and and an understanding that she had with no other.
Within a few months she felt like she knew Harry better than any other
human being on this planet. They had something special and she would
do anything to protect it.
As she was walking, she noticed a cloaked figure walking aimlessly
through the snow. She caught a few streaks of brown curly hair in the
moonlight. The figure was obviously cold, wrapped up in her robes and
slightly shivering. Curious, she walked up to the figure, leaving Aimee
who continued on back to the carriage.
"Excuse me? Are you alright?" Fleur asked. Something about the girls
posture struck her as sad. The girl turned around startled, clearly not
thinking anyone was nearby. Fleur recognized her immediately as
Hermione Granger, Harrys ex-bestfriend. Luck was on her side today she
figured since this was probably the perfect time to have a talk with her as
Harry had asked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"No, no. It's okay." She gave Fleur a nervous smile.
"Are you okay?"
Hermione was clearly taken back a little. Whether it was from the
question or Fleur talking to her in general wasn't clear. "I'm not sure how
that is any of your business." Hermione responded cautiously, a hint of
steel in her voice. Fleur didn't blame her either.
"Look, I know this is odd to ask and we don't know each other. 'Arry 'as
been worried about you and I said I would talk with you. I'm sure you
know 'Arry can sometimes be...daft about some things." Hermione gave a
rare chuckle, relaxing slightly.
"Tell me about it. That boy can sometimes be so infuriating." Fleur smiled
knowingly. "I wasn't aware that he was worried about me."
"'e is. I think 'e is wondering why things 'ad gone ze way they did
between you and 'im."
"Not Ron?" Fleur shook her head. "I don't know. I felt like I didn't know
him anymore. Plus I had Ron and..."Hermione blushed slightly. Fleur
picked up on it immediately. She could see something in her eyes,
something that was shooting off warning bells. It was obvious that this
girl wasn't in love with any boy, her veela senses could easily see that.
Fleur narrowed her eyes, now beginning to realize that something was
going on. This girl had begun acting strange several months ago
according to Harry, and though she thought she was in love with a boy, it
was clear she truly wasn't. That could only mean one thing.
"Do you love Ron?" Again the brunette witch blushed heavily, staying
quiet. Fleur continued to stare into her eyes, looking for any signs of
struggle. When a witch or wizard is under love potions, often if looking
closely enough, one can see the inner struggle behind their emotions in
the eyes. Almost always a healer never looks for such potions because
when someone is dosed with a love potion, the signs are obvious.
But, if someone was dosed over a long period of time with just a small
amount at a time, the signs are almost impossible to see. The persons
behavior wouldn't radically change overnight, instead, they would
change over a month, or several months, making no one the wiser.
When Hermione blushed, Fleur could just pick out the subtle signs of
inner struggle behind her eyes. Her magic was trying to fight off the love
potions, but the potion was winning like it was designed to do.
"I think you should see your school 'ealer." Fleur stated.
Hermione backed up a step, "Why would you say that? Nothings wrong
with me."
"'Ermione, I think you might have been dosed with a love potion."
"What? That's impossible. I would have known if I was." Fleur sighed. She
was exactly like Harry had described. Impossible.
"I'm sorry about this 'Ermione."
Hermione looked at Fleur oddly, "Sorry for-" She didn't get the chance to
finish her sentence. Fleur already had her wand in hand and sent a
stunner at the fourth year. She was out cold quickly. With another flick of
her wand, she levitated Hermione and brought her up to the hospital
wing where they could flush out the potions. Harry was not going to be
happy with this news and if it was indeed Ron who had been giving her
the potions, she feared for the red heads life.
"Madame Pomfrey!" Fleur called out to the empty hospital ward. The
medi-witch appeared from her office in an instant.
"What happened?" She demanded, walking over to them. Fleur levitated
Hermione to a nearby cot and slowly set her down.
"I think she 'as been dosed with a love potion." Madame Pomfrey raised
her eyebrows at Fleur before pulling her wand and performing a few tests
on Hermione.
"I believe you're correct Miss Delacour. Someone has been giving her
small doses of love and loyalty potions over the last five months
according to the tests. Such small doses like this would have changed her
over a long period of time with out showing any normal signs of being
given the potions." Pomfrey stated Fleurs exact thoughts. "Why is she
stunned?"
"It was ze easiest way to get 'er 'ere. In my experience, people under
doses of love potion are difficult to reason with. Will she be okay?"
Madame Pomfrey nodded, "Yes. Once she wakes up she won't be under
the influence of those potions any longer. Thank you for bringing her
here." Poppy looked sadly at the unconscious girl. "Poor girl. I can't
believe someone has been doing this to her."
"Can you tell who they were keyed to?"
Madame Pomfrey shook her head, "It's not possible with such small doses.
Do you know if she has not been acting herself?"
Fleur nodded, "I 'ave an idea who ees be'ind zis. I'll see if 'Arry can find
out for sure."
"See that he does. I would like a word with whoever has been doing this."
Fleur looked sadly one last time at Hermione and hurried back out of the
hospital wing in search for Harry. At this time of night, he would only be
in one place. She ran up to the seventh floor, ignoring the stares and leers
from some of the other boys.
Apparently it paid to be the girlfriend of Harry Potter. Most were now
even more scared to approach her, especially the boys, who feared
Harry's wrath. The story about his duel with an ex-death eater and
winning was all over the castle. Not to mention his battle with a basilisk
being a widely published story along with his heroics at the World Cup,
resulting in the capture of several Bulgarian criminals.
She reached the top of the castle, slightly out of breath from the sheer
amount of stairs she had to climb. "'Arry!" She shouted, barging through
the Room of Requirement door. Harry looked over, surprised to see her.
Unfortunately that small distraction cost him. Kingsleys bludgeoning hex
smashed into his face, sending him flying into the wall.
"Shit." Kinglsey muttered, rushing over with Sirius and Fleur.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Fleur repeated over and over. Sirius pulled out a
small white packet as if he had done this a hundred times before and
waved it in front of Harry's nose. He woke up instantly, gasping for
breath.
"Easy Harry. You took quite a hit." Sirius said, helping him to sit up.
"What happened?" He shook his head to wake himself up further. "Fleur?"
He asked, seeing her looking over him with a worried expression and
even the glint of a tear in her eye. She didn't waste time and lunged at
him, hugging him with all her strength.
"I'm sorry." She continued to repeat. All he could do was rub her back
trying to sooth the crying witch. He raised his eyebrows at Sirius.
"You were hit by Kingsleys bludgeoning hex when she distracted you. We
will need to get you down to Poppy. I think you have a concussion, and
its better to be safe than sorry with that kind of hit."
"Fleur I'm fine. You do know not to come up here while I'm training
though."
She pulled back slightly to look at him, "I know, I know. I wouldn't 'ave
come up 'ere, but I talked to 'Ermione."
Instantly, Harry was more alert, "And what? What happened? Did you
find something out?"
Fleur nodded solemnly, "It was what I thought. She 'as been under ze
influence of love and loyalty potions."
Harry narrowed his eyes, "Who were they keyed to Fleur?" he asked
dangerously.
"Madame Pomfrey could not find out. Ze doses were small and 'ave been
affecting 'er over a long period of time.
"They were keyed to Ron, weren't they?" He more demanded than asked.
"'Arry we cannot be sure. Eet seems likely zey were keyed to 'im, but eet
eez not possible to tell for sure."
"I'm going to have a word with Ronald." Harry pushed Sirius away and
tried to stand up. His vision quickly spun and if it wasn't for Sirius' quick
reaction to steady him, he would have fallen back down.
"Not right now you aren't. You need to get checked out by Poppy."
"But-"
"No arguing 'Arry. You are 'urt. You can figure zis out tomorrow." He
looked at Fleur and could tell she wouldn't allow him to go anywhere
besides the hospital wing and so relented. "I can take 'im." Sirius nodded
and relinquished Harry to her care. The walk to the infirmary was quiet
and thankfully they didn't run into any students along the way.
"Its been one night and you've already found yourself injured again!"
Madame Pomfrey exclaimed, seeing them walk into the room.
"Oh you know me. I just can't get enough of this place." He grinned back
at the medi-witch, earning an eye roll from both girls. Harry quickly
spotted an unconscious Hermione in the cot next to his normal one.
He walked over to his cot with Fleur as support and sat down. "Why is
she out?"
Fleur looked at him slightly guilty, "I may 'ave stunned 'er." Harry raised
his eyebrows at her, "She wasn't being very agreeable to get checked for
potions."
Harry snorted, "That's ironic." Fleur chuckled, knowing the story of
Hermione's attempt to get Harry to see Poppy about possible potion
influence.
"Now, Mr. Potter. What is it this time? Another fight with a professor?
Basilisk? Dementors?"
"Nope. A distracting girlfriend." Fleur playfully punched him in the
shoulder earning a chuckle from Madame Pomfrey. "Took a hit to the
head from a bludgeoning hex."
She took out her wand and waved it several times in front of Harry. "Ah
yes, a mild concussion I see. You're lucky the force of the spell wasn't too
powerful, such a hit can seriously injure or even kill." Fleurs grip on his
hand tightened slightly. He gave her a reassuring smile but knew full well
that Fleur would beat herself up about this for months. He also wasn't
planning on ever letting her live this down.
Poppy disappeared for brief minute before reappearing with a light blue
vial. "Take this. Rest here and in the morning you should be good to go."
Harry groaned, "I swear, I should move my things in here."
"Not that I mind the company Mr. Potter, I'd prefer you not have to move
your things down here."
"Hermione, she's going to be fine now right?"
"The potions in her system will be flushed out by morning. Please find
out who has been dosing her Mr. Potter. I'll be alerting Headmistress
McGonagall tomorrow morning about her situation as well." Harry
nodded. If indeed it was Ron taking advantage of Hermione like this, that
boy would have hell to pay and nothing could stop him.
However, his gut feeling told him that Ron wasn't behind this, but maybe
that was because he viewed the redhead as a lazy idiot, and something
like this took planning and months of dedication. It just wasn't in Rons
nature.
"Isn't using love potions illegal?"
Madame Pomfrey nodded, "Very illegal. The use of them can see you sent
to Azkaban, though it hasn't happened in many years. Such instances
with students are usually handled at the school without getting the
authorities involved."
He glanced somberly at Hermione who had a peaceful look about her.
"Maybe these potions are the reason she stopped being friends with me."
He said with a hopefulness in his voice.
"Maybe, but you can figure that out tomorrow. Get some rest 'Arry. I'll be
back first thing in ze morning." Fleur gave him a brief but passionate kiss
before walking out of the hospital ward.
Harry laid back down in the familiar cot, his second bed at Hogwarts.
Today hadn't been as bad as he thought. Sure, the students looked at him
differently now, but that was something he could get used to.
A lot of good had come out of the day as well. Professor McGonagall was
now the Headmistress, he had a beautiful girlfriend, and maybe, just
maybe, he was about to have his best friend back. All in all, today had
been a good day.
Suddenly a flash of fire appeared above his head. Harry whipped his
wand out, turning around in his bed only to see Fawkes perched on the
windowsill above him.
"Hello my Lord."
Again, thank you everyone for your support. This chapter had a lot
of different POV's. I wanted everyone to get an idea where the
characters stood after the events of the first task and Harry's battle
with Barty Jr. This was a bit of a fluffy chapter I know but it was
necessary I think.
15. The Hunt Begins
"Hello my Lord." A high pitched voice sounded in his head. Harry lowered
his wand, staring confusedly at the majestic bird in front of him.
"I really hope this is just sleep deprivation." Harry wondered aloud,
shaking his head back and forth to try and shake the sleep from his mind.
"This is not some dream."
"But your a bird."
"Great. Just what I need, a wise arse." Fawkes' voice sounded again in his
head.
"What are you doing here? Why can I hear you?" He asked. This was one
trippy dream he was having, but it felt all too real to be just a dream.
Again, the voice squeaked in his head. "The light has left my former master,
my head is clear now. Long has he held reign over me, but no longer. Once he
lost control of this sacred school, my bonding to him was severed. That bond
has transferred to you."
"Why do you sound like a child?"
He could hear the bird scoff, "I am no child to you! I may be young
compared to other Phoenix's but I am no youngling."
"Sorry. Didn't mean to insult you. You just sound different than I had
imagined a phoenix would."
"And what are phoenix's supposed to sound like?" The voice sounded
accusing.
"I-err. I don't know. Not like that of a four year old?" Fawkes jumped
from his perch and onto Harry's lap, slapping him across the face with his
wing.
"I am not four years old. I am twelve-hundred and thirty-three years old!"
Harry started laughing, "I thought you said you were young."
"That is young for my kind!" Fawkes cried.
"I'm sure it is. Why have you left Dumbledore, and why are you here?"
"He is no longer the one capable of protecting the students of this school." He
stated simply.
Harry blinked dumbly, trying to work through what Fawkes had said.
"And so the bond transferred to me? I can't protect the students either."
The phoenix gave off a shrug, ruffling his long golden and red feathers.
"Not the brightest either. Figures. I can only be bonded to those with good
intentions, and those with enough power to bond with me."
Harry narrowed his eyes at the bird, not taking too kindly to being
insulted. "You said, once Dumbledore lost control of the school, your
bond was severed. Why was that?"
"Long ago, Rowena Ravenclaw my first bonded, tasked me with protecting the
school. As such, I can also only bond with someone that has equal goals."
Harry nodded.
"So Dumbledores goals were ultimately to protect the school? The
students?" Harry asked. Having a phoenix who was inside the head of
Dumbledore for many years could be very useful. Maybe Fawkes knew
how Voldemort was still alive? How he was still alive?
"I cannot say now. Once I have bonded with another, my previous bond, along
with all memories and knowledge disappear. I am reborn, clear in mind.
Magic can be as much a gift as it can be a curse at times."
"Damn." Harry cursed. His luck had run out for the day he guessed. "You
still remember being bonded to Rowena though. Why is that?"
"You have many questions my lord." Seeing Harry's pointed look, Fawkes
continued. "A phoenix will always retain the memories and knowledge of
their first bond. After that, our cycle of constant birth and death begins."
"So once I am dead, or no longer a protector of this school, you will bond
with another?"
The phoenix nodded its head, "As long as someone of proper strength can
bond with me."
"And if you bond with someone who isn't powerful enough?"
"My magic would consume them. Kill them."
Harry narrowed his eyes at the bird, "You're saying that by us bonding,
without asking I might add, you could have killed me?"
"I have been watching you for several years Harry. I knew you were strong
enough for me to bond with. Once your horcrux was destroyed, the light in
you also began to show. I knew then that you were my future bonded."
"Wait what? What in the hell is a horcrux?"
–
"Sirius!" Harry called to the seemingly deserted Grimmauld Place. Fawkes
had kindly flashed him into the still-in-shambles manor. Despite Remus
and Sirius' attempts at cleaning the house, very little progress was being
made in the very large mansion.
"Harry? Is that you? Why and how did you get here?" Sirius shouted,
coming down the steps. Emmaline was just behind him, wrapped in only
a robe. They both stopped on the landing, seeing Fawkes perched on his
shoulder. "Wh-is that Fawkes?"
"Yes, he is now my familiar." Sirius' eyebrows rose but Harry continued.
"What do you know of horcruxes?"
"Err, I don't even know what those are Harry. Want to tell me whats
going on and how you just ended up friends with Dumbledores phoenix?"
Sirius ushered him into the kitchen where he poured three glasses of tea
that Kreature had made.
"I can sense one nearby. It feels how you used to when your horcrux was in
your head." Fawkes said, his head moving back and forth as if looking
through the whole house.
"Do you think Dumbledore knew of my horcrux?"
"I would bet my life on it."
"That's not a lot coming from you, seeing as you're immortal." Fawkes
returned by slapping his wing onto the back of his head. Both Sirius and
Emmaline watched the exchange between bird and human with interest.
"Want to fill us in Harry?" Sirius asked, breaking up the staring contest
between the two.
"Last night, or well really this morning I guess, Fawkes came to me. When
Dumbledore was released as Headmaster, Fawkes was released from his
bond with him. It resulted in me being bonded with Fawkes and as we
were talking, he mentioned something called a horcrux that was inside
me and has been destroyed."
"The dark magic in your scar?" Harry nodded. "I'm not going to like this
am I?" Sirius asked, seeing Harry's almost sickly expression at the mere
mention of the word horcrux.
"No, not at all. A horcrux, as Fawkes tells me, is a soul fragment."
"A soul fragment? Meaning you had a piece of someones soul inside your
scar?" Emmy asked, shocked beyond belief. Her hand covered her mouth
to stifle the gasp that threatened to escape her lips.
"Yes, and I believe I didn't have just anyones soul fragment. I'm sure it
was Voldemorts. When I was hit by the killing curse a second time, I
remember a dream I had. I was falling, everything was dark, except I
could see a pair of red eyes, Voldemorts eyes, and I heard his laugh. I
think that was the horcrux, his soul inside of my mind. A bright green
flash cleared away the darkness, and since then I haven't had any bad
dreams."
"So this soul piece was destroyed?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, I believe so. Fawkes wouldn't have been able to bond
with me otherwise."
"Why would someone take out a piece of their soul and place it in
someone?" Emmy asked.
"Immortality. As long as a persons soul still remains in this world, they
can't move onto the next."
"They can't die." Sirius re-iterated. "So that's how Voldemort lived when
the killing curse rebounded. But now that it's destroyed in you, does that
mean he is dead?"
"I don't think so. Barty Jr. was taking direct orders from Voldemort, so he
still has to be alive. Also, as Fawkes tells me, it is foolish to create a
horcrux out of a living person. That person can die of old age or other
causes. An object is much easier to protect and is what is usually used to
create a horcrux."
"So your horcux was an accident?" When Harry nodded, Sirius continued.
"That means he split his soul more than once. Is that even possible?"
Harry shrugged, "I don't know. I doubt anyone has ever done it before
until Riddle. Fawkes did just tell me he senses one in this house though."
Sirius and Emmy's eyes widened. "In this house!" Sirius shouted, pushing
back his stool, causing it to clatter to the floor. "Where!" He demanded.
"I don't know where exactly. Its a large house with many places to hide
things. It could be as small as a pebble for all I know. We know very little
about them."
"So, if Voldemort has more than one of these horcruxes, we can't really
kill him until they're all destroyed can we?"
"No, we can't. We know very little and if Voldemort were to figure out
that we knew about his horcruxes he would do anything to protect them."
Sirius nodded, "Who do you want to bring in on this? This is huge news
and a key t taking down Voldemort once and for all."
"I'm not sure yet. Remus of course, as well as Professor McGonagall and
Flitwick. Maybe Tonks?"
Sirius nodded, "I trust my cousin. I can tell her about this news and
maybe begin digging up information on the whereabouts of these
horcruxes?"
"First, we need to find the one inside your house. That will give us the
biggest clue into what these horcruxes are."
"My lord, permission to stay? I would like very much to rid the abomination
inside this house."
"For the fourth time. Stop calling me my lord." Harry groaned. Fawkes
had been insistent on calling him that ever since bonding with him.
"Whatever you say my Lord."
He rolled his eyes, "Yes, stay. Help Sirius locate this horcrux. Do you
know how to destroy one?"
"No, but Rowena said the goblins did."
"Fawkes will help you with the search for the horcrux here. He knows
what to look for."
"It should not take too long, my lord." Harry figured he might as well just
get used to that title. After all, once he hit the age of seventeen, he
technically would be a lord in the English ministry. The Potters were
considered a an Ancient and Noble House much like the Blacks. Being the
heir of the Blacks, if Sirius never had any children, he would be the Lord
of two Ancient Houses, something unprecedented.
"Okay, can you flash me back to the Headmistress' office before you begin
your search?"
Fawkes didn't say anything else, grabbing Harry by the collar and
flashing him back to Scotland.
–
Professor McGonagall sat in her office looking over the new candidates
for the professor positions. Looking at the candidates, she couldn't help
but smile a little. A certain potions professor was soon going to be having
a Sirius fit.
Just as she was about to get ready for bed, a flash of fire appeared in
front of her. She reached for her wand, knowing that it could only be
Dumbledore that traveled like that. Her jaw dropped however when it
was none other than Harry Potter, bathed in the flames. In an instant, the
phoenix was gone again, leaving only Harry in her office.
"Professor, we need to talk, can you call professor Flitwick here as well?"
"Harry James Potter!" She admonished like a grandchild. "It's late! You
should be in bed. And what were you doing with Fawkes!" She
demanded. Harry just smiled cheekily back at his professor.
"I'll tell you the full story once Professor Flitwick is here. This is very
important and I think you two should know what I have to say." Minerva
took a long look at Harry and knew that this truly was important. He
wasn't just a normal student. He was involved in far more complicated
plots other than showing up to class with ones homework. She got up and
floo'd Filius. A second later, the small charms professor stepped through
the fireplace.
"Mr. Potter, another late night out I see." Harry smiled at his charms
professor. Over the last three months they had grown rather close and he
was like the mentor Dumbledore was probably once supposed to be.
Grueling days of dueling each other would formed that bond.
"Things just got a whole lot worse regarding Voldemort."
"How do you mean Harry?" Filius took the same stool Professor Snape
often would take when in Dumbledore office. Most of the Headmaster
portraits were also listening intensively to their conversation.
"Do either of you know of horcruxes?" By the wide eyes that Minerva
sported and the confused look Filius had, he knew the answer.
"You can't think he would-" Minerva began.
"He did. I was once a horcrux. As you saw, Fawkes is now my familiar.
He sensed the horcrux in my scar and recognized that after surviving the
second killing curse, the horcrux in me was destroyed."
"But surely Harry, that would mean that Voldemort was dead. His
horcrux was destroyed! Unless..." McGonagall gasped, realizing what was
going on.
"Unless what? I don't follow." Filius asked, a little fear creeping into his
voice.
"Unless he created multiple horcruxes." Harry answered for the
Headmistress. "A horcrux is a soul fragment. A witch or wizard must
murder in cold blood to fragment the soul, and then perform a ritual to
place that soul into an object. When Voldemort attempted to kill me, he
must have accidentally transferred a piece of his soul into me. The fact
that he is still alive after the horcrux in my head is proof that Voldemort
created multiple horcruxes."
"I don't understand still. How do we know Voldemort is indeed still
alive?"
"Because the man Harry and I fought wanted to take Harry to the Dark
Lord." Minerva stated, staring off into nothingness. It was clear she was
deep in thought trying to process this information. The coming war had
just gotten a lot more complicated for everyone.
"Also, the portkey activation word was Riddle." Harry added.
"Riddle? He would use his last name for a portkey activation code? A
name that was shrouded in secrecy?" Flitwick questioned.
Harry thought about that for a moment. He hadn't thought to question
that activation code. Why would it be Riddles name? No one else knew
who the real Voldemort was. He hated his name and that's why he
changed it. The only thing that made sense was if it was a place. Could it
be his home? That was something that would have to be thought about
further at a later time.
"So Voldemort stayed alive by creating these horcruxes. How do we go
about destroying them?" Flitwick asked.
Harry stayed silent. Honestly, he didn't know right now. They had
nothing to go on other than that they existed, or at least one other
existed. He hoped it was just the one other and that Fawkes would find it
soon.
"Fawkes said that the goblins can help with that. He is looking for one
currently in Grimmauld Place."
"Grimmauld Place! What makes you think one is there!" Minerva asked,
wide eyed. She had been in that house many times the last several
months for the Order of the Phoenix meetings, something she figured
wouldn't be happening anymore. The thought that she had been in the
same house as a piece of Voldemorts soul disgusted her.
"Fawkes and Sirius are already looking for it. We will have it soon
enough I am sure."
"How do you plan on asking for the goblins for help? They aren't always
the most kind of beings, and I should know." Flitwick stated.
"Leave that to me." Harry responded.
–
By the time Harry finally got to sleep, after sneaking back into the
hospital ward, it was already close to sunrise. In the end, he only
managed a short three hours of sleep before he felt the soft lips of Fleur
on his own.
"Why does eet look like you 'aven't slept?" She asked, breaking from the
kiss.
"Because I haven't. Honestly I feel like I can't go a day without something
crazy happening in my life." He groaned.
"Harry?" He jerked his head to the familiar voice next to him. Hermione
was sitting upright in her bed, a worried and sad look about her. "I-I'm so
sorry. I-I..." She burst into tears, sobbing into the sheets she brought up
around her head to hide her state. He knew instantly that she wasn't truly
herself the last several months. Harry slid out of his bed and sat on the
edge of hers, bringing her into a hug.
"You have nothing to be sorry for."
"But-but...I-I said s-so many terrible things." He rubbed her back
soothingly. A glance back at Fleur saw her smiling at the two of them.
"They weren't your words Hermione."
She broke down even harder and he began to feel his night shirt dampen.
"H-how c-c-can you ever forgive m-me?"
"I just did. Your reaction now was all the proof I needed to know that you
haven't been yourself the last several months." He could feel his anger
rising. A part of him sort of hoped that the potions didn't have an effect
on her, that they hadn't actually ruined his close relationship with
Hermione for the past three months. Now, though, he knew that someone
tried to drive her away from him, and that person was going to pay
dearly.
"Fleur, can you stay here with Hermione? I have some...business to
attend to." Fleur could see the dangerous glint in his eye.
"Harry. What are you doing?" Hermione asked, breaking out of her
hysteric state.
"I'm just going to have a talk with Ron."
"Harry, h-he couldn't have done this. Not Ron."
Harry gave her a soft smile. "I don't think he did. But I can get answers
from him."
"I should go wiz you." Fleur said, not liking the idea of Harry going off on
his own. She knew, in the state he was in, he could wind up seriously
harming Ron.
Harry shook his head. "No, this is something I need to do alone. Please
just stay with her, I'll be back soon." Fleur nodded reluctantly allowing
Harry to leave the hospital wing. He wasted no time in heading up to
Gryffindor tower. The whole way he felt his anger rising at the possibility
that Ron was trying to turn Hermione against him in the most despicable
way possible. He didn't notice that as he walked, his feet left imprints in
the stone stairs and that the metal suits of armor creaked and bent from
the swirling magic around him.
With a flick of of a finger, the Fat Lady's portrait swung open, her
protests muffled by the wall she hit when the portrait openned. Many of
the students were inside the common room and all of them stopped
talking as soon as Harry walked into the room. The fireplace went out as
soon as he stepped in and many quickly averted eyes with him. His green
eyes glowed with a fiery power that resembled a deadly curse.
Not seeing Ron in the common room, he immediately walked up the
steps to his dorm room. He flung the door open and sure enough, the red
head was laying on his bed, a Quidditch magazine in hand.
"Harry?" Ron gulped. Harry didn't waste his breath and drew his wand.
Rons eyes went wide and he held his hands up in the air. "Harry? Whats
going on? I didn't do anything?" He said fearfully.
"Tell me its not true." Harry hissed.
"Whats not true?" His voice was quivering along with his whole body.
"Tell me you haven't been giving Hermione love potions." He responded,
his tone full of danger. His wand tip began to glow dark red, a reducto
aimed for his nether region on the tip of his tongue.
Ron looked genuinely confused for a moment which took Harry slightly
off-guard. "Someone was drugging her? I swear Harry, it wasn't me!" He
pleaded. Harry looked closely, seeing no falseness behind his eyes, but he
knew there was really only one way to find out.
"Legilimense!" He muttered. He was swarmed with memories of Rons
time at school. He tried to do his best to make this as painless as possible,
but it was almost impossible to not inflict some pain. He sifted through
all of Rons memories and found him innocent of knowing Hermione's
predicament.
However, he found an interesting re-occurrence. Mrs. Weasley had been
sending Hermione sweets every two weeks. As far as he remembered,
Mrs. Weasley had never sent Hermione any sweets before this year.
He broke the contact with Rons mind and the red head slumped back into
his bed, shivering. Fred and George barged into the room at that moment
and glanced between Ron and Harry. "What happened?" Fred demanded
as menacingly as possible. No matter how close of friends you were with
a Weasley, they would always choose family first. He admired that trait
in them.
"Hermione is in the hospital wing because she was found to be drugged
over a long period of time with love potions. I believed they were keyed
to Ron."
"What! Our brother would never use love potions!" Fred exclaimed.
"He's too daft to brew the potions really." George added.
"But your mother?" This question caught both twins off guard.
"Our mother? Why would you think she would do something like that?"
Both the twins shared a nervous glance that Harry caught.
He narrowed his eyes at the two of them, "What do you know?" Harry
made to show he still hadn't put away his wand and though he didn't
point it at the two, he showed that he would be quicker to the draw than
them. He wanted answers. Someone had taken over three months away
from his best friend.
"Look, our mother wouldn't do something like this. She can be a
bit...heavy-handed at times, but she wouldn't use love potions on
Hermione." George defended her.
"When I looked through Rons mind, I saw your mother send Hermione a
box of sweets every two weeks. That seems suspicious to me since she has
never done so before. What do you know that I don't?"
Fred gulped before speaking up, "We know our mother once used a love
potion to woo our father into a relationship. That was a long time ago
though and she wouldn't use potions on a teenage girl!" Both twins didn't
look as convinced now as they had before.
Harry didn't need to hear any more, their unconvincing looks was all he
needed. "Fawkes!" His new familiar appeared above his head in an
instant. "The Burrow." Just as soon as Fawkes came, he disappeared, this
time with Harry as well.
–
Molly Weasley sat in her kitchen preparing her latest batch of love potion
laced chocolate to send to the Granger girl. A strong woman was needed
to take over the Weasley family once she was gone. God forbid could her
sons find a woman worthy of the lineage of the Weasleys. Dumbledore
had said that the Weasleys would one day rule Britain once the Greater
Good was accomplished fully. She truly believed that her sons would be
the kings of the new magical world. And kings needed strong queens by
their side.
So far, none of them had so much as found anything close to a proper
wife. Hermione, though, would be fine. She was ambitious, smart, but
had one major useful fault. She worshiped the very ground of anyone in
an authoritative position. It would be easy for Dumbledore to control her,
and as such, her youngest son would rise because of their influences.
Her eldest was a fine son but had no care for politics or this country. He
far too enjoyed the abroad life and sleeping with any whore that crossed
his path. Charlie liked his dragons and she wondered if maybe he played
for the same team. The thought disgusted her, but he was her son and
would have to be okay with it on the outside. The twins were just as lost
as Bill. They cared little for anything other than their jokes. She scoffed
at the idea of them opening a joke shop.
Percy was the only son with any ambition, but he had chosen a different
way to satiate his needs. He didn't declare allegiance to Dumbledore, but
instead declared his love for the ministry. Maybe he could be redeemed
like Dumbledore so often said was possible. Lastly, her youngest son was
the only one mold-able. He had no real drive, no real desire for anything.
He was the perfect son for her visions.
She was brought out of her thoughts when a flash of fire lit up the
kitchen from just behind her. She plastered a smile on her face, "Ah
Headmaster. How are you?" The Daily Prophet hadn't yet arrived this
morning and so the news of his dismissal as headmaster had yet to reach
her ears.
"I'm good Molly." She spun around quickly, recognizing the voice of none
other than Harry Potter. However, the boy standing in front of her wasn't
the same boy she knew. No, this was a man with glowing green eyes and
a power swirling around him that was undeniable. He held himself high,
his clothes weren't rags any longer, and his physique had improved. He
wasn't the same scrawny boy she remembered. The phoenix that had
delivered him was already gone.
"Harry? What are you doing here young man? You should be at school!"
He drew his wand, it flicking into his hand with surprising speed.
She took a step back, her elbow accidentally hitting the newly created
batch of chocolates, knocking them to the floor. Harry eyed the
chocolates, his eyes narrowing. She gulped, seeing the hateful look in his
eyes. "Those are for Hermione, aren't they?" His tone was dripping with
venom. The pots and pans in the kitchen began to rattle from the passive
energy Harry was giving off.
"Harry, what if Dum-"
"I would be very careful with what you say next." He hissed, leveling his
wand at her.
Molly went red, her famous temper flaring to life. "I will not have a
fourteen year old boy threaten me in my own home!" She drew her own
wand foolishly. Harry wasted no time in simply casting an incarcerous.
Before she could even think of a spell, her wand dropped to the ground
as her entire body was wrapped in thick black chains. She began to feel
the metal chains get warmer and warmer until they began to burn.
"H-Harry! These are hurting me!" She exclaimed, struggling against from
the increasingly hot chains.
"Tell me, are those for Hermione!" He demanded, stepping over to her,
picking up a few of the chocolates and inspecting them.
"Y-yes!" She squeaked out. She definitely wasn't difficult to crack.
"Have you been drugging Hermione with loyalty and love potions over
the last four months!" His tone was filled with rage at this point and it
took all of his control to not explode with magic that was calling to be let
out.
"Yes! Harry, please! It hurts!" With a flick of his wand, the chains
disappeared. He summoned her wand with his other hand. Just in time,
Fawkes reappeared with Arthur.
"Molly?" He asked, rushing passed Harry to his wife. He didn't seem to
notice Harry. "Are you alright?"
"Mr. Weasley, can I have a word?" Arthur looked up from his wife and
noticed Harry for the first time. His eyes widened, seeing Fawkes now
perched on his shoulder.
"Harry? What are you doing here? What's going one!"
"That's what I wanted to talk about." He jerked his head towards the
living room.
Arthur looked at his wife who was keeping her eyes focused solely on the
ground where she lay. He wasn't a dumb man, like many believed him to
be. Having looked upon Harry like a son and knowing the man he would
one day become, he knew something was up, and whatever it was, he
wouldn't like it.
He followed Harry into the living room, leaving Molly huddled on the
floor of the kitchen. "Harry, you're a son to me, but I need to know
exactly what is going on!" Arthur demanded. When the Weasley Patriarch
wasn't in a good mood, he could be something to be reckon with.
"Hermione is in the hospital wing for being dosed with love and loyalty
potions."
"That's terrible! Is she alright?" He exclaimed, she, like Harry, was family
to him. Whoever had done such a thing would surely pay. Quickly, his
brain connected the dots. Wait...
"The potions were keyed to Ron we think." Harry continued.
"You can't really think that Ron would do something like that! Hermione
and him are best friends!" Arthur shouted. He couldn't believe someone
was accusing his son of something so barbaric. Even if it was Harry, he
couldn't think Ron ever to do something like this.
"I didn't think Ron the type to do something like this either." Harry
pacified him. "I know Mrs. Weasley has been sending Hermione a box of
chocolates every two weeks. Molly was the one who has been dosing
Hermione with the potions."
"N-no. Harry that can't be true! She wouldn't do something like that. She
wouldn't ever dose an innocent girl with such potions."
Harry sighed sadly. "I know she once gave you a love potion."
"That was long ago! Molly has changed and still, she would never do such
a despicable thing!"
"She admitted it to me Arthur. Ask her yourself." Arthur strode back into
the kitchen with Harry following behind him. He would gladly clear up
this situation. Molly wasn't capable of something so despicable. She had
changed a lot since their years at Hogwarts.
However, he stopped in his tracks when he noticed that the kitchen was
empty. No Molly Weasley was in sight and the kitchen door was ajar.
–
"I'm sorry." Harry collapsed back down onto Hermione's cot. Professor
McGonagall was meeting with the whole Weasley family at this moment.
After they found Molly had vanished from the Burrow and not even
Fawkes could find her, Harry knew where she had gone. She was with
Dumbledore, the only man that could possibly evade a phoenix's
detection. Once Arthur had finished his momentary break-down,
something he didn't blame him for, they had met with Professor
McGonagall. Now it was Harrys turn to break the news to Hermione on
who had been drugging her.
"Sorry for what Harry?" Hermione asked, putting a comforting hand on
his shoulder.
"I should have known something was wrong. I had a feeling, but I just
didn't know." She gave him a reassuring smile.
"Its not your fault Harry. No one noticed anything."
"It was Mrs. Weasley." He said through gritted teeth. Dumbledore must
have known as well. She wouldn't run to him unless if she figured herself
safe with him. He would have his vengeance with that old man for this.
Trying to take his best friend away from him was unforgivable.
Hermione gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. She shook her head
several times and Harry could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes.
"No. It can't be. She wouldn't do that Harry."
"I'm sorry Hermione. It was those chocolates she sent you." That was all it
took for Hermione to break down completely and she fell into his arms.
"Its okay. You're okay now." He cooed. They stayed like that for several
minutes with him offering all the support he could give. He knew this
was going to be difficult on her. She had a deep trust in adults and this
would rock her very foundation.
Fleur had been sitting quietly on Harry's cot watching the whole event
with teary eyes. She knew they had a deep friendship, one that would
always be platonic, but their friendship was close to as strong as the bond
she shared with him. She was happy for the two of them being reunited.
Her eyes caught the brief glimpse of Daphne in the doorway of the
infirmary. She noticed a scowl form on the witches lips before the girl
disappeared again. She knew that girl harbored deep feelings for Harry,
but they weren't ones of love. She didn't necessarily know what those
feelings were and she was curious to find out.
16. Growing Influence
I do want to address a few of the reviews regarding Daphne. I am
not writing her out and she will remain integral to the story, that's
why I have her listed as a character in the summary. For those who
fear her turning evil or bigoted or of the like, that will not happen
either. She will be an interesting character I think. A girl who has
grown up as a princess in a wealthy family, is beautiful, is smart, is
ambitious, feared even by others and used to getting what she
wants. Such a girl I don't think would take it well that another girl
got something she possibly wanted. She's also fourteen and not in
tune yet with her hormonal emotions. That's the place Daphne is in
and sorry if I haven't properly set that up.
Now that that is taken care of, hope you enjoy the chapter and
thank you to everyone that has reviewed/favorited/followed. It
truly does mean a lot to me that so many are interested in my story
and makes this whole adventure more fun to write.
"Harry, can we ask you something?" Seamus and Dean walked up to him
in the Great Hall during lunch. Fleur was currently studying with Aimee
and so he sat with Susan, Hannah, and Neville at the 'Puff table. The two
Slytherins still refused to sit anywhere but at their own table. He figured
it was because of Snape being Snape and not allowing them to sit
anywhere else. Hermione was still in the hospital wing for just until the
end of the day where she would then be released back to Gryffindor
tower.
"Yes. What is it?" He patted the empty seat next to him and his two
fellow Gryffindors sat down.
"Well, we were-er just wondering if you could tutor us sometime? With
classes canceled and all, we could use the help." Harry raised his
eyebrows. It wasn't like either of them to be the most studious, especially
going out of their way for private tutoring.
"Why may I ask?"
Seamus went beet red, averting his eyes. Dean smirked next to him,
punching him lightly in the shoulder. "Tell him!"
Seamus narrowed his eyes at his friend. "I just want to get my grades up
is all." He responded through gritted his teeth.
Dean didn't seem to care that his friend was shooting a death glare at
him, "Padma told him she would never date someone who doesn't take
schooling seriously."
"Trying to get with a 'Claw Seamus?" Susan mocked, earning a few
chuckles.
"Shut up Susan."
"Look at wittle Shay, he's all red!" Hannah teased.
"Whatever, its fine. Stupid of me to ask." Seamus tried to get up and walk
away but Harry stopped him.
"I can start some tutoring sessions tomorrow after lunch if that works for
you?" He started forming a plan in his head. He wanted more friends in
all of the houses and these two bumbling Gryffindors had given him an
idea.
Seamus' face brightened up, "Thank you Harry."
"You coming too Dean?" Harry asked.
He shrugged, "Might as well. It could only do me good I guess." The two
Gryffindor boys walked off, playfully shoving one another. He noticed
Seamus glance over at the Ravenclaw several times. A smile crept onto
his face as he thought of his own romantic interest. She was probably
holed up in her room attempting to study while Aimee gossiped about
anything and everything. That girl really liked to talk.
"Adding more to our little study group, Harry?" Neville asked.
"No, I am just creating a new one. We will still have our usual private
one. I'm just thinking it might be a good idea to start up a defense club."
"A defense club? Are you going to get Professor Fitwick to teach that
one?"
"I'll ask. If not, I can I guess."
"You have been the one teaching us the last several weeks despite
anyways." That was true, he had taken over the teaching. Professor
Flitwick would give him a schedule to follow and he would improve upon
it where he thought it needed. His abilities were now far passed what
they were teaching to fourth years and he also found teaching to be
enjoyable. It gave him a reason to revisit some of the more basic spells.
"The professor has been busy the last several weeks, plus I think I'm more
than capable of teaching the lessons. Excuse me." Harry walked up to the
professors table and approached the Headmistress who was in the middle
of talking with Professor Babbling.
"Headmistress, can I talk to you about something quickly?" Harry asked
when he had the attention of the two professors.
"What is it Mister Potter?"
"I was thinking that this school could use a Defense Club."
Professor Flitwick had listened into the conference, adding his two cents,
"I think that's a splendid idea. I would gladly offer my time to supervise
such a club."
Minerva gave Harry a knowing smile, "I'm assuming you mean to be the
leader?" Harry nodded. "I'll announce your new club. Talk with Professor
Flitwick to work out the details."
"Meet me in my office after lunch Mister Potter." Professor Flitwick said.
Harry walked back to his friends who had been watching his every move.
"What did your grandmother say?" Harry rolled his eyes at Hannah. It
was true that he looked at Minerva like a grandmother figure, and he
knew she looked at him like a grandson. He may never have known his
grandparents, but he could only imagine his grandmother being like
Minerva. Grandma Minnie had a nice ring to it as well but if he ever
called her that, she would probably throw him off the astronomy tower.
The hall went silent when the Headmistress stood from her chair and
walked over to her podium. "Students! I am happy to announce the
forming of a new club! It will focus on Defense Against the Dark Arts. If
you have any questions or wish to join up, please see Mr. Potter!"
"Wow, you work quickly I see."
He shrugged, "Might as well get the word out now."
"What about us? You didn't exactly ask if we were okay with making our
study group more open." Hannah said, crossing her arms
Harry shook its head, "I swear this new club and our own private one
between friends won't interfere with one another."
"Harry, how are you going to find the time for this. You're already pulling
yourself in a million directions and you don't get enough sleep as is." He
could see the concern in his friends eyes.
"I'm fine Sue. I don't need much sleep anyways."
She rolled her eyes, "I know, I know." Dumbledore had explained Harry's
lack of need for sleep. A benefit of being a powerful wizard was that he
could go for long periods of time without sleep, and really only needed a
two or three hours a day to rest fully. By the time he hit twenty, he
would only need an hour of sleep each night, like Dumbledore did now.
"Just look out for yourself okay?"
"I will. Promise."
"Hey Harry!" He turned around to see the beginnings of a crowd
surrounding him. At least thirty people had gathered to ask questions
about this new club. He spent the remainder of his lunch answering
questions, often the same question, when was the first meeting. He was
surprised with the amount of people that actually wanted to join the
club. Even a few Slytherins tagged along. Daphne, Tracy, Blaise, and a
few third, second, and first years wanted to join them.
–
"It seems you've got yourself quite the club Mister Potter." Professor
Flitwick laughed, pouring a cup of tea for himself. Harry sat in the
charms professor's office. The room was small, much smaller than the
other professor's offices.
"I didn't quite expect the amount of people who were interested in this."
"You underestimate your popularity in this school. The students look up
to you, especially the younger ones. Are you sure you're up for the task?
You have a lot on your plate already."
"I can do it. I have the time, and if need be, I can skip a few classes here
and there. Thanks to my nightly training, I don't really have to worry too
much about classes. Potions will be a bitch though."
Professor Flitwick chuckled, "Yes, I've heard nothing but complaints from
Severus since your little run in with him."
Harry snorted, "I bet. I've honestly been checking my food for poison I'm
that paranoid he will do something to me."
"I don't blame you. Him being an ex-death eater and all and having sworn
allegiance to Dumbledore for whatever reason." Sirius had told him the
story of Snapes past with his father. How his father and friends had
bullied Snape constantly during Hogwarts. How his mother used to be his
best friend before they got into a friendship ending argument in their
fifth year. Snape hated him purely because his father, purely because
Snape loved his mother and couldn't have her. The only thing that didn't
yet make sense was why Snape was bound to the Headmaster and why
Dumbledore protected Snape for so many years.
"Has the ministry found any sign of Dumbledore or Mrs. Weasley?"
Flitwick shook his head. After Arthur and him had found Molly vanished,
they had alerted Madame Bones who began searching the country. They
started with Dumbledore's cottage in Sherwood, but neither Dumbledore,
nor Molly were there. They had seemingly disappeared into thin air.
"Alastor Moody? How is he?"
"Recovering. He should be fine in a few months. That poison he was
being given did a real number on him. He's eager to meet you actually."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
"Apparently he has been reading nothing but stories of your exploits. He
wants to see if you're truly a prodigy or just some pretender. Moody can
be like that." Flitwick cracked a smile. The two of them were good
friends, having gone way back to the days of the dueling circuit.
"Anything new on the horcrux hunt?"
Harry shook his head, "Nothing yet. Fawkes told me they had finished
searching the entire first floor and were starting on the second. "
"Lets just hope that's the last of those abominations."
"Something tells me it won't be that easy."
"It never is."
–
"So, Harry. Care to tell us what the you are planning with this new little
club you've created?" Daphne asked. Surrounding him was Hannah,
Neville, Susan, Tracy, Aimee, and Fleur. Daphne paced back and forth,
clearly irritated with him.
"Daph, what we do here won't change. I'll still do these lessons. I'm just
adding some more with the other students."
"I think eetz a brilliant idea 'Arry." Fleur exclaimed, kissing him softly on
the cheek. Daphne rolled her eyes, unseen by everyone except Harry.
"I hope all of you will join me in this club. I'll need your help, especially
with how many are signing up."
"Of course we'll help mate." Neville clapped him on the shoulder. The
others nodded in agreement.
"So you're still going to teach us Harry?" Tracy asked.
"Yes, these study sessions will stay apart from the new club."
"How are you going to deal with the younger years? They won't be able
to really do what we do."
"Well, it will be back to basics for everyone."
"Dodging and Accuracy." The others said in unison causing Harry to
chuckle.
"Yes, dodging and accuracy. As we progress through the year, I'll have
the younger years stick to basic spells while the older years I'll teach
more complex defense."
"Is Professor Flitwick going to be helping out with this club as well?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, he will. He is technically in charge of everything, but
I'm the one truly running this."
"Enough of this talk. Can we just begin?" Tracy asked, earning a few
chuckles. It was rare that Tracy was the one who wasn't interested in
conversation. In the last three months, she had improved the most and
Harry found she had a knack for Defense.
Neville also was progressing along quickly, but he was still being held
back by the random times his wand refused to work. After a quick talk
with Sirius, they had been able to figure out that Neville's wand was
actually his dads and as such, not suited for him. Sirius had promised to
take him to get a new wand during the holidays since his grandmother
refused to believe that her sons wand wasn't good enough for her
grandson.
Neither Susan or Hannah had much promise in the field of Defense
Against the Dark Arts, but neither seemed to care. Harry didn't either,
only caring if they could defend themselves long enough to get away
from a dangerous situation.
Aimee and Fleur were the best their little group, but that came with the
years, plus both of them had been in dueling class at Beauxbatons since
second year. This definitely caused a certain Slytherin to be rather upset
when she lost to Fleur in a friendly duel.
Daphne was the most naturally gifted of his friends when it came to
magic, but her expertise was in runes and arithmancy. She was better
than average in most subjects, being just third in their class, behind
himself and Hermione. But she was a genius when it came to the other
two subjects.
He had bought her a few advanced Runes books from Flourish and Blotts
with the help of Remus. Sirius was banned from the store for some reason
he refused to tell Harry.
He glanced over at Daphne who had begun to spar with Tracy. She had
been acting oddly for quite some time now and he figured this was as
good a time as ever to figure out what was going on.
"Hey, Daph? Can I speak with you?" He asked, interrupting Daphnes
attempt to stun Tracy.
"Sure Harry!" She followed him out into the hallway. The others watched
them leave but continued their training. His eyes caught Fleurs and she
had an odd look he didn't understand in them. "Is there something
wrong?" He asked bluntly once the door was closed behind them.
Daphne scrunched her face up in confusion. "Wrong? I'm fine Harry. Why
would there be anything wrong?" He was doing his best to try and
discern any emotion from her face, but she was just as stoic as ever,
something she usually wasn't with him.
"You've been acting odd the last several weeks. I just wanted to make
sure you were okay."
Daphne put on a smile, one Harry could tell didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I'm fine Harry. Honestly."
Harry sighed, "Is it me? I can tell somethings wrong. Is it Fleur?" Harry
could see a brief flint of jealousy rage through her eyes at the mention of
Fleur. Now he finally had his answer. He let out a sigh, "Daph..."
"Nothings wrong Potter." She didn't give him any chance to question
further, walking back into the classroom. The others looked at them,
stopping their training for a moment before continuing.
"Eez everything alright?" Fleur asked, walking over to him and
whispering in his ear.
"I'm not sure. And right now, I don't have the time to figure it out."
"You're balancing a lot of things 'Arry. No one would blame you if you
dropped somezing."
Harry narrowed his eyes at Fleur, "I will not drop Daphne if that is what
you're implying."
Fleur shook her head, "Non, I wouldn't suggest that 'Arry. She ees your
best friend. I am saying that eef somezing ees bothering 'er, eet eez up to
'er to tell you or not."
"But I can see something is wrong Fleur. I think she's jealous of you and I.
Have you been able to see anything?"
Fleur sighed, "I do not know what goes on in 'er head. She eez very good
at 'iding 'er emotions. Ze only thing I know is that she eez not in love wiz
you. I would be able to see it if she was."
"If she isn't in love with me, why would she be jealous of you?"
Fleur shrugged, "I do not know."
–
Harry sat down in an abandoned classroom on the first floor. Minerva
had taken the liberty to change it into somewhat of a press room. Harry,
Minerva, and Sirius all sat at a table at the front of the classroom while
several reporters sat across from them.
The reporters started asking questions about the events surrounding
Barty Jr. and the rumors that Harry was indeed an animagus. When
asked to show off his new ability, he declined, mostly because he didn't
yet know how to control it.
Minerva bore the most questions, mostly surrounding how she was taking
to her new position as Headmistress. Even Sirius fielded a few questions,
but he was mainly there as Harry's guardian since he was still considered
under age. Harry called on a hand that popped up in the crowd of
reporters.
"Alena Turpin. Editor of the Daily Prophet." She introduced herself.
"Mister Potter, the Minister of Magic has called for a budget change in
the Wizengamot. He proposes to give the Department of Magical Law
Enforcement a 75% increase. What do you think of that?"
"I think it's a great idea, Mrs. Turpin." She was the mother of Lisa Turpin,
a Ravenclaw in his year and one that would be joining him later today at
the first Defense Club meeting. "That department is suffering heavily
from cut backs in recent years and I think it time to restore it to its once
prominent position."
"Mr. Potter." Another reporter in the room began. "Increasing the budget
for the DMLE by that much would put it back on the same levels of the
last war. Why do we need the department increased by that much?"
"What many of the papers have failed to report on for one reason or
another is that crime is on the rise. Our country has started to see an
increase in crimes against muggles and muggleborns."
"Just the muggles and muggleborns Mister Potter? Are you implying that
pureblood radicals the likes of the Death Eaters are rising back up?" An
elderly man who had introduced himself earlier as Mr. Oxley.
"I am implying nothing sir. Just merely stating a fact."
"Mr. Potter, increasing the budget in one area means they either reduce
money flowing elsewhere or gain money through increased taxes. How
do you think the ministry should ascertain the wealth required for the
increase in budget?" A woman asked from the crowd.
"I think it's a fairly simple answer. Over the last ten years, the
Wizengamot has passed several laws that have lowered taxes on the
wealthy. Members of the Wizengamot tend to be wealthy individuals and
as such, it benefits them to pass laws designed to increase their bank
statements. Such laws only help the rich while make the rest of the
country vulnerable." That much was very true. But the underlying of
these taxes while, yes, they did make the rich, richer, it was mainly just
to decrease the DMLE's budget. Families like the Malfoys, Knotts, and
Parkinsons had slaved away at these bills to pave the way for Voldemorts
possible return while increasing their own wealth that they could then
use to bank roll the Dark Lord.
"Those are very strong words Mr. Potter. If they were to raise taxes on the
wealthy however, wouldn't you be one of those persons affected by the
tax increases?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, I would be one that faces an increase in taxes. Sure I
might have slightly less pocket money, but if it helps pay for the safety of
our countries citizens, I have no problem parting with a few coins."
Mrs. Turpin gave him a smile, "I think that will be all, Mr. Potter. Have a
good day."
–
"You doing alright Hermione?" She gave him a soft smile and nodded.
Today had been her first day back amongst the students since the
removal of the potions. For the most part, she had stayed in her dorm,
fearing seeing Ron. He didn't blame her either.
Of course, Ron had no idea at the time of the love potions his mother was
giving Hermione, still, it would be hard for either of them to see each
other at the moment. This was the first time she had been out of the
tower today.
"I'm okay Harry. Glad to be here." He knew they would never be the close
friends they once were. That was taken away by Molly and Dumbledore.
He now had other people to lean on, like Fleur, like Daphne, but she
would always remain a friend of his. It just wasn't the same as before and
both knew that. He gave her one last smile and released his hand from
Fleurs grasp who was standing by his side.
"Alright listen up!" Harry called to the large group of students gathered in
the Great Hall. After seeing how many people had signed up for his new
club, Professor Flitwick had helped him move things around in the Great
Hall to make space. It was the only room large enough in the castle
capable of having so many students in it, besides maybe the Room of
Requirement.
Many students from all houses were gathered together, and even a few
Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students joined them. Most notably of
course was Fleur who was standing by his side, and Aimee who was
mingled in with his friends just behind him.
"Because of how many people we have here, and how many different age
groups there are, we will have to split all of you up. Professor Flitwick
and I will move from group to group helping where we can along with
some of my helpers who will focus mostly on the younger years." He
motioned to his friends and they took a small step forward to show
everyone who he meant.
"I want everyone third year and below to stand over there!" He pointed to
the doors of the Great Hall and all the younger years moved to gather by
them. "Fourth and Fifth years, I want you in the middle. Sixth and
seventh years, stand up here where I am." Everyone jostled and moved
around until the students were situated into their correct age groups.
Harry moved to the middle of the hall and began pacing back and forth.
"This evening we all are going to focus on dodging and accuracy!" He
heard a few groans from the older students behind him. He didn't blame
them. They probably thought he was going to teach them some secret
spells that could win them any duel. Too bad the world didn't work like
that.
"I thought you were going to to teach us dueling Potter." Rodger Davies
said from the older crowd.
"Do you think dodging and spell accuracy is not important for defense?"
Harry asked honestly.
"Whats the point in dodging in a duel if you can perform a shield? And its
not difficult to hit something that doesn't move." He heard a few
murmurs of agreement from the older crowd. The younger students didn't
have much knowledge of magic and so stayed quiet. Harry didn't blame
Rodger for his lack of any insight into a real, life or death duel. Hogwarts
hadn't taught dueling in a long time, and plus, Harry's form of dueling
was different.
"Ahh, see that's where you're wrong. I never once said this was a dueling
club. This is a defense club."
"What's the difference Potter?" Rodger shouted out again.
"The difference is that dueling in a real fight would only get you killed.
Do you think someone who wants to harm you isn't going to dodge your
spells? Isn't going to use curses that can break your shields?"
Rodger smirked this time, "No one can break my shield Potter, so why
would I ever need to dodge?"
"No on can break your shield? Why don't I test it. Lets see how
unbreakable your shield is." Harry knew the moment he started this club,
someone would want to challenge him. He half expected it to be Malfoy,
but for once in his life, the blonde ponce hadn't said a word, and didn't
even bother to show up to make Harrys life more frustrating. Neither,
funnily enough, had Ron who had confined himself to his dorm the last
two days.
Rodger smiled as he pulled out his wand and stepped into the center. The
fourth and fifth years who had also been standing in the middle, moved
to either side to give them room.
"Alright. This will be a good first lesson for the class. If you challenge
someone, you better damn well know you can win." Harry didn't even
give Rodger time to raise a shield. His wand was in hand and the spell
already hurling towards Rodger before anyone could blink. Rodger went
flying back into the crowd of sixth and seventh years, taking a few down
with him.
"That right there, is your problem with shields. If you don't have time to
get one up, your only option is to try and dodge. If you don't have
dodging built into your muscle memory, you will not be able to last in a
fight. Shields are to be used as a last resort. Some spells, like the
unforgivables, aren't affected by shields. Some spells are designed to
shatter them, some penetrate them, some even use your own shield
against you. They are a weakness and a crutch for lesser wizards and
witches." Professor Flitwick checked on Rodger who was knocked
unconscious.
"Look, I am not teaching you to duel. I am going to teach you to survive
if someone attacks you, that is all. The first thing you will need to learn
are your own strengths. Once you've figured them out, you can use them
to your own advantages. Creating an advantage and playing to your
strength is the key to making it out of a fight alive." Harry was in full
teaching mode and the students watching him, each riveted to what he
was saying. They knew right then and there that this would be a club
worth attending every night if offered.
"Accuracy comes into play, when your moving, you should also be
casting a spell which can throw your aim off. Also know, your enemies
will be moving as well and so you must try and predict your opponents
path. Now, split up into pairs, only use stinging hexes and begin working
on moving and casting. I do not want to see a single shield used this
evening."
The students paired off with one another and Harry noticed that the vast
majority of them paired with someone in their own house. Maybe after a
few meetings things could change on that front. He wanted to see the
houses get better connected and it may have to be him forcing this
change. There were only two exceptions he noticed. One pair was Padma
and Seamus. A smile crested his lips, hoping he had done something good
there. The other was Luna and Ginny pairing together. He didn't know
those two were friends and thought that interesting.
The afternoon passed rather quickly for Harry. He moved from age group
to age group, giving a few people pointers here and there. Rodger had
been moved up to the infirmary for some bruised ribs. His body might be
fine but his ego was definitely crushed and so Harry would have to watch
out for him later on.
Professor Flitwick tapped his watch, motioning for Harry to call it a day.
"Good, good everyone. Gather 'round me!" The students stopped what
they were doing after the hour long session and moved around Harry.
"I do want to thank everyone that came today and hope you come back.
Once I think the majority of you have accuracy and dodging down, we
will begin to move onto spells."
"Are you going to teach us the patronus charm?" A third year Ravenclaw
called out excitedly.
"I will be teaching that spell to those in 5th year and up, yes." Harry
chuckled seeing the mixed reactions he got from that statement. Fred and
George behind him wooped with joy.
"Why can't you teach it to us? They say you learned the spell in third
year." The same Ravenclaw boy asked.
"I was able to learn it in third year yes, but it nearly took me the whole
year to do so. Plus, the spell requires a great deal of power and
concentration to pull off. Most adults can't perform the spell and I
actually would be surprised if even half of the fifth years and up can
successfully perform a shield. I would be even more surprised if a fourth
of them could perform a corporeal patronus."
"They say you can do one? Can you show us?" Harry shrugged, he
actually was curious himself. He hadn't tried the spell since getting the
horcrux removed from his head. He didn't exactly know if he could still
do it.
Harry pulled out his wand and thought back to Fleur and his first kiss. He
fixated on the pure happiness and exhilaration he felt in that moment,
"Expecto Patronum." Thick silver wisps sprung out of his wand and
formed, not into the stag like he thought it would, but into his animagus.
A silvery tiger touched down on the ground and everyone went silent.
The tiger looked completely real, it was even breathing and he could hear
its breath as it escaped its lips. He could hear its large padded paws touch
the floor as it walked slowly forward, its head on a swivel looking for any
enemies.
A second year Hufflepuff eyed the tiger with wide eyes as it grew closer.
She surely should have been in the house of the brave because she
reached out her hand and began stroking its silvery fur. Harry glanced at
Professor Flitwick who looked about ready to pass out from too much
excitement. Whatever Harry's patronus was now, he doubted anyone had
done this before.
It was a living, breathing animal, and its silvery light glowed, pulsating
from inside. The girl giggled when his tiger patronus nuzzled her with its
wet nose affectionately.
Harry's concentration was broken when a flash of fire appeared on Harrys
shoulder. The silver tiger returned to a wisp of smoke before vanishing
into nothing. Everyones eyes left the tiger and turned to Harry who now
had a phoenix perched on his shoulder.
"We've found it my lord."
"Take me." Harry disappeared in a flash of fire. And as the students
watched their club leader vanish with a phoenix, they all knew, this was
just another day to add to the growing legend of Harry Potter.
17. Goblins
Thank you everyone that has Followed/Favorited/Reviewed.
Harry flashed into the den of Grimmauld Place. He heard voices coming
from the kitchen and so walked in with Fawkes perched on his shoulder.
Sitting at the kitchen table was Remus, Sirius, and Emmy. All of them
looked up at him as he walked in. Kreacher was oddly off in the corner of
the room balling his eyes out. In the center of the table was a silver
locket with an S engraved into it.
"This is it, I take it?" Sirius nodded when he sat down. When he reached
to touch the locket, Sirius stopped him.
"Don't touch it!" He hissed, batting away his hand.
"Alright. Want to tell me how you found it and why Kreacher is crying in
the corner?"
"It's a very long story and I'm still coming to grips with it myself." Harry
looked closer at his godfather and noticed he was paler than normal and
that familiar haunted look in his gray eyes had returned.
He was about to question further when the very irate voice of
Headmistress McGonagall rang through the house. "Harry James Potter! I
swear I should toss you off the astronomy tower!"
"What did you do this time?" Remus asked, his eyebrows raised, a small
smile forming on is lips.
It was Minerva that answered for Harry, barging through the kitchen
door, "I'll tell you what he's done Remus! He used that damn bird to leave
Hogwarts in view of a hundred students, right in the middle of the Great
Hall!"
"Who is she calling a bird?" He heard Fawkes say in his head.
Harry forgot that no one else could hear Fawkes and rolled his eyes. That
didn't go unnoticed by Minerva who rounded on him. "You better not be
rolling your eyes at me young man!"
"What? No, no, no. Sorry. It was just something Fawkes said, I wasn't
rolling my eyes at you." Harry shrunk further back into his chair at the
stare the Headmistress was giving him.
"Detention! Three weeks Harry James!"
"Aww come on." Harry whined like a toddler. "It wasn't-"
"Four weeks! With Filtch!" She responded. Harry immediately shut up.
"And you!" Minerva pointed accusingly at Sirius.
"Me? What did I do?" Sirius looked just as cowed as Harry at the moment
when her ire turned to him.
"You should know better than to send for him in the middle of the day!
And if you have need of him, tell me about it and I'll make sure his
absence from the school goes through the proper channels!"
Sirius looked slightly guilty, "Well I just thought since you didn't scold
him about going to the Weasleys, you wouldn't be mad if he left this time
as well."
Minerva narrowed her eyes dangerously at her former pupil. "I didn't
think him vanishing with a Phoenix would be a common occurrence."
"Sorry, Professor. It won't happen again. If I need to leave, I'll tell you
first, I swear." Harry said.
Professor McGonagall looked at Harry, determining his sincerity. "See
that you do Mr. Potter. Why, may I ask, did you so urgently have need to
come here?"
Harry jerked his head at the locket on the table and her eyes grew wide.
"Is that what I think it is?" She asked, taking a seat next to Harry.
"A soul piece of Voldemort." Harry answered. Minerva shivered slightly,
realizing that the temperature in the room was slightly colder than the
rest of the house.
"How do we destroy it?"
"Fawkes tells me that the goblins might know of a way."
"That's great and all, but the goblins aren't exactly known for helping
wizards." She stated and Emmy nodded in agreement.
Harry shrugged, "I'm considered a friend of the nation so maybe I can
talk with them."
Minerva raised her eyes in disbelief. "He's serious. They call him
Honorable Potter. We're not entirely sure why, but that's what they called
him when we were last at Gringotts." Remus explained.
"Well, that's news to me, and something that hasn't circled around in the
papers."
"I'm sure it's only a matter of time until a reporter figures it out. I should
pay a visit to the goblins today."
"Not without me you won't." Professor McGonagall interjected.
"Nor I. We'll go together." Sirius added.
"Someone needs to stay here though. I don't want to take that thing into
Gringotts."
"I'll stay, Harry." Emmy said.
Harry nodded but gave Remus a look as to make sure he stayed behind as
well. Remus nodded, understanding the look. A brief smile showed that
Remus was happy with his lack of trust, even if it was just Emmy who
hadn't shown to be untrustworthy yet.
"Right. Well, we should get going. Gringotts will be closing soon I think."
"Allow me to get my coat, Harry." Minerva stated, heading back towards
the floo.
"Times a wastin' Grandma Minnie." He winked at the older witch,
chuckling when her eyes narrowed.
"You-" She began.
"Fawkes!" Harry was out with a flash, leaving Sirius and Remus rolling on
the floor laughing. Emmy was also failing to hide her smile behind her
hand.
"I swear that boy will be the death of me." She muttered.
"No matter how much Lily he has in him, James' side still shows its light."
Remus said.
"A little too often in my opinion." Minerva couldn't help but allow the
corner of her lips to upturn.
–
Harry flashed into the middle of the Gringotts lobby. Before he could
blink, a gleaming, silver sword was on his throat ready to slice it open.
"Fawkes, when I said Gringotts, I didn't mean bring me straight into the
lobby!" He complained to the large golden and red bird on his shoulder.
"You said Gringotts, so I brought you to Gringotts." Fawkes replied lazily.
A brief look around saw him being stared at by at least forty witches and
wizards that had been waiting in line to see the bank tellers. A goblin
wearing black battle armor had his sword under his chin, another with a
long spear was ready to puncture his side.
Harry slowly held his hands up in surrender. "I don't mean any harm, I
swear." He said to the two menacing goblin guards.
"Honorable Potter!" He heard Griphook shout and immediately the two
goblins withdrew their weapons.
"Griphook! Sorry about the entrance, I didn't mean to appear in your
bank like this." The small goblin teller wearing a black pinstrip suit came
waddling up to him.
"Do not worry about it. Should a man appear in our lobby by phoenix, we
will know it is you now. How may I ask you became bonded to young
Fawkes?"
Harry was momentarily taken back. He hadn't expected the goblins to
recognize his phoenix familiar.
"The goblins know of me, that is true. Rowena helped the goblin Agrave set up
the first Goblin bank which then paved the way for Gringott to set up what
you see today." Fawkes supplied.
"The story is long, but to shorten it, he is my familiar. I have urgent
business with your bank." Harry explained. In that moment, Headmistress
McGonagall and Sirius came striding into the bank, turning even more
heads.
"They are accompanying you I assume?" Harry nodded. "Well, follow me.
We have urgent business with you as well." Harry raised his eyebrows
questioningly, but Griphook had already turned and walked through a
side door in the lobby. Harry motioned the two adults to follow him
through the underground realm of Gringotts.
The halls twisted and turned with no clear signs as to where they were
going. Each wall was just as bare, just as stony, as the last. He was
amazed at Griphooks ability to navigate the underground of the bank.
They eventually came to a set of large bronze doors with a beautiful
carving of two large dragons fighting one another.
"In here, King Ragnok wishes to speak with you." Harry glanced
nervously at both of the adults and they too looked just as wide-eyed as
him. The doors swung open to reveal a large goblin with greying hair and
a short scruffy gray beard. He was adorned in black armor engraved with
gold depictions of axes and skulls.
He looked up, his black beady eyes menacing, even more so than
Headmistress McGonagall when she was in a foul mood. "Mister Potter,
please sit." The goblin stood, bowing slightly. Harry did the same
followed by Sirius and Minerva before they all took their seats across
from the king. Griphook scurried around the large mahogany conference
table and sat a chair down from the king.
"You have been ignoring my summons Mister Potter. I must ask why."
Harry cocked his head to the side, confused. Summons? He had received
no summons from any goblin, let alone the king of the goblins. "Sorry,
King Ragnok. I have not been given any such summons."
"Do not lie Mister Potter." Ragnok growled, shaking the table with the
boom from his low, grow voice.
Minerva cleared her voice, "I can attest for Mister Potter. He hasn't
received any mail, in fact he has never..." She trailed off, her voice going
quiet.
Ragnoks sharp ears perked up, "He has never received any mail?"
Minerva shook her head, "He has, just never from goblins. You haven't
ever gotten your bank statements have you Harry."
"Bank statements?"
"You should be receiving a bank statement every month Mister Potter."
Griphook explained.
"I haven't been getting any such statements. I'm supposed to be getting
statements from the bank?"
Sirius nodded, "Yes Harry. You should have been getting your bank
statements. It never occurred to me to ask how your finances were."
"This is worrying news. How can he not be receiving the mail we send
him?" Ragnok asked dangerously, more to Griphook than the others.
Minerva's eyes widened, "The wards. Dumbledore may have created a
ward specific for Harry. He has been known to mettle in the affairs of the
Potters, this might just be another area."
"But why would Dumbledore care about my finances?" Harry asked, some
things just weren't making sense. Dumbledore was a fool, a tampering
fool, but to steal? That didn't feel like something he would do.
"Griphook? Anything to offer?" Ragnok asked.
The smaller goblin gulped audibly, "Nothing my lord. I will conduct a full
investigation into the Potter accounts and why he has not been receiving
our mail."
"Good. Anyways, now, that you are conveniently here. I have something
to discuss with you." Ragnok said. They all stayed quiet, waiting for the
king to pull out a document from a yellow folder that sat before him.
"Mister Harry James Potter is now a recognized adult by your ministry
and the goblin nation."
All three humans mouths dropped, "I-er-what?" Harry stuttered.
"Once chosen as champion in the TriWizard games, the goblet entered
you into a magically binding contract, one that only a legal adult can be
apart of. Because your name came out of the goblet, the ministry and the
goblin nation now see you as an adult because of your participation in
said adult contract."
"O-okay. So what does that mean exactly?"
"Nothing. You're simply emancipated. The only difference is that you are
allowed to use magic outside of your school I believe. If you have a
Wizengamot seat, you also are allowed to sit in there."
Harry glanced at Sirius who nodded, "You do Harry. The Potter seat has
been vacant for a while, but now that you're a recognized adult, you
would be expected to sit in."
"But I'm still in school."
"We can make exceptions for that Harry. It's rare, but it happens."
Minerva stated.
"You said that you had something to discuss with us as well?" Griphook
asked.
"Er-yes. Right. This is something I think that should be kept confidential
at all costs King Ragnok."
The king stayed silent for several moments, looking at Harry with his
intense beady eyes before finally nodding. "Continue."
"Fawkes tells me that goblins know how to dispose of horcruxes."
"How do you know of such things!" Ragnok spat, his sharp teeth baring.
"I am in possession of one. More importantly, I am in possession of one
belonging to Voldemort." Harry continued calmly.
Both of the goblins eyes went wide, "So the stories are true." Griphook
murmured.
"Stories?" Harry asked.
"We goblins keep on the look out for such things. Muggles and
muggleborns being slaughtered in their homes in increasing numbers
over the last year. The World Cup, the Death Eaters resurgence, your
battles with a basilisk and the mysterious disappearance of former
Professor Quirrell. They are all linked, yes?" Ragnok asked.
Harry was impressed at how well they were able to connect the dots.
Wizards and witches tended to be too lazy to investigate thoroughly,
especially when it came to the topic of dark wizards. "Yes, that's all true.
Voldemort is still alive and we now know how he was able to stay alive."
"It was wise of you to ask for our help. Yes, we know how to dispose of
such abominations."
Harry sighed in relief, "We have one, and we're hoping it's the last one
tethering Voldemort to this world."
"Let us all hope so. Do you have it on you?"
Harry shook his head, "No, we have it in a safe place. We'll bring it in
today if you're okay to destroy it?"
Ragnok nodded, "Yes, bring it in as soon as possible. Such things should
be destroyed quickly." Harry nodded in agreement.
The meeting went quiet for a moment as Sirius looked over his
emancipation papers. Ragnok finally spoke up, breaking the brief silence.
"Honorable Potter, do you know why my nation calls you honorable? No?
It's because of moments like this. We see in you a greatness, one that
surpasses any wizard in thousands of years of history. You have a respect
unmatched by any other, and a power that lies within you that is
undeniable. You will change the world, we have faith in you to do so,
and we wish for that changed world. The information you have passed
onto us today about the horcrux only furthers our belief and trust in you.
We are a warrior nation, and we respect you for what you are, a warrior,
and for what you are becoming, a leader."
"I thank you King Ragnok for the faith you have placed in me. I will do
everything I can to make sure your trust is not misplaced."
King Ragnok gave a toothy smile that looked out of place on the battle-
hardened goblin. "I hope you do." Everyone could read the slight threat
behind the kings words.
–
"Kingsley, how is young Harry doing?" Dumbledore asked in his throne.
He sat, deep in the heart of Germany, in an abandoned safe house he had
been given long ago. Surrounding him were the members of the Order of
the Phoenix he knew to be loyal to him.
"He is progressing as you imagined Headmaster. I will continue to train
him as requested. Also he has begun a club within Hogwarts to help the
students with defense."
Dumbedore sat pondering this news. It seems Harry was coming into his
own leadership role, building his own army against his enemies. He was
smarter than Dumbledore initially thought. That would change though,
in due time. Harry was young, and he would make mistakes, that was
guaranteed. No boy of just fourteen could successfully win a war against
both Voldemort and himself. It would only take time to step back into
England and reclaim the title of Greatest Wizard.
As long as Harry stayed clueless to the Horcruxes, he was fine. Losing
Fawkes was bad, but at least the ruddy bird shouldn't be able to
remember anything regarding horcruxes, after all, he didn't know
anything. He was just a baby Phoenix until Dumbledore had rescued him.
He had no master until Dumbedore, and so the phoenix shouldn't know
anything of horcruxes, or Harry being one.
Harry and his friends would be walking in blind into a world of perpetual
war. History has taught us that the light always waged war against the
dark. With the death of Voldemort he hoped to unify the world under one
banner, his own. If a simple fourteen year old boy had to die to see that
vision happen, so be it. The light would prevail, the Greater Good
demanded it.
"Molly, contact your family. I have need of them." Mrs. Weasley stepped
from the shadows, her head bowed to the venerable headmaster.
"Yes, sir." She left, walking through a set of doors and out into the
manor's lobby.
"Kingsley, keep your position by Harry's side. Track his whereabouts and
scout who is on his side and no longer on mine.""
"Of course Headmaster." Kinglsey bowed, and disappeared through the
same doors as Molly. Albus sighed, his thoughts centered on Harry. The
young boy had become something uncontrollable. He had too much
James and not enough Lily in him. He had been able to control Lily, but
James was a proud pureblood through and through. Harry was the same
it seemed, but what made him dangerous was that he possessed Lily's
brilliance.
Harry needed to be dealt with, sooner rather than later. Maybe
Voldemorts plan to kill the boy would actually succeed? That was of
course in jeopardy since Barty Jr had been discovered. Maybe
Voldemort's new agent would fare better?
"Dumbledore!"
"Ah Phineas. Any news from Grimmauld?"
–
"That was an interesting meeting." Harry stated, walking out of the goblin
bank. Just like last time, the goblins guarding the outside bowed to him
as he left, which he returned. Immediately upon leaving several reporters
walked up to him, asking several questions.
"Harry, I'll get this document to the ministry, I'm sure they haven't yet
realized your new status." Sirius said, folding up his emancipation
document and placing it in his jacket. Harry nodded, turning back to
answer a few quick questions about why he was in Gringotts. He couldn't
help but chuckle when the reporters faces lit up like christmas at the
news of his emancipation.
Fawkes sat proudly perched on his shoulder. "I can get used to this." Harry
ignored his familiar's comments, as he usually did.
"Grab hold of my arm, Headmistress." As soon as her hand grabbed his
elbow, they flashed out of the alley to the bright lights of camera flashes
going off. They touched down in the den of #12 Grimmauld Place and
immediately pulled their wands.
The place looked like a tornado had blown through it. "Remus! Emmy!"
Harry shouted, rushing into the kitchen, the door having been blown off
its hinges. Remus was laying on the floor stunned, Emmy was in the main
hallway also stunned.
Harry revived Remus, "What happened?" He groaned, sitting up with the
help of Harry.
"I was hoping you could tell us that?" Harry asked while Minerva went to
revive Emmy. Remus rubbed the back of his head where it had hit the
floor. His eyes suddenly went wide and he started looking through the
room, kicking debris around. "What?"
"The locket!" He shouted. Harry started looking around the destroyed
room as well but to no avail. "Dumbledore! That git took it!"
"Dumbledore? How could Dumbledore, for one, know we had the locket,
and two, how did he get in here? Isn't this place protected by the
Fidelius?"
"I don't know how he knew." Remus said, sinking to the floor. "But the
Fidelius, it was Dumbledore who had cast it. We never thought to
perform a new one."
Harry sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. It had been a long day, and it just
got longer. "I should have figured! Phineas' portrait was missing from the
Headmaster's office when I took over." Minerva exclaimed.
"Phineas?"
"Shit." Remus muttered.
"Who is Phineas?" Harry repeated his question.
"He was a former headmaster of Hogwarts. He was also a Black and has a
family portrait here." Minerva explained.
"Where is this portrait?" Remus jerked his head to the hallway. Harry
walked over, his wand still in hand. Once he spotted it, a simple blasting
hex took out the whole portrait, along with some of the wall behind it.
This started the screaming of Sirius' mother which just moved to further
irritate Harry. He overcharged his blasting hex, his anger at Dumbledore
getting the better of him, and blasted the entire section of wall that held
the portrait. Nothing remained any longer of Walburga Black.
"Goddamn Dumbledore. I thought simply taking him out of his position
as Headmaster would at least buy us a few years without having to worry
about that man." Harry murmured, walking back into the kitchen.
Minerva had repaired the kitchen table and a few chairs where Emmy
and Remus were sitting, nursing their headaches.
"This is taking it too far. I never imagined Dumbledore to do something
like this." Minerva said.
"Now we know for sure that he knew of the horcruxes, which probably
means he knew I was one."
"What are we going to do about this?" Remus asked.
"What can we do about it? We don't know where he is, who he has with
him, besides Molly, and what he is planning on doing with the horcrux.
Maybe he will destroy it?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Maybe, but you're right. Right now we can't do anything." Minerva
agreed.
"Fawkes, are you sure you can't find out where they are?"
"No, I cannot sense the presence of Dumbledore anywhere. I will notify you if I
can."
"Thank you."
"Well, Kreacher isn't going to be happy about this mess. Where is he
anyways? Kreacher!" Nothing happened and the little old house elf didn't
show. Harry began searching the house, looking for any sign of Kreature.
He came across a small closet he hadn't ever seen before and opened it.
"Damn." The body of Kreacher lay still amidst several trinkets and a
picture of a man that looked like a younger version of Sirius. He had his
hands pressed to his chest as if he was trying to protect something from
an intruder. Harry opened his hands and found the silver chain that had
once been attached to Slytherins locket.
One week had passed since the attack on Grimmauld Place. Still, no one
could find Dumbledore, even though Sirius and Remus had both
committed most of their time to the search. Kreachers death wasn't
exactly difficult on Sirius or Harry, but now that the story of Regulus
Black had gotten out and that Kreacher had tried to protect this thing to
get help destroying it all these years, it was sad to see the elf leave this
world like that.
The goblins were furious at the news of the horcrux being stolen, even
going as far to close all accounts with the Dumbledore family. Griphook
had looked into his family vault and found that Dumbledore and Molly
Weasley had been taking sums of money from his vaults. Now that he
remembered Molly's hesitance to hand over her key to Sirius, it all made
sense. She was in league with Dumbleores schemes from the beginning.
Fawkes had become integral to his evening training. He was a library of
Rowena's old magic, having been taught it in his first life. Whether
Dumbledore knew of this ancient magic was unknown, but he figured it
was most logical that Albus knew of it. Now, he had access to three
libraries full of knowledge, the Blacks, the Potters, and Ravenclaws.
Rowena's knowledge didn't focus on combative magic or even defensive
magic, but instead on wards and rituals. She was known as one of the
smartest witches to ever have lived for a reason, having invented the
fidelius charm, the anti-portkey ward, and the anti-apparition ward.
Every bit of knowledge Fawkes could supply about Rowena, Harry wrote
down into his Anybook, creating a new book he could read at anytime.
He had spent his week off working over her theorems and putting them
into play and as such, he found his knowledge in runes growing at a
monumental rate.
This week, he had led two Defense Club meetings as well, and both
times, he saw increased numbers of students joining his club. Now his
attendance was up to two hundred students, more than half the school.
Also, many of the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students started to join
them.
It was good experience for him to talk in front of a crowd. Now that he
was expected to sit in on the Wizengamot, he would need to often speak
in front of people. He knew that in his position, he was expected to lead.
It was made clear to him, especially this week that people looked to him
to represent them. Word of him being an emancipated adult now had
brought on some responsibilities he hadn't been told about at Gringotts.
He was flooded with betrothal contracts, something that wasn't at all
common in the wizarding world anymore, but that didn't stop fathers
from trying to secure their daughters to him. He even had a few families
from Bulgaria, France, Italy, and Spain sending him betrothal contracts.
The most awkward ones were from families he recognized trying to set
them up with their daughter, sometimes even both daughters. Fleur had
taken great pleasure in declining every single one.
Also, now that he was an adult, and Minerva had discovered and gotten
rid of a ward that kept most mail being delivered to him, he was sent
several invitations to dinners and balls. He was also asked to endorse
certain items and foods, all of them willing to pay handsomely for his
support. He declined all of them, not wishing to go that route.
It was Monday, the first day back in classes. After the week long break,
Harry was happy to get back to school. Today should be especially
interesting since a certain godfather had secured his position as the
DADA professor.
The Yule ball was happening in just three weeks time and he looked
forward to it. He may not particularly like dancing, but it gave him the
opportunity to hold Fleur in his arms, something he greatly enjoyed. Now
he just needed a way to ask her without Aimee making a big deal of it.
"So Harry, when are you planning on asking her?" Aimee asked for the
hundredth time today.
"I already told you, I'm working on it." He was sitting with Aimee, Susan,
Hannah, and Neville in the Great Hall for breakfast.
"You should hurry up. She has already had a few offers. Who knows, she
might just get fed up with waiting and say yes to some random guy."
Harry narrowed his eyes at Aimee. "She wouldn't."
"No, probably not. But I would!"
"That's because you're evil Aimee. How's your luck with getting a date?"
"I already have a date thank you very much." Harry raised his eyebrows
in disbelief. "Don't act so surprised. I am quite the catch I think."
"Yeah, I'm sure you do." This earned him a playful slap on the shoulder.
"Who is it?"
"I'm not telling until you ask Fleur."
Harry held his hands up in surrender, "Fine. I'll get right on it, but if you
haven't noticed, I have been quite busy lately."
"Too busy." Harry smiled when Fleur walked up behind him and kissed
his neck. "Stop pestering 'im Aimee."
"I'm pestering him for you."
"I never asked you to."
"You don't have to ask me."
Harry rolled his eyes at the two as they started bickering back and forth.
"So, anyone know how our two resident Slytherins are doing?"
"Daphne wanted to talk to Fleur." Susan said.
Both Fleur and Harry glanced at each other, "What about?"
Susan shrugged, "She wouldn't say."
"When?" Fleur asked.
"After breakfast." Fleur nodded. The rest of breakfast went by quickly and
they soon parted ways to head for classes.
Harry kissed Fleur lightly on the lips, "Let me know how your little
meeting goes."
"Of course, mon cheri." She smiled at him as he walked up the stairs to
his first DADA class with Sirius. She turned her thoughts to what her
meeting with Daphne would be about. Ever since she had come to
Hogwarts, Daphne had been distant, and usually rude to her. She thought
it was because the girl was in love with Harry, but that wasn't the case.
Maybe she thought she was? That was probably it, she reasoned with
herself. It wouldn't be the first time a girl probably thought they were in
love with Harry.
The crowd of students had begun to trickle out more slowly to the point
where there were very few left not in classes. She felt a tap on her
shoulder and turned around to see Daphne. "You wanted to speak wiz
me?"
Daphne looked slightly nervous. "Yes, I just wanted to know if Harry has
said anything to you about being the Heir Black?" Fleur looked
confusedly at Daphne for a moment.
"Er, sorry. I do not know if 'e is. 'E 'as not told me anyzing about that."
Daphne looked slightly disappointed at that, "Why do you wish to know?"
"No reason, really. I was just curious." Daphne tried to slip away but
Fleur stopped her by grabbing her arm.
"Daphne, why are you asking? Why not ask 'im yourself?"
"Because, he has no time for me, now that he has you." She spat
venomously. Fleur narrowed her eyes at the younger witch. Apparently
she couldn't keep her rudeness out of this conversation.
"You are 'is best friend, of course 'e 'as time for you." Fleur hoped that this
wouldn't turn ugly.
Daphne scoffed, "Yeah right. He has you to and now Hermione has come
back to him. I have no place with him anymore."
Fleur sighed, "I know for sure zat 'Arry still believes you to be 'is best
friend. 'Ermione eez just a friend now and won't replace you."
Daphne rolled her eyes, "Like I can believe you. It was you that stole him
from me!"
"I did not steal 'im from anyone. Eet eez not my fault you were to slow to
get 'im for yourself."
"I can't believe he likes you. But I see what you're really doing. You're
going to leave him as soon as this year is over. Just enjoying the spotlight
aren't you!" Daphne accused.
"That eez not true! I will not leave 'Arry."
"I'll have to make you leave him then." Daphne hissed.
Fleurs hands began to turn fiery and her skin was starting to turn into
feathers. Her full veela heritage was quickly coming into play. Daphne
took out her wand and sent a spell at Fleur. She replied with her own
blue fireball.
–
Harry walked into the DADA classroom for the first time since his fight
with Barty Jr. The place after being repaired, looked the same as it had
the last three years. He smiled, seeing Sirius sitting in his professors desk
at the front of the classroom. School just got a lot more interesting with
him being around, that was for sure.
Snapes face this morning had been one to remember when Sirius walked
into the Great Hall and sat down right next to him. It only took one
minute until Snape excused himself, looking red in the face. Sirius the
whole time just ate jovially beside him, not saying a word.
Harry took a seat in the front of the class with Neville by his side. For the
most part, the first class with Sirius was nothing special, picking back up
exactly where the impostor Moody had left off. Sirius was also
surprisingly professional, not even cracking a single joke or prank.
Personally Harry thought something might happen, but the Headmistress
had probably gave him a firm talking to.
Half-way through the class just as Sirius was about to have them
practicing the stupefy spell, something that really should be taught in
first year Harry thought, the doors to the classroom opened.
"Can I borrow Mr. Potter for a moment?" Headmistress McGonagall
asked, stepping into the room.
"Of course, Headmistress. A foot on the possibilities of the stunning spell
by Friday, Mr. Potter." Harry nodded, gathering his things and heading
out of the classroom.
"Is something wrong?" He asked as they began walking down the corridor
towards the staircases.
"For once, its not something you've done." Harry furrowed his eyebrows,
wondering what someone else had done. They continued to walk until
they reached the second floor and the hospital wing. Professor
McGonagall pushed open the doors and Harry immediately spotted both
Daphne and Fleur sitting in beds, both of them looking the opposite way
of each other.
Harry walked up to the both of them. Fleur had several small cuts and a
nasty bruise on her right arm. Daphne on the other hand definitely
looked the worst off, having several burns that Madame Pomfrey was
trying to cure. "What happened?" He asked, crossing his arms.
"She attacked me!" Both girls said at once, pointing an accusing finger at
each other.
"I thought you were going to talk, not try and kill each other." Harry
sighed. He had allowed them to duel once before during their little
defense meetings and that had gotten out of hand quickly. He could only
imagine how nasty they got with out him around to control them.
"I waz going to talk with 'er 'Arry." Fleur pleaded, seeing the anger and
worst of all disappointed look on his face.
Daphne scoffed, "It's impossible to talk with you. You think you're better
than me!"
"Stop." Harry said, sighing and running a hand through his hair in
frustration.
"I do not!" Fleur defended herself, ignoring Harry.
"Stop." Harry said again.
This time it was Daphne that ignored him, "How could he ever like a
bitch like you!"
"Stop!" Harry shouted, his voice rattling the windows above their beds as
his power was projected. Both girls immediately shut up and looked at
him startled. "I get that you two hate each other but that does not mean
you should ever fight each other!"
"Look, Daphne, I get that you aren't happy about Fleur being my
girlfriend, but it's time you get used to that fact. Fleur, by the burns on
Daphne's face I can tell you lost your cool, and I'm disappointed you did.
You could have potentially killed her when all you had to do was to not
let her words affect you and simply stunned her if things escalated."
"Like she could win a fight without her precious veela heritage." Daphne
muttered.
"Daphne, whatever has you so bitter and distant right now, I hope you
get over it soon. Until you do, I don't want to speak with you." Harry
could tell his words hit home by the suddenly fearful look on her face.
"I am going back to class. I have neither the time nor the patience for
this. Fleur you are my girlfriend, Daphne you are my best friend. I don't
expect you to like each other, but I damn well expect you to act at least
cordially around each other." With that, Harry spun on his heels and left
the Great Hall, leaving the four women looking at the doors he just left
through.
Fleur looked on sadly as Harry left. She knew she had screwed up, even if
it wasn't her fault Daphne had turned nasty. She shouldn't have let her
anger get the better of her, and Harry was right, she could have possibly
killed Daphne.
Daphne sighed, her adrenaline beginning to leave her body. She ran a
hand frustratedly through her hair wondering how her life had so quickly
taken a tumble. A glance over at the silver haired veela sitting on the bed
next to her was all the reason needed. That girl had gone and in just a
month, not only completely replaced her, but now she couldn't even
speak with Harry because of her. How could she get back into his good
graces now?
"You will have detention for one week for fighting Miss Greengrass. Miss
Delacour I'll notify your headmistress of this incident and you will be
punished by her. Do not fight in my halls again." Professor McGonagall
warned, following Harry out of the hospital wing.
18. Order of Merlin
"Fleur are you ready yet?" Aimee called through her bedroom door. Fleur
stood in front of her mirror, putting on the last touches of make up. She
normally didn't wear any make up at all, being veela had its advantages,
but tonight was a special occasion. Not only was this the night of the
Yule Ball, her date being Harry Potter, but he was also being rewarded
for his heroic deeds in his second year.
The English Minister of Magic was going to be there, along with her
family. This was also going to be the first time her and Harry had been in
the company of her family as a couple. Harry's family was also going to
be here this evening, adding more pressure onto her.
The last three weeks had been a little rocky between her and Harry. He
still was being stretched thin by all of his new duties and it was clearly
beginning to take a toll on him. She did whatever she could to take him
away from his responsibilities, but he was constantly having to think
about them. They were taking up most of his time and as such he had less
and less time for his friends and her. She didn't blame him, and she knew
that this might be their life if things got serious between them. Harry is
always going to be a man pulled in many different directions. They
would just have to make do with the little time they did have together.
It also wasn't like she was sitting idly by twiddling her thumbs. She had
her own studies and duties throughout the day. Being the top of your
class wasn't easy and took a lot of work, as well as the various activities
she shared with Harry, like his Defense Club.
His stressed mood also wasn't helped by Daphne as she had yet to speak
or apologize to Harry. It was clear that was hurting him and both were
too stubborn to speak first. Tracy had repeatedly told Harry to just give
her space and that she would come around eventually and so he did. At
least, Daphne had gone home for this years winter holidays, making
tonight less awkward.
"I'm done." Fleur shouted back to her friend, putting the pink lipstick
away and heading for the door. She took one last glance in the mirror,
adjusting her slender silver dress, and walked out into the hallway.
Aimee waited for her in a blue dress to match her hair that was wrapped
up in a bun with a few loose strands framing her face. She was
apparently going with none other than Lee Jordan, the school Quidditch
announcer and third cog in the Weasley twins prankster machine.
The real surprise had been Hermiones date, who was none other than
Viktor Krum. No one, not even Harry, had seen that coming until she told
them just a few days ago. The brilliant Gryffindor had quickly become
one of Fleurs closer friends within the school. She was smart and caring,
the perfect mix for someone like her. She didn't care that Fleur was a
veela, Hermione being a muggleborn herself and equally looked down
upon by British society. They shared a common bond in that sense.
The hall she walked out into was filled with other students dressed to the
nines in extravagant ballgowns and robes. The latest fashion, had funnily
enough been designed after Harry himself when he was at his last ball in
France, wearing a muggle suit. Most of the boys wore Armani, Versace,
and Giorgio designs.
Aimee looped her arm through Fleurs, "Our men await us. We shan't be
keeping them waiting too long."
Fleur smiled at her best friend, the nerves in her stomach beginning to
increase. Tonight was a big night, not just for her, but Harry as well, and
more importantly, them as a couple. Harry had made huge strides the last
several weeks in his place as the newest, and youngest member of the
Wizengamot. His house had formally aligned with the Bones,
Longbottoms, Blacks, Tulgids, Davis', and Digorrys, creating a
powerhouse with the political power to outvote everyone else. Not even
the Malfoys monetary influence could buy an opposition to Harrys new
political party, and rumore had it that Minister Fudge had stopped taking
bribes from Lucius Malfoy altogether. It was safe to say that Harry was at
the moment, the most powerful person in Britain.
This was more a celebration for Harry and what he has managed to
accomplish in the last several months, nay years, than it was for Yule
tidings. Much of this night would fall on her as well. She could feel the
increasing pressure on her shoulders. She was veela, looked down upon
as just a mere creature by many eyes in this country, but tonight would
be a good opportunity to show that she was the chosen TriWizard
Champion from her school, and that she deserved to be with Harry. It
may simply just be dancing, smiling, and small talk, but the underhanded
politics going on tonight was the real game. She had to prove that she
was capable, and luckily her father had prepared her all her life for such
a role.
"Papa! Mama!" Fleur called, seeing her parents in the crowd of students
within the Beauxbatons carriage. The two of them rushed up to her and
Appoline engulfing their daughter in a hug.
"My sweet." Appoline said while her face was pressed to Fleurs neck, the
two of them being the same height now. She stepped back and let
Sebastien hug Fleur for a brief moment.
"You look beautiful." He said, admiring his daughter with a smile.
Fleur blushed, "Thank you papa." She glanced around in search of her
favorite and only sister. "Where is Gabrielle?"
Appoline chuckled, "She couldn't wait to see Harry." Fleur laughed,
knowing her sisters crush on her boyfriend. "He looked handsome."
Appoline looked curiously at her daughter for a moment. "Are you
happy?"
Fleur couldn't keep the goofy smile off her face, "Very happy. He is
amazing in every way."
Sebastien raised his eyebrows for a moment, "Every way?" He asked.
Fleur blushed slightly, realizing what her father was getting at. They
hadn't gone passed passionate kissing with hands above the clothes, but
Fleur knew they were getting close to doing more. "Harry is a perfect
gentlemen." She said tersely, not wishing to give her papa anything else on
the matter.
"That's why I approve him, I don't think he would be anything less. Come on,
we should go and save him from Gabbi." They all chuckled, and Sebastien
took her arm from Aimee who followed behind them, talking silently
with Appoline. They walked slowly to the Entrance Hall where most
people were waiting for their dates.
She immediately spotted Hermione and Viktor nearby having a quiet
conversation. They looked a lot more cozy than just friends, something
Hermione had vehemently defended the last several days. It didn't take
long to spot Harry dead center in the middle of a crowd of other
students. He had often been in the company of a great deal of people the
last couple of weeks, all of them wishing to know about future Defense
Club meetings, or his thoughts on the Wizengamot and the like. Fleur
knew he hated every moment of these times, but he dealt with it,
knowing it was just a part of being famous and being thrust into a
position of leadership. He was emboldened by the quote, "Be not afraid of
greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have
greatness thrust upon them." by William Shakespeare. He had Hermione to
thank for that quote and now he lived by it.
The crowd of students parted for her as she approached Harry with her
family. His face lit up upon seeing her and she couldn't help the giggle
from escaping her lips when she saw his awestruck face. "Y-you look
beautiful." He finally stammered out, kissing her lightly on the lips.
"You don't look so bad yourself." He was again in an Armani gray suit
that was clearly tailored for him. His silver tie matched her dress and
hair. Gabrielle was currently on his arm, basking in the glory of being
near Harry and the attention it came with. She was still young and had
yet to develop into a full veela like Fleur and Appoline.
The rumor was that Fleur was just a quarter veela, but such a thing didn't
exist. One was either full veela, or not at all. Veela blood wasn't always
transferred either, and so some families can be descended from veela
blood and not actually be veela. Fleur, after her full transformation at the
age of fourteen, became a full blooded veela, like her mother and
grandmother before her.
There were no male veelas and so they relied on their natural abilities to
find mates that could provide them veela heirs. A veela was always much
more likely to give birth to a girl, and as such, another veela. It was rare
for a veela to give birth to a boy, it being the sign of the veela blood
dying out in the family heritage.
They allowed the rumors of hers and Gabrielles quarter veela heritage to
continue simply because it would make them seem less creature-like in
the public eye. The Delacours were a popular, famous, and powerful
family in France, and that view would help them with keeping their
status.
"Harry, how are you!" Sebastien said, stepping into the small circle
surrounding them. Many of the students saw that this was becoming a
private conversation and began to dissipate.
Harry shook his hand gladly, "I'm good Sebastien. I trust you've been
well?"
He smiled, "Quite well. I hear you have had a busy year!"
Harry chuckled, "A quite busy one, made all the better by your daughter."
Fleur blushed at Harrys compliment.
"I am happy to see you two getting along so well." Appoline said, smiling
at Harry. He reached out and kissed the back of her hand like he had
done the first time they met. "We should get going. Gabbi, come on."
"Awww." Gabbi whined, grabbing hold of Harrys hand.
Fleur slipped her hand into his free one, "We 'ave to do ze opening dance
Gabbi, after that, I promise you can dance with 'arry for a leetle."
The little veela's face lit up, "Really?" She asked, looking at Harry. He
nodded and placed a kiss on the top of her head.
"Of course. After all, you're my favorite girl." Gabbi giggled going bright
red. "After you of course." He whispered into Fleurs ear, earning himself a
peck on the lips. Sebastien and Appoline guided Gabbrielle into the Great
Hall where most of the students had made their way.
"Champions! Over here!" Professor Flitwick called out. He had been made
Deputy Headmaster and as such was in charge of all the previous duties
of Professor McGonagall. Fleur and Harry walked over hand in hand to
where the other couples stood.
"Good, you're all here. Mr. Diggory and Miss Chang will walk in first."
Cedric and Cho had been dating for the last couple of months, and if
rumors were true, it was serious between the two. He was happy for
them, especially Cedric since he had been a good friend to Harry. "Next
will be Mr. Krum and Miss Granger." Harry winked at his friend who was
in a constant blush.
He smirked, knowing full well that she was in over her heels about
everything going one at the moment. She was in the position many of the
witches at the school wished to be in. "And lastly, Mr. Potter, and Miss
Delacour will enter. We will be eating first and then you will be asked to
conduct the first dance to open the ball." Harry nodded, understanding
the situation. He had been in this once before, and he thanked his lucky
stars for the French ball.
"You look lovely, Hermione." Harry said once Professor Flitwick left them
to make sure the Great Hall was ready for them.
Hermione smiled softly, "Thank you Harry."
Harry turned to face Viktor. "Krum, if you hurt her, I'll make sure to
embarrass you in the next event."
Both Fleur and Hermione rolled their eyes. The two champions had done
nothing but mock one another, but it was clear by now that it was all in
jest. In reality, Harry really liked Krum and vice versa. He was an
upstanding, somewhat soft spoken, and down to earth guy. But such a
guy was hard to not rib every now and then, and both were very
competitive.
"Like you could embarrass me Potter?"
"Oh and your loss in the first event wasn't an embarrassment? What are
you, seventeen? If I remember correctly, I'm three years younger and in
first place." Fleur swatted Harry playfully on the arm.
"Now, now mon cheri, don't antagonize ze enemy."
"You vill not stay in first for long Potter." Krum declared.
"Good luck on dethroning me. I have my lead and I intend on running
away with it."
"We shall see."
"You silly boys forget zat I will win!" Fleur chimed in, this time eliciting
eye rolls from both boys. Fleur was smart, powerful even, but she wasn't
in this competition. The first event had shown just who this competition
was between, Harry and Viktor. Cedric was crafty and good at preparing
for things he knew were coming, but thinking on the fly was not his
strong suit. The first task made it clear that being able to adapt quickly
was going to be a major part of these tasks. As far as he knew, no one
had yet to crack the clue inside the egg they retrieved from the dragon.
They still had sometime though and so Harry hadn't thought much about
it. Fleur, like Cedric was smart, but she lacked the necessary killer
instinct to win this event. Harry knew who his real competition was, not
that he would ever tell Fleur his thoughts about this.
"We are ready! Miss Chang! Mister Diggory!" Flitwick called from the
doorway to the Great Hall. Cedric and Cho took each others arm and
walked forward, stepping into the Great Hall. Hermione and Viktor went
shortly after, followed by Harry and Fleur. The crowd of people was
greater than Harry suspected, but remembering that he was also being
awarded a Merlin First Class tonight, it made sense. There were a great
deal of reporters, cameramen, journalists, and politicians also in
attendance.
Sirius, Remus, Kingsley, Tonks, Sebastien, Appoline, and Gabbrielle, all
sat at the same table, just to the left of the champions table that had the
headmasters, champions and their dates, and the minister and his wife.
Fleur squeezed Harrys hand in reassurance and he gave her a soft smile
in return. He guided her to the champions table where Fudge shook
Harrys hand upon arrival.
"Harry, good to see you again!" He cried boisterously. The students sat at
their respective tables in the hall and soon shouts for certain foods began
to be heard throughout the hall. Unlike during normal feasts at Hogwarts,
tonight, they were given a menu, and the students had simply to say the
name of a dish and it would appear in front of them.
"Minister, everything is going well, yes?" Harry asked, beginning to cut
up his Filet Mignon. Fleur looked sadly at her boyfriends meal. She had
yet to persuade him to more tasteful dishes, a simple steak is what he
considered fancy.
"Very well m'boy! The budget has been worked out and Madame Bones
has begun to bolster the new DMLE." The last several weeks Harry had
spent much of his time on passing the new ministry budget, much of the
funds being transferred to Madame Bones and her department. In fact,
Madame Longbottom was the one appointed to oversee the new budget,
many thanks to his new allies within the Wizengamot.
The pressure on him to do good by the people was increasingly greater,
and he would be the first to admit that the pressure was beginning to
take a toll on his life. He found it increasingly difficult to have a normal
life, attend classes, do homework, have his normal nightly training
sessions, run a Defense Club, and now attend the Wizengamot. It was
becoming a bit much, even though he only had to sleep two hours a day.
"Can I count on your support for the ban of professors bearing the Dark
Mark within Hogwarts?" Harry asked. This was the last step Harry
figured in securing the school. Now that Dumbledore was gone, all that
remained still a threat was Snape. His job was already hanging by a
thread without the old ex-headmaster to protect him. Once Dumbledore
had resigned and disappeared, many students had submitted complaints
towards the potions master, hoping the new headmistress would see
justice done.
He was already being reviewed by the Hogwarts School of Governors, but
just in case that didn't work, Harry figured he could propose a law to
exclude any of those bearing the Dark Mark from teaching schools. It was
just a step below from keeping those bearing the mark from keeping a
ministry job, but that would be hard at the moment to get passed in the
Wizengamot. Keeping teachers away from the school of Hogwarts bearing
the dark mark should be easy and a no-brainer.
Harry had avoided potions class completely the last several weeks. His
relationship with the potions master was rocky at best, murderous at
worst. It was well known throughout the school that they had a hate for
each other that ran deep.
"Of course! Such a law should have already been in place!" Fudge
proclaimed.
Harry leaned into the minister, "I proposed this law because a professor
has the Dark Mark here, in this school." Harry watched as the ministers
eyes widened and he looked incredulously at him.
"Who?" He whispered back. He hadn't told the minister yet of what the
actual reason for this law was. He wanted to wait until the minister was
in the very room with the Death Eater that Dumbledore had long
protected before revealing this plan.
Harry jerked his head to a nearby table, "Snape. He has always been a
hated professor within these halls and a loyal member to Dumbledore. He
holds the mark, and it would be in the best interest for the both of us to
get him away from teaching children."
"Of course! How could such a man teach these students!" Fudge hissed.
Harrys shrugged, "Because he was backed by Dumbledore. It used to be
that his word was law. We are beginning to see that Dumbledore himself
was just as corrupted as Voldemort."
"I trust the attack on your godfathers place had something to do with
Dumbledore?" Fudge asked, their quiet conversation continuing to be
unnoticed by others. He was surprised that Fudge knew of the attack on
his godfathers house. Though he shouldn't have been. One didn't become
minister of magic without having access to people that were very good at
acquiring information.
Harry chuckled softly, "You are well informed Minister. Yes, my friends
had a run in with the ghost headmaster."
"Why would he attack Sirius' house?" Fudge questioned further.
Harry thought for a long moment, wondering if the Minister was worth
bringing into the discussion. Of course there were huge benefits to the
minister of magic knowing that horcruxes existed, but it was also a huge
risk. Fudge was a big target for execution by Voldemort, being the
minister and all. He was also known to have a big mouth that was easily
opened by gold, but so far he had put his complete faith in Harry. Maybe
it was time to return that same faith?
"Once this evenings festivities are over, meet me on the seventh floor.
Bring no one, and the meeting we have will make you the greatest
Minister to have ever lived." Harry new the buttons to push by now on
Minister Fudge. He liked gold, but he loved his reputation and legacy
more. Malfoy couldn't put a price on a glory.
"So, Harry, how is your new club going!" Percy Weasley asked, breaking
up his conversation with the minister. Percy was the only, non-important
member at the table, Harry dubbed, and also the only Weasley here this
evening. The rest had gone home for the winter break.
"It's good Percy. I'm up to more than half the school and I take pride in
that most people seem to enjoy the lessons I provide." The Weasleys
weren't on his good list, besides, Arthur, Fred, ad George. Percy was a
ministry lackey, mostly for Umbridge who he had a keen dislike for.
Fudge kept the woman around simply because she was a yes-man.
"A fourth year teaching defense classes, even while your own godfather is
teaching DADA. Is something wrong with Lord Blacks teaching?" Percy
asked, much like Reeta Skeeter would.
"Sirius eez a phenomenal teacher and I wished Beauxbatons 'ad 'im 'as
one." Fleur responded, narrowing her eyes at the elder Weasley. "What
'Arry does eez further ze practical application of defense zan what DADA
class allows."
"Some think he is trying to create his own army. What do you have to say
to that?" He asked in a haughty tone.
"I am merely trying to help others learn defense. I am not creating an
army, only teaching individuals to defend themselves until they can get
away from a dangerous situation. I do not teach anyone spells to attack
one another."
"But some of the spells you do teach can be used to attack another
person, correct?" Percy asked. He was beginning to sound too much like a
reporter for Harrys liking.
"Percy, I can use spells taught in first year to attack people with deadly
results. I teach those that come to my club to use such spells purely in
defense and not to attack. What I do is backed by all of my professors,
the headmistress, the Minister of Magic, your boss if I might add, and the
ICW who have given me letters of encouragement to my teachings. Feel
free to try and undermine my teachings, but they won't work."
"Harry's club is amazing! He has taught me more in defense in the last
several weeks than I was ever taught in the last seven years." Cedric
defended him. Harry smiled at his Hufflepuff friend.
"Percy, I have to ask, where is this attack coming from?" Fudge asked.
Percy went red in the face and blubbered out a weak response, "No where
minister. I was just looking to protect your own interests." Harry new
immediately that something was wrong with the Weasley. It would take
more time to investigate into him further and luckily, he would be
staying around longer. Crouch Sr. had mysteriously disappeared before
his trial involving breaking Crouch Jr. out of Azkaban. Percy had taken
his place and was acting under the Department of International Magical
Cooperation.
"Champions! The first dance is to begin!" Headmistress McGonagall
called. She had been taking a keen interest in the topic between Fudge
and Harry, trying to follow along by reading their lips.
"M'lady." Harry kissed the back of Fleurs hand before taking it into his
own and walking with her into the cleared dance floor. The other
champions and their dates took their places next to them. A waltz began
to play and this time Harry took the lead, unlike last time,where Fleur
had led them. Aimee had been a much better teacher than Tonks when it
came to ballroom dancing and so he found himself gliding across the
floor with an angel in his arms.
Just like last time, he was able to completely lose himself in her bright
blue shining eyes. They stole a few quick kisses throughout the dance,
and for the most part, were completely oblivious to everyone else. All
that mattered were each other as they danced. Harry forgot all of his
responsibilities, his duties, his training, as he danced with the silver
haired goddess.
Fleur forgot of her responsibilities of being Harrys mate, his partner, his
equal, a champion, and a veela, as she danced in the arms of the love her
life. This night was perfect as she stared into the glowing emerald eyes of
Harry, his light, and happiness showing through them. She knew she was
in love with him, her senses told her, and it made her even happier to see
Harry reaching that point quickly as well.
Her parents watched them twirl around the floor with a smile on each of
their faces. Both of them new that these two would be together forever.
Appoline of course had been able to sense the love shared between them.
They may not have said the words to each other, but they were already
beginning to feel it.
"You truly do look beautiful." Harry said softly as he twirled her around
the dance floor. His lessons with Aimee had paid off and he looked much
more at ease on the dance floor than he had at the ball in France.
"I love you." Fleur blurted out. She even stopped dancing, realizing what
she had said. She went wide eyed, her heart beat increasing tenfold and
her face reddening. She didn't know what had come over her to say it so
randomly, but she was happy now that she had gotten those simple
words out.
"I love you too." Harry replied without hesitation. He may not have a lot
of experience when it came to love, but Sirius' stories of his parents, and
the way he reacted around Emmy was enough to make him realize what
love was. Sirius would do anything for Emmaline and he wondered just
how long it would be until wedding bells were heard for the couple.
Remus was also an example, although a bad example, an example
nonetheless. He was obviously in love with Tonks, but he was too scared
to do anything about it, no matter what Harry or Sirius said.
Fleur returned his words by kissing him passionately on the dance floor.
Both of them became completely oblivious to those around them. All they
felt, all they saw was each other in that moment. It was however, the
sound of Minister Fudge that eventually broke them from their moment.
"Harry James Potter!" Just the name brought a cheer to the crowd. His
popularity in the school was at an all time high.
"What is there to say about the man that hasn't been said before! He is an
honest, virtuous, courageous, intelligent, and caring man!" Another roar
of cheers shouted from the students as they began to gather around the
center stage where Minister Fudge was speaking. "He has gone above and
beyond the call of duty to our nation."
Minister Fudge took a dramatic pause before continuing. "As most of you
know, young Harry has done many extraordinary deeds while at
Hogwarts. We do not have a great enough honor to show our
thankfulness for all that he has done, all we can give him is the Order of
Merlin First Class. We award him this because of his actions in just his
second year, battling a basilisk at the mere age of twelve with only a
sword. Such a deed is truly remarkable and would earn anyone an award,
but Harry didn't just stop there. He has continued to protect the school by
ridding us of an impostor professor, freeing an innocent man, protecting
others from deadly attackers at the World Cup, and now beginning to
teach our students practical defense. We owe Harry Potter our many
thanks!"
Most of those in the Great Hall hollered and cheered in agreement. Even
some of the younger Slytherins cheered in his stead. He took pride mostly
in changing their attitudes. He knew that those young minds were the
key to the coming war. If the young children sided with him, their
parents were much less likely to face him and side with Voldemort, or
even Dumbledore.
"Join me up here Mr. Potter!" Harry walked up onto the small platform
that Fudge was also standing on and shook the ministers hand. A plump
woman wearing an ugly pink dress that did nothing to hide her rather
large waistline also came onto the platform with a small wooden box.
She opened it up to reveal a blue ribboned necklace with a gold pendant,
a large M emblazoned onto the front.
Fudge took the medal from the box and carefully slipped it on over
Harrys head. The crowd roared in approval. Harry spotted Fleur clapping
and cheering as well, along with Sirius who stood next to Sebastien.
"Harry Potter!" Fudge proclaimed, grabbing Harrys hand and raising it
into the air in triumph. The crowd of students continued to cheer for
their fellow student.
It was now clear to the students that Harry was very powerful and that
his exploits in the last several years were indeed true. His fight with the
dragon was just the icing on the cake for them and so they looked
forward to the second task immensely. No longer was Cedric the favorite
to win this tournament for the Hogwarts students.
Harry stepped down from the platform as the music began to play and
made it back into Fleurs arms. After a quick dance, they were stopped by
Sebastien, Sirius, and Appoline. "Congratulations Harry." Sebastien said,
taking Fluers arm and beginning to dance with her. Harry took Appoline
in stride and danced with her while Sirius continued to dance slowly with
Emmy.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me that you could be here." Harry said
genuinely while dancing.
"We wouldn't miss this for the world." Sebastien responded. Harry knew
that they were here not just to support him, but to further France's
influence in England. After all, England was the first defense against
Voldemort and his followers, and the French would do just about
anything to keep Voldemort from returning to power. They had their own
dark wizards to worry about and if Voldemort returned to form, like
Sebastien knew he would one day, they too would be in trouble.
"You continue to impress us 'Arry." Appoline said.
"I think I'm now expected to impress."
Appoline and Sebastien chuckled, "That, I fear, will be your cross to bear
for many years to come. But, something tells me you're up for the task.
That aside, we do have to talk about my daughters virtue." He added in a
dead pan voice. Harrys eyes widened and he stopped dancing completely.
"Papa!" Fleur admonished, turning beet red.
"I had this whole speech planned about how her boyfriend needed to
respect my daughters wishes, but then she goes and chooses a man that is
impossible to intimidate!" He continued cheekily.
"You're Fleurs father. That's all the intimidation you need." This made the
small group chuckle. They made their way over to an abandoned table
for a break. This gave Harry time to look around the hall and spot his
friends. Neville and Hannah were still wrapped up in each others arms on
the dance floor. Tracy was dancing with Theo who was quickly becoming
one of Harrys closer guy friends. The boy was as sharp as a whip and
easily the best duelist out of all his friends. Apparently his father was a
champion duelist, having competed in various world dueling
championships. Harry did his best to gloss over the fact that his father
was also a suspected death eater.
Susan was sitting at a table with her date, Ernie McMillan, and Hermione
and Viktor. This winter holiday had been odd, he had expected all of the
Weasleys to be here this year, but instead Arthur had apparently wanted
them home. He looked around sadly, hoping to catch a glimpse of
Daphne, but already knew she wasn't actually here. He missed his best
friend and was sad that at this moment, they weren't actually friends. The
both of them hadn't said a word to each other since the hospital wing and
neither had any plans to break their little disagreement.
As he sat watching the students dance and have a good time, he reflected
back on all that had happened. His life had changed dramatically in just
a few short months. Now he understood where his life was headed, what
his duties were, and more importantly, that he had family around him
willing to go the distance with him. He had never felt so loved before,
the small smile on Sirius' face as he talked politics with Sebastien, Fleur,
Appoline, and Gabrielle discussing the latest fashions, Emmy talking with
Remus and Tonks about the ministry. This was his family, something he
had been searching for his whole life and finally had. Now all he had to
do was protect it.
–
"Minister, what I say here should be kept completely confidential." Harry
opened. He was sitting down at a large round table created by the Room
of Requirement. Around him sat Sebastien, Fleur, Appoline, Sirius,
Remus, Amelia Bones Emmaline, and Headmistress McGonagall.
Gabbrielle had already been put to bed and Professor Flitwick was doing
his rounds to make sure everyone had indeed gone to bed. Amelia had
been present at the ball and Harry asked her to join them here as well.
He figured she would need to be in the know as well about the situation
with Voldemorts horcruxes. She knew that hew as still alive, just not
how.
The Yule Ball had been a success for the most part. Aside from a few
students that had managed to sneak in some firewhiskey and make a fool
of themselves, it had gone off without a hitch. Harry had given a few
interviews to the Daily Prophet and Teen Witch Magazine about being
awarded the Order of Merlin First Class. Fleur had played her part
perfectly, staying by his side and answering any question thrown her
way.
"Is this level of secrecy really needed Harry?" The minister asked, looking
at everyone else a little nervously. He clearly wasn't used to being in a
room where he didn't control or have any influence over the people.
"It is. We know for certain that Voldemort is still alive." Harry said in a
dead pan tone.
Fudge looked around at everyone, trying to figure out if this was some
kind of prank. "Surely, Harry. You can't actually be serious."
"No, because I am." Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes at Sirius' lame
and overused joke. The old prankster couldn't help but take the
opportunity.
"Do you know what a horcrux is?" Minister Fudges expression didn't
change but Madame Bones eyes went wide.
"He wouldn't." She breathed out.
"He did. We know for certain since we were once in possession of one."
Harry said bitterly. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that Dumbledore
had stolen a horcrux from him. He hoped against hope that the old man
was smart enough to destroy it and that it was an honest mistake to take
it from them. By now though, he knew better, Dumbledore had his own
game and reasons for doing what he did.
"Once?" She asked.
Harry winced slightly, "It was taken from us by Dumbledore. That's why
Sirius' house was attacked."
"What! Why would he do that!" She demanded.
"We don't know yet, nor can we find him to ask. At this point we're just
hoping he destroyed it like we were going to do. After all, we may not be
on the same side as Dumbledore, but both of us want Voldemort dead."
Sirius said.
"Hold on! What the hell is a horcrux!" Fudge demanded, entering back
into the conversation.
Madame Bones answered the minister, "Its old, obscure, and very dark
magic. To create a horcrux, one must kill someone in cold blood, thus
shattering their soul and allowing them to place a piece of their soul into
an object. Once done, the person who created the horcrux is in essence,
immortal."
Fudges face went through a mixture of colors before settling on
completely pale. His mouth gaped open like a fish. "Horcruxes can be
destroyed, but as you can imagine minister, our world has gotten much
more complicated. We also have the problem that he has created more
than one horcrux." Harry added.
"He can do that?" Amelia asked in disbelief.
"We know he has, I was once one. That night at the World Cup, I was hit
by a second killing curse and it destroyed the piece of Voldemorts soul
that resided in my scar." Amelia brought her hand to her mouth in shock.
Apparently, this news was too much for the minister to handle and he
promptly fainted.
"Well, bravery isn't exactly his standout trait I suppose." Sirius said,
walking over to check on the minister.
"Lets-lets back up here for a moment Harry. You said Dumbledore
attacked you to get the horcrux in your possession. That would mean
Dumble-"
"That Dumbledore knew of the horcruxes? Yes." Harry cut Amelia off. "I
think he has always known about them, and I think he knew I was one as
well. He has a fourteen year head start on us when it comes to preparing
for Voldemort."
"That bloody bastard." Sebastien muttered under his breath. "Okay, if
there are multiple of these things, and the one in you was destroyed, is
the one Dumbledore stole the last one? Would destroying that kill
Voldemort for good?" This was also the first time Sebastien and Appoline
were hearing anything about this. They had kept them in the dark mostly
because of the distance between them, and Fleur wasn't sure they should
get involved. She had decided that it was now probably best for hem to
know everything going on in England, after all, some of the coming war
might spill over to France and he was the Director of Magical Law
Enforcement there.
"Sadly, we just don't know much as of right now. Dumbledore probably
knows more than us, but we aren't exactly on speaking terms with him."
"Besides Dumbledore, is there any way of learning more about horcruxes?
Or Voldemort?" Appoline asked.
"I can search the Black family library for anything." Sirius suggested.
"And I'll search the Potter library. Fawkes has already told me everything
he knows about horcruxes, which isn't much. Rowena apparently was
fond of them and didn't delve too deep into that area of magic."
"Is there anything else we can do right now?" Minerva asked to the
group.
Harry shook his head, "Nothing right now. Maybe I can ask the goblins
more about horcruxes or any knowledge of Voldemort they have? We
will see I guess, but for now, there isn't much else to do."
"Well, I should probably get the minister back to his home." Amelia said,
concluding the meeting.
"Can you make sure he doesn't freak out when he wakes and does
something stupid?" Harry asked. Amelia gave him a wry grin in return.
"Like declare us all crazy?"
Harry chuckled, "Or worse. Tells everyone and Voldemort goes to great
lengths to hide his horcruxes if he still has any out there. Surprise is still
on our side I think."
Sorry about the slower update. I am in the process of moving. The
next update might be a bit slower in coming out as well, but it
shouldn't be any longer than a week from now.
19. Grindelwald
"Dominant foot forward, keep your profile as skinny as possible!" Harry
called to the class of students in front of him. By now, it just wasn't
Professor Flitwick that would join him in helping out the students in his
Defense Club. Sirius, Professor Babbling, and even occasionally Professor
McGonagall had joined him in helping teach the students defense.
Three groups were created by age group, and all had their specific task.
The younger years were mostly focused on simple accuracy and low level
spells that could save them in a desperate situation. The middle years
were beginning to learn more complicated magic, while the older years
were perfecting more complex defensive shields and distractions to get
away from an attacker.
These classes were no longer just a simple club, instead they were a full
school effort. Many of the professors had contributed in some way or
another. Professor Sprout had given a class on certain plants that could
be used in defensive situations, like the Aerlia Phorantel, which creates a
gas that can knock out an opponent in a few seconds. Professor Babbling
used the Defense Club to begin teaching students who didn't take her
ancient runes class, the art of wards and how to detect and get through
them.
The vast majority of the school, and the other two guest schools, had
begun attending, and often Harry was asked to hold club meetings every
day. He had to decline such things simply because he was too busy.
Having two meetings a week was enough, but he was happy to see that
the students had begun study lessons amongst themselves in defense.
Sirius had also began fitting his schedule into the defense club meetings,
using them as a place to practice practical defensive magic, while he
could focus solely on the theoretical side of things.
"Speed is the goal! Endurance is the key!" Harry shouted to his group of
students. He was focused on the sixth and seventh years. They were the
ones using the more advanced magic and so that's where he focused most
of his attention. Flitwick and his helpers kept mostly to the other two
groups.
For the last two weeks, he had begun training them in combat situations,
even creating a mock house in the middle of the Great Hall for the
students to run through. He would split the teams, five to a side. Five of
the older students would act as attackers, while the other five would have
to fight their way out, or figure out a more inventive way to escape,
resulting in the 'death' of none of their friends.
Professor Flitwick had created an ingenious design where the walls of the
house would change with each team that entered to defend the house.
This way, it kept the students from being able to formulate a plan ahead
of time. Harry wanted to instill the ability to think on the fly.
"That's all for the night!" Harry called the club to an end. "Gather 'round!"
Like always, he had everyone surround him so that he could give out
information. Hermione had also encouraged him to give a few words of
encouragement each night.
"Again, thank you to everyone that attended this evening." Harry started
once everyone circled around him. He was becoming very used to
speaking in front of large crowds, and with each speech, it became easier.
"All of you are progressing quickly, much more quickly than I or your
teachers had imagined. Because of this, I will be teaching the older group
the patronus charm next week." Many of the older students cheered. That
was the one spell a lot of them were most anxiously waiting to learn.
"The 4th and 5th years will begin to learn dueling spells, while the
younger years will begin to learn beginning defensive spells. Stupefy,
reducto, expalliarmus, and such. All of you have made this club into
something I never imagined. Something that I am proud to run,
something that I am proud to teach. I thank you all for showing up. Have
a good evening and I'll see you on Thursday."
Many of the students left slowly from the Great Hall. Harry was happy to
see that the houses were growing closer. Usually the Ravenclaws,
Gryffindors, and Huflepuffs were somewhat close, with the Slytherins
being ostracized. That wasn't the case anymore, at least with the younger
years. Many of the younger Slytherins had begun attending the Defense
Club, and because of Harrys rule of partnering with a member of another
house, began making friends with other house members.
Hogwarts was truly becoming one school, instead of four houses inside a
single castle. Teaching students defense was great, but teaching them to
respect different beliefs and making friends with people of the other side
was the real goal of the club. Harry stood by the philosophy that kids
were the way into a parents heart. If he could persuade the spawns of
former Death Eaters, he hoped to get them to side with him, or at least
not against him.
"Harry!" Fred shouted, walking up to him with his twin brother. "We need
to tell you something." He said much more quietly once he was closer to
Harry.
By now, most of the others had already left the Great Hall, leaving him
alone with the Weasley twins. "What do you want to tell me?"
Both twins glanced nervously at one another, alerting him that whatever
they were about to tell him, he wasn't going to like. "Our mother came
back over the holiday."
"What!" Harry shouted, his voice echoing in the now empty hall.
"That's why our father wanted all of us home for the holidays. Apparently
she came back a few days before and was apologizing non-stop for her
behavior."
"Tell me everything."
Harry flicked his wand and summoned three chairs that had been set
aside in the hall. Not a second later, Dobby appeared with several
butterbeers. He had taken on Dobby as his personal house elf just last
week. Well, that wasn't entirely true, apparently, ever since freeing
Dobby from the Malfoys, the wonky house elf became his because Dobby
wished it so, but he had formally accepted Dobby's help now. Hermione
wasn't all too pleased with him at the moment because of it, but she
would eventually get over it and see reason regarding house elves. At
least he hoped so.
From what Daphne had explained and what Dobby further confirmed,
was that they were perfectly happy serving wizards. Or at least, happy to
serve when they weren't constantly abused like Dobby was when with the
Malfoys. To them, being apart of a family and serving their masters is the
highest call for a house elf. Harry may not understand it, but if it made
them happy and healthy, they could serve all they want.
"Of course, we had a lot of questions for her, but for the most part she
was a blubbering mess the whole time. It was...hard you know. She's our
mum." George said.
"Said she was potioned by Dumbledore and forced to give potions to
Hermione."
"Do you believe her?" Harry asked, looking skeptically at the twins. He
wasn't buying it for a moment. Molly coming back seemed way to
convenient and a way for Dumbledore to keep a closer on him.
Both the twins shook their heads, "Right now, none of the family believe
her. Dad has her living in a muggle hotel nearby."
"She wasn't too happy 'bout that." Fred added.
"I bet." Harry said. "Did she seem genuine though? Do you think she
actually was being forced to do those things by Dumbledores will?" He
was curious what the twins thought. They were excellent when it came to
pranking, and even better at performing ruses. If Molly was acting, they
should be able to spot it.
"It's impossible for us to tell. She's our mum after all. We have to give her
the benefit of the doubt don't we?" George asked, a little desperation
seeping into his voice. Harry hid his surprise slightly. Maybe he should
have figured they wouldn't be able to look passed the fact that Molly is
their mother.
He shrugged in response. "It's your family, I can't tell you what to do. My
recommendation is to keep her as far away as possible. It's odd for her to
just randomly show up. Did she say where Dumbledore was?"
Both twins shook their heads. "She said she couldn't remember the last
several weeks."
Harry sighed, "That's typical."
"What are you going to do about her?" Fred asked.
Harry raised his eyebrows, "Me? She's your family. Look, I'm not trying to
become the next Dumbledore or Voldemort. Your mother is your mother.
Decide if you can trust her or not. I trust you to come to the correct
decision on her. But I will warn you, if I so much as whiff foul play on
her part, I will deal with her personally." Harry warned, his tone turning
cold.
"We wouldn't expect anything less."
"I do think a formal apology to Hermione is in order however."
"We can ask her to send a letter."
Harry nodded, "That should be fine."
–
"Hey Daph! Mind helping me out here?" Harry called to the platinum
blonde haired Slytherin standing nearby him. The last two weeks had
been some of the best of his life. Every since she came back from the
holidays, she had completely transformed. She was again his best friend
and seemingly had no problem with Fleur either. In fact, the two girls
had begun to become friends, much to the surprise of everyone else.
They had quickly taken to each other, so much so, that Hermione, Fleur,
and Daphne were called the new Power Trio of Hogwarts. The three of
them were often seen together, and usually Harry was with them. Some
had even begun to speculate that Harry was having a multi-relationship
with the three girls, but that wasn't the case.
Fleur was still, and always would be his number one girl. "Maybe you
should try water?" Daph questioned. She sat down at the table and pulled
out her homework. Harry played with his golden egg which was
supposed to be hiding a clue to the next task. Daphne grabbed Harry's
ancient runes homework, looking over her and Harry's essays to make
sure they were both acceptable at least. Or more like Daphne's was
Outstanding while Harry's was Acceptable.
"Water? Why would water do anything?" Harry asked. He took his wand
and tried for the one-hundredth time, Expelliarmus. It of course did
nothing to the egg.
"You tried throwing it into a fireplace. Maybe it needs to be submerged in
water instead?" She said, not looking up from the two pieces of
parchment.
Harry scoffed, "That sounds ridiculous. How would I be able to hear or
see what the clue was if I opened it in the Black Lake. It's called the Black
Lake for a reason you know."
Daphne looked up from the homework and rolled her eyes sarcastically at
Harry, "Who said you needed to do it in the Black Lake?"
"Where else would I submerge myself and this egg?"
"The prefects bathroom." She answered lazily.
"Okay, I have no problem disobeying school rules, but breaking into the
prefects bath is a bit much isn't it?"
"I thought you were always up to a challenge."
Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times before responding, "I
am!" He squeaked out. "Isn't there anywhere else better?"
"We don't exactly have baths in the common bathrooms Potter."
"Well what if your theory doesn't hold up. What if submerging the egg in
water isn't the key. What then?"
Daphne shrugged, "Then you're fucked."
"Thanks Daph. You are so full of encouragement."
"I try." She sighed, looking back down at her and Harrys homework. She
began making a few slight corrections on Harrys homework, mostly
grammatical.
Harry took a quick glance at his friend. It was nice to have his best friend
back. Whatever had happened over the holidays had done her wonders.
She was much more lighthearted around their friends. Still, she kept up
her icy persona when around anyone other than their close friends, but at
least she was back to normal. The jealousy she had of Fleur was
seemingly gone, and she had even gone as far as showing some interest
in Theo. The Slytherin boy hadn't shown any interest back of course,
Harry knew him to be gay, a secret only known by him, and Harry swore
to never tell a soul like he was asked.
He awkwardly found out Theos secret when he found the Slytherin
having a 'private moment' in a bathroom stall with a picture of Troy
Duvall, an American Quidditch player. He had been looking for Theo and
used the Marauders Map to find him in the third floor bathroom. Things
were definitely more than a little awkward for a week between them, but
in the end, they grew closer because of the shared embarrassing secret.
This secret had created a bond between him and the Slytherin. No longer
was Theo a potential enemy because of his father, but now a close friend
he was willing to trust secrets with. None of his friends knew of the
horcruxes, besides Fleur, but Theo would be the first to know, followed
by Daphne and then Neville. Amelia had specifically asked him to never
tell Susan of the horcruxes for some reason, but he would honor her
rules.
"Hey Theo." Harry said once the short haired brunette walked over to
them. It was now commonplace for others to see Harry in the company of
Slytherins and so no one questioned. In fact, because of his Defense Club,
the house divide had become less of an issue. Still, the older Slytherins,
most of them remaining in the pocket of Malfoy and suspected Death
Eater pupils, kept their distance. The younger snakes had become quick
friends with their year-mates and others such as Theo, Blaise, Antony
Arguille, Francessca Bellore, and David Yates, became fast friends with
Harry and his friends.
Slytherin house as a whole was fracturing, much to Harrys pleasure. The
other three houses were now firmly on his side, and because of this, he
was the de facto head of the students. Not even the Head boy or girl had
as much power as him in the school.
"You shouldn't trust Molly Weasley." Theodore said, sitting down at his
and Daphne's table. Harry didn't even bother to act surprised. His
Slytherin friend was excellent at garnering information, information he
shouldn't really know.
"I don't. Neither do the Weasleys, but it isn't my call to way in on the
outcome of her. She is their mum after all. They have to make their own
decisions about family."
Daphne rolled her eyes, "You're too noble. She is a threat to you. She has
betrayed you and a close friend once before, whats to say she won't do it
again?"
"I know she is very capable of being apart of one of Dumbledores
schemes. I suspect that is the case, but still, I cannot make decisions for
the Weasley family. I will deal with Molly if and when she becomes a
threat to me, but I leave her to the Weasleys to deal with for now. I won't
become another Dumbledore or Voldemort, meddling in the affairs of
others."
"That way of thinking will get you killed." Theo stated.
"I would rather die than become the oppressive, meddling wizards that
Dumbledore and Voldemort are."
Theo sighed, "I know. That's why we're friends. But power can corrupt
even the best of men."
Theo is a scholar, studying the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers.
He would often quote Socrates, Plato, Seneca, and Pliny. All of them
would say the same thing, that humans were inherently greedy, self-
preservative at heart.
Harry prided himself on going against the norm. He liked to think he
wasn't doing the things he does for himself, but for others. He didn't like
his fame or the power it came with, but he understood he had a
responsibility to use his power for the greater good of the people.
Daphne shook her head, "Harrys power isn't in his magical abilities. It's in
his ability to instill confidence and motive in others." She turned to face
Harry. "People follow you. You are a natural leader, one that people will
follow to the ends of the earth."
"You always have a unique way of looking at my situation."
Theo chuckled, "That's why you talk to her isn't it?" Daphne ignored her
friends comment and went back to reading the homework.
–
"Have you figured this shit out yet?" Harry asked Fleur. He began
punching the golden egg. Anything at this point would be a good idea. It
was just three weeks until the event of the second task and he was
becoming desperate.
"'Arry, we agreed to not discuss ze tournament with eachozzer." Fleur
responded. They both sat on her bed in the Beuaxbatons carriage. Harry
and Fleurs egg sat in-between them. They had both agreed to not reveal
any of the details of the clue. After all, they were both naturally
competitive individuals. Neither of them had yet to crack the clue
however, and Harry especially was becoming anxious about it.
He didn't like not knowing what the coming task was. Maybe it was his
paranoia when it came to others stacking this event against him, hoping
he would die, or simply the fact that even if the tournament wasn't
stacked against him, he could die anyways. Both Voldemort and
Dumbledore had clear investment in this tournament and that made him
especially uneasy. The worst part was that he was being forced to go
through with it all.
"I know, I was just spying." Harry said cheekily. Fleur grinned, wrapping
her arms around Harrys neck.
"Oh?" She pressed her lips onto Harrys. The kiss quickly grew passionate
like their others had. This time Fleur wasn't content with just kissing. Her
desires had begun to demand more, and she knew Harry wanted more as
well, but was just too noble to try anything. It was clear to her that she
would have to instigate most new things in their relationship.
Fleur guided Harry onto his back and straddled his waist. He moaned
into her lips as she began to grind into him. Her hand grabbed his and
she guided it under her blue robes so that his hand touched bare flesh.
His touch burned with greater desire and it gradually moved upwards,
slowly and sensually until it reached her breasts.
He could feel her hardening nipples through her bra that she had on and
it only served to increase his growing desire more. Fleur grounded her
hips into him more causing him to gasp into her mouth. He instinctively
ran his other hand beneath her robes and grasped her other breast
causing her to moan.
Knock! Knock! The door was pounded on twice. Fleur broke their kiss and
sighed, "Go away!" She shouted at the door. Neither of them had time to
move from their compromising and embarrassing position as the door
burst open.
"Fleur? Oh 'arry! 'ow are-oh!" Madame Maxime stopped her greeting,
seeing Harrys hands still up Fleurs robes and her on top of him. Her eyes
quickly dimmed, but a faint trace of amusement showed in them.
"Fleur!" Aimee shouted, barging into the room. "Oh!" She quickly covered
her eyes, also seeing her friends compromising position.
"Whats going on?" Gabrielle asked, also stepping into the room. "Sis!" She
shouted, seeing her sister, red faced and too stunned to move. Gabbi and
Appoline had stayed the last two weeks to catch up with Fleur and be
close to her. Sebastien luckily wasn't here, being a busy man in France
had its benefits for both Fleur and Harry.
"Fleur?...Fleur!" Appoline exclaimed, walking in after hearing the
commotion.
Both Fleur and Harry stared wide eyed at their new audience, both going
deep shades of red. Harry was completely frozen, forgetting that he still
had his hands underneath his girlfriends robes. Fleur was just as frozen,
not thinking to get off of her boyfriend.
Several seconds passed before Fleur got passed her stunned state. "You
could knock!" She shouted, jumping off of Harry.
"I did. 'ello 'Arry." Madame Maxime said pleasantly, trying to make this
situation a little less awkward. Both Appoline and Aimee were now
giggling like little girls while Gabbi's small mouth dropped in a cute way
and her eyes stared wide-eyed at her older sister in disbelief.
"Hello, Madame. Gabbi, Appoline, Aimee." He replied with an awkward
and nervous smile. He quickly adjusted his shirt that had become ruffled
and untucked somehow.
"Relaxing a bit I see?" Appoline said through her giggles.
Harry choked on air and Fleur slapped him on the back. "Mama! What
are all of you doing 'ere anyways?" Fleur asked, her arms crossing across
her chest.
"It's time for dinner!" Gabbi said.
"Really? All of you barged into my room because it's time for dinner!"
Fleur shouted, causing the other four witches to flinch back.
"We didn't know you had company." Appoline reasoned.
"I-er-should get going. It's dinner time after all." Harry stuttered, getting
up off the bed. He quickly hurried out of the room before anyone could
stop him, desperate to escape the awkward situation he found himself in.
Fleurs eyes rolled back and she collapsed back onto her bed. "Sorry."
Appoline winced when a blue flame fireball shot in her direction. The
three women hurried out of her room, dinner plans were quickly
forgotten.
–
Harry rushed out of the Beauxbatons carriage as quickly as he could. A
few of the Beauxbatons students stopped him to ask when the next
Defense Club meeting was, but other than that, he was able to make his
escape easily.
His face was the most odd mixture of shock and embarrassment, yet he
couldn't stop smiling. He could still feel Fleurs warm flesh on his hands
and the feeling of her grinding onto him. This was new in their
relationship and he definitely liked it. If her family hadn't barged into
their room, he wandered how far they would have gotten. He had heard
stories from the older students about what goes on between girls and
guys, but to experience it was another thing. He was excited to begin
experiencing the advantages of having a girlfriend. All he and Fleur
needed was a place to not be interrupted by others.
Harry was lost in his day dream when he ran right into Cedric in the
entrance hall. "Harry!" Cedric exclaimed, stepping back. "Just the man I
wanted to see!"
Harry looked at Cedric oddly, "Why'd you want to see me?"
"What I can't talk to my friend?" Cedric then leaned in and whispered
into Harrys ear "I've found the clue to the second task."
Harrys eyes widened, "You did?"
Cedric nodded his head, "I suggest taking the egg to the prefects
bathroom." He stated somewhat cryptically.
"The prefects bathroom?" Harry questioned skeptically.
"Water is the key." Harry cursed under his breath. Daphnes wild guess
was apparently correct. He would never tell her that of course, otherwise
he wouldn't hear the end of it from her.
"Thank you." Harry whispered back.
"So, what put that goofy smile on your face?" Cedric asked in a
lighthearted tone. Harrys blush came back in full force as the imagery of
his time with Fleur came back. Cedric saw right through it at once. "Ahh,
Fleur. I can only imagine."
"That better not be the case Ced!" Cho stated, walking up to them from
behind. She looped her arm through Cedrics and squinted her eyes at her
boyfriend.
Cedric began stuttering, "N-no. O-of course I don't imagine a-any other
girl sweetums. You're my world of course."
Cho placed a chaste kiss on Cedrics lips, "Good." She then looked at
Harry. "But I don't blame you, Fleur is hot, no denying that."
Harry sighed, his goofy grin returning, "Yeah..."
–
Harry snuck his way into the prefects bathroom on the fifth floor. It was
already twelve A.M, just after his nightly training, and so no prefects
would be there. He stripped his clothes and grabbed his golden egg that
he took along with him.
He opened it and tossed it into the large pool-like bath. Not noticing any
reaction, he dove under water to retrieve it but instead of the normal
deafening shrieks that came from the egg, he heard beautiful music and
an entrancing voice.
Come seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground,
And while you're searching ponder this;
We've taken what you'll sorely miss,
An hour long you'll have to look,
And to recover what we took,
But past an hour, the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.
He waited for a little while longer to see if anything else was said, but
simply, the song repeated itself. It was clear from the get go that
something important to him would be taken away, and that it would be
hidden under the Black Lake.
The thought angered him greatly, because he knew the ministry wouldn't
think to use material things. No, they would use people, they were what
most people put greatest value on. Since Fleur was a contestant herself,
that would only leave one person he cared for above all others...Daphne.
A fierce anger swelled in him at the thought of her being taken against
her will and dragged into the depths of the Black Lake. It was one thing
for him to participate against his will in this contest, but for one of his
friends, his closest friend, it was unthinkable.
He didn't even bother to grab his shirt or dry himself off as he stormed
out of the prefects baths. Luck would have it, he ran right into Professor
Snape on his way to the Headmistress' office. "Potter! Out after hours I
see." He sneered, his black cloak billowing behind him as he came to a
stop in front of Harry.
"Don't mess with me Snape, it'll only end with you on the floor...again."
Harry hissed back, making to step by the professor.
Snape had other plans and stepped in front of Harry, pulling his wand
and training it on Harry. "I don't think so. Not this time. You get away
with the rules too much, and Dumbledore may not be here any longer,
but that doesn't mean you can disregard school rules anytime you wish."
Harry narrowed his eyes, stepping closer to the potions master and
making zero attempts to grab his own wand. "I would be very careful if I
were you Snivellus. You no longer have any real power here, and once I
have passed the new legislation in the Wizengamot next week, you will
be out of a job." Severus' normally pale face turned a deep shade of
purple and his wand arm began to shake with rage. "I suggest you get out
of my way before I put you down. I have business with the headmistress."
He said, his voice cold. Severus' eyes widened, recognizing the same cold
hiss from another powerful wizard he knew all too well.
His wand lowered and he stepped to the side. Harry brushed passed him,
his shoulder bumping into Snape and knocking him backwards onto the
railing of the stairs. Severus watched as Harry disappeared down the
other corridor and up into the Headmistress' office with a fearful look on
his face.
"Harry?" Professor McGonagall rubbed her eyes, having just been woken
up by her favored student barging into her office. The Headmistress'
quarters were within her office so that she could hear anyone walking
into her office along with anyone trying to floo her.
She walked out and sat into her office chair, adjusting her nightgown to
cover some of her bare skin. Harry didn't care that his former head of
house and new headmistress was somewhat scantily clad. Fawkes
appeared on his shoulder in a flash of fire, nibbling at his ear
affectionately.
Just three days ago, Fawkes and Hedwig had met for the first time.
Hediwg had come into the Great Hall during breakfast to deliver a
message from Sirius while Fawkes was perched on his shoulder. Both
birds had a stare down that lasted several minutes before Fawkes slapped
Hedwig across the head with his large wing.
What happened next would go down in Hogwarts history as the great
bird war of '94. Fawkes and Hediwg slapped each other repeatedly to
kingdom come and no wizard, not even Harry could stop the both of
them.
After both birds eventually grew tired, they came to a somewhat
unsteady peace. "Bloody bird-thing. How can you stand it?" Fawkes asked in
his head. Harry simply rolled his eyes and watched as Hedwig flew off
into the distance after she had stolen some of his bacon. He just
pretended that they hit it off famously and were the best of friends.
"What the hell is going on with the second task!" Harry demanded more
than asked.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for swearing." McGonagall responded in her
normal stern voice. Harrys one had woken her up quickly.
"What do you mean?" She asked much more sincerely.
"Do you know what the second task is?" He asked, his eyes dangerous.
"I was informed, yes." She responded coolly.
"And you're allowing it to happen!" He exclaimed in shock.
"I'm not sure what the clue in the egg hinted at Harry, but I can assure
you, no one, or anything will be in harms way." She tried to pacify his
angry mood.
"You can guarantee that?" He asked skeptically.
"I can't really, but unfortunately I don't have any real power to overturn
the tasks already set." Minerva stated after several seconds of pause. "I'm
sure you already figured out it's a person being taken for the task. I will
say they won't be taken against their will."
"And who can overturn this task?"
"Bartemius. Well, I guess Percy can now that he has stepped in." Harry
didn't wait any longer and walked out of the office. "Poor Weasley."
Minerva muttered, walking back to her bed in the back of her office.
Harry banged his fist on the door to Percy Weasleys private quarters. It
took a quick conversation with Professor Flitwick to figure out where it
was and to explain why he was out of bed at late hours. "What-What!"
Percy shouted, opening the door. "Harry! What are you doing here?"
Harry stepped into Percys room and grabbed him by the collar and
shoved him up against a nearby wall. He glanced around and saw
pictures of a girl he recognized as Penelope Clearwater. As far as he
knew, they had broken up, but maybe they had gotten back together.
"Change the damned second task!" Harry hissed.
"I-I cant." Percy stuttered, his eyes widened in fear.
"What do you mean you can't?"
"I don't have the power to change the tasks!"
"And who does?"
"Only Barty does, my boss."
Harry released the stuttering Weasley, allowing him to slump to the floor,
"How is that possible?"
"It's in the bi-laws of the tournament. You aren't the first person to
disagree with a tournaments design. Because of this, only one person is
allowed to legally change the tasks after they've been created."
"Y-yes. I-Im sure." Percy pleaded. Harry allowed himself to use a little
light legilemency and found Percy wasn't lying to him.
"If anything happens to my friends in this task, I will blame you first and
foremost. Understand?" He threatened. Percy nodded fervently as Harry
walked out of his room. Harry didn't notice the door shatter into splinters
or the stone warp and curve as his magic thrashed in anger around him.
–
Awloude Veriea! Thick black whips shot from Harrys wand and attempted
to wrap around both Sirius and Remus' hands. Sirius was lucky enough to
be moving at that very moment and dodged the spell, but Remus was hit
by it.
His wand dropped from his grasp and Harry wandlessly summoned it
before it even hit the floor. Sirius sent a hexing blast at Harry that caught
him slightly off guard for a moment. In a split second reaction, he raised
Remus' wand that he just acquired and blocked the spell, while at the
same time, responding with his own blasting hex.
The move caught Sirius completely unawares and knocked him off his
feet.
"What the hell." Sirius muttered, getting back to his feet with the help of
Remus. "That's new."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He was still grasping both of the
wands in either hand.
"I've never heard of anyone using two wands at once." Remus spoke up
for Sirius who was still trying to get his breath.
Harry looked down at both of the wands curiously. He turned and faced a
few practice dummies. He concentrated and took careful aim with both
wands. Stupefy! Two red jets of light came out of both wands and struck
their intended targets. "Wha-..." Sirius' voice broke off. Harry felt slightly
more drained than he normally would when performing a simple
stunning spell, but it wasn't anything too drastic.
"That isn't normal?" He asked, looking at his two shocked father figures.
Remus shook his head, "We should know by now that nothing is as
expected when it comes to you."
"So using two wands isn't something either of you can do I take it?"
Sirius shook his head, "I've only ever heard of one other that could use
two wands at once." Sirius said, his face turning grim.
"Who?" Harry asked.
"Grindelwald. He supposedly used two wands and that it was a rare
technique." Remus supplied.
Harry looked back down at the two wands in his hands curiously. He
again raised them and pointed them at the two dummies nearby. Avercio!
A black smoky sword from each wand shot out and pierced each dummy.
"Wow." Harry stated. "I know I blew it with the animagus training, but
this, this could be my upper hand."
Both Sirius and Remus nodded their heads, "I believe it could be. Mind if
I have my wand back?" Remus asked.
Harry tossed him back his wand and sheathed his own. "Since you
displayed this new ability, we should get you a secondary wand."
"Is that possible? I though the ministry put strict recommendations on
wands?"
"They do, but I'm sure we can persuade Ollivander to keep a secret."
Sirius said.
"Does the Black library have anything on Grindelwald?"
Sirius shrugged, "I can check. It's most likely they do, him being one of
the darkest wizards of all time and everything."
"How is it that I'm always linked in someway to powerful dark wizards?"
Harry sighed.
"They may have been dark, evil men, but there is no denying their
greatness." Sirius responded. Harry was reminded of his first conversation
with Ollivander when getting his first wand.
"Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Remus
stated.
Sirius rolled his eyes, "Look at you using fancy quotes." He mocked his
friend.
"I'm surprised you even recognized that it was a quote."
"Hey! I read." Sirius defended.
"You do? Who did I quote then?" Remus asked, folding his arms.
Sirius squinted, "Hhhhenry-" he stretched out, trying to discern clues from
Remus if he was in any way right.
"John Dalhberg-Acton." Harry answered for Sirius.
"Yeah, thats the one!" Sirius pointed at Harry.
Remus ignored his friend and looked at Harry. "Hermione quote?"
Harry chuckled, "The girl is an endless book of quotes."
–
Harry walked into Ollivanders shop the next day. He wore a thick black
cloak that covered his whole body. No one had noticed him apparate on
the arm of Remus who was also clad in a black cloak. Sirius was
currently in a meeting with Fudge and couldn't attend his second wand
choosing. Ollivander had been told of their meeting by Sirius just last
night and so was expecting them.
They went on this trip with only Minerva knowing, wishing to keep the
news of his newfound talent as quiet as possible. The only other person
Harry had told was Fleur, who swore to keep his excursion quiet and
cover for him back at Hogwarts.
The shop was empty as it usually was this time of year. Ollivander
garnered most of his business from incoming 1st years to Hogwarts and
so he was now relatively light on customers. "Mr Potter!" Garrick
exclaimed, walking to the front counter from the back of the shop. "Such
a pleasure to see you again. What a marvelous display at the first task."
"Thank you Mr. Ollivander. You know why we are here?"
Ollivander nodded fervently, "Yes, yes. Curious, a need for a second
wand."
"I appear to have an unusual talent that needs kept hidden."
Ollivander studied Harry for a moment before his eyes lit up in
excitement. "A duelist!" he shouted gleefully. "How wonderful! It's been a
long time since I have had the pleasure!"
Harrys demeanor turned confused, "A duelist?"
"Yes, yes. A duelist. A user of two wands! Am I correct?" Harry nodded.
"Splendid! I knew you were meant for great things!"
"Err, do you mind explaining what a duelist is?"
"Ah, right. Of course. A duelist is simply a user of two wands. You possess
the rare ability to perform two spells at once, and have the necessary
power to do so. So few do. The last on record was of course Grindelwald.
Rare your type is."
"Right." Harry said lamely, not sure how to respond.
"Now to find you a second wand. How exciting!" Ollivander rushed into
the back of his shop without hesitation. He reappeared a minute later
with a dusty old box. Harry grasped the near black wand and gave it a
flourish. Nothing happened other than a few wand boxes flew off their
shelf. "Hmmm, not right."
Again, Ollivander dissapeared, only to reappear a moment later with
another wand. This continued for another thirty minutes and it left
everyone rather irritated by the end. "Hmmm, I wonder." Ollivander
stroked his hairless chin.
Harry rolled his eyes, recognizing the same look on the old wandmakers
face the first time he had received his wand. "Figure it out?" Harry asked
rather irritably. It was never Ollivanders intention to make things easy
when it came to choosing a wand. Frankly, Harry thought the old
wandmaker was rather lonely and liked to keep his customers in the store
for as long as possible. Or simply he was just batty.
"I think I know the solution. Hold on." Again Ollivander disappeared into
the back of his shop, and returned with a much more clean and new box.
Harry opened it up to see a bright white wand with a bone handle. The
bone was carved to look like a Gryffin and the white wood was etched
with several runes along with the words, "Light from Darkness." It was
easily the most fancy and unique wand he had ever seen.
As soon as Harry touched the wand, he felt the familiar warmth he
normally had when he had his Holly and Phoenix feather wand in hand.
The air around him swirled with magic and the pure white wand shot out
green sparks as opposed to his Holly wand that usually shot out red
sparks.
"I should have known." Ollivander muttered, watching the display of the
wand with interest.
"Should have known what?" Harry asked, turning the wand over to study
every inch.
"You possess a wand with the same wand core of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-
Named. It is only right if you possess a second wand with the same wood
type as Him. The core is a rather rare and fragile core that I created more
with experimentation in mind than actual use."
"What is the core?"
"Basilisk venom. In fact, it's the very same basilisk venom taken off the
basilisk you slayed. I think it only right that the wand you now possess
comes from your past and future conquers. Yew wood and basilisk
venom, a one of a kind wand for a one of a kind wizard."
"Voldemorts wand is yew with a bone handle?" Remus asked, his eyes
slightly wide with fear. He took several cautious glances at the white
wand Harry held in his hand. Harry could tell he somewhat recognized
the wand in his hand, but their was no denying it was somewhat different
from Voldemorts.
"Yes, though his handle is shaped into a serpent. Harrys is a Gryffin. The
difference is small, but small enough I think."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. He had an idea at what the old
wandmaker was getting at, but he wanted to hear it in words.
"I said three years ago that I would expect great things from you, Mr.
Potter. I feel I have been vindicated on that claim, yet I feel you have
much more to contribute to our world. Voldemort and you are similar,
yet different. Your wands are just an example to the closeness you share,
but the subtle differences in them are what make you truly unique."
"Harry is not like Voldemort!" Remus exclaimed.
Ollivander chuckled, his eyes never leaving Harrys. "No, he is not. Yet, he
is."
Sorry about the slow updates over the last couple of weeks. Finished
moving and so I should have updates coming out quicker again.
Thank you to everyone that has taken to read my story, review,
favorite, and follow. It means a lot to me that so many of you are
interested in what I write.
20. The Second Task
Harry walked down to the Black Lake with Tracy by his side. It was a
normal cloudy, wintry day in Scotland, and though no snow had fallen, it
was still freezing out. Luckily the swim trunks he had been given were
charmed to keep him warm while under the lake. "She'll be fine Harry,
stop worrying." Tracy had informed him earlier this morning that
McGonagall had approached Daphne and taken her away. His fears were
confirmed and that she was most likely the 'prize' at the bottom of the
Black Lake.
"Still, I don't like this." Harry muttered, continuing to walk. He kept his
hands in his pockets, his right pocket holding his key to potentially
winning this competition. Fleur was full of herself, believing she could
win this task despite her natural disadvantage with water. Veela were
naturally not fond of the water, and worse, they were mortal enemies of
the mermaids. It didn't bold well for her, but she continued to display her
confidence about the second task so Harry didn't question her.
He was a little worried for her, but he told himself that he couldn't
always be on the look out for her. After all, she was three years older
than him and completely capable of defending herself. He couldn't
always be there for her and so he trusted her to be able to formulate a
plan to get through this tough task, and if not, get herself out safely.
Fleur had shown a little sign of worry this morning when Gabbrielle
hadn't shown up, but Harry had done his best to comfort her.
He got closer to the platforms where several small boats were constantly
being ferried back and forth. Three large wooden platforms sat in the
middle of the Black Lake, connected by small bridges. Harry wondered
just how the spectators would be able to see them under the lake. It
couldn't be all that great of a spectacle if no one could see anything. But
maybe, that was intentional.
As Harry crossed the Black Lake on the small dingy with Tracy, he
fumbled with his one wand. Sirius had thought it best to leave behind his
Yew wand for this task. Any number of things could happen under the
water, and they didn't want to blow the secret of him being able to use
two wands yet.
"Ready for this?" Tracy asked once they sat foot on the platform.
"Should be a cake walk." Harry said more to convince himself than Tracy.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. However, he wasn't really
nervous for himself, instead, he was nervous for Fleur, Gabbi, Daphne,
and Hermione, who had also disappeared this morning, most likely being
Krums 'item' to rescue.
Harry walked over to where Fleur, Cedric, and Krum were already
standing. Tracy took her place in one of the raised platforms beside
Susan, Hannah, and Neville. Fleur embraced Harry quickly, pecking him
lightly on the lips. Neither said a word, as both of them were focusing on
the task at hand.
Cedric and Krum both watched the water silently and didn't even lift
their heads when Harry walked up to them. Both of them were in deep
concentration.
"Welcome all to the second task of the 212th TriWizard Tournament!"
Ludo Bagman shouted into his microphone. He had apparently taken over
announcements since Barty Sr. was off in the wind. The current rumor
regarding the former Department of International Magical Cooperation
Head was that he was disposed of by the goblins due to gambling debts.
No one from the ministry could find him and as such, they had given up
looking. The goblins kept quiet on the matter.
Percy Weasley stood off to the side, not too far away. He had stayed quiet
the last several weeks ever since his brief encounter with Harry in his
lodging. Despite Harrys own investigations, he couldn't find any
tampering into the second task, and as such, didn't look further into
Percy. He was firmly in the pocket of Fudge and Umbridge, but that
wasn't necessarily a problem for him.
The Wizarding Wireless Radio had also joined the second task to bring
live commentary on the TriWizard Tournament. This only added pressure
to the champions since now their performance was being broadcast
across the whole wizarding world.
"As you have already guessed, the second challenge involves water!" Ludo
exclaimed, hoping to draw some laughter, but his lame attempt at a joke
fell short. He recovered quite well though, " Our champions will have to
rescue a beloved friend from the depths of the horrid Black Lake." He
played up dramatically.
Harry rolled his eyes. He had now taken many dives into the lake with
Sirius and Remus, and none of those occasions had resulted in a
dangerous situation. Grindylows were the only real threat as far as he
was concerned, as long as he didn't piss off the normally passive giant
squid that is.
Harry scowled at Ludo, he still wasn't happy about his friend being used
in this event. Despite the reassurances that she would be safe, he still
held his reservations. Fleur also had shown some discontent with her
sister being taken. Both had vowed to each other to rescue the others
hostage just in case they couldn't for some reason.
"This task will test our champions ingenuity to overcome a difficult
obstacle while being timed. They have one hour to complete the task,
which involves rescuing their hostage from the mermaids that hold them,
and returning to the surface. Are you ready champions?" Ludos voice
echoed across the lake as the crowd went silent, anxiously waiting for the
start of the second task.
Many of the students, and even some of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang
students cheered for Harry and held signs of encouragement. After his
first task and his recent Defense Club teachings, he had become the
favorite of the tournament.
Cedric and Krum both took off their shirts to reveal their bare chest. Both
being Quidditch players were fit and several of the girls nearby nearly
swooned at the sight of their tight, six pack abs. Harry followed suit and
set aside his shirt, leaving him only in the muggle swimming trunks
Sirius had bought for him.
Several people gasped and pointed once they saw Harry's body. Several
scars decorated his pale skin, showing the signs of his past battles. Harry
noticed that no one was laughing or even looking at him with pity, but
instead with reverence. The scars proved his stories true and only
furthered their faith in him. Fleur gave him a soft smile, she had already
seen him without his shirt, and the fact that she didn't care about them
was all that mattered.
"Good, good. We begin in 3...2...1!" The sound of a cannon blasted off.
The three champions dove immediately into the water. Harry hung back
and reached into his swimsuit pocket. He heard a scream as Filch fell into
the lake due to the backlash of the cannon blast that sent him off his
small, high platform. Harry ignored the amusing moment and pulled out
a large glob of Gillyweed, a plant that made the user grow gills and
webbed feet and hands.
Harry downed the gunk in one gulp and did his best to not throw up the
contents. A split second later, he began to feel pain in his neck, feet, and
hands. He more collapsed into the Black Lake than dove. Once in the
water, he found that he could easily breath and move about. Even his
eyes had adjusted to being underwater, and unlike his normal excursions
into the Black Lake, he could actually see quite well.
He thanked Neville and Dobby for the Gillyweed. His Gryffindor friend
had alerted him to the plant and his house elf had gone out to get it for
him. It wasn't a cheap or common plant, but once Dobby had said he was
the house elf of The Harry Potter, it all of a sudden became a very
common plant.
Harry took in his surroundings, he caught a glimpse of Krum who had
transfigured his head into a shark. He wondered how that would effect
the Durmstrang champions brain and if he kept full faculties of his mind
with that kind of transfiguration.
Fleur and Cedric had both opted for the Bubble-Head charm. Fleur and
Krum were moving off to the north side of the lake where Harry already
knew to be the majority of Grindelows. Indeed, a colony of mermaids
lived in the seaweed forest on that side, but the major mermaid city was
located to the southern side where Cedric and himself had begun
swimming towards. It was a fifty-fifty chance on which pair would be
right. Fleur and Krum clearly figured that going closer to danger was
more likely to get better results. Cedric and Harry had taken the opposite
view that since this event was timed, the southern city which was farther
away, was where their friends were.
Harry continued on into the depths of the lake and quickly lost sight of
Cedric who had been trailing behind him. Because of his webbed feet and
hands, he was much quicker in the water. He reached a large clump of
seaweed that he knew was the border to the city. It was the only
southern area with any grindylows and was the only real obstacle to the
city.
Harry pulled his wand out and began cutting a larger path through. He
could see flashes of red a little to left of him. Cedric had apparently
caught up to him. Harry worked quicker until he made it to the other
side without coming across a single grindylow.
Once out of the seaweed, he saw the main mermaid city under the Black
Lake. All of the white marble Romanesque buildings, were set up in a
circle. They all faced the center square where a group of mermaids
holding tridents and wearing some kind of armor, circled four figures
that floated lifelessly in place.
Harry cautiously approached the mermaids and they all stopped to watch
him carefully. He hesitantly swam passed, into the middle of the circle
where Daphne, Cho, Hermione, and Gabbrielle were floating. Still, the
mermaids watched him cautiously but none of them made to stop him.
Harry however wasn't yet going to save Daphne or Gabbi just yet. He had
vowed to Fleur to make sure Gabbi got out of the lake but Fleur still had
time to rescue her sister herself. He checked on the four victims and
made sure they weren't hurt in any way. Satisfied that they were okay, he
waited for the other champions.
Cedric wasn't too far behind. He had a few scratches and fairly deep cut
on his left leg from a grindylow but was otherwise fine. After a brief
conversation, Cedric left with Cho and took her to safety. Harry
frequently glanced at his watch as time began to pass with no sign of
either Krum or Fleur.
Harry studied one of the guards that stood most closely to him. The
mermaid was also watching Harry with the same curiosity. This mermaid
looked a little uncomfortable in the water which struck Harry as odd, but
then again, he didn't know many mermaids and couldn't speculate on
their normal behavior. Maybe this mermaid was just nervous about Harry
being so near him and his home.
He began to get a little nervous as more time passed and their was only
fifteen minutes left. Krum shortly afterwards burst through the seaweed
field, and without stopping, freed Hermione and left. Harry began to get
more and more worried about Fleur, and when there was only five
minutes left, he decided he had waited long enough. He only had taken
enough gillyweed for one hour, and so not only was time running out on
the competition, but time was running out with his air supply.
Harry moved over to Daphne first and cut her binds with a cutting curse
and then moved over to Gabbi to do the same. Once the spell had severed
her ropes, he tried to grab the younger veelas arm but immediately felt a
trident to the back.
"I have to save her!" Harry shouted, his words slightly muffled by the
water. He turned to see the same mermaid that had struck him as a little
odd, now with his trident poking him dangerously in the gut.
"Only one!" The mermaid responded. Harry began to feel completely
uneasy about this situation. How did this mermaid know how to speak
English? Clearly this mermaid saw Harrys confused look and growled.
The mermaid reached out and tried to grab Harrys arm. Harry reacted
instinctively and sent a severing curse at the mans wrist. It cut through
with ease causing the mermaid to cry out in pain. Blood began to spurt
from the wound and muddle the waters around them.
Harry saw as the other mermaids swam into motion, bringing their
tridents up to defend their fellow mermaid. Harry sent a blasting hex at
the nearest mermaid that tried to impale him with its trident, catching
the mermaid in the armor and sending it tumbling backwards into
another charging mermaid.
This bought Harry some time and he grabbed both Daphne and Gabbi
and shoved them upwards as hard as he could and pointed his wand at
their feet. Bellea Pulso! Both girls shot up through the water as the
propulsion charm whisked them to safety, or at least Harry hoped it
would.
Just as he was about to do the same for himself, he felt piercing pain as a
trident successfully stabbed him in the shin. Harry could see the barbed
point sticking out the other end. The trident was ripped out, causing even
more damage to his shin. Harrys occlumency shields locked down
immediately and blocked out any pain.
Harry turned and saw the now one-handed mermaid with his bloody
trident and it made to stab him again. A large golden necklace with a
locket had fallen out of the mermaids armor.
He wasted no time in shooting two piercing hexes at the mermaid,
connecting with the forehead and mouth. Harrys adrenaline had caused
the deadly spells to be a little more powerful than usual, leaving large
holes that connected with each other, forming an outline of an eight.
Blood and brains scattered into the water, further murking the water.
Harrys leg was also bleeding profusely, adding his own blood to the
water. Making things worse, he began to feel discomfort in his hands,
neck, and feet as the webbing disappeared along with his gills. The
gillyweed was wearing off as his hour was up. Just before his gills left, he
took one last gulp of air.
Seeing their own comrade fall sent the other mermaids into an even
worse fury. Without the webbed feet and gills, Harry was very slow, and
he wasn't a good swimmer to begin with. The mermaids swam around
him in a blue and the clear vision Harry enjoyed while having the
gillyweed was gone. The lake was very dark and he struggled to see the
mermaids.
He barely managed to dodge being skewered as a trident flew passed his
side. Harry quickly transfigured it into an electric eel then hit it with a
magnifying charm. The eels electricity shocked the mermaid holding it
and nearly killed it. He was quickly losing any air and could feel the
pressure for him to breathe increase more and more.
Harry saw a spurt of blood as another trident was able to nick his
shoulder. Harry blasted the wielder of that trident without even looking,
relying fully on his instincts to guide him through this fight. He cursed
not having his second wand with him. Never again would he be going
anywhere without it if he made it out of this alive.
Diffindo! The severing charm cut another trident in half that was trying to
impale him in the neck. Harry ducked a second trident that was aimed
for head and snapped off a bombarda to knock the mermaid back. The
need for air was becoming impossible to ignore and he knew he had to
get out of this quickly otherwise the mermaids weren't going to be what
killed him.
Harry began to wrack through the spells he knew to help him get out of
this. Being underwater and attacked by a swarm of mermaids wasn't
exactly something he trained for. Thinking quickly, Harry thought back
to a spell that was designed for displacing air. He had no clue how the
spell would work underwater though.
Veleaum Egrio! A shockwave of air rippled on all sides of him and pushed
outwards. It worked the same as it would above water, blasting back any
nearby mermaid that came at him from any side. Harry used the time to
point at his own feet, Bellea Pulso!
Immediately he began to shoot upwards through the water, quickly
leaving the city behind him. He felt something sharp stab into his foot
and saw that a mermaid was trailing behind him, having been able to
hang onto the trident it used to stab him. He couldn't any longer think
straight, his brain was calling for air and nothing else.
He briefly saw a burst of red light and the stunned body of the mermaid
fall back down. Several arms grabbed onto him as Harry could no longer
fight the need for air. His brain forced himself to breath and the pain and
panic of water filling his lungs shattered his occlumency shields causing
him to promptly passed out.
–
"He's waking up!" A familiar females voice shouted from somewhere
above him. Immediately he felt a soft warm hand intertwine with his.
Harry grumbled as he slowly opened his eyes to take in his surroundings.
"Welcome back, Mr. Potter." Harry moaned, recognizing the voice of
Madame Pomfrey. He blinked away the grogginess and focused in on the
pair of gorgeous bright blue eyes that smiled brilliantly at him. He could
see traces of tears in them, but they held no real sadness, just joy.
"Fleur." He said, his throat hoarse and he winced slightly at the pain of
talking. Fleur couldn't hold back any longer and jumped at him, giving
Hermione a run for her money when it came to fierce hugs. Harrys vision
was obscured by silver and he buried his faced into her soft neck, pecking
her lightly with his lips.
"Are you okay?" He asked into her neck.
He felt her nod, and the feeling of her lips repeatedly pressing into his
own neck, "Ze grindylows dragged me under and I could not escape. Ze
aurors 'ad to come to rescue me."
"Ahem." Madame Pomfrey coughed to break the couple up. Harry glanced
around and saw Sirius, Remus, Appoline, and Sebastien around his bed
all smiling at him. Professor McGonagall stood not too far off with
Madame Bones, the both of them having a heated conversation about
something.
"Gabbi? Daphne?" Harry questioned as Madame Pomfrey waved her
wand over him once Fleur had untangled herself from Harrys arms.
"Both are fine." Sirius responded. Harry sighed in relief. "How is he?"
Sirius asked Poppy. His godfather looked like he had aged more in the
last several hours than he had in all the years he spent in Azkaban.
Remus looked just as bad, but whether that was because the full moon
was almost here, or because he was worrying was impossible to tell.
Harry liked to think the latter.
"He'll be fine. His throat will be raw for another week. There isn't
anything I can really give him for that though. Otherwise, for nearly
drowning, he is perfectly fine." Poppy said, taking a step back once she
had finished her check up.
Harry glanced down at his foot which was throbbing and saw it wrapped
in a bandage, along with his shin and his shoulder. "You call this fine?"
He asked skeptically.
She smirked, "Compared to some of your other injuries? I think so." Harry
rolled his eyes as the others chuckled. Fawkes flashed into the room at
that moment and landed just above Harrys head.
"Oh, you're awake." Fawkes said in his normal uninterested, lazy voice.
"Concerned about me?" Harry mocked.
If a bird could roll its eyes, Fawkes would have done so, "Hardly. Stupid to
attack mermaids, especially when you can't even breathe." The others were
now used to Harrys one-sided conversations with Fawkes. They waited
patiently for them to finish what was usually bickering.
"I could've used your help y'know?"
"I'm not a real fan of water, plus I figured this was your task to do. If you're
killed by mermaids, it's not my fault."
"Sometimes I wonder if you're actually on my side." Harry muttered.
"I'm here to help you, not to constantly babysit you. Rowena used to tell me to
never save her if she got into a difficult situation. She liked figuring out ways
to save herself. Called it character building or something."
"If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly Rowena. If I'm about to die, I'd
greatly appreciate the help."
"Duly noted." Fawkes flashed back out of the hospital wing.
"What the hell happened with that one mermaid? He was acting
strangely, spoke English, then tried to grab me. I also saw some kind of
golden locket on him." Harry asked the group of adults once Fawkes left.
Madame Bones walked over and spoke up, "There are some things we
have to discuss." Harry noticed an odd beetle that seemed largely out of
place being in a castle. It was resting on a nearby bed and no one else
had spotted or cared to say something about it. Something about it was
odd but he didn't take too much notice of it, focusing more on Madame
Bones.
"Like what?"
"We can't talk here. We can discuss things this evening in the room."
Harry eyed her curiously before nodding his head. The only other time
they had used the Room of Requirement for a meeting was when it
involved horcruxes. Whatever was going on was something that needed
to be kept secret.
"Who pulled me out?"
"A group of aurors that were on standby." Harry nodded.
Professor McGonagall opened the doors to the hospital wing and Harry
could see dozens of other students waiting outside for him. They all
quickly rushed through, eager to see Harry. Fleur didn't move from his
side and kept her hand grasped in his. The adults stepped back to allow
Harrys friends to crowd him.
"Five minutes and then he needs rest!" Poppy shouted to the students, all
of them ignoring her. The crowd of around thirty students all spoke out
at once and Harry couldn't discern anything from the wall of noise.
Gabbi pushed her way through and crawled up onto the bed and sat in
his lap, hugging him tightly. Daphne also managed her way through,
"You are too damned noble Potter!" She hissed angrily. He winced
slightly at the furious look she was giving him.
"You know me well enough that I couldn't leave behind this adorable
girl." He kissed the top of Gabbi's head affectionately earning a cute
giggle. He had come to see Gabbi as a little sister and him her big
brother.
Harry didn't know how much people had seen of his encounter with the
mermaids or what they suspected of the one he killed. He figured it best
right now to act like they knew nothing of what actually happened other
than that he tried to save two hostages.
"I'm assuming Cedric won?" Harry asked.
"You're damn right I did!" The crowd laughed as Cedric stepped forward
grinning. "I should have stayed behind as you did though." He said much
more quietly.
Harry shook his head, "Hogwarts needed to win and I wasn't ever going
to leave behind Daphne or Gabbi. So what was my score?"
"Forty-three points." Cedric said with a grin.
Harrys eyes went wide, "I actually got points? I didn't complete the
task..."
"Both Gabbi and Daphne made it to ze surface with a minute to spare,
which was what ze task was. Ze judges gave you extra points for saving
two 'ostages." Fleur explained.
"Fighting mermaids now Harry?" Fred said.
Harry shrugged, "They didn't take too kindly to me trying to rescue two
of their hostages."
"You know we were perfectly safe right? They wouldn't have actually left
us down there!" Daphne said, crossing her arms. She was clearly still
upset with him for risking his life carelessly.
"I didn't know for sure and couldn't take that chance of leaving behind
Gabbi or you." She huffed at his response.
"So how'd you do it? How'd you get out of there!" Neville asked, eager to
hear the story.
"Times up!" Professor McGonagall shouted, earning groans from the
students. "Out! He needs his rest. He can tell you the story later!" She
commanded them to leave Harry alone, only allowing Fleur and the
adults to stay behind.
"I take it they don't know a lot about what went on under the lake?"
Harry asked with raised eyebrows, once everyone else was out of the
hospital wing.
Sirius shook his head, "No, and we wouldn't have either except we
received the body of the mermaid you killed along with a note detailing
the events. Luckily Flitwick knows how to read Mermish." Harrys eyes
caught a glimpse of the beetle again landing back on the same bed
nearby. He didn't know much about beetles, but knew enough to see that
it was odd behavior and when his eyes rested on it, he caught a whiff of
intrigue course through his head as if he was catching a glimpse of
someones emotions.
That intrigue quickly turned to fear and Harry immediately knew what
was going on. The beetle took flight but Harry was quick and before
anyone could blink, Rita Skeeter fell from the sky and crashed to the
floor with a screech.
"What the-!" Professor McGonagall shouted, pulling her own wand from
her sleeve. Rita looked up sheepishly and adjusted her horn rimmed
glasses.
"Miss Skeeter! Explain yourself!" Bones demanded.
"I heard nothin' I swear. Nothin' at all. I'll just get out of your hair now."
She tried to get up and step away but Bones grabbed her arm and threw
her back onto the ground, taking her arm and pinning it behind her back.
Harry was impressed with the elder Bones ability, but he really shouldn't
have been, she was the head of the DMLE for a reason.
"I don't recall you being an animagus." Bones accused.
"I'm registered and everything!" Rita fibbed. Amelia pushed even harder
on her arm making the blonde witch cry out further in pain. "Alright!
Alright! I'm n-not exactly registered!"
"And the spying on a private conversation? That's how you always get
your exclusives isn't it?" Bones questioned. Rita had been known to
publish some very private conversations between people. She seemed to
have a way in that no other reporter had. One of those conversations was
between Sirius and Emmy when Sirius had finally proposed to her.
Rita had broken the news to everyone just two weeks ago without Sirius
or Emmy having told a soul besides Harry about their engagement. They
wanted it to be a surprise later on, but she had gone and ruined it.
"I swear I won't write anything about what I've heard." Amelia let Rita's
arm go and pulled her back to her feet.
"No, I don't think you will." She silenced Rita and conjured a pair of
handcuffs that had basic runes on them to keep the wearer from using
magic. "I should get her back to the ministry. We'll discuss things later."
Bones stalked off with the handcuffed Rita in front of her.
"Well, that was interesting." Harry stated, breaking the silence that had
come over the group.
"How'd you know she was there?" Remus asked.
"I caught a wave of emotions that shouldn't naturally be coming from a
beetle. Then I put two and two together and figured she was an
animagus. I guess while in her beetle form, she had little control over her
occlumency training if she had any to begin with."
"What do you zink will 'appen to 'er?" Appoline asked.
Sirius shrugged, "Probably nothing more than a magical oath to keep her
from ever saying a word about our conversation here and she will
probably lose her job at the Prophet."
"She deserves worse for spying on people like that." Fleur growled. Harry
knew she was angry about a particular article about her and Harry. They
had small private disagreement over the second task a while back and
Rita had written an article about how Fleur 'refused to listen to her
boyfriend'. He wasn't happy with her participating in an underwater
event involving mermaids, being a veela and all, but she had quickly put
him back in his place.
"Trust me, her losing her job is probably the worst punishment
imaginable for that woman." Harry said.
"After that further excitement, we should probably leave. We'll see you
after dinner Harry." Professor McGonagall spoke up, bringing their
conversation to an end. Fleur parted ways with him, reluctantly leaving
Harry alone. He collapsed back onto his bed.
"No resting yet Mr. Potter. I need you to drink these two potions." Poppy
came back out of her office with two vials of red and green liquid.
"As long as it isn't Skele-Gro that's fine." Harry stated, sitting back up.
"One of them is." She said in way to cheery a tone for Harrys liking.
"Goddamnit." He muttered.
–
"This is amazing!" Harry shouted with joy.
"'Arry, stop! You're going to crash us!" Fleur screeched in fear. Harrys
laughter grew maniacal as he zoomed through the halls, forcing some
students who hadn't gone to dinner to duck out of the way. He sat on his
wheelchair that Professor McGonagall had transfigured for him and
Professor Flitwick had charmed it to fly. Large Pegasus wings were
attached to the back and would flap to keep the chair in flight.
Harry quickly put the flying chair through its paces, figuring out how fast
it could go. After he had been released for the evening by Poppy to go to
his meeting that was being held right after dinner, he hopped in his new
transport and flew into the Great Hall.
His appearance, being on a flying wheelchair no less, caused quite a riot.
Harry flashed Professor McGonagall a smile, who was giving Flitwick a
death glare like no other. Apparently the half-goblin hadn't told her of his
improvements.
H swooped down and scooped Fleur into his arms before she could utter
a word and was back out of the Hall to the cheers of the other students.
He could hear their laughter as they flew away and up the staircases to
the seventh floor. Harry came to quick halt once they reached the door to
the Room of Requirement. Fleur let out a loud sigh of relief.
"That was fun!" Harry breathed out.
She slapped him playfully on the shoulder, "Never again." She got up and
opened the door for him. He manually wheeled himself into the Room
which was already made out to be a conference room. Madame Bones
was already there with Remus, Emmaline, Sebastien, and Appoline.
Appoline was gushing over Emmy's diamond engagement ring that sat on
her finger. Amelia was also looking over it, but gushing was not the word
Harry would use to describe her care for the ring.
"You two are early. I thought you were supposed to be at dinner?"
Sebastien asked once Fleur had pushed him over to the table.
Fleur glared at Harry who smiled back, "'e 'as found a new mode of
transportation eet would seem."
"Harry James Potter!" Professor McGonagalls voice shouted from just
outside the door.
"Always find a new way to get into trouble don't you Harry." Sebastien
said with a smirk on his face.
"I call it having a good time." Harry responded cheekily. "I think I'm
entitled to some fun after nearly drowning."
Professor McGonagall barged into the room with Sirius and Professor
Flitwick right on her tail. Both men were red faced and showing signs
they had just recovered from hysterical laughter.
"I demand that wheelchair back at once!"
Harry put on his best pouting face, "Aww come on. It was harmless fun.
No one got hurt." He could tell his sorry face was having some affect on
his normally stern headmistresses face. Just when he thought she might
cave, she flicked her wand and the wheel chair turned back into the
pillow it originally was, causing him to fall to the floor. The pillow did
little to alleviate the impact.
"Hey! I'm injured here!" Harry complained from the ground. Sirius and
Flitwick both burst back into laughter.
"That's your punishment for that stunt you pulled." Minerva muttered as
she walked passed him to sit down. Fleur took some pity on him and
helped him up from the floor and into a seat.
"Fair enough." He murmured. "Why are you laughing?" Harry accused
Fleur when he saw her trying to hide a giggle behind her hand.
"You deserved zat for scaring me."
"It was fun though!" He defended himself. She kissed him passionately on
the lips and gave him a cheeky smile. "What was that for?" He said with a
goofy grin.
"For being you."
"I like me." He said in a dreamy tone. Fleur giggled and a groan from
across the table broke his muddled state. Harrys eyes went wide when he
saw Sebastien squinting at him. "Err, we should begin."
"Yes, I think so too." Sebastien said, his eyes not leaving Harrys.
"Oh stop it, Sebastien. You like 'Arry maybe even more zan Fleur!"
Appoline admonished her husband. He looked like a betrayed puppy at
his wife.
"Why did you have to tell him that! Now I can't play the scary father
card!" Sebastien whined.
"This is lovely and all, but we do have some things to discuss." Madame
Bones interjected. Appoline gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek
and turned back to the table.
"Right, so what do you know about what happened with that mermaid?"
Harry asked, leaning attentively on the table.
"First and foremost, the mermaid you killed wasn't in fact, a mermaid."
Harry didn't say anything for several seconds, "Er, what?" He asked,
unsure of what he just heard.
"The mermaid wasn't a mermaid at all, in fact, he was a man that was
transfigured to look like a mermaid."
Again Harry took several seconds to wait for some kind of punch line.
"Is...is that even possible?" He asked, looking over to Professor
McGonagall.
"I've never seen such complicated transfiguration magic before. In all my
years, doing such a thing is completely unheard of."
"It's possible to transfigure limbs into animal parts, wouldn't it make
sense that you could do the same thing for the whole body?" Harry asked.
He hadn't yet started practicing that level of transfiguration. The work
Krum did with changing his whole head into a shark was quite
impressive.
"Yes, it is possible to transfigure someone completely into something else.
I could turn you into Newt if I wanted to."
"Please don't." Harry said, getting a few chuckles.
"Another quip like that and I will." Her normally stern look put on a
sickly smile. Harry wasn't sure what scared him more, that look, or her
stern expression. He opened his mouth but quickly shut it when he saw
her eyes narrow. "Good. As I was saying, it's possible to transfigure
humans into objects or other animals. What makes this man being
transfigured into a mermaid remarkable is that mermaids are magical
beings."
"I guess that's normally not possible?" He asked.
"It isn't, or at least wasn't until now. Someone has figured a way to do
so."
"So what you're really saying is I can't transfigure Sirius into a
Flobberworm."
"Why would you want to do that!" Sirius exclaimed.
Harry shrugged. "I think about it sometimes." He responded with a
deadpanned expression.
Minerva cut Sirius off before he could say anything, "Correct. But now,
someone has found a way to fully transfigure magical creatures that
emanate the same properties of said magical creature."
"So, theoretically, someone could create new phoenixes and basically
flash anywhere at will?"
Madame Bones glanced nervously at Professor McGonagall. She clearly
hadn't thought of that before. "I honestly don't know the limits to this
level of transfiguration."
"Right, so this mermaid-man-thing I killed. Who was he?"
"A man named August Rookwood." When Harry didn't have any reaction,
Amelia continued, "A former Death Eater and thought to be locked up in
Azkaban."
"Ahh, figures. The prison that can't actually hold anyone." Harry said
bluntly. "How come I didn't or anyone for that matter, know that
Azkaban had lost another one of their prisoners?"
Amelia didn't look too happy with his slight dig at the DMLE for their
inability to keep track of prisoners, but he was right to say such a thing.
"We didn't know he was missing." She stated, slightly embarrassed in
herself. Here she was talking to Harry like he was her boss and not just a
fourteen year old.
"How is that even possible?" Fleur questioned.
"We are investigating what happened and how Rookwood escaped."
"Okay, nevermind that, basically what I'm hearing is that Rookwood was
most likely in contact with Voldemort and that it was him who learned
how to transfigure people into magical creatures?"
All of the adults had clearly come to the same conclusion as well. "Yes,
we think so. The note we received from the mermaids detailing what
happened in the Black Lake earlier also came with a portkey."
"That golden locket around Rookwoods neck." Harry breathed, his eyes
going wide. The realization of how close he was to being taken, hit him.
Fleur gasped a second later, understanding the real peril Harry was when
under the water.
"Yes, it was a portkey. We couldn't trace where it would have sent you, so
that's a dead end. Oh, and the mermaids have recalled their blood feud
against you." She added lamely.
"Well that's something I guess." Harry chuckled, happy to find a little
humor in tonights events. "So what is happening regarding all of this?"
"All I can do is investigate into the events of Azkaban. If I used aurors to
investigate what happened at the bottom of the lake, too many people
would ask questions. No one knows about Rookwood besides us."
"So a man tries to kidnap 'Arry and you can't do anyzing!" Fleur scoffed.
Harry felt a slight increase in temperature to his left where Fleur was
seated.
"Sorry Miss Delacour. There isn't anything else I can do."
"That eez ridiculous! 'E almost died down there! Surely that is grounds
for 'im to be able to drop out of zis stupid tournament!" Fleur shouted,
slightly rising from her feet. Harry was now definitely sure the room was
getting more hot and he even began to see some feathers on her arms.
"Fleur." Harry said calmly, placing a hand on hers. He immediately pulled
it back like he had touched a hot stove. She heard his cry of pain and the
room cooled back down.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry." She repeated, gingerly taking Harrys hand.
"Poppys either going to laugh at me, or permanently lock me up in the
hospital wing for this." With the promise of Amelia to investigate and tell
him as soon as possible about what was going on, the meeting broke up.
Minerva took some pity on him and conjured a pair of crutches. Fleur
helped him down to the hospital wing where Poppy had indeed
threatened to lock him up for the remaining of the year.
Fleur had jokingly agreed to him being locked up, but Harry could see
she secretly wished he could have him locked up and away from danger.
This morning he could tell had rattled her, not her love for him, but that
she could lose him because of the constant danger his life would be in.
He settled back into his bed after a sensual goodnight kiss from Fleur and
happily went to sleep. He had been close to being taken by Rookwood
today, but he had acted quickly and decisively, even removing the threat
altogether. He was happy with himself and angered with himself at the
same time. Although he had gotten out of his difficult situation, it was
still too close and could have gone either way. Harry made sure to get his
Yew wand back from Sirius, vowing to never be without it again.
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21. Growing Wise
Harry hobbled his way on the crutches Minerva made for him and into
the Room of Requirement for another meeting. This one was different
from the last one he had just two nights ago. Minister Fudge had joined
them for this one, along with Moody who had made a full recovery.
Amelia wanted him here since she had hired him back as a private
investigator.
"Harry m'boy! Recovering well I hope?" Fudge said from his chair. Sirius
stood to help Harry by pulling out his chair for him. He took his seat
graciously and wandlessly vanished the crutches so that they didn't get in
his way. He was learning more and more control over his wandless
magic, and because of his current, crippled state, it had given him more
of a reason to practice.
"I'm good Minister. It's good to see you well Auror Moody." Harry said,
looking at the old grizzled auror.
"Likewise. I have heard many tales about your...prodigious talent in
certain fields." Harry was impressed with Barty Jrs acting ability. The real
Moody acted and sounded the exact same as the impostor.
"All exaggerated I'm sure." Many of the adults in the room rolled their
eyes. If their was one thing that was true, Harrys achievements weren't in
any way exaggerated. Sometimes the truth was more brilliant than
fantasy.
Around the large mahogany conference table sat Sirius, Remus, Amelia,
Cornelius, Alastor, Madame Longbottom, and Minerva. Amelia had
finished her investigation into Azkaban prison and had decided to share
her results with everyone all at once. Moody was added to this group due
to him putting half of the dark wizards into the prison in the first place.
Harry had studied some of his missions and he definitely had earned his
reputation for being the best in the business. Even if he had gone a little
crazy somewhere along the way, he would still be valuable to recapturing
the escaped Death Eaters.
Harry wasn't sure why Madame Longbottom was invited to this meeting
however. She wasn't privy to any of their other meetings, but her
invitation must mean that something was up. She wouldn't be here unless
absolutely necessary.
"Lets get this over with. I have other things to discuss with Mr. Potter."
Moody said gruffly. Harry raised his eyebrows at Sirius who just
shrugged and shook his head in response.
"Right." Amelia pulled out a yellow folder from the inside of her robe and
set it on the table. She opened it and placed aside a few pages along with
a couple pictures. "The news I'm afraid, isn't good."
"And what's that supposed to mean, Amelia?" Fudge asked, taking one of
the sheets of paper. Harry was surprised that it indeed was paper and not
parchment. Amelia must be more in tune with the modern times than
other wizards.
"It means we are royally fucked." Amelia said bluntly. "Somehow, the
majority of Voldemorts inner circle have escaped Azkaban."
"What!" Sirius exclaimed, the color of his skin turning white as a ghost.
"How can that be possible!"
"In short, the dementors." Amelia said calmly, though Harry could tell
that every word for her was like pulling a tooth. She was probably
blaming herself for whatever happened in Azkaban, when in truth, the
real blame went back further. After the last war, the keeping of prisoners
should have been changed locations since the dementors had sided with
Voldemort. "We checked every cell, especially the ones of known Death
Eaters."
When Amelia paused and pulled out another slip of paper from the
folder, Fudge grew impatient. "And?"
"And what we found were bodies transfigured to look like the Death
Eaters. The real ones were gone, and by our estimates, have been gone
for at least six months."
"The World Cup." Harry breathed out, seeing the connection.
Amelia nodded gravely, "I can only surmise that Voldemort used the
World Cup to break out his most loyal Death Eaters. He replaced his
imprisoned followers with muggleborns that were transfigured to look
like the prisoners."
"So who are we talking about here? Who is missing?" Sirius asked.
"Travers, Dolohov, Mulciber, Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange,"
She glanced nervously up at Sirius and Augusta, "...and Bellatrix
Lestrange." Harry heard his godfather curse under his breath.
"How is all of this possible? Why weren't the dementors guarding the
prison?" Fudge questioned in disbelief.
"The dementors sided with Voldemort in the last war. It appears they
chose his side again." Moody answered for Amelia.
"That bitch, I'll kill her!" Augusta screeched, being heard for the first time
this evening. Now Harry understood why she was here. The Lestranges
were the reason her son and daughter in-law were kept in St. Mungos.
This was obviously going to be hard for her, yet she had the right to
know that the Lestranges were free from captivity and had been for some
time. "How could this happen!"
"We aren't sure other than that the dementors had aided in their escape.
We have already moved all other criminals off Azkaban and into Ministry
holding cells as quietly as possible."
"So what are the dementors doing now?" Harry asked.
"For now, they have stayed on the island. We are hoping they stay there."
Amelia responded.
"That's a big hope." Minerva said tersely.
"Do you have a better idea on what to do with them? They're immortal,
we can't just dispose of them." Remus stated.
"I'm not so sure of that." Everyone turned to look at Harry. "Voldemort
has to be able to control them somehow doesn't he? For a creature that is
immortal, the greatest thing they would fear is death isn't it?"
"So you think Voldemort knows a way to kill them?" Amelia asked
skeptically. All of them for the moment ignored Augusta's shocked
expression. She had yet to hear of Voldemort still being alive. She was a
powerful political figure that had been in Harrys camp for the last several
months, not to mention her grandson was Harrys best male friend. It was
probably time to bring her in on what was really going on behind the
scenes. Moodys normal hard-pressed face didn't budge at all as Harry had
suspected it wouldn't. He didn't take Moody to be fool and probably
already had his suspicions that Voldemort wasn't really gone.
"Well, Professor Flitwick and I have been theorizing about my patronus."
"Surely you can't think..."
"We do think." Harry said, cutting Sirius off. Ever since Harry had shown
his patronus to be an actual animal and not just some wisp of silver
smoke, Flitwick had been studying it. In the last several months, he had
theorized that it might be possible to harm, and maybe even kill
dementors instead of just scaring them away.
"That wouldn't explain how Voldemort can kill dementors. I doubt he has
the ability to perform a patronus." Harry nodded in agreement. It was
unlikely Voldemort could perform a patronus any longer. Such a spell
required power and concentration, something Voldemort had, but also an
inherit good and happiness, which Voldemort lacked.
"He has sixty years more experience and knowledge than I do. It's
possible he found another way to control the dementors. All I'm saying, is
I think it's indeed possible to kill them."
"So you think your patronus can kill a dementor?" Amelia asked in
disbelief.
Harry shrugged, "There is only one way to find out."
"And how would you propose to test your theory?" Sirius asked, his
eyebrows raised.
"I could take a quick trip to Azkaban and see?" Harry winced when he
saw Sirius' eyes narrow further. It was clear that he didn't like that idea
one bit.
"There is no way I'm allowing you to go anywhere near that cursed
island." Sirius growled out. Harry and Sirius had a staring match until
Fudge broke it off.
"This is great and all, if you can deal with dementors then great Harry,
but this doesn't solve our other problem which is having prisoners locked
up in the ministry holding cells." Fudge stated, bringing the conversation
back round on topic. "Those cells aren't meant to hold prisoners for long."
"I have an idea." Sirius said, stroking the stubble on his chin.
"Raven Island?" Moody asked, following Sirius' line of thought.
He nodded, "It would be the perfect place. Not even Dumbledore knows
of its location."
"What is Raven Island?" Minerva asked, glancing at the two.
"A very old prison used back in the sixteen hundreds to hold the most
dangerous pirates in the Caribbean. The English government didn't want
them ever returning to the seas and so the King made a deal with the
Ministry of Magic to imprison them on Raven Isle." Amelia explained,
beginning to understand where Sirius and Moody were going with this.
Many in the DMLE knew of the existence of an old prison, but the
location had long since been lost.
"It used to be a magical British colony in the Caribbean but has since
been deserted. The Blacks have always owned the island and still do
today. Its whereabouts are unknown to anyone but me. It's where I hid
from the ministry during my little time on the run." Sirius finished.
"But Bellatrix, wouldn't she know?" Harry asked.
Sirius shook his head, "Only those who have attained the title of Lord
Black learn the location. She wouldn't know, no one would. I wouldn't
have either, but the goblins never saw my imprisonment as legal and so
told me of the island once they declared me the rightful Lord Black."
"Who would guard them? How could we insure they don't escape the
island?" Fudge asked.
"We would need plenty of wards to make sure no one accidentally
stumbled upon it. Otherwise it's a very remote island, I'm talking, not
even the greatest swimmer in the world could swim to the mainland. We
shouldn't need many, if any, guards as long as the location remains a
secret and the wards hold strong."
"This would cost a great deal Sirius, to up and move an entire prison to a
far off location!" Fudge exclaimed.
"I'll pay for it." Harry responded quickly. "I have a near infinite amount of
money and nothing really useful to spend it on."
"And I'll lend the island for free." Sirius added. "Not like I have a use for it
anymore. Vacations in the Caribbean, bah! Who needs 'em!" He chuckled.
"Is this actually possible Amelia?" Fudge asked the DMLE head.
She nodded, "It wouldn't even take Wizengamot approval, only your
signature, thus securing the location even more. The problem I see are
the wards. Who would set them up?"
"We could ask the goblins. It'll cost more I'm sure, but it would continue
to ensure its secrecy." Sirius said.
"The goblins? We can't trust them to keep this a secret." Fudge responded
quickly.
"I trust them and since I'm paying for the wards, I'd feel better if it were
the goblins doing the work. Gringotts is considered the safest place in
England for a reason." Harry jumped in. He was already on good terms
with the goblins, and lining their pockets with more gold and further
building his trust with them with this secret could do him a world of
good.
"Great!" Fudge clapped his hands, a smile forming on his lips. "The press
will love this new development. A new, much more secure prison for
free? That always will get the voters happy. Raven Island, I like it!"
Everyone rolled their eyes at the minister. He was always more worried
about the latest poll numbers, and as long as Harry kept him popular in
the public eye, he would be his best friend. Harry hoped that once the
word had broken out that Voldemort was indeed back, that Fudge
wouldn't cave at that point to the public's fear. Building a solid
relationship with him now was necessary for the future defense of the
country when the war broke out.
"So what are you telling the public about the Death Eater breakouts?"
Harry asked Amelia.
"Right now? Nothing since we don't have anything to tell them other than
that they're missing. I have my most senior officials working on their
whereabouts and have even called in Moody here to help us."
"Shouldn't the public know? These are murderers and psychopaths we're
talking about." Harry responded. He didn't necessarily like keeping this
from the general public. "They can help us, in spotting one of the Death
Eaters out. Someone is bound to see one of them eventually. Maybe we
can even get the muggle government involved in some way?"
"We can't tell the public, Harry. That would scare them surely, and make
our lives more difficult." Fudge reasoned. Harry ignored the minister,
knowing why he would want to keep this quiet.
"I agree with Harry. We can't keep this quiet." Augusta said. "If only a few
senior aurors looked around, they would never find anything. We
increase our chance of spotting any of the escaped Death Eaters if the
public knows."
"I too agree with Harry. The public needs to be on the lookout and
notifying the muggle authorities will only further help us. Who knows,
someone could even tip us off as to the location of Voldemort and we
could end this whole war within the month." Sirius said.
Harry figured that was a little too optimistic. It wasn't likely they were to
catch Voldemorts whereabouts, especially since he had managed to stay
completely hidden despite Remus' recent efforts to uncover horcrux
locations and Voldemorts location. Still, catching any one of the Death
Eaters out and off-guard was a help and if the general public could help
them, it was best to tell them.
"I still don't agree!" Fudge blustered.
"If you come under heat for this news, I will personally back you." Harry
said. "And put it this way, when we do catch these Death Eaters, you will
look good. When comes the time that Voldemort has publicly returned,
the people won't get afraid. Instead they'll sigh in relief that a minister
that is responsible for the capture of so many Death Eaters is the one in
charge. Think of this as simply a trial period and a way to secure your
position as minister when the real war comes around."
Fudge looked at Harry for several short minutes. "You're right of course
Harry. I'll hold a press conference as soon as possible. It's best to get this
situation over with as soon as possible."
"Very good Minister. I'll notify the rest of the DMLE that we have top
priority targets." Amelia said.
"Minister, there is one last thing we need to discuss, and I think this is the
best time to bring it up." Harry said.
"What is it?" Fudge asked curiously.
"The authorization of lethal force for aurors that have come under fire by
lethal spells."
"This will be crucial Minister. It'll save countless lives on our side if we
can properly defend ourselves." Amelia reasoned in agreement of Harry.
"There's no way that can pass in the Wizengamot." Fudge said. "You may
hold a large amount of the vote, but it would be difficult to turn any
other voter to your side. Not to mention, the public may not agree with
this either."
"Allow us to deal with the political side of things Minister." Sirius said.
"Just deal with the public side, we'll get the proper number of votes to
pass such legislation."
"I'll back up your proposal on the grounds that Harry is by my side when
I tell the public of my support for it." Harry agreed to the ministers
demand. The meeting quickly finished for the evening and just as Harry
was about to leave for the Gryffindor common room, Moody stopped
him.
Sirius stopped in his tracks but Harry waved him away. "There is
something you need to know." Moody said in his normal gruff voice.
Harry didn't respond and waited for everyone else to leave. "You have a
spy amongst your friends."
Harry looked at Moody carefully, "Who? And how would you know?"
"Dumbledore contacted me."
"What!" Harry hissed, "When?"
"Just after I was released from St. Mungos. He wanted me to help in your
training. Kingsley is not on your side."
Harrys eyes narrowed and he took a step back, "How can I trust you?
Why would you tell me this?"
"You saved my life and I feel honor-bound to help you. Plus my friend,"
He spat, "left me in a box for several months. I don't believe he couldn't
have known that Barty Jr was impersonating me."
Harry nodded slowly, trying to perceive any possible lie. Harry allowed
his passive legilemency to probe Moodys mind but his probe was blocked
immediately. "I see you've been trained." Moody said with a wry smile.
Harry smiled cheekily back, "I'm getting there."
"You still have a lot to learn. Dumbledore could always get passed my
shields without me even knowing."
"So Kingsley, he's working for Dumbledore?"
Moody nodded, "He has been training you, yes? He only trains you in
what Dumbledore wants you to know while also spying on you."
"Why would Dumbledore still care about my training? I thought I made it
clear I didn't want his help any longer?"
Moody snorted, "Dumbledore is a man that has had plans in place for
decades. He wouldn't allow a teenager to ruin them. He's smart and
always adapting. There is a reason he wants you trained a specific way."
Harry stood in silence for several minutes, "This is great and all. But I still
can't trust a word you're saying."
"Good! Never trust anyone! Constance Vigilance!" Harry fought the urge
to roll his eyes. "Duel me."
Harry looked quizzically at the grizzled auror, "Duel you? What does that
have to do with anything?"
"Show me you're worth giving up my longest and greatest friendship, and
if you win, I'll drop my occlumency shields for you."
"I'm on crutches."
"I have a fake leg." Moody responded lazily.
"Fine." As soon as Harry spoke, Moody flicked his wand into his hand and
took several steps backwards to create more room. Harry barely got up a
shield in time as Moodys stunner came at him. He side stepped a
bombarda maxima, hopping on one leg, and returned with a cutting curse
to Moodys fake leg.
Harry knew immediately how to combat him. It was fairly easy to create
a plan on the fly when your opponent only had one real eye and a fake
leg. He couldn't move much, and for someone like Harry who could
overpower just about anyone he went up against, it made for an easy
duel. His only problem was that, he too, was limited in movement at the
moment.
Still, Moody was no slouch, one eye and all. He had a fair amount of
power and his speed was quicker than Harry thought possible with one
leg. Diffindo! The cutting curse just nicked Moodys leg but didn't sever it.
An orange flaming cutter curse blew by Harrys shoulder as he stepped
away from it, hopping again on one leg, and then he batted away a
Foehammer. The Foehammer was a spell created by a former French
Hitwizard that was designed to pick up an opponent with the floor
beneath them and slam them with ceiling above them. Obviously, this
spell only worked indoors and was definitely borderline dark, if not,
outright dark. Harry had read about it in one of the Black family books
but hadn't yet used or seen it in action. He was glad he didn't have to see
it be used on himself tonight.
Agave Florien! Ten silver arrows shot from Harrys wand and fanned out in
a wide arc. It did exactly as planned and forced Moody to dive to the
ground. Harry followed up with a simple incarcerous expecting to easily
defeat the cripple. Instead of the thick black chains wrapping around
Moody, they were rebounded back instantly, forcing him to dodge his
own spell. This caused him to lose a small amount of focus and he felt his
wand slip from his grasp as an expelliarmus caught him in the chest.
Harry didn't hesitate to flick his Yew wand into his left hand and at the
same time, wandlessly summoned back his Holly wand. Harry could see
the surprise etched across Moodys face as he struggled to get up.
Harry sent two bombarda maximas at Moody who had only managed to
get to one knee. Moody couldn't move anywhere and was forced to shield
both of them. He then had to focus more on his shield as a third
bombarda slammed into his weakening shield and completely shattered it.
He didn't get time to register the fourth bombarda slam into his chest,
sending him halfway across the room and into the wall, knocking him
immediately unconscious.
Harry walked over to the unconscious Moody and began to pry through
his mind. He figured the older auror didn't need to be awake for the
interrogation of his mind. Harry had yet to find a way to make a forceful
intrusion into the mind not so painful. It didn't take very long to figure
out that Moody was actually telling the truth about Dumbledore and his
newfound disdain for the former headmaster. What troubled him greatly
was the news that Kingsley was indeed a spy for Dumbledore.
Now he would need to find a way to deal with him. The only good thing
about this was that Kingsley still wasn't in the know about his ability to
use two wands or the horcruxes. That was something still only known by
a very select few.
Having seen enough, Harry ennervated Alastor. "I knew you were a
prodigy." He grumbled once his eye opened. The magical eye began
whirring around quickly until it settled back on Harry.
"So I have been told. Satisfied?"
"Are you?"
Harry nodded, "I can see you told the truth. If Dumbledore has already
recruited you, you'll have to act like you're still his friend though."
"I've spent the last forty years in this line of work. I know what to do."
"Is there any way to find out where Dumbledore is? I noticed that
particular part was erased from your mind."
Moody shook his head, "I doubt it. I know Albus had created a brand new
type of ward that was based off the Fidelius. Anyone who left the
confines of the ward would forget the location. The only way they could
ever get back was if the creator of the ward invited them back
personally."
"So you have to wait to be invited back?"
Moody nodded, "Even then, I'm not sure if owls or any other kind of post
could find me. I definitely wouldn't be able to send anything out.
Dumbledore has always been even more paranoid than I."
"So there isn't any way of getting to Dumbledore?"
Moody shook his head, "No there isn't. You wouldn't want to get to him
anyways."
"Why not?"
"You're not ready. You have a lot to learn before you can face
Dumbledore."
"I beat you didn't I?"
"I've dueled Dumbledore. He beat me with one arm behind his back and
blind folded." Moody said gruffly.
Harry raised his eyebrows, "Good to know." Harry finished his
impromptu meeting with Alastor and headed back to the Gryffindor
common room for the night. As he walked he began formulating a plan to
deal with Kingsley in the best way possible. He didn't want Kinglsey
spying on him anymore, but he also didn't want Dumbledore to know he
was onto his spy.
It was already well after curfew and so no students were walking about.
He passed Cedric who was on his prefect rounds but Ced didn't even ask
any questions of Harry, simply waving at him and walking on by.
When he walked into Gryffindor tower, Hermione as usual looked up
from her spot on the couch by the fire. She normally waited up for him
after his training to talk. It was one of the few times in the day the two of
them could catch up with one another.
They may not be as close friends as they once were, but that didn't stop
them from being good friends. "How was training?" Hermione asked the
same question she always did when he walked in. She didn't even bother
to wait for a reply, knowing the usual 'fine' response and turned back to
her DADA book.
"Fine." Harry responded as normal and plopped down next to her. He
relaxed back into the couch and temporarily shut his eyes. It was a long,
exhaustive day and the crutches weren't helping his mood. The meeting
had only made him more weary about the coming months. Knowing that
so many of Voldemorts inner circle were out there was unsettling. At
least he had already taken care of one of them and forced another one
out of the school.
"What's troubling you?" She asked, putting down her book. She could
sense his unease this evening. Having known Harry for so long allowed
her to look passed his normally passive face and dig deep into how he
was really feeling.
Harry, now used to womens ability to see beyond a normal 'fine' or 'okay'
spilled his guts. "I'm stressed and each day seems to get harder." He
muttered, not bothering to open his eyes yet.
Hermione shifted to be next to Harry and put her hand on his. "You have
more on your shoulders than anyone ever should Harry. It's alright to feel
stressed. It's also alright to confide your stresses in me, you know that,
right?"
Harry opened his eyes and stared into his friends chocolate brown eyes. "I
know Hermione. Its just, you know. Some things are difficult to explain
or talk about." He had given that excuse several times before when she
pressed him to open up further to her.
Just because she wasn't his best friend and that mantle had been taken by
Fleur and Daphne didn't mean she liked being kept in the dark. The way
Daphne acted, it seemed Harry hadn't even told her all that much about
what was going on. Fleur was probably his only real confident and
Hermione knew the veela well enough to know she would never betray
Harrys trust.
"Look, I know we aren't what we once were, but you still can trust me.
Whatever it is, I will always be by your side Harry. You are my first and
best friend. You are like a brother to me and I can see how tense you
have been lately. What's going on? I can take it, whatever it is."
Harry let out a large sigh, "Too much is going on." He wrapped an arm
around her shoulders and closed his eyes again.
Hermione flushed herself into Harrys side and rested her head on his
shoulder, "Whenever you want to tell me, I'll be here."
The two of them sat silently for several more minutes enjoying each
others company. It reminded them of the days of old when they were
completely comfortable with another. Eventually Harry excused himself
to go upstairs to bed. It had been a long day and he had a lot to think
about. Kingsley was first and foremost now on his mind.
–
Nox! The lights in the room went out and created a pitch black
environment. Sirius heard a brief scream off to his left and immediately
shot off a stunner. Three other jets of red light shot off in the same
direction, illuminating some of the darkness. The only thing they saw was
the downed body of Tonks as their spells went over and hit a nearby
wall.
Sirius listened attentively for any sounds, hoping to figure out where his
opponent had gone. "Homenum Revelio!" Sirius muttered. A wave of
energy shot from his wand and bounced back at him like radar, alerting
him to any presence in the room. He caught a glance of a large animal
not too far off, but as soon as the spell had spotted it, the animal
vanished.
Another scream sounded to his right and Sirius shot a bombarda at the
location. Again his spell hit nothing but the wall, and illuminated another
body, that of Remus."Lumos Maxima!" Sirius had had enough of the dark
and decided to illuminate most of the room.
All he saw were the most fearsome green eyes he had ever seen. They
leaped from the shadows, and he found the eyes attached to a large black
furred tiger. The tiger tackled Sirius and before he could even think to
use his wand, the tiger transformed back into a black haired teenager,
holding two wands. His conscious was taken from him with a single jet of
red that slammed into his chest.
Harry spun just as a blue jet of fire shot to his right. Kingsley and Moody
stood side by side, their wands trained on him. Sirius' Lumos Maxima
continued to show most of the room and so Harry figured his element of
surprise was now gone.
Harry used his Yew wand to duel Kinglsey while he dueled Moody with
his Holly wand. He danced gracefully around anything they sent at him,
not even having to use a shield. Pop! Harry disappeared with an almost
silent pop and reappeared in his tiger form behind Moody. Before the two
aurors could react, Harry leaped onto the back of Alastor and tackled him
to the ground, biting his wand from his grasp.
Sirius had learned that the Room of Requirement allowed for apparition
while in the room, and so he had taught Harry how to do so. It wasn't
long until Harry had learned to apparate while in animagus form, already
knowing how to do some wandless magic as well.
A black smokey spell designed to get inside the brain through the nose
and mouth to cause the person to go insane in a matter of moments shot
just over Harrys body. He quickly transformed back into his normal self
and stunned Moody before turning his full focus back onto Kingsley.
Volto! A stream of blue lighting shot from Harrys Yew wand while he
used his other to defend from Kingsleys bombarda maxima. The advantage
of using a spell like Volto was that Harry could continually use it,
draining the power of his opponent and use both wands to maximum
effect.
It forced Kingsley to focus all of his power on shielding and allowed
Harry to send an unseen stunner with his Holly wand, hitting him
squarely in the chest and knocking him out cold. Harry smiled at the
carnage inside the Room of Requirement. He was getting better, and he
knew it. Over the last three weeks, Moody had changed up his training
regiment drastically, focusing more and more on constantly adapting to
situations and being always vigilant.
Moody was also making sure Harry constantly used just below deadly
force when in the mock battle scenarios. He also added an hour dedicated
to using deadly spells on dummies where Harry used to just be practicing
the more dangerous spells by himself or with Sirius' help. They made sure
to practice his technique of using two wands whenever Kingsley wasn't
present. This night however, Harry didn't care if he revealed that talent
to him.
Harry walked over and revived the adults, saving Kingsley for last. "So
what are we going to do about him?" Sirius asked, standing over Kingsley
who remained unconscious on the floor. Harry had decided that it was
time to finally confront him about being a spy.
"Kill him?" Moody suggested. The others narrowed their eyes at him.
"Just a suggestion." He shrugged.
"Obliviation?"
"I don't think Amelia would take too kindly to having one of her best
aurors being obliviated." Sirius shut down Harrys idea.
"It doesn't hurt to try talking to him." Remus said.
"It hurts me." Moody quipped.
"Would he flip sides if we told him what we knew?" Harry asked.
"It would take a great deal of convincing. The man was like me once,
firmly in the belief that Dumbledore couldn't do any wrong." Moody
responded.
"We were all like that once." Sirius responded. "He's a smart man. And if
he doesn't agree with our viewpoint, we can obliviate him then."
"It doesn't hurt to try I guess." Harry muttered. Sirius nodded his head
and ennervated Kingsley, grabbing his wand just before waking him back
up.
"Damn Harry. You're gettin' good." Kingsley said, rubbing the back of his
bald head. "When did you learn to use two wands at once?"
"It's all the great training I get." Harry responded, conjuring himself a
wooden stool and sitting down in front of Shacklebolt. "What are your
orders from Dumbledore?" He asked, getting straight to the point.
"Er, what Harry?" Kingsley glanced around at the other adults who stared
back mutely. "I don't have any orders. I haven't seen Dumbledore since he
was sacked."
"Cut the shit Kingsley. I know you've been in contact with Dumbledore."
Moody growled.
"That's a lie! Harry, you can't believe him! I swear I haven't had any
contact with Albus." Kingsleys eyes widened slightly when both Moody
and Sirius pulled their wands and concentrated them on him.
"Kingsley. Just tell the truth, please. We won't blame you if you did."
Tonks spoke up for the first time since being knocked out. She was the
last one to know of their plan to confront Kingsley this evening. She
wasn't happy about it, being his partner for the last year.
"I am telling the truth goddamnit! I swear, I haven't been in contact with
Dumbledore!" Kingsley cried out.
Harry glanced at Moody skeptically and only saw glee in his face. The
older auror was clearly seeing something Harry couldn't. "I can tell you're
lying Kingsley. I've known you too long." Moody stated.
"I'm not lying! You're mistaken!" Kingsley defended himself. Harry waited
for Moody to make his move. He had no clue where the ex-auror was
going with this.
"January 26th 1978." Harry raised his eyebrows questioningly at Moody.
The others also looked at Alastor like he was truly crazy. Kingsley stared
at Moody and all expression on the senior aurors face disappeared,
becoming blank.
"What-" Harry began but was cut off when Kingsley all of a sudden burst
into tears.
"I'm sorry! I-I didn't want to! It was-he forced me! I-I'm not sure h-how. It
was like I w-was being mind controlled! F-forgive me!" Kingsley broke
down and sobbed, tears streaming down his face. Tonks couldn't take it
any longer and rushed to the broken aurors side.
Harry looked to Moody for answers but he shook his head, 'Later' he
mouthed.
"What the hell?" Sirius said. Clearly he hadn't seen Moodys 'later'.
"I'm confused." Remus stated.
"What's January 26th 1978?" Sirius asked.
"During the first war, I created a spell with the help of Kingsley that
would allow us to break out of any trance with a code phrase. We
couldn't trust anyone, not even ourselves, and so we created this added
defense if we thought one of us was under the control of Voldemort. Or
at least it was designed for Voldemort, but I guess it works for other
wizards as well."
"You paranoid son of a bitch." Sirius grinned.
"Has its uses. Let that be a lesson to you all." Moody said with pride.
"How did you know he was being controlled?" Tonks asked. She wrapped
her arms around her partner and did her best to comfort him.
"The way he fiercely defended Dumbledore. Kingsley, though always a
fan of Dumbledore, wasn't that big of a fan to continuously try and
protect him. He has never been a fanatic of anyones cause."
"Why January 26th 1978? Whats the significance of that?" Harry asked.
"Its the day I was wed." Everyone but Moody looked at Kingsley with
disbelief. None of them had heard of Kingsley ever being married before.
"You were married?" Sirius asked. Harry hit his godfather on the shoulder
to try and shut him up, but the question was already asked. By the look
of sadness on Kingsleys face, it was clearly not a happy memory for him.
"A long time ago, yes. She was killed just a month after out marriage."
Everyone went completely silent, choosing to stare off in any other
direction. No one needed to ask the question how. It was clear that it was
Voldemort. The man had taken so much from everyone and it was easy to
see why Kingsley would join up with the likes of Dumbledore.
"What happened with Dumbledore?" Harry asked after several minutes of
silence, wanting to break away from that depressing subject.
"Just after the World Cup he asked me to spy on you, train you just as I
had been doing the last several months. It was harmless at first I
thought." Harry nodded in agreement. If that was all he was asked to do,
it wasn't a big deal. "Then he asked me to cover up the Azkaban break
outs. I-I couldn't do that. It went against everything I believed in as an
auror. You can imagine Dumbledores displeasure at that and when I
refused him a third time, he used some kind of spell to force me to do his
bidding."
"It wasn't the imperious spell?" Moody asked.
Kingsley shook his head, "No, it wasn't anything I recognized. I had full
control over my mind, but my body did none of its bidding, only the will
of Dumbledore."
Harry looked at Moody, "Have you ever heard anything like this before?"
He shook his head, "The imperious spell clouds a persons mind. You've
been under it yes?" Harry nodded his head. Sirius had at least tried to put
him under it. He found that the imperious spell just didn't work on him.
Whether it was his natural power, his occlumency skills, or strength of
will that kept his mind from being controlled was unknown. Still, he had
felt the affects of the spell and how it could control someone.
The spell made the person want to do the actions of whoever was
controlling them, sending a small voice into their head that they listened
to. It made them feel good to listen to that voice. What Kingsley was
describing was something different. It sounded like this spell took full
control of a person and didn't bother to make the person think they
wanted to do the things they were doing. It simply made the body react
to whatever the person in control wanted it to do.
"This is something different. I've never heard of a spell that can
completely control someones body without also controlling their mind."
"So, Dumbledore can control people completely against their will, while
the people know they're being controlled?" Sirius asked.
Kingsley nodded, "That's how it was for me. I knew I was under his
complete control, but I couldn't do anything to fight it."
"This is fucking nuts." Harry muttered under his breath. "First its
Voldemort and his ability to transfigure people into magical beings, now
its Dumbledore and his ability to take control of anyone completely
against their will?" Harry ran his hand frustratedly through his short hair.
Fleur had just cut it for him after it had grown a little too long and was
getting in the way of his vision.
"We're playing a game that we are decades behind. It was always going to
be an upward climb Harry." Sirius reassured him, placing a comforting
hand on Harrys shoulder.
"Can someone please go and check on Molly Weasley and make sure she
isn't under the same kind of trance? If she isn't, lock her up somewhere
anyways. I'll deal with the Weasleys if they get mad at me." Harry said
after a few minutes of silence.
"Are you sure Harry? She is their mother and they may not forgive you
for taking such an action."
"I can't afford to take any risks anymore. Both Dumbledore and
Voldemort are playing a game I don't really understand yet. I have to
play safe and that means that I can't be worrying about Molly stabbing
me in the back at anytime. Deal with her, put her somewhere she can't
harm anyone. If she is in some kind of trance, fix her."
"I'll get on it." Moody said. "What about Kingsley?"
Harry looked at the senior auror who was still on the floor with Tonks'
arm wrapped around his shoulders. "If he makes a step against me, deal
with him however you see fit. Just because he said he's is in some kind of
trance doesn't make it true. Watch him." Harry left the Room of
Requirement, leaving behind the adults in silence. All of them were
surprised with Harrys sudden coldness, but they could all see why he was
becoming more cold.
Harry was growing up into the world set before him. One of lies, deceit,
and constant danger. He couldn't be the same naive boy that came to
Hogwarts at the age of eleven. Too many had betrayed him, too many
had made him weak.
He recognized he needed to rise above his enemies to make it out of this
alive. Kingsley for all he knew could still be an enemy, an enemy that
could kill Fleur and shatter his world. He couldn't take risks any longer.
Both Dumbledore and Voldemort were in the game. As far as he was
aware, Voldemort still at least didn't have a body, but that didn't make
him any less dangerous.
Voldemort was smart and always scheming. He had concocted a plan to
steal Harry away during the second task. Dumbledore had his spies, and
was staying up to date with the workings of England even though he had
long fled the island in disgrace.
Both wizards had investments in England and they wouldn't leave easily.
Harry was going to have to fight them back, both of them. They were his
enemies, and it was time he started truly looking at them as such. It was
war, it has begun. Though no attacks had been made by any of the three
sides, the political and espionage war was already well underway, and
Harry needed to catch up.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Harrys training is really
beginning to show, and the injection of a second wand has greatly
improved his power in combat. Things are really going to be heating
up soon, especially with Voldemort, and I'm going to give you guys/
gals a glimpse into what's going on at Riddle Manor in the next
chapter. Thank you to everyone who has Reviewed/Followed/
Favorited.
22. The Mansion
Luna sat down in the library with her books spread out around her. She
sat silently and alone as normal, scribbling on a piece of parchment
various notes for classes she had the next day. Her radish earrings hung
loosely from her ears and her blonde hair was tucked behind a woven
grass headband that Fleur had given her as a gift.
She may be called Loony by many in the castle, but she was a true
Ravenclaw, being one of the top of her class. She was naturally a genius
but hid it under fantasies of fantastical creatures and rhetoric that no one
else could understand. No one, other than Harry Potter, who had recently
taken her under his thumb, new what she was truly saying.
Harry could see the hidden brilliance that lay beneath the aloof and
dreamy persona that Luna put on for the others. She was amazed at his
immediate ability to see her for who she really was, and she loved him
for it. Not in a romantic way, but in a way a sister would love an older
bother. She was happy to know that the sisterly sentiment was returned
as well and it made her feel welcomed in the normally strange castle.
Deep inside she had been hurting terribly. She was alone, friendless,
motherless, and had a father who was in the beginning stages of
dementia. She had no one to turn to, no one to confide in. Then Harry
had come along, asking for an interview just before the start of this year
and completely changed her life.
At the time, Harry of course had no clue she even existed until that
interview. He was always busy with saving the world as was his style.
But ever since that first meeting, Harry had looked at her like no one else
had, like she was just a normal girl, and he never acted differently
towards her like others did. He accepted her, quirks and all, and that one
meeting had completely changed her life.
She had an underlying fear that she would go through life completely
and utterly alone, much as her father had done since her mothers death.
Now though, Harry had given her hope and shown her an outcome that
was different than her lonely state.
His greatest gift to her was his introduction to his friends, and
proclaiming her as his own friend. This year had completely transformed
her. No longer did the bullies in her house steal from her, no longer was
she shunned by the other students. Because of Harry, she was accepted
and had a place in the school she once didn't have.
Her face turned red when her mind strayed to what happened just last
night, when Michael Corner had asked her on a date to Hogsmeade.
Never in a million years had she imagined that a boy would be interested
in her romantically. She had written off the prospect of having a
boyfriend long ago, bu that changed with Fleur.
She smiled, remembering when Fleur had taken her under her wing as a
surrogate little sister. Her father wasn't the greatest when it came to
female fashion, or discussing boys for that matter. But Fleur was the
perfect confidant and the best older sister she could ever have asked for.
The greatest thing about the introduction of Harry into her life though
was Aimee, Fleurs best friend. She had quickly become Luna's best friend
and they had naturally taken to one another. They shared the same
quirky, dreamy personalities that others liked to laugh at, but neither of
them cared. The blue haired witch was the greatest thing to walk into her
life and it was all because of Harry.
"So Luna, I heard you have a date this weekend?" Harry asked sitting
down from the seat across from her. Luna smiled dreamily at Harry,
hiding her blush from him. It was a worthless cause. He had the rare
ability to see right through her.
"Yes, Harry. Michael was very romantic with his asking."
Harry chuckled, "He better have been." Harry muttered, "If he does
anything to upset you, let me know."
"I don't think he will. He is already very scared of you." Luna giggled.
Harry was always happy to hear that odd giggle from Luna, something
that so rarely happened with her. Like Daphne, she was very guarded and
seeing her act almost normal was a blessing.
Harry raised his eyebrows, and underlying happiness in his face, "He's
scared of me?"
"Many in this castle are, Harry." Luna said as if it was obvious.
"Scared? Why is he scared of me?" Harry lent back in his chair, the hind
legs being propped up by nothing but Harrys passive magic that kept him
safe. Such things had started to become common occurrence around the
castle. Everyone began to call it 'Just Harry Things' whenever they saw
him do something that was once thought impossible.
Luna still hadn't bothered to look up from her reading when she replied.
"Scared is the wrong word, more...intimidated."
"Oh. Well good, that just means he won't do anything to upset you."
Harry said cheerfully. He wandlessly floated his Defense Against the Dark
Arts book onto the table and turned it to the correct page.
"I suppose." Luna sighed.
"Fleur is going to be by your dorm tomorrow morning, yes?" Harry asked,
looking up from his own textbook.
"Oh yes. She was very kind to help me with my wardrobe."
"Good, that's good."
"You are not going to confront Michael tomorrow." Luna stated, looking
up from her book for the first time.
Harry did his best to look shocked at her words but Luna could see right
through Harry just as well as he could to she. "Wha-? I would never." He
replied unconvincingly.
"I know you Harry Potter." Luna's normal dreamy personality was gone
for the moment. These were the times where Harry liked Luna the most,
the times when she showed her real, fierce self. "You are very protective
of your friends. But you will not scare Michael tomorrow."
Harry held his hands up in surrender, "I won't, I promise."
"Or follow me and check up on me!"
Harry groaned, "Fine." Harry truthfully didn't like Michael Corner, but he
wouldn't tell Luna that. The Ravenclaw was smart, and decent looking,
but was a bit crass for Harrys tastes. He would put him in the same boat
as Seamus, but if Luna liked him, he would stand by her. And if he hurt
her, he would take great pleasure in returning the favor, so it was a win-
win he figured. "Kick him if he tries anything." Harry said.
–
"What do you think is going on?" Hermione and Susan sat down in an
abandoned classroom. Both were becoming increasingly agitated with
constantly being left in the dark. It was obvious to them that something
serious was beginning to develop and they were curious as to what it
was.
Susans aunt, Amelia, had made several trips to the castle, and each time
she had only briefly spoken with Susan before heading off to some
private meeting. The fact that Harry was also a part of those meetings
and that on a few occasions even the minister was there was more than
enough to become suspicious that something was happening.
"It has to involve Dumbledore doesn't it?" Hermione asked. "Why else
would they meet so much?"
"But why would my aunt be involved?" Susan asked. "Dumbledore isn't
charged with anything illegal, and she has never told me anything about
further involvements regarding Dumbledore."
"I think we should just ask Harry." Hermione said for the fifth time. This
wasn't the only time the two had met in the last month to discuss what
was going. Ever since the second task, Amelia Bones had made several
trips to the castle, two of them even being with Minister Fudge. Harry
had been present at every single one, or at least they figured he was.
"Why would he tell us anything? If he hasn't said anything to us yet, he
wouldn't say anything to us now." Susan responded. She adjusted herself
in the old rickety wooden chair she sat in. The classroom was very old
with cobwebs covering the ceiling and the furniture close to breaking.
"It doesn't hurt to try." The two girls agreed and began to seek out Harry
in the Great Hall where he was surrounded by several others asking for
tips on their defense capabilities. An eager first year was taking up most
of his time with question after question. Harry took the time to answer
every single one, not showing any signs of irritation. Those that knew
him well however, could tell he wasn't happy being bombarded with so
many questions.
"Harry, can we ask you something?" Susan said once the two of them
drew close.
This was the opening Harry was looking for to escape his prison in the
Great Hall. "Of course." He responded quickly. He hopped up from his
seat at the Hufflepuff table and walked out with the two girls and into
the same abandoned classroom the girls had first discussed their plans to
confront Harry. "Thank you for that." Harry breathed out, sitting down in
a nearby chair. Dobby appeared suddenly with a slip of paper.
"Hold on." Harry said as he grabbed the paper from Dobby and began
reading. "Tell, Sirius, the time is fine."
"Yes, Master Harry Potter sir." Dobby bowed deeply and vanished with a
small pop.
"What was that about?" Susan questioned, sitting herself down. Hermione
did the same. She looked unfavorably at where Dobby had just popped
away. SPEW was still a large part of her efforts at the school, and no
matter what anyone told her of the matters of house elves, she refused to
see them as anything but slaves. Hermione was stubborn beyond reason,
a good trait, and sometimes a bad trait.
"The confirmation for the press conference with Minister Fudge about the
bill to authorize lethal force for aurors." Harry responded casually. "What
is it you wanted to speak about?" He leaned back into his chair, propping
his legs up onto a nearby desk.
"We wanted to know what is going on." Susan said abruptly, getting
straight to the point.
Harry looked at the pair questioningly, "What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb Harry. We know something is going on. My aunt
wouldn't be making so many trips here if nothing was happening." Susan
responded tersely.
Harry glanced between the two, studying them. "Right now?" He paused
for a moment. "Nothing is going on. Nothing that I can tell you about that
is." He kept his face completely emotionless, using a new skill Remus had
walked him through using Occlumency. It allowed one to have complete
control over their facial expressions, even the minute ones that humans
were inherently able to pick up.
"That's bullshit, Harry. We know something is going on." Susan
exclaimed. Harry looked at Hermione briefly, seeing as she hadn't yet
said anything. He could see the semi-discomfort in her demeanor about
confronting him. It was understandable seeing as their friendship was
already not what it once was and she probably didn't want to ruin what
they had gotten back.
"Even if something was going on, why would I tell you?" Harry allowed
his cold demeanor out for a moment. He had to develop this personality
when it came to matters regarding Voldemort and Dumbledore. This was
practice for him, to be able to compartmentalize information and
distinguish a loyal, needed friend, from just regular friend. By Amelia's
orders, Susan had to just be a friend, but not a needed one.
Susans mouth opened and closed multiple times before she found the
words. It was clear she hadn't expected him to challenge her on this.
"Because I'm you're friend! Friends tell each other things!" She exclaimed.
"You're right, friends do tell each other things. But friends also trust in
one another, and that means when I'm keeping something from you, you
should trust that I am keeping something from you for a reason."
Susans eyes narrowed at Harry while Hermione stayed quiet, watching
the exchange with interest, "My aunt!" Susan blurted out. Harry was
surprised with her deduction abilities but he really shouldn't have been.
She had announced already that she wished to become a solicitor, so she
already knew she had the ability to read people, even ones as stone faced
as Harry.
"Yes, take it up with your aunt. If you can convince her, I'll tell you what
I know." Harry said, already knowing the game was up between the two
of them. It wasn't his place to get involved in-between family affairs.
"Or you can tell me now. My aunt doesn't always know what's best for
me!" Susan said indignantly.
"I can only tel you to take it up with her. I won't say anything to you
without her approval." Harry responded robotically.
"Hermione, aren't you going to say anything?" Susan asked, looking to
her friend for some help.
"I would hope you can tell me whatever is going on Harry. I don't like
being kept in the dark, but if you feel I need to be, I won't hold it against
you." Harry nodded satisfied at Hermione. She gave him a soft smile in
return and ignored the betrayed look on Susans face.
"Good. Now, I'm starving, let's get some food." Hermione gave a light
chuckle and Susan slightly scowled but followed them anyways. They
walked back into the Great Hall with Harry. Fleur was already seated at
the Hufflepuff table as had become the norm. Cedric sat next to her and
was in conversation about the third and final task for the TriWizard
Tournament. None of the champions had a clue as to what it was going
to be and were growing increasingly nervous about it. Even Krum had
approached Harry wondering if he had heard anything.
It was still a couple months off, but the fact that they didn't know what it
was meant they couldn't really prepare for it. The good thing was that
this gave Harry more and more time to prepare for Voldemort, and with
Moodys and Kingsleys teachings, he was rapidly increasing in skill. Harry
allowed Shacklebolt to continue training him, agreeing with Moody that
he was no longer under the control of Dumbledore. Kingsley was also
very eager to further train Harry, having a renewed vigor to get revenge
on the ex-headmaster. Sirius was a good teacher, having passed the auror
academy with flying colors, but nothing equaled Moodys and Kingsleys
experience in the field and Harry was grateful to be under their tutelage.
Between the two of them, they had begun running Harry through mock
combat situations, forcing him to take on three plus combatants at a
time, and each time Harry had found a way to come out unharmed. After
each night, Harry prided himself on making Moody giddy about the next
night of training. He could tell the grizzled auror was excited to teach
him, and Alastor constantly praised him, spouting that he had finally
found a true prodigy and someone worth teaching.
Tonks a few times had shown some irritation when Kinglsey and Moody
had harped praises on Harry. The two aurors had once been her previous
teachers through the academy, and she was their favorite before him. All
the irritation was taken away by a simple kiss from Remus who could
also see her discomfort at seeing Harry constantly praised by her former
mentors.
The odd couple had grown more and more serious throughout the year
and Harry was beginning to wonder when Remus would propose, or
Tonks for that matter. She wasn't the kind to wait around for anything
and was just as capable, probably even more capable, of popping the
question.
Sirius had dubbed his and Fleurs relationship boring already since they
were, 'too cute', as Emmy said, and instead focused on Tonks and Remus
where much more drama was to be had. The old werewolf was in a
constant state of unease and never knew what to do with his much
younger girlfriend.
Harry and Sirius had to constantly remind him that Tonks, though
younger, was definitely interested, and yet, even though he was dating
her, he refused to fully accept it, thinking she would leave him at any
moment. It had become a bet between the others on who would propose
first. Harry had his bet on Tonks for July 20th. That was the same date as
Sirius and Emmys wedding where Harry was asked to be the co-best man
along with Remus. It was nice to think about something other than
Dumbledore or Voldemort and he was greatly looking forward to the
celebration.
What scared Harry however, were the questions directed at him about
Fleur. Everyone could tell by now their relationship was serious, and so,
despite his young age, many began to speculate in the media when he
would ask Fleur to marry him. It was still way to soon for him to be
thinking about such things and the topic scared him. What scared him
more was what Fleur was thinking about it. She was three years older
than him and around the age when many witches got engaged.
The two of them had avoided the topic like the plague, neither even
talking about Sirius' wedding that was coming up in July. Harry hoped
she wouldn't feel it was time for something like marriage just yet. But if
he had anything to go by, the two of them were on the same page
regarding most things, and she probably wasn't yet ready for marriage as
well. Or kids... He shuddered at the thought of having kids at the
moment with everything else he had on his plate. Throw in a baby and
things would get too hectic for his brain to function.
–
Tracy walked down into the Slytherin dorms deep in thought. She had
just received a troubling letter from her father and wasn't sure what to
think or do about it. Draco watched her keenly as she entered the
common room and walked passed him. She knew full well why he was
interested in her appearance. It was highly possible that he was already
in the know on what her fathers letter contained since it had to do with
his fathers master, and her fathers for that matter.
She wasted no time in leaving the common room eager to leave the
prying eyes of several others and headed towards her own room where
she could have some privacy. Slytherin, unlike Gryffindor, had their own
rooms with which they could do what they wanted.
Because of this, many had learned charms to increase the size of their
room, as well as conjure furniture. It was expected for the females to
know such things since they would be expected to run the household
once married off to another pureblood. The males were supposed to
know the wards to keep their family safe and so Hogwarts had acted as a
trial ground for future couples.
Since the beginning of the house, the males had created an unwritten
rule that in the females dorm you could place a protective ward over a
female, making them off limits to any others in the house. Of course, as
years passed and women stood up for themselves, it had become to mean
more of a couples thing, but some males, like Draco, adhered to the old
pureblood traditions, and placed wards over several of the females in his
year, attempting to 'claim' them.
Tracy was one of the girls that had a protected dorm by Draco, and
because he was considered the leader of Slytherin, no one messed with
her security. It was also happen stance that Draco didn't interfere with
her since he was too busy being with Pansy every evening, luckily for her
and Daphne who was also under the protection of Draco.
She slipped into her room and was surprised to see Daphne already laid
out on her bed reading a book. "Something wrong?" Daphne asked, seeing
Tracys distraught face. She didn't say anything, simply handing over the
letter over and sitting down at her desk to wait for Daphne's reaction.
The two girls were silent for a moment as Daphne read over the letter.
"What are you going to do?" She asked after reading the letter quickly for
a second time.
"What can I do?" Tracy responded, a desperate tone to her voice. She
sagged in her chair and banged her forehead on the desk in frustration.
"Your parents would be killed it you didn't listen! You have no choice
here Trace." Daphne responded. She stood up and walked over to Tracy
and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Tracy covered her face with her arms and began to sob. "W-what i-if
Harry c-can do something about this?"
"Harry can't help you with this and you know that. If you tell anyone
else, that only risks your family."
"Y-you d-don't know t-that." She puttered out. Daphne stayed quiet,
knowing her friend just needed time to think things over. She would
come to the right decision quickly, one that she could see immediately.
Sometimes, people just weren't given a choice in matters.
The two of them stayed close to one another for several hours until Tracy
had finally calmed down. After she had cried herself to sleep, Daphne
slipped out of her room and into the hallway. She looked over the
parchment that was sent to Tracy by her father as she traveled to the
Owlery. She had just enough to time to get off her own message before it
was after hours and could run the risk of getting into trouble by the
prefects.
The way to the Owlery was quiet and she only ran into a few people she
recognized but no one said anything to her, which she was glad for. Upon
reaching the owlery she called for her Eagle Owl, Achilles, that normally
sat in its roost near Hedwig. The large, gorgeous brown bird of prey,
swooped down to her shoulder upon seeing her.
Daphne pulled a piece of parchment from her robes along with a quill
and began scribbling a note. "Take this to Cygnus." She then shoved the
owl off her shoulder and briefly watched as it took flight into the night
sky. She took a moment to enjoy the cool breeze that flowed through her
long blonde hair before heading back into the stuffy castle.
"Hey Daph!" Harry called from the far end of the 5th floor. He walked up
with Fleur on his arm. "What has you out so late?" She groaned softly
knowing Harry couldn't hear her from this distance. She didn't want
Harry to know what was going on with Tracy, especially if it could mean
her parents lives. If Tracy decided to forsake her parents for Harry, that
was her call, but she wasn't going to betray her best friend if she decided
to side against Harry.
Daphne stopped and put on a fake smile, "Oh you know, just sending off
a letter to my father."
"Ah, are your parents doing well?" The cheerful couple came to a stop in
front of her. Though she didn't have any wanting for Harry, she definitely
didn't like seeing the couple so happy. It only reminded her of her own
loneliness.
"Very well." Daphne began. Harry could immediately sense something
was slightly off with his best friend, he could see some unease in her
posture, but refused to use legilemency to figure out what was wrong. He
had already vowed to not use the mind arts to figure out his friends
thoughts and feelings, especially his best friends, or his girlfriend. It was
a major invasion of privacy Remus continuously reminded him. "My
father sends his regards."
Harry looked at Daphne slightly puzzled, "I wasn't aware he liked me all
that much?"
Daphne turned slightly pink, "He doesn't!" She said quickly, "Or...he does.
It's just, you know, he has a reputation, and can't publicly be seen as
liking you."
Harry nodded his head, "Right. Political differences and all. Well I hope
he doesn't take it too personal with all the attacks against him in the
Wizengamot." The Greengrass' had been opposed to most of what Harry
had tried to pass through legislation. Politics would have it that on a few
occasions, Harry had to attack Cygnus' less than honorable business
tactics. He had monopolized the potions industry through shady business
tactics.
Daphne chuckled, "No, he doesn't. It's just business, he understands."
"Good, well I should be getting Fleur back to her room. I'll talk to you
later Daph." Harry gave Daphne one last soft smile and started down the
staircases, leaving Daphne alone.
She waited several minutes before following them down and taking a
turn into the dungeons. "Where have you been?" Malfoy asked once she
was back inside the common room. Most people had retired for the
evening, leaving only her, Draco, a few older Slytherins, and Theo who
sat off in a secluded corner reading a book. He looked up once he heard
Draco open his mouth and watched with some interest.
"That's is none of your business Draco." She went to move passed him but
he stopped her by grabbing her arm and yanking her back around.
"Oh, but I think it is." He took a step forward, putting himself only inches
from her. She could feel his vile breath on her face and forced herself to
remain cold and aloof. "You are mine, I have a right to know where you
were."
Daphnes eyes squinted dangerously at the blonde, "You should know by
now, I am not yours, and never will be." She hissed out, her voice cold,
allowing zero emotion to filter through. "Unhand me before you find your
bits in your mouth."
"You are-" Draco didn't get any other words out as Daphnes right foot
came up and struck Draco between the legs. He dropped to his knees and
Daphne followed up with a knee to the face, knocking him onto his back
and breaking his nose.
Daphne leaned over the downed Malfoy, "Never presume that you can
order me around again." She said in a casual manor. Theo watched with
mild interest, the beginnings of a smile on his face as he took in the
pleasure of seeing Malfoy embarrassed in front of the other older
students. Blood poured from Draco's nose and filled his mouth, keeping
him from being able to splutter out a response.
Daphne left the Malfoy scion on the floor and headed to her own dorm.
She sighed, looking down at her robes that now had smatterings of blood
on it. She removed her clothing and placed it in a nearby basket where
the house elves would take her clothes and wash them for her.
She collapsed back onto her bed after removing Tracy's letter from the
bloodied robes and unfurled it once more. She read it for the fifth time
and sighed, "What to do."
–
Thunder echoed off the rolling hills and lightning lit up the clouded night
sky. Rain poured down onto the old beaten up mansion that rested in the
hillside. The windows shook from the howling winds and rattled as the
heavy rain rapped against them. Inside the castle-like mansion, a large
extravagant dining room was filled to the brim with dark cloaked figures,
many of them drenched from the outside rain.
"How wonderful to see all of you gathered here like days of old. My most
loyal and...competent followers." A sinister hiss crossed the room with no
problem, easily being heard by all, over every boom of thunder or
pattering of rain. "Soon, I will once again regain my body, and we will
conquer this pitiful world."
"Are our plans on schedule?" Many of these dark cloaked figures sat at a
fine long dining table. At one end sat a man wearing a silver mask that
was engraved with several designs depicting battles of long ago. He
remained completely quiet and impassive, not even having his hood up
like the others in the room did.
At the other end of the table was a large snake that sat coiled on the
chair, protecting a grotesque form at its center. The only thing visible of
the grotesque form was a bone white wand that sat pointed towards the
middle of the table.
On the table, being looked at by all in the room was a strangled woman,
dried blood trickling from her mouth, eyes, and ears. Her cold, lifeless
eyes bulged from their sockets and her tongue was bright purple,
protruding out from her mouth. Flies danced around her corpse, buzzing
with glee as they feasted.
"They are m'lord. Our spies have almost finished their preparations."
Another cold gruff voice said from the grotesque figures left. He took off
his black hood to reveal his face in the grim light. It was disheveled and
showing signs of severe wounds inflicted just recently. His whole body
shook with every word and his blue eyes held no light, almost as if he
were some walking corpse.
"Good. Make sure you do not disappoint me again Barty, it will not be
good for you if you do."
"Yes, m'lord." He bowed his head deeply and cowered back into his chair,
placing his hood back over his head to shower his face his in shadow.
"What news of the Wizengamot Lucius?"
A tall man took off his robe, he sat just two seats down from the Dark
Lord. His long silver blonde hair cascaded down his shoulders and his
pale features glowed in the little moonlight that shown through the
stained glass windows.
"The Potter boy has gathered quite a group of people around him. My
money doesn't hold the same weight it once did, I'm afraid to say. Potter
has much sway with the minister and it is making things...difficult on the
political spectrum."
"Do not worry about the boy." Voldemort hissed. "He will soon be dead,
and you will once again regain control over those fools. See that you are
ready to control those imbeciles when the time comes."
Lucius bowed his head low, "Yes m'lord." He also replaced his hood.
"Has anyone been able to contact Severus?" The room stayed quiet.
"Mulciber? I tasked you with this, did I not?" Last month, Snape had been
forced to resign after Harry had successfully gotten a ban on teachers
possessing the Dark Mark passed in the Wizengamot. Snape of course,
had resigned before his arms were forcefully checked by aurors, but it
was a disgraceful resignation nonetheless, and another blow to
Dumbledore, since it was widely publicized that Dumbledore
continuously defended the potions master.
Now, Snape had vanished to the wind, much like Dumbledore himself.
Harry suspected the two were in the same location. Snape had nowhere
to go other than Dumbledore. Without Dumbledores constant protection
and guidance, it wouldn't have taken Snape long to be figured out by
Voldemort for what he most likely was, a spy. There was no other reason
for a man like Dumbledore to keep someone like Snape around.
"It's impossible to find him Lord. Not even the ministry has been able to
locate him."
Voldemort remained quiet for several minutes, "He has either fled, which
makes him an enemy, or gone to the old fool, which also makes him an
enemy. Kill him if he shows his face." Voldemort paused for a moment.
He began to feel the tiredness that came with his morbid body. "Now, tell
me of young Harry. What has become of him?"
"There are only rumors." Lucius started.
"Rumors?" Voldemort hissed out.
"Yes, ones that he has slain a basilisk." Voldemort was for the brief
moment, happy he was just a mere grotesque husk of a baby that
Wormtail had stolen from its now dead mother. It helped hide his
surprise from his followers. "He is also leading a defense club at
Hogwarts, and has shown...impressive abilities during the TriWizard
Tournament."
"Yes, Rookwood. Can I assume Harry killed him since no one has heard
from him?"
"We don't know for sure. What happened under the lake, no one really
knows."
"Rumors are just rumors." Travers spoke up, a snarl forming on his face.
Everyone looked at him, waiting to see what he had to say. "The boy is
fourteen and was hospitalized by Bulgarian brutes at the World Cup."
"He killed one and captured the others." Goyle retorted.
Travers laughed a cruel laugh, "They are foreign brutes with no real skill.
A little girl could beat them." Others around the table laughed.
"When will our spy fill us in on Potter?" Voldemort asked. He didn't need
to hear what his followers opinions of the boy were. He needed to know
the truth. He feared that Dumbledore had begun to train him, and that
the prophecy foretold his death at the hands of this boy. But, believing
such a thing is what led him to the current state he was in. The boy was
just a boy, and he had taken steps to make himself immortal, steps no
one would be able to guess about.
"In three days." Barty responded.
"Good. Dismissed, all of you." Everyone in the room quickly filed out of
the room leaving Voldemort to his thoughts. The man wearing black
robes and a silver mask waited for everyone to leave before he himself
left without saying a word.
This body he was in was not one that could sustain him for long. He had
to sleep most of the time and couldn't keep his wits about him for longer
than an hour. This evening was the first time he had felt strong enough to
have a meeting with all of his inner circle.
Nagini uncoiled herself from the protective barrier and slithered down
the chair, only to reappear with a small peace of bread smashed between
her jagged teeth. This was what he hated most of all, not even his
loathing for Potter, muggles, the ministry, or Dumbledore, surpassed this
hatred. Being fed mushed bread by a snake was by far the most
demeaning thing he had ever done in his life.
Still, death was always the worst thing imaginable. It's why he had gone
through such lengths to protect his life. Some would consider it vile, he
however thought it smart. Why would a wizard, one such as he, not take
steps to make himself immortal? He had so much greatness and power to
thrust upon the world, the real ability to enact change for the greater
good, why would he allow himself to die and waste such potential?
Grindelwald had been the true patriot of history, and Dumbledore, the
old meddling fool himself, had gone and thrown the world back into
chaos, making it something weak and corrupt. Something that
Dumbledore, the corrupt individual he was, only benefited himself and
no one else.
It was now up to him to fix the troubled world, and no matter the cost in
life, it was worth it. Once he was in power, the world would be made
right once again. The rightful will live, the weak and corruptible will die.
Muggles and those of lesser blood would be made slaves, put into their
rightful place, and the powerful and mighty would take their places as
the natural rulers of the world. He, of course, would be above them all,
the supreme leader of the world, and the most powerful. A god in the
minds of those lesser than he.
His mind settled onto Harry Potter, the boy who had set his plans back
by a decade. The boy that had remained a conundrum these last several
years. He had killed Quirrell, a weak-minded fool albeit, but still, a
grown wizard with experience in combat.
The magic surrounding the boy was ancient, magic that had taken several
years to figure out, but now he had created the perfect ritual to
counteract it. One that would see his body returned and at the same time
give him the ability to kill Potter.
Ever since returning to Britain, Pettigrew had given him copies of the
various Daily Prophets spouting the praises of the boy, their hero, their
chosen one. It was obviously all lies, fabrications, just like those children
books. No child of his age could slay a basilisk, especially the one that
rested in the Chamber of Secrets. No one could ever be as powerful as
him. Not even Dumbledore was as powerful as him. This was clearly a
ruse by Dumbledore to prop up the childs fame for his own gain. He had
only to figure out what game the old man was playing.
–
Harry smiled as the patronuses danced around him, silver trails of smoke
left in their wake. All kinds of creatures joined together and their masters
laughed and cheered along with them, happy to be able to perform the
difficult spell. Many in the Great Hall had stopped to watch the display
by several of the older students as they showed off their mastering of the
patronus charm.
"Great job!" Harry exclaimed gleefully, a look of pride on his face. More
than half of the seventh years had been able to perform a full corporeal
patronus and several of the sixth years had also managed it. It was more
than he had expected truthfully. It was rewarding to see others improve
over the course of the months since he had started this club, much like it
was probably rewarding for Sirius to watch his own improvement during
their nightly sessions.
"I think that is all for the evening!" He called out, bringing the session to
an end. The students gathered around him like normal. Harry spotted
Ron amongst the crowd, this being only his third time showing up. Draco
had even begun to show himself at the meetings, though he refused to do
anything that anyone told him to do. He simply stood in the corner of the
hall and practiced beating up his bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy
was the forever cheerleader and praised him throughout the evening
about his magical prowess. Most had just grown accustomed to ignoring
them.
"All of you are improving quickly and I'm happy to see it. Due to the
third task coming up in just a month, I will have to stop my involvement
in the club in order to focus fully on the task." A few grumbles were
heard, but for most others, they just nodded in understanding. Many by
now wanted Harry to win and had even offered to help in any way they
could.
"Professor Flitwick will formerly take over, along with Professor Black."
Sirius had quickly grown to be one of the favorite professors at the
school. Whether it was his boyish charm or his rugged good looks was
still being disputed amongst the girls in the castle that made him easily
the best teacher. Sirius' ego had grown immensely due to this praise but
Emmy was quick to reign him back in when necessary. Harry had grown
quite fond of Emmy over the last several months.
They had spent more time together since she was set to marry Sirius
during the summer, and Sirius thought it a good idea for them to get
know each other better than they already did. She never tried to mother
him like Molly had, instead, she was just another ear for him to speak his
stresses to, and didn't try and solve every issue he had. She didn't try to
act like she understood what he was going through either and he liked
that about her.
"Continue to practice and study on your own and have a good evening! If
you have any questions, feel free to ask if you see me walking in the
halls." The students mingled for awhile longer and Harry spent his time
talking with Filius and Sirius. They knew of his plans to take time off
from the Defense Club and had already come up with a schedule for the
remaining meetings. There were only just ten more meetings before the
end of the year and so they didn't have much to plan for.
Eventually the students disappeared and Harry began his trek back up to
the Gryffindor common room. "Harry!" He let out a groan, recognizing
the voice. He was wondering when this conversation was going to
happen. Harry spun around and saw Ron approaching him.
Just a few days ago, Harry had asked Sirius to place Mrs. Weasley under
further surveillance, or more like, keep her locked down for the time
being. Both Remus, Sirius, Moody, and Arthur had visited with her a
number of times to try and figure out if she was under the same spell that
Kingsley was, but none of them could determine that she was.
It appeared that she had done everything completely of her own free will,
and not because Dumbledore had forced her to. Harry had made the
difficult call to keep her locked up for now in a small room on Raven Isle
that was being attended to by Dobby.
"Yes, Ron?" Harry asked. He kept his hands at the ready, just in case the
red head was looking for a fight.
"What did you do with my mother?" He asked, a dangerous glint in his
eyes.
"I already told your brothers. I do not think she has come back for good
reasons. Even your father agreed." Harry replied coolly, not allowing any
emotion into his voice. Fred and George had already approached him
about the matter, and he even had received a letter from both Bill and
George. None of the older brothers had any harsh feelings for his
decision, all of them feeling the betrayal of their mother deeply. Ginny
had remained completely silent on the issue, but by the few scathing
looks he had received from her, he knew where she stood.
"She's my mother! You can't just imprison her!"
"You're right, I can't. That's why I asked your father for permission...
permission he granted by the way. Anyways, she isn't imprisoned. She's
being taken care of quite well." Molly was in reality probably having the
best time of her life, having a house elf at her beck and call and staying
on a beach. The irritated look on Dobby's face every time Harry saw him
was enough to know that Molly had many demands of him.
"My father would never agree to this!" Ron scoffed in disbelief.
Harry raised his eyebrows, "Do you not speak to your family Ronald? I
already had this talk with them. Even your older brothers agreed with
me."
"They wouldn't talk behind my back about something like this." Ron said
smugly, but Harry could see in his eyes the beginning of doubt in his
words. Doubt that his family would actually include him in on a decision
like this. Doubt that his family respected him anymore.
Harry sighed, hoping to take some advantage of Rons somewhat
befuddled state, "Speak to them about this. If you find my words false,
come see me and yell at me all you wish." Harry turned and began
walking away from Ron who stood frozen, deep in thought at Harry's
words. "Oh, and Ron?" Harry spun back around, getting the attention of
Ron. "Trying to be different from your brothers for the sake of being
different, isn't good. They're your family, you don't have to be better or
worse." Harry left Ron standing alone in the middle of the entrance hall,
silence descending over the empty hall.
Thank you to everyone that has favorited/reviewed/followed.
23. Ghost
Harry slowly crawled into the small, nicely decorated den room through
a window that he had vanished. The room was dark and he was easily
able to creep in the shadows. He had already charmed his feet to make
no noise when he stepped, but still felt the need to step gingerly around
the room. He wore for the first time a dark green, almost black, basilisk
scale jacket that Sirius had gone through great lengths to get him. Along
with the jacket were a pair of similar colored dragonhide gloves, boots
and black cargo pants that had various charms to make them somewhat
protective.
Sirius had gotten him this new attire, partly because he swore, along with
Fleur, it made him look like the true, powerful public figure he was
becoming, but more importantly it also kept him safe from potential
attacks. In truth, Harry also liked the look of the new outfit on him.
Sirius said the last piece of the outfit would be coming on his birthday,
and was also to remain a secret, which greatly piqued his interest as to
what it might be.
Once into the room and recognizing no threats, he transformed into his
tiger animagus, Haunt, who had been named so because Sirius said that
there was no other image more haunting than his glowing green eyes in
the pitch black of night.
He used his enhanced senses to try and smell his prey and even put his
ear to the ground to listen and feel for any movements of his potential
victims that were located somewhere in the house. The house itself
wasn't all that large, nestled into a small valley with farmland around it.
It was in essence in the middle of nowhere and the closest village was a
thirty minute broom ride away. He couldn't sense anything and so moved
to the door that opened into a well lit hallway. Not being able to hear or
feel anything, Haunt wandlessly cracked the door just barely. Pictures of
strangers hung from the walls, but do to the lateness of the night, the
figures in the pictures were sound asleep.
Not being able to see any movement and still not hearing anything,
Haunt crept into the hall slowly, wandlessly turning the lights off as he
moved. He paused, trying to listen for any sudden movements to the
lights going out, but still, could hear nothing. His prey was keeping calm
and steady wherever they were, or more than likely hadn't figured he was
in the house yet. He slowly stalked down the hall, his large padded paws
completely silent on the carpeted floor.
As he moved close to the end of the hall, he began to hear the faint
beating of a heart, a slow thud-thud, coming from a room to his right.
Haunt transformed back into Harry and he placed a minor stunning ward
on the door. If anyone opened the door and they weren't paying iny
remote attention, they would be stunned immediately by the ward,
almost like a trip wire setting off a bomb.
Once finishing his work, he went back into his animagus form and
continued further down the hall until it opened up into a large living
room that was connected to a kitchen. He could see some light coming
from the kitchen as well as muffled voices that were whispering quietly
to one another. Haunt sat in the darkened hall, patiently waiting for one
of his prey to move into the open where he could see them.
A few minutes passed before one of his prey, a male with long dark hair,
moved to a nearby couch and sat down. The man was followed by a
female, and she sat down next to the him on the couch, a bowl of what
smelled like popcorn being shared by the two of them. The darkened
living room brightened from a television screen that briefly glowed blue
from the text, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...", which then
gave way to further yellow text.
Haunt crept slowly behind the couch, his midnight black fur briefly
illuminated by the yellow that scrolled down the television screen. "What
are we watching?" The man said, his slick smooth voice broken up sightly
by the popcorn kernals in his mouth.
"Honestly, how can you be so culturally dense!" The woman exclaimed,
rolling her eyes. Haunt silently made his way into the dimly lit kitchen
searching for the last of his prey. He knew there were others lurking
somewhere around the house, but had yet to spot any of them.
His nose began to pick up the intense smell of pipe smoke coming from
nearby. He moved to the back kitchen door and saw two men sitting
down on the steps sharing a pipe. They were talking to one another but
Haunt couldn't hear anything they said. He could sense a silencing ward
over them which was why he hadn't heard them earlier.
Haunt crouched behind the kitchen counter that separated the living
room and the kitchen, and began to formulate a plan. He now knew
where every enemy was in the house if the intelligence he was given was
correct, and was going to be able to surprise them if he played this right.
Quickly, he formulated a plan in his head and padded his way over to the
back door again.
Haunt focused on the door and made it swing open abruptly while at the
same time turned off the lights to the kitchen, putting himself completely
in the dark. "Ruddy doors been doin' that all day. It's time I got it fixed."
One of the men said to the other ear-ringed, dark skinned man outside
after he took down the silencing ward. He walked into the house and
only a few feet from the very large 600 pound tiger that sat patiently in
the shadows. Harry had his eyes closed as to not show his vibrant green
eyes in the dark, using his other senses to know precisely when to spring
the trap he made.
Once the man was fully inside, Haunt pounced, his jaws locking tightly
around his preys leg and dragging him further into the shadows of the
kitchen. The man let out a shout alerting everyone else in the house to a
threat. "Someones here! In the house!" The dark skinned man shouted
from outside, the pipe still in his mouth. He rushed into the darkness that
was the kitchen, as the couple on the couch quickly jumped up and
headed into the kitchen as well. As soon as they were about to light their
wands to illuminate their surroundings, a crash and a yelp sounded from
the hallway. "He's in the back!" The man who had been on the couch
said, rushing off with the other two behind him. Haunt, who had briefly
transformed into Harry in order to choke out his victim, sat still in the
shadows until they left his sight. His victim was only able to watch
helplessly as the air was cut off from his brain and couldn't even say
anything to his friends who rushed off to the back of the house, since
Harry had quickly silenced him.
Just as the couple had rounded the corner, Harry, who had quickly
transformed back into Haunt after dealing with his first prey, followed
them closely, grabbing the dark skinned man by the leg and pulled him
back into the living room where the now orange filled screen showed his
impressive, musculature, figure off to his prey. The man let out a brief
scream of surprise before Haunt had transformed into Harry and stunned
him.
Harry flicked his second wand into his hand and sent a blasting hex at
the hall, catching the woman who had carelessly ran back into the living
room, looking to help the dark skinned man. It caught her in the stomach
and sent her through the front door of the house and out into the open
air. She was instantly knocked unconscious from the force of the spell
and wouldn't get up anytime soon.
The last man tried to aim his wand around the corner blindly to catch
him off guard, but Harry already had another blasting hex sent at him. It
broke through the corner of the wall and nicked the man in the shoulder,
sending him spinning into the wall behind him, hitting it with a dull thud
before falling to the floor like a sack of potatoes. Harry stunned the man
and then calmly walked out into the night air. "Expecto Patronum!" He
shouted. His spectral tiger shot off into the night sky at blazing speed. It
looked like a shooting star as it raced across the night time sky. Two
minutes later, a team of men wearing dark cloaks and black masks to
hide their faces apparated onto the premises.
"You've done well, I see." One of the men said, his voice guff. He walked
up to Harry with a slight limp and surveyed the woman who lay
unconscious nearby, nudging her slightly with his black boot. Harry
could swear he saw a smile on the mans face beneath the mask.
Harry shrugged, "Wasn't difficult." The masked man snorted, moving
passed Harry and into the house without another word. Seconds later,
Amelia and Moody apparated nearby and Harry walked over to them.
Moody had a rare smile plastered on his face and even Amelia looked
impressed at his work.
"You did well." Amelia said.
"Well? The boy is bloody brilliant!" Another masked man said. He was
leaning over the unconscious woman, examining her with his wand.
"I agree with Unspeakable Reaper." Moody said, a hint of pride in his
voice. In the last month his training had moved beyond just that of his
teachers and the Room of Requirement. Amelia and Moody both had
contacts in the Unspeakable Department, a department named thusly for
a reason. They couldn't speak about anything they did, their work
deemed highly classified, and not even the Minister of Magic fully knew
what they were doing.
Amelia had suggested Harry begin to train with a small team of them,
Ghost Squad as they were called. They were a group of seven
Unspeakables, trained to take down the most fierce dark wizards
imaginable. After the last wizarding war, the group was created in order
to stop the rise of any other Voldemort styled Dark Lords. Harry had told
them early on that Voldemort was going to be returning and was never
truly dead. He was surprised to see that they didn't look all that shocked
at the news, having already suspected it for awhile.
This unspeakable team weren't peace keepers like the aurors, but battle-
hardened warriors like Moody, and less beat up...and younger. They had
a great deal of experience in catching dark wizards, having spent the
better half of the last decade tracking and imprisoning them, and were
often employed by various other ministries around the world. This group
was kept so secret, Harry wasn't even allowed to tell Fleur of their
existence. Very few people did know of this group and they were going to
be acting as Harrys team when the time came for war. Amelia only knew
of them because she had full knowledge of any Auror or Unspeakable
operative group actively working in the field since she was the Head of
the DMLE. Moody knew of them because he had trained several of them,
and worked two years on Ghost Squad.
Over the last month they had continuously ran him through the ringer
every night, testing not only his magical prowess, but his ability to
perform under pressure and deadly situations. Luckily for him, he
excelled in such situations, having already had much practice before
hand and it showed in his tests. His nightly trianing with Sirius and
Remus had taken a back foot to them, and each night, harry found
himself doing solo missions like what he had done tonight.
Ghost Squad was much more focused on making the training missions as
realistic as possible. Minerva had allowed him a pass to leave the castle
each night and she knew better than to ask questions, especially when
the permission was personally signed by Amelia. Because of his nightly
training with these battle-hardened warriors, he had now only been
getting two hours of sleep a night, but was glad to know now that he
only needed that amount. His recuperation abilities were quite profound
and he found that he didn't even need to skimp on his normal, morning
physical workouts.
He had yet to meet his team members for real, all of them still wearing
their black masks around him, but that would come after he was
officially allowed onto the team. They didn't want to give up their
identities to somehow who may not make it through the trials to become
a part of their team. There were strict requirements to joining this highly
secret team, and even though he was Harry Potter, they didn't care, and
he like that about them.
Right now, he was still in the training stage. He had insisted on going
through the same trials that the team members had to to earn their spot
on Ghost Squad and he was quickly flying through them. The trials
weren't really designed for someone like him, but Harry still felt it
necessary to go through the same steps and prove himself to them.
"Bloody hell, I wanted to watch that movie!" Harry chuckled, hearing
Sirius' groggy voice inside the house. "I didn't even see the boy! How am I
supposed to fight something I can't see!"
"He's becoming scary for sure. Whoever is training him now is doing a
fine job." Kingsleys voice sounded in the house in response. Kingsley,
Sirius, Emmy, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley had volunteered for this night of
training. They didn't know anything, other than that Harry would be
attacking them sometime this weekend. Harry had begun to stalk the
house on Friday night and didn't attack until Sunday night, as he was
taught to. The two days prior had been entirely reconnaissance before he
made his move. The Burrow had made a fine target for Harry, already
knowing the layout of the place, but it still made a good beginning
mission for him.
Sirius had found an interesting ward in an old, unseen book in the Black
library which allowed the area inside the ward to use electricity. Of
course, Arthur had been thrilled at that when he learned of such a ward
and demanded for Sirius to set him up with it. Emmy, who was
muggleborn, had helped Arthur with setting up the television and bought
a VCR and taught him how to operate it. Rumor had it that Arthur was
having trouble focusing on his work due to things he called 'muggle
theatre'.
"All members were clearly taken out without any harm coming to you."
Another masked man said, walking up to Harry. Unlike the others, this
mans mask was solid gold, showing vibrantly in the pale moonlight. It
was engraved with a black cross that connected the chin, eyes, and
forehead. "The final phase of your training is over, welcome to Ghost,
Haunt." Harry shook hands with the masked man he knew to be the
squad leader and his new boss, Specter.
He had barely spoken with Ghost Leader Specter, usually getting his
training briefings from Reaper or Banshee, the only woman on the team.
The man behind the gold mask was intimidating, his voice cold and
emotionless, the eyes that shown through the masks slits were dull blue
and blank. Harry could only imagine what the man looked like without
the mask on.
"Thank you, sir."
"Due to your status as a student, you will instead report for training every
evening in place of your other private teachings that have been taking
place, as you have this last month. Understood?"
"Yes, sir. Where at sir?" Harry had yet to be introduced to their private
training facility that he knew existed, just not where. Specter handed him
a slip of paper and he immediately realized this meant that the training
ground was under the Fidelius Charm. Specter shook Harrys hand once
more before disapparating without even the smallest of pops. Harry was
impressed with the silence of it, he himself not even being able to be
fully silent when apparating.
"Thank you so much for this Amelia, Alastor." Harry said once the other
members of Ghost had congratulated him and left.
Amelia waved off his thanks, "You needed a team. One that could truly
follow you into the heat of battle, which we know that's where you're
eventually headed. Alastor is old and wounded."
"Hey!" Moody exclaimed but Amelia ignored him.
"Myself and Kingsley are taken by out duties as aurors, and Sirius...he has
other things to worry about now." Harry looked fondly at his godfather
who walked out of the house with Kingsley right behind him. Tonks
trailed behind the two, apparently she was the one that had set off Harrys
stun ward and gone down. Arthur had a white bandage around his thigh
where Haunt had bit him and he hobbled out of the house with the help
of Tonks.
Sirius headed over to Emmy and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her
soundly on the lips. She giggled, whispering something into his ear. Sirius
grinned from ear to ear and picked her up into his arms making Emmy
laugh even more. They were clearly happy together, a blind man could
see it, and it put a smile on everyones face anytime they saw them.
Harry knew that this war was no longer Sirius' to fight. He was getting
married and probably going to be starting a family soon. Sirius would
kick and scream at Harry and demand to fight along beside him, but
Harry recognized that Ghost Squad was an easy way through the
impending argument with Sirius. His godfather would never allow him to
go off fighting alone and without him, but now that he had an actual
team around him, one that was truly capable of fighting with him, Sirius
might be more easily accepting of staying on the sidelines and playing
the political side of the war. It would still be a very difficult sell though.
He had already written off trying to keep Remus sidelined. The werewolf
would never have it, and neither would Tonks for that matter.
Its funny how things had switched between the two older marauders over
the last year. Sirius had grown more passive and logical as he spent more
time with Emmy, while Remus became more wild and outgoing as he
spent time with Tonks. The dog was tamed and the werewolf set loose.
"So the third task Harry. Any news on it yet?" Moody asked, breaking him
out of his thoughts.
Harry shook his head, "Nothing yet."
"Don't be nervous about it. I'll have extra security for that night."
Harry gave Amelia a somber smile, "We are dealing with two of the most
wise and powerful wizards of this century. No amount of preparation can
keep them away if they truly want to interfere with the third task."
"We will still try though." Amelia stated.
"I know."
–
Fleur watched Harry from afar as he glanced through books on the
libraries bookshelf, trying to find one that interested him. She smiled
fondly at her boyfriend, the very same flutter flowing through her
stomach as when she had first laid eyes on him nine months ago. She sat
at the same table as Hermione, her potions book laid out in front of her
but had gone unused as she focused on Harry and his rather cute derrier.
The two of them had grown more and more close over the last several
months, beginning to enjoy the pleasures of intimacy. Though Harry was
pulled in many directions at once, he always made time for her,
something she found endearing and it warmed her heart greatly. She
knew he had also begun to train with others, an unknown group of
people that he couldn't tell her about, but she respected and trusted him
enough to realize he probably couldn't say exactly what he was doing. It
didn't bother her like she had initially thought it might. He was a person
that naturally would have to have some secrets, and she knew if he could
tell her, he would. She would never pressure him into anything knowing
that he was already being pressured on all sides of life and didn't need a
nosy girlfriend that had no trust in him.
"He's changed so much." Hermione stated, following Fleurs gaze over to
Harry. "I still remember the shy, bespectacled eleven year old boy that
rescued me from a troll."
Fleur chuckled, "'e 'as saved many women over ze years."
Hermione nodded, "You, your sister, Ginny, me."
"Just Harry things." The both of them said at the same time, breaking into
quiet laughter, trying ot avoid the ire of the librarian.
"You're good for him, you know?" Hermione said, her voice growing
distant and quiet as she began to recall past memories.
"'Ow so?"
"He's more confident now. That was something I could never give him.
He's better, and more importantly, happy. I've never seen him more
happy than he is now, despite all of his new responsibilities." Fleur
watched Harry closely, a small smile on her lips as he conversed with
Daphne who had just walked up to him. The two best friends chuckled at
something Harry had said as he handed a book to her. Daphne lightly
punched him in the arm before heading back to her seat with Tracy.
"You are every bit as responsible for shaping 'im into what 'e eez today,
'Ermione. I can not thank you enough for being 'ere ze first three years."
Fleur paused for a moment, her own voice growing a little distant. "And I
also 'ave a favor to ask of you."
Hermione leaned slightly forward, curious to here what her veela friend
would ask of her, "Of course, anything Fleur."
"I need you to watch out for 'im next year. Do your best to keep 'im in
check."
Hermione chuckled, "You as well as I, know it's impossible to keep him
out of trouble. So I take it you aren't transferring then?" Fleur had been
thinking about a transfer to Hogwarts for her seventh year but had
recently decided against it. Harry was in firm agreement with her, and
based his opinion off that being in France would mostly keep her safe
and away from an impending civil war. She agreed with her parents
however, that it would be too much of a hassle with her school if she
were to transfer the last year, and some of the courses she currently took
were only available at Beauxbatons and she didn't want to not take them.
She didn;t care if a war was soon to break out and that Harry would be in
the thick of it, she had her full faith in Harrys ability to work his way
through it and stay safe. She planned for the future, a future with him by
her side.
The Minister of France had heard of their predicament through Sebastien
and had agreed enthusiastically to have an international portkey created
for the couple so that they could regularly see each other despite being
hundreds of miles apart. It definitely helped ease Fleurs decision on
staying at Beauxbatons.
"I'll be staying in France. Eet will be too 'ard to transfer schools."
Hermione nodded in understanding, "I'll keep a close eye on our favorite
troublemaker." Fleur giggled. Her eyes naturally traveled to the blonde
haired girl he was talking with. He had followed Daphne over to her seat
next to Tracy and had started up a conversation with the two of them.
Her smile faltered slightly as her mind dredged up fears that the Slytherin
had some scheme that could harm her beau. Fleur had found Daphne's
behavior to be somewhat strange the last several months, despite the fact
that they had became friendly with one another. Something about
Daphne just struck her as fake, as if everything she did was to put on a
show.
Each time that thought came to her mind, she shrugged if off, figuring
that it was just Daphne's thing, being the Ice Queen and all. There was no
real way to know what she was thinking behind that impassive face of
hers.
She had even taken some time to stalk the Slytherin in between her
classes, trying to find out if she did anything shady throughout the day,
but never once had found any evidence that something was out of norm
with her. It was just Daphne, through and through, and if Harry couldn't
spot anything wrong with her, she probably wasn't going to be able to
either. Still, her gut reaction said something was wrong and she would
continue to watch the Slytherin closely.
She wanted to approach Harry about her concerns regarding Daphne but
was always held back when she saw the two of them laugh and banter
back and forth like the good friends they were. They were close, on a
level that Fleur was sometimes jealous of, but she knew Harry harbored
no romantic feelings for the blonde witch and neither did Daphne for
Harry. She didn't want to break up a happy friendship, or negatively
impact her own relationship with Harry, based on a baseless accusation.
The second Slytherin, Tracy, had clearly been having a tough few weeks.
She was cold and more distant than usual. Daphne had made excuses for
her, saying that the pressure of the upcoming exams was getting the best
of her, but Fleur didn't buy it. She knew something was off with her, and
had approached Harry about this. He agreed with her but wasn't going to
pry into her personal life. That was Harrys stance on most things
regarding his friends. He wouldn't try and pry into their lives since they
had the same respect to not pry into his.
It was just one of many of Harrys noble traits and how he separated
himself from Dumbledore. He was constantly concerned with becoming
like Dumbledore or Voldemort, and had gone out of his way, and even
endanger himself in Fleurs opinion, to not be like either of his
predecessors. There were some things she thought that Dumbledore did
correctly, and even Voldemort had some traits that could be emanated,
but Harry wanted nothing to do with anything that made him like them.
She would never tell him this, but after seeing a few of his training
exercises in the Room of Requirement, she couldn't help but feel that
Harry was imitating himself off of Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and
Voldemort when it came to combat. Personally she was glad to see it,
knowing that imitating those powerful wizards would mean Harry would
actually stay safe in a fight against them. Despite his hate for those men,
Fleur was glad to see he at least recognized, consciously or
unconsciously, the need to be like them when in combat, where those
men truly excelled.
–
Tracy watched as Harry and Daphne talked quietly with one another, a
frown forming on her face. She had grown a little distant the last several
weeks, especially towards Harry, and her friends were beginning to
notice. She still wasn't sure what to do about the letter she had received
from her father and was putting off replying until the last possible
moment.
Daphne had been a good friend to her, and had even been giving her
advice on how to deal with the situation she found herself in. On one
hand, Harry was her friend, a friend she respected like no one else, but
on the other side, her family was at risk. They could be killed or worse,
tortured, raped, then killed in a gruesome manner. Voldemort had a
reputation for not taking kindly to those who went against him.
Could she really put Harry above her own family? Even if her family had
sided with a man so vile and hateful that she herself could never side
with? Also, could she trust Harry to act on the information given to him,
to save her parents, or at the very least, her little seven year old brother
who was completely innocent and already being warped by her father to
hate those deemed lesser than him?
Things had gotten complicated quickly in her life, too quickly for her to
comprehend properly, and she was now without a clear solution. One
side of her leaned one way, and the other threatened to pull the other
way. "Are you alright?" Susan asked from her seat next to Tracy.
Tracy broke away from her stare at Harry and Daphne and looked to her
three friends that sat beside her. Susan, Hannah, and Neville had begun
to notice her cold, distant behavior, and in return, became more warm
and close to make sure she didn't run away from them. They could tell
she was struggling with something, but were respectful enough to not ask
outright what it was that was bothering her, instead waiting for her to
bring the issue up to them.
"I'm fine." Tracy responded absently for what felt like the hundredth time.
She wasn't quite ready to talk about what was troubling her and was glad
that her friends didn't push her for answers. This was something she
needed to work out in her own head first before she sought more help,
other than Daphne who already had her say. No one else could really
help her with this problem.
"That new jacket of Harrys, have you seen it?" Hannah asked, a smirk
playing across her face.
Susan glanced over at Harry and grinned as well, "Yeah, I'm sure Fleur is
happy about that new choice of clothing. I may not be interested in him,
but he is smoking hot with that on."
Hannah scoffed, "Pshh, he's smoking hot wearing anything...or nothing,
I'm sure."
"Hey!" Neville cried out, feigning a hurt expression. "I'm right here you
know."
Hannah pinch Neville on the cheek affectionately, "I know sweety. I think
you should get one. You would look good with something like that."
Neville glanced at Harry even though he currently wasn't wearing his
basilisk scale jacket, "You think so?"
Hannah nodded, "Oh definitely."
"I don't know." Neville muttered, "I'm not as fit as him."
"You don't see what I see. And you have lost a lot of that baby fat you
started the year with." It was true, over the last year, Neville had lost a
lot of pounds on his face and waistline, thanks in part to his training with
Harry and the Defense Club. In fact, many of the boys had started to get
in better shape, along with the girls, due to the Defense Club. Though
they weren't actively running laps around the lake like Harry still did
every morning, the continuous work ethic of defense at least put you into
half-way decent shape. Magic had an odd way with keeping your body in
decent shape even if you didn't try and strengthen it without magic.
"Tracy, what do you think of Harrys new jacket?" Hannah asked, eager to
hear what her normal gossip partner had to say.
Tracy looked up from her book, having only been loosely following the
conversation, once the topic shifted away from her. "It's good looking.
Fits Harry quite well I think." She said absently.
"What fits me well?" Harry asked, walking over with Daphne.
"Your new jacket we've seen you wearing recently." Hannah replied in a
chipper tone.
"Ah." Harry responded, "A gift from Sirius. You think it looks good?"
"Oh yes, I've seen a number of witches watch you carefully whose names
weren't Fleur when you wore that jacket the other day." Harry raised his
eyebrows at Hannah, "Not that they don't watch you everyday anyways."
"She's right though, you looked very handsome in that jacket." Harry
looked over at Susan, surprise showing on his face. She blushed slightly
and everyone chuckled. Normally Susan stayed out of all topics that
focused on fashion or other gossip around the castle.
"What do you think of it Trace?" Harry asked looking over at the
unusually quiet Slytherin. "You always have an opinion on this kind of
thing."
"I thought it looked quite fetching. I'm sure Fleur liked seeing you in it."
Harry bit his tongue slightly, knowing Fleur, though liked how he looked
in the jacket, didn't like what it represented, which was basically body
armor for him. It meant he was under a constant threat and she didn't
like that one bit.
"She did." He responded quickly, "So how have things been? We haven't
had much time to talk in the last several weeks." Harry sat down next to
her, Daphne taking the seat across from them and staring at her
pointedly.
Tracy plastered on a fake smile, "Things are good, Harry. Just been busy
with the end of year exams."
"Right, Daph told me you take those things as serious as Hermione." The
others chuckled, knowing full well by now how Hermione was during
this time of year. They had all gotten a dose of her craziness when she
tried to write up a schedule for all of them to study various topics, even
for Fleur and Aimee, which amounted to an extra five hours a day of
studying.
Harry had of course bowed out quickly, actually having a reasonable
excuse to skip her study sessions. The others had to come up with
inventive ways to get out of Hermiones schedule. Neville had even gone
as far as to feed his schedule to the giant squid, and when Hermione tried
to write him up a new one, he simply lied and said he had agreed already
to study with Padma. Behind her back, they had all created their own
system where a few of them would be in the library with her at all times.
Right now Aimee, Luna, and Theo were the lucky ones with the time off.
"They're very important, Harry." Daphne scolded.
"How so? I thought only OWLS and NEWTS were important. How does an
end of fourth year exam effect ones life?"
"Simply put, if you don't do well on your fourth year exams, Mr. Potter,
you may not find yourself in fifth year at all." Harry nearly jumped out of
his seat as Headmistress McGonagall approached him from behind.
"Right, yes of course Headmistress. How could I be so silly to think such a
thing."
"Yes, how could you be so silly indeed." Minerva gave a rare smile to the
students at the table who were already snickering. "Follow me Mr. Potter.
You are wanted down by the Quidditch Pitch to receive information
about the third task."
Harry jumped up eagerly from his seat and glanced over at Fleur who
was already being talked to by Headmistress Maxime. The two made eye
contact and gave each other a nervous smile. "Right, please, lead on
Headmistress." Harry mock bowed and Minerva rolled her eyes at her
students antics.
–
Voldemort sat in his throne room with Nagini wrapped protectively
around him. The room was dimly lit, only the moonlight showing
through a small circular window in the middle of ceiling. Its walls were
adorned with ancient suits of armor from various ages of English history
and even a few Roman gladius' hung from the wall just behind
Voldemorts throne of bones.
He had fashioned this throne himself long ago before his accident at the
Potter cottage. It was his pride and joy and built from the deaths of those
that gave him immortality. A few of his inner circle were gathered in
front of him and he sat waiting for the reports. "Is everything in place?"
He hissed out, his voice stronger than it was just two months ago when
he last addressed his followers.
A tall man stepped forward and took off his hood that hid his face, "Yes,
my lord." Unlike the others, this man had an American accent and
appeared to be in excellent shape. "I have personally set up the wards as
you have commanded. They will hold strong through tomorrow."
"Good, good. And the anti-phoenix ward I had you create?"
"Also set up with no problems my lord." Voldemort liked this American in
his ranks. He was smart, smarter than the average follower he had here,
and supremely gifted in the more technical side of magic like himself.
The anti-phoenix ward was a difficult one to create, one that few could
perform and even fewer knew how to do.
He had only learned of the spell because Dumbledore had left around a
personal diary in his office when he had snooped through it as a student,
looking to get ahead in Transfiguration class. That diary had become one
of his best finds in all his time at Hogwarts and is what allowed him to
get ahead of Dumbledore. The man had many weaknesses and they were
all laid out for him to read. Sadly, he had now since lost the diary due to
an insurrectionist Black, but the vast majority of its pages were kept
safely locked away in his mind for further recollection.
"And our spy? Has she finished her job?"
Another man stepped forward, this time revealing himself to be Barty Jr.
"Yes m'lord. She has finished preparations and awaits the start of the
task."
"Good." Voldemort paused for a moment, trying to recall if he had
anything else to ask his gathered followers. "Now leave me." None of
them hesitated to leave, all of them in truthfulness, eager to get out of
the throne room. Even in his current, weakened state, Voldemort was still
not to be taken lightly, and remained very cruel. One wrong word could
see the end of your life in a flash of green. The only one who seemed
completely unconcerned at the presence of Voldemort and remained
unintimidated, was the man who always wore a silver mask and never
spoke. He wandered through the halls of Riddle Mansion, never once
stopping to speak with anyone. For the most part, he kept to himself in
his room that sat next to Voldemorts throne room.
For the first time in a long time, Voldemort felt excited. Tomorrow was
the night that would change the future of his world. He would once again
be restored to full power, and his mortal enemy would fall to his knees,
whether in fealty or death was yet to be answered.
Long had he waited for this moment. Long had he planned for this.
Nothing could stop him from accomplishing the Greater Good. Not an old
man, not a young boy, not even death itself could get in his way. His
destiny to change the world was certain. His whole life had lead up to
this one moment, and though he would be going into it much weaker
than he would normally have hoped for, he was finally there nonetheless.
He closed his eyes and relaxed into his protective cocoon that Nagini had
created for him. Rest was what he needed now, for tomorrow would be a
long and glorious night.
Hope all of you enjoyed this chapter. Ghost Squad will be further
introduced later so don't worry. This was more of a teaser for them.
The next chapter will be broken into three parts due to its length
and a lot of major things will be happening during it, so look
forward to that. Thank you to everyone that has followed, favorited,
and reviewed. It truly means a lot to me the support I have. I read
every review I receive. I know I can't satisfy everyone who reads my
story, but I am happy to at least provide entertainment to those that
do, and enjoy my work. The next three chapters will be coming out
in one day intervals, the first part coming out in just a few days, so
be on the look out.
24. The Long Night Part 1
This chapter is going to be split into three parts. Part two will be out
tomorrow and part three the day after. Thank you all for waiting
longer than usual for an update, but I wanted all three parts to this
chapter to be released close to one another. Hope you enjoy.
Fleur watched as Harry talked quietly with Tracy in the middle of the
darkened tunnel where the champions entered into the stadium. She
waited for him in the middle of the semi-circle arena that was filled to
the brim with students, parents, and various other spectators. The stands
surrounding the champions area for the third task had to be expanded for
the sheer amount of people that had shown up to see this last event.
People from all over the world had taken an interest in the event and
come out to show their support for their favorite champion. Of course,
Harry was by far the most popular champion amongst the four, and many
people held up signs of encouragement for him.
To many not in the know, Harry appeared to have been constantly
practicing for this task, and the others before it. But those who were close
to him knew otherwise. Harry was being pulled in all different kinds of
directions. So far, he has handled the stress rather well, better than
anyone could expect from a fourteen year old.
Fleur had done her best to be as accommodating as possible, but she
couldn't help but feel a little neglected. It wasn't Harrys fault that he was
so busy, and by being with him, she knew that time spent with him
would be little compared to a normal couple, but she often wished for
just a little more time with him.
Tracy reached out and brought Harry into a close hug, whispering
something into his ear. Fleur couldn't make out what she was saying to
him from here, but by his facial reaction, she could tell it worried him.
He gave her a fake, soft smile and said something quietly into her ear in
return before breaking the hug. She walked away and up into the stands
with a sad demeanor to sit with her friends, taking a place next to Theo.
Fleurs eyes gravitated to Daphne who sat on the other side of Theo, her
bright blue, cold eyes surveying everything in front of her. Daphne the
last several weeks had given Fleur a cold feeling, and she had even
approached Harry several times about it.
Each time he had sworn it was just her normal demeanor and that the
stress of the end of year tests were probably getting the best of her. Fleur
knew she was one of the best students at Hogwarts, very similar to
Hermione who had been a nervous wreck the last several weeks due to
their end of term tests, but still it didn't feel right to her.
She had even gone out of her way to follow Daphne a few times and see
if she was up to no good, but each time, she had come up short. She had
forced herself to believe that Daphne was just being her normal self, after
all, she had never been around the Slytherin before this year, but neither
had Harry and that's what had her on edge, for him.
Harry walked into the arena and the crowd roared with chants of his
name. He had garnered a large amount of support throughout the year
and because of this he had to go back to school with Sirius on how to
deal with it all. He gave them a warm smile, followed up by a wave
before walking over to Fleur. He greeted Fleur with a kiss that elicited
wolf howls from the crowd, even the radio host for the Wizarding
Wireless who was mic'd up for the crowd was heard shouting, 'Potter is
seen greeting his girlfriend, Fleur Delacour and fellow champion, quite warmly
upon entering the arena!'.
She could see the troubled look on his face but knew by now that it was
best not to ask. Whatever Tracy said that was troubling him, she wanted
to know, but in such a situation, he would try to play it off like he was
fine to her. That was his way, never wanting to trouble anyone in any
way, especially her. It was an annoying trait she figured by now would
be impossible to break, as it was ingrained into him since birth. The
Potter blood, as Sirius would constantly remind her, was quite strong in
him, and his added stubbornness came from Lily, making Harry a very
steadfast individual. He would tell her after this was all over of course,
but he wouldn't want to worry her going into the Third Task.
Harry kissed Fleur soundly on the lips, faintly hearing whistles and the
cry of an announcer. He pulled back from the kiss and was proud at
himself to see a faint, rose-tinted blush on her cheeks. It was rare that he
got to make her embarrassed, it usually being the other way around. He
kept his arm looped around her waist and looked up to the stands to spot
his friends and family.
Remus sat with Tonks, Emmy, and the Delacours. Gabrielle waved
enthusiastically from her place in Sebastiens lap at the two of them and
they both returned the wave. Sirius approached the couple on the grass
field where they were standing. Harry noticed that Cedric's father, Amos,
stood by him along with what looked like Krums father standing next to
Viktor.
Sirius had volunteered to be here for the both of them and usher them
into the maze. "Are you both ready?" He asked once he had reached the
two of them. Sirius gave Harry an odd look, seeing the somewhat
troubled state he was in.
"I'm good." Harry responded tersely. He began to shut down his mind,
focusing inwardly on his plan that Sirius and him had worked out since
one month ago, when they were told what the third task would entail.
Harry had been asked to join the other champions on the Quidditch pitch
where he was first introduced to the large hedge maze that was created.
Somewhere inside was the TriWizard Goblet and they had been told it
would be acting as a portkey that would bring them back to the start. The
first one to reach the Goblet would be declared the winner of the whole
competition.
Both Fleur and Sirius looked worryingly at Harry, but he ignored them. "I
am okay." Fleur replied to Sirius.
He gave a warm smile to Fleur and clapped Harry on the back of his
shoulder. Harry was already deep into his inner mind, completely
focused on centering himself. Just two months ago Harry had begun to
develop his occlumency abilities even further, more so than what Remus
could teach. Harry found that he could meditate for hours, and in that
time, he could go over anything, see any of his memories as if looking
through a pensieve, or recall even the smallest bit of information, like
what morning breakfast on his first Tuesday at Hogwarts smelled like.
"Do you know what's wrong?" Sirius asked, looking concernedly at Harry.
Fleur shook her head and squeezed Harrys hand a little harder.
"Non, 'e was...different when 'e talked to Tracy. She told 'im something
that 'as 'im troubled."
"Tracy?" Sirius asked out loud, looking up into the stands to try and spot
out the brown haired Slytherin. He hardly knew her, only knowing her
from classes. She hadn't yet been formally introduced to him by Harry,
but he knew she was a good friend of his.
Sirius punched Harry in the shoulder to try and bring him out of his
meditative state, "W-what?" He spluttered, realizing he was being called
back to reality.
"What has you so worried?" Sirius asked, his eyes beginning to narrow.
He didn't care like Fleur if Harry didn't want to bother them with
something.
"Tracy told me something is all. It's not a big deal now. I'll tell you once
this is over." Harry responded, his voice still emotionless because his
occlumency shields were on full lockdown.
"Are you sure, 'Arry?" Fleur questioned further.
Harry nodded his head and gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. It
had nothing to do with tonight." He was glad when the two of them
dropped the conversation, satisfied for now. A loud crack resounded
through the stadium, bringing everyone to silence and they all turned
their attention to the Headmistress who stood with her wand in the air.
"Thank you all for joining us in the third and final task of the TriWizard
Tournament!" A round of cheering and applause broke out amongst the
stadium of students. Some reporters from various magazines and papers
had shown up along with the Ministers of the three countries involved.
Harry could see Minister Fudge talking boisterously with the other two
ministers, occasionally pointing in his direction. Harry had made sure to
where his Templars ring tonight, something he didn't wear all that often.
It was too flashy for his tastes.
"The task is simple! Survive the maze and reach the center!" The crowd
grew silent, eager to hear the rules that the champions already knew.
"Many dangers await our champions and it will be no easy task reaching
the center where the Goblet of Fire resides. The first to touch the Goblet
will be portkeyed back here instantly and declared the winner."
Professor McGonagall paused for several seconds, gathering her breath
again. "Viktor Krum is currently in first place by one point and will enter
the maze first." A round of cheers from the Bulgarians sounded from the
far right of the stadium. "Second will be Harry Potter after two minutes
has elapsed." A much larger round of cheers echoed through the stadium.
"Third will be Cedric Diggory followed by Fleur Delacour." Harry kissed
Fleur on the cheek at the mention of her name and she squeezed his hand
in return. In reality, the two previous tasks had little to due with how this
last task would play out.
A two minute difference in the grand scheme of things Harry figured
wouldn't be all that great in the maze, making things virtually even
between the champions. It was truly anyones game and may come down
to luck more than anything.
"At the sound of the cannon, Krum will enter the maze and begin the
third task!" Again she paused for a moment to catch her breath, the
crowd was completely silent, enraptured by every word and the intensity
of the danger that awaited their champions. "Are the champions ready?"
She looked over to the four of them.
Sirius gave Harry a warm hug and a pat on the back before doing the
same for Fleur. Harry briefly kissed Fleur once more before facing his
entrance into the maze. Once Krum had finished quietly talking with his
father, the sound of a cannon echoed throughout the whole maze and
stadium, signaling the start of the third task.
Krum wasted no time in sprinting into the maze, and his entrance
magically closed behind him, the hedges closing in on themselves to
block the view for everyone else, and more importantly the other
champions. Harry waited patiently, fumbling with his Holly wand that he
had already drawn. The second cannon blasted and Harry sprinted into
the cold, dark maze.
Just like Krum, the tall hedges closed in behind him, blocking his sight to
the arena behind him. Once they had closed in on themselves, the sound
of the crowd was also completely silenced, making Harry realize that this
maze was also heavily soundproofed.
He took a slow jog down his first hallway and came to a T intersection.
He knew this was really just a fifty-fifty guess and the hedges were also
charmed to move and create knew corridors, making things even more
difficult. Harry didn't bother to think about the direction and quickly
turned left, heading down another corridor, keeping his speed up. His
journey through the maze was starting to get boring. Sometimes he
would hit a dead end, forcing him to head back the other way, and each
time he did so, the way had already changed, the hedges doing their job
on making him feel disoriented.
The sound of two cannon blasts were barely heard by him and sounded
much further away than Harry thought they should. He didn't think he
had traveled so far and so figured it was just the charms on the maze to
muffle the sounds from the outside.
Harry rounded a corner at a jogging pace and saw at the end of the
corridor, two very large red creatures. They had armored shells, much
like a turtle, along with a large scorpion tail that was curled
threateningly. He groaned inwardly, recognizing the annoying beasts of
Hagrids own design, Blast-Ended Skrewts.
Blast-Ended Skrewts were rather dangerous creatures, and why Hagrid
ever thought it a good idea to mate a manticore with a fire crab was
beyond him. Both fire crabs and manticores were dangerous enough as is
without being mated together, but Hagrid had a rather odd fascination
with stupid, insane animals that could kill anyone at a moments notice.
The Blast-Ended Skrewts spotted Harry immediately and one shot a
fireball at its own feet to propel itself forward and close to Harry where it
could stab him with its large stinger. Harry slipped his Yew wand out and
shot out a severing charm. The spell was powerful enough to cut right
through the armored stinger with ease, causing green blood to shoot from
its gaping wound and making the animal shriek out in pain. It tried to
quickly retreat back but Harrys Holly wand was already in action, a
piercing hex catching it in the rear. It stumbled to the ground and Harry
followed up with three more piercing hexes to the head, sending the
Blast-Ended Skrewt to its quick demise.
Their armor was normally able to be magic resistant, but Harry knew his
power was way too much for the natural armor of the Blast-Ended
Skrewt. Sirius had already suspected that such a beast would be used in
the maze and had managed to sneak one up into the Room of
Requirement for 'testing' purposes. The second Skrewt watched as its
brother died in front of him, and recognized that the person in front of it
was a real threat and not potential food. It scurried off down the other
hall but Harrys quick piercing hex caught it in one of its legs, causing the
Blast-Ended Skrewt to lose its footing and stumble to the ground.
Harry rushed over and followed up with two blasting hexes and an
Intestines Liquefier for good measure. The animal wailed in pain for a
brief moment before Harry stepped over to its head and finished it off
with a piercing hex, carving a large hold through its skull.
He briefly studied the two corpses of Hagrids once-time friends before
moving further into the maze. As he ventured forward and deeper into
the maze, he began to feel a familiar chill begin to take over his body. He
could feel his occlumency shields come under a small and weak attack,
but the closer he moved to this cold presence, the more powerful the
attack on his mind became. He turned a corner and came face to face
with a dementor.
The attack on his occlumency shields was becoming difficult to contain
and as he began to ready a patronus, he noticed a small glimmer to the
dementor. It was a shimmer in the light that alerted him to what this
truly was, a bogart.
Bogarts were creatures that took the shape of a persons greatest fear, and
the last several times Harry had been in the presence of one, it had been
a dementor. Now that he had developed solid occlumency shields, it was
much more difficult for the bogart to determine what his greatest fear
was.
Because of this, the bogart was only able to briefly skim the outer
perimeters of his mind and had been able to merely glimpse his memory
of third year in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class where the bogart
had taken shape of a dementor.
This bogart tried to copy the same creature, but because it wasn't truly
Harrys greatest fear any longer, it couldn't fully recreate it, making the
'dementor' in front of Harry substandard and easily discernible for what it
really was.
"Riddikulus!" Harry muttered, causing the bogart to transform into Sirius
wearing a pink wedding dress with his wand stuck up his nose. Harry
quickly shoved passed the bogart and continued through the maze. He
came to another T and turned right this time. He was about to turn left at
another intersection when he ran head long into Cedric.
The two of them collided into one another and Harry had to steady
himself on a hedgerow to keep himself from falling down. A few vines
tried to wrap around his hands, but he was able to easily yank them
away. "Harry!" Cedric exclaimed, taking a deep breath. He placed his
hands on his knees to catch his breath. He had obviously been running
most of the maze like Harry had and was drenched in sweat.
"Ced, having fun?" Harry asked with a forced smile, knowing full well
neither of them were having any fun at all. He glanced over the older
Hufflepuff and noticed a deep cut on his right leg, blood beginning to
soak his pants.
Cedric noticed his gaze, "It's nothing. Just a run in with an acromantula.
Find anything yourself?"
"Hagrids best friends and a bogart." Cedric chuckled, understanding that
Harry was talking about Blast-Ended Skrewts. "Are you poisoned?"
"Yeah, I can already feel my leg beginning to go numb. You don't happen
to know any way of healing this do you?"
Harry chuckled, "Sorry mate, no. That's a job for Poppy." Cedric was
about respond when a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the maze.
Harrys blood ran cold when he recognized that scream.
"Fleur!" He shouted, racing off in the direction he heard the scream. He
was briefly aware of Cedric sprinting behind him, trying to keep up with
a gimp leg. Harry rounded corner after corner, desperate to find Fleur
and make sure she was okay. He blasted an acromantula out of his way
as he ran through the hallways of the maze, barely recognizing as it
shrieked when it was sent several hundred meters over the hedgerows of
the mazes.
He took a right turn and came across a scene that sent him into a frenzy.
Krum stood over an unresponsive Fleur, her eyes opened and not
showing any signs of life in them. Harrys eyes focused in on Fleur for a
moment, trying to determine if she was in any way okay, but he couldn't
tell. She looked dead, and the thought turned his world red.
"Avada Kedavra!" Krum shouted. Only Harrys training kept him from
being hit by the killing curse. He managed to side step it quickly, the
green flash flying passed him, creating a small hole in the hedge behind
him. Cedric had to dive back around the corner to avoid the deadly
curse, having just caught up with Harry.
Harry looked up at his opponent and saw Krum, his wand leveled at him
and the tip glowing green once again as he prepared another killing
curse. With his Holly wand, Harry created a wet puddle beneath Krums
feet and quickly followed it up with his Yew wand, freezing the puddle.
This locked Krum in place in a split second, and Harry sent a blasting hex
as a followup.
The red cannonball sized spell slammed into Krums chest, sending him
flying backwards. The force of the spell broke every rib in the Bulgarians
chest along with his ankles since they had been locked in place in the ice
when the force sent him backwards.
At the same time, instead of trying to block any of Harrys spells, Krum
had simply sent another killing curse at Cedric who had sprinted for
Fleur. Harry reacted by conjuring a stone block in front of them. It
exploded from the force of the killing curse, sending shrapnel into the
two, but they were kept alive. Krum hit the hedge behind him, and the
vines inside the hedge began to try and drag him further inwards.
Krum, almost as if possessed by the devil, severed himself from the hedge
and tried to make another attempt at Fleurs life, "Avada Ke-" He was cut
short by Harrys wandless magic. He picked Krum up and squeezed his
hand into a fist around the bone handle of his Yew wand, focusing his
mind on Krums windpipe. His rage at Krum trying to kill Fleur began to
take over, his fear that she was dead, that his world had ended and he
wasn't even there to try and protect her, was taking hold of him.
Krum struggled in the air with his own hands around his throat, having
dropped his wand and trying to breath, but Harry just forced his magic to
strangle Krum even more, cutting off all air for the Bulgarian. He could
see Krums eyes that were slightly glazed over begin to bulge and the
veins on his forehead began to pop.
"She's alive!" Cedric shouted. He was focused solely on Fleur and wasn't
paying any attention to what Harry was currently doing to Krum. Harry
didn't hear Cedric and continued to choke the life out of Krum, his anger
in complete control of him now. His occlumency shields were no match
for the pure hatred that had taken over Harrys mind and the need for
revenge.
"Harry!" Cedric shouted, looking up and seeing what he was doing.
"Harry!" He shouted again. When he didn't respond, Cedric sent a stunner
at Harry to try and knock him out.
Harry was hit by the stunner in the back of the neck and lost
concentration, dropping Krum to the ground like a bag of bricks. He
stumbled forward, but wasn't knocked out by the force of the spell. He
quickly stunned Krum who lay gasping for breath on the ground and
turned and leveled his wand at Cedric.
Cedrics eyes went wide, seeing the wild look, and glowing pale green
eyes. He quickly dropped his wand and held both hands into the air,
"She's alive Harry!" He shouted again. Harry hesitated for a moment and
glanced down at Fleur and then again at Cedric. "She's okay, just
petrified." He said much more calmly.
Cedric watched as a shiver ran through Harrys body and he closed his
eyes, the pale green glow disappearing when he re-opened them, his eye
color turning back to the normal vibrant green. Harry snapped off
another stunner for good measure at Krum before rushing over to Fleur
and cradling her head in his lap. She was cold to the touch but he could
still sense life in her. He breathed out a heavy sigh of relief and didn't
even notice the tear that fell down his cheek.
"Damn, Harry. What happened! You almost killed Krum!" Cedric
exclaimed.
"Something is going on Ced." He ignored Cedrics question. "Krum, as
competitive as he is, would never attack Fleur, let alone use the killing
curse!" Harry said urgently, his wits coming back to him as his
occlumency shields once again regained control.
"We need to get these two out of here first." Cedric responded.
Harry nodded his head and shot out a bright red spark, lighting up the
night sky momentarily. "You should leave too, Cedric." Cedric made to
interrupt but Harry continued. "I'm serious. Something bad is going on
tonight, I can feel it, and you're already having trouble walking."
"And leave you? I don't think so Harry." Cedric said, getting up from
beside Fleur to strecth out his wounded leg.
Harry rolled his eyes at the loyal Hufflepuff, "I'm serious Cedric."
"I'm being serious too Harry, I'm not leaving you here."
"Fine." Harry muttered, "But the moment that poison takes completely
over your leg, you need to leave."
"Deal." Harry nodded at his older friend and walked over to Krum. He
bound him in thick black chains and then headed back into the maze
after creating a simple ward around Fleur to keep away any animals.
Cedric and Harry headed out into the maze together, going deeper and
deeper. The both of them could tell they were getting close to the center
of the maze and began to hear a high pitched whine. "What do you think
that is?" Cedric asked. They had both slowed to a slow walk, knowing
that it was no longer a race and more of an attempt at surviving to the
end.
"I don't know, but chances are it isn't good for us." Harry responded.
Cedric chuckled, "Nothing ever is. Why the hell did I sign up for this?"
"Cause you're crazy. And you wanted your father to be proud of you."
Harry replied somewhat bluntly. He had grown accustomed to speaking
with Cedric about more serious and personal topics. Harry found that he
was much more mature for his age and had no problem speaking about
more difficult things. Cedric had become a close friend and was someone
he could talk to about deeper and more personal subjects like family.
Cedric was like an older brother to him, and Cedric looked at him like a
younger brother.
"You think he will be proud of me?" Cedric brushed aside a stray branch
and ducked under another.
"You know he will Ced. He's already proud of you."
Cedric sighed, "I know. Its just, he has always expected so much of me
and I never wanted to disappoint him."
Harry smiled softly at his friend, "You're his son. As long as you do your
best, you can't disappoint him. Amos may be...difficult at times." Both
Harry and Cedric chuckled. Harry had to deal with Amos on numerous
occasions in the Wizengamot and had gotten to know him quite well.
"But he thinks the world of you, and I know you know that as well."
Cedric smiled more brightly but Harry could see the beginnings of the
acromantula poison affecting him. He was looking very tired and his
breath had grown more ragged in the last few minutes. "I know. How
much further do you think?"
"Not much-" Harry started but stopped abruptly when they turned the
corner and came to a long corridor. In the middle was a dark and very
large creature. Harry could briefly see at the far end of the corridor
something glowing bright white that was pulsating light.
"What is that?" Cedric asked.
"I'm not sure." Harry said slowly, taking a few steps forward. He then
heard a thump behind him and turned to see Cedric had fallen down.
"Ced! Ced! Are you alright?" Harry rolled Cedric onto his back so that he
could breath more easily.
"I-I can't feel my legs anymore." Cedric responded, as his body began to
shake from the cold.
"Right, I'm going to get you help, alright?"
Cedric nodded his head and Harry sent out burst of red sparks.
"Congratulations, Harry." Cedric laughed weakly.
"Congratulations for what?" Harry asked, kneeling down next to his
friend.
"You're the TriWizard Champion."
Harry allowed a brief smile onto his face, "I haven't completed the maze
yet."
"You will. Everyone knows you will." Harry chuckled, knowing that many
had already written it off as if it were a fact that he would win this event.
"Everyone must know something I don't."
"Take it home for Hogwarts."
Harry patted Cedric on the hand, "Will do mate." He began to hear
footsteps not far off and so figured it was okay to leave Cedric behind. He
began heading down the long corridor towards the dark creature that
stood stoically in front of him.
He approached the creature and after a quick glance behind and seeing
that the hedge had blocked any path but forward, turned back to study
the menacing beast in front of him. "Hello Harry Potter." A feminine
voice called to him as he approached.
Harry studied the creature in front of him and he felt his heart begin to
race. The proud sphinx sat on its hind legs, its beady green eyes studying
its potential prey with keen, cat-like eyes. The muscles beneath its black
fur showed its raw power but Harry knew its real strength was in the
ability to out think its opponents.
Harry was surprised at the ministries ability to get such an intelligent
creature to participate in this event. Sphinxes he knew, normally couldn't
be paid, or bribed, or even intimidated to do anything it wished not to
do. The sphinx could only be here because she wanted to be here, and
that scared Harry more than anything.
"Hello. I seem to be at a loss and do not not know your name."
The sphinx let out a short purr, shifting forward to rest on her front paws,
"Nitocris."
Harry raised his eyebrows, "An Egyptian queen?"
The sphinx tilted her head slightly to the side, "She was named after me."
"A lovely name."
"You are a flatterer." The sphinx licked one of her large paws, her eyes
never leaving Harrys.
"I try. But I must ask, you don't strike me as one that would be in a
competition like this. You are far too intelligent for something such as
this."
Nitocris nodded her large head, "Yes, you are right. Normally I would
never agree to something such as this, but I found myself curious. For
one as old as me, I do not get curious often."
"What did you find yourself curious about?" Harry asked.
"You of course." Nitocris responded as if it was obvious. "I have heard
your story all the way from Egypt. I wished to meet you in person."
Harry couldn't keep the surprise off his face. "Me? I am honored to be
sought out by you."
The sphinx bowed her head low, "I am honored to meet you as well.
There are few in this world to come across my ears that make me curious.
I wondered if you live up to what the others sat about you."
"How can I prove my worth to you?"
"By answering a simple riddle, as I am tasked to do by your ministry. If
you answer correctly, you go with my respect, if you answer incorrectly, I
will end your legacy."
Harry chuckled nervously, "High stakes."
"Your life has always been high stakes, has it not?"
"You have a point there. What is the riddle?"
"First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard,
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together and answer me this,
which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"
Harry looked down to his feet and began to concentrate on the riddle.
The first two lines were obviously referring to a spy, something he had
grown accustomed to dealing with. The two middle lines had completely
stumped him though, unsure as to how they even made sense with the
rest of the riddle. The last two lines had to be referring to some kind of
animal, an animal that most people would be unwilling to kiss.
"Do you need me to repeat it Harry Potter?" Nitocris said. She sat back
onto her hind legs, preparing for attack if he couldn't get the riddle
correct.
Harry shook his head and kept on thinking. He began pacing back and
forth, deep in thought, turning the words over and over in his head. He
wished he had Hermione here with him for this moment. She would be
overjoyed with this task, except for that getting this right meant life or
death.
Middle of the Middle and End of the End. He repeated over and over in his
head. Not thinking of anything, he continued onto the last two lines
when the word string struck out on the forefront of his mind as important.
That one specific word was a clue as to the animal being referred to in
this word.
Harry smirked inwardly, Spy...Spyder. The middle of the middle and end of
the end must mean the letter D. An end to many words, and the center to this
word.
"A Spider." Harry said proudly.
The large cats lips curled into a smile, "Very good Harry Potter. You may
pass with my respect."
"It was a pleasure to meet you Nitocris."
The Sphinx bowed her head low, "The pleasure was mine. If you find
yourself in Egypt, you can find me in the old tombs of Cairo."
Harry bowed his head low before stepping passed the sphinx and began
walking further down the long corridor. As he approached, the whine
grew louder and the bright white light that pulsed outwards ceased,
allowing him to see the shape of a goblet at the center. He picked up his
pace to a slow jog and hurried into the center. It was a large grassy
square with several other entrances leading into it, but was empty except
for the goblet in the center that stood on a pedestal.
Harrys face lit up, finally seeing the end of what had been a long
troubling journey. The TriWizard Tournament was finally over,
something he wanted nothing to be a part of in the first place, but was
forced to compete in.
Harry reached his hand out to grab the handle of the Goblet, getting
ready to feel the familiar tug behind his navel, but was stopped short by
the sound of a familiar voice.
25. The Long Night Part 2
"Don't touch that!" Harry spun around abruptly, his hand pulling back
only inches from the cup. He came face to face with the bright vibrant
blue of Daphnes eyes watching him in the dark, a worried expression on
her face. Her blonde hair glowed in the moonlight that shown through
the high hedges and a slight breeze caused it to flow about her head. She
took a step forward, one hand outstretched and Harry noticed for the first
time, a silver ring on her index finger.
"Daphne? What are you dong here?" Harry asked, taking a step back from
her as she approached him. He kept his wand level on her, waiting for
something to happen, anything to happen, knowing this had to be some
kind of test. He only had to figure out what kind of test this was. As he
took another step back, keeping himself still in range to grab the cup
quickly if necessary, he also began scanning his surroundings looking for
any signs of a trap.
"I'm here to warn you, Harry. Don't touch that cup, its a portkey!" Daphne
exclaimed, that same worried expression on her face. She took a step
closer to the cup and Harry. He didn't move back any further, standing
his ground, his eyes still straining to find anything hiding in the shadows.
"I know it is. Its supposed to take me back to the starting area." Harry
again reached out for the handle of the cup, wanting to test a theory, but
was stopped when Daphnes hand slapped his away. He was momentarily
surprised that she was even real. He thought that she would have been an
illusion, some last test to get him to not touch the cup.
"You don't understand! That cup is a portkey, yes, but it will take you to
Voldemort!" Harry took a full step back from the cup as if it suddenly
caught fire.. "How do you know?" He asked, looking around more
urgently for any other threats. Daphne began cackling, something he had
never heard come from Daphne before. His eyes snapped back to Daphne
who was doubled over from laughing so hard. Her cackling was almost
like a five year olds who was being tickled to death..
"What's so funny!" Harry demanded, beginning to get irritated with her. A
cold feeling settled over his heart when her laughter abruptly stopped
and she stood back up to full height, her eyes the coldest he had ever
seen before. It caused a shiver to run down Harrys spine.
"Because I'm the one who created it, and it was all too easy." Harrys eyes
widened momentarily before he snapped off a quick stunner. He had had
enough of her and knew any spell he sent at Daphne, she couldn't block
yet.
Harry became even more surprised when Daphne quickly flicked a
twisted, black wand that was not Daphnes from her right sleeve. Harry
knew Daphne usually kept her wand in the left sleeve and her real wand
was brown, made of Holly like his own, and not black like this one.
Daphne easily batted away Harrys spell and began cackling again but her
eyes held no real amusement.
"Come on Potter, I know you can do more than that." She said, her voice
changing slightly. It was playful, much more playful than Daphne ever
had been with him, or anyone. "I have had so much fun this year."
"How? Why?" Harry asked, keeping his wand trained on her just in case
she tried anything.
"Oh this has been too easy. Your quest for friends, real friends. It was so
easy to wrap you around my little finger. I do regret not being able to
share a moment with you in a broom closet though." Daphne chuckled
and reached for a ring Harry had never seen before until this night. It
was silver and had a black B carved into the middle. He could briefly
glimpse several jewels embedded into it as well.
Once the ring slid off her finger, she was instantly transformed into a
beautiful, pale skinned woman with long black curly hair. She had a wild
look about her and her gray eyes reminded him of Sirius, in fact, the
resemblance was uncanny. He had seen pictures of this woman
somewhere, but couldn't quite place her face.
"Oh, wittle Potter looks upset." She mocked, bringing her hands up to her
eyes to wipe away invisible tears. "I think he's gonna cry."
"Who are you? What have you done with Daphne!" Harry demanded. His
wand glowed a dangerous bright red, a severing charm on the tip of his
tongue aimed for her head. The woman lazily placed her wand back into
her right sleeve, a cruel smile on her lips. The school uniform she was
wearing no longer fit her and did everything to show off her womanly
curves. She truly would be a beautiful woman, if she wasn't so crazy
looking.
"Has my dearest cousin never told you about me? Oh, that's a shame.
Dear old Bellatrix Lestrange at your service." She bowed her head low,
the long black curls falling over the top of her head. Harry groaned
inwardly, now understanding the gravity of his situation. Bellatrix
Lestrange, the top lieutenant of Voldemort had been acting as his best
friend for the better part of the year. He should have listened to Fleur
and her concerns. He cursed himself for being so easily duped. Daphne
had changed ever since the start of second term when she came back
from winter break and he just wanted to believe that she had gotten over
her crush on him. "She has been well taken care of, I assure you. She is a
daughter of a pureblood family and will make a suitable wife for one of
my masters followers."
"I will kill you for this." Harry said coldly, his eyes beginning to glow a
pale green. The breeze turned into a violent wind as Harrys magic began
pouring out of him. For a second, Bellatrixes eyes widened at the display
of magic in front of her. His hand twitched on his Holly wand and he
refrained from using his Yew wand, wanting to keep that a secret just in
case. It was one of the few things Daphne still had no clue of, along with
his knowledge of horcruxes, and he was greatly relieved he kept some
secrets.
"Do not worry about her young Harry." She tried to pacify him and even
took a step back. "My master has plans for you tonight, and who knows?
Choose wisely and it might be you who is married to the Slytherin
princess."
All of Harrys passive magic stopped swirling around him instantly,
"What?" He then felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand up
again, alerting him to something behind him.
Bellatrix then looked behind Harry, "Take him, I am to remain here."
Harry sensed the presence of someone behind him but it was much too
late.
"Fawkes. I could use your help." Harry thought to his familiar who should
be flying around with Hedwig right about now. After their slap fight,
they had become close friends and were often seen together around the
castle.
"I cannot get to you. Something is blocking me."
He tried to dodge the red spell, but the person behind him was already
too close, too well hidden with a disillusionment charm in the shadows,
not allowing him to get out of the way in time. It slammed into his
shoulder, the force of the spell spinning him around and he began to feel
the effects of the stun, but his occlumency shields were able to keep him
from falling unconscious.
Harry raised his wand at the dark figure who approached him, but
Bellatrix already had her own wand in hand, and sent a stunner at the
back of Harrys head, causing him to slump to his knees as a third
slammed into his chest, unconsciousness quickly taking him. Before his
vision turned black, he saw Barty Jr., his face illuminated by his red
stunner, approaching him with a sickly smile, marred by scars.
–
Fleur sat in the stands biting her lip continuously, not bothering to stop
when she began to taste blood. It had been a long and worrying twenty
minutes since she was removed from the maze. Krum had been
immediately taken away, flanked by aurors. More aurors had rushed into
the maze to try and bring the third task to a close, having learned of
what transpired between the champions and Krums imperioused mind,
but they only returned with an unconscious Cedric, who had collapsed
from acromantula poisoning.
Fleur herself was thankfully revived quickly from her petrified state by
Poppy who still had extra mandrake root from the second year
petrifications, and always made sure to keep them handy just in case.
After a brief talk with her own Headmistress and Headmistress
McGonagall, she was allowed back into the stands to await for Harrys
return.
Appoline sat beside her, holding her hand in a comforting manner and
Gabrielle who had an HP painted on each cheek, climbed into her lap as
she strained to watch the entrance of the maze, hoping to see Harry walk
back out, or to return with the cup in hand. Sebastien had walked onto
the field to help Amelia with anything that needed to be done. But with
every passing minute, Fleurs stomach sank lower and lower, and was
replaced with the knowing feeling that Harry was in some kind of
trouble.
Aurors moved in and out of the entrance, each time coming back empty
handed. McGonagall ran back and forth several times herself, along with
many of the Hogwarts staff. A light flashed above her head and for a
moment, she felt hope that Harry had returned with Fawkes' help, but
then she felt the birds heavy claws dig into her shoulder, and that hope
faded just as fast it came. Fawkes perched himself on her shoulder, a
concerned look in the large birds eyes. "Can you get to 'Arry?" Fleur
asked the phoenix desperately, hoping that he could do what the aurors
could not.
The majestic bird shook its head somberly and began singing a sad tune,
calming the nerves of her and everyone else in the crowd who were
beginning to get restless. Fleurs eyes roamed the crowd and she noticed
that Daphne was missing from her place next to Tracy and Theo. She
searched further for the blonde haired witch but couldn't see her
anywhere. A sudden coldness settled into her heart, realizing that the
Slytherin must have something to do with what was going on tonight.
"Madame McGonagall!" Fleur called out, getting the attention of the
Hogwarts Headmistress who was talking quietly with Amelia. Fleur stood
up from her seat and made her way down to the low level of the stands.
Minerva held up her hand to stop Fleur, "Fleur please, I know you're
worried. We're doing everything we can to find him. Wait in the stands
please."
Fleur ignored her entirely though, "Greengrass isn't here!" Minerva looked
up into the crowd of students herself and couldn't spot the best friend of
Harry either.
"Auror Michaels, search the castle for Miss Greengrass." Amelia
commanded, overhearing the brief conversation between Fleur and
Minerva. Just as the auror was about to leave the stadium, a voice called
out from the lower tunnels where the champions first entered.
"No need. I'm right here Headmistress." Daphne called out, walking out
onto the field. Fleur narrowed her eyes and drew her wand, hopping over
the short railing and landing on her feet in the arena.
"What 'ave you done with 'im!" Fleur shouted, the tip of her wand
beginning to glow red. Fleurs arms also began to show feathers and her
nose started to turn into a crooked beak. Daphne looked completely
unfazed by Fleurs changing form and kept walking forward.
She simply held her hands up innocently, "I don't know what you're
talking about! I'm just as concerned as you are!" By now, many of those
in the stands were watching the commotion on the field and had grown
silent to better listen in on what was happening.
"Miss Greengrass, what were you doing out of the stands?" Minerva
asked, stepping closer to Fleur and resting her hand on Fleurs arm to
lower her wand. Sirius, Remus, and Moody also approached quickly to
see what was going on between the two girls.
"I ran to grab Harrys map." Daphne said casually, producing the
Marauders Map from her robe pocket. Fleurs eyes widened slightly,
recognizing it at once. "I thought it might help to find him." She took
several steps closer to Fleur and shoved the map into the veelas stomach.
"Now you can go find him." Daphne and Fleur were two of the very few
who knew of the maps existence, and the even smaller group who knew
where Harry kept the map.
"What is that?" Minerva asked Fleur, her eyes still watching as Daphne
climbed back up into the stands to sit by Tracy and Theo.
"Our map." Sirius responded for her, stepping over and taking the map
from Fleur. He laid it out onto the ground and tapped it with his wand.
The Hogwarts castle and grounds appeared in black ink, along with all of
the names of those on the grounds. "I can't believe I didn't think to use
this." He muttered, mentally slapping himself. Remus bent down over the
map as well and began to scan the grounds where the maze was located.
They searched the map for several minutes, looking for any sign of a
Harry Potter anywhere. "I can't find him!" Remus said, beginning to get
frustrated.
"He has to be here somewhere. Keep looking." Sirius replied, just as
frustrated as Remus.
"He's not here." Moody said, his tone definite. "He must have been taken
off the grounds." Fleur felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks as the last
bit of hope that Harry could still be safe came crashing down.
–
"Wake up Potter." Someone punched him in the gut, waking him up
instantly and also causing him to have to gasp for breath. Harry blinked
several times, forcing his blurred vision to return to normal. His eyes
settled on Barty Jr., a sadistic smile plastered on the mans face. "Oh how
I long to see you suffer Potter. Look what has become of me because of
you." He stepped closer to allow Harry a better look at his horribly
scarred face.
"I don't remember our fight being so one-sided." Harry said. He briefly
turned his attention away from Barty and began to scan his surroundings.
He was currently tied up with thick black chains that kept him in a
crucified position on a tall gravestone. He was thankful at least that he
could still feel his Yew wand holstered on his right arm. They apparently
hadn't bothered to check if he had a second wand on him.
Underneath his feet was a white marble plaque that read, Tom Riddle.
Harry quietly cursed to himself and closed his eyes momentarily to get
control of the panic that began to swell within him, before opening them
to further study everything around him. If he was to have any chance at
getting out of here alive, he needed a plan, and soon.
Around him were dozens of old graves that stood in a field of tall weeds
and unkempt grass. Standing amongst the graves were Death Eaters, their
bone white masks glowing in the crescent moonlight. There were at least
twenty in total, not including Barty Jr. who stuck by Harrys side and
wasn't wearing his mask like the others. In the middle of a small clearing
in the graveyard was a large cauldron that had steam already protruding
from it. Harry could faintly hear the sound of bubbling water coming
from the cauldron. Daphne, or really Bellatrix, was no where in sight. His
attention was brought back to Barty when he spoke up.
"It wasn't one-sided." The man snapped. "This was the price for my
failure." He traced his scars that ran from ear to ear across his face, his
lips twisted at an odd angle from the damage caused to his face.
"More like the price of following a madman." Harry quipped. This earned
him another punch to the ribs from Barty. Harry felt one of them crack
from the force of the blow, causing him to wince.
"You won't be talking so much once my master is through with you." He
hissed, his sadistic smile returning to form, sending a chill up Harrys
spine.
"I do have to ask, where is Bellatrix? I thought she'd be here to witness
her beloved masters return." He looked around again in search of the
woman that successfully fooled him, but still couldn't find her amongst
the crowd gathered around him.
Barty laughed, "Our master still has use of her in Hogwarts, not that you
will be around to warn them." Harry just stared at Barty as he laughed,
wishing he could punch him in his crooked teeth.
"Do not play with my food Barty." A hiss sounded out from behind the
Death Eaters. They quickly parted, their heads bowed low as a figure
moved through them. Harrys eyes narrowed, thoughts of Bellatrix/
Daphne leaving his mind when he laid eyes on another traitor. Wormtail
appeared from a dark crypt with something that resembled a baby,
tightly wrapped in black cloth in his arms. "Begin the ritual." A sinister
hiss coming from the bundle of cloth commanded.
"Yes, master." Pettigrew said, unrolling a grotesque and surely dead baby
from the bundle and dumped it unceremoniously into the cauldron.
Steam and fire burst from the cauldron immediately as Wormtail began
to chant from an old book he laid out in front of him. The other Death
Eaters moved closer, eager to watch as their master was reborn.
Harry struggled against his chains, hoping that maybe he could get loose
while the others were distracted, but the more he struggled, the tighter
his chains got to the point he felt them begin to cut into his wrists,
drawing blood. He could only watch as his enemy from birth was reborn
into a new body.
Wormtail lifted a bone from the grave below Harry and placed it into the
cauldron, jets of black and silver fire shot from the cauldron. Wormtail
then took out a wicked silver knife with a serrated edge and approached
Harry slowly, all the while still chanting in a low voice. Despite Harrys
struggles against the chains, he had no choice but to watch as Pettigrew
sliced into his left forearm, drawing a considerable amount of blood. He
was again somewhat thankful that Wormtail didn't try and cut his right
arm where his Yew wand still went unnoticed. Harry fought the urge to
cry out in pain from his new wound and instead used his increasing
adrenaline levels to heighten his wandless magic abilities.
He had one shot at this and needed to time it perfectly in order to make
his escape. Harry focused back on Wormtail who walked back over to the
cauldron and threw the entire bloody knife into the cauldron, streaks of
blue and gold shooting into the night sky. He then took out his wand
again and held it up to his wrist, keeping his arms over the bubbling
cauldron. A flash of red and Pettigrew cried out in pain as he held onto
what was now a bloody stub, his severed hand falling into the pot.
The liquid in the cauldron began to bubble over, thick black sludge
falling over the sides and burning the grass beneath the cauldron. A
strong, foul stench filled the air that made Harry gag. Several of the
Death Eaters also visibly gagged and even one threw up from the smell.
Thick black smoke rose from the cauldron, but it was the bright red eyes
that rose within the smoke that caught Harrys attention. His blood ran
cold and all thoughts of escape left his mind, recognizing those eyes from
his most horrific nightmare.
The black smoke swirled around to reveal a pale, scaly skinned man that
hovered above the cauldron, before the smoke draped over him as if a
robe. His pale, bony feet touched the cold ground and the reborn
Voldemort, stood still, his cold red eyes, staring intensely at Harry.
Voldemort broke eye contact with Harry and turned to his followers after
several seconds of complete silence passed. He held his hands out to
beckon them all forward as if old friends. "Wand, Wormtail." His hiss was
much more sinister than it had been a few minutes ago when he was just
a grotesque form of a baby. Now the hiss in his voice held power and
Harry immediately knew that the stories of Voldemorts power were real,
that he would most likely never face someone as powerful as Voldemort.
He would need to use all of his training to get out of this alive.
Pettigrew stepped hesitantly forward, his head bowed low, fearing to
look into his masters eyes, and Harry could see him shaking with fear
from his position chained to the gravestone. He produced a Yew wand
with a bone handle from his cloak, much like Harrys own wand. Without
another word, Voldemort waved his wand in front of Pettigrews bloody
stump and a silver hand formed in its place. "How the faithful are
rewarded." He whispered to his loyal follower. Petigrew let out a
whimper and quickly scurried away from Voldemorts presence.
"My most faithful followers!" He turned to address the rest of his Death
Eaters in a much more boisterous manner. They had formed a semi-circle
around him, all of them facing Harry with Voldemorts back to him. Only
Barty remained by Harrys side to keep a close watch on the boy. Harry
by now had forgotten about trying to escape and was completely
entranced by what he was watching. "It brings me great pleasure to be
here once more, in front of all of you. This is the night the world finally
changes for the better!" Voldemort began pacing back and forth, fumbling
with his wand, enjoying having it in his hands once more.
"Many years we have prepared for this, the moment of our rising. It has
not been easy, nor will it be easy moving forward. But, the first step is
taken tonight." Voldemort stopped moving and became deathly still. His
bald head slowly turned to look at Harry, his red glowing eyes resting on
Harrys own green ones that had begun to softly glow themselves. "Harry
Potter." He paused for a moment, studying his enemy once more. "How
long has it been?"
"Not long enough." Harry spat out. Barty punched him in the side again,
causing Harry to cough violently and spit out a small amount of blood.
Harry could feel that one of his broken ribs had punctured a lung as his
breathing became heavily labored and each breath was filled with pain.
"Now, now Barty. We shouldn't injure our guest further." Voldemort took
several step towards Harry, raising his wand at Harrys chest and prodded
him with it. Barty backed away quickly, his head bowed low and moved
to stand beside the other Death Eaters. Voldemort stretched out his bony
white fingers to grasp Harrys chin and raised the boys head so that their
eyes met. "You look just like your father. But your eyes, those I remember
quite well from your mother."
"Do not speak about my parents!" Harry spat, jerking his head from
Voldemorts grasp.
Voldemort took a step back, a malicious smile on his face. "It was a pity,
to have to kill your parents. The Potter line is ancient, noble, and long
friends of my own lineage. I offer the same choice I gave your parents all
those years ago. Join me, or die by my wand." Harry was about to spit
out a reply but Voldemort cut him off before he could say anything,
"Think wisely, Harry. Do not suffer needlessly as your parents did."
Voldemort then took several steps backwards, towards his followers and
brandished his wand. "First though, I wish to duel with you. Release
him!" Harry kept his eyes on Voldemorts and began to feel the familiar
prick of someone entering his mind. Unlike before though, whatever he
did, he couldn't completely shut Voldemort out of his mind. Brief
memories of some of his earlier training in the Room of Requirement
were pulled from his mind as well as his battle with the basilisk in the
Chamber of Secrets. Most notably though, were the few training sessions
Harry had received from Dumbledore at the beginning of the year.
Harry felt the chains holding him in place begin to loosen enough for him
to fall to the ground. He landed, falling flat on his face but quickly got
scrambled back to his feet, wiping off some of the dirt that got on his
face. Pettigrew tossed Harry his Holly wand, making him bend over to
pick it up off the ground. He wasn't sure how much Voldemort knew of
his powers and figured it not wise to reveal his full wandless capabilities.
Voldemort had only glimpsed the accidental bout of wandless magic he
had performed on the first night of training.
Harry took several paces away from the gravestone, making sure that
there were no Death Eaters behind him. His body felt slightly weaker
than usual, the cut from Wormtails knife was still bleeding heavily, the
blood dripping from his fingertips as he moved. His breathing was
coming out in labored wheezes due to the punctured lung and he could
taste copper in his mouth. Harry pushed all thoughts of death and pain
away from his mind and instead focused on silver hair and bright blue
eyes. He told himself repeatedly that he would see her again, to never
quit until he was safely with her forever. He would figure out a way to
get out of here, and Voldemort had made a mistake by trying to duel
with him, giving him a better opportunity to escape.
"First we bow to one another." Voldemort lowered his head slightly in the
smallest form of respect, and when he didn't see Harry bow, he sneered
and trained his wand on Harry. "Imperio!" Harry felt his mind being
bombarded by a thousand voices that told him to bow, all familiar voices
that he wanted to listen to but knew weren't real. He shook his head of
the voices, his natural ability to shake off the spell quickly doing away
with Voldemorts power with relative ease.
Though Harry couldn't see the Death Eaters eyes behind their masks,
many of them had widened, not expecting a teenage boy to be able to
shrug off their lords spell with such ease. Voldemort however just
grinned, an impressed look upon his face. "Dumbledore has trained you
well, I see." Voldemort began circling Harry like a predator stalking a
wounded animal.
"He has-" Harry had to stop his sentence as Voldemort sent a simple,
albeit powerful, reducto. It was blindingly quick and clearly meant to test
Harrys own speed. He side stepped it quickly, his built in muscle memory
from long hours of training taking over. "Taught me a lot." Harry finished
his original sentence.
Harry sent three rapid fire piercing hexes of his own and then followed it
up with one of Dumbledores more deadly spells, "Sagitta Muras!" A wall
of silver arrows shot out of his wand. Voldemort was able to easily shield
himself from all of Harrys attacks, not bothering to dodge any of them,
but one of his followers wasn't quick enough to dodge the spells and was
impaled by three arrows, crumpling to the ground without even a sound.
Voldemort glanced back at his dead follower and then at Harry, a cruel
smile forming on his face. "You surprise me, Harry. I did not truly think
you could kill."
Harry kept his eyes focused entirely on the red eyes in front of him, "It's
not the first person I have killed."
Voldemort laughed, "No, I suppose it isn't. I remember Quirrell well." He
stopped circling Harry for a moment and lowered his wand slightly.
Harry knew that even though Voldemort wasn't in an attacking position,
he was more than capable of defending any attack that Harry sent at him.
"You and I are not that different."
"How do you reckon that, Tom?"
Again, Voldemorts smile grew even more at the mention of his real name
and Harrys willingness to use it in front of him. "You and I both see the
need to change the world." All of the papers on Harry Potter this last year
that Wormtail had brought him showed one clear thing. Harry Potter
wanted to change the wizarding world, just as he did. Just as
Dumbledore did before Harry and Grindelwald before himself. They just
had different philosophies, one was idealistic, and the other realistic.
Harry slightly lowered his wand as well but kept his eyes trained on the
white wand before him, "That may be, but killing isn't the way to change
the world Tom. Your path only leads to you ruling over no one. You
would sooner kill everyone than be threatened by anyone."
"No one is a threat to me, Potter." Voldemort snapped, his coldness
returning quickly. "I do not like seeing such wasted blood...like your
parents." Harrys own eyes narrowed. "They would not have died if they
did not stand in my way. They chose their fates, just as you will tonight."
"And the muggleborns? The muggles? Will you give them a choice?"
"Harry, Harry, Harry." He tsked as if talking to a small child. "How naive
you are. Do you not see? Do you not see what I am? What you are?"
Voldemort sheathed his wand entirely and held his hand out behind him.
A scream from behind Voldemort caused Harry to crane his neck to the
side to see what was happening. One of the Death Eaters was lifted into
the air, his hands around his throat and gasping for breath. It was the
same look as Krum had just an hour ago at Harrys own hands.
"We are Gods, Harry. We have power others only dream of, real power to
shape and change the world! You and I, we can make a real difference!
Make this world a better place for our kind!" The Death Eater breathed
his last breath and slumped to the ground lifeless when Voldemort
released him from his grasp.
"Join me. You and I can change the world."
Everything paused for several, very quiet seconds as they all waited for
Harrys reaction. He stood there, staring at Voldemort, studying him as
Voldemort himself studied Harry earlier. He would be lying if he said he
wasn't a little tempted by the offer. Tempted by the idea to join
Voldemort now, invoke real, necessary change on the world, then off
Voldemort when the time was right and make the world a truly better
place. But that would mean allowing innocent wizards, witches, and
muggles to die. To betray his friends, family, to betray Fleur. That was
something he could never do.
Of course, Voldemort would also have the same plans for Harry, to kill
him when the time was right and take the world for himself. It was in the
mans nature to never allow someone as powerful as him to live. Harry
had no real choice but to go about world change by himself, with his
friends, and the love of his life by his side. There was no dealing with a
madman.
"I will never join you, Riddle." Harry said, his voice cold and emotionless.
He brought his occlumency shields to full power, all thoughts other than
combat vanished. Harry focused in on Haunt, allowing his animagus'
enhanced senses to become his own, a trick taught to him by Specter. He
still couldn't use the senses for long because it drained him rather
quickly, but he knew he needed any advantage he could get right now.
Harrys green eyes began to glow as dangerously as Voldemorts and his
pupils became a slit much like a cats. Time slowed slightly for him as his
natural reflexes were increased due to Haunt and his eyesight greatly
improved as well. Tracking Voldemorts wand became a lot easier at
night. His sense of smell was enhanced as well and he could even smell
one of the Death Eaters muggle fabric softener. He probably hadn't told
his Death Eater buddies that he liked to wash his clothes the muggle way.
"Then you will die." Riddle brought his wand up with blazing speed, and
if it weren't for the whiteness of the wand and his enhanced senses, it
would have been impossible to track in the nighttime. The pale green
killing curse raced towards Harry, but he was quick as well. Aber Pulve!, a
chunk of broken gravestone intercepted the killing curse, blowing it up
into dust before it reached Harry.
Harry ducked as a conjured black sword swung over his head that was
aimed to sever it from the rest of his body. He was then forced to quickly
jump to the side as the very ground he stood on caught fire. Voldemorts
spells were all coming out silently and at a far quicker pace than anyone
Harry had ever dueled against could throw at him. Not even when
fighting three opponents at a time had Harry had to move as quick as he
did now. Every spell that Voldemort sent was deadly and one mistake
would mean his death.
Harry knew he was outmatched immediately. He didn't yet have the
knowledge to combat Voldemort in a straight up duel. The spells
Voldemort was throwing at him, he had never seen before and was
having to dodge them instead of block them away and focus on a
counterattack. He could only get off a few weak attempts at attacking
Voldemort before being forced back onto the defensive again. His second
wand that remained hidden in his right sleeve was his only advantage
right now. He had to bring it out at the right moment to catch Voldemort
off guard.
Harry could feel himself begin to slow down, his breathing becoming
more and more ragged. By now he had lost a lot of blood and it was
having an effect on him. He was already winded from the maze and the
punctured lung he suffered at the hands of Barty. Harry took a risk and
tried to close the wound on his arm to stop the bleeding, but it left him
exposed.
A bone breaking hex connected with his right leg, shattering every bone
in it. He fell to the ground, his occlumency shields still keeping the pain
locked out, but he could no longer move his leg, or stand for that matter.
Another spell, this one black in color raced towards him. Harry was
forced to try and block the spell and was relieved to feel it dissipate with
ease against his shield.
Another red spell closely followed that one up and this time, his shield
strained heavily against it. The same red spell was repeated by Voldemort
and Harry knew this one would shatter his shield. Bombarda Maxima! He
was out of ideas and only had theory left. Specter had talked recently
about how some wands that had the same core, shared a special bond
and could potentially connect with one another.
He prayed that his and Voldemorts were such wands. They shared the
same core, from the same phoenix no less, but he had no way of knowing
if this was enough of a bond for them to connect. Harry closed his eyes,
waiting for his last ditch effort to fail and the effects of whatever red hex
Voldemort sent at him come crashing into him.
Instead of death, Harry felt his Holly wand jerk upwards as if it grappled
onto something. He opened his eyes and quickly saw that his wand had
indeed connected to Voldemorts as Specter had theorized. The red light
from both of their hexes were fighting each other in the middle of a
stream of magic.
He could see Voldemorts eyes widen in surprise, the red in his eyes
illuminated by the magic in front of him. Harry saw Voldemorts spell
begin to edge closer to himself, and so he put more of his raw magic into
his own wand and watched as his spell fought back. This just became a
struggle of raw power between the two of them, and it was a struggle
Harry found he stood a chance in.
Several of the Death Eaters pulled their own wands and stepped forwards
but Voldemort held his free hand up to stop them, "Move no more! He is
mine to finish!" He hissed, bringing his second hand onto his wand and
forcing more magic into it. Harry began to feel a surge against him as
Voldemort began bringing his full power to bear. His Holly wand began
to vibrate heavily and he knew this was the moment, now or never.
Voldemort was completely focused on the connection and not on what
Harry did with his free hand. Harry fueled enough magic through his
Holly wand to keep the connection in tact, but held most of his core in
reserve.
He flicked his Yew wand into his hand with blinding speed and before
anyone knew what happened, Harry snapped off a severing charm aimed
directly at Voldemorts head. Harry could see the momentarily panicked
look on Voldemorts face when he saw the severing charm racing towards
his head. Voldemort jerked his arms upwards to break the connection
from Harrys Holly wand in order to block the severing charm in time.
Their connection broke and Voldemorts arms continued the upwards
motion he started, not expecting to break the connection so easily. It also,
luckily for him, caused his head to jerk slightly back and away from most
of the severing charms path. He tried to shield the charm but was barely
too slow, his wand arm now in the way of his head. The severing charm
easily sliced through Voldemorts hand that held his wand and nicked the
side of his face, creating a deep gash along the side of his head. The pale
hand of Voldemort fell to the ground, his fingers still tightly wrapped
around his wand.
Harry didn't wait around to see Voldemorts reaction. He couldn't move or
apparate, and so he figured he only had one way to go, up. "Bellea Pulso!"
He put all the remaining magic he had into this last spell and shot into
the air. The spell had worked to perfection in water during the second
task, but using it above water was suicidal. Harry rose a hundred feet
into the air, hoping that he would get above the wards.
Voldemort screamed in frustration, "Kill him!" All at once, jets of red and
green shot into the sky, lighting up the night like fireworks. Just before
the spells reached Harry, he disappeared in a flash of fire, a large red and
gold feather of a phoenix slowly fell back down to earth and rested at
Voldemorts feet.
Another loud crack coming from Riddle Mansion echoed through the hills
as someone forcefully broke through the anti-apparition wards. A second
later, the Mansion exploded in flames as fiendfyre raged through the
house, burning anything and everything it touched. Voldemort seethed as
he watched his families grand mansion crumble to the ground.
26. The Long Night Part 3
Dumbledore sat waiting in a small shack just outside the ward line of
Riddle Manor where he had been waiting for the last several days.
Normally he would have had one of his followers doing a job like this,
just sitting here, but he couldn't fully trust anyone anymore, other than
Snape, but he was already off on a very important mission of his own.
Kingsley never reported back to him and neither had Molly. He had no
clue as to what happened to them other than that Harry must have
suspected something and acted.
Tonight he knew to be the night of the Third Task. It was a widely
publicized event that was being watched by the rest of the world. He also
knew that it was highly likely that Voldemort would be making a move
against Harry this night. One thing he had learned about Voldemort was
that the man had a flair for the dramatics.
He sat around and watched the Manor and saw Death Eaters moving in
and out of the large house. Some of them periodically checked the wards
they had placed, specifically those around a nearby family graveyard.
Others were out collecting herbs and other potion ingredients from
nearby plants that grew in the garden. It was clear to him that they were
planning something.
He figured that while they were out completing the task of bringing
Voldemort back from the spectral realm, it would be the best time to
sneak into the Manor unseen and steal a valuable item right from under
Voldemorts nose. He knew one of the madmans horcruxes was hidden
here, somewhere. He only had to find it and slip away unnoticed while
Harry struggled with whatever trap he runs into. If Dumbledore had any
luck tonight, Voldemort would kill Harry Potter, just increasing the speed
at which he could return to Britain triumphantly.
Night began to descend upon the valley, the sun setting behind the hills.
Over a dozen Death Eaters streamed out of the Manor and headed down
towards the graveyard. Lastly, a man Dumbledore recognized to be
Wormtail left with a small bundled figure in his arms. He watched the
figure closely, knowing full well that that was what Voldemort had
become. By tomorrow, he could very well be fighting a full bodied
Voldemort in a world where Potter no longer existed and it excited him.
Dumbledore waited several minutes until he was sure that no other Death
Eaters were remaining in the Manor. He didn't want to do anything until
everyones attention was on Harry so that he could slip in unnoticed.
Night completely fell over the valley which allowed Dumbledore to sneak
right up to the ward line. He began his work on slowly creating a hole in
the wards for him to move through without alerting anyone to his
presence.
The sound of a crack alerted Dumbledore that a portkey had just broken
through the wards over by the graveyard. He looked up and saw an
unconscious Harry Potter dragged to the tallest gravestone and was
wrapped in chains, his arms outstretched as if crucified.
He felt little remorse for the boy that spurned him, the boy that kicked
him out of his one true home, Hogwarts. The boy deserved to die, had to
die, for the Greater Good to prevail. This was necessary.
He turned back to his work on the wards and punched his way through
undetected. He slowly walked up to the dark, rundown manor that acted
as Riddles current headquarters, looking cautiously around him. He could
sense no enemies and so turned the knob to the front door of the house.
He kept his keen magical sense on high alert, making sure he didn't
accidentally trigger a warning ward.
The Manor was left completely unguarded like he figured. Voldemort was
egotistical, always thinking himself invulnerable and never taking
measures to protect a stab to the back. Dumbledore slipped inside and
took note of his surroundings. The entrance hall was several stories tall, a
large unlit chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Cobwebs and dust
littered the entire area as if not a single living soul had been in the place
for centuries. Just being here caused the hairs on the back of his neck to
stand up. The place oozed darkness and he couldn't help the shiver that
ran down his spine.
Dumbledore moved through the house calmly and slowly. He wasn't sure
where Voldemort would hide such a precious item in a house like this.
He had already searched the Gaunt shack, the original place he thought
Riddle might hide a horcrux due to its importance in his early life. The
wards that had previously been surrounding the shack just a few days
ago had been taken down. The shack itself was completely destroyed by
fire, leaving nothing behind.
It now only made sense that Voldemort would hide his horcrux closer to
him, or maybe he had need of it in another way. Riddle Manor was the
next logical choice on where he would keep something so precious.
The house was quiet, only the sounds of those by the graveyard could be
heard. Dumbledore caught a brief glimpse of blue and gold fire that shot
into the night sky from a cauldron through a nearby window he peered
out of.
He first made his way upstairs to the second floor, wanting to search
through Voldemorts living quarters first since that was the most likely
place for it to be. Instead of bedrooms or libraries, all he found was one
long room that had been created by destroying the connecting walls
between the other rooms.
This long hall that was created on the second floor of the house clearly
served as some sort of throne room. On the far end of the hall was a tall
golden throne, eerily similar to the one he himself sat on as Hogwarts
Headmaster. All of the windows had been closed shut and blocked any
light getting into the room, other than the one small chandelier that
barely did anything to light up the room.
Dumbledore moved through the hall, studying the paintings as he went.
They weren't muggle paintings like what had once been placed on these
walls, but wizarding portraits of the Hogwarts Founders, portraits
Dumbledore himself had never seen before. There was also a portrait of a
beautiful, dark haired woman that sat closest to Voldemorts throne. He
approached it carefully, wondering who this woman was. He had seen
images of Riddles mother and she looked nothing like this woman. She
was currently asleep as the Founders were, but unlike them, she had an
actual backround instead of a solid canvass cover. It looked like an
Italian Villa and she rested on a luxurious couch that was placed on a
veranda overlooking green rolling hills.
Curiously, he touched the silver frame and took the painting off its place
on the wall, flipping it over to look for any clues as to who she is. He
found writing scribbled onto the back.
Conquer All
Marie Anne Varro
1955
Dumbledore filed the information into the back of his mind. He had to
discover who this woman was, and why Voldemort would have a portrait
of her so close to his throne. He set the painting back on its supports on
the wall and turned to the throne that glimmered in the low light of the
room.
He took out his wand and began searching for any hidden jinxes and
curses that could harm him if he approached or touched it. Finding
nothing, unguarded like everything else in this house, he began looking
for any hidden compartments on the throne. He was beginning to get
frustrated, not finding anything anywhere in this room or the throne. He
was about to move on when a voice stopped him cold.
"Are you searching for this?" A cold, raspy voice sounded through the
otherwise silent house. Dumbledore looked up and came face to face with
a man that wore the normal Death Eater garb, but unlike the others, he
had a silver mask that was carved with many designs depicting battles
between wizards and beasts. He held up a black gloved hand that had the
Gaunt family ring on it and in the middle, a small stone. The thing that
stuck out to Dumbledore immediately though was the symbol carved
most prominently on the forehead of the mask, the sign of the Deathly
Hallows.
"It has been many years." The man said, stepping further into the room
and away from the shadows he was hiding in. "We left things on
such...unhappy terms." Dumbledore gripped his wand tighter and stepped
away from the throne to fully face his opponent.
"I see you have made a new friend, Gellert."
A hollow laugh came from the masked man, "You taught me a valuable
lesson, Albus. Friends are only a weakness. They would sooner stab you
in the back than see you rise above them."
"They can be a great strength too. We were powerful together. We could
have truly changed the world for the better!"
"Not your way, Dumbledore. You only ever wanted what was best for
you! You would see our race destroyed if only it placed you as a God!"
Grindelwald cried out at his long time friend.
"Our race destroyed? Is that what you think I wish? I did not want to see
innocent blood spilled. The killing of muggles was not the way!" Painful
past wounds were being opened for the two older wizards and neither
noticed that their passive magic was beginning to swirl violently around
each of them.
Grindelwald brought his arms up in exasperation as if he had had this
argument with Dumbledore for many years, "It is the only way
Dumbledore! You are weak! It is either us or them, don't you see? We are
the superior beings and for us to be hiding like rats is a disgrace! We
should be exalted, not hunted!"
"I will not let you, or your new pet destroy the world." Dumbledore spat,
bringing his wand up to level with Grindelwalds chest.
"I would sooner see it destroyed than let you sit with a crown on your
head!" Grindelwald flicked both hands, a wand shooting into each one. At
the same time, his black Death Eater robe flew behind his figure to make
a cape and revealed what he had on underneath. He was wearing silver
armor that resembled a Spartan of Greece and continued the designs of
battle from his mask, and on his left breast was again the symbol of the
Deathly Hallows.
In the same fluid motion of flicking his dual wands into his hands, he
snapped off a spell that was colored black while at the same time,
transfiguring the golden throne into a large bull that charged at
Dumbledores back.
Dumbledore batted away the black spell with ease and spun around just
in time to sever the head of the bull, turning it back into two pieces of
the now broken golden throne. Without taking the time to turn around,
Dumbledore turned his wand into a flame whip and snapped it behind
him. He heard it lash onto something and when he turned, he saw his
whip around a Wyverns neck that Grindelwald had conjured.
Dumbledore jerked his hand and severed the head of the Wyvern turning
it back into black smoke and then sent three piercing hexes followed by a
Hammerfist. The spell was one of his personal creations and it was what
caught Grindelwald off guard in their last duel. It was supposed to create
a wall of wind above the opponents head, then slam them down into the
ground, squashing them like a bug. Gellert easily dodged the three
piercing hexes and this time he was ready for Albus' bread and butter
spell, already having a counter for it.
With one wand, Gellert used his own unique spell to counter the
Hammerfist. The air above Gellert instead of slamming down on him,
rapidly changed directions and raced towards Dumbledore at a speed to
quick for him to react properly.
Dumbledore was forced onto the back foot and turned the air rushing at
him into a spray of mist just before the wall of air slammed into him.
Gellerts second wand wasn't inactive and turned the floor beneath
Dumbledore into icy spikes. One of them stabbed through Dumbledores
foot and another caused a deep gash in his inner thigh causing him to cry
out in pain. A third spell of red color came at Dumbledore, forcing him to
rip his foot out of the icy spike and dive out of the way.
As he was in mid air, Dumbledore snapped off a special incarcerous of his
own design that sped at Gellert. The thick black chains changed into
cobras just before hitting Gellert when his own shield failed to block
them. The cobras wrapped around Gellert and began biting him
repeatedly. Any spell Grindelwald used on them made them wrap around
him tighter and grow bigger.
Dumbledore made the floor beneath him springy so that when he hit the
ground, he was flung up into the air. He used wandless magic to keep
himself levitated and sent two bombardas and a stunner to knock Gellert
out. Grindelwald replied by using a controlled burst of wandless magic to
explode the cobras, turning them back into smoke, and was just barely
able to get out of the way of Dumbledores flurry of spells.
Gellert then grabbed both wands in both hands and sent a jet of fire in
the shape of a bull racing towards Dumbledore. Albus knew immediately
that this fight was now over, that the fire heading towards him was
uncontrollable and would consume everything in its path. Fiendfyre was
a nasty spell and only used in desperate situations by wizards. He may
not have gotten what he came for, but he found knowledge, something
just as valuable as a horcrux in this war. Dumbledore turned himself in
mid air and thought of his hidden castle in Germany. He easily shattered
through the anti-apparition wards and left Gellert to deal with his own
fire.
Grindelwald let out a frustrated scream when he saw Dumbledore
disappear before his very eyes. All of his pent up anger at the man that
had betrayed him, humiliated him, and imprisoned him was put into the
fiendfyre and there was no stopping it now. Gellert broke off the stream
of fire still jetting from his wand and began his slow walk out of the
burning Riddle Manor. He was seething and lashed out at everything he
saw, causing just as much destruction to the house as the fire.
He kicked open the doors of the manor and walked out into the night air.
Several Death Eaters came running up from the graveyard but all of them
stopped in their tracks when they saw Grindelwald, his armor gleaming
in the moonlight and the frays of his black Death Eater cloak fringed
from the fire. "Dumbledore will die." Grindelwald repeated over and over.
–
Harry was dropped onto his normal infirmary bed in the Hogwarts
Hospital wing. Fawkes flashed away immediately only to reappear with
Madame Pomfrey and Fleur. "'Arry!" Fleur shouted, rushing to his side
and climbed up onto him, not a care in the world if he was injured,
wrapping her arms around him tightly. She crashed her lips into his and
Harry could feel her tears splash onto his face. For a moment, all the pain
he felt in his chest and leg were forgotten and the only thing that
mattered was the feeling of her lips on his.
He broke the kiss after several very quick seconds and wiped away her
tears with his thumb, "I'm safe." He breathed out, talking more to himself
than her.
"Miss Delacour, I need to check Mr. Potter for injuries." Poppy said,
breaking up their moment. Fleur quickly nodded and clambered off of
him, sitting in a nearby chair and taking his hand. She leaned over and
continued kissing him as Poppy began a full body scan.
"Leg, chest, and I did some shoddy work on my arm." He broke off the
further kissing and looked at Poppy, his occlumency shields taking a rest
and allowing some of the pain back in. Harry jerked his head at all three
wounds, knowing beforehand what Poppy was going to ask. He let his
animagus senses go and he felt the immediate drain of energy as his
adrenaline left him and his body calmed down. The mediwitch nodded
her head and first turned her attention to his chest since that was the
most serious wound. She quickly studied one of diagrams that her spells
produced above his chest and then turned her attention to the cut on his
arm, finding nothing immediately life threatening.
"Shoddy work indeed." She muttered, looking over his left arm that was
only partially closed. Some blood was still oozing from the wound, but it
wasn't freely flowing like it had been for the last thirty minutes.
"What 'appened 'Arry! You 'ad me so worried!" Fleur demanded. "We
know you weren't on 'Ogwarts grounds."
Poppy prodded his shattered leg with her wand causing Harry to wince.
"Sorry, I was portkeyed to a graveyard. How did you know I wasn't on
Hogwarts grounds?"
"Daphne. She brought us your map of the school." Harrys eyes widened,
remembering who Daphne actually was.
"Is she still here?" He asked urgently.
Fleur nodded, a confused look on her face, "Yes, why wouldn't she be?"
"Fleur you need to listen to me closely. Daphne is not on our side. She
helped kidnap me. Its Bellatrix Lestrange, not Daphne. Go tell Sirius and
Amelia that they need to capture her. Fawkes!" He didn't give Fleur any
more time to speak and the phoenix flashed out of the room with her.
Harry ignored Poppys questioning eyes as she continued to work on his
leg, vanishing the many small bone fragments that floated around.
Fleur reappeared next to Sirius and Amelia who had been talking loudly
with one another, arguing over something. "Fleur! Where did you go!"
Sirius demanded, grabbing both her shoulders.
"Sirius, 'Arry ees safe and in the 'ospital wing. Fawkes brought 'im there
and Poppy is already looking after 'im."
"Oh thank god." Sirius breathed out in relief and began walking towards
the school but Fleur yanked him back by his sleeve.
"Non." She hissed, keeping her voice at a whisper. "'Arry said that Daphne
ees a traitor, that she ees really Bellatrix Lestrange and 'elped in 'is
kidnapping." Sirius immediately looked up and began searching for the
disguised pale blonde Slytherin. He did well to hide his anger and
surprise that his cousin was a major part in his godson being put in
danger this evening. Amelia heard this as well and immediately began
scanning the crowd, drawing her wand at the same time. Having Bellatrix
Lestrange on school grounds was a nightmare for any auror, especially
the head of the DMLE. Minister Fudge was also still present along with
the other two ministers and possibly in imminent danger.
"I can't see her." Sirius whispered back after looking over the crowd for
the second time.
"I need to get the Ministers out of here quietly." Amelia said. "Find her
quickly." She hurried off in the direction of the three ministers who were
talking with one another in a private booth. She whispered quietly to
them and handed them a small rope. The ministers quickly grabbed hold
of the rope and disappeared without so much as a pop.
"She must 'ave known something was wrong when Fawkes took me and
Poppy." Fleur said, not seeing Daphne either.
"The map!" Amelia exclaimed, running back to them. The Marauders Map
was still lying out on the grass where Kingsley was currently looking it
over. Sirius rushed over to it and began scanning the map frantically for
any signs of Bellatrix Lestrange.
"There!" Amelia said, pointing at a spot near the edge of the Hogwarts
Grounds close to the Forbidden Forest. "She's trying to get away!" Sirius
kept the question in the back of his head as to how a disguised Bellatrix
Lestrange was showing up as Daphne Greengrass on his map. Maybe
Harry was wrong? The map didn't lie as far as he knew. James had been
the mastermind behind it and was a pure genius when it came to charms.
They thought it impossible to fool the map.
Sirius bounded off, switching into his animagus form. He wasn't going to
let this girl or cousin if that's who she really was, get away and didn't
care if he had to tear her limb from limb to make sure she didn't escape.
He bared his teeth as he sprinted through the open field that separated
the forest and the castle. The sounds of the arena quieted and he could
only hear his own breath as he sprinted closer to his target.
Daphne was close to the ward line where she could simply apparate away
but Padfoot was closing in fast. He caught sight of her hair that
glimmered in the moonlight as she entered the Forbidden Forest. Just
before he himself entered the woods, he caught sight of Kingsley dashing
into the woods as well, Fawkes right above his head. He pushed himself
faster and faster in order to catch up with her and eventually got in range
with his wand.
He dove out of his animagus form upon reaching the edge of the forest
and rolled onto the ground, coming back up to his feet with his wand in
hand, Incarcerous! Daphne was quick, far quicker than she had ever been
in school and abruptly turned, batting the spell away with ease.
She began cackling, a laugh that made Sirius' blood run cold when he
recognized it. "My dear cousin, come to play?"
Sirius stood dumbfounded, "It really is you, Bella?"
Her laughter continued, "The one and only."
"B-but how? How did I not know it was you this whole time!" He
demanded, keeping his eyes on the lookout for Kingsley. Sirius tightened
his grip on his wand. He knew now that since this really was Bellatrix, a
fight to the death could occur at anytime. She was one of the most gifted
witches he ever had the displeasure of knowing and there was a reason
she was feared above all of Voldemorts other lieutenants.
"Have you forgotten your families history already?" Daphne held up her
left hand that had a silver ring with a black B carved into the center.
Three diamonds formed a triangle around the B and in the middle of each
space of the B were two red rubies.
"The family ring." He whispered to himself, looking down at his own
Head of House ring. A new one had been fashioned by his father as was
now tradition and it came with no charms. He had yet to forge his own
yet as his father had done, and his grandfather before him.
This though, was the original family ring of House Black, a trinket he
thought long lost and only a fairy tale told to him by his father when he
was young. It was a very old ring said to go back all the way to Salazar
Slytherin himself and was given to him as a gift by Rowena. It allowed its
user to take the appearance of anyone completely as long as they wore
the ring. It worked by taking some of the persons blood and smearing it
over the two center rubies. Memories, emotions, thoughts, and dreams
were all able to be mimicked while wearing the ring. There was a reason
it was long lost, his great-great grandfather thought the ring too powerful
to pass down onto his son, whom he feared. He supposedly had destroyed
it, but clearly that was not the case.
Daphne slipped the ring off her finger and her body transformed into the
radiant beauty, yet easily discernibly crazy woman that was Bellatrix
Lestrange. She began cackling as she watched Sirius' shocked look and
edged further back into the forest. "I've had so much fun these last few
months, but I should be go-"
A whip from the darkness behind her wrapped around her throat and
slammed her into the ground, knocking her out cold. Kingsley appeared
from the shadows and walked over to Bellatrix, kicking her wand away.
Shacklebolt then wrapped chains around her and placed handcuffs on her
for good measure. Fawkes flew down from a low tree branch, grabbed
onto Bella and then flashed away with her, briefly lighting up the forest.
"What the hell!" Sirius shouted, coming out of his shocked stupor. "Where
is Fawkes taking her!"
Fawkes dumped the unconscious Bellatrix onto the cold marble floor in
front of Harry who was sitting upright in his bed. Poppy had already
started the Skele-Gro treatment for his leg and chest and so he kept his
occlumency shields strong to block out the pain. He was also in the
middle of downing a blood replenishing potion that was quite difficult to
swallow.
"That ring, I recognize it. Its one of Rowena's creations." Fawkes said.
Harry wandlessly summoned the Black ring that was still in Bellatrixes
grasp and turned it around in his hand, inspecting it with curiosity. He
placed the ring on his own hand and was immediately transformed into
Daphne. He refrained from glancing down his shirt to see what Daphne
looked like underneath her clothes, something that was difficult for his
fourteen year old self. His mind was bombarded with personal memories
of her before she even had met Harry, along with emotions and desires. It
was an insight into her world he wished not to see and quickly slipped
the ring off his finger, transforming back into himself.
"Interesting." Harry muttered.
He looked around the room cautiously to make sure no one had seen him
and slipped the ring into his pocket. Fleur had yet to return and Poppy
had run off to help Minerva in any tasks needed since she had finished
with his treatment for now. The room was quiet and empty, save for him,
Bellatrix, and Fawkes who perched himself on Harrys shoulder. Harry
lifted his shirt up to reveal his left breast, and where it had once been
pale skin, was now a black tattoo of a large tiger that was lying down.
Harry held the tip of his Yew wand to the tattoo and watched as the
Tiger got up and began baring its teeth in a menacing manner.
He only had to wait thirty seconds as seven figures in black cloaks with
masks covering their faces, appeared from wisps of smoke. The Ghosts
had their own unique way of travel, a way only few knew how to do and
it was something Harry had yet to be taught.
Specter looked down at Bellatrix having noticed her immediately, "Care
to fill us in, Haunt?"
"I just had a midnight outing with Voldemort." All of them who had
begun looking at Bellatrix stopped and turned back to Harry, the air
sucked out of the room. "Took his hand on the way out."
"Nice." Reaper slapped Harry on his wounded leg causing him to cry out
in pain. "Sorry." He said gruffly, earning a punch in the shoulder from
Banshee.
"Anyways, Bellatrix here was impersonating my friend and I need to
know the location of the real Daphne Greengrass."
Angel, their prodigal information extractor approached Bellatrix and
began invading her mind without further instruction. He looked for a
location or any useful information on a Daphne Greengrass in the crazy
witches mind. It wasn't hard to invade ones mind while they were
unconscious and he could do so without causing pain, something Harry
still wasn't able to do.
Harry watched fascinated as Bellatrixes eyes opened, but instead of
white, they were only black and he could see images in her eyes as if he
was watching her life on a movie screen. The images stopped when they
came to a clear picture of Daphne and another smaller boy inside a small
stone-walled room.
Bellatrixes eyes closed and she again went back into unconsciousness as
Angel pulled out of her mind. "Greengrass Manor. There is another boy
being held there as well. An Andrew Davis I think."
"Tonight is probably the best time to try and free them." Harry said. " I
know they're being held against their will. Andrew Davis is the younger
brother of another friend of mine who was blackmailed to work against
me and supply information to the Death Eaters." Harry added.
Specter nodded, "We'll see what we can do. So the war is on?"
Harry relaxed back into his bed, "Yes, Voldemort is back with his body.
War has come."
"Then we get to strike first gents!" Harry knew that they were all grinning
under their masks. They had been eager to get into a true war. They were
soldiers, not cops, and tracking down simple, wannabe dark lords wasn't
cutting it for them. Taking down Voldemort was a real prize worthy of a
soldier. "Get some rest, Haunt. I want to see you ready by this weekend.
Your real training begins then." Harry nodded, knowing an order when
he heard one. After all, he couldn't do much with a busted leg and
Fawkes refused to use his tears to heal him. Phoenixes apparently had a
limited supply of tears to give and only used them when their familiar
was in grave danger. Simple wounds, like healing bones in a leg or chest
was not worth a tear. Or Fawkes was just being an annoying brat like
usual since he was having to do actual work for once, which was
probably the real case.
Sirius pushed through the doors of the infirmary just as Ghost Squad was
turning back into wisps of black smoke. Fawkes flashed away as well to
give updates to Harry on what was going on with the attack on the
manor to rescue Andrew and Daphne.
"Harry!" Sirius ran up to him and hugged him tightly, stepping over the
unconscious and bound Bellatrix as he did so. "It's good to see you safe."
Harry hugged him back, "It's good to be back. Had a helluva night."
"What happened?" Sirius asked, pulling back from the hug to study his
godson and assure himself that Harry was in fact here and safe.
"I have some memories to show you if you can get a pensieve here. The
others should see what happened as well. I don't think I can accurately
put into words what I saw." The doors burst open again and in ran
Minerva, Amelia, and Remus.
All three of them stopped abruptly, seeing Bellatrix lying on the floor and
approached them cautiously. "I-is that who I think it is?" Minerva asked,
her wand out and pointed at the unconscious Bellatrix.
Sirius nodded his head gravely, "Yes, my cousin Bella. She was using my
families rings to disguise herself as Daphne Greengrass. Its how she
fooled the map and was able to successfully stay undercover for so long."
"At least we have her in custody." Amelia breathed a sigh of relief. She
sent off a quick message, using her patronus, to her aurors that were still
searching the grounds for Bellatrix Lestrange.
"What the hell happened this evening?" Amelia demanded once she was
done with her message. Fleur walked in shortly after them with Appoline
and Sebastien behind her. Gabrielle had been left in the care of Madame
Maxime who was working with other Hogwarts staff to get everyone to
bed.
"I am heading out to grab a pensieve so that we can see everything that
has happened." Sirius said as he pushed passed the others and left the
room. Minerva followed him to help him retrieve the pensive she had in
her office. Fleur walked over and propped herself up behind Harry and
allowed him to relax back into her. He rested his head underneath her
chin and she squeezed him closer to her, relishing in the warmth of
having him close and away from danger again.
"So if Bellatrix was acting as Daphne, where is the real Daphne?" Remus
asked. He levitated Bellatrix to nearby bed and wrapped even more
chains around for good measure.
"I have people already working on getting her back." No one bothered
asking what Harry meant by that. They all knew he was working with a
group in the ministry and wasn't allowed to tell them exactly who they
were. If Harry trusted them and worked with them, it was good enough
for the rest of them. Amelia just nodded her head in full understanding
and continued to study the Marauders Map which she had brought with
her.
"Amelia, its beginning." He didn't want to say much while in the hospital
wing, just in case if another Rita Skeeter was hanging around where they
weren't supposed to.
Amelia looked up from the map and her eyes widened, "You mean-?"
Harry nodded his head, "Yes, you'll see everything in the pensieve."
She took out her wand and pointed it at the doors. A silver fox shot out
of her wand and headed for whoever was meant for the message. "I'll
want Moody and Kingsley to see this then."
"I will see it too." Fleur announced.
"Fleur-" Harry began.
"I don't think that's a good idea dear." Sebastien finished for Harry. Both
men glanced at each other while Appoline just rolled her eyes at them,
already knowing what her daughters response would be.
"I was not asking for permission from either of you." She gave her father
a narrowed look to get him to shut up.
Harry though couldn't see her face, "Fleur its not a good-"
"I do not care. I wish to see what you went through and zat eez final."
Harry didn't bother replying and relaxed into her more, having learned
that arguing with her was like arguing with a brick wall. She was easily
the most stubborn person he knew, more so than Hermione even. He was
saved from further ire by his girlfriend when Sirius and Minerva walked
back in with the pensieve and placed it in front of Harry.
He wasted no time in thinking back to the start of the third task all the
way through until Fawkes got him into the hospital wing. He figured it
was best for them to see everything, even Krum being imperioused and
casting the killing curse, and Harry almost killing him in return.
Harry watched as they all dipped a finger into the silvery liquid and their
eyes glazed over as their minds went into the memory. Harry used the
time to place wards around them as a precaution then in his own mind
he listened carefully for any reports of Fawkes and Ghost Squad.
–
"Demon, how much longer?" Specter asked over the muggle voice comms
they had been given by British SAS. The communications were built into
their masks and had several magical enhancements as well. Night vision
had been added to the masks through glass eyes that were placed in the
eye-slits of their masks. They could also switch them to infra-red, another
muggle invention. The muggles were an inventive race and it would be
stupid to not copy some of their technological advancements, especially
since they were experts at killing humans, something Ghost Squad was in
the business of doing. All it took was bribing Dumbledore six years ago to
get the specific rune that allowed muggle inventions to work around
magic.
"30 seconds." Demon responded. He was their expert on wards and could
break through even the most complicated ward scheme with relative
ease. They all sat just outside the Greengrass Manor wards, keeping
hidden in a nearby treeline.
So far they hadn't yet seen anyone, most of the Death Eaters that lived
here were still likely with their reborn master. Their goal was clear, get
in, rescue two children, get out. Dispose of any threats if necessary but
don't get bogged down in a fight. Worst comes to worst, they all had
emergency portkeys embedded into their masks and could escape quickly
that way.
"We're in." Demon sounded through the comms.
"Good. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." Specter repeated the mantra for
any infantry unit that was about to bust down a door to a house. They
quietly crossed the large open field under the cover of night and made it
to the back door of the large house. It was nestled into the Welsh
countryside with high trees surrounding the whole property. There was a
barn not far away from the house that housed several horses and on one
side of the house was a large grazing pasture for goats.
Specter held up his hand as the seven of them stacked on the door. They
had practiced and executed this a million times before. His hand held up
three fingers...two...one. Demon was the fourth man in the stack and had
his wand at the ready. He blasted the door off its hinges and Reaper went
in first, followed by Banshee closely behind him.
The others filtered through, all of them with their wands trained carefully
at predesignated killzones, none of them finding a target. The room was
empty, and from what they could tell when waiting for Demon to break
through the wards, the whole house was empty of any threats, but it was
better to be safe than sorry.
"Split teams, check the whole house. Regroup here in three." Everyone
nodded and began moving through the house methodically in teams of
two. Only Spirit stayed behind to keep the entrance secure. He shut the
door behind them and set up perch by a window overlooking the front of
the house. He also took the time to shut down the floo network just in
case they tried to come in that way. They didn't bother to place their own
anti-apparition wards. Those wards were time consuming to set up and
this mission was only going to last a few minutes.
Specter worked with Banshee as they moved through the second floor of
the house. Each room they cleared, they found nothing. The house was
definitely lived in, but there was no sign of Daphne Greengrass or
Andrew Davis anywhere. "Anything?" Specter asked over the comms.
All replies came back negative and just as they had finished the second
floor and began moving back downstairs, Shadow spoke over the comms,
"Think we have somethin' here. This room is heavily warded. Basement,
third door."
The other teams converged on their position. The basement was just as
large, if not larger, than the floors above but instead of the nicely
decorated rooms, this place was made entirely of stone. It was also
freezing cold and had no light, being underground. They were forced to
activate the night vision on their masks to see in the pitch darkness. All
of their eye-slits glowed green when they did so.
Demon had already begun working on identifying the wards that were
attached to the door that Shadow discovered. "What do you have?"
"Not sure. The wards are designed to keep people in but not out. Its like
its a makeshift prison."
"Must be who we're looking for right?" Banshee asked.
"I thought they were just kids? These are some heavy wards for just kids."
Reaper responded.
"Its safe to go in." Demon said.
The six of them stacked up on the door, Spirit still on the first floor
providing a lookout. This time they used the quiet approach, Reaper
barely edged the door open and peaked inside. He slowly moved further
in, not seeing anything and the others followed closely behind. They
found themselves in a large room that served as a library, and unlike the
other rooms in the basement, this one was nicely furnished.
All lights were off and they kept it that way, moving to another door on
the far side of the library. "Sir, I've got six DE's that just apparated onto
the front lawn. They'll be at the door in ten seconds." Spirits comms came
online.
"Shit." Specter muttered. "Demon, Banshee, and Shadow, move to assist
Spirit. Ambush them when they walk in, capture if possible, kill if
necessary." The three Ghosts moved upstairs without a word and went to
help Spirit in the front hall.
Specter, Angel, and Reaper continued forward and stacked on the last
door. Specter edged it open and walked in, the lights still off. Inside were
two prone figures lying on two separate small cots that were pushed to
the far end of the wall. The room wasn't large, barely big enough for the
three Ghosts to fit in all at once.
One of the figures woke up, a girl who looked to be roughly Harrys age
but looked much worse for wear. Her hair was unclean and ragged, cut in
odd angles to hang just below her ears. She was too skinny for one her
age and her clothes were thin and full of holes. "Daphne Greengrass?"
Specter whispered, he didn't want to disrupt his teammembers in any
way upstairs.
The sounds of several bangs alerted them that the ambush was underway.
The girl shrank back into the corner of her bed and the smaller figure, a
boy also woke up. He began screaming and jumped over to Daphnes bed
that was connected with his. "Shhh!" Reaper whispered, putting a finger
to his lips. "Are you Daphne Greengrass? Harry Potter sent us."
The girls eyes were wild and full of fear, but it was clear she recognized
the name, "H-Harry?"
Angel approached slowly, his hands displayed in a non-threatening
manner, far away from his wand that showed visibly on his belt, "He's a
friend. He found out that someone was impersonating you at school, that
you were in trouble. He couldn't come himself because he's hurt but he
wanted to be here. We're going to get you out now okay? Your safe."
"Sir, four down up here, two were able to escape. We don't have much
more time." Spirit spoke over the radio.
"Right, grab them and go." Specter ordered. Reaper grabbed both by the
collar of their dirty and ripped shirts and activated his emergency
portkey. They disappeared without even a sound. "Mission complete.
Grab the downed DE's and activate your portkeys."
–
Fawkes appeared back on Harrys shoulder just as the adults came out of
the pensieve. All of them were visibly shaken and pale from what they
had just seen. Only Moody had a large grin on his face and Harry knew
why. "Spent ten years gettin' a body only to lose a hand in the first ten
minutes!" He began laughing uproariously, breaking the tense mood that
had fallen over the ward.
Fleur moved back to her place behind Harry and squeezed him back into
her. He softly kissed his temple and rested her head on the top of his
head.
"I'll need to alert the aurors to free Krum." Amelia said. "There are a lot of
things that the aurors will need to be alerted to I guess."
"Fudge isn't going to like this." Sirius added.
"No, but he will have to accept it. We just need to make sure he doesn't
get cold feet if the public becomes difficult to deal with." Harry
responded.
"How do you think Voldemort is going to play this? I'm sure he didn't
intend on you escaping."
Harry allowed a smile to cross his face, mostly at the news Fawkes had
given him that Daphne and Andrew were safe at the Ghosts training
grounds. "I'm sure he didn't. My guess is slow. He probably would have
revealed himself to the world tomorrow if I were dead, but now that I'm
still alive, he might bide his time. With his body back, he can possibly
attract more followers to his cause, and we will have to use the time to
prepare. Sebastien, we might have need of the French Aurors."
Sebastien grinned, "Oh the minister would love that. Having the British
ask for his help would be christmas come early for the man."
"And what are you going to do Harry?" Remus asked.
He shrugged, "Continue to train so that my next severing charm takes the
snakes head off and not just his hand."
Thank you everyone for the favorites/follows/reviews. Hope you
enjoyed the three part chapter. The next chapter should be out in a
few days.
27. Desperate Times
The Great Hall was filled to the brim with students and reporters alike.
They had all come to witness the ending ceremony to the TriWizard
Tournament. Headmistress McGonagall presented the cup to Harry who,
though technically didn't reappear with the cup, was still declared the
winner. Due to the last cup being 'lost' a new one was commissioned. The
official story was that the portkey had been incorrectly made and sent
Harry into the Atlantic Ocean where Fawkes then saved him from the icy
waters.
Harry stood in front of the Great Hall to the sounds of cheers and
hollering of his classmates and the flashing lights of reporters cameras
going off. Fleur sat in the front row, cheering louder than everyone
around her. She blew him a kiss when he looked her way, making him
blush slightly.
He held the cup up in victory to more cheers before beginning his walk
back down to sit next to Fleur who kissed him soundly on the lips,
eliciting more cheers. The twins were the loudest of all and let out
several of their whizbangs that garnered much applause themselves.
Minerva held her hands up for silence, "This concludes the TriWizard
Tournament! Again, I must thank our fellow schools who joined us this
year, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang." Applause again sounded through the
hall. The Hogwarts students were easily the most boisterous in the Hall,
excited that they were the ones walking away with the win.
"Many of you have made great friends this year from the other schools."
Aimee who sat next to Harry and Fleur pinched his cheek affectionately
making Harry scowl at the blue haired witch. "These relationships you
have made now will define you in the future." Harry kissed Fleurs temple
and squeezed her closer to him.
"Enjoy the feast one last time!" Food prepared by the Hogwarts elves
appeared all at once at the four tables. Many of the reporters had been
standing in the back of the Hall and filed out when the feasting began.
Harry glanced around the hall and settled his eyes on all of his friends
that were gathered along the Gryffindor table. A lot of good and bad
happened this year, and it made him excited for the future. He had made
a lot of friends and was for once, perfectly content with his life.
Dumbledore and Voldemort be damned, at the moment Harry could care
less about them. He was just happy to still be here in the moment.
Harrys eyes settled on Tracy who was talking animatedly with Susan and
Hannah at the Hufflepuff table. Today was the day that Andrew would be
coming to the school so that he could go with Tracy on the Hogwarts
Express. They would then be going with Harry back to Grimmauld Place
for safety.
Daphne, the real Daphne would also be coming back this evening and
Harry was slightly nervous about it. Many months had passed since he
had spoken with the real Daphne and according to Banshee, she wasn't a
normal teenage girl anymore. He felt sorry for her and couldn't help but
feel guilty about not knowing it was Bellatrix instead of his best friend.
The rest of the school thought she was at St. Mungos for Dragon Pox the
last week, but she was really at the Ghost Headquarters recovering from
the mental and physical abuse she went under. She was apparently on a
rigorous supply of potions and needed a lot of sleep still.
Her mind had been repeatedly intruded upon by Bellatrix who sought to
learn every little detail about Daphne. The ring wasn't enough for her to
properly pull off a convincing Daphne Greengrass for so long and had
gone through her mind to learn better about the girl she impersonated.
Such things had their consequences and Daphnes mind had completely
drawn into herself for her own protection. She would be on a long road
of recovery but Harry would be there every step of the way. Apparently
she had been asking none stop about him which gave him hope that she
would come out of her shell to him.
They would be staying together at Grimmauld for the summer, along
with Tracy and Andrew. Sirius had already prepared rooms for them
along with Fleur who would be staying for the week before going back to
France. Harry would also be going with her to France for two weeks
before coming back to Britain. He figured after everything that happened,
he needed a small vacation and couldn't think of anything better than
being in France with Fleur. She was already raving about the places they
would go and things they would see.
It would be the last time they were around each other full time until
Harrys schooling was over in three years and the thought saddened him
greatly. He had taken it for granted having her by his side everyday and
he knew she was also feeling the uneasiness at not being around him.
They hadn't talked much about being apart from one another but they
knew it would be something they could get through.
The evening feast ended with everyone laughing and having a good time.
The school choir had performed a song to commemorate the four
champions and the three tasks they went through. It was rare to have the
whole castle in joyous celebration, and even more rare for Harry to
temporarily forget the troubles of his life. Still, in the back of his mind he
knew that these joyous times were going to come to an abrupt end.
Minister Fudge had been told of Voldemorts return, and for now, the
minister was staying calm which was all Harry could ask for. Voldemort
had yet to make a move against the ministry or the people of Britain.
There were rumors that a large, old mansion in Little Hangleton had been
burned to the ground. That was the same area as Harrys kidnapping and
he remembered seeing an old manor sitting on the hillside above the
graveyard. It was possible that Voldemort had also lost his headquarters
that evening as well, setting him further back.
The rest of the public hadn't been told of Voldemorts return, a decision
Harry didn't necessarily agree with, but Fudge had been adamant about
that decision. As long as Voldemort didn't show himself, he wasn't going
to be announcing that name to the public, but he would give the aurors
more money to prepare. A bill, headlined by Sirius was already on the
table in front of the Wizengamot and would be voted on in a week to
increase the DMLE budget by another twenty-five percent. They would
also begin looking outside Britain for recruits and offering citizenship to
those who wished to serve two years in the auror corps to gain it.
Harry for his part kept himself out of the newspapers as much as he
could, other than the TriWizard Cup questions and what happened
during the third task. He didn't want too many questions about the third
task or his unusual win.
Ever since the last weekend he had been training extensively with Ghost
Squad. He had begun to learn their names and for the first time saw their
faces. The first thing he learned was how to apparate as they did. In
reality, it was quite simple and just a variation of normal apparition that
had been lost to time. It didn't take him long to master it and they had
quickly moved on to working as a team and clearing rooms.
Harry quickly found that it took a great deal of teamwork to work with
them and they had to know what a team member was going to do
without any communication at all. He had been placed on team two,
something new to Ghost Squad. Specter, Reaper, Demon, and Angel
worked as team one. Team two consisted of Haunt, Banshee, Spirit, and
Shadow. Despite his age and general lack of experience in the field, he
found himself thrust into the leadership position of team two, a whole
other responsibility to add to his rapidly growing list of duties.
They split up the squad so that they could act independently of one
another when needed. This was going to be a war, and unlike muggle
wars, due to the ease of travel for wizards and witches, magical wars
were fought on many fronts. The Death Eaters in the last war liked to
split their forces up and attack multiple targets to cause the most amount
of panic while also making their forces seem bigger than they really
were. Ghost Squad, though much fewer in number, were going to do the
same while allowing the aurors to counter any other attacks the Ghosts
couldn't.
"Come on 'Arry. We're to meet Daphne soon." Fleur nudged him in the
side, bringing him out of his thoughts. Harry smiled softly at his
girlfriend and pecked her on the lips before getting up. She took his arm
and together they strolled out of the Great Hall. The other students
continued to talk boisterously to one another as they finished their meals.
Tracy had gotten up as well once she saw Harry and Fleur move from
their seats and into the Entrance Hall.
"Thank you, Harry. I can't say that enough." Tracy said once they were
outside the Great Hall.
"You know there is no need for thanks. I would do anything for a friend
and was happy to help get your brother to safety." Tracy hugged Harry
anyways and when she pulled away, a tear fell down her face.
"Not just for that, for taking us in as well. O-our parents..." Harry brought
her back into a hug and she began crying into his shoulder again. It had
been a rough couple weeks for the witch having to deal with choosing
him over her own parents. It was a decision made easier when she
learned how her younger brother was being treated at Greengrass Manor.
"You can thank Sirius for that. It is his house after all."
She pulled back from the embrace, a teary smile on her face, "I will."
"Tracy!" A young boy around Gabrielles age ran through the front doors
of Hogwarts. The boy rushed into Tracys outstretched arms and she
wrapped him up in a big hug. Behind him was a tall man, roughly in his
early forties, with brown eyes and messy brown hair. He had a long scar
that ran from his right eye down to the left of his lips.
"Daren." Harry said, walking up and shaking the mans hand. Specter
without a mask was just your ordinary guy who loved Quidditch and
hated bureaucrats, just like all the other members of Ghost Squad.
"Where is-?" He trailed off mid question when his eyes found her walking
silently into the hall.
Her long bleach blonde hair was gone and instead it was a more dirty
blonde color and much shorter. Her blue eyes that had once been vibrant
were wild and slightly scared looking. "Daphne?" Harry called to her,
getting her attention immediately. She didn't meet his eyes and stood
still. He walked up to her and held out his arms, trying to hug her but she
flinched away from his touch.
"S-s-sorry, Harry. I-I..." She trailed off, her eyes going distant.
"No, you have nothing to be sorry about. I should be the one who is
sorry." Harry said.
Daphne looked up and met Harrys eyes for the first time, "I thought I'd be
held there forever." She began sobbing and rushed into Harrys arms,
wrapping him up in a bone crushing hug. Harry rubbed her back
soothingly and looked sadly over at Fleur who watched them with a
somber smile.
"You're safe now. You'll be staying with me, along with your sister, Tracy,
and her brother." He felt her nod into his chest as tears began to soak
through his shirt.
–
The trip to Grimmauld place the next day went by uneventfully. Harry
had said goodbye to a teary eyed Aimee and reassured her that he would
be seeing her at Fleurs place in just a weeks time. Fleur had gotten
permission from Madame Maxime to ride with him on the Hogwarts
Express since she was going to be staying in England with him.
The group consisting of Daphne, Harry, Fleur, Andrew, Tracy, and
Astoria were all picked up from the bustling platform 9 3/4s by Sirius
and Remus. Many students walked up to Harry and said their goodbyes,
asking about books to read on defense and when the club would start up
again next year. Even a few parents approached him and congratulated
him about his win in the TriWizard Tournament.
It didn't take long for reporters to begin swarming him and Sirius and
Remus rushed them all off the platform and into the nearby floo network.
Grimmauld Places ward schemes were completely changed and no longer
under the Fidelius, instead they had equal wards to Gringotts created by
the goblins. The only difference was that the goblins had placed one of
their more unknown wards that kept the house from being revealed to
anyone wishing harm onto the family inside. It cost a pretty penny but
Sirius knew it was worth it.
They all arrived in the den of the large Black Town House. Immediately
Harry noticed that it was much more clean and well decorated than when
he was last here. Emmy had really turned the place into a home and
restored the house to proper order. She greeted them and Harry
immediately spotted a glow about her, but refrained from commenting
on it for now. Emmy began helping the others up to their rooms and
Sirius turned to Harry and Fleur.
"So, I er-wasn't sure if you two would be staying in the same bedroom or
not, so I made up one for you just in case Fleur." Sirius said, rubbing his
hand through his shoulder length hair, looking anywhere but at the
couple.
Harrys jaw dropped and he tried to stammer out a response but Fleur
quickly beat him to it. "Merci. I'll stay in 'Arrys room if eets no problem."
Harrys eyes grew wide and he stared at Fleur dumbfounded, his cheeks
turning a deep shade of red. The two of them had grown more and more
intimate with each other, but they hadn't slept with one another. Harry
knew that something like that might happen over the summer, he was
ready for it, and he knew she was as well, but he didn't expect it to be so
soon. He felt his heart begin to pound in his chest at the thought being
with her in that way.
"Er-right. Well...just use silencing wards please." Sirius said, he himself
going bright red, not sure how to react with the somewhat awkward
situation he found himself in.
Again Harry tried to blather out a reply but found he couldn't even utter
a sound, "We will." Fleur put on a bright smile and quickly pulled Harry
up the stairs to his room on the third floor. Harry didn't complain even a
little as she hurried him to his room and slammed him into his door,
crashing her lips into his. She kissed him with reckless abandon and he
began to lose himself in the feeling of her lips. They didn't get too many
opportunities to be intimate with one another and they weren't going to
waste having their own room. He felt her hand travel down to his nether
region and began to stroke him above his pants, making him groan into
her mouth with pleasure.
He eventually got the door open and their kissing didn't cease. She
guided them back onto the bed and straddled his waist, her hips
beginning to grind onto his growing erection. Harrys brain shut
completely off when he felt her hand slip inside his pants, "I want you."
She breathed into his ear. Harry wasted no time in wandlessly shutting
the door and gave in completely to her every command.
–
"I told them to use a silencing ward." Sirius muttered, covering his eyes
with his hand in embarrassment. Emmy laughed beside him on the
couch, curled up reading a book on the Roman Empire and the wizards
they employed.
"They're young and forgetful." She said, not looking up from her reading.
"Sebastien will kill me if Fleur gets pregnant while at my house."
"Kill you? He'll kill Harry before you. They're smart, just let them have
their fun."
"Is there any way to shut them up?" Astoria asked, walking into the room.
She sat down next to Emmy and peered over at her book.
"I'll go silence the room for them." Sirius said, getting up quickly and
walking up stairs.
"Is your room alright?" Emmy asked, looking up from her book and
wrapping an arm around the young Slytherins shoulders. Emmaline had
quickly taken on a mother role for the young women and Andrew that
were brought under the roof. Sirius looked at the two girls with a soft
smile on his face, knowing she is the perfect mother for his children.
"Yes, but Daphne and Tracy are using it at the moment." She was staying
in the same room as Daphne. The two sisters were close and they felt it
best if Daphne stay with a friendly face while Andrew stayed in Tracys
room. Andrew was currently on the floor with an old practice wand of
Sirius' trying to get a chair to levitate.
"How is your sister doing?" Emmy asked, a concerned look on her face.
She knew that the last few months for Daphne were extremely difficult.
They didn't yet know of everything that she went through and was only
telling Tracy and Harry anything. It was good sign at least that she was
talking about any of it, but she was still very shy to the touch and was
very quiet.
Astoria shrugged, "Better I think. She doesn't talk much. Have you heard
anything about my parents? I can't believe they would do something like
this."
Emmy shook her head sadly at the young girl, "Sorry, the ministry hasn't
found them anywhere. Your house was burned to the ground in the raid
to save your sister and your parents scattered." Ghost sqaud had captured
four individuals, but all four of those were French and German
internationals that were living in the house. They suspect that the two
that escaped were the two Greengrass elders, but it was impossible to
confirm it at the moment.
Those individuals also didn't help with anything, having known nothing
and not even stepping a foot inside Riddle Manor, another old mansion
that burned to the ground the same night. They received a one way trip
to Raven Isle where they were left stranded with no way of escape. The
ministry stationed only two guards on a nearby island and they would
frequently check the island to make sure no one escaped each day. The
lack of need for guards and not having to pay for a prison was a major
reason the ministry could give more money to the DMLE and Madame
Bones had already begun putting that money to good use.
"Why would my parents do this?" Astoria asked, tears beginning to form
in her eyes. She was still young and had a deep love for her parents,
especially her mother, but Daphne had always been her role model, the
person she looked up to the most. When her parents had imprisoned her
sister and replaced her with a convicted criminal, her world was
shattered and she was struggling to come to terms with it.
Emmy pulled Astoria closer to her and wrapped her in a firm hug as she
began crying into Emmys shoulder. Emmaline slowly rubbed her back,
"They grew up a certain way, and that way taught them to hate those
different from them." Astoria only sobbed harder into Emmys shoulder as
the last few weeks began to catch up with her.
–
Harry and Fleur walked down from their room for dinner and neither
could hide the radiant smile on their faces. Kreacher had set out a better
than average meal since Harry was in the house and the old house elf
liked Harry above everyone else. Sirius wasn't all that imaginative when
it came to naming the new house elf he acquired. Harry figured that
Sirius still had fond feelings for the late Kreature and was trying to
replace him outright with a new one. Dobby had also come with Harry to
Grimmauld Place and was driving Kreacher up the wall at the moment
with his constant praise for Harry and wanting to do everything for him.
It became a war between the two to see who could please Harry the most
and it was quickly becoming another hassle on Harrys shoulders.
Sirius coughed, breaking up the smiling glances Harry and Fleur were
sharing, "I did tell you two to use a silencing ward, did I not?" Both Harry
and Fleur immediately went beet red, their mouths opening and closing
but no words came out.
"Sorry." Harry managed to squeak out.
"You did use protection, yes?" Emmy asked, her eyebrows raised at the
red faced couple. Remus had joined them for dinner this evening and was
laughing heartily behind his hand at the predicament his adopted
nephew was in. Daphne and Astoria were doing their best to pretend to
not hear the conversation while Tracy was covering Andrews ears who
was trying to break free from the headlock he was in so that he could
hear the conversation. She herself was laughing at the horrified looks on
her friends faces and taking great enjoyment from it.
Harry sneaked a glance at Fleur, "Er yes?" He said in an unsure manner.
"Yes, we did." Fleur finalized with a roll of her eyes.
"Good, I think that's enough about that." Sirius said. "Harry, you have
training at 0600 tomorrow."
Harry nodded his head and began to fill his plate up with meats and
breads, eager to move away from that embarrassing topic. "Have the
goblins taken care of Hermione, the Bones, and the Abbots?" Harry had
sent a letter a week before leaving Hogwarts to have the three families
homes heavily warded. He would pay for it of course, and in the manner
of the Bones and Abbots, the goblins didn't have to add much more to
them. Madame Longbottom had already upgraded the wards on her home
earlier in the year when she learned that Voldemort wasn't really dead
and didn't need Harrys help in the matter.
"Its all done. Hermione and her parents were also given emergency
portkeys that would take them here just in case." Sirius said.
"Good. Lets just hope we can ride out the summer without any
disturbances."
–
"Where is he!" Voldemort demanded from his white masked follower who
bowed to him, his knees on the ground. He sat on his new throne in
Malfoy Manor. He had taken it as his headquarters when Riddle Manor
was burnt to the ground by his former ally.
"I could not find him, my lord." The man winced when he spoke those
words and for good reason. Voldemorts Yew wand flicked into his hand
and the Cruciatus curse was hurled at his follower. The Death Eater cried
out in pain as every ligament snapped and every muscle tore in his body.
The pain quickly became unbearable and he passed out. Two more Death
Eaters who stood in the shadows quickly walked forward and helped
their unconscious brother out of the room as Voldemort sat on his chair
seething.
Grindelwald had disappeared ever since the graveyard and had yet to
return. What made him fearful was that he was carrying one of his
horcruxes, something Grindelwald knew all too well. He had immediately
set his followers after the man but not a single one of them had found
him.
It was a mistake to put any faith into that man. He was insane, driven to
madness by his years in prison and need for revenge against Dumbledore.
Now he was a loose cannon, something he couldn't control any longer
and was likely out searching for the old man. For now it wasn't a
problem, as long as he didn't do anything to stand in his way in Britain. It
was also possible Grindelwald would do him a favor in this frenzy and
kill Dumbledore, making his way to the English throne much easier.
Riddle stood from his iron throne that had been made for him by his
followers in place of his golden one. It wasn't to his tastes but it would
have to do for now. He would eventually take control of Hogwarts and
secure the Hogwarts throne for his own, a seat he always desired.
He began pacing back and forth as his mind strayed to Harry Potter, the
boy that had managed to take his hand from him. It was surprising to see
the power behind the young boy, and it scared him greatly, to the point
that he wasn't yet sure how to proceed. The prophecy was clear, that
Harry had the power to defeat him, and the duel in the Graveyard was
evidence enough that the boy did indeed have the power. He was strong,
maybe even stronger than himself, something he would never openly
admit.
All this meant was that he had to outsmart the boy and avoid battles of
power like what had occurred in the graveyard. He still had a vast
advantage over the boy in terms of knowledge of spells and experience
and he would use this greatly to his advantage.
The real threat still remained Dumbledore who lay in hiding. He was a
much more dangerous foe now that Voldemort had no clue what the old
man was up to. Dumbledore had stormed his headquarters for a reason,
and that reason only meant one thing, he knew of his horcruxes. That
was the only thing he could fathom that Dumbledore would be after.
Because of this, he had already begun to take drastic steps to hide his
other horcruxes and at this point, could only hope that Grindelwald
wouldn't freely give up the horcrux he had given to the old man. He had
little doubt the man would since it was supplying him with his old
magical prowess as if he was in his prime again.
"My lord, our emissaries have been dispatched as you ordered." Lucius
Malfoy stepped into the room and bowed his head low. He refrained from
looking his master in the eye, having seen what happened to the last
Death Eater in this room. Lucius was tasked with increasing recruitment
in Eastern Europe, especially Russia, along with recruiting in North
Africa and the Middle East. He needed hardened soldiers and not the
usual scrabble he attracted. Having many of the purebloods on his side in
Britain afforded him the ability to hire mercenaries that would be
necessary to win a war.
Even though the ministry hadn't officially announced that they knew of
his return, it was obvious they were preparing for him. The new bill to
increase the DMLE budget was a clear sign that they were going to begin
preparing for a war and war was what he planned on giving them.
"Good Lucius. And what news of Harry. Where is he?"
Lucius kept his eyes firmly on his own feet, "I am not sure my lord. He is
in hiding and no one is talking, or knows of his location."
Voldemort stood silently for a moment, staring at the blank grey wall in
front of him, "As I figured. We will need to draw him out. Begin
formulating a plan so that we can kill Britains favored son." He looked at
his new hand, silver in color that he fashioned for himself. It was his
constant reminder to never underestimate the boy again.
–
Dumbledore stepped out onto the large ramparts of Heidelberg Castle in
Germany, overlooking the small town just below him. Night had fallen
over the town that was nestled into the mountains by the Neckar river. It
was a calm and peaceful evening and Dumbledore roamed his safe haven
alone, as was normal for him now.
He had no allies to turn to at the moment and couldn't trust anyone in
Britain. Harry Potter had somehow lived through the trap set for him by
Voldemort and had gone home for the summer. He was in this fight alone
and now not only had to deal with both Harry and Riddle, but
Grindelwald as well. It was quickly becoming too much for even him and
he needed to look for help.
He walked through the quiet castle, looking at the old suits of armor and
muggle paintings that hung on the walls. His feet carried him to a thick
wooden door on the first floor of the castle and he was about to open it
when his hand pulled back from the handle.
"I can't be this desperate, can I?" He mumbled to himself. This door had
remained shut for forty years now, and for good reason. He didn't dare
walk back down there, but now he was questioning if he should take the
risk. Dumbledore took a step back and shook his head, but his hand
remained outstretched towards the bronze handle, almost daring him to
open it.
Dumbledore knew he was getting desperate in this war. He had no
followers, no one to do his bidding and help him destroy his enemies.
This was not a fight he could do alone, but was walking through this
door worth the inevitable price? Albus stood there for several minutes
before he steeled his nerves and placed his hand on the handle and
walked in.
It opened up into a dark staircase not lit by any torches like the rest of
the castle. Dumbledore lit his wand and began walking down the steep
stairs and into the bowels of the castle, heading for the dungeon. He
reached the landing and opened another thick wooden door, walking into
a dark, thin hallway with several wooden doors that had iron barred
windows so guards could peer into the cells.
It was a struggle to take any step further but Dumbledore quelled the
voices screaming out at him in the back of his mind, knowing this needed
to be done to accomplish the Greater Good. Albus walked down the dark
hallway and towards the last cell on the right.
He peered into the cell through the barred window and saw a large figure
curled up in the corner of the small stone room. "Finally come to kill
me?" A course voice echoed in the room. The large figure slowly stood
up, bringing himself to his full height. He was easily seven feet tall and
was a mass of muscle, wearing only ripped linen pants.
The figure approached the barred window and the light from
Dumbledores wand illuminated him further. He had a short haired
mohawk with a long braid that reached the middle of his back. Tattoos
covered the bald parts of his head and further tattoos covered his chest
and arms. He had a long white beard that was braided and his blue eyes
could pierce even Voldemorts fractured soul. Dumbledore felt a chill run
down his spine just looking at the massive figure in front of him.
"I have a deal to make with you." Albus said, forcing his voice to be calm.
"A deal you say? Someone must be desperate to deal with the devil." The
Scandinavians white hair glimmered in the wandlight and he smiled
cruelly at Albus, showing his yellow rotten teeth.
"If you can convince your men to fight for me, I will give you land and
status in the new world I create."
The old Viking laughed, "I was promised that by another wizard. The
reward I received was your prison cell."
"That's because you followed someone weak. You know my power, you've
seen it first hand." Dumbledore allowed a little of his passive magic to
overflow, causing the iron bars on the door to vibrate.
The viking paused for a moment and studied Dumbledore. "Even if you
were to release me and allow me to go back to my people, how could I
convince them to ever fight for you? I've been missing for years, I am old.
My people do not follow the weak."
"You are still a king."
He shook his head. "No, I am king of this cell maybe, but nothing else.
My son would kill me rather than give up his power. You must be
desperate to have come to me for this."
"If you convince your people to fight for me, I'll give you a piece of
something every man covets." Dumbledore said, knowing what he
showed him would be enough to convince any man to fight for him. He
reached into his pocket and pulled out a large ruby red stone that pulsed
with powerful magic. The vikings eyes widened when he saw it and tried
to rip it from Dumbledores hands through the barred window.
Dumbledore quickly stepped back out of reach and re-pocketed the stone.
"Immortality. The ability to rule your people for all time and become a
God."
The viking king stood silently for several minutes thinking about his next
move before he finally spoke, "I will raise the Varangian Guard once
again."
Thank you everyone that has favorited/followed/reviewed my story.
Forces are beginning to gather between all opponents. Look out for
another chapter sometime this weekend. It will focus a lot on
Harrys training with the Ghosts and you'll get further introductions
to all of them.
28. Breaking Walls
"Anything here?" Banshee asked. She kicked around the burned rubble of
the former Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton. Angel and Demon were sent
with her to recover anything useful from the wreckage and see if they
could find any whereabouts as to Voldemorts location or what had
occurred to set fire to the house.
When Harry had left the graveyard the night he was kidnapped, the
manor was still in tact he had said, as well as when he left. That meant
that something, or someone, had purposefully set fire to the building and
that it was unrelated to Harrys duel with Voldemort. It was possible that
in Voldemorts rage for Harry getting away that he destroyed his own
headquarters, but that was unlikely.
From what they could tell, the house was destroyed by fiendfyre. The
spell left a clear signature across the foundations of the house, and who
ever used the fiendfyre was powerful, beyond a normal wizard. That
meant only a few people, Harry, Voldemort, Dumbledore, or someone
they didn't yet know about. They were hoping it was Dumbledore but
had no way of knowing.
"I think I have something!" Angel shouted. The other two rushed over to
where he was kneeling down. He had a small piece of what looked like
canvass in his hands. On the back of the burnt canvass was clear as day,
the name Marie Anne Varro.
"Who do you think that is?" Demon asked, taking the piece of canvass
and examining it further.
"Not sure, we can figure it out later." Banshee responded. Demon slipped
the piece of canvass into his pocket and continued looking through the
rubble. The only other thing any of them were able to find were the
remains of a golden throne that was severed in two. Finding nothing else,
they moved onto their next location, Malfoy Manor.
–
"You're gettin' better." Daren said, helping Harry back to his feet after
reviving him from his unconscious state. Harry groaned as he took a few
steps to get the blood pumping back in his legs. He had been hit by a
spell that locked up his legs, closely followed by a powerful stunner to
the back of the head. Spirit was hovering over Shadow, trying to wake
him up from the duel that just took place. Reaper had already recovered
and was sitting on a nearby bench to catch his breath.
"I still lost." Harry muttered. He sheathed both his wands and sat down
next to Reaper. Daren walked over to him and laid a reassuring hand on
his shoulder. They had been at this for several hours and each time he
was barely coming up short. He could always get at least two or three
down but the last person would blind side him at the right moment. It
was starting to frustrate him that he wasn't yet quick enough to get all
four of his opponents.
"Maybe, but you're improving rapidly. You can take three of us on at a
time consistently, and are working your way towards four of us. No one
here an do what you can." Harry nodded his head and took a deep breath
before getting back to his feet.
"Lets get back at it." He removed his basilisk skin jacket to reveal a tight
fitting black t-shirt Fleur had bought him yesterday. He tossed the jacket
to a woman who stood off to the side. She was the squad healer and
stayed in house to watch their training sessions, making sure they didn't
kill each other on accident.
His constant workouts had done wonders for him and he was in excellent
shape. The shirt did a lot to show off his abs which was why he suspected
Fleur had bought it for him. Harry now had allowed some of his facial
hair to grow on his face, making him look slightly older than he really
was. It wasn't a full beard by any measure, just stubble, but it kept him
from looking as young as fourteen, soon to be fifteen.
By now, the others had been completely revived and were setting up for
another round of dueling. This was every day life for them. They were
used to getting knocked around only to go for round two. That's how they
trained, to take hits but always stay in the fight. Being tired or hurt was
no excuse for the Ghosts. Perfection was all that mattered.
Harry took a deep breath and fully locked down his occlumency shields.
He then concentrated on bringing out his animagus senses and felt the
familiar sensation of time slowing down. Every movement by his
opponents was clearly visible, every breath they took was heard, he could
even hear their hearts beat and knew if he had surprised them or scared
them.
He felt a spell rush at his back and ducked below it, using his Yew wand
to send a blasting hex aimed at the ground behind him, catching the feet
of his opponent. His Holly wand batted away a flame cutter curse back
towards another opponent who was then forced to dodge it. He side
stepped a stunner and turned his Yew wand into a Flame whip, lashing it
all around him. He heard one person cry out in pain, and without looking
shot a stupefy in that direction. He was rewarded with a thud as a person
fell to the ground.
A bright green spell shot at him from the side and Harry batted it away
with ease while sending an incarcerous at another foe. It was shielded
against and a yellow acidic curse headed for his chest. He barely moved
out of the way in time, only a small spray hitting his shirt. It created
several burning holes in his black shirt exposing his skin underneath.
Visible above his right breast was a tattoo of a pair of angel wings that
pulsed blue.
Harry then used a Black family spell and created a wall of fire around
him to obscure his opponents vision. He then changed into Haunt and
leaped from the fire and bit into one opponents hand, ripping his wand
away.
He changed back into Harry and turned the fire into thick black smoke
while stunning his injured foe. Harry moved into the smoke while
creating an air bubble around him so that he could breath. The smoke all
of a sudden began to attack his air bubble and even popped it, causing
him to splutter for air. He barely caught sight of organ liquefier flying
through the remaining smoke and dove out of the way.
Harry snapped off a bone breaker hex mid dive and used a burst of
wandless magic to upright himself so he landed on his feet. The bone
breaker connected and he heard someone scream out in pain. He sent a
stunner at the scream and it immediately ceased.
The smoke began to dissipate and when it did, Harry couldn't see his last
opponent, only three unconscious bodies lying on the stone floor. Daren
was the one missing. Harry paced the room, keeping his senses on the
highest alert. All of a sudden the lights in the training room turned off
and he felt his right ankle being snagged by an invisible rope, launching
him into the air. Harry quickly severed the invisible rope and barely
missed a stunner that was targeted at him. He fell to the ground and
twisted himself so that he landed on his feet.
Harry quickly turned the lights back on but still could not see Specter.
Harry then shot a spell at his own feet and a large wall of wind shot in
every direction around him. He heard someone yelp and turned to see
Specter thrown backwards, an invisibility cloak flying off of him.
He snapped off a stunner and caught the Ghost leader in the chest,
knocking him unconscious before he even hit the floor.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief and allowed a smile to cross his face. He
was about to relax and sheath his wands when he felt the hairs on the
back of his neck rise. Harry spun just in time to see a stunner heading for
him. He batted it away and faced his new opponent, or really, three new
opponents as they entered the dueling room.
The rest of Ghost squad had joined the training session, being back from
their reconnaissance mission. The three Ghosts didn't wait long and
began firing every hex and curse they knew. Harry dodged them all and
even sent some of their own spells back with practiced ease. Fighting
Voldemort had been very valuable to him, letting him know truly just
how strong he was compared to the rest of wizard-kind. Sirius had told
him stories of the snakes power and absolute destruction in combat, and
though he was outmatched when it came to spell knowledge, he could at
least stand toe-to-toe with him when it came to power. It had given him a
great deal more confidence to know he actually could win against
Voldemort.
Any spell he sent was a struggle for anyone to block, even his fellow
Ghosts who were no slouches when it came to magical power. A simple
stunner was difficult for any of them to block, let alone something like a
bone breaker hex which was an innately more powerful spell.
It didn't take long for the last three Ghosts to be on the ground
unconscious with Harry standing over them triumphantly. He had
practiced many times against three opponents before and made short
work of them now. This was the first time he had taken down four at
once and now he believed he could do so again. Despite his recent
frustration, he could feel himself getting faster, smarter, more powerful.
As Dumbledore had told him early on, he had yet to reach his full
magical maturity. There was no telling how powerful he would grow to
be in the next few years, and with each passing day, Harry felt himself
becoming stronger.
Not only was his raw power increasing, he now had full time access to
the Black family library, along with his Potter Anybook, and now the
Unspeakable library which contained more ancient texts than the other
two combined. He had taken to reading a book a night, sometimes having
Fleur read to him when he was too tired to do so himself after the days
training.
In just the one week of summer so far, he felt himself truly becoming
better, thanks to the day long training sessions with the Ghosts. It was
like a job for him. He ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the team and
in-between meals were constant exercises. They were molding themselves
into a hard hitting fighting force that could combat the best of
Voldemorts Death Eaters and anyone else thrown in their way.
He also began to understand the genius behind Specter making him the
leader of team two. It gave Harry free reign to make quick decisions
based on his own personal skill and not have to rely on orders from
someone else to get him in the most effective position.
Harry slowly made his way to his unconscious team members and
revived them all. Once they were all checked and cleared from the one
medic they kept on staff at the headquarters, they decided to call it a day.
Harry wandered the small Irish castle that was built just off the coast of
Northern Ireland. It was nowhere near as large as Hogwarts and had a
much more cozy feel to it. It acted as the living quarters for several of the
Ghosts as well as the headquarters and training facilities. The floo
network was connected directly to the Unspeakables library back in the
Department of Mysteries inside the ministry.
The whole castle was completely state-of-the-art and had the best
protections. Very few knew of the castle and when Andrew and Daphne
had left it, they had their minds carefully altered to make them think
they were in St. Mungos. Harry had made sure that it was safe to alter
their minds like that, especially Daphne since her mind had already been
screwed with enough.
The outside grounds consisted of a mile long track for running along with
a whole slew of weight equipment and an obstacle course. Instead of the
empty suits of armor that decorated the halls of Hogwarts, the suits of
armor in this castle actually moved and patrolled the grounds. The whole
place was under high security and only nine people in total knew of its
location.
"So, you have that big vote tomorrow, yeah?" Sue asked, coming up
beside Harry as he walked out onto the ramparts to overlook the Atlantic
Ocean. The sun had just begun to set and if Fleur were here, it would
have been very romantic.
Sue was the only woman on Ghost squad, callsign Banshee. She was a
good looking woman in her late twenties, formerly a Ravenclaw before
joining the Unspeakables, and later Ghost Squad. She came from an
unwealthy and small pureblood family.
"It should pass with no problems. We have the votes to get it through."
She nodded next to him and grew silent. They both watched as the sun
set completely over the water and the sky turned dark. Not a single cloud
was in the sky and the stars showed brightly. It was a full moon tonight
and so Remus was in the secure room made for him back at Grimmauld
Place.
"Dinner's ready!" They both turned to see Reaper, a tall man with a
scruffy beard and short brown hair. His real name was Eric Antoniski, a
Polish national that came to England when he was just five. His parents
were muggles and so it was quite the shock when they learned he was a
wizard.
They walked back inside and entered the small dining hall. Specter sat at
the head of the table and they all sat around him. House elves, much like
with Hogwarts, worked in the kitchens and kept the place tidy as well as
cooked the food. The food they cooked was definitely nothing like at
Hogwarts though, instead it was almost entirely meats, breads, and
vegetables. Beans and potatoes were also in plenty but butter, salt, and
pepper were missing from the table.
"How was the mission?" Daren asked the three that had been out on a
reconnaissance mission earlier today. They were searching for
Voldemorts whereabouts, having started with the ruins of Riddle Manor.
The wards around that manor had been dismantled during the fire that
brought the house to the ground. They suspected he was at Malfoy Manor
and had sent Angel, Demon, and Banshee to investigate.
"We got this." Demon produced the piece of canvass with the name on the
back of it. Daren grabbed it and looked over. "We don't know who it is,
but we'll begin looking. It was at Riddle Manor."
Specter nodded and set the canvass aside, "And Malfoy Manor?"
"All we can safely say is that the wards are extremely powerful." Angel
said. He was scrawny man with long brown hair and dull green eyes.
"They're impossible to get through. It'd take me days, maybe months, to
figure them out." Demon added. He sat next to Angel and when they
were close to one another, it was easy to tell that they were twins.
Demon kept his hair short and was slightly taller and more well built
than Angel, but the likeness was unmistakable.
"They were advanced too, as if someone with a highly advanced
knowledge of wards and arithmancy had created them. We couldn't
identify what they were and they blocked any sight into the Malfoy
grounds." Banshee gave her own input.
"Riddle." Harry muttered.
"Probably." Banshee agreed with him.
"So what's the next plan?" Spirit asked. He was one of the older members
of the group, being in his late thirties. He was just as grizzled and battle-
hardened as Specter and was often looked at as the second in command
of the group.
"We can't strike anywhere without knowledge. Move onto the Carrows
house in South London tomorrow."
"Yes, sir." The three responded at once.
–
Harry walked into the Ministry of Magic with the hope that he wouldn't
have to be here for long. Today was the day that the Wizengamot would
be voting on the new bill to increase the DMLE's budget by another 25%
and it was crucial that it passed. As soon as he stepped foot in the
ministry atrium he was swarmed by reporters and cameras flashes
temporarily blinded him.
Fawkes had come along for the ride and stood proudly on his shoulder,
profiling his head to make himself look better in the photos. "I'm beginning
to enjoy being your familiar." He heard Fawkes say in his head.
"Adventure, fame, and near death experiences, what's not to enjoy?"
Harry muttered back sarcastically. He waved and smiled at the cameras
and pushed his way past the reporters. His mind was on the upcoming
vote and didn't feel like talking with them yet.
Harry checked his Holly wand into the front desk and continued back to
the courtrooms. He didn't bother checking his Yew wand in since it was
still a secret to most and wasn't registered by the ministry. Just before
walking into courtroom ten, he waved his hand in front of him and his
attire turned into the dark red robes of a Wizengamot member. He
climbed to his normal seat where he then sat down next to Sirius and
Amelia. They were both in deep conversation with the Minister who was
also already seated and didn't pay him any attention, giving him time to
study the crowd.
There had been some odd, yet legal changes to many of the Wizengamot
members in the last few weeks. Many families had begun to sell their
seats of power and were then replaced by questionable people in Harrys
opinion. He knew it was a ploy by Voldemort to begin undermining his
political power, but the Death Eaters still didn't have the power to beat
him yet.
Minister Fudge brought the room to order and began the normal
headcount when the time came. Amos Diggory had been declared the
Chief Warlock when Dumbledore was sacked and so called roll. Everyone
was present for the meeting which was rare and set Harry slightly on
edge.
With each week, there were less and less people he recognized sitting in
the room, and even though everyone knew it was because someone was
buying up all the seats, it was still legal as long as a pureblood family
replaced the seats. It was slowly beginning to polarize the Wizengamot to
the point where there would soon be only Harry Potter supporters and
Pureblood Supremacists. The neutrals were a dying breed in England and
Harry knew it was only a matter of time before everyone had to choose a
side.
Once roll was done, the first motion was brought to the floor. The day of
politics started with a small bill on helping restore small magical
communities. For the most part, Harry tuned the meeting out, not having
much interest in anything currently being talked about. He didn't much
care for politics and had lately just been having Sirius act as his proxy,
but he wanted to be here for the important vote today.
"Now, we come to our last piece of legislation. Sirius Black has placed a
bill on the floor for all those to vote on. All of you have had a week to
read the legislation over and today we vote." Minister Fudge announced.
He looked just as bored as he sounded. "All those in favor?" Harrys heart
raced when he saw how few wands were raised in favor of the bill. He
couldn't tell if it was still above the majority or not. Voldemort had been
working quickly on trying to seize a large amount of political power it
seems.
"Those against?" A similar number of wands were raised and Harry could
feel the air sucked out of the room. His eyes settled on Lucius Malfoy
who sat in a chair next to Emily Goyle who was sitting in proxy of her
son. Goyle Sr. had unfortunately passed away the same night of Harrys
fight with Voldemort from asphyxiation and the position had passed onto
Goyle Jr.
Harry waited with abated breath as the scribe counted the votes and
tallied them on his parchment. Percy had unfortunately been given this
job, and though Harry didn't like the Weasley, he was at least good at his
job and completely loyal to the ministry.
Percy finished counting the votes and handed the parchment to Minister
Fudge. The Minister cleared his throat before speaking. "The motion
passes!" Harry let out a sigh of relief. That had been close, too close for
him. He was going to need to start acting quickly to keep his power in
the Wizengamot.
Harry congratulated Sirius and Amelia on their hard work for the bill and
made his way down, back to the atrium. He was earlier declared the
spokesman for the bill by Fudge and had his job to do. He entered the
atrium to more flashes of cameras and was bombarded by questions from
reporters about what took place in the courtroom.
Before he took any questions, Harry got his Holly wand from the front
desk and waved it just in front of him. A small table formed and he
climbed up on top of it so that everyone could see him. He then waved
his Holly wand again and transformed his clothes back into the basilisk
scale jacket and pair of blue jeans he was wearing earlier. Fawkes, who
had perched himself on the Fountain of Magical Brethren while he as
inside the courtroom came flying back and reclaimed his spot on Harrys
shoulder.
"The legislation has been passed!" Harry declared to the crowd. He stood
up there for what felt like hours as he answered question after question
about the recent legislation and why it was so hotly contested in the
Wizengamot. Most of the public couldn't see why a bill such as this was
so heavily disputed, but Harry couldn't exactly say that Voldemort was
beginning to make moves within their own ministry. Minister Fudge still
forbade Harry from saying anything on the matter, but he wasn't going to
argue with the man as long as he actually worked to help prepare those
who would be fighting the war.
Sirius and Amelia had eventually bailed Harry out of the rest of the press
conference and brought Harry to the side of the atrium. He was about to
step foot into the floo network to go back to Grimmauld Place with Sirius
when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Harry Potter." He spun around to see an older man. His eyes were a dull
grey and his hair was cut short, much like Harrys own. He wore tattered
robes that showed he didn't come from wealth. The only thing that stood
out on his figure was a gold ring with an unusual stone in its center that
he kept on his left hand.
"Can I help you?" Harry asked, taking a step backwards and instinctively
getting ready to flick his wands into his hands. For a second, Harry
thought he saw the old man smile, but the expression was gone in a flash.
"I saw your performance in the first task against that dragon. Also, with
all of your added exploits written about in the papers, I was wondering
how you were able to do such powerful magic?" The man had a slight
accent similar to Viktor Krums.
"Er...excuse me. I didn't catch your name?"
"Sorry for my rudeness." He held out his hand which Harry shook. "The
name's Peter Bernoval."
"Well, Mr. Bernoval, I have been known to be lucky on numerous
occasions." The man smiled, showing several missing teeth and nodded
his head.
"Yes, yes of course Mr. Potter. Sorry for disturbing you, I should be going.
It was a pleasure to meet you." The man bowed his head deeply before
walking away and disappearing into the crowd.
"You attract all kinds of crazy." Sirius said from just behind Harry.
"Comes with the name." Harry stepped into the floo and quickly forgot
his brief encounter with the old man. Sirius came in behind him and they
walked into the kitchen where Remus was waiting for them. He had large
bags under his eyes, having not slept much from the full moon last night.
Andrew was also in the kitchen being served by Dobby. The young boy
quickly hopped off his stool and rushed over to Harry.
"Can we do it now?" He asked, an eager look in his eyes.
"Of course." Harry was extremely tired, having not had a full nights rest,
or even a nap, in a long while, but he had made a promise to the boy.
Fleur demanded his attentions in the evening, something he wasn't
complaining about in the slightest, and he had many other duties
throughout the day. "Go fetch the broom."
Andrew quickly scurried out of the room to fetch the training broom.
Harry had promised to teach him how to ride and since Tracy
disapproved of him learning, they had to conduct the training sessions
when she wasn't here. All of the girls were currently out shopping for the
upcoming wedding that was less than three weeks away.
Sirius, just two days ago had pulled Harry to the side to give him the
happy news that Emmy was pregnant, something he had suspected when
first seeing her. The news was music to his ears and it meant his family
was growing a little larger. Sirius had already confessed that if it was a
boy, they would name him James, and if a girl, Lily. Sirius wouldn't be
continuing the Black family tradition of naming their offspring after stars.
The baby was also still a secret to everyone else besides Remus, himself,
and Emmys sister, Jolie.
The girls for the last week had been completely transforming the house
and getting things in order for the wedding. The actual wedding would
be taking place in a small nearby church and was being kept small in
numbers. Afterwards, they would all be heading back to Grimmauld
place for the after-party and then Sirius and Emmy would be taking a
honeymoon for two weeks in Rome.
Andrew came running back into the room just as Remus brought out the
firewhiskey. "Congratulations on your win today." He poured a small
glass for Sirius, Harry, and himself. Sirius was rather loose when it came
to some underage drinking laws, as long as Emmy wasn't around. They
all drained the shots quickly and Harry was rushed out of the kitchen by
an excited Andrew.
–
The girls of the house arrived back in the Grimmauld Place den through
the floo network. They had spent the day shopping in Diagon Alley and
muggle London. It was the first time Tracy, Astoria, and Daphne had ever
been shopping in muggle London and had been blown away by what they
saw. Fleur, though also never having shopped in London before, had been
to the muggle shops in Paris and was well up to date with the latest
fashions.
Emmy was a muggleborn herself and so had been many times to London
to shop with her mother and sister and showed the young girls the ropes.
They had spent the day trying on clothes and most importantly, searching
for their bridesmaids dresses and Emmys wedding dress. Jolie had also
joined them for the shopping trip since she was to be the Maid of Honor.
All of the girls saw that this trip had done wonders to help relax Daphne
and bring her back to her normal self. She had been quiet all week and
had hardly talked with anyone other than Harry and Tracy. Today
however, she had seemingly forgotten her struggles and enjoyed being a
teenage girl, shopping with friends and family. It was nice to see her
acting her normal self and come out of her shell a little.
"What happened here?" Emmy breathed out, looking at the destruction of
the den room. The other girls appeared from the fireplace and Fleur had
even pulled out her wand. The den was in complete shambles, the
furniture turned over and whiskey glasses shattered on the floor. A
painting of one of Sirius' ancestors had fallen off its hinges on the wall
and lay face down on the floor.
The girls were about to move further into the house when they heard
shouting nearby. They briefly caught a glimpse of a large shaggy black
dog running down the main hall followed by a much larger black tiger
with a young boy riding on its back, giggling and demanding the tiger to
go faster.
They were followed by a house elf desperately trying to keep up with its
arms outstretched to try and catch the boy just in case he fell and finally
Remus followed them all on a small training broom with a bottle of
firewhiskey in his hand.
"What the-" Fleur muttered under breath.
"Boys..." Astoria shook her head disappointingly.
"They never change." Emmy said.
Remus caught a glimpse of the girls watching him as he flew by the den
and became distracted. He crashed right into the wall in front of him, but
instead of hitting solid wood, he flew right through the wood wall with
ease and hit a stone wall on the other side. He went down hard, the
broom breaking in two.
The girls heard the crash and rushed out into the hall to make sure their
boys were alright and found the large hole in the wall where Remus was
scrambling to get back up, still holding the bottle of firewhiskey, having
saved it from breaking. "We're good." He proudly proclaimed, stumbling
to his feet and placing a hand on the wall to keep himself upright.
Haunt and Padfoot came running back down the hall having heard the
crash. Andrew slid off Haunt and watched with wide eyes as both Haunt
and Padfoot turned back into Harry and Sirius. "You alright mate?" Sirius
asked, stepping over to Remus.
"Look at this." Harry said, having stepped into the small room Remus and
Sirius were in. He had punctured through a wooden wall and accidentally
found a hidden room inside the Black family house. It was a dark, narrow
staircase he found himself in that went down at least thirty feet.
"I didn't know this was here." Sirius muttered. Next to him, Remus took
another swig of firewhiskey and nearly fell down the stairs in the
attempt. Fleur quickly reached over and took the bottle from the drunken
werewolf and tossed it to Dobby who had an embarrassed look on his
face.
"Huh." Harry grunted as he took a step down into the staircase. He sent a
small light probe towards the bottom to illuminate the rest of the
staircase. It lit up the bottom landing of the stairs and showed that their
was a larger room at the bottom. "Might as well see what's down there."
Sirius, Fleur, Emmy, and Harry walked down the stairs with their wands
drawn. They left Remus to look after the rest just in case something bad
were to happen. They reached the landing and found themselves in a
small stone-brick room. Dust and cobwebs littered the room and it looked
like no one had been here in centuries.
The only thing in the small room was a wooden chest with steel locks on
it. Harry was about to reach down and touch the chest when Fawkes
flashed into the room and landed on his shoulder. "Do not touch it!"
Everyone had stopped to wait for what Harry would say when his short
conversation was done with Fawkes. He finally spoke up after several
long minutes, "There is a horcux in there, but it's not Voldemorts."
Thank you everyone that has Favorited/Followed/Reviewed.
29. France
"Welcome to our 'ome 'Arry." Appoline greeted him and Fleur at the front
door of their large beachside villa in Southern France. The two of them
walked into the main atrium hand in hand with a happy glow about
them. The villa was Roman in design with large white columns holding
up the red shingled roof. Water filled the shallow pool in the middle of
the atrium and beautiful and ancient mosaics covered the walls.
The Delacours were definitely among the wealthiest families in France,
and one of the oldest, dating back to the House of Julii of Rome. The
villa was located atop a small sandy hill that rested just above the
Mediterranean Sea, having one of the grandest views Harry had ever
seen. It was only an hour long trip by car to Marseille and had its own
private beach.
"'Arry!" Gabrielle shouted, rushing out from her room when she heard
them walk in. She leaped into Harrys arms and he spun the giggling girl
around before setting her on his shoulders.
"I'm 'ere too, sister." Fleur complained, but a small smile formed on her
lips nonetheless. It meant a lot to her that her family, especially her sister
and mother, were so accepting of Harry.
The little veela stuck her tongue out at her older sister. "I like him more."
She replied in French, not having the greatest handle on English yet.
Appoline had begun to teach her and she was starting to catch on, but
wasn't confident enough to speak much of it.
"Not as much as I." Fleur stuck her own tongue out at her sister.
"What's this I see?" Appoline said, a small smile quickly forming on her
lips. She was staring directly at the tattoo of angel wings above Harrys
right breast that was pulsing blue through his white shirt. Both Harry and
Fleur flushed slightly and Gabrielle gasped, covering her mouth as her
eyes widened.
"You know very well what zat eez mother." Fleur said, her eyes
narrowing dangerously, not wanting to discuss it further. The blue angel
wing tattoo was the mark of a veela, allowing the veela to claim a lover
for herself. It acted as a defense against other predatory veela who were
looking for a mark. Veela were no longer like that, the evils of men and
their physical nature had done away with predatory veela by turning
them into slaves, but the tradition still existed for a veela who fell in love
to claim that lover as her own. It kept any other veela from trying to lay
claim over him.
It was also a risky thing to do, which was why it was so rare. The mark
could only be accepted if the love was reciprocated completely by the
lover. If Harry truly, deep down hadn't loved Fleur, the mark wouldn't
have taken hold. Now without question, Fleur knew Harry loved her, and
she loved him. The world could see it as well and she took a huge
amount of pride in that fact. Sometimes she had to pinch herself when
she lay awake in his arms at night that she was really with him.
Many witches wished to be in her position, probably many she even
knew, yet it was her that he loved. It made her heart flutter at the mere
thought of it. A part of her still had doubts and in the back of her mind
still worried about the coming years with Harry still being in school,
especially this next year as she would still be in France. Love could fade,
not for a veela, but for a man, and Harry was definitely one who would
have his pick of women to be persuaded by, not that she thought he
would.
They had already worked out a plan to see each other every weekend. He
had Fawkes and Minister Montagne had provided a portkey for herself, so
seeing each other wouldn't be too difficult. Distance wasn't going to be a
problem for them, only time.
"So you're my brother in-law now?" Gabrielle asked bluntly, running her
small hand through Harrys short hair.
"Gabbi! Non, you know zat tradition isn't followed anymore." Fleur was
thankful Harry only understood a little French. Taking the mark used to
be a marriage contract, but such traditions were no longer followed in
todays societies except in the most fanatical veela colonies. In the back of
her mind though she couldn't help but look at Harry a little as her
husband, or at the very least, a fiancee.
"I have something for you, Gabbi." Harry said, not following the
conversation between the two French girls. He reached into his pocket
and pulled out a small silver ring that showed some signs of recently
being recast. A black G was carved into the medal with a single red ruby
at the center. Three diamonds formed a triangle around the G and
glittered in the sunlight that shown through the atrium.
Gabbi greedily snatched the beautiful ring from Harrys hand and placed
it on her left ring finger, holding it up to the sun to admire it. "I love eet!"
She screeched in English, smothering the top of Harrys head with kisses.
Fleur knew what the ring was and had some trepidation in giving it to
her, but she understood that a ring like that was best left in the hands of
someone completely innocent and away from a war. No one would think
to look for it on the hand of a young French veela, especially not Death
Eaters.
"That is beautiful 'Arry." Appoline breathed out, looking at the ring as
well. "You shouldn't spoil my daughter like this." She joked.
Harry chuckled, "She's a princess."
"See mama, I told you so!" Gabrielle exclaimed proudly.
"Princess or not, you still have studying. Leave 'Arry and Fleur to get
settled in." Harry slowly set her on the ground and watched with a smile
as she dutifully headed back to her room, marveling at her new ring the
whole way. "She will be insufferable the next several months." Appoline
said, a smile playing on her lips as she too watched her youngest
daughter disappear into her room.
"I would be dead in the water if I didn't win the approval of the younger
sister." Both Fleur and Appoline laughed at Harrys statement.
"Very true. Come, I'll show you to your room, or rather, Fleurs." She
smiled cheekily at the two before leading them to a large open room in
the back of the villa. It overlooked a valley, opposite of the beach.
Nestled into the valley was a small magical town similar to Hogsmeade.
The room itself was easily double the size of his room back in Grimmauld
Place and made entirely of white marble. The bed was king sized and
covered in pure white linens on an ornate mahogany frame. Fleur had
definitely lived the life of a princess growing up, a far cry from his own
childhood.
A small warm breeze flowed through the room, coming from the large
open veranda that allowed Harry and Fleur to walk out on and observe
the peaceful town below. They had gotten here midday and there was
still plenty of sunshine left.
They dropped off their luggage and headed out for a walk along the
beach. Sebastien would be coming back from work for dinner and they
would all be eating together later. Aimee would be arriving tomorrow
and staying with them for a week. He was excited to see his blue haired
friend again, having not been around her joyous personality the last
week.
The two of them talked quietly with one another as they walked along
the beach, enjoying being near each other with no one around for miles.
After many stolen kisses and 'stops' along the beach, the sun had begun to
set and forced them to start heading back to the Delacour Villa.
"'Ave you 'eard anything about the 'orcrux we found?" Fleur asked,
breaking the comfortable silence that surrounded them as they walked.
The last of the sun disappeared behind the calm Mediterranean sea as the
villa came into sight.
Harry shook his head, "Nothing. My team is working on it, but no dice so
far."
"I can't believe Sirius' family 'ad something like zat under their 'ouse all
this time. Eets disgusting."
"They were once a very dark family, still are really. Sirius is an oddball
when it comes to the Blacks. It doesn't really surprise me that they would
have something like this."
"Any guesses on who eet eez?"
Harry shrugged, "The chest itself is roughly 900 years old, so that keys us
in to a potential time frame, but it's impossible to determine who it is. It's
also possible that a person used a 900 year old chest to store his horcrux
in when in reality he was born in the 1800's or something. I'm at a loss
and so is my team."
"Whoever eet eez, they probably won't like that their 'orcrux was
discovered."
"Probably not." Harry muttered to himself. They continued to walk along
the beach in silence until they reached the Delacour Villa.
"Good, you're back just in time." Appoline said, seeing them walk into the
main atrium. She was wearing an apron and had several house elves
behind her, wearing similar but smaller aprons. "Dinner's almost ready."
Fleur showed Harry into the dining room where Sebastien and Gabrielle
were already sitting. She was currently showing him the ring Harry had
given her and he looked up at Harry, giving him a wink and a nod.
They took their place on the opposite side of the them. "So Harry, I heard
you got that bill passed the other day."
Harry nodded his head, "Barely. It was a lot closer than I had hoped for."
"Is he making moves?" He asked cryptically.
"We think he is." Gabbrielles head moved back and forth between the two
with a cute, confused look on her face.
"Anything I can do to help?"
"If I could speak with your minister that would definitely help." Sebastien
nodded his head and relaxed back into his chair. He had already been
told of Harry taking the mark, something he himself had on his right
wrist. It may not be official, but Harry was family now and he had a deep
respect for the boy that sat across from him. If Harry already wasn't with
his daughter, he would have tried to find a way to bring them together.
"I can do that." Sebastien responded.
"Enough talk about work you two." Appoline said, walking into the
dining hall with a large plate of Coq au Vin. The house elves filed in
behind her and delivered their own plates of food. Harry waited patiently
to make sure they didn't have any pre-dinner rituals and was happy to
see they didn't. Everyone dove into the plates of food and Harry, being
adventurous, tried a little of everything, not recognizing a lot of the food
in front of him.
He found for the most part, he liked a lot of the foods in front of him. All
of them had an interesting blend of sweet and tangy that he enjoyed,
especially the chicken. The only thing he refused to try much to the
laughter of everyone else was the Langue de Boeuf, cow tongue. Over the
course of the night, they talked about little things and Harry was given a
crash course on magical France.
They had several small magical communities scattered about, but most
French magicals lived in the main magical city within Paris. It was much
like Diagon Alley, except instead of just a shopping center, this was a
whole city with thousands of witches and wizards living in it. Gringotts
had a bank opened up there, much like in Britain, but they also had a
competing bank run by trolls. Supposedly there was an ongoing war
between the two factions beneath the streets of Paris, but the wizards
stayed out of it.
France also had their own problems when it came to pureblood
supremacy and dark lords. It was a popular thing for up and coming dark
lords to try and get the purebloods on their sides since they controlled
the majority of the wealth and political power in the country. They too
had the problem of the Malfoy family, though not as rich or powerful as
their English counterparts, still created some problems for those who
didn't agree with pureblood ideology.
The Malfoy family in France had veela blood in them, and most likely so
did the family in England. Lucius' grandfather had fled France and made
a haven in England after declaring open war against the French Ministry
and losing. The remaining Malfoys who had decided to not flee their
homeland had sworn loyalty to the free French Ministry, and though not
openly trying to overthrow it, were still subversively trying to do so.
Overall, Harry found France to be very similar to England, and if that
was the case for France, much of Europe was probably the same, which
scared Harry. Voldemort would have a lot of recruits that would follow
him, especially since Voldemort actually had the power to potentially
overthrow governments unlike the wannabe dark lords that had sprung
up when he disappeared for a decade.
The rest of the evening concluded nicely and Harry was led back into the
bedroom he shared with Fleur. Sebastien had refrained from
commenting, having seen them go to the same room and knowing he
already had the mark. It was the last step for him as a father, knowing his
little girl was no longer his, and now belonged to another man.
–
"Is anyone going to recognize me?" Harry asked Sebastien before they
headed to the French Ministry.
"Harry, everyone will recognize you." Sebastien responded cheekily.
"Wishful thinking." Harry took a deep breath and stepped into the floo
network. He was immediately transported to the French Ministry. He
stepped out of the floo easily, now being well practiced with magical
travel, and calmly stepped into the main Hall of the grand building he
found himself in.
The French Ministry was made entirely of white marble and had a large
open dome similar to the Roman Pantheon. Beautiful carvings were
etched into the dome ceiling and marble statues of famous French
wizards were displayed proudly around the large open space. Exquisite
paintings created by French artists were plastered on the walls, making
the place look more like a museum rather than a place of work.
Harry even heard above the talking and bustling of wizards, Mozart play
a calming tune over hidden speakers. The place screamed wealth and
power where as the English Ministry only had a single golden fountain to
display its wealth, or really, bigotry.
As Harry followed Sebastien through the grand halls, many people had
stopped to stare at him as he passed. He was dressed in a muggle suit, a
well fitting grey Armani that showed off his growing, muscular frame. It
was customary to wear nice clothes when meeting with the minister as
with any other minister besides Fudge, and Fleur had enjoyed playing
dress up with him. Luckily for him, he left before Aimee had arrived and
was saved her constant teasing about being a plaything for Fleur.
The halls were littered with famous pieces of artwork and Harry passively
wondered if there were any art thieves in the magical world. This place
was a gold mine for Picasso's, Leonardo's, and Van Gogh's. Harry thanked
Hermione's knowledge of things he thought would be useless, but
knowing famous artists was actually coming somewhat handy here.
Harry was led through grand hall after grand hall until they came to a
large set of double doors made of cherry wood. The handles were made
of beautifully smelted silver, crafted into the shapes of Eagles. Sebastien
rasped on the door three times and a young woman, around twenty years
old and very beautiful, opened the door. She flashed Harry a quick
surprised glance before letting them in upon seeing Sebastien. He was
wearing his white auror robes with several medals attached to it. The
English aurors wore dark purple with gold trim which Harry personally
didn't like.
"Monsieur Delacour, Monsieur Potter." The woman said, bowing her head
slightly as she greeted them. She led them into the large, well decorated
waiting room and pointed towards a pair of red velvet chairs. "Wait here,
Minister Montagne will be with you shortly."
"Thank you." Harry responded, ignoring the womans predatory glance.
He and Sebastien sat down in the lush chairs pointed out to them and
waited patiently. He knew he didn't look his age any longer, having
stubble along his chin and cheeks, and was taller and much more broad
than your normal fourteen year old and it saw him drawing unwanted
attention from older witches. He personally liked his older look and so
happily suffered their attentions.
"Screw you!" A woman shouted from the nearby double doors that acted
as the entrance to the ministers office. A woman came barging out of the
room, red faced and clearly angry at something. Minister Montagne
poked his head out of the doors and upon seeing Harry and Sebastien,
put on a happy grin.
"Harry! Good to see you. Sebastien, not so much." Minister Montagne
came over and shook Harrys hand, smiling further when he saw Harrys
Templar ring. Sebastien grunted, a brief smile flickering across his face,
and shook the ministers outstretched hand as well.
"We aren't coming at a bad time are we?" Harry asked, glancing back at
where the woman had stormed off.
"No, of course not! Please come in." He ushered them into his luxurious
office. The office, unlike the rest of the ministry, was made of a dark
wood Harry didn't recognize. Several paintings hung on the wall behind
the ministers desk, and the actual desk was the most beautiful Harry had
ever seen. It looked similar to the one he had seen the President of the
United States sit at, but for all he knew, there were differences.
Minister Montagne sat behind the intricate desk and smiled warmly at
the two in front of him. "So what do I owe the pleasure?"
"To get right to the point Minister, England may need your help soon."
Montagne furrowed his brow, "Help? How so?"
"The military kind." Sebastien said.
Minister Montagne looked skeptically at Sebastien, "Military? Is this
another one of your attempts to increase the DMLE's budget Sebastien?"
"Its my idea, sir." Harry responded. Minister Montagne raised his
eyebrows at Harry, so he continued, "War is coming to England and its
not a war we can fight alone."
Montagnes bushy grey eyebrows miraculously raised even higher, "Even
if that were true, why would we get involved in an English war?"
"Because the madman we face will not stop with England. France will be
next on his list, and if he were to completely take over England, it will
make it much easier to take France next." Harry said.
"This madman, who are we talking about exactly?"
Harry glanced at Sebastien who only shrugged, giving Harry free reign
over this conversation. Harry paused for several seconds, already
knowing it was highly possible he would have had to tell the minister the
full truth about their predicament before even walking into the office.
"Voldemort."
The French minister began to laugh but his laughter faltered when he
saw both Sebastien and Harry with deadpanned expressions. "Y-you can't
be serious?" He asked, looking at Sebastien.
"He's telling the truth." Sebastien confirmed, a grim look on his face.
"The night of the third task, you were quickly portkeyed to a safe house,
correct?" Harry asked.
"Yes, I was never told why though." The Minister responded focusing on
Harry. He was a seasoned politician very good at spotting liars, but the
boy wasn't showing any signs of deceit.
"That same night, I was transported to a graveyard in Little Hangleton
and dueled Voldemort himself. You can have some people fact check that
a large manor was destroyed the same night, its name, Riddle Manor.
Riddle is the man that controlled the basilisk inside the Chamber of
Secrets, one of my exploits you have read about, and something very few
know, another name for Riddle is Voldemort."
Minister Montagnes expression would have been comical if it wasn't
about such a serious topic. "As you see Minister, war is at Englands
doorsteps, and if it we don't act, it will soon be at ours." Sebastien
finished their little speech.
Montagne sat in silence, looking back and forth between the two in front
of him. He had gone deathly pale and Harry was beginning to get
worried the older wizard had had a stroke, but eventually his mouth
opened. "What needs to be done?"
"The DMLE needs to be brought back to full power. In the event that war
breaks out in England, we will need to be prepared. We think Voldemort
has begun to heavily recruit in Eastern Europe and Africa, two areas we
can have some influence in." Sebastien paused for a moment to formulate
his next words. "This war will be on the scale of the Dumbledore-
Grindelwald conflict in the forties. If we lose, we lose everything."
Montagne closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. This was not
the meeting he had wished to have today. He was already dealing with
elections this coming winter, and now, had a potential full blown war on
his hands. He took a deep breath before speaking, "I'll do what's
necessary."
–
"Have a hot date tonight?" Aimee teased Harry as he walked into the
atrium in the same muggle suit he wore to the ministers office, just with
a different tie.
"You know I do. Aren't you supposed to be helping Fleur with her
makeup or something?" Harry responded cheekily. Fleur and him were
heading to Paris for the evening and had rented a hotel room for the
night. It was a simple getaway in the city of lights that the couple was
greatly looking forward to.
Aimee was great to be around, but she could sometimes be overbearing,
and they wanted to be alone together again. Half of their vacation had
passed in what felt like a single day. Both were beginning to feel the
dread of what the ending of this vacation meant. All they would have
was Sirius' wedding before they would then be separated by the English
Channel.
Aimee stuck her tongue out at Harry, "She doesn't need my help to look
beautiful."
Harry looked up and down at Aimee and smirked, "You're right, you
would only ruin her beauty, which is saying something because she is a
veela."
Aimee scowled at Harry and punched him in the shoulder hard. Harry
put on a mock hurting face and rubbed his shoulder. "I am sought after
by many wizards for my beautiful looks, you should know!" She said
haughtily, sticking her nose up into the air.
"Oh yeah? Who?" Harry questioned.
She flushed slightly and stuttered, not expecting Harry to actually
question her on it. "None of your business."
Harry raised his eyebrows, "Who is it?" He asked, getting straight to the
point, realizing that she actually might have someone she was
romantically involved with.
Aimee blushed, a look that was foreign on the blue haired witch, "No
one."
"Its Viktor!" Fleur exclaimed proudly, walking into the room. Harrys jaw
dropped, not because of the name, but because of the radiant beauty he
saw in front of him. Fleur was wearing a pale blue, tight fitting dress that
had a long slit up her right leg, showing plenty of skin while still leaving
much to the imagination. Harry thought about dragging her back into the
bedroom and ripping the dress of immediately, but refrained from doing
so.
"Fleur! You traitor!" Aimee shouted.
Fleur just giggled, "Don't worry Aimee. I'm not sure 'Arry even 'eard what
I said." Aimee looked at Harrys stunned expression and giggled as well.
Aimee again punched Harry in the shoulder to break him out of his
stunned state. "Right. You look beautiful." Harry said, shaking his head
and subconsciously rubbing his shoulder. Fleur smiled and pecked him on
the lips for his compliment.
"'Ave fun you two!" Appoline called out from the den room. Sebastien
stood just behind her with a smile on his face.
"We will." Fleur said, turning to hug Aimee briefly. She was heading back
to her parents house for the rest of the summer once they left on their
trip to Paris. Her week with Harry and Fleur was over. She had at least
gotten one great memory out of her short time spent with them. The two
girls had dragged Harry to Marseille to shop and played dress up with
him, making him try on hundreds of different clothes. They had even
made him try on a few speedos which greatly embarrassed him. He at
least got a consolation surprise and saw both girls pick out their own new
swim suits, very revealing bikinis, and was even more happy to spend
some time with them on the beach.
Throughout the week, anytime Fleur and him weren't out doing
something, usually with Aimee, Harry spent time with Gabbi who
demanded his attention anytime he was in the house. He loved being
around the small veela. It felt like having a younger sister, further
increasing his family that he was steadily growing.
At nights he would spend time in the den with Sebastien and the
occasional guest he brought over. Sebastien hadn't wasted the political
potential of having Harry in his house, drawing some influential French
politicians to his home to meet Harry Potter. He was already openly
declaring Harry as his son-in-law, and though it wasn't official by any
means, everyone knew it was the future for them. It was useless to
pretend otherwise.
Because of his late night meetings with Sebastien and the various French
politicians, Harry had begun to acquire quite a wide array of contacts
that could be used in future situations. Friends and allies were always
useful, no matter how little they could actually contribute.
One man Harry met was a fellow Templar, a doctor who had made great
strides in medicines, mostly focused on patients that had undergone
severe mental trauma. Harry had explained his friend Nevilles situation
with his parents and their stay at St. Mungos. Doctor Emry had promised
to check in on them and see if there was anything to be done as well as
follow up with Madame Longbottom. Harry didn't hold out much hope
for the Longbottoms and neither did Doctor Emry in their conversation
about them, but it was worth a shot.
Fleur and Harry stepped into the floo and made their way to the Parisian
magical city simply named La Rue, wizards were not always the most
inventive when it came to naming places. Much like Diagon Alley, it had
one large street that was filled with shops and government buildings. The
French Ministry building was on La Rue, its wide white marble columns
towering above every other building. Gringotts bank was the only other
building that stood out amongst the shops. The trolls bank, Vilignes, was
across from Gringotts, and instead of a large white marble building, was
simply just a wooden hovel. The bank was situated entirely underground,
and where the goblins interior was bland compared to the outside, the
trolls interior was filled with gold and precious gems, showing off their
great wealth.
Having already explored La Rue to its fullest a few days before, Harry
and Fleur headed for muggle Paris where their hotel was located in. First
they headed for the most iconic spot in Paris, the Eiffel Tower, where
they had dinner reservations at Le Jules Verne.
Dinner passed much more quickly than either would have liked and they
made their way to the observation deck to overlook the city of lights,
taking in its beauty together as many couples in love have done. Despite
the late hour, Fleur demanded they make their way to the Pont des Art
bridge to inscribe their names into the bridge love stone as many
wizarding couples had done before them.
The bridge was long considered the bridge of love, and later muggles
would take to the tradition of leaving locks on the bridge, but wizards
had started the tradition first, inscribing their names on the bridges
stones with their wands. There were wards placed long ago that kept the
names from being seen by anyone other than magical beings and had
names dating back to the late 1800's.
Eventually, after several detours through the city, they made their way to
their hotel, the Hotel San Regis. It had a beautiful view of the city of
Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the skyline. Neither could imagine a more
beautiful place to vacation and vowed to come back here once their
duties to the world were over.
"This has been perfect." Harry breathed out after a vigorous amount of
love making to Fleur. They both were entangled in each others arms,
enjoying the warmth of their naked bodies pressed against one another.
"Tell me about eet." She replied, nuzzling her face into Harrys neck,
kissing him lightly.
"Promise me something Fleur."
Fleur continued to press kisses into his neck, "Anything."
"If I don't make it through this war, come back here for me. Remember
this day."
Fleur stopped kissing his neck and propped herself up on both elbows to
look Harry in the eyes. He avoided eye contact, knowing she didn't like
what he had said, but he knew it needed to be said. There were no
guarantees he would make it out of this war alive. "Do not say that now,
do not say it ever. We will come back 'ere together, or not all." She
responded with a fierce look in her vibrant blue eyes.
Harry immediately understood the insinuation in her words and made to
interject, but she spoke before he could. "That eez final." She then pressed
her lips into his and it wasn't long before Harry lost any coherent
thought.
–
"We 'ave a gift for you." Appoline said as she stood next to Sebastien. The
happy couple had just returned from their wonderful night in Paris and
were feeling more rested than they ever had before. Sebastien pulled out
a small bronze key from his pocket and handed it to Harry.
The couple looked questioningly at Sebastien and Appoline, Fleur also
didn't know what this key was and looked just as confused as Harry. "It's
the key to a town house in Annecy, it's yours to do with as you wish."
Sebastien said with a smile.
Both Harry and Fleurs eyes grew wide at the implication, their own
house. The couple glanced at each other before breaking out into
multiple thank you's. Neither knew anything else to say other than thank
you. To be offered a house, their own house was something neither had
been expecting at all.
"We know you're young and won't be able to move in there for awhile,
but we wanted to give you something that showed our 'appiness and faith
in your relationship." Appoline said.
"Can we-?" Fleur started.
"Of course!" Sebastien exclaimed. Harry was too dumbfounded to say
much other than express his constant gratitude for what they were doing
for them. Fleur and Harry immediately stepped into the floo since their
town house had already been connected with the floo network at
Delacour Villa.
Harry and Fleur stepped out into their town home that was located near
the lake Gorge, along the main downtown area of Annecy. The city was
considered the Venice of the Alps and had a bustling population with a
rich night life. It was the perfect spot for a young couple and Harry and
Fleur now had a prime location in it.
They first stepped into the living room area. The house was completely
barren of furniture, allowing them to design the floor plan and furniture
to whatever they liked as a couple. The kitchen was adorned with the
latest muggle equipment, the only things actually in the house. All the
other rooms were completely free of anything which they liked since it
allowed them to do as they wished.
There was a basement that Harry immediately knew would be perfect for
a dueling ground. The second floor had three guest bedrooms and baths,
and the top floor was only the master suite and bath. A balcony
overlooked the lake and part of the city connected to the suite as well.
Both Harry and Fleur immediately got the impression that this could be
their home, that they could raise children here. Neither were necessarily
thinking about kids, but it was a subconscious thought in their minds.
"This is..." Harry trailed off as he walked out onto the balcony to look
upon the city and lake.
"Perfect." Fleur came up behind him, echoing the same words spoken last
night in Paris, and wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed
herself into his back. She began to nibble at his ear making Harry lean
his head back further into her touch.
Fawkes suddenly flashed above them and landed on Harrys shoulder,
making Fleur jump back. "Is there something wrong?" Harry asked
urgently, stroking the birds feathers.
"No? Why would there be?" Fawkes responded in his head.
"I don't know, because you flashed here so suddenly?" Harry said a little
irritably at the bird.
"I was just curious to see where I would be living. Is this my room?"
"Your room?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows.
–
"'Appy birthday Mr. Potter." Fleur said, sliding off his naked body and
covered herself in the white linen sheets. Fleur and Harry spent the last
week of their vacation in Annecy at their new home, furnishing it
together and making it livable. Sebastien and Appoline had made
frequent trips to help where needed and Dobby had even take some time
off from the wedding preparations to help them around the house.
It was now his birthday and Harry wanted nothing more than to spend
the day entirely with Fleur. Gifts had been delivered to the house
throughout the last two weeks when they realized he would be having a
private birthday was just Fleur as company. Harry had extended his
vacation another week to completely move into the house and secure it
with the best wards. Almost no one knew of the location of his house in
Annecy, and many were guessing incorrectly that it was in Marseille,
something Harry didn't bother to deny.
Because of his extended vacation, Fawkes had grown grumpy since he
was being constantly used to ferry Harry back and forth to the Ghost
Castle for training each day. The phoenix was placated a little when he
did receive his own room since he was basically Harry and Fleurs kid at
this point. He wouldn't be all too happy when they kicked him out of the
room when they actually did have kids of their own, but that was years
down the road.
The house wasn't going to get too much use over the next several years,
but they would at least be able to meet here for the weekends, happy
with having their own place to go back to. They had spent many hours
each day searching for furniture, with Harry even going to his vault in
Gringotts to see if he had anything worth putting in the house. He chose
several things for the basement, the place he converted into a dueling
room, which also acted as his own little space in the house. Fleur had
taken a spare room for herself, creating an art studio for her recently
developed interest in enchantments.
"Presents?" Harry asked once he had caught his breath. Fleur giggled next
to him and placed a tender kiss on his lips.
"Of course." The two eventually made their way out of the king sized bed
and into the room that acted as a den. On the ground in front of the large
roaring fireplace were over a dozen wrapped presents. There was also a
very large stack of cards from random people wishing him a happy
birthday as well. The house wasn't allowed to get mail through owls, only
Fawkes could get in, but Sirius had delivered the letters on behalf of the
mail service.
Harry sat down cross legged in front of the stack of presents wearing only
shorts with Fleur sitting just behind him, pressing her near naked form
into his backside, only wearing lacy black underwear. Harry allowed a
smile to flutter across his lips, his mind briefly thinking how good his life
had become this last year.
He picked up a small box from Sirius and Emmy and tore into the
wrapping paper. He could tell it was a book, a heavy one at that, and was
eager to see what it was. Harrys eyes widened at the title, The Family
Black Anybook. A brief note was attached to it simply saying, Keep the
Black Family knowledge for yourself, my family starts anew. All of the Black
family library had been condensed into a single book, just like the Potter
library, but according to the note, Sirius must have gotten rid of any
other trace of the very dark library.
Harry began methodically moving through his other presents, getting two
new wand holsters from Amelia, a design not even available to the
aurors. They had blood wards on them, not allowing anyone to so much
as touch the holster without being injured except by the wearer. They
were considered dark items, but Harry knew better than anyone that dark
was a loose term in the ministry.
Remus had given him an album of photos of his parents from their time
at Hogwarts, something that brought a tear to his eye, and Fleurs as well.
Daphne, Tracy, Andrew, and Astoria had combined to get him a few new
pairs of shirts since he seemed to be cycling through them like crazy. The
teaching staff at Hogwarts had sent a letter with a prefect badge in it.
Harry wasn't sure how to react to this one, but he knew he didn't have
the time to be a prefect. It was a great honor to be chosen, but he had too
much to worry about. He quickly scribbled a response to Sirius who was
Head of House Gryffindor saying that Neville should be the prefect in his
stead.
Eventually, after receiving many useful items, Harry reached for a plain
wooden box that was nailed together. On the top were the words We
March, stamped in blue ink into the yellowish-white wood. "Who eez that
from?" Fleur asked from over his shoulder. She was currently threatening
Fawkes with a small leash that Sirius had given him as a gag gift.
Harry had an inclination, knowing well what the words meant. He tore
the lid off the box with ease, the nails easily being pried from the wood.
Inside, set upon various kinds of packaging, was a dark green mask made
of the same basilisk scales of his now famous jacket, after it was
discussed repeatedly in fashion magazines. He slowly picked up his mask,
inspecting it with awe. It was some of the finest work he had ever seen.
Inscribed along the edges of the mask were various goblin runes used to
enhance the masks capabilities. The thing that stuck out though was the
image of a tiger in mid leap with a phoenix flying just above it,
emblazoned in real gold.
Harry turned the mask over and saw on the inside along the right cheek
was an inscription, Become the Night. He slowly placed the mask on his
face and was amazed at what he saw. When he had seen the Ghosts wear
their masks, he though some of their visibility was compromised since
the masks only had slits for eyes, but instead, he found his peripheral
vision enhanced. His normal vision was also much better and Harry
briefly channeled his animagus abilities and saw his vision become even
sharper, the mask working in tandem with his animagus abilities. He
blinked three times and the mask turned to night vision, a fourth time
and infra-red appeared.
Harry took off the mask after briefly getting used to it and set it aside.
"Thank you, Fleur." Harry said, turning to face her and planting a searing
kiss on her lips.
"For what?" She asked.
"Making this the best birthday I could ever have hoped for." The two
continued the day in bliss, enjoying their last day completely alone.
Tomorrow was going to be a long and hectic day, and afterwards, they
would mostly be contained to just weekends to see each other. They
spent the majority of their night curled up in the bed, forgetting their
troubles for the time being.
A fairly fluffy chapter for those who love fluff. Also the story needed
a bit of a breather I think. Next chapter will pick up again with a
wedding and Vikings. Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed/
favorited.
30. Homecoming
Harry stood around a long wooden table along with the rest of the Ghost
Squad. The room they were in was large with a high vaulted stone ceiling
being supported only by old wooden arches. Stained glass windows
showing medieval battles bathed the room in colorful light. This was
called the War Room, and though it had never really acted as one, it was
the main room the Ghosts used for business. In the middle of the table
was the old wooden chest Harry had found in the hidden room in
Grimmauld Place. They had refrained from ever opening the chest until
now, after Angel had had enough time to determine its safety.
Specter, being the leader and completely fearless when it came to these
things, placed his hand on the chest and slowly began opening the old
iron locks that kept it secure. The two locks clicked open and some dust
flew from them. "Here goes nothin'." He opened the chest, wincing
slightly as he did so.
Nothing happened and everyone leaned forward to more clearly see what
was on the inside. A glimmering sword, its hilt covered in sparkling
jewels, the handle made of Yew wood, and its blade made of steel, rested
in the bottom of the chest looking like it had just been forged yesterday.
The sword was sharp on both sides as well as its point and appeared to be
Nordic of origin. There were ancient runes along the blade in a language
no one could read.
"What exactly are we dealing with here?" Demon asked, breaking the
silence that had enveloped the room as they all stared at the sword.
"A viking sword?" Shadow suggested weakly.
"Why in the hell would the Blacks have a viking sword that had been
turned into a horcrux?" Spirit questioned.
"I think the more important question is, who is the owner of this sword?"
Harry asked, silencing the others as they all peered back down at the
sword, baffled at the questions pertaining to this sword.
–
"Oh good, you're here, you can help me with the flowers!" Daphne
exclaimed, dragging Harry out of the floo before he could even dust the
soot off of his clothes. During his absence in France, Daphne had become
more and more like her normal self. There were still signs of the abuse
she went through, but she was healing quickly enough. Being around her
friends constantly was definitely a good thing, especially Tracy who was
a mainstay in her life long before Harry had entered it. She just needed to
slowly be helped back into her normal routine, and being in the presence
of Tracy was helping immensely.
Also, the potions the Ghosts had given her were doing wonders, helping
her sleep easily through the night and blocking out any pain from
headaches she might have. She was also on some kind of special potions
meant to help brain trauma victims. The treatment was experimental, but
it was working so far on Daphne and that was all that mattered.
He was led to the rooftop, the place being used for the wedding
reception. The two of them stepped out onto the roof and saw Tracy and
Andrew already working, moving things around by hand. Sirius asked
Harry to not tell them that they could use their wands here since he
didn't yet trust them with their magic.
"Oh you actually came back? I thought you would sneak off until the
wedding!" Tracy said upon seeing him. Andrew was currently next to to
his big sister, helping her with the tables and chairs. Dobby and the new
Kreature were popping in and out of sight with various dishes of food
and other assorted items. Harry shook his head at seeing the new Black
House Elf, he swore Sirius had gone out looking for a grumpy old elf to
replace the one he once had. Though Sirius would never admit it, he was
fond of that old elf because of his dutifulness to his brother who had
turned out to be good, or somewhat good.
"And miss out on all of this fun work? I could never." Harry replied
cheekily, sarcastically rolling his eyes. Daphne ushered him over to a
place where several hundred plants and bouquets were placed
haphazardly on the ground.
"The bouquets go on the tables, only place them after the white dining
cloth has been added, and the flowers go around the edges of the
rooftop." Daphne ordered him.
Harry clicked his heels together like a soldier and saluted, "Yes ma'am."
Daphne rolled her eyes at him, but a faint smile fluttered across her lips.
He began to dutifully get to work, sneakily using some wandless magic
whenever no one was looking.
By now, Sirius and Remus should be helping each other get ready. Harry
and Remus were sharing best man duties, but Remus was the 'main' best
man as it were. That meant he had to do the speech and make sure Sirius
didn't get cold feet while Harry dealt with the actual preparations for the
ceremony. Emmy was at her sisters house in Cambridge and would be
arriving by portkey to the small church only a mile from Grimmauld
Place.
The wedding was entirely magical since the only people on Emmy's side
she wanted to invite already knew of magic. Harry got the impression
that despite the outgoing personality she put on, on the inside she was an
introvert at heart. He had never heard of her going out with 'girlfriends'
or having many friends for that matter. Her friends were also Sirius'
friends as they were in the same year at Hogwarts. She had many stories
about his parents and was good friends with his mum.
Emmy is a potioneer working for a beauty company that supplied make-
ups and other such commodities aimed at both women and men. She is
the brains behind the operation and had gotten her mastery in the art of
potions from, by happenstance, Doctor Emry who Harry had met only a
week ago.
Daphne had been enthralled when she learned of Emmy's profession and
had asked question after question about what she did and how she got to
where she is today. The Greengrass' were known for their potions,
Cygnus, Daphne's father was a potioneer as well, and Daphne had the
same interest. Astoria was very different however, having taken a liking
to runes. She was brilliant in the subject and had even been allowed to
start taking Runes as a second year.
"I think that does it, yes?" Harry asked, placing the last of the bouquets
on the tables. Tracy and Daphne had already left, leaving only Andrew
and himself to finish up. The girls complained that they wouldn't have
enough time to get ready if they didn't leave early.
Andrew was sitting in a chair looking bored but looked up hopefully at
Harry when he said they were finished. "Can I play with your firebolt?"
Andrew asked with excited, wide-eyes.
"Er-I don't know. Your sister would kill me and we don't have a lot of
time before the wedding." Harry responded, trying to avoid the puppy
eyes the young boy was giving him. He had a soft spot for children, it
was the reason Fleur said he would be a great father, yet a horrible
disciplinary.
"Aww come on! Please! Please! Please!" He continued to repeat please
over and over and hopped off his chair to bounce up and down, doing his
best to make Harry cave. Harry made the grave mistake at glancing at
Andrew and immediately caved in when he saw his large hopeful eyes.
"What can go wrong?" He smiled and headed to get his broom with an
excited Andrew following close behind.
–
"Where 'ave you been?" Fleur hissed angrily when they entered into the
chapel where the wedding was being held. "You're a mess!" They had
sprinted from Grimmauld Place to the church, a full mile mind you, to
get to the ceremony in time. Harry was sporting a scratch just above his
right eye that was beginning to bruise and Andrews medium length,
wavy hair was a mess and full of twigs.
Appoline who was nearby came over and began to tidy up Andrew as
Fleur began working on Harry. "Oh we were just out and about." Harry
said, glancing at Andrew who began to giggle.
Fleur narrowed her eyes at him which made Harry wince slightly. "Did
you take him flying?" She accused.
"Wha-No! How could you think I would do such a thing! He's too young
of course." Harry responded, sounding utterly unconvincing and he knew
he was dead in the water when his girlfriends eyes narrowed even
further.
"It better have been the training broom at least." Fleur covered her
forehead with her hand when she saw his guilty expression. "Your
firebolt? Really? You thought eet was a good idea to train 'im on ze
fastest broom in ze world!" Sirius had given him a new firebolt after his
old one had been incinerated by the Hungarian Horntail in the first task,
and now he would have to be asking for a new one, or more likely go out
and buy one himself. They had had an unhappy accident involving the
side of a very big clock tower named Ben.
Harry cowered back and looked to Appoline for some help but she only
shook her head, a large grin on her face, enjoying the scene in front of
her. "It sounds dumb when you say it like that."
"That's because eet was dumb!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms into
the air in frustration. "Tracy will not be 'appy when I tell 'er about this,
and if she tries to kill you, I won't stop 'er."
"No!" Both Harry and Andrew shouted at the same time. Fleur raised her
eyebrows questioningly, her face morphing into a threatening look, "I
mean no?" Harry asked, wincing even more.
"Why would I not tell 'er?"
"Because you love me and don't want to see me die?" Fleur scoffed and
crossed her arms. "Also!" He held his hands up to stop her reply. "-also
because it would put unneeded stress on Tracy. We're here safe and
sound and in time for the wedding and we promise to never do
something like this again, right Andrew?" The young boy nodded his
head fervently, putting on the same puppy-eyed face he had used on
Harry earlier. Even though Fleur like to tout that she could be tough
when it came to discipline, she was just as soft as him.
"Fine." Fleur said. Then she stuck her finger into Harry's gut, "But, if I so
much as get a whiff of 'im being around a broom again, you will be in
trouble." Harry smiled and kissed her quickly on the lips.
"Deal. I should get going now." Harry escaped further ire from his
girlfriend and headed down the aisle of the chapel, taking his place next
to Sirius and Remus at the front. Both older wizards raised their
eyebrows at his somewhat haggard appearance.
"Later." Harry muttered. The chapel was small and could only seat around
fifty people in total. Overall, there were probably half that number in
attendance. They had wanted to keep this ceremony very private since
neither had much care for the public. Only their close friends and family
were present and all were invited back to the reception.
White flowers adorned the aisle and an organ was playing by itself in the
back. The only people walking down the aisle was going to be Emmy and
her father, John. He was a nice enough man that Harry had only briefly
met once. He knew very little of the magical world and had retired as a
police captain and was now living in Scotland with his wife.
Fleur, Daphne, Tracy, and Jolie quickly made their way down the aisle to
take their place opposite the boys. Harry winked at Fleur who rolled her
eyes, but she couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips. He
thought she looked amazing in her tight fitting pink dress, Emmy's
favorite color. Fleur's hair was up in a bun with a few stray strands to
frame her face, something he wasn't used to, but liked nonetheless.
The wedding march began to play as the doors opened and Emmy walked
in, wearing a long white gown with short sleeves. Beside her was John in
a black tux which was what the rest of the men were wearing as well.
They slowly made their way down the aisle and he presented her to a
teary-eyed Sirius who couldn't wipe the silly grin off his face. Kingsley
had been chosen as the minister for the ceremony, being an ordained
minister and a deeply religious man himself.
Harry watched Fleur for most of the ceremony, watching as her face lit
up with more and more joy as the ceremony went on. It wasn't until
Remus nudged him with his elbow that Harry was brought back to
reality. "The rings Harry?" Harry glanced around and noticed that
everyone was staring at him.
"Oh! The rings! Yes, er..." Harry began furiously patting down the few
pockets in his tux.
"You have them right?" Sirius asked, his eyebrows raised.
"Ah!" Harry exclaimed, proudly presenting the two golden bands that
were in his left pocket and handing them to Sirius.
The crowd burst into laughter when, as soon as Sirius' hand touched the
rings, his tux turned into pink and yellow poke-a-dots and his hair turned
a vibrant purple. "Harry!" Sirius growled.
Harry in return pointed at Remus, "It was his idea, I swear!"
Sirius narrowed his eyes at the old werewolf who looked shocked at
Harry, "Don't lie! This was your idea!"
Harry shook his head, "He paid me to do this! He has the real rings in his
pocket."
"No, I don't!" Remus said as he began pulling out the insides of his
pockets to show proof, and when he patted down the pocket on the
inside of his tux, he felt the real rings. "How!" Remus barked at Harry
who was doing his best to look innocent in the matter. When he had
stepped over to hand the fake rings to Sirius, at the same time he was
able to slip the real rings into the pocket of Remus' tux.
Emmy all of a sudden had a wand in her hand and Harry really thought
he was about to die from an angry witch, but instead of a dangerous
curse being hailed at him, his own tux turned poke-a-dotted and his hair
grew long and purple to match Sirius'. Harry looked up to Remus and
found him to look similar, the small goatee he had just as purple as his
new hair.
"The groomsmen should match the groom." She said with a smirk as the
girls across the aisle burst into laughter.
"Where did she even pull that out from?" Harry asked, looking over her
dress.
"I don't think we want to know." Remus remarked.
"I think Sirius wants to know." Harry said with a grin.
"'Arry James!" Fleur admonished like she was warning a toddler.
"Désolé mon amore." Harry replied, thoroughly cowed from the look she
was giving him, especially since he was already in hot water with her.
"Ignore the boys Kingsley, please continue. I love him poke-a-dots and
all." Emmy cut in. The ceremony continued on despite the new shocking
look for Sirius and his groomsmen. Harry winked at Fleur who simply
rolled her eyes at him, but he caught a fleeting smile that she did well to
hide.
"You may kiss the bride!" Sirius wasted no time and eagerly planted his
lips on Emmy's to the sounds of cheering and wolf howls. The newlyweds
made their way down the aisle with the wedding party following them
out. They made their way back to the house, walking the whole mile
with Harry, Remus, and Sirius' hair all glinting brightly in the sunlight. It
was just as bright as Tonks' pink bubblegum hair that she was sporting.
The three groomsmen excused themselves to get changed and fix what
had happened to their hair before heading up to the party. Emmy had
also gotten out of her dress and into a more comfortable one. By the time
they made it up to the rooftop, people had already begun to dance to
loud music being played from a record player.
"May I have this dance my lady?" Harry asked dramatically, bowing in an
overly exaggerated manner.
"I am flattered Monsieur Potter." Emmy giggled, taking his outstretched
hand. She tried and failed to sound French as she did so. "Did that sound
enough like Fleur?"
Harry laughed and guided her onto the dance floor where other couples
were already twirling around. Sirius was currently dancing with Emmy's
sister. "With practice maybe."
Harry began to lead her through the dance with practiced ease, now
being confident on the dance floor. "I want you to be careful Harry. You
mean a lot to Sirius and if anything were to happen...well I don't want to
think about what he would do if something happened to you."
Harry smiled softly at Emmy, "I know. I'll talk with him about things. I
know you two have already started a family and it's important that he's
around to be with you and be in your child's life."
Emmy stopped dancing for a moment, "He told you?"
"Was he not supposed to?"
"We had agreed to not tell anyone until after the first trimester."
"Ah." Harry said, having no idea what that meant. He looked over to
Sirius who had a large smile plastered on his face. "He's just so excited
about it, I'm sure it was difficult for him to not tell anyone."
"Who knows already?" She asked.
"Remus and I for sure, and I think your sister." They both watched as
Sirius switched partners and had Emmy's mum in his arms as they moved
around the dance floor. John and Emmy's mum, Emilia, both glanced
over at them with large smiles on their face. "And probably your parents."
Harry added.
Emmy rolled her eyes, "I swear you boys are nothing but trouble."
"You married one of the good ones though."
Emmy nodded her head and looked back at Harry as they began to dance
again. "So, when are you and Fleur going to tie the knot. You already
have a house together, that's a pretty big step."
"Not for awhile. I'm still fifteen, although an emancipated fifteen year
old. We are both still in school and well, you know what we have
looming over our heads." Emmy nodded, her face going grim. It wasn't
just looming over Harry and Fleurs heads, but over Sirius and hers as
well. They were all going to be dragged into this war. She hoped that by
the time her baby came around, the world would be a much better place.
Emmy smiled as something came to her mind, "Since Sirius has ruined
the surprise of my being pregnant, I want to ruin his surprise of asking
you to be the godfather. Would you do us that honor?"
Harry didn't miss a beat as they danced, only the slight widening of his
eyes showed his surprise, "Of course!" He planted a kiss on her cheek and
danced the night away happily. He ended up being a popular person to
dance with, having spent most of the night on the dance floor in the arms
of various witches, most notably Fleur, Gabbi, and Daphne.
"Bets on when Andrew and Gabbi fall in love and get married?" Harry
asked, sitting down at a table with Fleur in his lap and Tracy and Daphne
beside them. They watched as Andrew and Gabbrielle danced with one
another to no music under the starry sky. Almost no one remained at the
party, it already being very late into the night, but none of them could
muster up the courage to break up the young ones from their dance,
especially since it had taken Andrew most of the night to muster the
courage to ask the veela to dance with him.
Fleur softly punched him in the shoulder, "Twenty-five, and you had
better be sure it's not a day before that!" She said threateningly at Harry.
"I thought it was your fathers job to scare off potential boyfriends?"
"You're much scarier." She lightly kissed him on the lips.
"Ooh, don't tell your father that." She giggled and kissed him more
fervently, bringing the night to a final close. Sirius and Emmy had
already left on their honeymoon in Rome and wouldn't be back to
England for two weeks. Fleur was due back in France tomorrow so they
made most of their last night together, leaving the others to clean up the
party.
–
"Hey Nev." Harry said as he sat down across from him at the small picnic
bench style seating in the cafe they were at. Diagon Alley was full of
people beginning to get ready for the coming year of Hogwarts. There
had also been a Quidditch match between the Vratsa Vultures and the
Chudley Cannons taking place in a nearby stadium and so many came
here after the game to enjoy the various pubs and eateries.
Sirius and Emmy were a week into their honeymoon and they had only
received one letter from them by a very tired Hedwig. Attached was a
postcard of the Roman Coliseum and Harry was amazed by the size of it
and desperately wanted to take a trip there himself. Fleur had already
agreed to take him during the next summer and show him around since
she had been several times before.
"Hey Harry." Neville responded. He put down the Daily Prophet he had
been skimming through and took a sip of his tea. They were having a
boys day out on the alley, away from girlfriends or any other distractions.
They had invited Theo but he said he couldn't come and Harry knew
why. It was going to be interesting to see how the next year would play
out involving Theo as now Voldemort had returned and Theo's father was
a devout follower.
"I did want to thank you." Neville said, placing his cup down and looking
up at Harry.
"For what?" Harry asked.
"Doctor Emry came to speak with my grandmum and I."
Harry nodded, "Ah, good he did reach out to you. I can't promise
anything, I just thought maybe he could help."
"He said the same thing, and we aren't getting our hopes up or anything,
but just, thank you for caring enough to try."
Harry smiled softly at his friend, "Your mum is my godmother, she's
family, as you are. You know me well enough by now that I'd do
anything for family." The two grew silent for a moment until a woman
spoke up, getting their attention.
"Mr. Potter, it's an honor to have you here. How may I help you?" A tall
woman with long brown hair walked up to them at the table. Harry
immediately recognized who she was since her daughter was the mirror
image of the woman in front of him.
"Just what he's having Madame Bell." Harry replied with a well practiced
smile. The woman looked slightly shocked that he knew her name. He
could tell she was about to ask how, but Harry supplied the answer for
her, "I go to school with your daughter and she is the spitting image of
you."
She chuckled, "Don't tell my Katie that. She's been trying to make herself
look different from me since she was ten!"
Harry laughed, seeing some of the differences. Katie's hair was shorter
and dyed to be slightly more red. She also wore much more colorful
clothing than what her mother was currently wearing. "Well, she is doing
herself a disservice then. You are a stunning woman." Harry ignored
Neville's eye roll.
"Oh! You are such a flatterer. Just as charming as the papers have
described you to be."
"Mum!" Katie came rushing over when she caught sight of her mother
talking with Harry and Neville. "I thought this was my table!" She had on
a white apron and was carrying around an empty tray, having just served
another table of drinks.
"I couldn't resist the opportunity to make my acquaintance with Mr.
Potter here. Why didn't you tell me you knew him in school?"
"Of course I know him, we're in the same house!" Katie said
exasperatedly.
Katie's mother then winked at Harry, "Well, if I were your age, we'd be
more than just in the same house." Harry's eyes widened at the
insinuation and he immediately began to feel blood rush into his cheeks.
"Mum! He has a girlfriend!" Katie cried out, covering her face in
embarrassment.
"That didn't stop me from getting your father." Madame Bell replied as
she walked away from the table.
"I'm so, so, so, sorry Harry. She's deranged, absolutely barmy." Katie tried
to explain her mother, looking anywhere but at him. Neville was
laughing behind his hand at what just occurred and Harry kicked him in
the shin under the table to get him to shut up.
"It's no problem Katie. Parents can be like that sometimes."
Katie let out a breath of relief, "Are your parents-" Her eyes widened
when she realized what she was about to ask. "Sorry, I'm so sorry. I
forgot, I'm stupid. I shou-" She said, completely flustered.
Harry chuckled and placed a hand on her arm to stop her, "It's alright
Katie. Sirius did his best to embarrass me when I was around Fleur in the
early days of our relationship. One time he hid in a bush for a whole day
just to make my pants disappear when I was talking with her." Both
Neville and Katie laughed at the image. Sirius, although he was now a
teacher, still retained his pranking reputation by disciplining his students
in unconventional ways.
"Oh look, what do we have here?" A familiar voice said from behind
Harry.
"The Great Champion of Gryffindor!" Another, similar voice added.
"The slayer of Basilisks!"
"The protector of beautiful women!"
"And we can never forget the most important thing!"
"What's that dear brother?"
"Our business partner!" Harry chuckled at the twins antics as they came
up to greet him. Fred sat down next to him and George took the place
next to Neville. "Two teas please Katie dearest." Fred said.
"I'm serving Harry and Neville, not you two nitwits." Katie responded but
she couldn't keep the smile off her face.
"Oh you wound us!" George said, placing both his hands over his heart as
if injured.
Katie rolled her eyes and left the table to get them their drinks. "Business
partner?" Neville asked, looking between the three.
"I may have made the grave mistake in loaning them a thousand
galleons." Harry replied, putting on a guilty face.
Neville brought his hand to his forehead, "You've doomed us all." He said,
shaking his head.
"Mayhems our mission, fun is our game!" Fred said with pride.
"World destruction is not our aim!" George finished.
"Well..." Fred trailed off.
"It actually might be." George said. "Who knows!"
"Right, here are your drinks, please don't destroy the glasses like last
time. They do cost money." Katie said, placing the drinks down on the
table.
"We would never!" Fred defended himself and his brother.
"Uhuh." Katie grunted before turning back to check on her other
customers. The Belle Inn was a small bed and breakfast similar to the
Leaky Cauldron but this was much more centered on Diagon Alley, being
directly across from Gringotts. Because of its location and distance from
the muggle world entrance, they tended to get much more wealthy,
pureblood customers who thought even being near muggles was a
disgrace to themselves.
"So what are you two fine chaps doing out here in Diagon Alley by
yourselves?" Fred asked, looking between Harry and Neville.
"We could ask you the same thing." Harry responded.
"We are out here looking for a shop to buy with our money."
"Ah, should I go with you to find the shop? Seeing as it's my money."
"Do you not trust us?" Fred asked.
"Would I have given you a thousand galleons if I didn't?" Harry replied
with his own question.
"Good point." George nodded his head.
"Harry!" He turned to see Aimee running up the small steps and towards
the table they sat at, her long blue hair flowing behind her. Krum
followed her at a much slower pace.
She rushed up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug before he could
even stand from his seat. "Aimee, what are you doing here?" Harry asked
once air returned to his lungs after the bone-crushing hug.
"I came to see Viktor's game! Did you see it?" She asked excitedly,
glancing at her new boyfriend who stood behind her as surly as ever.
Harry stood up and shook the star seekers hand, "I didn't have the
chance, sorry. You win?"
Krum snorted, "Do I lose?"
"The World Cup, the TriWizard Cup, the Champions Quidditch Cup,
Europe A League." Fred responded, counting off his fingers.
"Your forgetting last years Bulgarian League finals and even the
Durmstrang house finals match." George added. Harry winced at the
fierce staring match going on between the three males. Aimee and Lee
Jordan, the twins best friend, didn't have the greatest of breakups after
the Yule ball, and now that she was dating Krum, they weren't going to
be on the best of terms.
Aimee cleared her throat to break up the staring match, having quickly
recognized the hostility between the three males. "Well, I just wanted to
come say hello. Have a good rest of the summer, Harry." She hugged him
once more and gave him a parting kiss on the cheek before dragging
Krum out of the small Inn before a fight could break out.
"Well, we should get going too." Harry announced, staying standing up.
"You're free to join us if you want?" He looked at the twins as Neville
stood up to leave as well. Harry placed a few galleons on the table to pay
for everyones drinks.
"Sounds like a great idea!" Fred and George responded at the same time.
The four of them made their way into the town streets to peruse the
shops. Harry had to fight the crowds as his appearance had garnered a
large amount of attention, but for the most part, it was an enjoyable
afternoon and nice to be out with friends of his age and of the same
gender.
Summer was flying by for him and he was surprised that there was still
no word on Voldemort that pulled him away from doing such things with
his friends. The Ghosts and the increasing auror force had started to
receive reports of mass movements across Eastern Europe, Northern
Africa, and Northern Asia, with many foreign nationals headed towards
England. The ministry was also receiving a much higher amount of
American wizards coming into the country which could only mean one
thing.
Voldemort was recruiting from all areas of the globe, which meant Harry
would now have to look beyond just England and France for help. Riddle
was making this a global war, and with Dumbledore vanished somewhere
in Germany, he would need the help from more governments willing to
take a stand against the tyrannical. The war was quickly coming to a
knifes edge, and at any moment, everyone would be shoved off into the
deep end.
–
"Olaf, your father is back!" A large man dressed in furs and ragged clothes
shouted, running into the large hall. He had a large round wooden shield
strapped to his back with a small sword hanging off his hip.
Another very tall, muscled man with long blonde hair and piercing blue
eyes sat on a sturdy wooden throne. He had a beard that was intertwined
with several gold braids and beads, and he wore silver chain mail with a
leather tunic underneath. His bright gold plated helmet rested on the
table in front of him with horse hair coming out the top of it. Over his
chain mail was a bear skin coat with the head of the bear draped over his
right shoulder, mid roar.
He was a hulking man that looked large even sitting down, having come
from a giants heritage as many of those around him also did. Next to him
was a tall woman of the same heritage. She wore a long leather dress and
her hair was braided and clean. In her lap was a small boy, no older than
ten that was playing with a wooden sword.
They sat in a Viking Long Hall. The place was made entirely of perfectly
carved wood, decorated with ancient runes and carvings dating back
centuries. A roaring fire was at the center of the hall and the smoke rose
up through a small hole in the roof. On either side of the fire were two
long tables that many of the village people sat at, feasting on foods that
were already laid out. All of them were above seven feet tall, having
descended from old gods long forgotten by the rest of the world.
"My father?" Olaf clarified for himself, sitting up in his throne to be more
alert. His hand naturally went down to the hilt of his sword he kept next
to him, the Sword of Kings, his fathers sword, or what used to be his
fathers sword.
"He just arrived on horseback with a wizard. Dumbledore." Olaf's eyes
narrowed at the news and knew exactly what his father was doing here.
Frankly, he was surprised that his father was even still alive. He had gone
missing in the last great war, having taken a number of warriors with
him and never returning.
Olaf took up ownership of the lands in the absence of his father, after
killing his brother of course, so that he may rule as sole king of their
people. Now though, his father was still alive and had returned,
something that didn't bode well for him.
The doors burst open and in walked his father, Harald Hardrada, the
most feared Viking to have ever lived. Even being the great vikings son,
he feared the man. Harald embodied everything it meant to be Viking.
The viciousness in battle, the ingenuity in strategy, the cunning in
politics, his father had it all.
Harald walked into the Viking Hall that was once his, looking every bit
the warrior he once was. Dumbledore had gone out of his way to dress
his new mercenary in the finest of equipment so as to have a better hope
in recruiting more. Dumbledore himself followed behind Hardrada with
his head bowed lowed, obscured by a silver hood that made his face a
shadow. Only his long silver beard was visible and is what had alerted
them as to who he was.
Harald was wearing thick black chain mail that covered his whole body.
He had hard black leather on underneath the chain mail and a long wolf
fur cloak over it. The wolfs head on the cloak was draped over his right
shoulder, its teeth bared in a threatening manner. On the vikings back
was the largest weapon anyone had ever laid eyes on. The battleaxe he
had was unique in design, having blades on either end of the wooden
staff. Both points were also iron tipped to act as a spear so that Harald
could thrust with his weapon as well as slash. The fearsome weapon was
six feet long and could easily cleave three men in one blow as well as
pierce two with a single thrust.
Olaf stood up from his throne to address Hardrada, though he couldn't
stop his legs from shaking slightly in the presence of him. "Father, I did
not know you were alive."
"I see you weren't so quick to figure out if I was truly dead or not either,
son." Hardrada replied, marching further into the Hall. Many of the other
vikings moved to the edges of the hall as to not get in the way of the two
kings. Hardrada had a fearsome reputation of killing those that got in his
way.
"We received no news of what happened to you or the rest of our men.
We assumed the worst." Olaf responded, beginning to pull his sword from
his hilt, knowing where this might be headed.
"How convenient for you." Harald then glanced at the woman and child
that sat next to his son. "Your family?" He asked, stretching out his hand
to touch the boys head.
"Yours as well father. My son, Bjorn, and your daughter-in-law, Ageall."
Harald grunted and then looked back at his son, "How lovely." Before
anyone could blink, Harald's battleaxe was in hand and swung home,
cleaving Olaf's head from the rest of his body. Blood sprayed onto those
nearby as well as the throne. Ageall screamed and held her son close to
her chest, cowering back into her chair, too scared to move otherwise.
Olaf's head rolled down the chair and onto the floor and no one in the
Hall did anything to avenge their fallen king. They all watched the scene,
some even with an amused expression on their face. "I release you to
Valhalla." Harald muttered, picking up the decapitated head of his son
and placing it on the table next to his sons golden helmet. A loud screech
was heard and a black shadow with blue eyes launched itself from Olaf's
body and vanished through the roofs small hole along with the smoke
from the fire.
Harald pushed his dead sons body off the throne and sat down in the
blood. He then leaned his large battleaxe against his new throne and
sighed in content, a smile on his face. Dumbledore approached slowly,
still with his hood over his head, "Will you march?" He asked.
Harald allowed a cruel smile onto his face, "We will raid."
Thank you everyone that has favorited/reviewed/followed.
31. Outbreak
"Hey pup, hold the house down for us?" Sirius asked, walking into the
hallway and embracing Harry. Sirius and Emmys honeymoon in Italy had
come to a close and now they were back in London. They didn't get home
until late in the afternoon and both of them looked tired upon walking
into Grimmauld Place.
Remus and Tonks stayed in the house for the two weeks to watch over
the kids and make sure the house elves didn't burn the place down. In
reality though, it was Harry who was in charge of the house since he was
still the heir despite Emmy being pregnant. That would change with the
birth of their child, but they were keeping him as the heir just in case
something terrible were to happen.
"Well, its still standing so I guess I did a good job." Harry replied with a
smile after kissing Emmy on both cheeks. He led them into the kitchen
where Dobby already had a meal prepared for them. Daphne and Tracy
were sitting around the table already, digging into their food.
"Oh you're back! How was it!" Daphne exclaimed as she stood up to rush
over and hug Emmy. The two had grown close and Daphne looked at
Emmy as another mother, a role Emmy was proud to fill for her.
"It was amazing!" Emmy responded excitedly. "We bought each of you a
present!" She set her purse down on the table and began to rummage
through it. Harry felt Sirius' hand grip his shoulder to get his attention.
"I need to talk with you Harry." He looked up at Sirius and knew it was
about something important and he couldn't wait to tell him. Harry
nodded his head and walked out of the kitchen, ignoring the concerned
looks the girls gave them as they left. He followed Sirius upstairs and into
the library so that no one could pry in on the conversation.
The Black library was completely cleaned out like Sirius had promised he
would do. What happened to the originals, Harry didn't know, but at
least he had the Anybook to still use. Now the library was acting as a sort
of office for Sirius and a place to get away from everything.
Harry sat down on a black leather couch and waited for Sirius to speak.
"A man approached me in Rome." Sirius said as he paced back and forth
in front of Harry. He looked a little uneasy with how he was fumbling
with his new wedding ring.
"A man? Who?" Harry leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.
"He said he knew you, or met you once. A Peter Bernoval, I think his
name was."
Harry recognized the name from somewhere but couldn't quite remember
where he had heard it or met this man. "What did he say?"
"He said that he could help us, help you, that he knew Tom Riddle better
than anyone, better than even Dumbledore." Harrys eyes widened at the
implication. Whoever this man was could be a valuable asset to him, but
the likelihood of this being some kind of trap was high. No one knew
Voldemort more so than Dumbledore, or at least Harry didn't think
anyone did.
Harry sat silently turning the words over in his head while continuing to
wrack his brain for the name Peter Bernoval. "Did he say why he would
help us?"
"He disappeared before I could ask, just vanished, like he was smoke.
Gave me the creeps really."
"Typical." Harry muttered. "This man, he just sought you out, told you he
could help then vanished?" Harry asked for clarification.
Sirius nodded his head, "Its as weird and random as it sounds. I was in at
a nearby muggle cafe early in the morning while Emmy was still asleep
when he appeared, I don't even remember anything about him, just an
odd gold ring and what he said to me. I can't even picture his face."
Harry sat silently for a few minutes and watched Sirius as he sat down
behind his desk and began to rub his eyes tiredly. He looked exhausted
and clearly this impromptu meeting with a boogeyman had concerned
Sirius greatly. "Let me meditate on it, see if I can remember who this man
is. We can speak more tomorrow, for now, you should probably get some
rest." Harry said.
Sirius mumbled something and failed to open his eyes. Harry smiled
softly at his godfather and slowly levitated him out of the library and into
the master bedroom. Emmy came up the stairs as soon as he had turned
off the lights and shut the door behind him.
"Is he asleep?" She whispered, moving passed Harry and to the double
doors of the master bedroom.
"He was tired. You going to bed as well?"
Emmy answered his question with a yawn, opening the door and slipping
into the dark room. Harry spent the remainder of the evening in his
room, searching through his memories for the man with a golden ring.
Harry was brought from his trance by his tattoo as it began to burn and
turn red in color. The large black tiger was standing on all fours, pacing
dangerously in a small circle, baring its teeth on his left breast. Harry felt
the back of his hairs stand up and he knew immediately this wasn't a
drill.
He quickly threw on his basilisk jacket and black cargo pants. He
wandlessly summoned his mask from across the room and pressed his
Holly wand to the burning tattoo, disappearing in a black wisp of smoke.
He reappeared inside the War Room of Ghost castle and the other
members of the squad were appearing in as messy a state as himself.
Only Specter looked awake and ready for whatever was going on, already
wearing his golden mask and covering the rest of his head with a black
shroud.
"The warning wards at Bones manor that we placed have just gone off."
Specter announced to the gathered group. Harry began to feel adrenaline
course through his body, knowing very well that a fight might be on his
hands. Fawkes flashed in with his wand holsters and Harry strapped both
his wands to his arms. He then placed his mask over his face as did the
other members as well as draping a black cloak around his shoulders and
a hood over his head. The cloak didn't get in the way as one might
suspect, it was heavily charmed to be fire resistant and moved around the
body as if smoke. It was very similar to what Voldemort himself wore or
a dementor used to cover its scaly body.
They all took a brief minute to prepare their gear for battle. Shadow
strapped a long dagger to his thigh and Spirit had a sword on his back.
Angel had some kind of body armor Harry had never seen before that
had odd stitching in it, similar to what muggle soldiers would wear into
battle. Once everyone was set, they all apparated away without so much
as a sound. They had prepared for this, trained hard for years, in Harrys
case, much of the last year.
All of them appeared inside the wards of Bones Manor and Harry
immediately noticed around twenty Death Eaters sending spell after spell
at the wards to break them down as quick as possible. He also could feel
anti-apparition wards and anti-portkey wards around them that the Death
Eaters must have placed. The wards around the manor were being lit up
as they were battered by the Death Eaters, causing the night sky to light
up and illuminate the entire front of the large manor.
The Manor was situated in a small valley with grassy hills surrounding
the entire premises. The Death Eaters were on the large hill, hitting the
wards with everything they had, not bothering to be quiet about it.
"Team two, take positions inside the house and make sure the family is
away to safety."
"Yes sir." Harry responded over the radio comms inside his mask. He
sprinted off to the house with his team hot on his tail. He broke down the
front door and found Madame Bones with her wand out, pointed right at
him and a very frightened Susan and Hannah next to her. Amelia
immediately relaxed her wand when she saw who it was but Hannah was
too frightened and snapped off a simple bombarda as a reflex.
Harry easily batted it aside, the wayward spell hitting a wall harmlessly.
"We're friendly. Amelia, get them out of here, we'll take it from here."
"The floo is down and they've already put up anti-portkey, floo, and
apparition wards." Amelia responded quickly while quickly grabbing
Hannahs wand from her.
Harry wasted no time in formulating a plan. "Fawkes!" The golden
phoenix easily broke through all wards and flashed above the three
womens heads and took them away without a word. "Civilians away, sir."
Harry sounded over the comms.
"Good, take up defensive positions inside the house. We spot twenty out
here and we'll surprise them when they try and breach the house."
"Roger." Harry then pointed to various places within the entrance hall, so
as to set up a crossfire for anyone who enters through the front door. He
could hear as magic was crackling against the outside wards as the Death
Eaters tried to break through them. It was taking awhile which meant no
one with any skill or power was here which boded well for them.
Voldemort obviously wasn't here at least for now, and based on Harrys
fight with Barty Jr, he wasn't either. Bellatrix was still locked up in Raven
Isle and was no problem for anyone at the moment.
Harry activated his night vision to see more clearly while shutting off all
of the lights in the house to make it seem as if its inhabitants were still
asleep. They were hoping the Death Eaters would think they hadn't yet
been spotted, despite the racket they were making. No one ever said they
were smart, and they clearly weren't being led by a top lieutenant. Such
an attack struck Harry as odd, but for now, he put that thought of his
mind to focus on the battle at hand.
Team one had taken up position on the side of the house, just out of sight
of the Death Eater assault force. They were going to wrap around them
and hit them from behind when the DE's committed to the attack on the
house. The DE's weren't the best when it came to strategy, relying on out
of date tactics developed in the first world war.
Fawkes flashed back in, temporarily blinding Harry with his night vision
on, "The Longbottoms are under attack."
"Specter, the Longbottoms are under attack as well." Harry alerted his
leader through the comms.
"Take team two and go to help. We have this under control here." Harry
didn't waste a second and apparated away, easily breaking through the
anti-apparition wards along with his team. They appeared inside the
grand manor that sat atop a large grassy hill overlooking a small English
muggle town.
Harry immediately spotted through a window, a team of ten Death Eaters
being led by a man who wore no mask. His scars and vicious eyes were
clear to him through his night vision, Barty Jr. was leading this fight.
Harry felt the back of his hairs rise and turned just in time to block a
spell aimed at his back by Madame Longbottom. She tried to curse him
again but Harry held up his hands, "We're friendlies."
His team had their wands trained on her, ready to stun her just in case
she didn't listen, but luckily for them, she did. Neville appeared around
the corner with his wand in hand. "We're getting you out of here and to
safety." Harry said.
"Are you aurors? How did you get into my house!" Madame Longbottom
said, not dropping her wand one inch.
"Fawkes!" Harry shouted again and watched as the great phoenix flashed
in and snatched the two, only to disappear again in a flash of fire. Harry
knew he would have some explaining to do in regards to his friends, but
that wasn't important now.
"Shadow, take position by the front door, Spirit, back him up. Banshee
with me." Harry and Banshee rushed out of the back door just as the
large boom of the wards breaking echoed through the house. "Get ready."
Harry said through his comms to Spirit and Shadow.
Harry ran along the side of the house to spring the same trap team one
would be doing at the Bones Manor. He stuck close to the shadows,
ducking into a few bushes to remain in cover. He watched as the ten
Death Eaters ran up to the house and immediately began blasting it full
of holes with simple bombardas and reductos, one also began setting fire
to the base of the house. It was Barty Jr. that led the charge and kicked
down the front door of the house, rushing inside.
Spirit and Shadow opened fire and spells of all colors flew out of the
house, lighting up the night sky like fireworks. Harry waited five seconds
for the rest of the Death Eaters to focus in on the front of the house
before springing his trap. He and Banshee stepped from the shadows in
unison and fired.
Two Death Eaters went down immediately, two holes blown clean
through their chests. The four other Death Eaters who hadn't yet rushed
into the house turned to face the new attackers. Harry's wands were a
blur as he hurled spell after spell at a power no one was a match for.
Harry stuck to piercing hexes, knowing they were strong enough to break
most peoples shields besides a select few, and deadly enough to quickly
drop them as well. He wasn't looking to take many prisoners tonight.
Before the Death Eaters could move, one of them had his head blown
clean off by Harrys piercing hex, a second one creating a foot-wide hole
in his chest. The spray of blood distracted the Death Eater behind the
man Harry just killed and another piercing hex went through his chest
cavity, hitting the Death Eater behind him.
Banshee was able to put one down herself and Harry turned to face the
fourth attacker. This Death Eater was slightly different looking, sporting a
black mask to go with the black cloak. Harry sent a piercing hex but this
man easily dodged it. It was easy to see this man had skill in a duel and
wasn't like the other Death Eater rabble they had been fighting. Banshee
began circling to the side to make it much harder for this Death Eater to
defend against their attacks.
Harry launched a bombarda at the mans feet but he quickly parried it,
sending the large red spell back at Banshee. She was forced to dodge and
sent a bone-breaking hex of her own at the man. He dodged it easily and
surprised her with a powerful form of incarcerous that shot flaming
chains at her. She tried to shield them, but they easily broke through her
shield and wrapped around her, making her scream out in pain.
Harry knew the counterspell and quickly broke her free of it, having seen
it in the Black Library. The Death Eater shot a powerful lumos into the
night sky, lighting it up and temporarily blinding Harry for a moment as
he turned off the night vision on his mask.
He barely dodged a killing curse and sent a shadow sword at the man.
Another spell from the Black library and one Voldemort tried to use on
him in the graveyard. It was a spell nigh on impossible to dodge due to
its speed, and very difficult to shield against. The problem with using it
was that it was very difficult to control and even more difficult to aim.
The shadow sword caught the Death Eater off guard and he tried to
dodge, recognizing he didn't have the power to shield against it, but was
too slow. The sword sliced the mans wand arm off and he screamed out
in pain, dropping to his knees and clutching at the open wound. Banshee
hit the man with an incarcerous of her own and rushed up, kicking him
in the head and knocking him unconscious. "Keep him alive." Harry
ordered which she responded by nodding her head.
Just as Harry was about to rush into the house, Barty Jr. came flying out
of the front door and landed in a heap on the grass lawn. Spirit emerged
from the doorway, his wand aimed at Barty who lay alone in a pile of his
dead comrades. Barty slowly picked himself up, clutching his side, and
Harry turned to face him, holding his hand up to stop Spirit from
finishing off the wounded Death Eater.
Barty turned to face his foe who appeared to be the leader and stared
into the cold green eyes that looked back at him. The dark green mask
covering his face along with the black hood that obscured the rest of the
mans head made for a frightening foe and Barty felt his blood run cold
when he saw the two wands in the mans hands.
"Do you see what I have become?" Harry asked his old foe, dropping his
hood and sliding the mask to the top of his head to reveal his face.
"Potter." Barty spat out dark red blood, his breathing disrupted as he held
onto his ribs. "You'll pay for this." Barty tried to raise his wand but Harry
was far too quick for him.
Harry lifted both his wands and simultaneous attacked his already
wounded foe. The first spell knocked the man into the air, sending him
flying like a rag doll, and the second ripped him in half before dropping
him onto the ground in a spray of blood.
He slowly walked over to Barty who was still gasping for breath, the life
quickly leaving his eyes. "Following a madman only left you broken in
two." Harry said, standing over the upper half of the man. Only the sound
of gurgling came from him as he choked on his own blood and life left
him. A bright white flash lit up the sky from beside Harry, causing him to
jump backwards and move into a defensive position, but his eyes focused
on a young woman with a camera. Before Harry could stop her, the
reporter was gone, having used a high-level ministry portkey to rip
through the anti-portkey wards already in place around Longbottom
Manor.
"Shit." Harry muttered, knowing what that picture was going to show. He
could already imagine tomorrows headlines. Who the hell that was, and
why she was here was going to be interesting to find out.
Harry took a quick glance back down at his dead opponent before
sheathing both his wands, "Head count?" Harry asked, looking back at his
team members who were rounding up the survivors and making sure the
dead were actually dead.
"Up!" All three responded automatically.
"Specter, team two all good. Longbottom Manor defended, civilians safe.
We have multiple kills and captured." They had captured three of the ten,
killing the rest. Among the three captured was Crabbe Sr. along with the
man behind the black mask who didn't appear to even speak English.
Voldemort had sent two of his top lieutenants for the Longbottoms, while
sending no one of true value for the Bones. It was an odd move that
confused Harry greatly.
"Roger, Haunt. Rendezvous in Ghost Manor in ten. Hand off casualties to
the aurors."
"Yes, sir."
Shortly afterwards, aurors apparated onto the scene and Harry handed
off the captured Death Eaters to them. Amelia herself had come to
inspect the manor having already visited her own house after the brief
battle with the Death Eaters. Team One, because of the odds against
them, were only able to kill a few before the rest successfully retreated,
they took no prisoners in that brief battle. Tonight would be a wake up
call for Voldemort and his forces, and also alert them that there was a
group out there ready and able to take him on.
Team two apparated away and back to the castle where a bottle of
firewhiskey was already waiting for them. "Voldemorts going to take this
hit hard!" Angel shouted boisterously.
"Harry got Barty Jr!" Shadow exclaimed, slapping him on the back.
Cheers rang out in the war room, echoing off the stone walls.
Harry only allowed a small smile onto his face, "This is the beginning and
we don't yet know if there were other attacks tonight." Harrys words
quickly crashed the joyous mood and everyone placed their drinks back
down on the table without anyone having taken a sip.
"He's right." Specter said. "The night may not be over for us, and if it is,
we may not have actually won."
–
"There he is!" A woman shouted from the sea of people that stood all
around him.
"Its him! Its Harry Potter!" Another man shouted at the same time,
drawing the attention of everyone in the tightly packed ministry atrium.
So many people were crowded in the small place that some had resorted
to climbing the golden statue in the center. Hundreds of witches and
wizards were crowded, wanting to hear straight from the ministry as to
what happened last night.
Harry was forced to push his way through the frenzied crowd as they
reached out for him, just to touch him. Many of the people shouted
questions, others thanked him, but none of them went heard by Harry, as
the cries of voices drowned each other out.
He still hadn't slept, and as consequence, hadn't changed his attire from
last night either. The spattering of blood could still be seen on his jacket
if one looked closely. This morning had brought many things to light and
all of them would change Britains future, whether for good or bad was
yet to be seen.
The Daily Prophet pictured him front and center, standing over the dead
body of Barty Jr, both wands in hand. What made the scene even more
memorable were the glowing green eyes that showed brightly in the
night. The whole article was about last nights attacks on Longbottom
manor and what took place. The reporter who broke the story was a
young woman by the name of Ariel Mallory who was close friends with
Madame Longbottom and had just happened to be entering the grounds
at the same time the Death Eaters began the assault. She was just in the
right place at the right time for a breaking news story and was able to get
away because Madame Longbottom had given her a portkey for safety
reasons. Banshee was already tasked with finding out everything there
was to know about this woman, just to make sure she wasn't tipped off
about the attack and it was just a coincidence she was there at the same
time as the Death Eaters.
The Bones Manor attack wasn't in the initial article this morning since
Ariel had no clue of it, but the story on that had already broke as well by
a second edition of the Daily Prophet that came out this afternoon, along
with the attack on the Corners house in Cambridge. Why the Death
Eaters attacked them was still unclear, but due to the randomness of the
attack, it was unfortunately successful and the whole family was
slaughtered in barbaric fashion. Harry nearly threw up seeing the photos
just a short hour ago. He hardly knew Michael Corner other than that
they were in the same year together and he was a Ravenclaw. He had
seen him around the Defense Club last year, but never talked to him.
Overall, the Death Eaters had suffered large losses, ten in total dead, with
another three captured and being interrogated. Now though, the
knowledge that the ministry had a secret team, one involving Harry
Potter, was out in the open for everyone to see. Luckily only Harrys
identity was outed by the papers, the rest of Ghost squad remained a
mystery, one many people were asking him about.
Harry successfully pushed his way through the crowd and made it to the
elevators where Amelia was already waiting for him. She ushered him
inside and two aurors blocked anyone else from trying to get into the
elevator with them.
"Susan and Hannah alright?" Harry asked as he studied the woman next
to him. He had never seen her look more tired than she did now. The
girls were moved to Grimmauld Place for the time being as the Bones
Manor had still been destroyed in its entirety during the attack. The
Death Eaters at least accomplished something with their deaths, though it
wasn't much. Hannahs parents were away on a short getaway which was
why she was staying at the Bones house.
"Emmaline and Remus are looking after them." She sighed heavily,
pausing a moment. "You did well Harry. Its unfortunate the pressure
you'll be under now."
Harry gave her a reassuring smile, "This would have happened
eventually. Part of me is glad that it's all out in the open." She raised her
eyebrows, urging him to further his comment. "The war is started and the
people will need a person to stand behind. I think we both know Fudge
isn't the prettiest person to follow."
Amelia chuckled, "No I suppose he isn't. Still, its a lot of pressure, Harry.
No one expects you to be that person."
It was Harry's turn to laugh, "Did you not see the people when I walked
in?" His laugh subsided and his face again turned passive, "I won't be
alone though. I know that I have all of you to count on."
Amelia nodded her head, looking at Harry with an even greater respect.
"The public isn't reacting as badly as I thought they would to all of this."
"I think the blow was lessened slightly by the fact that the Death Eaters
suffered heavy casualties. Its a shame we couldn't save everyone last
night though."
"They are the first in what may be a long line of casualties."
"Hopefully the war doesn't last that long." Harry responded. The doors to
the elevator opened and they stepped off into a frenzied office with
aurors running left and right, not paying them any attention. The trainees
in the Auror Academy had been brought in to run the office while all
active duty aurors were immediately sent into the field, protecting
Diagon Alley and other heavily populated magical towns.
"Are we sure Voldemort wasn't at the Corners place?" Harry asked as they
began to walk through the chaos, ducking flying memos and side-
stepping trainees.
"We don't think so. Investigators are still there trying to find out
everything that did happen. It was smart of him to still not show
himself." Harry nodded his head at Amelia's statement. It allowed
Voldemort's supporters in the ministry to continue to deny that the Death
Eaters were anything but a rabid terrorist group with no leadership or
direction.
Fudge had ordered a state of emergency and the entirety of the
Wizengamot was brought in this morning to decide on what to do. Sirius
was acting as proxy for the Potter house so that Harry could recover from
the night, as well as get a better feel of the people and the ministry as a
whole. He hadn't yet heard from Fleur, but did send Fawkes with a note
to let her know he was fine.
"Well, whether people think that Voldemort is back is a moot point now.
The people recognize that someone, whether Voldemort or a wannabe, is
in control of the Death Eaters and just as dangerous. They'll demand the
ministry take action." Harry said.
"That's why last nights attack confuses me, and it has me greatly worried.
It doesn't make sense for Voldemort to send out his forces. Attacking my
home and the Longbottoms makes sense, but why the Corners? They
weren't particularly wealthy or strictly against Voldemort. They were
neutrals. Something just doesn't seem right." Amelia voiced her concerns.
They stepped into her office and Harry shut the blinds so no one could
peak inside. "I was thinking the same thing, as was Specter when he
heard about the attack on the Corners. Voldemort had to have attacked
them for a reason, we just need to find out why."
"Next time you have a friendly conversation with the snake, ask him for
us yeah?" Harry chuckled and rubbed his eyes. His eyelids began to droop
and was feeling the effects of not having slept for a whole day.
"At least our fearless minister isn't actually running scared right now."
Harry muttered.
"Its about the only real good thing to come out of today."
The doors burst open to the office and a young auror trainee peered
inside. "Yes, trainee Gabbard?" Amelia asked tersely.
The young woman glanced nervously at Harry before turning back to
Amelia, "The Wizengamot has just brought the ministry to full war status,
Director."
"Thank you, gather everyone still in the office to meet in the briefing
room please." The trainee nodded her head and shut the door behind her.
"War status?" Harry asked the Director.
"It gives the minister the ability to make executive decisions without
approval from the Wizengamot as long as those decisions help the war
effort."
Harry nodded his head. In reality, nothing would probably change since
it was Fudge who had that power. Probably why the Voldemort
supporters didn't put up much of a fight against it. "A speech to rouse the
troops?" Harry asked when Amelia stood up.
"In a way. You look tired. Go home, get some rest. I'm sure the minister
will want to talk with you later." Harry nodded and pushed himself out of
his chair. "Use my floo so that you don't have to go back through the
atrium."
"Many thanks." Harry stepped into the fireplace without another word
and disappeared in a flash of green.
Before Harry could even blink, his entire vision was obscured by silver
and the feeling of very soft skin pressed into him. "'Arry!" Fleur breathed
into his neck. Harry hugged her back, squeezing her even closer to him,
reveling in the warmth of having her in his arms.
"What are you doing here? Didn't Fawkes give you my note?"
"The woman kept demanding to see you so I took her here. She wouldn't shut
up." Fawkes sat on a nearby table where Astoria was slowly stroking his
feathers. Everyone was huddled in the den and were all watching Fleur
and him.
"A note ees one thing, but I 'ad to see you for myself." Fleur responded.
"Well I'm here." Fleur broke apart the hug and kissed him fervently,
forgetting that they were in a room with many other people.
"So what is going on at the ministry?" Daphne asked, breaking up Fleur
and Harry's kiss. Harry sat down in a nearby empty seat and Fleur
relaxed into him, resting her cheek against his own.
"The ministry is moving to a war footing, I have no clue what that
actually means in the grand scheme of things, but they recognize this
attack is a cause for war. Voldemort didn't show himself anywhere last
night so Fudge still isn't openly telling the people he is still alive.
However, there are rumors being passed around that Voldemort is
actually back, or someone just as bad as him. Right now, people don't
seem as scared as I had originally thought they would."
"That's because the Great Harry Potter is with us now." Astoria said with
a roll of her eyes. Harry liked the younger Greengrass a lot. She was
smart and had a good sense of humor, and showed more personality than
her older sister.
"That article made you out to be the next Merlin." Susan added with her
own smirk. For the most part, Susan looked better than he expected her
too, having just lost her house and all. Hannah was still here with her
after a brief interlude with her parents, providing comfort however she
can. It was good to see the both of them were still in high spirits after
what happened last night.
"When is Neville going to come here?" Hannah asked eagerly. Everyone
this time just rolled their eyes. She caught all of their looks and blushed.
"I'm curious."
Harry chuckled, "He'll be here later today after grabbing some things
from his home." Neville would also be joining them for the remainder of
the summer, turning this place into a very busy house. Dobby and the
new Kreacher had their work cut out for them.
"Harry, you look like you need some sleep." Remus cut in before further
questions were asked.
Harry yawned at that moment making everyone laugh. "Come on, I'll get
you to bed." Fleur dragged him upstairs and into his room. She curled up
into his side and placed her head atop his chest once he was under the
covers.
"I've decided to stay in England with you this year." Fleur said just as
Harry's eyes began to shut.
"What?" He asked, his eyes remaining closed, struggling to stay awake.
"I'm transferring to 'Ogwarts for my last year."
"We talked about this Fleur."
She placed a finger over his lips, "That was before last night. Before ze
actual war started. I don't want to be away from you."
"But your-"
"I can 'ire a tutor for the courses I'll miss out on by attending 'Ogwarts.
I've already made up my mind."
"And your parents?"
"Will understand my decision." Fleur finished. "Now sleep. We can talk
more later." Harry didn't need to be told twice and quickly succumbed to
a much needed deep sleep.
32. The Chosen Son
"Thank you for meeting with me Harry." Minister Fudge welcomed Harry
into his lush office located in the heart of the ministry. He was gestured
to sit down on a nearby leather couch while Fudge sat down opposite
him, a coffee table with drinks already placed on it, in between them.
The fireplace had a roaring fire that served as the only light in the
slightly dark office. It made for a cozy, homely feel to the office which
was probably meant to make people feel comfortable.
"You have a busy day tomorrow, yes?" The minister asked after sipping
on his tea.
Harry placed his own cup down and relaxed back into the couch, "Yes, I'll
be heading back to Hogwarts."
"Good, good. And Miss Delacour, she transferred to Hogwarts?"
Harry nodded in affirmation, "She did." He replied simply, wondering
when the minister would end the small talk.
The conversation paused for a short moment as Fudge took another sip,
"Good then. As you know, aurors will be placed at the school for safety.
What you don't know yet is that I will be placing Madame Umbridge at
the school as well."
Harry raised his eyebrows at this, "May I ask why? There aren't any open
teaching positions at the school as far as I know." Sirius would again take
his position as DADA professor and another former professor by the name
of Slughorn would be heading the potions position as well as Slytherin
Head of House.
"She won't be there in a teaching capacity, simply as a liaison between
myself and the school. Many of our citizens want to see the ministry take
a more active role in our children's safety and I think this is a good way
to show that the ministry is directly involved with the school."
Harry began shaking his head and was about to speak up when Fudge cut
him off, "Now I know you have reservations about Madame Umbridge,
Sirius was very clear with his dislike of her as well, but I trust her
implicitly. She has no real power, and between you and me, I just want
her out of my sight for awhile." He chuckled at his own implied insult of
Umbridge.
Harry sat silent for a moment, staring intensely at Fudge, causing the
minister to squirm under his gaze, before slowly nodding. "As long as she
stays out of everyones way, I don't see a reason why she can't be at the
castle. If she does get annoying, I'll make sure she's out of the castle one
way or another."
Fudges eyes widened slightly and he visibly gulped, "Of course." He
squeaked out. Fudge then cleared his throat and took a large gulp of his
tea before speaking again. "Now, for the real reason we're here. Ready?"
Harry nodded his head and stood up with the minister.
They both walked out of the office and many heads turned to watch them
walk through the interior offices. Many of the people working in Fudge's
offices were young, making little pay, with aspiring dreams of political
careers in the ministry.
Fudge led Harry through several corridors before opening a large door
that opened into a grand room with vaulted ceilings. The walls were
made of stone brick, much like Hogwarts and along them were paintings
of older ministers dating back several centuries. In the center of the room
was a large wooden table where many people were currently sitting at.
Everyone stood up upon seeing Harry and Fudge walk into the room. A
woman stepped from the side to pull out two chairs for Harry and Fudge
to sit down on, which were located on the end of the table. When Fudge
and Harry both sat down, the others sat as well.
Minister Fudge started the meeting, "Thank you all for coming, I know it
wasn't easy to make room in all of your busy schedules."
"No, it wasn't so why don't you just get to the reason why you called for
us all to be here." A man spat out. He had an American accent and by his
dress, was from the Western United States, sporting a tan and sunglasses.
Another man with a Spanish accent also spoke up, "If this is about your
little war, I'll be leaving immediately. We have no interest in your
troubles." Many of those around him nodded in agreement. Harry caught
Minister Montagne's eye and he winked at Harry. Minister O'Connell was
also at the table, the Irish Minister, as well as Minister Strumyav, the
Bulgarian Minister. Along with them were the other major European
nations ministers, as well as the American and Canadian ministers.
Harry waved a finger to signal the woman behind him to hand him a
large stack of yellow folders. Harry lazily opened the folder on top and
the table quickly quieted, waiting to see what Harry was doing. The
Russian minister broke the silence, "Why is the boy here Fudge?"
"Because Grand Chancellor." Harry called out, allowing some of his
passive magic to get away from him and increase the volume of his voice,
"This boy is exactly why you will help us out."
The Russian Chancellor began laughing which the Spanish minister and
German minister followed. Harry silenced them again by shoving the top
file over to the Spanish minister. "James Borrios. One of your citizens I
believe?" Harry asked, a smirk forming on his face when the Spanish
ministers face paled once he opened the folder.
The Spanish minister looked up at Harry and stuttered, "H-how?"
"I had a run in with him two weeks ago. He tried to attack a friend of
mine and now he is in custody. The man is linked to twelve murders,
magical and muggle, in your country, along with weapons trafficking,
and illegal poaching of magical animals. He was wearing the Death Eater
cloak when I fought him."
Harry wasted no time and slid three files over to the Russian minister.
The man sneered at Harry before opening the files and promptly shut
them, "What is this!" He demanded.
"Nicolav Shovsky, Armeni Atol, and Aleksander Durmrov. You know
them, yes?" Harry asked, his smirk staying firm on his face. He was
greatly enjoying what he was doing to what many would consider the
most powerful people in the world. They would learn that there were
many kinds of power, and that some trumped others. Sirius had taught
him how to play the more 'dirty' side of politics, which Harry found that
it basically came down to who could act the toughest in a room. Despite
his young age, in this regard, Harry had a natural advantage, one he
intended to use. He allowed a little more of his passive magic to let loose
in the room, beginning to make the air around him static. The Greek
Minister who sat closest to Harry, sported side burns that began to stand
on end, and the man even scooted his chair slightly away from Harry
upon feeling his magic. Harry caught Minister Strumyavs eye and the
man had a veiled smirk that he hid behind his hand. It was the Bulgarian
Ministers idea to use this tactic to sway the other countries.
The Russian minister only nodded so Harry continued, "Between the
three of them they have twenty-two murders, all magical, along with
quite a long list of crimes, most notably, having ties to the Russian Mafia.
I killed those three in the same attack that I captured Borrios. All of them
were working for the Death Eaters." Harry then began sliding file after
file towards the various ministers. The German Minister got three files,
the Spanish Minister, another two, the Greek Minister four. France, the
United States, Canada, Ireland, and Bulgaria all had one.
"As you can see gentlemen, this little war we're having isn't between just
English citizens, but all of yours as well."
The German minister pushed his files away, looking disgusted with what
was being said. "What my citizens do, or where they go, or who they
follow is of no problem to me. They are free to do as they choose."
Harry began laughing and it took him a moment to regain control of
himself, "Lets ignore how idiotic that statement was Minister Weirecht."
The minister narrowed his eyes and was about to snap back a reply but
Harry cut him off, "Even if what your citizens were doing was legal, it
would still be your problem."
"And what makes you think that boy?" The Spanish minister asked with
contempt.
"Because, if England were to fall to these men, do you think they would
stop there?" Harry paused for a moment and watched as his question
played across all of their faces. "I'll answer for you, no, no they won't. All
of you have citizens flocking to the Death Eaters here in England, so that
they can later conquer the countries they came from."
Fudge took over for Harry, "Now, you might be thinking, we can deal
with them if they come. Well, I can tell you they are a strong force now,
how strong do you think they will be if they have the entirety of England
behind them? Do you really want to gamble now, instead of just working
together to crush this terrorist group before it even gets started?"
Harry knew they had them when Fudge's question went without any
snippy replies. He could see they were all in deep thought so he allowed
his own mind to move away from the meeting before him and onto the
greater war he was facing.
In the last two weeks, the Death Eaters had stayed completely silent all
around England. There wasn't even any recruiting movement in all of
Europe. It was as if the entire Death Eater force had vanished over night
which both made Harry relieved and unnerved at the same time.
Whatever had happened two weeks ago was either a mistake, one
Voldemort was now trying to find a way to rectify, or it was a major
success and they would soon see how great a success it was.
The Daily Prophet as well as other papers and magazines had been
running stories non-stop on the battles that took place, and many claimed
to know exactly who these Ghosts were, writing in editorials to the major
papers. All of it was rubbish of course, and it only served to make the
Ghosts even more of a mystery that captivated the nation.
The one thing that was for sure though, was Harry Potter and his
involvement with them, along with the ability to use two wands at once,
an ability people only believed Grindelwald could do. The papers had
given him another new title, The Chosen Son of Britain, or the Chosen
One for short. Harry naturally hated it even more than The Boy Who
Lived moniker, only because it sounded so campy.
What was even more odd for Harry was the sheer amount of mail he was
now receiving and not just from people in Britain. His fame had
apparently spread to Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, Asia, and North
America. It was Dobby's new job to sift through his mail and sort them
into piles, a job that took Dobby a few hours a day.
The goblins also requested a meeting with Harry to discuss the war. They
had as much investment in winning the war as the wizards did as it was
not likely Voldemort would sit around and let the goblins control the
wealth of wizards if he were to take over. Harry quickly became thankful
that he didn't need much sleep, only two hours a day at most, otherwise
he wouldn't be able to keep up with everything.
The Ghosts had kept the man wearing the black mask for themselves
after the battle to figure out just who he was. It was clear the man was
better trained than the usual Death Eaters that wore white masks and
that he had a decent amount of magical power to boot.
Angel was told to pry what he could from the mans mind but quickly
found himself stopped by very powerful occlumency shields that could
stop almost anyone. Luckily, Harry wasn't almost anyone and within a
matter of a few minutes, he had the whole mans life history. James
Barrios, a Spanish national from Madrid, the son of a wealthy merchant
who belonged to the Royal Spanish Wizarding Family.
James was the son of a Baron and his father owned several small magical
towns along the Mediterranean coast. He left for Germany after
graduating school from Beauxbatons and joined a small mercenary army
that was more a thieving group than an army. There he learned advanced
dueling from a man named Aleric Giovinni and when Aleric died in a
small skirmish outside of Milan, James traveled to Bulgaria where he was
then recruited by Lucius Malfoy.
However, Harry found something in the mans mind that was far more
troubling than where he came from. It was the man that ordered him to
attack that scared Harry, a man that could easily become his greatest
enemy in this war.
Harry was brought from his thoughts as Fudge addressed everyone in a
clear strong voice. This was the first time he had ever seen Fudge in a
commanding role, and he didn't look too bad at it. "Are we in agreement
gentlemen?"
Minister Montagne spoke up, "We are. Teams of hit-wizards will be
dispatched to your ministry to help with this war immediately. We will
also help with finances until it's deemed necessary they are not needed.
The British ministry will repay all gold received and wages given, plus
interest, in five years time."
"Good. That should be all. Thank you again for coming."
–
Voldemort held his wand before him, keeping the torture curse on his
writhing follower that screamed in agony for several minutes before
passing out. A pool of urine slowly spread below the unconscious man
along with blood streaming down the mans nose, ears, and eyes. The
sheer power of Voldemort's torture curse being held on someone for so
long was enough to kill a man, causing every blood vessel in the body to
pop, along with rupturing organs, and breaking bones.
Lucius Malfoy stood in between the two dead bodies of his fellow
comrades, shaking with fright. He had his head bowed low as to avoid
eye contact with his enraged master. "You had better have a clear answer
for me Lucius, or share the same fate as they do." Voldemort hissed
angrily, resting his wand in his lap.
"Y-yes m-milord. W-what they s-said was true. G-Grindelwald he-he told
our f-forces to attack." Lucius stuttered, keeping his eyes closed, waiting
for his inevitable doom.
Voldemort snarled and brought his wand up, but stopped just before
cursing the man, "Is that all you have to offer me Lucius? It would be a
shame if you have failed me." After the battles that took place against his
wishes only a few weeks ago, he wasn't too keen to kill off one of his best
lieutenants, no matter how mad he was at the moment.
"N-no milord. I have more news." Voldemort relaxed back into his throne
but kept his wand trained on Lucius, waiting for disappointment to
overtake him. "Grindelwald, he came to your lesser followers, the ones
you would never stoop so low to go near. H-he convinced them that he
was still in your good graces milord and told them to attack on your
orders."
Voldemort heard enough and flicked his wand, sending Lucius through
the double doors and out of the throne room. He then flicked his wand
twice more and the two dead Death Eaters were hung up by their feet
with thick steel chains that hung from the ceiling. He then cut their
heads off and watched fascinated as blood poured from their bodies and
pooled on the floor underneath them. Another couple flicks of his wand
and the two heads were spiked on either side of his throne, making for a
truly terrifying throne room for any of his followers to walk into. It
should paint a clear picture that incompetence was not to be tolerated.
Voldemort calmly sheathed his wand and sat in perfect silence in the
room. If it was true that Grindelwald was behind his forces making a
blind attack on the Bones and Longbottoms, then he needed to deal with
Grindelwald quicker than he had thought.
He had lost several good followers, Barty Jr. most notably who lost his
life to none other than Harry Potter. The boy had a team behind him, one
that was deadly and had easily cut through the forces that attacked the
manors. There was a third attack that took place in some half-breed
families home, the Corners, if he remembered correctly. What was odd
was that his followers had nothing to do with that particular attack,
which meant Grindelwald had used the Bones and Longbottoms attacks
as a diversion, but why?
He needed his most reliable lieutenant by his side, but unfortunately she
was locked away in a prison he couldn't find. Azkaban was completely
abandoned, save for the dementors that still resided there. He still had
control of them, and they would be very useful allies for when he
launched his full attack on Britain. Now though, his attack was delayed
greatly by Grindelwald and he needed more time to prepare properly.
Things were made worse now that the ministry declared open war on the
Death Eaters. The only good thing was they hadn't yet declared open war
on him, which meant his identity was still in the dark.
"Lucius!" Voldemort called from his throne room. The long blonde haired
man stepped back through the door, an ice pack on the back of his head
to nurse the wound he received from being blown out of the room the
last time.
"Yes milord." Lucius bowed deeply.
"Find me this Raven Isle." Voldemort flicked his wand again and sent
Lucius flying back out of the room in similar fashion as last time.
Before the doors shut a man with a black mask walked in and spoke in
Italian. He then quickly stepped to the side to make way for a beautiful
woman with long black hair. Voldemort upon seeing her immediately
rose from his throne.
–
"Mr. Potter, what do you think of the ministry's actions to better protect
the school?" One reporter called from the crowd of people gathered
around him.
"I think they are a good start, Mr. Blomkamp. Time will tell if things need
to be changed further." Harry responded in a loud voice. He had to shield
his eyes from the repeated camera flashes going off in his face as he
walked through the crowd and towards the ruby red train. The platform
was packed with students and their parents as they said their last minute
goodbyes before boarding the train to Hogwarts.
"Miss Delacour, how does it feel to be joining the Hogwarts elite for your
last year?" Another reporter asked, one Harry recognized as Ariel
Mallory. Fleur was on his arm as they walked through the crowd of
reporters and journalists. The others that had been living in Grimmauld
Place were already on the train as it was set to leave in just under a
minute. Harry had agreed to a short press conference before heading off
to Hogwarts, something he was now regretting.
"I am very excited. After spending last year 'ere, I couldn't stay away."
She kissed Harry on the cheek as many in the crowd chuckled. Fleur was
good with press, even better than Harry. She was raised with the press
always being around her since her father was a prominent and powerful
politician in France.
Daphne watched Harry and Fleur from her window in the train
compartment. Tracy, Hannah, and Susan sat with her as well. Hermione
was going to spend some time with the Parvati twins before meeting up
with them later and Astoria had already ran off to be with her friends.
Andrew would be spending the year at Grimmauld Place and was quite
excited about it. Sirius had promised to begin teaching him magic and
had even bought a practice wand for him.
"They are something aren't they." Susan mused as she too watched Harry
and Fleur from the window.
"I don't know how they deal with it." Tracy responded. "All of those
people wanting to know every little detail about your life. It sounds
horrible." The train whistle blew and the couple began to push their way
through the crowd of reporters to make it on the train in time.
"They were born knowing how to deal with all of that." Hannah said,
making the others look at her confused, so she continued. "Harry, even if
he weren't The Boy Who Lived or whatever they call him now, would
have been like a Prince of England. Fleur, she is like a princess of France.
They were a smart match." Silence temporarily fell over the group as they
thought about what Hannah said.
"I was stupid last year, wasn't I?" Daphne asked her friends. All of them
turned their confused looks onto her.
"Stupid?" Tracy asked, wondering why her friend said that.
"I crushed on him." All of their eyes widened and Daphne rolled her eyes.
"Oh stop, I know you all knew. It was painfully obvious." The girls began
giggling and nodded their heads.
Tracy was the only one that didn't smile. "Do you still have a crush on
him?" She asked.
Daphne shook her head, "No, not after everything that..." She trailed off
and the other girls nodded their heads sadly. It was still a touchy subject
for Daphne, and probably always would be. "Its just h-he was the first
boy that didn't try and get with me, in that way. He liked me for me and
not just my looks." The train began to make its way out of the station and
headed for the countryside.
"You weren't the only one that had a crush on him." Tracy blushed
heavily when the words escaped her lips. All of the girls looked at the
blushing Slytherin before breaking into an uncontrollable laughter. "We'll
get our own Harry Potters one day." Tracy said once she stopped
laughing.
Daphne snorted, "I don't think that's possible Trace."
"I got mine!" Hannah responded gleefully making the girls groan.
"I hate to break this to you sweety, but Neville is no Harry Potter. I know
you love the guy and all, and I'm happy for you, but just, you know."
Susan said, making the girls chuckle.
"Well I'm not exactly a Fleur Delacour either." Hannah responded.. "We're
a smart match and that's all that matters."
At that moment, Harry and Fleur opened the door to the compartment
with Neville on their heels. "It was a zoo out there." Harry muttered,
collapsing into a seat next to Daphne and resting his head on the
headrest. Fleur sat down, looking just as tired as Harry and rested her
head on his shoulder.
"Oh the woes of being Harry Potter." Susan rolled her eyes making Harry
glare at her.
"So when is the first Defense Club meeting? You never did tell us."
Daphne asked eagerly. The others looked just as eager to hear when the
meeting will be as well.
"This Saturday. You're all fifth years so you get to beat up the fourth
years this time around."
"Sounds like fun." Hannah said. The doors opened again and Hermione
walked in with her trunk. Neville helped her place it in the upper rafters
before sitting back down.
"So, I heard that the potions position was given to someone named
Slughorn? Apparently he was once a potions master here before retiring
but is coming back."
"Ugh Hermione!" Susan whined. "You've been in the compartment for all
of two seconds and you're already talking about classes!" Hermione at
least had the decency to blush while the others laughed.
"Like, how about, how was the holidays Hermione? Or have you met any
cute boys?" Hannah played off her best friend.
"We exchanged letters." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "You already
know I was in Italy for most of the summer."
"And any cute guys?" Fleur asked.
"I-er. No!" Hermione squealed making everyone in the compartment
laugh. She huffed and crossed her arms as she sat down next to Neville
on the bench opposite Harry.
"I know very little about him other than that Slughorn is a bit of a
celebrity chaser. He likes to make himself cozy with people who might go
on and accomplish great things." Susan answered Hermione's original
question to save her more embarrassment.
"In other words, Harry you're screwed." Daphne said cheekily.
"Sounds wonderful." Harry mumbled. He closed his eyes and relaxed
himself into Fleur's side. "Wake me when we're in Scotland."
Before Harry could even begin to get close to sleep, the door opened and
a small girl with Hufflepuff robes poked her head in, "I-im looking for
Harry Potter." The girl squeaked out, turning a deep shade of red.
Harry opened his eyes and leaned forward, "I'm him. Oh! Emily, it's good
to see you again."
The girl miraculously became even redder but a brilliant smile formed on
her face. "Y-you remember me?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I? You're one of my friends right?" The girl
nodded her head furiously, making her long hair whip back and forth.
The girls in the compartment couldn't keep shut the small giggles that
began to develop and Harry had to elbow Fleur to get her to stop.
"I have this for you." She handed him a small note with his name
scribbled on the front.
"Thank you, Emily." Again, the girl nodded her head furiously before
sprinting out of the compartment. This was all it took for the girls to
break into full blown laughter.
"I think you have some serious competition, Fleur." Tracy teased after her
laughter subsided.
"I suppose I do." Fleur responded, still giggling. She kissed Harry on the
temple before looking over his shoulder at the note in his hand. Harry
opened it up and read the short script. He was told to meet with
Professor Slughorn in the front compartment in thirty minutes for tea. It
also said to bring along Fleur. "I guess 'e wants to meet you." Fleur
mused.
"Us, dear. Us." Harry replied. They stayed in the compartment for another
twenty minutes before deciding to leave for the meeting with Slughorn in
the front of the train. Fleur and Harry entered the large compartment and
found it to be already full of other students. A large table was built into
the room and had various drinks and snack foods laid out on it. Cedric
Diggory along with Cho Chang were there as well as a few other older
students Harry knew from the Defense Club. Harry was the youngest one
at the table besides Draco Malfoy, Theo Knott, and Pansy Parkinson.
Harry nodded to Theo who returned the gesture which Harry found to be
a good sign. Malfoy merely sneered at Harry when they made eye contact
but he kept his mouth shut, a surprise for everyone in the room. Harry
and Fleur took their spots next to Cedric and Cho while waiting for
Slughorn, a large man with an ugly bowler hat who sat in the middle of
the table, to begin whatever this was.
"Ah good, good. Our last invitees have arrived, thank you for coming Mr.
Potter and Miss Delacour, such an honor to have you at my table this
afternoon."
"Er, thank you for inviting us Professor Slughorn." Harry responded
respectfully.
"Please Mr. Potter, outside of the classroom you can call me Horace."
Harry bowed his head slightly, "Then you can call me Harry, Horace."
"Wonderful!" Slughorn exclaimed. Harry caught Cedric and Cho's
eyerolls, but from their smiles he could tell they meant the gesture to
mock him. "For those who don't know who I am, I am Horace Slughorn,
former professor at Hogwarts and a potions Master. I will once again be
taking over the position of Slythern Head of House and potions teacher,
coming out of retirement." The professor glanced at the several Slytherins
around the table, most notably Draco.
"I do something none of the other professors do which is organize a little
club of mine. It's for making business partners and helping bright minds
find their way into the proper places to better our society. Think of this
as the first club meeting." Slughorn explained.
Harry looked at Cedric who only shrugged in response. "So, I think to get
things started, we should learn some more about each other, yes?" Harry
bit his tongue to stop himself from groaning as Fudge began asking each
person in the room to describe themselves, or really, their families and
famous relatives. This room was full of people that had good connections
with prominent politicians, businessmen, and influential leaders. It was
clear from the get go that Slughorn was a man that prided himself on
who he knew.
"And last but not least is Harry Potter." Harry didn't allow any emotion to
cross his face, locking his occlumency shields in place just in case
Slughorn was anything like Snape. "A man that needs no introduction.
Truly, I am honored to have you here. And if I'm frank, you were a big
reason I came out of retirement." Draco snorted, but Harry ignored the
blonde ponce. He wasn't expecting much trouble from him this year
besides maybe a few snide remarks.
"Well, thank you professor." Harry responded coldly, his occlumency
shields also blocking any emotion from his voice, making him sound
hollow. The professor clearly wasn't dumb, which was a surprise to Harry
as he quickly got the hint and didn't ask him any questions about his
family or his latest adventures.
"Of course, of course m'boy." Horace responded cheerfully. "Please,
everyone eat up! Enjoy the merry company and make some friends."
Harry didn't do any of that, choosing to speak only with Cedric and Cho
the whole time. Fleur made friends with some of the seventh years she
didn't know from last year. Since she was going to be a student here this
year, she wanted to get to know people better and this club would
actually be good for her. Harry could care less about it however, and did
his best to stay away from Slughorn despite the mans attempts to corner
Harry.
Its not that Harry didn't like the man, he hardly knew him. Its just that
the man creeped Harry out somewhat and he wasn't sure why. He was
snobbish and persistent, but so were most reporters and he dealt with
them all the time. This man had something else about him that rubbed
Harry the wrong way.
The meeting lasted for an hour before Slughorn called it to a close and
ushered everyone back to their compartments. Along the way, many
people stopped Harry to ask about the Defense Club and when it would
be picking back up again. He also stopped by a couple of compartments
to say hello and talk. Fleur stayed with him the whole way and continued
her outreach to the Hogwarts students. She wanted to meet as many
people as possible as her sorting would be tonight and she wanted to
already have friends in every house.
The train continued along the countryside, passing rolling green hills,
and deep dark forests. The sun shown down on the brilliantly red magical
train as it powered its way up north and into Scotland. By the time Harry
and Fleur had made it to their compartment, everyone was taking a short
nap and they quickly followed their friends into sleep.
Harry was roused awake by Fleur with a kiss, making Tracy mock gag.
"Oh stop it, I think it's sweet." Hannah said, sighing as she looked at
Neville with her own lips puckered for a kiss.
Neville clearly didn't get the hint and continued to stare at his girlfriend
confusedly. Her puckered lips turned into a pout and she sighed more
deeply, shaking her head. "You have a lot to learn still."
"Learn what?" Neville asked, still completely confused. Everyone else
broke into laughter which only served to confuse Neville even more.
"What did I miss?"
"Nothin' Nev. Women are crazy!" Harry responded. This caused him to be
on the receiving end of several glares that manged to make even him
nervous. "Er..."
"Out! Get changed before you make more of a fool of yourself." Fleur
commanded her boyfriend. Harry didn't need to be told twice and quickly
left the compartment with Neville quickly behind him.
"I'm still confused Harry." Neville said once the compartment door was
shut behind them.
Harry only laughed as he waved his wand in front of himself and Neville,
changing their clothes into Gryffindor robes. "How's your grandmum?"
"She's doing good. We are waiting on the results of Doctor Emry's tests."
"Oh, so he was able to look at your parents?" Harry asked.
Neville nodded, "Just last week. He said it would be a few weeks before
he could tell us if he could help at all."
"Well, hopefully he can."
"Hopefully." Neville agreed. The door opened and Fleur ushered them
back inside. The girls had changed into their school robes, Fleur's colors
were grey since she had yet to be put into a house. She would have a
private meeting with Minerva and the four house heads after the feast to
determine her house.
The sky began to darken as they moved further and further north into the
Scotland countryside, making their way into the highlands and towards
Hogwarts. Soon, the train began to slow as they pulled into Hogsmeade
train station. Slowly they made their way off the train to the sound of
Hagrid's booming voice calling for all first years to follow him.
They waited around for the last carriage as a group and took it up to the
castle together. Harry, Fleur, and Neville were the only ones that could
see the thestrals that pulled along the carriage and the others thought
they were crazy for seeing the animals that represented death. Harry
found them to be beautiful creatures and easily approachable. Anytime
Neville or Fleur went near one, they were spooked and tried to move
away from them, but for Harry, they actually approached him. It was
slightly unnerving that they liked him so much, but he didn't think much
of it.
The carriage pulled up to the entrance courtyard where many of the
students were still gathered, talking with friends and enjoying the warm
summer evening. Harry was again the last into the castle, having spent a
lot of time talking with other students who wanted to know more about
his summer. The most popular question was how it was to fight in a
battle. Harry politely answered the questions he could and moved his
way into the castle with Fleur. His friends had already left to take their
seats in the Great Hall.
Harry entered the large Hall and found it looking the exact same as it
always had. The night sky showed brilliantly in the ceiling just as it did
the first time he ever set foot in it as a first year. The four houses had
their banners proudly displayed above the tables and floating candles lit
up the hall. The castle ghosts roamed around, talking with students and
teachers.
Sirius waved at Harry when they made eye contact, a gesture Harry
returned before sitting down at Gryffindor table with Neville and
Hermione. Fleur joined him at his side as well since she didn't yet have a
house to sit with. The only change from last year was that the Head seat
was taken by Headmistress McGonagall instead of Dumbledore and Snape
was no longer present as well. Harry saw Umbridge sitting on the edge of
the staff table, the other professors ignoring her for now.
Once everyone was settled into their seats, the doors to the Great Hall
opened and Professor Flitwick walked in. It was an odd sight since Filius
was the same height as the first years walking behind him, almost
making him look like one of the new students. He could only imagine the
surprise of the first years having been led across the lake by a half-giant,
only to be handed off to a half-goblin.
This year they had a larger group of first years than the last. It seemed
each each year after Harrys, the incoming class grew larger, and looked
shorter. Harry, being at Gryffindor table, sat where the first years walked
passed and many of them recognized him and quickly grew wide eyed
upon seeing him. Harry simply smiled at them all, watching them walk
down the aisle as he did not too long ago.
Flitwick pulled out a stool and the sorting hat from the side of the Great
Hall and unfurled a parchment. As he did that, the sorting hat broke into
song, and if Harry remembered correctly, it was a mixture of the second
year and third year songs, just with mismatched verses.
Once the sorting ceremony was complete and all the new first years were
sitting down, Professor McGonagall stood up to make her opening speech
but was stopped as a large red and gold phoenix flew in from the open
rafters of the Great Hall. Fawkes flew down and circled low over the
students heads, making some duck, before landing proudly on Harry's
shoulder.
"Fawkes. What are you doing?" Harry muttered, his face going slightly
red from having everyones eyes on him.
"I wanted to make a grand entrance to start the new year. Was that good
enough or should I put on a better show?"
"I think you made an impression alright." Harry responded, glancing at
the new first year Gryffindors who were staring at him with even more
awe than they had earlier.
"I'm not so sure." Fawkes replied. He then launched off Harry's shoulder
and darted towards the staff table at great speed. His wings burst into
fire, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. Minerva's eyes grew wide as
Fawkes raced towards her and ducked under the table just as Fawkes
rapidly changed directions, flying up into the rafters. He then dive
bombed the Slytherin table before disappearing in a flash of flames,
making the new Slytherins shriek out in fright.
"Sorry. I told him not too!" Harry called to the staff table, most notably
Headmistress McGonagall who was glaring daggers at him as she picked
herself up off the floor. The hall burst into laughter and even some of the
teachers, especially Sirius, joined in the merriment. Fawkes reappeared in
a flash on Harry's shoulder and began nibbling his ear affectionately,
something he picked up from Hedwig.
"Did that get their attentions?" Fawkes asked.
"Yes, yes that did." Harry mumbled as Professor McGonagall continued to
glare at Harry. She took her place on the front podium and began the
normal beginning of the year speech, the exact same one Dumbledore
would do, minus the odd words that made him sound crazy.
Minerva quickly ushered for the house elves to make the food appear on
the table. Dobby was also back in the Hogwarts kitchens and helping
clean the Gryffindor common room as well as Harry's dorms. Harry had
grown to be dependent on the house elf for a lot of things, especially
message carrying when Fawkes was being too stubborn to do anything.
Everyone in the castle knew Dobby was his personal house elf, and even
Hermione had stopped ragging on him for taking a house elf. She was
slowly starting to recognize that muggle values didn't always apply in the
wizarding world.
Harry spent his time talking with his fellow Gryffndor house mates, even
talking a little with Ron. He was still the same eater, throwing any food
in front of him into his mouth and disgusting everyone around him, but
he also had some sense of maturity surrounding him. For the most part,
Ron stuck by Seamus and Deans side as he did last year. Harry had grown
to realize they were just different people, in different places of their life,
with different goals. Their friendship was based off Harry not knowing
what a friend was, and Ron wanting to step away from his older brothers
shadows. Once both moved away from those two things, they found they
shared almost nothing in common, and that was fine by them.
Fleur sat nervously by his side thinking about how her sorting ceremony
would go down. Harry knew she was hoping for Gryffindor, wanting to
be with him, but Harry had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn't be in his
house. It wasn't that she wasn't brave, she definitely was, more brave
then even him, but she didn't value her bravery as he did, she valued
knowledge above everything. Harry figured she would be in Ravenclaw
and had already been telling her all the good things about the house.
The feast concluded after a short two hours and Headmistress
McGonagall released them to their dorms. Neville, who had been chosen
as prefect along with Hermione helped lead the first years up to the
Gryffindor dorm. The position of prefect had made Neville happier than
Harry had ever seen him, and part of that was because Neville's father
wasn't a prefect and it was something his grandmum could be proud of
him for and not equate him to his father.
Fleur kissed Harry on the lips before heading to the Headmistress' office
alone. Only she was allowed into this meeting, along with the four house
heads who would also be present. She wrung her hands nervously as she
ascended the cold stone steps that led to the office. The gargoyle had
easily slid aside upon seeing her and once she reached the heavy wooden
door at the top, it swung open. Inside were the house heads, Black,
Flitwick, Slughorn, and Sprout, with Headmistress McGonagall sitting in
her chair behind her desk.
"No need to be nervous, Fleur." Sirius said, sensing her unease. "Really,
you can just choose your house."
"Do not divulge my secrets Black, or I will divulge yours." The sorting hat
spat out, making himself known to the room. He sat on a stool near the
back of the office. Flitwick walked over and picked the hat up.
"I can choose my 'ouse?" Fleur asked. That wasn't something Harry had
told her.
"No, I choose for you." The sorting hat replied but Fleur glanced at Sirius
who shook his head in response. Fleur allowed a small grin to play on her
face as she sat down in the seat closest to the Headmistress' desk.
"Did Harry tell you the story of his sorting?" Sirius asked Fleur who shook
her head in response. "He chose Gryffindor when the hat wanted to put
him in Slytherin." Pomona and Horace's eyes widened at the thought of
the Golden Gryffindor being in Slytherin. Horace's surprise was almost
disappointment as well. Both Flitwick and Minerva looked unperturbed,
having already known about Harry's sorting.
"Really? Harry might have been in Slytherin?" Sprout asked
incredulously.
"Yes, if he hadn't had an unfortunate run in with that ponce Malfoy, he
would have been." The hat replied, clearly annoyed with the current
conversation. "It's a shame, Slytherin was a perfect fit for him."
"Slytherin, I can't believe it." Professor Slughorn breathed out.
"So I can choose as 'Arry did?" Fleur asked.
Sirius nodded his head, "You can, but I will say now, Harry sometimes
wonders how his life would have turned out if he were in Slytherin. The
Hat, although an asshole."
"You're the asshole." The sorting hat spat.
"Is still wise." Sirius continued, ignoring the hats comment. "If he thinks
you should be in a house that isn't Gryffindor, I would listen to him.
What house does Harry think you'll be sorted into?"
"Ravenclaw." Fleur responded.
Flitwick clapped his hands together gleefully, "And we would be
delighted to have you. If I may say so, I think Ravenclaw is the perfect fit
for you as well."
"Oh stop before you embarrass yourself Filius. She's clearly a Hufflepuff."
Pomona cut in.
"Alright, alright. Just stop the talking and get this over with why don't
you." The hat said irritably. Flitwick walked over and placed the hat on
her head. Fleur felt her mind being probed. Her occlumency shields that
she had worked on since she was ten shut down innately, but the hat
easily breezed by them like they were nothing.
"Hmm, yes. Harry Potter truly has become something I see. The youngsters this
year had nothing but praise for him. But you, you have something altogether
for him, love. You're loyal to him, that is clear, but I do not think that drives
you. Bravery, you have it in droves, but you don't value it like your love does.
Cunning and ambitious you have been raised to be, but that's not what defines
you. It's the value you place in knowledge I see, your drive for strengthening
your mind is your true power."
Fleur sat silently in the chair, listening as the hat talked to her, or itself,
she wasn't sure. She knew deep down that the hat was right, and of
course it was because it was designed to read her emotions, her thoughts,
her feelings. She knew Ravenclaw was right for her, and if Harry thought
so too, as well as Sirius, she should listen to it.
"Ravenclaw!" The hat bellowed out once Fleur agreed with the hat.
–
Swords clashed on heavy wooden shields in unison followed up by a
chant being sung altogether. Dumbledore walked up and down the lines
of the vikings that stood before him and Harald, wearing their battle
armor proudly. They wore thick chain mail with plate armor helmets that
covered their heads, only allowing their eyes to show through. All of the
soldiers were over seven feet tall and just as menacing looking as Harald,
carrying heavy weapons that could cleave any man in two. The armor
was designed to block spells, a gift from their seers, the men in the
village who could communicate with the ancient magic that ran through
this land. The Varangian Guard was being called to action once again and
it acted as the foremost force against magicals.
The vikings themselves didn't use magic to wage war, only the village
seers were allowed to use magic, but the seers did provide their village
warriors with weapons and armor that allowed them to fight battles
against wizards and witches along with other magical beings. Goblins
and trolls had been driven out of their lands long ago, and many had fled
to England as a result of those wars.
Dumbledore's eyes strayed from the impressive formations in front of him
and wandered out to the sea that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Dozens of beautiful viking longships floated in the bay, expertly carved
and crafted, designed to look like dragons, wolves, and other beasts to
intimidate their foes.
The Varangian Guard was three hundred in number and full of battle-
hardened men all looking for riches, glory, and blood. They had a
reputation for being some of the most fearsome warriors the world had
ever seen and Harald Hardrada was one of the greatest military
commanders, having once worked with the Byzantine Empire. After
several years taking castle after castle in the Mediterranean, he returned
to Scandinavia where he was pronounced king.
From there, he raided England, wanting to make himself King of Britain.
His forces were eventually defeated at the battle of Stamford bridge
where the British claimed he was killed. This wasn't the case however.
During his time with the Byzantines, he ran into a young Greek wizard
who granted him the gift of immortality through something called a
horcrux. For one such as him, killing an innocent and shattering his soul
was easy, and the process of making a horcrux was something he brought
back with him and introduced to his people.
Now it was a common thing for his people to create a horcrux. It was
considered a coming of age event for a twelve year old to take the life of
a slave and create his or her own horcrux. Immortality was the gift he
gave his people, and they awarded him the kingship in return. After his
defeat at Stamford bridge, he laid low, regaining his body, and recouped
his forces, waiting for someone to weaken the world so that he could
once again lead his people to greatness.
It wasn't until Grindelwald that Harald thought he found a person to
follow that would break the world open. That wasn't to be however and
he found himself in a jail cell for his belief in that man. Now though, he
was following the very man that had jailed him. Of course, he would
simply kill the foolish wizard once he was of no more use, still, he had to
follow for now.
"We are almost ready to set sail." Harald said.
Dumbledore nodded his head, still looking out to sea as if trying to look
upon Englands shores. "Soon." He mumbled to himself.
33. A Necessary Lesson
Harry woke up to the sound of Fawkes singing loudly in his head, "Shut
up you stupid bird." Harry muttered as he groggily sat up in his four
poster bed. He sighed, looking around the circular room where his
dormmates were still fast asleep. Looking through a nearby window, he
could see that it was still dark out, and the perfect time to go for a
morning run.
"You told me to wake you up, stupid human." Fawkes snapped back. He
hopped onto Harry's chest and pecked at his neck in order to wake Harry
up further.
"Don't always listen to me." Harry responded as he rubbed the sleep from
his eyes and yawned.
"If you say so!" Fawkes said excitedly.
Harry caught what he had just said and quickly retracted the statement.
"No, nevermind. Disregard what I just said."
"You sure? Because you seemed sincere when you told me to not listen to you."
Harry narrowed his eyes at the large phoenix that sat in his lap, "Shut up.
I didn't mean what I said."
"Damn, I'll go and find Hedwig, she'll be better company than you." Fawkes
jumped off his lap, pushing down hard on his nether region as he did so,
making Harry wince from the sudden pain. The pain did a lot to wake
him up quickly and he slid out of his bed, staying quiet so that he didn't
wake up his dormmates. He opened his trunk and put on some work out
clothes, having shed his sleep wear.
Harry then slipped out of the common room and headed for the Black
Lake where he did his normal two laps. Upon completion he continued
with various other workouts that Specter had him doing every day, push
ups, sit ups, pull ups, and using weights that Harry conjured for himself.
What felt like only thirty minutes was really two hours as Harry lost
himself in his first workout back at Hogwarts. The night sky began to
brighten as the sun started to peak over the eastern hills. Harry began his
cool down lap around the lake, enjoying the cool breeze of the morning
blowing on his face. As he made his way for the castle, he noticed a
familiar face watching him from the entrance courtyard.
"Luna? What are you doing out here so early?" Harry asked as he jogged
up to her. He conjured himself a towel to wipe down his forehead that
was covered in sweat.
"Oh hello, Harry. I like to come out here sometimes to get away from the
nargles." By now, Harry was used to her odd words and animals that he
was pretty sure didn't actually exist. He figured it was some kind of code,
a code he had yet to crack, and probably never would. She was still
dressed in her pajamas which was a onesie with pictures of odd babies
with large heads on them.
"Are the nargles bothering you again?" Harry asked. He had heard of
them early on last year where she said they would take her things and
hide them. As the year progressed, she had said less and less about
nargles, so Harry figured they weren't a problem anymore.
"They were all over the place last night. That's normal though, with the
start of the new year. Many students bring nargles with them from their
homes." She responded with her normal dreamy expression. Luna looked
out over the lake, her back turned to the rising sun which made her pale
blonde hair glow. "It's good to see you didn't bring nargles with you."
Harry chuckled, "I'm glad I didn't. From your description of them, they
sound like such pesky creatures. I'd hate to have them around me."
Luna nodded her head, "Yes, they can be quite mean at times." The two of
them fell silent for several minutes as they watched the lake. "You are
very kind Harry Potter." She remarked, catching Harry by surprise.
Harry looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Thank you?" He responded,
unsure of what to say.
"Not many people are nice to me, but you're an exception, you and Fleur
and Aimee." She took a deep breath and Harry could sense a sudden
sadness in the young Ravenclaw. "I miss her." Luna sighed as her mind
turned to the blue haired French witch. Upon hearing that Fleur had
transferred to Hogwarts, Aimee had tried to as well, but her father forbid
it. She was still trying to transfer to Hogwarts since she was seventeen
and could make her own decisions about such things, but she may not get
in until the start of next term.
"She misses you too. Have you kept in touch with Aimee?" Harry asked.
He snaked an arm around the Ravenclaw's shoulders and pulled her into
his side. She happily responded to his touch and burrowed into him,
sighing contentedly. Together, they sat down on the steps of the castle
and enjoyed the comfort of being near one another again. Luna, very
much like Gabbi, had become almost like a little sister to him over the
last year, ever since meeting her for that first interview before the start of
fourth year.
Luna nodded into Harry's side, "We write letters. Fleur was also very kind
to me last night. I'm glad she's in Ravenclaw with me. It's good to have a
friend."
"You have many friends Luna." She looked up at Harry and smiled.
"I know now Harry Potter." The two of them sat there in comfortable
silence for another thirty minutes before they agreed to get changed for
the day and meet back up in the Great Hall for breakfast. By the time
Harry had made it into his dorm room again, his fellow Gryffindors were
just waking up. Harry took a quick shower and got changed into his
uniform before heading into the common room.
Fred and George were already waiting at the base of the stairs for him,
"Hello Chosen One!" George exclaimed with a mock bow, making Harry
roll his eyes. Several others stopped to watch Harry and the twins,
hoping something amusing would happen between the three as so often
something did.
"Fred, George." Harry nodded at the both of them, "A fine morning yes?"
"A fine morning indeed our great leader." Fred replied with his own mock
bow.
"Is there something you needed?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows.
When it came to the twins, he never knew what they were going to say or
ask.
Both twins' smiles left their faces and they became momentarily serious.
Harry knew immediately that something was up since it was rare the
twins were ever this serious. "We have something to show you." Fred said
in a whisper, leaning slightly forward so no one else could hear.
"Follow us." George added. Harry nodded and followed the twins out of
the common room to many curious stares of other Gryffindors, most
notably Hermione who watched with an inquisitive eye. He followed
them up to the seventh floor, and instead of making the right turn to
head for the Room of Requirement, they took a left and made their way
into an abandoned classroom.
Fred opened the door and beckoned Harry into the classroom. "What do
you think!" He asked excitedly. Harry was blown away by what he saw
before him. The entire classroom had been made into a makeshift shop
full of items designed to prank and distract people. Shelves upon shelves
were stacked full of odd trinkets and objects that could do any number of
things. Above the shelves was a large wooden sign that said, Weasleys'
Wizarding Wheezes.
Harry walked over to the first shelf and picked up a remembrall, identical
to what Neville had in first year. Along the shelf were other things, from
Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder to Swamp Makers. The twins seemed
to have acquired it all and somehow smuggled it into the castle.
"So?" George asked anxiously, wanting to hear Harry's comments on the
shop.
"I think it's brilliant!" Harry breathed out making the two twins smile. "I
take it McGonagall doesn't know about this?"
Both the twins lost their smiles momentarily and rubbed the back of their
heads guiltily, "Not quite, mate."
Harry chuckled, "It's fine. Is this place warded?"
Both twins nodded, "We did what we could and we were maybe hoping
you might be able to add to the wards?"
"If you know a way to keep this place a secret, it would be helpful." Fred
added.
Harry thought for a moment before allowing a smile to form on his face,
"How does the Fidelius sound?"
Both twins eyes widened, "You know how to do that?" George asked in
awe.
Harry nodded his head, "I do. I'll make myself secret keeper and that way
your shop should stay hidden forever. Only those you want to know
about it will know of its location."
"That sounds brilliant, mate." Both twins responded at the same time.
Harry chuckled to himself and walked back out of the makeshift joke
shop with the twins and began casting the Fidelius. It was a complex
ward to perform and required a great deal amount of power. Demon had
taught him the spell, one that was older than all the others spells Harry
had ever learned. He wandered what other things in this world were
under the fidelius, never to be seen again.
Harry took several minutes to complete the ward and upon doing so,
wrote down on a small piece of parchment the location of the shop and
handed it to the twins. The door to the abandoned classroom appeared
before them and they all walked back in to make sure everything was
still in order. "Brilliant." Both twins muttered with wide grins on their
faces.
Harry and the twins walked back out and down into the Great Hall
together. They were somewhat late to breakfast and Harry made his way
to sit down at the Ravenclaw table. Fleur and Luna were already sitting
together having a quiet conversation. "Ladies." Harry said as he sat down.
Fleur pecked Harry on the lips before turning back to Luna.
"So Harry, there's a rumor going around that you're Merlin incarnate.
What do you have to say about that?" Cho asked with an amused grin on
her face.
Harry let out a groan making those nearby laugh, "We all know I'm-"
"Just Harry." Those nearby at the table said in unison making everyone
laugh further. Even a few of the nearby Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors
laughed. For Harry, being asked if he was the incarnate of Merlin was a
common question and everyone at the school was used to his usual
response.
"Just Harry." He echoed the others with a chuckle. "Good, you've all been
listening."
"Why'd you never tell us you could use two wands at once?" Padma
asked. She sat next to Seamus who joined her at the Ravenclaw table
since they were still dating.
"I have my secrets." Harry replied cryptically, a smirk forming on his
face.
Fleur rolled her eyes, "'E eez a pain non?" She asked the group, making
everyone chuckle. "'Arry didn't want to bring more attention to 'imself
than necessary." She explained for him.
"Hey Harry!" He turned in his seat to look at Katie who approached him
from the Gryffindor table. Behind her was Angelina and Alicia, both
smiling at him. "We were wondering if you were going to tryout for the
Quidditch team this year?" She asked nervously.
Harry was very aware of a lot of the students who were suddenly
interested in the conversation he was having. It was well known that he
was the best seeker in the school, only Cedric being close to him in skill.
Harry put on a guilty smile, "Sorry, I just have to much on my plate right
now to do Quidditch."
He felt bad when he saw the disappointed looks on the three girls faces
and ignored the sighs of relief from the other nearby students. "It's okay,
we understand. Do you think you can at least come out to tryouts and
help us choose your replacement?"
Harry nodded, "I can do that."
"Great!" Katie gave him a warm smile and quickly headed back to the
Gryffindor table after a quick nervous glance at Fleur. Harry felt Fleur's
hand tighten around his under the table and he squeezed it back, earning
an appreciative smile in return.
"Thanks for handing us the win, Potter!" Cho exclaimed happily.
"And what makes you think you'll win dear?" Cedric asked, walking up
behind Cho and placing a kiss on her cheek.
"The fact that Ravenclaw has a better team, and the best seeker."
"I wasn't aware that you were better than me." He responded, sitting
down next to his girlfriend. He began piling food onto his plate while
bickering back and forth with Cho and Seamus about Quidditch.
Breakfast passed quickly for Harry as he talked with the Ravenclaws.
Sirius had walked over to hand him his schedule for the year and
unfortunately, he had potions in the mornings as was normal for
Gryffindors. At least this year he didn't have to suffer through Snapes
lectures and miserable classroom atmosphere.
He parted ways with Fleur and Luna and met up with Daphne, Tracy, and
Hermione for potions in the dungeons. The classroom had stayed the
same and upon entering it, they found the entire layout the same as well.
Slughorn sat in the front of the classroom watching his students walk in
and take their seats. Hermione and Harry paired up while Tracy and
Daphne took seats next to one another. Theo and Neville paired together
which Harry was happy to see. So far it seemed that Theo was unchanged
despite the summer with his father who was one of Voldemort's top
lieutenants. He would have to have a conversation with him sometime
soon to know for sure what was going on with him.
A loud bell rang through the castle that signaled the start of classes.
Slughorn began to take roll and half way through, Malfoy walked in with
Crabbe and Goyle behind him. All three of them caught Harry's eye, and
Crabbe and Goyle especially glared daggers at him. He didn't blame them
since Harry was partially to blame for their fathers death or capture.
Voldemort had killed Goyles father during the night of the third task and
Crabbe's father was taken captive during the botched attack on
Longbottom Manor.
The sudden tension in the room was obvious but it was quickly broken
up by Slughorns voice, "Gentlemen. You are three minutes late. I will
have to unfortunately dock points."
"What!" Draco exclaimed, turning to face the professor without taking his
seat. "That's not how Professor Snape ran this class!"
Slughorn looked at Draco with no emotion on his face, "I am not
Professor Snape. I run my class more efficiently and I run my house
differently. I thought I was clear about that last night during our house
meeting."
Draco snorted and took his seat next to Pansy. Crabbe and Goyle sat
behind them. "Five points from Slytherin for being tardy and another five
points for your attitude." Harry found himself immediately liking this
professor more than he had initially back on the Hogwarts Express. Draco
looked ready to retort but Pansy placed a hand on his arm and motioned
for him to shut up.
"Good. Now we may continue." Slughorn's teaching method was radically
different from Snape's Harry found. He actually taught the proper method
of brewing potions along with chopping up the ingredients, and cleaning
the tools. Snape would merely put up the instructions for the potion on
the blackboard and leave the students to figure it out for themselves.
Slughorn would walk around the class like Snape did, but unlike Snape,
he offered advice and showed students how to properly do things,
whereas Snape would ridicule his struggling students.
By the end of the class Harry actually found himself somewhat enjoying
potions. After the class, the fifth year Gryffindors had Herbology with the
Hufflepuffs. He met up with Susan and Hannah in the greenhouses where
they partnered up for the lesson. It turned out to be a note taking class
where they simply learned about what they would be doing throughout
the year. Professor Sprout showed them various kinds of plants they
would be handling, none of them Harry cared for, but by Nevilles
fascinated look, they must be something interesting.
Lunch didn't come soon enough for Harry and he found himself hungrier
than he had been in a long time. He piled his plate full of different kinds
of sandwiches and also made another plate full of salad. He felt someone
slide into his side and looked over to see Fleur. "How were your first
classes?" Harry asked after he swallowed a bite of his pork sandwich.
Fleur shrugged as she took a turkey sandwich and began nibbling on it.
"Good I guess."
Harry nodded, "You have tutoring this evening?"
She nodded her head. Fleur had hired private tutors so that she could
take a few classes that weren't offered at Hogwarts. The class she was
mainly excited for and the one she cared most about was enchanting. She
also hired Madame Pomfrey to teach Beginning Healing. Poppy tutored
several other students at the school in healing but it wasn't an official
class.
Both were clearly hungry and spent most of their time eating, only
sharing short sentences with one another to detail their day. Luna had
come along half way through their meal and sat down with them. She
chose not to eat anything which Harry found odd, but he didn't question
her.
"You 'ave DADA?" Fleur asked which Harry responded by nodding his
head. The warning bell rang which signaled the students that they had
five minutes to get to their classes. "Be good." Fleur kissed him on the
cheek and got up to go to her own charms class.
Harry made his way up to the DADA classroom where Sirius was already
waiting for everyone at his desk. The middle of the classroom was
cleared with the desks and chairs pushed to the side. More students
filtered into the class behind Harry and they all huddled in the center of
the room, waiting for Sirius to speak.
The bell rang and Draco scampered in in the last second with his two
bodyguards. "As you can probably tell, today will be a practical lesson.
Last year I tested everyone in their dueling, now I want to test you again
to see how far all of you have progressed."
Murmurers rang through the class and Harry found himself on the
receiving end of a few nervous glances. It was clear no one was really
interested in dueling with him. "For a quick demonstration, Mr. Potter
and I will duel." Harry stepped forward and took his place across from
Sirius. He flicked his Holly wand into his hand and squared off against
his godfather. Only Draco looked on unimpressed.
"What? So you can make Potter look good like the papers? I'm not scared
to duel him if you want a proper demonstration!" Malfoy exclaimed with
a smirk, silencing the excited whispers amongst the students.
Harry glanced at Sirius who only shrugged and stepped back over to his
desk so that Malfoy could take his place. Draco wore a victorious smirk
on his face and it only grew wider when he noticed Harry only holding
his Holly wand. "I told you what the papers said was a lie. No one can
use two wands." Several other whispers broke out in the crowd of
students which didn't sound as good to Harry.
Harry simply replied by flicking his Yew wand into his hand since he had
nothing to hide anymore. Draco's smirk was wiped off his face and his
eyes grew slightly wide with surprise. "First you bow." Sirius called to the
two duelists.
Harry lowered his head slightly but made sure to keep his eyes on Draco
the whole time. He wouldn't put it past the snake to try and cheat. Just as
Harry was beginning to stand back upright and take a dueling stance,
Draco launched into his attack. He started with a more powerful than
average blasting hex, but Harry easily sidestepped it and put both wands
into motion. Draco had openly challenged him in front of his fellow
peers, and he knew a lot rode on this one small duel so he didn't go easy
on the Slytherin.
Harry blasted away Draco's hastily raised shield, sending him flying
backwards. Before he could even hit the wall, Harry's Yew wand was
turned into a whip which wrapped around Draco's waist. Harry then
jerked his arm backwards, sending Draco flying back into the middle of
the room just before he had hit the wall. Harry's Holly wand sent a a
stunner which connected, hitting Draco squarely in the chest and
knocking him out immediately. Harry then let Draco fall to the ground
and after changing the whip back into the yew wand, he tied Draco up in
thick black chains that bent his arms and legs together like he was about
to be roasted over a pit. The fight had lasted all of a few seconds and the
other students looked at Harry in awe.
"Well, I guess the first lesson should be to not challenge someone who's
better than you in a duel." Sirius spoke up, bringing the class out of their
shocked state. None of them had fully seen Harry's skill in a duel until
now except once before in the Defense Club. Sirius quickly walked over
and dispelled the chains before reviving Malfoy. After a quick check over
him, he determined Malfoy should probably get to the hospital wing.
Harry's stunner was extremely powerful, especially on those with not
fully developed bodies. Crabbe and Goyle were tasked with getting the
unconscious Malfoy to the hospital ward.
For the rest of the class, Harry patrolled around the others with Sirius to
help him make notes on who is good or who needs improvement. Harry
could also use these notes for himself for the Defense Club. Neville had
done a lot of growing over the summer and so did his magical prowess it
seemed. He was finally getting used to his new wand and it was greatly
helping him. He also showed a confidence he didn't have before and that
confidence made him the best in the class at dueling. Daphne was also
good and she showed a fire that she hadn't had early last year.
Hermione's strength was still in spell use and knowledge. It seemed
reading a lot of books had come in handy for her when it came to duels.
She didn't have the greatest magical power, but she able to skate by by
surprising opponents with spells they had never seen before. Tracy was
also rather skilled with a wand, but it was clear her strength wasn't in
dueling. She relied too heavily on transfiguration, something that could
take up a lot of time in a duel, and when combating someone who knows
how to duel, they could easily punish you for depending on
transfiguration.
What felt like five minutes was really an hour and a half. The bell rang
alerting everyone to the end of the class. They all broke off of their duels
and gathered their books, heading out of the classroom after Sirius had
alerted them to their homework, mandatory attendance to the Defense
Club on Saturday.
Harry let out a groan when he saw who was waiting for him in the
hallway. "Potter." Draco snapped. Behind him was Crabbe and Goyle
looking as murderous as ever. Draco had a bandage wrapped around his
head from where he had hit the floor after Harry dropped him in their
duel.
"Can I help you Draco?" Harry asked as he slowly approached Malfoy.
"I didn't get the chance to say good duel." Draco held out his hand for
Harry to shake. Harry glanced at Neville who stood next to him and he
only shrugged in response. A crowd had formed around them, all of the
students hoping to see a repeat of what happened earlier in the
classroom.
Harry quickly looked Draco up and down trying to determine if the
handshake was in someway a trap. It definitely wasn't like Malfoy to do
something like this. Seeing nothing, Harry shook the Slytherins hand. He
waited for something to happen, anything to happen as he slowly shook
Draco's hand, but after several seconds, he felt nothing but his hand in
Draco's.
"It was a good duel. Sorry if I hurt you or anything." Harry replied as he
took his hand back from Draco's cold grasp.
Draco put on a smirk, "Nothin' Poppy couldn't handle." Harry nodded his
head and stepped around Draco in order to head for charms class. He
took several steps passed Draco when he felt the back of his hairs stand
on end. Without even turning around, Harry had his Yew wand in hand
and used a shield to absorb Malfoy's incoming spell.
With his left hand, he wandlessly banished Malfoy back into the wall and
the sound of cracking bones was heard by everyone. Draco slumped to
the ground as his wand fell from his grasp. He coughed up blood from
the damage to his core and blood ran down the back of his head. Draco
was clearly stunned by how quickly he found himself in the wall and was
struggling to stay conscious.
In a second, Harry turned into Haunt and walked up to Draco who turned
even more pale than his normal complexion, making him as white as a
ghost. Many of the nearby students screamed and jumped back as the six
hundred pound, jet black tiger approached Draco. Haunt placed one of
his large paws on Draco's chest making the boy scream out in pain due to
his several broken ribs.
Harry caught sight of Crabbe and Goyle who thought they were being
sneaky despite their size. Before anyone could blink, Harry was standing
over them with both wands pointed at their unconscious forms as they
lay next to their leader.
"You should know better than to attack me from behind. Its never worked
out well for you." Harry said just before leaving the three snakes on the
ground. Pansy who wisely stuck to the backround, rushed over to Draco
and tried to help him. She was the only one from the crowd who seemed
to care as everyone else followed Harry away.
"You're bloody scary you know?" Neville remarked as they headed for the
charms classroom for the last class of the day.
"Yeah Harry, that was brilliant and all, but scary as hell." Dean added.
"I remember your animagus form from last year, but it seemed even more
terrifying this year." Seamus said. He then guiltily glanced over at Ron
who walked next to him. "Er, sorry mate."
Ron simply waved off his apology. "I'm just glad to not be on the
receiving end this time." He responded, making everyone around them
laugh.
–
"What have I told you about fighting in the halls, Mr. Potter?"
McGonagall asked from behind her desk. Harry was forced to go to the
Headmistress' office after dinner in order to have a 'little chat' with the
Headmistress and for some reason, Umbridge who was here as well.
Sirius stood in the back of the office with his arms crossed over his chest.
"To not fight, but in my defense, he did try and hit me in the back, the
bloody coward." Harry muttered the last bit making Minerva groan.
"Draco will be punished for what he did, I can assure you of that, but you
must be punished as well." Sirius spoke up, getting the attention of Harry.
He looked more mad than Harry had ever seen him before. "I must say, I
am disappointed in your actions today."
Harry felt his heart drop at those words. He had never expected that his
actions would disappoint Sirius, the closest thing to a father he had. He
thought he did what he was trained to do, to fight, what Sirius wanted
him to do. He had thought Sirius would be proud of him for making a
lesson of Draco in the way he did.
Sirius could see the sudden confusion on Harry's face and so explained
himself, "You have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders Harry, too
much really. One of those responsibilities though, is to use the power you
have in a responsible way." Harry continued to look at Sirius like he was
crazy, causing Sirius to sigh. "What you did to Draco was wrong."
"But he attacked me! What was I supposed to do, just let him hit me in
the back?" Harry asked, getting a little irritated. Why was Sirius trying to
pin the blame on him?
"No, no, you were right to act, it was just the manner in which you
acted." Sirius responded.
"What?" Harry asked, still confused.
"You didn't need to be so brutal with him." Sirius said with a knowing
look on his face.
"But-"
"No." Sirius cut in. "You know you didn't have to change into Haunt. You
didn't have to break his ribs or smash him into the wall. I know one
stunner from you is all it would take. You showed off and that is not
what I have taught you to do. I thought taking your mask off during the
Longbottom raid would be enough of a lesson for you, but I see it wasn't."
Specter had ripped into Harry for that mistake. He had jeopardized his
entire team doing something stupid like that. They wore those masks for
a reason and Harry had screwed up.
"I-I'm sorry." Harry said after taking a deep breath. He couldn't help but
feel anger, anger at himself, and a guilt that cut down to his bone. He
knew he let Sirius down, and that was something he had vowed to never
do. Looking back, he knew he didn't have to be so hard on Malfoy, he
was a prick, an annoying prick, but someone who couldn't really harm
him. He knew he had screwed up, just like he had screwed up back at
Longbottom Manor.
"You will have detention with Slughorn for the next week for fighting.
Now go, I believe you have somewhere else to be." Sirius commanded
him. Harry nodded his head and did his best to avoid Sirius' eyes. He
made the mistake of glancing at the grey eyes of his godfather upon
parting the room and saw the disappointment etched in them that only
served to make Harry feel worse.
Harry flashed away with the help of Fawkes upon making it outside of
the office. "Somethin' wrong Haunt?" Banshee asked upon seeing him
arrive in the training room. He clearly looked troubled about something,
angry even. Harry shook his head while locking down his occlumency
shields to shut out the feelings plaguing his mind.
"I'm good." Harry responded coldly. He ignored Banshees raised eyebrows
and threw off his Hogwarts robe. With a wave of his wand, his school
uniform was turned into a workout outfit. Reaper walked in at that
moment and headed for the stack of weapons that hung on the far wall.
He pulled off a sword and a battlestaff, tossing Harry the sword. Harry
deftly caught it in one hand and held it out before him.
"Ready to train?" Reaper asked. All it took was a nod from Harry for
Reaper to charge. He rushed Harry and began twirling the staff around
him at a high speed, making it whistle in the air. He struck low which
Harry parried and made his own attack in the same movement, slicing at
Reapers chest missing him only by centimeters. Reaper was able to jump
back just in time and returned with his own strike aimed for Harry's
neck.
Banshee watched the two from the sidelines with an amused expression
on her face. It was always something amazing to watch Harry train. He
was impressive with magic, and though he wasn't as good with a sword,
he still had a natural flow about him when he had the weapon in hand.
After another couple years of training with a sword, Harry could become
one of the most accomplished sword masters in the country, muggles
included.
Specter walked into the training room and stood next to Banshee,
watching the two train as well. "He's getting good." Specter remarked.
Banshee nodded her head absently, "Very good." Just as she said that
however, Harry was caught off guard by a leg sweep from Reaper, which
flipped Harry into the air. He landed hard on his back, knocking the wind
out of him and Reaper followed up with a stab towards the throat,
stopping just short of actually hitting him. "Just not quite there yet."
"I yield!" Harry exclaimed after catching his breath, dropping his sword.
Reaper smirked and helped Harry back up to his feet after tossing aside
the practice battlestaff.
"Damn." Harry muttered as he rubbed his lower back.
"Gotta watch out for every-" Reaper began speaking but was cut off by
Harry.
"What the-" Harry felt his blood run cold as memories of first year came
back to him. Everyone turned to see where Harry was looking and all of
their eyes widened in surprise. A black wraith of some sort with bright
blue eyes came flying into the room. The blue eyes glanced around the
room for a moment before flying through another door on the side of the
training room.
"The hell was that?" Reaper asked out loud once the wraith had vanished.
"I don't know." Specter mumbled. He sprinted for the door that the wraith
had flown through. Harry, Reaper, and Banshee quickly followed Specter
and the wraith out into the hall. They just caught sight of it turning left
down another corridor. The wraith then vanished through an old wooden
door. It was clear the wraith knew exactly where it was going and it also
didn't seem particularly harmful to any of them.
Angel and Demon both appeared on the far side of the corridor,
breathing heavily. Clearly they had seen the wraith as well and were
chasing it through the castle. "What is going on?" Angel demanded as he
sprinted towards the door the wraith had vanished through.
"I've seen one of those before." Harry responded. "Voldemort was like that
after losing his body."
Specter pushed open the room and all of them piled into the cramped
space that housed the viking horcrux. They had kept the chest with the
sword in this room having no clue where else to put it. Angel had spent
several weeks trying to study it but found nothing in return. The black
wraith with blue eyes hovered above the old chest that held the viking
sword. "You're telling me, this is a person with a horcux?" Specter asked
Harry.
"It appears the horcrux it has is the one in that chest." Demon surmised.
–
Peter Bernoval walked through the streets of Hogsmeade and made his
way to the Hogs Head. He stepped inside of the small pub that also acted
as an Inn for those willing to pay. Behind the bar was an older man, older
than your average wizard, who sported a long silver beard very similar to
the former Headmaster of Hogwarts.
Sitting at the bar were several witches and wizards that appeared shady
at first glance. The Inn had a bad reputation for allowing those with a
history of being dark to stay within its rooms. As such, it attracted some
of the lower scum of the wizarding world and the owner didn't seem to
care as long as he was paid.
Peter approached the bar and placed a medium sized bag of gold onto the
counter. "A room for the month." The bartender looked over at his new
customer and narrowed his eyes. It was unusual for someone to stay so
long and he didn't want more trouble than he already had.
"Yer name?" The bartender asked as he walked over. He prodded open
the bag of gold and was surprised to find that it actually was real gold.
Whoever this was, he was a well off man despite dressing like a beggar.
The only thing on him that showed off his wealth was the gold ring on
his finger. In the center of the ring he could make out a stone, something
about it seemed familiar but he couldn't quite place it.
The sight of the gold quickly made him lose interest in the person before
him however, and he quickly pocketed the bag. "I have an open room,
second floor, first door on yer left."
Peter smiled at the man, reached into his pocket and pulled out a few
more gold coins. "A pint of your best ale?" The bartender nodded and
poured out a large cup of mead that came from Brussels. He placed the
tin cup in front of Peter and turned to serve his other seedy customers.
Peter sat in the bar for another hour surveying his surroundings. He
noticed a hatch that was hidden well behind the counter. It could be
where the ale was stored, or it could be something else altogether. The
only other exit was the front door.
Finding the place good enough for him and his purposes, he ascended the
stairs and made his way to his room. He found it to be quite small with
only a bed and barely enough room to move around in. Still, it was
enough for him and he wasn't going to complain. Peter sighed in relief
and stripped off his clothes until he was stark naked. His body began to
shift and reform until he was a different person altogether. Where his
head had been balding, was now short white hair. His eyes had turned
from a dull grey to a bright green and his broken and missing teeth had
been replaced by a dazzling white smile. His posture also turned more
rigid and his skin scarred to show the battles he had once been through.
In the middle of his back was a large black tattoo of the symbol of the
Deathly Hallows.
In order to make more room for the ritual he was about to perform, he
vanished the little furniture that was in the room. He then pulled three
vials of blood from his coat pocket and began pouring them out to form a
pentagram on the wooden floorboards. The blood was a gift of sorts from
a kind half-blood family he had run into in Cambridge. Though he didn't
like spilling magical blood, it was necessary for the Greater Good and
their sacrifice would not be in vain.
After drawing the pentagram, Gellert slit his own hand and watched his
blood to drip into the center. Having allowed enough of his own blood to
leave his body, he healed the cut then took off the ring Voldemort had
given him. Grindelwald's skin began to wrinkle and his rigid, proud
posture slumped slightly as age appeared to take him quickly. His full
head of hair thinned and his green eyes turned dull.
He placed the gold ring in the center of the pentagram, making sure to
smear his own blood in the ring. The pentagram made of blood began to
glow bright white, making him have to squint to see what he was doing.
Gellert then pointed the tip of his Ebony wand at his heart and muttered
the incantation. A blinding pain took hold of his body and he had to fight
with everything he had to stay upright and conscious.
A wisp of black smoke appeared at the tip of his wand, much like pulling
a memory from the mind, and Gellert hovered the black smoke above the
golden ring covered in his own blood. The smoke detached itself from his
wand and completely enveloped the ring. It hovered several feet above
the floor and twisted and turned as the smoke swirled around it.
With another blinding flash that Gellert was forced to shield his eyes
from, the smoke flooded into the ring, warping it and turning it as black
as midnight. Blue streaks of pulsating magic glowed from the ring as it
slowly lowered back towards the ground. The pentagram stopped
glowing white and once again became the color of blood as the ritual
finished.
Grindelwald didn't hesitate to pick up the new ring and place it onto his
finger. He felt a sudden rush of power flow through his body. His white
hair turned midnight black and his green eyes once again glowed with
power as they had so long ago. The scars and wrinkles in his pale skin
disappeared and he also tanned slightly. His posture once more became
rigid like a soldier and muscles that had never been there before began to
show. He all of a sudden looked like a thirty year old male despite being
over a hundred. Grindelwald smiled to himself as he looked in the mirror
he had conjured.
34. The Castle
"Always move, never stop!" Harry commanded as he walked through the
ranks of dueling students. Many were sweating profusely from the
workout they were receiving at the hands of Harry. This year, he wasn't
going to go easy on them, especially since total war was fast
approaching, and who knows if they would truly need this training. He
intended to make them as well trained as possible in order to give them
the best chance at surviving this war.
Sirius had just a few minutes ago gotten back from a session with the
Wizengamot. The entire country had gone into full lockdown, wizard
wise. The British Muggle Prime Minister had been told of the entire
situation happening in the wizarding world and talks were still being
made on what the muggles could do to help, after all, it was their country
under attack as well and the Death Eaters definitely weren't going to
leave them alone. At this point, Harry wasn't even sure if Dumbledore
would leave the muggles alone. Everything he had once known about
Dumbledore was thrown completely out of the window after he made a
deal with the devil Hardrada, something their new friend had told them
about.
The Wizengamot was also missing a third of its members, all suspected
Death Eater members and supporters. This also meant that some of the
Department Heads were missing, along with a few aurors. It was clear
that Voldemort had given up on trying the subtle infiltration method and
was now preparing for full war.
Harry stopped to correct a sixth years form when he caught sight of
Umbridge watching from the doorway of the Great Hall. He stopped to
look at her for a moment and didn't notice anything odd about the
woman. She simply watched with a distasteful look, but she kept her
mouth shut and stayed out of his way which was all he could ask for. He
still didn't like her being here, but so far, she hadn't been any problem,
staying well out of everyone's way like Fudge had promised she would.
Seeing another sixth year focus on simply trying to shield instead of
easily dodging the slow attacks from his opponent, Harry stepped in.
"Stop for a moment and gather 'round." Harry called to the group of
seventh and sixth years. Fleur, Cedric, and Cho were among this group
and they hurried over to Harry, forming a circle around him.
"A lot of you are getting tired, I can see that." Harry started as he looked
at everyone around him. Many of them were hunched over trying to
catch their breath. Their shirts and hair were soaked in sweat from the
workout they were going through. "But, that does not mean you should
ever start using a shield instead of dodging. I constantly hammer into you
to dodge so that when you are tired, when you feel you can move no
more, your muscle memory forces you to dodge. Now get back to it, and
do things right." Harry ordered them. They all moved without word or
grumbling back to their original positions and began sending spells at
one another again. He was happy to see that at least they had started to
dodge again instead of getting lazy and shielding.
He continued walking around the Great Hall, helping Pomfrey revive
anyone who did manage to get themselves knocked out or hurt in other
ways. Sirius and Flitwick stuck to the younger groups to teach them the
basics of dueling. Harry noticed that Umbridge continued to watch from
her place in the entrance of the Great Hall, but never did she make a
move to actually enter the hall.
As Harry brought the first Defense Club session of the year to a close, he
was bombarded with questions, most notably about everything going on
in the ministry. It was well known that other countries were lending their
support England which only affirmed the populations fears that war was
brewing. At least they were quelled by the notion that the ministry was
acting quickly and were being helped out by what seemed like the rest of
the worlds nations. Due to the influx of new personnel the DMLE had to
work with, Amelia had bolstered Hogwart's defenses with another six
man American and French hit wizard team that worked under
Shacklebolt and Tonks.
Once Harry had answered as many questions as he could and the Great
Hall had begun to empty, Sirius approached him. "Given any thought on
how to deal with the dementors yet?" Lately Harry had been asked again
and again by Amelia on what should be done with the residents of
Azkaban. He had told her early on that Flitwick and himself had
theorized that he might be able to destroy the dementors for good. But
now, his patronus had changed again and he wasn't so sure.
Harry muttered expecto patronum, and from his yew wand sprang a
midnight black tiger with startling green eyes. Where his patronus had
once been silver in color, was now completely solid and resembled
nothing of a patronus at all. It looked like him in animagus form and so
he was unsure if it even was a patronus any longer. There was only one
way to check if this was actually still a patronus, but he wasn't too keen
on taking a trip to the former dungeon island.
"That thing is scary as hell." Sirius said as he watched the patronus
Haunt, prowl around the Great Hall, scaring the last of the lurking
students out.
"I'm unsure if this even is a patronus. Have you ever seen Dumbledore
use a patronus?"
Sirius nodded his head, "Coincidentally, his patronus is a phoenix, but it
retained the same silvery wisp form as a normal patronus."
"So we're just going to chalk this up as another Harry thing?" He
halfheartedly asked with a chuckle.
Sirius chuckled along as well, "I guess. Those things seem to be ever
increasing."
"At this point, I'm not sure if there's a normal bone in my body." Harry
replied.
Sirius got an amused grin on his face, "Fleur either must be pleased or
very sad at that."
Harry looked at Sirius confused before it dawned on him what he was
saying. "Oh Sirius! That's-just-no!" Harry squeaked out, going red in the
face.
"Such disgusting talk from the father of my child." Both men jumped from
surprise at the sound of her voice. Emmy approached them with Fleur on
her side. Emmy's belly was growing rapidly and she had a glow about her
that could never be extinguished. Since Sirius was a teacher and the Head
of House Gryffindor, he had difficulty making it back to Hogwarts each
night. As such, she had come to the school full time to be with him,
which made Tracy very happy since she now got to see her little brother
every day who came as well.
Harry's patronus saw the newcomers and slowly approached the two
females. Neither were afraid, having seen the large tiger before and Fleur
even started scratching it behind its ears. The Haunt patronus had a
liking for her more than even Harry and was always glad to see her.
"Daphne wanted to talk with you." Fleur said after giving him a quick kiss
on the lips.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then." She nodded and watched as Harry
walked out of the Great Hall. He spotted Daphne waiting for him by the
doors of the Entrance Hall. He noted a small sense of uncertainty about
her but didn't comment on it"Daph?"
She gave him a small smile, "I thought we could go for a walk, like we
used to." Harry smiled brightly at the idea and nodded. Together they
stepped out into the warm nighttime air. The stars were out in full force
and the moon was just a crescent in the dark sky. The Black Lake
sparkled under the stars and Harry could occasionally catch glimmers of
light bouncing off Daphne's short blonde hair. She had decided to keep
the short hair she received at the hands of her captives, figuring she
actually liked it. She would joke that at least she gotten a new look out of
her time with the Death Eaters. It was at least something to laugh about
given the situation, Harry figured.
"My uncle tried to contact me." Harry stopped mid step and looked at her,
his eyebrows raised. Noticing that he had stopped, she spun around to
face him. She rummaged through one of her pockets and pulled out a
small slip of paper. Harry took it and quickly glanced over what it said.
"Ilvermorny?"
Daphne nodded her head, "He and my father, even though brothers,
hated one another. He left the family and went to America a long time
ago. I haven't ever heard from him until now."
"Well, I think you should take the opportunity." Harry said without
hesitation. He could see some hurt flash through her blue eyes that
glinted in the moonlight.
"Harry-" She began but Harry quickly cut her off.
"Daphne, this is your chance to get away from everything. After what you
went through, I-I..." He trailed off unsure of what to say.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him in for a hug,
placing a quick kiss on his cheek as she did so. "You're sweet Harry, but
you know I'll never leave you here while your situation persists. I could
never forgive myself for leaving you now."
"But you have Astoria to worry about Daph. She's your family and you're
being given the opportunity to have a brand new life, away from war,
away from danger."
Daphne pulled away from the hug and chuckled. "We both know that I'll
never be out of danger, especially if you were to fail. I can help you here
and Astoria would never agree to leave England, she loves Sirius too
much."
It was Harry's turn to chuckle. "He finds his way into the hearts of all
women."
"That he does."
A silence enveloped the two for a moment before Harry broke it, "If
things aren't looking good, just promise me you'll get out of England."
"I can promise I'll get Astoria out of England."
"Daphne-" Harry started but was quickly cut off.
"I'm with you, to whatever end we find ourselves in."
–
Daphne woke up the next morning to the sound of a blazing warning
horn in her room. Immediately the sleep left her eyes as she recognized
what that horn meant. Quickly, she flung herself out of bed and threw on
whatever nearby clothes she could find scattered throughout her already
messy room.
Grabbing her wand, she opened the door to her room and saw just who
she figured she might have. Draco Malfoy stood completely frozen, save
for his eyes, in front of her door completely naked. His pale body was
still sporting some of the bruises from his fight with Harry a few days
ago. The Slytherin Prince's eyes were wide with fright upon seeing her
angry demeanor. She swiftly brought her foot up between his legs and
connected with the frozen body part that hung inbetween. She got some
satisfaction when she saw Draco's eyes fold back into themselves as he
passed out from the pain he just experienced.
She thanked Fleur for the brief lesson in useful wards to put around her
room. The French witch had learned the wards from her mother to
protect her during school. It was common for a young veela to lose
control of their allure during sleep and for the boys to be woken up by it
and driven mad. Daphne had seen the potential usefulness of those wards
and placed them on her own, Tracy's, and Astoria's rooms.
Realizing that it was only Malfoy outside her door and that his usual
bodyguards weren't in sight, she began searching for Tracy only to find
her room without anyone outside it. She felt her heart move to her throat
as panic hit her that the wards may not have worked for her sister.
She rushed through the common room, ignoring the stares and headed
into her sisters hallway. There she saw at the end of the hall, just outside
of her sisters room was Crabbe and Goyle completely frozen and nude
just as Malfoy had been. It seems the three of them had decided to get
back at Harry through Daphne and Astoria, but had come up wanting.
She was about to administer the same punishment to Crabbe and Goyle
but was stopped by Astoria as she opened her door. "Oh!" Astoria
exclaimed upon seeing the boys in front of her. The youngest Greengrass'
face filled with rage when she recognized what the two boys were up to
when they were frozen in place. Where Daphne had only supplied one
kick to Malfoy, Astoria required more vengeance.
"You...stupid...pigs...thinking...you...could...touch...me!" With each word
she brought her foot up between each boys legs, making even Daphne
wince in pain. There was no way either boy was going to ever be able to
have children after what happened to them. The only thing worse for
them would be if Harry found out about this as he wouldn't just stop at
making them barren.
Sensing someone watch her, Astoria looked down the hallway and saw
her sister watching her with a smirk on her face. "Did you have a visitor
too?"
Daphne nodded her head, "Draco apparently thought he could enter my
room."
"Should we get Harry?" Astoria asked with a cruel smile. She then turned
to Crabbe and once again kicked him for good measure.
"Harry would kill them and then get himself expelled from the school.
Professor Slughorn should do fine."
Astoria nodded in agreement, "I'll get him." She rushed passed Daphne
and exited the hallway. Daphne also headed out of the hall and back into
her own hall to check back in on Draco. Several of her year mates had
woken up and immediately noticed the nude Draco frozen in their hall.
Pansy was fussing over him, trying every spell she knew to try and
unfreeze him. Tracy poked her head out of Daphne's room upon hearing
the hall door open and sighed in relief when she saw her.
"Oh thank god you're fine." Tracy exclaimed, rushing over to hug her best
friend.
"Fleur's wards worked perfectly. Crabbe and Goyle are currently frozen
outside of Astoria's room." Daphne responded.
"These fucking pigs." Tracy muttered. She broke the hug and pushed
Pansy out of the way of her boyfriend, then proceeded to repeatedly kick
Draco in between the legs. Millicent Bulstrode, a hulking girl who acted
as the bodyguard for Pansy quickly stepped in and made to push away
Tracy, but Daphne was quick with her wand, freezing Millicent in place.
"You bitch!" Pansy screamed, a cry that could easily be heard by
everyone in the common room. Daphne didn't hesitate to cast a stunner
at Pansy that quickly knocked the witch out.
As a last good measure, Tracy socked Draco in the face, breaking his nose
and causing a stream of blood to run down his face. Unfortunately for the
witch, he had gone unconscious again from the repeated kicking to his
nether region and didn't feel his nose break.
Upon hearing Pansy's scream, many of the students in the common room
rushed into the hall. "What the hell is happening here!" Alexei Volter
asked upon walking into the hall. He was considered the head of
Slytherin students, being the seventh year prefect and current Head Boy
of Hogwarts. He was well respected and one of the few that Harry
actually liked in the house of snakes. Alexei was a commander, took no
shit, and didn't care for the bigoted minds of purebloods, being a half-
blood himself. He excelled in Slytherin not because he was ambitious, or
even particularly cunning, but because he had an air about him that
demanded respect. Also, if it weren't for Harry, he would easily be the
most powerful student in the school, which caused many in the house to
be wary.
"Draco tried to invade Daphne's room at night and if you go down to the
third year dorm halls you'll find Crabbe and Goyle frozen outside of
Astoria's room as well." Tracy answered the Head Boys question.
"It's true." A fellow female third year spoke up, having seen the two fifth
year boys naked in her hall.
"And the two other girls who are stunned or frozen?" Alexei asked,
glancing at Millicent and Pansy.
"It was just a small duel." Daphne responded with a shrug. The Slytherins
had a strict code to allow duels with housemates as long as they stayed
within the house halls. A small skirmish in the morning was actually
commonplace in the house of snakes, but the attempt of obvious rape by
these three fifth year boys was something not tolerated at all.
"What is going on here?" Everyone turned to watch as Slughorn walked in
with Astoria just behind him. "Oh my!" He breathed out upon seeing the
frozen Malfoy at the end of the hall with the two girls around him.
"And Miss Greengrass, you told me that a Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle are
outside your room in the same condition?" Astoria nodded when
Slughorn looked back at her. "And the two girls stunned over there?"
Alexei spoke up for the girls after a quick nod at Daphne, "A simple duel
sir. Nothing more." Slughorn nodded at his prefect.
"Very well, if what I'm told is true, this will have to be dealt with by the
Headmistress. Please excuse me for a moment while I call her." He
walked out of the hall leaving the rest of the students to silently look
about. Those that had gone to check on Crabbe and Goyle came back
with smiling faces seeing the same picture as Malfoy.
Both McGonagall and Pomfrey came rushing in a few minutes later and
called for everyone to leave the hallway. All of the students moved to the
common room and gathered around in small groups to talk quietly about
what was going to happen to Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. The common
room grew silent as they watched all three boys stretchered out, still
frozen, and Pansy, and Millicent followed behind after being revived and
unfrozen.
–
Harry walked into the entrance hall after his normal morning workout.
He had a towel wrapped around his shoulders which he used to dry his
head and neck from the sweat that built up on his skin. Upon walking
into the hall he noticed Madame Pomfrey escorting Draco, Crabbe, and
Goyle, all of which were frozen, up to the hospital ward.
Before Harry could get the chance to investigate further, someone called
his name from the same direction that the stretchers had come from.
"Theo?"
He ran up to Harry with a smile on his face. "You should have seen what
happened to them, embarrassing it was!"
Harry chuckled, having recognized the particular spell they were under.
Fleur had used it on him once during their stay in Annecy just to mess
with him, something she still found hilarious. "I bet it was."
"I need to talk with you, and those Death Eater spawn being gone gives
me the chance."
Harry raised his eyebrows, "What about?" He pulled his wand and created
a temporary silencing ward around them to keep away prying ears.
Theo's voice turned to a whisper just in case, "Voldemort, my father...he
thinks I'm going to follow in his footsteps. He's trying to mold me into a
future Death Eater and so he tells me things."
"What things?" Harry asked curiously. He kept his eyes on the lookout for
anyone but never spotted a soul.
"Grindelwald, he was the one that ordered the attack on the Bones,
Corners, and Longbottoms." Harry nodded his head as he had already
learned this from his interrogation of Barrios.
"I was able to learn that, yes." Harry responded.
Theo nodded his head as if it weren't a big deal, "Grindelwald though,
had a falling out with Voldemort prior to that attack. It wasn't on
Voldemort's orders that those families were attacked."
This caught Harry off guard however. He had thought Grindelwald was
working with Voldemort, at least that's what it seemed like from Barrios'
memory. If Grindelwald and Voldemort weren't on the same side, then
that meant the Death Eaters had their own inner battle going on. It also
meant that it was Grindelwald that had something to gain by attacking
the Corners, and not Voldemort.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked.
Theo nodded his head, "Very sure. Father ranted for a whole week about
the botched attacks and Voldemort's displeasure at what took place.
There was something else though." Harry continued to look at him so
Theo continued. "There's a woman there apparently, I've heard my father
talk about her with his friends. She apparently locks herself inside the
throne room with Voldemort for hours on end."
"A woman?"
Theo simply shrugged, "That's all I know. I never heard a name or
anything."
Harry nodded his head, "Thank you for this."
–
Dumbledore walked onto the long dock that several dozen large,
menacing viking ships were tethered to. Giant, seven foot tall vikings
hustled to and fro the shore carrying food, weapons, and armor. Women
were also joining this journey, adorned in their own armor and carrying
just as deadly weapons. They were intending to fight alongside their men
as they so often did.
The flagship which Dumbledore would be spending his voyage in was
adorned with large black sails with two white coiled snakes emblazoned
into them. A large serpents head was carved into the front of the ship and
it was easily the largest of all the others. It could seat sixty men whereas
the other ships allowed for around thirty men.
Dumbledore readjusted his silver hood over his head to protect his head
from the heavy rainfall. He had already cast warming and drying charms
on his clothes that protected him from the rain. Being completely dry
attracted odd glares from those around him as they were not used to the
ways of wizards.
He was an outsider in their culture and was greatly distrusted. He could
speak their language and would often hear others talk about him in a less
than favorable light. He didn't mind though as long as they did his biding
and granted him England on a silver platter. He also wasn't a fool,
Hardrada was a man that wanted power for himself, he would make a
move against him soon, and he was expecting that. For now though, they
both needed one another.
Dumbledore stepped onto the flagship and took his place at the front by
Hardrada's side who watched with a keen eye as his people prepared for
their launch from shore. No sun showed through the dark dreary clouds
that poured rain down on them. To the vikings, this rain was actually a
good sign, an omen that the land they currently were in was not the
place to be, and that their gods beckoned them out to sea to conquer the
sunshine lands in the west.
"Tell me once again of England." Harald spoke over the yelling of his men
and patter of rain.
"It's weak, ripe for the taking and in need of a strong ruler." Both men
understood that each of them wanted sole control of England. Time
would tell who would be victorious in this endeavor and neither would
go down without a fight in the end.
"And Voldemort?"
"A powerful wizard, but he shouldn't be a match for you or your warriors.
He is egotistical and a poor military commander with weak soldiers."
Harald sat silent for a moment before speaking again, "My people hear
word of a Harry Potter. They say he is a great fighter."
Dumbledore scoffed, "A former student of mine. I will deal with him."
Harald nodded but he didn't look convinced with Dumbledore's words.
Instead of replying to the wizard however, he instead signaled to a
nearby man holding a large horn. The man, seeing the signal, blew loudly
into the horn. A thundering blast echoed off the high mountaintops that
rose on either side of the large bay that held the viking fleet. The horn
blast was answered by a dozen other horns, all signaling they were ready.
The rowers began to move their paddles in a circular motion and the
great viking ships pushed off from shore and into the great sea.
Harry walked into the ministry atrium flanked on both sides by the other
members of Ghost Squad. All of them were wearing their masks and dark
cloaks that flowed around them as if smoke. It was as if all the air had
been sucked out of the large hall where ministry workers had been
bustling back and forth. They had all stopped to watch as the Ghosts
silently walked though the crowd and towards the golden elevator at the
far side.
Amelia, with two of her fellow aurors behind her, Master Auror
Scrimgeour, her second in command in the DMLE, and Lieutenant Auror
Shipple, approached them and shook Specters hand. The two aurors both
shared nervous glances with each other as the Ghosts approached. "Thank
you for coming. If you would follow me please, I'll show you to the
auditorium." Amelia beckoned them into the golden lift but no Ghost
followed her. Instead, they all disappeared in a wisp of smoke, even
surprising Amelia who had planned this day.
Today the Ghosts were going to be putting on a small show in order to
make the people believe that the ministry had everything under control
when it came to the Death Eaters. This went against what the Ghosts
were originally created for, a covert group that could move anywhere
undetected and surprise enemies, but this war required something else.
The war they would be stepping into would be different than what they
had trained for, as so often happened to soldiers.
They had now figured out what they really were up against when that
wraith had invaded their castle. Olaf Kyrre, youngest son of Harald
Hardrada, famed viking king that had once tried to conquer Britain, was
the owner of the horcrux they now possessed. Harald by himself didn't
sound like too much of a threat, but it was the wizard controlling
Harald's strings that worried Harry greatly.
Unfortunately for them, they hadn't yet figured out a way to get Olaf a
body yet without killing someone else. They could only briefly
communicate with him through dream sequence rituals that Specter
would go through. It was ancient magic that hadn't been used by humans
in hundreds of years, and they were afraid to use it often just in case
something went wrong. What information they could gleam from Olaf
was profound though, and it gave them a much better idea of what they
were dealing with moving forward. The game had opened up wide and
Harry didn't like the players he found himself fighting against.
All of the Ghosts reappeared simultaneously inside the great auditorium
that the ministry normally used as a place for press conferences. Now
though, the auditorium was filled with hundreds of hit wizards from all
over the world. Most of Europe was represented, along with the US,
Canada, and Mexico. Brazil and Argentina had both sent a team and in
Asia, China, Japan, and Korea had sent teams as well.
Looking out in the sea of witches and wizards was like looking at a color
palette. Wizards really did have an odd sense of fashion that Harry found
unsettling. All kinds of colors, vibrant, dull, black, white were present
before him. Why ministries chose such garish uniform colors for their
aurors was beyond him.
The hit wizards immediately quieted upon seeing the cloaked and
masked figures appear before them, some even moving for their wands.
The Ghosts were decked out in full combat gear. Some of them had
swords like Harry, others carried daggers, and Specter carried a muggle
Glock 9 pistol in a side holster. Harry had recently begun to carry
Gryffindor's sword on his back after hearing about the possible viking
invasion and their potentially impervious to magic armor.
"Who are they?" A man asked out loud, breaking the silence in the room.
He wore the blue robes of an American hit wizard.
The woman next to him rolled her eyes, wearing the same blue robes.
"Honestly, do you know nothing?"
Before he could respond, the doors swung open and Amelia walked in
with Scrimgeour and Shippley on her tail. She glanced at the Ghosts who
stood silently on the side of the stage but didn't say anything, only a
small smirk played on her tired features.
"Thank you everyone for joining us here." Amelia began the meeting.
"Now, I'm sure all of you have been briefed by your own ministries before
being sent here." She paused for a moment to let some tension build
before continuing. "By now, all of you know the situation we are facing
here, a full blown civil war. We are fighting an enemy so entrenched in
their beliefs they have no qualms about laying down their lives for the
cause."
She then glanced nervously at the Ghosts, making sure they were still on
board with what she was about to say. Harry pulled his wand and flicked
it at the doors while Angel created a strong ward around the entire room
to make sure no one could get in or hear what was about to be said.
"What your first briefings didn't tell you, is the real gravity of the
situation we now face."
Harry could feel the tangible tension rise in the room. He could feel the
magic of everyone increase as their hearts began to race. He could hear
and smell the uneasiness of everyone as she spoke more. After learning
how to have Haunts senses with him for a great amount of time,
eventually he forgot to turn off the senses altogether and now they
remained with him full time. The slit pupils of a cat had stayed as a
consequence, but Fleur said she liked them, so he never bothered to find
a way to turn the switch back off. Specter had no clue how he did it, but
they just chalked up as another Harry thing since he seemed to be
breaking every rule in the magical rule book.
"The man behind the Death Eater attacks is Voldemort." Just like how the
Ghosts had entered the ministry atrium and sucked the air out of the
room, Amelia's words had the same exact effect. The room stayed
perfectly quiet as everyone tried to adjust to that new piece of
information, but Harry knew it was about to get a lot worse. Voldemort
was a world renown name, striking fear into those in the far reaches of
the world, but he wasn't the only well known name.
"Now, normally, that would be all the bad news I have to give, but
unfortunately that's not all we face." Again, perfect silence descended on
the room as everyone focused entirely on Amelia. These people weren't
the soldiers that the Ghosts were, but they were warriors in their own
right. They were used to facing down death and walking away victorious.
Still, even the bravest of men can falter against impossible odds.
"We have discovered that Grindelwald is no longer in prison and is
somehow involved with Voldemort." Harry almost wanted to laugh at
some of the reactions he saw when the hit wizards heard that name. If
Voldemort was a world renown villain, Grindelwald was a world renown
devil. The effects of his reign of terror had caused millions to die, not just
in Europe, but in Asia, Africa, and North America as well. Voldemort was
a simple sadist compared to some of the horror stories Grindelwald was
involved in.
"Well, a challenge never hurt anyone." The same American auror
remarked causing some nearby to chuckle. It did much to alleviate some
of the tension that had built up in the room.
"I'd agree with you, if that was the only challenge we faced."
"You're shitting me, there's more?" A French auror asked this time, in
surprisingly good English. Just as the tension had left the room, it
returned immediately.
"We have just received knews that Albus Dumbledore is amassing an
army to the east with intent on conquering Britain as well." Amelia
responded.
"What kind of fucking mess did we stumble into?" A German auror
muttered making a few nearby grumble as well. Harry could sense some
of the hit wizards begin to panic. He didn't blame them either. They had
just been told that two of the darkest and most powerful wizards in the
history of mankind were intent on killing them if they stayed in Britain,
and to make things worse, the greatest wizard of of their age had gone
rogue with the intent on conquering all of Britain as well. The stories and
mythology surrounding these men made them gods, and as far as anyone
knew, a god could not be struck down by mortal men.
Harry glanced at Specter and all he received was a small nod of his head.
Harry took a step forward and away from the rest of Ghost Squad while
at the same time, Fawkes flashed brilliantly into the auditorium and
made one loop around the room before settling onto his shoulder.
One of the witches in the front rows eyes widened when she recognized
the noble bird and exclaimed, "You're-"
Harry pulled off his mask to reveal his identity, "Harry Potter." He
finished for the woman. Amelia stepped back from the podium she had
been standing at to give Harry the stage for himself. "I know many of
you, even if you would never admit it openly, are wondering what the
hell you just got yourself involved in. Wondering why your ministry
would ask you to come here to help in what now sounds like a suicide
mission, and frankly, I don't blame you for your doubt in the cause."
Harry paused for a moment and slowly began pacing back and forth,
looking intently at everyone in the crowd. "We are besieged ladies and
gentlemen. England is our castle and we have an army at our gates. To
make things worse, a disease has spread through the population that
threatens to kill us from the inside. It may sound like a lost cause, it may
sound like we stand no chance, but I'm here to tell you that we still yet
have hope to cling to."
Harry stood in place and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he let
loose all of his passive magic. Much like how Fleur had to keep her allure
inside at all times while in public, Harry normally kept his magic
contained, but now he let it run wild around him. His eyes glowed a
vibrant, deadly green that could swell up hope in any ally and cause all
enemies to cower in fear.
His back cloak swirled around him as if a strong gust of wind was present
inside the auditorium. The storm of magic built up so intensely that small
bolts of lightning began to dance and crack around Harry and the light
around him got so bright that those close had to shield their eyes. Fawkes
stood proudly, unwavering on his shoulder and his own feathers began to
alight with fire and the red eyes of the phoenix glowed just as bright as
Harry's green. Just as soon as the outburst of magic had come, Harry had
reigned it back in. "I have talked with the men we face, learned from
them, fought them. They are beatable and we are not without hope.
England is the last castle and if we fall, so does the world." After his last
words, Harry disappeared in a wisp of black smoke with Fawkes flashing
away from his shoulder.
35. Not a Scratch
Lucius Malfoy walked into the long dark hall that acted as Voldemort's
throne room. Still hanging from the ceiling were the two deceased death
eaters who failed to do their jobs, their bodies well on their path through
decomposition. As such, the fowl smell that could make the strongest
stomachs gag plagued the room, but it didn't seem to faze Voldemort in
the slightest. Lucius kept his head bowed low for fear of upsetting his
master by looking into his cold red eyes. Walking behind him and
wearing thick chains that were clasped to his wrists, squirmed a scruffy
man wearing ragged blue robes. This man didn't have the same fear as
Lucius, despite being chained up, and looked Voldemort square in the
eyes the whole way into the room.
Beside Voldemort stood a tall dark haired woman who rested her slender
long hand on Voldemort's shoulder. She wore regal green robes and had a
silver bracelet depicting the Ouroboros. Hanging from her neck was a
gold necklace with a glowing blue sapphire inlaid in it. She stayed silent
the whole time, watching with cold grey eyes, and even shrunk further
back into the shadows upon seeing their guests.
"Milord." Lucius kept his head bowed low as he spoke. "This prisoner can
deliver us the location of our enemies prison."
Voldemort stayed silent for a moment, fondling his yew wand as he
watched the two men before him. "Can he?" Voldemort hissed out with
an odd inflection in his voice, breaking the unsettling silence in the room.
The woman to his side at this point completely vanished into the
shadows, all traces of her gone from the room. It was as if she were a
ghost that could fade in and out of reality at will.
The ragged shackled man spoke up in place of Lucius, causing Voldemort
to raise his hairless eyebrows. "I can milord. I was once one of the few
guards on the island and now wish to join you."
"Do you now?" Voldemort stood up from his throne and walked down
from the raised platform it sat on. He began dangerously circling the two
men and this time, the shackled man averted his eyes as fear began to
take him.
"I-I do m-milord." He stuttered out.
"And pray tell why you would want to join me?"
"The mudbloods." He spat out, regaining some confidence as anger at the
mere thought of them took over. "They are taking over our country,
stealing our jobs as the government does nothing."
Voldemort gave a rare smile to the newcomer, but it did nothing to calm
him. "Yes, I know that problem well. What is your name?"
"Michael Carnegie." The American said this with a hint of old pride in his
families name. Voldemort's smile turned into a full grin. He knew of the
Carnegie family. Rich and powerful, even in the muggle world they were.
Having access to their money would do him quite a bit of good.
"Release him Lucius. We don't want our newest follower to suffer now do
we?" Lucius looked a little surprised at this, having expected Voldemort
to simply kill the man. He had never heard of the Carnegie's before and
was unsure why Voldemort would so suddenly become kind to a guest.
"Tell me more of your family, Mr. Carnegie."
Lucius unshackled Michael and Voldemort even summoned a house elf
who delivered drinks and food for the man. Michael gratefully accepted
the food and sat down in a chair Voldemort conjured for him.
"My father." Michael began with clear contempt, "Is unfit to lead our
family any longer. He believes that those mudbloods are as valuable as the
old magical families. He actually thinks they can properly run the
country! It's a disgrace!" Voldemort climbed back up the small steps to
his throne and sat down.
"If something were to happen to your father, what would become of your
family?"
Michael immediately knew what his new master was asking, "My brother
would take over the family. He is just like my father, in fact, maybe even
worse. He's actually already here, in England. He works as a hit wizard
and was sent to help the British Ministry fight you."
Voldemort sat quietly on his throne for a moment, thinking. "Then we
will need to deal with the both of them, if that is what you wish?"
"I would see my family restored to its proper heights." Michael
responded.
Good my new friend. I will see to it that your family is once again in its
proper place." Voldemort paused for a moment as he stared at his newest
follower for a moment before speaking up again. "Now, what can you tell
me of the islands defenses?"
"Only wards created by goblins are present. They are powerful, but not
fullproof." It was what he had thought originally. The goblins were
known to have close ties with Potter and it would make sense for them to
be the ones to place the wards. This meant he would have to be directly
involved in the assault on the prison since no one other than him would
be powerful enough to break through those wards.
Voldemort waved his hand, his knew hand that he had created out of
solid gold after Potter had taken his real one. In reality, losing his hand
turned out to not be such a bad thing. He found that his wandless magic
was able to channel much more quickly and powerfully through the
metal and he had even begun to inscribe runes into the metal in order to
improve it. With a simple word, his hand could create a shield, and with
another word, it would shoot flames. He was still working on other
methods to improve what had once been a hindrance and
embarrassment.
A large globe made of pure light appeared in the room, illuminating it
entirely. For a moment, both Michael and Lucius had to shield their eyes
from the sudden change of light. "Tell me where the prison is." Voldemort
demanded.
Michael quickly walked around to the side of the globe and pointed to
piece of ocean in the Caribbean. "This map of Earth doesn't show the
island, but I suppose it wouldn't because the island itself is hidden to
those who do not know where it already is."
"And you can get us there?"
Michael nodded, "I can milord." Voldemort grinned at the response and
relaxed back into his throne.
"Lucius, see to it this man is fed and properly clothed. Report to me in
one hour with a team ready to attack the prison." Malfoy bowed low
again and scurried out of the room with Michael following close behind
him.
"This could be promising." A woman said from behind Voldemort's
throne. She moved away from the shadows and again stood by his side.
"Do you actually think that prison is only guarded by a small amount of
guards and wards made by goblins?" Voldemort asked his closest advisor,
the one he trusted above all others.
She shook her head, a small chuckle escaping her lips. "No, our
adversaries, though dumb, are not that dumb. You must go yourself to
see this mission complete."
–
"We can safely camp here." Dumbledore said to Harald as they
approached the barren shores of southern England. They had been sailing
for three days straight and finally reached England under the cover of
darkness. The large viking longships began speeding towards the shore as
every man was placed on the oars to quicken their approach. Ahead of
them was a bright white shore and high cliffs, perfect for staying hidden
when offloading. Not far off to the right was a dense forest that would act
as perfect cover for their camp where they could direct all future raids
from.
The longships touched down on the shores and the vikings immediately
hopped off and began offloading gear, food, and weapons. Orders were
barked by company commanders and Harald and Dumbledore simply
stepped off the shore and moved near the forest to scout. Up ahead,
Dumbledore could make out his allies standing silently by the treeline
waiting for them.
The two darkly cloaked men approached Dumbledore upon seeing him
and Hardrada. The lead man took off his hood to reveal his pasty face
and long dark hair. "All is well I hope, Severus?" Dumbledore asked upon
seeing his most faithful follower, or in reality, the one follower he knew
couldn't betray him.
"I have done as you asked. They wait for you, hidden in the treeline."
Snape glanced nervously at the fearsome viking that stood off to the side,
his piercing blue eyes looking straight through Snape's very soul.
Immediately, Snape realized he didn't like being in the presence of this
man, he was a predator, and anyone before him was prey.
Dumbledore nodded his head and turned to the second man who kept his
hood up, obscuring his face in shadows. "No reports of us as we crossed
the sea? And our location is safe?"
The hooded man spoke up in a raspy, deep voice, "I have made sure your
arrival was unseen. The forest you see beyond me is heavily warded and
your army can camp there."
"Good, good. Get back to the ministry before you are missed." The
hooded man bowed low before quietly dissaparating away. Dumbledore
then turned back to Snape and began walking towards the nearby forest.
"It took you awhile my friend."
Snape snorted, "It wasn't the easiest of tasks."
"How many did you persuade to our cause?"
Snape stayed quiet for a moment as they reached the forest line. "Five."
He said quietly, already knowing it wasn't good enough. He winced
slightly when he felt Dumbledore's magic slightly get away from him. It
came off like a furnace suddenly being opened up next to him, scorching
his skin. He had to take a few steps away from the great old wizard to
relieve himself of the sudden heat.
"Just five?" Despite the anger Snape could feel coming off of his master,
Dumbledore remarkably kept an even, impassive tone. Harald followed
them, not saying a word, simply choosing to listen in on the two wizards.
He knew already of these allies that would be joining them, and was
equally not pleased to hear how few actually did take up their cause.
"Avery was there as well. He proved to be more...persuasive than me I'm
afraid to say."
"And how many has our enemy converted to his side?"
Snape audibly gulped and took another step away from Dumbledore as
they walked further into the forest. "At least fifteen." Snape closed his
eyes expecting some form of punishment like he would normally get from
Voldemort, but nothing ever came. When he reopened his eyes and
glanced at Dumbledore, he found the man completely lost in his
thoughts.
They continued to walk silently until they reached a large grove in the
forest. The pale full moon shown down, illuminating everything in the
center as if it were day. A large campfire with roaring flames and a
skinned cow roasting above it flickered more light around the grove. Five
large giants sat huddled by the campfire joking and laughing with one
another. They all grew silent upon seeing the wizards, distrust in their
eyes, but they were at least here Dumbledore figured. He didn't care if
they didn't trust him, they were not the smartest of peoples after all and
could be easily dealt with if things went sour.
To break the sudden silence that had come over everyone upon entering
the grove, Harald's commanding voice resounded through the trees, "In
here men! Get the camp set up!"
–
Harry began to feel an intense burning on his left breast that immediately
woke him up. He quickly sat up in bed and noticed his Haunt tattoo was
on the prowl, barring its teeth menacingly. Fawkes flashed in a moment
later and dropped his basilisk jacket, cargo pants, and mask into his lap.
"What eez eet 'Arry?" Fleur asked groggily, having been woken up from
Harry's sudden change of position and the bright flash of Fawkes. She
had been resting comfortably on his naked chest and didn't feel the tattoo
heat up. They had been using the Room of Requirement every now and
then to get away from the everyday normal life of Hogwarts and to just
be alone with each other. It also served well as a bedroom and they had
made good use of it recently.
"Something's happening. I have to go." Harry quickly threw off the covers
and got out of bed. He threw the jacket on, not bothering to put a shirt
on first, then quickly put on the trousers Fawkes had given him and
grabbed his wands and holsters that lay on the bedstand.
Fleur looked up worriedly from her place in the bed, the covers falling
away from her chest to reveal a mesmerizing sight to Harry that he so
desperately wanted to revel in more, but the intense heat coming from
his chest told him he had to go. "Promise me you'll be careful." She
demanded from him, a small pout on her lips.
Harry gave her a soft smile and quickly leaned over and kissed her
fervently on the lips before Fawkes grabbed onto his shoulder and flashed
away. As soon as he was gone, she threw off the covers as well and
quickly got changed, stalking out of the Room of Requirement and
headed for the Headmistress' office.
Ghost Castle was abuzz with activity as the members scrambled into the
War Room where Specter was already waiting. He too however, was
adjusting some of his gear and hadn't yet placed his gold mask over his
face. After all of the Ghosts were in the room, Specter spoke up, "Raven
Isle is under attack."
"What!" Harry exclaimed in surprise, making himself drop his right wand
holster. Sirius and he had advocated for that island thinking no one
would ever be able to attack or escape it. Very few people in the world
had the power or expertise to break the wards surrounding the island,
and even then, they would need to know where the island was in the first
place. Only one person came to Harry's mind on who had the skill,
power, and need to attack the prison, but how would he know where the
prison was?
"Hit wizards have already been dispatched before us. We are apparating
into what could very well be an ongoing battle. Lets get to work and be
safe out there. Harry if you find him, send him back to the inbetween."
Specter finished his quick pre-battle speech. Harry nodded his head and
finished prepping his gear, lastly placing his cloak around him and
putting his mask on. Harry then called to Gryffindor and the ancient
sword appeared in flames above his head, before magically levitating into
a scabbard that Harry strapped to his back. Once everyone was ready,
they all disappeared in a wisp of black smoke with Harry being
transferred by Fawkes.
Once the flash of fire had disappeared from around him, Harry could
easily make out that the entire island was indeed a war zone. Spells of all
colors flew around the night sky, some impacting with the large stone
fort that had once served in the British Empire as a refuge against pirates
before being claimed by the very pirates it was made to defend against.
Large flames poured from the great keep that was so hot that it melted
the stone. Sand had been kicked up across the battlefield and did much to
obscure the vision of everyone around. This was far more chaotic than
any other fight Harry had ever been, and the chance of being hit by a
stray spell was high if one wasn't constantly on alert.
It was a full moon and so despite it being dark out, the area was still
easily visible, moreso with the large bonfire that was once the castle. He
didn't dare try and use the night vision built into his mask for fear of
being blinded by the spells.
Harry briefly caught sight of Bellatrix Lestrange battling two hit wizards
in white robes, signifying that they were French. With every passing
second, more and more hit wizards popped onto the scene and quickly
began to turn the tides of battle.
Just as he was taking in his initial surroundings, the flash of the pale
green killing curse headed straights toward him. He didn't have any time
to react, seeing it too slowly, but still tried to dive away from instinct.
Fawkes, being much quicker than he was, dove in front of the killing
curse and erupted into a small ball of flame.
"Last time I do that." Harry heard Fawkes grumble in his head. His familiar
poked his small baby phoenix head out of the ashes, now being useless to
do anything other than watch his newest friend.
A second killing curse rushed towards him from the same location, but
this time Harry was completely alert to his surroundings and easily side-
stepped it. "Riddle, I see you still rely on that old spell." Harry mocked as
he turned to face his oldest foe. Voldemort stood only twenty feet away
with his pale Yew wand in hand and a gold hand that gleamed in the
moonlight brought up to protect his face as if he were boxing. His black
cloak flowed around him as if smoke, just as Harry's now did, and his red
eyes glowed brightly in the darkness.
Harry brought himself into his dueling stance, brandishing both wands
and preparing for a difficult fight. A stray blue spell flew over his right
shoulder and headed towards Voldemort who easily batted it away. "Why
use other spells when I can kill you so easily with just one?" Voldemort
asked back as he too took an attacking stance and prepared for a fight.
Voldemort wasn't going to underestimate his opponent this time. He now
knew Harry had power to match even his own, still he found his
advantage in knowledge and experience. The sound of a scream as
someone was blasted far into the ocean rang nearby, but Harry focused
completely on Voldemort, tuning everyone else out, just as Voldemort
was doing as well.
All around the two great wizards, spells of all kinds impacted with people
as the hit wizards and death eaters faced off with one another. Screams
and cries for help sounded across the island as the battle waged on.
Nearby, Moody successfully brought a death eater to his knees before a
follow up spell turned his head into a red mist. Moody quickly moved
onto another death eater who tried to approach Harry from behind. From
a quick scan, Harry could see that the hit wizards were slowly winning
the fight, and the addition of the ghosts meant that the death eaters
really stood no chance as long as he could tie up Voldemort.
"Easily? We both know I've lived through one of your killing curses. Are
you so sure I can't live through another?" Harry responded with a smirk.
The two of them began to circle one another, not willing to throw the
first spell just yet. Harry knew this duel would likely last only a few
seconds as all it took was one slight error for the other to win. He had a
plan going into this duel, but usually plans went out the window with the
first spell thrown.
"I'd be happy to test that theory, Potter." Voldemort sneered. "Are you
willing to test it as well?"
Harry shrugged, "Not particularly. But maybe-"
Riddle raised his wand again with blinding speed, cutting Harry off, but
he was just as quick now and easily side-stepped the spell. The killing
curse had one flaw, it moved slowly and could be dodged quite easily.
Harry returned with an organ liquefier spell that Riddle easily batted
away. Harry's yew wand aimed at the ground and turned several hundred
grains of sand into small snakes that quickly slithered towards Tom.
Riddle, slightly caught off guard by the spell that even he didn't know,
replied by placing a wall of flame in front of himself using his golden
hand, protecting him from the snakes. A black spell that Harry
recognized could temporarily close his throat and stop all breathing,
raced towards him through the flame wall a split second later. Harry
quickly shielded it and sent the spell back at Voldemort while following
up with an arrow wall.
Sticking to his plan, Harry then cast his patronus and sent it at Voldemort
while making himself invisible. The wall of flame did much to obscure
Voldemort and his own vision and so he used it to his advantage. The
large black tiger that looked just like Haunt drew Voldemort's attention
after he dealt with the arrows, using a shield that turned them into water.
He sent spell after spell at the large black tiger racing towards him but
nothing hit it, all of his spells passing through as if the tiger was made of
smoke. Gambling he figured the illusive tiger was just that, an illusion
meant to distract him and looked back up to where Harry had been, but
found him missing.
At that moment, the patronus Haunt leapt through the fire and bit deeply
into Voldemort's arm while at the same time, Harry had moved around
the flame wall and to Voldemort's side. He sent three quick piercing
hexes at Voldemort, all aimed to kill.
Despite the pain, surprise, and the large tiger trying to rip off his arm, he
successfully shielded Harry's hexes and then used a blast of wandless
magic from his golden hand which did have an effect on the patronus
Haunt, turning it back into mist.
Sensing a temporary weakness in his foe, Harry hurled spell after spell at
Voldemort forcing the great dark wizard onto the defensive. Voldemort
was bleeding heavily from the wound inflicted by the Haunt patronus
and was struggling to defend himself from the sheer power and speed
Harry attacked him with. Sensing that his mission was done here and that
this may not be a battle he could win, he muttered Maria, and
disappeared with a small pop just before Harry's piercing hex struck true.
Harry, still in his attack mode, quickly scanned the beach for new threats
but found almost all of the fights already beginning to conclude as many
death eaters disappeared in similar pops as they activated portkeys. "You
good Haunt?" Specter asked, rushing up to him.
Harry nodded, "Not a scratch on me."
–
Amelia floo'd into the ministry late at night after being informed of the
attack on Raven Isle. She had coordinated the defense of the prison but
their was nothing she could do about Voldemort who had destroyed the
wards in little time. A quick call to Specter and Ghost Squad was on
scene within a matter of seconds, but that response time wasn't enough to
save the prison or the initial hit wizards that went in to try and protect it.
The battle concluded with a total of six dead on their side, while the
Death Eaters suffered eight losses, with another four captured. What
made things worse was that Voldemort was successful in breaking out the
prisoners, most notably Bellatrix Lestrange. She had thought that the
attack on Raven Isle would be the worse thing she heard tonight, but that
thought turned out to be dead wrong as new reports started to come in.
In the far north, from the old Azkaban prison, it was reported that all of
the dementors had disappeared entirely. It was as if they had moved off
into a dark storm only to never reappear. They never went to mainland
England because if they had, the DMLE would be having a much worse
time tonight. Where they had gone was a mystery, but they had to have
been told to go somewhere, and as far as she knew, only one man had
sway over those creatures, which only caused more concern for her.
In the south was possibly the more disturbing news, that giants had been
smuggled into the country. A total of twenty of them with possibly more
on the way from France. The first thing she had done was notify
Sebastien of this and he was already working on stopping any giant
colonies from moving to England from France.
The only thing she knew was that the giants had been successfully
smuggled into the country, not how, or where they were. "Scrimgeour, I
need you to go to southern England. Find those giants and don't report
back until you have. Understood?" Amelia asked after dragging her
second in command into her office to talk privately. The DMLE had
started creating rapports with citizens who live around the beach areas
for fear of viking invasions which is how they knew giants had entered
the country.
Scrimgeour nodded, "I'll take two with me and we should find them in no
time."
"Good, go quickly." He left the office and barked an order to two nearby
young aurors, giving Amelia a rare moment of silence inside of her office.
She closed her eyes and rubbed them tiredly, wishing she could be back
in her bed asleep. The small moment of peace didn't last long as a young
intern knocked on her door.
"The minister is here and he wants to speak with you." Amelia groaned
but nodded nonetheless. She walked out of her office and made it to one
of the lower levels where Fudge's offices were located. The place was
swarming with people working off little sleep. The whole ministry had
been called in to work due to the recent attack.
Harry stood just outside of the ministers office, still in his green jacket,
black cloak, and mask that was pulled up onto the top of his head in
order to reveal his face. He was on the receiving end of a few nervous
glances but no one dared approach him, especially because of the
gleaming sword of Gryffindor that was strapped to his back. A baby
Fawkes sat perched on his shoulder, the bird growing larger with every
hour passing.
Amelia, unlike most others, wasn't scared to approach Britain's Chosen
Son, "Another run in with Voldemort I hear?" She asked openly, not
caring who heard her. It was now undeniable by anyone that Voldemort
was still alive and well. The various papers and magazines would be
running wild with the story tomorrow morning and it would be
interesting to see how England takes the news.
Harry allowed a small smirk, "Our talks ended prematurely."
Amelia chuckled, "From what it sounds like, you forced him to run."
Harry simply shrugged, "I caught him off guard. Something I've now done
twice. If he's as smart and powerful as many proclaim, I don't suspect it
will happen again."
The doors burst open to the ministers office before Amelia could respond
and Specter walked out, glancing at Harry and Amelia as he walked by.
Fudge appeared from the doorway and motioned the two of them to
follow him inside.
"The report of this evening is truly horrific. They say you dueled You-
Know-Who and forced him to retreat?" Fudge asked once they had all
taken their seats.
"I was able to surprise him and capitalize on it, yes sir." Harry responded
simply.
"Glorious indeed!" Fudge proclaimed with a smile. "That will be quite the
story for the Daily Prophet! Should I set you up with an interview?"
Harry refrained from snapping back at the Minister. He had a thought to
blast him away for his careless attitude of tonight's events.
"Maybe sometime later, minister." Was all Harry responded with. He
wasn't too thrilled with being here in the first place, wishing to be back
in Fleur's arms and safely asleep in his bed in the Room of Requirement.
This whole night was leaving him a little irritated, not something he
thought he would feel after successfully beating Voldemort in a duel.
"Minister, we have other things to worry about. They were successful in
breaking out many of the inmates of Raven Isle, and now we don't have a
secure place to put new prisoners." Amelia responded, causing Fudge's
smile to falter for a moment. For Fudge, dealing with bad news was the
most bitter of tastes. "We also learned that the dementors have left
Azkaban and their location is unknown, and on top of that, giants have
been smuggled into England."
"Giants?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows. He hadn't yet heard that
report.
Amelia nodded her head, "I already have Scrimgeour looking for them.
Right now we don't know much about them or why they are here."
"Could they be a part of Dumbledore's army? We know they left their
village of Kattegat." Harry responded curiously. Olaf the Shade as they
were calling him now, told them of the location of where his viking
brethren were from, a small secluded and ancient village called Kattegat
in the Kattegat region of Denmark. By the time Banshee and Shadow had
found the village, it was completely abandoned, save for a few women
and children that stayed behind. It was clear the army had already
moved on, and their was only one place they could go.
Attempts to find the large viking fleet in the open waters had gone
without reward. Dumbledore was with them and must have known a way
to keep them well hidden from spying eyes. It would make sense if
Dumbledore had sought help from Giants, and since no word on Snape
had been discovered in months, that could very well have been where he
was.
Amelia simply shrugged, "Right now, we know nothing. Scrimgeour will
tell us more when he reports back."
–
Scrimgeour moved slowly through the wheat fields surrounding a small
village on the southern shore of England. Ahead of him was a quiet and
seemingly untouched forest that whispers had alerted him to be the area
recently inhabited by a small clan of giants and other monstrous humans.
Curious from the whispers, he decided to have a look and investigate
these claims, bringing along the two younger aurors with him.
Together, the three of them stalked slowly through the field and made
their way into the forest treeline. They had cast charms to make
themselves not just invisible, but quiet as well, but still they moved
through cover and crept as silently as possible just in case.
Moving into the forest from the field carefully, they scoured it for any
signs of giants. As Scrimgeour walked, he cast spell after spell in order to
detect any wards or traps nearby, hoping to get lucky. Eventually, his
detection spell came back with a hit, alerting him to a relatively powerful
charm that was protecting a large area in the middle of the forest. He
motioned his two aurors to come to him and they began further
inspecting the ward.
After identifying all of the wards surrounding this place in the forest, the
three of them began to cut a whole through the ward in order to look
through and spy. Whatever this place was was beng well protected by
spells that his it from the naked eye. Once a small hole was opened up,
Scrimgeour poked his head through undetected and looked around.
Immediately he noticed a large open space where dozens of large tents
were set up. In the middle was a campfire with smoke rising high above
the treeline. Large men sat around in groups drinking and eating
boisterously. They wore thick menacing armor and had large weapons
strapped to their hulking figures.
Also in the middle of the camp were five large giants that towered above
these men, even while sitting. They were mingled with the viking men,
drinking and eating in great amounts. It was clear all of them were
having a good time, and he also noticed a fair amount of women amongst
the men as well. He watched wide eyed at the culture shock he was
experiencing before him. These men seemed like beasts, unkempt, dirty,
and abhorrent. The women were free with their bodies, some not even
bothering to cover themselves as they walked freely around the camp. A
few men and women were off to the side, laying naked in the grass and
enjoying the pleasures of touch.
Ale and food was passed around freely and no one showed any signs of
superior wealth or stature. All except for one man who Scrimgeour's eyes
naturally settled on. The man was larger and more broad than the rest
and easily had the most fearsome weapon he had ever seen. Just seeing
this hulking figure caused the hairs on the back of his neck to raise up.
There was something about this man that screamed importance and he
even had an heir of royalty about him.
From the respect the others gave him, this man was clearly the leader.
Scrimgeour watched as the man turned his head towards the largest tent
in the camp. It bore the symbol of a great phoenix with a wand in its
beak. Smoke rose from a small hole in the top of the tent.
A man wearing a silver hood poked his head through the tent flap and
began muttering words to the leader viking. Only his long silver beard
was visible and Scrimgeour felt his blood run cold when he recognized
just who that man was. A few short words were exchanged between
wizard and viking and Scrimgeour's eyes widened when the viking leader
abruptly turned his head, his cold piercing blue eyes settling directly on
Scrimgeour.
In a panic, he immediately pulled his head from the small hole in the
wards and stood up. Scrimgeour felt fear begin to rise up in his chest and
the only thought coursing through his brain was that he needed to warn
Amelia.
"What did you see?" Both young aurors glanced nervously at each other,
seeing the fear on their superior officers face.
"We need to go! Hurry!" Scrimgeour barked out, an urgent tone to his
voice. They didn't need to be told twice and both made to stand up, but
the sound of two thwacks stopped them dead in their tracks. An arrow
embedded into each of the two young aurors necks, dropping them
immediately. Both of them tried to scream in agony, but only the sound
of gurgling from their throats was heard as they choked on their blood.
Scrimgeour pulled his wand and sent a severing charm off into the
woods, hoping to hit something, but no scream followed it. It was the
sound of a bellowing cry that responded and a massive viking charged
from a nearby tree, carrying a tall barbed spear and thick wooden shield.
Scrimgeour frantically sent another severing charm at the charging viking
but watched hopelessly as it bounced off the magical armor with ease.
He didn't get another chance as the viking thrust his spear and struck
true, connecting with Scrimgeour's mouth and killing him instantly. The
master auror fell to the ground without a sound, only the widened eyes
showing his surprise that death had come so quickly.
36. Seeking Giants
"Have you seen this yet, Harry?" Neville called out to him as he sat down
at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Neville shoved the Daily
Prophet in front of Harry before turning back to his own food and
grovelling it down with hunger. Harry glanced at the title accompanied
by a picture of himself, both wands in hand, his black cloak flowing
behind him, making him look like a conquering Roman general in the
dawning light upon the beach of Raven Isle.
The main article was about everything that had happened last night,
from the attack on Raven Isle, the appearance of Voldemort and Harry's
fight with him, the disappearance of the dementors from Azkaban, and
lastly, rumors of giants being smuggled into England. The papers had a
lot to talk about this morning, and thankfully it didn't yet have the
knowledge to start talking about the disappearance of Scrimgeour and
the two younger aurors who went missing searching for said giants.
Amelia was trying to keep that news as quiet as possible, hoping they
would show up, but was growing with despair as time continued on.
Fleur sat down with Harry, her hand clenched in his, looking just as tired
as him. She had stayed up the whole night with Professor McGonagall
where they both had waited in the Headmistress' office for any news as to
what was going on. "Oh." Fleur gasped as she read through the account of
the massive battle that took place on the island from over Harry's
shoulder. Harry hadn't given her much detail on what went on, and
frankly, she didn't care too much to know, not wanting to know how
close she was to losing Harry just a few hours ago.
Her grip on Harry's hand tightened as she read the account of Harry's
quick fight with Voldemort and subsequently making the most feared
dark wizard retreat from the island. "Did you really duel You-Know-Who
Harry?" Katie asked, capturing the attention of just about everyone in the
hall with her question. The silence in the hall was palpable and even
some of the professors leaned forward from their chairs to listen to his
response.
"I did." Harry replied simply as he turned his focus onto piling eggs and
toast onto his plate. After the events of last night, his stomach was
running on empty and he was eager to refill it. Excited murmurs and
gasps echoed throughout the hall and with a quick glance up to the staff
table, Harry could see many of them broke into their own smaller
conversations to discuss the news. Sirius sat in a grim mood next to
McGonagall and the two of them talked quietly with one another.
Fortunately, no one else had pressured Harry further for details, Fleur
had done a good job of staring down anymore curious students. Harry sat
in silence for the remainder of breakfast in order to readjust to not being
in the chaos of battle. It had been his first major fight, and he had walked
away without a scratch, but not everyone was so fortunate. If it wasn't for
the quickness of Fawkes, who was now resting in Harry's dorm, he very
well may not have made it through a single second of that fight. Fawkes
was also never going to live the moment down.
The loud chimes in Hogwarts sounded throughout the entirety of the
castle, signaling the start of class and Harry was thankful that today
would simply be a transfiguration day. Headmistress McGonagall was
still teaching the transfiguration classes this year, despite her higher up
position, but there were rumors that someone would be helping out with
the older students. This left Harry quite curious since he had yet to see
any new faces at the castle, besides the rotating auror guard that had
taken up residence.
He departed from Fleur with a quick kiss and climbed the steps to the
second floor where the transfiguration class was this year and opened the
doors with Neville right behind him. McGonagall was perched on her
desk in her animagus form just as she was in Harry's first year, but just
behind the teachers desk was Emmaline who sat on a pillow, her figure
very clearly showing signs of being late into her pregnancy.
More students filed in behind Harry and together they all began to take
their seats. Many of them gave Emmaline odd looks while glancing
nervously at the cat that perched itself on the desk. No one was falling
for the animagus trick anymore.
Neville nudged Harry in the side and jerked his head at the tabby cat
with a wicked grin on his face. Many of those nearby who had caught
Neville's subtle nudge gave Harry their own looks of encouragement. A
small grin formed on Harry's face as his godfather's influence began to
run through him.
Seeing that no real wrong could be done, Harry leaped from his desk, and
in one fluid motion, turned into Haunt, crashing onto the professors desk,
sending papers flying. The tabby cat leaped backwards, tumbling off the
desk in a fright as McGonagall's cat senses had momentarily taken over.
She turned back into her normal self gasping for the breath that left her
while on the floor, and Emmy who sat next to where the Headmistress
had fallen was doing everything in her power to not laugh. She calmly
pet Haunt who laid down on the desk and gratefully accepted the
attentions of Emmy.
"Mr. Potter, what did I say about abusing your animagus abilities!"
Minerva demanded from her student. All she got in response was a short
chuff before his attention was back to Emmy who continued to rub
behind his ear, making his head lean to one side. The whole class
laughed at the interaction playing out before them and even Minerva,
despite knowing she should be mad, couldn't help but smile at what
unfolded. She had a particular soft spot when it came to the green eyed
Gryffindor, and the fact that he was a cat, albeit a much larger and
scarier one, was something she was proud of.
"Get back to your seat Mr. Potter before I take points." Minerva said,
trying her best to keep her stern and unforgiving attitude prominent
among the students. Haunt let out another chuff before hopping down
from the desk and turning back to Harry who calmly took his seat like
nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Many of the students
continued to laugh and since this wasn't a class with a single Slytherin in
it, none of them glared daggers at him.
"Good." Minerva continued once the laughter had died down enough for
her to speak. "As many of you have already guessed, we will be having a
new professor come in to teach the older years while I continue with the
younger years. Please treat Mrs. Black with the same respect you do me,
or I assure you, a number of people in this castle will not be too pleased."
Everyone understood the threat Minerva left hanging out in the open,
and none would dare disrespect the new Mrs. Black. Sirius' punishments
were already legendary in the castle, but nothing compared to the
possible wrath that could occur at the hands of Harry Potter.
"Harry, if you will follow me for a moment." Minerva finished her
opening speech. Harry nodded and stood from his seat and followed the
Headmistress out of the classroom. He briefly caught Emmy begin to take
attendance of the class and ignored the odd looks given to him by many
of his classmates. It was remarkable how peoples perceptions of you
could change with a simple picture and story. Before today he had been
looked upon as a great teacher and very skilled in dueling and powerful
to boot, but now, he was a god amongst his classmates and many of the
citizens of this country. That one picture left a mark upon all of them,
and it was clear to Harry that they expected him to forever live up to that
picture. He hoped to never let them down.
The door shut behind them and Harry followed Minerva a few paces
away until she turned abruptly and began to speak. "I just wanted to tell
you the results of Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's expulsion trials." When
Harry didn't say anything in response, she continued. "All three were
expelled from the school for misconduct and illegal activity. Amelia
however couldn't place any criminal charges on them and they were all
released back to their parents custody."
"Nothing? Not even their wands snapped?" Harry asked, slight frustration
edging into his voice. He had been hoping for more than just expulsion,
after all, they had tried to rape a friend and her sister, who had already
undergone many horrific events.
"Sadly, having a students wand snapped when expelled only applies to
those of muggle blood." Minerva replied with a slight bitterness in her
voice. It was clear she was equally displeased with Amelia's ability to do
anything.
"Figures." Harry grunted.
"It's a flawed system." Harry raised his eyebrows at that and Minerva
chuckled softly. "A very flawed system." She added.
"So the junior Death Eaters will now learn full time from their parents
and become full Death Eaters?" Minerva could only shrug in response.
"It's better than them staying in the school I guess." Harry was about to
reply but then began to feel an intense burning pain above his right
breast and knew immediately what it meant.
Minerva caught his sudden change of expression and grew worried,
"What is it?"
Harry only shook his head, "I'm not sure." Without a second thought, he
drew his wand and placed it on the tattoo of Haunt, then vanished in a
swirl of black mist, leaving Minerva staring at the spot her student once
was.
–
Amelia paced back and forth in her office, biting her fingernails as she
did so. With every second passing, she grew more and more worried for
her colleagues and friends. Already, she had sent out a small party to
search for Scrimgeour and the two aurors he had taken with them, but
they reported back with no new knowledge of them.
Now, she had received a floo call from Mrs. Scrimgeour looking for her
husband and had to tell her the hard truth, and shortly after, a fiancee of
one of the younger aurors. This day was spiraling out of control for her
and she would do anything to go back in time and keep herself from
ordering Scrimgeour on that hunt for giants. It was becoming more clear
that they had been captured, or worse killed.
Her office door opened and for a brief moment, her heart fluttered with
hope, but it was quickly extinguished as she saw her assistant standing in
the doorway. "The press have gotten word of the story, they want a
statement."
Amelia sighed heavily and sank into a nearby chair. She rubbed her eyes
tiredly, still not having gotten a wink of sleep since last night. A yawn
escaped her lips before she could respond. "I'll give them a statement in a
moment, give me a second." The assistant nodded his head and shut the
door, once again leaving Amelia in the silence of her office.
Seconds turned into minutes as she rested in the chair before eventually
she willed herself to stand up and face the music. Just as she was about
to open the door of her office and feed herself to the wolves, she got a
sudden idea.
Turning back towards her floo, she threw in some powder and muttered
the name Avelia Dorma. She only kept her face pressed into the floo as to
not actually travel, instead to just talk with whoever was on the other
side.
Her eyes settled on a large white marble entrance room with old armored
knights on either side of the walls. Unlike Hogwarts, these armored
knights actually moved and adjusted their heavy weapons in their grips
as they stood guard. Above them were paintings that moved around
restlessly from frame to frame, but all had stopped upon seeing the
fireplace light up green and Amelia's head stick through.
"Hello Amelia. What can I do for you?" Daren appeared in the hallway
wearing only a black robe. From the wetness of his hair, it was apparent
he had just taken a shower to rub away the grime of battle.
"I need your help again." Amelia said shortly. She was tired and growing
irritable with every second in her sleep deprived state.
Daren let out a small chuckle, oblivious to Amelia's tired state, "You seem
to be in need of a lot of help, Madame."
"Three of my aurors are missing. They were last seen in southern England
and I was hoping you could send someone to track them down." She
continued, ignoring Daren's joke.
Daren's smile quickly faded when he heard the request. "Of course. Who
are we looking for?"
Amelia quickly told him of the aurors and the last known location of
them. His eyebrows were raised when he heard she had sent them
looking for the giants. Both knew it was not the greatest idea to send just
three looking for such aggressive people, especially ones untrained in the
art of tracking. Daren immediately had his suspicions that they were
already dead, but didn't voice them. He simply responded with an okay
and left Amelia to return to her duties.
She brushed the soot off her face when she reappeared from the floo, and
after a quick glance over a mirror, she opened her door to her office.
Immediately she was bombarded by questions and constant flashes of
lights from cameras as they all clamored to get a statement on what was
going on.
–
"Stop squirming." Marie hissed frustratedly as she wrapped a bandage
around her husbands arm. He let out a hiss when her cool touch brushed
his pale skin.
"Stop causing more pain." Voldemort responded, giving his wife a cold
look, one that would normally frighten even his most brave followers, but
to her, it was the look of an adorable puppy. Despite his changed look, he
was still handsome to her, and truthfully, she was never really attracted
to him because of his handsome looks and charms of his youth, but from
his power and desire to change the world.
She wanted the same and had found an equal, kindred spirit in Tom. He
was a...difficult, yet easy man to love. He was ambitious and charismatic,
a man that could inspire thousands to follow him and even die for him.
How could you not fall in love for such a man?
His ways were harsh and maybe even barbaric at times, but they proved
effective, and if some had to suffer for the bettering of the world, then it
was just in her eyes. The Greater Good he preached to her, and she had
fallen in love with the ideal just as much as she had fallen in love with
the preacher.
She was just a young half-blood, cast aside from the magical world after
her schooling in Beauxbatons. It was impossible for her to find a job
anywhere in Europe due to the bigotry of those that deemed themselves
of pure blood and automatically superior because of this. She was also
scorned by her muggle father after her mother, a witch, died during
childbirth. Cast aside at a young age and sent to an orphanage on the Isle
of Corsica, she lived a dreadful and fearful life, scared of the kids that
always called her a freak.
She was then visited by a young woman who promised a world full of
happiness and magic, but quickly found it to be just as dark and angry as
the world she thought she left behind. All that changed however when a
handsome young man walked into her muggle Roma tourist shop some
forty years ago.
What ensued was a whirlwind romance, something she thought only
existed in sappy romance novels that left her breathless, and in her case,
the whirlwind never ceased, only changed directions. They were quickly
married, and since neither had family to speak of, the ordeal was kept
quiet. Together they planned their life and goals of the future. They were
the best of partners, where he was powerful, she was cunning, where he
was idealistic, she was pragmatic. Tom had insisted she stay away from
England until the time was right, but upon hearing of his death at the
hands of a young boy, she hurried to England to seek him out, only to
find a mere ghost of the man she had loved. But for her, that ghost was
enough and it had been her that kept the vision of the Greater Good alive
and well until his resurrection.
"The boy has proven quite the foe." Marie said with a grin. She liked to
tease her husband when possible, especially when it came to affecting his
ego. It was something she had made great effort to reduce over the years,
but it was difficult to kill altogether. He took great pride in the fear he
instilled in people, and his ego only grew upon seeing the fear his very
name inflicted even after his death.
"The boy has many surprises, none shall get to me again." Tom responded
with a hiss. He didn't take too kindly his defeat being rubbed in his face,
but he would never lash out at her. She had full control over him, and
she knew it, yet she never abused her power and it only made him
respect her more. He may lack empathy and not understand something as
complex as love, but he understood respect, and there was no one he held
higher.
"Overall though, it was a success yes?" She asked after conjuring an ice
pack and placing it onto his wounded arm. Again he hissed as the cold
connected with his pale scaly skin.
He nodded, "Bellatrix was freed, among others. We now know that more
countries are allying against us as well."
"That means we will have to act quickly. If they truly get into this war
and send their full forces against us..." She trailed off, leaving the
implication out in the open.
"We will strike hard and fast. What worries me though is this." He held
up the front page of the Daily Prophet for Marie to skim through. She
moved around and sat in a chair that was placed just beside Riddle's
throne, holding the prophet in her slender hands.
"I thought you only persuaded fifteen giants?" She asked after reading the
report that twenty had been smuggled into the country.
"I did." Voldemort muttered. If he had only fifteen, that meant someone
had taken the effort to smuggle another five into the country, and only
one man would do such a thing. Now the reports of Snape being seen in
the giant colonies made sense, and that it was Dumbledore who was
seeking their support.
"Dumbledore?" Marie quickly came to the same conclusion as her
husband. Voldemort only responded with a simple nod and faded into
deep thought.
–
"You sure they were here?" Reaper asked as they crept through a wheat
field on the outskirts of a small southern English village. It sat near
towering cliffs and a small dense forest lay just on the other side of the
field. A cold breeze whistled through the field and did much to keep the
two Ghosts on edge.
"Yes I'm sure. All the evidence points to them disappearing around here."
Demon replied in an irritable tone. He had reason to be irritated as well
since that was now the twelfth time Reaper had asked him that very
question.
"Just askin'." Reaper replied quickly, sensing the irritation coming from
his partner. They had been sent by Specter to investigate the missing
aurors and finish their mission if they did indeed prove to be dead. For
the last five hours they had been nonstop apparating to different villages
alongside the southern coast of England tracking them down, and luckily
they weren't too far behind the tracks.
Together they pushed their way through the wheat fields and silenced
their communication between each other. Both were on the lookout for
potential threats as they were hunting giants, giants that had possibly
killed already.
The wheat field gave way to an old, small forest that blocked out the
afternoon sun. They moved into the shade and both pulled their wands.
Reaper felt the hair on the back of his neck begin to stand up as he came
into contact with magic, "You sense that?" He asked in a hushed tone.
Demon nodded his head, "Someones put up some very powerful wards
here." He answered back in a whisper. They moved through the forest as
silently as possible, avoiding sticks and leaves whenever possible.
The both of them searched for the edge of the ward line and eventually
Demon hit what he was looking for. He waved his wand in front of him
and illuminated a piece of the ward, a silver translucent dome beginning
to form in front of him. He motioned for Reaper to move towards him
and without any other communication, Demon began to go to work on
the wards while Reaper turned to stand guard.
It took Demon three minutes to break through the wards that guarded
whatever lay in the forest. Reaper seeing that his teammate had broken
through the wards, took up position behind a tree as to remain out of
sight just in case a patrol of enemies found them spying. Demon moved
through the small hole in the wards he had created for himself and crept
into a nearby bush.
He used his wand to pry a few stray branches away from his eyes so that
he could better see everything before him. His eyes widened upon seeing
the great camp lay before him, the Vikings moving in and out of large
tents, fires stretching far and wide with very tall humans huddled around
them, talking boisterously and munching on large sums of meat and
bread. Women moved through the camp in little clothing and would
often be grabbed by men who shoved them into tents, but where Demon
thought they would scream, he simply heard laughter and groans of
satisfaction.
These barbarians before him were just as Olaf had described, great giants
of men and women surely descended from gods of old. He could see why
they had been feared warriors for ages and for the first time in his life, he
felt despair for his cause, for in that moment, his eyes rested on the five
giants that stood double the size of the large vikings, wielding great
spiked clubs and they too wore armor of some kind. Amongst the five
giants was a silver bearded man wearing a matching cloak that obscured
any other feature, but one had only to have seen Dumbledore once to
know it was indeed him shrouded in that cloak.
Reaper stood behind the tree keeping a watchful eye on Demons back to
make sure no one could sneak up on them. Whatever they were dealing
with here required them to be on full edge and they weren't going to take
any chances with their lives. All was quiet in the forest and an eery
feeling fell over him, as if he was being watched by some fell creature
that only wished harm upon him.
In a second, all of the birds and other critters of the forest quieted and
only the sound of his own heartbeat could be heard. Reaper began to feel
sweat beat down upon his brow as an uneasiness spread through him.
Just as he was about to call Demon back to him, a loud cry rang through
the trees, awakening the birds who scattered from the branches high
above with loud answering cries of their own.
Reaper poked his head out from behind the tree and saw a great man
bearing a large two handed ax high above his head, screaming a loud war
cry, and his crystal blue eyes set upon Demons back. Reaper stepped from
behind the tree and caught the viking by surprise, pulling two slim long
knives that were strapped to his lower back, and used them to great
affect, placing one in the gut of the viking and the other through the jaw.
The vikings cry suddenly ceased and was replaced by a gurgling sound as
he choked on blood and steel. Reaper pulled his knives from the man and
swiftly moved to the back of him, placing both of his weapons across the
vikings throat and slitting it, sending a spray of red into the forest green.
Demon heard the cry suddenly silenced behind him and watched as
everyone in the camp abruptly turned towards him as if they could all
see him disguised inside the bush. He looked behind him to see the
viking slump to the ground and stain the forest floor in red with Reaper
just behind him. "Time to go!" Demon called to his friend. Without a
moments hesitation, the both of them vanished on the spot in a wisp of
black smoke as several arrows passed through the smoke and hit nothing.
–
Harry appeared in the entrance hall of Ghost castle. The sun had already
set upon the high cliffs and the towering white walls were illuminated by
the stars and full moon. Great silver armored knights patrolled the
grounds and great halls as Harry briskly walked through. He pushed open
the large wooden doors of the war room and came upon the rest of the
Ghosts, all shrouded in their cloaks and masks. Reaper and Demon had
made it back from their trip in southern England only an hour prior and
reported the news to Amelia. Aurors had been sent to the site and
surrounded the forest, but all traces of giants and vikings were gone.
Justice was not in the cards today for the Director of Magical Law
Enforcement.
Resting upon the table before them all was the chest that held Olaf's
horcrux, the actual blade sitting on top of the closed chest, glowing a
faint blue. The great stained glass windows that decorated the halls
glowed in the light of the full moon and where the pictures had once
depicted great battles between man and beast, now showed allegiances of
all kinds of Earths animals working in unison for a better world. Written
into the window were the words, 'One always suffers for the People'.
Those words were illuminated onto the sword and chest and the Ghosts
around it didn't bother to look up upon Harry's entrance.
"Seek what you have found." Specter said ominously once Harry took his
seat in the War Room. The others had done the same once Harry had sat
at the far end of the table, Specter on the opposite side. Harry wore his
mask as well, and where it once had been dark green, was now
emblazoned with the depiction of a gold dragon on his right cheek, a
silver tiger upon his left cheek, and lastly, upon his forehead were blue
Angel wings that pulsed in a blue light, forever signifying his tie to Fleur
and her kind.
"And may your findings bring comfort." Answered the Ghosts in hollow
unison. All of them kept their eyes on the sword and it answered by
glowing an even brighter shade of blue.
"The body we have." Continued Specter in a hard voice.
"Is one you may take." The Ghosts continued to chant. Harry sat back in
his seat as he was not told of what was being done tonight, but in his
watchings, it was easy to see what was happening. The horcrux further
glowed blue to the point it was turning a brilliantly shade of white that
pierced the darkness of the war room. Harry had to shield his eyes as the
Ghosts continued to chant and the sword grew brighter with every word.
"Fear no darkness and walk with the light once more." All of the Ghosts
said in unison. A small shockwave echoed from the sword upon those
words and Harry was once again forced to cover his eyes as a blinding
flash of light took hold of the room. Several of the Ghosts were rocked
back in their seats from the force of the shockwave.
The flash of white quickly died down and Harry was allowed to lay eyes
upon the sword which had began to emit a dull yellow light, and without
warning, it burst into flames making Angel and Shadow jump back from
their seats in fright.
The fire dissolved the steel sword, handle and all, and only left ashes in
its place on top of the chest which was left unharmed. "Err, what
happened?" Harry asked after several minutes of silence and intense
staring at the chest.
"That-I-He was supposed to be resurrected." Specter sputtered out in
disbelief. His face was full of confusion and shock as to what had taken
place before him.
"Are we sure we got the spell right?" Shadow asked, looking over to his
friend and leader.
Banshee replied by setting a large and clearly old tome onto the desk,
"We did, I'm sure of it." She began to turn the pages at a frantic pace until
she suddenly stopped and began to reread. "We did. I'm not sure what
went wrong." She looked up at the rest of the Ghosts with a lost look on
her face.
Specter sighed and began to stand up when a sudden boom echoed just
outside the war room. All of a sudden, one of the gleaming silver knights
that guarded the castle was thrown through the doors and slammed into
the table, shattering into different bits of armor pieces revealing that no
one actually was alive underneath the armor.
In strode a man around seven feet tall with young features and had a
large braided golden beard with thick long blonde hair. He was
completely naked and seemingly unaware of that fact as he walked into
the room with a confidence that surpassed even Voldemort's. His blue
eyes however were what drew notice with the Ghosts as they all
recognized them at once.
"You have held your end of the bargain, I shall hold mine." Olaf said in a
deep and gravely voice.
37. A Nation Rises
"Lord Dumbledore, we received a report that another village is under
attack in Northern Scotland." A young man stepped into his tent with a
wooden shield strapped to his back and strong mail armor covering his
body. His great black helm was resting in his left hand and his long spear
was held tight in his right, prepared already for battle.
Dumbledore looked up from the map he was studying to inspect the
messenger, "We shall go to their defense. Sound the horns." The man
nodded his head and quickly moved out of the tent. Only a few seconds
later, a large horn echoed through the camp and was met by the cries of
men who began to shout out orders. Others answered the horn with
cheers as they now actually had something to do other than waiting
around the makeshift camp.
Albus put down the quill that rested in his hand and stood from his chair.
He moved to the far side of the large tent and grabbed his silver cloak
that he normally wore about him while outside. He drew the hood to
shroud his face in shadow and placed his wand inside its old but trusty
holster.
After a brief glance over a mirror, he left his tent to watch the army of
vikings prepare for battle. Most of them were already anxiously waiting
around, long had they wished for this moment. Harald appeared from a
nearby tent dressed in his full armor, black mail with a large black bears
coat, his great weapon strapped to his back. His helm which he kept in
one hand for now was carved from dragon bone and was truly a
menacing sight to behold when upon the head of the large viking king.
The vikings formed into ranks and the captains moved up and down the
files to quickly inspect their men. After they all gave the okay to Harald,
he turned to Dumbledore and gave a simple nod. Dumbledore pulled his
wand, the Elder Wand, the one he had won off Grindelwald many years
ago, and waved it in front of himself.
He began to chant a string of words in ancient Gaelic, and the
surrounding area began to turn a dull gold. The night was illuminated by
the magic Dumbledore began to perform and the quiet of the forest they
camped in was broken by his words.
With one last cry, the dull gold flashed bright yellow and in an instant,
everyone vanished into nothingness. They all reappeared just outside a
small village that was nestled into rolling green hills. Already they could
hear faint screams as the muggles ran from the dementors that hunted
them.
No one charged, all patiently waiting for Dumbledore's orders. "Protect
the villagers, slay the dementors." Dumbledore said in a whisper. A great
cry answered his order and the battering of shields sounded from the
vikings as they swelled up in glee at the impending battle.
With one last shout by Harald, the great vikings charged from the green
fields they had been transported to and rushed into the village. It was an
older village with cobblestone streets and dainty houses. Screams and
cries of pain echoed through the streets and a deep silvery mist had
descended upon the village, obscuring vision and causing an increased
chaos to the ensuing battle. What was normally an advantage for the
dementors had now been turned against them.
Dumbledore moved in just behind the charging vikings and watched as
they began breaking into houses and others raced across the small town
square, disappearing into the thick mist. He could hear the vikings hack
and slash at their foes and piercing wails cried out as the dementors were
struck down. The vikings weapons were imbued with ancient magic long
lost to the rest of the world and that allowed them to cut down these fell
beasts without impunity.
Standing just behind Dumbledore were the five giants he held in reserve.
All of them were just as anxious to get into battle, but despite their size,
they stood no chance against the dementors. They were not immune to
their cold fear, and the weapons they carried would simply pass through
the dementors as if they were just smoke.
Dumbledore stepped into the middle of the village and sent his own
patronus, one that had changed from the royal phoenix into a beautiful
silver mare, and sent it, not after the dementors, but the mist. It drove
the cold and damp weather away from the village and took away the
dementors natural environment. Screeching sounds echoed through the
village and overtook the cries of the villagers that still sounded
throughout, even piercing high above the shouts of battle from the
vikings.
Black cloaked figures began to flee from the village in fear and the
vikings chased after them with reckless abandon. Dumbledore briefly
caught sight of a blue spell speeding towards him and turned abruptly,
batting it away with ease.
Emerging from a nearby cottage was a man dressed in Death Eater garb,
his wand at the ready, and instead of a white mask, he wore black.
Dumbledore knew that meant the man was a trained mercenary, a
warrior wizard by trade who only fought for the highest bidder;
Dumbledore had little respect for such men.
He waved his Elder wand and sent a blast of white light at the man that
was far too quick and powerful to stop. The Death Eater was sent flying
back, only a small yelp escaping his lips, and landed in the street with a
bone-crushing crunch. Dumbledore was about to finish the filth off when
several figures appeared from black smoke just behind the Death Eater.
He brought up his wand to engage what he thought would be more Death
Eaters, but hesitated for a moment.
Six in total appeared, and two figures immediately caught his eye. One
wore a bright gold mask and stood at the lead position, but just off to the
mans left was a shorter man who wore a dark green mask with silver,
gold, and blue designs inlaid in it that seemed to glow in the moonlight.
It was not the mask that was the dead give away as to who this young
warrior was, but the two wands he held at the ready. Harry Potter and
his Ghosts had come to join the fray.
One of the black masked Ghosts pulled his wand and stunned the Death
Eater who lay gasping for breath just before them, but none made a
specific move for Albus. Dumbledore held up his hands in a
nonthreatening manner and slowly began to back away. He did not yet
wish to fight Harry, in fact he never would pick a fight with Harry unless
absolutely necessary. His whole plane hinged on Voldemort killing the
boy, a task he thought would already be accomplished by now, but alas,
he had to wait a little longer.
Dumbledore took a quick glance of the small village which really only
consisted of a few streets of houses and noticed that his vikings had
already finished dispatching of the dementors who were escaping into the
night sky. "Run for the forests!" He called to the men and women under
his command. His job here was done and he was once again on his way
to restore his proper place amongst the world.
Harry took a step forward and away from the other Ghosts who all had
drawn their wands and were fixing to curse the former headmaster.
Harry though, only watched his former mentor, this being the first time
he had seen him in a year. They stood staring at one another for a brief
moment, green meeting blue, until blue broke contact and fled the village
with the remainder of his men.
Harry watched as the silver cloaked man vanished with a hushed word
and the other vikings fled over the green hills, disappearing from view.
The giants had been the last to flee, their great height only vanishing
when a flash of gold briefly lighting up the sky. The Ghosts gave no
chase, their mission was to dispatch of the dementors, not fight an army
of vikings and giants. Revenge for Scrimgeour and the other aurors would
have to wait for now. The sound of popping broke the sudden silence that
had descended upon the village as aurors apparated onto the scene and
began to fill the village with life once again.
Specter moved off to talk quietly with Amelia who appeared alongside
Kingsley, her new second in command. Several aurors who had begun to
move through the houses looking for survivors reappeared with black
cloaks that still had smoke coming off of them. The vikings had clearly
possessed a way to kill the foul creatures and had done the ministry a
service today.
–
"You must be quicker!" Olaf commanded as he brought his heavy sword
down upon Harry, who swiftly brought his own sword up to block the
attack. Harry then swiveled to the right, but his movement was already
foreseen by Olaf who swiped his left foot across Harry's legs and caused
him to crash to the floor. Olaf's sword was brought high into the air until
he swung it down with great speed. He held his attack just before the
point of his sword could cut into Harry's neck, only the tip slightly
scratching skin and drawing a small amount of blood.
"You will get better with time." Olaf said as he helped Harry to his feet.
Harry could only nod his head as he searched for his breath, great beads
of sweat ran down his face. The other Ghosts had been watching in
fascination at the combat prowess of Olaf and of Harry. No one could
contend with Olaf in a duel for longer than three seconds other than
Harry, and as such, Olaf had taken Harry under his wing.
Moving from September to October, and with November quickly
approaching, the war between Voldemort and Potter had begun to swing
in full. Riddle was attacking village after village without relent to
devastating effect. The aurors were being stretched thin and hardly had
time to rest, despite their increased numbers. Casualties had begun to
build up on both sides, and the unspoken toll of the loss of life fell on the
muggles which is what Voldemort mostly targeted. Dementors had
proven Voldemort's greatest fighting force since little of the aurors knew
how to repel them properly, and the muggles couldn't even see them to
begin with.
Because of the increased loss of life on the muggles behalf, the muggle
government had begun to take a greater involvement in the affair of
wizards, even if they didn't quite know they had. Prime Minister
Edgerton was constantly demanding status reports of the ongoing civil
war and had even begun to order SAS strikes on targets that muggles
could actually hit, such as muggle ships that were being used to bring in
wizards since the magical ways were blocked off or being watched. It was
effecting little in the grand scheme of things since the wizards the SAS
rounded up mysteriously disappeared when placed in jail, but some good
was still being done. Harry wished more could be done in regards of the
muggle military, but the need to keep the statute of secrecy between
wizard and muggle was greater.
Maybe if the world were a brighter and more understanding one then
those of different backrounds could live among another. But such a world
Harry had yet to see, the only muggles he knew hated him for his gifts,
and if they felt that way, there were bound to be others who felt the
same. The ways of wizards and witches was better left a secret, not just
for the betterment of magic kind, but for those of non-magic as well.
Despite the wary ways of muggles and wizards towards one another,
Amelia had begun to talk with Prime Minister Edgerton abut merging a
force between SAS members and the Ghosts. Still, such talks were far
from producing anything as of yet. Laws and regulations were fickle
things and required a great amount of trickery of words to surpass.
The last two months had brought about the start of what was looking like
a long and grueling civil war. Voldemort would use terror tactics, strike a
village and vanish into the night just as the Ghosts and aurors arrived.
Images of dead women, children, and men flowed through Harry's mind
and it did much to humble him, and also light a fire in his heart to end
this as soon as possible. The other ministry's had begun to see the cost of
the war, most notably to their own aurors and were growing more wary
by the day to keep them there.
Because of the hit and run, terror attacks that Voldemort had begun to
employ upon England, Scotland, and Ireland, the papers had ripped into
Fudge and his inability to successfully predict the attacks. Of course, it
was impossible to predict Voldemort's attacks since he was striking
completely at random, wishing to inflict pain and break the ministry
from within. Fudges popularity was beginning to decline as a result and
the minister grew more and more panicky which caused even more
irritation onto Harry.
He was already angered by the great loss of innocent life that occurred
within the country, but the Minister constantly asking him and the
Ghosts to do something was getting on his nerves. Sirius, Amelia, and
Daren would constantly tell him war is war and innocents are always
sacrificed, but it didn't make the fact any easier. Harry was quickly
becoming depressed at the state of the war and the only thing keeping
him from rushing out to meet Voldemort in a state of fury was Fleur and
her calm words.
Slight hope had begun to flow within him though just last night when he
came face to face with his long lost mentor for the first time in a year.
The old headmaster was back in England, that much he had known for a
while, but he never knew why until now. Dumbledore was still
continuing his old war against Voldemort, which was good. He only
hoped that was all Dumbledore was interested in, but something told him
it wasn't to be, that Dumbledore wanted something else, more than likely
to take England for himself.
At the moment however, they weren't strictly enemies, merely foes
against another greater foe, which meant they would soon be fighting
one another. Dumbledore had giants, Voldemort too had giants that had
yet to be seen. This war was becoming increasingly difficult for Harry to
adjust to, and with simple and quick math, he found himself without
much hope, and despair was beginning to seize his own heart.
"Olaf, any word from those you've sent messages to?" Daren asked,
stepping out from the side of the room. He handed Harry a towel to wipe
away the sweat, Olaf stood by without looking even a little tired. Upon
reentering the world of the living, Olaf had agreed to try and rally some
of the older, more ancient warriors of the world that he knew of, those
that had remained lost to time.
"I have only received word back from one man, though he cannot be
trusted." Daren raised his eyebrows and waited for Olaf to speak further.
"He has long wanted to kill me."
"And why is that?" Angel asked, stepping in behind Specter.
Olaf narrowed his eyes at the question, "I may have had a disagreement
with him over a woman."
"Many a men do." Daren said through pursed lips. "Will this man fight
with us?"
"Again, he cannot be trusted. I think it a trap to kill me."
"I do not care." Reaper hissed, also stepping out from the side of the
room. Olaf turned his narrowed eyes onto him, but didn't say anything
back. Due to his resurrection, he was honor-bound to help the Ghosts in
their plight, and revenge against his father kept him from breaking the
oath, no matter how much he was annoyed by these wizards.
"I will leave as soon as possible." Olaf answered through gritted teeth.
"Good." Daren responded simply.
–
Harry watched as Hedwig flew into the Great Hall and landed on the
table before him. It was now rare for him to receive any mail at Hogwarts
unless by Fawkes. Sirius had begun to take precautions and set up a
system where his mail would be delivered to Grimmauld where the new
Kreacher would sort through it then give it to Dobby. Only the most
important of mail would go straight to Harry and only a few could send
such mail.
Fleur who sat next to him as usual, snatched the mail away before Harry
could grab hold of it. She had recently begun to take it upon herself to
check his mail in case there was anything vile in it. It was something
Harry had numerous times told her to stop doing but had given up hope
that she ever would. She had a deep anxiety that he would be taken from
her by some obscure mail that was poisoned or contained a hidden
portkey, and she wished to take the bullet for him if such a thing were to
occur. It was something that unsettled Harry greatly, but Fleur refused to
listen to him on this matter, and he knew her to be the most stubborn
woman alive. There were many safeguards in the mail he received from
Hedwig and even his faithful companion acted as another safeguard, for
Hedwig would never carry anything dangerous to him.
Once she had ripped open the letter and nothing happened, she simply
handed it back to Harry to read and returned to her breakfast as if
nothing had happened. It was like risking her life by opening mail for her
boyfriend was a fate she accepted long ago and was okay with dying as
long as he lived on. It was scary yet breathtaking to Harry the love and
care she showed to him with such an act.
Harry grabbed the letter and slid out the contents. He didn't recognize
the scribble upon the first page and opened up the rest of the letter. He
was acutely aware of many others in the hall who watched for his
reaction as he read.
H,
I have urgent news from the East.
Please meet me tonight at 2300 by your tree.
CW
Harry quickly folded it up to keep prying eyes from seeing the message.
Charlie Weasley? That was the last person he was suspecting to have
written him a letter. News from the east also sounded ominous and the
fact that Charlie worked with dragons meant something serious was afoot
in Romania.
Hedwig hooted once before taking flight and heading out of the Great
Hall. If Hedwig's appearance hadn't attracted everyone in the hall, her
disappearing flight certainly did. Harry received many suspicious looks
and questioning glances, but he didn't say anything on the matter, and
they all knew better than to ask at this point. The war had begun to take
its toll on the students, and though magical villages hadn't yet been
attacked and very few in the castle had experienced any real losses yet,
the growing anxiety and fear was setting in.
Harry headed for his classes that day with deep and troubling thoughts as
to what he was about to learn. The day passed slowly for him, but the
night was taken up mostly by his training with Olaf. The former viking
king would soon be heading off on his trip to unknown lands. He refused
to tell them where he was going as of the moment, and it was a great risk
to let him go in the first place. Specter wanted to send Shadow with him,
but Olaf was adamant about going alone and so Specter gave up fighting
it.
Harry got off training early in order to meet with Charlie by the Black
Lake at 2300 as asked. The night sky was full of stars and the moon was
only in crescent form. The Blake Lake was peaceful and reflected the
night sky perfectly, the stars glittering off the water like shining
diamonds. Harry moved to his favorite tree by the waters edge and drew
his cloak close to himself; the had descended on Scotland. Below the tree
he saw a hooded figure that kept his head on a swivel as if looking out
for a grave threat. The hooded man stopped looking about and his eyes
focused entirely on Harry as he approached.
"Harry, its good to see you again." Charlie said, taking off the hood that
hid his face from the light.
Harry quickly approached and shook the Weasley's outstretched hand.
"It's good to see you too. Why all the secrecy?" Harry asked, cutting
straight to the point. He was never one for small talk.
Getting the hint that Harry wasn't here for anything less than an
important discussion, Charlie began to speak, "Death Eaters have began
to approach us at the Romanian Dragon Reserve. We have said we aren't
interested, but they are getting...pushy."
"Did they threaten you?" Harry asked, concern immediately showing
through his voice. Due to the darkness of the light, his face was
completely hidden as well as Charlie's and they were working off the
sound of each others voices alone. Neither wanted this meeting to be
seen by many, and a light would surely give them away to whatever spies
remained in the castle. It was after hours, but Harry had placed several
wards around them anyways for precaution.
"Most definitely they have. You-Know-Who plans on taking and bending
the dragons to his will. However he plans on doing that I have no clue.
They were hoping that we would freely let them go and even help in the
process of keeping them stable."
"Would they even be able to control the dragons without you?"
Charlie only shrugged, "I'm not sure. We hardly can keep the dragons
docile ourselves. If they were to take them, there is no knowing what
would happen."
"How long do you have until the Death Eaters try and take the dragons
into their own care?"
"We were given only three days to decide our fates."
Harry stood silently in the darkness, "Harry?" Charlie asked after several
quiet minutes.
"Head back to the reserve and wait for Fawkes. He will bear you a
message from me."
"So you have a plan?" Charlie asked with surprise etched into his words.
He wasn't expecting to be heading back with any amount of hope for
Romania was far away and Harry was in the midst of war.
"I'm forming one, yes." Harry replied quietly, his mind beginning to delve
deeply inwards as his thoughts turned to what he could accomplish with
this news. Real tangible hope may yet be on his horizon.
–
Harry passed by the Gringotts goblin guards who stood proudly in their
dark steel armor, their spears held out before them. The two guards
bowed lowly to Harry as he passed and returned to staring menacingly at
the other nearby wizards. Harry walked into the great wizarding bank
wearing midnight black robes and the Gryffindor sword strapped to his
back. He walked alone through the bank floor and kept his eyes focused
in front of him.
Upon Harry's entry to the Great Hall of Gringotts, many a goblins heads
looked up and grew wide eyed. A door opened at the far side of the hall
and a grin formed on Harry's face as he recognized who soon approached
him. Wizards, witches, and goblins alike all watched as Harry casually
approached the goblin who stepped out from the bowels of the bank to
greet him.
"Griphook! How good to see you." Harry called out to the approaching
goblin. He was clad in a dark pinstriped suit and had glasses that were
hastily laid upon his face. His beady black eyes displayed no emotion, yet
the slight upturn of his green lips showed his demeanor.
"Honorable Potter, a pleasant surprise as always." Griphook bowed low to
his account holder. "What business do you have today?"
"I wish to speak with King Ragnok. I have an urgent matter to discuss
with him." The hall which was already silent, all wizards and goblins
equally invested in what was happening before them, grew static with
anticipation after the question. Wizards were not known to have dealings
directly with the king of English goblins, and none knew of Harry's
relationship with Ragnok until now.
Murmurs began to break out and Harry knew immediately that the press
would be all over this story in a matter of minutes. Upon conclusion of
this meeting he would undoubtedly be called upon many reporters alike
to discuss what transpired today. These stories could very well be ones
told for many centuries to come, and possible pave the way for closer
relations between the goblin nation and the wizarding one.
"He can see you now." Griphook said with a feral grin, his eyes tracking
the looks of astonishment written on many peoples faces within the bank.
Griphook had already been in talks with Harry prior to the meeting today
and was greatly looking forward to what entailed. He then led Harry
through to the far end of the bank hall and into the maze like depths of
Gringotts. Harry was lead through winding passages and towards a
simple, small wooden double door. Two goblins stood on the outside,
resplendent in gleaming golden armor and holding wicked steel-tipped
spears. They stepped aside upon spotting Harry and Griphook and
Griphook opened the doors for Harry to step through.
Ragnok stood up upon seeing his doors open, knowing that only those of
importance were allowed into his office without notice. Harry stepped in
and bowed deeply to the king of goblins before taking his seat. "This
meeting has come at last I see." Ragnok opened the conversation, his
deep gravely voice breaking the electrified air.
"We both knew one day it may come to this." Harry responded casually, a
small smile upturned on his lips. Ragnok's own lips upturned and he took
his seat upon a simple wooden chair. Harry sat down himself and
Griphook moved around to the other side of the table and sat next to his
king.
"Griphook tells me you have something to bargain." Harry nodded his
head and unclasped the scabbard that held Gryffindors sword on his
back, and placed it in front of King Ragnok. The kings grin grew feral for
a moment when he spotted the glittering, ruby encrusted handle.
"Death Eaters have begun to encroach upon the Romanian Dragon
Reserve and Voldemort wishes to use those dragons in his war. A friend
of mine who works their believes that Voldemort may have found a way
to control the dragons minds."
Ragnok kept his eyes focused on the sword for a minute longer, not
muttering a word before he looked up to meet Harry's naturally glowing
eyes. "And this news should concern me?"
Harry titled his head to the side slightly, "We both know that Voldemort
is not too fond of your race or the power you hold over wizards wealth.
You also happen to have several dragons of your own and he would wish
to control them."
"My people are warriors, we would fight him and his followers." Ragnok
responded with a hiss.
"Yes your people are warriors, good ones." Harry paused for a moment to
gage the large goblin across from him. They had talked of the time when
they may have to join forces, but Ragnok was always hesitant of it. His
people had been deceived by wizards before and Harry didn't blame his
lack of trust in them now. "But alone, they would never stand a chance
against the combined might of Voldemort's dragons, giants, dementors,
and other fell beasts he has yet to unleash, should he defeat us. He would
crush you and your people and so goes into the night the legacy of
Ragnok King of Goblins under Gringotts."
Ragnok's eyes turned into small black beads and hew as about to snap
something out. Griphook next to the large goblin grew wide-eyed at
Harry's words, not expecting the meeting to go like this.
Harry however wasn't done and where his features were once hard,
softened slightly as did his tone. "But that does yet have to be the history
of your people. I will give you the sword of Gryffindor, for I know its
value to your people, and the Romanian Dragon Reserve also gift you
their dragons, for they know no better dragon tamers than your people."
Ragnok's gruff and leathery features softened slightly as well when Harry
laid out the price for what he was about to ask of him. "And for the
kingly gifts you offer, what is it that you wish?"
"For your warriors." Harry replied, his tone even and his eyes stayed firm
on Ragnoks, neither blinking. Griphook could only look back and forth
between the two and waited for his kings response. Goblins fighting
alongside wizards had never been accomplished before in the written
histories of their peoples, but times changed, and people along with it.
Ragnok finally broke eye contact and looked back down at the sword
before him. He reached out to grasp the handle and pulled free the silver
blade of Gryffindor. The sword glinted in the firelight of the stony room
they sat in and the two goblins looked in awe of the sword.
Suddenly, Ragnok sheathed the sword and pushed it back over to Harry.
Harry felt his heart drop as Ragnok stood up and took a step back from
the table. He had thought he could convince the goblins to join their side
finally, to fight with them.
"It is no longer our people's sword, but yours Lord Potter. Use it well."
Ragnok turned his back and approached a back door. Griphook gave an
apologetic look to Harry and made to follow his king out of the room.
Ragnok stopped suddenly in the doorway and turned his head to look at
Harry who still sat in his chair, looking dejectedly at the sword. "The
Goblin Nation shall rise to fight our foes like days of old."
–
Harry sat in the astronomy tower with his legs dangling off the edge. The
cool breeze that came with the morning light caught his bare legs and
sent a shiver up his spine. He sat in much needed silence, meditating on
the days to come. Neither Dumbledore or Voldemort had shown their
faces in the last several days and for the first time in the last few months
it seemed as if things had calmed down. The war had grown to a
stalemate with the appearance of Dumbledore and none of the three sides
were sure how to react. Harry hoped to use this lull of battle to progress
his own side, a side that was in dire need of help.
Two days had passed since his meeting with King Ragnok and he had yet
to hear when the army would be assembling, or even if they actually
were going to. Maybe it was the goblins turn to deceive the wizards in
times of war?
Olaf had also left the Ghost castle in search of his own allies to further
aid their cause. Harry had half a heart to think they would never see the
former viking king again, but a gut feeling told him Olaf would not
disappoint with his promise. He said he would bring soldiers, and Harry
was putting faith in the wraith turned man. From what he could tell, Olaf
was a man of honor, and his honor tied him to the cause, for as long as
some hope remained at least.
Harry watched as the sun rose above the towering green hills to the east
of Hogwarts. The rays of sun began to catch hold of the Black Lake and
illuminate it with strands of gold. He kept his eyes keen on the western
horizon however, half suspecting dementors to come flooding into
Hogsmeade which rested peacefully within his eyesight. A great
uneasiness had settled within him the last few days. Voldemort had not
attacked and neither had Dumbledore shown his face. It caused Harry to
sit more on edge than usual.
Instead of dementors and the cold they brought however, a loud trumpet
blew to the south from where the Forbidden Forest lain. Harry's head
jerked in the direction of the horn blast and watched keenly upon the
forest edge. Several more horns answered the call and Harry began to
feel a vibration even in the tall tower he sat in. Thud! Thud! Thud! Echoed
from the forest and birds and other critters sprang away from what
marched through the tree's.
Harry watched enthralled as leagues of goblins, a thousand in total,
marched out of the Forbidden Forest, led by a large goblin displayed in
golden armor that caught the reflection of the rising sun, illuminating
him as if he were a sun on Earth. Harry pushed himself off the edge of
the astronomy tower and at the same time, pulled his Yew wand and held
it below him, slowing his fall. He landed upon the soft grass with little
impact and quickly walked over to the goblin army which had stopped
marching once clear of the Forbidden Forest. They formed ranks proudly
on the grass that separated the castle and the forest. Aurors and
professors began to stream out of the castle to meet their new guests, but
it was Harry who reached them first.
The goblin warriors were dressed in heavy grey armor and all carried
long spears twice the goblins size along with thick shields that were
decorated with intricate designs. Harry approached the lead goblin who
wore pure gold and immediately recognized him as King Ragnok.
Harry bowed low to the King and the gesture was returned in kind, "King
Ragnok. I did not think you would lead your people."
"I am a warrior, as are my people. We are ready to fight with you, Lord
Potter." The goblins behind Ragnok all beat their spears against their
shields once and let out a grunt in unison sending a shiver down Harry's
spine. He was about to reply to Ragnok when a loud screech sounded
through the morning air, causing everyone to stop in their tracks and
look to the skies. Minerva had rushed out of the castle still in her
nightgown and a black robe thrown around her. Sirius was not too far
off, staring in wonder at something high above the broken clouds.
Harry saw Charlie and several others wearing the garments of dragon
handlers emerge from the forest just behind the goblins, their figures
much taller. Another screech cut through the air and Harry found himself
bathed in shadow as a great beast flew high above him before settling on
top of the astronomy tower.
Charlie approached Harry with a wild grin, "Norbert was intent upon
helping his friends." Harry looked up to the astronomy tower and saw
Norbert, the great dragon he had helped to get to Romania. It sat proudly
high up on the tower, its great red scales glimmering in the morning
light. As if hearing his introduction to Harry, Norbert let out a loud howl
that shook the very castle and answered it with a burst of fire that lit the
sky.
"I'm glad to see he thinks so highly of me." Harry muttered to himself as
he stared in awe at the great dragon.
38. Total War
Harry paced back and forth along the front of the staff table in the Great
Hall. Its ceiling was dark, showing the storm passing over Scotland, great
heaps of snow descending upon its grounds. Sitting beside McGonagall
was King Ragnok proudly displaying his families golden armor, his large
battleaxe placed on the table in front of him. Harry kept his hands
clasped behind his back as he moved back and forth in deep thought. The
Hall was empty save for the teachers and a few goblins that stood watch.
Goblins along with aurors were now patrolling the halls of Hogwarts,
along with standing watch over its ramparts and scouring the nearby
lands for any massing threats. So far, no patrols had reported any sign of
armies ready to attack from either Voldemort or Dumbledore. Harry
didn't expect any attacks on the castle anyways, at least not for awhile.
More goblins had been placed in contingency around Hogsmeade and
Diagon Alley, and all forces could move quickly to each location if either
were attacked. Each band of goblins were linked with a hit wizard team
carrying ropes that could quickly be made into portkeys and transfer
them anywhere.
Norbert kept to the grounds of Hogwarts, choosing to fly around the
southern hills and over the forbidden forest, stretching his great wings
more than he ever had before. Charlie and the other dragon tamers who
had followed the great dragon to England had also taken up residence in
Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, staying close by to help Hagrid. Hagrid was
beyond ecstatic to have his baby back home as he liked to call it, but it
was quite clear he didn't really know how to care for it properly.
The newspapers were constantly talking about the sudden new alliance
between goblins and wizards in the fight against the Death Eaters and
Voldemort. Such news was the beginning of bringing the goblins and
wizards closer together and Harry and Ragnok had hopes such a
closeness would remain long after the war.
Due to the acquiring of the new ally, it was Fudge who was reaping the
benefit in the press' eyes, but Harry didn't mind. As long as the people
were further protected, he didn't care who got credit for the work. With
Olaf still gone and out of contact, Harry could only hope that the
reinforcements of the goblins will indeed be enough to turn the tide of
the war in Britain.
"When will he attack?" Minerva asked. She always placed the students
first and her greatest fear was an attack on the school.
"If he will attack, either of them. Things are quiet at the moment."
Ragnok responded, taking a bite out of a loaf of bread. Things had been
completely still, as if the war had just up and left the country. The
appearance of Dumbledore had stopped Voldemort from making more
moves on the people of Britain, and the news of the goblins choosing
sides had completely ceased the war altogether. Three weeks had passed
with no attacks on any villages or other places.
This stalemate couldn't last long however. Soon things would begin once
again, and when they did begin, it would be a far more deadly war. Now
everyone understood the stakes and all the players. With Olaf seemingly
gone, most likely taking his chance and running away with his freedom,
Harry had his dragon, the goblins, and the ministries of the world at his
backing. Dumbledore had his vikings and giants, Voldemort with his
Death Eaters, dementors, and giant contingent as well as rumors of him
aligning himself with werewolf packs. The pieces were laid out on the
board for all to see, and now all that remained was how each person
moved their forces.
"Do you think You-Know-Who left?" Sprout asked with a hint of hope in
her voice. Harry looked sadly at the older professor and shook his head
solemnly.
"It's just the calm before the storm I'm afraid." Harry replied in a whisper,
voicing his own suspicions as to what was happening.
–
Harry sat down alone, a rare thing for him, in the library. He turned the
pages in his Anybook, learning more about older, darker spells. His
knowledge of the unknown spells of the world had grown vastly, and
now he found himself one of the more learned wizards in the world. The
downtime in the last several weeks had given him much time to study, to
learn and bring himself up to the same level of his enemies. He knew that
he was still at a disadvantage in terms of experience, but he hoped to
even the playing field when it came to knowledge at least.
His reading was interrupted by the appearance of ethereal beauty. Fleur
sat down in the seat opposite of him and placed an old textbook on the
table and began to turn its pages. Dust flew from the old tome yet she
hardly noticed, just as she didn't notice Harry's soft eyes admiring her
beauty. Even in this seemingly normal and unromantic place, she was
perfect to him. And yes she was veela, he knew all too well that she was
veela, having the mark upon his right breast that forever glowed blue to
remind him who Fleur was. Still, her beauty took his breath away each
time he saw her, and it wasn't from the allure.
As he looked at her, he knew why he loved her. It wasn't the natural
beauty, the perfect face and dazzling eyes, the unblemished skin and
slender build. It was the book that she read, or more importantly what
that book meant, why she was reading it, what it meant to her. The
books title was Agesti's Darkest Places, a book about locations tied to dark
magic. She had hope, a fools hope, yet hope still, that she would uncover
a possible location for his enemies. He loved her most of all for her
unrelenting attitude, something that would push him to seek out
something greater inside himself, something he never knew was in him.
She could see him when no else understood him, and he trusted her to
guide him forward.
"What are looking at?" Fleur asked after she caught onto Harry's gaze.
She glanced innocently behind herself but only saw a bookshelf.
Harry shook his head and offered her a soft smile, "Just watching you."
A small smile formed on her perfect pink lips, "Why?"
"You're beautiful, you know that?" Fleur chuckled at his words, shaking
her head.
"You are very 'andsome yourself." Harry chuckled this time and finished
with a sigh, a sadness overcoming him which she picked up on. "Whats
wrong?"
He sat silently for a moment and closed his book, "Lately I can't help but
feel overwhelmed, feel like I want to run away from everything, just
leave it all behind."
Fleur reached across the table and placed her soft hand in his and
squeezed it, "It's okay for you to feel like that. It's natural for you to feel
that stress and anxiety."
Harry slowly nodded his head and stayed silent, he looked out a nearby
window and watched the Hogwarts grounds. Snow had come to the
Scottish castle and the Black Lake was now covered in ice, several of the
muggleborn students ice-skating on its surface. He briefly saw Hedwig
and Fawkes racing across the skies, playing as they usually did.
"You need a break 'Arry. Being in this castle is stressing you out." Fleur
said when he had stayed quiet. He looked at her with raised eyebrows,
wondering where she was taking that statement. "Come with me." Fleur
didn't bother to wait for his response and took his hand, jerking him
upwards and leading him from the library after they had gathered their
books.
Together they walked to the Headmistress' office and the stone gargoyle
slid to the side to let them pass, not bothering to wait for a password
from either of them. "What are-"
"Shhh." She cut him off, leading him up the stairs. She knocked on the
door and the sound of 'enter' was heard. The both of them walked into
Minerva's office and found her sitting on the opposite side of her desk
peering at several parchments with a quill in hand. She had her glasses
on the tip of her nose and seemed to be in study of whatever words were
before her.
"What can I do for you two?" Minerva asked without looking up from the
parchment. Fleur approached the desk and Harry followed, taking a seat
in one of the plush chairs that was placed in front of her desk. The office
had changed a lot from when Dumbledore had left. Gone were the many
trinkets, many things used to once spy on Harry and his stay with the
Dursleys. Gone was Fawkes' podium, gone was the pensieve, gone was
the vast library, now all belonging to Harry and placed in storage at
Grimmauld Place.
Harry looked at Fleur with confusion, waiting for her to answer, "I was
wondering if we could go 'ome for the weekend. 'Arry 'as been stressed
and needs the break." This caused Minerva to peer up from her
parchments, her beady eyes looking over her glasses.
"Is that so?" She asked Harry more than Fleur.
"Err." Fleur nudged him softly in the ribs, "Yes, I could use a break."
Minerva took her glasses off and rubbed her tired eyes. "God knows
you've earned it. Where will you go?"
"Our 'ome." Fleur responded, offering nothing more. It was still a well
kept secret as to where exactly their home was. Minerva knew better
than to pry further.
"Very well. Return Sunday evening, I want to see your faces at the feast."
Both Harry and Fleur smiled at the permission they received and offered
many thanks to their headmistress before leaving. They left the
headmistress' office with smiles and Harry looked happier and less
stressed than he had been in the last several weeks.
"I'll get my things and meet you 'ere in an 'our?" Fleur asked as they
walked along the hallway, towards the moving staircases.
"Things?" He asked, turning to her abruptly with a mischievous smile. He
then planted his lips on hers and kissed her fervently. "What do you need
really?" He asked after breaking the kiss. She was too dazed by the
sudden passion in his kiss to offer any other words, and in a second, they
both disappeared in a flash of fire as Fawkes transported them to Annecy.
–
"Fleur!" Gabbi cried out upon seeing her favorite and only sister. She
hardly noticed that Fleur was wearing only a bedsheet when she rushed
over to her and wrapped her small arms around her sister. Appoline was
much more alert to her eldest daughters lack of clothing and couldn't
help but chuckle. Fleur's silver hair was a mess, its normal perfect
straightness was all over the place and her pale skin was rose in color
instead.
Fleur planted a kiss on the top of her growing sisters forehead, hugging
her tightly for she missed her greatly. "Mama, how are you?" Fleur asked,
looking up to see her mother in the doorway.
Appoline smiled and walked into her daughters home, shutting the door
behind her. "I'm good as is your father. He will be here after work.
Where's Harry?" This question caught hold of the little veela and she
broke the hug from Fleur and looked around wildly.
"E's still sleeping. It's been a stressful couple of weeks for 'im." Fleur said
with a solemn sigh which Appoline understood all too well. Her husband
was in a constant state of stress and pressure and often he was kicked to
the ground because of it and it was her job to help him back to his feet.
"Can I wake him!" Gabbi asked with a mischief she had never seen in her
sister before. Clearly Harry and Sirius' influence was taking its toll and
the boys would soon reap what they sowed. Andrew Davis was becoming
quite the prankster within the castle, often being used by Sirius to prank
his students who had gotten into trouble in his class. She feared for the
future professors of Hogwarts when they would have to deal with him,
and possibly Gabbrielle who now wished to go to Hogwarts instead of
Beauxbatons.
Gabbi didn't wait for a response and rushed up the stairs of the town
house. "How is he, truly." Appoline asked seriously once Gabbi had
disappeared upstairs.
Fleur sighed again and took a seat on a nearby sofa in the den room.
"Tired." Appoline took a seat opposite her daughter and reached over and
took her hand, squeezing it gently.
"I don't blame him. He has the world on his shoulders." The two women
sat in silence and soon they heard a squeal followed by childish laughter.
The laughter continued downstairs and Gabbi reappeared on top of
Harry's shoulders with Fawkes on top of Gabbi's head.
"A pleasure to see you Appoline." Harry said with a refreshed smile upon
his face. Months of stress that had been etched onto his face had
disappeared overnight and he looked just as lively as when Appoline had
first met him, yet despite the refreshed state, a newfound wisdom was
behind his eyes, a wisdom that would never go away.
"A pleasure as always Harry." Appoline responded. She stood up and
kissed Harry on the forehead before retaking her seat. Harry slowly set
Gabbi onto the floor and took a seat next to Fleur and Gabbi quickly
climbed into his lap and rested her head against his chest.
"So what are we doing today?" Appoline asked with a joyful smile,
clapping her hands together. Both teenagers glanced at one another and
it was Fleur that responded for them.
"It's not too cold out, we could go to the lake?" The other three merely
shrugged, not having a better idea and they wrapped themselves in
warmer clothing before stepping into the cold air. Annecy was relatively
protected from the harsh winters, but it still got relatively cold and snow
sometimes fell upon the small town.
The four of them headed for the docks where a boat awaited them, one
that Fleur had bought just for this occasion. On the outside it looked like
an old fishing boat that didn't belong on the lake anymore, but inside,
much like a magical tent, it was large and rich. It descended under the
lake and one could see into the water, catching the occasional fish that
swam by.
The decks were warmed by magic and one could stay outside and observe
even in the dead of winter. A full kitchen was in the lower decks and
Dobby had appeared once they stepped onto the ship, recognizing that
Harry might be needing his assistance.
The ship kicked off the dock and self-propelled into the middle of the
lake. They played games on board the ship and ate a feast that Dobby
had made for them, relaxing in the company of one another. These times
were rare and they made the most of it, telling stories of the last several
months. They stayed away from Harry's battles and dealings with war,
instead focusing on the the going-ons of Hogwarts. Gabrielle was
particularly interested in Hogwarts since she was wanting to go their
instead of Beauxbatons.
Soon it was time for them to head back to shore. They had eaten their fill
and complemented the chef, Dobby looked ready to cry at the praise and
he popped away before tears fell. They walked back through the lightly
snow covered streets and made it into the town house. Harry entered
first, a habit he had gotten into, and upon entering, he felt the hairs rise
on the back of his neck and whipped out his wand while placing his other
hand on Fleurs shoulder, stopping her from entering the house.
"No need for that." Harry heard a rasp voice coming from the dark and he
recognized it immediately. Sebastien appeared from the shadows and
stood in the hallway with a smirk on his face. Harry lowered his wand
and stepped into the house. "Though I do commend you for the caution."
Harry walked over to Sebastien and shook his hand, "I almost took your
head off."
Sebastien chuckled, "You may be Britain's Chosen Son, but it wouldn't be
so easy to take me."
Harry chuckled himself and stepped to the side to allow Fleur to greet
her father. They all settled into the den and Dobby provided drinks for all
of them. "The South Africans are thinking about joining the fight."
Sebastien said once the conversation about school had died. Both
Appoline and Fleur groaned, shaking their heads at the two men.
"Really? When did this come about?" Harry asked, ignoring the two
women. Gabbi listened intently to them. She wasn't quite old enough to
understand everything going on, but she was fascinated by it nonetheless.
"Just a few days ago. They saw Ghana support us and don't want to be
left out."
Harry nodded his head slowly, "Whatever gets their support I don't care.
We need the help. I fear what is to come."
An intense silence fell on everyone in the room as they all briefly
imagined Harry's own fears as if his images were projected onto them.
They all saw a shadowed man sitting upon a golden throne, children
bowing before it and cloaked men standing around them with their
wands pointed inwards. A great flash of green brought them out of the
sudden trance. They all looked around stunned at one another, their eyes
falling to Harry who looked ghostly pale for a moment.
Sebastien was the first to break the silence, "What the hell?" He breathed
out, sweat upon his brow. Harry glanced at Fleur and Appoline who
looked just as tired and out of breath as Sebastien. Gabbi who sat in his
lap was shivering slightly and Harry wrapped his arms around her
protectively. She responded to his touch and burrowed herself into his
chest.
"Harry?" Appoline asked, looking at him inquisitively.
Harry could only shrug, "I-I don't know. I'm just as shocked that all of you
saw that."
"How did you do that?" Sebastien asked.
"I'm not sure." Harry responded weakly.
"Whatever that was-" He stopped mid-sentence when a high-pitched
whine sounded from his pocket. He pulled out a small whistle that was
blowing all on its own. Appoline immediately looked concerned, knowing
what that whistle meant. "I have to go." Sebastien said, standing up
quickly.
"But you just got here." Fleur said sadly. He gave her a sad smile and was
about to say something else when Harry felt an intense burning on his
left breast. His eyes immediately caught Harry's and both men knew
something serious was happening. Fleur also caught Harry's sudden
change of demeanor and understood what it meant. "Be careful." She
leaned over and placed a kiss on Harry's lips.
Harry stood up, setting Gabbi on the couch behind him after placing a
kiss of his own on her forehead. "I'm sure its nothing." He said, offering a
weak smile to Fleur who looked at him concernedly. "I'll see you in a
few." With that, Harry pressed his Yew wand into his Haunt tattoo and
disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. Sebastien kissed his wife on the
cheek and hugged both Fleur and Gabrielle before stepping into the floo
and disappearing in a flash of green fire.
–
Harry appeared in a wisp of black smoke, completely cloaked in black
save for his dark green mask that showed blue and gold designs. Gone
was his green basilisk jacket and black cargo pants, now he wore black
Horntail dragon armor and pants with gloves and boots to match. They
weren't as strong as the basilisk armor, but they were far more easy to
maneuver in, something Harry found he needed more than actual
protection.
As soon as he appeared, he scanned his surroundings, both wands ready
to be let loose on his enemies. He found Specter and the rest of Ghost
squad waiting for him in a wheat field. The night sky was occasionally lit
up by a blast of fire and other spells that sailed high over their intended
targets.
"Death Eaters are leading a joint assault, with dementors and giants
backing them, werewolves are also present. The students are the priority,
get to the school first and get them out." Specter said quickly when Harry
appeared. Harry turned to look at the battlefield he was called to and
found himself in southern France, not too far away from where he had
just been.
A beautiful building stood in an open grass field that was surrounded by
wheat fields and thick, dark forest. The building was large and beautiful,
a palace with intricate gardens that stretched hundreds of meters behind
the building. It was several stories high and all along the walls were
stained glass windows showing images of wizards doing great deeds. He
could see in the front of the building, stone giants battling the Death
Eaters and with each blast of light a piece of them was obliterated. It was
clear they couldn't last long in a fight and was more of a means to create
time rather than actually defend the school.
Shouts of panic were heard above the blasts that impacted with the stone
giants and an anger swelled within Harry when he recognized just what
school this was. A large blue flag waved in the night sky, illuminated by
the full moon, its golden crest of two wands behind a sun showed clear as
day. Beauxbatons was under attack. It seemed Voldemort thought
Hogwarts to too easily defended and now preyed upon schoolchildren of
a different country.
"Move quickly. Harry press the attack and let us slip into the palace."
Harry nodded his head and placed his mask over his face. He then
charged out of the wheat field and headed down the small hill into the
heat of battle. As he sprinted towards the enemy, he saw several
professors fighting off the Death Eaters, their white masks glowing in the
moonlight. Dementors moved ethereally over the grass fields, obscuring
vision with the mist that trailed behind them. Through the mist he saw
werewolves charge the field, one of them leaping high into the air and
taking a professor by surprise. Harry quickly took aim while still at full
sprint and sent a large silver spear through the air. The werewolf was
thrown back into the mist, a howl of pain echoing above the battle as the
spear connected with its chest.
Several giants were already on the east side of the building carrying trees
they had torn from their roots and were battering them against the stone
walls. He saw a few spells bounce harmlessly off their thick magic
resistant hides as several of the older students tried to defend their
school.
Harry sent a blast of white light that pierced the night sky, forcing those
in front of him to shield their eyes. He followed that up with blue
lightning that shot from his yew wand and connected with a charging
werewolf who tried to leap on another unsuspecting teacher. The
lightning bounced from one werewolf to another and soon, it had down
seven of the charging werewolves, their bodies sizzling on the field.
Passing all around his body and over his shoulders, several spells whizzed
by him as the Ghosts charged into battle and turned towards the school.
Several of the Death Eaters who were caught in battle with the professors
were taken by surprise and downed easily. Harry sent his patronus into
the sky, and whether it was the adrenalin he now felt, or what his power
could now create, a midnight black Haunt shot from his wand, and where
it recently looked exactly like his patronus, now it was only a shadow
that somehow was even darker than the night.
Haunt sped towards the dementors who descended on the school and
leaped into their midst, sending them fleeing. One of them who had been
feeding off the soul of a professor was bitten in the neck by the shadow
Haunt and burst into smoke, a high-pitched wail sounding from the
creature just before it died, its cloak falling to the grass with smoke rising
from it.
Harry stepped into battle and used his wands to great effect, his arms
moving in a blur, all kinds of colors jetting from his wands, striking those
before him. Death Eaters and werewolves alike were blasted away,
incinerated, and decapitated with Harry's quick motions. He cut through
the battlefield like a hot knife through butter, and quickly his enemies
fled before him. Harry quickly caught sight of the giants now being
battled by someone who knew what they were doing, one of them felled
by several arrows to its throat.
A crack of lighting lit up the night sky and smashed into the field only a
few meters from Harry. Suddenly a figure shrouded in black appeared
from the spot the lightning struck. When Harry's eyes readjusted to the
dark light, he saw the pale, snake like figure of Voldemort, his gold hand
glinting brightly under the moonlight with his yew wand in it. When he
appeared, the Death Eaters, dementors, and werwolves rallied and
charged back into battle. The giants continued to wail on the palace walls
while the students desperately tried to defend against them.
"I was hoping to find you here Potter." Voldemort hissed. The two of
them began to circle one another, ignoring the rest of the battle for the
moment.
"Well I'm here Riddle. Should we end this?"
Voldemort smiled and flicked his wand, a jet of black hurled towards
Harry who easily batted it away. "Nothing would please me more." Tom
responded. Harry sent his own chain of spells at Voldemort and all were
deflected or evaded by Voldemort. Spell after spell they exchanged with
one another, all meant to kill, and none broke through their shields. The
energy from their spells began to create a wall of smoke and heat, pure
magic, around them as they dueled.
A sudden flash of gold lit both Voldemort's and Harry's eyes briefly,
forcing them to look away from their duel and at the newcomers to the
battle. Dumbledore, in his silver cloak, appeared at the front of a
formation of three hundred vikings, all clad in silver mail and leather
armor. Both Harry and Voldemort had stopped their duel completely and
stared in wonder at the army before them, taken in by its vastness and
sudden appearance.
The vikings suddenly cried out in deep voices and smashed their spears
into their shields, causing a boom to echo across the field that caught the
attention of everyone. Even the dementors stopped from their feasting
and looked to the vikings who stood ready to charge.
All of the air was sucked out of the area when a loud blast from a horn
sounded by the lead viking, a man taller than the rest wearing thick
horned armor that was black as night, a bear cloak upon his shoulders.
The vikings responded with another deep cry and all at once charged the
field of battle, their spears and swords held before them, ready to strike
down any foe in their wake.
Harry hardly noticed Dumbledore approach him and Voldemort on the
field of battle, his interest in the charging vikings being too great. Just as
the vikings were about to charge head long into the ranks of dementors,
werewolves, Death Eaters, and giants who had turned to fight, a second
flash of gold lit up the sky.
This light took Dumbledore by surprise and he stopped walking to watch
what occurred next. Ranks upon ranks of goblins, resplendent in their
iron armor, led by the golden king Ragnok at its front, appeared on the
field of battle. They stood on top of the small hill Harry had run down to
join the beginning of the battle. The vikings stopped mid-charge to gaze
at the new army that stood proud. One viking who had strayed too close
to a dementor shrieked in surprise as he was picked up and his soul was
sucked from his body.
This shriek brought everyone from their stunned state and the battle
commenced one again. Half of the viking forces charged into the
dementor and werewolf ranks, the other half turned to fight the incoming
goblins.
The goblins in perfect uniform, lowered their spears and with one horn
blast, charged down the hill and swallowed the vikings. A great flurry of
steel and iron turned to blurs as the vikings, being much stronger and
bigger than their enemy, wreaked havoc on the lines. Goblins were
hurled through the air as the great axes of the vikings connected with the
iron armor the goblins wore. Still though, the goblins were skilled
soldiers and surrounded the vikings, hacking and slashing at their legs,
bringing them down to eye level then finishing them off one by one.
Dumbledore looked on in anger as half his force was decimated in a
matter of minutes. He turned his attention to the boy that spurned him
and sent a jet of blue that hurled across the field. It was increasingly
becoming clear that his return to England would not be one of triumph,
but of conquest, and it started with that boy. Harry side-stepped the spell
and unleashed his full arsenal of spells onto Dumbledore. Voldemort
understanding what was going on, began to press his attack onto Harry
as well. The two older wizards were for the moment momentarily
aligned, anger bringing them together. They had been swiftly defeated in
battle by a mere boy, and they would exact their revenge quickly. Both
wanted him dead, but for different reasons, and for this moment they
found common purpose.
The vikings fought a losing battle against the well disciplined forces of
the goblins, their spears too long, and their armor too thick. Ragnok
fought proudly on the front lines, his golden armor forever a shining light
to his forces to press the attack. The giants brought by Dumbledore began
to fight the other giants who turned their attentions from the school,
already several dead. Their battle caused devastation across the field,
their large feet stamping on anyone who got to close. The dementors
fought anyone nearby, even occasionally feasting on their allied
werewolves, but due to the vikings weapons, their numbers quickly
dwindled and fleeing was the better option for them.
Just as they were about to leave the field of battle, a shriek sounded from
the heavens above. Werewolves, dementors, and Death Eaters alike
stopped cold at the sound, something all had heard, and all feared. The
great red dragon, Norbert, crested the night sky and soared above the
battlefield. He roared with fury and breathed a hail of fire down onto the
ranks of werewolves and dementors, incinerating them on the spot. The
goblins pushed forward as Ragnok brought a horn to his lips and its great
deep sound echoed through the hills. Working as one, they slowly pushed
across the field, killing anything not friend in front of them. It wasn't
long until what remained of the werewolves, dementors, giants, and
Death Eaters had fled. The vikings were soon to follow, taken wholly by
surprise and suffering many casualties, their large captain blasting his
horn and fleeing into the woods.
All of this went unnoticed by the three leaders that battled amidst
everything. None payed attention to who was winning the battle, all their
focus was on their own private one.
Harry was under attack from both wizards, their full efforts on him. He
quickly found himself overwhelmed. He never had prepared for both
great wizards to align against him in a battle. Both his wands were
working desperately to keep him safe and the heat from them began to
turn to steam. He continuously moved out of the way of all kinds of dark
spells, and whenever he could, attacked, but found his attacks worthless.
He had no time to surmount an actual attack and was constantly on the
defensive.
A purple spell headed towards him from Dumbledore and he dodged it,
but was then taken surprise in his exhaustion by one of Voldemort's spells
that connected with his thigh. He felt a million daggers stab into his leg
all at once and he was thrown into the air, his Holly wand flying from his
grasp. He just managed to roll to the side as a burst of fire hit where he
landed.
Harry shielded himself from both of Dumbledore's and Voldemort's
attacks, but his shield was quickly failing against their onslaught. He
glanced past his foes and saw that Norbert had entered the fray and
many a foe were being burned upon the battlefield. A calmness settled
over him, thinking his job was done, that Voldemort and Dumbledore
were finished. Harry felt his shield break and saw a black spell he knew
meant death hurling towards him.
Just before the spell reached him, a stone shield surrounded him, the
black spell breaking upon it like water. Quickly, the rock shield dissolved
and Harry saw Sebastien charge the field with many aurors from all
nations behind him. The night sky lit up like fireworks and both great
wizards were forced to flee. Dumbledore and Voldemort disappeared
with a flash of light, activating portkeys designed to cut through all
wards. Norbert barely missed Voldemort with his great jaw and let out a
roar in anger.
Harry breathed out a sigh of relief, and collapsed fully onto the grass in
exhaustion. Appearing above him was Sebastien who looked upon him
with a smile. "Hell of a day."
Harry only grunted in response, eliciting a chuckle from Sebastien. He
was then helped to his feet and Harry then looked upon the battlefield.
Bodies littered the grass fields and the actual palace that acted as a
school was in ruins. Fires were still blazing within the palace and where
the giants had attacked, only rubble remained. Students began to pour
out of the palace along with the few professors that remained. The
goblins stood stoically outside in neatly filed ranks while Ragnok moved
up and down their lines, individually inspecting each goblin warrior. The
aurors who had answered the call this evening began rushing into the
palace to search for survivors and students too scared to move from their
hiding spots.
Sebastien helped Harry to his feet, the pain in his leg making it difficult
to walk. They inspected the vikings who lay dead on the battlefield along
with black cloaks that still simmered. Men also lay upon the grass, in
black cloaks with white masks and blue professor cloaks of the school.
Goblin medics moved through the field, tending to who they could and
Ragnok had a place designated for his wounded and dead. He looked at
his dead with sadness, a short tear falling from his eye. Norbert roared
once more and took his place on the highest tower of the palace, standing
guard for all.
A bright flash of lighting illuminated the sky and was quickly followed by
a deep thunder that echoed along the hills. Rain began to patter the
grounds and set a somber mood on everyone, as if the weather herself set
out to remind everyone of the loss of life on this evening.
Harry stepped into the palace and found it in ruin. Fire had wrecked
havoc in the palace halls and several bodies were littered within it, young
students too soon taken from this world. His eyes however quickly fell
upon a sight he never thought he would see. Around two cloaked bodies
were Ghosts, their masks all placed above their heads, revealing their
faces to all. At their feet were the bodies, their black cloaks still around
them and their masks obscuring their faces.
"How?" Harry asked as he approached slowly and looked over the golden
masked Ghost and his oldest friend. Shadow and Specter had both fallen
this evening, going out like the soldiers they were.
"They went to save first years from the giants in the early stages of the
battle." Reaper said solemnly. The remaining Ghosts looked at their
leaders sadly, tears escaping each of their normally stoic eyes. Harry
collapsed to his knees and looked upon the two Ghosts, his mind
swirling, thoughts of revenge entering them.
Banshee reached down and pulled off the gold mask that was still caked
with blood and handed it to Harry. "This is yours now." Harry looked at
the gold mask and then at the other Ghosts who stared back at him. He
wanted to refuse the mask, refuse the responsibility, but when he looked
at his comrades, he saw a determination he never had seen before, an
anger never revealed, a thirst for death that could never be satiated. They
now looked to him to lead them, and he wasn't going to deny them their
revenge, their lust for blood by refusing the gold mask.
Harry took the mask, slipped off his green one, and placed the gold one
upon his face. "We have much work to do." Harry said. He then flashed
away in a fiery storm and the remaining Ghosts disappeared in wisps of
blacks smoke.
39. The Wand
"We can defeat them in battle, but if we don't find his horcruxes, we will
never win this war." Harry slammed his fist onto the stone table, causing
the actual stone to crack from the passive magic that formed around his
fist. Electric blue shocks waved away from his fingers as he did so. The
thud of his fist opened the eyes of those around him and they looked at
him with an almost hint of fear, but the fear was quickly swallowed up
by determination. "Find them." He demanded. The Ghosts scrambled out
of the war room, each already having a specific place to look.
Harry knew what the key to this war was, the horcruxes. As long as those
vile things still existed, this war would forever continue on, making
victory impossible. He looked sadly at the golden mask he had placed out
before him. A solemn sigh escaped his lips. He was becoming increasingly
tired and frustrated with the ongoings of war. The Defense club he
started was now completely passed off to Sirius and Flitwick. He also no
longer attended any classes, having neither the time or need for them.
One of the biggest things to happen this week was the moving of the
Beauxbatons students to Hogwarts. Aimee got her wish after all and was
able to become a student of Hogwarts, though it wasn't under the
conditions she wished it to be. She had spent the night of the attack
fighting the giants along side Specter and Shadow and was saved by them
when a tree trunk nearly killed her, but the blow was taken by Shadow
instead.
With the attack on Beauxbatons, the rest of the ministries of the world
who stayed at bay, away from war, knew it was no longer possible to sit
back and watch. Reinforcements from around the globe flooded into the
English ministry with each passing day. The greatest minds of military
warfare were sent as well, and Harry now found himself at the forefront,
discussing war with much older and wiser people than he.
Harry called for Fawkes and vanished from the castle in a flash of fire,
reappearing in the ministry. His appearance was waited upon, and as
soon as he touched ground, flashes from cameras went off in his face.
Questions were called out to him from the crowd of reporters but he
ignored them all and continued to push through the waves of people.
The ministry atrium was constantly full of wizards and witches wishing
to hear the current news of the ongoing war. The people were in a panic
as words of attacks all across Europe spread. Durmstrang was attacked
just a few weeks after the battle of Beauxbatons. Ilvermony was not far
behind, and that attack greatly angered the Americans. They sent hordes
of wizards and witches, all eager to join in the war. None of the attacks
were of great success, all disjointed and none who attacked actually wore
the white masks of Death Eaters. It was clear that this war was turning
global, and that followers of all kinds were flocking to either side.
Dumbledore's vikings began to diminish, their numbers slowly dwindling
as they gave way to the goblins who proved superior in fixed combat. He
replenished his forces with common folk, muggles succumbed to his will
through potions. Muggle weapons had also entered this war, and as such,
muggle governments had entered as well. Britain had activated a team of
SAS soldiers to work closely with Ghost squad, and Germany was
currently bringing their GSG9 forces up to speed as well. Global war was
upon the world and no one would be an innocent any longer.
Harry headed for the golden elevator where Amelia was waiting for him.
She held the door and gave him a reassuring smile as he entered.
Together, they moved to the third floor of the ministry and headed down
a darkened hall, only lit by flickering torches. They reached a door that
was protected by several goblin warriors who saluted their presence and
opened the doors for them. "They look to you now." Amelia whispered
into his ear as he entered before her and into the large room before him.
Upon seeing him, everyone in the room stood up. Again he found himself
in the large conference room of the ministry. Where there had just been
ten ministers meeting with him a few months ago, now their stood fifty-
two. The world has seen the war, and they have answered, and found
their captain to lead them through it.
Harry calmly walked to the head of the table, Minister Fudge sitting on
the opposite side, so far away he could barely see the color of his eyes
even with his enhanced vision from Haunt. Ragnok sat in the middle
along with another goblin who stood a head taller than the Gringotts
goblin king. He was Dimfold, the goblin king of the Iron Mountains in
Eastern Russia. They agreed to fight with their goblin folk, placing their
spears at Harrys disposal.
When Harry sat, so did the rest of the world. "So begins the first council
of the Aelthfold." Harry glanced at Dobby who sat at the table wearing a
proud grin. He was elected by his people to represent the house elves at
this meeting. The meeting had used the name Aelthfold, an old elvish
name meaning friend, since it was considered the most neutral word,
being goblins and men who still held some ill will towards each other.
This meeting incorporated not just wizards, goblins, and elves, but
muggles, whom the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of
England, and the Chancellor of Germany were representing. The three of
them sat silently in the middle, across from the goblins, looking at the
odd house elf of Dobby as well as Firenze who was elected to represent
the centaurs. Remus sat silently next to the old centaur, representing the
few werewolves who hadn't yet sided with Voldemort. Hagrid and
Maxime were chosen to represent the few giants who had yet to choose a
side in this war.
"Chancellor of Germany, Mr. Weisereicht has the floor." Harry started the
meeting. Several of those who already knew Harry chuckled to
themselves. Grandeur speeches were rare from the young wizard, he
much more liked to get straight to business rather than talk idly and gain
nothing.
"Yes, er." The German Chancellor started, slightly surprised that the
young boy had so quickly begun the first meeting with him speaking. He
had just learned of this young boy and from the first moment he saw him
when he walked in, he immediately knew the boy was as special as
everyone proclaimed him to be. An air of power unlike any he had seen
before oozed from the boy. "The man you call Dumbledore has taken
much of southern Germany." He stuttered, still his eyes and mind
wondered at the creatures before him. "Many of our citizens in the south
have begun to act strangely, some disappearing into the night. Our
scientists think it has something to do with the water."
"Strangely, how so?" Minister Bagnold asked from his place nearby Fudge
at the far end of the table.
"Many are abandoning their homes, women, children, men alike. They
disappear into the forests of the Ardennes and when anyone has tried to
follow them, they too disappear. I have reports that they are glassy eyes
and don't speak as if in some kind of trance." The German had a worried
look about him as he spoke.
"We can send our healers." The Swedish minister said, standing up to
make his presence known. Next to him, another man that Harry thought
resembled Olaf stood up as well.
"Finland can help as well." The Finnish minister then looked to Harry.
"Our forces are eager to join your war as well, young King. Where can we
be of use?" Harry was slightly taken aback by the title given to him by
the Finnish minister, but looking around, none seemed fazed by the title,
except for the muggle leaders.
Harry stood up abruptly, "I am not a king, just a student and a soldier."
He paused for a moment and looked around the room, he saw many look
upon him as if he were above them all, that they owed him something.
"This war is stretching wide, from Asia." He glanced at the China and
Japan ministers, "To Africa." Then he looked to the South African and
Ghana ministers, "And all the way to the Americas." His eyes fell on the
muggle and magical ministers who sat watching him back. "All of us will
have to rise above ourselves to defeat these foes."
Again Harry paused and looked around the room, "Magic is a deadly, yet
great gift. In the hands of someone who wishes his common us all harm,
it can be truly terrible, yet in the hands who seeks to better us, it can be
great. Unfortunately, two terrible men are highly capable of the most
dark magic ever seen in the world. Hundreds of years of experience and
knowledge are at their disposal, and worst of all, hundreds of years of
oppressed beings are flocking to their sides. Men, giants, the corrupted
goblins from Greece and Romania, werewolves, and dementors seek to
destroy us all and build a new world." When Harry stopped speaking, the
whole hall sat silently, watching their leader with awe, for a shade of
gold began to form around him, as if magic herself was bathing him in
light.
"A new world." Harry repeated his words. "That is what they seek, and
that is what we must make." That statement caused a few questioning
glances at him and others looked scandalized at the idea of a new world.
"Goblins, men, centaurs, giants, and other folk are no different from one
another. Sure we look different, but we don't think differently. We live in
the same world, see and experience the same things, love and hate the
same way. We are more alike than we often care to admit. It's time to end
our differences, here, now. We must unite, not under the same banner or
country name, but under the same ideal, that we are all free, that we are
independent, and no man or other being is lesser than the other. The time
has finally come, and if you refuse to unite now, we will all perish
tomorrow."
Harry sat down in his chair and stared back at everyone just as intensely
as they had watched him. Dimfold was the first to make a move, standing
from his seat next to Ragnok. He was wearing crude iron armor and had
a wicked battleaxe strapped to his back. He stood on his chair so that
everyone could easily see him. "I stand with you, Harry Potter." His gruff
voice rung throughout the hall, the words cutting through the air like a
knife.
Ragnok soon stood up as well, breaking the sudden silence and
unsheathed his wicked steel blade, a few specks of viking blood still upon
it, "I too stand with Harry Potter!" His voice cried out. Dobby then
quickly followed and echoed the same cry. Soon, the whole hall was
standing, shouting their support for Harry's new world. Harry only sat
silently, listening to the world cry out for him to lead them into a new
magical age.
–
"My liege." Ragnok bowed deeply to Harry when he entered the Room of
Requirement. The room was small, only a round stone table was within it
and there sat Harrys most trusted advisers. He only bowed to Ragnoks
call, being as it was something he was still getting used to. Everywhere
he went goblins were calling him king, Chosen, or liege. Wizards were
saluting him as well and calling him Lord. Sirius had instructed him that
such titles, for a goblin and a man to bow his head and proclaim a new
master was rare, and that to refuse the title was equally as rare.
Harry entered into the room and everyone stood up at his presence. He
gestured for them to sit again and he too took his seat next to Sirius and
Sebastien. Fleur sat beside her father and Appoline beside her daughter.
Minerva, Flitwick, Remus, Amelia, Tonks, Moody, and Kinglsey rounded
out the rest of the people sitting at the table. Harry dubbed the group the
Secret Keepers, or really the Horcrux Hunters is what he called them in
private. The Ghosts were also out searching for the horcruxes, but they
were often needing to be called to battle.
"Anything yet?" Harry looked to Remus. He was the one in charge of the
horcrux search and had studied them the most over the last year. Already
he had traveled all over the world looking for the souls of Riddle, but had
come up empty thus far. Luck had changed for him though.
"I have one good lead I'm working on." Remus responded. Harry waited
for Remus to continue further. "Riddle hid his horcruxes once again
several months ago. He's desperate to keep them safe, knowing both you
and Dumbledore know of them. I think one was taken to Bulgaria."
"Bulgaria?" Amelia asked aloud in an unimpressed tone. "What makes you
think he would take one there?"
"Other than that that he once hid there when he was but shadow?"
Remus responded shortly, not liking his hard work judged harshly. "We
know his horcruxes have something to do with Hogwarts, Ravenclaws
diadem, Slytherins locket, Hufflepuffs Goblet, and possibly Gryffindors
wand. All four were thought long lost until we found the locket which
was stolen by Dumbledore and is now hopefully destroyed and the goblet
taken and destroyed by goblins when they searched their bank vaults. All
that remains is the long lost diadem and the wand. I think I found the
wand."
"And where is Gryffindor's wand? It hasn't been seen for several
centuries." Minerva asked skeptically, though a grain of hope that it had
been found sounded in her voice.
"Sofia."
–
Remus and Tonks walked into a small inn named Venturi. Upon their
entrance, many a faces looked up to watch them with cold, keen eyes.
The Inn was rather large and cozy, a warm fire lit in the back half where
a small band played sad music that was mostly ignored. Tables and chairs
were haphazardly placed around the large room and were decaying from
a lack of caring by the establishment. A barkeep and barmaid rushed
from table to table placing orders and delivering food and drink to their
customers.
The odd couple sat in the dark corner near the band and waved over the
barmaid, "Two whiskeys." Remus said once the young girl approached.
She nodded her head and turned away.
"This is kind of fun, you have to admit." Tonks said with a small smile.
Remus looked back at his friend but didn't offer a smile in return. He was
taken by her beauty, an odd beauty that wouldn't captivate most men.
She was different from anyone he had ever met. Young, yet old, fair, yet
plain, enchanting, yet bothering. She was full of good and bad, and
surprisingly it was the bad that drew him more. She was unrelenting with
her tongue, always wanting to speak while he always wanted to sit in
sullen silence.
She wanted to constantly do something, anything, while he wanted to sit
still and wait out whatever storm came his way. They were opposites, yet
they were the same, and the mystery compelled him to explore her more.
He feared her, yet loved her, and the thought scared him, yet captivated
him.
Her short hair was bright pink and she wore gold earrings that glinted in
the firelight. She took a sip of the ale that was provided and scanned the
other patrons of the inn. Her purple colored eyes showed brightly in the
flickering light and her slender frame was well seen by the clothes she
wore, her fur cloak placed on the coat rack by the front door.
Remus could only watch her, fear taking him, not the fear of talking to
her, or the fear of falling for her, but the fear of her falling for him. He
had gone as far as he thought he could with her, taking her out on
several dates. He knew he could never fully be with her however, his
condition would never allow it. She wanted something he could not give,
something he could never give, and the thought pained him so.
Tonks looked up from her drink and caught Remus' brown eyes, her lips
turning into a soft smile, "You will break eventually." She whistled. She
knew all too well the thoughts racing through his brain, thoughts she had
for the past year tried to expel, but now had given up hope. Remus was
Remus, and she was done trying to change him, now just loving him for
the man he was.
"We've talked about this." Remus grunted, taking his eyes away from the
beautiful witch before him and instead choosing to scan the patrons.
Tonks gave him a sour look but didn't say anything more, her eyes also
scanning the room. Remus' eyes fell on a shaded figure in the opposite
corner of the inn, his own eyes watching the room just as Remus and
Tonks' were.
The shrouded figure and Remus' eyes connected for a moment, and they
both stared at one another. The man stood up suddenly and headed for
the back door. "I think that's our man." Remus said, jerking his head in
the direction the cloaked man walked. Tonks looked where Remus was
watching and tracked the man as he walked across the room and out the
back door. "Come on." She said, and the two left out the door in pursuit.
They both walked into the back alley of the Inn. It was covered in a new
layer of snow and though the snowstorm had ceased, it was soon to
return. They saw the tracks of the man they were following heading east
and they ran after him.
The tracks continued to lead through the back alleys of the largest city of
Bulgaria. The footprints grew wider which alerted them that their prey
had started to run, and they too followed at a sprint. They rounded a
corner and saw the footprints head towards a main street, muggle cars
raced by on either side of the road. The man they chased had managed to
cross the street unscathed.
Tonks and Remus raced into the middle of the road, dodging the cars as
best they could. One grew too close and Remus was forced to shield
himself from it, the car sent flying upwards and landing on its top a few
meters away. "We'll be in the pictures 'cause of that!" Tonks said as they
continued across the road. Remus didn't respond, his mind completely on
the trail ahead of him.
The footprints led them to the riverside where they turned left and ran
under a bridge. A mighty river flowed next to them as they sprinted and
many hanging lights from looming marble and stone buildings shown
their path. Once underneath the bridge however, everything turned dark
and the footprints disappeared.
"What now?" Tonks groaned, coming to a halt. She rubbed her arms to
try and keep warm in the cold around them.
Remus began to turn to his werewolf senses, his nose searching for where
the runner had left. His eyes which were great in the dark of the night
spotted a passageway under the bridge, half-obscured by snow. He raced
over to it and Tonks followed in interest.
"He went through here." Remus said, placing his hand on a wooden door
and pushing forward. The door gave away and revealed a stone
passageway that lead deep underneath the city. Darkness was all that was
to be seen but Remus stepped into it without fear, Tonks closely behind
him. Together they walked into the bowels of the ancient city and as they
got closer to the bottom, they began to see light once again.
"They're getting close!" A voice hissed, the sound echoing off the stone
walls. Both Tonks and Remus stopped in their step once they heard the
voice that came from below them, where the light shown.
"Are you sure you lost them?" Another voice asked in a thick eastern
European accent.
"Yes, yes, I'm sure." The first voice answered in an aggravated tone.
A deathly pause enveloped the two and was only broken by the second
voice, "We must move the wand." Remus and Tonks' ears perked up at
that. They were searching for a wand, a specific wand, Gryffindors wand,
and it seemed they were indeed on the right track.
"We can't with Potters forces moving about." The first voice responded
with despair.
"Are you even sure you were being followed, that they were indeed with
Potter?" The second voice asked.
"Of course I'm sure." The first voice answered. Remus had heard enough
and looked to Tonks who stood just behind him. They nodded in
agreement, discussing their plan with a simple look, and Remus finished
his trek down the stairs. He found himself in an old sewer system,
muddled water ran through drains on either side of the room. The two
men stood on a small stone platform used for maintenance purposes.
Both were equally shocked to see another figure appear before them, and
without another sound, both were struck down by Remus and Tonks.
Their bodies were floated through the sewer drains and would later be
picked up by muggle police, their files never being solved.
Remus scoured the small room and saw at the far end a wooden box that
was clearly old and well worn through the years. He picked it up in his
hands and slowly opened it. Dust flew from the compartment and Remus
saw inside a brown wand with runes engraved into it. The wand was
clearly very old and most definitely Gryffindors if the sigil of Gryffindor
carved into the box was to be believed.
Tonks looked over his shoulder and a gasp escaped her lips, "Never would
I have imagined."
"Imagined holding a piece of our history worth unimaginable wealth?"
Remus finished for her, a small smile escaping his lips. Without a second
thought, he then placed the wooden box in his robes, and together they
ascended the dark stairs and back into the old city.
–
Voldemort walked back and forth in his throne room reading the letter
that was just delivered to him. Its message was clear, but the intent
behind it was not. His old foe was always cunning, always planning many
steps ahead and he knew he was lost in the games of the old man. This
letter could easily be a trap, yet it could easily be the greatest thing he'd
seen in the last year. He was becoming desperate, the might of Potter was
becoming great, his skill and knowledge quickly becoming too much to
handle. His ability to withstand the might of himself and Dumbledore at
once was greatly concerning.
Despite the new forces that were flocking to his side, all wishing to join
his ranks, he couldn't keep up with recruiting. His new recruits were
worthless, beggars, robbers, true scum of every society. They had neither
money nor real usable skills for him, just their lives to be used as fodder.
He was glad to make use of them of course, but still he wished for better
soldiers to replace the ones he was losing rapidly.
This letter now offered some hope, a hope to the extent to defeat his most
immediate enemy. Of course, the defeat of Potter would quickly lead into
a second war against the wizard he never thought in a million lifetimes
he would potentially ally with. Thoughts of that war though were quickly
being pushed to the back of his mind. "How are you going to respond?"
Maria asked from her place on the smaller throne next to her husbands.
Voldemort briefly turned his eyes to her before looking back at the slip of
paper.
"I'm not sure." He hissed, the paper loosening from his grasp and
fluttering to the ground.
–
Dumbledore paced back and forth in the small camp, a much smaller
contingent of men from which first sailed with him were present. Half of
his forces were gone, lost to the goblins who were under the control of
Potter. An anger he had never known before still raged within him, his
outpour of magic having lit afire several tents. Now he understood why
Riddle liked his throne rooms made of stone.
Because of the boy, he was now forced into making a deal with the devil.
He knew this was a desperate action, but at the current rate, Potter is
only going to grow stronger, and he needed to be killed quickly before all
was lost. Tom was the only hope he had left, their combined forces just
might be enough to finish Potter. Now all he could do was wait for the
devil to show, if he ever showed.
"You promised me land in England!" Hardrada spat out, walking
menacingly over to the old wizard. Dumbledore sighed and sat down in a
chair inside the tent he had yet to set aflame. Three battles had now
passed, and all were lost. The only thing he had going for him were the
swell of muggle recruits he had taken against their wills. He wasn't proud
of what he was doing, but it was for the Greater Good, and once Potter
was dealt with, he could return those still alive to their homes.
"And you will receive it friend. What has happened recently is only a set
back." Dumbledore replied calmly, knowing full well he was lying to a
very intimidating foe.
This only served to make the viking king more angry, he bent down low
and put his face in Dumbledore's, "Half of my men are dead because of
you! I should have your head now. It's clear you are just an old fool!"
Harald moved his hand to his back and gripped the large axe that rested
there.
Dumbledore swiftly held his hand up, halting the viking with wandless
magic, save for the eyes which grew wide with a sudden fear. "A set back
is not a defeat." Dumbledore hissed dangerously. Then out of the corner
of his eye he caught a glimpse of something behind the large viking, and
his defeated look turned to a grin. "The war has only just begun." With
another wave of his hand, the large viking was set free. Harald glanced in
the same direction of Dumbledore and saw out of the forest several
hundred Death Eaters, their white masks bright and polished. Just behind
them were werewolves and still a few giants remained in Voldemort's
camp who lingered behind the army.
At their lead was a man in a black cloak that moved about him as if
smoke. In the shining sun, the pale lead mans golden hand gleamed and
the white yew wand he held was down at his side, ready to strike just in
case. "A troubling time we find ourselves in, old man." Riddle hissed,
walking into the camp of Dumbledore.
–
Harry walked down the main alley of Hogsmeade with Fleur on his arm.
His friends were scattered behind him, disappearing into shops. Harry
breathed in the fresh cool mid-December air. This he knew was going to
be his last bit of fun before the war kicked off once again. He could feel
his enemies regrouping, searching out where to strike next. Neither
Dumbledore nor Voldemort had been seen once in the last several days.
Voldemort's last strike had been on Ilvermorny, while Dumbledore had
stuck to smaller towns. None of their attacks had worked well, the
response times of the aurors greatly improved and the sheer force behind
them just as great.
Now with both of their sudden silences, he began to get slightly nervous
again, just as he had done before the sudden attack on Beauxbatons.
There was no knowing what was happening with those two. Dumbledore
they knew was amassing an army of muggles, stolen from southern
Germany, and now Switzerland, and Austria. Voldemort was taking on
new recruits, not good recruits, but wizards and witches that possessed
wands no less. Some goblin forces had also joined in with Voldemort as
well, looking to topple their much more profitable kindred, the Gringott's
and Dimfoldur's.
Goblins marched in file through the streets, their eyes on the constant
lookout for trouble. Aurors wearing all colors patrolled the outskirts of
the village as well and high up on the astronomy tower was Norbert who
dutifully kept a keen eye on all horizons.
The good thing about all of this added security was that the press were
no longer allowed anywhere near the village or castle unless given
approval by the goblins, the ministry, and Minerva, which meant no
press ever was allowed. It was nice just to have a day out with his friends
without having to worry about pictures or interviews.
Snow had fallen heavily on the magical town last night but the villagers
had quickly done away with the snow on the streets making it easy for
everyone to walk around. Nearly bursting from too many students was
the Three Broomsticks where Harry caught a glimpse of red hair flash
into it. Fleur continued to guide him through the street, intent on getting
some shopping done first, most notably to buy herself a dress. Harry was
cordially invited to the ministry's Christmas ball this year and Fleur
already had her dress picked out.
Only a week away and it hardly yet seemed like Christmas to him. Rarely
did he ever have good Christmas' thanks to his time with the Dursleys,
but the last couple years had been rather nice. This year he had a feeling
it would not be like the last. His mind was occupied on other things and
getting gifts was not one of them. The whole of joy of Christmas seemed
to have been sucked out of him this year. Knowing him well, Fleur
declared to everyone that all of their presents to everyone was from the
both of them, that way Harry didn't have to worry much about getting
presents for each individual person.
He already of course had gotten Fleurs, Sirius', Gabbi's, Remus', and Mr.
and Mrs. Delacours presents, but everyone else's would be from both he
and Fleur. It took some edge off the holiday season, but not much.
After paying for the dress and Dobby transporting it back up to the castle,
they continued their walk through the streets of the busy magical town.
Everywhere he went, the villagers smiled at him and some walked up to
shake his hand. The goblins he passed bowed low and even some of the
aurors crossed their wands over their hearts in a sign of respect. He
hoped never to get used to the sight and feeling of people showing him
such reverence.
As they walked, Harry caught sight of someone watching them from the
darker alleys, his gaze ever following them. When Harry would glance
the watchers way, he disappeared into the darkness, only to reappear
sometime later. Once, Harry caught a flash of green eyes in the dark, and
long raven hair that swished behind him as he rushed away from
eyesight.
"You see 'im to, no?" Fleur leaned into him and whispered as they
walked. They came into view of the Three Broomsticks which was still
crowded with students trying their best to obtain firewhiskey and other
goods banned from them. Madame Rosmerta was well versed now in
dealing with children of the school and easily denied them their goods.
Harry nodded his head and again scanned his surroundings but found no
one in particular watching him, "He's been watching us for awhile."
"Should we alert the aurors?" Fleur asked with a hint of concern as her
eyes immediately went in search of the rainbow cloaks of the various
aurors who patrolled the town.
"Not yet. I'm curious as to who he is and if he will show himself more."
Fleur looked back at him with much trepidation but didn't question him
further in the matter. Instead she put on a bright smile as a young girl
and her mother approached them. Fleur knelt down in the snow to match
the girls height and took the purple flower that the girl offered her, a
rosy blush on her cheeks.
"This eez very beautiful. What eez your name?" Fleur asked as she sniffed
the flower.
"Alexandria." The girl responded, nervously wringing her small and
delicate hands. Harry looked at the womans mother and offered a small
smile. She mouthed a 'thank you' in return which Harry responded with a
simple nod.
Harry then knelt down in the snow as well and the girl turned her head
and looked back at him with innocent, large blue eyes. He flicked his
hand and a blue colored rose formed in it. He handed it to the girl which
she took with a hint of fear and excitement. Her embarrassment getting
the better of her, she raced back behind her mothers legs who chuckled
at her daughter. "It was a pleasure to meet you." Harry said as the mother
guided her embarrassed daughter back into the crowded streets.
Both of them stood back to their feet and Fleur looked at him with an
amused smile. "I should 'old on to you tightly. All ze women in ze world
wish to be in my position."
Harry leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "You have nothing to fear,
for any man would wish to be in my position as well." Fleur laughed at
his words.
"'Ere, I think eet will look even better on you." She proffered the purple
flower which Harry grasped by the stem. In a split-second, before either
could react, he disappeared from sight with a small pop.
40. Seizing Advantages
Fleur looked horrified at the place Harry had just been, ice began to
settle in her blood and fear gripped her heart. Harry had vanished before
her eyes and a numbness swiftly settled in. She stared in shock at her
hand that had once held the purple flower. Soon, her eyes were searching
the crowd for the young girl and her mother, but there were too many
students moving in and out of her vision.
A panic began to build in her, "'Arry!" She shouted, knowing full well that
she wouldn't hear his voice call out in response. The panic in her voice
did however gather the attention of those around her.
"What's wrong?" Neville asked, rushing up to her after having heard her
cry. Hannah was not far behind and Susan emerged with Daphne from a
nearby coffee shop.
Tears began to streak down Fleur's face as the shock began to wear off
and her friends rushed over to try and console her. Aimee was quickly on
the scene and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "What happened?"
She asked in a soothing voice.
The crowds sudden attraction brought the aurors and goblins who began
to look curiously in on what was happening. "'Arry was taken." She
managed to say through her sobs.
–
"What do you mean he vanished?" Amelia shouted at her assistant who
was given the unfortunate job of informing his boss that Harry Potter had
disappeared from Hogsmeade. The assistant quickly rushed out of the
room before papers and books were sent flying in all directions by the
angry and worried witch. "Kingsley!"
The tall and dark auror appeared in the doorway quickly, "I have already
assembled a team. "He said, already knowing the order he was about to
be given.
She nodded her head in a response. "Find him, quickly." Kingsley made
leave and a dozen other aurors who had all volunteered for this mission
followed him out of the office. She began to frantically pace back and
forth, ignoring the dozen letters that began to flutter outside her door.
Her assistant was frantically trying to deal with them, but each time he
answered one, another three came in.
Word had quickly spread of Harrys sudden disappearance. There was no
point in trying to play it off like he had simply run away for some free
time with his girlfriend. The fact that he had disappeared in front of his
girlfriends eyes quickly squashed that potential story.
Fleurs recounting of Harrys disappearance caused them to go looking for
the woman and her young daughter. It wasn't hard to find them, and it
also wasn't hard to determine their innocence in the matter. The young
girl had been given the purple flower Fleur talked about by a man
wearing a dark hood. There was no real lead, no trace of the portkey
could be found. Whoever made it was very good at what they did, and
that scared her and everyone else greatly. Voldemort and Dumbledore
were the only two she knew that had the possible ability to do such a
thing.
Her door suddenly flung open and a very worried Cornelius Fudge raced
in, his face green and pale at the same time. "How could this happen
Amelia?" Fudge asked, rushing to the cabinet on the side of the room and
taking out a bottle of whiskey. Amelia stayed silent and took the shot of
whiskey the minister poured for her. "We're doomed without him!"
Amelia continued to stay silent, downing the shot quickly and taking
another. For once, her mind and Cornelius' were one. She also couldn't
see a way through this war without Harry. There wasn't a great amount
of hope to begin with, she knew the odds of coming out of this war alive
were slim. Now though, without Potter, the odds were impossible. He
was the only thing that truly kept the enemies at bay. The only hope she
could cling to now was that he was somewhere safe and would soon
return, but something in her gut told her otherwise.
–
"My Lord!" A woman wearing a black cloak and a black mask to match
came rushing into the tent. Both Dumbledore and Voldemort looked up
from their places on opposite sides of the large tent they rested in. Over
the last couple of days, neither had dared to take their eyes off the other
for fear of being stabbed in the back. What occurred was a staring match,
a game of wills, and neither blinked. Enemy had met enemy inside the
tent, and neither wished to retreat from the small battle that occurred.
The battle was broken however at the voice of the young mercenary
Death Eater, one of the few that had survived the last several weeks.
"What is it?" Voldemort hissed, annoyed that someone had interrupted
his game with the old wizard.
She glanced nervously at Dumbledore before turning back to her master,
"People are saying Potter has disappeared, kidnapped even!"
Both Voldemort and Dumbledore glanced at one another with
uncertainty. Voldemort then turned his red eyes back on his follower,
"How did you come by this news?"
"It's spreading all over the country like wildfire m'lord. They say he
vanished by the touch of a rose." The two older wizards sat in silence
wondering what that meant. Dumbledore looked at his foe keenly and
Voldemort merely shook his head.
"It was not I." He hissed out. Then his snake-like nostrils flared and a
fiery light shown in his eyes when he realized that the only other wizard
in this war who could kill Harry was sitting across from him. With
Grindelwald seemingly vanished, Dumbledore was the only other person
with a stake in this war. His yew wand was drawn in a flash, "You have
tricked me old man!" Voldemort shouted, rushing to his feet.
Dumbledore drew his own wand quickly but only for defense. "I did
nothing. This is news to me as well."
Voldemort was about to curse Dumbledore, but the sparkling blue of
Dumbledore's eyes held his hand, his own wand slowly dropping to his
side. Different thoughts began to race through both older wizards minds,
Voldemort's on the possible destruction of Potter at the hands of another,
and Dumbledore's at the thought of finally having a good chance to shape
the world in his image."Who would take the brat besides us?" Voldemort
suddenly asked.
Dumbledore only shrugged, "Does it matter?" A sadistic smile grew on
each old mans faces as they realized what was before them. "Once this is
over, I look forward to finally setting you to rest."
Voldemort laughed, "Long will I continue to haunt you professor." He
then walked out of the tent, Dumbledore quickly on his heels. Both
leaders looked to their encampment, one that now stretched far, almost
to the horizon. They could no longer camp in Britain due to the amount
of new followers they had undertaken and so had taken up residency in
the far east of Russia.
As their various followers saw them emerge from the tent, they began to
stand and looked excited at the prospect of doing something. "The time
has come! We strike the heart of our foes tonight!" Dumbledore shouted,
his wand pressed to his throat so that it carried across the whole
encampment. Cries of joy and shouts of triumph sounded throughout the
camp as the warriors began to prepare for battle, eager to wage war
against a people without their leader.
It wasn't long before an army of a thousand vikings, dementors, Death
Eaters, werewolves, and corrupted goblins were ready to fight. Their
various commanders ran along up and down their files, making sure their
soldiers were ready for war.
Dumbledore received a nod of approval from Harald who had a gleeful
look about him. "Tonight, we will forever change the world!" Another
sound of cheers echoed Dumbledore's cry. The goblins stamped their
spears, the vikings banged their swords against their shields, the wizards
and witches shot fireworks into the sky.
Both Dumbledore and Voldemort began to chant in unison and a golden
glow began to surround everyone in the camp. A blinding flash of light lit
up the night sky and they all vanished from sight. Soon, they reappeared
in Diagon Alley, their appearance was immediately spotted by several
goblins and aurors who were patrolling the streets late at night. Most
civilians and shopkeepers were already home due to the late hour.
The sudden appearance and overwhelming force quickly subdued the few
defensive forces in the magical town. Voldemort and Dumbledore both
helmed the army, marching for the main entrance of the British Ministry.
At its doors they found several more aurors who grew wide-eyed at the
force that approached them. Before any of them could react, they were
torn to pieces by the quick work of Voldemort's wand. Dumbledore didn't
bat an eye at the deadly effect of his allies spells.
Loud chimes began to ring through the streets of the alley and the
ministry sending out a warning. The combined army of Dumbledore and
Voldemort rushed into the ministrys atrium, and due to the hour of the
night, it was mostly empty. Only a few stray workers were walking about
and all stopped to stare, fear taking hold of their bodies. Again
Voldemort raised his wand and a thundering strike lit up the atrium.
Several men and women were immediately electrified, one of them
falling to the ground lifeless, his bright red hair scorched and a muggle
trinket falling from his grasp.
Several aurors began appearing all around the atrium, walking out of all
kinds of doors and even some flashing in through the floos' in response to
the warning call. The sheer size of the army quickly overwhelmed the
initial response units however.
Voldemort and Dumbledore both began to laugh at how easy it was to
storm the ministry, wondering why they hadn't done it before. Both old
leaders made their ways to the golden elevators, their intent on finding
and killing the minister and the director of magical law enforcement.
Dumbledore stepped off at level three and Voldemort at level six. Their
combined army stayed behind in the atrium to guard the entrance and
repel any attacks against them.
Just as the two leaders ascended in the elevators, a golden light flashed
throughout the atrium, forcing everyone to shield their eyes for a brief
moment. When they reopened them, the combined goblin army of the
Gringotts and Dimfoldur stood menacingly, their long spears held out
before them, ready to march on their enemies.
Ragnok stood proudly next to Dimfold, his golden armor bright in the
torchlight of the atrium. He drew his wicked steel blade and held it high
above his head. "Our friends are in need! Great now is the hour to answer
our call!" He brought his sword forward and urged his goblinfolk onward.
"To battle and glory!" The goblins roared in response to their king and
commander and charged the battlefield.
Werewolves took up speed first and headed straight for the goblin lines.
The dementors, corrupted goblins, and vikings were not too far behind. A
great clash echoed in the atrium and battle ensued all around the golden
fountain. Arrows flung about and pierced their enemies, a mist spread
through the lines and obscured everyones visions, creating a chaotic
fight. The eery sounds of the dementors were heard as they found their
prey and sucked out life from them.
Appearing behind the armies of Dumbledore and Voldemort from the floo
networks came many of the aurors who had pledged to the cause of
Harry Potter. They were led by Reaper who had taken up charge in
Harrys stead. At the Ghosts side were SAS soldiers wearing all black and
carrying muggle rifles, their weapons beginning to crack and snap and
tear through the backs of their foes.
The sound of gunfire began to be all that was heard as the muggles in
control of Dumbledore who also possessed such thunder weapons turned
to face the SAS and fired back. Blood began to spray everywhere, and left
and right man and beast fell. The werewolves punctured through the
lines of the goblins, ripping, tearing, and biting their prey. The vikings
followed their werewolf allies and hacked and slashed, and due to the
chaotic nature of the battle, they found themselves at an advantage.
The giants who stood outside the atrium, once being too tall to enter,
crashed in, their mighty clubs made of tree trunks carving a way inwards.
They swung with all their might and took the aurors by surprise. One of
giants smashed his club down on the gold fountain, flattening it in one
blow. Screams and cries of pain echoed in the hall as many men and
beast were felled in the bloody fight.
Voldemort sniffed the stale air of the third floor of the ministry. He
hadn't been here since he was a young lad, curious to the inner-workings
of the ministry. Still though, he knew the way well and walked silently
and alone towards his goal. He passed several double doors that he knew
led to a conference room, one used often by the minister to barter
agreements with other ministries of the world. Already he had plans to
turn that room into his throne room, Marie would sit upon a golden
throne with him him next to her.
He continued walking down the hall and turned right to head down
another hall where the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was
kept. He stepped around the corner and almost didn't have time to block
the sudden flash of red that erupted in his face. He lowered his wand and
looked at the enemies that stood before him.
Just kids, young and unproven interns. He smiled at them, and one of
them bravely tried to send another spell. Voldemort merely stepped to
the side and flicked his wand, the brave young man was skinned alive, a
loud shriek sounding from his throat as immense pain wracked his body.
His fellow comrades looked at their friend in horror, forgetting the
monster before them.
Suddenly a flash of pale green came Voldemort's way and he was forced
to dive to the side, slight fear taking over him. "Potter." Her murmured to
himself, thinking this might be a trap. He never had seen the young boy
resort to an unforgivable but he didn't think it out of his wheelhouse.
Voldemort raised his wand in a defensive manner, but then saw an older
woman appear from behind her men. "Go back to the hell from whence
you came!" Again a pale green flash flowed from her wand and
Voldemort was forced to dodge it. Amelia stood proudly in front of her
office, her black wand held before her, ready to kill, ready to die.
Voldemort again smiled, "Ahh, a welcome treat. The Director." He held
his wand up, ready to cast and strike her down whenever he felt like it.
Instead he stood stoically in the hallway. The young aurors who had
surrounded Amelia looked at her with a mixture of uncertainty and fear,
but their fear of the Dark Lord before them was of more concern.
"You will not get through me." Amelia responded defiantly, though in her
heart and mind she hardly believed the words she spoke. As if picking up
on her very thoughts, Voldemort laughed, his voice echoing off the halls.
"A proud warrior you are Amelia. A shame that you must die." Without
any warning or movement from Voldemort, a sudden blast of wind
slammed into the aurors and Amelia, sending them flying backwards.
Then with a flick of his wand, Amelia was held frozen in mid-air, her
arms at her side and her wand dropped to her feet.
Voldemort then flicked his wand again and dozens of black chains
wrapped themselves tightly around the young aurors, causing them to
drop their wands and cry out in pain as the chains squeezed tightly and
began to burn their flesh.
Voldemort slowly approached Amelia who looked defiantly at him, not a
trace of fear or surprise in her eyes. An admiration for the elder witch
grew within him as he looked at her. He raised his wand and prodded her
cheek with it, his head cocking to the side. It was rare for him to meet an
opponent who didn't fear him. As if to answer his thoughts, the elder
Bones spat in his face.
He wiped the spit off and shook his head somberly, "Such a shame to
waste noble blood." He then flicked his wand again and the young aurors
cried out in horror.
–
Dumbledore reached the sixth floor and a calmness overtook him. Many
years had he patrolled these corridors, though it was under much
different circumstances. Things had changed, he had changed, the world
had changed. One thing though remained a constant, the Greater Good.
Forever it drove him, forever he looked to it to make the world a better
place. The common people may not yet understand what the greater
good meant, but soon they would. It started with the death of Harry
Potter, something that maybe was or was not yet complete. Now though,
he had a chance to accomplish one of his goals, the ultimate destruction
of the ministry. After tonight, the English Ministry would be no more,
and that was key to his ultimate goal.
He walked through the hallway and came to the double doors of the
minsters office. With a flick of his wand, they were blown wide open and
two aurors who stood guard behind them were blown away, hurt badly
but still alive. Dumbledore walked into the room that usually had several
secretaries and other assistants, but was at the moment clear of anyone.
He stunned the two injured guards and walked across the room.
Again, with another flick of his wand, the doors to the minsters office
were blown open. Dumbledore walked inside and found no one, not that
he was expecting the minister to actually be here. He walked passed the
ministers desk and grabbed a pinch of floo powder that was located just
above the ministers private floo network. "Fudge residence!" Dumbledore
shouted and was soon surrounded in a flash of green fire.
Dumbledore walked out of the floo and into a small den room. Pictures of
several old Fudge ancestors hung on the walls. He walked into the
kitchen and then into a hallway. The house was completely quiet and
dark, no lights in it, save for the dull one Dumbledore allowed from the
tip of his wand. He then found a staircase in the entrance hall and slowly
began to walk up it.
As he ascended the stairs, one of the steps creaked loudly, being made of
old wood. Dumbledore froze and stood still in the silence of the house.
He began to hear a grumbled voice, but it wasn't answered by footsteps
or anything of the like. Slowly, he began to continue up the stairs.
No sound was heard again as he reached the top landing of the two story
town house. Upon reaching the landing, he glimpsed Big Ben out the
window, its clock illuminated by lights in the dark of night. He ignored
the rare sight and turned to the door where he heard the grumbling
voice.
With his wand before him, he approached an old wooden door at the far
end of the second floor landing. He slowly grasped the bronze knob and
turned it. He pushed his shoulder into it and the door swung open. Before
him he saw Fudge sleeping next to his wife, neither of them hearing him
enter. A small smile escaped Dumbledore's lips at the sight.
–
Harry reappeared in-between two towering stone walls, a grass plain
behind him, and a large and decorative castle gate before him. High on
top of the hill in front of him was an old and destroyed castle that once
was the home of many noble knights and lords. He looked about him, a
slight breeze ran around him, and the cool winter air didn't affect him as
much as it did in Scotland.
He looked to his hand which still held the purple flower. Curiously he
hadn't noticed any magical trace coming from it, in fact he felt something
familiar, something that he once knew but had long since forgotten. He
placed the flower in his pocket for safe keeping and continued to look
around.
The walls that were on either side of him towered high above. Whoever
had built this castle was truly a magnificent architect and a commander.
Her walls were built to last, thick and sturdy. The castle was built upon a
towering hill that looked the surrounding areas. Only grass and other
crop was to be seen for many miles on all sides. A muggle village was
nested in the middle of many wheat fields, only visible from the ruins of
the castle atop the hill.
Harry's eyes were naturally drawn to the ruined castle and he found his
feet moving towards her still standing and splendid gates. The road he
walked upon was of stone brick, carved to the perfection of Rome, the
street wide and smooth for horses and men to travel a great many
distance. As he approached the old gate, he began to notice more details.
The great wooden doors were in fact bronze, turned blue with age. They
were carved expertly by masters in the art of metalworking. Medieval
battles once only told by word of mouth showed upon this great castles
gates. Amidst the battles he saw what appeared to be a wizard, his staff
raised high above his head and a wave of energy rushing from it. Men
fled from that wizard and near the bottom of the carvings, men bowed to
him.
Whispers began to sound in Harry's ears, urging him to cross the gates.
Quickly Harry drew his wands, and as soon as he had done so, the
whispers ceased from his head. He looked around him, searching to find
the culprit who spoke to him, but found no one near. Thinking nothing of
the sudden voices, Harry stepped through the gate and his eyes widened
with shock.
Where once was just a grass hill with the ruins of an old castle, now
stood a grand keep, her stone walls still proudly standing, and her tower
still guarded well. Upon the rooftops men with bows knocked arrows,
awaiting approval to fire down upon the newcomer.
Leading up to the grand keep was a stone road and on either side were
many shops and houses, people bustling through its streets. The sight
reminded him greatly of Hogsmeade, except instead of wooden buildings,
these were made of pure white stone and were decorated and carved as if
the goblins themselves had built this city. Men stood guard upon the
ramparts of the walls that traveled around the hill, walls he hadn't seen
before entering the city. The guards wore thick plated steel and carried
bows, broadswords, and shields. It was like he had walked back into the
medieval times that he had learned about as a young boy.
When he entered the city, many looked at him with a hint of fear and
curiosity. Mothers hid their children from him, ushering them back into
their houses. The sounds of boots on stone was soon heard and Harry
found himself confronted by several guards, their swords and spears
pointed at him.
Harry kept his hands far away from his wands when he sheathed them,
even though he was a wizard, he didn't trust his own speed to take all the
guards out before being stabbed by one of them. "I'm simply a lost
merchant." Harry said to them, but none responded.
One of the guards prodded Harry in the back with a long spear and urged
him forward. Harry found himself being taken to the top of the hill where
stood the large keep. He was escorted inside where the guards then shut
the door behind them and continued prodding him forward. Harry had to
blink several times to get used to the darkened hall, as opposed to the
bright city he was just in.
As Harry approached, he noticed a man sitting in darkness on a wooden
throne, two guards wearing black plate armor stood next to him. A fire
was lit in the middle of the hall, but it provided little light for how vast
this hall was. It towered many meters above him and was the width of
the Great Hall back at Hogwarts. A large window on the far side of the
hall provided much of the light, but due to the position of the throne, it
kept its keeper in shadow.
Harry was prodded forward until he was hit suddenly in the back of his
knees, forcing him to kneel. "Long have I wished to meet the great Harry
Potter." A cold raspy voice sounded through the hall. The shadowed man
stood from his throne and took several steps down from the platform he
was once on. His face began to show more clearly and Harry saw a man
with long raven black hair and cold, desolate green eyes that showed
with a power that was withering away.
"You were in Hogsmeade!" Harry exclaimed, recognizing the man at once.
He took another step forward and his entire face was illuminated by the
firelight. He was younger than his eyes gave him credit for. His skin was
unblemished and youthful, his eyes though indeed old and waning of
power, still held some semblance of strength. He looked not unlike Harry
himself, but some differences were clear. Harry glowed with power,
youth, and strength, his eyes bright and vibrant, where as this mans
black hair was greying and his power decaying quickly.
The man smiled, "I have been a great many places." He began to walk
around Harry, inspecting him as if one would a livestock soon to be
slaughtered.
"What am I doing here?" Harry demanded from the man.
He simply chuckled and climbed the few steps back to his throne. "I have
many stories to tell you. Do you not want to hear them?"
Harry was quickly growing frustrated with this kind of talk. He never
dealt in riddles or half-truths, and disliked people that did so. They
reminded him of Dumbledore, and he only found such people to be
treacherous. "I have no time for your games!" Harry said. He stood
abruptly and began to head for the keeps doors. Both guards crossed their
spears in a threat to keep him from passing, but with a wave of his hand,
both guards were sent flying into the opposite walls.
A loud laughter sounded from behind Harry which stopped him in his
tracks, his hand pressed to the door ready to open it. "I offer you much
wisdom young King. Wisdom I believe is what you seek more than
anything."
Harry looked back at the shadow king, "And what wisdom do you speak
of?"
"Such wise words cannot be spoken with a hostile guest." The king
responded. Harry narrowed his eyes but was curios as to what the man
had to say. After all, this king had gone at length to bring him here in the
first place. He stepped back near the central fire and took warmth in it,
waiting for the king on top the hill to speak.
"I know your enemies very well." Harrys eyes narrowed even further and
a cold chill began to run down his spine, causing the hairs on the back of
his neck to stand. "They were once acquaintances, allies, friends. I know
them, and I can help you kill them." Harry then noticed the kings crown a
symbol on it was familiar from a book he read in the Potter library. His
eyes traveled further upwards and looked at the large single window and
saw the same symbol again, the Deathly Hallows.
Harry pulled both his wands now realizing the situation he was in. The
king quickly stood from his throne and he too pulled out two wands. He
then descended the steps once again and his face was illuminated by the
firelight. "I only seek vengeance." He said. "My vengeance is not on you."
"Snakes speak many lies." Harry responded, his wands trained carefully
on his foe. He knew the stories of Grindelwald, the horrors this man had
done under the cause of the Greater Good. The same cause Dumbledore
was now acting under.
"Snakes can speak truths as well." Gellert said. He then sheathed both his
wands and held his hands up in a sign of innocence which took Harry by
surprise. "I will never lie to my heir."
Those words caught Harry completely off-guard and his arms fell to their
sides. His heir? What did that mean? His thoughts began to race and
Harry forcefully shook his own head to break his thoughts away from
what Grindelwald said. He brought his wands back up to bear on the old
wizard. Gellert continued with his words however, noticing the shock
upon Harrys face. "You have much to learn young Harry."
"I am not your heir, we aren't even related!" Harry replied defiantly,
though a hint of uncertainty crept into his voice. He knew little of his
family history, but this he thought would be something he would have
been told.
"You are correct." Gellert said, and Harry felt himself breath out a slight
sigh of relief, only for that breath to be taken away. "But you are my
heir."
Harrys wands faltered before him again and his arms began to grow
heavy, "What do you mean?" He asked.
"The one thing all great wizards know is that magic is mystical in her
ways, always working in random, unpredictable thoughts. The more we
study her, the more lost in her world we get."Grindelwald said as he took
his seat back in his throne and looked at Harry with thoughtful green
eyes.
Harry began to grow more frustrated with this situation. He cared little
for what the dark wizard that had killed so many had to say to him.
Harry flicked both his wands and watched as lightning poured from
them. The blue streaks of energy lit up the hall, cackling and cracking as
they bounced off the stone walls and hit everything in the room.
When the bright flash of blue light disappeared and only the firelight
remained once again, Harry was shocked to see Grindelwald still sitting
unharmed, an amused look upon his face. "Magic, she is a mysterious
creature." Grindelwald said with a small chuckle.
Harry glanced back and forth at his wands and Grindelwald in a state of
shock. "You are my heir, Harry Potter and so cannot harm me, just as I
cannot harm you. Magic herself has seen fit to place us together in these
times of war. We may not share blood, but the same magic you possess
also flows through me, and I will not allow my heir to perish in the
darkness of these times."
41. Finishing the Fight
Harry looked on horrified at Grindelwald who sat on the wooden throne,
an amused look on his face. Again he was shrouded in darkness as the
great windows light caused him to be shadowed in the keeps hall. "Don't
look so sad Potter, it's not all that bad." He said with a hollow chuckle. "If
it makes you feel any better, I was hoping to kill you just a few months
ago until I discovered our bond."
"How exactly is that supposed to make me feel better?" Hary asked with
narrowed eyes. Grindelwald only shrugged in return. He held up a pale,
slender hand and a beautiful young woman appeared from the side of the
room. She wore very little and by the way Grindelwald's eyes lusted for
her, he figured her lack of dress was by his orders. He whispered
something into her ear and she responded by nodding and again left the
room.
Standing behind Harry were knights in silver plated armor, designs of a
sun with two spears crossed behind it on their breastplates. Each held a
spear in one hand and a kite shield in the other. On their waists were
longswords bejeweled to look like kings swords, showing off the wealth
of the city they guarded. Around the hall as if out of the woodwork of the
white stone keep came men and women dressed in the fashions of the
late sixteenth century and Harry for a moment thought he had been sent
back in time.
"Such a cruel twist of fate forced onto the both of us." Gellert said. He
stood up from his throne and descended the steps and to stand in front of
Harry. They were near the same height and the resemblance between
them was uncanny. If Gellert had glasses, a more rounded chin, and
shorter hair, he would have looked just like James Potter but with Lily's
eyes.
"How exactly did you surmise our bond?" Harry asked, still skeptical of
the situation. Most of him was screaming for it to not be true, but
something deep within him knew Gellert was being honest. The feeling of
being transported away by the flower came to the forefront of his mind.
Now he understood what he had not recognized earlier. It was the feeling
of home, like he was finally heading to his refuge to be with his own
family. However, this was not the family he expected to find on the other
end.
Gellert shrugged nonchalantly. "Honestly, I killed the Corners and
performed a ritual to steal their magical blood to provide longer life to
me." He said, openly admitting to the gruesome murder of a family as if it
meant nothing. Flashbacks of the images of the bloody scene of the
families death flooded into Harry's mind, which only furthered his anger
at the situation.
Harry's wands were in his hands again in a flash and he sent two flame
cutter curses at Grindelwald, but both just as they were about to connect,
diverted away and smashed into the keeps walls. Several of the silver
knights rushed forward but were immediately stopped when Gellert held
up his hand. "A cruel twist indeed." Grindelwald said, smiling as he
looked at the scorched impacts of the two spells.
"I will kill you for what you did to them!" Harry threatened, his hands
beginning to glow blue as electricity began to crackle around them.
Grindelwald smiled, "You can try. Just as I will try and kill you, though I
very much doubt either of us will succeed in the matter."
Harry's eyes narrowed, but the electricity in his hands pacified and his
anger calmed for a moment. "What does me being your magical heir
mean?" Harry asked, curiosity in the situation beginning to get the better
of him. For now it seemed like he had to actually deal with the dark
wizard and he wanted to know everything going on.
Grindelwald smiled, "When I performed the ritual, I was supposed to
regain the same looks of my youth, but instead, as you can see, I look
unfortunately much like you."
"A weaker and older version of me maybe." Harry replied.
Grindelwald narrowed his eyes, "A wiser version."
"So you look like me? So what? That hardly makes me your heir." Harry
said, still not convinced.
"And the fact that your spells glance away from me isn't enough proof?"
Gellert said with raised eyebrows. He circled around Harry and watched
him carefully, sizing him up. "If it weren't, I can tell you that if you
weren't my heir, you would never have even set foot into this hidden
city. Magic has long protected her walls, and she has freely let you into
them. Lastly and most obviously, you and I possess the very rare talent of
using two wands at once."
Harry stood still and thought desperately for any hole in Grindelwald's
logic. If the world were to learn of his bond with one of the most evil
men in history, it would hurt his ability to lead in the future. Also, Harry
didn't want to be linked to something so dark, so evil. Already he had
been linked to Voldemort in a way, once possessing one of his horcruxes.
He didn't wish to be bound to another dark wizard.
"Together we can defeat them. I know everything there is to now about
young Riddle and the old fool Dumbledore." Gellert said, continuing his
walk around Harry. "I can teach you as well. You have well developed
your fighting ability with two wands, but you have not mastered it."
"I'm doing just fine." Harry snapped.
Gellert paused for a moment, stroking his chin. "Maybe. But just fine is
not good enough and you know that to be true. I can teach you to be
great, better than any wizard to ever have lived before you. A thousand
years from now, the world will speak of you just as they now do Merlin."
"I have no such ambitions." Harry snapped again, though his tone was
less hostile as his will began to bend to the older wizards train of
thought. He was quickly seeing what this alliance could mean for all of
Britain. It would be a deal with a devil, one that may cost his life later
on, but if it meant taking down Dumbledore and Voldemort in the
process, it may be worth it. His life was not as important as the rest of
the worlds.
"Neither did Merlin. He wished to serve the common people, as you do
now." Gellert looked at Harry's face, studying it, reading it like an open
book. Harry's distrusting, unwanting nature was clear to see for him, but
his steadfast attitude was beginning to waver, so Gellert pressed forward.
"I may be the devil in your eyes, but sometimes a deal must be struck for
the common good of the world."
Harry looked at Gellert's green eyes and though he saw pain and old age
in them, he also saw a vibrancy that began to glow. "How can I strike a
deal with someone I don't trust?"
"With a leap of faith, young prince." Gellert responded. With the word
'prince', a golden hew surrounded Harry, enveloping him fully. The entire
hall was lit up in the golden light and Gellert was forced to shield his
eyes momentarily. Soon, the light began to subside, and when Harry
reappeared, his clothes had changed into silver armor. His shoulders
were adorned with silver epaulets crafted to look like tigers, his breast
plate was made to look like a mans hardened body, His legs were also
covered in silver, his greaves decorated with a sun and two spears
crossed behind it, the symbol of the old white city of Belogradchik. On
his head sat a silver helmet, a plume of fiery red standing proud on top
and only the slit of his green eyes could be seen.
When Harry reappeared in his silver armor, the guards who were
stationed around the hall bowed low. "What did you do?" Harry asked,
his voice hollow from behind the helm.
"I confirmed you as my heir and future lord of Belogradchik and all its
lands." Gellert responded casually.
"Why the hell would you do that?" Harry asked through gritted teeth. He
inspected his hands which now had thick silver guantlets on them. When
he moves his body, he surprisingly found the armor to be very light and
quite agile. If he were to look in the mirror, he figured he would look like
a Spartan king, wearing silver armor instead of the bronze of the warrior
Greeks of legend.
Gellert shrugged again and took a seat back in his throne. Harry's eyes
were quickly averted to another throne which was now present next to
Gellerts. "Well, if one of us does manage to kill the other, our people will
at least still have a ruler."
"They can rule themselves." Harry said, ignoring the clapping of the
nobles and citizens who had flooded into the keep to look upon their new
prince. He had only the eyes and patience for the dark lord who now
paraded as a kindly ruler.
Gellert only laughed, "You haven't met them and yet you are already
dictating that they should be without ruling. Maybe they don't wish to be
free?"
"Why wouldn't they want to govern themselves?"
"Do you not know yet? The weight of ruling? Crowns are heavy burdens,
I know you feel this."
"But surely-" Harry began but was quickly cut off by Grindelwald.
"Surely they seek their freedoms?" Gellert shook his head. "They have
their freedom. I leave them to have their families, farm their fields, keep
their shops. That is freedom enough for the common man. Peace is what
they really want and as long as I provide that, they are content to live
their lives." Gellert then stood from his throne again, "Before you speak of
your people, maybe you should meet them first."
Harry wanted to retort, saying that they weren't his people, that he
wasn't a prince or Gellert's heir, but something held his tongue. It wasn't
magic, at ;east he didn't think so, but his own mind that kept him from
retorting on the situation. Something in him wanted this to be true,
something hoped that he could benefit from all of this. A feeling of
having a true family began to squirm into his mind, something he was
desperately trying to bat away. Over and over he told himself that Sirius
and Remus were his true family, but in neither situation was he their true
heir, in blood or magic. Magic herself seemed to have placed him as the
heir of Grindelwald, and no matter how bad of a man he was, magic had
her ways, and Harry trusted in her to do right by him.
Gellert began to walk down the great keep halls, and the crowd that had
formed around them parted. Harry found himself following
absentmindedly, the people of the white city wishing him
congratulations, and none to few young women already trying to
showcase themselves before him.
As he walked however, his thoughts were entirely on the bizarre situation
he now found himself in. Being one of history's darkest wizards heirs
surely was not a common thing to have to work through. Especially when
said dark wizard actually offered lands and a new people to govern and
protect. He wanted nothing more than to see Grindelwald dead, his name
lost to history, and Gellert wanted the same thing for him.
As he walked through the gathered crowd that had swarmed around him,
he immediately began to feel a connection to them, as if these were his
people. England had always been a funny and odd place to him. Never
once had he felt like he fit in. Between his muggle family that oversaw
his childhood and his mentor in Dumbledore in the magical world, Harry
felt somewhat ostracized from it all.
Sure he had Fleur and Sirius and Remus and the rest of his friends, but he
didn't have an identity. England wasn't much to him, he didn't identify
with a country that tossed and turned, their faith in him constantly
changing. The pain of second year when they all thought he was the
future dark lord still cut deep. The way these people looked at him
however was different. He wasn't a savior to them, he wasn't the chosen
one. He was just a young boy, proclaimed to rule them when the time
came, but they looked at him as if he were apart of their family, not some
god.
Harry found himself engaging with the people, a natural connection with
them beginning to form. He didn't notice Gellerts small smile that began
to form. The nobles of the city introduced themselves, presenting their
daughters and sons to him. He felt very much like the title given to him,
a prince. All of them bowed low to him and called him 'your majesty.'
Again he felt himself being sucked back in time, like he had walked into
a world where knights and chivalry still existed.
He was broken from his conversations when the scantily clad servant
broke through one of the doors and quickly rushed over to Gellert who
had been speaking with an older gentlemen. She stood on her tip-toes
and whispered something into Gellert's ear which Harry strained to try
and hear.
"Your precious ministry is under attack. We must go." Harry felt his heart
clench in his chest at those words. He cursed himself, his mind
immediately beginning to think this was his fault. His presence of being
gone surely had been noticed by all and Voldemort and Dumbledore had
most likely taken advantage of it. Gellert quickly whispered something in
her ear again and she raced off out of the hall.
"Now that you are officially my heir and the prince, you may apparate
from here." Harry wasted no time upon hearing Gellerts words and
disappeared from sight with not even the slightest of sounds. Many in the
hall gasped and applauded the display of magic. They weren't used to
such displays by wizards and seeing their new prince disappear without
the slightest of sounds was something that would be talked about for a
long time. Gellert quickly followed his heir once his guards and other
knights had assembled around him.
–
"Surrender now!" Voldemort hissed out, raising his wand threateningly
towards his enemies. "Or your minister will share the same fate as your
Director Bones." He pulled a severed head from his black misty robes and
threw it into the middle of the large atrium. Many of the ministry forces
shouted out in anger and others could only stare in shock. Several of the
ministry fighters threw up at the sight of their Department Head. Ragnok
growled, seeing one of his few witch friends displayed in such a fashion.
Dumbledore appeared through the crowd of their combined forces that
stood behind Voldemort and shoved Fudge forward who was bound in
thick chains. He poked Fudge in the lower of his back to keep him from
trying anything, then motioned for a nearby Death Eater whose long pale
blonde hair showed from under his hood, to grab hold of Fudge.
The atrium was clearing of the smoke and mist of battle and the two
sides faced one another, forming back up into ranks, taking a breather
after the long and chaotic fight. Bodies of all kinds were laying out on the
floor, men, goblins, werewolves, and giants alike. At Voldemort's and
Dumbledore's side were still their forces, Harald stood with a sinister
grin, blood still dripping from his large axe. Several of the remaining
dementors swirled above them and the two remaining giants stood in the
back. In total, their forces now outnumbered the goblin and ministry
wizard army two to one.
Reaper stood at the lead with Ragnok whose golden armor was heavily
battered and covered in blood and grime. Dimfold had been forced to the
back for treatment, taking a bite from a werewolf early into the fight.
"Your lives will be spared if you just put down all your weapons."
Dumbledore called out to them.
The last SAS soldier who was still alive in the fight, his brothers taken by
the speed of the werewolves and strength of the vikings, answered
Dumbledore's words with a statement of his own. Crack! The bullet from
his rifle barely missed Dumbledore's head and instead it hit a werewolf
behind him, taking its head off and spraying the old professor with blood.
A second shot sounded but Dumbledore had already shielded himself
from the muggles weapon, the bullet turning into just a misty spray as it
connected with his shield.
"We will never bow to the likes of you!" Ragnok shouted out, his voice
defiant, and the goblin forces that still remained standing bellowed out in
deep voices, answering their kings words. Many of them were sporting
wounds, haphazardly covered in strips of linen, but they still bravely
fought on.
Dumbledore stepped forward, away from the army behind him, "You are
beaten. You're outnumbered and have no hope of defeating us. Don't
throw away your lives needlessly." Dumbledore pleaded to them. "Talk
peace with me."
Ragnok looked to Reaper who gave only a small nod, but the look in
Reapers eye alerted him to the true meaning of the nod. Ragnok walked
forward and met Dumbledore in the middle of the open hall, having to
step over the bodies of vikings and werewolves as he did so. He took off
his golden helm and rested it in the crook of his arm, placing his shield
on his back and just holding onto his spear. He dropped his voice to a
whisper when he arrived in front of the older wizard, "I've never liked
you Dumbledore."
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at the goblin king, "You don't have to like
me, just not fight me."
Ragnok in that moment looked more tired than he had ever before in his
long life. He glanced back behind him and looked at the amount of dead,
the amount of suffering his people had gone through. Then his eyes went
higher and saw his brothers that were still alive, all looking to him.
Standing next to them were the wizards they had fought and died with
them in this battle. His eyes latched onto Reapers for a moment and the
two stared at one another.
Making up his mind, Ragnok clenched tightly onto his spear and made
ready to thrust it upwards into Dumbledore's throat, knowing it would
likely be the death of him as well. His action was held however when he
heard a loud horn being blown, the sound echoing off the walls from
behind the armies of Dumbledore and Voldemort. Ragnok could barely
glimpse soldiers clad in decorative silver armor appearing in flashes of
fire. In total there were only twenty of these silver knights, but the two at
their front was what breathed new life into the fight.
Blazing green eyes from behind his silver helm alerted everyone to just
who this newcomer was. Next to him was another wizard in equally
splendid silver armor, but his eyes didn't glow with the same power as
his friend. He too held two wands in either hand and together, with their
knights behind them, they charged the battlefield. The silver knights
threw javelins into the ranks of vikings, piercing many with practiced
precision.
Suddenly Fawkes flashed in and grabbed the minister and disappeared
before quickly reappearing above one of the silver warriors and flew
ahead of him, turning into flames as he too raced into battle. The two
silver clad wizards shouted out at once and four large and powerful spells
slammed into the ranks of the surprised werewolves, vikings, and Death
Eaters, blasting them to the side and creating a large hole in their lines.
Seeing his opportunity, Ragnok thrust his spear upwards and plunged it
deep into Dumbledore's stomach causing the old wizard to gasp out in
surprise. Albus flicked his wand and sent the goblin king flying back into
his own kind who caught him. Dumbledore tasted blood in his mouth and
he suddenly began to feel a coldness sweep through him. Fear began to
grip his heart as he stared at the goblin and wizard army before him,
charging into battle with renewed vigor. Quickly his ability to think was
leaving him and all hope and strength left him. He closed his eyes and
felt death rushing up to finally greet him, but it never did.
Voldemort screamed in frustration at his new enemies that began to tear
a hole in his army. He knew immediately who they were and turned to
face them, but when he didn't feel Dumbledore next to him, Voldemort
glanced back and saw the old wizard impaled by a spear being charged
down by the goblin and ministry armies. Turning completely from the
two dual wielding wizards, Voldemort rushed to Dumbledore's aide,
grabbing his arm and turning on the spot, abandoning his armies with a
small pop.
Harry charged into battle at the helm of a wave of silver that crashed into
black, the golden goblin army meeting them in the middle. Caught
between the two armies, the black forces had no choice but to scramble
and try and escape with their lives. It took little time for the already
battered army of Dumbledore and Voldemort to be beaten and retreat
completely from the ministry. Many were killed or captured in their
attempts to escape, but still some did manage to evade death.
Harry caught a brief glimpse of long pale blonde hair rushing away with
his son in front of him. Bellatrix also managed to escape with the
Malfoy's along with many of the werewolves whose naturally fast speed
helped them leave quickly. The vikings weren't so lucky and were cut
down. Only a few managed to escape, but Hardrada was not among
them. He was personally captured by Banshee who took great pleasure in
her prize. The last two giants were cut down by Harry and Gellert who
made short work of them.
When the smoke and dust had finally cleared, Harry got his first full
glimpse of the destruction that had come to the ministry. The golden
statue was fully destroyed, no piece of it remained. Bodies of all kinds
were lying about. The goblins had rounded up the captured and held
them at the end of their spears in the corner of the very large hall.
The early morning light began to show light through the entrance that
was now only rubble. A deep fog began to seep into the building from the
entrance, making the place look like dementors were currently infesting
it. It added an eery atmosphere to the already horrific look of the place.
Harry wanted to throw up at what he saw. He had seen the horrors of
war, what happened on a battlefield and what it looked like afterwards,
but this was unlike anything he was used to. The sheer amount of dead
was overwhelming. In some places there were piles of dead bodies where
people had bravely tried to hold their ground, but lost the fight. Random
body parts were thrown around the room and puddles of blood were
impossible to not step in.
"You may wish to have nothing to do with me, but you and I can agree
on one thing. This war needs to end soon, or we will all become
casualties in it." Grindelwald said, stepping next to Harry and taking off
his helm that was now covered in blood. Harry looked at him, the
morning sun showing the old and wise eyes that came with living and
leading for a long time.
Harry turned his attention back towards the atrium and looked on sadly
as Ragnok cried over his fallen brothers, their bodies piled high before
him. Wizards and witches who had taken up the call from around the
world were laid out in rows, each with a sheet to cover their figures.
Hundreds had died in this needless fight, and a sudden anger had taken
over Harry.
He turned his wand on the old wizard, "Why did you take me? Why not
approach me on better terms!" Harry shouted, both his wands pulled, one
stabbing the gut of Gellert and the other under his throat. "If I wasn't
thought dead, Dumbledore and Voldemort never would have attacked."
Harry jerked his head towards the atrium, "All of these lives lost are on
your shoulders."
Gellert swatted away the wand that was at his throat and his eyes
darkened, "You forget your place Potter." He spat, his voice suddenly full
of venom. "I have no wish to see you or your cause alive. The only thing I
care for is the death of two men, no matter the cost."
"You will die before this war meets its conclusion." Harry growled.
"Maybe I will, but I will see my mission through first." Gellert responded.
He then turned to the woman who was at his court earlier, now clad in
silver armor. He whispered in her ear and upon the sound of a horn, the
army of Belogradchik disappeared in a golden hew.
"Come to me in two days time. I will begin to teach you then." Gellert
said. Before Harry could even refuse, Gellert disappeared in a flash of
fire, a golden phoenix whisking him away from the British ministry.
Fawkes who had perched himself on Harry's shoulder looked on in awe at
the phoenix, a royal phoenix, the king of his kind.
"I never knew." Fawkes said.
"Knew what my friend?" Harry asked his familiar.
"That my king still lives. Bound to a dark lord no less, though if my king has
bound himself to such a wizard, can he really be dark in nature?" Fawkes
questioned. Harry thought about it for a moment, but was quickly taken
by more urgent matters.
"Haunt, what are your orders?" Reaper asked, walking up to him with the
rest of the Ghost squad behind him. Harry was glad to see the remaining
members of his force still alive and well. Banshee had a cut above her
right eye and Angel was being helped along by his brother, but they were
healthy enough.
"The search for Voldemort's horcruxes is more crucial than ever. Find
them so that we may soon end this war." The Ghosts bowed low to their
leader before disappearing in wisps of black smoke. Harry again found
himself looking on the battlefield, watching as the wounded were cared
for, and the few that remained healthy rush back and forth, following the
orders of their commanders. Ragnok approached him with an injured
Dimfold, an eyepatch around the old goblins right eye.
"And where were you?" Ragnok asked, his voice low and hollow.
"Acquiring allies, against my will." Harry responded, a small smile
cresting his lips. Dimfold looked at Harry and he began to laugh, his
voice echoing across the expansive chamber. As if a great tide had
turned, the hall turned merry as the weight of the dead left and victory of
battle entered the minds of those still alive. Goblins began to chant as
they continued to work on their wounded, singing in an old tongue in
ancient and deep voices. Wizards began to cheer and shoot off fireworks
into the sky, hugging one another, celebrating the victory and the
honoring the sacrifices it took to secure such a win.
"We thought you dead." Ragnok said stepping to Harry's side. The three
commanders watched the aftermath of the battle with keen eyes and
small smiles. For the moment, they were safe, but this war was far from
over. While both Dumbledore and Voldemort lived, this war would never
end. Now Harry had to deal with Grindelwald, but that would be another
war altogether, and one not fought with soldiers.
"I still draw breath. It will take more than this attack to be-." Harry's
words were broken up by a contingent of goblins that approached, their
heads bowed low, and upon a stretcher they carried a small shrouded
abject.
Harry hesitantly stepped forward and pulled back the shroud and
immediately recoiled at the sight. Amelia's head, her eyes glossed over
and her mouth made out to scream, sat upon it. His eyes closed in sorrow
and his hand absently placed the shroud back over her severed head.
"Find the rest of her." He commanded the goblins. They bowed low and
rushed off to search the battlefield, but they wouldn't find her until
tomorrow when they began to scour the rest of the ministry's halls for
cleanup.
"Who is our new ally?" Dimfold asked, looking back to where the silver
knights had disappeared just moments ago.
"Not an ally, more of a necessary evil. Grindelwald." The old goblin kings
looked at Harry with wide-eyes.
"You can't-"
Harry held up his hand to stop Dimfolds question. "Yes he is still alive.
No I don't trust him. No, we will never do his bidding. I will find a way to
kill him before this war is over."
"And why is he helping us?" Ragnok asked.
"I'm his magical heir and he wishes death upon two old wizards."
–
Olaf sat still in his dark cell, water dripping from the ceiling as a storm
raged outside. He had a small barred window to look out on the world,
but nothing more. Little food had been provided to him the last several
weeks and his figure had begun to weaken. Whenever possible, he had
taken to biting into the flesh of rats and other small critters that
unfortunately wandered into his cage.
He cursed himself, his loyalty to a cause, his loyalty to his people, and
the honor that bound him to act in foolish ways. When he was released
by the Ghosts, given a second chance in the living world, he should have
run, disappeared in a far off land. But no, his honor bound him to do the
bidding of the young King Potter. That weakness caused him to find this
cell in a foreign land.
The last several weeks had been miserable for him. Long had he searched
for the old army that his father had once talked about. Germania had
seen many wars, but two peoples had long battled for it, and one army
had thought been lost for good, but was saved and bound by an old order
of mystics. Their Eagle standard was supposedly lost forever, but it was
only placed in another time, and still held by the might of the finest army
the world had ever seen.
Olaf had foolishly gone in search of this army, expecting to persuade
them in joining the cause of his new king. That, he now realized, was the
worst idea he had ever had. They quickly placed him in prison and
haven't once spoken to him since.
As he sat in his miserable, gloomy state, he didn't hear the sound of his
jail cell being opened. "On your feet!" A guard said in a harsh tongue.
Another guard walked over and forced Olaf to his feet, not waiting for a
response. "The general wishes to speak with you."
Olaf, malnourished and weak from his days in captivity, could only nod
in response. He was shoved out of his small cell and forced out into the
open. For the first time since his capture, he laid eyes on the great fort.
Tents a mile long surrounded him on either side, and surrounding the
entire fort were wooden walls thirty feet high. Guards patrolled the walls,
their eyes keen on the horizon.
He had little time to look on the sights, glancing at soldiers, some who
wore steel plate armor over their chests and shoulders with leather skirts
and steel greaves to protect their legs. Others simply wore chainmail and
had fur coats, some coming from wolves, others bears. Each carried a
thick rectangle shield and a javelin in their hands.
Olaf was led to a large tent that sat in the middle of the camp. Officers
wearing leather armor that was decorated with gold leaf designs went in
and out of it. On either side of the tent flap entrance were two soldiers
who stood guard in black leather armor with purple cloaks. They held the
flap open for Olaf to enter.
When he stepped into the tent, he found it to be quite warm, a fire
burning in the corner. Several animal skin chairs were placed in front of
it, and in the center of the large tent was a table with wooden figurines
on it and a map of Europe. A wooden desk was off to the left and Olaf
found a man wearing white leather armor with gold designs on it and a
purple cloak around him. He sat still in his wooden chair behind the
desk, watching Olaf intensely.
"Why did you come?"
42. Finding Family
"You found it?" Harry asked redundantly as he took his seat at the long
wooden table in the Room of Requirement. Around him were the rest of
his close friends and advisors, but one person was missing, Amelia. The
seat was empty and all glanced at it with sadness. Susan had been an
absolute wreck the last several hours. The way she looked at him when
he personally told her the news would forever be etched into his
memory. The sheer anger, fear, and despair behind her eyes scared him,
and he didn't blame her for being angry with him.
Harry felt awful, like he was responsible for what took place at the
ministry. The sheer amount of death within that hall was staggering and
Harry felt guilty for it all. He knew he wasn't to blame, Fleur, Sirius, and
Remus had repeatedly told him so, but he still couldn't help but feel
partially at fault. Guilt was something he would have to live with though,
he was a leader in a time of war, and there would be more death before
peace.
Right now, Ragnoks and Dimfolds goblins were concentrated in two
places, inside the halls of Gringotts and others had taken up guarding the
ministry while it still remained vulnerable to further assaults. The aurors
were currently being regrouped, a total count of all those still able to
fight being gathered in the ministry. Kingsley had been quickly elected as
the new Department Head of Magical Law Enforcement and Moody came
out of retirement to begin working full time again. They were two that
had fought valiantly only half a day ago at the ministry, taking down
several of Voldemort's inner circle between them. Moody walked away
with another scar to add to his ever growing collection, a cutting curse
slicing deep into his forehead by Bellatrix as she retreated from the fight.
Harry turned his gaze away from the empty seat and looked to the
middle of the table where a wand sat, brown in color along with a dozen
old runes that had been expertly carved into it. The handle was made of a
soft black leather and overall, it looked rather ordinary, definitely not
what he was expecting Gryffindor's wand to look like.
"We did. Voldemort had it hidden away and under guard." Remus
responded. He had arrived back in England with Tonks only an hour after
the battle at the ministry. Harry nodded his head and curiously looked at
it, then turned his gaze to the wooden box the wand had arrived in.
It was a rich, dark color and etched with the same runes that were on the
wand. Stamped onto the lid was the Gryffindor coat of arms. Inside the
wand had sat on plush velvet and was well taken care of, only the
wooden box settled with dust and worn down from age.
"What do the runes mean?" Harry asked, pointing his finger to them.
Both Tonks and Remus shrugged, "We can't read them, don't even know
what language it's in, though it's clearly old."
Again Harry nodded, "Safe to touch?"
"We did, couldn't detect anything sinister from it. It's definitely not a
horcrux." Tonks said.
Harry looked curiously at them, "Then why would Voldemort try and
hide this? Seems odd..." He trailed off and absently reached for it. His
fingers touched the soft black leather and a warmth rushed through him,
something he had never felt before. It was like his insides had turned to
fire.
He jerked his hand back as if burned from it and many looked at him
with worry. "What is it?" Minerva asked quickly.
"I don't-" Harry stopped his sentence when the wand, all on its own,
levitated to Harry's eye level and began rapidly spinning around in place.
A wave of air pushed out from the wand in all directions, causing Fleur's
hair next to Harry to whip violently backwards.
"What the hell did you do?" Sirius asked, standing up in surprise.
"Nothing!" Harry replied, standing up as well and taking a step back from
the wand-gone-crazy. It continued to spin, moving quicker and quicker
until it was just a blur. Then, in a split-second it stopped, its tip pointed
directly at Harry and a golden spell shot from it. Taken completely by
surprise, the golden spell slammed into Harry's chest sending him flying
across the room and into the back wall.
He was immediately knocked unconscious by the blow and fell to the
ground like a bag of bricks. Fleur shrieked and rushed to Harry's side
while Sirius reached for the wand. Before his hand touched the wand
however, a brilliantly flash of white light lit up the room and when
everyone was no longer blinded, Sirius was also on the ground
unconscious.
The wand then moved by itself, floating over to the unconscious Harry
and sent another spell at him, this time red. Fleur tried to swat at the
wand just as Sirius had done before but was thrown back by another
flash of white. Her parents quickly rushed to her side while Remus tried
to spell against the wand, which it simply turned in mid air to deflect his
attacks with ease.
Again, the old wand turned to Harry and sent another spell, this time the
spell as black as a shadow, and instead of hitting the chest, it connected
with Harry's forehead. As soon as it sent off the black spell, the wand
floated back to the table and placed itself back in the box from whence it
came, Remus quickly shutting it.
"What the fuck did you do Remus?" Sebastien called angrily to the
werewolf while checking on his daughter who was still slumped
unconsciously next to Harry. Appoline was looking over Harry and
checking for breathing.
"'Arry eez breathing, though it eez very light." She called to them.
"I'll get Madame Pomfrey!" Minerva shouted, rushing quickly out of the
Room of Requirement. Moody and Kingsley had immediately begun to go
to work on the box, trying to figure out what kind of runes were on this
thing, but they came up just as empty as the other two.
Remus looked at the box in shock, wondering what the hell had
happened. None of the spells Tonks and himself had performed on it
showed any signs of the wand being harmful or dark in nature, and he
himself had touched the wand. He looked to Sirius, hearing his old friend
cough and saw him helped up by Emmy.
He rubbed his chest, "What happened?" He asked groggily. Fleur wasn't
far behind Sirius in waking up, but Harry's condition remained
unchanged, his pulse faint and his breathing shallow.
"I'm not sure." Remus responded, still in shock. Tonks looked on the verge
of tears as she looked over Harry, thinking that just maybe she might be
responsible for the death of The-Boy-Who-Lived. Sirius, remembering
where he was, abruptly stood up and rushed over to Harry, checking for
breathing just as Appoline already had.
"H-Harry come on." He said over and over again. Fleur began to feel tears
well up in her eyes as she clutched Harry's hand in desperation, willing
him to wake up, but his skin felt colder than it ever had before. The
blood was beginning to leave his face and his complexion was turning
deathly pale.
Suddenly, Minerva emerged back through the door with Poppy just
behind her. The mediwitch quickly rushed over to Harry and began
studying his condition while asking questions as to what happened. "So
he was hit by some spells?" Poppy asked somewhat skeptically. She had
never seen someone in the condition Harry was in. None of her
diagnostic spells came back with anything of use, the scans all over the
place. Some said he was dead, the others said he was perfectly healthy.
Whatever was happening was beyond anything she had ever dealt with
before.
"We need to get him to St. Mungos." Poppy said, an urgency in her voice
that caused even more concern on all those that looked on.
"I don't think that would be the best idea." Kingsley said, stepping closer
to the group, Moody standing beside his auror friend.
Poppy looked ready to snap back, but Minerva spoke first. "He's right
Poppy. We already learned what happens if Dumbledore or You-Know-
Who knows that Harry is out of the fight. We can't risk that."
Poppy understood the full gravity of the situation and nodded, though
she still didn't look happy about it. Sebastien voiced his idea for the
situation they now found themselves in. "I have an old friend, he would
be very discreet and is already a friend of Mr. Potters here."
"Can you trust him with this?" Sirius asked, understandably skeptical in
light of the situation.
Sebastien nodded his head. "He would never betray a fellow member of
his order."
–
"1...2...3!" Voldemort yanked upwards and removed the spear that had
been lodged in Dumbledore's gut. Marie quickly began casting spell after
spell to lessen the bleeding and try and close the gaping hole in the old
wizard. Dumbledore at this point had completely passed out from the
pain and was resting on a metal table Voldemort had conjured.
"Will he live?" Voldemort asked her, no worry in his voice, just curiosity.
It was an odd and twisted world Riddle found himself in. Just a matter of
months ago, he would have happily been the one to drive a spear
through the ancient wizards stomach, but here he was trying to save him.
It wasn't the end of the world if Dumbledore died, but it would make
things more difficult if he did.
Marie looked up, her hands covered in blood from where she had tried to
apply some pressure to the wound, "I'm not sure. We will have to wait
and see. How many have come back?" She asked, taking a seat in a
nearby chair. Riddle stood standing and poured all amounts of healing
magic he knew, which frankly wasn't much. He never cared for that
particular branch of magic, never really having use of it before now.
"Half." Riddle quietly responded, not wanting to be reminded of his most
spectacular defeat at the hands of the boy. Half, only half of their
combined forces remained, the rest were dead or captured. All of his
giants and Dumbledore's as well were dead and Dumbledore's Viking
King was captured or dead. He quickly had to deal with the vikings who
wished to leave now that they had been defeated heavily in two major
battles and lost their king. Several of the dissenters were displayed
outside his tent with severed heads on pikes to show his power and
absolute rule in this army.
The dementors were nearly entirely slain as well, only their leader and a
small band of them remained. The werewolves remained healthy in
number as well as the corrupted goblins under his control. His personal
Death Eaters had been heavily battered while trying to escape and many
of his inner circle had been killed. Now all that remained of the circle
was Lucius, Bellatrix, and Dolohov.
Voldemort collapsed back as exhaustion began to take him. He found he
didn't quite have the same stamina as his older body. Magic was more
difficult to perform, especially with his golden hand instead of the one
taken from him by Potter. Marie moved around to Riddles side, "I think
it's time, Tom."
Riddle looked at her angrily, "I will never go to him!" He snapped at her
for what felt like the millionth time today.
Unwavering, she continued to press, "You don't have the forces to fight
Potter. Every day he is growing stronger. You're in need of an ally,
especially if Dumbledore doesn't recover."
"I would sooner die than fall at that cretins feet." Voldemort responded
darkly, threatening her with his eyes, but still she was never scared of
him. She knew he would never lay a finger on her no matter how upset
he got with her.
"You're too proud for your own good. It will be your death and all you
have striven for will be for naught. All I have striven for will be for
naught." This slightly pacified Voldemort for a moment as her words
began to play around in his head. Death was his greatest fear, but death
and never being remembered for what he accomplished seemed worse.
Would he be okay vanishing from the world, his name only remembered
as the dark lord slain by Harry Potter?
It didn't take long for him to come to the conclusion that she was right,
that he had to swallow his pride in this matter. "Send him a message, I
will visit him soon." Voldemort then stood up, the exhaustion leaving him
and he walked out of the makeshift infirmary to prepare.
–
Fudge sat in his office looking over the official report of the battle that
had taken place just several stories below him. The building was still
closed, bodies were still being removed, and the atrium was being used
as a hospital of sorts for those too severely injured to safely transport to
St. Mungo's.
He was already flooded with owls from ministers from around the globe
wishing to know exactly what took place. Normally he would have one of
his secretaries take care of such mail, but many had died in the attack,
working late and caught in the initial crossfire. The biggest blow to the
ministry as a whole was Mr. Weasley, one of the first lost in the battle.
Secretly though, Fudge was already looking to the benefits of the elder
Weasley's death. Bill Weasley, a very bright wizard had immediately left
his job with the goblins and come to work in the ministry, joining up
with the aurors who were now in desperate need of more recruits,
recruits that were going to be hard to find. Charlie Weasley, another
brilliant wizard in his own right, was already in England, and though
hadn't participated in the fight at the ministry, was joining up with his
brother. Mr. Weasley was never a fighter, but his two boys were and he
was glad to see them amidst the few that had put forth their names to
join.
Percy was all that remained in the office outside his door, but he was
already tasked with other things. Umbridge had been called in, pulled
away from her useless position at Hogwarts and put to work with
meandering tasks that she thought didn't fit her position or title. He
didn't care, he just didn't want to do the work himself.
Fudge stood from behind his desk, sending the last owl off to the Minister
of Sweden and sighed heavily. He lumbered over to the nearby fireplace
and fingered the new golden chain that sat around his neck. A gift from
an old wizard and one that scared him so. He could feel the magic
pulsating in the necklace, tied to his blood and very life. A small diamond
pendant rested on his bare chest, hidden underneath his robes. It glowed
a soft blue and lightly vibrated, as if it were taking a breath every time
he did so.
When Dumbledore had taken him hostage, he had with him three
necklaces, one for his wife, another for him, and also one for his young
daughter. Dumbledore threatened him, saying that they were charmed to
kill his family and him if he disobeyed any commands from Albus. The
diamond pendant on the necklace was charmed so that Dumbledore
could hear and see everything Fudge did. He couldn't take a chance with
his family and was forced to do Albus' bidding.
Right on time, his door opened and Reaper, clad in his black robes and
black mask walked in. "Have a seat." Fudge gestured to the couch, and he
too sat himself in a nearby chair. Reaper only moved further into the
room but didn't sit.
"What can I do for you minister?" Reaper asked, his voice hollow behind
his mask. He hadn't been expecting a call from him and was slightly on
edge, especially after learning of Harry's condition only a few minutes
ago.
"I was wondering where Harry was? Minerva refused to tell me." Fudge
questioned, trying to sound as innocent as possible. He was a career
politician and his whole life he had deceived many, though he was
uncertain he could lie to a trained soldier, especially one as skilled as a
Ghost. Sweat began to form on his brow when Reaper didn't immediately
respond, but he was quickly relieved by the Ghosts next words.
"He is at his home relaxing after a hard fought battle. I can take a
message to him if you would like?" Reaper replied evenly.
"I was really hoping to speak directly with him."
"Sorry, that's just not going to happen." Reaper replied coolly.
Fudge narrowed his eyes, "I am the minister!" He said, a slight anger
beginning to build up in him. He wasn't used to being defied by someone
so nonchalantly.
"He is Harry Potter." Reaper replied casually. "Is there anything else you
wish to ask?"
Fudge stared at Reaper but found himself only being stared back by cold
eyes from behind the black mask, the man not moving a muscle as he
stood in the office. It was slightly unnerving the way the Ghost looked at
him and Fudge thought better than to press further on the matter. "Did
Harry say anything to you about who his new allies are?"
"Very little Minister." Reaper replied simply. The evasiveness of the Ghost
was really stretching Fudge's already thin nerves. He had a mission to
accomplish and he didn't want to even think of the outcome if he failed.
"And?" Fudge pressed.
"Only that they were Bulgarians. And obviously one was Grindelwald,
sir."
"Grindelwald!" Fudges eyes went wide, not expecting to hear that old
name. His goal was to confirm Harry's death, but that rumor had already
been proven not true by his showing up at the fight. He wasn't
specifically given new orders, but he knew the way Dumbledore worked.
If he had lived through the fight, which is what he could gleam off the
stories of it, then Dumbledore would expect news of Harry's whereabouts
and who the new allies were. Grindelwald entering the fray, on Harry's
side no less was not something he was expecting however.
"And do you know the location of Grindelwald and why he would ally
with Potter?" Fudge questioned further.
"I think you overestimate my closeness with Harry Potter, sir. He tells me
what I must know and nothing more."
"Right, right. Of course." Fudge said quickly. "Well, when he leaves his
home, please tell him I wish to speak with him." Reaper bowed his head
and left the office in silence. Slightly annoyed with the way that meeting
went, Fudge began pacing back and forth, his hands locked behind his
back. The fire glowed vibrantly, then abruptly turned a dark green and a
face appeared in it.
Thinking it was Dumbledore, Fudge began spewing out greetings,
stuttering over himself. "Silence!" The voice hissed from the fire and
Fudge's eyes widened in fear when he saw the head of a bald man with
slit red eyes and a forked tongue. "What news do you have for me?"
Fudge swallowed heavily before recanting everything he had just
gleamed off of Reaper and the other reports of the aftermath and state of
the ministry. Voldemort sat in silence, listening to everything the rat
minister had to say to him. "Find the Ghosts headquarters. You have one
day." The flames in the fire returned to their normal yellow as
Voldemort's face disappeared.
Fudge collapsed back into the couch and placed a hand over his heart to
feel its quickened beat. His mind continued to flash with images of his
family and he willed himself to continue further down his road of doom
for their sake.
–
Doctor Emry overlooked Harry who was still laying unconsciously on the
bed that had been created for him within the Room of Requirement. He
was deathly pale and barely had a pulse. Sitting diligently next to him
was Fleur and Sirius who refused to move from his side, both of them
holding his hands. Remus was not far away, pacing constantly back and
forth and biting his nails nervously. He was the most scared of all,
thinking he may have killed a young man he looked at as a nephew.
When Emry had gotten to the castle and began inspecting his new
patient, he made everyone else leave the room. He would have made the
other three leave as well, but he feared for his life by asking such a thing.
"Do you know what eez wrong with 'im?" Fleur asked hopefully, looking
at him with desperation. Emry ignored her however and continued to
wave his wand over the teenagers body, trying to figure out the cause for
his state. He had never seen such a thing, and he had dealt with many
strange cases before. The Longbottoms were his most recent patients and
he was just beginning to explore the minds of wizards and witches, but
the agony their brains were under was very much different than what
Potter was going through.
For all he could tell, Potter's brain was perfectly healthy, and in fact, it
was more active than ever. However, his entire body was on complete
shutdown, barely operating at the minimum requirements to keep him
alive. It was quite strange and though he already had some ideas as to
treatment, he greatly doubted anything would work.
From what he could tell, and what he was told, a spell had indeed caused
this state, one he had never seen or heard of before. And with Potter's
brain still quite active, his only guess was that Harry was inside some
kind of dream or trance, trapped within his brain.
"I can't do much for him right now." Doctor Emry said. "From what I can
tell, he is in some kind of dream-like state."
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.
"I mean that only he can wake himself up. Whatever spell he was hit by,
Harry will have to fight through it."
"And if he can't fight through it?" Remus asked, stopping his pacing to
look at the doctor.
Emry's face saddened slightly and he looked at Harry, "Then I will do all I
can for him." Silence descended harshly on the room, all knowing what
Emry's words meant.
–
Harry woke up panting and was heavily covered in a thick layer of snow.
Storm clouds were overhead and snow continued to fall down on him. He
scrambled to his feet, brushing off the snow from his Hogwarts robes. He
stopped suddenly and looked at his robes, wondering when exactly the
last time he had worn the school robes was.
His mind began to search backwards trying to figure out exactly how he
got here, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember anything. His
mind was drawing a blank on everything, like a great veil was over his
memories. Everything seemed familiar to him, but his mind was so blurry
and he couldn't think straight. He blinked several times and when he
looked up, he noticed a great castle that was heavily covered in the snow.
He stepped forward slightly, his feet sinking into the deep snow. The
castle was greatly battered, caved in on some parts, and only rubble in
others. A large tower still stood high, but part of its roof was missing.
Something in his memory jogged and he remembered where he was,
Hogwarts. Still something wasn't right to him, this wasn't the magical
castle he remembered being his home for several years. It was once full
of children and still stood powerful in the world. Now, it was desolate
and a husk of its once former glory.
Harry cautiously approached it, making slow time in the deep snow as he
moved towards the ruined castle. The large entrance doors were blown
clean off and only scattered stones remained on the left wall. Snow had
filled up partly into the hall, taking up space where allowed by the holes
in the roof. As Harry walked into the entrance hall and found himself
stepping on tattered rugs and scorched stone, he saw off to his right, a
large set of wooden doors that were slightly open. A golden light showed
itself from them and Harry found himself drawn to it.
Just as he touched the door, again he found himself remembering what
this was, the Great Hall. As he pushed open the doors, memories of his
sorting came flooding back into him. He naturally looked up to the
ceiling half expecting to find the night sky, but instead he only found the
wooden rafters with several holes where snow fell through.
His eyes began moving downwards and he found the four house banners,
all of them tattered and blowing in a gentle breeze. When he took
another step into the room, three of the four banners broke free from
their holds and gently floated to the floor, only Slytherin's banner
remained attached.
Harry saw at the far end of the hall at the staff table, the golden throne
that many an old headmasters used to sit in. Seeing it once again brought
memories of his second and third years and all it came with. Dumbledore
and his benevolence, his kindness towards him. But then fourth year
came, and all he found was destruction and madness in the old
headmasters eyes. As he looked at the throne, he saw Dumbledore sitting
there, calmly staring at his domain, his blue eyes watching calmly over
his half-moon glasses.
He looked so calm, so powerful, so serene, and so real. Dumbledore
looked at Harry and winked, before vanishing into a flurry of snow that
floated softly to the ground. Harry blinked several times and strained
harder to see Dumbledore, but found himself once again only staring at a
golden throne.
Something compelled him to continue further into the Great Hall. When
he reached the middle of the Hall, a great crash sounded from behind
him and Harry turned abruptly, instinctually pulling both wands from
their holsters. He found himself face to face with a basilisk, its ferocious
yellow eyes staring at him intently. His mind flashed with memories of
his fight with the basilisk in second year and the chamber it was kept in
along with the master that controlled it.
The basilisk let out a shry shriek when its eyes did nothing to Harry,
having expected its normal method of killing to slay the wizard. Harry
was just as shocked to find himself not dead, but he didn't let his surprise
get the better of him, keeping his eyes trained on the basilisk.
It lunged, its fangs a foot long snapped down at the air where Harry had
once been. He rolled to the side and brought his wands to bear, snapping
off spell after spell. Two silver spears embedded into the basilisks flesh
and made it roar in pain. It tried to snap at Harry again but the wizard
was much quicker. Having fought a basilisk once before, with just a
sword no less, he knew now how to kill them effectively and decided to
use the same tactic as last time, just with a bit more flash.
Harry used his Holly wand to lasso it with a flame whip, pulling its large
head towards himself. He baited the snake into lunging at him again and
when it did, Harry apparated away just in time, appearing above the
basilisk. He called out for Gryffindor and the sword of his house
appeared in flames above him, resting comfortably in his outstretched
hand. Harry fell down at great speed and plunged the sword deep into
the snakes brain, killing it instantly.
The snake wailed one last time before turning limp. Harry slid off of it
and the sword disappeared immediately from his grasp. He wandlessly
summoned his yew wand which he dropped when grabbing for the
sword. Harry walked along the snake and studied it with some curiosity,
his memory finding it to be the exact same basilisk he had killed three
years ago, or a near replica of it at least.
As he studied the basilisk, his eyes caught on to the fact that its blood
was acting strange. The basilisks blood trailed out of the Great Hall and
began to ascend the grand stairs. He was compelled to follow where the
blood led him and as if a river that defied gravity, it poured upwards and
Harry walked alongside it.
Suddenly, the blood began to pool on the second floor and Harry looked
around confused, wondering why it had so suddenly stopped. He didn't
have long to contemplate the curious nature of the blood however when
a large badger, bigger than any bear, broke through the second floor halls
doorway, sending splinters everywhere. Harry was forced to cover
himself momentarily and that proved costly as the badger didn't stop,
sprinting through the basilisk blood as it charged for Harry.
As it ran through the blood, the badger grew in size, becoming at least
three times the size of a bear, and thick green armor built itself around
the crazed animal. The badger sprinted at Harry with great speed and hit
him with its head, sending him flying into the wall behind him.
Harry felt one of his ribs break, but he didn't let that slow him. The large
badger charged again, intent on pinning its prey to the wall, but Harry
was quick. He turned into a wisp of black smoke and reappeared behind
the charging badger. Using his wands in quick succession, he tied the
hind legs of the large badger with thick ropes then hit it with his most
powerful stupefy.
The badger was unfazed by the stunning spell, it easily was deflected by
the basilisk armor that had formed around it, and it quickly broke free of
its bonds. Even more angered, it charged at Harry with even greater
speed and forced Harry to jump over the railing of the staircase. He
apparated in mid-air back to the second floor landing and this time began
using more deadly means. He baited the badger to charge him once
again, backing up several steps so that he was only a few paces from the
wall.
The badger began to charge him once again, this time incensed that its
prey had gotten away from it twice in a row. Harry sent one silver spear
at the badger which connected with its forehead, hitting it squarely in the
middle of its eyes, puncturing through the thick armor. He felt his arm
vibrate with the power he put into that spell and it came out like a
rocket. The badger continued to charge however and Harry then sent a
cutting curse with the same power that hit its front legs, slicing them
clean off. The badger fell to the ground with a crash and rolled until it
rested just in front of Harry. He aimed both his wands at the badgers
head and put it out of its misery with two strong blasting hexes.
Instead of the blood and gore he was expecting, the badger turned to ash
which slowly began to float upwards. Harry looked at it oddly,
wondering what had become of his foe, seeing if it was even really dead.
He followed the trail of ash up the stairs and eventually found himself on
the fifth floor where suddenly the ash turned into a large eagle and
swooped down for Harry.
It was larger than any bird he had ever seen, larger than Buckbeak if that
even classified as a bird. Its feathers were midnight black and it had a
wicked curved beak. Upon its head was a ring of golden feathers that
gave the appearance of a crown. Its yellow eyes reminded him of the
basilisks, but still it had no effect on him.
Harry just barely got out of the way of its razor sharp talons and turned
his wands on it. The eagle moved through the air with grace and beauty
and easily dodged Harry's attacks. It made for another pass but found the
human elusive. It let out a loud shriek in frustration, its cry echoing off
the stone walls.
Harry found that he had to begin predicting the erratic movements of the
great eagle, but the kingly bird was proving very smart, always changing
direction at random and keeping to no pattern. The eagle dove for him
again and Harry stepped to the right, but the eagle had predicted this and
swooped in for the kill. Its sharp talons dug into Harry's side and picked
him up into the air. Harry's arms were pinned to his side and the bird
began to rise high into the castle, reaching the seventh floor. With every
second in the birds grasp Harry found his breath leaving him, the eagle
squeezing harder and harder.
Harry channeled all of his magic, not into his hands like normal, but
through his arms and forced it outwards. A burst of white magic lit the
castle and the eagle gave a squawk of surprise. Its grip on Harry loosened
slightly, just enough for Harry to point his wand at its underbelly.
A red flash of light connected with the stomach of the eagle and a large
hole was blown clean through it. With one last shriek, the eagle turned
into dust and Harry now found himself falling down the middle of the
grand staircases. He concentrated and apparated back to the seventh
floor, landing on shaking legs.
He let out a sigh of relief, for a slight moment having briefly thought he
might never make it out of the grasp of the eagle. "You were sloppy and
slow." Harry turned abruptly at the voice, surprise taking him. He felt his
heart catch in his throat and his tongue immediately went dry upon
seeing what was before him.
A large lion, at least three times the size of a normal lion, sat in front of
him, licking one of its paws and watching him with beady black eyes
carefully. "Errr." Was all Harry could manage.
"I suppose you were good enough though." The lion continued in a deep
voice. "You have an immense amount of power, though lack experience
and the skill that comes with age." He stopped licking one of his paws
and stood on all four, standing to full height. The lion towered above
Harry on his four legs.
"Good enough?" Harry managed to ask, confusion written all over his
face. The lion began to approach Harry slowly, its eyes never leaving
Harry's. When it was close, Harry could hear it sniff two times heavily. It
let out a deep breath and its entire demeanor changed, one from a very
menacing and predatory look, to one of almost happiness.
"So the moment has finally come." The lion said. Harry caught a glimpse
of its very large and sharp teeth.
"What?" Harry asked dumbly.
"I can smell my blood in you. Who are you?"
"Harry Potter."
"Potter?" The lion questioned, beginning to walk around Harry. It wasn't
in a predatory manner however, instead the lion looked as if it were in
deep thought. "I have never heard of a Potter. Are you related to
Rowena?"
"Err, no? I don't think so. As far as I know, my descendants are from the
Peverell family."
The lions eyes lit up with recognition at that moment. "Ah! My grandson,
yes. I should have known. Diluted your blood is, but still strong enough
to conquer my trials."
"Your trials? That's what this was?"
The lion looked at Harry like he was dumb, "Yes? What else would this
have been. I worked hard on it you know. Rowena was always laughing
at my attempts but I think I showed her."
"This...this isn't real?" Harry muttered to himself, looking around. All at
once, his memories of his life beyond this world came back to him. Fleur,
the war, everything. Suddenly he felt foolish for not immediately
recognizing that this wasn't real.
"Maybe we should start with the basics boy. My name is Godric
Gryffindor, or rather, I am an imitation of him created long ago."
Harry raised his eyebrows, "An imitation?"
"Yes, an imprint of sorts. I put part of myself into my wand so that I may
guide my family further if need be."
Harry's eyes darkened, "You're a horcrux!"
The lions eyes darkened just as much as Harry's had, "No! I would never
use such foul magic. Death never was something I wished to escape. No, I
am just a well thought out charm, my memories and knowledge laced
into the wand that you have activated."
"So it was your wand that has done this?"
"Your blood must be very diluted to catch on this slowly." Godric replied.
"Yes, it was my wand. I couldn't let it fall into the hands of the
undeserved. Only those of my blood who are also worthy of it, may use
it. Which makes you a rare figure my boy. Truly you must be of some
importance that my wand activated for you, and that you cold pass my
trials."
"I am no more important than anyone else."
The lion laughed deeply, "So modest, how annoying. You're a Gryffindor,
know who you are and your importance in the world and it will only
make you stronger."
Harry shrugged, "That's not me, and that's not my way."
Godric nodded its large head and looked down upon Harry, "Maybe so. I
can see that my wife's humility flows strong within you. Such a shame,
ahh well."
"Is that a bad thing?" Harry asked with raised eyebrows.
"Sometimes." Godric responded. "Please now dear Potter, take me away
from my prison."
"But what will happen when I leave, if I can even leave?" Harry asked,
not ready to just leave this place yet. He still had questions.
"I'll be able to speak with you through the wand of course. Hasn't your
family told you anything? Surely this wand is still being given to the
eldest son in the family as I instructed." Harry's eyes saddened for a
moment at the word family and the lion immediately understood the
look. For a lion, he could show empathy well. "I see our family has not
had the greatest of times as of late. Well, that will change."
"Why do you keep saying family? I'm a Potter and we're only linked
through an old family that no longer exists, the Peverells."
"You share my blood, no matter how little you are still my family. Magic
is funny in her ways and it seems she has brought this wand to you and
that you capable of restoring our house to its former glory."
Harry nodded his head and stood silently for a moment. "Okay, what-"
"Oh stop with the questions please. I'll answer them when I'm out of this
hell." Godric cut him off.
"You created this."
"I did, I also never said that it was a good creation."
"You said you were proud of it."
"Just shut up and take me away, heir."
Harry stared confusedly at the lion, "I don't know how to."
"Wow my blood must be very diluted." Godric muttered. Harry was still
finding it difficult to believe that this lion, a lion that could rip him apart
in the blink of an eye, was talking with him, and that it was Godric
Gryffindor no less.
"Do you know how to?" Harry asked, looking at the lion with raised
eyebrows. Godric furrowed his bushy eyebrows and stared at the floor,
pawing his other leg for a moment.
"Well, I er don't actually think I planned that far ahead." Harry let out a
groan.
"Now I can blame my carelessness on him at least." Harry muttered under
his breath. "So you have no idea how to get out of here?" The lion shook
his head. Harry rolled his eyes and turned his back to him. He thought
through any spell he knew but came up empty. In a last ditch effort, he
spoke to Fawkes through his mind and was surprised that a flash of fire
appeared above his head.
"Wow a phoenix!" Godric said in a dismayed voice. "Wait, I know that
phoenix. Fawkes?" The phoenix grabbed hold of Harry and flashed away
without answering the words of the lion.
Harry suddenly woke up, his breathing heavy and his heart beating a
mile a minute. His vision was blurry as he was readjusting to the light in
the room and he saw two shapes standing over him. They mouthed
words, but he heard nothing but murmurs. In his head however, he heard
as clear as day the words of Godric, "Fawkes my old friend!"
"Oh goddamnit!" Fawkes replied.
43. Caesar
"Shacked up with my heir eh?" Godric asked.
"I see you haven't changed one bit." Fawkes snapped back.
"After all these years you still can't have fun?" Godric laughed.
"After all these years you still haven't developed a sense of decency?" Fawkes
replied quickly.
"Will you both please shut up?" Harry asked, breaking up the two's
bickering. He sat up in the bed, the sheets still around his chest, and his
eyes rested on Fleur and Sirius who looked at him with startled
expressions. He realized that he had said that out loud, talking to the two
voices in his head. "Sorry, I wasn't talking to you." He directed at them.
This only served to make both Sirius and Fleur look at each other with
concern towards him. "Who were you talking to? There's no one else here
but us." Fleur asked, concern written clearly on her face.
"Wow she is beautiful! I highly recommend adding her genes to our family,
Potter." Godric said.
"He already is. Get with the times you louse." Fawkes replied.
"Holy shit, shut up you two!" Harry snapped at them, aloud again. He
already struggled with having to deal with Fawkes in his head, but now
having two voices who clearly had little love for one another, was going
to be difficult.
Both Fleur and Sirius looked slightly hurt at his words but they quickly
hid that, instead a serious concern replaced the relief that were on their
features. They looked to doctor Emry who stood slightly back, waving his
wand at Harry and trying to diagnose if he was indeed fine. Seeing that
they thought he might be an insane person coming out of whatever sleep
he had been, Harry spoke to them."Sorry, Fawkes and Godric won't shut
up." He forgot how crazy that might sound.
"Godric? As in..." Remus trailed off, stepping to the side of Harry's bed.
All of them looked at Harry as if he were crazy and even a tear began to
well up in Fleur's eye which only made Harry groan and roll his eyes.
"The one and only!" Godric replied in Harry's head.
"Yes, as in Godric Gryffindor. My lineage seems to trace back directly to
him and he now seems keen on annoying me." Harry said, doing his best
to ignore the ongoing conversations in his head that was already working
quickly to drive him insane.
"Were you raised to talk about your elders like this? If I had been in your life,
I would have beat you silly for talking about me in such a way!"
"You should have been beaten for your infidelity!" Fawkes replied, a clear
anger in his voice. Harry successfully tuned them out, not wishing to go
down that road with them. They were turned into just a small buzz that
sat in the back of his mind as he focused on his surroundings.
Remus glanced nervously at Emry who only shrugged in response. Harry
could see on all of their faces that they were having a hard time believing
that he was talking to a wizard that had been dead for a thousand years.
He helped himself to sit further up in the makeshift bed and the sheets
fell down, revealing his bare arms and chest. His tattoos still remained on
either breast, but it was the tattoo on his left breast that caught his
notice.
Normally it was a tiger, Haunt, laying around waiting to be put to use.
Instead, the tattoo had changed to the form of a lion, its mane large and
black as midnight, and dark red eyes glowed from it, pulsating with each
breath he took. Fleur and Sirius immediately caught notice of the change
as well, "What happened to Haunt?" Sirius asked.
"I-I don't-" Harry started, but was cut off by the voice of Godric in his
head. "You have finally accepted your rightful place in my family. A lion you
are, a lion you have always been."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Great, deep sounding bells echoed throughout the
castle and its grounds, different from the ones used to usher students to
and from their classes. These were bells of true importance, not used in
hundreds of years and long forgotten to the world. "Ahh, long have I
missed that sound." Godric said.
Out from the walls the ghosts that occupied the castle came floating in,
their heads bowed low. They all carefully formed around Harry's bed and
one stepped forward, away from the pack. Harry recognized him to be Sir
Nicholas, the house ghost of Gryffindor. Fleur held fast her position by
Harry's side, though he felt her hand clench more tightly to his. Sirius,
Remus, and Emry backed off, moving to the side of the room and away
from the party of ghosts."My Lord Potter, I knew it would be you from
the moment we met." Sir Nicholas said.
"Err, what is he talking about?" Remus asked, looking to Harry who only
shrugged in response.
Another of the ghosts stepped forward, this time a woman, the Grey Lady
he knew her as, but he also knew her real name, Helena Ravenclaw. She
curtsied and did something he had never seen or heard of her ever doing
before, she smiled. "My Lord, welcome home."
Godric could read Harry's thoughts now that he was in his head. He could
sense his uneasiness along with surprise and even a hint of hope.
Memories of his childhood came flooding to the front, quickly followed
by the emotions of being told he was a wizard and then being introduced
to Hogwarts. In that moment, Godric understood who Harry really was,
why he had no clue of his lineage and his potential claim to an old
Lordship. A sadness crept through him, but it was quickly extinguished
by a fire of raw anger and a desire for vengeance.
"It is yours to do with what you will. Deny it, control it, pass it off to
whomever you choose, the castle and all its secrets are yours, my son." Godric
said, his tone completely changed from the teasing voice of earlier. Now
he was more somber in nature and Harry felt a strength coming from him
within his own mind that eased him, like he had a sturdy hand gently
squeezing his shoulder in reassurance.
Harry swung his legs over the side of his bed, ignoring Fleur's protests.
He touched the cold ground with his bare feet and noticed that it
immediately warmed to keep him comfortable. As soon as he stood, all of
the ghosts knelt down to one knee and Harry even saw Peeeves knee as
well. "The castle and all she has is yours to command, you have but to
issue the order." Sir Nicholas said. Harry was even more surprised to see
the Bloody Baron beside Sir Nicholas, bowing as well, his ghostly rapier
placed on the ground before him.
"Rise." Harry commanded, his voice firm and controlled, a strength in it
that surprised the humans in the room. In that instant, Harry looked
different from anytime before. He was once a boy thrust into a difficult
situation, looked upon by those older to lead them through a great war,
but he was still a boy. The Harry that stood before them now was
changed. He had a glow about him, as if a thousand suns had descended
from the skies and placed themselves within him. A mighty warmth
swirled about him and the room choked with the magic that poured from
him. His eyes were ablaze with light and they held the wisdom of a man
that had seen many years upon this earth. However, as soon as the image
had come, it fled and Harry returned to his normal boyish self, the magic
around him receded and those of mortality could breath in his presence
once more.
He turned to look back at Fleur who watched him with a slightly opened
mouth and tears in her eye, not out of sadness, but out of happiness.
Remus and Sirius looked upon Harry with awe, like they were truly
seeing him for the first time in their lives. A compulsion hit them to bow,
and they did as if they were in the presence of a great lord. Harry
repeated his command to them and they rose to look upon Harry again,
his eyes soft and kind as he looked at them.
The door to the Room of Requirement burst open and Minerva, along
with the rest of those that were present just a few hours ago at the
meeting, rushed in. "We heard bells! Is the castle under attack?" She
asked in a state of panic, not noticing that Harry was standing up from
his bed or the ghosts that surrounded him.
"We are currently safe, Headmistress." Harry said, drawing the attentions
of all the newcomers to the room. He stood before them in only simple
black trousers, his hair cut short as normal, the scar on his head almost
invisible. No one would ever look to his forehead again, instead they
would first see his eyes that constantly glowed green with the power of a
hundred wizards.
"My Lord, if I may?" Emry bowed low when he made himself known.
Doctor Emry's breath was taken away by what he witnessed before him.
Harry Potter, the boy he had met only a little over a year ago was now
something different altogether. He didn't know what compelled him to
bow his head or call the young boy a 'Lord', but it felt right and his gut
told him that Potter was truly something special.
Harry chuckled, his image breaking completely from the older, more
lord-like figure, and returning to the boy he really was. "I won't have any
of this bowing. I am still me."
"Ugh, so very much like my wife." Godric murmured and Harry could
almost feel Fawkes rolling his eyes.
Emry took that as a yes and began to perform diagnostic spells on Harry,
muttering and grunting as he did so. Harry looked at the older doctor
with raised eyebrows, "Anything interesting?"
The doctor looked at Harry like he was crazy, "Interesting? I can't make
sense of any of this!"
Harry cocked his head to the side and looked at him inquisitively. "How
so?"
"Well, for one thing, none of my scans are working. Hell, I can't even tell
if you're alive or not!"
"What do you mean?" Fleur asked, worry once again taking over her
perfect features. She had grabbed Harry's arm and rested her head on his
shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his warmth again. In that little time
where it was gone, she fully realized just how much she couldn't live
without him.
"I mean what I say. All of the scans are fuzzy, like they can't tell if you're
dead or alive, or something in-between. The other scans I've tried also
come back with odd results, such as testing how healthy your magic is.
My scans are either so off the charts that it's coming back negative, or
you just don't have any magic anymore."
Harry heard several people gasp and for just a split second, he felt his
own heart begin to beat quickly. "Where are my w-" He stopped when
Sirius pulled his three wands from a pocket in his robe and handed them
to Harry. "Thank you." Immediately upon contact with them, he breathed
out a sigh in relief when he felt a familiar rush of warmth flow through
his body.
Harry curiously glanced down to the lion that rested on his left breast
and swished Godric's wand, thinking of the spell he wished to cast. With
ease, as if water flowed from his hands and through his wand, a gigantic
lion sprang to life from the tip and raced around the room looking for
any threats to its master. It was completely solid and Flitwick who stood
not far away gazed at it with wonder.
"That's...different." Sirius said, watching the lion prowl the room. The
school ghosts watched as well with awed looks, the Bloody Baron a wide
grin on his face. Peeves approached the lion but immediately ran back to
the comfort of the other ghosts when the lion growled at him.
"It's joyous to have a true heir back in this castle. She has been suffering
for many centuries, her magic slowly leaving her." Helena said. "The rest
of the castle will want to be introduced to you of course and you have
many other matters to attend to."
"Err, what matters?" Harry asked, not exactly liking the sound of having
more tasks to add onto his already full plate of things to do.
"I will handle such tasks until the young lord has time to see them
through, Lady Helena." Everyone looked to the lion in surprise, including
Harry who wasn't expecting his patronus to be able to talk. Then it hit
him that he hadn't heard Godric's voice in his head after casting the spell.
He looked to his tattoo and found it missing from his skin.
"Of course my Lord." Helena bowed low and stepped back into the crowd
of ghosts. They took several steps back as a group to make way for the
large lion that approached the group of humans. "Who of you controls
this school?"
Minerva hesitantly stepped forward, steeling her nerves to look upon the
face of the large lion that towered above her. "I do, Minerva McGonagall,
Headmistress of Hogwarts and former Head of House Gryffindor."
Godric nodded his head, "Continue in your management of the school. I
will see to the castles defenses with the help of my heir." Godric turned to
Harry, "Cancel your spell, I wish to speak with you in private." Harry
flicked his wand and the patronus of Godric disappeared from the room,
leaving everyone but Harry in a state of shock.
"I can see your mind, your memories. I see your enemies and all that you have
accomplished before my time here. Truly remarkable you are and from your
victories before this moment, I would be a very proud grandfather." Harry felt
something lodge in his chest, something he had never felt before, but it
felt good, it felt homely. "Your fight is not finished however, and in these late
hours, I will be here to help you through them."
–
Rain poured from the sky, coming from dark clouds that stretched as far
as the eye could see. Hundreds of witches and wizards were stretched
across the various hills, clumped in groups and all gazing down sadly at
the newly found graves. Harry stood next to Susan, dressed in a black
suit. He had already put a spell over the burial sight to block the rain. In
the middle of the group of people was a simple stone slab, the name
Amelia Bones written on it, along with the words, "Death is only a door."
Susan cried heavily onto Harry's shoulder, clutching at him like he was
the last person on earth. He stood stoically, an arm wrapped around her
shoulder and letting her cry to her hearts content. She had quickly gotten
over the quick spell of hating him for what happened to her aunt,
realizing it was never his fault, even though he himself still partly blamed
himself for her death.
His eyes scanned the horizon, watching the other funerals that were
taking place all alongside the great valley they found themselves in. The
Valley of Mourning, an apt name for it, Harry figured. Hundreds of
gravestones littered the area, it being a popular sight for many wizards
and witches from old families to be buried. One had to take but a few
steps away to find the graves of many ancestors of the Longbottoms. Only
the Peverells and the Potters had other gravesites away from this valley.
Always independent from the normal ways of wizards they were and
Harry could always smile at that fact.
Not too far away he caught a glimpse of bright red hair through the rain.
Ginny stood beside her mother who was sat in a chair, her head bowed
low as she continuously wept. The brothers stood on the other side of the
grave as well as several work friends and other family that had gathered
at the funeral of the Weasley patriarch. Harry felt a stab of sadness run
through him in that moment as memories of events not long away went
through his head.
Mr. Weasley had always been a father figure to him, one before Sirius or
Remus had become them. The Weasley family in general was like a
family to him despite his falling out with the youngest male. George,
Charlie, and the twins had been friends to him these last couple years
and even Ginny had started to escape her fanboy persona and become her
own person around him. He was sad to have heard of Arthur's death at
the ministry and wished he could ease the pain of their loss.
He turned his attentions back to the funeral at hand and continued to
stand there, offering what little support he could to Susan. Many had
come out to Amelia's funeral and Harry was thankful they could all be
here. Slowly, one by one, people began to say their final goodbyes and
leave the gravesite. Harry was one of the last to leave, only waiting for
Hannah to escort Susan away and head home for the weekend to recover
from her loss.
Seeing that the Weasleys were still there, Harry decided it would be a
good time to pay his respects to Arthur. He descended the hill that
Amelia was buried on and entered into the valley, passing by several
other funerals as he did so. Many people looked at him as he walked by,
but none said a word.
As he made his way to the Weasley grave, Bill was the first to notice his
approach and stepped forward to greet him. Harry shook hands with him,
then Charlie and the twins. Ginny and Ron kept their distance, standing
by their mother who still hadn't noticed his presence. "Thank you for
making it, Harry." Bill said. Harry nodded his head but didn't say a word,
turning his attention to the gravestone.
"I'm sorry for what happened." Harry whispered to himself, hoping that
maybe Arthur could hear him in some far off land, through shadow and
cloud. He glanced at Mrs. Weasley and found her to be in a near
catatonic state. She was no longer crying and instead, just looking
straightforward, her eyes glassy and distant.
"Will she be okay?" Harry asked Bill, jerking his head at Molly. After the
incident involving her and Dumbledore was taken care of, she had
remained quite passive, giving no reason to Harry to involve himself
further in the matters of the Weasleys. Still though, he kept himself on
guard around her just in case.
Bill glanced at his mum and then back to Harry, "She'll be fine. It's just
been hard on her...hard on all of us."
"I'm sure." Harry responded, not sure what else to say in the matter.
"Well, we need to go, have training with Moody this afternoon." Charlie
said, though he hardly looked ready to leave the area. About them all,
Harry could see they were in deep pain. From his time with them he
knew the family to be closely knit, and Arthur was the one that kept
them altogether, especially after the events of just a year ago.
Harry nodded his head solemnly, "Good luck." Both Charlie and Bill went
to help Molly to her feet and guided her away from the grave. He
watched the rest of Weasleys follow the oldest sons away from the valley,
disappearing from view behind another hill.
He stood by the grave all alone, the wind beginning to become more
violent and the rain began to heavily pour down. He had stepped away
from the wards placed over Amelia's grave and so now he was drenched
from the rain. "A king always stands alone." Harry turned his head to the
unfortunately familiar voice. Gellert approached him in a heavy black
cloak, its hood drawn over his head to obscure his identity from prying
eyes. Gellert looked over Harry's shoulder, "A friend of yours?"
"A father." Harry replied.
"Ahh." Gellert walked around Harry and looked at the name carved on
the gravestone. "At least a father is not burying a son."
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to fetch you. We have much work to do."
–
Harry landed just outside the looming gates of Belogradchik, its great
doors already swung open for him. The guards wearing their silver armor
bowed for him as he walked through. Upon entering the main street
where many shops and other houses were located, two loud trumpet
blasts sounded throughout the entire city. The citizens looked to the gate
and saw their new lord enter and they all bowed to him.
Gellert walked in just after Harry, "You can't tell me you don't love this
power." He whispered into Harry's ear as he walked by him. Harry
wanted to retort but found himself alone as Gellert had already started
walking up the hill, talking and joking with his subjects as they all
crowded around him as if he were loved by all. It was an odd sight to see,
in great contrast to the horror stories he had heard of the man.
Harry began walking up the hill as well and quickly found himself
surrounded just like he was used to in Diagon Alley. People were calling
out to him, wishing to even just touch him in the hopes they would have
good fortune for the action. He could see how someone would come to
think themselves a god when people worshiped them like this. Gellert
was thriving in the attention. In Harry's opinion he was making a fool of
himself, but based off the laughter coming from those around him,
Harry's opinion was quite foolish.
Many of the citizens cried out to him, some wanting him to visit the Inn
and share a few drinks. Others wanted to fashion him in the latest
designs of their people, which Harry figured were quite out of date, even
moreso than the wizarding world. And the girls, they latched onto him
like he was a great prize to be won and when harry actually thought
about it, he probably was in their eyes. Unfortunately for them, he
already had a queen of his heart, and no one could hope to replace her.
He continued to climb the mountain, fighting his way through the hordes
of citizens as he went. Eventually he made it to the grand doors of the
white keep that stood proudly on top the hill. He noticed high atop the
tallest tower of the keep, a banner fluttered in the wind, the symbol of
the Deathly Hallows embroidered in gold with a white background. The
doors were carved from a black wood and they were infused with gold
and silver designs depicting dragons and Holy Knights in combat. The
silver guards opened the doors up for Harry and he was inside just
shortly after Grindelwald had made it in himself.
The keep looked just like the last time he had been there, save for the
great stone table that was placed in the middle. Gellert stood on one side
of the table and two other men stood on the opposite. Both were clad in
thick full plate armor, one colored black, the other silver. They looked
something like out of Harry's muggle textbooks on the late middle ages in
beginners school. As soon as he walked up to the table, the two knights
placed their fists over their hearts and bowed their heads.
"Harry, these men are Sir Galdrey and Sir Mol, they are the senior knights
of the realm and are in charge of the safety of the kingdom." Gellert
introduced them.
Harry bowed his head to them. "A pleasure my Lords."
Both knights looked up at him with surprise, not expecting the
courteousness of their new prince. "The pleasure is ours." Sir Mol said.
"Now, you are progressing quite quickly in your magic studies every day
and have grown very strong. However, you won't be able to win this war
by outfighting them on the battlefield, this war will be won with your
head, through good, decisive strategy. That's what we will begin to teach
you." Gellert said.
Harry glanced at the table and noticed that upon it was a sprawling map
of Europe. On the map were iron pieces that were scattered around in
different countries. Sir Mol caught his looks and explained, "We have put
forth a bit of a testing scenario for you. As you can see here, Julius
Caesar commands four legions in northern Gaul." He pointed to a cluster
of iron pieces that were in modern France, shaped to look like Roman
legionnaires.
He then pointed to many more figures that surrounded them, "The Gauls
are much greater in number and have surrounded Caesar on three sides.
How do you defeat an enemy that is well entrenched in the country they
grew up in and outnumbers your forces?"
Harry studied the board for a moment. He knew little of Julius Caesar
and the Roman Empire. He was a famous general turned dictator that
was later stabbed by friends but that was the extent of his knowledge in
the matter. Harry continued to look at the board, hoping to find some
clever ruse to not only destroy the Gaul, but save as much of his men as
possible as well. Not seeing anything, Harry shook his head. "I don't
know."
Sir Galdrey slammed his fist down on the four legions in control of
Caesar and they all turned to dust. "And that is what happens to a
commander who is at a loss as to what to do. Forty thousand men gone in
the blink of an eye because of the ineptness of a general." Immediately
Harry was cowed by the wrath and sudden anger in the older knights
voice. He was expected to lead a war, and he needed to know how to
fight one, something both Dumbledore and Voldemort had experience in
doing. These men were going to teach him to not stretch out blindly in
the dark, but to plan long in advance and win the wars of the mind.
Sir Galdrey raised his fist from the table and the four legions returned
from the dust. "You can learn a lot from the Romans. Good and bad, they
did it all. There is a reason they conquered much of the world and there
is a reason they lost all of it."
"Now look again." Sir Mol continued. Gellert waved his hand over the
board and the pieces began to move. One of the Roman legionnaires
moved north and attacked small villages, then defeated one of the Gaul
tribes. At the same time, another legionnaire moved south and did the
same while the two remaining legionnaires struck in the middle, creating
a wide hole. "The Romans advantage was always their ability to strike
hard and fast against forces that were ill-equipped. They were masters of
the pitched battle, to the point they were unbeatable."
Sir Galdrey then took over, "Rome may have had less soldiers to call on,
but they were very well armored and brought with them weapons of war,
great siege engines that could topple fortified towns." Harry was
beginning to lose these two knights point. Wars of a long time ago,
especially wars between muggles hardly seemed relevant to the war he
faced now.
Gellert seemed to sense his confusion and so took up the lesson. "Julius
Caesar was a brilliant commander, not because he had the better soldiers,
but because he could always envision a way to success. You and him are
in a very similar position. You are both men of the people, have the will
of an army and a great horde of people, and are feared by deadly foes,
hidden and seen to you. Study him, learn from him, and maybe you won't
share his final fate."
–
"So, tell me more of this, Harry Potter." General Artorius Scorni said,
sitting down in his wooden chair. Behind him was an older man wearing
tattered clothes. His face was painted blue in a rough design and to Olaf,
he looked wild, like he had been in the woods away from humans longer
than was healthy. His hair was thick and dark brown and had some
leaves and sticks scattered throughout it. He looked like a feral beast and
if it weren't for the stock still nature in the way he stood, Olaf would
have thought him a strange animal.
In the wild mans hand was a plain brown staff that he lent heavily on. At
the tip of the staff was a strange crystal that had a faint blue glow coming
from it, the light pulsating soothingly outwards. Any time that Olaf said a
word, the Roman General that sat across from him would translate to the
older man in a harsh foreign tongue that he didn't quite recognize.
The tent they sat in was very cozy, a fireplace roaring off to the right
bathing the room in flickering light. On the desk that separated him from
the general was a large, finely made desk that had a map of the
surrounding lands on it. The general had placed his sword on the desk
beside it. Olaf looked at it and found it to be richer in design than any
other sword he had ever seen carried by a mortal man. Potters sword was
the exception, but Potter was also seemingly not mortal.
"Stories of him have passed through this land. They say he is a great
warrior, born from Jupiter himself, sent to rid the land of a festering
darkness. Tales of his exploits are great and I find myself increasingly
wondering if any of them are indeed true." The general continued.
"I'm not sure about being born from a god, though he does hold himself
as one. His mere presence in a room is suffocating, the power in his
stature is truly something to behold. He walks like a wolf amongst sheep,
acts like a Lord born of old, and fights like a demon tasked with
destroying absolutely. I have never met one such as him." Olaf replied.
"You speak high praises, viking. Why? Pray tell your story, and how you
became a party of Harry Potter." Olaf nodded and relaxed into his chair.
A nearby servant brought a cup of wine for everyone in the tent and Olaf
dove into his tale. He spoke of his father and the demise he found at the
end of his axe from the word of a silver wizard. He told of his journey
through the plains between death and life and his eventual resurrection.
All that he had seen and heard of Potter he told to the Roman General,
not skimping on any detail. He looked to recruit, not to dissuade by
omitting truths.
Several times he caught the eye of the older, wild man, and several times
he saw his eyes flash brilliantly in the fire, specks of gold and purple in
them. The man was clearly of some kind of power, unknown to Olaf, but
surely strong and wise despite his looks. As he wrapped up his stories and
having answered many more questions from the general, the wild man
moved for the first time.
He bent low and whispered into the Romans ear, and Olaf strained to
hear, but heard nothing. The Roman listened intently, softly nodding in
response to each word he spoke. Olaf could easily tell that this wild man
held true power over the Roman general which made him even more
curious as to who he was.
"I give you leave to walk my camp freely. We will speak more in the
morning." The general finally said. Olaf stood up, knowing that he was
dismissed, and bowed his head, leaving the tent. As he stepped out into
the cold night air, he immediately began to further study his
surroundings. The sounds of hammers echoed in the night, laughter and
song came from nearby. He walked over to it, curious to see the life of
these people.
He found many surrounding a campfire, men and women dancing and
singing and drinking. It was not unlike his own people and he felt an
immediate homely feel to it all. These small parties were scattered
throughout thousands of tents that had been set up in a perfect square.
High wooden walls surrounded the encampment and before the walls
were deep trenches and hills to impede besiegers. Men with spears and
bows walked along the walls, ever vigilant for an enemy long defeated.
The smell of food drew him and he immediately found himself hungry,
not realizing how long he had gone without nourishment. He followed
his nose and came upon a large tent, the largest in the entire
encampment. There he found hundreds of tables where men dined, a long
line at the far end where the soldiers grabbed whatever food was
available to them.
Eager, Olaf walked towards the line and no one questioned him. He
received a few odd glares, but it was clear everyone knew of him, and of
their generals orders. Olaf grabbed what food he could and left the tent,
eating as he walked since he didn't feel comfortable with all of the stares.
His forefathers had talked of Roman legions and their great aptitude for
killing. He had little love for them, and they the same for him, but old
enemies didn't always remain that way. Olaf now looked to the future,
having already envisioned a new place for his people in a grand empire
that would one day span the globe.
A great flash lit up the night sky and Olaf looked up and was amazed at
what he saw. Rain clouds, darker than the night sky, unleashed
themselves onto the Earth, but no water fell into the camp. An invisible
barrier of some kind blocked natures path. It was as if a dome had
formed around the camp, protecting it from the world and it made Olaf
wonder. He looked more closely at the tents and the soldiers within. The
harsh language he heard wasn't something he didn't know, but was
something he had forgotten, a lost language spoken by no one, save these
people. It was Latin they spoke, and continued to speak and he began to
put two and two together.
He had heard stories of these mystics, wizards of Germania and Brittania
that were said to have great power, bending nature to their wills. The
wild man was a mystic and a powerful one at that. To create something
the likes of this would rival Potters power. His mind shifted back to when
he had been caught searching the forest for this very encampment but
never found it. One second he had been walking alone in a dark forest,
the next he was hit over the head by the hilt of a sword, his
consciousness leaving him.
"I see you have come to realize what this place is." A gruff and deep voice
broke Olaf from his thoughts. He spun around to find the old, wild mystic
standing before him, heavily leaning upon his staff, a crutch for an old
man. A youthfulness still ran through the mans eyes, but his body looked
ready to fail at any moment.
"I've never seen the likes of it before. I'm not sure even Potter could do
this."
The old man smiled and ran a withered hand through his beard. "Harry
Potter can do a great many things, I have heard." Olaf got the sense that
he was talking to someone who knew a great many things, yet revealed
little. The man coughed, his body shaking as he did so, but the corners of
his lips were upturned like he had tried to chuckle but was too frail to do
so.
"I am old and dying." He said, wiping his mouth of spit that had dribbled
onto his chin. "I have not many days left and no sons or daughters to see
them through with me. My time and my peoples time ends with me." Olaf
stayed silently, listening to the man with his full attention. In fact, even if
he wanted to walk away and leave the man to ramble by himself, he felt
like he couldn't. It was as if a spell of some kind had descended onto him,
locking him into place as he was so captivated by the purple and gold
eyes that flashed in the lightning.
"I have been here many years, watching, guiding, and protecting these
people. Soon I feel that privilege will fall to another. When you leave
here, I wish to venture with you and meet this Harry Potter. I have heard
and seen through my mind the wonders of the modern world, but never
experienced them. I should wish to do so before my last day."
Olaf bowed his head for it seemed right in the moment. He felt that he
was talking quietly with a great ruler that had served his people for many
years. A benevolence and wonder was in the old mans eyes and Olaf
would not refuse his last request. "I will take you to meet him. He would
wish to meet you as well for you are very wise and full of harsh lessons."
The mystic smiled before coughing violently once more. "I look forward
to it."
44. Corrupted Kings
Daphne sat down in the Slytherin common room with her sister nearby.
Tracy was also close, sitting on the floor beside the fire with a potions
book in her lap. The three of them sat silently in the dark light, the
fireplace barely burning just the way their house liked it. No longer did
she have any reason to fear being a friend of Potters while in her house.
After Draco and his bodyguards were expelled from the castle, the danger
she faced was lessened greatly.
In fact, now it was like the supporters of Potter and his side came
streaming out of the woodwork. Whether they were genuinely supporters
of Harry and his cause or just wishing to end up on the winning side was
yet to be seen. Still though, it made things much easier and safer for her
and her friends.
A few of those in Slytherin still sided with their parents ideologies,
embracing the Death Eater cause, especially since most of said parents
were dead and their offspring wished for revenge. A silent war had begun
within the house and their Head had remained either oblivious to it all,
or just willing to turn a blind eye. It was more likely the latter, Slughorn
wasn't the type who cared for the students, only himself. Each night there
was some kind of attack, nothing harmful where it would attract the
attention of the Headmistress, or worse, Harry Potter himself whom was
feared above all.
These attacks were borderline pranks, but never were they funny, and
almost always the Death Eater side ended up worse for wear. The attacks
also stayed above the fourth year mark, which was wise since anything
below would attract Harry's attention who made his intentions known
that none younger should ever be involved in something as stupid as in-
house fighting.
Each night, Daphne and Tracy planned their own attacks, with the help
of the older years who sided with them. They were winning the fighting
and soon, they expected absolute victory, having brought many of the DE
supporters to their side.
Harry Potter was now truly one to be feared within the halls of Hogwarts.
The very breath of his name sent a shiver down many peoples spines, but
it wasn't necessarily out of fear, but reverence and awe of him. Among
the students he was a legend, a god not to be messed with. Each morning
they were reminded of Harry's prowess with magic when the Daily
Prophet was delivered, spewing forth fantasies of his battles, true and
fake alike.
When he walked through the castle, he was like a King, an entourage of
soldiers followed him, all much older. Aurors, goblins, and centaurs all
walked with him, talking and advising him in ways of the war. Even in
matters of the ministry he was often being looked to, his place having
risen higher than the minister himself.
Daphne noticed that with each day, a glow began to grow around him. It
was like magic herself began to wrap converge around him, adorning him
with a golden cloak of protection. He truly was the Chosen One in many
peoples eyes. The prophesied one. To Daphne though, Harry was more
than just the Chosen One, or a warrior, or a King. He was a friend and
she loved him as one. Her love for him had pacified, knowing that he
would never return the love she once had felt for him. Since then, she
was able to move on, but she had a feeling no man would be like Harry.
Theo Knott walked in through the hidden entrance and took his place by
Daphne on the couch in front of the fire. It was usual for the three fifth
years and Astoria to be seen together, and if any Slytherin wished to get a
message to Potter, they all knew who to go through.
Knott looked slightly disturbed, as if he had received an ill-fated message,
having just come back from the owlery. He leaned over and spoke in a
whisper, "Harry needs to know. Voldemort plans on meeting with
someone." This immediately caught her attention and she sat upright.
"Who?" Daphne asked, matching Theo's whisper. Theo had become
somewhat of a spy for Harry within the camp of the Death Eaters. His
father was one of the last still alive in the inner circle, and Theo's father,
Avery still believed his son true to the Death Eater cause. Theo of course
had long turned from that cause and was willing to risk himself for
Harry.
Theo shook his head, "My father doesn't even know. But it's someone that
even Voldemort fears. He said that his master was actually trembling
before he set out."
"Someone Voldemort fears?" Daphne asked skeptically. She may not
know Voldemort, but she had heard many stories of him, none which
involved him fearing anyone, save Dumbledore. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." He took out a crumpled piece of parchment from his robe and
handed it to her. Daphne read through the quickly scrabbled letter. Avery
gave little details in it, just expressing that he was well and further asking
about Theo's schooling. He also asked some general questions with the
ongoings of the school and that if he sees Potter much. What grabbed her
attention though was that Avery did talk of Voldemort setting out soon,
and that he looked even more pale than usual, as if he was scared of
something or someone.
"I'll get this to him." Daphne said finally. "Thank you." She put her book
to the side and stood up from the couch. "I'll be right back." She
addressed to her sister who barely even looked up from her book in
acknowledgment.
Quickly, she left the Slytherin dorms and stepped out into the cool, dark
dungeons. Always damp and cold with little light to see. She liked it this
way, the dark, the slight rush of adrenaline that immediately enters your
blood as soon as you walk into a place that isn't cozy and friendly. It was
late at night and currently after hours, but no one would stop her if she
was seen, so she didn't try and hide.
Along the way she passed Professor Flitwick who hardly even glanced in
her direction. He noticed she had a crumpled slip of paper in her hand
and didn't bother to say anything, instead, just continuing on his rounds
of the castle.
Hogwarts was a completely different thing at night while the students
rested. Without anyone walking its halls, it had a haunted feel to it.
Thousands of people had walked them over the many years since the
Founders. At night she got the sense that none of those before her ever
truly left this place, that a part of each person that attended this school
stayed here forever.
Continuing up the steps towards Potters room which was located on the
seventh floor, she passed by a squad of goblins that were being addressed
by their commander. The captain was barking orders in an foreign tongue
and he looked up as Daphne passed by.
She couldn't help but shutter slightly when the large goblins beady black
eyes focused on her. They were strange creatures she found. She had
tried to talk with several of them, but the conversations were usual
awkward and forced. Most of the goblins didn't speak any English which
made things even more difficult. What was more odd about them was
how quickly their persons would change if Harry or King Ragnok were in
the room.
If it was just her, like now, walking alone in the castle at night, the
goblins would watch her curiously, if not a little concernedly, as if they
expected her to attack them in some way. However, if Harry were to be
walking through the castle, the goblins would stand up straighter and
bow their heads in respect. Some would draw their swords or brandish
their spears in his presence. Truly they were a warrior culture and
respected warriors above all other things.
Eventually she reached the top floor, and walked down the hall, passed
the Room of Requirement which wasn't visible at the moment. She came
to a door with two armored goblin guards standing outside of it. Upon
seeing her, they stepped to the side and Daphne walked up and knocked
on the door.
It didn't take long for her to hear footsteps, closely followed by the sound
of a bolt unlocking and the door opening. Harry stood in front of her
with only a pair of shorts on, a firelight flickering across his chest. She
quickly turned her head away and blushed a deep red, not expecting
Harry to lack clothing, "Err, sorry. I-I just have...this." She held out the
crumpled piece of paper for Harry to take. She may not have those
feelings for him anymore, but their was no denying that Fleur was a very
lucky woman.
"Sorry." Harry muttered sheepishly. "I half thought it would be Sirius. Its
a bit late for you to be out, isn't it?" Harry asked, taking the piece of
paper and beginning to unfurl it.
"Its from Theo." Daphne explained, still keeping her eyes averted and
unable to calm her blush. Her words went unheard as Harry began to
read the note.
"Did he say anything else to you?" Harry asked once he had finished with
the letter.
Daphne shook her head and braved a glance at him, keeping her eyes
focused on his bright green eyes that danced with light. "He only knows
what is in that letter."
"Thanks for this." Harry said. He turned to leave but noticed that Daphne
hesitated and was biting her lips as if nervous about something. "Is there
anything else?" He asked, taking a step out of the room and towards
Daphne.
"Er, no, no. Have a good night Harry." Her nervous attitude turned and
she put on a wry smile. "I hope you got me a good present."
Harry chuckled. "I hope you will like it."
"I'm sure I will. Won't give me any clues as to what it is?" She asked with
raised eyebrows.
"That would ruin the surprise of Christmas if I did. What's my present?"
"Who said I even got you a present?" Daphne mocked. Harry pouted, his
lower lip sticking out and his eyes widened to look like a small child.
Daphne couldn't help but laugh at the look of the most fearsome wizard
in the entire world. "I'll see you tomorrow Harry." Daphne finished,
walking away from him and back down into the dorms.
As she began her descent down the grand staircase that was located in
the heart of the castle, she began to hear muttering from nearby.
Whispers came to her, carried by a breeze that flowed from nowhere. The
quiet words surrounded her and she couldn't make anything out. One of
the whispers suddenly became louder and she was then able to hear
which direction it came from.
Curiosity took her and she found herself walking down the sixth floor
hallway. It was dark, only a few torches lit the long hall up. Suits of
armor decorated the walls as well as a few paintings of old, famous
wizards that had once walked these halls while still students. Most of this
hall was abandoned though, only the entrance to the astronomy tower
was being used now.
She followed the louder voice to an abandoned classroom at the far end
of the hall, and the voice was muddled by a large amount of whispers.
She could tell that a group of people were having an argument of some
kind, but as she strained her ear against the door, she couldn't hear what
their words were.
Nothing came to her until a woman's voice was clear above all others,
"We're not alone anymore." Daphne's eyes widened and she tried to
quickly step away from the door, but she was too slow. Several of the
house ghosts appeared, walking through the walls of the classroom and
joining her in the hall.
"Well, we now don't have a choice but to tell him of this." Sir Nicholas
said.
–
The room was dark, only the flickering of a few candles illuminated it.
Pale stone walls were all around him and Voldemort sat solitary in the
desolate room. It was as if he were in a tomb buried thousands of feet
below the surface. In the middle was a stone slab where Dumbledore was
resting, his breathing shallow and his skin paler than ever.
Riddle sat on an old rickety wooden stool that barely supported his
weight. It was a far cry from the grandeur halls he envisioned himself in
by this time, and it was far sight from the world he thought would exist.
He sat next to the dying image of his oldest and most feared rival, but
instead of celebrating his coming death, he was saddened and scared by
it. With the coming death of Dumbledore, he would be forced into
making deals he could never hope to take back.
He watched as the old wizards chest rose and fell, waiting for the
moment it no longer moved. The healing he and his wife gave to Albus
was not enough to sustain his life and bring him back from the land of
shadow and disease. He was passing onto the next adventure and Riddle
was mixed with his feelings for his.
With each passing moment, Voldemort found his hope of a better world
leaving him. Only rage filled him now, rage towards the boy that
constantly thwarted him. He was becoming desperate to beat his foe and
was now looking to make a deal with the true devil. What the world
would become, he didn't know, but he also didn't care, as long as Potter
wasn't apart of it.
His forces were scattered and just beginning to be brought back to full
power. Allies from around the globe were beginning to wain. He was
drawing upon the last and least powerful soldiers he could muster. Potter
would have a greater army, and he would be even more powerful than
himself soon. He had to draw blood quickly, especially against Potter
himself, and he only knew one way to do so. It would require walking
into Hell.
Dumbledore choked, his last breath beginning to leave him. In his
unending sleep, he gave out one last desperate attempt for air before
suffocating. Voldemort watched the whole thing, offering no support to
his old enemy. He looked on amused, yet saddened and angered at the
passing.
"So goes the Light of the World." Voldemort said, his voice hollow in the
enclosed burial tomb he sat in. Voldemort flicked his wand and a slab of
thick stone hovered in the air before enclosing itself all around
Dumbledore, molding itself to the old wizard. It shaped itself into the
form of the dead wizard and created a sarcophagus that looked just like
him.
The only thing Voldemort took from Albus was the Elder Wand. He felt
the magic of the Hallow rush through his blood, the wand accepting him
as its true owner. The power he felt was unreal, greater than anything he
could have imagined and now he knew why Dumbledore was one of the
most powerful men in the wizarding world. Just one second with this
wand made him feel completely invincible.
Without a second thought, he waved the wand and transformed his
golden hand back into the pale, bony hand he had before. The hand that
Potter took from him was made whole and as he took the wand into it, he
felt the familiarity of his power from before take hold. For a moment, he
thought he could do without meeting the Grand Wizard, but he thought
better of it. Potter was strong, even without the Elder wand, posing a
challenge to Dumbledore when he was the master of it. Voldemort would
still need help to fight the boy even with this new strength.
He waved the wand again, and his figure turned into black smoke that
floated through the small cracks of the earth and he floated into the night
sky. He dashed off through the air at great speed, flying across Germany
and heading south to discuss allies with devils.
–
"Why wasn't this found earlier?" Harry asked, looking directly at Helena
Ravenclaw who stood just beside him, her ghostly body standing in the
table itself. Next to her was a diadem, beautiful and serene, glowing
diamonds encrusted in silver with a large blue sapphire that pulsated
with power. It was the long lost diadem of Ravenclaw. Flitwick sat on the
other side of the table, staring at it with awe, his jaw dropped as he
gazed at it with wonder and glee.
"No one asked me to retrieve it. Only after you became Lord of the castle
did I wish to gift it to you." Helena responded. Inside the Room of
Requirement was all of his normal advisors, save for Moody and
Shacklebolt who were busy training the new auror recruits at the
ministry. Daphne was the only newcomer to this group since it was she
that had convinced Helena to show the horcrux to him. It didn't take as
long as he thought it would to bring Daphne up to speed on the full
situation of the horcruxes, and she took the news quite well.
They all sat around the table and looked intensely at the diadem. It was
clear to all that some dark intent was upon the object and from the few
diagnostic spells Remus had cast, it was clear this was indeed a hocrux.
"Destroy it." Harry commanded, standing up and making his leave from
the room. Everyone watched him leave, not uttering a single word.
Helena clearly looked distraught at the thought of her mothers heirloom
being destroyed, but she was ready to obey her new master. It was clear
to her that this diadem had been tainted beyond all repair, but she still
had had some hope Harry might know a way to save it while purging the
darkness within it.
He didn't wish to wait to watch the actual object be purged of its heresy.
Instead he made his way outside the Room and began walking down the
long seventh floor hallway. As he reached the far end, as if sensing his
presence, a door appeared. It was made of pure gold and was bordered
by red metal. The door swung open at once and Harry walked in. Two
goblin guards who had been standing off to the side walked over and
took their place in front of the door to guard it while Harry was inside.
Inside was a large room, roughly the same size of the Gryffindor common
room. However, this wasn't a place for students to talk and study, but
instead his new quarters. Godric had begun to show him the many secret
rooms of the castle, places that not even Dumbledore ever could find.
Within this large room was a library that reached to the ceiling.
Hundreds of ancient textbooks, used by the Founders themselves and
some even written by them, were kept in these bookshelves. He hadn't
had too much time to go through many of them, but Godric had pointed
out a couple that he should read as quickly as possible.
One of the books Godric had him read was a book that had compiled
accounts of historical battles, fought by Romans, Greeks, and Persians. In
this book were the thoughts and minds of the commanders of those
battles, writing down why they made certain choices which led to victory
on the battlefield. Combined with the training he was receiving from
Grindelwald, and now this, he found his knowledge in warfare greatly
increasing. To him, it was quickly becoming obvious that he couldn't win
this war off the back of his raw power. And even if he could, many of his
friends and family would die in the process. Out thinking Voldemort and
Dumbledore had become his top priority.
All about the room were books and papers that had been set aside by
Harry for studying, transforming this place into an office for himself.
Fawkes had a perch by the simple desk he used that was stacked with
various sheets of old spell designs. As soon as he walked in, he flicked his
wand, and Godric leapt from it. He trotted around the room for a
moment, stretching his muscles before laying down by the fire, the large
lion completely blocking it.
"Have you fixed the wards?" The lion yawned, the power from it causing
the very walls to vibrate.
"Yes, the wards are taken care of." Harry replied. Once he had taken
control of the castle, he took control of the wards as well. Godric had
shown him how to pour his own power into the wards, strengthening
them. Moody, Shacklebolt, and Sirius had all try to break through the
wards simultaneously, but none succeeded. It would take someone with a
great amount of power to break through them now.
He tiredly set himself up in his chair and began to look over the stacks of
papers that was before him. Reports of his entire forces had come in as
well as many messages from foreign ministers wishing to speak with him.
Try as he might to change this, Fudge was no longer the recipient of said
messages and he was being burdened with them now. It was clear by all
that Harry had taken up the ruling of the country despite Fudge still
being the minister.
He placed the pile of letters into a bin which Fawkes flashed away with,
delivering them to the ministry so that they could actually do their jobs.
Such things he had no wish to deal with, and no time as well. His full
attentions were on the war effort, placing groups of soldiers in certain
locations and the handling of information passed to him from spies.
After the battle of the ministry, Harry found that his forces were nearly
cut in half, but he was surprised to find that with each day, more and
more people willingly signed up to fight with him. The goblins were
nearly spent, Ragnok and Dimfold only having four-hundred soldiers
between them that could fight. Harry himself only had around eight-
hundred wizards willing to fight but he was finding replacements
elsewhere. Dobby started a small militia of house elves who began to
patrol certain locations and the centaurs of England had joined into their
ranks.
In total he was looking at an army of around a thousand and a half. All
he could hope for was that it would be enough. Voldemort and
Dumbledore were surely gathering allies in one way or another and the
fact that they had lost a lot of their own forces worried Harry greatly.
Voldemort would surely resort to gathering allies he normally wouldn't
have due to the desperation he was feeling. What these allies could
potentially be scared Harry greatly. Inferi were the first thing he thought
of, an army of undead was definitely something he wouldn't put passed
Voldemort to create. Dumbledore also was bending the wills of muggles
to fight with him which made it difficult for Harry to fight them since
they were really innocent in all things.
The door to his room suddenly opened and he looked up to see Fleur
enter. The guards knew to let her in when she wished since she often
slept here as well. "I thought you should know eet was taken care of."
Fleur said, walking up to him and sitting in his lap. His arms
automatically went around her waiste and pulled her closer to him. He
was hit by her perfume, the smell of lavender. He breathed it in and
sighed contentedly. These times he had with her were becoming fewer
and far between.
"Are you staying with me tonight?" He asked hopefully.
A smile played across her face and she stood up and then straddled his
lap instead, giving Harry a very generous view of her chest. "Would you
like me to?" She breathed out, her lips beginning to tug on his ear. She
felt his soft lips begin to caress her neck and a shudder ran down her
spine at his touch.
"Always." He responded quietly, his hands beginning to feverishly search
her body.
"Do you forget that I am here?" Fleur jumped off his lap suddenly at the
words. Harry let out a groan and began cursing at the large lion who, if
an animal could, looked quite amused. "I had half a mind to watch to be
honest."
"That's disgusting, always been a foul prick." Harry heard in his head as
Fawkes flashed into the room and landed on the lions head. Fawkes'
talons must have dug into Godric because he let out a small roar and
quickly stood up, attempting to swipe at the phoenix with his large paws,
but missed wide as Fawkes danced around his head. The two continued
at it for another minute, and Hedwig who had been resting on the nearby
window sill, saw the game and decided to join. Both Fleur and Harry
could only watch half-amused, half-annoyed as the birds played keep
away from the lion.
As Godric tried to swipe at Hedwig, missing easily, his large paw came
down wide and hit one of the wooden chairs, showering the room with
splinters." Alright, enough!" Harry commanded finally. The three animals
didn't seem to hear him so Harry snapped his wand and in a split-second,
the lion had vanished.
"Ahh! Let me at them, those pesky vermin!" Godric growled in his head.
Harry did his best to ignore the ensuing name-calling fight that took
place between Fawkes and Godric. Hedwig seeing that the game was
over, flew over to Fleur and landed softly on her shoulder. Fleur had
been laughing the whole time and was trying to calm her giggles as she
ran her slender hand through Hedwig's feathers.
"Sorry 'bout that." Harry said, a small grin on his own face.
"I can't imagine being around them all the time."
"It's a challenge." Harry replied. The sudden excitement over, he felt his
eyes begin to close as exhaustion took hold of him. It had been just short
of two full days since he had last slept. Granted, he didn't need much in
the way of sleep, but going this long without any still took its toll.
Fleur noticed how tired he was, "Come, lets get you to bed." He knew he
couldn't stay awake much longer and so pushed aside the papers on the
desk and stood up. He flicked his wand and a nearby door swung open to
reveal a small bedchamber he would use every now and then. Not
bothering to take off his clothes, he simply collapsed onto the bed and
promptly fell asleep. Fleur chuckled at his sorry state and slowly began to
take off his shoes and clothes, then finally tucking him under the covers.
She placed a soft kiss on his brow and left the room to head for the
Ravenclaw dorm.
–
Olaf felt someone shake his shoulder violently. He had been sleeping
deeply, having participated in some of the fun activities with the Roman
soldiers after his brief talk with the mysterious mystic. He was surprised
at the ease with which the Romans allowed him to join, and he quickly
found himself the center of attention. His vision was blurry when he
opened his eyes and he rubbed them harshly.
"The commander wishes to speak with you." A soldier said, taking a step
away from the small cot that Olaf was sleeping in. His vision cleared just
in time to see the Roman leave through the tent-flap. He felt a weight on
his right arm and looked over to find a woman, very much nude and still
fast asleep on his arm.
Slowly, he loosened his arm from under her petite figure and sat upright.
He climbed out of the bed and began to throw on his clothes that lay
scattered around the small tent. He gave one last look to the olive
skinned woman in the bed before departing. The soldier waited for him
dutifully outside and began to lead him through the camp. Many of the
soldiers were already out and about, dressed in full armor, and going
about their normal duties.
They made their way to the Generals tent near the center of the camp.
The two guards stepped to the side to allow Olaf to pass through, his
escort staying outside. Inside he found the general in his normal seat with
the mystic standing just off to the side.
The general stood up upon Olaf's entrance and beckoned for him to sit.
When Olaf had sat, so did the general. "I trust your evening was well?"
Artorius asked. In truth, Olaf couldn't remember much of last night after
he was invited to drink with the Romans. It must have been a good night
for him to find a woman in his bed the next morning.
"It was pleasant general." Olaf replied evenly.
He smiled in response, slowly nodding his head. "Good, good." The
general paused for a moment, as if in a last bit of deep thought. "I have
decided on your request." Olaf sat with abated breath. This was what he
was sent to do and he didn't wish to fail in his task. "I have decided not to
go to war." Olaf felt his heart drop and made ready to protest. Seeing
this, Artorius quickly continued, "I do not wish to see my people fight a
war that is not theirs."
"But-" Olaf tried to interject but was quickly cut off by Artorius.
"But, as you learned last night, my friend will be traveling back with you.
He will be of some use to your cause I'm sure. This is all the aide I can
afford to give you." Olaf looked to the mystic and noticed that he actually
looked like he had bathed for once. His beard was combed and braided,
gold rings lopping through it. In fact, he almost looked Viking, save for
the deep blue tattoos that criss-crossed his face, making him look like a
banshee of the forest. His hair had a sheen about it that caught the light
of the fireplace and his eyes shown with more life. He looked far changed
from the old man Olaf had spoken with last night.
Still though, the man leaned heavily on his wooden staff and at that
moment, he coughed violently. Gone was the image of a man that had
many years left to live, and it was replaced by the same old mystic Olaf
had met with yesterday. He seemed to age in a second, his cheeks sinking
in and his skin began to shrivel slightly. The mystic lifted his staff and hit
the end of it on the ground, the blue sapphire on the end flashed
vibrantly for a small second. The mystic once again took on the
appearance of his younger self and the old image he had a moment ago
was gone.
Olaf knew better than to argue with the general and so didn't reply. "You
may leave." The Roman commanded. He gestured with his right hand,
and a servant who waited in the shadows of the tent appeared with a
brown bag. "Here are the things on your person that we took when we
captured you. Take them and leave." The servant tossed the bag onto
Olaf's lap.
Olaf stood up and bowed his head. As he was about to step out of the
tent, he heard the generals voice again, "If you ever enter my lands again,
you won't find yourself spared twice." He threatened. Olaf stepped out of
the tent without a word or a glance back.
The mystic walked out just behind him with the support of his staff. High
above their heads the storm of last night continued to wage war across
the lands, but still the magic that surrounded them protected the
encampment. "Are you sure you wish to leave this?" Olaf asked, looking
to the old man as they walked down the main road of the fort. Around
them the citizens of this place gathered, watching them as they left.
"I have wished it for many years." He responded quietly. They
approached the main gate of the fort, the great wooden doors swung
open for them as the Roman soldiers that manned it pulled on a heavy
iron crank. They stepped outside, continuing into the forest that lay
beyond. The guards saluted them, or rather, they saluted the mystic as
they passed through.
As soon as they had made it into the forest, the doors began to shut and
when they did so, a boom echoed throughout the woods. Olaf noticed
that as soon as the gate shut, all the sounds of the fort ceased to exist. He
looked behind him and found that it had completely disappeared, as if it
never existed in the first place. He looked to the mystic just to make sure
he hadn't dreamed any of this up.
The heavy rain that managed to cut through the forest canopy began to
pelt them, immediately causing Olaf to be miserable. "Harry Potter, when
shall I meet him?" The mystic asked, unconcerned about the rain that
began to soak through his cloak. He had pulled up a thick grey hood over
his head to protect himself from nature.
Olaf began rummaging through the bag of his things and pulled out a
small golden chain. "Soon, very soon." He held the chain up, "Hold onto
this." He proffered the chain to the mystic who grasped it with one hand.
"Fire!" Olaf shouted.
The two of them vanished from the forest without even the smallest of
noises. They reappeared in the war room of Ghost castle. Reaper looked
up startled, his wand trained on the newcomers. Olaf was holding tightly
onto the mystic who almost fell over as the result of the magical travel.
"Woah! Its just me!" He said quickly.
"Olaf?" He turned to the familiar voice and saw Harry standing in the
doorway of the war room.
–
Fudge sat in his office nervously biting his fingers. It had been a week
since Voldemort had given him his task of finding the location of the
Ghost castle and still he hadn't gotten close to discovering the
whereabouts of it. So aptly was the name, Ghost castle, to him it was just
that, a ghost. Ireland, that was all he could get out of anyone he invited
into his office.
After a few days, the Ghosts had all-together stopped answering his
summons and Fudge feared that he had tipped them off as to his true
purpose. All he could hope for now was some miracle, that either
Voldemort wouldn't ever contact him again, forgetting that he was tasked
with this mission, or that Voldemort no longer needed the information.
He knew Harry Potter was back from his Home, but the boy was still
refusing his summons. He was becoming increasingly annoyed with
Potter. "How does he think himself above me!" Fudge muttered bitterly to
himself. "I'm the minister!" He hadn't left his office in the last two days
and already had sent his family far out of England, to America where he
hoped they would be out of reach of Voldemort just in case things went
poorly here.
His office had been receiving less and less letters with each passing day
and for awhile Fudge had wondered why. He thought that it was just a
lull in his work and he was thankful for the time to focus on finding the
whereabouts of Ghost castle. Not too long ago however he had learned
that many people were going around him and instead asking Harry Potter
on matters of state.
When he had learned of that, he nearly blew up his entire office in a state
of rage. A mere boy! To think himself above the minister! Fudge could never
allow that. He now knew what Potter wanted, power, absolute control.
He was no better than Voldemort or Dumbledore. Potter wished to usurp
him as the minister. Fudge knew he couldn't let that happen, that he had
to remain in control somehow and so he found his mind wondering down
desperate paths.
He had little friends in the ministry, most of them being Potters friends
and allies now. Even if a certain ministry member wasn't an ally of
Potter, he would sooner betray Fudge than Potter. The boy was too
powerful, the way they talked about him in the streets suggested he was
Merlin incarnate, come to save them from the evils that plagued this
world. He couldn't compete with him and so he had to look towards more
unsavory places.
Voldemort was out of the question. The man, if he even was a man, was
crazy and only wished power for himself. No, he had to look deeper then
that. Men with a great amount of power also had a great amount of
enemies, and whether Potter knew it or not, he does indeed have a great
host of wizards and witches that wish to destroy his life.
The fire flashed bright green, taking Fudge by surprise. He felt his breath
catch in his throat and his heart began to rapidly beat. He breathed out a
sigh of relief when he found that it wasn't Voldemort's head waiting to
speak with him. "Five million." The face said, not offering any other
words.
Immediately Fudge understood who this man was. He had placed a
bounty on Potters head and ran it through some black channels, hoping
for some who wished to take the bait. This was the first fish and
hopefully the last. "Deal." Fudge responded. Without another word, the
man disappeared back into the fire and Fudge relaxed back into the
couch.
A smile began to form on his face as his mind ran wild with a world
where Potter, Voldemort, and Dumbledore didn't exist. Such a world
would be his kingdom, a place where he could rule in absolute authority.
He had only to wish it so, and the money to do it.
–
Tom Riddle walked through the heavy rain, the dark clouds blocking out
any ray of sun. His cloak was battered by the high winds and heavy spray
of rain that soaked him thoroughly. Anytime he felt the rain touch his
pale flesh, it burned, as if it were acid trying to dissolve him. His bare
feet walked upon the molten rock, its blackness caking his toes.
Just in front of him was a looming mountain that rose high into the sky,
towering above the rain clouds that drenched him thoroughly. All around
him was black rock made from the dried lava that was unleashed by the
volcano that dominated this area. The fire mountain was old and hadn't
been active in a thousand years, but in its time, it had destroyed much of
the ancient world.
At its base, built into the side of the mountain using the materials around
it was a great castle, built of pure, polished obsidian. Black walls and and
a black keep towered high, reaching half-way up the mountain.
Voldemort slowly walked across the jagged wasteland and approached
the black keep.
It was a menacing sight to behold, even for him. Horror stories stretched
across the world about this place and even he feared them. He feared
them because he knew the stories to be true. The Great Sorcerer, the
Wizard of Wizards, the Feared. He was the king of such a castle, and all
the surrounding lands. One had to be very careful when entering them.
Already he had had to battle two manticores and a flock of deranged
hippogriffs just to get to the walls. Other beasts, all tainted by foul magic,
roamed these lands, and he was thankful he didn't run into any of the
truly horrifying creatures that plagues this rock.
Riddle also knew that this land wasn't always black and corrupt. Once
long ago, it had been green and full of life, a kingdom that had
commanded much respect and power. Even muggle Kings paid their
respects to this land, but no longer. The master of this land was corrupted
by darkness and fell into shadow, and over the many years was slowly
forgotten to the world.
The black stone gate he walked up to slowly opened. Not a sound was
made as the heavy doors swung wide. A thick, dark mist was all that
Voldemort could see from the outside. He slowly walked into the ancient,
corrupt kingdom, into the blackening mist that swallowed him whole. He
could barely make out shapes in front of him. He used the Elder wand
and held it before him. The mist fled from the power of the wand,
rushing away and clearing Voldemort's vision.
Inside the curtain wall was a town made of obsidian as well, and
completely abandoned. He had to walk several hundred more yards
before reaching the main defensive walls of the castle. The inner walls
were thick and tall and every twenty meters were large towers. The main
castle gate was already open as if expecting him, and so he walked
through carefully, his eyes always on the swivel and his wand held out
before him.
He found himself in a small courtyard where the black keep loomed over
him. It stood perfectly, as if it had been just carved yesterday. It was a
magnificent piece of architecture and was definitely made by craftsmen
whose ways had been lost to the world long ago.
As he approached the midnight black doors that secured the keep, they
swung open ominously without sound, just as the other gates. He walked
into the keep and found the entire palace to be made of obsidian as well.
The black stone was perfectly polished so that he could see his own
reflection in the stones. At the far end of the keep he saw a hooded figure
sitting upon a black throne, his head bowed low and he seemingly didn't
even notice his presence.
Voldemort carefully approached the figure, knowing just how dangerous
this man was. He kept the Elder wand in hand, but he didn't dare point it
in the direction of the King. With every step he took, he wished to turn
back more and more. However, a force pushed against him that made
him continue stepping forward.
"Why do you come?" The hooded figure asked in a raspy voice. He looked
up, his face still completely shrouded in blackness, only the glimpse of
two golden eyes shown in them. The voice echoed off the empty hall and
sounded loud and hollow.
Voldemort immediately stopped upon hearing the words and averted his
eyes, bowing his head. "I seek your help." Voldemort responded, wincing
at his own weakness.
The hooded figure didn't say anything, simply staying quiet. Voldemort
refused to look up out of fear of the wizard before him. Eventually, the
hooded man spoke, "And why would I help you?" The hooded King
cocked his head to the side, curiously studying the bowed wizard in front
of him. It had been many years since he had last had a guest in his halls.
"Because the foe I face will turn on you once he is done with me."
Voldemort responded, forcing himself to remain calm. Death was what he
feared above everything else, and this place screamed a graveyard.
"The foe you face doesn't even know of me." The hooded King responded.
"The foe I face will one day know of you, and when he does, he won't
stop until you are conquered."
The hooded man stared at Voldemort with his bright golden eyes. "You
are weak. It is not my fault you cannot deal with this Potter." He spat.
Voldemort bit down on his tongue, keeping himself from replying with
an insult. The man before him would smite him where he stood if he
lashed out. "I will deal with him if he becomes a threat." The hooded man
continued.
"Why then? By the time he becomes a threat to you, it will be too late. He
will be the death of you. I know you've seen him, I know you know of
him. He has come at last, the incarnation of a lost magic. His Throne
awaits him whether he knows it or not and only you hold the Key to it."
Voldemort replied quickly, finding some courage in his own words. "He
will come for you, and he will slay you." Voldemort didn't wish to wait
around any longer and so turned from the hooded figure and walked out
briskly, his cloak swishing behind him, making him look like smoke. He
made his plea, and that was all he could do. To stay further would only
risk certain death.
The hooded man sat upon his throne, not moving. He was deep in
thought as to his next course of action. Coming to a conclusion, he stood
up abruptly, and upon dong so, the throne suddenly changed to gold and
hovering above it, suspended in mid-air, was a beautiful sword. The hilt
was made of solid gold with a golden dragon as its pommel. The blade
was a glimmering steel-blue that radiated with non-existent light and
upon its edge was the word, Excalibur.
45. The First Knight
"Move left." Reaper called through his comms, ordering the second team
through a wide door in the large manor they found themselves in. It was
near pitch black in the countryside house and so quiet that he could only
hear his own heartbeat. The house was without light and looked
completely abandoned from the first glance, but he knew better. Banshee
had long stalked this house and had reported that its owners frequented
it.
The Ghosts broke off into two smaller teams as designed, two soldiers in
each team. Reaper moved with Angel at his back, both heads on the
swivel as they moved through the dark house. Shadows cascaded
throughout the rooms where the bright full moon hit through a grand
window in the front. He took a glance out the window and saw the view
to be quite spectacular. The house was located on a tall grassy hill that
overlooked the raging sea that beat against white cliffs.
"Room clear." Reaper heard through his headset. He knew team two had
just finished looking through the kitchen, Demon and Banshee moving
just as quickly as them. The two teams met in a large hallway where a
wooden staircase ran up to the second floor. Silently the four of them
made their way to the top.
Banshee had stalked this manor for a long time and had been the one
who chose this time to attack. The owners were inside and were high
priority targets for Harry. Alive is how he wanted them and alive is how
they would bring them back to Ghost Castle.
The stairs, just like the rest of the house, were well made and didn't creak
a single bit as they ascended them. Soon they came to the second floor
landing and found it to be just as dark as the first floor. There were even
fewer windows for the moonlight to stream in. "Vision." Reaper
murmured into his mask. At once the eye-slits in the masks the Ghosts
wore lit up green as their night vision activated, allowing them to see as
if it were day.
Creeping along the wall, they made their way to a finely carved wooden
door. Reaper slowly turned the brass knob and opened the door without
noise. Inside they found what appeared to be an older couple sleeping
peacefully in a large bed with velvet covers. The curtains on a nearby
window were drawn to block out any light, but the Ghosts didn't care due
to their masks.
"We have him." Reaper confirmed into his comms, talking with the man
back at Ghost castle who listened to everything going on. Reaper pulled
his wand from his sleeve and made ready to stun both figures but was
suddenly stopped when the lights in the room abruptly turned on. His
vision was obscured by the sudden light and he quickly made to turn off
his night vision. Before he could so so, he felt a white hot pain pierce his
shoulder and flew backwards, smashing into a wall.
He shook off the sudden pain and the darkness that tried to cloud his
vision. All out war in the tiny room erupted as blasts of spell fire rocked
the house. He heard the shrieking of a woman who sounded above all the
spells and shouting. The man they were after emerged from a nearby
closet, his wand rapidly spewing spell after spell at the Ghosts. The sound
of popping is what caught Reapers attention however, and his blood ran
cold for a moment.
"Grab him and go!" Reaper shouted into his comms. This proved trickier
than any of them thought. The man was a very skilled dueler who had
been clearly ready for their attack on his manor. He was wearing thick
armor made of either basilisk hide or dragonscale. Most of their spells
were bouncing harmlessly off of him, if they were so lucky to even hit
him.
Reaper heard the front door crash down and the stream of boots enter
into the house, as well as shouts. "Shit!" Demon said, a spell from the
armored man hitting his chest and sending him through the window and
out into the grassland below.
"King, we need you." Reaper quickly said, watching as Banshee was hit in
the back of the thigh by a silver spear. She cried out in pain, spinning on
the spot and sending a large blasting hex at the door behind her,
connecting with a Death Eater who tried to rush into the room.
"On my way." He heard in his ear. A killing curse just missed his head,
smashing into a vase nearby, shattering it completely. Angel was able to
subdue the armored man after hitting him with a bone breaking hex in
the shin followed by a blasting hex to the head which knocked the man
out cold. With every second, more and more pops were heard as enemies
joined into the battle. It was clear to the Ghosts that this mission had
quickly gone south and that they were now desperate for any escape.
Crack! Reaper felt a smile form behind his mask. Their rescue had come.
Another Death Eater showed himself in the doorway and Reaper quickly
hit him with a cutting hex that tore the man almost in two. Blood
sprayed onto the walls, making the place even more grim than it already
was. Next to him, the woman continued to scream and she even
attempted to use her wand, but a swift punch from Banshee knocked her
out cold.
King landed in a grassy field only a few yards from the large manor
where a battle was already ensuing. Quickly, he flicked both his hands
and two wands appeared in them, one light, one dark. The golden mask
that had been on the top of his head moved down and a black hood took
its place, shrouding the rest of his head in darkness. King stood still,
gathering his senses for a moment, his golden mask and green eyes the
only thing that could be seen, the rest of him was just shadow.
A blue spell rushed towards him and King easily batted it away, sending
it back at another Death Eater who raised his wand against him. The
spell hit the Death Eater in the chest, sending flying back into shadow.
King then quickly went to work, his wands a blur as spell after spell shot
from them. He didn't have to worry about blocking anymore spells, easily
being able to dodge whatever was sent at him.
He quickly dispatched the six Death Eaters that had been sent to guard
the house. They were now lying on the grass, only one of them still alive,
but King didn't have much hope for him to remain that way. A large gash
in his side was spilling what was left of his blood and the wound couldn't
be fixed, not even by himself.
Looking around, he saw a man lying nearby, his body covered in broken
glass. King looked up and saw a shattered window where the man had
fallen. Inside the house he could hear shouts and cries of pain as a
ferocious battle ensued. He pointed his white wand forward and a giant
lion leapt from it, rushing into the house. Shrieks of surprise and screams
of agony were quickly heard afterwords.
King rushed over to the fallen Ghost and placed his hand on the mans
chest. He muttered a few words under his breath. A golden glow
surrounded his hand and the Ghost who was lying still, began to breath
once more, gasping for breath. King didn't waste any more time and
rushed into the large manor after the lion.
Spells were flying every direction as the Death Eaters tried to defend
themselves against the large lion that bit heavily down on its prey
without mercy. Limbs were torn left and right and a great manner of
blood sprayed across the house. Where the lion went, death quickly
followed.
King saw a Death Eater manage to dive out of the way of the lions
menacing jaws, but he couldn't dodge King's aim. A large bolt of silver
energy punctured the Death Eater's chest, blowing a two foot wide cavity
right through him.
The lion snapped at another Death Eater who tried to climb the stairs and
escape the beast, but was unable to go far. King's spell from his second
wand hit him in the legs, severing one, while the lion closed in and
ripped off the other leg as well as part of his chest. King was about to
make his way up the stairs to deal with the rest of the Death Eaters who
remained in the manor, but he turned abruptly and stepped out into the
brisk cool air to face the new foes he sensed.
Rushing towards him were a swarm of dementors bringing with them an
impenetrable mist. They let out a loud shriek to try and fear the wizard
that stood before them. King sheathed both his wands and watched with
amusement as the foul black-cloaked creatures charged him. As they got
close, a loud roar shook the very foundations of the earth, causing the
dementors to stop their assault only a few yards from the wizard who still
stood without any fear.
The roar was soon followed by a crash and the sound of a man
screaming. King watched as the large lion burst through the thin wooden
wall of the second floor and leapt into the air at the dementors, still with
a screaming Death Eater in its mouth. The dementors fled in terror at the
new beast that had emerged onto the battlefield. The lion landed on the
ground, dropped his now dead prey, and roared once more.
The sounds of the battle inside the manor subsided and King casually
walked up to the lion who continued to eye the retreating dementors
with a snarl. He placed a soothing hand on its side, rubbing the soft fur.
Another several pops sounded from nearby, but King didn't looked
perturbed, having expected them.
Rushing up to the house was a small squad of goblin soldiers and aurors.
All looked at the lion with some uneasiness, but when they saw King step
away from the beast and show himself, they ran up to him. King lowered
his hood and took off the golden mask, showing his face to the
newcomers.
"My Lord, we came as soon as we could." One of the aurors said, a fresh
recruit from the auror academy who was rushed through training after
the fighting at Beauxbatons.
Harry put on a smile, "You came just in time. We have two prisoners for
transport, and as you can see, a number of dead." He looked around the
grass and found it to be littered with the unfortunate souls who had to
come up against him or Godric. The young auror was a veteran of the
ministry fight and was now used to the carnage of battle. He nodded his
head and immediately set to work.
Fawkes flashed into the sky at that moment, and without a word to
Harry, he flew into the large manor to begin his search for any remaining
horcruxes. The Slytherin Locket, the Hufflepuff Cup, the Riddle Diary,
and the Diadem of Ravenclaw he knew to be horcruxes of Tom. Three of
them were confirmed destroyed and he was still hoping for the Locket to
be destroyed as well, but he wouldn't put it passed Dumbledore to hold
on to it.
Another problem was that there was no telling how many Voldemort had
made. It was already unheard of by anyone, including Fawkes, of
someone making more than one horcrux, yet they had four confirmed
ones. Moody, Flitwick, and Remus all banked on there being seven.
Sirius, McGonagall, and Kingsley thought it would more likely be nine.
Sebastien and Kingsley thought Riddle might go as far as to make
thirteen of them which made Harry shudder. Could a man stay a man if
he divided his soul so many times?
In all the books he had read on the subject of horcruxes, and all the
knowledge his advisors had read, none could find all that much that
pertained to the limit a man can split his soul. There was no knowing
how much Voldemort made. Maybe he made one for every person he
killed? Could that even be possible? These were the questions that
plagued Harry's mind. He knew this war was coming to a close,
Voldemort was running out of allies to draw upon, he only had his souls
left. Harry knew the alliance with Dumbledore was a complete act of
desperation on the part of the most feared wizard, and now that even
when they combined, they had been defeated. Voldemort now didn't
have any places to go for help, at least that's what Harry hoped for.
"Sorry, nothing's here." Fawkes said into Harry's head.
"Nothing? Are you sure?" Harry felt his heart sink. He had hoped
Voldemort would give a horcrux to one of his last remaining inner circle
members, and the man had put up a good fight, as well as having a force
to quickly respond with. That got Harry thinking, why would Knot have
been already prepared to fight this night? How could he know the Ghosts
would attack?
"Of course I'm sure you nitwit." Fawkes snapped back.
Harry ignored the birds snappy reply, being well used to his manner by
now. "Reaper." He said through his comms. At that moment, Reaper came
out of the house with an arm around Banshee, helping her to a goblin
medic that was waiting nearby. Demon was already being tended to for
his injuries sustained in the fighting and Harry was told he would pull
through and be ready to fight again soon. The spell he learned from one
of the books in Godric's study payed off tonight.
"Yes boss." Reaper replied after setting Banshee carefully down on the
grass.
"Did you trip any wards?" Harry asked.
Reaper shook his head, "Our breakthrough was clean. They had no way
of knowing we entered the grounds."
"So they guessed we would attack this night?"
"Or baited us into the attack." Angel responded, walking up to Harry.
That gave Harry pause for a moment as he thought about that. It was
possible that Voldemort hung Avery out to dry, to be attacked, but why?
And why waste more of his dwindling men in the process? Nothing about
this night was making sense. No horcrux, but still a protected house, and
it was as if this house was protected just to be a ruse. Something was
very off about this fight, but there was little he could do about it now.
Harry shook the thoughts from his head for now, "Have the goblins and
aurors continue to search the house for anything. Come to me at once if
you have anything."
The two Ghosts bowed their heads and walked away, stepping back into
the manor. Harry saw far off in the distance a group of people begin to
apparate onto the grounds, holding quills and cameras. Thinking it was a
good time to depart, Harry snapped his wand, bringing Godric back
under control, and Fawkes flashed away with him.
–
"I'm sorry about the wait, had something to take care of." Harry said after
appearing in a large common room inside the Ghost castle. A fire was
blazing in the corner and his guests sat in front of it. One he knew, the
large viking who was currently looking at his sword in the firelight as if
it were something he had never seen before. The person he didn't know,
the mystic who had returned with Olaf, was sitting calmly, his arms
folded into the sleeves of his brown robe and his odd staff lain across his
lap.
"Do not worry." The old man said, standing up in the presence of Harry.
"Please sit." Harry replied with a polite smile, gesturing for the older man
to sit once again. The mystic looked old, his beard had turned to grey and
with his hood down, he had little hair up top. His skin was leathered and
wrinkled, his face shrunken in as if diseased. The only thing that still yet
had life were his eyes, purple with streaks of glowing gold. Harry could
sense the power in the old mystic, and even though he could tell that
power was beginning to waver, it was still quite strong.
Olaf remained standing, and when Harry moved closer, he quickly knelt
to one knee, his sword point digging into the rug underneath him. His
head was bowed, "My King, I am sorry I failed you."
Harry cocked his head to the side, unsure of which way Olaf had failed
him. "I do not know what you think you have failed, but fear not, I do
not place blame upon you." Harry said. Olaf looked up in surprise.
"But I was to bring you an army." Olaf responded with dismay. He was
used to cruel masters, his fathers cruelty to be exact.
Harry only smiled at the viking who even on his knee, reached to Harry's
chest. He sent a knowing glance at the older man, "And indeed you did."
Olaf looked slightly guilty at the mystic before speaking again. "But he is
just one man."
Harry chuckled which made Olaf feel slightly foolish, as if he was apart
of some punchline to a joke he didn't understand. Quickly, though, he
was disarmed by the words of Harry. "One man is an army. One man can
change the fate of a battle. One man can change the fate of the world.
You have done your duty to me and I release you from the bond that
once held you to me."
Olaf's face only grew grim at that statement. "I have nothing to go to. My
people forsook me, my father killed me. My family quickly forgot me. I
wish to stay here and fight for you, my King."
"Ahh, your first pledge sword. I remember mine. A hearty fellow he was, only
lasted six days sadly." Godric said in his head. "With a warrior like Olaf, it
would be rude to refuse his offer."
Harry knew the intentions of Olaf and what he was wishing for. Harry
nodded his head and raised his hand into the sky. He was expecting a
flash of fire followed by the familiar grasp of Gryffindor's sword fitting
into his palm. Instead, a bright light lit up the entire room, so bright that
all those around had to shield their eyes.
Harry though, he could see into the heart of the light without problem. It
didn't blind him, and in his grasp he felt a sturdy grip made of smooth
leather. The light, as bright as a sun, faded away just as quickly as it had
come. He gasped when he saw the longsword in his hand now. Gleaming
blue-steel that danced with flames in the firelight. Its edges were razor
sharp as if freshly sharpened. The hilt was made of solid gold, adding a
perfect balance to the sword. Upon either end of the hilt were two
glowing deep red rubies that pulsated with an ancient magic. The
pummel was solid gold as well and was crafted into a dragon, its fierce
jaws in an endless roar. What caught his attention however was the
name, Excalibur, etched into the blade.
The mystic had stood up to witness the wonder of the returning blade,
something lost many millenia ago. His old visage disappeared in a second
and he looked in wonder at the blade as if he were a mere, giddy boy. "So
the stories are true." He gasped, his voice amazed and ecstatic at the
same time.
Olaf continued to kneel on the ground, but Harry thought that more out
of his inability to move because of the shock on his face, rather than still
waiting for Harry to Knight him. He too was gazing in wonder at the
legendary blade that rested in Harry's outstretched hand.
Harry looked just as shocked as the both of them and blinked several
times, trying to find if his eyes were deceiving him. Hearing his unsure
thoughts, Godric brought a reasoning voice, "I should have known." He
said.
"And how could you have known?" Fawkes replied for Harry.
"We've both been in his head long enough to know that Harry isn't of some
common blood. He's powerful yes, but power doesn't equal royalty. No, Harry
oozed royalty from the very beginning, an ancient kingship that had been long
forgotten. The bloodline of Arthur has awoken once more."
"But-" Harry stammered in his head, unsure of what to make of this
sudden notion that he truly was some king. Arthur? That was an old
legend told to kids before they go to bed. It wasn't real, none of it was.
Yet, here he stood, holding the fabled blade of Excalibur, and deep down
in his heart, he felt Godric's words to be true. The Bloodline of Arthur has
awoken once more. A warmth flowed into his veins like none other. He
closed his eyes and took in the feeling that passed through him. It felt
like a great weight was lifting from his shoulders and now his visions of
the future were cleared. Avalon, he understood in that moment what that
ancient Kingdom once was, and what it must become again. He now had
a clear goal for the future of wizard-kind.
He looked down to see Olaf still on one knee and his head had once again
bowed in respect for the true king that stood before him. Harry lowered
Excalibur, somehow knowing what to do, and used the sharp tip to create
a shallow cut on Olaf's cheek. A small amount of blood protruded from
the cut, but Harry was amazed when he saw the cut quickly heal. "Arise,
Olaf Kyrre, Son of Harald Hardrada, Lord of Norway. I make you my First
Knight." Excalibur glowed a deep gold which moved from the hilt to the
tip and then surrounded Olaf entirely. Olaf slowly rose and the gold mist
that had surrounded him faded away. He was left standing, a wide grin
on his face. Shining golden armor now covered him, plate armor with
white chainmail underneath. On his head was a splendid golden helm
with a red plume of feathers that rose upwards. His chestplate had a
golden sun carved into it.
Harry grasped the muscular vikings armored forearm and embraced him.
"Olaf the Righteous so you shall be known."
"I will not fail you, my King." Olaf responded, a wide grin still on his face.
"To my dying breath, I will serve you."
"Ahh, truly remarkable!" The old mystic couldn't contain his excitement
any longer and made himself known once more. "Olaf the Righteous, a
truly deserved title, such a gift you have given me! Only a few hours ago
I thought I would be witnessing a lie, a boy inept at leading men, but
now I have found the King come again!"
Harry smiled at the older mystic, "I haven't quite gotten your name yet."
"Yes, yes, pardon my rudeness. I've dwelt with men that have known me
for hundreds of years, little did I ever have to make an introduction. My
name is Wyltt." The mystic bowed his head in respect.
Harry bowed his own head, returning the same respect. "Mr. Wyltt, it's a
pleasure. Hundreds of years? You have lived quite a long life." Harry
responded with raised eyebrows.
Wyltt chuckled, "Indeed I have, and I believe my looks give away the
years. Yes, I have long walked this Earth and experienced many times
and peoples, but I find myself soon passing into the next world to
wander."
"And if you don't mind my asking, why have you chosen to come here?"
"The stories of you had reached my ears and I wished to know if they
were true." His face burst into a jolly smile once again as if he were a kid
in a candy shop. "I can safely say they were true. How marvelous it was
to witness such an event. Truly amazing!" He paused for a moment and
he became aware that he was getting lost in the moment and so
continued on after clearing his voice. "I also wished to see the modern
world. I had heard stories of its wonder and beauty and the
advancements the muggles have made were apparently unlike anything
before! Iron tubes floating in the sky sound quite ridiculous!"
Harry laughed at this point, "Iron tubes, yes. They do indeed exist.
Airplanes is what they are called and they ferry muggles across thousands
of miles of Earth. You will see one of them soon I'm sure. I was raised in
the muggle world and would gladly be your guide of it."
"That would be very kind of you." Wyltt responded jovially.
Harry nodded his head, "Well Mr. Wyltt, I must leave you now. I'm sorry
our initial meeting is so short. Olaf can show you to a free room we have
in the castle for guests."
Wyltt bowed his head low, "You honor me with even this short of a
presence your majesty. I am an old man and require much rest anyways."
Harry smiled, "I will see you again in the morning." Wyltt nodded his
head and left with Olaf leading him with his arm looped around Wyltt's
arm, guiding him through the castle towards his new chambers.
–
Due to the ministry still undergoing repairs, and the fact that many had
died within its halls not long ago, the annual Christmas Eve Ball the
ministry threw every year was moved to Hogwarts. Because of this, many
of the older students were allowed to attend the festivities.
The castle was bedecked head to toe in decorations. It already had the
snowfall to set the mood, a fresh layer of snow coating the grounds just
this morning. The Great Hall was made to serve as the main ballroom in
the same fashion as last years Yule Ball during the TriWizard Cup. The
sun was soon to set and the first guests would be arriving shorty after. A
magnificent ice sculpture was front and center in the hall for all to gaze
at. A large lion with its teeth bared and its mouth gaped in a silent roar.
Harry stood alone in the hall waiting for his date to arrive. Fleur had
kicked him out of his own room so that she could prepare for the night.
She was much better at these formal occasions than him, and he was
grateful that she was. Meeting with politicians and businessmen wasn't
something he greatly enjoyed, but she was amazing in these situations.
Excalibur, he still hadn't told her of that and he wasn't sure why he held
his tongue. Part of him feared the notion of being a King, another part of
him still had hope that the sword was some ruse and that it would just
eventually disappear. He knew it wouldn't though, and he was ready to
accept his position as long as people wanted him to.
He was brought from his thoughts when he heard Cedric's voice from
behind him. "Don't like the sculpture?" Cedric asked, his normal cheeky
grin set upon his face.
Harry shook his head, "Not my style I suppose."
Cedric chuckled, "My father had it commissioned."
Harry grimaced slightly, "It's not b-"
Cedric outright laughed, making Harry chuckle as well. "Its garish, I
know. But you know my father and he thinks very highly of you." Harry
saw Cedric's face harden slightly. His relationship with his father was still
somewhat strained as far as Harry could tell. The events of the TriWizard
Tournament only helped to make Amos even more demanding of his son.
Thinking best to change the subject, Harry quickly asked, "What are your
plans after school? We're halfway done already."
Cedric sighed, "I'm not sure yet. Quidditch obviously, and I've had a few
good offers from some of the smaller clubs around England and Ireland."
Harry could see however that he didn't sound all that happy with those
propositions. Cedric turned to face Harry, his face hard as if stone. "But I
can't just leave England with all that is going on."
"This is the best time to leave England." Harry responded whit a sad
smile.
"Yeah, its winter." Both Cedric and Harry laughed, turning to face Neville
who walked up to them. For Harry it was always odd to see the Neville
that stood before him now. Long gone were those early days in first year.
The chubby and frightened boy from the past was gone and now a
confident and handsome young man was in his place. His studies had
soared this passed year to the point he was right on the heels of
Hermione.
Harry finished laughing and put a hand on Cedric's shoulder, "Leave. You
owe this place nothing and you'll be all the more merrier for it."
Cedric's laughter died down as well and his face became stone once more.
"You remember our fight with Krum in the maze?" Harry nodded,
wondering why Cedric was bringing that up. "You saved my life that
night you know. That killing curse was about to hit me but it was your
spell that blocked it." Harry stayed quiet, listening to Cedric as he talked,
his eyes distant in deep memory. "I remember the green flash, how bright
it was, and all I felt for that split moment was fear and hopelessness.
Then that stone came from nowhere and I remembered just who was by
my side and all the fear that had paralyzed me left just as quickly as it
had come." Cedric's eyes became less distant and they focused in on
Harry's. "I'm not leaving England, Harry." The two stared at one another
for several more seconds, speaking to one another without using any
words. Eventually Harry nodded.
"I'm not leaving either, just so you know not to ask." Neville added,
causing Cedric and Harry to chuckle.
The doors to the Entrance Hall swung wide open and Minister Fudge
walked in with his normal auror detail around him. Behind him were
several of the early comers to the party, among them Harry saw Amos
Diggory. Cedric saw him too and left to greet his father.
The minister walked up to Harry and shook his hand. He looked paler
than the last time the two had spoken. It was as if he were sick, but
Harry didn't think to ask. "Harry m'boy. All is going well I hope?"
"Yes minister, everything is fine. I trust the same with you?" Harry asked
with raised eyebrows.
"Yes of course. A splendid evening this shall be and I'm quite glad you
could make it."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Fudge nodded his head and continued
on into the Great Hall.
"What's wrong with him?" Neville asked, stepping to Harry's side and
watching where the minister had disappeared.
Harry shook his head, "I'm not sure, probably just tired. I imagine his job
has kept him awake at all hours of the night these last few weeks." More
and more witches and wizards from all over England came streaming into
the Entrance Hall. Harry stood inside, greeting whoever wished to meet
him, which happened to be quite a few of them. Every couple minutes he
found himself glancing to where the stairs came down, hoping to see
Fleur and save him from the endless procession of people.
He was rewarded after a half-hour when he saw her descend the last of
the steps and the sight, as always, took his breath away. Every male in
the room, and even many of the females, stopped to watch the glowing
veela step into the hall. She was wearing a sleek green gown that formed
to her body. Her silver hair was placed into a bun with a few strands of
hair that framed her perfect face. Despite all of the eyes on her, her own
eyes were set on one man that watched her with the goofy grin that
could always make her smile.
"Who allows you to walk around with a crooked tie?" Fleur asked with a
soft giggle, stepping over to Harry in order to straighten his tie. She
glanced at Neville who was doing his best to not stare at her, "'Annah will
be down soon." Neville only nodded dumbly, not trusting his own voice.
"Tu es belle." Harry mumbled, making Fleur chuckle.
"You're not so bad yourself." Fleur responded, kissing him softly on the
lips.
"Already at it I see! The party hasn't even begun!" The both of them
rolled their eyes and turned to see Fred and George walk up to them.
"'Aven't secured dates boys?" Fleur asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Who does she think we are?" Fred asked his brother.
"A couple sorry sobs I think." George replied. Harry chuckled at the back
and forth banter that ensued between Fleur and the twins. She could
easily match them in wit and the three often got into small arguments
like these. Harry turned his eyes away from their joking and looked to
the dungeons where Daphne and Astoria were just walking out. On their
arms was Blaise Zabini and Theo Knot. Harry and Theo's eyes locked for
a short second and they both nodded their heads in recognition. It had
been Theo's idea to initially scout his fathers home. In a letter, Avery told
his son that Riddle had given him something of great importance. That
something was yet to be found, if even it existed in the first place.
Harry was brought out of his thoughts when he began to hear music
playing from within the Great Hall. He felt Fleur tug on his elbow and so
let her guide him inside with their friends following. Neville, Fred, and
George and been joined by their dates just before entering and so the
eight of them walked in at the same time.
Harry had an assigned seat at the ministers table and so took his place
along with Fleur. Also at the ministers table was unfortunately for them
all, Umbridge who stared at Harry with beady eyes, not bothering to hide
her contempt for him. Several other prominent business men who had
payed well for the seats also sat with them.
Fleur was a natural in situations like this, striking interesting
conversations with the business men, while letting a bit of her allure out
in order to keep the attention off of Harry. She knew above all how much
he disliked talking with those he didn't know.
The dinner that was served was uneventful, and besides having to tell a
few stories about the recent battles he was a part of, it passed quickly
and painlessly. A live band took to the stage and began to play. Many of
the younger crowd stood up and went into the middle of the hall to
dance. Harry watched Theo and Daphne begin to dance with a small
smile, glad to seem them looking happy.
His eyes strayed to another table where Sirius, Emmy, Remus, and Tonks
were sitting, talking with several people he didn't recognize. Andrew was
sitting at the table as well, well amused by Tonks' usual antics.
The sun had completely set behind the hills and the ceiling showed the
night sky. A few stars and a bright moon poked their way through the
cloud covering while a few snowflakes slowly fell to the ground. The
large window at the front of the Hall, close to where the ministers table
was, had a string of bright colorful lights wrapped around the sides. A
large wreath hung over it, also wrapped up in lights.
After having glanced at Fudge throughout the night, Harry was becoming
more worried about the health of the minister. He was sweating profusely
and his hands were clearly shaking. "Are you alright, Minister?" Harry
asked quietly, leaning to the side so no one else could hear him.
Fudge turned and Harry could see that Fudge indeed hadn't slept in quite
awhile. His eyes were bloodshot and he had dark bags under them. His
cheeks had sunken in as if he hadn't eaten much either. Fudge put on a
nervous smile. "I'm fine m'boy. Don't worry about me. Just a passing
cold."
"You look like you can use some rest." Harry responded.
Fudge chuckled, "Cant we all. Well m'boy, I think I spotted a tasty treacle
tart over there. Pardon me while I snatch it." Fudge stood up from the
table and walked over to the desert counter which was on the far end of
the Hall. Fudge glanced back as he departed and the look made the hair
on the back of Harry's neck stand up.
He immediately looked around the room, searching for any danger.
Nothing came, yet still he felt like something was wrong. He chanced
another glance at the minister and saw him picking up the desert like he
said he was doing. Another few minutes passed with nothing happening
and Harry felt the hairs on his neck start to slowly go back down.
"You promised me at least three dances mister." Fleur softly poked him in
the side, drawing his attention away from the minister. Harry smiled at
Fleur but she could easily see some of the worry he was trying to contain.
Her face tightened, "What's wrong?"
Harry shook his head, "Nothing I'm sure. Don't worry." He stood up from
his chair and held his hand out to her. She took it gracefully and as she
did so, her foot got tangled with his and she fell into his arms. In that
same second, a crack sounded throughout the hall and Harry felt
shattered glass fall down on him and Fleur.
Harry felt a warm spray of water hit him in the face and he naturally
grabbed Fleur and brought them both to the ground, quickly reaching for
his wands as well. When he settled Fleur to the ground, and just as he
was about to stand back up and turn and fight whatever had so suddenly
attacked, he saw Fleur and realized that it wasn't water that had sprayed
onto his face, but blood.
His eyes widened at the sight of Fleur clutching her shoulder, her wails of
pain silenced by the anger that flooded into him. Everything in him went
numb for a moment, colors greyed, sounds ceased to exist. Blood was
pouring between her fingers as she clutched desperately at her new
wound. Harry shook himself from the shock, diving back onto the ground
as he heard another loud crack.
He covered her with his own body, and felt a sharp pain shoot through
his leg. "'Arry." Fleur mumbled through her cries of pain.
Harry ignored his own sudden pain and focused his hands onto her
wound. He pressed both hands to the gaping hole in her shoulder where
blood poured out like a river. A golden glow surrounded his finger tips
and rushed into the wound. Fleur cried out in further pain as the magic
began to work through her. The spell did what it was meant to do,
searing the wound shut. She would always have a scar there, even being
a veela, but at least her life was saved. Fleur passed out from the sudden
pain and went limp in his arms.
He glanced up and the sounds of the hall came rushing back to him as he
saw people running left and right in a panic. Aurors and goblins had
quickly rushed into the hall, some of them sprinting for Harry. One
goblin had dove in front of Harry just as a third crack sounded, and the
goblin fell lifeless to the floor. Several more goblins reached Harry and
they formed a wall of shields around him and Fleur.
"Harry!" Neville shouted, rushing up to him, taking cover behind the
goblins wall of shields. Several aurors as well as Cedric came quickly to
them.
"Fleur, get her out of here. She's hurt." Harry ordered.
"So are you." Cedric replied, jerking his head at Harry's leg. Harry
glanced down to where he felt that sharp pain form earlier. Indeed he too
had been shot by the muggle gun. Harry took a deep breath and
performed the same spell on his leg as he had done with Fleur. He felt an
intense searing pain shoot throughout his body as the wound sealed
itself, the small bullet popping out just before the wound closed
completely.
"I'll be fine. Get her out of here." Another crack sounded, the bullet from
a rifle snapping at the shield wall. The goblins thick shields proved too
tough for the muggle weapon. Cedric picked Fleur up into his arms and
the goblins held the shield wall, slowly marching backwards as they
retreated from the Great Hall. Another bullet skipped off the marble
flooring, ricocheting and hitting one of the aurors in the shin. Harry
snapped his wand and levitated the auror out of the Hall. They took
cover in the Entrance Hall and the sound of gunshots ceased and only an
eery silence mixed with the cries of a few injured was all that could be
heard.
"What the hell was that!" Sirius said, rushing up to them. His first priority
had been to get his wife and Andrew out of the hall. Remus was with him
as well as Tonks who had immediately linked up with a squad of aurors.
Kingsley was on scene and Harry saw him rush out of the hall in search
of the shooter.
Harry ignored the question and looked around the Entrance Hall in
search of the one man that had given him cause to be worried. Just as he
feared, Minister Fudge was nowhere to be found. "Find the Minister."
Harry ordered to those nearby. Several of the aurors and all of the
goblins who were close left without question, knowing an order when
they heard one.
"What? Why the minister?" Sirius asked, confused.
"You think he had something to do with this?" Remus asked.
"He looked off tonight." Neville said, catching onto Harry's thought
process.
"Why would he plan something like this?" Sirius asked.
Harry shook his head, "Just find him." He turned his attention back to
Fleur who looked peaceful in his arms, her head resting in his lap as they
sat on the floor. He slowly stroked her soft hair and kissed her brow. He
watched constantly as her chest rose and fell, not wishing to tear his eyes
away from the sight for fear she might sop breathing.
"My Lord!" Harry heard someone shout from the entrance courtyard.
Harry didn't wish to respond to the urgent voice, but he was called again
and was forced to move.
"Neville, watch her." Neville nodded his head and sat down beside Fleur
with Hannah staying watch as well. Cedric, Harry, Sirius, and Remus
rushed outside into the entrance courtyard to find three aurors, all with
their wands pointed at a scrawny man who was kneeling on the stone, a
silver arrow protruding from his right thigh. At his knees was a broken
muggle rifle.
"We found him trying to escape into the hills." One of the aurors said.
The man was wearing all black, his clothes were definitely muggle,
military by the look of him. His head was shaved and he didn't have any
facial hair. Despite his scrawny size, he was in very good shape.
Harry knelt down to be eye level with the man, "Who ordered you to do
this?"
The man laughed, "Ordered? I am not ordered by anyone boy."
"Mercenary? Fanatic? What are you?" Harry asked further, anger
beginning to seep into him. The man only spat in Harry's face. Taking a
deep breath and calming himself, Harry slowly wiped away the spit and
stood back up. "Take him to Moody, he'll have his fun with him." The
aurors dragged the man away and never once did the man mutter a word
in protest.
46. Light and Shadow
Harry watched the new Ghost recruit move through the small training
house that had been built under the castle. He could sit on rafters up and
high and gaze down below, watching as the new recruit slowly made his
way towards the hostage on the far side of the practice kill-house. Each
room he had to clear, quick and proficiently, and some of them had
enemies just waiting to catch the recruit off guard.
The recruit was quick, that much Harry was impressed with, but he still
had a lot to improve upon when it came to decision making. He hesitated
every time he ran into an enemy and that would almost certainly get him
killed later on.
He continued to move through the house, checking his corners until he
forgot to check a small hallway on his right. One of the hidden enemies
sent him flying into a wall with a blasting hex and even though the
recruit tried to recover, he couldn't get a strong enough shield up in time
to stop the powerful stunner that hit him in the chest.
"Shit." Reaper said from next to Harry. He had been put in charge of the
new recruit's training by Harry, and in the last two weeks, the recruit had
shown some good improvement. Today was supposed to be a day to
impress Harry and his recruit had gotten knocked out cold in the first
exercise.
"I'm sure he'll improve. None of us were good the first couple of weeks."
Harry said.
Reaper chuckled, "Maybe you don't remember the beginning of your
training. Within a couple days you were already better than me. You're a
natural at all this."
Harry only shrugged, "He'll learn quickly. Look, he's already shaken
himself from that stunner." Reaper looked back down into the room and
indeed saw the recruit pushing himself to his feet, now standing on
uncertain legs.
"That's impressive to say the least. Banshee didn't hold back with her
stunner either. That would have knocked your average wizard out for a
couple hours. It wouldn't stop him from being killed though." Reaper
said, a hint of pride in his voice. "Take a break!" He shouted from the
rafters. The recruit looked up to see Harry and Reaper watching him. He
had on a wooden mask to symbolize that he was just a recruit. He
nodded his head and walked out of the small room, into a stone tunnel
that led back up into the castle.
"When is Olaf going to do weapons training with him?"
"Olaf said he would be running him through a few beginner drills
tomorrow." Olaf said. Harry simply nodded in response. "You need to tell
him to stop polishing that armor, the stink of the stuff he is using is
wretched."
Harry laughed as the image of Olaf in his golden armor raced through his
head. The viking turned knight was extremely proud of his new look and
had taken drastic measures to keep himself looking perfect at all times.
Every morning and evening he would clean and polish his armor and
sword. The other Ghosts who now lived at the castle full-time had
searched for other rooms away from the barracks due to the smell of the
polish.
"I'll see what I can do, but I don't promise anything." Harry responded,
still laughing. Together, they headed into the castle, entering into the
unused dungeons. Before his death, Specter had told him of the secrets
and histories of this particular castle. English prisoners and Spanish
sailors had once been held in these dungeons. None of them ever left the
castle alive. It was a grim dark place and Harry didn't like being down
here much more than needed.
Just to the left of him was a locked wooden door. It led down to the
catacombs where the old lords of this castle were buried. He had taken a
short walk among the sarcophagus', and there he found a curious person,
someone he wasn't quite expecting to find. Sure enough, inscribed on the
side of one of the sarcophagus' was the name Lord Bran MacDermot, Baron
of Connacht. If it weren't for his recent studies inside Godric's quarters, he
never would have know who this person was. The rest of the world only
knew him now as the Bloody Baron. A love-struck man never to have his
feelings returned and made a mistake that took away his soul. His body it
seems, was brought back from Albania and was laid to rest beside his
forefathers.
Harry finished his short walk through the dungeons and made his way
upstairs into the main foyer of the castle. The castle wasn't the most rich
place, especially when compared to one the likes of Hogwarts, but it did
its job. The walls were barren and the floor made of rough, cold stone.
No lush carpets or rugs were to be found anywhere in this castle, save for
two rooms, the lords chambers, and the throne room. In those two rooms,
no expense was too much it seemed.
It was the latter room he found himself walking into. A deep red carpet
led the way to an old and dusty wooden throne that hadn't been sat in for
over a century. Along the walls were thin windows that let light stream
into the otherwise dark hall. Suits of armor, swords, shields, and old oil
paintings decorated the walls in lavish excess.
Admiring one of the many paintings, Wyltt sat in a chair, his staff by his
side as usual. Sensing his presence, Wyltt spoke, "Tell me Harry, how
does ruling suit you?" They had spent a few hours outside the castle,
looking through muggle London as Harry had promised. Other than that,
Harry found himself so busy, he hardly had had the time for Wyltt.
Harry stepped further into the hall, waving his hand and conjuring a
chair. He took a seat next to the old mystic and gazed at the same
painting. A young man rode on Pegasus, a white sword that shown as
bright as the sun in his hand. He held it high over his head, made ready
to strike down a ferocious dragon that hurled fire at the nobleman. His
armor was as white and splendid as the dragons scales black and
corrupted. The horse flapped its wondrous white wings with a mighty
ferocity and grace, and together, they stood defiant in the face of the
deadly dragon, unflinching as the fire made ready to swallow them
whole.
"I don't rule." Harry finally said, breaking a minute of silence that
followed the question.
Wyltt turned to look at Harry with raised, grey bushy eyebrows. "No?"
Harry looked at Wyltt as well, but didn't reply so he continued. "A great
many people seem to believe you do. That sword on your waist betrays
your words." The last several days Harry had taken to wearing Excalibur
on his hip, placing it in a simple leather scabbard.
"I did not ask for it." Harry said softly, talking more to himself than Wyltt
who listened carefully.
Wyltt nodded to himself, taking a deep breath. "Do you know who is
depicted in this painting?" Harry shook his head so Wyltt continued. "The
same man that once wielded the sword you now carry."
Harry looked at Wyltt like he was crazy. "Arthur on Pegasus? The painter
must have taken some liberties with mythology."
Wyltt chuckled, "I suppose he did but can you blame him? King Arthur is
forever remembered for a reason Harry Potter. It wasn't because he
wished to be King, it wasn't because he was simply born to be one, its
because he could command the respect of people he had never even met.
It's a rare trait that comes around only once in a long while and it's one
that resides in you. In the beginning he didn't wish to rule over people,
but there came a time when he realized he would be far better off ruling,
rather than watching his home dissolve into endless war and bickering
between old men who played games with the lives of their citizens. He
took control because he could, because in his heart he knew himself to be
a just and good man. You have only but to ask yourself the same thing,
and if the answer to both are yes, then take your claim. Become what you
were always meant to be."
Wyltt stood up from his chair and made to leave the hall. "You speak as if
you knew him." Harry said in a questioning manner, turning to watch
Wyltt leave.
Wyltt stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around to face Harry. He
spoke so softly that Harry almost missed his words, "I did for a time."
With that, he continued out of the hall and the iron doors of the throne
room shut with a loud echoing boom.
Harry sat in silence, his eyes looking over the painting of Arthur and his
endless battle with the dragon. He knew what needed to be done, his
heart screamed one thing, yet his brain told him another. His mind went
back to his initial sorting and his talk with the hat as he sat so young, so
naive to the ways of wizards on that old and rickety stool being stared at
by everyone in the school. He remembered their eyes, all watching him
with abated breath, hoping he would be sorted into their house. How
they all wished to have the famous Harry Potter be their friend just for
the sake of his name and the fame of being the Boy-Who-Lived.
The sorting hat wanted him to go to Slytherin, to follow where his brain
lie. Cold logic and ambition, the house of the snakes, and in reality,
Harry knew he would thrive in such a place. The hat was right about
that, the house could have helped him along the way to greatness. But
there was one thing Slytherin never would have allowed him to do.
Grow, learn, make mistakes and brave dangers that prepared him for the
coming storm, prepare him for this very moment.
As he had upon that stool, he listened to his heart and chose the path
that was laid before him, King. Harry stood up from his chair and pulled
the gleaming sword from its scabbard. Excalibur flashed brilliantly in the
window light of the throne room. He held it out just before him, studying
the blade in further detail. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and
began to pour his magic into the blade. Electricity began to fill the room
and a violent storm of magic surrounded Harry, causing the entire room
to shake.
His green eyes glowed brighter and brighter to the point they were like
two green suns that could never be extinguished. Upon the blade, old
runes began to glow a brilliant blue, and though the language was old,
Harry could read the words easily. Tamer of men. A shock wave of power
rippled from the blade as blue electricity began to dance around it in
excitement. Lightning shot from the tip of the wand and smashed into the
high vaulted stone ceiling causing a great crash. Smashing through the
stone, the lighting shot high into the sky as it unleashed its full power
upon the world.
From far away, it looked like the small castle was being hit by a lightning
strike, but really, the lightning shot upwards and into the darkened
clouds. Harry began to feel rain as it pattered on him from the open hole
in the ceiling. The blue lightning left the sword and the magic that
surrounded him began to discharge until only Harry was left standing,
holding Excalibur.
The iron doors to the hall burst open a second later and the four Ghosts
as well as their new recruit, still wearing the wooden mask to hide his
identity, rushed into the room, all out of breath. "What happened! Are
you okay?" Banshee asked, rushing over to him. The others looked at
Harry with wide eyes and gaped mouths, unable to utter a sound. The
Harry that entered this hall was not the same one that would be leaving
it.
Harry was always young, only fifteen years of age and though he was one
of the most beloved, feared, and powerful wizards in the world, he was
still young. Now though, Harry was changed completely. His body had
shot up another several inches and his physique had grown even
stronger. It was his face that had changed the most though. He looked
like he had aged at least four years in the span of a minute. His once
hairless face now had the beginnings of a rich black beard that made him
look even older. His hair, once being cut short, had grown to shoulder
length and hung messily about his head. His cheeks were prominent and
his chin pointed making him look like a man of noble birth. To those who
knew him, Harry looked like his father now more than ever, but instead
of a wiry body and glasses, Harry was built like a warrior that could truly
rival Olaf, and his eyes now glowed even brighter than before, and many
swore they could see electricity dancing behind them.
Olaf who rushed in after the Ghosts, still wearing his golden armor, sank
to his knee at the sight of his king. Harry saw Wyltt standing from the
doorway, leaning heavily on his staff, a small smile upon his face. Still
with the rain pouring down him, Harry didn't feel a single drop of it, the
water merely gliding off of him as if even nature herself didn't wish to
anger him.
Fawkes flashed in at that moment, landing on Harry's now broader
shoulder. "I like the look." He said while dropping a small parchment from
his beak. Harry took it without question and read the short note.
"Olaf rise, please. I've told you to stop doing that." Olaf rose with a
sheepish smile, but he still kept his head bowed. "I have something to
attend to, Olaf you and I are heading to the ministry." He made to leave
and Olaf followed him out of the hall.
"What the-?" Reaper made to ask but Harry turned and cut him off.
"I'll explain when I get back." Harry replied with a small smile.
"Aren't you going to leave that?" Angel asked, jerking his head at the
sword still on Harry's hip. Even though Harry had worn the sword around
the last couple days, it had never left Ghost castle.
Harry shook his head, "Not anymore." He turned again and left with his
golden knight right on his heels and Fawkes still perched on his shoulder.
–
Harry nearly laughed at the looks of awe that followed him in the once
ruined ministry atrium. It had been restored to its proper place, the black
stones once again whole and polished. The golden elevators were in full
working order and the floo networks were fixed. The only thing still
missing was the horrid golden statue that once had been in prominent
position. There were talks to replace it with some visage of himself, but
Harry had fought against having himself erected in the middle of the
ministry. Because he didn't want a statue, the ministry had begun
searching for other ideas for a statue.
Trailing behind Harry was Olaf who marched silently, his hand on the
hilt of his sword. Fawkes still sat on Harry's shoulder enjoying every
second of the attention he received. Around them, ministry members and
citizens alike all watched with awe. A great many whispers and talks of
amazement followed them, all gazing at the brilliant golden hilt that
gleamed at Harry's hip. The look of the fabled blade was known to many
wizard families in Britain.
There were whispers of wonder, many trying to figure out just who he
was. His new look was drastically different and he didn't blame anyone
for not recognizing him. That was until he saw Sirius in the crowd whose
jaw nearly dropped at the sight of him. "Harry?" Sirius asked in wonder
as he pushed himself to the front of the crowd.
Harry gave him a cheeky smile. He now found him just as tall as his
godfather and now he looked more like a younger brother to Sirius rather
than godson. "Thought I could use a new look." Harry spoke. Gasps of
excitement sounded throughout the crowd quickly followed by endless
flashes from camera's and the clamor of people to ask him questions.
Harry stepped passed Sirius, giving his godfather a sympathetic pat on
the shoulder, "I have some business to attend to. I'll meet you later at the
castle to explain things." He said into Sirius' ear. He continued through
the crowd that began to surround him. Olaf helped to politely move
people to the side and eventually he reached the golden elevator. When
he and Olaf were both inside, Harry reached over to the handle and
yanked it down. The elevator jerked downwards and began moving
underground.
After doing some odd turns and continuing ever lower, they finally came
to a halt at a large, cold damp hallway made of crude black stone. The
bowels of the ministry wasn't the most pleasant place, and the people
kept here weren't the most pleasant of people. Torchlight lit up the
hallway as Harry stepped out of the elevator, the light flickering
brilliantly off of Olaf's golden armor.
A shrouded man stepped out from behind a dark wooden door that had a
small window in it. "Potter, this way." Harry recognized the voice to be
Moody's. The auror didn't seem at all fazed by Harry's new look or the
looming golden knight followed silently behind him. Olaf and Harry
followed the grizzled auror deeper into the ministries dark dungeons
where they kept the most dangerous of criminals. Every few feet on both
sides of the cramped halls were wooden doors where Harry could see
huddled figures, cowering in the corner of his or her cell.
They continued through the dungeon, passing by the most lowly of
criminals in the wizarding world. Harry recognized a few of them, some
of them he had put away himself. Ever deeper into the dungeon, the faces
Harry saw were ones he recognized more and more, people captured
during some very recent battles. Avery was one of them, the famous
dueler lying on the cold floor, not even bothering to look up as they
passed by his tiny cell.
"Boy!" Olaf and Harry stopped to look where the shout came from. Across
from Avery's cell was a large figure, his bare skin shone to all. He had
dark tattoos that covered his entire body and his hair was long and
unkempt. Olaf immediately stiffened upon recognizing the figure. "This is
whats become of you. Kissing the arse of a pathetic boy." The prisoner
spat.
"Harry come on, he's this way." Moody said, stepping back to Harry.
"Go, let me talk with him." Olaf said, looking at Harry for approval. Harry
nodded and followed Moody further down the dungeon.
"He give that fancy armor to you? Make you think you're some proud
soldier? To him, you're just a glorified dog, bred to be beaten and taught
to do tricks." Harald continued to sneer at his son, his lips snarled like a
dog.
Olaf felt the words bite into him. For a long time he had idolized the man
in front of him. The famous Harald Hardrada, the viking that conquered
the world according to his own lore. Here and now however, he looked
pathetic, a far cry form the stories Harald told him when he was a young
boy. Still, the broken and crazed man was his father. The man had taught
him to fight, taught him to lead, he was Harald's heir. Part of him always
would be and seeing his father here, despite the harsh words from his
tongue, he wanted to free him, gain favor back with the father that raised
him.
"I was the one that protected you all these years. I taught you everything
you needed to know to live in our world." Harald's demeanor changed
suddenly and he put on a soft smile, the same kind of smile he would
always wear when he played with his young son so long ago. "Free me
and we'll be father and son once more. Everything will return to the way
it was before all of these wretched wars."
Olaf stood there for a moment, his face made of chiseled stone. Not a
single emotion fluttered across his face and his father watched with
hopefulness that his words struck home. His hope though quickly faded
when his son began to laugh, his laughter deep and dark, echoing off the
dungeons walls.
"You always thought yourself smarter than you really were. Imprisoned
by one wizard, only to join him later and once again find yourself in a
small cell." Olaf laughed further.
Hardrada's sneer came back with fury. He stood up and banged his large
fist against the door in anger. "And what are you but a slave to that boy!"
Olaf only smiled at his father, "I am something you could never even
hope to dream of becoming. I have risen higher than you father, and all
you are now is but dust in a cold room, crushed by the weight of the
entire earth." Olaf's voice grew more quiet and sinister as he talked. "This
cell will be the last thing you ever know. Your life will dwindle away
until even you forget your own name. Your body will wither and die, and
once it does, your spirit will descend into the sky, forced to roam the
world in an endless shadow, always watching as the world passes you by.
Even then, the years will pass and your own spirit will die just as your
body did and in all that time, you will hear my name uttered in legend, a
mockery to forever anger and poison you." With that, Olaf turned and left
his father who shouted curses, banging on the door in anger. Olaf could
only smile as his fathers voice grew quiet the further he descended into
the dungeon.
He came to an unlocked door at the far end of a long hallway, even
deeper underground than where his father was held. He pushed it open
and found Harry and Moody standing over a cowering figure in ragged,
black clothes that looked foreign to him. He was whimpering as he talked
through his sorry sobs, tears streaming down his already dirty face.
Harry looked up to Olaf when he entered the room and locked eyes with
him. Olaf gave a single nod to Harry who turned back to face the
prisoner. His words became clearer, the sobs that racked his body
subsided. "Just don't kill me! I'll tell you what I know!" Olaf couldn't help
but allow a soft smile onto his face. Whatever Moody had done got the
bird to sing.
"Where is Minister Fudge!" Moody demanded, his wand pointed at the
assassins forehead. The minister still hadn't been found after the events at
the Christmas Eve Ball. Fudge was the prime suspect in coordinating the
attack against Harry and was being sought after by the entire world's
auror forces, but no one could find him. The minister wasn't the smartest
or best wizard and so he either had help in staying hidden, or he was
already dead.
"He-he's dead." The pathetic man sobbed.
"How?" Harry asked, his voice much more soft than Olaf would have
thought.
"I killed him, just after trying to take out my target."
"Me." Harry responded casually, as if it were no big deal that he was
talking to the assassin that had so nearly killed him and his girlfriend. It
was the times like these where Harry really showed his magnitude for
being a King. He was always calm under pressure and was learned in
dealing with his emotions.
The assassin grimaced and nodded his head. "His body, i-its in the forest,
that forest by the castle."
"Were you working with anyone else?"
The man shook his head violently. "No, no. I was payed to do the job.
That's all."
Harry stood still for awhile, deep in thought. At last he moved from his
place and turned to leave. His voice rang out in the dungeon room, "Keep
him here until we've found the ministers body and proved his words true.
After that, move him to a more cozier cell. But if what he just said isn't
true...kill him." With that Harry left the room and Olaf quickly followed.
They could hear the mans sobs as they left and walked back down the
hall.
"Was that your father?" Harry asked after awhile of silent walking.
"What's left of him I suppose." Olaf responded.
"He could be moved to a more comfortable cell if you wish."
Olaf chuckled, "No, I don't wish it. He has done many horrible things in
his life. It's time he truly pays for them." They both continued through
the dungeons underneath the ministry and eventually rose back up to the
surface through the golden elevator, only to be swarmed by waiting
wizards and witches wishing to greet him. Fawkes, though he liked the
crowds and camera's, listened to Harry's order and flashed away with him
and Olaf.
They landed in the war room of Ghost Castle. Reaper was already waiting
for them and spoke as soon as they appeared, "We found something."
–
"What is it?" Harry asked, standing outside a closed off stone entrance
that had been buried under the Knot house. Theo stood next to him as
well as Sirius and Remus. It took some time just to explain his own new
looks and what it meant. They all looked at him differently than before, a
small hint of fear in their eyes. Hopefully it will be a look that is absent
on Fleur's face when she sees him.
"I've never seen it before." Theo said, shaking his head, more confused
than anyone else around. The stone door was completely blocked by
mortar and brick and it looked like it had been recently closed. Above the
doorway were ancient runes that no one seemed able to read.
Goblins had begun to dig underneath the house, searching for anything
they could find. That's when they came across this old doorway that had
been initially blocked off by a concrete wall. The basement underneath
the house had recently been put in, within the last couple years while
Theo was away at school.
"You can feel that right?" Remus asked, the old werewolf clearly spooked
by what he was looking at. Harry knew what Remus was talking about. A
hidden breeze was blowing through the blocked doorway, somehow
finding a way passed the mortar. It came in waves and sounded like
something on the other side was breathing.
"What do you think this is?" Harry asked, looking at Ragnok who also
stood nearby. It was he who was first told of this doorway.
"It's old, goblin made as well. But for what purpose it was built, and
where it leads, I do not know." Ragnok responded.
"Olaf." Was all Harry had to say. The large golden knight stepped out of
the gathered group and approached the breathing door. He took out his
greatsword and smashed the pommel into the brick wall that blocked
their way. The wall gave way to his great strength and began to crumple
inwards. A wave of foul air escaped through the newly opened doorway,
forcing Harry to cover his mouth from the stench. Nothing could be seen
inside the door, only pitch blackness.
"What the hell is that smell?" Sirius asked, pulling his loose shirt up and
over his nose to try and block the smell.
Harry pulled Excalibur from its sheath and made to walk through the
dark doorway, but Olaf placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'll lead."
Harry nodded and followed the viking into the dark abyss. He took his
Yew wand into his other hand and created light from it, shining
brightness on the surrounding room they found themselves in. Sirius and
Ragnok followed in after him while Remus waited outside with Theo and
the others that stood watch.
The walls were made of stone and completely barren, but also perfectly
smooth and clearly made by hands that knew what they were doing.
They continued further until they reached a staircase that descended
down into more darkness. Harry shot a ball of light down the stairs and
the four of them watched the light travel downwards until finally it
reached the bottom where the hallway seemed to turn right.
Olaf didn't need to be ordered to travel down the stairs. Holding his
sword before him, he continued downwards, Ragnok following, with
Harry behind, and finally Sirius in the rear. The staircase was smooth and
beautifully carved. "This is wondrous work." Ragnok breathed out, taking
in the sights of his kind and their abilities to carve stone.
Down they went and eventually they reached the bottom landing. Here
they found the air to be even more foul and Harry was forced to place
bubble head charms on everyone so that they could even continue to
move. They followed another dark hall with barren walls until they
reached a stone door with a handle carved into it.
Olaf looked back to Harry, awaiting his approval to open the door. When
he received it, Olaf pushed open the door and made ready with his
sword, but no threat presented itself. Harry sent several balls of light into
the room and watched as they ascended, reaching to great heights and
lighting up a cavernous hall. Thick stone columns sprang from the
ground and held up a monstrous ceiling. Everywhere were carvings,
statues, and pictures depicting goblins and their triumphs. On the far end
of this cavern was a stone throne that had a set of stairs leading up to it.
Ragnok, seeing what it was, rushed up to it. Upon the throne were
several runes that only he could read. He translated them for the group,
"Here sits the King of the Dead." Ragnok's voice echoed off the walls and
it sounded hollow and cold. When his words were heard, a great wind
rushed around them and moved upwards and out of the staircase they
just came from.
"That sounds lovely." Sirius muttered. He walked over to a statue of a
small goblin holding a spear in a saluting motion. From the look of it, he
had thick armor, far more advanced than the armor that the goblins
currently used.
"A goblin throne room, but nothing else? King of the Dead? What is this
place?" Harry asked more to himself than anyone else.
"Not just a throne room, look!" Ragnok responded, pointing the curved
sword he held in his hand behind the throne. Harry looked and indeed
saw many more doors that littered the back half of the enormous cavern.
If each door led to a hallway, which lead to more hallways and rooms
like he knew the goblins capable of making, this place was huge.
"Know anything of this?" Harry asked Ragnok hopefully.
"I only know of old legends that resemble something like this place."
"Is there any possibility the legends are true?" Sirius asked.
Ragnok shrugged, "Legends begin somewhere I suppose."
"Who enters my kingdom unannounced?" The four mortals jumped in
surprise and all turned their weapons towards where they heard the
voice. It so happened that they all looked in different directions, thinking
the voice had come from all around them.
Harry turned to look at the empty stone throne and found it no longer
without person. Sitting on the throne was a ghostly goblin, clad in thick
armor and holding a wicked sword across his lap. From the back of the
cavern, an army of ghosts began to emerge from the various doors, all
carrying weapons and wearing armor like their king.
"I am Harry Potter and these are my companions, King Ragnok of
Gringotts, Sirius Black, Lord of House Black, and Olaf Kyrre, First Knight
of Avalon." Sirius gave an odd look to Harry, not having ever heard him
say the name Avalon before. He knew of the blade and what it meant,
but Avalon was another story.
"No pretty titles for you, Harry Potter?" The goblin ghost king asked with
a sneer, clearly unimpressed by the other names given to him.
Harry bowed his head, "I am a simple mortal who has stumbled upon
your kingdom. I beg my leave from it, never to return again."
The goblin began to laugh cruelly and his laughter was echoed by his
fellow soldiers that began to surround them. Such a chorus of laughter
shook the very ground. "Such humility in a king is a rare quality." Harry's
eyes widened, which was caught by the goblin. "Don't be so surprised, I
know the blade you carry." The ghostly king paused for a moment and he
again sneered, "It was forged by my father."
"Agodad?" Ragnok asked, stepping closer to the ghost king in
astonishment. The legends of the ancient goblin kingdom of Daggo were
true if it was him. They held much of the underground world long before
Gringotts. Agodad was the last king of that ancient realm and legends say
they were cursed, forever to be hidden to the world. The ghost turned to
look at Ragnok with curious eyes.
"Yes, that is what I am called. And you are Ragnok, King of Gringotts as
your King friend announced you. Such interesting company you keep for
a goblin." He spat back.
"These are interesting times we find ourselves in."
Agodad nodded his head and further settled into his throne. "Yes I have
heard the rumors of your war above ground. Still my question has not
been answered, why have you come?"
Ragnok spoke for them, "We entered your lands by mistake. A door was
opened to us and we took it not knowing what we would find on the
other side."
"An unfortunate mistake." Agodad replied with a cruel smile. The soldiers
that surrounded them lowered their spears and swords, ready to advance
on the small party in the middle of their circle.
"You would kill Kings within your halls without just cause?" Ragnok
asked, his voice spiking with some fear.
"I would kill thieves." Agodad replied, his voice turning to acid. "The
blade that boy you call King wields is not his by right, but mine! Stolen
from my family many centuries ago, long had I searched for it. Then that
usurper Arthur took it and slaughtered my people when we asked for it
back! It seems fate has finally smiled upon me and brought the sword
within grasp once more."
Harry felt his spine begin to tingle, and slowly the ghostly goblins began
to move inwards, tightening the circle around them. All of them had
eager, gleeful looks upon their faces, ready to finally right a wrong in
their past.
"The goblin lies. That blade, though forged by his father, was freely given to
the Lady of the Lake to be given to her champion." Godric said in Harry's
head.
"And how do you know?" Harry asked, taking a step backwards. He felt
himself pressed to Sirius who stood with his wand trained at the
approaching goblins.
"There were stories of the ancient goblins son, Agodad, corrupted by a
powerful wizard, influenced to kill his father and retrieve the blade. Due to his
actions and the murder of his own father, the son was forever cursed, as well
as all those that followed him. It seems we fell into their resting place."
"I've heard those stories as well, bu they were always legends, childrens tales
told by Rowena to her daughter. I didn't think them true." Fawkes said. "I'll
come to get you."
"No, you wouldn't be able to get everyone in time. We'll find a way out of
here."
"Harry." Godric pleaded, but he shut them out with his occlumency
shields.
Harry tossed the sword to the ground, "If I give this to you, would you let
us leave?"
"The blade was tainted by your filth, I must cleanse it...and you." Agodad
responded. "Kill them!" The ghosts rushed the last few meters and tried to
plunge their swords and spears into their foes. All of them were thrown
back by a shield as Harry used both his wands to create a dome around
the four of them. He grabbed hold of Excalibur and pointed it at the king
who sat wide eyed on the throne. A burst of lighting shot from the tip of
the sword and smashed into the ghost. Agodad disappeared in an instant
but his army still remained.
"Run!" Harry commanded. He shot another strike of lighting into the
ranks of the ghost warriors, creating a narrow hole for them to run
through. He led the way and was thankfully able to block the blades of
the ghosts with his own sword. Olaf tried to do the same, but a ghosts
blade swung right through Olaf's sword, going through his armor as if it
were nothing, and connected with his flesh. He cried out in pain but
continued running after Harry.
They had almost reached the steps to Knot manor when they were halted
by Agodad reappearing before them. "Give me the blade you welp!" He
shouted.
Harry continued his sprint however, the sword pointed before him.
Agodad was forced to leap to the side, as Harry raced passed and headed
up the stairs. Sirius was the last to make it to the stairs and just as he was
about to step upwards, a sword from a ghost soldier swung true and
connected with his heel. Sirius fell to the ground and clutched
desperately at his bleeding foot.
Hearing the cry, the others turned around and attempted to help. "Go!"
Sirius shouted. A second blade sliced downwards and hit him in the
shoulder, causing a spray of blood to decorate the once barren walls.
Ragnok leapt forward without hesitation and placed himself in front of
Sirius. He took the shield he kept on his back and held it firm, blocking
any more attacks against Sirius. The goblin metal worked against the
ghostly goblins weapons, protecting the both of them. Olaf picked Sirius
up and heaved him over his shoulder. Harry sent a blast of raw magic
towards the ghosts, not even thinking of any spell. A shock wave
connected with the goblin soldiers, sending them flying backwards and
out of sight. They sprinted up the steps, and collapsed in exhaustion once
they had reached the top.
–
The shadow king screamed in anger, his voice echoing off the black
obsidian halls that surrounded him. A golden throne stood in front of
him, now cracked in two. Around the shadow king was a whirlwind of
raw magic that tore anything and everything it hit. Obsidian columns
that held the hall up were beginning to crack and give way due to the
force of magic that bombarded them.
The king held his staff firmly in his hand, its tip violently pulsating blue.
He sunk to his knees as his breath left him. Expending as much magic as
he had took its toll on his old body. As he took several deep breaths and
calmed himself, the magic that tore the hall up began to subside until it
was perfectly calm and quiet once more.
"My sword taken from me!" He shouted again. "That boy! I will show him
who is the rightful keeper of it!" His anger was getting the better of him
again and magic poured from every pore in his body, surrounding him
completely. If anyone were to walk into the hall, it would be like they
were walking into a furnace due to the heat coming from the magic that
poured from the king.
He stood up and smashed his staff into the obsidian floor, causing a
fissure to form for several meters in every direction. The ceiling above
the king gave way and crashed down all around him. A bright light
emerged from the staff and jetted out across all sides of the surrounding
land.
He stood still as rain began to pelt him. The grand obsidian castle he
stood in collapsed all around him, leaving him standing in rubble. Still he
did not move an inch, his breathing heavy and full of hatred. Soon, a roar
echoed across the desolate lands and shook the earth.
From the once extinct volcano the castle was built into, fire burst from its
tip like it once had long ago. Thick, back ash poured into the sky and hot
lava began to cascade down all sides of the ferocious and menacing
mountain. Another roar sounded once more and the king smiled cruelly.
A shadow, blacker than the clouds appeared in the sky, emerging from
the fire of the mountain. The shadow swiftly moved through the clouds
and descended to earth, landing just in front of the king. A great dragon,
as large as the hall it now sat on top of and black as midnight, stood
bowed in front of its master. Alloria the Black, the Queen of Dragons. She
had been his constant companion for the last thousand years and would
forever continue to be his only friend.
"We ride north to slay the usurper." The king said. Alloria let down her
giant wing and helped the king up onto her back. He settled himself
between several of her large spikes that ran down her spine. She took off,
batting her great wings. Together they soared north towards war.
47. Making Sacrifices
"I'm not sure I like the beard." Fleur said, running her soft hand through
his rough facial hair that began to grow. A blush formed on her own
cheeks as she thought about the other advantages to his sudden growth
and maturity. A man he was now and the muscles she felt under her
hands could make any woman swoon.
"I can shave it." Harry offered, placing a kiss onto her neck. Together they
stayed tangled in the sheets of their bed in Hogwarts castle.
She shook her head, "No, I'll have you stay the same. Though the
discomfort is mine, truly you look very handsome with it. Kingly even."
Harry smiled and continued to trail kisses down her neck and towards
her awaiting pleasures. She arched her back to give him better vantage.
"You know what this means don't you?" Harry asked, his breath hot upon
her bare skin.
"What does what mean?" She asked, her eyes closing as she gave into the
passions of the moment.
"If I am to be King, you will be my Queen." Fleur suddenly stopped Harry
from going further down her body. She pulled his chin up so that she
could look into his vibrant eyes. He was smiling at her, knowing full well
what he had just said. A smile formed onto her own lips in response.
"Do you mean?" She asked, her breath beginning to leave her.
"We both knew what this was from the moment we first met." Harry said,
his grin growing even more.
"I remember you being foolhardy and overly brave the first time we met.
Nearly got yourself killed that night." Fleur responded, her smile growing
even more.
"And what a night that was." Harry replied. He placed a tender kiss on
her stomach before resting his head on it and sighing. Fleur absently ran
her hand through his longer hair, placing her fingers on his scalp and
massaging it. She couldn't keep the grin off her face, the images of her
and Harry old, a child or two running through their house. In her mind
their children looked like him, both son and daughter, raven hair with
startling green eyes.
The house they lived in was the very same they currently had in Annecy,
yet some things were changed. Upon Harry's head she caught sight of a
golden crown, simple and elegant. An odd stone was placed in at the
forefront, surrounded by glowing emeralds. She watched as the older
Harry bent down and took his son into his arms, placing him onto his
shoulders, the boy laughing. The little girl danced around him, her small
sundress waving about.
She caught a glance out the window and found the sky to be without
cloud, a warm sun beating down onto the house. This wasn't the same
house as the one they had in Annecy, though the insides looked similar.
This house was on a hill that overlooked a small town. At the base of the
hill and just before the town were wide, tall walls that surrounded them.
She could just make out guards patrolling the walls, wearing gleaming
gold armor.
"Indeed it was." Fleur said softly. The sound of Harry's snores began to
sound in the room and Fleur smiled softly at him. She stayed still and let
him rest, enjoying the feeling of his warmth on her. They never got much
time to lay like this, alone and without care for the world. She would see
to as much time as she could even if he were asleep to see it through.
Time flew by for her as she gazed down at him, the look upon his face so
peaceful. She would have it remain that way forever if she could, but
sadly she knew it wasn't meant to be. The duty he headed towards would
forever put him in a troubled life, something she knew full well he didn't
choose, but now was thrust into. She however was bred for something
like this, not Queen per say, but a figure in the public eye, to be always
examined.
Slowly she set Harry's head upon a pillow and stood up from the bed.
Uncaring of her nakedness, she walked across the room, wincing as her
feet pattered on the cold stone floor. On the far end of the room she
opened up a small window and stared out into the night air, taking in the
freshness of it. Far off she could see Norbert roaming the castle grounds,
going about his watch as usual. At the lake, a squad of goblins practiced
with their blades.
The flutter of wings came to her ears and soon it was answered by the
vision of Hedwig flying through the window and softly landing on her
shoulder. The magnificent snow white owl landed delicately, aware of
her being without clothes. Hedwig hooted softly and nibbled at her ear.
Fleur chuckled, "Having a good night?" Fleur asked the bird. It was
always odd being in the presence of Harry's owl. She was highly
intelligent and Fleur thought she could even understand English. Hedwig
hooted once in response and began rubbing her head against Fleur's ear.
Fleur responded by lightly stroking her pure white feathers.
Together they watched the night pass by as Harry stayed asleep for
longer than usual. Normally he had only been getting an hour or two of
sleep a night, so Fleur let him sleep in this one time. If any man deserved
more rest, it was him.
Sleep escaped her this evening, in part because of the happiness that
swelled in her that Harry voiced thought to her own future desires. Her
happiness however was clouded by other thoughts less than savory. The
danger he will be placed in the coming lifetime meant a lifetime of worry
for her, to always fear that one day he wouldn't return home to her.
Her eyes looked to the new scar on her shoulder, still red with anger.
How close she had come to death herself. In an instant she could have
left this world, never to know what future had been laid out for her with
him. And he, how would he have reacted to her fate? How would the
world suffer if she were to die so suddenly in his arms, and how would
the world suffer if he were to die in hers? Life was fleeting and in this
moment she felt more vulnerable than she ever had before.
As if sensing her worried thoughts, off in the distance she heard a
melancholy song that began to lift her heart. It was somber in tone, yet
happy and full of meaning and power. Fawkes came into view, flying as
he sang his tune to calm her heart. Hedwig took off from her shoulder
and joined her friend in the night. She watched as the two birds sped off
higher and higher into the night sky before disappearing behind dark
clouds.
Even though Fawkes had once again left, and his song with him, Fleur
could still hear the tune, feel its rhythm. The magic in the music lifted
her heart up and filled her with hope that she would see old age with the
man still asleep in her bed. She looked over to him and smiled softly.
Slowly she walked back over to the bed and brushed away some of the
hair that covered his face. She kissed him on the brow and then began to
put on clothes for the coming day.
She saw in the distance the beginning of the morning sun and so left her
room to walk the castle halls. It was still early, the sun just rising over
the eastern hills, and so the halls were devoid of any life, save for the
paintings that just began to stir from their sleep.
The grand staircase, a place that often messed with students, always
switching positions forcing students to take more time in their steps
down and up the castle, guessed where she wished to go and responded
by placing the stairs before her. It was unusual that her journey down the
staircase was made this easy, but she counted her lucky stars and
continued forward once she reached the entrance hall.
She pushed open the doors and stepped out into the cool morning air.
"Fleur! Wait!" She turned to see her best friend coming down the stairs,
her long blue hair swishing behind her as she did so. Aimee was in her
black Hogwarts robes, trimmed with blue and the Ravenclaw crest upon
her left breast.
She jogged up to her friend, "What are you up so early for?"
"I could ask ze same of you?" Fleur replied with raised eyebrows.
Aimee only smiled at her friend, "Had a late night and didn't wish to see
the morning to its conclusion."
Fleur's eyebrows raised, "Fred?" Aimee's smile grew even wider at the
name. "Aimee he is just a prankster!" Fleur admonished.
"He's a very fun prankster." Both girls chuckled and began their walk
around the grounds. Fleur found herself laughing more than she had been
in a long time, her worries taken from her by her friend for the moment.
Another thing she had missed these last several months were the talks
with Aimee. It seemed as of late they didn't have much time, because of
school and the goings-on of Harry's life and the war.
As they walked the grounds, they came across a squad of goblins, their
swords singing in the cool morning air as they practiced, urged on by the
harsh barking of their leader. When they grew closer, making intent to
pass by and head for the lake, the leader saw them and barked an order.
All of the goblins immediately stopped and turned to look at them,
bowing their heads in a manner of respect.
This took both girls off guard but Fleur, having seen the same sign of
respect given to Harry, bowed her head as well. Once Fleur had risen her
head back up, so did the goblins and they then continued to train.
It wasn't until they had reached the lakes edge did Aimee speak, "What
was that about?"
Fleur shook her head, "I'm not quite sure. They've never done that before
for me." Both girls quickly shrugged off the odd event and continued
about their walk, joining arm in arm, comforted in the closeness of
friendship once more. On they talked and gossiped and laughed the
world away, strolling slowly around the lake.
The sun began to rise higher over the hills, ushering a rare wintry
cloudless day. Actual warmth came from the skies today, a rare sight for
this time of year. Already Fleur wished she didn't have schooling this
day, wanting to spend the day outside with friends and in the arms of
Harry. Maybe she would be lucky and he wouldn't have anything calling
him away this day?
Soon they were heading back to the school, the goblins they had passed
by earlier were gone. When they made it into the school, they saw the
Bloody Baron gliding through the hall, heading towards the Great Hall to
talk with his Slytherin students. As if sensing their presence, the Bloody
Baron turned and bowed low to the girls, "My lady." He said, the first
words Fleur had ever had directed at her by any ghost.
"My Lord." Fleur responded absentmindedly, her well taught courtesies
taking over the confusion and surprise that wrapped her. The Bloody
Baron gave her an odd grin before vanishing into the Great Hall.
"Has something happened?" Aimee asked, confusion clearly written
across her face.
Fleur could only shrug and so the two continued into the Great Hall for
breakfast. Already the hall was filled with many students. Her eyes
scanned, looking for the long, regal black hair of her boyfriend. She
found him sitting at the Slytherin table with Daphne, Theo, and Blaise,
talking and laughing. Susan and Hannah had joined them as well, with
Neville wrapped in conversation at the Gryffindor table.
Aimee and Fleur took their seats at the Slytherin table as well, no one
batting an eye as they did so. Ever since the removal of Snape and Draco,
there wasn't a person in the castle that cared where one sat during meals.
In fact, it was heavily encouraged to develop friendships across houses,
after all, when working a real job no one will care what house you were
in during school.
"A shame the current state of the Gryffindor team." Theo teased, directing
the comment at Harry. This year, Gryffindor hadn't been looking the best.
With Harry gone from the house team, the seeker position was absent a
champion. Ginny was the go to new seeker for the house, but she had yet
to look as promising as Harry once was. Angelina was confident that next
year they would be the best team however.
"It's a shame that Slytherin can't keep up with Cedric." Hannah mocked
Theo. Cedric was the best seeker in Hogwarts at the moment, and he was
easily finishing games, making Hufflepuff the team to beat this year.
Theo stuck his tongue out at the 'puff in response.
A heavy thud sounded next to Fleur and she didn't need to look over to
know exactly who it was. Hermione joined them at the table, a stack of
arithmancy books she had borrowed from the library placed before her.
Madame Pince had given up on trying to keep Hermione from taking her
books out of the library. She knew the Gryffindor would also never
willingly harm a book either and so figured it not so big a risk.
Fleur caught the shy glance of Theo when the bushy haired Gryffindor sat
down, and the following blush upon her cheek. Daphne caught the glance
too and looked at Fleur, winking with a small smile. Both girls hid their
chuckles and turned back to their conversations.
"I think I found the solution to your problem, Fleur." Hermione
announced. Without response, she immediately opened up one of the
arithmancy books and began to turn the pages. Once finding the correct
passage, she began to read aloud. "The number seven is commonly
acknowledged as being one of the most powerful numbers in magic.
Three, Five, and Thirteen are also known to hold power. We still can't
divine why such numbers are more powerful than others, but we know
this to be true. The number five is often used in rituals while thirteen and
three are used in powerful potions made to curse individuals. However,
the number seven is unique in that it is used to enhance a being, and as
such see's prominence in potions made to empower a person. The number
seven is also commonly used when dealing with death, such as attempts
to prolong one's life, or bringing someone back from the dead."
Hermione finished reading the short passage and closed the book. "Why
did you ask for this? Not that I mind. I enjoy a good read, and any excuse
to go through the forbidden section is a good one." Hermione finished.
Fleur felt Harry's eyes blazing into the back of her skull. There was none
better in the castle when it came to researching subjects, finding the
smallest of passages in an old and forgotten book that could bring light of
day on a once hidden subject. She may have lied about what she needed
and why, but it wasn't the worse of lies she figured. In fact, she was
amazed that Hermione had even found anything that could be of use.
"For my research paper I have in enchanting. I needed the help and
figured you wouldn't mind my access into the forbidden section."
Hermione only nodded her head, smiling. "Thank you Hermione. That
was very helpful."
"If you need any more help, I'll gladly do so."
"And I'll be sure to ask if I do." Hermione beamed in response. Fleur
turned to Harry and saw him already deep in thought, his eyes distant,
staring across the Great Hall. He had heard his friend's words and now
wondered if they knew the exact number of horcruxes to be found. The
bell rang for classes and Fleur stood up, placing a kiss on Harry's brow
and left the Great Hall. She glanced back and saw Harry standing up as
well, making his way towards Sirius at the staff table.
Grindelwald watched from afar as Harry talked with Sir Galdrey and Sir
Mol. Potter was becoming smarter in the ways of waging war. The
moving of units, sacrificing when necessary, attacking when possible.
Both of the grizzled old knights sang praises of his mind for war, a
natural they called him. Last week the boy had come in with a sword not
even Grindelwald thought truly existed in this world.
Upon seeing the blade, his citizens, his people had begun to worship him
more than just a prince, but as if he were the king of this city and land. It
angered him that this boy, one he would have killed if possible, was now
reaching higher than even himself had gained.
If he had a way around magic, to go against her very force, he would. But
alas, he did not know of such a way. Now he was forced to stand on the
sidelines as the boy proved himself more capable and worthy to take a
leadership role than himself. There was also no way of approaching
anyone even capable of killing Potter. Voldemort couldn't do it, even
with the help of the old fool. It would be up to him to finally strike the
killing blow and see out his earlier visions of grandeur. Once Riddle and
Dumbledore were dead for good, and the stone uncovered, the need to
train Potter would be nonexistent. Then, he can look to finally killing the
boy.
He relaxed back into his throne, his eyes slowly closing. The sacrifice he
made of those lowly wizards in order to retain his youth was beginning
to wear off. His age was beginning to show, his raven black hair showing
signs of grey. His eyes were dulling, turning grey from green.
As he watched Potter talk with the two knights, he couldn't help but feel
jealousy. The boy had it all, power, youth, respect. He was what Gellert
wished to be while growing up. How could magic be so cruel? He asked
himself constantly these days.
"Slower." He hissed to the woman behind him that rubbed her knuckles
into his aching shoulder muscles. He hated this city and its people, but
they were useful for…certain things and he did not wish to see those
things be diminished. Already the servants had taken to Harry, standing
around waiting for his every beck and call. Soon, he would need to find a
way around magic and rid himself of the boy.
"Keep your enemy trained on one fixture, then flank with your leftover
soldiers." Gellert heard from Sir Mol. He stood up and approached the
table, roughly throwing the servant girls hands away from him. None
looked up as he approached, focused on the table where small iron
figurines were being moved around. Potter's knight flanked Sir Galdrey's
line of soldiers and crashed into the back of them as they were being
distracted by Potter's own line of soldiers.
"Good, good. You're getting better." Sir Mol congratulated Potter. "The
lesson on Hannibal seems to have rubbed off on you."
"Yes, very good." Gellert said, his voice even. "They are teaching you very
well." It was time to finish off the dark wizard and his pet silver bearded
friend. "Sir Mol, Sir Galdrey, would you excuse us?" Both knights bowed
their head and left the hall as did all of the other servants.
Harry continued to look at the board, continuously searching for better
ways to win the simulation war put in front of him. Gellert stood quietly
for a moment before he spoke. "The horcruxes, how far along are you?"
This immediately got Harry's attention. "We have destroyed a number of
them." Harry replied, his nature guarding.
Gellert nodded his head and summoned a nearby chair to sit in. "How
many left do you have to destroy?" An uneasy pause formed between the
two when Harry didn't respond. They both stared at one another, and
eventually Gellert budged. He held up his hand, the gold ring upon his
index finger. "This is one of them."
This did take Harry by his surprise, his eyes widening and he naturally
recoiled from the thing. "Why do you have that?" He asked.
"Voldemort gave it to me, for without it, I would be dead." He played
with the ring, turning it on his finger. "The soul within this ring is what
keeps me alive." He could see the emotions play off the boy's face. It was
almost amusing to watch as Potter first thought of taking the ring right
off his finger, then moving to frustration in not being able to do so.
Clearly he had just run into the problem that magic wouldn't just allow
him to take the ring.
"And do you plan on parting with this ring?" Harry asked after a moment,
his face contorted into a frown.
"We both know I won't…unless." Gellert said, egging the boy on.
Harry looked at him with increased frustration. "Unless?"
"Unless we find a way to prolong my life. The taking of innocent magical
lives is only a short term solution and I wish not to be a vampire of my
own kind."
Harry raised his eyebrows at this, "Really? You already seem much like a
vampire to me. Don't forget that I remember your slaughter of an
innocent family."
Gellert's eyes narrowed, "And don't you forget what I have done for you
these past few months."
"It will not involve your current way of sustaining life. Otherwise, I will
kill you." Harry quickly responded.
"You can't kill me boy." Gellert spat. "We both would have tried now if it
were possible." He paused for a moment and allowed the temperature in
the room to cool. "No, I seek something that is in the possession of
Dumbledore."
Harry understood at once what Grindelwald was after. It was the perfect
way to prolong his life. Now he knew why Gellert was being so helpful,
he wished for the Philosophers Stone for himself and wanted him to get
it.
"And if I were to help you in this?" Harry asked. "I could just wait for you
to die naturally, then take the ring from you then."
"Don't be so naïve boy." Gellert said. "I still have many years left with this
ring and I'm sure you don't wish the war to continue on that long."
Harry stared long and hard at Gellert, studying the cold wizard's eyes. He
always knew something like this would happen. Grindelwald was always
forming some kind of scheme, some way to see himself to the forefront of
the wizarding word. The prize of the Philosophers Stone was his end
game it seemed, and what he would do with it, Harry didn't want to
think about.
"I will retrieve it for you." Harry said at last. "But…" He added, "Once in
possession of it, you will never step foot into Britain."
It was Gellerts turn to stare at Harry, a hint of contempt in his eyes.
"Then you will never get this ring." He said after a pause, turning his back
to Harry and walking up to his throne. "Now go, Potter. You have more
important matters to discuss with your…friends." He spat out the last
word. Harry growled, but didn't say anything more, turning and walking
out of the great white keep.
He entered into the street and was immediately swarmed by small
children, all wishing to see some magic trick. Sir Mol was outside as well,
talking quietly with a few of the soldiers that had joined in their assault
on the ministry. They all looked up at him and bowed their heads in
respect. He did the same and continued through the streets, enjoying the
sights and smells that came with it.
A little girl, no older than eight stopped him in his tracks. She had tear
ridden cheeks, her chin was dirty, and her clothes were torn and ragged.
Through a rip in her shirt he could make out a small dark mark upon her
collarbone, a dragonfly in black ink. Her eyes were puffy and she
clutched onto a dirty doll that looked ready to fall apart at the seams.
Without warning, she sprinted to him and wrapped her tiny arms around
his thigh and began to sob.
Unsure of what to do, and looking sheepishly at the crowd forming
around him, he comforted the girl as best as he could. He lowered
himself to one knee and ran his hand soothingly through her strawberry
blonde hair. "What's the matter?" He asked at last.
"M-my mother, I can't find her." The girl sobbed.
"I apologize milor-" An elderly woman began but Harry held his hand up
to silence her.
"Do you know something of this?" He asked her.
The elderly woman shook her head, "No milord. But it is common for
woman to go missing from time to time."
"What do you mean?" Harry questioned further.
"Our master, he takes them into his keep and they are never seen again.
Sofia's mother, she was taken into the castle three days ago." The woman
responded, jerking her head at the young girl named Sofia.
"And what does your master do with these women?" Harry asked.
The woman shrugged, "I am not sure. No one truly knows, though there
are rumors."
"What is going on here!" Sir Galdrey asked, stepping into the gathered
crowd in the main street. With him were a half-dozen guards, equipped
with spears and strong silver armor that shined in the afternoon light.
Immediately the older woman cowered, as did much of the crowd,
"Nothing sir. We were just admiring our new prince is all."
Sir Galdrey looked to Harry, "They aren't bothering you my Lord?"
"Err, no Sir Galdrey. I'm fine." The knight responded by barking orders at
the villagers and sending them scurrying back to their houses and shops.
Still the little girl clung to his leg, no longer crying, but instead scared of
the soldiers that surrounded her.
"You too little girl." Galdrey barked.
Harry placed a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder, "It's fine Sir
Galdrey. I was just taking her to her home." Sir Galdrey looked
questioningly at him but finally nodded his head and continued on his
way.
"Come." Harry said, lightly pushing the girl in the direction of the gates.
"I'll find your mother." He had heard enough from the older woman to be
scared for this girl's safety. "First let's get you out of here." He helped the
girl along, taking her down the giant hill that the city rested upon. They
came to the gates where the guards hardly bothered to look at him, so
used to seeing him walk in and out. The little girl got lost in his dark
cloak and the guards never saw her.
They walked out of the magical city and into the grassy fields that
surrounded it. As soon as the two were outside its magical wards, Harry
made ready to call Fawkes to him, but a loud boom echoed across the
countryside. It came from the city and Harry turned around and was
shocked to find that he could still see the city. In fact, the feeling of the
ancient magic that surrounded it was gone. The wards had come crashing
down.
Screams quickly followed the boom. "Fawkes!" Harry called out loud. In a
second the golden phoenix had appeared and flashed away with young
Sofia to Ghost castle. Harry flicked his wand and Godric came charging
out of it, a deafening roar filling the air. Together they charged back into
the city only to find it in sudden panic. Soldiers were running around left
and right and up on the hill, Harry saw Grindelwald in his dark armor
ushering commands. Godric stood guard next to Harry, growling and
ready to pounce on any foes that approached.
"Potter! What did you do!" Gellert shouted from the hill, his voice
carrying very far.
"What do you mean! I merely tried to leave! What happened?" Harry
asked in return, rushing through the streets, dodging the soldiers and
citizens as they scrambled through the town. Many of the people had to
dive to the side to avoid the large lion that kept on the heels of Harry.
"Did someone leave with you?" Gellert asked once they were closer.
"What do you mean? Are these people not allowed to leave?"
Gellert's eyes narrowed. "Someone left with you!" He stated. In a split
second one of his wands was out and he hurled a deadly curse at Harry,
but it only dodged to the side, impacting with the roof of a tavern and
setting it ablaze. "You fuck!" Godric tried to punce on the wizard, but a
golden shield surrounded Gellert and sent Godric flying into the air.
Harry snapped his wand and Godric was brought back into it, ready to be
called once again if needed. He tuned out Godric's insults and cursing's
that filled his head.
"What are you doing with the women of this town?" Harry asked, not
even bothering to comment on the attempt of his life.
"That is none of your business Potter! These are my people to do with as I
choose."
Harry shook his head, "No, these are people, not slaves. You've kept them
here, all this time? Do they not know of what lies beyond these walls?"
"That is not your concern. Now tell me where she has gone!" Gellert
demanded.
"She? How would you know it's a she?" Gellert didn't say anything, but
his face dissolved into a torrent of hatred.
"You spoiled welp! You do not know this world! These people adore me!"
He shouted his words to the high heavens, his head lifted upwards to the
sky. "I have protected and guided them, but now you have ruined them.
Soon the world will be at their door."
From the hill Harry could look out across the plains and see a muggle
village. Already there was a car, travelling on dirt roads towards them.
Clearly this place had just been seen by all in the area and it wouldn't
take long for the world to know of it. What once had been an old ruin is
now a perfectly preserved castle fit with citizens.
Harry paused for a moment, his eyes tracking back and forth between the
car that loomed ever closer, and the people that had begun to gather in
the streets to listen to him and Grindelwald argue. He grounded his teeth,
caught between a rock and hard place. He wanted to scream in
frustration at this moment, or better yet, punch Gellert in his jaw.
Eventually he came to a decision, "Fawkes!" He called once again. In his
phoenix's claws was the young girl, her eyes widened until she saw where
she was once more. Another loud boom echoed through the castle and
the vision of the muggle car and town vanished in a second. A calm
silence once more fell over the city and Harry could feel the wards
activate around him.
Gellert leaned low and grabbed the girl from Fawkes' claws. "Wise
decision, young King." He mocked. Harry watched as the girl's eyes
welled with tears and many of the other women looked horrified at the
scene. Sir Galdrey appeared in the crowd and Gellert handed Sofia to
him.
"What are you doing here Gellert?" Harry asked.
"Something you would never understand." Grindelwald responded,
turning his back on Harry and beginning to walk away. Sofia was
dragged up to the castle, her face though lingered on Harry, tears
streaming down her small face.
"I'll come for you." Harry promised to her under his breath. He then
turned and walked back through the crowd, vowing in silence to kill
Grindelwald and free these people from whatever captivity they were in.
Voldemort read and re-read the short letter given to him by a simple owl
that now rested in his chambers. An anger swelled within him and he felt
his magic begin to lash out at its surroundings. Ancient vases and famous
paintings were torn from their places, crashing to the ground and tearing
asunder.
This was not the message he wished to receive ever, but it was also not
the message he could disobey. Making a deal with the devil had its
consequences, and this was one of them it seemed. He stood up from his
throne and began to pace back and forth in the room. The letter in his
hand crumpled and turned to ash, falling to the floor before being swept
away by an unknown wind.
"What is the matter?" A calm and soothing voice sounded from the
shadows of the room. Marie appeared through a small door, sensing her
husband's anger.
"I knew this was a mistake. I should never have gone to him!" Voldemort
hissed in anger.
"And if you didn't, you would have no chance in this war." Marie
responded.
Voldemort continued to pace angrily, his demeanor not calmed by the
presence of his wife. "He is asking the impossible!" He finally spat out.
"Oh?" She asked. "The impossible? Or merely something you don't wish to
do?" An empty pause followed so she continued. "I don't remember you
being hampered by things that were once impossible. That was not the
wizard I married."
She could feel the anger in the air diminish with every word she spoke. It
was his way, to act impulsively, to strike with his emotions. It was her
job to calm him down and see him to true purpose. That was what made
them so formidable. "Do as he says for now, for he guides you in the
proper direction. Then when opportunity arises later on, we will stab him
in the back."
Voldemort felt his anger completely leave him in that moment. The
torrent of magic that surrounded him left and he felt his body grow cold
and old. Horcruxes kept him alive, but they didn't keep him forever
youthful. He found that sacrifices of his more powerful followers were
what kept him strong.
"I will do as told...for now." He hissed, walking out of the throne room
and into the grand hallway. He had taken Heidelberg Castle for himself
upon the death of Dumbledore. It was the perfect location for staging
attacks and keeping an army. It was large enough to house several
thousand soldiers and located in the mountains so that no one
unsuspecting would stumble upon it. It was also close enough to a
muggle town where the few dementors and werewolves he had could
feed and swell his ranks.
During this time, he also had undergone extensive research into the
place, attempting to discover where Dumbledore kept his hidden objects.
He knew the old man was the possessor of the Philosophers Stone, but
Voldemort had yet to find its hiding place. Hopefully, it would come to
him soon however.
He walked through the halls of the cold and cramped castle, avoiding the
stares and bows of his lowly followers. His inner circle was all but
diminished. He was forced to start taking on the sons of lesser men,
Draco Malfoy being one of them. He despised that boy, impulsive and
egotistical. Marie would say Draco was like himself, just weaker. It made
him hate the boy even more, but he was loyal, something that could be
counted on. The two young boys that followed Draco were even more
useless, unlike their fathers that had died heroically for their cause.
Reaching the stairs to the dungeons, he lit his wand and descended into
its depths. Winding staircase after winding staircase, forever he
continued downwards into the bowels of the castle. Finally, he reached a
landing and upon his entrance, several torches lit themselves. A small
room with a wooden door was all that he saw, but Voldemort knew
better. He walked over to a brick wall and used his wand to tap three
separate bricks.
The wall gave way to form a door, much like Diagon Alley would.
Voldemort walked through and found himself walking even further
underground. This time the staircase was well lit and with each step, a
new torch would light up to shine the way downwards. It wasn't long
before he hit another landing, and turning right, found himself at another
wooden door.
Voldemort turned the silver knob and walked into the stone brick room.
No torches lit up for him this time, and Riddle didn't bother to make any
further light. He simply walked into the pitch blackness of the room, a
sigh escaping his lips.
He wasn't sure what was about to happen and could only hope it would
turn out well for him. He flicked his wand and sat down on a simple
wooden stool. "Nagini!" he hissed. As he waited for his pet, he sat
contemplating what he was about to do. The thought sent his stomach
churning. Sadly, he knew he was desperate, this was a last ditch hope in
accomplishing his goal. If he didn't take this risk, he would forever be
forgotten to history. His name would be a brief side note in the history of
Potter, and that was not something he could ever think to behold.
Riddle felt Nagini descend the final stairs and slither into the darkened
room. The large snake wrapped itself around Voldemort's leg as if
caressing him. Tom flicked his wand once again and this time the room
lit up in a pearly light.
It was barren save for the stone sarcophagus that stood erect in the
center. Dumbledore laid peacefully, his image clear to see. Riddle looked
over the tomb, it not being long since he had last seen it. How quickly
things could change. With another flick of his wand, the sarcophagus was
ripped from its floor and now hovered in the air. He then created a
pentagram underneath it, using five diamonds that he had in his pocket
to use as the points. The lines he made with his own blood, slicing his
hand to do so. Without hesitation or warning, Voldemort then flashed his
wand at Nagini, a cutting curse hitting it in the head. The large snake
writhed as its life fled from its body, blood spraying everywhere.
A loud shriek filled the room and a dark shadow rose up from Nagini. It
had terrible red eyes and stared angrily at Voldemort, but it did not
move.
Voldemort hovered some of the spilled blood and placed a drop on each
diamond. Then he began to mutter words in a dead language and with
each word, the pentagram grew brighter and brighter. The shade of
Voldemort's horcrux finally moved and looked to Dumbledore's
sarcophagus, which had also begun to glow. It rushed into the deceased
body underneath the thin layer of stone and vanished from Voldemort's
sight. Soon, the entire room was lit up completely and it became so
bright that Voldemort had to close his eyes. He finished his incantation
and waited.
The bright light began to dim and Riddle stared coldly into the center.
Where once a stone sarcophagus of a dead wizard sat, now the silver
wizard stood in its place. He looked different however. His face was
devoid of life and his silver beard was streaked with red and black. He
looked younger, yet older, and his eyes held no meaning.
Riddle approached his old foe, "Albus?"
Dumbledore's eyes were distant, but when he heard his name, his head
snapped to the voice. "My master." Riddle felt his mouth widening into a
grin at those words.
48. Finding Power
Harry sat in a sturdy wooden chair, watching as Olaf wailed away at the
young new Ghost member as he desperately danced around the floor,
trying to avoid the heavy attacks of the knight. In both his hands were
two slim long knives, their blades black as the night and as sharp as any
magical blade smithed by goblins. The recruit was getting better and was
able to somewhat hold his own against Olaf. Soon, he would be taking
his final test in order to become a Ghost full-time and Harry had hope
that he would succeed.
Seconds after that hopeful thought, the new recruit took a kick to the
chest and was sent scrambling to the floor. With a swift swing, Olaf's
large blade cut down, only stopping just before it pierced the recruits
neck. "Yield." Olaf barked.
The recruit was out of breath, but nodded his head vigorously. Olaf then
grinned and helped him to his feet, giving the young man a hard slap on
the back. "You're getting better!" The recruit, his face still hidden behind
the wooden mask, merely shook his head, frustration clear upon him.
Seeing this, Harry stood up from his chair and walked into the center of
the room. "We gave you those weapons for a reason." Harry said. The
recruit looked up to listen to Harry. "You tried to dance outside of Olaf's
attacks but what you needed to do was step inside his guard and stab low
and quick. Now try again and if he tries to kick you, slash his fucking
foot off."
With that, Harry walked back to the side of the room and took his place
next to Reaper who was also watching their recruit with curiosity. Again,
the recruit and Olaf took stage, brandishing their weapons. Banshee also
walked in at that moment and took a seat next to Reaper. The twins were
off on mission, searching France with a team of French aurors for
potential whereabouts of Voldemort.
"Wyltt wanted to speak with you." Banshee said as she took her seat.
Harry looked over to her, "Where is he?"
"Inside the war room." Harry nodded and stood up. He took one last
glance at the pair as they began to spar once again. The recruit
successfully got inside the guard of Olaf and used the broadside of his
knives to hit Olaf, showing that he could have killed the knight. With a
small smile, he walked out of the room and began ascending a short
staircase before heading down the large hall and into the war room.
He found Wyltt dressed for travel, clad in a light brown cloak, his grey
beard the only thing seen underneath his large hood. Ever leaning on his
staff that pulsed with a dull blue light, he looked to Harry. "I thank you
very much for your kind hospitality." He said.
"You have it as long as you wish to. Where will you go now?" Harry
asked, stepping further into the room.
Wyltt chuckled softly, "There is much of the world for me yet to see. Any
suggestions?"
Harry smiled, "I would recommend somewhere not so cold."
"I'll keep that in mind." Wyltt softly chuckled, walking passed Harry and
towards the iron doors. "I wish the best of luck to you, and in time, we
may yet see each other once more."
Harry nodded, feeling somewhat sad that Wyltt would be leaving. He had
been a good source to learn from in the last few weeks. He was very
knowledgeable of passed times and magics and even though he had only
known Wyltt for such a short time, he was easily the wisest man he had
ever met. If it weren't for him, he didn't know if he ever would have truly
accepted the sword that now hung by his side.
Wyltt turned around just before leaving through the doors, "Magic has
truly blessed you young Lord." With that, he turned and left the room,
disappearing from Harry's view. Harry stood still for a moment, letting
the sudden silence come over him. He then glanced down over the long
table that sat in the center of the room. A map of Europe was placed out
upon it, and many iron soldiers representing real squads of men and
goblins were placed around it. The iron pieces would slowly move,
showing in real-time where a unit would travel.
Groups of aurors were scattered throughout mainland Europe, but the
vast majority were held in reserve in England. All of the goblin forces
had already been relocated to Hogwarts with only a few squads left to
protect Gringotts and the ministry. The various ministries kept their own
guard of aurors, but they all went to skeleton crews in order to help with
the war effort. America and Canada had sent more aurors than anyone,
almost doubling their auror forces. Due to Voldemort's recent defeats, all
of the Death Eater threats in other continents was all but destroyed by
the local forces.
Centaurs had completely left the Forbidden Forest, save for a few who
remained on constant vigilance for any unseen attacks. The spiders that
dwelt there Harry figured would be enough to deter any small-scale
army. It would take Voldemort himself to carve a path through that
forest, and as such, Harry would have ample time to prepare.
The hills to the east were constantly roamed by Norbert and the goblins
had begun to dig into the ground there, creating their own little village.
Hogsmeade now had become a busy town, instead of just seeing a boom
when the students were let out of the castle, now they had constant
customers. With every passing day, wizards were becoming more and
more use to the dealings with goblins, and though Harry knew such
tensions between the two peoples would never be fully forgotten, they
learned they could at least tolerate one another.
As he stood there in the silence of the castle, a rare moment for him, a
brilliant flash of green came from above. A short letter floated slowly
down into his palm, the edges slightly burned. He looked up just in time
to see the magnificent the large faithful follower of Gellert, a Royal
Phoenix.
"This ought to be good." Harry muttered to himself as he unfurled the
note.
I agree to your terms. Get me what I wish, do not meddle in my affairs, and I
will forever remain away from your precious Kingdom's shores.
Harry re-read the letter multiple times before crumpling it up. It burst
into flames in his hand and fell to the floor in ashes. He waved his hand
and a chair formed beneath him just as he sat down at the table. Could
he agree to such terms? Agree to never doing anything about Gellert and
his city of slaves? At the same time, he had just secured his own citizens
from the possible threat of an evil wizard and if he were to refuse these
terms, he would risk their lives. This was something he would have to
think on for a while longer before replying.
Voldemort once more found himself walking into the depths of the
ancient castle. It was a maze of cold and dark hallways underneath and
would be easy to get lost in. He knew exactly where he was going
however, having just learned of its place from his new follower.
Down he went until he reached the same room, where once he turned left
to open a secret passage that led to Dumbledore's old tomb. Now though,
he continued straight, walking through a wooden door that led to
another dimly lit passage. The torchlight did very little to light the way
before him and so Riddle used his wand to create more.
He came upon stairs that went even further down. Here, cobwebs were
abundant but Riddle didn't mind them. Down he went until he came to a
landing. Water had flooded this hall, leaking in from a nearby cave
where a river ran through. This river was the castle's main water supply
and had served the defenders of it for centuries.
At this landing, he flicked his wand and spoke a few short words in Latin.
A door formed in the stone-brick, moving to the side all on its own. A
blast of cold air hit Riddle, making even him shiver. It was pitch black
inside the newly opened room and so Riddle flicked his wand once more
and a bright silver ball moved into it, illuminating the room completely.
What was most odd was that no water rushed into the room, instead it
stayed perfectly still at the edge of the door.
Riddle stepped in and gazed all around. Carvings of all kinds were
scattered throughout, etched into the walls with crude instruments. Tom
could make out hieroglyphics, Latin, Greek, Persian, and even Japanese
words and pictures. Each carving glowed a soft blue that grew brighter
the closer Tom got to them. He kept his distance from the walls, for fear
of some kind of trap. Dumbledore hadn't warned him of these symbols
and he didn't quite have the knowledge in ancient languages to
determine if they were safe.
In the middle of the room he found an old and dusty wooden chest. On
this chest were many of the same runes that were inscribed on the walls.
He looked all around it and began to decipher what he could, but found
his knowledge truly lacking in the area. The old Headmaster was smart,
smarter than even himself when it came to things like these.
As he was bent over, slowly moving his wand over the chest in order to
read some of the ancient runes, his finger barely brushed the wood. The
runes immediately flashed a cold and hollow green before turning angry
red. The chest began to grow large, forcing Riddle to take several steps
backwards. The red runes began to grow brighter and brighter with every
passing second until Riddle could no longer look at the chest and had to
shield his eyes from the light.
He used his hand to guide himself backwards, searching for the door he
had walked through, but now he only felt stone walls. He was trapped
with Dumbledore's chest. Even with his eyes closed he could still see the
angry red light, growing even brighter. A heat swept throughout the
room, and soon it felt like Riddle had stepped into a furnace. A sharp
pain began to burn within his forehead and he clutched at it, a cry
escaping his lips. He dropped to his knee's from the pain in his head and
could tell he was soon to pass out.
Then, all of a sudden, everything went cold and dark. Nothing sounded,
only the slow drip of water leaking from the old ceiling. Riddle slowly
opened his eyes, his body still shaking from the pain that had also
vanished from his head. All of the runes upon the walls had once again
turned blue but on the chest, the runes were silver and gold. Two iron
latches which had kept the chest closed were now unlocked.
Riddle slowly reached for the chest, his hand shaking somewhat from the
fear of what happened before. His hand touched the cold wood, but
nothing happened. He opened the lid of the chest and found an old,
gnarled black wand, and two things he long strived to find. A sinister
smile formed on his pale lips as he reached for the two items.
His bony fingers clutched a large red stone that had swirls of gold. He
held it up in front of him to get a better look at it. The Philosopher's
Stone. A powerful warmth came from it and the feeling of youth filled his
body. He looked hopeful to his skin, wishing to see it return from the
scaly and pale visage it had become, but found himself disappointed. He
knew he looked the same, warped by his years of dark magic and his
recent resurrection. Part of him had hoped to return to that youthful boy
he once was, but it was never to be.
A greater feeling formed in the pit of his stomach however. He felt the
same strength he once had when he was young. His power had been
reformed. Riddle reached into his wispy cloak and grasped the handle of
the Elder Wand. A warm wind swept through the room and Voldemort
could feel the tangible power in the air. Two ancient items, reunited once
more. He now knew what made Dumbledore one of the most powerful
wizards in the world.
Placing the stone into his pocket, he reached down and once more held
one of his most prized possessions in his hand. Slytherin's Locket, as cold
and beautiful as ever. He could still feel the darkness of his soul resting
within it. This was it, he knew. The last piece of his soul still bound to
this Earth, his most precious item he had. In this day, there was only one
person he could ever hope to trust with this. He wished to keep
something like this away from her, knowing it would make her a target,
but now he was forced to do so.
Riddle slipped the Locket into another of his pockets, grabbed the old
wand, and shut the chest. The silver and gold runes flashed white before
returning to a blue color. He found the door open once more, and walked
out, back into the cold and damp underworld of the castle.
The Shadow King enjoyed the feeling of the fresh air upon his skin. It had
been a long time since he had left his castle, having no cause to do so
until now. His black robes swished around him as he sat atop his faithful
friend. Her giant wings flapped strongly against the wind, and though she
worked tirelessly and the journey was difficult for her, she made his
journey effortless and comfortable. Alloria was one of a kind and there
was no one her greater.
Below him the lush green countryside rushed by. He hated the look of the
land, such a place sickened him. He had been gone too long, the muggles
and their expansive cities, uncaring for the wizards that hid away behind
wards. His people had become spineless fools, peasants compared to the
muggles who built ridiculous contraptions. An iron tube he saw not long
ago, how it travelled, even faster than Alloria, was truly a marvel. How
such lowly beings could surpass his kind in ingenuity he did not know,
but now he saw he needed to rectify this problem. His people needed true
guidance.
Countryside gave way to small hills which began to grow ever taller,
forcing Alloria to climb high into the clouds. They flew over white peaks
and deep valleys filled with crystal clear water. Eventually a small sleepy
town began to come into view and Alloria descended until she soared
only a few hundred feet above it. A deep and great shadow formed
underneath her and some muggles cried out in fright, thinking an
airplane was making a low pass over the area.
Alloria continued over the town and made break for an open field that
began to sweep upwards, forming into a mountain. Crested into the
mountain was a snow covered castle, smoke coming from recently lit
fires upon her walls. Alloria let out a deafening roar that shook the entire
castle and all those in it. Cries of fear and surprise echoed the roar and
the Shadow King laughed, watching as the figures below ran to the cover
of any nearby building. His sight however was taken by a lone figure that
stood upon the roof of the keep, unmoving.
The Shadow King ordered Alloria to slow and she beat her wings harshly
against the cool air, coming to a halt just in front of the lone, unflinching
man. The lone man was shrouded in dark robes and kept his head bowed.
"I didn't expect you here so soon." Came Riddle's voice from underneath
the hood.
"Maybe your lack of foresight is why you have come for my assistance."
The Shadow King replied harshly. "Your men flee at the very sight of me.
Maybe you need more than just my foresight."
Voldemort bit back a sharp reply and simply kept quiet. He watched the
Shadow King slide off the dragons back, dropping a few feet onto the roof
of the keep to be level with him. The two were of the same height, and
the Shadow King held himself as if an old man. A wooden staff with an
odd blue gem pulsated with power and the king put his full weight onto
it. Alloria rose high into the sky, batting her great wings and forcing
Riddle to shield himself from the powerful wind that followed. The great
dragon soared into the sky and disappeared into the clouds.
He slowly walked over to Voldemort, "Assemble your forces. I wish to see
them." He hissed, continuing to hobble by Riddle and disappearing
through a door which led down into the castle. Orders, they were not
something Tom was used to taking, but for now he knew what was best.
He simply walked to the edge of the keep and looked down, gazing over
his domain.
Below him he saw many of his followers who had been frightened by the
great dragon, returning from their holes. Amongst them he saw a wizard
dressed in silver robes, the light reflecting off of him with true brilliance
and power. Dumbledore was risen from the grave once more, but was no
longer the same man he was before. His eyes had turned red to match
Riddle's and his silver hair and beard was turned black as the night with
streaks of silver and red running through them.
Sensing the eyes of Voldemort upon him, Dumbledore looked up. "See to
the men. Have them assembled in the courtyard." Voldemort shouted to
him from above. Dumbledore simply nodded and turned, saying a few
soft words to a nearby soldier. Word quickly spread through the castle
and soon every soldier in Voldemort's command was assembled in the
castle for the viewing of the Shadow King.
Voldemort stepped outside into the main courtyard with the Shadow
King by his side. It was a large area with high, thick walls on all sides.
Tall towers were placed every thirty meters that had roofs of wood. The
gate was on the far side, opposite the keep, and was the most protected
place in the castle. Just outside the inner walls was a second wall, not as
broad or tall, but still well-built. Inside was a small village where most of
the soldiers lived. Always guards patrolled both walls, ever vigilant.
Dumbledore stood still in front of the assembled army and he clutched
his gnarled black wand. His eyes were cold and distant. They didn't burn
with the same desire and rage and power that Voldemort's did, instead
the emotions of the broken old man were kept deep within himself. He
had said very little ever since being re-animated and Voldemort wasn't
too sure he was anything but a husk of the former great wizard.
The Shadow King stepped onto the grass that made up the courtyard and
walked over to the lines of wizards, corrupted goblins, and werewolves.
The one and a half thousand soldiers were all Voldemort had left in his
retinue, save for a single dementor and a handful of Vikings. He knew of
their horcruxes, that each one of those warriors could potentially become
whole once again, but that would take too much time to coordinate and
Voldemort couldn't spend that time in waiting. Potter was becoming too
powerful and needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
"Is this it?" The Shadow King asked in hoarse whisper.
"It is." Voldemort said quickly. "Potter has more troops at his disposal,
and I am told he is still gathering more from around the world with each
passing day."
The Shadow King continued to walk up and down each individual row of
soldiers. He looked at them, even asked a few questions here and there.
Throughout it all, his hood was kept low over his face so that only
shadow could be seen. His black robe hung loosely around him and it
looked more for comfort than for practicality.
"It will do." The Shadow King finally said to Voldemort after an hour of
walking the lines, looking over every single individual soldier assembled
in the courtyard.
This took Voldemort by surprise. He was expecting anger or frustration,
not a simple 'It will do.' "What?" Voldemort asked without thinking.
"Come with me." He responded. Riddle did as asked and walked with the
Shadow King. They stepped back inside the keep, the fireplace roaring
not far away, keeping the large room warm. A throne made of solid black
wood was placed at its center, sitting upon a stone pedestal that one had
to climb a few steps to reach. Red carpet with gold trimmings and a
silver flowery design flowed up to the throne. On the walls were rich oil
paintings of a time long passed, showing the previous rulers of this castle.
Dumbledore's portrait was even there, at the far end of the hall behind
the throne. Just above it was a large stain glass window depicting a
medieval battle. Knights clashed with one another upon an open green
field, the sun shining high and a Christian cross blazed with golden glory
in the background.
The Shadow King ascended the throne, the same seat Dumbledore had
once sat, the same seat that just a few hours ago Voldemort had sat as
well. He took his place and stared back at Voldemort, almost daring a
reaction. Riddle though kept himself calm, biting a cold remark.
"An army does not win a war." The Shadow King said at last. The stain
glass window bathed his black robes in colorful light, and for the first
time, Riddle got a look at his eyes. Deep rich purple mixed with golden
specks that showed a power unlike anything he could ever imagine.
"Individuals who command armies win wars. You have not managed your
forces properly, which is why you have lost your war."
"He did not lose it." Marie came out from the shadows of the hall and
took her place beside Tom, in front of the Shadow King.
A sickly chuckle came from the darkened hood, "Oh? He didn't?" A short
pause followed as he regained his composure. He cleared his throat and
spoke once more, "If he had won, why are any of us here? If he were
winning, why would he have need of me? You need me, that is why you
have asked me to come, to take command and win your war. And do not
worry, I will win this war, as I have done so for over a thousand years.
Once I have my prize, I will once again leave you to your troubles."
"And your prize?" Riddle asked.
"Just a stolen sword."
Grindelwald paced back and forth high upon the rafters of his white
keep. It glowed in the pale moonlight of the full moon. Millions of stars
showed down upon him like tiny diamonds and the cold wind that blew
forced himself to be wrapped in heavy cloaks that whipped behind him
like a cape. Three days ago he had been forced into accepting Potter's
terms, ones he had no real desire to abide by. He just had to find a way
to kill Potter. A plan had formed in his head since the beginning. But that
wand was in the hands of his oldest rival, and it would be very difficult
to rid him of it.
Potter needed to win the war, he needed to kill Dumbledore, and during
the chaos of battle, he had to be there to take the Elder wand for himself.
That was the only way he could think of. All of his knowledge, his long
years spent studying, and this stupid plan was all that came to mind. So
many things could go wrong, worst being Potter taking the wand for
himself. Luck is what he needed, but the Lady had abandoned him long
ago.
As he gazed out at his city, off in the distance he began to hear what
sounded like a drumbeat. He looked out to where he thought the sound
was coming from, but his eyes only saw the pale gold of a wheat field.
The drumbeat began to grow louder and closer with every passing
moment. As the drum became close, a fierce chill wind came with it.
Gellert wrapped his heavy cloaks around him further, trying to beat back
the cold.
His eyes caught something in the night sky, a shadow that was briefly
illuminated by the moon. He peered outwards, but didn't catch sight of it
again. The drumbeat turned into the sound of great wings that beat
heavily in the air. Gellert's eyes widened when he realized what it was,
but it was too late for him to react.
A great black dragon descended from nowhere and hovered only meters
from his keep. Upon its back was a cloaked figure who carried a glowing
blue staff. The dragon let out a menacing roar, the vibration of it shook
the entire city. Below, Gellert could hear screams coming from those that
spotted the dragon hovering above them.
"Who are you!" Gellert demanded as he reached for his wands. The
shrouded figure was quick, far quicker than him, and raised his staff high
into the sky. A pale blue stream of light jetted from its tip and quickly
surrounded Gellert. Grindelwald found himself unable to move, only his
head could do so.
"I am your King!" The shrouded figure hissed angrily. With it came
another blast of cool air. "I have need of your assistance in the matter of
a usurper. Help me, and I will give you the world. Refuse me, and I will
kill you here, now."
A million things rushed into Gellert's mind, the biggest thing being panic.
Never before did he feel so much fear pass through him. The dragon
looked ready to swallow him whole at even the slightest nod of approval
from its master, and he wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it. No
amount of wandless magic was strong enough to break the bond he found
himself in. In fact, he quickly found that any amount of magic he tried to
use at this moment was draining him.
Who was this person? His king? Only one name floated to his mind, but
that man was long dead. He couldn't be here. Yet something in his gut
told him that the shrouded man before him was that dead man. How was
he here?
"Who is this usurper?" Gellert asked, his voice trembling. He would like
to say it was from the cold, but he knew it really was from fear. A
darkness oozed out of this shadowed man, a darkness unlike anything he
had ever felt before.
A cold and sinister laugh came from the shadow. "You know him well.
You have helped to train him."
Potter? Grindelwald's mind buzzed again as a million thoughts flooded
into it. What did the boy do to make such an enemy? Then it hit him all
at once, the sword. Excalibur now gleamed brightly on the boy's hip and
this man had come back for it once more. This was a man that could
indeed give him the world, and kill Potter, freeing him from that hated
tether. A smile formed on Gellert's lips. He had but to play a small part
now and reap the rewards of it.
"I will help in any way I can, my king." Gellert said.
"Good." Came the cold reply of his new master. The shadow lifted one leg
over the dragons back and slid to the floor, hitting it with a thud. A black
robe hung loosely over the King, and his hood blocked out any light save
for his eyes which glowed gold and purple. "We have much to discuss."
49. The Three Wizards
"Are you going to the match tomorrow?" Katie asked. She was sitting
down next to Harry at the Gryffindor table, along with many of their
other friends. Neville sat to the other side of him and they were enjoying
small talk, something Harry so often missed ever since stepping into his
new role. Fleur sat at the Ravenclaw table this evening with Aimee,
Daphne, and Tracy. It was a quiet night, thankfully one of many over the
last few weeks.
"You better be there! It's the last game of the season!" Alicia quickly
added. Fred and George nodded their heads as well as many of the other
students who listened in on the conversation. Harry hadn't yet been to a
single Quidditch match this year, something he regretted. He loved to fly
and play the game, but now that he was expected to put his talents
elsewhere, he didn't have much wish to be around the game he sorely
missed.
Harry chuckled as many others began to demand his presence at the
Gryffindor-Slytherin match that was taking place tomorrow. He had no
excuse to refuse them as things had been rather quiet these last few
weeks. Spring was beginning to move into Scotland and the snows had all
gone. Warmer weather was once more upon them, something Harry was
grateful for.
Voldemort had yet to show himself after the ministry battle and it was
becoming very worrying for Harry. Something was happening, that much
he could feel, but what was concerning was that Voldemort had to be
swelling his ranks somehow. There was no other reason for Voldemort to
not be attacking. He now must be waiting for the perfect opportunity to
attack, but when would that opportunity ever come? Harry knew his
position well, knew that he most likely he had more soldiers at his
command. Riddle had to have something up his sleeve, otherwise,
knowing Tom, he would have struck out quickly after the ministry in
order to preserve his ever so fearsome reputation.
The people of England no longer have the same fear of the man as they
once did. Harry showed them that the Dark Lord could be beaten, that
the Light could prevail. Even though the forces of the Light were stronger
than they had been in many years, Harry knew well that if one wrong
fight was taken, they could lose everything it had gained in the last year.
One mistake by him could be deadly to millions and the pressure Harry
felt was almost unbearable. If it weren't for Fleur, or these times like now
in the Great Hall, he would have long ago succumbed to the weight of
the world.
"I'll be there." Harry said to the sound of cheers.
Sirius looked down at Harry from his place at the staff table. He sat with
Emmy who was now very pregnant and was any day now expecting their
first child. Neither wanted to know the sex of the baby until it was
birthed and so Fleur had already gone out and bought many items for
both genders. Harry thought she was more excited about this baby than
even Sirius and Emmy, since she was named the godmother and Harry
the godfather.
Sirius, though he didn't understand the pressures his godson was facing,
he understood that it was taking a toll on him. He looked older, older
than he should be for a boy of his age, if he really was a boy any more.
That sword that gleamed ever on his hip had changed Harry
dramatically, to the point he looked just like his best friend. They were so
similar looking now that at times Sirius had to stop himself from calling
him James.
If Lily and James were alive this day, they both would be so proud, and
so scared and worried for Harry's future. At the same time, they would
probably curse Sirius to hell and back for how things occurred in Harry's
life. The smile on Sirius' face turned to one of happiness as he watched
Harry laugh at a joke from one of the Weasley twins. It was always good
to see his godson smile, something he hadn't been doing much lately.
He knew his godson was becoming increasingly worried about the state
of the war. No matter how many people reassured him that Voldemort
wasn't doing anything because he was in no place to attack anywhere,
Harry was still constantly bothered by the quiet. A young King with the
worries of a nation upon his shoulders was a difficult thing to watch. If
Sirius could take away those worries, he woulddo so in a heartbeat, but
he wasn't the person that could.
His eyes drifted to Fleur who sat laughing with her blue-haired friend at
the end of the Ravenclaw table. There wasn't any other young woman in
the world he would ever deem worthy for Harry. She was completely
perfect for him and both thought the world of each other. He knew both
had begun to talk marriage, and the way the castle ghosts and goblins
acted around Fleur now, it was as if they already saw her as a Queen.
Everywhere she went these days while within the castle, ghosts,
paintings, and goblins would bow to her. Even Firenze would bow to her
when he roamed the castle grounds with his pack. It truly was a sight to
watch, and she looked the part attention in stride. She always found time
for everyone that approached her, speaking in her musical, soft voice.
Her allure was constantly tamed back when around the males, but
something was different about it now. It wasn't as strong as it was before,
like her very nature recognized she no longer really needed it.
If ever there was a couple he could bow to, it would be those two. Many
of those in England felt the same way, that the time of the ministry was
coming to a close and that stronger leadership was needed when moving
forward. Many saw Excalibur as Harry's rightful place to take the throne
of England, some even believed that he had the right to rule over all
magical-kind. Others only saw the sword as just that, a sword, and Harry
as a boy who had no place at the table of politics. It would be a debate
for another time and Sirius knew that if Harry could have his way, it
would be to relax quietly after the war with Fleur. Harry was now used
to not having his way however and understood that if asked to become
King, it would be his duty to respond to the call.
Sirius watched as Harry's face briefly contorted into one of pain. He
quickly clutched at his chest where Sirius knew was his tattoo that was
connected to the other Ghosts. Immediately Sirius grew worried when
Harry abruptly stood up and looked to Fleur with a reassuring smile. She
saw his pain as well and looked ready to bolt over to him and wrap her
arms around him, but she kept her composure and simply blew him a
kiss.
Harry's eyes then turned to Sirius and he winked just before Fawkes
appeared and flashed away with Harry in a ball of bright orange flame.
The entire hall fell into a hushed silence, the only thing moving was
Cedric who quietly slipped out of one of the side doors.
"Begin the assault!" The Shadow King muttered, his voice hoarse and
cold. It carried with power across the night sky, as if it were a cold wind.
The battle lines had been drawn, a thousand and a half men and goblins
and beasts charged at once. Their target was a seemingly innocent
cottage that sat in a small lush green valley. Voldemort stood beside the
Shadow King, his black cloak whipping around his pale frame. The both
of them sat upon a hill to overlook the battle, their figures illuminated by
the moon which shown through the clouds.
Dumbledore led the charge and he was easy to spot at the front of the
army. His cloak was bright silver that gleamed under the night sky, and
he held his wand out before him, already a jet of blue streaming from its
gnarled tip. All around the silver wizard others charged, the werewolves
beginning to overtake their leader. A lone dementor floated along,
without care for the others, his own pace bringing a different level of fear
and strength to the battle.
The lone cottage began to illuminate with lights and soon several jets of
red, blue, and green shot across the valley and towards the charging
army. The spells hit a few unfortunate souls, sending them flying back
without limbs or life. The Shadow King merely smiled, taking in a deep
breath as he watched once more a world wage war upon itself. He was
home at last, in the chaos of life.
The few French Aurors who were left to defend this once thought hidden
outpost had little chance. The opposing numbers were far too great and it
didn't take long for the quick werewolves to be at the door and bursting
it down. Inside was their target, a small fireplace which acted as the
emergency ministry floo network.
Quickly tearing apart the few aurors that guarded the fireplace, the
werewolves took hold of the cottage and waited for the other part of the
army. Dumbledore was the first through the door and quickly took
charge of the werewolves, some who were still feeding on their fresh
kills. He flicked his wand and the fireplace roared to life, sickly green
flames spewing from it.
"Through the fire!" Dumbledore commanded, and at once, the
werewolves dove into the flames, disappearing from view. Dumbledore
soon did the same, ordering the corrupted goblins to follow him with the
rest of the Death Eaters coming in last, commanded by Voldemort. All of
them could easily sprint through the network as if it were a portal. It was
built in such a way for the minister to escape quickly, but that idea had
now backfired.
Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace and into the chaos that now
surrounded him. The floo they had taken opened into a small room
where two aurors, their white robes stained with blood, lied on the floor
as the last of their life left them. Albus took no time to look at them,
simply stepping over their bodies and opened up another door on the far
side of the room. He walked into a large office he knew to be the aurors
main office. Papers were flying everywhere, chairs were toppled over,
desks overturned.
The first thing he heard were the screams of innocents as they ran wildly
around, being chased by the bloodthirsty werewolves who took their prey
at will. Pandemonium had erupted within the halls of the French
Ministry, and soon, silence would follow as they killed every living soul.
A cruel smiled formed on his thin lips.
Dumbledore had his mission, so he left the werewolves to do as they
wished, and walked out of the offices they wreaked havoc in. He found
himself in a narrow hallway, and with a swish of his wand, he sent an
auror who bravely tried to stop him, flying across the hall and hitting the
far wall with a heavy crunch.
As he continued down the hall in search of his prize, the door behind him
burst open and Voldemort stormed out with a band of Death Eaters
behind him. Riddle glanced at Dumbledore before continuing the
opposite way towards where the battle raged most fierce. Another small
group of aurors had rushed out from other doors in a desperate attempt
to stop the initial forces before the entire army of Voldemort could rush
through the single portal.
Dumbledore left them to their battle and turned the corner, finding
himself face to face with a set of splendid wooden doors. They were very
well crafted and had been recently polished. He flicked his wand and
turned the doors to ash and continued through the hole and into the
office. He peered around with his hollow eyes and found nothing, which
only enraged him.
He began to lash out with his wand, turning it into a flame whip which
he cut across the room, destroying everything in its path. Papers, books,
and furniture were sent flying everywhere. His whip then connected with
a bookshelf that rested behind a large mahogany desk, and instead of the
shelf being destroyed like the others, his flame whip simply bounced off
of it.
He approached the bookshelf curiously and found on the corners, two
small runes that barely glowed. A smile spread across Dumbledore's grim
features, and it looked very much unlike him, and more like Riddle. He
raised his wand and put his full power into his next spell. A red ball of
energy jetted from his wand and slammed into the bookshelf, causing it
to explode. It hit with so much power that it shook the entire building
itself.
When the dust and debris cleared, Dumbledore could see, huddled in the
corner of a small room were two men and a woman, cowering. All three
had their wands out, but were still shell-shocked from the blast. One was
able to quickly get over his shock, an older man in pure white robes like
the aurors, but he also had gold lettering and a badge upon his left
breast. The man tried to curse Dumbledore, but the spell was far too slow
and the man looked beat up from the blast, blood pouring from his nose
and ears.
Albus easily blocked the curse and answered with a quick flash of green,
dropping the auror where he stood. The body fell lifeless to the floor and
the woman next to him screamed. A second flash of green silenced her
and Dumbledore turned to the last victim, the one he was really after.
"Please!" The man shouted. He looked worse off than the other two had.
He was drenched in blood, a cut on his abdomen and left arm the
culprits. He was also older than the others and had on much more fine
clothing. "I have children." He pleaded.
His words were met with nothing more than a cold smile. Dumbledore
flicked his wand once more, and a third flash of green lit up the small
room. He then turned and left to rejoin his master in the slaughter of the
ministry.
Harry apparated directly into the main hall of the French Ministry. It was
as wide as the Great Hall and made completely of white marble. The hall
stretched on as far as the eye could see and on its walls were many fine
paintings. The statues which once had sat lifeless upon pedestals, were
roaming the hall in defense of the ministry.
Around him the Ghosts appeared, their bodies forming from black smoke.
Their latest recruit had newly donned the black mask and was eager to
participate in his first real battle. He looked around with some unease,
his wand out and ready to fight as he was taught.
Screams echoed throughout the hall and people were running left and
right, trying to find an escape. Just as he landed in the hall, Harry could
feel the beginnings of anti-apparition wards being placed around the
building. They had been lucky to respond as quick as they did, otherwise
help wouldn't have reached these people in time.
Harry caught a flash of white from the crowd of scared citizens which
began to gather around the Ghosts. They knew who they were, all of
Europe did, and Excalibur which gleamed on Harry's back was an easy
thing to spot. That and the fact Harry didn't bother to wear a mask
anymore, the gold mask once worn by Specter he had passed over to
Reaper.
"What's the situation?" Harry asked the white robed auror.
"The minister's and auror's offices were hit first. Voldemort and
Dumbledore are there!" This brought many cries of fear from ministry
workers. Banshee shot off a rocket which quickly silenced everyone.
"Did the minister get out?" Harry asked once it was quiet. The auror
looked grim and shook his head in response. "Right, we need to set up a
defensive line here. Have every able auror protect these people. My team
and I will go in search of the minister. Reinforcements will come as soon
as the wards keeping us from leaving are broken down. Demon, work on
that as quickly as possible. I don't want to get stuck down here with an
army charging us." Demon was already beginning to work on the wards
before Harry had even said anything.
Harry motioned for Banshee and Angel to start moving forward. As if
recognizing Harry's authority over the situation, the stone statues also
began to form into the defensive line of the few aurors who yet remained
alive. All of the ministries had gone to skeleton crews, diverting most of
their forces to England. Very few aurors remained within the building,
and the ones that did weren't the most experienced.
As Harry and the Ghosts began to break away from the gathered group
which huddled in the middle of the hall next to the apparition point, at
the far end Harry could see the beginnings of a spell fight appear. He
watched as an auror was blasted off his feet and a stone statue was
turned into dust. A large swarm of black cloaked soldiers appeared
around the corner and immediately began to launch spells at them.
Banshee and Angel who had ran ahead were the first to engage the line
of Death Eaters which began to slowly move down the hall like a wave of
black. Harry ran up to meet them with the other Ghosts in tow, all
hurling spell after spell. He quickly blasted a whole into their lines and
didn't stop his sprint. Instead he sheathed his yew wand while at the
same time sending Godric forth.
The great lion leapt high into the air and pounced down upon several
Death Eaters at once, a spray of blood flying into the air as his giant
claws ripped through human flesh. Harry pulled Excalibur from his back
and smashed into the line of Death Eaters, taking them by surprise for
getting in so close. Wizards often times weren't used to fighting someone
so close to them.
He hacked and slashed, covering himself in blood as limb and head flew
in every direction. He swung with quick, practiced precision, his lessons
from Olaf paying off greatly. "Potter!" Harry heard the familiar voice of
Voldemort hiss angrily. Harry had charged completely through the entire
formation of the Death Eaters and had come out the other side to find
himself facing Riddle. The Ghosts continued to fight the Death Eaters and
Godric tore his way across the lines, biting down on any unsuspecting
foe. The Death Eaters didn't bother turning around to curse him in the
back which meant they already knew this was going to happen and were
given orders not to do so.
"Riddle." Harry answered, sheathing a bloody Excalibur and once again
pulling out his yew wand. "Getting a bit desperate to be attacking this
place?" Even with being separated from the Ghosts, he knew he could
defeat Riddle in a straight up duel.
It wasn't the laugh that followed but the way in which Riddle smiled that
raised the hair on the back of Harry's neck. It was one of victory, as if he
had a card up his sleeve and Harry had walked right into his trap.
Immediately Harry looked around, but only saw his soldiers continuing
to fight, and slowly winning that fight.
"Your time has finally come Potter." Riddle responded, a cold sneer on his
face.
Harry kept his cool however, not wishing to show the sudden panic that
began to build in the pit of his stomach. He continued to look around for
hidden dangers, but still found nothing. "And why is that Riddle? I've
beaten you plenty of times, the world knows you are no match for me."
"That will change!" Riddle snapped, anger building in his voice. He raised
his wand and Harry noticed his hand was fixed and no longer gold.
Riddle sent a black ball of light towards him. Harry jumped to the side
with ease and responded with his own string of spells. Riddle blocked or
dodged them all, sending what spells he could back at Harry. Voldemort
was quickly finding the same problems of Dumbledore, that even with
the Elder Wand and the Philosopher's Stone in his possession, something
wasn't quite right. The wand had accepted him, he knew that. It felt
right, like he was pouring water from his fingertips when he used the
wand. But whenever he tried to use the wand against Potter, it felt like
the wand was slightly fighting him, that it didn't wish to harm the boy-
king. It was also another problem that Potter was extremely talented and
powerful, more so than even himself now.
As such, he quickly found himself on the back foot, only able to get a few
attacks off compared to Harry's many. He quickly knew he couldn't keep
this defensive game up for long so Riddle reached into his mind and
summoned his new pet. It only took a few seconds for Dumbledore to run
around the corner, his wand already blazing with ferocity.
Harry was taken aback by the sudden appearance of Dumbledore, no less
a Dumbledore who looked nothing like the aged Headmaster he once
knew. This old man was devoid of all life, Harry could easily see it in the
man's now red eyes. His hair was no longer silver as it once had been,
instead it was jet black with silver and red streaks. The wand he once
used was gone as well, and the new wands color was as black as his hair.
The two older wizards pressed the attack against Harry, but he was able
to handle them. Using both wands, one to press a constant attack while
the other defended, he was able to hold both wizards off and get in a few
shots of his own. Harry didn't notice that the corrupted goblins along
with a few werewolves had entered the battlefield and were streaming
passed the Ghosts who were still struggling to deal with the Death Eaters
who ran into the hall in seemingly endless waves.
His entire focus was on the two wizards in front of him, none uttering a
single word as they all looked to kill. No killing curses were used, this
being far beyond such a common and easy to block spell. Every spell used
was deadly in their own right as a game of chess began to develop. Harry
began to recognize patterns in the two wizards and crutch spells they
relied on.
He began to dance around, using his shields less and less in order to
conserve his energy. He bided his time, waiting for the perfect
opportunity to strike since both wizards were doing well in covering each
other's tracks. It was as if both wizards could talk to one another
telepathically with how well they coordinated.
Harry didn't notice that the Ghosts had been forced back, retreating
towards the civilians and other aurors who stood their ground by the
apparition point. The statues charged the battlefield, slamming into the
lines of Death Eaters who gave chase in order to give the Ghosts time to
make it back to the defensive line. Godric had also been forced to retreat,
being hit by a dozen spells, and since he couldn't return to Harry's wand,
he had to preserve his own life.
He could see that the two older wizards were beginning to tire as the
battle continued on. Duels usually lasted only a minute but this was
closing in on five and even Harry was showing signs of fatigue. That was
when the moment opened for Harry. Riddle let his guard down in order
to preserve energy and so Harry aimed his wand carefully and let loose
with a cutting curse, aimed directly for Riddle's head.
The snake-like man's eyes went wide, knowing that death was awaiting
him from that red flash. He had no time to dodge the spell and simply
accepted it. The spell never hit however as a silver shield formed in front
of Voldemort.
Harry's eyes widened at the sight of the spell and he briefly dropped his
own guard. This gave Dumbledore time to connect with a piercing hex
which hit Harry in the shoulder, sending him spinning onto the floor. He
jumped back up to his feet just in time as a bone-breaker hex smashed
into the ground where he once was.
A dark-robed man entered into the fight, his hood low over his head to
hide his face in shadow. He walked with a staff that pulsated violently
with blue light. The staff looked oddly familiar but Harry quickly cast the
thought aside as Riddle attacked him once more.
The appearance of this new contender seemed to invigorate Voldemort
and Dumbledore and they attacked with reckless abandon, forcing Harry
onto the complete defensive. The man with the staff didn't attack himself,
only watched, and on rare occasion, put up a shield to save one of his
allies.
Harry could feel himself losing the fight, fatigue beginning to take him,
and the loss of blood from the open wound in his shoulder wasn't
helping. He continued to fight as best he could, but now that he couldn't
press any kind of attack, he knew he was in a dire situation. Sweat began
to pour down his face as fatigue turned into exhaustion and each
expenditure of magic was draining him more and more.
A blue pulse of magic from the shadow wizards staff fled from its tip and
wrapped Dumbledore and Voldemort in a pale silver light. Both wizards
looked immediately relieved of their own exhaustion and the spells they
sent at Harry hit like cannons against his weakened shields. His arms felt
like they were ready to wither and die due to how tired he was getting
and it was a struggle not only to cast magic, but to simply move.
He couldn't keep this up for much longer and so he began to look for a
way out. Whenever possible, he glanced around him to get the lay of the
battlefield. Bodies were all around the area, mostly those with the white
masks and black garb of Death Eaters and one with a golden mask and
dark robes. Harry shoved that sight way deep into the back of his mind
and refocused on his fight.
Anyone that could potentially help him was a hundred meters away and
still fighting their own battle as a wave of Death Eaters descended upon
the final defensive line. He had no one to save him this time and so he
had to look for his own escape.
His vision began to blur as he was nearing magical exhaustion, each spell
from Dumbledore and Riddle hitting his shield like hammers chipping
away at an already broken wall. The shadowed man seemed to recognize
Harry's weakness and slammed the bottom of his staff into the floor. A
ripple ran through the ground as if an earthquake. Harry was too tired to
jump over it and so lost his footing and fell to the ground.
He barely got up his shield in time as a blasting hex hit it, sending a
shower of red sparks all around him. A green flash hurled at him and
Harry was barely able to roll to the side before it hit the ground, leaving
a scorch mark. As he rolled, another piercing hex hit him in the shin,
creating a two inch hole in his leg.
Harry cried out in pain and his vision began to blur even more, to the
point where he could barely even make out his enemies. A flash of red
filled his vision and Harry felt more pain in his right thigh as his femur
shattered from a bone-breaking hex.
The familiar flash of pale green once more lit up his vision. It was all he
could see, the jet of green light streaming from the shadowed man's staff.
Time slowed for a moment as Harry lay there, waiting for his death. It
was a familiar feeling to see that spell come for him. Only two years ago
he had seen that spell, expecting death to follow. He had been lucky
then, waking up in a hospital with his godfather looking over him. This
time, he wasn't so sure. Part of him hoped that when he woke up this
time he would see his mother, her promise to him fulfilled. He longed to
see her, hear her voice once more. That dream, if it even was a dream,
was so long ago and every night he wished to relive it. This green spell
may be his chance, but the thought also came with anger and fear.
Bright blue eyes and silver hair flashed into Harry's mind. He longed to
see his mother, but he longed to see Fleur even more. He wished to hold
her one last time, wished that their last moment was more than just a sad
smile shared across the hall. The faces of his people, the ones he vowed
to protect entered into his mind. He felt like he was giving up on them,
that he failed them and the world he worked so hard to build these last
years was all for naught. A single spell ended his dreams.
The green light flew ever closer and Harry closed his eyes, awaiting his
death, something that had escaped him for so long. Harry felt a brief
flash of pain in his head, then nothing as he succumbed to exhaustion
and unconsciousness.
"Get him out of here!" Gellert commanded to his soldiers as he charged
into the fight, his stone shield shattering from the strength of the killing
curse. A piece of the stone smashed Harry in the head and knocked him
out cold. Sir Mol, Sir Galdrey, and Olaf charged at Voldemort,
Dumbledore, and the Shadow King, their greatswords raised high over
their heads ready to swing down upon their foes with ferocity. Ragnok
appeared with a host of his kindred, and they quickly surrounded Harry
who lay unconscious, blood pooling beneath him from his various
wounds.
The Ghosts charged with Grindelwald, their wands working as quickly as
possible in order to aide in the attack against the three dark wizards.
Their newest recruit had half his mask blown off, revealing much of his
face. Cedric hurled spells as quickly as he could, an anger built up in him
as he watched Harry be carried a few meters away by several goblins. His
anger was fueled even more when he saw the golden mask of his teacher
lying bloodied on the ground. He quickly picked it up and placed it in his
pocket.
Once the goblins had grabbed hold of Harry's body, Fawkes flashed into
the fight and grabbed hold of Harry's wrist. The two disappeared in a
bright ball of fire. The goblins then charged what enemies they could.
The Death Eaters and corrupted goblins were all that remained of
Voldemort's forces, the werewolves and lone dementor had been slain.
The Death Eaters were forced backwards to take cover behind the three
dark wizards who held their ground.
The Shadow King moved his staff with lightning speed and its tip trailed
with blue smoke. Jets of all colors streamed from the staff, each spell
sending two or three people flying backwards, killing them instantly. The
spells from his staff were far more powerful than any other in the fight
and no one could stand up to his power and skill. Any spell that got close
to him simply withered and died and with every passing second, more
and more bodies fell at the King's feet. He was a whirlwind of black death
as goblins were sent flying and aurors who chanced an attack were hit by
Voldemort or Dumbledore.
The three dark wizards were proving too tough of an opponent without
Potter and so the remaining forces of the light were forced to quickly
flee. The anti-apparition wards were broken and so they were easily able
to apparate away. Gellert was the last to leave, no one seeing the small
bow to the Shadow King. Not even Voldemort saw the small gesture, he
being too angered with Potter once more escaping his grasp.
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